City Design and the Transmission of COVID-19

Abstract

We outline recent research in which Google maps were acquired for cities from across the globe. Using unique methods including convolutional neural networks and graph-based approaches, nine city designs were identified based on land-use characteristics such as road networks, public transit, green space and blue space. In this chapter, we assess the influence of these land-use characteristics in each of the city designs on the transmission ofCOVID-19 and hence the number of positive cases ofCOVID-19. The chapter highlights the role of city design with respect to the transmission of COVID-19 and particularly, on transmission of the virus in cities identified with high density road networks and public transit. The chapter concludes by discussing the potential policy implications arising from certain city designs and infectious disease out-breaks.