Centre for Population, Family and Health, Department of Sociology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Primary and Interdisciplinary Care Antwerp (ELIZA), Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Aug 5;24(1):2117. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-19569-5.
The COVID-19 pandemic has demanded crisis management at all governance levels. While most research has focused on responses of national governments, city-level governance had significant potential to develop tailored approaches. This study explored how the local COVID-19 response was organised and adapted to the specific city population and context in the City of Antwerp, Belgium.
A case study using semi-structured interviews was set up with 20 key informants with a central role in the coordination and implementation of the city-level COVID-19 response in Antwerp. Thematic analysis of transcripts was guided by an adapted version of the OECD risk management cycle.
Respondents' accounts provide a granular understanding of pandemic preparedness, crisis management, and response and adaptation to the COVID-19 crisis in a mid-size European city. Its size was large enough to have a strong capacity within its government bodies, to utilise the expertise of strong partners in the area and to mobilise a critical mass for action, yet small enough to quickly establish connections and trust. In addition to a universal approach, they developed tailored responses to specific neighbourhoods and groups. Well-established community and organisational ties enhanced the effectiveness of grassroots initiatives. The perceived feeling of joint action contributed to a strong collective agency, but respondents noted the need for a system for monitoring and learning.
Local governments are important to develop tailored strategies and organise a locally relevant crisis response in cities. They need expertise and agency, with enough flexibility to experiment. To harness promising practices and avoid repeating errors in future crises, it is crucial to develop a system that better evaluates and monitors local responses, before, during and after crises.
COVID-19 大流行要求各级治理都采取危机管理措施。虽然大多数研究都集中在各国政府的应对措施上，但城市层面的治理有很大的潜力来制定有针对性的方法。本研究探讨了比利时安特卫普市如何组织和调整当地的 COVID-19 应对措施，以适应特定城市人口和背景。
采用半结构式访谈方法，对安特卫普市在协调和实施市级 COVID-19 应对措施方面发挥核心作用的 20 名关键知情者进行了案例研究。对转录本的主题分析以经改编的经合组织风险管理周期为指导。
受访者的叙述详细了解了中型欧洲城市的大流行病防备、危机管理以及对 COVID-19 危机的应对和调整情况。该市规模足够大，政府机构内有足够的强大能力，利用该地区强大合作伙伴的专业知识，并动员足够多的关键行动人员，但规模又足够小，可以快速建立联系和信任。除了采取普遍方法外，他们还针对特定社区和群体制定了有针对性的应对措施。建立了良好的社区和组织联系，增强了基层举措的有效性。共同行动的感觉增强了强大的集体能动性，但受访者指出需要建立一个监测和学习的系统。
地方政府对于制定有针对性的战略和组织城市内相关的危机应对措施非常重要。他们需要具备专业知识和机构能力，同时具有足够的灵活性来进行试验。为了在未来的危机中利用有希望的实践并避免重复错误，在危机之前、期间和之后，开发一个更好地评估和监测地方应对措施的系统至关重要。
