Home Space Research Articles

The Declining Impact of Walkability and Transit Accessibility on U.S. Home Values During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the U.S. housing market has seen dramatic changes owing to supply chain disruptions, historically low and then sharply rising interest rates, and changing consumer preferences. While neighborhood walkability and transit accessibility have generally been found to contribute positively to home values in the U.S., their marginal value may have declined during the pandemic due to the closing of neighborhood retail and other amenities, fear of infection in congested public spaces, and a desire for more home and garden space following a period of lock-down and expanding opportunities for remote work. This paper thus traces the shifting marginal value of neighborhood walkability and transit accessibility prior to, during, and shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic (2014-2024), while controlling for confounding factors at both the regional and local, zip-code level. The results suggest a reduction in the marginal value of both walkability and transit accessibility during and immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic, with no evidence of recovery as of 2024. Implications for planning and policy are discussed.

Ritual spaces in the home in two biblical narratives: The house of Micah (Judg. 17) and the house of the medium at Ein Dor (1 Sam. 28)

In this paper, I discuss the encounter and conflict between home space and outside space, and between unconsecrated space and ritual space, as they are represented in the biblical stories of the house of Micah (Judg. 17) and the house of the medium at Ein Dor (1 Sam. 28). Within the house of Micah, the ephod and the teraphim represent a means of communication with other spaces, namely, the space of heaven and the space of Sheol , the underworld. The home of the medium at Ein Dor is presented in the story with a dual function: It is a space of life, dwelling, and nourishment, but also a space that connects to the mythical space, Sheol , thus contrasting the space of the living to the world of the dead. The houses in these stories can therefore be viewed as liminal spaces that serve as gateways between spaces: between the ritual space and the private space; between the mythical space of Sheol and the space of the land of the living; between inside space and outside space; and between sheltered space and wild space.

GoBot: An Autonomous Assistive Robot Using Behavior Trees to Encourage Child Mobility

In early motor interventions from clinical rehabilitation to physical activity encouragement, one major challenge is maintaining child engagement and motivation. Robots show unique promise for addressing this challenge, but providing robots with new types of autonomous functionality is vital for promoting robot integration and usefulness in the clinic and home spaces. To provide needed autonomy capabilities for GoBot, our assistive robot for child-robot motion interventions, we propose a behavior tree framework. Within our framework, we build two trees: one manually designed based on expert knowledge of the child-robot interaction domain, and a second automatically synthesized and requiring minimal human input and time to construct. We tested each behavior tree with N = 11 children who interacted with GoBot during two behavior tree phases and a stationary-robot control phase. Our results show that both behavior tree phases tended to yield more child motion and significantly higher parent perception of child engagement, compared to the control phase. We showed that GoBot, equipped with our framework, has the potential to encourage movement and interaction in children, and that a synthesized tree can be competitive with a manually-designed tree. The products of this work can benefit researchers of behavior trees and child-robot interaction.

Development and First Validation of the Perceived Young Adult Lockdown Parental Relationship Scale (PYALPRS): An Italian Case Study

The COVID-19 pandemic and the confinement experience have significantly affected the relationship between young adults and their parents. The present study focuses on the design and validation of the Perceived Young Adult Lockdown Parental Relationship Scale (PYALPRS), a measure assessing two dimensions of the child–parent relationship associated with the COVID-19 lockdown period: Oppression-Conflict and Closeness-Support. After a phase of construct definition and item design and purification, 100 Italian young adults (M = 24; SD = 3.9) were recruited to explore the factor structure of the scale. Then, a sample of 259 Italian young adults (aged 18–35; M = 24; SD = 3.8) was used to demonstrate the psychometric validity of the scale. The results of our confirmatory factor analysis, which resulted in high goodness of fit scores, support two identifiable factors reflecting the theory-based constructs of the PYALPRS. Moreover, internal consistency and convergent and divergent validity analyses show that the PYALPRS can be considered a reliable and valid instrument. ANOVA demonstrated that there were significant differences between being a cohabitant or single as well as between different perceptions of the home space during lockdown on the Oppression-Conflict dimension, while a larger home space perception was associated with the Closeness-Support dimension.

Топосы геопоэтики Аржана Адарова

The purpose of this study is to determine the axiological characteristics of “one’s own” and “alien” spaces as topoi of the geopoetics of the Altai poet and writer Arzhan Adarov. The article examines the author’s strategies of artistic representation of the image of Altai when viewed from the inside. Based on the poetic works of A. Adarov, the topoi of home space (Altai, Kayarlyk, etc.) corresponding to the axiological pole of “one’s own” are examined. The poetics of “alien” space is reflected in the author’s lyrical works about Moscow, the Black Sea, Greece, and Mongolia. The novelty of the work lies in the approach. The study of Arzhan Adarov’s poetry in the geopoetic aspect allows us to consider artistic and geographical images in their interconnection, as a single text. During the study of the author’s lyrical works about Altai, some common connotations of the topoi were identified: the space of heavenly abundance; benevolent parental principle, connection with the lyrical hero. The axiology of the topoi that make up the pole of the “alien” is heterogeneous, while it is shown that in works about foreign lands, the core of the lyrical experience is the hero’s gravitation toward his homeland, therefore poetic texts about the “someone else's” through the author’s mental comparison of two topoi, home and foreign land, also become texts about “one’s own,” about Altai.

Multifaceted impacts of double-aging neighborhood's built environments on SAIP: a deep dive into Chinese rapidly aging urban society.

The healthy aging of older adults in dual-older adult communities is influenced by multiple factors, and understanding its underlying mechanisms can promote healthy aging among the older adults in a wide range of developing countries. This comprehensive study delves into the intricate interplay between multifaceted built environmental factors, and their direct and indirect effects on the successful AIP residing in double-aging neighborhoods. Applying a series of HLM, the research meticulously explores the intricate links between SAIP and multi-scale aging spaces, including home space, community social participation, and built environments. The results show that: (1) Older adults people's need for spiritual comfort derived from home space exceed the need for financial support and family care, becoming a major positive factor for SAIP; (2) The neighborhood based on acquaintance society, partly replace the role of home-based care in influencing SAIP. Especially, community participation has a positive impact, serving as an extension of the home space, such as college for senior citizens and outdoor activity space; (3) The built environment of double-aging neighborhoods has a significant positive effect, with a sense of place identity replacing the reliance on family members and acquaintances to facilitate SAIP; (4) In high-density old district, the distribution of public facilities is saturated, and the proper utilizes of these facilities becomes an important factor affecting SAIP. We provide a multi-factorial perspective of SAIP, demonstrating the compensatory and substitutional roles of community-based older adults care services and friendly neighborhood relationships in fulfilling home-based older adults care functions. This approach better promotes the construction of age-friendly communities and supports SAIP.

To stay or grow? Migration patterns and child growth in rural Bihar, India.

While the dominant patterns of migration for livelihood among the poor in India are rural-to-rural and circular, literature on the health implications of child migration has largely focused on rural-to-urban, permanent movement. We compared child growth across three migration typologies rural Bihar: circular migrant families that repeatedly migrate to rural destination sites with accompanying young children, rural households with male migrants, and rural households that do not engage in migration. We integrated network theory based on caste and tribe geography to inform our analytical approach. Our results demonstrate complex associations between nutrition status and repeated movement of children between home and destination spaces. In addition to the policy imperative of multilocational strategies for migrant families, households that do not engage in migration yet are located in high outmigration regions also require targeted livelihood and health interventions.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE BALANCE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN USING TECHNOLOGY IN DEMENTIA CARE DYAD

Abstract Advances in modern technologies, including wearables, mobile or embedded devices and sensors, and AI provide researchers and clinicians with exciting opportunities for naturalistic, large-scale, long-term, and timely assessment and intervention. In dementia, the vast majority of research and interventions using technology have been focusing on individuals—either only the care recipient or their family care partners. However, most dementia care dyads live together and have interdependent behaviors (e.g. physical activity and sleep) and shared functions (e.g. preparing meals). The proposed symposium highlights recent advances in using technologies to assess or intervene in dementia care dyads including their dyadic interactions and interdependent behaviors and functions in their shared home space. The five presentations will leverage different technologies (i.e., motion and door sensors, bed mat sensors, smartwatch, AI) to assess or intervene in different aspects of the health of dementia care dyad (e.g., loneliness, exercise, sleep, worrisome behaviors). Being aware that any methodology also has limitations and pitfalls, each presentation will include an instructive review of challenges associated with the technologies and efforts to overcome them. The five individual presentations will be followed by an integrated panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Harleah Buck. Together, the symposium will provide the general audience with an overview of current in-home assessment technologies, the challenges to incorporating them, and the tradeoffs for science. This symposium will also launch communication and collaborations between researchers from different disciplines who use modern technologies to conduct research in naturalistic settings to promote the health and well-being of dementia care dyads. Dyadic Health Research Interest Group Sponsored Symposium

Unseen Bodies: Sexuality and Subordination in Manto’s "Blouse"

Domestic servants are shadowy yet ubiquitous presences in upper and middle-class homes in the Indian subcontinent. Separated by socio-economic divisions and hierarchies, the unavoidability of proximity between bodies from different social strata inhabiting the same domestic space often creates tensions over possibilities of cross-class intimacies. This paper, through a close reading of Saadat Hasan Manto’s short story, Blouse, examines how bodies—as sites of budding sexuality—located in structures of servitude, experience and navigate the changing contours of the self and the other. The paper focuses on how conditions of invisibilisation, which characterise the servant’s position, on one hand produce effects of marginalisation and exclusion, but on the other hand also engender conditions for the servant to observe, encounter, and experience the other in such an intimate manner that it often threatens to disrupt the carefully maintained relations of social difference. The paper attempts to understand how different bodies behave and engage with each other—through relations of indifference, fascination, and deprecation—while navigating the complex terrain of gender performativity and class politics in the private space of home.

Home Usability for Older Adults: Results from the Dwelling Usability for Equitable Living (DUEL©) Survey

One’s housing must align with personal competencies/abilities, needs, and preferences to age-in-place. The Dwelling Usability for Equitable Living (DUEL©) Survey was developed to subjectively assess home spaces. Adults (N = 504; aged 40-92) responses to the DUEL© were analyzed using exploratory factor analyses and principal axis factoring with maximum likelihood extraction. DUEL© space-specific subscales demonstrated good-excellent suitability (KMO range = 0.62-0.92) and accounted for 50.4-70.4% of the variance. Reliability ranged from α = 0.66-0.93. Subscales indicated two-three factors (i.e., Perceived In/Effectiveness, Perceived In/Efficiency, and dys/functionality (kitchen)). The DUEL© Survey demonstrates good utility as a measure of home usability and captures multidimensional perceptions of one’s home spaces.

Exploring the effect of family–work conflict on employee productivity in teleworking during crisis: a cross-national comparative study

PurposeThe new teleworking conditions imposed by extreme events such as the COVID-19 pandemic blur the border between home and official working space, amplifying the conflicting demands of family and work life experienced by employees across national cultures. Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study explores cross-national variances in the underlying mechanism of how family–work conflict (FWC) affects employees’ operational and marketing productivity in the global epidemic-induced teleworking context.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducts a large-scale and cross-national survey of 710 remote employees who worked from home partially or fully during the COVID-19 outbreak across three countries: the USA, the UK and Vietnam.FindingsThe results show that FWC drives affective commitment, leading to greater employees’ operational and marketing productivity when teleworking. We also find distinct moderating effects of organizational factors (i.e. task control) and employees’ psychological factors (i.e. emotional exhaustion) on the FWC–operational productivity link across the three countries. Moreover, centralization positively moderates the effect of operational productivity on marketing productivity in the teleworking context in Vietnam, while it is not the case in the USA and the UK.Originality/valueThis study fills a gap in the literature by revealing cross-national differences in the underlying mechanism of the FWC effects on employees’ operational and marketing productivity in the pandemic-induced teleworking conditions. It extends extant studies in the work–family literature by introducing affective commitment as an important mediator in translating the negative consequences of FWC to operational and marketing productivity gain in crisis-driven teleworking across national cultures. We also provide insights into the distinct moderating roles of task control and emotional exhaustion in determining the FWC effect on operational productivity as well as that of centralization in driving marketing productivity. The findings have substantive implications for teleworking design and management to improve employee productivity across different national settings.

The Effect of Wildfires on Asthma and Allergies.

The Effect of Wildfires on Asthma and Allergies.

Insights into the spatial ecology of the world’s most ancient dog: high-altitude movements of New Guinea dingoes

Knowledge of an animal’s activity patterns, home range size and space use is fundamental to understanding their basic ecology, and obtaining spatial data is an important research priority for newly discovered species, data-deficient species of conservation concern, or species of great scientific or public interest. Here we report the first spatial data obtained from wild-living dingoes near Puncak Jaya, New Guinea. Based on information from four dingoes monitored with GPS tracking collars between 2018 and 2022, we report that dingo home range sizes can be up to 128km2, dingoes travel up to 56.8km per day, and they utilise rainforest and alpine habitats up to 4,630m above sea level. Dingoes at the site regularly traversed steep, rocky and barren alpine mountain crevasses to access more fertile areas at lower altitudes on the other side. These results imply that New Guinea dingoes may have physiological and genetic adaptations that enable them to live in high-altitude low-oxygen environments similar to Himalayan wolves, Ethiopian wolves, and other canids found in high-altitude areas. As the first domesticated animal and the world’s most ancient dog, and given their historic and current cultural significance, their illusiveness in the wild, and their trophic position as the largest terrestrial predators on the second-largest island in the world, we believe that further research on the ecology of New Guinea dingoes will continue to reveal important insights valuable for our understanding of human and animal ecology in this global biodiversity hotspot.

The materiality of home visits at the margins of community care before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT The emergence of COVID-19 led to restrictions in face-to-face interaction and an increase in remote contact, creating challenges, in particular for social services in which home visits are integral. This longitudinal study concentrates on one such service: community care among vulnerable adults, which aims to safeguard their housing and living in the community. Based on a re-analysis of 120 home visits before the pandemic, we demonstrate the significance of materiality in the visits, which manifest as home-space talk and body work. We then analyse data from two focus group interviews with workers to determine what happened to this materiality during and after the pandemic. During the pandemic, home visits were carried out (1) in the usual face-to-face manner in home spaces, (2) as visits in homes without the service users present, (3) as short visits on the doorsteps of homes, (4) as outdoor (home) visits and (5) contacts via phone calls and instant messaging applications. Carrying out home visits as usual or in a manner that enabled face-to-face contact or workers’ presence in homes signal the importance of materiality as well as the workers’ return to previous home visit practices after the acute phase of the pandemic.

Home and leisure accidents among children and young people up to 19 years old as an event observed in the EU-IDB surveillance system: 2012-2021 data

Abstract Paediatric injuries are widely acknowledged as a major public health issue among different medical disciplines. In the context of injuries and accidents, the surrounding environment of children and young people remains a major health concern. The present study was developed to extend current knowledge on the characteristics and magnitude of home and leisure accidents in this population. A descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study was developed under the EU-IDB (European Injury Database) collaborative network comprising up to 25 European countries and ten years of data collection (2012 to 2021). The methodology of the EU-IDB is a well consolidated standard for collecting injury data in Emergency departments, in compliance with the Eurostat methodological requirements for European health statistics. During the ten years of data collection in emergency departments, through EU-IDB surveillance 3 603 975 episodes of home and leisure accidents (HLA) were recorded at European level, involving people aged 0-19 years, constituting 34.5 % of hospital ED attendances due to HLA. Children and young people between 10 and 14 years old represented the major age group proportion of HLA(33.0%), the proportion of HLA increased across age groups until fourteen years old, being these differences statistically significant(p < 0,001). Falls were the most common cause of injuries among all age-groups, in the youngest group up to 4-years(54.4%), the 5-9years old (52.2%), the 10-14years old (46.1%) and in the oldest group between 15-19 years(37.5%), representing 47.2% of the total HLA mechanism. As regards to the treatment/follow-up, the vast majority of the HLA episodes were not admitted to hospital (92.9%). Hospital ED Injury data represent very useful information on the health burden of non-fatal injuries in this population of interest. These data could be used for the design of injury prevention policies and regulations for accidents that occur at home, school and outdoor spaces.

Laying the foundations for using generative AI images in architectural research: do images convey the intended spaces and ambiances?

The advent of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) models, such as Stable Diffusion, Open AI's DALL-E2, and MidJourney, has opened the door to a huge range of new possibilities in architectural research and practice. Before architects and researchers can fully leverage these models, it is crucial to assess their proficiency in generating images that accurately depict real spaces and ambiances. Here, we assessed the proficiency of DALL-E2 in depicting intended spaces and intended ambiances, using real photographs from Google Images as a comparative benchmark. Images of eighteen distinct home spaces, each intended to evoke three different ambiances, were generated and presented to human observers. The images were evaluated in terms of their perceived realism, their accuracy in depicting the space and ambiance intended. Findings highlight GenAI's capability in depicting spaces and point to its potential in convincingly conveying ambiances. Beyond the substantive findings, this research highlights the importance of evaluating the rapidly emerging tools enabled by recent developments in AI.

Hostile Environments: Housing and Asylum Policies as Drivers of Energy Deprivation Among UK Refugee Communities

ABSTRACT Although refugees in the UK are highly susceptible to the triad of factors – low income, poor housing and high energy bills – that produce vulnerability to energy deprivation, literature on this issue is rare. We therefore propose a framework towards understanding the role of “non-energy” policies as drivers of energy deprivation among UK refugees, using the conceptual lenses of deservingness, welfare chauvinism and domicide to demonstrate how the condition has been deliberately produced under the UK government’s Hostile Environment approach. We argue that this approach not only damages the physical materiality of housing and the emotional space of home, but also deleteriously impacts upon refugees’ ability to access adequate energy services. Energy deprivation thus emerges as a hidden consequence of policies that normalize precarious housing, a denial of rights, and inadequate incomes, in which “home” becomes a site of exclusion that achieves the Hostile Environment’s goal – making everyday life unbearable.

How does the kitchen feel in an empty nest? Mapping emotions in Polish kitchens

This paper addresses the spatial dimension of the empty nest experience. The assumption that the departure of adult children from home leaves the nest empty is challenged in this study. We delve into the lived experiences of parents left behind to reconstruct their encounters with kitchen space in a post-parental home. Drawing upon evidence from participant-generated data (138 emotion maps) and 69 map-elicited interviews conducted in the administrative provinces of Pomorze and Wielkopolska in Poland, we identify the kitchen as a key place where family relations are practised. The analysis of the material allowed us to reconstruct the relationship between ‘empty nest’ kitchen and emotions, as seen by the participants. Four themes that have emerged: bonds, memory, social roles and territorial claims account for the relationship between individuals and the spatial dynamics they navigate during this significant life transition. Through an exploration of parents’ subjective experiences, we seek to provide a deeper understanding of how kitchen space is perceived and engaged with within the context of the empty nest.

Factors of Spatial Modification in Terraced Houses: A Pilot Study

Terraced houses are a popular type of housing development in Malaysia, particularly in urban areas. Terraced houses are significant in Malaysia because it offers affordable, efficient land use in densely populated areas and enhancing community living. However, modifications to the layout are necessary to ensure houses remain practical, energy-efficient, and adaptable to changing needs. In terms of design, Malaysian terraced houses follow standard residential designs. However, inadequate spaces and unsatisfied homeowners' desires often lead them to modify their units with either major or minor modifications. Therefore, this study aimed to identify factors influencing space modification in terraced houses. Taman Pagoh Jaya, Johor, was chosen as the location for this study. The data was collected quantitatively using a questionnaire survey method with 20 respondents, and the study sample was selected using purposive sampling specific to single-story terraced houses that had undergone modifications. The data analysis technique for objective (1) uses a one-way ANOVA test to show seven household profiles for the sample of the study, which is the number of households, household income, number of children, number of years occupied, number of rooms and vehicle and floor plan approved by the Local Authority (LA) with the extent to which the modification directly affected by the factors that contribute to the modification of space in a terraced house. The data analysis technique for objective (2) uses descriptive statistical analysis by looking at the mean score which showed the lowest level of homeowner perception of the spatial function effectiveness before modification, with a mean score of 2.10 which disagreed with the inappropriate area of the kitchen. The highest level of homeowner perception which they were satisfied with the results of home space modification with a mean score of 4.35. The Pearson correlation coefficient used to analyse objective (3) showed a relationship between the ‘factors that contribute to the modification of space in terraced houses’ with the ‘perception of the results of their modification’ with a p-value of 0.000. In conclusion, based on the findings of physical modification, spatial modifications are still being carried out to fulfil the homeowner’ needs.

Personal noise exposure patterns and health implications in urban work environments

Noise-induced hearing loss remains a preventable occupational health concern, contingent on timely detection and mitigation of excessive workplace noise. However, the lack of effective identification of at-risk workers often results in the neglect of safety measures that could prevent hearing loss. To address this, personal noise exposure measurements, using noise dosimeters, were conducted on 50 individuals across diverse urban work environments, including work from home, offices, outdoor settings, and mixed-use spaces. The results demonstrated significant variations in noise exposure levels among different environments. Outdoor and mixed-use environments exhibited the highest average dose percentages, while home-based workers had the lowest exposure. A strong correlation between noise levels above 80 dB and increased dose percentages emphasized the need to reduce high-noise exposure times. Additionally, the study integrated quantitative dosimeter measurements with qualitative data from a questionnaire survey to provide a holistic understanding of the participants' perception on noise pollution. Traffic emerged as the primary source of noise pollution, with a substantial number of respondents experiencing stress and ear infections attributed to noise exposure. The research underscores the importance of personalized noise dosimetry in assessing health implications, emphasizing the need for awareness and preventative measures to mitigate health risks in urban work environments.