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ABSTRACT
This article explores and characterizes the pandemic urbanism of NYC during the first year of COVID-19. It analyzes changes to the sidewalk and the urban lifestyle using a novel method of remote ethnography: the integrated use of Zoom video conferencing and GPS smartphone tracking to interview participants as they walked and filmed the city. The dataset, composed of transcripts, videos, and routes, was analyzed to reveal recurring themes and visualized through individual Scrollytelling maps combined into one Supermap. The findings are broken down into: 1) changes to the sidewalk, including fewer people, more outdoor sports activity, signs of social distancing, signs of closure, more bikes, and construction; and 2) lifestyle changes, including longings for the urban lifestyle, new-formed solidarity, a renewed appreciation for the local neighborhood, an undercurrent of “moving out” of the city or “moving up” to a better neighborhood, and a difference between Manhattan and the boroughs.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Correction Statement
This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.
Notes
1. All links to the maps and the project’s website have been removed for anonymity reasons.
2. COVID-19 Data in New York, Retrieved November 3, 2021.
3. Interview date 01.19.2021.
4. Interview date 01.20.2021.
5. Interviews date 01.20.2021; 12.23.2020; 01.20.2021.
6. Interview date 01.19.2021.
7. Interview date 01.29.2021.
8. Interview 01.26.2021; 01.21.2021.
9. Interview date 12.16.2020.
10. Interview date 12.23.2020.
11. Interview date 12.16.2020.
12. Interview date 12.23.2020.
13. Interview date 01.26.2021.
14. Interview date 12.23.2020.