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The COVID-19 lockdown had a positive control effect on urban air quality. However, this effect remains uncertain after the epidemic enters regular management, and furthermore, only limited data are available regarding urban PM2.5 (aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5μm) under the impact of the epidemic. We used daily ambient PM2.5 concentration data in Beijing to compare and analyze the changes in urban PM2.5 concentrations before and after the COVID-19 epidemic and to estimate the healthy effects and economic burden associated with PM2.5 before and after the epidemic. The study found that COVID-19 has a significant impact on the urban environmental PM2.5 concentration, which is manifested by the decrease in the PM2.5 concentration in Beijing during the epidemic by 27.8%. Exposure-response models estimated 56.443 (95% CI: 43.084–69.893) thousand people die prematurely in Beijing during the COVID-19 epidemic attributed to long-term PM2.5 exposure, with a 13.3% decrease in the number of premature deaths year-on-year. The total healthy economic losses attributable to PM2.5 in Beijing during the COVID-19 epidemic were 35.76 (95% CI: 28.41–42.44) billion yuan, with a per capita loss of 816.8 yuan. Strict control measures throughout the COVID-19 epidemic had a positive impact on air quality in Beijing, with a decrease in both premature deaths and economic healthy losses attributable to fine particles. This paper helps to enrich and expand the research on the impact of COVID-19 on the urban environment and provides a basis for formulating policies related to air quality improvement in the post-epidemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper takes Beijing as a case to study regional economic resilience. • We systematically explore the effects of COVID-19 on industrial dynamics. • Individual-owned firms located in high-risk regions are more vulnerable. • The epidemic shock leads to cascading effects among the local industrial network. The COVID-19 epidemic has altered the economic geographies of cities. However, the academic focus on urban industries and their structural dynamics is far from enough. In this paper, we integrate literature from economic geography, business studies and network sciences, and design an adaptation framework to theorize urban economic resilience. Taking the COVID-19 outbreak in Xinfadi, Beijing during the summer of 2020 as a case study, we use Logit regressions and DID estimations to identify the impacts of the epidemic on local industrial dynamics. Our results support that the COVID-19 outbreak significantly increases the number of business exits. The negative impacts are concentrated in high-risk regions, pointing to specific industries and individual-owned firms. Furthermore, we use a machine learning method to visualize the dynamics of industry networks in a small-scale urban area, and then simulate the transmission paths of industry-failure. In doing so, we contribute to current economic resilience literature that firm-level adaptation and industrial dynamics complement regional adaptation theory, while the cascading effects in the industry network underpin the micro foundations of resilience formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 epidemic period, people showed a stronger connection to the environment within their communities. Although tree canopy in residential areas has been shown to positively affect psychological distress, it is not clear whether the COVID-19 epidemic played a role in this process. Elucidation of the relationship between tree canopy and the impact on psychological distress during the COVID-19 epidemic could provide valuable information as to the best methods to help individuals cope with urban mental stress events. A total of 15 randomly selected residential areas of Beijing were enrolled in this repeated cross-sectional study. A total of 900 residents were included in the two-waves of the investigation (450 residents per wave) before and during the COVID-19 epidemic (i.e., May 2019 and May 2020). Psychological distress was estimated using the 12-question General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Tree canopy coverage (TCC) was measured through visual interpretation based on the 2013 data sources (World View 2 satellite imagery of Beijing urban areas with a resolution of 0.5 m). The demographic characteristics, distance to the nearest surrounding green or blue space, residential area house price, household density, and construction year were also collected in this study. A multivariate logistic regression, relative risk due to interaction (RERI), and synergy index (SI) were used to explore the relationships among tree canopy, COVID-19, and psychological distress. The negative impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on mental health was significant, with the prevalence of psychological distress increased 7.84 times (aOR = 7.84, 95% CI = 4.67–13.95) during the COVID-19 epidemic period. Tree canopy coverage in the group without psychological distress was significantly higher than that of the psychologically distressed group (31.07 ± 11.38% vs. 27.87 ± 12.97%, P = 0.005). An increase in 1% of TCC, was related to a 5% decrease in the prevalence of psychological distress (aOR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.93–0.98). An antagonism joint action between tree canopy and the COVID-19 epidemic existed (RERI = 1.09, 95% CI = 0.72–1.47; SI = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.05–0.52), and persisted enhancing only in medium (26.45%–33.21%) and above TCC level. Correlation of GHQ items and TCC significantly differed between the COVID-19 non-epidemic and epidemic periods, with the effects of tree canopy on GHQ-12 items covering topics, such as social function and depression, presumably absent because of epidemic limitations. This study indicates that the COVID-19 epidemic harmed mental health and verified the positive effects of residential tree canopy on psychological distress in Beijing. We suggest paying more attention to residents in areas of low TCC and dealing with psychological distress caused by public health stress events based on tree canopy strategies. • More tree canopy in residential areas was associated with better mental health. • The prevalence of psychological distress increased 7.84 times during the COVID-19 epidemic period. • The antagonism joint action between tree canopy and the COVID-19 epidemic persisted enhancing only in medium (26.45%–33.21%) and above tree canopy coverage level. • The COVID-19 epidemic limitation changed the effects of tree canopy on different GHQ-12 items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]