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Recently, indoor thermal comfort has received more scholarly attention than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic and global warming. However, most studies on indoor thermal comfort in China concentrated on urban buildings in the east and north. The indoor thermal comfort of rural dwellers in southwest China is insufficiently investigated. Hence, this study assesses residents' indoor thermal comfort in a rural dwelling in Linshui, obtains the thermal neutral temperature of the rural area, and analyzes the thermal adaptation behavior of rural dwellers. The results reveal that the thermal neutral temperature of rural dwellers is 29.33°C (operative temperature), higher than that presented in previous studies based on the same climate region. Indoor thermal conditions in rural dwellings are relatively harsh, but various thermal adaptation behavior of rural dwellers significantly improve their ability to withstand the harsh conditions. When people live in an environment with a (relatively) constant climate parameter (e.g., humidity), their perception of that parameter seems compromised. Most rural dwellers are unwilling to use cooling equipment with high energy consumption. Therefore, more passive cooling measures are recommended in the design and renovation of rural dwellings., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wei, Zhao, Liu and Yang.)

The lack of physical activity has become a rigorous challenge for many countries, and the relationship between physical activity and the built environment has become a hot research topic in recent decades. This study uses the Strava Heatmap (novel crowdsourced data) to extract the distribution of cycling and running tracks in central Chengdu in December 2021 (during the COVID-19 pandemic) and develops spatial regression models for numerous 500 × 500 m grids ( N = 2,788) to assess the impacts of the built environment on the cycling and running intensity indices. The findings are summarized as follows. First, land-use mix has insignificant effects on the physical activity of residents, which largely contrasts with the evidence gathered from previous studies. Second, road density, water area, green space area, number of stadiums, and number of enterprises significantly facilitate cycling and running. Third, river line length and the light index have positive associations with running but not with cycling. Fourth, housing price is positively correlated with cycling and running. Fifth, schools seem to discourage these two types of physical activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study provides practical implications (e.g., green space planning and public space management) for urban planners, practitioners, and policymakers., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yang, Yu, Liang, Tang and Li.)

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has stimulated intensive research interest in its transmission pathways and infection factors, e.g., socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, climatology, baseline health conditions or pre-existing diseases, and government policies. Meanwhile, some empirical studies suggested that built environment attributes may be associated with the transmission mechanism and infection risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, no review has been conducted to explore the effect of built environment characteristics on the infection risk. This research gap prevents government officials and urban planners from creating effective urban design guidelines to contain SARS-CoV-2 infections and face future pandemic challenges. This review summarizes evidence from 25 empirical studies and provides an overview of the effect of built environment on SARS-CoV-2 infection risk. Virus infection risk was positively associated with the density of commercial facilities, roads, and schools and with public transit accessibility, whereas it was negatively associated with the availability of green spaces. This review recommends several directions for future studies, namely using longitudinal research design and individual-level data, considering multilevel factors and extending to diversified geographic areas.

The recent coronavirus outbreak has captured worldwide attention. This study investigated the anxiety of the Chinese public and its relationship with social support during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby providing empirical support for interventions on improving the public's mental health. On the basis of an online questionnaire survey conducted on 10-18 February 2020, this study shows that 19.8%, 68.5%, and 11.1% of the respondents suffered mild anxiety, moderate anxiety, and severe anxiety, respectively. Significant differences are reported in state anxiety between people with different household incomes. There are significant differences in trait anxiety and state anxiety between different social support groups. Social support and trait anxiety are negatively correlated. Social support and state anxiety are negatively correlated. Social support affects state anxiety both directly and indirectly (through the mediation of trait anxiety). Therefore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing public support for society can effectively reduce public anxiety.

This study aims to investigate the effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the Chinese public's mental health during its early stage. We collected the data through an online questionnaire survey. Specifically, we adopted the impact of event scale-revised (IES-R) and state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) to assess symptomatic responses to exposure to traumatic life events and public anxiety, respectively, in the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Then, we evaluated the differences in the scores among various socio-demographic groups using Kruskal-Wakkis H tests and t -tests and analyzed the IES-R, state anxiety (SA) score, and trait anxiety (TA) score using the Pearson correlation analysis. Finally, we conducted a path analysis to determine the mediating role of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (measured by the IES-R) in the relationship between TA and SA. The results show that the average of the SA and TA scores were 48.0 ± 10.4 and 38.0 ± 8.2, respectively; the respondents who suffered from mild, moderate, and severe psychological impacts because of the health crisis accounted for 21.9, 5.2, and 13.1%, respectively; farmers have the highest IES-R score than others; people with the highest income have the lowest SA level; a significant positive correlation existed between the IES-R and STAI scores; and TA produces both direct and indirect (through the IES-R) effects on SA. Overall, the general Chinese public exhibited much higher anxiety levels than normal in the early days of the pandemic outbreak. Accordingly, we strongly recommend psychological counseling and intervention support to mitigate the adverse psychological impacts of such an event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies extensively examined the role of accessibility to metro in shaping house prices but largely overlooked the contribution of accessibility by metro. In addition, limited studies examined the moderating effect of COVID-19 on the price effects of to-metro and by-metro accessibility. Based on multilevel hedonic price and quantile regression models, this study scrutinizes the association between to-metro accessibility, by-metro accessibility, and house prices in Chengdu, China, and examines the moderating role of COVID-19 in this association. We show that by-metro accessibility significantly influences house prices. COVID-19 significantly influences the value of to-metro accessibility but marginally affects that of by-metro accessibility. The value of to-metro accessibility is disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Specifically, small or low-priced houses are less affected than big or high-priced houses. In other words, the flattening of the to-metro price gradient is more discernible for big or high-priced houses. The changing preference of residents has also been verified by the decreases in house transaction volume in metro-adjacent areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• COVID-19 reduces the implicit price of metro accessibility. • The price elasticity of distance to the metro is −0.024 before COVID-19 but turns to −0.018 during the pandemic. • COVID-19 does not harm property prices in Chengdu. • This study points out an innovative and interesting research direction. The metro (or underground railways) has become a backbone in the transit systems of many cities. It has numerous externalities, such as ameliorating traffic congestion and enhancing nearby property prices. Previous studies extensively focused on the relationship between metro accessibility and property prices and obtained various interesting findings and enriched practical implications. However, this relationship in the era of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other epidemic shocks has not been investigated. Based on a unique property transaction dataset (including tens of thousands of transactions stretching from 2018 to 2020) in Chengdu, China, this study develops a battery of hedonic pricing models and difference-in-differences models to decipher the time-varying relationship between metro accessibility and residential property prices. The results show that the implicit price of metro accessibility modestly decreases in COVID-19, which can be explained by the declining role of the metro. In other words, the price gap between proximate and distant properties is narrowed, and the property price gradient is flattened. Specifically, the price elasticity of distance to the metro is − 0.024 before COVID-19, but it turns to − 0.018 during the pandemic. The relative price of properties within 500 m from metro stations to those farther away (500 m − 3 km) decreases by 15.4% during the pandemic. Additionally, COVID-19 does not jeopardize property prices in Chengdu. Furthermore, the decrease in metro access premiums may be short-lived and only persisted for several months or years. The plausibility and robustness of the core findings have been confirmed through alternative treatment groups, alternative model specifications, and placebo tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We explored the moderation effect of urban density on changes in physical activity during the COVID-2019 pandemic. • The results were based on a longitudinal study. • Urban density mitigated the decrease in physical activity caused by the pandemic. • The duration of physical activity performed in country parks increased during the pandemic. • A flexible and porous urban development strategy could enhance the resilience of a city during the pandemic and beyond. Various social distancing measures were carried out in many cities worldwide during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic (COVID-19). These measures have led to decreased physical activity levels and higher health risks among urban populations. Strong evidence has been established that built environment characteristics can stimulate physical activity and thus improve public health during non-pandemic periods. Urban density was arguably one of the most important built environment characteristics. However, little is known about whether high urban density amplifies or attenuates the decline in physical activity during the pandemic. Based on two-wave physical activity data collected before and during the pandemic (in January and May 2020, respectively), we used moderation analysis to compare the changes in physical activity levels between people living in low- and high-density neighborhoods. Our results showed that people living in low-density areas have a smaller decrease in physical activity conducted in neighborhood, compared to those living in high-density areas. Our findings suggest that a flexible and porous urban development strategy could enhance the resilience of a city during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We explored the effect of urban greenery on physical activity during COVID-19. • The results were based on a natural experimental study. • Urban greenery mitigated the decrease in leisure time physical activity during the pandemic. • People lived in greener neighbourhood visited country parks more often. • The protective and refuge effect of urban green space should be valued. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and related social distancing measures have altered the daily lifestyles of people worldwide. Although studies on this disease are emerging rapidly, less is known about the impacts of COVID-19 and urban greenery on leisure-time physical activity, which is critical to maintain health for urban residents during the pandemic. In this study, we used a natural experimental research design to identify whether urban greenery cushions the decrease in leisure-time physical activity caused by the pandemic and related social distancing measures in a high-density city. The two-wave physical activity data (before and during the pandemic) were collected for urban residents in neighborhoods with high or low levels of greenery. The results of difference-in-differences model suggest that urban greenery mitigated the decrease in physical activity during the pandemic. People who lived in greener neighborhoods experienced a lesser decrease in the leisure-time physical activity level than those who lived in less green neighborhoods. Additionally, people who lived in greener neighborhoods experienced increased levels of physical activity related to visits to country parks during the pandemic. These findings suggest that urban green spaces play a significant role in shaping physical activity and providing a refuge for the public during crises. Our study is among the first to investigate the impact of urban greenery on pandemic-induced changes in leisure-time physical activity in densely populated Asian cities, and our findings shed light on the potential protective role of urban greenery on public health during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]