Accessible Open Space Research Articles

A FLORISTIC INVENTORY OF TWO BOULDER COUNTY OPEN SPACE PARCELS: HEIL VALLEY RANCH AND HALL RANCH, COLORADO, U.S.A

An inventory of the vascular plants of Heil Valley Ranch and Hall Ranch in the north foothills of Boulder County was completed during 2017 and 2018, prior to a catastrophic forest fire that severely impacted this area in the fall of 2020. Heil Valley Ranch and Hall Ranch are keystone units of the Boulder County Parks and Open Space system. These large parcels (∼10,000 acres/4047 ha) represent a significant portion of publicly accessible open space in the county and represent an exemplary legacy of land preservation in the region. The biologically diverse foothill landscapes represent the ecotone between the High Plains and the Southern Rocky Mountains. Vital transition zones in the area harbor globally vulnerable and critically imperiled plant associations, the most detailed categorization described by the US National Vegetation Classification (2021). A total of 607 botanical specimens were collected over the course of 39 separate visits. There are 381 species from 82 families of flowering plants represented at the study area, with the greatest diversity occurring in Poaceae and the Asteraceae. Of these, 319 are native, 62 are non-native, and 7 species are of conservation concern. The present study is the first floristic study of these parcels and provides baseline data for future work in the area, as well as information for comparison to floristic works in the broader Front Range foothills region. Together, these studies inform conservation policy at a time when biodiversity is threatened both globally and locally. As the Front Range megaregion rapidly expands in human population, biological inventories will provide critical data to promote the expansion of conservation areas in parallel with urban growth.

A cross-sectional study using the Childhood Measurement Programme for Wales to examine population-level risk factors associated with childhood obesity.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association between childhood obesity and modifiable population-level risk factors, after accounting for deprivation. A review of the literature identified population-level risk factors including a healthy childcare setting, the local food environment, accessible open space, community safety and crime. Data for these risk factors were then identified and matched by each of the twenty-two local government areas in Wales to each child that had data on height and weight in the Wales Childhood Measurement Programme (CMP) (2012-2017). Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify associations with childhood obesity. The current study was undertaken in Wales, UK, where approximately one in eight 4-5-year-olds are classified as obese. All participants were children aged 4 or 5 years who attend school, measured as part of the CMP, between 2012 and 2017 (n 129 893, mean age 5·0 (sd 0·4) years). After adjusting for deprivation, small but statistically significant associations were found between childhood obesity and percentage of land available as accessible open space OR 0·981 (95 % CI: 0·973, 0·989) P < 0·001) and density of fast food outlets OR 1·002 (95 % CI 1·001, 1·004, P = 0·001). No other population-level risk factors were associated with childhood obesity. The current study indicates that, even after accounting for deprivation, risk factors such as the density of fast food outlets and access to green space should be considered when tackling childhood obesity as a public health issue.

The effects of ‘publicness’ and quality of publicly accessible open space upon user satisfaction

There is a worldwide trend for planning bodies to allow, require, or encourage developers to provide open spaces in their properties for public enjoyment to complement the open spaces on government lands. The two types of privately owned open space and government-owned open space, both accessible to public, can influence on people’s quality of life. Whether and how the land ownership of open spaces would influence their performance and, in turn, affect user satisfaction has not yet been studied and is worthy of exploration. This paper aims to examine the interactive relationships among three variables: ‘publicness’, quality/performance, and user satisfaction in both types of open space in Hong Kong. A questionnaire survey was administered to users of privately owned open space and government-owned open space and found that satisfaction with government-owned open space was marginally higher than with privately owned open space, with respect to activity facilities, amenities, and the overall utilization. Nevertheless, the differences in satisfaction were mainly the result of open space quality rather than land ownership per se. This study also examines the determinants of satisfaction, open space provision, and management and trends in spatial use. Findings from this study can deepen the understanding of utilizing both government-owned open space and privately owned open space from the user’s perspective, which will help improve the planning, design, and management of open spaces in cities.

Development of a simultaneous optical/PET imaging system for awake mice

Simultaneous measurements of multiple physiological parameters are essential for the study of brain disease mechanisms and the development of suitable therapies to treat them. In this study, we developed a measurement system for simultaneous optical imaging and PET for awake mice. The key elements of this system are the OpenPET, optical imaging and fixation apparatus for an awake mouse. The OpenPET is our original open-type PET geometry, which can be used in combination with another device because of the easily accessible open space of the former. A small prototype of the axial shift single-ring OpenPET was used. The objective lens for optical imaging with a mounted charge-coupled device camera was placed inside the open space of the AS-SROP. Our original fixation apparatus to hold an awake mouse was also applied. As a first application of this system, simultaneous measurements of cerebral blood flow (CBF) by laser speckle imaging (LSI) and [11C]raclopride-PET were performed under control and 5% CO2 inhalation (hypercapnia) conditions. Our system successfully obtained the CBF and [11C]raclopride radioactivity concentration simultaneously. Accumulation of [11C]raclopride was observed in the striatum where the density of dopamine D2 receptors is high. LSI measurements could be stably performed for more than 60 minutes. Increased CBF induced by hypercapnia was observed while CBF under the control condition was stable. We concluded that our imaging system should be useful for investigating the mechanisms of brain diseases in awake animal models.

Introducing urban food forestry: a multifunctional approach to increase food security and provide ecosystem services

We examine the potential role of perennial woody food-producing species (“food trees”) in cities in the context of urban sustainable development and propose a multifunctional approach that combines elements of urban agriculture, urban forestry, and agroforestry into what we call “urban food forestry” (UFF). We used four approaches at different scales to gauge the potential of UFF to enhance urban sustainability and contribute to food security in the context of urbanization and climate change. First, we identified 37 current initiatives based around urban food trees, and analyzed their activities in three categories: planting, mapping, and harvesting, finding that the majority (73 %) only performed one activity, and only 8 % performed all three. Second, we analyzed 30 urban forestry master plans, finding that only 13 % included human food security among their objectives, while 77 % included habitat for wildlife. Third, we used Burlington, Vermont as a case study to quantify the potential fruit yield of publicly accessible open space if planted with Malus domestica (the common apple) under nine different planting and yield scenarios. We found that 108 % of the daily recommended minimum intake of fruit for the entire city’s population could be met under the most ambitious planting scenario, with substantial potential to contribute to food security even under more modest scenarios. Finally, we developed a Climate–Food–Species Matrix of potential food trees appropriate for temperate urban environments as a decision-making tool. We identified a total of 70 species, 30 of which we deemed “highly suitable” for urban food forestry based on their cold hardiness, drought tolerance, and edibility. We conclude that substantial untapped potential exists for urban food forestry to contribute to urban sustainability via increased food security and landscape multifunctionality.

A single-ring OpenPET enabling PET imaging during radiotherapy

We develop an OpenPET system which can provide an accessible open space to the patient during PET scanning. Our first-generation OpenPET geometry which we called dual-ring OpenPET consisted of two separated detector rings and it could extend its axial field of view (FOV) therefore enabling imaging the gap region in addition to the in-ring region. However, applications such as dose verification by in-beam PET measurement during particle therapy and real-time tumor tracking by PET require sensitivity focused onto the gap rather than on the wide FOV. In this paper, we propose a second-generation OpenPET geometry, single-ring OpenPET, which can provide an accessible and observable open space with higher sensitivity and a reduced number of detectors than the earlier one. The proposed geometry has a cylinder shape cut at a slant angle, in which the shape of each cut end becomes an ellipse. We provided a theoretical analysis for sensitivity of the proposed geometry, compared with the dual-ring OpenPET and a geometry where the conventional PET was positioned at a slant angle against the patient bed to form an accessible open space, which we called a slant PET. The central sensitivity depends on the solid angle of these geometries. As a result, we found that the single-ring OpenPET has a sensitivity 1.2 times higher than the dual-ring OpenPET and 1.3 times higher than the slant PET when designed for a 600 mm bed width with 300 mm accessible open space and about 200 detector blocks, each with a front area of 2500 mm2. In addition, numerical simulation was carried out to show the imaging property of the proposed geometry realized with the ellipsoidal rings and these results indicate that the depth-of-interaction detector can provide uniform resolution even when the detectors are arranged in an ellipsoidal ring.

Power Plays in Public Space: Skateboard Parks as Battlegrounds, Gifts, and Expressions of Self

Abstract Numerous studies over the last thirty years have illustrated the importance of considering the issues and concerns of adolescents in any design undertaking, yet there is strong evidence to suggest that much of this research is not being applied by practitioners in any meaningful manner. Nowhere is this incongruence of research and practice move evident than in the design and management of skateboard parks, one of the most prominent—and misunderstood—forms of public space that responds to many of the needs of older children, teens, and young adults. Ideally, these parks can and often do offer a place that teens and others can claim as their own, use as they see fit, and manipulate or change to meet changing needs and desires. In truth, skateboard parks have become much more complex places where public and private agendas clash with the desires of teens who want a place to recreate, hang out, and have fun. This paper highlights six case studies of skateparks in Oregon. Utilizing field observations and interviews/discussions with teens, park managers, administrators, and others involved in the creation, management, and use of these skateparks, this research not only validates past research findings regarding teens and public/private space, but also serves to illuminate the degree to which this past research is or isn't incorporated into the design of this type of publicly accessible open space. Also apparent are various stereotypes about teens, skateboarders, and skateboarding, and how these stereotypes affect the ultimate configuration, acceptance, and use of these embattled landscapes.