Experience Of City Research Articles

Impacts of nature deprivations during the COVID-19 pandemic: A pre-post comparison

Nature provides a myriad of intangible and non-material services to people. However, urbanites are increasingly disconnected from the natural world. The consequences of this progressive disconnection from nature remain difficult to measure as this process is slow and long-term monitoring or large-scale manipulation on nature experiences are scarce. Measures to contain the spread of the recent COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., lockdowns) have potentially reduced or even suppressed nature experiences in cities. This situation provided an opportunity for conducting a longitudinal study that can serve as a sort of natural experiment to quantify the effects of nature deprivation on individuals' health, well-being and relationship to nature. We collected data on these variables from the same individuals inhabiting a large metropolis (Tel Aviv, Israel) twice, in 2018 (before) and during the lockdown in 2020. Our results confirmed that frequency, duration and quality of nature interactions dropped during the lockdown, while environmental attitudes and affinity towards nature remained similar. This was particularly true for people living in the least green neighborhoods, where a significant decrease in personal and social well-being was also found. Finally, affinity towards nature influenced well-being through nature experiences in 2018. The mediation effect was not significant in 2020, probably due to the decrease in nature experiences during the lockdown, but the direct relationship between affinity towards nature and well-being remained strong. These results provide insights into the means required to align the public health and conservation agendas to safeguard urbanites' health and well-being during a pandemic and mitigate the biodiversity crisis.

Cities and migration: comprehensive study of cities welcoming migrants and refugees

In today’s globalized world of international mobility, migration is a major contributor to urbanization. Cities play a crucial role in welcoming migrants and refugees and in their integration with local societies. Cities are spaces for refugee and immigrant reception, rights protection, and inclusion in local communities. Migration represents significant challenges for city governance, social cohesion, and realisation of human rights for all. This paper is based on, and describes, UNESCO-ECCAR-GMPA-Marianna V. Vardinoyannis Foundation ongoing research project on ‘Cities Welcoming Refugees and Migrants’ launched in May 2016. The 6-year research project analysed contemporary experiences, policies, and practice of cities with a particular focus on Europe. This paper discusses the research project, its methodology, key types of data, documents and literature reviewed, and key findings. This paper discusses the trilogy of research questions: how to obtain knowledge and assessment of place, policy, and practice of cities welcoming migrants and refugees; whether there are common approaches and policies referencing values and rights; and do common approaches, policy, and practice represent a coherent values-based framework across multiple cities in Europe. The study of city experiences shows a largely common welcoming city agenda regarding the reception and integration of refugees and migrants. The research findings highlight that deliberate values and rights-based approach is the foundation of a welcoming city.

Fate of AI for Smart City Services in India

With the rollout of the smart city initiative in India, this study explores potential risks and opportunities in adopting artificial intelligence (AI) for citizen services. The study deploys expert interview technique and the data collected from various sources are analyzed using qualitative analysis. It was found that AI implementation needs a critical examination of various socio-technological factors to avoid any undesirable impacts on citizens. Fairness, accountability, transparency, and ethics (FATE) play an important role during the design and execution of AI-based systems. This study provides vital insights into AI implications to smart city managers, citizen groups, and policymakers while delivering promised smart city experience. The study has social implications in terms of ensuring that proper guidelines are developed for using AI technology for citizen services, thereby bridging the ever-critical trust gap between citizens and city administration.

Experiencias académicas y sentido de identidad en estudiantes indígenas de educación primaria, media superior y superior

Indigenous groups have been historically, economically, socially and educationally marginalized; a phenomenon whose reperfusions still echo in present times. The efforts that have been undertaken in different areas through public policies and educational reforms have not reached the necessary scope, showing an unavoidable need to generate a real and permanent change. In this respect, first person testimonies of those involved to achieve a favorable evolution in this regard. This study uses the phenomenological method to analyze the academic experiences of 36 indigenous students of elementary, highschool or university level, of regular schools as well as indigenous ones, who live in the states of Durango and Chihuahua. It also examines their sense of identity related to their customs and traditions. The inclusion criteria that was considered for the participants was that they had to belong to an indigenous group. This research positions itself in the interpretative framework and qualitative approach, using the in depth interview and questionnaire as techniques. The obtained information was analyzed and classified in the following categories, according to the purpose of the research: customs and traditions, sense of belonging, classroom experiences and relationship with non-indigenous classmates. The results of this paper show the strong sense of belonging of the students toward their communities of origin, |but they admit that the migration to the city and discriminatory experiences have led them to stop using their native language and traditional attires. In regards to the academic aspect, they share positive experiences related to the coexistence with their classmates and their professors’ teaching approach, nevertheless, they express a sense of deficiency towards their Spanish use, and even to have endured marginalization in team work because of it. The paper concludes on the importance of guaranteeing the right to use and preserve the native language and particular cultural manifestations, as well as providing a truly intercultural educational model.

Mobility as a response to environmental hazards in the urban context: A new perspective on mobility and inequality

In view of the increasing occurrence of urban environmental hazards which can threaten our quality of life and health outcomes, how citizens react to adverse environmental impacts is of great concern. Mobility, as an important part of urban everyday life, is a key concept in understanding individuals’ experience in cities and the society; however, this notion has long been understudied with regard to avoiding the harmful effects of environmental hazards. By highlighting the research perspective of averting behavior, we conceptualize mobility as a response (MaaR) to environmental hazards to inform a new interdisciplinary dialogue for transportation, urban planning, and environmental health research. We review a variety of literature in environmental hazards, (im)mobility, and inequality and reveal the challenges posed by MaaR. MaaR would provide empirical evidence on whether, how, and to what extent the effects and social costs of environmental hazards are underestimated and existing environmental inequality are exacerbated. This article puts forward that MaaR is a promising analytical framework through which we can enrich our knowledge on the person-environment relationships.

Labyrinth, Ruin, Junkspace, Monad: dialectical images of the contemporary city

The theoretical presupposition of the discourse developed here is Benjamin’s conception of a dialectical image applied to the experience of the modern and contemporary city. The starting point is that of the radical strangeness between the inner life of the individual and the time of the modern metropolis. In this regard, we compare some verses taken from the third book of the Stundenbuch by Rainer Maria Rilke and Georg Simmel’s essay, Die Großstädte und das geistiges Leben, at the center of which is the Nervenleben as an intensification of the perceptive life typical of the experience of the modern city. We then move on to focus on the theme of the labyrinth analyzed by Benjamin in some passages of the Passagenwerk. In this regard, it is emphasized how the modern city realizes the ancient dream of the labyrinth elevating it to the sphere of language. The experience of the city as a labyrinth is interpreted as a «monotonous wandering», which is not delayed in a senseless roaming. In conclusion, the image of the Generic City and of the Junkspace theorized by Rem Koolhaas is compared, as an image that describes our present in the interweaving of the virtual city of cyberspace with the real city, as an alternative image to that of monad. As a monad, the image of the city still reserves the possibility of experiencing the truth, in a paradoxical gaze that captures the original idea of the city from the inside. This confirms that in the connection between city and monad already underlined by Leibniz “the true has no windows”, according to one of the most esoteric passages of the Passagenwerk.

Exploring Urban Infrastructures from the Experience of Cities in the Global South: Urbanism Models, Policy Mobilities, and the Finances

ABSTRACT Sustainable and smart urbanism models have been guiding urban development in cities across the globe over the past two decades. Almost invariably, these urbanism models require the planning for and the construction of new urban infrastructure. In addition, new sustainable and smart urban projects also often involve private urban planning firms that actively promote proprietary technologies and financing schemes to fund the projects. These new developments have led to frequent three-way interactions between financing arrangements, the mobilities of the urbanism models, and the implementation of urban infrastructures. To better understand these dynamics, this commentary extends the Graham and Marvin splintering urbanism thesis and incorporates perspectives of policy mobilities and infrastructure finances to set up a research agenda that is more attentive to finance, business operations, and their associated power relations. This commentary aims to identify future research directions for advancing our understanding of contemporary urban infrastructure projects, especially through the lens of cities in the global South.

SMART CITY INFORMATION SYSTEM BASED ON LORA TECHNOLOGYANNOTATION

This article discusses issues related to the concept of the Internet of Things and its application to the development of the Smart City. Smart City or "Smart City" is a new concept for the introduction of technologies (information and communication) to manage the life of the modern city. Existing technologies for long-distance data transmission in the Internet of Things are analyzed. Based on the calculations, the justification of the efficiency of LORA technology is substantiated, the energy potential of the communication line for LORA technology is given, the capacity of the LoRa network is determined. The network architecture has the best relationship between increasing the battery life of IoT devices and providing communication range. The protocol operates in a non-licensed range, and this is its uniqueness in cost and speed of implementation. Based on the study of the experience of implementing the protocol in the city of Lviv, the advantages and problems of implementation were identified. The possibility of using the technology in large cities was assessed. Software has been developed that allows the user to check that everything in his house is in order and that there are no gas leaks, water leaks and no movement in the house. The practical use of IoT in the "Smart City", the use of LoRaWAN technology, the principle of the network are shown. The experience of using the LoRaWAN protocol in Ukraine has been studied and analyzed. The experience of cities on the introduction of Internet of Things technologies in the housing system is considered.

Dobra iskustva pametnih, zelenih gradova za održivi zeleni razvoj i demokratizaciju

The subject of this paper is the review of good practice of smart green cities in the use of IT applications for providing public services (including the resolution of ecological issues), coping with climate change and green energy affirmation. A particularly important aspect is the analysis of the coproduction, i.e. of active involvement of citizens through the application in the policy creation process, the preparation of public services package custom-made for the community needs as a form of democratization of the society. Good experiences of smart cities are an excellent lesson for Serbia and its cities. The methods used in this paper are the analyses and syntheses of the papers from this field, the analyses of the good method of using IT packages in certain European cities, the creation of good measurement instruments for monitoring microclimate change due to global warming in German and British cities, the study of green energy affirmation in the Belgian urban district, and comparison with the manner of treating these topics in Serbia. The expected contribution of this paper is the insight into some good practices and indicating the opportunity for our country and cities to take over and apply some of this useful knowledge, skills and instruments for the welfare of our citizens and community.

Рельсовый каркас как основа для развития агломерационных проектов

The article continues a series of studies by the authors on urban public transport, its integration into urban spaces, and the formation of a friendly transport environment in agglomerations. Particular emphasis is placed on the rail frame as the basis for the development of modern agglomerations. For the construction of the rail frame, the boundaries of the urban agglomeration of Yekaterinburg are marked. The experience of Russian cities in the formation of rail frames and their influence on the change in the quality of life of the population is studied. The current transport situation in Yekaterinburg is analyzed, potential projects for integrating surface metro ring routes into it are considered. An integrated approach to the implementation of the Ground Metro and Dry Port projects is proposed. The role of the rail frame for the Great Ural Agglomeration project is shown.

Research on the Current Situation, Problems and Countermeasures of "Diagnosis Intervention Pack"--Take the Pilot Reform in Guangdong Province as an Example

As a new payment method, Diagnosis Intervention Pack (DIP), originated from Huai' an, Jiangsu Province, effectively alleviates the problem of rapid growth of local medical expenses. Based on the experience of Guangdong Province, DIP pilot reform was carried out in all cities of Guangdong Province. In order to study the current situation and effect of implementing the policy of "diagnosis intervention packet" in Guangdong Province, and analyze the feasibility and applicability of DIP, this paper summarizes the experience of pilot cities in Guangdong Province by means of comparative analysis. It is found that the implementation of DIP in Guangdong Province has achieved initial results in cost control and cost reduction, sustained operation of medical insurance fund and promotion of clinical coding and quality management of medical records, But at the same time, there are also some problems, such as the policy management is not unified, the information supporting technology and the quality management of medical records , the lack of professional personnel team and other aspects are not perfect . Based on this, this paper puts forward some relevant suggestions, such as strengthening the management measures of hospitals at all levels, expanding the professional talent team, and improving the level of information technology, so as to provide theoretical and practical reference for other pilot reform areas in China.

The Durban Climate Change Strategy: Lessons learnt from the 2021 strategy review and implementation plan

Urban local governments are increasingly developing climate change adaptation plans. However, there is limited literature on climate change adaptation experiences of African cities, particularly with regard to moving from strategy development to implementation. This continues to hamper efforts to understand and guide city climate change actions on the continent. This article helps address this gap by providing critical insights into the opportunities and challenges experienced, and the solutions found in the process of developing and implementing the Durban Climate Change Strategy (DCCS) in the City of Durban, South Africa. The initial 2015 DCCS was reviewed in 2020/2021, and an analysis of the process and its outcomes provide useful focus areas that could guide other cities across the Global South and beyond for implementing climate change strategies. Based on these focus areas, the article demonstrates that there are considerable governance and other barriers to this process that span multiple scales, but also many opportunities such as good organisation, ongoing support across multiple departments and scales, and perseverance that can be harnessed. The findings have significant practical and policy implications for developing and implementing urban climate strategies and provide important conceptual insights for building transformative resilience in challenging governance contexts.

Communication and difference in urban neighborhoods: A communication infrastructure theory perspective

ABSTRACT Based on communication infrastructure theory (CIT), this study developed and assessed communication concepts to understand the various ways in which residents in a metropolitan city experience and manage differences through their neighborhood communicative actions. We investigated three urban communities in Seoul with in-depth interviews (n = 30) and 12 focus group interview meetings (n = 120). We conceptualized two types of community storytelling actions to address differences – difference-reducing community storytelling (DRCS) and difference-managing community storytelling (DMCS). We also identified four neighborhood relational types – denial, rivalry, cohabitation, and coexistence – in the study areas as interacting in various forms with community storytelling to address the issue of difference in urban neighborhoods.

Planning experiences in historic cities protected by UNESCO

This article arises from the need to clarify the field of heritage preservation and conservation at the beginning of the 21st century, especially in central areas and historic cities. We went through this reflection in the face of the expressive homogenization of places and mischaracterizations of the landscapes produced with artificial interventions aimed at exploratory tourism, which directly reflect on the loss of the identity of urban heritage and, more ambitiously, with the cities-commodity in large cities, through management of urbanism with new contemporary interventions. The process of patrimonialization of historic cities is seen here from two distant angles in time, space, territory, culture and history, but they reflect the same repercussions for the city: scenography and gentrification, as is the case in Brazil, in Pelourinho in the city of Salvador, in 1992, and Portuguese, in the Quarteirão das Cardosas, in Porto, in 2009. With this, we were able to further question and denounce some perversions in architecture, the result of these economic speculations, which see facade renovation works as useful, that rip apart the entire interior of the heritage, neglecting the entire authentic experience of the city and demonstrate the perversions in the community in the face of the gentrification process, where landscape is transformed giving material form to the difference between cultural and economic power. We believe that it is possible to demonstrate in time to society, which is in constant threat of globalization, that heritage needs to be urgently recovered in order to remain on the continuum of life.

Implementation of municipal adaptation plans to climate changes: Case study of Poznań

The adaptation of cities to climate change is becoming an increasingly pressing need. The choice of optimal adaptation solutions for cities is difficult as it requires an individual approach. One way of avoiding poor decisions is to use the experience of cities which have already implemented adaptation solutions. The aim of the work was to identify measures conducted as part of implementation of the municipal plan of adaptation to climate change for Poznań and to evaluate if the conducted measures complied with the adopted strategic goals specific for the research area. It was found that Poznań undertakes measures on each of the four specified strategic goals, but to a different degree. Hard measures and measures of the types: mitigation, physical infrastructure, and green infrastructure prevail. Most measures are performed in the sectors of transport and biodiversity. In addition, single cases of actions which have a negative impact on the natural environment have been identified.

Should I Stay or Should I Go Home? Newcomer Employment Experiences in Mid-Sized Canadian Cities

Despite changes to Canadian immigration policy to address declining labour market outcomes, many highly educated immigrants still face challenges when searching for career-related employment. Semi-structured interviews with 38 newcomer professionals in Edmonton, Alberta and Winnipeg, Manitoba illustrate significant obstacles including a lack of credential recognition, racial discrimination and a requirement for Canadian experience. Drawing from intersectional feminism and critical race theory, this study assesses the perspectives of newcomers during their employment search and explores the common desire for return-migration. Findings illustrate how the pre-arrival expectations of immigrants are incongruent with the realities of persistent labour market barriers. Newcomers consider if they should stay in Canada due to the lack of meaningful economic opportunities.

COVID-19-associated stroke: experience of Regional clinical hospital Krasnoyarsk city

Mechanisms of the impact of the new coronavirus infection on nervous system that leads to various neurological complications, including strokes, and disease patterns and prognosis for stroke patients with COVID-19 are actively discussed in the literature. The aim of the research was a comparison of clinical outcomes in stroke patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and without. Random sampling of patients with stroke and laboratory-confirmed coronavirus infection SARS-CoV-2 (50 patients) was analyzed retrospectively. The control group consisted of 49 patients with stroke who did not have COVID-19. Patients in both groups were comparable by age, sex, rate of variation and type of stroke, localization of stroke and rating on the Rankin scale before the disease. The results showed that diabetes mellitus significantly more often (more than twice) occurred in stroke patients with COVID-19 (16%) in comparison with the control (7%). Atherosclerosis of brachiocephalic arteries prevailed in acute stroke patients without COVID-19 (88%). The mortality rate in acute stroke patients with COVID-19 was higher (22%) than among those without this infection (6%). At the same time, patients without a combination with COVID-19 had more severe disability on the Rankin scale three points (moderate disability) while patients with COVID-19 were discharged with two points on the Rankin scale (slight disability). Probably, this is since SARS-CoV-2 infection more often led to the lethal oucome in patients with more severe stroke and the survived patients were less disabled. Probably in increased samples these differences will be reversed. Thus, this research confirmed data that the association of stroke and COVID-19 significantly worsens clinical outcomes of stroke (2 tables, bibliography: 10 refs)

Network Analysis to Determine the Optimal Route for Firefighters in Makassar City

Makassar city experiences many residential fire disasters during the last years. One of the causes of fires is difficult to overcome due to the firefighters’ late response. The number of fires occurred due to the ineffectiveness of the fire fighting road, obstructed by traffic conditions, in its operation. Developing a geospatial route analysis can help firefighters quickly find the best route to a fire point to overcome this problem. Geospatial route analysis is currently a key role in emergency responses for urban fire disasters. A routing system can provide network analysis that allows users to navigate between source and destination points. In this case, the system can help firefighters to arrive as quickly as possible. On complicated road networks, some impedance factors would slow down drivers on a particular road. This study aims to provide firefighters from the base stations to residential fire disaster locations. The method used in the studies is Dijkstra’s algorithms to calculate weights of the impedance factors to optimal routing based on length of the road, speed drive, and traffic conditions. Implementation of routing analysis using open source geospatial software, PostgreSQL as database management system with PostGIS, and pgrouting as extensions. The modeling results show that the optimal route selection with speed parameters based on road classification has a low weight value. Therefore, it can be used as a reference for selecting a firefighter’s routing.

Miasto turystyczne wobec pandemii COVID-19. Pierwsze doświadczenia w świetle literatury przedmiotu

The aim of this paper is to present previous experiences of tourism cities in reducing the negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the local tourism economy. The article is based on literature review, which starting point was a World Tourism Cities Federation report on urban tourism during COVID-19 pandemic. The authors argue and discuss the proposed instruments of actions and tools supporting the tourism sector at the urban level, both in the phase of first responses to the outbreak, and in next stage of the pandemic, which is aimed at rebuilding and revitalizing tourism in the city.

The End of the Right to the City: A Radical-Cooperative View

Is the Right to the City (RTTC) still a useful framework for a transformative urban politics? Given recent scholarly criticism of its real-world applications and appropriations, in this paper, we argue that the transformative promise in the RTTC lies beyond its role as a framework for oppositional struggle, and in its normative ends. Building upon Henri Lefebvre's original writing on the subject, we develop a “radical-cooperative” conception of the RTTC. Such a view, which is grounded in the lived experiences of the current city, envisions an urban society in which inhabitants can pursue their material and social needs through self-governed cooperation across social difference. Growing and diversifying spaces and sectors of urban life that are decoupled from global capitalism are, we argue, necessary to create space for this inclusionary politics. While grassroots action is essential to this process, so is multi-scalar support from the state.