Zhuangyuan Fan, Maoran Sun, Tianyu Su, Sarah Williams
Working Paper
Retails, restaurants, and other urban amenities are critical indicators of street livelihood. The recent business restrictions coming with the COVID-19 pandemic have completely shifted how urban public spaces are being used. Many restaurants and retailers are either shut down or resorting to online services to maintain their business. The invisible cyber layer of cities is forced to take on further responsibilities in maintaining residents' basic daily demands. However, while cities are preparing for reopening, little is known if the past year's lockdown experience has shifted people’s habits and behaviors in cities. How do the online activities during the lockdown impact the offline activities during the intermediated reopening? How do we reimagine the urban public spaces given the further complicated social network effects introduced by a stronger cyber layer after the pandemic? These questions are still open to be explored.
