The spatiotemporal variance of commercial activity in urban communities has never been the consequence of coincidence, but rather the result of the investors’ continuous search for a tradeoff between the best sites for commercial uses, according to market theories, city regulations, and applicable rules, as well as urban life's social, economic, technological, and even morphological aspects (Wellman, 1970). Over the past decades, Christaller explained the appropriate allocation of commercial uses by situating the market area in a central location to provide logistical services for the surrounding population (Saraiva & Pinho, 2017). However, in subsequent years, Reilly's law of gravitation revealed that the attractive range of commercial uses unquestionably altered existing commercial' geographical patterns, hierarchies, and the city center's traditional dense and multifunctional structure (Cervantes-Godoy et al., 2014), with consumer preferences for the ambiance of commercial centers in out-of-town locations (Ozuduru & Guldmann, 2013). Recently, Gruen proposed the mall as a fundamental unit of the city fabric and an integral part of a more extensive network of human activity, integrating commercial activities into cultural-artistic, social events, and entertainment activities to become a multi-purpose center, or a so-called "shopping town." (Smiley, 2002; Djukic, 2016).
By the end of 2019, a new strain of coronavirus that spread rapidly in Wuhan and all over the globe, known as "COVID-19 "(Pneumonia-SARS-CoV-2) (Johnson, 2020), with the existence of genetic mutations, was described as one of the most profoundly health-disruptive events, since it has led to unprecedented economic and public health concerns. At that critical juncture, government leaders from numerous countries pledged to mobilize internationally and nationally to transparently control and contain the global health crisis (Song et al., 2021) by implementing social distancing and stringent lockdown measures. The pandemic has exacerbated the existing weaknesses within specific sectors, such as the health sector, in addition to causing a degradation in commercial activity due to the significantly low sales in response to the recession. While closed shopping malls were suddenly devoid of customers, fearing infection, most consumers have, since then, resorted to online channels and rebound e-commerce to reduce face-to-face contact (Sanders, 2020). In contrast, most local centers and neighborhood grocers have operated relatively normally since they are less unsafe and focus on the necessities instead of the unnecessary luxuries (England, 2020). Here, the world discovered the crucial role of the spatial distribution of commercial activity and balanced urban development in satisfying the population's everyday needs, particularly in marginalized areas (Rivera, 2020).
Balanced health economy, many cities decided to exploit marginalized spaces and inaccessible regions, close streets, and sidewalks in front of vehicular traffic, and enable outdoor dining, recreation, and safe shopping. As for closed stores, there were attempts to maintain social distancing by using window graphics and outdoor signs to notify customers before walking in the door while offering shopping appointments through app stores, limiting shopping times, checking temperatures, and offering sanitization upon entrance (Expanded & Seating, 2020). On the other hand, some countries have intervened spatially or structurally in the commercial use, for instance, in Delhi, with the gradual lifting of the nationwide lockdown, some neighborhoods began to host brand-pop-up stores to accommodate vendors, typically found only in central cities, allowing consumers, who might have been hesitant to go to the central, to resume their visits to neoteric markets within a walking distance (UN-Habitat, 2021). In Paris, planners aspire to implement the "15-minute city" and multi-polar and polycentric commercial activities incorporating leisure activities and cycling lanes to reduce human friction and attract people to a city center (National League of Cities, 2021). Districts in Columbia achieved the crucial balance of reopening stores and restaurants and commercial eviction moratoriums while containing the virus by following the guidance of DC Health and aiming to create a livelier urban environment by converting sidewalk space, alleys, and parking lanes into parklets and outdoor shopping (Expanded & Seating, 2020). New York experimented with tactical urbanism to immediately create adaptive solutions by responding to the neighborhood's needs during an emergency. Once the requirements and priorities were defined, the authorities applied solutions for the desired temporary facilities, such as food supplies, medical emergencies, and temporary market spaces (Malagi & Mehta, 2020). Regarding commercial stores, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) released 3-dimensional models using an architectural, engineering, and administrative framework based on recent public health information. The contemporary designs moved from the generic big-box design to more open-air concepts, standalone centers, and seamless integration into the surrounding urban fabric (Song et al., 2021). Before and after synchronizing with the spread of COVID-19 in Egypt, commercial complexes and shopping centers expanded rapidly in new cities, away from city centers and towards the suburbs, to become the leading sites for residents' consumption with linear, dispersed forms along the arterial roads (Esta, 2020). For this study, two new Egyptian cities, namely the 6th of October City and Sheikh Zayed City, were examined as successful case studies in dealing with the spatial distribution of their commercial centers, motivating social distancing, and relieving pressure on the city center.