Measuring the COVID-19 Shock from Outer Space: Local Economic Vibrancy in 15 Global Cities

Abstract

The objectives of this thesis project are: (1) how to use nightlight data to track changing patterns of economic activities within cities worldwide, and (2) examine intra-city spatial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and whether these patterns differ across them. Informed by existing literature, I propose a cluster analysis using two groups, residential activities and work and play activities, to further understand the local consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Graph Theory, I create metrics to compare the impact across several cities worldwide. The results of this thesis indicate that the work and play activities were more affected than the residential activities. However, this impact was not evenly distributed spatially.