Socioeconomic Disparities in the Usage of Urban Opportunities in South Korea During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Using Land Use/Land Cover and Mobile Phone Data

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), has resulted in dramatic changes in human lifestyles and the geographic distribution of populations. However, despite the unequal impact of COVID-19 across urban spaces, research on the asso...

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Main Authors: Kangjae Lee, Yoo Min Park, Yoohyung Joo, Minsoo Joo, Joon Heo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/13/12/421
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author Kangjae Lee
Yoo Min Park
Yoohyung Joo
Minsoo Joo
Joon Heo
author_facet Kangjae Lee
Yoo Min Park
Yoohyung Joo
Minsoo Joo
Joon Heo
author_sort Kangjae Lee
collection DOAJ
description Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), has resulted in dramatic changes in human lifestyles and the geographic distribution of populations. However, despite the unequal impact of COVID-19 across urban spaces, research on the association between socioeconomic disparities in the usage of various types of urban amenities during the pandemic is limited. Thus, this study utilized mobile phone data and land use/land cover (LULC) data to investigate COVID-19-induced changes in the hot spots of the daytime and nighttime populations of two districts in Seoul, South Korea: Gangnam (a high-income community) and Gangbuk (a low-income community). First, the differences between Gangnam and Gangbuk in the LULC and mobile phone data, before and during the pandemic, were statistically analyzed by age. Second, the areas with significantly increased mobile phone-based populations during COVID-19 were identified using a hot spot analysis method and Welch’s <i>t</i>-test. This study identified that there were significant disparities in the use of green spaces during the pandemic, with a higher percentage of the mobile phone-based population in Gangnam than Gangbuk. Youths and adults in Gangnam were more likely to visit schools and enjoy physical activities in forests and open spaces during the pandemic, whereas there was no such increase in Gangbuk. The findings contribute to the understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on human behaviors and socioeconomic disparities in the quality of urban life.
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spelling doaj-art-d3dbcde6618a4f818a977f1d0c42674c2024-12-27T14:30:03ZengMDPI AGISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information2220-99642024-11-01131242110.3390/ijgi13120421Socioeconomic Disparities in the Usage of Urban Opportunities in South Korea During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Using Land Use/Land Cover and Mobile Phone DataKangjae Lee0Yoo Min Park1Yoohyung Joo2Minsoo Joo3Joon Heo4Department of Convergence and Fusion System Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Geography, Sustainability, Community, and Urban Studies, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USADepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of KoreaSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), has resulted in dramatic changes in human lifestyles and the geographic distribution of populations. However, despite the unequal impact of COVID-19 across urban spaces, research on the association between socioeconomic disparities in the usage of various types of urban amenities during the pandemic is limited. Thus, this study utilized mobile phone data and land use/land cover (LULC) data to investigate COVID-19-induced changes in the hot spots of the daytime and nighttime populations of two districts in Seoul, South Korea: Gangnam (a high-income community) and Gangbuk (a low-income community). First, the differences between Gangnam and Gangbuk in the LULC and mobile phone data, before and during the pandemic, were statistically analyzed by age. Second, the areas with significantly increased mobile phone-based populations during COVID-19 were identified using a hot spot analysis method and Welch’s <i>t</i>-test. This study identified that there were significant disparities in the use of green spaces during the pandemic, with a higher percentage of the mobile phone-based population in Gangnam than Gangbuk. Youths and adults in Gangnam were more likely to visit schools and enjoy physical activities in forests and open spaces during the pandemic, whereas there was no such increase in Gangbuk. The findings contribute to the understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on human behaviors and socioeconomic disparities in the quality of urban life.https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/13/12/421COVID-19socioeconomic disparityurban amenitiesdynamic population distribution
spellingShingle Kangjae Lee
Yoo Min Park
Yoohyung Joo
Minsoo Joo
Joon Heo
Socioeconomic Disparities in the Usage of Urban Opportunities in South Korea During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Using Land Use/Land Cover and Mobile Phone Data
ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
COVID-19
socioeconomic disparity
urban amenities
dynamic population distribution
title Socioeconomic Disparities in the Usage of Urban Opportunities in South Korea During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Using Land Use/Land Cover and Mobile Phone Data
title_full Socioeconomic Disparities in the Usage of Urban Opportunities in South Korea During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Using Land Use/Land Cover and Mobile Phone Data
title_fullStr Socioeconomic Disparities in the Usage of Urban Opportunities in South Korea During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Using Land Use/Land Cover and Mobile Phone Data
title_full_unstemmed Socioeconomic Disparities in the Usage of Urban Opportunities in South Korea During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Using Land Use/Land Cover and Mobile Phone Data
title_short Socioeconomic Disparities in the Usage of Urban Opportunities in South Korea During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Using Land Use/Land Cover and Mobile Phone Data
title_sort socioeconomic disparities in the usage of urban opportunities in south korea during the covid 19 pandemic using land use land cover and mobile phone data
topic COVID-19
socioeconomic disparity
urban amenities
dynamic population distribution
url https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/13/12/421
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