The Interlinkages Between Urban Structure and COVID-19: A Case Study of Ahvaz

The spatial structure of a city, consisting of the transportation network and activity centers, is a key factor affecting the mobility of people. The mobility of people during infectious diseases is the most important factor in the spread of the disease. Evaluating urban spatial structure and restructuring it is an important non-pharmaceutical way of controlling infectious diseases such as COVID-19. The present study investigates the interlinkages between Ahvaz's urban spatial structure and COVID-19. Spatial statistics were used to identify functional cores and analyze population distribution and employment by analyzing statistical block data and land-use layers. Pearson's correlation test was also applied to examine the relationship between functional cores, population, and employment. The results showed that population and employment have a clustered distribution pattern, as they are highly concentrated in the middle parts of Ahvaz. The city’s central part has the highest concentration of travel-absorbing uses. This increases the vulnerability and infection of COVID-19. The findings of this study can guide efforts aimed at modifying the urban structure of the city to make it more resilient to pandemics. Among other things, decentralization of activities, land use diversification, and promotion of urban sub-centers should be prioritized.