Pandemi-cities? Agglomerazione, densità e connettività urbana nella crisi sanitaria da Covid-19

Pandemi-cities: Agglomeration, density and urban connectivity in the health crisis from Covid-19 During the first and second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, opinion leaders as well as urban scholars claimed the urban density to be one of the most relevant causes of such event. In the inevitable chaos of a public debate always delayed in comparison to the sudden dynamics of the contagion, the evergreen and popular dichotomy ‘urban/anti-urban’ has polarised the arguments. This paper aims at proposing a discussion of the notions of agglomeration, density, and connectivity used in urban studies, to contribute to a more in-depth analysis of the territorial aspects of the pandemic. The implications of the conceptual triad will be scrutinised according to the evidence arisen during the first pandemic phase, according to some empirical analyses developed on this topic by the author in cooperation with other researchers. In conclusion, some considerations on the relationships between the pandemic and the uneven geography of Italy will be presented