We are students of the UBC Geography department. For the final project in GEOB 479 and our undergrad, we have decided to look into the impact of COVID-19. As the pandemic was not expected to grow at such a rapid rate and impact as many people as it did, our research question asks where and how it affects the people in Vancouver.

 

FACTORS TO CONSIDER

Age

 

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Dwelling type

 

 

 

Health care workers

 

 

Green space

 

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Population density

 

 

Proximity to long-term 

care facilities

 

 

Proximity to hospitals 

 

 

 

 

Transportation methods

 

 

 

VISUALIZING THE DATA

We have decided to conduct a hotspot analyses, a grouping analysis, and create buffers to show how Metro Vancouver can be affected. The goal of the analyses is to allow us to understand the general dynamic of Vancouver in relation to the pandemic. We wanted to find areas that are more susceptible to the virus. However, we also wanted to look into accessibility to factors that can help individuals. 

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We will be creating a hotspot map for the factors: age, dwelling type, health care workers, population density, transportation methods, and income. The purpose of these hotspot maps is to help us visualize where there are more or less of each factor. In addition to the hotspot maps, we will conduct a grouping analysis. The grouping analysis acknowledges that each area can have several characteristics in regard to the factors. With this analysis, we can identify census tracts that have similar characteristics. Each census tracts usually have a population between 2,500 to 8,000 people. 

 

Health care facilities, hospitals, and green spaces are also being displayed on separate maps with buffers added around it to display proximity. We have put a radius that spans 200 m around health care facilities. The length of 200 m is about one Vancouver block. The thought is that people walking around for leisure or physical activity may have a higher chance of coming into contact with the virus. Aside from focusing on risk, we also wanted to look into accessibility. A 10km buffer surrounds each hospital found in Metro Vancouver as they represent a 10-minute drive. Individuals within the proximity are known to have an increased chance of survival. We also added a 500 m to1 km buffer around green spaces as a way to show accessibility. Greenspaces with more than 30,000 sqm are assigned to 1 km buffers whereas Greenspaces with less than 30,000 sqm are assigned to 500m buffers. The 1 km buffer represents a 10-minute walk to these parks. We set 500 m buffers for smaller parks with the assumption that fewer people can go due to social distancing and the lack of popularity. This form of accessibility shows that individuals have access to parks where they can exercise and receive fresh air. Exercise has been recommended to strengthen the immune system and lungs during the pandemic. Of course, this is not to disregard the social distancing, of 2 m, which is also recommended by health officials. 

 

We hope to find a general description for each census tract and have a better understanding of the geography of the  coronavirus as well as the dynamics of Vancouver in the midst of this pandemic.