Urban health indicators related to the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic: a study of the city of Erechim/RS

Abstract

The accelerated growth of urban centers makes the consequences for the environment more and more impactful, consequently affecting the urban and citizens’ health, requiring quick measures to protect these problems. Thus, the use of new methods that help in a more sustainable and efficient urban planning becomes increasingly imperative. Among these, the concept of Smart City is increasingly present, helping public managers and urban planners to devise strategies that alleviate the problems that cities are facing. In this context, this article aims to analyze indicators of the municipality of Erechim, located in the north of Rio Grande do Sul, as well as the evolution of the city in recent years, using as a reference the health indicators of the Ranking Connected Smart Cities (RCSC), from the years 2019, 2020 and 2021, as well as the best classified mid-sized cities in the South of the country in this same ranking. In addition, the study seeks to understand the relationship between urban health and epidemiological data resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The methodological procedures were carried out through a literature search on the subject, then a comparison of urban health indicators in Erechim with the indicators of medium-sized cities in the south of the country ranked best in the Ranking Connected Smart Cities of 2019, 2020 and 2021. Soon after, a survey was carried out on the rates of contamination and deaths resulting from the COVID-19 virus. With the study, it was possible to see the importance of analyzing urban indicators and how they help in the identification of problems, making it possible to set goals that solve them, contributing to the development of guidelines for urban planning in cities and ensuring better quality of life for the future of the community.