Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The COVID-19 coronavirus disease (SARS-CoV-2) has become a major concern for the research community and a major priority for the governments, in an attempt to forecast the spread and to manage the effects of the pandemic. Within this complex context of global awareness, the norms governing our world tend to move into a new balance and thus our conceptualization of spatial interaction, economy, and social life needs to be reconsidered through the perspective of the social distancing restrictions imposed for COVID-19 safety. This Special Issue aims to contribute to the understanding of how regional planning and development is affected by the defragment that COVID-19 is causing to the economy worldwide, at all levels on the geographical scale and at different periods, and to highlight avenues of managing the spatiotemporal effects of the pandemic toward a sustainable context. It welcomes well-founded mainly empirical research (although theoretical ones are also welcomed) which explores, studies, and examines aspects of regional planning and development within the context of the spatiotemporal assessment of COVID-19.

The Special Issue welcomes research that studies the spatiotemporal effects of the pandemic, at all levels of geographical scale (e.g., global, international, national, interregional, regional, and urban) and within any framework or temporal reference (e.g. daily, monthly, etc.). Overall, this Special Issue intends to contribute to the revision of the conceptual links between regional planning and development and sustainability, within the context of our changing world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to promote multidisciplinary research contributing to a better conceptualization of our wonderfully complex world.

Prof. Dr. Serafeim Polyzos
Dr. Dimitrios Tsiotas
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

COVID-19 spatial and temporal spread
Spatiotemporal effects of COVID-19
Regional planning and development
Spatial planning and development
Spatial and regional economics
Spatial analysis

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

29 pages, 8076 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Social Cohesion and Neighbor Interactions within Multifamily Apartment Buildings: Challenges of COVID-19 and Directions of Action

by Branislava Stoiljković

Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 738; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14020738 - 10 Jan 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2897

Abstract

Relations among neighbors are a key indicator of the strength of a local social community, contribute to social cohesion and are an important factor in achieving a higher level of social sustainability. On the other hand, the environment in which people live plays an important role in encouraging social contacts and developing relationships between people. In order to establish social interactions between neighbors within a multifamily apartment building (MFAB), it is necessary to provide adequate spaces for communication between residents. This was especially emphasized during the mobility restrictions caused by COVID-19, although this necessity is permanent. This paper analyzes the influence of the physical characteristics of common spaces in MFABs on the quality and intensity of contacts among residents of MFABs in the City of Niš, Serbia. In order to determine the current quality of these spaces as a physical framework for interactions among residents and to identify the wishes of users regarding interactions with neighbors in these spaces before and during COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, a survey was conducted. The analysis of the survey results and numerous examples of housing design led to (1) the formation of guidelines for future designs of MFABs and (2) recommendations for redefining the standards regulating the field of housing construction in the region, both applicable during the period of the pandemic and after it. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatiotemporal Effects of COVID-19 to Sustainable Regional Planning and Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 8048 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Mobility on the Spread of COVID-19 in Light of Regional Differences in the European Union

by Ali Cheshmehzangi, Maycon Sedrez, Junhang Ren, Dezhou Kong, Yifan Shen, Sinan Bao, Junhao Xu, Zhaohui Su and Ayotunde Dawodu

Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5395; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13105395 - 12 May 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3062

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread rapidly all over the world, affecting many countries to varying degrees. In this study, an in-depth analysis of the factors influencing the spread of COVID-19 is offered mainly through big data in the European Union (EU) context. In doing so, the data of the first wave of the pandemic are assessed. Afterward, we evaluate the impacts of the COVID-19 spread in specific countries and regions. Based on the existing literature, mobility is recognized as a significant direct factor affecting disease transmission. The same applies to the case of COVID-19. However, compared with the analysis of mobility itself, this paper explores more profound reasons that affect mobility, ranging from policy and economy to geographical and transportation factors. Specifically, this paper studies nine EU countries based on their population density and the degree of impact of the epidemic in the first six months (February to July 2020) of the pandemic. Our study aims to illustrate how policies, economies, and geographical locations (including transportation factors) directly or indirectly affect the spread of the novel coronavirus by applying the SEIR model to analyze all selected countries’ big data. The key findings of this research are: (1) the timeliness of relevant policies and the effectiveness of government implementation indirectly limit the spread of the epidemic by reducing population mobility; (2) a better medical level would contribute to detect, isolate, and treat patients, and help control the epidemic; and (3) the large land borders and developed transportation between countries exacerbate the spread of the COVID-19. The paper contributes to ongoing research on COVID-19 by addressing the above points. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatiotemporal Effects of COVID-19 to Sustainable Regional Planning and Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Spatiotemporal Effects of COVID-19 to Sustainable Regional Planning and Development

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (2 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI