Work

An open framework for assessing urban mobility resilience: evidence from New York City

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic served as a catalyst for increased stress, revealing underlying systemic urban inequalities and transforming daily routines. To help achieve Sustainable Development Goal 11, we present a comprehensive, open-data dual-layer framework for assessing Urban Mobility Resilience (UMR) that integrates longitudinal mobility dynamics with multivariate neighbourhood contexts. Analysing New York City’s for-hire vehicle records from 2019 to 2023, we delineate distinct resilience trajectories: Stability, Recovery, and Adaptation. Our findings demonstrate a significant centre-periphery divide; affluent centres remained predominantly stable, whereas peripheral transitional neighbourhoods adapted through changes in temporal rhythms rather than returning to pre-pandemic norms. This reproducible framework offers evidence-based insights for policymakers to recognise socio-spatial inequalities and execute targeted interventions, moving beyond a simple “return to normal” to foster equitable urban resilience.

Source: npj Urban Sustainability

DOI: 10.1038/s42949-026-00368-3

Authors: Yunzhe Liu, Meixu Chen

Institutions: MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, East China Normal University, East China University of Science and Technology, University of Liverpool

Language: English

Topic: Urban Transport and Accessibility

Subfield: Transportation

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,490