The New York Post cites Dr Ayyoob Sharifi’s research published in Sustainable Cities and Society, titled “Are high-density districts more vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic?” and co-authored with Amir Reza Khavarian-Garmsir of the University of Isfahan and Nabi Moradpour of the University of Tehran.
Excerpt from the New York Post article
Data from a health app based in Tehran, Iran — an early epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic — have shown that busy cities are relatively safe this pandemic.
Population “density alone cannot be considered a risk factor,” researchers wrote in a new study, published in Sustainable Cities and Society, a peer-reviewed journal focused on architecture and urban planning.
Their findings come with a caveat though. They noted the difference between “high density” and “overcrowding,” with the latter suggesting more hurdles to achieving a safe social distance among residents.
“What drives the spread of infectious disease during a pandemic is overcrowding that operates differently from density and can also occur in districts with a low density,” study authors wrote. “As a result, metropolitan areas and densely populated zones can also be safe during the pandemic, as density alone cannot be considered a risk factor for Covid-19.”