Urban structure conceptualisation using compact and polycentric city narratives is often performed separately. However,although both are based on different spatial grammars, they are inextricably linked. The spatially equitable distribution andaccessibility of urban functions are often seen as their main contributions. This paper uses the unprecedented circumstancesof the COVID-19 pandemic to further analyse the relationship between the two narratives, using the radical transformationof a retail network in a post-socialist city (Brno, Czech Republic) as an example. Based on an in-depth analysis of governmentmeasures aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus and their coverage in the media, operational changes among allstores in the city are quantified. A comparative spatial analysis then shows that, in addition to economic inequalities, spatialinjustice was exacerbated by the position of the central government, with varying degrees of intensity depending on the typeof urban structure. It is argued that the resilience potential of polycentric and compact structures is very low, especially in theabsence of retail planning and reflection upon spatiality in ensuring social equity.