The impact of the pandemic caused by COVID-19 on air pollution in our cities is a proven fact, although its mechanisms are not known in great detail. The change in urban mobility patterns due to the restrictions imposed on the population during lockdown is a phenomenon that can be parameterized and studied from the perspective of spatial analysis. This study proposes an analysis of the guiding parameters of these changes from the perspective of spatial analysis. To do so, the case study of the city of Cartagena, a medium-sized city in Spain, has been analyzed throughout the period of mobility restrictions due to COVID-19. By means of a geostatistical analysis, changes in urban mobility patterns and the modal distribution of transport have been correlated with the evolution of environmental air quality indicators in the city. The results show that despite the positive effect of the pandemic in its beginnings on the environmental impact of urban mobility, the changes generated in the behavior patterns of current mobility users favor the most polluting modes of travel in cities.
Previous Article in event
Previous Article in session
Next Article in event
Air pollution Derivatives Linked to Changes in Urban Mobility Patterns during COVID-19: the Cartagena Case Study
Published:
27 October 2022
by MDPI
in The 4th International Electronic Conference on Environmental Research and Public Health — Climate Change and Health in a Broad Perspective
session Covid-19 in a Climate Perspective
Abstract:
Keywords: Air pollution; urban mobility; environmental impact; Cartagena; COVID-19