Urban forms and green infrastructure – the implications for public health during the COVID-19 pandemic

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ABSTRACT

Recent health issues have raised awareness among the general public and stimulated debate over the future forms of urban living. Those factors which enhance healthier environments are receiving broader recognition in maintaining the health of citizens in a time of pandemic. The current article explores the framework of ecosystem services to examine the temporary interventions introduced in response to the current challenges. These short-term adjustments may indicate possible pathways for the future. Analyses of the impacts of forms of urban settings and particularly of green infrastructure as a primary element which improves citizens’ health are used to support the reflections.

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KEYWORDS:

• Public health
• urban form
• ecosystem services
• COVID-19
• pandemic
• green infrastructure

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

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Małgorzata Hanzl

Małgorzata Hanzl holds a PhD with habilitation from Warsaw University of Technology. She works as Associate Professor of Urban Planning at Lodz University of Technology, Poland and also teaches in the Faculty of Architecture, Warsaw University of Technology. She was awarded the Fulbright Scholarship as a Visiting Researcher in SENSEable City Laboratory, MIT, Cambridge MA and is involved in the activities of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) as part of its Board of Directors (Head of the WG Publications).