IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i22p9410-d443731.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of COVID-19 on Urban Everyday Life in Greece. Perceptions, Experiences and Practices of the Active Population

Author

Listed:
  • Fereniki Vatavali

    (School of Science and Technology, Hellenic Open University, 26225 Patra, Greece)

  • Zoi Gareiou

    (School of Science and Technology, Hellenic Open University, 26225 Patra, Greece)

  • Fotini Kehagia

    (School of Civil Engineering; Division of Transportation and Construction Management, Highway Laboratory, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece)

  • Efthimios Zervas

    (School of Science and Technology, Hellenic Open University, 26225 Patra, Greece)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic that erupted in early 2020 has affected the everyday life, the practices, and the perceptions of the global population significantly. The aim of this paper is to investigate the perceptions, experiences, and practices of the active population regarding everyday urban life (working conditions, mobility, urban space, etc.) in the context of the first wave of the pandemic, by focusing on people who live and work in Greek cities. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire addressed to an active population. The majority of respondents declared that their personal and family lives were affected by the lockdown, with significant effects on their professional life and economic activities. Stress and fear were two feelings that increased. As far as mobility was concerned, the majority of respondents were unwilling to change their commuting practices. Although most of our findings presented a homogenous distribution in our sample, some changes in perceptions, experiences, and practices were correlated with the gender, age, and family status of the respondents. The results of the analysis provide useful information to policy makers and show that it is necessary to radically rethink aspects of urban space and urban mobility, in relation to the multiple problems and dynamics of the active population.

Suggested Citation

  • Fereniki Vatavali & Zoi Gareiou & Fotini Kehagia & Efthimios Zervas, 2020. "Impact of COVID-19 on Urban Everyday Life in Greece. Perceptions, Experiences and Practices of the Active Population," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-17, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:22:p:9410-:d:443731
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/22/9410/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/22/9410/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Samuelsson, Karl & Barthel, Stephan & Colding, Johan & Macassa, Gloria & Giusti, Matteo, 2020. "Urban nature as a source of resilience during social distancing amidst the coronavirus pandemic," OSF Preprints 3wx5a, Center for Open Science.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Evgenia Anastasiou & Marie-Noelle Duquenne, 2021. "First-Wave COVID-19 Pandemic in Greece: The Role of Demographic, Social, and Geographical Factors in Life Satisfaction during Lockdown," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-12, May.
    2. Fotini Kehagia, 2021. "The Transition to a Low-Carbon Smart Mobility in a Sociotechnical Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-3, June.
    3. Mouratidis, Kostas, 2021. "How COVID-19 reshaped quality of life in cities: A synthesis and implications for urban planning," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    4. Grzegorz Ignatowski & Łukasz Sułkowski & Bartłomiej Stopczyński, 2021. "Risk of Increased Acceptance for Organizational Nepotism and Cronyism during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Risks, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-35, March.
    5. Zoe Gareiou & Christina Chroni & Karolos Kontoleon & Makram El Bachawati & Marianne Saba & Ruth Herrero Martin & Efthimios Zervas, 2022. "Awareness of Citizens for the Single-Use Plastics: Comparison between a High-Income and an Upper-Middle-Income Economy of the Easter Mediterranean Region, Greece and Lebanon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-35, February.
    6. Thulin, Eva & Vilhelmson, Bertil & Brundin, Louise, 2023. "Telework after confinement: Interrogating the spatiotemporalities of home-based work life," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    7. Guadalupe González-Sánchez & María Isabel Olmo-Sánchez & Elvira Maeso-González, 2021. "Challenges and Strategies for Post-COVID-19 Gender Equity and Sustainable Mobility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-19, February.
    8. Eirini Leriou & Andreas Kollias & Anna Anastasopoulou & Aristeidis Katranis, 2022. "Understanding and Measuring Child Well-Being in the Region of Attica, Greece: Round Three," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(4), pages 1295-1311, August.
    9. Lara Bellotti & Sara Zaniboni & Cristian Balducci & Gudela Grote, 2021. "Rapid Review on COVID-19, Work-Related Aspects, and Age Differences," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-24, May.
    10. Maja Socan & Vanja Ida Erčulj, 2022. "Confronting SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Patients’ Experience in the First Pandemic Wave—Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-11, October.
    11. Corazza, Maria Vittoria & Musso, Antonio, 2021. "Urban transport policies in the time of pandemic, and after: An ARDUOUS research agenda," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 31-44.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. S. Brent Jackson & Kathryn T. Stevenson & Lincoln R. Larson & M. Nils Peterson & Erin Seekamp, 2021. "Outdoor Activity Participation Improves Adolescents’ Mental Health and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-18, March.
    2. Bruno Marques & Jacqueline McIntosh & Chitrakala Muthuveerappan & Krzysztof Herman, 2022. "The Importance of Outdoor Spaces during the COVID-19 Lockdown in Aotearoa—New Zealand," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-17, June.
    3. Diego Santos Vieira de Jesus & Daniel Kamlot & Veranise Jacubowski Correia Dubeux, 2020. "Innovation in the ‘New Normal’ Interactions, the Urban Space, and the Low Touch Economy: The Case of Rio de Janeiro in the Context of the COVID-19 pandemic," International Journal of Social Science Studies, Redfame publishing, vol. 8(5), pages 17-27, September.
    4. LU, Yi & Zhao, Jianting & Wu, Xueying & Lo, Siu Ming, 2020. "Escaping to nature in pandemic: a natural experiment of COVID-19 in Asian cities," SocArXiv rq8sn, Center for Open Science.
    5. Francisco Núñez & Elías Albornoz & Mariella Gutiérrez & Antonio Zumelzu, 2022. "Socially Sustainable Accessibility to Goods and Services in the Metropolitan Area of Concepción, Chile, Post-COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-22, October.
    6. Christoph Lambio & Tillman Schmitz & Richard Elson & Jeffrey Butler & Alexandra Roth & Silke Feller & Nicolai Savaskan & Tobia Lakes, 2023. "Exploring the Spatial Relative Risk of COVID-19 in Berlin-Neukölln," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-22, May.
    7. Emad B. Dawwas & Karen Dyson, 2021. "COVID-19 Changed Human-Nature Interactions across Green Space Types: Evidence of Change in Multiple Types of Activities from the West Bank, Palestine," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-21, December.
    8. Sandra Rousseau & Nick Deschacht, 2020. "Public Awareness of Nature and the Environment During the COVID-19 Crisis," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 76(4), pages 1149-1159, August.
    9. Monika Egerer & Elsa Anderson, 2020. "Social-Ecological Connectivity to Understand Ecosystem Service Provision across Networks in Urban Landscapes," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-14, December.
    10. Joshua W Morse & Tatiana M Gladkikh & Diana M Hackenburg & Rachelle K Gould, 2020. "COVID-19 and human-nature relationships: Vermonters’ activities in nature and associated nonmaterial values during the pandemic," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(12), pages 1-23, December.
    11. Valentina Cattivelli, 2023. "Review and Analysis of the Motivations Associated with Urban Gardening in the Pandemic Period," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-18, January.
    12. Kukulska-Kozieł, Anita & Noszczyk, Tomasz & Gorzelany, Julia & Młocek, Wojciech, 2024. "Greenery in times of crisis: Accessibility, residents' travel preferences and the impact of travel time," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    13. S. Brent Jackson & Kathryn T. Stevenson & Lincoln R. Larson & M. Nils Peterson & Erin Seekamp, 2021. "Connection to Nature Boosts Adolescents’ Mental Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-24, November.
    14. Jordi Honey-Rosés & Oscar Zapata, 2023. "Green Spaces with Fewer People Improve Self-Reported Affective Experience and Mood," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-10, January.
    15. Lingyue Li & Surong Zhang & Jinfeng Wang & Xiaoming Yang & Lan Wang, 2023. "Governing public health emergencies during the coronavirus disease outbreak: Lessons from four Chinese cities in the first wave," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 60(9), pages 1750-1770, July.
    16. Zulfikar Adamu & Oliver Hardy & Asya Natapov, 2023. "The Impact of Greenspace, Walking, and Cycling on the Health of Urban Residents during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of London," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(14), pages 1-21, July.
    17. Yunseon Choe & Jiyoon Lee & Gyehee Lee, 2022. "Exploring Values via the Innovative Application of Social Media with Parks Amid COVID-19: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Text and Images Using ATLAS.ti," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-16, October.
    18. Shruti Ashish Lahoti & Shalini Dhyani & Osamu Saito, 2024. "Exploring the Factors Shaping Urban Greenspace Interactions: A Case Study of Nagpur, India," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-16, September.
    19. Leyla Deniz Kiraz & Catharine Ward Thompson, 2023. "How Much Did Urban Park Use Change under the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Comparative Study of Summertime Park Use in 2019 and 2020 in Edinburgh, Scotland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(21), pages 1-29, October.
    20. Krzysztof Rząsa & Mateusz Ciski, 2022. "Influence of the Demographic, Social, and Environmental Factors on the COVID-19 Pandemic—Analysis of the Local Variations Using Geographically Weighted Regression," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-26, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:22:p:9410-:d:443731. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.