Cities are challenged to provide older adults with high-quality neighborhoods that foster their mental health. Older adults with low socioeconomic position (SEP) are at risk for poor mental health, ...but research in this group is scarce. The neighborhood may have an impact on older adults' mental health through the elicitation of emotions. Qualitative on-site research can provide detailed and context-sensitive information on the experienced emotions. The aim of this walk-along study was to identify which emotions older adults with low SEP experience when they walk in their neighborhood and the physical and social neighborhood environmental characteristics that influence these emotions. Twenty-four older adults with low SEP were interviewed and content analysis was performed using NVivo 12 software. Participants experienced various positive emotions (e.g., calmness) in green and blue spaces, spaces with historical buildings, and open spaces. They experienced negative emotions (e.g., frustration) in spaces with heavy traffic and crime, paths with uneven surfaces, and areas with a lack of services, infrastructure and maintenance. The presence of public transport, renovations, graffiti, and cultural diversity evoked mixed emotions. Insights from this study could be used to develop specific hypotheses in quantitative studies and by urban planners and policy makers when (re-)designing neighborhoods.
•Walk-along interviews yielded detailed and context-sensitive information.•Feeling safe and relaxed was critical for walking experiences of older adults with low socioeconomic position.•Traffic, crime, and falling were sources of fear, stress, and frustration.•High-quality green, blue and open spaces contributed to feeling relaxed and happy.•Easy access to neighborhood services could promote mental well-being.
Climate adaptation in informal areas in hot arid climates Lotfata, Aynaz; Cortesão, João; Zinsmeister, Hestia ...
Sustainable development (Bradford, West Yorkshire, England),
February 2024, 2024-02-00, 20240201, Letnik:
32, Številka:
1
Journal Article
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This conceptual and exploratory research study investigates, systematically and holistically, climate‐adaptive spatial design interventions for high‐density informal urban areas in hot arid climates, ...which remain understudied despite their vulnerability to heat stress and the heat‐vulnerable groups populating them. Five streetscape design prototypes are proposed that include climate‐adaptive spatial interventions appraised qualitatively with consideration to relevant feasibility matters: land use planning, equity, affordability, mobility, and sense of place. The study shows that there is potential for climate‐adaptive interventions in informal urban areas in hot arid climates, but that these interventions also present challenges. Common climate‐adaptive design strategies can be used to address heat stress in these areas but, for example, increasing vegetation might be challenging due to water stress. As a conceptual study, the findings presented and the discussion raised on feasibility are targeted at opening avenues for future research, and at informing decision‐makers and spatial designers.
(Series Information) European Papers - A Journal on Law and Integration, 2023 8(3), 1037-1045 | (Table of Contents) I. Introduction - II. Protection of war refugees from Ukraine - III. Targeted ...sanctions against citizens of the Russian federation and of Belarus - IV. Human rights of the general population of the EU Member States - V. Concluding remarks. | (Abstract) The conflict in Ukraine, triggered by the Russia’s act of aggression in March 2014 and, in full scale, in February 2022, has had a profound impact on the human rights situation not only in Ukraine itself but also in the Member States of the European Union. This impact manifests itself in three main areas. The first area concerns the protection of war refugees from Ukraine. The second area pertains to the sanctions imposed on the citizens of the Russian Federation and of Belarus. The third area relates to the effects of the conflict on human rights of the general population of the EU Member States, stemming either from the economic or social hardship brought about by the conflict, or from restrictive measures adopted by the EU Member States in response to the conflict. In addition to introducing each of these areas in more detail, the Insight recalls that not paying adequate attention to all of them simultaneously might result in violations of human rights and in the radicalisation of certain segments of society that might feel (rightly or not) ignored and left behind.
ACCESS TO LAND FOR WOMEN IN ETHIOPIA Wubetu Anley Belay; Mesfin Beyene Abriha
African journal on land policy and geospatial sciences,
12/2023, Letnik:
6, Številka:
5
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Context and background Access to land and productive resources for women is low in many countries especially in the developing world where there are less secure property rights in general. .Though ...there is no clear indication as to which groups should be considered vulnerable in Ethiopia, the groups mentioned under section two are practically considered vulnerable. These groups in Ethiopia include women, orphan children, HIV/AIDS victims, pastoralists, poor peasants, persons with disabilities and the urban and rural poor. Moreover, no proclamation in the country has listed who vulnerable groups are. Only a single proclamation i.e proclamation number 916/2016 tries to highlight the presence of some fabric of society who are considered as vulnerable without further expalanation under its article 34/13/c. The main causes which affect the lives of the women and other vulnerable groups emanate from policy, legal, customary, social and political loopholes in the country. Goal and Objectives: The overall objective of this study was to examine the land administration shortcomings that affect access to land for women in Ethiopia . Methodology: The researchers used a transcendental phenomenological approach to investigate the lived experiences of the women and other vulnerable groups in Ethiopia. By investigating literatures and approaching the participants in a manner where they should express the experiences they have been in and the systematic analysis of policy, legal and social realities with respect access to land. Results: Ethiopia include women, orphan children, HIV/AIDS victims, pastoralists, poor peasants, persons with disabilities and the urban and rural poor are Highly Affected ground. Moreover, no proclamation in the country has listed who vulnerable groups are. Elderly, HIV victims, disabled and unemployed are the groups of vulnerability.Inadequate legal and institutional regime, customary practices, lack of political will and land administration shortcomings are among the causes of vulnerability in Ethiopia. Therefore, addressing such main causes of vulnerability requires nothing beyond alleviating problems related to the legal shortcomings, the inadequacy of legal and land experts, corruption and political reluctance, patriarchal customary practices and bad system of land administration. The government should, therefore, give a serious emphasis in these respects.
•Equity related to GI is superficially dealt with in Romania’s strategic urban plans.•Plans aim at increasing the general availability and attractiveness of GI while sidestepping other aspects.•Few ...plans explicitly propose measures that address the needs of vulnerable groups.•Where they do, plans focus on the needs of children, teenagers and elderly people.•We provide a set of recommendations to mainstream equity in the strategic planning process of GI.
In Europe, equity has become an important policy objective based on the recently adopted European Green Deal and the idea of “leaving no one behind”. However, the question remains as to what extent equity is a real concern in the implementation of territorial policies, including spatial planning, and other place-based strategies in the EU member states. In this paper, we determine if and how equity has become a concern in the strategic planning of green infrastructure (GI), and whether strategic plans are indeed relevant in responding to vulnerable groups’ needs. We focus on Romania, a post-communist country where ensuring GI availability and accessibility is often a challenge for cities. The strategic plans of 75 % of Romanian cities (N = 242 plans) were systematically evaluated using document content analysis. This revealed that equity is addressed rather superficially in strategic urban plans. While most aim at increasing the availability and attractiveness of GI, very few of them do so by explicitly addressing the needs of vulnerable groups. Interestingly, equity concerns in the plans are not correlated with actual green space availability. Our study contributes to discussions about the role of strategic urban planning in delivering equitable public spaces and provides a set of recommendations for policy- and decision-makers.
The caravans of migrants and refugees in Mexico from northern Central America from October 2018 to April 2019 are studied here. In the present analysis, the human rights situation was studied in ...Honduras and in Mexico. In Honduras, because the migrants flow comes from Honduras, and in Mexico, because it explains the concentration of migrants to protect themselves from human rights violations during their transit through Mexico. It also analyzes the characteristics of migratory caravans and return programs to their country of origin.
The financial crisis which hit the world economies in 2008 has had a negative effect across the spectrum of European economies. These impacts have been felt through the fall in economic activity and ...also by the deterioration of the labour market indicators. However, not all European markets have been hit with the same severity and intensity, causing territorial differences. But, beyond this, the crisis has had a clear impact on the labour force by exacerbating work inequality. Consequently, the concept of labour emerges through the adaptation of labour markets and the different results obtained amongst the collectives who make up the labour force. The present research has the dual goal of both describing and comparing the labour shock caused by the economic crisis in eleven European countries, establishing differences in employment outcomes of youth (15-24yrs of age), older (55-64yrs of age) and migrants workers by comparing key labour market indicators obtained from official statistical sources. Moreover, it reveals a documented analysis of various national reports describing the employment position of these groups. The results show similarities in the labour vulnerability patterns among countries in each of the groups studied. The analysis highlights the existence of certain factors linked to labour resilience of each group including economic, social, occupational, demographic and political factors. The results of this research are under the INSPIRES project, which has been funded by the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission.
Weather conditions due to climate change affect the health directly and indirectly. Previous studies have shown associations with temperature, heat wave, and cold spell, and these do not only result ...in mortality from cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, etc., but also in morbidity. This study aimed to quantify the relative risk for hospital admissions related to ambient temperature for genitourinary system diseases, which are representative of metabolic disease. We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study using claims data generated by medical services for diseases of the urinary system. The data was based on medical claims data from 16 districts in South Korea, to the nationwide level between 2003 and 2013. A total of 1,255,671 hospital admissions through the emergency department because of diseases of the genitourinary system were reported within the study period. The overall cumulative relative risk at the 99th percentile vs. the minimum morbidity percentile for renal diseases was 1.252 (95% confidence interval 1.211 to 1.294) in Seoul, 1.252 (1.21 to 1.296) in Busan, 1.236 (1.196 to 1.276) in Daegu, 1.237(1.197 to 1.279) in Gwangju, and 1.258 (1.218 to 1.299) in Gyeonggi-do, 1.278 (1.211 to 1.349) in Chungcheongbuk-do, 1.291 (1.235 to 1.35) in Gyeongsangnam-do. In the group of men over 65 years, the overall cumulative RR was high and statistically significant in acute kidney injury (AKI). But we could not find the effect of high temperature for chronic kidney disease (CKD). The association were rather opposite, but not statistically significant. Our nationwide study not only demonstrates relative risk considering lag effects associated with ambient temperature and trends in hospital admissions through the emergency department for genitourinary disorders but also observed differences among disease groups.
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•We observed an association between high temperature and hospital admissions of kidney diseases in South Korea.•The effect on acute kidney injury hospitalization was significant, but the effect on chronic kidney disease was not.•We found interactions between gender and age in the association between kidney morbidity and high temperature.
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