Unequal COVID-19 socioeconomic impacts and the path to a sustainable city and resilient community: a qualitative study in Sydney, Australia

The COVID-19 pandemic has unevenly impacted Sydney’s regions and communities. Despite the significance of the topic and considerable research on COVID-19, the pandemic’s unequal impact on Sydney’s disadvantaged areas remains unexplored. Urban location, ethnicity, education and employment status have affected the impact of COVID-19. This research argues that the socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic have also been spatially differentiated in Sydney, with socioeconomically underprivileged people in Western Sydney more affected than those privileged elsewhere. The disadvantaged areas of Western Sydney support the case of a broad vision of socioeconomic transformation for resilience. This study uses qualitative research to reveal unequal COVID-19 impacts in Sydney. It emphasizes the introduction of socioeconomic innovations concentrating on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to support disadvantaged urban regions in enhancing resilience and sustainability in challenging times and beyond.