Investigating impacts of COVID-19 on urban mobility and emissions.

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted human activities in a way never documented in modern history. The prevention policies and measures have abruptly changed well-established urban mobility patterns. In this context, we exploit different sources of urban mobility data to gain insights into the effects of restrictive policies on the daily mobility and exhaust emissions in pandemic and post-pandemic periods. Manhattan, the most densely populated borough in New York City, is chosen as the study area. We collect data generated by taxis, sharing bikes, and road detectors between 2019 and 2021, and estimate exhaust emissions using the COPERT (Computer Programme to calculate Emissions from Road Transport) model. A comparative analysis is conducted to identify important changes in urban mobility and emission patterns, with a particular focus on the lockdown period in 2020 and its counterparts in 2019 and 2021. The results of the paper fuel the discussion on urban resilience and policy-making in a post pandemic world.