Use of Public Spaces During the COVID -19 – A Research of Attitudes and Practices of Students of University of Zagreb

Abstract

Changing lifestyles, increasing over-development of urban space, lack of sustainable mobility, pollution and climate change, and other factors affect the urban quality of life. In this context, accessibility and quality of public space increasingly affect the subjective and objective aspects of quality of life and well-being of the entire urban population, especially during COVID -19 pandemic. The aim of this article is to investigate the daily practices and attitudes of students towards accessibility and quality of public space in the city during the pandemic. An online survey was conducted with a convenient sample of students from the University of Zagreb (N=164), and insight into publicly available data was provided for contextualization. The focus of the survey was at both the neighborhood and city level, which allowed for the examination of student attitudes and practices in the center of Zagreb, which experienced abrupt and significant change after the recent earthquake and pandemic. Insight into publicly available data revealed a deficit of public green spaces at both city and neighborhood levels, while survey results indicated more frequent use of public spaces, particularly the importance of public green spaces at both city and neighborhood levels in the daily lives of the student population during the pandemic.