Hasil untuk "Urban groups. The city. Urban sociology"

Keith Hart

Masahiko Todoriki

Urban snow management systems are typically treated as logistical operations to remove and dispose of excess snow. However, the Sapporo Glacier concept reframes municipal snow management within a cryospheric systems framework, transforming urban snow accumulation into a controlled cryospheric process that interacts with climate and urban energy systems. This paper presents a hypothesis-driven scoping concept, the Sapporo Glacier, as a conceptual framework for Urban Cryosphere Engineering, which seeks to design and control the long-term storage, insulation, and metamorphism of urban snow using bounded, first-order physical reasoning rather than site-calibrated performance prediction to create a glacier possessing glacier ice (as classically defined) and measurable flow. Using Sapporo City’s existing snow-depot infrastructure as a reference model, the framework integrates physical modeling (degree-day method and simplified energy-balance considerations), surface control through organic mulch, and seasonal monitoring to delineate feasible design regimes for optimizing the thermal state of accumulated snow. Beyond technical feasibility, it emphasizes socio-environmental integration, envisioning snow storage as both a climate-adaptive infrastructure and a cultural landscape that connects citizens to seasonal cycles. Importantly, meltwater released from such an urban glacier during summer may generate a localized, testable nearshore thermal signal, enabling empirical evaluation of coastal cryosphere–ocean interactions. This hypothesis-driven, conceptual approach aims to establish an interdisciplinary foundation for future empirical studies and design experiments, rather than to deliver predictive site-specific outcomes, toward the realization of urban glaciers as sustainable and ecological elements of city life.

Foluke Oladunni Jegede, Chiagozie Mitchelle Enwonwu

The success of any architectural space depends on how users perceive and experience it, particularly in arts and cultural centres, which serve as hubs for cultural expression, engagement, and tourism. These centres must reflect local architectural identity to ensure long-term cultural relevance and contribute meaningfully to sustainability goals. This study examines users’ perceptions of the benefits of neo-vernacular architecture in selected arts and cultural centres in Lagos, addressing a gap in comparative evaluations through a quantitative analysis of perceived contributions to cultural, environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Out of 120 distributed questionnaires, 110 valid responses were collected across three centres: John Randle Centre, Terra Kulture, and KAP Hub. Data analysis using the Kruskal–Wallis H test and descriptive statistics revealed that while users generally perceive neo-vernacular architecture as beneficial across cultural, economic, environmental and social dimensions, variation exists in how these benefits are expressed across contexts. The findings highlight the need to align traditional architectural expression with sustainability, with future research incorporating objective performance metrics to complement perception-based insights.

Marcel Moran

Starting in 2017, a new public demonstration called "People Protected Bike Lanes" (PPBL) took place in San Francisco, in which participants stand on the street in a line between cyclists and car traffic to demonstrate the inadequacy of existing bicycle infrastructure. Between 2017-2023, there were at least 55 PPBL demonstrations in 25 different cities in 11 countries. At more than half of the streets in which PPBL were held, protected bike lanes were later installed. PPBL's straightforward arrangement, legibility to news media, and participants' use of online social networks have likely contributed to its considerable global spread, and influence on bike-lane upgrades.

Setsuko Onoda

Abstract Vulnerability in disaster contexts involves two key issues: firstly, post-disaster recovery is often seen as an opportunity not only to rebuild damaged systems and restore communities to their pre-disaster state but also to improve components and conditions to create more resilient social systems. Secondly, reconstructing the environment, landscape, and infrastructure exactly as they were before the disaster often reinstates the same vulnerabilities that existed previously. From a homeostasis perspective, vulnerabilities can be categorised into two types: those resulting from inaction and the accumulation of difficulties over time, and those triggered by sudden impacts such as natural disasters. If we view vulnerabilities as part of the regional complementary process, they can serve as multi-faceted political vectors for reform. To achieve genuine recovery, it is essential to adopt homeostasis as a guiding principle for political reform, eliminating institutionalised discrimination and fostering diverse, adaptive mechanisms within regional systems.

Libertad Fresia Figueroa Ezzatti

En nuestro país el tema de la vejez en la mujer no ha sido lo suficientemente abordado por estudios que se dediquen exclusivamente a la temática y en lo relativo a la construcción de la identidad de género en la mujer adulta mayor hasta el momento no existen estudios que aborden la materia. Esta motivación convoca a estudiar a las mujeres mayores y específicamente conocer cómo ellas apropian las nuevas pautas de vida de la mujer actual o si continúan enfrentando la vida dentro y fuera de su hogar tal como lo hacían en su juventud. De este modo esta investigación busca conocer las transformaciones en la identidad de género de las mujeres adultas mayores en función de las representaciones sociales de género. Los resultados de este estudio muestran que las mujeres mayores en Chile viven un proceso de apropiación de los cambios en las representaciones sociales de género, siendo el más importante de ellos aprovechar la conquista del espacio público que lograron ellas en su juventud y continúan haciendo las mujeres en la actualidad.

Joseph Llewellyn, Cecilia Katzeff, Daniel Pargman et al.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released design indexes for sustainable neighbourhoods, including self-sufficiency, community plot ratio and civic generosity. However, they are developed from an urban planning perspective and not researched in relation to: a) the citizen perspective and b) how citizen interactions can contribute to the environment. Therefore, this research tests a novel set of indexes with an underused method of ethnographic video interviews with 14 citizens of a known sustainable neighbourhood in Stockholm, Sweden. A thematic analysis conducted on 28 h of interview data collected over a 4-week period yielded 5 main themes, from outdoor public spaces. Self-sufficiency findings suggest that citizens 1) perceive small scale self-sufficiency to be challenged by large scale structural efficiency and 2) circular actions with food waste to biogas can develop the self-sufficiency index further. Community plot ratio findings suggest that citizens 3) perceive community spaces to be accessible for all but not used by all. Civic generosity findings suggest citizens 4) perceive an imbalance between self-interests of the individual versus collective interests of the community, while 5) experienced citizens feel personally responsible to pioneer civic generosity interactions. UNEP indexes for designing neighbourhoods can define local sustainability, however, our findings support this, only if they can be acted upon by the citizens who live there.

Miriam Neßler

Current research underlines the important role of arrival infrastructures in urban spaces in enabling and shaping migrants’ arrival. These include arrival brokers, individuals who help newcomers access resources. As yet, we have little knowledge on brokers’ informal and commercial practices in the context of arrival, especially in European cities, whereby brokers unsettle common “distinctions between ‘state’ and ‘market,’ as well as ‘formal’ and ‘informal’” (Lindquist, 2012, p. 75). This article aims to contribute to our understanding of arrival brokers by shedding light on commercial brokering in an arrival area in Dortmund, Germany, looking at the relations between brokers and newcomer clients. The study is based on ethnographic research, including one year of participant observation in a broker’s shop, and interviews with both brokers and newcomers. Covering both perspectives, this article analyses how commercial arrival brokering shapes newcomers’ access to resources. The findings offer new insights into arrival brokers’ multiple facets of in/formal and commercial infrastructuring. The article shows how brokers’ accessibility depends on spatial, social, financial, and temporal factors. It is relational both within the local context of service provision and through setting the conditions governing resource access. Arrival brokers can influence newcomers’ arrival processes by enabling, channelling (and sometimes blocking) resource access while also offering opportunities for newcomers to circumvent and compensate for other—more formal—forms of support. Commercial brokering evolves as a practice between brokers and newcomers within, parallel to, and beyond the support provided by more formal institutions.

Ria Bhargava, Ruolin Zhang, Eleftheria Kontou

Electric vehicles (EVs) have a growing market share in the US and several policies promote their ownership and use. EV drivers face significantly longer charging times at public charging stations, compared to internal combustion engine vehicle drivers. When charging stations are colocated with other land uses, such as shopping and recreational ones, EV drivers can plan their trips and turn their charging down time to a productive or enjoyable experience. This study examines the variety of businesses and premises located near public charging stations in Chicago, Illinois, and explores their pricing levels, which may influence the accessibility of charging stations for EV users from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Our findings reveal that the businesses closest to charging stations predominantly include food establishments, shops, and tourism-related venues, with the majority falling into affordable pricing categories. These results suggest that public charging stations in Chicago are situated in areas with amenities that cater to a wide range of income levels, promoting equitable access to EV infrastructure. On the other hand, chargers are overwhelmingly placed in majority white neighborhoods. We highlight the importance of considering both amenities proximity and affordability in the assessment of public charging infrastructure to support a more inclusive and equitable transition to electric vehicles.

Chimit B. Urbanova, Vladimir A. Babikov

The intensification of economic activity and especially the construction of industrial or residential facilities next to recreational facilities, in most cases, negatively affects the condition of such facilities. The object of the study is Children’s park "Raduga" in Ulan-Ude. The goal of the study is to consider geoecological approaches to studying the state of anthropogenic landscapes, the Raduga Garden Square in Ulan-Ude, during the implementation of the state program "Formation of a comfortable urban environment" based on the principles of geo-urbanism and geoecology. Research objectives are as follows: implementation of a geo-ecological assessment of the state of the Raduga Garden Square; based on the assessment, phased zoning of the territory of the Raduga Garden Square; preparation of a SWOT analysis of the local residents’ attitude to the Raduga Garden Square in Ulan-Ude; implementation of a sociological survey and the allocation of focus groups of the local population living in the area of the Raduga Garden Square; development of recommendations on the project for the implementation of a comfortable urban environment. In the period of 2023, as a part of the project "Formation of a comfortable urban environment" implementation in the city of Ulan-Ude, the territory of the Raduga Garden Square, one of the popular recreational places for residents of the capital of the republic, has been examined, for this purpose sociological methods and methods of geo-ecological analysis of the condition are used. Anthropogenic landscapes of the park territory. It is discovered that the processes of recreational facilities renovation have begun and require scientific justification, including the standpoint of geo-urbanism and geoecology. The results of sociological and other studies of the Raduga Garden Square have showed that most of it has been subjected to anthropogenic transformation; more than half of the territory of this facility does not meet the requirements for sanitary and hygienic indicators and has a certain degree of degradation. To prevent further regression of the territory of the Raduga Garden Square, a decrease in its attractive properties associated with the anthropogenic transformation of natural components, primarily soil cover, natural vegetation, and the degree of its projective coverage, it is necessary to carry out comprehensive geo-ecological monitoring, and local authorities need to ensure the protection and improvement of the territory of this recreational facility.

M. Tulebayeva, I. Rystina

Youth is the future of the country, the driving force of society, as well as the main factor of social resistance and change, rural youth is one of the most vulnerable social groups in the country, which is quickly exposed to political and social threats. They have their own uniqueness, demand and taste, need, as well as their own path of development. There are always opportunities for talented, active and competitive urban youth, but there are difficulties in choosing a path that will help rural youth realize their potential. Therefore, it is very important to conduct research on the topic of adaptation and integration of rural youth through the mechanisms of social elevators in the southern region of the country, especially in the Almaty, Turkestan, Kyzylorda and Zhambyl regions, where young people are most concentrated. This study examines the reasons for the migration of rural youth living in the cities of Kyzylorda, Taraz, Turkestan, the difficulties of adaptation to urban life, state programs to support youth, the importance of education, politics, the army and religion in the adaptation and integration of rural youth. youth, the development of adaptation and integration of rural youth through the mechanisms of social elevator for research proposals. The article analyzes the results of a sociological study on the issues of adaptation and integration of rural youth based on a focus group discussion, taking into account the specifics of each region in the specified region.

Jesus Donaire-Avila, Amadeo Benavent-Climent, Fabrizio Mollaioli

It is widely accepted in the seismic design of buildings a certain level of damage under moderate or severe seismic actions but preventing the damage concentration in them. On the other hand, the energy-based design methodology proposes an optimum strength distribution for designing the structure of the building aimed at achieving an approximated even distribution of the damage—energy dissipated by plastic deformations—under seismic actions. Different approaches for the optimum strength distribution have been proposed in both existing literature and standards. Most of them were formulated from the results obtained in non-linear numeric evaluations of elastic-perfectly plastic (EPP) structures, such as the findings proposed recently by the authors of this study. However, studies on the optimum strength distributions of reinforced concrete (RC) structures are scarce. The present study sheds light on this issue. Accordingly, the structures of four prototype buildings with 3, 6, 9, and 12 stories were designed through an energy-based method by using five approaches for the optimum strength distribution: those proposed by the authors and two others from the literature and standards. Then, different prototypes of the structures arose considering the different approaches for the optimum strength distribution, two soil classes (dense and medium dense), and two ductility levels (low and high). Such prototype structures were subjected to two sets of far-field ground motion records by using three different constitutive models for the shear force-interstory drift relationship: EPP, Clough model, and Modified Clough model. The first characterizes the steel structures and the rest are typical for RC structures. A complete analysis was carried out to obtain the distribution of damage for EPP and RC structures, their deviations with respect to the “ideal” even distribution of damage, and the possible damage concentration on specific stories. RC structures showed a higher dispersion for the distribution of damage than EPP structures although those designed with the optimum strength distributions proposed by the authors showed the lowest values in the order of those obtained with EPP structures designed with optimum strength distributions proposed in the literature.

Rabiya Hanif, Wedzerai S. Musvoto

Background: Reliable and adequate healthcare funding is crucial in public healthcare service delivery. However, district hospitals in Malawi, face funding challenges as evidenced by poor service delivery. Aim: This study aimed at investigating funding challenges experienced by public district hospitals of Malawi in the provision of healthcare services and proposing strategies for improved funding. Setting: The research presented in this article evaluates funding challenges in the public healthcare sector in Malawi, a developing country. Method: An exploratory sequential mixed method design was used. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 purposively selected individuals and were analysed thematically. Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires from 328 respondents. Quantitative data underwent factor and univariate analysis. Results: The study revealed that government funding is received late and is inadequate; donor funding was declining and earmarked for specific health activities; while income generation capacity of hospitals and Councils is weak. The study suggests that hospitals should introduce fees for service, government should be lobbied for increased funding allocations, and revenue–generating capacity of hospitals and Councils should be enhanced. Conclusion: The study concludes that there is an urgent need for government to prioritise the healthcare delivery sector and increase its funding. Hospitals and Councils should be innovative in order to generate additional funding for operations and the revenue generation capacity of hospitals and Councils should thus, be enhanced. Contribution: The study adds to the healthcare funding debate in developing countries by providing a context–specific analysis of healthcare funding challenges and suggesting improvement strategies.

V. Kurochkina, S. Khlebnikov, M. D. Melnikova

Most of the cities standing on rivers are currently faced with the problem of the formation of near-water depressed spaces. Most often, coastal areas that were previously used for agricultural and industrial needs become depressive spaces. After the loss of their purpose, these facilities cease to operate, which leads to negative environmental impact on the environment and to its gradual degradation. The article presents the results of a study of the depressive territory of the Chermyanka River section (Moscow), in which the authors took part. The section of the river is located in the North-Eastern Administrative District of Moscow in the municipal districts of Bibirevo and Otradnoye. Based on the results of the reconnaissance survey and sociological research, the main problems of the studied depressed territory were identified. Based on the analysis of successful domestic and foreign projects for the revitalization of depressive nearwater areas, ways of solving these problems and the development of a degrading territory are proposed. The article describes in detail the variant of the reorganization of the depressed territory under consideration, developed by the authors. The choice of regionalization of the river territory into green and open public spaces is substantiated, including the assessment of the morphometric indicators of the river, biological, sociological and landscape characteristics. The functional content of public spaces is described, aimed at meeting the needs of various social and age groups, and communications that allow to combine open public and green spaces into an integral recreational complex. 2672-8575 © 2022 Published by European Publisher.

Soumya Vasisht, Shushman Choudhury, Nawaf Nazir et al.

We apply Bayesian Linear Regression to estimate the response rate of drivers to variable message signs at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, or SEA. Our approach uses vehicle speed and flow data measured at the entrances of the arrival and departure-ways of the airport terminal, and sign message data. Depending on the time of day, we estimate that between 5.5 and 9.1\% of drivers divert from departures to arrivals when the sign reads "departures full, use arrivals", and conversely, between 1.9 and 4.2\% of drivers divert from arrivals to departures. Though we lack counterfactual data (i.e., what would have happened had the diversionary treatment not been active), adopting a causal model that encodes time dependency with prior distributions rate can yield a measurable effect.

Bryann Avendano-Uribe, Heide Lukosch, Mark Milke

Resilience has become a fundamental paradigm for communities to deal with disaster planning. Formal methods are used to prioritise and decide about investments for resilience. Strategies and behaviour need to be developed that cannot be based on formal modelling only because the human element needs to be incorporated to build community resilience. Participatory modelling and gaming are methodological approaches that are based on realistic data and address human behaviour. These approaches enable stakeholders to develop, adjust, and learn from interactive models and use this experience to inform their decision-making. In our contribution, we explore which physical and digital elements from serious games can be used to design a participatory approach in community engagement and decision-making. Our ongoing research aims to bring multiple stakeholders together to understand, model, and decide on the trade-offs and tensions between social and infrastructure investments toward community resilience building. Initial observations allow us as researchers to systematically document the benefits and pitfalls of a game-based approach. We will continue to develop a participatory modelling exercise for resilience planning with university graduate students and resilience experts within academia in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Marcel E. Moran

Paris bypassed standard-construction processes to rapidly expand its bike-lane network amidst COVID-19. This study analyses these new lanes in terms of their design, spatial footprint, and relationship to the pre-COVID network. Municipal data, street imagery, and in-person observations demonstrate that Paris’s new ‘pop-up’ lanes are a higher share bi-directional than the pre-COVID network (49% vs. 39%), a higher share more protected (77% vs. 73%), and average a higher number of interconnections. These 47 kilometers connect the city’s peripheral ring to its inner core, primarily represent new lanes as opposed to upgrades of existing lanes (66% vs. 33%), and replace both traffic lanes and on-street parking.

J. Hidalgo, G. Dumas, V. Masson et al.

This paper proposes a method for generating maps of Local Climate Zones (LCZs) within a GIS using administrative and 2.5D building databases. The LCZs are computed from morphological indicators and building typology, on vector reference spatial units that correspond to urban islets, i.e. blocks of buildings surrounded by nearby roads. The main originality is that, while mean building height criteria correspond exactly to the LCZ classification, a k-means statistical method is used to determine, for each city, the limits between compact and open (and sparsely built) LCZs for high-, mid- and low-rise LCZs, respectively. For example, in SO12 LCZ look-up tables and the WUDAPT-L0 mapping approach, “compact” LCZs correspond to a building density of over 40%. The resulting groups for Nantes, Toulouse and Paris for mid-height, treated with the proposed statistical method, are 36%, 37% and 33.8% respectively. The LCZ maps for these three cities are compared to the WUDAPT LCZ maps, the latter being obtained from satellite imagery at a re- solution of 100 m. MApUCE LCZ maps show more spatial details, due to their finer resolution, and more variety in urban LCZs within each conurbation. This is very important for modeling micro-climatic effects on town peripheries.

Armand Vokshi, Elfrida Shehu, Sokol Dervishi

Abstract Heritage conservation provides economic, cultural and social benefits to urban communities. The building conservation role has changed from preservation to being part of a broader strategy for urban regeneration process and sustainable development. Heritage buildings are vital in for transferring the cultural identity for upcoming generations. Where heritage buildings can no longer function with its original use, proposing a new function is necessary to preserve the significance of the heritage building. This study aims to explore the fascinating dialogue between totalitarian regimes introduced in two museums adapted within the anti-nuclear bunkers in Tirana. The architectural projects of the museum aim to preserve the identity of their interior. While the careful architectural intervention is necessary to create the atmosphere of totalitarian ideology, in many cases we have to do with the continuity of existing architectural and urban elements in these particular projects. The work explores two museums, BuncArt 1 and BunkArt 2, quite interesting reflection of the parts of history, during the years of world wars and the period of dictatorship of communism, with the facilities and elements exhibited there. In the meantime, thereafter, one can speak of a longer period for the period of the communist regime extending from 1945 to 1990. The impact of communist ideology, coming from the communist bloc of the East, also affects architecture and urban studies in Albania. In some respects, we have a silent follow-up to the monumental interventions that were made before the end of World War II. Another important element was the radical intervention in the bunkers in the territory and in the cities. Their quantity is considered with an amount of 700 thousand pieces. They were different in size and were seen more as defence-related parts rather than as a direct link to the new realist-socialist architecture. The return of some of them to the exhibition space was a good step to revitalize them. Currently they have been transformed into successful tourist attractions. Visitors come to perceive three important elements: (1) attractive military engineering, carried out in contrast to the challenges of the time, (2) the suffocating atmosphere during the communist dictatorship, which required extreme safeguards, (3) elements and historical facts of the World War period, as important elements during the Cold War. An ambitious third project, which is expected to be implemented in the future, is the conversion of the Pashaliman Naval Base in Vlora into another important military museum. This port was originally set up by mid-Fifties, by Russian troops, to have control over the Adriatic. The port is currently part of the military, thought to turn into a strong tourist pole.

Mohammed Jibrin Katun, Sulyman Aremu Olanrewaju, Aliyu Abdullahi Alhaji

Urban densification has attracted much attention in recent times, particularly in addressing certain urban problems such as urban sprawl and promoting compact development, though problems of unplanned densification are yet to be addressed in the literature. This paper examines space and time dynamics of urban densification, where patterns and changes in the residential densification of Bida urban area in Nigeria are assessed. The study relied on point features representing buildings for the years 2008, 2013, and 2018 digitized using ArcGIS 10.6. The data were analysed using Point Density spatial method to develop the spatiotemporal models which were further reclassified into three categories: low, medium, and high densities, respectively. The paper has found out that residential densities increase along the urban-rural gradient with clear evidence for unplanned urban densification as a result of the organic growth. Therefore, there is the need for planned densification in urban development which can curb the increasing residential density that reduces green and open spaces.