Various social distancing measures were carried out in many cities worldwide during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic (COVID-19). These measures have led to decreased physical activity levels and higher health risks among urban populations. Strong evidence has been established that built environment characteristics can stimulate physical activity and thus improve public health during non-pandemic periods. Urban density was arguably one of the most important built environment characteristics. However, little is known about whether high urban density amplifies or attenuates the decline in physical activity during the pandemic. Based on two-wave physical activity data collected before and during the pandemic (in January and May 2020, respectively), we used moderation analysis to compare the changes in physical activity levels between people living in low- and high-density neighborhoods. Our results showed that people living in low-density areas have a smaller decrease in physical activity conducted in neighborhood, compared to those living in high-density areas. Our findings suggest that a flexible and porous urban development strategy could enhance the resilience of a city during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond.

2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 期间，全球许多城市采取了各种社交距离措施。这些措施导致城市人口体力活动水平下降和健康风险上升。强有力的证据表明，建筑环境特征可以刺激身体活动，从而改善非大流行期间的公众健康。城市密度可以说是最重要的建筑环境特征之一。然而，人们对高城市密度是否会加剧还是减弱大流行期间体力活动的下降知之甚少。基于疫情爆发前和疫情期间（分别为2020年1月和2020年5月）收集的两波体力活动数据，我们使用调节分析来比较居住在低密度和高密度社区的人们体力活动水平的变化。我们的结果表明，与生活在高密度地区的人们相比，生活在低密度地区的人们在附近进行的体力活动减少幅度较小。我们的研究结果表明，灵活且多孔的城市发展战略可以增强城市在冠状病毒大流行期间及之后的恢复能力。