Supporting Wellbeing During and After COVID-19 in Cities

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About this Research Topic

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Background

COVID-19 poses public health threats worldwide. Not only does it directly threaten life and health but also profoundly changes an individual’s behavior, which may further enhance the severity of non-communicable diseases. Urban environments have long been recognized as an important factor influencing people’s behaviors and wellbeing. Especially due to the restriction of outdoor activities during this time, previous studies on the relationship between urban environments and people’s wellbeing are becoming less applicable. This paves the way for us to explore how cities can support wellbeing in this context, and help with resilience building and recovery.

This Research Topic aims to collect papers that provide novel ideas and empirical results on how cities can better support people’s wellbeing during and after COVID-19. We are particularly interested in methodological and empirical contributions that demonstrate how cities can shape an individual’s health-related behavior during COVID-19, and whether this may lead to health inequities after the pandemic. For example, disadvantaged groups with limited access to health-related resources may become less physically active and more mentally stressed during COVID-19, which further leads to disparities in non-communicable diseases after the pandemic. New initiatives and programs related to urban policy and planning in response to COVID-19 are also welcomed as they can exemplify the ways in which cities can enhance their resilience against the pandemic.

A broad range of article types is welcomed to this Research Topic. They include Original Research, Systematic Reviews, Methods, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Hypotheses and Theories, Perspectives, Brief Research Reports, General Commentaries, and Opinions. Forthcoming contributions should pinpoint the methodological and theoretical state of the art of the topic and focus on the following themes in the context during and after COVID-19:
• The effects of urban environments on health outcomes including mental and physical health, physical activity, and behavioral aspects of individuals e.g. diet, nutrition, food consumption, smoking, and drinking
• Changes in transport modes
• Novel methods for assessing urban built environments e.g. park accessibility and their support towards wellbeing
• Social determinants and the resilience of cities in supporting wellbeing during and after COVID-19 (i.e., policy and commercial determinants of health)
• Differences in spatial behavior patterns between rural and urban residents
• New directions and practices in strategy and planning for healthy cities

Keywords: COVID-19, Public Health, Wellbeing, Mental Health, Physical Health, COVID-19 Transport, Urban Built Environments, Spatial Behavior Patterns, Healthy Cities, Health Inequities

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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