People’s Life Experiences in Urban Spaces During the Outbreak of the Covid-19 Pandemic; Case Study: Rasht City*

A successful urban space is a space that causes social interactions between citizens. But with the advent of the Covid virus, urban spaces have lost their viability. The spread of Covid 19 has been significant for human disease, and there have been many changes in mobility patterns and all humans lives, especially in cities. However, urban spaces can play an important role in the spread and prevention of this disease. Epidemics have shaped the way cities are planned and configured. Throughout history, cities have evolved to solve health problems and create healthiness while providing space and opportunities for urban residents. Covid 19 will have important implications for how cities are planned. This study aimed to investigate the life experiences of the people of Rasht during the outbreak of Covid 19. The city of Rasht was one of the first areas of Covid 19 outbreak in Iran, and due to the unknown nature of this disease, the initial measures in this city were carried out slowly and without the sympathy and social support of the citizens. Therefore, during this crisis, Rasht has always been one of the cities in the red zone in terms of disease prevalence. By examining the life experience of the people in this period, it is possible to understand the dialectical relationship between the city and epidemics and to prepare cities for the not-too-distant future. The research method of this paper is quantitative and data collection has been done through surveys and documents. 413 questionnaires were published online among the citizens of Rasht and the data was analyzed in SPSS software by Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Also, to confirm the accuracy of the questionnaire, its Cronbach's alpha value was checked, which was calculated to be 0.844. This number indicates a very good and reliable internal validity of the questionnaire questions. The results identified 12 important factors, which are: The Degree of Nostalgia, Presence, Impact of the Corona-Social Restriction, Impact of the Corona-Occupational and Economic, Impact of the Corona-Mental and Psychological, Confidence in Governance Performance, Continuity of Electronic Services, Consciousness, Travel Pattern, Attitudes Towards Solutions, Physical Activity, Economics of the City. The obtained factors show the life pattern of the citizens in this period. From the results, it can be inferred that the Corona Virus has had a great impact on the human relationship with urban space and has limited citizens. The results of the research show the desire and interest of citizens to be present in urban places and spaces. The outbreak of coronavirus has prevented people from attending indoor, public gatherings and ceremonies, shopping in person, and engaging in religious activities. It has also limited communication between neighborhoods and neighbors. Citizens have also suffered from psychological problems due to not being in urban spaces and touching the sense of life and interacting with their fellow human beings. This has caused people to miss the urban spaces and places and everyone wants to be in the city and lively urban spaces.