COVID-19 and urban vitality: The association between built environment elements and changes in local points of interest using social media data in South Korea

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has disturbed urban life, requiring an evaluation of public space use and resilience. Social media-based POIs are used to measure urban vitality in Seoul's major commercial areas during the pandemic. DBSCAN clustering found seven significant commercial areas with distinct characteristics. A temporal change of POIs in seven areas showed gradual decline, decline followed by recovery, and stable or growing activity. Non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis tests and negative binomial regression analysis focused on density, land use, street connectivity, and public transportation variables to examine built environment elements affecting these patterns. The findings show that building coverage area, commercial facility, land use mix, and building entrance encourage urban vitality. In contrast, road density and office-dominated areas dismiss urban activity. Morphological diversity and accessible design were more important than population density in determining POI levels. These findings suggest that resilient urban planning should emphasize morphological density, pedestrian-friendly connectivity, and mixed land uses. This study extends previous work on epidemics, urban form, and resilience, highlighting the complex interplay between the built environment and discretionary activities and the strategies needed for sustainable, epidemic-resilient cities. This study's cross-sectional design and social media data may exclude specific demographic groups and limit causal findings.