City Of Geneva Research Articles

Hoverfly assemblages in urban farms compared to urban parks in the city of Geneva

This study aims to assess whether urban farms are good providers of ecosystem services compared to other green infrastructures. To assess two services (pollinating and pest control services), hoverflies were monitored in three urban farms (Budé, Lignon and Tissot) and three urban parks (Franchises, Trembley and Beaulieu) in the canton of Geneva in 2017. The results show a large abundance of hoverflies in the parks and farms, particularly at the end of June. In terms of hoverfly diversity, 81 species were recorded, with 10 species accounting for around 80% of the captures. The Shannon index shows that hoverfly diversity is significantly higher in the parks than in the farms at three out of 6 sampling dates. Of the five most abundant species in parks and farms taken together, three are aphidiphagous and can therefore play a biocontrol role in crops. The average proportion of aphidiphagous individuals is significantly higher in the farms than in the parks. In conclusion, studying hoverflies in urban environments has permitted to highlight differences in function and community composition between apparently similar habitats. However, we recommend limiting the sampling period to the month of June, which would reduce the work involved in sampling with Malaise traps, while retaining significant discriminatory power and limiting impact on syrphid fly communities. In order to encourage hoverflies in the city, it is crucial to maintain several stepping stone habitats within the urban matrix, to favor structures that will give them access to diversified food resources and to adopt maintenance practices that have the least impact on these communities. The introduction of native hedges and aquatic habitats could also be a source of diversification for the pool of species found in the city.

Functional and spatial transformation of the city of Geneva at the end of the 20th and beginning of 21st century

Functional and spatial transformation of the city of Geneva at the end of the 20th and beginning of 21st century

‘Oliver Cromwell is a Devil!’ Religious Radicalism and Political Turmoil in Geneva during the English Civil Wars

ABSTRACT When King Charles I was beheaded in 1649 it incited a series of events in the Reformed city of Geneva. The Civil Wars and Regicide uncovered the political and religious tensions within Geneva during the English Civil Wars. In Geneva, two important bodies, the Small Council of civil magistrates and the Company of Pastors jockeyed for an appropriate response from their diverse members. Additionally, the leaders of Geneva had to respond to English and Continental rumours that they were to blame for England’s woes. Utilizing archival research, this article examines the transnational implications of the English Civil Wars and it shows that the Genevans had far from a unified view of the Civil Wars. Ultimately, the primary fear for the leaders in Geneva was not necessarily the death of a king, but instead that they would be associated with the worst aspects of the Radical Reformation: Anabaptism.

Holes and towers

This paper examines the role of building materials, particularly concrete, in understanding urban metabolism. By tracing the construction supply chain, the study aims to spatialise the places linked by construction with concrete, representing steps in the city’s metabolism: extraction, circulation, and implementation. Using the case of Greater Geneva, one of the fastest-growing urban regions in Europe, we analyse the myriad flows on which the generalization of concrete is based, linking urban, peri-urban and rural places, on the two sides of the border between France and Switzerland. The result is an uneven metabolism centred on the city of Geneva, hierarchising Swiss and French territories depending on their position and role in the flows of materials and waste. We show that the places connected by concrete have also increasingly become the sites of popular discontent about how our cities are currently built.

Mapping Ecological Infrastructure in a Cross-Border Regional Context

Facing the decline of biodiversity worldwide, the conservation of the remaining natural and semi-natural areas is fundamental. To do so, the concept of green infrastructure has gained attention recently. This case study presents the method developed to identify the green infrastructure in a cross-border, urbanized territory between Switzerland and France in the area of influence of the city of Geneva. The first part of the methodology consists of calculating and mapping the inputs aggregated in four pillars: (i) the distribution of habitats as well as the predicted distribution of hundreds of plant and animal species, (ii) the supply of five ecosystem services, (iii) the functional connectivity for three animal species and the light pollution and (iv) five indices of landscape’s structure. These inputs are then used to run a prioritization model to identify the areas with the highest ecological interest according to these weighted inputs. The cross-border situation of this case study had impacts on the way the input data were gathered and weighted and on the way the output was created to consider the expectations of the three main local authorities involved, without creating any legal obligations on the implementation of the green infrastructure. As a positive sign of the usefulness of these results, the resulting maps were immediately transferred to the land use planners in charge of developing ambitious visions of the “Grand Genève” territory for 2050 in alignment with 10 objectives of ecological transition as recently agreed and signed by local authorities. The method presented in this article is flexible and includes a broad description of biodiversity, supporting a reliable network of areas with high ecological values for conservation purposes and human well-being.

Geneva. An Urban Sociodemographic Database

The Geneva databases are a data resource covering the period 1800–1880 for the city of Geneva, and occasionally the canton of Geneva. The research team adopted an alphabetical sampling approach, collecting data on individuals whose surname begins with the letter B. The individuals and households belonging to this sample in six population censuses between 1816 and 1843 were digitised and linked. A second database collected marriage and divorce records for the period 1800–1880. A third collection of data included residence permits. All these sources were used for a massive reconstitution of families. This article presents the sources, the linking methods, the typologies used to code places and occupations, to study household structures and forms of solitude. Combined with qualitative information extracted from the archives of public administrations and the National Protestant Church, as well as from newspapers, these databases were used to study the transformation of a medium-sized European city, sociopolitical tensions embedded in demographic and social structures, and the impact of the immigrants who made the 'Calvinist Rome' a religiously mixed city.

Ornamental ponds as Nature-based Solutions to implement in cities

Small waterbodies such as ponds are widely represented in cities, contributing to the blue-green infrastructure, improving human well-being. Ornamental ponds are particularly abundant in the densest urbanized areas, especially in parks, in private grounds such as gardens and also imbedded in the green infrastructure. However, their multifunctionality remains infrequent, as generally aesthetic enjoyment is the main ecosystem service targeted. The promotion of native biodiversity is rarely a priority, as are other ecosystem services (e.g. flood mitigation or water purification). It is nevertheless questionable if such mono-functional ponds could also be able to provide other services. Indeed, an innovative approach would be to increase the multifunctionality of ornamental ponds, especially for biodiversity. This was investigated in 41 ornamental ponds designed for providing aesthetic enjoyment in the city of Geneva (Switzerland). The biodiversity was assessed, as well as selected ecosystem services (water retention, phytopurification, cooling effect, carbon sequestration). A survey among the population was also conducted. This survey underlined a recognized contribution of ornamental ponds to well-being. However, the assessment of the ecosystem services evidenced a lack of multifunctionality for most of these ponds. They presented a low biodiversity, compared to more natural ponds and to unimpaired ponds. Furthermore, they performed poorly for most other ecosystem services investigated. There were nevertheless exceptions, with selected ponds displaying a multifunctionality, even for ecosystem services for which they were not designed. It was also shown that ornamental ponds could easily be optimized for biodiversity by simple low-cost management measures. Additional ecosystem services could also be promoted. The performance of small ornamental ponds is best when ponds are considered collectively, as pondscapes, with their cumulative benefits. New ornamental pond implementation is therefore encouraged, as their multifunctionality turns them into Nature-based Solutions able to contribute to solving several societal challenges and to improve human well-being.

Subaltern housing policies: Accommodating migrant workers in wealthy Geneva.

In the wealthy and orderly city of Geneva, Switzerland, accommodation centres built in haste between the 1950s and the 1980s to house seasonal guestworkers from southern Europe are still standing and still inhabited. Today's residents are precarious workers, undocumented or with temporary permits as well as asylum seekers. While the seasonal status disappeared in the early 2000s, the demand for low-skilled, flexible labour did not. Analysing the historical trajectories of specific buildings helps us to answer the question of who replaced the seasonal workers, not only in the labour and the housing markets, but also in the symbolic spectrum of legitimacy. This article introduces the notion of 'Subaltern Housing Policies' to account for the public action that leads to the production and subsequent use of forms of housing characterised by standards of comfort and security far below those of the rental and social housing stock, but considered 'good enough' for their occupants. We argue that 'subaltern' relates not only to housing conditions, but also to the policies themselves, and last but not least to the people who are subjected to them. This notion allows us to trace a link between the production of substandard forms of housing and the production of categories of people who are kept on the margins of full citizenship.

Building in Stories: How Narratives Drive Development in a Small City in Central New York State

In this article, we study the creation of two distinct but related developmental processes: a Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) and Police Review Board (PRB) in the small city of Geneva, New York, to understand the sociopolitical and applied processes by which different core narratives shape development initiatives and outcomes. Beginning with the premise that “communities are intrinsically storied” (Maines and Bridger 1992:363), these two examples demonstrate the range of how stories about a community’s past, present, and future compete with each other to empower some community-based conceptions of development to coalesce while blocking others. We find that both act as place-makers—one through tangible construction and the other by the establishment of a law. In focusing on the power of narratives, these examples show how narratives drive contested interests and shape constructed resources through access to political, social, and cultural power in a small city in Central New York State.

Resisting the Image: Heidi, Sheep and Swiss Trash

The novel Swiss Trash, written by Dunia Miralles in 2000, interrogates stereotypes around immigration and nationhood in contemporary francophone Switzerland, with the intention of turning some notions on their head and letting others fester, uncomfortably. The French-language text underscores the divisions, the startling differences present within a seemingly perfect “Heidiland.” Its English title hints at complex and often equivocal cultural denotations extant within the Helvetic Confederation. A simultaneous reading of Swiss Trash and Heidi, of familiar Swiss citizens and intrusive immigrants, offers, this article contends, revealing visions of a dismal present/future and an idealized past. Read alongside works of literature, this essay examines powerful political images conveying a foreign threat on Swiss billboards during referenda in 2010-2011 in the city of Geneva. It compares divergent visual, journalistic and literary depictions of Swiss and other-ness, interpretations that investigate the oxymoron “Swiss Trash.”

How to link sustainability assessments with local governance? – Connecting indicators to institutions and controversies

The concept of sustainability is growing in importance for local urban governance, and indicator-based assessments represent a popular means for its operationalization. While much effort has been spent developing the technical aspects of these assessments, less attention has been given to their potential for influencing real-world governance processes. To address this issue, we put forward an assessment approach that systematically embeds the assessed indicators within their sociopolitical and institutional contexts, thereby aiming to enhance the informational value of the assessment for local governance. We apply the approach to the assessment of the City of Geneva's (Switzerland) housing system, for which an assessment model is first developed, covering 13 goals and 26 indicators. The indicators reveal the most critical issues of Geneva's housing system, which include energy performance, availability and affordability, and certain aspects of the urban environment (noise, moderation of traffic, green areas, and mobility). We then deepen the analysis by connecting the indicators to ongoing controversies around the housing system, and to the stakeholders and institutions that these controversies touch upon. As the case study demonstrates, the proposed assessment approach can elucidate a richer picture of the challenges identified in the assessment than a typical quantitative-only analysis of indicators. Therefore, it offers more complete support to local governance stakeholders for learning about and acting upon the problem under assessment. Overall, our work aims to contribute to a productive alliance between sustainability assessment methodologies and urban governance stakeholders, thereby leading to more informed steering of cities towards sustainability.

Greedy placement of measurement devices on distribution grids based on enhanced distflow state estimation

The needs for improving observability of medium and low voltage distribution networks has been significantly increased, in recent year. In this paper, we focus on practical approaches for placement of affordable Measurement Devices (MDs), which are providing three phases voltage, current, and power measurements with certain level of precision. The placement procedure is composed of a state-estimation algorithm and of a greedy placement scheme. The proposed state-estimation algorithm is based on the Distflow model, enhanced to consider the shunt elements (e.g., cable capacitances) of the network, which are not negligible in low voltage networks with underground cables. The greedy placement scheme is formulated such that it finds the location of minimum required number of MDs while certain grid observability limits are satisfied. These limits are defined as the accuracy of state-estimation results in terms of voltage magnitudes and line currents over all nodes and lines, respectively. The effectiveness of the proposed placement procedure has been validated on a realistic test grid of 10 medium voltage nodes and 75 low voltage nodes, whose topology and parameters were made available from the Distribution System Operator (DSO) of the city of Geneva, Switzerland.

The determinants and consequences of forgoing healthcare

Abstract Background Forgoing healthcare is associated with unfavorable health-related outcomes, a higher risk of hospitalization, and a decreased quality of life. Relatively to its neighboring countries, forgoing healthcare for economic reasons is high in Switzerland, primarily because of the high out of pocket expenditures that characterize the Swiss healthcare system. The purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants of forgoing healthcare, and to examine the long term health-related consequences of unmet medical needs. Methods We used data from “Bus Santé”, a cross-sectional study conducted in the city of Geneva (CH). Socioeconomic factors were self-reported by participants at baseline (N = 5032, 2007-2011), including income, education, receiving subsidies, and insurance deductibles (mandatory out of pocket expenditures). Forgoing healthcare for economic reasons was self-reported by study participants, including details about the frequency and the type of forgone care. Prospectively, a subset of participants came for a follow-up visit (2014-2015) in order to assess objective (glycemia, blood pressure, plasma lipids) and subjective health-outcomes (self-reported physical and mental health) resulting from forgone healthcare at baseline. Results At baseline, adverse socioeconomic circumstances (lower income, education, receiving subsidies, and high deductibles) were associated with a higher risk of forgoing healthcare (OR range 1.51-5.49, p < 0.015). Four years later, participants who reported forgoing healthcare at baseline were at a higher risk of having lower HDL-cholesterol (β=-0.08 [-0.14;-0.03]), and adverse physical and mental self-reported health outcomes when compared to controls (p < 0.017). Conclusions Forgoing healthcare is driven by adverse socioeconomic circumstances, subsequently leading to adverse lipid profiles and poor self-reported health outcomes. Unmet medical needs may constitute a pathway through which socioeconomic status affects health. Key messages Adverse socioeconomic circumstances lead to unmet medical needs, even in wealthy countries. Unmet medical needs lead to poor objective and subjective health-related outcomes.

A methodology for calibration of building energy models at district scale using clustering and surrogate techniques

Prediction of building energy use, when performed at urban scale, is influenced by the choice of modelling approach, as well as the quality of available data. In the case of data scarcity, one of the main limitations of current urban scale building energy simulation models, is the use of deterministic approaches to specify modelling inputs for entire classes of buildings. This modelling approach is characterised by three major shortcomings: first, data uncertainties are not comprehensively considered; second, a rigorous method of identification of groups of buildings to be populated by similar modelling parameters is not specified; and third, strategies to calibrate the developed energy models are missing. Considering these challenges, the current paper presents a non-deterministic calibration method for groups of buildings. The methodology utilises four techniques: (i) the use of clustering to identify building groups and associated representative buildings within the urban context; (ii) the application of an automatic building energy modelling approach to simulate buildings within these groups; (iii) the application of data-driven models, used as emulators of the dynamic simulation engine, in a computationally efficient manner; and (iv) the exploitation of a non-deterministic Bayesian calibration framework to identify sets of representative parameters for the building clusters. Datasets, based on 2646 buildings from the city of Geneva, Switzerland, are used as a case study. Validation with measured data, shows that energy consumption and energy intensity predictions when considered at an aggregated scale, are within +/– 5%. On an individual building basis, the validation error is within +/– 20% for approximately 70% of the buildings.

VALIDATION OF THE BCH-ONTOLOGY

Abstract. In the heritage domain, capturing facts and knowledge for preventive conservation of Built Cultural Heritage (BCH) requires access to a large variety of data. It is a multidisciplinary activity and uses heterogeneous terminologies. In this regard, the BCH-ontology has been developed to facilitate integration and exchange of heterogeneous built cultural heritage information. The BCH-ontology reuses three already developed ontologies: Geneva City Geographic Markup Language (Geneva CityGML), Monument Damage ontology (Mondis), and CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model (CIDOC-CRM). Additionally, it provides a complete semantic framework by defining some classes and properties for improving BCH management. This paper presents the validation of the BCH-ontology ontological model to determine whether the ontology is able to represent BCH data under a preventive conservation approach. The San Luis seminary is a historical building built in the late XIX century in Cuenca-Ecuador and it is employed as use case. This validation allowed the identification of further use cases where the ontology offers a potential additional value in the BCH-domain.

Measuring the Impacts of Community Innovations: the Little Free Farmstand in Geneva, New York

Various community innovations can positively impact food insecurity and hunger, while also addressing food waste issues. This article focuses on a community innovation known as the Little Free Farmstand (LFF) of Geneva, New York. Little free approaches have appeared across the world to improve access to resources as well as promoting kindness in many communities. This case article undertakes an investigation of the impacts of two LFF’s regarding food security and food waste in the City of Geneva. An applied mixed method approach using photojournalism, formal and informal data solicitation from community members, note-taking, and team reflection were undertaken to analyze the impacts of the LFFs. Despite limitations with the study methods discussed in this article, the LFFs demonstrated positive impacts indirectly and directly regarding decreasing food waste and improving access to free, healthy food. While the results of the two LFFs’ impacts in the city are interesting, this study showcases accessible methods that other communities can use to measure the impacts of their own community innovations regarding food security and food waste. This study concludes by sharing the various challenges of the LFF project, especially regarding measuring community innovations’ impacts. These challenges are separated into economic, social and environmental categories.

Affordable gravity prospection calibrated on improved time-to-depth conversion of old seismic profiles for exploration of geothermal resources

The world energy strategy for a sustainable development promotes the use of renewable energies. Among them, middle-enthalpy geothermal energy may be used to supply heat to service industries and urban centres. However, the costs for the acquisition of high-resolution geophysical data are still high compared to the economical return of the energy eventually extracted.This study proposes a method applied to the Greater Geneva Basin, Western Switzerland–Eastern France, to calibrate the inversion of gravity data by using old 2D seismic reflection acquisitions and available well data. First, we extract sonic logs from wells for the main geological units composing the basin. Each linear velocity versus depth relationship is extracted for each well and is used to perform a time to depth conversion of available seismic data. The influence of the heterogeneous (and heterogeneously distributed) Quaternary deposits is then removed from time data. Next, we re-calibrate the obtained geological model by applying a facies blocking approach. This allows us to obtain an updated geological model that is then used to invert gravity data.Results indicate that density anomalies are heterogeneously distributed across the basin and point out regions where well-known fault systems occur. Such regions may be selected for further geophysical prospection for higher-resolution methods. Finally, we identify a marked negative density anomaly beneath the city of Geneva. This may be interpreted as either less-compacted geological units or a well-developed fault system running below one of the most important urban centres of Europe.

Informed Citizen Panels on the Swiss Electricity Mix 2035: Longer-Term Evolution of Citizen Preferences and Affect in Two Cities

For a successful transition to low-carbon electricity supply, public support is essential. Citizen preferences are best understood in the process of informed citizen panels, where citizens are informed about the pros and cons of various electricity technologies and spend time reflecting on the trade-offs. We investigated how information about electricity technologies and their sustainability impacts can change citizens’ preferences and affect for the complete Swiss electricity mix 2035. The citizens received information as factsheets and, during workshops, discussed in groups and built their preferred electricity mix using an interactive tool. The informed citizen panel (N = 33) in the Swiss city of Geneva showed high support for domestic renewable technologies and end-use efficiency, as well as low support for net electricity import, natural gas, and nuclear power. Preferences and affect for unfamiliar technologies changed after receiving information and remained stable even in the longer term four weeks after. Preferences and affect for already familiar technologies, like hydropower, barely changed. The same procedure in the two Swiss cities of Geneva and Zurich (N = 46) enabled the identification of robust support for renewable technologies and efficiency with only minor context-specific differences.

Health promotion, community-campus-local authorities partnership and new health professional profile

Abstract Issue Meinier is a county near the city of Geneva, Switzerland. Following an initial study aiming to identify its residents’ health needs, the local authority formally engaged our Institute to try to resolve the problems disclosed, which were of socio-economic and psycho-social nature. Our objective was to demonstrate that a collaborative approach to implementing effective intersectorial health promotion works at county level and that there is a need for a new role for public health, working at county level. Description of the problem Numerous meetings of the inhabitants gradually developed into a community-wide dialogue, leading them to clearly define their requirements. Old people felt isolated and wished to remain in the village, rather than enter a nursing home elsewhere. Young families could not get established because of a lack of available housing and nonexistent day care facilities for children. Social links between people had diminished. Further difficulties arose from poor mobility. Effets Given these findings the inhabitants drew together to develop a more equitable society, in a partnership between the authorities and our Institute. A participative intersectorial approach allowed a global program to be put together, which particularly united housing, urbanism, ecology and mobility. The project, driven completely by community participation, is now in its fourteenth year, its 40 million dollar budget adopted by community vote. Results One prominent aspect is the new village center, with its sheltered housing for the elderly, affordable accommodation for young families, child day care, a games library, shops and a restaurant as well as an intergenerational park and living space. Lessons The learning and experience gained in terms of community participation and of behavioral and social health determinants has been very important for all concerned. Key messages A collaborative approach to implementing effective intersectorial health promotion works at county level. There is a need for a new health professional profile (the county practitionner).

EXTRACTING POINT OF INTERESTS FROM MOVEMENT DATA USING KERNEL DENSITY AND WEIGHTED K-MEANS

Abstract. Development in spatial data acquisition techniques, facilitate the process of analyzing movement characteristics and removed the lack of spatial data challenge. Annually, an enormous amount of spatial data are produced, and interpretation of this volume of data has become a major challenge. In this study, the movement data of 157 users in Geneva, Switzerland, were used and attempted to analyze their movement patterns. After the pre-processing stage, in order to investigate the dense areas, Kernel Density is calculated for each point for its neighborhood. The size of each cell of the output raster is approximately 100 meter. Afterward, in order to find the point of interests in the Geneva city, Weighted K-means is used for clustering of the raster. The kernel value of each cell is considered as the weight of the cell. Subsequently, the centroid of each final cluster has reflected the point of interest. As a final point, with the intention of assessing the results, the land use of the area is compared to each point of interest. Eventually, an interpretation is given.