Intercity Comparison of Changes in Number of People Staying in Downtown Area Owing to COVID-19 Using Behavioral Elastic Diagram

The changes to people’s behaviors in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic require a thorough examination so as to propose policies in preparation for future pandemics. Previous studies used “behavioral elastic diagrams” (BEDs) to describe and analyze these changes. However, their analyses rely on paper-based surveys, and the spatial–temporal analysis on a detailed scale is insufficient. In this study, we used mobile spatial statistics to plot BEDs and compared the changes in the number of people staying at nighttime owing to COVID-19 in April 2020 in six downtown areas of Japan. The results showed that the number of females and young people (ages 15–19) decreased significantly. We also observed differences by area; for example, the Tenjin area showed a higher decrease among adults in their 20s and a lower decrease for those in their 30s and over than the Hakata area in Fukuoka.