ABSTRACT
In this study we set out to understand how the changes in spatial mobility of people during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic influenced daytime spatial segregation. Rather than focusing on spatial separation, we approached this task from the perspective of daytime socio-spatial diversity – the degree to which people from socially different neighbourhoods share urban space during the day. By applying mobile phone data from Greater Stockholm, Sweden, the study examines weekly changes in 1) daytime social diversity across different types of neighbourhoods, and 2) population group's exposure to diversity in their main daytime activity locations. Our findings show a decline in daytime diversity in neighbourhoods when the pandemic broke out in mid-March 2020. The decrease in diversity was marked in urban centres, and significantly different in neighbourhoods with different socio-economic and ethnic compositions. Moreover, the decrease in people's exposure to diversity in their daytime activity locations was even more profound and long-lasting. In particular, isolation from diversity increased more among residents of high-income majority neighbourhoods than of low-income minority neighbourhoods. We conclude that while some COVID-19-induced changes might have been temporary, the increased flexibility in where people work and live might ultimately reinforce both residential and daytime segregation.
ABSTRACT
In this study, we set out to understand how the changes in daily mobility of people during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020 influenced daytime spatial segregation. Rather than focusing on spatial separation, we approached this task from the perspective of daytime socio-spatial diversity - the degree to which people from socially different neighbourhoods share urban space during the day. By applying mobile phone data from Greater Stockholm, Sweden, the study examines weekly changes in 1) daytime social diversity across different types of neighbourhoods, and 2) population groups' exposure to diversity in their main daytime activity locations. Our findings show a decline in daytime diversity in neighbourhoods when the pandemic broke out in mid-March 2020. The decrease in diversity was marked in urban centres, and significantly different in neighbourhoods with different socio-economic and ethnic compositions. Moreover, the decrease in people's exposure to diversity in their daytime activity locations was even more profound and long-lasting. In particular, isolation from diversity increased more among residents of high-income majority neighbourhoods than of low-income minority neighbourhoods. We conclude that while some COVID-19-induced changes might have been temporary, the increased flexibility in where people work and live might ultimately reinforce both residential and daytime segregation.
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis resulted in unprecedented changes in the spatial mobility of people across societies due to the restrictions imposed. This also resulted in unexpected mobility and population dynamics that created a challenge for crisis preparedness, including the mobility from cities during the crisis due to the underlying phenomenon of multi-local living. People changing their residences can spread the virus between regions and create situations in which health and emergency services are not prepared for the population increase. Here, our focus is on urban–rural mobility and the influence of multi-local living on population dynamics in Finland during the COVID-19 crisis in 2020. Results, based on three mobile phone datasets, showed a significant drop in inter-municipal mobility and a shift in the presence of people—a population decline in urban centres and an increase in rural areas, which is strongly correlated to secondary housing. This study highlights the need to improve crisis preparedness by: (1) acknowledging the growing importance of multi-local living, and (2) improving the use of novel data sources for monitoring population dynamics and mobility. Mobile phone data products have enormous potential, but attention should be paid to the varying methodologies and their possible impact on analysis.
ABSTRACT
The mobility restrictions related to COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in the biggest disruption to individual mobilities in modern times. The crisis is clearly spatial in nature, and examining the geographical aspect is important in understanding the broad implications of the pandemic. The avalanche of mobile Big Data makes it possible to study the spatial effects of the crisis with spatiotemporal detail at the national and global scales. However, the current crisis also highlights serious limitations in the readiness to take the advantage of mobile Big Data for social good, both within and beyond the interests of health sector. We propose two strategical pathways for the future use of mobile Big Data for societal impact assessment, addressing access to both raw mobile Big Data as well as aggregated data products. Both pathways require careful considerations of privacy issues, harmonized and transparent methodologies, and attention to the representativeness, reliability and continuity of data. The goal is to be better prepared to use mobile Big Data in future crises.