Abstract

PALOMINO PICHIHUA, Yeimis Milton. Identifying the urban complicities of COVID-19 in Latin America. The case of Peruvian cities. Bitácora Urbano Territorial [online]. 2021, vol.31, n.2, pp.157-171.  Epub Sep 24, 2021. ISSN 0124-7913.  https://doi.org/10.15446/bitacora.v31n2.89441.

The whole world is going through a severe health crisis, generated by the advance of COVID-19 and its impact on the health of the most vulnerable population. The main battlegrounds of this situation are our cities, which play an ambivalent role, as they protect and offer shelter to their inhabitants, while exposing them to an unprecedented risk of contagion, as a result of large agglomerations. This study attempts to develop this problem through the analysis of urban indicators. By identifying two independent infection variables (incidence and growth rate) and calculating bivariate correlation coefficients, the close links between pre-existing urban features and the spread of the virus are revealed. The results urge us to pay attention to the structural weaknesses of our urban spaces; such defects are limitations that, from the perspective of this study, are capable of magnifying the local effects of the current global health emergency.

Keywords : public health; epidemic; urbanization; urban planning.

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