Borough Level Research Articles

Seeing like a tourist city: how administrative constructions of conflictive urban tourism shape its future

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to clarify the administrative problematisations of conflict-prone urban tourism (e.g. noise) as political processes predetermining the future of city tourism. It is shaped by today’s administrative ways of knowing increasing visitor pressure as an issue for urban (tourism) development. Design/methodology/approach The problematisation of conflictive urban tourism in Berlin is used as case study and lens to analyse how administrative bodies see conflictive tourism like a tourist city. Drawing on Mariana Valverde’s idea of Seeing Like a City (2011), the paper demonstrates how disparate governmental bodies see and reduce the complexity of conflicts resulting from tourism in order to handle it. The authors use policy documents as the basis for the analysis. Findings The paper provides empirical insights about how political knowledge on urban tourism conflicts is produced in Berlin. The marginalisation of these conflicts on the federal state level seemingly aces out the calls for action on the borough level (Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg). According to these disparate modes of problematisation, older and younger governmental gazes on conflictive tourism and its future relevance interrelate in contingent combination. Originality/value This paper fills a gap in the existing urban tourism literature, by focussing on the definition of policy problems by governmental bodies as powerfully linked to the availability of solutions.

Assessing the role of access and price on the consumption of fruits and vegetables across New York City using agent-based modeling

Most residents in New York City (NYC) do not consume sufficient fruits and vegetables every day. Difficulties with access and high prices of fruits and vegetables in some neighborhoods contribute to different consumption patterns across NYC neighborhoods. We developed an agent-based model (ABM) to predict dietary behaviors of individuals at the borough and neighborhood levels. Model parameters were estimated from the 2014 NYC Community Health Survey, United States Census data, and the literature. We simulated six hypothetical interventions designed to improve access and reduce the price of fruits and vegetables. We found that all interventions would lead to increases in fruit and vegetable consumption but the results vary substantially across boroughs and neighborhoods. For example, a 10% increase in the number of fruit/vegetable vendors combined with a 10% decrease in the prices of fruits and vegetables would lead to a median increase of 2.28% (range: 0.65%–4.92%) in the consumption of fruits and vegetables, depending on neighborhood. We also found that the impact of increasing the number of vendors on fruit/vegetable consumption is more pronounced in unhealthier local food environments while the impact of reducing prices on fruits/vegetable consumption is more pronounced in neighborhoods with low levels of education. An agent-based model of dietary behaviors that takes into account neighborhood context has the potential to inform how fruit/vegetable access and pricing strategies may specifically work in tandem to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables at the local level.

Multivariate Analysis of Noise, Socioeconomic and Sociodemographic Factors and Their Association with Depression on Borough Level in the City State of Hamburg, Germany

Multivariate Analysis of Noise, Socioeconomic and Sociodemographic Factors and Their Association with Depression on Borough Level in the City State of Hamburg, Germany

Associations of Noise and Socioeconomic and -Demographic Status on Cardiovascular and Respiratory Diseases on Borough Level in a Large German City State

Worldwide, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases are increasing. Environmental noise and the socioeconomic and sociodemographic situation are important factors for the diseases. Using borough health claims data from 2011 in the city of Hamburg, ecological analyses with principal component analyses were conducted to describe the relationship of road traffic noise Lden (day, evening, and night) > 65 dB(A), physician density, and social deprivation with regional prevalence rates of heart failure and hypertension (n = 67 boroughs). Additionally, associations between the considered factors with borough prevalence rates of acute bronchitis and asthma in children up to 14 years old were analyzed. The multivariate regression analyses (ANCOVA) indicated that the socioeconomic and sociodemographic borough background might be associated with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, showing the strongest association among hypertensive female patients with 9.90 percent (p < 0.0001) in the highest social deprivation category, when compared to the group of low social deprivation. However, associations between noise, physician density, and the respective health outcomes were negligible. Results will serve as a basis for further investigations. By using data from two surveys, future studies will focus on individual level data to assess the validity of our model, and to develop strategies to reduce the prevalence of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

Opening the door to social equity: local and participatory approaches to transportation planning in Montreal

PurposeTransportation systems play a key role in providing individuals with a diversity of means to access their desired destinations and have significant impacts on their quality of life. The social perspective of mobility is, however, marginalized in the current model of transportation planning and significant changes are called for. This study aims to identify the barriers and opportunities of local participatory approaches to trigger changes in transportation planning in Montreal, drawing on the concept of social learning.MethodsA case study approach is selected and the participatory processes of two Local Transportation Plans (LTPs) are analysed. Data is collected through document analysis and semi-structured interviews with local transport planners and representatives of community groups. A qualitative content analysis is conducted to assess the outcomes of public participation, the quality of the processes and the perspectives of participants.ResultsThe results highlight the narrow contribution of the participation of local communities and community groups in the development of LTPs. Furthermore, the participatory process assessed in this research allows for a limited integration of social aspects in the planning process. The main barriers lie in the broader planning context and the organizational structure at the borough level as well as the lack of expertise of the community groups. Nevertheless, LTPs provide a window of opportunity for addressing transport-related social aspects.ConclusionIn order to take advantage of this opportunity and foster social learning towards the desired changes, the process requires the inclusion of clear social equity goals at the metropolitan level. Furthermore, the presence of a skilled facilitator is key to support the integration of diverse perspectives on transportation planning. It is also essential to provide community groups with resources to meaningfully participate in the process, thereby promoting social equity. In sum, LTPs have the potential to further include the social dimension of transport, but further steps are required to foster an equitable and sustainable transportation system. This research is of relevance to researchers and planners wishing to better understand the challenges associated with participatory processes and social equity in transport planning.

Forecasting Influenza Outbreaks in Boroughs and Neighborhoods of New York City.

The ideal spatial scale, or granularity, at which infectious disease incidence should be monitored and forecast has been little explored. By identifying the optimal granularity for a given disease and host population, and matching surveillance and prediction efforts to this scale, response to emergent and recurrent outbreaks can be improved. Here we explore how granularity and representation of spatial structure affect influenza forecast accuracy within New York City. We develop network models at the borough and neighborhood levels, and use them in conjunction with surveillance data and a data assimilation method to forecast influenza activity. These forecasts are compared to an alternate system that predicts influenza for each borough or neighborhood in isolation. At the borough scale, influenza epidemics are highly synchronous despite substantial differences in intensity, and inclusion of network connectivity among boroughs generally improves forecast accuracy. At the neighborhood scale, we observe much greater spatial heterogeneity among influenza outbreaks including substantial differences in local outbreak timing and structure; however, inclusion of the network model structure generally degrades forecast accuracy. One notable exception is that local outbreak onset, particularly when signal is modest, is better predicted with the network model. These findings suggest that observation and forecast at sub-municipal scales within New York City provides richer, more discriminant information on influenza incidence, particularly at the neighborhood scale where greater heterogeneity exists, and that the spatial spread of influenza among localities can be forecast.

Football in Greater Manchester: Growth Effects of Premiership Status Teams

An extensive body of economic literature suggests that in the United States, there is little gain to a city from using tax revenues to subsidize or in other ways support professional sports franchises. One of the difficulties with these studies is the stability of professional team location. Manchester, England provides an opportunity to examine the growth effects associated with adding and subtracting top tier teams from a single sport in a single area over the course of several decades. Five different Greater Manchester area teams have been in the Premiership with as few as one and as many as four in any given year since the founding of the Premiership. Using Greater Manchester borough level data from 1991 through 2013 we look for changes in gross value added overall and in categories associated with professional sports when Premiership status changes. We find no sustained role for Premiership status, but do find a one off gain in gross value added growth when a team is promoted.

Investigating the sensitivity of health benefits to focussed PM2.5 emission abatement strategies

Modelling, pollution monitoring and epidemiological studies all have a role to play in developing effective policies to improve air quality and human health. Epidemiological studies have shown that of particular importance are the effects of fine particulate matter, PM10 and PM2.5 which can penetrate into human lungs. At present it is not clear which components of PM are responsible for health effects although toxicological studies have identified several potential factors. Hence, based on WHO guidance, current legislation has focused on the total mass, with the EC setting limit values on total PM10, followed by target reductions for population exposure to PM2.5 in urban agglomerations. Trends in measured concentrations at selected urban monitoring stations are required as evidence for achievement of these reductions. This paper addresses these issues at the borough level in London using the integrated assessment model UKIAM, developed originally for application at the national scale, with illustrations comparing abatement of two contrasting sources – domestic combustion and road transport. The former, dominated by natural gas generating NOX emissions, contributes to longer range secondary PM formation extending beyond the city. The latter is an important source of black carbon as a primary pollutant causing local exposure, as well as NOX. WHO data is used in relation to impacts of particle concentrations by mass, and response functions for black carbon are taken from the literature. The results show that from a city perspective there are enhanced benefits from reducing the road transport emissions, especially with regard to potential toxicity of black carbon. The scenarios modelled also highlight the spatial variations of benefits across London, and illustrate deviations from trends as represented by limited monitoring data from the different boroughs, together with the influence upon exposure of mobile population within the city.

Backlash in the London suburbs: the local-strategic tension in multilevel governance

In this paper we explore the tensions in metropolitan-level governance between strategic planning and desires for political decentralisation. We do this through a three-part analysis. First, we focus on the 2008 election strategy of Boris Johnson to become Mayor of London, with its aim of gaining suburban votes and giving more autonomy to the local borough level. We then look at the impacts of this campaign on electoral results; and, finally, we look at the outcome of the Outer London Commission, which was set up by the Mayor after the election to deal with strategic issues concerning London's suburbs. We find that a strategic intent to benefit suburban residents and the decentralisation of power to the boroughs are contradictory and have led to a policy stalemate.

Residence coding in the Hospital In-Patient Enquiry (HIPE) system: significantly worse than anticipated

Analysis was conducted of the patient residence geocoding of all E-code (external cause) discharges on the Hospital In-Patient Enquiry system for the calendar year 1996 from Limerick's two acute hospitals (one public, one private). The results indicate a substantial level of error, even at county and county borough level. Some 21 percent of the 1383 patients attributed to Limerick County Borough were wrongly assigned to this area. Only marginal differences were reported between the public and private hospitals, with the private hospital managing a slightly higher accuracy rate. The implications of this finding are significant for any analysis of spatial patterns of health care use. Particular care needs to be taken in relation to HIPE patient residence coding relating to any of the county boroughs in Ireland. A software geocoding engine urgently needs to be introduced into the HIPE system capable of geocoding patient addresses at least to district electoral division (ded)/ward level, and ideally to point location.

Just Space: Building a community-based voice for London planning

Just Space is a London-wide network of voluntary and community groups operating at the regional, borough and neighbourhood levels. It came together in an attempt to influence the strategic (spatial) plan for Greater London—the London Plan—and counter the domination of the planning process by developers and public bodies, the latter often heavily influenced by development interests. What crystallised Just Space participation was the requirement for an Examination in Public of the London Plan, at which Just Space supported the involvement of a wide range of community groups through the sharing of information, research and resources. This interview is an edited version of two conversations with Richard Lee (RL), coordinator of Just Space, and Sharon Hayward (SH), coordinator of London Tenants Federation (a Just Space member organisation). The conversation reflected on some of the challenges linked to bringing community voices to the table on strategic, citywide, planning; the strength in combining academic argument with practical, solid evidence from the grass roots; and the opportunities and challenges of sustaining a horizontal type of organisation across the different scales of the planning system. The conversations took place on 11 March and 30 May 2013 at the Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL, London.

Implementation of the care programme approach across health and social services for dual diagnosis clients

Care for clients with mental health problems and concurrent intellectual disability (dual diagnosis) is currently expected to be provided through the care programme approach (CPA), an approach to provide care to people with mental health problems in secondary mental health services. When CPA was originally introduced into UK mental health services in the 1990s, its implementation was slow and problematic, being hampered in part by problems occurring at a strategic level as health and social service organizations attempted to integrate complex systems. This article reports on a study of a more recent attempt to implement CPA for dual diagnosis clients in one mental health foundation trust, aiming to gauge progress and identify factors at the strategic level that were helping or hindering progress this time round. The study took place in a mental health National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust in a large English city, which was implementing a joint mental health and intellectual disability CPA policy across five of its constituent boroughs. Semi-structured interviews with key informants at Trust and borough levels focused on the Trust's overall strategy for implementing CPA and on how it was being put into practice at the front line. Documentary analysis and the administration of the Partnership Assessment Tool were also undertaken. Data were analysed using a framework approach. Progress in implementing CPA varied but overall was extremely limited in all the boroughs. The study identified six key contextual challenges that significantly hindered the implementation progress. These included organizational complexity; arrangements for governance and accountability; competing priorities; financial constraints; high staff turnover and complex information and IT systems. The only element of policy linked to CPA that had been widely taken up was the Greenlight Framework and Audit Toolkit (GLTK). The fact that the toolkit had targets and penalties associated with its implementation appeared to have given it priority. None of the contextual challenges identified in this study were specifically related to CPA as a policy or to the needs and circumstances of dual diagnosis clients. Nevertheless, they inhibited the types of organizational change and partnership working that implementing CPA for a client group of this kind required. Unless these more generic factors are acknowledged and addressed when introducing policies such as CPA, the chances of effective implementation will inevitably be compromised.

A Study on the Strategic Vitalization Plan of Korean Integrated Medical Tourism

Objectives: As a newcomer to the medical tourism industry, Korea needs to differentiate itself from the leading competing countries to vitalize its early-stage medical tourism industry. This study aims to introduce a strategic plan to vitalize the Korean integrated medical tourism so that Korea can differentiate itself from competing countries and create high added value. Methods: The concept and actual conditions of medical tourism and Oriental medical tourism were examined. A plan to differentiate Korea from the competing countries in the medical tourism industry was studied to create high added-value through strategic vitalization of its medical tourism industry. Results: Korean integrated medical tourism must be developed differently from those of other South-East Asian countries in order to strategically promote the cash-cow medical tourism industry. In order to develop such medical tourism, Korean medical practice, which integrates Western and Oriental medicine, is to be developed through mutual understanding and fusion of other disciplines among medical doctors and Oriental medical doctors who are working in local healthcare for health promotion of local residents and disease prevention and control. This will play a key role in developing a unique medical tourism product of Korea by means of strategic alliances as an integrated medicine. Manpower specialized for integrated medicine is to be specially supplied for Oriental medicine-related business lines at city, county and borough levels, among local governments, that are enthusiastically carrying forward Oriental medical tourism with an interest to promoting more active and strategic business development and raise the effectiveness and efficiency of public health centers handling related medical tourism. Manpower specialized for Korean integrated medical tourism is to be specially supplied for the Ministry of Culture, Health and Tourism, a policy control tower to develop and vitalize high value-added fusion (theme) tourism products such as the Korean integrated medical tourism, in order to discover, promote and support Korean integrated medical tourism’s differences from existing medical tourism. Conclusions: The differentiated integrated medical tourism that only Korea can offer in a variety of forms, in order to create a key area of high value-added medical tourism, should be strategically vitalized through a liaison between integrated medicine and tourism and the realization of patient-centered health care services with medical technology developed based on mutual understanding of Western and Oriental medicine.

Modeling the demand for long-term care services under uncertain information

Developing a network of long-term care (LTC) services is currently a health policy priority in many countries, in particular in countries with a health system based on a National Health Service (NHS) structure. Developing such a network requires proper planning and basic information on future demand and utilization of LTC services. Unfortunately, this information is often not available and the development of methods to properly predict demand is therefore essential. The current study proposes a simulation model based on a Markov cycle tree structure to predict annual demand for LTC services so as to inform the planning of these services at the small-area level in the coming years. The simulation model is multiservice, as it allows for predicting the annual number of individuals in need of each type of LTC service (formal and informal home-based, ambulatory and institutional services), the resources/services that are required to satisfy those needs (informal caregivers, domiciliary visits, consultations and beds) and the associated costs. The model developed was validated using past data and key international figures and applied to Portugal at the Lisbon borough level for the 2010-2015 period. Given data imperfections and uncertainties related to predicting future LTC demand, uncertainty was modeled through an integrated approach that combines scenario analysis with probabilistic sensitivity analysis using Monte Carlo simulation. Results show that the model provides information critical for informing the planning and financing of LTC networks.

Suffrage for aliens (other than Union citizens) at Borough level in Vienna unconstitutional

Suffrage for aliens (other than Union citizens) at Borough level in Vienna unconstitutional

Description of a large urban school-located 2009 pandemic H1N1 vaccination campaign, New York City 2009-2010.

In the spring of 2009, New York City (NYC) experienced the emergence and rapid spread of pandemic influenza A H1N1 virus (pH1N1), which had a high attack rate in children and caused many school closures. During the 2009 fall wave of pH1N1, a school-located vaccination campaign for elementary schoolchildren was conducted in order to reduce infection and transmission in the school setting, thereby reducing the impact of pH1N1 that was observed earlier in the year. In this paper, we describe the planning and outcomes of the NYC school-located vaccination campaign. We compared consent and vaccination data for three vaccination models (school nurse alone, school nurse plus contract nurse, team). Overall, >1,200 of almost 1,600 eligible schools participated, achieving 26.8% consent and 21.5% first-dose vaccination rates, which did not vary significantly by vaccination model. A total of 189,902 doses were administered during two vaccination rounds to 115,668 students at 998 schools included in the analysis; vaccination rates varied by borough, school type, and poverty level. The team model achieved vaccination of more children per day and required fewer vaccination days per school. NYC's campaign is the largest described school-located influenza vaccination campaign to date. Despite substantial challenges, school-located vaccination is feasible in large, urban settings, and during a public health emergency.

On the Relationships Between Environmental Noise and Socio-Economic Factors in Greater London

Summary While the e ects of various socio-economic factors on sound evaluation have been investigated in numerous previous studies, the aim of this study is to study the relationships between environmental noise levels and socioeconomic factors, using Greater London as a case study city. The environmental noise levels are obtained from calculated noise maps, through a series of data processing, and 78 socio-economic factors from various GIS databases are considered at micro- and macro-scales, namely at neighbourhood and borough levels. It is shown that the noise levels of neighbourhoods and boroughs in London have close relationships with a number of socioeconomic factors. At the neighbourhood level, generally speaking, an area with a higher noise level tends to be among the more deprived in England, especially in terms of health, barriers to housing and services, and living environment. There are more people with bad health status, and less people looking after home or family. It is interesting to note that the neighbourhood noise levels are not significantly correlated with the percentages of various religious communities, total number of benefits claimants, and with resident population and male/female resident ratio. As expected, non-domestic building and roads are more likely to be found in noisier neighbourhoods. More students live in noisier neighbourhoods, whereas residents who work part-time may tend to live in quieter areas. At the borough level, with a higher noise level, more adults aged 20‐44, and less children and teenagers might tend to live there, and the income level is generally higher. Environmental noise levels have positive relationships with the population density and total population change, and negative correlations with the total fertility rate and death rate. The correlations between noise levels and academic attainments of school children are not significant. While the noise levels might be related to the labour market to a certain extent, for the employment and unemployment rates, no significant correlation has been shown with the borough noise levels.

The Borough System of Consolidated MontréAl: Revisiting Urban Governance in a Composite Metropolis

ABSTRACT:In the last decade, new political and institutional arrangements have begun emerging in differing European and North-American metropolises. These new institutional arrangements deal in different ways with the rescaling of jurisdictions in a context of evolving intergovernmental relations, social movements, visions of urbanity and mobilization, urban public policies, etc. This article is about the case of Montréal (Quebec, Canada). This case is important because from 1996 to 2004 Montréal experienced intense public debates and implemented a diversity of institutional innovations. A multi-level reform of the municipal regime was introduced that comprises measures of metropolitan governance, large-scale amalgamations of local municipalities in the urban core area, and the introduction of a new political and administrative scheme at the borough level. Our focus is on this third pillar as it has shifted the municipal reform into an unusual direction as it activates the expression of the numerous spatial logics of the fragmented metropolis and gives way to a composite rescaling of urban governance.

Child Health Assessment at School Entry (CHASE) project: evaluation in 10 London primary schools

To assess the feasibility of implementing the Child Health Assessment at School Entry (CHASE) questionnaire, developed to capture the multiple dimensions of the health of children in their first year at school, and to evaluate data quality, reliability and validity. Parents of 278 year-1 children, from 10 primary schools in two London boroughs, received a parent questionnaire and school nurses completed a separate questionnaire from health and education records for children whose parents consented. Additional data on free school meal eligibility and ethnicity were obtained from the two Local Education Authorities. The parent questionnaire included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and four dimensions of the Child Health Questionnaire Parent Form-28 (CHQ-PF28). Response rate was 61%. The association between school free school meals eligibility and response rate in each school approached significance (r = -0.62, P = 0.05). Data completeness of the parent questionnaire was high (mean 98%). Data completeness of the school nurse questionnaire was more variable (mean 82%). Cronbach's Alpha was greater than 0.6 for four of the five SDQ scales and greater than 0.7 for the two CHQ-PF28 multi-item scales. Relative to parents with qualifications, parents with no qualifications rated their children as having significantly more conduct problems, peer problems, and overall mental health problems (P < 0.01) as assessed by the SDQ, and significantly lower global health (P < 0.01) as assessed by the CHQ-PF28. Children with special educational needs and children with long-standing illness or disability were rated as having significantly lower global health (P < 0.05) than children without these. Sample tables of inter-school and inter-borough comparison of key findings demonstrate considerable differences in physical and mental health status. The questionnaire was acceptable to parents and school nurses, and feasible to implement within existing school resources. Initial tests of internal reliability and validity are satisfactory. These data have the potential to inform interventions and service provision at school and borough level, and public health trends over time.

Effects of socio‐economic status on mortality: separating the nearby from the farther away

Socio-economic status effects on total and cause-specific mortality are studied using data on all 15.8 million inhabitants of the Netherlands in 1999. Two problems are addressed that often hamper this kind of research: the lack of reliable social status information at the individual level and the intermingling of individual and neighbourhood status effects. The first problem is dealt with by using socio-economic status information of the very close environment of the detailed postcode areas (average 41 inhabitants) in which one is living and the second one by combining this information with such area information at the much larger level of neighbourhoods (1500 inhabitants) or boroughs (6600 inhabitants). Clear and independent effects of socio-economic status at all three levels of aggregation are found on total mortality and for a majority of causes of death. In almost all cases, the effects are to the disadvantage of people living in the lowest status areas. The effects are generally strongest at the detailed postcode level and weakest at the borough level, suggesting greater importance of factors at the nearby or individual level than at the farther away level(s).