Addressing the COVID-19 Pandemic with Urbanization Issues: The Case of Turkey

Abstract

This study aims to reveal the non-random relationship between urbanization and the COVID-19 pandemic. This research, which uses urban built environment factors such as urbanization rate, rate, number and density of construction, and transportation and communication infrastructure, as well as demographic characteristics such as population, employment and education in 81 provinces in Turkey, aims to reveal how and to what extent different urbanization experiences affect the spread of COVID-19. Using datasets obtained from different institutions, this article firstly examines the relationships of urban built environment factors with the level of COVID-19 using Hierarchical Multiple Regression analysis. Then, by dividing 81 provinces into five different categories (very low, low, medium, high and very high) according to their COVID-19 case rates and applying MANOVA and ANOVA analyses, this article tries to reveal how the variables representing the demographic structure, together with the urban built environment factors, differ according to different risk groups. The findings of the study clearly reveal that urban factors play an effective role in the spread of COVID-19. Since Turkey is a country that consists of cities with different urbanization histories and development experiences, it is expected that the findings presented in the study will contribute to the understanding of current urban problems, especially within the framework of urban and public health, and to post-pandemic planning approaches and research.