“Covid Bubble”

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people established a “COVID bubble” of close family and friends with whom they felt they could safely interact. These bubbles were an essential way of life as we navigated through the historic public health event. And while many of us shifted our socialization and commuting patterns during the pandemic, recent studies are highlighting an interesting long-term impact: people are now less likely to explore different areas of their cities.

Research performed by MIT shows that, even as people increased their time spent outside the home by late 2021, they tended to travel to the same places instead of venturing into new neighborhoods. Moreover, people have experienced a decrease in “economically diverse” encounters, which leads experts to believe that some places are becoming more polarized as a result of the pandemic.

So how can we push against this trend? Improvements in transportation access and changes in development patterns can contribute to increased diversity, and cities can be proactive in decision-making to combat insulated patterns of movement. What else can be done to combat this trend? We’d love to hear your thoughts below.