Lack of sufficient public space can limit the effectiveness of COVID-19’s social distancing measures

One of the primary strategies of slowing down the COVID-19 pandemic has been the establishment of social distancing rules that recommend keeping a buffer distance between individuals, and this has proven effective in helping in reducing the basic reproduction number [R ₀]¹. However, social distancing rules have put the use of public spaces in densely populated places under strain, and this is especially important as some of the most virulent outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic have been in compact cities. It is therefore fundamental to take into account each neighbourhood’s morphological characteristics and the potential population densities each street, square or park can accommodate under such new regulations in order to effectively enforce social distancing rules. Otherwise, certain areas may be rapidly overwhelmed by crowds with citizens unable to maintain the minimum safe distance between individuals. In this paper, we develop a method to identify the potential public space accessibility if social distancing rules are followed and we apply it to three global and highly affected by COVID-19 cities. Our research finds that, at micro level there are important inequalities between neighbourhoods, so people will struggle to comply with social distancing rules and consequently it will make controlling infection rates more difficult.