City Users Research Articles

Looking at public spaces in contemporary Rome: an anthropological perspective on the study of cities

Through the presentation of two case studies this paper aims to engage the theoretical debate on the persistence of public space in the contemporary city, and focuses the attention on the way people practice these spaces and on the policies which are regulating their uses. Starting from the description of different ways in which some urban spaces in Rome (Italy) are used by two different communities of people, one mainly composed by immigrants and the other by young city users, and the diverse ways in which their different practices are seen and tolerated, the aim of this paper is to reflect on public spaces. Observing how city users practice public spaces, and analysing the way in which these practices are considered, are particularly exciting perspectives that can offer an interesting vision of the spatial and social reality of the city and of hegemonic relations which govern it.

La ciudad también se vive en los jardines. Una aproximación etnográfica a los interiores de manzana de Barcelona

The article uses the ethnography �of� and �in� singular public spaces in the city of Barcelona (Spain): three �jardins d�interior d�illa� (gardens in block interiors) located in the Eixample district, with the intent to analyse the relationships between living space, perceived space, and conceived space. These three factors compose the analytic triad proposed by Henri Lefevre in his classic work La production de l�espace (1974), which is adopted and acclaimed as a theoretical basis to study urban spaces. Furthermore, to investigate urban spaces through public spaces is also considered a theoretical approach that gives prominence to the common territories of city users because these are the most exemplary elements and therefore are significant from an anthropological viewpoint.

How Many Visitors Should there Be in the City? The Case of Rome

This paper measures the carrying capacity of Rome. The model used for this analysis is a mathematical model of constrained optimization and linear programming. The function to maximize is the function of income generated by visitors to Rome based on physical constraints such as the number of parking spaces, beds, jobs in catering and social ties as determined through the estimation of two utility functions: residents who earn a living from tourism and residents who do not. To this end, a parameter whose variation indicates the greater or lesser utility of two social groups needed to be included in the constraints. The results of empirical analysis are as follows: the optimal number of tourist hotels and other accommodation is higher than the actual number of city users. In addition, the daily optimal revenue is more than the actual figure, representing a loss of earnings for the city. This analysis also shows the tightest constraints which are those that economic policy should focus on.

Analysis of the Impact of Government Characteristics on Emergency Management Information System Application

This study used a sample of 293 government workers. Based on Delone and McLean's IS success model, we constructed the scale for evaluating Emergency Management Information System (EMIS) applications success. It was found that there are five Critical Success Factors(CSFs) are significantly related, and from Pearson correlation coefficients that the level of government and personal role as a top leader were important government and personal factors associating with EMIS application success. It was also found that internal organization management, external policy environment, City level government (a dummy variable) and User as a top leader (a dummy variable) are final significant variables. As conclusion, the level of branches and its management style, the different department style, the application role, and the individual specialty will impact government’s EMIS application success.

The emergency system for the town of Milano: evaluation of an help point

The article presents a complex work of which the author has been asked by the Municipality of Milan an its Service Company (AEM, now A2A) to apply Ergonomics to evaluate a product designed for asking information and emergency, with particular attention to vulnerable city users.

Financial Tools for the Abatement of Traffic Congestion: A Dynamical Analysis

In this article we propose a simple mechanism aimed at implementing and supporting environmental protection policies in urban areas based on innovative financial instruments issued by a policy maker (PM), which can be buyed by two categories of involved agents, city users (CU) and agencies providing the city services. According to this mechanism, virtuous service providers choosing to offer high quality services can obtain cost abatement. CU, reciprocally, have to pay for entering into the city, but can protect themselves against a city low quality of life by a self-insurance device. The interaction of these two categories of economic agents is modelled by a two-population evolutionary game, where the population of CU strategically interacts with that of service providers. From the analysis of the model it emerges that such a dynamics may lead to a welfare-improving attracting Nash equilibrium at which all CU choose to use environmental-friendly means of transportation and all service providers choose to offer high quality services. However, the basin of attraction of that equilibrium may have a rather complex morphology. In particular more attractors and/or limit cycles can be present. In such a context we indicate sufficient conditions making the virtuous equilibrium a global attractor for all trajectories starting at a mixed-strategy point.

P01-39 - Playing violent games, internet café visits and degree of daily schedule disruption predict internet addiction in a sample of greek young internet café users

AimTo estimate the percentage and risk factors of Internet addiction (IA) at Greek Internet cafés.MethodsWe used a questionnaire including questions on demographics, Internet use duration, Internet applications and sites visited, degree of Internet use influence on daily schedule and social relations, psychosocial characteristics of users and Young's IA Test (48 items overall). Our randomly selected sample included Internet café users in Athens and other big Greek cities. The sample size was 686 people (74%/26% M/F) and 12%, 70% and 18% were between 7–14, 15–25 and 26–45 years old respectively.ResultsCronbach's alpha ranged from 0.79 to 0.90 for all 6 sections of our questionnaire. The prevalence of IA among Internet café visitors was 20.8% (16.0% men, 4.8% women). IA was significantly associated to Internet use duration per day, Internet Café visits number per week, number of hours playing at Internet cafés per visit, duration playing violent games (e.g. Counter-Strike, Quake, Assassin), duration visiting Facebook and MySpace, and degree of Internet use influence on daily schedule, social relations and psychological attitudes (p < 0.01). Binary logistic regression showed that significant predictive factors of IA were the length of time playing violent games [ORCounter-Strike = 23.6 (95% CI 1.2 − 40.1); ORAssassin = 10.9 (95% CI 1.5 − 43.2)], visiting Facebook [OR = 41.9 (95% CI 19.7 − 87.5)], and deterioration of social relations (p = 0.009).ConclusionIA is frequent in Internet cafés, possibly due to an online gaming addiction affecting multiple aspects of a person's life.

Logistic Regression Models to Forecast Travelling Behaviour in Tripoli City

Transport modes are very important to Libyan’s Tripoli residents for their daily trips. However, the total number of own car and private transport namely taxi and micro buses on the road increases and causes many problems such as traffic congestion, accidents, air and noise pollution. These problems then causes other related phenomena to the travel activities such as delay in trips, stress and frustration to motorists which may affect their productivity and efficiency to both workers and students. Delay may also increase travel cost as well inefficiency in trips making if compare to other public transport users in some Arabs cities. Switching to public transport (PT) modes alternatives such as buses, light rail transit and underground train could improve travel time and travel costs. A transport study has been carried out at Tripoli City Authority areas among own car users who live in areas with inadequate of private transport and poor public transportation services. Analyses about relation between factors such as travel time, travel cost, trip purpose and parking cost have been made to answer research questions. Logistic regression technique has been used to analyse these factors that influence users to switch their trips mode to public transport alternatives.

La cittŕ contemporanea come architettura mutevole del tempo

Mobility expresses physical and immaterial relationships which act on urban design. The asystematic mobility of temporary city users and the appearance of new uses with traits of functional mixite have disrupted the historical spatial structure of cities. The randomness, the interchangeability and the predominance of empty compared to full spaces, as the effects of globalisation, are inducing architectural and urban design to adopt the principle of indetermination as a basic philosophy. Infrastructural space is an indicator of the new contemporary urban condition for which the objective is to investigate the relations between mobility, collective spaces and private spaces. The attention of the experts has shifted from buildings to routes and social spaces. New ‘zero volume architectures’ which, regardless of the density and the function, highlight the demand for a new sense of space available for multi-scalar use.

Tiber Personal Rapid Transit

The project “Tiber Personal Rapid Transit” have been presented by the author at the Rome City Vision Competition1 2010, an ideas competition, which challenges architects, engineers, designers, students and creatives individuals to develop visionary urban proposals with the intention of stimulating and supporting the contemporary city, in this case Rome. The Tiber PRT proposal tries to answer the competition questions with the definition of a provocative idea: a Personal Rapid transit System on the Tiber river banks. The project is located in the central section of the Tiber river and aims at the renewal of the river banks with the insertion of a Personal Rapid Transit infrastructure. The project area include the riverbank of Tiber from Rome Transtevere RFI station to Piazza del Popolo, an area where main touristic and leisure attractions are located. The intervention area is actually no used by the city users and residents and constitute itself a strong barrier in the heart of the historic city.

Infrequent opioid overdose risk reduction behaviours among young adult heroin users in cities with wide coverage of HIV prevention programmes

Background Opioid overdose risk reduction behaviours include some preventive behaviours to avoid overdoses (PB) and others to avoid death after overdose, such as never using heroin while alone (NUA). Few studies have examined the prevalence and predictors of these behaviours. Aim To establish the prevalence and predictors of PBs and NUA among heroin users, both injectors and non-injectors, in three Spanish cities. Methods 516 injecting and 475 non-injecting heroin users aged 18–30 were street-recruited in 2001–2003 and interviewed by face-to-face computer-assisted interview. PBs and NUA in the last 12 months were explored using open-ended and precoded questions, respectively. Specific predictors for three PB categories were investigated: control of route of drug administration, control of quantity or type of heroin used, and control of co-use of other drugs. Bivariate and logistic regression methods were used. Results Overall, the most prevalent PBs were: using a stable and not excessive amount of heroin (12.7%), injecting or using the whole heroin dose slowly or dividing it into smaller doses (12.4%), reducing or stopping heroin injection (8.3%), and not mixing heroin with tranquillisers (5.1%). Most PBs were significantly more prevalent among injectors than non-injectors. No one mentioned reducing the amount of heroin after an abstinence period. Some 36.2% had NUA. In multiple regression analysis, knowledge of risk factors for opioid overdose was a predictor of specific PBs, although this was not always the case. Use of syringe exchange programmes was a predictor of PB among injectors. However, attending methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) or other drug-dependence treatment was not a predictor of any opioid overdose reduction behaviour. Only ever having witnessed or experienced an overdose predicted PB in both injectors and non-injectors. Conclusions The proportion of heroin users with opioid overdose risk reduction behaviours is very low. Additional specific measures to prevent overdose are needed, as well as increased emphasis on reducing the risk of overdose in programmes to prevent HIV and other blood-borne infections in heroin injectors.

Everyday life as a creative experience in cities

PurposeThis paper aims to explore how overseas visitors experience off‐the‐beaten‐track areas and everyday life in London.Design/methodology/approachInitially scoped through quantitative research using visitor surveys involving some 400 respondents, the study was subsequently developed through qualitative research: 49 semi‐structured interviews with visitors from a wide range of countries.FindingsThese areas offer city visitors opportunities to create their own narratives and experiences of the city, and to build a cultural capital in a convivial relationship with other city users. At the same time, visitors contribute to the discovery of new areas for tourism ‐ and in some sense the creation of new places to visit.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research in other areas of London and in other world tourism cities is needed to develop ideas discussed here.Practical implicationsSubtler forms of tourism marketing are required to develop the potential of areas like those discussed in the paper.Social implicationsSome tourists and residents enjoy a convivial and complementary relationship in area development.Originality/valueThe paper focuses on everyday life as an element in the attraction that cities exert for tourists, and on the visitors' contribution to recreating the city.

Safety and Enjoyability Evaluation of Roads and Streets for Bicycles: Case Studies of Bicycle Maps from Utsunomiya and Chigasaki, Japan

Please click here to download the map associated with this article. This paper discusses two maps which display safety and enjoyability information for bicycle users in Utsunomiya and Chigasaki cities, respectively located in the north and south of the Kanto area of Japan. The Utsunomiya map covers 5 square kilometers and the Chigasaki map covers about 35 square kilometers. In Japan, bicycles are generally used for daily transportation needs, but the bicycle infrastructure is still insufficient. Therefore, in order to promote bicycle use as a healthy and environmentally-friendly transportation mode, bicycle maps which provide safety information for the existing road network of cities are required. The Utsunomiya and Chigasaki maps, which provide this type of information, were developed to further the discussion over road network evaluation methods, and also to confirm the possibility of simultaneously providing safety and enjoyability information designed to promote bicycle use. The Utsunomiya map (Map 1) was experimentally designed to promote bicycle use. It incorporates the evaluation results and provides additional information using an original layering system. The Chigasaki map (Map 2a, 2b) was widely distributed so that its evaluation methodology could be improved to realize greater objectivity; a questionnaire survey was also conducted to identify future areas for map improvement. These evaluation methodologies and map designs will be helpful in designing cycle maps in other cities.

Alternative risk factors of HCV infection in a rural community in China

A case-control study was conducted in Linxian, Henan Province in China to explore potential risk factors for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection unassociated with injection drug use. One hundred and ninety-two persons (41.7% male, 95.8% aged >60 years) were recruited from an earlier cohort. Of these, 48 were HCV positive and 144 HCV negative. Residence in a plain region and 3-10 injections in a health setting per year were significantly associated with HCV in both univariate and multivariate analysis (P<0.01). In rural China, the geographic distribution of HCV infection was heterogeneous and associated with injections in a health setting, a pattern which differed from the epidemics in injection drug users in urban cities.

Temporal trends in spatial access to pharmacies that sell over-the-counter syringes in New York City health districts: relationship to local racial/ethnic composition and need.

Pharmacies that sell over-the-counter (OTC) syringes are a major source of sterile syringes for injection drug users in cities and states where such sales are legal. In these cities and states, however, black injectors are markedly less likely to acquire syringes from pharmacies than white injectors. The present analysis documents spatial and temporal trends in OTC pharmacy access in New York City health districts over time (2001-2006) and investigates whether these trends are related to district racial/ethnic composition and to local need for OTC pharmacies. For each year of the study period, we used kernel density estimation methods to characterize spatial access to OTC pharmacies within each health district. Higher values on this measure indicate better access to these pharmacies. "Need" was operationalized using two different measures: the number of newly diagnosed injection-related AIDS cases per 10,000 residents (averaged across 1999-2001), and the number of drug-related hospital discharges per 10,000 residents (averaged across 1999-2001). District sociodemographic characteristics were assessed using 2000 US decennial census data. We used hierarchical linear models (HLM) for descriptive and inferential analyses and investigated whether the relationship between need and temporal trajectories in the Expanded Syringe Access Demonstration Program access varied by district racial/ethnic composition, controlling for district poverty rates. HLM analyses indicate that the mean spatial access to OTC pharmacies across New York City health districts was 12.71 in 2001 and increased linearly by 1.32 units annually thereafter. Temporal trajectories in spatial access to OTC pharmacies depended on both need and racial/ethnic composition. Within high-need districts, OTC pharmacy access was twice as high in 2001 and increased three times faster annually, in districts with higher proportions of non-Hispanic white residents than in districts with low proportions of these residents. In low-need districts, "whiter" districts had substantially greater baseline access to OTC pharmacies than districts with low proportions of non-Hispanic white residents. Access remained stable thereafter in low-need districts, regardless of racial/ethnic composition. Conclusions were consistent across both measures of "need" and persisted after controlling for local poverty rates. In both high- and low-need districts, spatial access to OTC pharmacies was greater in "Whiter" districts in 2001; in high-need districts, access also increased more rapidly over time in "whiter" districts. Ensuring equitable spatial access to OTC pharmacies may reduce injection-related HIV transmission overall and reduce racial/ethnic disparities in HIV incidence among injectors.

Importance‐performance analysis as a tool in evaluating town centre management effectiveness

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide some insights for the evaluation of town centre management (TCM) effectiveness, by proposing the importance‐performance analysis (IPA) as a valuable tool to ensure a multi‐perspective evaluation. The need for more empirical methods of measuring town centre effectiveness is related to the risk of commonly used evaluation methodologies reflecting only the success criteria of dominant stakeholders.Design/methodology/approachBy reviewing the service management literature, a definition of the “town centre product” is proposed, and how IPA can be used to analyse the city users' quality perceptions is emphasized. The theoretical framework is enriched by an empirical case study: the city centre of Benevento.FindingsThe results provide a clear guidance for the implementation of a TCM scheme in the historical centre of Benevento, by identifying the main area of intervention.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper addresses a gap in the academic literature by using the IPA as an alternative evaluating paradigm of TCM and providing a definition of the town centre servicescape. Further research could investigate the impact of the selected environmental variables on the city users' internal responses (e.g. satisfaction) and behaviours (e.g. desire to shop), beside on their quality perceptions.Practical implicationsThe paper proposes a handy tool both for the exante and the expost evaluation, As well, it could be used as a benchmarking tool.Originality/valueThe paper has significant implications both for practitioners and for academics. It provides an original framework for further research and factual implementation.

The influence of needle exchange programs on injection risk behaviors and infection with hepatitis C virus among young injection drug users in select cities in the United States, 1994–2004

Objective Our purpose was to assess whether participation in needle exchange programs (NEPs) influenced incident hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection through effects on injection risk behaviors among young injection drug users (IDUs) in the United States. Methods Data were drawn from three multi-site studies carried out in four major cities that enrolled IDUs over the period 1994–2004. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to assess relationships among sociodemographic characteristics, NEP use, injection risk behaviors, and prevalent or incident HCV infection. Results Of the total participants ( n = 4663), HCV seroprevalence was 37%; among those who initially tested negative and completed follow-up at three, six, or 12 months ( n = 1288), 12% seroconverted. Nearly half of participants reported NEP (46%) use at baseline. Multivariate results showed no significant relationship between NEP use and HCV seroconversion. Controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, IDUs reporting NEP use were significantly less likely to share needles (aOR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.67–0.88). Additionally, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and program use, sharing needles, sharing other injection paraphernalia, longer injection duration, and injecting daily were all positively related to prevalent infection. Conclusions Our results suggest an indirect protective effect of NEP use on HCV infection by reducing risk behavior.

E-Care e anziani fragili: l'accesso come percorso comunicativo

- Weakness and chronic or degenerative diseases highlight the need to reconsider the access system to social and sanitary services. Such an access is connoted by a communicational route, which from time to time will require listening, information, guidance, mediation, reassurance and promotion of adequate lifestyles. The e-Care system represents an original way to manage that communicational route. Specifically, the e-Care project in Bologna has highlighted numerous innovative aspects through its organisational sides and its achieved good results. These are: access personalisation; making the city user responsible; involving associations and voluntary services in order to fulfil those needs of a life quality that affect the health, the times and the circumstances of the service fruition.Keywords: e-Care; access personalisation; old people; health care; third sector.

Park-Based Physical Activity in Diverse Communities of Two U.S. Cities: An Observational Study

Systematic study of human behavior in public parks and specific activity settings can inform policy to promote physical activity in diverse communities. Direct observation was used to assess physical activity in public parks in Tampa FL (n=10) and Chicago IL (n=18). Parks were selected from census tracts with high concentrations of white, African-American, and Hispanic populations. Representation from low- and high-income census tracts was also achieved. Physical activity was measured by a modified version of the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth (SOPLAY). Activity codes from SOPLAY were transformed to energy expenditure per person (kcal/kg/min). Seventy percent of Tampa and 51% of Chicago park users were observed engaged in sedentary behavior. In both cities, children were more likely than adults to be observed in walking or vigorous activity. In Tampa, parks located in neighborhoods with the highest concentration of Hispanic residents were associated with greatest levels of energy expenditure. In Chicago, parks in neighborhoods with the highest concentration of African Americans showed the highest energy expenditure per person. Gender was associated with physical activity only in Tampa parks. Energy expenditure also varied by activity areas. More than one half of park users in both cities engaged in sedentary behavior. While differences in park-based physical activity by neighborhood income and racial/ethnic composition were observed, these differences can more likely be attributed to the types of designated activity areas that support physical activity. The study findings suggest that specific configurations of park environments can enhance physical activity in parks.

Conviviality and everyday life: the appeal of new areas of London for visitors

AbstractLiterature on tourism development in converted cities or new districts of polycentric cities emphasises planned processes to create attractions, often resulting in standardised tourism zones. The demands and experience of tourists themselves have been neglected. Qualitative research with overseas visitors to new tourism areas suggests that character and sense of place that visitors enjoy derives from a combination of unlike elements, ‘lashed up’ to create a distinctive place, in which everyday life plays an important role. Rather than familiar stories of conflict between ‘hosts’ and ‘guests’, the emphasis in some areas is on conviviality among different groups of city users. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.