Infectiousness of places: The impact of human settlement and activity space in the transmission of COVID-19

Places are fundamental factors in the spread of epidemics, as they are where people agglomerate and interact. This paper explores how different types of places—activity spaces at micro-level and human settlements at macro-level—impact the transmission of infections using evidences from COVID-19. We examine eleven types of activity spaces and find heterogeneous impacts across countries, yet we also find that non-essential activity spaces tend to have larger impacts than essential ones. Contrary to common beliefs, settlement size and density are not positively associated with reproduction numbers. Further, the impacts of closing activity spaces vary with settlement types and are consistently lower in larger settlements in all sample countries, suggesting more complex pattern of virus transmission in large settlements. This work takes first steps in systematically evaluating the epistemological risks of places at multiple scales, which contributes to knowledge in urban resilience, health and livability. Teaser Activity spaces and human settlement characteristics impact the spread of epidemics in multiple ways and should be considered in policy making.