City Dwelling Research Articles

Do city dwelling creatures thrive in bright lights?

Do city dwelling creatures thrive in bright lights?

Subsistence entrepreneurship and intersectional inequalities: a case study of women from Pakistani urban-poor districts

PurposeThe study adopts an intersectional approach to identify the key dimension(s) that reproduce inequalities in women's subsistence entrepreneurship within urban-poor settings in the global south.Design/methodology/approachThe in-depth case study is based on 44 semi-structured interviews and four focus-group discussions with women entrepreneurs based within urban-poor dwellings in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.FindingsThe authors contribute to the literature by identifying how intersecting socio-class and socioeconomic inequalities, and patriarchal norms of izzat (meaning: honour, respect) and purdah (or veil), perpetuate disadvantage for women entrepreneurs producing and/or selling business goods and services.Originality/valueThe findings challenge the view of entrepreneurship as a meritocratic and neutral activity for social emancipation. The authors argue that multiple social hierarchies and inequalities operate simultaneously, but how these are understood, exercised and reproduce disadvantage for women entrepreneurs, depends on their social class. The authors propose a triple bind of domestic, market and societal inequalities as a heuristic framework for understanding intersecting inequalities, patriarchy and subsistence entrepreneurship in Pakistan, specifically the global south.

City Life of Kamianets-Podilskyi Inhabitants in the Autumn of 1919 under Russian-Ukrainian War (based on the sources of local newspapers)

The article offers an analysis of the city life of Kamianets-Podilskyi inhabitants during the active phase of the Russian-Ukrainian war in the autumn of 1919 based on the local periodicals. The identical situation of today’s Ukrainian society led to an active research search for historical truth. The goal of our paper is to highlight the everyday and public life of the residents of Kamianets-Podilskyi in the fall of 1919 through the prism and analysis of local newspaper publications. It has been established that the increase in the Ukrainian National Republic (UNR) population in Kamianets-Podilskyi, a state center of UNR, led to the exhaustion of the Municipal Economy, in particular, there were problems with power, water supply, and lightning of city dwellings. The inability of local structures to quickly solve public utility problems prompted the townspeople to make frequent use of an additional source of light i. e. kerosene lamps and candles. The quality of nutrition and healthcare has worsened. Food products were not available for many residents either, black-market practices and high prices for staples spread in the city. Cheap food establishments could not provide everyone with a hot lunch, and bakeries that went into operation after the threshing of grain sold their products for funds that were not available to all Kamianets residents. A typhus epidemic spread, which was difficult to stop due to the lack of sanitary conditions. With the cold weather approaching fuel crisis of economic origin became more acute. It has been found that some factors were positive for city dwellers. First, the work of the railway was restored and served the passengers in several directions. Second, the city educational network was extended (primary, secondary, and higher educational institutions, as well as courses for advanced training). Third, the wide cultural leisure for the inhabitants (attending theatre plays, concerts, libraries, etc.) was organized. To some extent, this experience became popular in other cities of the region.

Household energy-related carbon footprint in residential neighbourhoods in high-latitude cities: A case of Edmonton in Canada

Understanding all the possible greenhouse gas (GHG) emission sources and factors is key to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, as targeted by the Paris Agreement, and thereby, averting the severe consequences of climate change. In this study, we explored household energy-related GHG (HEGHG) emissions in 265 residential neighbourhoods in a high-latitude city that experiences opposite temperature extremes. Our results revealed that the average annual per capita GHG emissions from dwellings in the city are 45% higher than those from personal transportation, highlighting the urgent need for greater emphasis on reducing GHG emissions from dwellings in high-latitude cities. We found that per capita floor area is positively correlated with GHG emissions. The findings also indicate that per capita HEGHG emissions significantly increase with increasing neighbourhood income levels (r = 0.8). An increase in the percentage of households struggling to afford homeownership is also associated with a decrease in HEGHG emissions (r = -0.3). These findings can help facilitate the focus on areas of high-latitude cities where the mitigation measures may have the most impact in reducing carbon footprint.

The curious case of the lion from Berlin in summer’ 23: how Internet media shapes risk perception from wildlife-human conflict

Introduction. This paper explores the reactions of citizens to a perceived security risk at the human-wildlife interface mediated by social and traditional media sources. We take the case study of a reported ‘lioness’ appearing in the outskirts of Berlin as a risk to human and domestic animal life, sparking media frenzies.
 Methods. The subjects’ reactions to and perceptions of risk can be analysed through a mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative) approach to information obtained via the respective media channels in covering the phenomenon as a newsworthy event of this research identifies three distinct peaks in public interest and response.
 Results. Following a Foucauldian tradition of problematisation, and a scholarship of critical media studies, we demonstrate that the ordering of animals in relation to society allows for a normalisation of certain threats from human-wildlife conflict while placing others in a state of exception which needs immediate action. We do not take the social conditions of predator-prey relations as a given, but seek to ‘de-normalise’ them and question the level of risk constructed, which plays out across public and media spheres and may carry over into human-wildlife conflicts. Our case study shows how social media posts can lead to the emergence of a perceived risk to society, which is reacted to dramatically, and whose emergency situation becomes a newsworthy event that confirms and seems to justify the level of security measures taken. The engagement of citizens online and with the emergency response teams can be viewed as overreacting to the situations based on having a real sense of danger of a ‘lioness’ penetrating their interactions with larger wildlife.
 Conclusions: That is, until it is determined that no immediate risk exists, and the actions taken are critiqued as a hysterical misinformed approach of ‘city dwelling’ officials lacking knowledge of wildlife in one’s region. We then speculate about what ethical and political repercussions this may create for multispecies co-existence with predators and pests in Germany.

Evaluating carbon emissions from the operation of historic dwellings in cities based on an intelligent management platform

Historic dwellings in cities are considered to be an important resource on the way to carbon neutrality because of their great potential for low-carbon renewal. However, in addition to obligatory heritage conservation requirements, there is no uniformity in historic dwellings’ operation mode and conditioning equipment, which means detailed carbon emissions accounting is critical but challenging. To estimate the spatio-temporal distribution of carbon emissions from historic dwellings and thus support the development of decarbonization retrofit strategies, this research proposed a low-interventional carbon footprint accounting system based on a digital twin management platform. Multiple digital technologies are applied to monitor and evaluate the occupants’ lifestyles, indoor environment, user location, and equipment energy consumption. Based on backend algorithms, the spatio-temporal distribution of carbon emissions is inserted into the building plan to graphically present the evaluation results. Compared with traditional simulation methods, the proposed system enables the automatic updating of energy accounting parameters by fusing multi-source data into one platform, improving accounting efficiency and accuracy simultaneously. A case study in China proves the outstanding performance of the accuracy of accounting results, with an approximate daily spatial error of 20 % and a total accounting error of less than 15 %.

Creating the architectural-landscape space in the major cities as a tool of harmonious personality development in multinational townspeople

Social issues in the XXI century form a need to change people’s living conditions in the big cities considering the ecological crisis. The art of creating architectural landscape spaces in major cities is characterized by special standards of living conditions in a multinational environment. There is a focus on creating a physiologically comfortable and harmonic environment for the development of personality of everyone in such a multinational city as the capital of the Southern Federal District, Rostov-on-Don, also called “the Caucasus gates”. Such environments are the comfortable living conditions of city dwellings and architectural-landscape environment. The landscape is needed to dominate the count of city buildings. The surrounding grounds are equipped for the comfortable living and leisure activities of different age people. The carbonate composition of the atmosphere, the waste of land transport and factories are minimizing. Such conditions are part of an optimally comfortable stay. The ethnic cultural factor is significant as a component in the visualization of objects and the landscape of the city. The visual perception of the video ecological foundations of the exteriors and interiors of buildings and objects of the urban environment has the same positive effect: the decor of buildings, the characteristics of the texture and texture of surfaces, the configuration of finishing and building materials, the color scheme of this artificial environment created by human hands are of leading importance for human psychophysiology. It affects the feeling of security and calm personality development and its' creative improvement and creativity development. It is of enormous significance for the entire nation in crisis.

A framework to locate new medium and high capacity stations for public transportation modes of transport in Rio de Janeiro

The urbanization process to which the Brazilian metropolitan regions are submitted has not sustainably taken place. These regions are characterized by the dichotomous center-periphery model of expansion of cities, characterizing an urban spread that induces a permanent-growth, of low densities, towards the urban borders, being the main cause of the challenges and difficulties found in the urban mobility of cities. In this way, more peripheral neighborhoods are progressively created, causing the emptying of traditional centers and generating gradual migratory flows for city residents. The mobility crisis has to do not only with the pattern of transport but with the use and occupation of land in a city that is much more dispersed, there is much more difficulty in mobility. The inadequate supply of urban public transportation in many of the major cities in Brazil encourages the use of private transportation specifically for long-distance and time travel. Lack of public transportation hinders the general accessibility of the population to leisure, culture, social or economic activities. This research aims to propose a procedure for evaluating the priority location for planning new medium and high-capacity transport stations that takes into account the position and occupation of dwellings in cities, taking consideration the interaction between the public transport network and urban land use. As well as considering the necessity to build up a systematized approach, equipped with tools that help in understanding this phenomenon and the relationships between the studied subsystems. The proposed framework is exemplified using People Near Transit (PNT) and population density indicators, in a study of the neighborhoods of the city of Rio de Janeiro, a major Brazilian city. The results obtained through the use of the proposed framework identified the neighborhoods in which the public power can intervene to improve the mobility of the users, facilitating the daily displacements using public transportation. It is noted that the present work contributes to the literature to complement the existing studies on the theme. In addition, the proposed model can be applied in other municipalities, allowing the analysis of the impact of urban mobility strategies on other socioeconomic transport systems. Therefore, this study contributes to the planning of cities, allowing, through a decision support model, to analyze the impact on urban transport systems. • The paper presents a framework to choose the best locations for new transport stations. • Interactions between the public transport network and urban land use are considered. • The use of PNT and population density indicators is proposed. • A study involving the neighborhoods of the city of Rio de Janeiro is performed. • Correct location of stations allows higher public transportation accessibility.

Typological Transformation of Individual Housing in Hail City, Saudi Arabia: Between Functional Needs, Socio-Cultural, and Build Polices Concerns

This research paper traces the evolution of housing typologies in five distinct periods of dwellings in Hail City, Saudi Arabia. The study reviews the formation and historical events of the Hail house by observing the significant changes on the layout, spatial form, and architectural form. The objective is to investigate the embedded socio-cultural and privacy patterns, in conjunction with economic and environmental factors, that influenced the development of housing in Hail City over the last several decades. The methodological approach is based on an ethnographic approach, users’ perception survey, and a review of multiple case studies representing local housing typologies from five distinct historic periods: traditional, transitional traditional, modern, transitional modern, and contemporary. The findings show that specific building policies and laws pertaining to house form, privacy, gender segregation, and hospitality influenced the spatial layout of Hail City dwellings and played a decisive role in determining the final built form. Conclusions are drawn to highlight current challenges while also providing projections for future housing typologies in Hail City, around Saudi Arabia, and similar countries.

Locating Studentification in Kingston, Ontario

This study will determine how the student population living off campus in Kingston has expanded from 2006 to 2016 by examining census data. Census data shows us the number of unoccupied dwellings which can represent where students are living in cities because full-time students living away from home are attached to their parents’ residence in the census. A larger scale study has been conducted for unoccupied dwellings in Ontario mid-sized cities with Universities’, Kingston being one subject. This previous study shows a disproportionate increase in student population at Queen’s to the increase in on campus housing, resulting in more students living off campus in Kingston (Lauzon 2021). This research project will examine how the areas where students are living in Kingston has expanded and changed by analyzing the dissemination areas in the census tracts around Queen’s University and St. Lawrence College. This expansion represents a process known as “Studentification” which refers to the increase of higher education students occupying neighbourhoods, and the affect it has socially and economically on communities (Smith 2005). The outcome of this research project will be a report summarizing findings from the data analysis, limitations of the research method and a digital atlas mapped using a Geographic Information System (ArcMap v10.5) showing the physical change to the University district and surrounding areas in Kingston.

Co-operative Housing in Lithuania as a Field of Architectural Experimentation (1960s–1980s)

The paper is a study of house-building cooperatives in the Lithuanian SSR as a field of architectural experimentation in planning, design and construction of mass housing during the late Soviet period (1960s–1980s). The house-building co-operatives were re-introduced in the USSR in 1962 as a substitute for the cessation of private single-family houses in large cities. Politically and economically, house-building co-operatives were seen as a solution to the difficult situation posed by the well-known Soviet apartment shortage because co-operative apartment arrangements meant that residents contributed their own funds to the process of building their homes, thereby avoiding the waiting list. The important change that housing co-operatives offered was the possibility for better-to-do citizens to obtain housing luxuries that were previously available only to the privileged party nomenclatura. From an urban planning perspective such a concentration of previously single houses into multi-apartment buildings was meant to minimise the municipal land taken up for housing and reduce the cost of engineering infrastructure. At the same time the introduction of co-operative housing resulted in more varied residential building designs (including more comfortable apartment layouts and better selection of materials), engaging in the process departments of experimental design at the State Design Institutes. In this paper a hypothesis is proposed that the development of co-operative housing stimulated architectural experimentation for groups concerning both privileged residents (because the process of co-operative housing accelerated the concentration of more affluent urban dwellers) and architects, who wished to express more varied residential planning ideas.The paper is a study of house-building cooperatives in the Lithuanian SSR as a field of architectural experimentation in the planning, design, and construction of mass housing during the late Soviet period (1960s–80s). House-building co-operatives were re-introduced in the USSR in 1962 as a substitute for the stoppage of private single-family dwellings in large cities. Politically and economically, house-building co-operatives were seen as a solution to the difficult situation posed by the apartment shortage. The co-operative apartment arrangements meant that residents contributed their own funds to the process of building their homes, thereby avoiding the waiting list. The important change that housing co-operatives offered was the possibility for better-off citizens to obtain housing luxuries that were previously available only to privileged communist party elite. From an urban planning perspective, concentrating zones previously allotted to single-family dwellings into multi-apartment buildings was a means of minimizing the municipal land taken up by housing and reducing the cost of engineering infrastructure. At the same time, the introduction of co-operative housing resulted in more varied residential building designs (including more comfortable apartment layouts and better selection of materials). The departments of experimental design at the State Design Institutes were engaged in the process. In this paper, we suggest the hypothesis that the development of co-operative housing stimulated architectural experimentation for two groups of people: privileged residents (because the process of co-operative housing accelerated the concentration of more affluent urban dwellers), and architects, eager to implement more varied residential planning ideas.

FIELD MEASUREMENT OF THE UNATTACHED FRACTION AND ACTIVITY CONCENTRATION RATIO OF RADON PROGENY IN TYPICAL DWELLINGS.

The unattached fraction (fp) and activity concentration ratio of radon progeny (${\boldsymbol C}_{{}{}^{\bf 218}\bf{Po}}:{\boldsymbol C}_{{}{}^{\bf 214}\bf{Pb}}:{\boldsymbol C}_{{}{}^{\bf 214}\bf{Bi}}$) are important for radon exposure dose evaluation. For getting these characteristic parameters in dwellings, a series of field measurement was carried out. For comparison, a semi-continuous measurement was carried out in an office room and outdoors. Results show that the average fp is 4.5%±2.2% and 3.8%±1.7% in city dwellings and in rural dwellings, respectively. The average activity concentration ratios are 1:0.94:0.70 for radon progeny and 1:0.07:0.06 for unattached radon progeny in city dwellings, while those in rural dwellings are 1:0.88:0.66 and 1:0.09:0.07. The average values of fp are 5.1%±0.9% and 5.4%±3.1% in the office room and in outdoors without significant difference. The average activity concentration ratios are 1:0.88:0.77 for radon progeny and 1:0.11:0.11 for unattached radon progeny in outdoors.

Trajectories of change in internalizing symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal population-based study

BackgroundLongitudinal data indicates that the mental health of the general population may not have been as badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as some had feared. Most studies examining change in mental health during the pandemic have assumed population homogeneity which may conceal evidence of worsening mental health for some. In this study, we applied a heterogeneous perspective to determine if there were distinct groups in the population characterised by different patterns of change in internalizing symptoms during the pandemic. MethodsSelf-report data were collected from a nationally representative sample of Irish adults (N = 1041) at four time-points between April and December 2020. ResultsIn the entire sample, mean levels of internalizing symptoms significantly declined from March to December 2020. However, we identified four distinct groups with different patterns of change. The most common response was ‘Resilience’ (66.7%), followed by ‘Improving’ (17.9%), ‘Worsening’ (11.3%), and ‘Sustained’ (4.1%). Belonging to the ‘Worsening’ class was associated with younger age, city dwelling, current and past treatment for a mental health problem, higher levels of empathy, and higher levels of loneliness. LimitationsSample attrition was relatively high and although this was managed using robust statistical methods, bias associated with non-responses cannot be entirely ruled out. ConclusionThe majority of adults experienced no change, or an improvement in internalizing symptoms during the pandemic, and a relatively small proportion of adults experienced a worsening of internalizing symptoms. Limited public mental health resources should be targeted toward helping these at-risk individuals.

Estimated Supply of Green Open Space is Based on Oxygen Consumption and Micro Temperatures in Caruban City

<p><em>Local governments must provide a public green space for 20% of the total city area. In addition for aesthetic value and beauty that is used as source of public recreation and green space that used to create cooler microclimate temperatures, maintain the balance of oxygen (</em><em>O<sub>2</sub></em><em>) and carbondioxide (</em><em>CO<sub>2</sub></em><em>), reduce pollutants, and help maintain water availability soil. Research aims to analyze and calculate the needs of Caruban City Green Space.</em><em> </em><em>R</em><em>esearch used survey method with purposive sampling technique and secondary data analysis. Temperature analysis used the thom formula, while the analysis the needs of green space with the Geravkis method. Results of study showed that in six places had relatively cooler temperatures ranging from 26-31°C in the afternoon, 26-33°C in the morning, and in the middle of afternoon about 29 to 33°C. Data showed that in one place, namely, Ahmad Yani road showed the temperature about 31-36.5°C was relatively hot. Oxygen demand in 2020 requires a full green space of 133.92 ha. The results of this study are expected to provide recommendations in the application of Spatial Planning Law Number 26 of 2007 concerning spatial planning to improve the comfort of Caruban City dwellings in terms of the air environment.</em></p>

ОСОБНЯКИ И ЖИЛЫЕ ДОМА НОВОЧЕРКАССКА 1900-1910 ГОДОВ

Mansions and individual residential houses of the early XX century form the basis of the historical center of Novocherkassk. The building of the city harmoniously combines features of traditional Cossack housing and adherence to the capital's architectural fashion, imitation of St. Petersburg. The history of the formation of the city, the social structure of the population, economy and culture determined the features of its architecture. In preparing the article, the methods of field and historical archival research, comparative analysis of works and their details, the method of analogies are used. A comprehensive analysis of typical objects – the mansion of G.M. Salnikov, the Shamarins' mansion, the house of the ataman A.V. Samsonov, residential buildings of the military master V.A. Ratchenkov and the сossack I.A. Suslova. The space-planning, compositional, architectural and artistic features of Novocherkassk mansions and residential buildings in the 1900–1910 s are identified. The authors present the patterns of location of two types of housing in the structure of the city. The tendencies of the Art Nouveau style in the mansions are revealed. A comparative analysis of the functional planning organization and artistic-figurative solution of the Cossack kuren and the city dwelling house is carried out. The study shows the influence of two trends on the residential architecture of Novocherkassk in 1900–1910 – the capital's professional design practice and the local folk tradition.

The Impact of Climate Change on Wheat, Barley, and Maize Growth Indices in Near-Future and Far-Future Periods in Qazvin Plain, Iran

The current noticeable climate change that has a significant impact on the environment and agricultural systems has become a serious concern for human society. Followed by the industrial activities of the global community and increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, these changes are still considered as a threat to food safety and the environment. Changes in minimum and maximum temperature, rainfall amounts, and precipitation pattern, changes in CO2 concentrations, and complex interactions between these factors and different crops are studied in the form of different probabilistic scenarios to get a glimpse of the future cultivation situation. Agriculture in Qazvin Plain is based on the water transferred from Taleqan Dam and groundwater. Since today these resources are facing issues like restriction on transfer and draw off, which is because of growth of interest in city dwelling, inappropriate water consumption patterns and over-exploitation, agriculture is sensitive to probable changes in water requirements and it is necessary to predict these changes for better management in the future. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of climate change on growth indices for three crops including wheat, barley, and maize in Qazvin Plain with different possible climate change scenarios, in the form of five large-scale climate models and three greenhouse gas emissions scenarios in 30 years’ time from 2021 to 2050 as well as from 2051 to 2080. Results showed that biomass production, grain yield, and water use efficiency in three crops of wheat, barley, and maize have increased up to 20–40% in future periods in Qazvin region climate. Growing degree-days (GDD) of these three crops have increased by 20%. Transpiration has risen by 10% in wheat and maize; however, it was stable on average in the first period and slightly decreased in the second period in barley. The transpiration coefficient has reduced by 5% for wheat and barley and has increased by 15% for maize. Results are valid as long as the initial growing conditions of these three plants are done as before, and the irrigation scheduling is performed according to the present period in spite of climate change.

Looking into Novel Houses

Looking into Novel Houses

Riding the Shi: From Infection Barriers to the Microbial City.

How can a microbial approach to global health security protect life? Contemporary infection control mechanisms set the human and the pathogenic microbe against each other, as the victim versus the menace. This biomedical polarization persistently runs through the contemporary dominant mode of thinking about public health and infectious disease governance. Taking its cue from the currently accepted germ theory of disease, such mechanisms render a global city like Hong Kong not only pervasively “on alert” and under threat of unpredictable and pathogenic viruses and other microbes, it also gives rise to a hygiene and antimicrobial politics that is never entirely able to control pathogenic circulation. The article draws on recent advances in medical microbiology, which depart from germ theory, to invoke an ecological understanding of the human-microbe relation. Here, while a small number of viruses are pathogenic, the majority are benign; some are even essential to human life. Disease is not just the outcome of a pathogenic microbe infecting a human host but emerges from socioeconomic relations, which exacerbate human-animal-microbial interactions. In a final step, the article draws on Daoist thought to reflect on the ways that such a microbial understanding translates into life and city dwelling.

Urban Civility: City Dwellers Are Not Less Prososcial Than Their Rural Counterparts

Urban living is often thought to promote incivility, but the existing sociological evidence paints a mixed picture. We aimed to examine the urban incivility phenomenon from an evolutionist’s perspective. Small communities are expected to show a higher incidence of helping because the applicability of theories such as kin selection, direct reciprocity and indirect reciprocity to acts of cooperative behaviour is augmented in small-scale demographic settings. Smaller communities have a reduced total pool of individuals to interact with, increasing the likelihood of encountering any given individual multiple times. This makes it easier for individuals to form cooperative relationships with one another, which may facilitate prosociality within smaller communities. Using the lost letter technique, our results show that city dwelling, compared with rural residence, per se does not negatively influence prosociality. This contradicts the expected erosion of cooperative behaviour in anonymous cities and adds to our understanding of the interplay between human macroecology and individual behavioural tendencies.

Aesthetic Polarities: Urban Creativity and City Dwelling. Introduction

Aesthetic Polarities: Urban Creativity and City Dwelling. Introduction