University Town Research Articles

'Better than Google': Information Activism for LGBTQ+ Young Adults in a Rural Community

For young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, and those belonging to other marginalized sexual and gender identities (LGBTQ+), accessing information to develop one's identity and community is essential. Yet information and resource access is a particularly complex process for LGBTQ+ youth living in rural areas and small towns without dense, visible LGBTQ+ networks. While efforts to remove LGBTQ+ resources and demonize LGBTQ+ people intensify, this study asks a group of young LGBTQ+ adults living in and around a college town in the rural Midwestern United States to document their experiences with navigating information landscapes in low-resource settings. Despite the remarkable everyday creativity required to craft their information practices, participants' current efforts produce several vulnerabilities that make local queer information networks precarious and often inaccessible. We lay out several patterns in this data, including experiences of both connectedness and disconnectedness, the role of organizations in information sharing, and the existence of both active and passive information search. Building on prior research that found increasing demand for multi-modal access to relevant information that is digitally enabled, but deeply embedded in localized social geography and LGBTQ+ community, we use this data and complementary interviews to identify problem areas and potential interventions to strengthen rural LGBTQ+ young people's information access. In response to the informational needs and desires of LGBTQ+ youth in this community, we propose a series of imaginative designs. These speculative artifacts are embedded in local communities to strengthen grassroots webs of knowledge. We focus on contributing solutions that fall under three problem areas in participants' information ecosystem: increasing information stumbling, building expert capacity and support, and bridging the disconnected to the connected. We propose speculative conceptual designs that address core challenges in LGBTQ+ information networks, working in the tradition of ''information activism'' to create and maintain access to otherwise precarious and ephemeral resources and spark social change.

The proposal of a 15-minute city composite index through integrating GPS trajectory data-inferred urban function attraction based on the Bayesian framework

The chrono-urbanism framework suggests that urban life quality decreases with increased time spent in transportation, particularly motorized modes. The 15-min city concept, aligned with chrono-urbanism, emphasizes the importance of reaching essential urban functions within a short active travel time and has gained global attention. This study aims to develop a 15-min city composite index score (CIS) using the chrono-urbanism framework. The CIS integrates spatial accessibility to six key urban functions, providing a holistic assessment of the 15-min city status in Wuhan, China. Urban function accessibility is computed based on visitor volume inferred from GPS trajectory data using the Bayesian framework. Results reveal CIS hotspots in Hongshan, Wuchang, Jiangan, and Qingshan districts, with Hongshan having the highest concentration. However, Wuhan faces challenges in achieving comprehensive 15-min city status, as hotspots are mainly concentrated in specific areas like university towns and traditional city centers. The proposed assessment approach is applicable to accurately evaluate the 15-min status in other urban contexts using GPS trajectory data. The study's findings can assist policymakers in understanding CIS hotspot distribution and developing future planning policies to enhance the overall 15-min city status.

Shift Happens

In 1989, Ray Oldenburg coined the term “third place” to describe locations individuals frequent to connect with their local community outside their home and work. Third places add immense value to the local community by fostering social ties, increasing happiness, and fostering a sense of collectivity. Third-place declines have steadily occurred over the past few decades, with a sharp reduction during the Great Recession. This decline primarily affects privately run organizations and food and beverage stores, which often serve as third places, emphasizing the importance of nurturing these community spaces. This paper examines how communicative efforts contribute to community integration in a transient college town, focusing on the role of length of residence and online communication. Focus groups at a local third place found that to expedite the community integration process for temporary residents, third places need to employ overly welcoming communication strategies paired with effective use of social media.

Linking affected community and academic knowledge: a community-based participatory research framework based on a Shichigahama project

Earthquakes that cause extensive damage occur frequently in Japan, the most recent being the Noto Peninsula earthquake on January 1, 2024. To facilitate such a recovery, we introduce a community-based participatory research program implemented through cooperation between universities and local communities after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. In this project, the university and the town of Shichigahama, one of the affected areas, collaborated to hold annual workshops in the target area, which evolved into a climate monitoring survey. Even in Japan, where disaster prevention planning is widespread, various problems arise in the process of emergency response, recovery and reconstruction, and building back better when disasters occur. As is difficult for residents and local governments to solve these problems alone, it is helpful when experts participate in the response process. In this study, we interviewed town hall and university officials as representatives of local residents regarding this project and discussed their mutual concerns. The community-based participatory research framework developed in the Shichigahama project could be used in the recovery from the Noto Peninsula Earthquake as well as in future reconstruction and disaster management projects.

Does self-containment of spatial scale and land use function contribute to mitigate urban heat island effects? Lessons from new towns in Shanghai

The concept of self-containment in new towns has been widely discussed from social and economic perspectives. However, localized interpretations within the context of China's development, particularly regarding climate adaptability and urban heat island (UHI) mitigation, are scarce. To fill this gap, our research analyzed self-containment from the perspectives of urban spatial scale and land use function. Focusing on Shanghai’s five new towns, we empirically demonstrated how self-containment influenced the UHI effects from 2005 to 2020, employing the Geodetector method. The findings reveal that during the daytime, the intensity of UHI in new towns decreased, serving as vital connectivity nodes of UHI within the region. Conversely, during the nighttime, both the intensity and area of UHI showed an increasing trend. The research confirmed that expanding the urban scale and functional diversity are effective strategies for mitigating the UHI. Based on these findings, we offer practical suggestions for the development of new towns: Increase population size while ensuring coordination with development scale; enhance mixed-use functions in large-scale development projects like university towns and industrial parks; and be vigilant of potential functional decline in central areas and increasing thermal impact due to new town development. Overall, this study enriches our understanding of self-containment in Chinese new towns and provides valuable insights for mitigating UHI in other similar contexts.

Identification of Fingerprint Pattern and Lip Print Pattern in Females of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus as a Biomarker

Diabetes mellitus (D.M.) is a chronic metabolic disorder that has increased worldwide. Fingerprints and lip prints are noninvasive procedures that are genetically used in criminal cases and to determine genetic disorders such as Diabetes mellitus type 2. Dermatoglyphics is the epidermal ridge configuration, the ridged skin on our fingertips, palms, and toes. There are three types (Whorl, et al.). Cheiloscopy, derived from the Greek word (cheilos), which means lip, is the study of crinkles and grooves that are perceptible on our lips and unique. We conducted our research with 90 females, 45 were with (DMT2), and 45 were normal females over 30 years old. The samples were collected in different Kurdistan regions (Erbil City, Qaladza Town, Koya Town, and Koya University). We collected all 10 (ten) fingerprint patterns and divided them into Whorl, loop, and arch using an ink pad. Also, lip samples were collected by using lipstick on A4 paper. According to our research, the predominant fingerprints and lip prints in females with type 2 diabetes were loops for both hands (right (31.1%) and left (28.4%)), and for lips, the print was intersected grooves (28.9%). The predominant fingerprint and lip print for normal females were also loops in both hands (right (28%) and left (25%)), and the lip print was complete vertical grooves (42.2%). The study showed no association between fingerprint pattern and diabetes mellitus type 2 and cannot be used as a biomarker for it. However, there is a clear association between lip print pattern and diabetes mellitus type 2, and it can be used as a specific biomarker.

“Fun, faster than walking, and more convenient than a bike”: Skateboarding in a college town

BackgroundVulnerable road users (those walking, or using bikes, scooters, or skateboards, for example) are common on college campuses and in college towns. As a mode of transportation, skateboards have not received much recognition, even as their popularity has increased. This study aimed to examine the perceptions and experiences of those who engage in skateboarding in and around a college town and its campus via qualitative interviews. MethodsAn interview script was developed to investigate the experiences of those who used a skateboard for transportation. Queries included reasons for using a skateboard, local perceptions, existing barriers and enablers, and past experiences. Responses were gathered via both one-on-one interview and hardcopy interview and were transcribed and analyzed for common themes. ResultsForty-two interviews were conducted an analyzed. Participants shed light on several themes included reasons for using a skateboard for transportation; physical health and emotional well-being; feelings of accomplishment; and community connectedness (or exclusivity). DiscussionThe results of this study offer a unique perspective, as those who used a skateboard exhibited a heightened sense of place, community connectiveness, and accessibility, coupled with physical activity and stress relief. However, they found the mixed messaging present in the transportation landscape to be alienating, effectively discouraging skateboarding as a transportation option by making those using skateboards feel unwelcome no matter where they ride. ConclusionSkateboarding is not as visually or publicly supported by infrastructure and culture as are cycling and walking, unintentionally hindering the benefits of skateboard use. All vulnerable road users need to be considered in transportation planning. Where completely separated travel lanes are not feasible, shared travel spaces, or the redesignation of existing bike lanes and sidewalks for multiple use, might help overcome many issues that are rooted in exclusion.

Natural ventilation potential of teaching building complexes with different block shapes and layout patterns

Natural ventilation significantly enhances building energy efficiency and indoor air quality, thereby reducing virus transmission risks, especially crucial in teaching buildings on university campuses frequently occupied by large numbers of students. This study investigates the design impacts of teaching building complexes on indoor and outdoor wind environments, aiming to propose practical design recommendations. Firstly, a typological analysis of teaching building complexes from ten universities in Guangzhou University Town (GUT) was conducted, screening out several archetypes representing diverse design features. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were then performed on 16 hypothetical teaching building complexes derived from these archetypes. The wind velocity distributions and area-weighted wind velocities across various hypothetical scenarios were compared and analyzed, allowing for a thorough assessment of the natural ventilation performance associated with different block shapes and layout patterns. The findings reveal that canyons between buildings have a marginal impact on natural ventilation within scenarios characterized by aligned layouts. In contrast, staggered layouts notably enhance natural ventilation, particularly with orthogonal prevailing winds. Furthermore, semi-enclosed courtyard blocks outperform fully enclosed courtyard blocks in natural ventilation, especially when their openings align with prevailing wind directions. Finally, several practical recommendations were summarized for achieving sustainable teaching building design in similar climate regions. Key contributions include demonstrating the significant influence of block shape and layout on ventilation performance and offering novel insights into optimizing building designs for improved natural ventilation.

Green infrastructure and community health: exploring the characteristics of campus users in three university towns in Texas

ABSTRACT Green infrastructure in college campuses and their surrounding communities can bring public health benefits. Using green infrastructure measures in three university towns in Texas, United States, this study explores if and how green infrastructure can impact the physical and mental health status of university campus users in the community. Campus users were estimated as the number of visitors to campus using the SafeGraph mobility data, green infrastructure was measured with land cover and Landsat 8 satellite images, and health status was measured with the CDC health status data. The results of spatial error models suggest a significant moderating effect of tree canopy coverage indicating that green infrastructure could potentially benefit campus users’ health. This gives indirect evidence supporting the health-significant roles of the campus environment. For city planners and policymakers, increasing tree canopy coverage stands out as a promising green infrastructure planning and management strategy that can contribute to the health of campus users/communities.

Navigating challenges in American higher education: Korean international Christian students’ use of spiritual capital in response to white Christian nationalism

Despite extensive scholarly debates on Christian privilege and Secular privilege in American higher education, the voices of international students have often been absent from this discourse. This article is a response to a recent call for diverse perspectives to advance current discussions on white Christian nationalism in American higher education. Borrowing Bradford Verter’s (2003) spiritual capital, we explore Korean international Christian students’ experience of white Christian nationalism and its counter-movements in a college town near a public land-grant university in the Northeast. Through life history interviews with 16 participants, our study reveals the complex, problematic, and nuanced relationship between Korean international Christian students and white Christian nationalism. On the one hand, our participants acknowledged that the dominance of whiteness in Christianity led their professors and classmates to overlook the possibility that Asians could also be Christian, resulting in feelings of isolation and marginalization in class. On the other hand, they encountered the perception of Christianity as outdated, broken, and unintellectual among American professors and colleagues, which silenced their voices. In navigating these challenges, participants drew on their spiritual capital to construct their meanings, identities, and belongings in the social, academic, and religious realms.

Tourism as a Solution for the Economic Revitalization of an American College Town

Tourism as a Solution for the Economic Revitalization of an American College Town

Unemployment and Security Challenges in Southern Axes of Nigeria

This study examines the relationship between unemployment and insecurity in Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State, 2000-2023. This period witnessed high youth and security challenges in the local government and neighboring University town of Abraka. Something needed to be done by the state government. This study is part of the response to provide a framework to deal with the problem. The research method employed in this study is the quantitative research method. The questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. To achieve the objective of the study, three hypotheses were formulated and tested using the cross-sectional research design. A sample size of 200 was drawn from a population of 48,000 residents in the area. The statistical tool used for testing the formulated hypotheses in this study is the Chi-square (χ2). Based on the analysis, it was discovered among others that youth unemployment predisposes young ones to crime leading to insecurity in the area. Based on the research findings, it is therefore recommended among others thus; entrepreneurship training scheme as a development study should be inculcated into the educational curriculum and made more practical irrespective of the course of one’s area of study.

Do Research Universities Recession Proof Their Regions? Evidence from State Flagship College Towns

Do Research Universities Recession Proof Their Regions? Evidence from State Flagship College Towns

“Isn’t It Terrible That All These Students Are Voting?”: Student Suffrage in College Towns

Abstract The 1971 passage of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution was a significant step in advancing voting rights that offered a new route for young people to participate in public life. While met with enthusiasm in many quarters, the question of where a substantial segment of the youth vote—college students—would cast their ballots was a concern even before the amendment’s ratification. After ratification, it became a serious point of conflict, with opponents to college-town voting arguing that students should be forced to vote where their parents lived. In numerous towns these arguments turned to efforts to deny or complicate registration and voting, intimidate students, or gerrymander to reduce students’ influence. At times, these efforts were explicitly aimed at Black students. This article examines these efforts to prevent students from voting in their college towns in the 1970s, demonstrating that they could serve the strategy of disenfranchising the newly franchised.

Демократизм как базовый принцип в организации законотворческого процесса федеральной территории в России

Democratism is a key principle of constitutional and legal regulation of all innovations in the legislative process. Public authorities of Russia’s federal territories need guarantees for their participation in the legislative process. The legal status of the Sirius Federal Territory remains dubious, which violates the rights of its residents to participate in solving national issues. The principle of democratism is violated when its forms are implemented by public authorities of the federal territory. A balance of interests between society and the state would be achieved if citizens could exercise their legislative rights, directly or through representative bodies of public authority. First, guarantees should be established in the norms of the general effect; second, a procedure should be elaborated on regulatory legal acts, depending on the region and its status. A legislative process is not only a set of forms of activity that turns a legislative idea into a draft law. It also presupposes the implementation of this process based on constitutional principles, i.e., democratism. This principle should become comprehensive since it provides all subjects with equal participation in the legislative process. In addition, democratism encourages all residents and /or representative bodies for such participation. As a result, it should not be subjected to restrictions depending on the type of territory. If guarantees for the implementation of the legislative initiative right are violated in the legislative process, they can be regulated by federal legislation. This procedure could help residents of the Sirius Federal Territory and extend these guarantees to identical territories, e.g., closed administrative-territorial entities, university towns, etc. The ultimate effectiveness of the legislative process depends on democratism.

Analysing Visual Information (Colour, Symbol) of Waste Recycling Through the Principles of Gestalt Theory: Closure, Similarity and Continuation

This study provides an insight into the visual information (colours, symbols) of waste classification based on the three principles of closure, similarity and continuation of Gestalt theory. A field survey of Xiamen University Town in China and a survey of 1,000 local and international university students in the area were used to understand the level of awareness of visual information on waste recycling and segregation. The study found that the current level of awareness of visual classification information (colours, symbols) in the Xiamen University Town urban area and among students is low. Visual messages must convey accurate and standardised information such as colours and symbols. In addition, the purpose of this study was to illustrate the need for accuracy in visual information. This study concludes the need for uniform colour and symbol standards for waste recycling and segregation under the Gestalt theory to help achieve SDG goal 12, responsible consumption and production, as this study highlights the potential ripple effect on future stakeholders, especially considering the international mobility of university students, who epitomise global diversity. As users travelled across countries, ambiguous visual messages about waste classification became a key issue in responding to UN advocacy for a sustainable future. Addressing and correcting these visual discrepancies is critical to effective waste management strategies on a global scale.

Experiments in Mind Genomics + Artificial Intelligence: Helping “College Towns” Deal with the Natural Rebelliousness of the Students

Experiments in Mind Genomics + Artificial Intelligence: Helping “College Towns” Deal with the Natural Rebelliousness of the Students

Sensitivity of atmospheric peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) formation and its impact on ozone pollution in a coastal city

Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) ranks among the troposphere's most prevalent organic peroxy radicals, and the photochemical production and loss pathways of PAN are mainly related to the generation and consumption of PA radicals. PA radicals can affect the atmospheric O3 generation by competing or providing precursors and affecting the atmospheric radical cycling. Field measurements took place at two sites in Shenzhen: the suburban site of Yangmeikeng Station (YMK) from September to October 2018, and the urban site of University town of Shenzhen (DXC) from September to October 2019. The average PAN levels of YMK and DXC were 0.57 and 0.87 ppb, which were similar to PAN concentrations in other southeastern coastal regions and lower than those in inland and northern regions in China. The model simulations showed that except PAN thermal decomposition, acetaldehyde (40.7% and 24.9%), other OVOCs (40.0% and 59.2%) and radical cycling (19.3% and 16.0%) were the major production pathways peroxyacetyl (PA) radicals at YMK and DXC. During the sampling period, the production of PAN resulted in a decreasing of local O3 generation at YMK (5.32 ± 3.2 ppb) and DXC (3.53 ± 12.21 ppb). The findings could make us more comprehensively understand the mechanism of atmospheric formation of PAN in urban and suburban sites in Shenzhen and its influence on the process of atmospheric photochemical reaction in Shenzhen.

‘Born Free’ Dreams: South African Township Youth Discuss Their Hopes for a Better Life in Future

The advent of democracy in 1994 promised South Africans a ‘better life for all’ and the so-called ‘born free’ generation hoped for better education and job opportunities than those of their parents and grandparents, who had lived under apartheid. In focus group discussions, township youth living in a small university town in the country’s poorest Eastern Cape Province had the opportunity to express what hopes they had for their future in the post-Covid-19 era and confirmed the important role of hope in their lives as a useful tool that motivated them to aspire to fulfil their dreams. In response to select items from the Snyder hope scales, youth discussed their life goals, optimism, agency, and pathway thinking to realise their dreams. Youth recognised hope could be both harmful as well as useful. The discussions provided an opportunity for youth to share and compare with others their experiences of disappointment and failure, of times when they had felt hopeless, with the worst cases of hopelessness resulting in alcohol and substance abuse, which was reportedly widespread among township youth. Family, neighbours and significant others provided support and advice that assisted youth to recover from hopelessness, and to find new direction in life. Results from this qualitative study point to the importance of providing township youth with a platform to share their experiences of hopelessness. Policy and practical interventions are needed to support and guide hopeless youth to regain their mental health, well-being, and hope for the future.

Retailing in college towns: spatial location and multimodal commuting

ABSTRACT College town retailers face specific challenges given their unique context. Our study contributes to retailing research by examining college towns to explicate the impact of store-university distance and commuting multimodality. Our research questions are: (1) how does store-university distance moderate the relationship between university foot traffic and retailer foot traffic? (2) How does university foot traffic interact with multimodal commuting in affecting retailer foot traffic? (3) What moderating effects did changes in the containment and health responses during the COVID-19 pandemic exert upon these relationships? Using foot traffic data from 157 Walmart and Target stores in 38 college towns from 2018–2020, we find that university foot traffic positively impacts store visits. Moreover, this positive effect is weakened as the store to university distance increases but is strengthened with greater commuting multimodality. In addition, we find that pandemic related containment and health measures amplify both the negative effect exerted by the distance between the store and university and the positive effect exerted by commuting multimodality upon the relationship between university visits and store visits. This research provides information that can be utilised by government officials and retail managers to enhance consumer accessibility to retail stores in college towns.