How to Measure the Environmental and Health Risk of Exposure to Future Epidemics in Cities?

This paper suggests a metrics that measures the environmental risk of exposure of cities to future waves of COVID-19 and epidemics of similar vital agents. The proposed index combines environmental, socioeconomic and health risk factors of cities to assess their vulnerability to the diffusion of infectious diseases. The statistical evidence here seems in general to support the predictive results of the index in assessing the risk of exposure of cities to the spread of infectious diseases. The metrics here can be important to help policymakers in decision making to constrain new waves of the COVID-19 and/or diffusion of new infectious diseases similar to COVID-19 with appropriate control measures on environment and socioeconomic system