Project Details

Epidemics/pandemics of infectious respiratory diseases have wide ranging impacts and the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic with its direct and indirect effects is a contemporary example of this. Infection control measures such as social distancing, the reduction of contacts as well as the closure of facilities have profoundly changed the living conditions and the behaviour of people in Germany resulting in the local neighbourhood increasing in importance. In such situations, the quality of a city district and its neighbourhoods is significant for the health and wellbeing of the residents.

The project aims to identify urban design, environmental and socio-economic characteristics of city neighbourhoods that, on the one hand, influence the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and, on the other hand, reduce the negative effects of infection control measures. Within the framework of a so-called stress test, criteria for selected urban neighbourhoods will be analysed to determine which strategies and instruments of urban planning can contribute to promoting positive effects and reducing negative effects. It can be assumed that epidemics or pandemics will continue to occur in the future, so that the aim is to increase the resilience of urban neighbourhoods, i.e. improve their robustness and adaptability. This research project will investigate the current and potential contribution to resilience of urban planning instruments in interaction with public health instruments.

The project results will be summarized in guidelines for municipal stakeholders with recommendations for action.

For this project, the Department of Social Epidemiology of the Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research is cooperating with BPW Stadtplanung, Bremen. The urban planners bring many years of experience with the design and regeneration of urban neighbourhoods as well as expertise in strategies of sustainable urban development.