This study provides new evidence on changes in a range of online activities due to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Online activities replaced physical participation in activities and contributed to changes in urban mobility during the pandemic. Using data from a nationwide survey in Greece, the paper examines changes in the importance and the frequency of engaging in online activities before and during COVID-19. Findings show that both the importance and the frequency of engaging in telework, teleconferencing, online learning (e-learning), telehealth, and online shopping (e-shopping) significantly increased during COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID-19. Substantial increases in importance were reported for telework (31% increase), teleconferencing (34% increase), online learning (34% increase), and telehealth (21% increase). Those who, on a daily basis, teleworked, teleconferenced, and made video calls with family or friends quadrupled during COVID-19, while daily online learners increased seven-fold. Telehealth and online shopping also increased but more modestly. Urban mobility in the post-COVID-19 era is likely to depend on the degree of prevalence and acceptance of these remote online activities, together with a set of complex and interconnected factors related to urban form, the spatial planning and decision-making system, and social awareness about the future of cities.

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Low-density urban forms are often considered more livable than compact ones. Yet, studies investigating the relationship between compact cities and livability do not take into consideration the importance of public transport, accessibility and mix of land uses along with high densities. Moreover, direct comparisons of livability between the compact city and its alternative, urban sprawl, are scarce, and even more so in a European context. Investigating the metropolitan area of Oslo, which encompasses both compact and sprawled areas, this study examines the impact of the compact city on livability by employing neighbourhood satisfaction as a livability measure. Three different methods are used: cross-sectional regression analysis, longitudinal comparisons and qualitative analysis. Cross-sectional results indicate that compact-city residents are significantly more satisfied with their neighbourhood than those who live in sprawled neighbourhoods, even after controlling for sociodemographic and other variables. Longitudinal analysis based on residents who have lived in both neighbourhood types confirms this finding. This study also examines the impact of compactness within a wider range of urban form typologies and finds that the higher the density, the higher the neighbourhood satisfaction. Important components of the compact city – public transport, accessibility to city centre and land use mix – demonstrate a positive association with neighbourhood satisfaction. Findings from this study suggest that, when common urban problems are addressed, and when planned to integrate all its essential characteristics, the compact city has a positive influence on livability.