Urban green spaces have become increasingly recognized as essential components in the adaptation and mitigation of climate change impacts within rapidly urbanizing environments. This review critically examines the multifaceted roles of urban green infrastructure-encompassing parks, urban forests, green roofs, vertical gardens, and permeable landscapes-in enhancing urban resilience to climate extremes. The paper synthesizes recent advances in the understanding of how urban vegetation and landscape interventions contribute to reducing the urban heat island effect through evapotranspiration, shading, and albedo modification, with empirical evidence demonstrating local temperature reductions of up to 4°C. Additionally, the review explores the effectiveness of green spaces in managing stormwater runoff via bio-swales, rain gardens, and permeable pavements, which collectively reduce peak flow rates and improve groundwater recharge. The carbon sequestration potential of urban green infrastructure is assessed, highlighting the capacity of mature urban forests and innovative green roof systems to capture and store atmospheric carbon. The integration of smart technologies, such as IoT-based soil moisture sensors and remote sensing for vegetation health monitoring, is discussed as a means to optimize the management and performance of urban green spaces. The review also addresses the socio-economic co-benefits, including improved air quality, enhanced public health, increased property values, and greater social cohesion. Key challenges are identified, such as fragmented governance, limited funding, and inequitable access to green infrastructure, particularly in marginalized urban communities. Case studies from global cities illustrate successful strategies for mainstreaming nature-based solutions and integrating green infrastructure into urban planning frameworks. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, policy innovation, and community engagement to maximize the adaptive and mitigative potential of urban green spaces. This comprehensive synthesis aims to inform urban planners, policymakers, and researchers about the strategic importance of green infrastructure in fostering climate-resilient and sustainable cities.

The purpose of this study was to examine students’ engagement in their middle school mathematics class utilizing either permanent or alternating small group membership. Many group learning instructional techniques have shown positive impacts on student behavioral, cognitive, and social engagement outcomes, but group formation and permanence is a key difference between various group learning instructional techniques. This study used data from eighth-grade Algebra 1 students in a rural, Title I junior high school. Longitudinal hierarchical linear modeling was used to determine to what degree team characteristics and perceived value of team member contributions predict students’ change in engagement over time. Our social network analysis revealed that students preferred to team with peers of the same biological sex and provide counterevidence to the notion that participation in alternating teams leads to the elimination of cliques and greater social cohesion in diverse mathematics classrooms.

Neighborhood disorder and social cohesion: A longitudinal investigation of links with maternal cardiometabolic risk one year postpartum.

Abstract How can wellbeing for all be improved while reducing risks of destabilising the biosphere? This ambition underlies the 2030 Agenda but analysing whether it is possible in the long-term requires linking global socioeconomic developments with life-supporting Earth systems and incorporating feedbacks between them. The Earth4All initiative explores integrated developments of human wellbeing and environmental pressures up to 2100 based on expert elicitation and an integrated global systems model. The relatively simple Earth4All model focuses on quantifying and capturing some high-level feedback between socioeconomic and environmental domains. It analyses economic transformations to increase wellbeing worldwide and increase social cohesion to create conditions that are more likely to reduce pressures on planetary boundaries. The model includes two key novelties: a social tension index and a wellbeing index, to track societal progress this century. The scenarios suggest that today's dominant economic policies are likely to lead to rising social tensions, worsening environmental pressures, and declining wellbeing. In the coming decades, unchecked rising social tensions, we hypothesise, will make it more difficult to build a large consensus around long-term industrial policy and behavioural changes needed to respect planetary boundaries. We propose five extraordinary turnarounds around poverty, inequality, empowerment, energy and food that in the model world can shift the economy off the current trajectory, improve human wellbeing at a global scale, reduce social tensions and ease environmental pressures. The model, the five (exogenous) turnarounds and the resulting two scenarios can be used as science-policy boundary objects in discussions on future trajectories. Non-technical summary Our world is facing a convergence of environmental, health, security, and social crises. These issues demand urgent, systemic solutions now that address not only environmental but also social dimensions. Weak political responses have stalled progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. We have developed scenarios that explore interconnections between possible climate futures, rising living costs, and increasing inequalities that fuel populism and undermine democracy to the year 2100. We propose five turnaround solutions – energy, food and land systems, inequality, poverty, and gender equality – that if enacted are likely to provide wellbeing for a majority of people plus greater social cohesion. This will support long-term industrial policies and behavioural change to reduce emissions and protect the biosphere toward a long-term goal of living on a relatively stable planet. Social Media summary Our dominant economic model is destabilising societies and the planet. Earth4All found 5 turnarounds for real system change.

This study explored the potential of hybrid learning ecosystems as an educational innovation to foster peacebuilding in rural post-conflict communities. By facilitating intercultural dialogue and the construction of shared narratives, this educational intervention contributed to transforming perceptions of the armed conflict and strengthening students' life projects. The results, based on the theory of the knowledge space, showed significant improvements in socio-emotional competencies and greater social cohesion. These findings position hybrid ecosystems as a key tool to promote resilience and contribute to sustainable peacebuilding in post-conflict rural contexts

This study analyses the opportunities and impact of women’s political participation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan, focusing on unlocking the potential for greater inclusivity and socio-political advancement. This research examines the barriers and opportunities influencing female political engagement in a region characterized by its unique socio-cultural dynamics and historical marginalization of women. The study identifies critical impediments such as socio-cultural norms, lack of educational opportunities, and limited access to resources by employing a mixed-methods approach, including qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys. Simultaneously, it highlights emerging opportunities for women in politics, including legislative reforms, grassroots movements, and increased support from civil society organizations. The impact of women’s participation in governance, policy-making, and community development is analyzed to understand how increased female representation can contribute to more equitable and effective political systems. The findings underscore the potential benefits of enhancing women’s political engagement, including improved policy outcomes and greater social cohesion. This research aims to provide actionable insights for policymakers, activists, and scholars seeking to foster an inclusive political environment in KP and beyond.

The influence of an agricultural intervention on social capital and water insecurity coping strategies: Qualitative evidence from female smallholder farmers living with HIV in western Kenya

Against the background of the debate on the social reporting-social performance link, this article aims to analyse the influence of social disclosures on social performance. Specifically, we analyse the effect of the voluntary disclosure of standardised indicators regarding labour practices and human rights on corporate social performance. A Tobit regression was used on data obtained through content analysis for a sample of 1,243 multinational enterprises for the period 2013–2017. The results show that both total and partial disclosure of the performance indicators are positively associated with higher social performance, confirming that the disclosure of such indicators is oriented towards the improvement of corporate sustainability as opposed to impression management strategies. We demonstrate that, even though companies may aim to satisfy stakeholder demands through the voluntary disclosure of labour practices, decent work and human rights indicators, these indicators can also act as catalysts for strengthening corporate social policies and practices. The findings provide a further motive to promote social reporting: its positive impact on corporate social performance favouring responsive labour management and greater social cohesion.

ABSTRACT Being socially included in childhood is important for children’s academic, social, and emotional functioning, but neurodiverse children often struggle with their social acceptance in school. In comparison, children in more rural and smaller schools often have greater social cohesion. The current study, therefore, examined whether neurodiverse children, here represented by autistic children and children with specific learning difficulties, are socially integrated in more rural and smaller schools. In a study of 2225 Irish primary school children (84 children with SpLD and 53 autistic children), results suggest that neurodiverse children in smaller schools are more socially integrated regardless of urbanicity. This varied by whether children had SpLD or were autistic. This provides a strong message for policy makers and educators that school size matters for enhancing social acceptance of neurodiverse learners.

ABSTRACT Community museums can be contested sites for learning as they often communicate clear, subjective narratives that challenge mainstream ideas of the past by introducing knowledge that they know to be uncomfortable, rather than displaying multiple perspectives on a violent past. For that reason, educators of history in a divided society may be cautious to expose their students to such information, as their school curricula aim to create both greater social cohesion and criticality in their students that the emotion-laden museum environment could distort. This paper scrutinises the role that two community museums, each located in one of Northern Ireland’s two major identity traditions, play in educating on difficult heritage and, particularly, how conscious each is of developing young people’s critical thinking. Thereby, the underlying values and observed approach to emotions of museums are considered, alongside staff cooperation with teachers, to find out which concept of learning, if any, the museums follow. Key findings reflect a passionate but restricted view of education which lacks a defined concept of what education should be, and how exactly people learn.

BackgroundIn recent decades, China has experienced dramatic changes to its social and economic environment, which has affected the distribution of wellbeing across its citizens. While several studies have investigated individual level predictors of wellbeing in the Chinese population, less research has been done looking at contextual effects. This cross-sectional study looks at the individual and contextual effects of (regional) education, unemployment and marriage (rate) on individual happiness, life satisfaction and depressive symptomatology.MethodsData were collected from over 29,000 individuals (aged 18 to 110, 51.91% female) in the China Family Panel Studies, and merged with county level census data obtained from the 2010 China Population Census and Statistical Yearbook. To explore contextual effects, we used multilevel models accounting for the hierarchical structure of the data.ResultsWe found that a one-year increase in education was associated with a 0.17% increase in happiness and a 0.16% decrease in depressive symptoms. Unemployed men were 1% less happy, 1% less satisfied with life and reported 0.84% more depressive symptoms than employed men while minimal effects were seen for women. Single, divorced and widowed individuals had worse outcomes than married individuals (ranging from 2.96 to 21% differences). We found interaction effects for education and employment. Less educated individuals had greater happiness and less depressive symptoms in counties with higher average education compared to counterparts in less educated counties. In contrast, more educated individuals were less satisfied with life in more educated counties, an effect that is possibly due to social comparison. Employed individuals had lower life satisfaction in areas of high unemployment, while levels were constant for the unemployed. A 1% increase in county marriage rate was associated with 0.33 and 0.24% increases in happiness and life satisfaction respectively, with no interactions. We speculate that this effect could be due to greater social cohesion in the neighbourhood.ConclusionsOur results show that policies designed to improve employment and marriage rates will be beneficial for all, while interventions to encourage positive social comparison strategies may help to offset the negative effects of increasing neighbourhood average education on the highly educated.

This study examined the relationship between social cohesion and the perceived interest in, the usefulness of, and the ease of use of an instructor-based driver assistance system in a sample of older adults. With the aging of the population, the use of technologies to support the driving skills of the elderly is expected, and it is necessary to clarify the conditions under which the elderly will be interested in these advanced technologies. Traditionally, social cohesion has been focused on as a function of instrumental and practical support in the lives of the elderly. Since social cohesion reflects the intention to help each other, it could be an opportunity to provide information on advanced driving skill techniques to older people who are becoming more difficult to drive. As an initial exploration, this study examined whether social cohesion was associated with the interest in, the usefulness of, and the ease of use of an instructor-based driver assistance system in 150 elderly people. The results showed that a greater social cohesion was significantly associated with these evaluations, and that a comprehension of the system also contributed. The possession of a license was significantly associated with interest in the program. These findings are an essential step toward the understanding of the roles of social cohesion and positive perception of advanced technology in older adults.

Protests, riots and revolutions have long been a part of human history and are increasing globally, yet their impact on mental health remains largely unknown. We therefore systematically reviewed studies on collective actions and mental health. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and CINAHL Plus for published studies from their inception until 1 January 2018. Study quality was rated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We identified 52 studies (n = 57,487 participants) from 20 countries/regions. The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder ranged from 4% to 41% in riot-affected areas. Following a major protest, the prevalence of probable major depression increased by 7%, regardless of personal involvement in the protests, suggestive of community spillover effects. Risk factors for poorer mental health included female sex, lower socioeconomic status, exposure to violence, interpersonal conflicts, frequent social media use and lower resilience and social support. Nevertheless, two studies suggested that collective actions may reduce depression and suicide, possibly due to a collective cathartic experience and greater social cohesion within subpopulations. We present the first systematic review of collective actions and mental health, showing compelling evidence that protests even when nonviolent can be associated with adverse mental health outcomes. Health care professionals therefore need to be vigilant to the mental and psychological sequelae of protests, riots and revolutions. Further research on this emerging sociopolitical determinant of mental health is warranted.

ABSTRACT Direct experience of social difference is crucial if lower levels of prejudice and greater social cohesion are to be achieved in our cities. Despite their key role of connecting places and people, transport infrastructures have scarcely been assessed as facilitators of encounters with social difference. Furthermore, urban contexts are progressively more complex due to the increasing relevance of transport multimodality along with the unequal degree of access to different transport modes. Building upon network analysis and consolidated accessibility measures, this study presents multi-accessibility as a concept and quantitative instrument to evaluate the potential encounter of difference in city spaces opened up by multimodal transport infrastructures. Multi-accessibility is also presented as a relevant and complementary policy avenue to enhancing social cohesion through transport planning and land use policies in the future. Two planning scenarios for the case of the Madrid metropolitan area illustrate the application, utility and interpretability of the instrument.

Adolescence is a key period of social development at the end of which individuals are expected to take on adult social roles. The school class, as the most salient peer group, becomes the prime environment that impacts social development during adolescence. Using social network analyses, we investigated how individual and group level features are related to prosocial behavior and social capital (generalized trust). We mapped the social networks within 22 classrooms of adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years (N = 611), and collected data on social behaviors towards peers. Our results indicate that individuals with high centrality show both higher levels of prosocial behavior and relational aggression. Importantly, greater social cohesion in the classroom was associated with (1) reduced levels of antisocial behavior towards peers and (2) increased generalized trust. These results provide novel insights in the relationship between social structure and social behavior, and stress the importance of the school environment in the development of not only intellectual but also social capital.

Background: Data showing long term efficacy and sustained active lifestyle change are scant. Identifying social determinants for maintaining an active lifestyle overtime may help pinpoint barriers/facilitators for sustaining an active lifestyle change. Methods: We evaluated the associations between social determinants of health (SDH) and changes in physical activity (PA). The analysis dataset included 3,741 participants in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) who completed the PA questionnaire at exams 1 and 3, approximately 8 years apart. Participants were classified into 3 PA groups-poor (0 minutes/week moderate/vigorous activity), intermediate (some moderate/vigorous activity), or ideal (≥75 minutes/week vigorous or ≥150 minutes/week moderate or ≥150 minutes/week combined moderate/vigorous activity). SDH evaluated were individual level socioeconomic status (SES), social support, perceived stress and neighborhood characteristics. Other covariates included age, sex and body mass index (BMI). Unadjusted analyses followed by multivariable logistic regression analyses with backward selection were performed to explore the most significant SDH associated with changes in PA. Results: Twenty-eight percent (28%) participants had poor PA at both exams; 35.5% had at least intermediate PA at both exams; 19.2% changed from poor to intermediate/ideal PA and 17.8% changed from intermediate/ideal to poor PA overtime. In unadjusted analyses, among participants with intermediate/ideal PA at exam 1, younger age, higher levels of SES and greater social support; as well as higher neighborhood SES, greater social cohesion, fewer neighborhood problems and violence were positively associated with maintaining intermediate/ideal PA at exam 3. Among those with poor PA at exam 1, the same factors other than social cohesion were associated with improved PA to moderate/ideal level at exam 3. Sex, perceived stress, number of PA facilities in the neighborhood or being overweight/obese at either exam was not associated with changes in physical activity levels. Exploratory multivariable logistic regression with backward selection suggested that all three individual SES indicators were important factors for maintaining moderate/ideal PA levels at exam 3; and younger age, higher education, and higher neighborhood SES were important factors for improving PA levels from poor to intermediate/ideal. Conclusions: Individual SES indicators were significantly associated with maintaining an intermediate/ideal PA overtime; whereas younger age, higher educational attainment and higher neighborhood SES were significantly associated with changes in PA from poor to intermediate/ideal. Targeting individual education and environmental factors (e.g., neighborhood problems, violence) associated with neighborhood SES may provide most benefit both in initiating and maintaining an active lifestyle.

Sports are popularly believed to have positive integrative functions and are thought, therefore, to be able to galvanise different, and sometimes divided communities through a shared sporting interest. UK government and policy rhetoric over the last two decades has consistently emphasised the positive role sport can play in building more cohesive, empowered and active communities. These positive impacts are particularly important for communities with high numbers of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The purpose of this article is to reflect on the challenges associated with co-producing a participatory community sport initiative with 28 young people, the aim of which was to work towards greater social cohesion in an ethnically segregated borough in north-west England. Although a great deal was learned from working towards this, the initiative was ultimately unsuccessful because, for a variety of reasons, the young people removed themselves from the process. A major contribution of this article is its consideration of how we reflect on the realities of project failure and how future community sport initiatives might have greater success. In particular, we argue that for sport to make a difference, participants must be enabled to develop a sense of civic engagement and critical awareness which go beyond either sport or community development, emphasising wider sociopolitical development instead.

Health is crucial for sustainable human development, both as an inalienable human right and as an essential contributor to the economic growth of society. Health is also a good summative measure of the progress of nations in achieving sustainable development. It contributes to national development through productive employment, reduced expenditure on illness care and greater social cohesion. By promoting good health at all ages, the benefits of development extend across generations (UN, 2016). At the dawn of Independence India was facing a challenge of improving the health outcomes because it was having huge maternal mortality ratio (MMR), infant mortality rate (IMR), under-5 mortality rate (U5MR), crude death rate and very low life expectancy at birth (LEB). Ever since then significant progress has been made on these fronts, especially in the last 25 years. The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), IMR, U5MMR and CDR have been reduced from 560, 88.3, 126 and 10.85 in 1990 to 176,39.3, 49.8 and 7.33 respectively in 2015. However, in comparison to other developing and developed countries of the world India lies at the bottom as far as health outcomes are concerned. It is because of low public expenditure on determinants of health outcomes and also the loopholes in the existing health system. Therefore, if India has to achieve sustainable development goals by 2030, health has to be at the centre stage of policy formation.

Purpose Culturally familiar food is of great importance to migrants. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of food in the lives of South African migrants to Australia. How food impacts on notions of identity and belonging for immigrants is framed and discussed within the context of nostalgia, sharing and Bourdieu’s “habitus”. Design/methodology/approach Through mixed qualitative methods, including participatory research, document analysis and in-depth interviews, this study examines the everyday experiences of South African-Australians. The study employs an interpretivist approach that aims for greater understanding of the subject through the perspectives of the research participants. Findings Culinary rituals and traditions feature large in personal narratives of adjustment that reveal the important role of food in contributing to identity translation in a destination society and, ultimately, the attainment of belonging for migrants. Research limitations/implications The study provides a “snapshot” of a topic that would benefit from further exploration. Practical implications The importance for migrants to have access to cultural traditions surrounding food is acknowledged in the contemporary world where increasingly mobile populations need to maintain a sense of identity and feel a sense of belonging while integrating into host societies. Social implications Traditional cuisines are an integral part of the mechanisms by which migrants can better integrate leading to overall greater social cohesion. Originality/value The study contributes a new dimension to the body of literature pertaining to food access and security for culturally diverse groups in multicultural societies.

El objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar el panorama socio tecnológico entre las Comunidades Autónomas (CC.AA) de España y examinar su relación con la dinámica cooperativa. Para ello, se desarrolló un estudio que consiste, en un primer momento, en contextualizar el cooperativismo por medio de un análisis documental, para posteriormente, desarrollar un análisis estadístico multivariante de cluster con el fin de mostrar un panorama de la situación socio tecnológica española. Finalmente, se realiza la triangulación de la dinámica cooperativa en relación con el nivel socio tecnológico de sus CC.AA a fin de generar discusiones y reflexiones en torno al quehacer cooperativo y sus retos socio tecnológicos. Los resultados muestran la tendencia de una mayor dinámica cooperativa en regiones sensibilizadas con problemas sociales y paralelamente en comunidades con una mayor cohesión social, en ambos casos la capacidad tecnológica se percibe como un elemento contextual crucial.