Abstract:

Neighborhoods had a prominent role in cities and people’s lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. Lockdowns, social distance, self-isolation, and stay-at-home orders have increased the time people spend in their homes and neighborhoods and changed their perception and behavior towards these areas. This study aimed to measure the change in perception of and satisfaction with the neighborhood before and during the pandemic. A neighborhood perception and satisfaction survey was conducted among residents of Karşıyaka/Izmir in February 2020 and August 2020. Results showed that the mean value of perceived neighborhood borders extended during the pandemic. In addition, 9 of 48 parameters of participants’ neighborhood satisfaction evaluations were different before and during the pandemic. Some aspects of accessibility, physical environmental quality, and social relations were evaluated better after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, residents revealed more tendency to move out of the neighborhood during the pandemic pointing to an expected increase in urban mobility. All these findings reflect the ambiguity and obscurity of the situation during the Covid-19 period from the perspective of the neighborhood residents. This study is significant because it provides empirical evidence on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on neighborhood perception and satisfaction.

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