Local Citizens Research Articles

Roles and activities of local stakeholders facing Alpine permafrost warming: A comparative exploratory analysis of three contexts and networks of actors

Mountain permafrost warming resulting from climate change increases gravitational hazards. This interdisciplinary study compares the networks of actors involved in managing such hazards in three regions of the European Alps. Interviews were conducted with 40 people (members of local authorities, mountain professionals, and private citizens) at the foot of Mont Blanc (Chamonix, France), in the Vanoise massif (France), and in the canton of Valais (Switzerland). Data were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively using interaction matrices and network diagrams. Communal authorities played a central role but partnered with many other public and private actors. In Valais, collaboration to protect infrastructure and inhabited areas was centred around communal and cantonal authorities. In Chamonix, the network of actors gave a significant role to mountain professionals. In Vanoise, the network was less dense and less well-defined, although actors had high expectations regarding awareness-raising and prevention. Sources of tension existed in all three networks, particularly between authorities and mountain professionals. To strengthen community resilience, authorities should develop more mechanisms for citizen participation in risk management.

ДОВІРА ДО ПРИКОРДОННОЇ ІНСТИТУЦІЇ КРІЗЬ ПРИЗМУ МАСОВОЇ СВІДОМОСТІ МІСЦЕВОГО НАСЕЛЕННЯ НА ЗВІЛЬНЕНИХ ТЕРИТОРІЯХ ДОНБАСУ В 2014–2018 рр.

Work with the local population became an important component of the service and combat activities of the State Border Service of Ukraine in the territory liberated from the illegal armed formations of the Russian occupation administrations. Determining the level of trust of local citizens of Ukraine is considered one of the criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of such work. Therefore, clarifying the structure and dynamics characteristic of the mass consciousness of the population of the liberated territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and their attitude towards the military formations and law enforcement agencies of Ukraine remains an urgent task, both from a scientific and an applied point of view. From a historical point of view, such studies have value as the formation of an appropriate research base, which in the future is expedient to use when studying various aspects of wars conducted by hybrid methods. Therefore, the conducted research showed that the majority of the local population of the liberated territories consciously sought the speedy establishment of peace. Answers to debatable questions about negotiations, conditions for establishing peace, the status of certain regions of Donbas, etc. depended on the place and time period when the survey was conducted. Regarding trust in border guards, this issue was also ambiguous and depended on the region. But, in general, the population treated military personnel with some caution, and the level of trust, as for the department, was low. The reason for this can be seen in the anti-Ukrainian propaganda by the Russian mass media, the influence of which continued in the territories on both sides of the contact line. Regime measures, which created restrictions on the movement of local residents and a tense situation with queues and constant shelling of entry-exit checkpoints on the contact line, which were maintained throughout the period of the anti-terrorist operation, also did not contribute to strengthening trust in border guards as representatives of state.

모자이크 거버넌스 관점에서 그린인프라의 액티브 시티즌쉽 연구

Due to recent climate change, the role of green infrastructure in urban resilience has gained importance. This study aims to examine the implications of the mosaic governance approach to operating green infrastructure through active citizenship, focusing on the activities of the 'Seoullo Green-Walking Citizens(=SGWC)' in Seoullo7017 from 2017 to 2018 over two years. The formation of active citizenship through the 'SGWC’ occurred in three stages. Initially, it was cultivated through education as a member with NGO, followed by the promotion of various volunteer activities in collaboration with local companies and communities. In the third stage, active citizens participated in operations with various entities through the Seoullo School, contributing to the expansion of volunteer activities among local citizens. From a mosaic governance perspective, the SGWC exhibited diversity, dynamics, and continuity of participation, becoming more active and interconnected as the process progressed. The contribution of green infrastructure to urban resilience through active citizenship involves environmental resilience through 'Place-keeping' to maintain the meaning and value of Seoullo7017. Furthermore, the development of the operating entity transitioned from NGOtype to CSR-type to PPP-type, fostering social connections through the 'Connection between space and subject' and contributing to institutional resilience through governance. It effectively conveys the key finding that active citizenship in the operation of green infrastructure has the potential to spread its goals throughout the city.

Public Services Delivery in Local Government: Anthropological Insights On State-Citizens Relationship

This paper describes the relationship between the state and the people in relation to public services deliveryby the local government to its citizens in the Federal State of Nepal. The study was based on studied between the years 2019 to 2023 through the ethnographic approach like interviews, observation, and focus group discussions. The data presented in the text reveal that the local government isneithercloser to its citizens, although it is geographically near to them, nor equally access to all of them. It always represents the elite class and powerful group in a society. Furthermore, local government is not both an ‘object’ defined by its territorial boundaries and a ‘concrete structure’ like organography. For the citizens, the state is defined by its activities or performances, including the delivery of services to its citizens.It is constructed through the interaction between the local government and citizens in everyday life experiences that helps us to understand what the local government (state) means for the people at large, and how they perceive it. Furthermore, the understanding of the delivery of public services by local government is possible through the combination of structure and agency together that creates a robust framework for the ethnography of the state.

범죄예방환경디자인이 부동산 거래 결정에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

The following research has been conducted in order to analyze the effectiveness in the aspect of real estate of the previously implemented policy under the notion that the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design(CPTED) could secure the self-perpetuation of a region and maintain a sustainable crime prevention environment. Thus we examined the current status of “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Project” that has been proceeded for 5 years by the city of Seoul, analyzed the impact of application of CPTED to real estate transactions and the results are as follows.
 First, the operation and maintenance for the CPTED projects seems to be well functioning according to the site investigation. Surveillance cameras and emergency bells are widely placed so that it can be recognized by the local citizens easily, and the signs that notifies the project is in progress were seemed to be handled very well. However, it was hard to find any other elements for crime prevention other than the surveillance & report system, and Safety Maru, the only facility was being used in wrong ways such as gardening and private gathering purposes for the local residents. For this a variety of plan elements are ought to be utilized apart from the monotonous surveillance & report system, and it is believed that the Safety Maru should serve its original purpose.
 Second, the analysis of the effects of CPTED Project in Seoul shows that it affects the city in a positive way. The criminal rate of the regions with the implementation of the project was relatively diminished, therefore, it was obvious that the project is reducing the number of crimes. Also on the real estate transactions on the following region, every 12 examples showed increase in the amount of transactions which makes the plans to draw the effect by the CPTED region following this particular trend necessary.
 Third, despite the decrease in the crime rate the residents responded that the area is not safe according to the survey. This seems that the project could effect the decrease in crime rate due to the active application of wide Surveillance & Report system, but its influences fall short to the extent where the residents actually feel safe in their area, which requires us to improve the project in the aspect of the urban regeneration which ultimately leads to active real estate transaction in order to implement the recognition of safe residential environment. To achieve this we believe a multilateral approach in terms of architecture/urban/real estate is necessary, with the ultimate goal of realization of self-sustainable urban space.
 Fourth, the local residents responded that the residential area does not feel safe even after the institution of CPTED project in seoul, but it is investigated that they still wish to move to the region with the implement of following project in case of making decisions on moving in the future. This result is thought to be the reflection of people's expectations that the project could be improved with trial and errors over time, along with the actual decrease in crime rate.
 Fifth, it is shown that the actual impact of the CPTED project to the decisions on real estate transaction is rather minimal, therefore, a variety of attempts to realize the sustainable crime prevention project other than just the surveillance & report system seems necessary, which is going to realize the construction of self-sustainable and safe environment if the region is vitalized and when it affects the decisions on real estate transactions.

Does Downward Accountability Work? An Assessment of Local Governance Practices in Nepal

The articulation of downward (social) accountability to the local government (LG) has been established by the new constitution of Nepal (2015) and further elaborated in the Local Government Operational Act (2017). LGs in Nepal have gained more autonomy, role, and responsibility for providing public services to local citizens following the state restructuring into federal Nepal. What does local governance practice look like today in terms of downward accountability? This paper examines the existing patterns of downward accountability, particularly in the same cases of local government in the Kailali district in the Sudurpaschim Province. Two separate field-based studies were conducted in different periods. Initially, the study assessed the compliance of social accountability tools in three local units (2019). The second attempt was a study focused on the practices of the monitoring mechanisms of four LG units (2021). The analysisused the observation check-list, key informant interview, and questionnaire schedule for data collection. The respondents to the study were the elected representatives, staff of LGs, and service-receiving citizens. This observation shows doubt about the practice of downward accountability at LG and its compliance, which appears to be ambiguous. LG elected representative's perception of downward accountability and the compliance mechanism must be clarified and specific. However, both elected representatives and the citizens have taken monitoring action in support of the downward accountability of LG. Effective service delivery has slowed due to a lack of a standardized downward accountability system.

133 Caring Neighbourhoods in Flanders and Brussels: the learnings so far from coaching and training and the development of a coaching tool 426

Objectives:
 
 Introduce the Caring Neighbourhoods program as an
 
 interesting example of ICC
 
 Discuss the main challenges and learnings from the
 
 coaching and training of 133 caring
 neighbourhoods
 
 Present a coaching tool that challenges reflection and
 
 action in the caring neighbourhoods
 
 Share reflections and ideas that can contribute to a
 
 successful implementation of caring neighbourhoods
 
 Rationale: Worldwide, more and more attention is being paid to the neighbourhood as a place where health and care must be accessible, where informal and formal care complement each other and where residents and professionals work together to create a caring environment. 
 June 2021, the Flemish Minister of Welfare, Public Health, Family and Poverty Reduction launched a call for ‘Caring Neighbourhoods’ that yielded 133 projects in Flanders and Brussels. During two years, a financial boost is provided, together with intense supervision and support.
 There is a large variety between the projects, for example in terms of previous experience, goals and actions, network and demographic context. But they all share the desire for more connection and cooperation between welfare- and care organisations, for participation and inclusion of the local citizens, for neighbourhoods where taking care of each other would gain more attention.
 In order for these projects to take steps forward, the Department of Welfare, Public Health and Family asked the King Baudouin Foundation (KBF) to shape a support offer. The KBF built this support around 3 pillars: (1) a consortium of knowledge-, and expertise centers in the field of sustainable neighbourhoods to enable a constant dialogue between existing knowledge and field-learnings, (2) generalistic and flexible coaching for each of the projects and (3) a training offer on various themes. 
 12 coaches supervise between 10 and 17 projects each. They are well placed to pick up, interpret and pass on insights, obstacles and opportunities. The same applies to the trainers that are part of the consortium and to other consortium partners that are connected with the field work in various ways. Their findings are related to several topics such as the importance of co-creation and the need for a flexible and adaptive governance.
 In their coaching, the coaches depend on their skills, on each other as a team and on their supervisors. Early in the process they expressed a shared ambition to co-create a tool to help challenge caring neighbourhood-workers in different areas of reflection and action.
 Audience: Health-, welfare-, and community workers, target group (representatives) and all stakeholders of caring neighbourhoods
 Content:
 
 Setting the scene: a brief introduction to the context of
 
 caring neighbourhoods in Flanders and Brussels (Ann Clé,
 KBF, 15min)
 
 A presentation of the learnings and demonstration of the
 
 coaching-tool (Stef Steyaert, KBF, 15min)
 
 World café: discussion in breakout groups on challenges in
 
 caring neighbourhoods on different levels (facilitated by 2
 coaches, 30min)
 
 A plenary debate with feedback from the breakout groups
 
 (Stef Steyaert, 20min)
 
 Conclusion and summary of the learnings (Stef Steyaert,
 
 10min)
 The outcomes of the workshop will be summarized by visual harvesting.
 
 

Pop-up vaccination as a start for integrated care in Brussels

In general: Many of Brussels’ inhabitants showed hesitance towards vaccination in 2021. Citizens indicated to preferably receive their vaccine in their own neighbourhood, administered by a health care provider they already knew. They said it would make them feel more confident and give them the opportunity to ask remaining questions (experiences from a pilot project by a local general practitioner (GP) practice). Primary health care providers, however, indicated to have too little resources to vaccinate their patients within their normal practices. Hence and based on our experience in 2021 (where we organised different pop-up vaccinations), we decided to offer different types of support during the flu and COVID-19-automnal vaccination campaign to Dutch speaking GP’s in Brussels. One of these types of support was a local ‘pop-up’ vaccination centre.
 Scope of the project: The aim was to support local health care providers during the flu and COVID-19-vaccination period and to offer a local solution for citizen’s to get their vaccination. This fits within our global aim to facilitate integrated care within Brussels.
 BruZEL initiated the project inspired by the example of one GP practice in Anderlecht. The following local partners, were involved :
 GP’s of 4 practices in Anderlecht, local pharmacists, local nurses, students from the neighbourhood, the local community service, pharmacy.brussels for up-to-date information on flu vaccination,Logo Brussels.
 The event: Patients were invited to come and get a flu and / or a COVID-19 vaccine on 2 Saturdays. We invited patients at risk (> 65 years or > 50 years risk factors) of the 4 GP offices with a personal letter. 
 However, the pop-up vaccination was open for all patients of the 4 GP offices.
 Up to 4 parallel vaccination lines were put in place: local pharmacist delivered vaccines, students guided the patients, nurses administered the vaccines, a GP registered in the EPD and was stand by.
 BruZEL coordinated, contacted and employed all care providers, provided the necessary tools (reservation/registration) and all the material needed. 
 The local authorities provided the facility, the vaccination boxes and facilitated parking places close to the entrance. 
 
 Results: In total 596 patients were vaccinated (166 against flu, 145 against COVID-19 and 285 received both vaccines). 
 Learnings and next steps: The experience of 2021 was confirmed: organising this with local health care providers and local citizens made the difference!
 Firstly, we relieved the workload for primary healthcare providers in the area. Moreover, the participating health care providers had the opportunity to meet each other, work together as a team and spent some ‘extra’ time with their patients. They mentioned at the end of the day to be tired, but boosted with energy. Next to that we saw that patients were more at ease as it wasn’t such a ‘mass production experience’ compared to the large vaccination centres.
 This is a first step to implement integrated care: getting to know each other and working together on local community oriented preventive actions.
 We see an opportunity to broaden the scope of preventive actions: towards e.g. health educational events.

Understanding good governance: voices of rural people in South-Western Nigeria

Scholars and policymakers widely acknowledge the critical role of good governance in rural development and poverty reduction. Unfortunately, decades of good governance reforms have not reduced poverty in Nigeria. But what is good governance? The problem is that the working definition and popularized principles of good governance do not actually emanate from the poor. Moreover, there is a lack of contextualization of the concept of good governance within the Nigerian context. Rather, donors’ institutional understanding is universalized through the imposition of a good governance agenda. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining the concept of good governance through the lens of rural communities in south-west Nigeria. Understanding good governance from the viewpoint of local citizens, who are the recipients of governance reforms, is vital for effective targeted reform. The study is based on the premise that communities possess a deep understanding of their own social circumstances and possess the capacity to express their unique insights. Employing Participatory Action Research (PAR) and qualitative methods like semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, the research engaged a purposively selected sample from three rural communities in south-west Nigeria. The findings revealed that, for these communities, good governance primarily involves the government's ability to meet basic needs and provide welfare-enhancing infrastructure. Conversely, bad governance is characterized by declining welfare, economic hardship, and inadequate infrastructure. Interestingly, participants did not prioritize reforms like regular elections or anti-corruption measures as core attributes of good governance, although they did not oppose these aspects. This study underscores the need to incorporate the perspectives of local citizens in defining good governance, allowing for homegrown solutions that might offer quicker and cost-effective strategies for development.

From a dynamic integrated climate economy (DICE) to a resilience integrated model of climate and economy (RIMCE)

The emergence of cascaded risks we face at the Anthropocene raises new problems and demands for action. Climate change can be seen as the most critical world risk: it reflects the effect of human actions that promote several risks, it potentiates disasters and catastrophes caused by natural phenomena, and it can, ultimately, threaten human survival on the planet. Risks in the Anthropocene are a matter of governance and local actions. A reflexive analysis, in the context of the so-called risk societies, and of resilient local communities to cope with the impact of risks of climate change is carried out. A Resilience Integrated Model of Climate and Economy (RIMCE) is proposed. The model is based on the idea of a social economic view, which involves nation-states that focus on local communities, citizen responsibility, rights, and behavior, materialized through networks of social capital and solidarity. This local cooperation to cope with climate crises, is the motivation for a new tax, the resilience social tax. With this reflection, we hope to contribute to the understanding of the economic ties attached to anthropogenic risks, proposing criteria to change behaviors, and advocating public participation in defining local actions to restore the optimal operating conditions of the Earth System.

Analisis Kebijakan Restorasi Ekosistem Gambut di Indonesia dengan Discourse Network Analysis

After the forest fires in 2014-2016, the Government of Indonesia (GoI) placed the restoration of the peatland ecosystem (RPE) as one of its priority policies in the environmental sector. This study seeks to analyze RPE in Indonesia using a discourse network analysis approach. Researchers utilize Twitter as primary research data. This data was processed with R, rDNA, and Gephi. Researchers found three network patterns that are connected to RPE efforts in Indonesia. First, affiliate networks connect actors and the concepts voiced by the actors. This network involves various actors such as government institutions, civil society organizations, private corporations, universities, research institutes, foreign governments, international organizations, and local citizens. The dominant concept in the affiliate network is peatland restoration and multi-stakeholder collaboration. Second, the actor congruence network assigns Mangrove and Peatland Restoration Agency (Badan Restorasi Gambut dan Mangrove or BRGM) as the dominant and central actors. However, some actors are not connected to the core network and create separate sub-groups. Third, a network of conflicts between actors involving four conflict themes: Government Regulation Number 57/2016 concerning Amendments to Government Regulation Number 71/2014 on Protection and Management of Peatland Ecosystems, peatland conversion, horizontal conflicts between the local community and plantation corporations, and prevention and law enforcement related to forest fires. The researcher recommends BRGM to: (a) strengthen collaborative practices with the various parties involved in RPE; (b) beware in converting peatland so it does not damage the peatland ecosystem landscape; (c) integrate community conflicts with plantation corporations as part of the RPE agenda in Indonesia. The researcher also recommends NGO activists in Indonesia who care about peatlands to continue monitoring and criticizing the RPE process in Indonesia, and fight for local community groups that have been marginalized by the RPE process. Researchers also encourage plantation corporations, both oil palm plantations and industrial timber plantations, to jointly guard RPE in Indonesia by not opening up new land as part of the actual contribution of the Indonesian people to climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Carina Karlsson's Märket as “Glocal” Literature

Abstract “Glocal” is a term that refers to that which is both “global” and “local.” Åland is an island in the Baltic whose residents are deeply attached to a sense of place and that which is local. At the same time, due to a strong shipping industry, many of these residents have traveled widely. The people of Åland are both citizens of a region with a strong sense of local identity and citizens of the world, hence, “glocal.” Carina Karlsson's Märket (The mark; 2019) is a historical novel that tells of what happened to seven women who were executed for witchcraft on Åland in the seventeenth century. Witch trials, however, were not exclusive to Åland, and Karlsson finds that this local piece of history resonates with what happened across Europe. Moreover, the persecution of unusual or powerful women is something that can be seen in global headlines even today. Märket is a novel that describes a local history specific to Åland, and yet the tale extends well beyond the borders of Åland, depicting common human experience.

Building a Renewable Energy Community for the Tor Sapienza district in Rome

The transition away from fossil fuels towards a carbon-neutral, clean and circular economy is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Energy communities are one of the tools to re-structure our energy systems by harnessing the energy and allowing citizens to participate actively in the energy transition and thereby enjoy greater benefits.The definition of Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) given by the European Commission, places the REC as an association that produces and shares renewable energy, generating and managing cost-effective green energy autonomously, reducing CO2 emissions and energy waste. Observing this definition, the new Italian regulations concerning RECs boost distributed generation, encouraging the development of ‘zero-mile’ local energy production and smart grids. This research aims to evaluate the conditions to propose a REC in the Tor Sapienza district, as an Italian prototype, assessing the possibilities and advantages of transforming it into a large-scale sustainable infrastructure by means of a deep energy transition and the active role of local citizens, public administrations and small and medium-sized enterprises. Thanks to an in-depth technological, environmental and demographic survey of the neighbourhood, the study focuses on the retrofitting of a social housing complex in Tor Sapienza, as the main prosumer of the REC.

Comparing different citizen science platforms for collecting urban ecological data from Toco toucan (Ramphastos toco) in Argentina

AbstractCitizen science projects are valuable tools since they provide substantial amounts of data on different animal species. Currently, there are a wide variety of platforms and objectives for diverse citizen science projects. Despite these advances, the approaches and contributions of citizen science platforms for collecting data on a particular species, and in a specific site or region, have been poorly explored. Thus, in this article, we compare the number of participants and the amount of data collected by three platforms on the Toco toucan (Ramphastos toco) in San Salvador de Jujuy city, located in northwestern Argentina. This particular bird species is very charismatic and frequents urban areas all year round; so that, it is interesting to know what contributions (e.g. participant numbers, ecological and distribution data) are being made about this species on citizen science platforms. Thus, we examined data reported by two global citizen science platforms, iNaturalist and eBird, and one local platform, Tucanes en mi Jujuy (TEMJ). We found that the local, focal TEMJ project had a greater number of participants (n = 193), greater presence records (n = 614) and a wide spatial distribution of data in the city. In the iNaturalist and eBird platforms, the number of participants was smaller (n = 9 and 36, respectively), with fewer presence records (n = 12 and 178, respectively), and even fewer reports of species‐specific ecological data (feeding, behaviour and age). This reflected clear differences between the three platforms, as TEMJ not only reported more presence data but also more detailed information on age and behaviour. Based on this research, we highlight the commitment of citizens to this particular project and the study of species. Therefore, we recommend the implementation of new local and focal citizen science platforms for more detailed ecological data on other charismatic and focal species.

Conflicting landscapes – integrating sustainable tourism in nature park developments

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to analyse conflicting landscape associations linked to nature parks. Drawing from an R&D project in one of the largest former wetlands in Denmark, we examine how diversified landscape perceptions and conflicting landscape preferences result from and condition the re-enchantment of nature parks for tourism development. The case study relies on various procedures. First, a combination of local accounts and fieldwork observations of tourism and landscapes. Second, interviews with tourists and local stakeholders on processes of engagement and disengagement with conservation, restoration, and re-wilding processes. Third, collaborative mapping with local stakeholders and citizens and their imaginaries of local nature. By combining literature reviews with findings from the case study, we derive different social imaginaries among tourism entrepreneurs, property owners, farmers, industrial actors, local citizens, and NGOs. Six conflicting landscape imaginaries are identified that, to varying degrees, may apply to other nature parks. Each approach holds different human-nature relations and views on what needs to be sustained locally, and what landscapes need to be developed. We conclude that conflicting positions and preferences over landscapes (geo-positionalities) may hinder interventions for sustainable transition, and that mapping these landscape positionalities may be useful for deliberation in tourism development initiatives.

Uništavanje starih čaršija na Kosovu

The model of development for Ottoman-style cities in the territory of Kosova from the 15th century to the first decade of the 20th century revolved around a distinctive triad: the local market, the mosque, and the bazaar. In the early periods of ottoman rule, mosques were strategically built in places where there was local market. This was done intentionally, since these were places where a significant number of people gathered. The bazaars and other type of buildings, as part of the mosque complexes, played an important role in the formation and development of cities during the Ottoman period as well. Thus, directly impacting the formation and growth of cities. Among these elements, the bazaars held a special significance, as they became the reference point of cities. And this was due, mainly because of their character, which was of craft, commercial and economic importance. The bazaars were more than just places of trade; they became emblematic reference points for cities, drawing local citizens and people from surrounding regions, who integrated these bustling spaces into their daily lives. In addition to their economic and commercial functions, the bazaars held immense historical, social, and cultural importance. As the centuries passed, living and engaging with the bazaars became inseparable from the life of Kosovar cities, and these spaces became an integral part of the collective memory and identity of the inhabitants. Throughout the centuries, the bazaars in Kosova became inseparable from daily life, contributing to the region's unique charm and heritage. However, this rich historical fabric has suffered significant losses as many bazaar shops fell victim to destruction. The destruction occurred over time due to exposure to the natural elements and human interventions, but there were also cases of intentional and planned destruction. These intentional and systematic destructions started immediately after the conquest of Kosova by Serbia in 1912. Urban and spatial plans as well as various military armaments during the Albanian-Serbian war in Kosova from 1998 to 1999 were responsible for deliberate and systematic mass destruction of the bazaars. Although, the types and methods of destruction varied, the underlying purpose remained consistent. This was done with the aim to destroy, the cultural, social, and economic significance of the bazaars, to change the physiognomy structure, and style of the old traditional cities in Kosova. Thus, by destroying Albanian tangible and intangible heritage and replacing it with the conqueror's creations, the conquerors sought to erase the cultural identity and history of the local autochthonous population. This study aims to explore the motives, methods, and intentions behind the targeted bazaar destruction, drawing upon relevant documents, past evidence, and available literature. By understanding the reasons behind such destructive actions, it becomes possible to preserve and safeguard the remaining bazaar heritage and restore a sense of continuity with the past. Through this research, we can shed light on the historical, cultural and social values of these bazaars, emphasizing the importance of their conservation, protection, and promotion for future generations. By safeguarding these heritage sites, Kosova can maintain a link to it's past and continue to celebrate the legacy of its ancestors, fostering a deeper sense of identity and pride among its inhabitants.

Tactical urban pocket parks (TUPPs) for subjective and objective multi-domain comfort enhancement

Cities face growing anthropogenic overheating phenomena, such as Urban Heat Island Effect and more intense and frequent heatwaves, impacting livability and wellbeing of local citizens and tourists. To mitigate such effects, passive mitigation strategies have been widely studied in the past decades, to be integrated within the built environment. The insertion of green areas, i.e. parks, in urban areas is among the most common passive strategies, however it presents numerous challenges, as traditional parks are difficult to insert in an existing packed urban texture. Hence, in this study, we examine the significance of strategic small urban parks related to various construction types. These parks can be seamlessly integrated through tactical urbanism interventions to enhance both the objective and subjective perception of overall comfort. By coupling human-centric microclimate monitoring campaigns in the small parks and surrounding blocks (objective analysis) with questionnaire surveys to parks’ users (subjective multidomain analysis) we aim at assessing their effectiveness. Results show that Tactical Urban Pocket Parks (TUPP) can slightly improve objective whole comfort and significantly enhance the improvement of subjective comfort (from neutral/bad to good/very good).

Deciphering the pivotal role of people with high-frequency occupational animal exposure in antibiotic resistance transmission between humans and animals.

The spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) among humans and food-producing animals has been widely reported. However, the transmission routes and associated risk factors remain incompletely understood. Here, we used commensal Escherichia coli bacteria strains from faeces of pigs and local citizens [HEG: high exposure group (pig breeders, butchers or restaurant chefs) and LEG: low exposure group (other occupations)] to explore the dynamics of ARB and ARG transmission between animals and humans. Most ARGs (96%) present in pigs were shared with humans. Carriage rates of the shared ARGs suggest two transmission patterns among pigs, the HEG and LEG: one pattern was highest in pigs, gradually decreasing in the HEG and LEG (e.g. floR and cmlA1); the other pattern was increasing from pigs to the HEG but then decreasing in the LEG (e.g. mcr-1.1). Carriage rates of the HEG were higher than in the LEG in both patterns, implicating the HEG as a crucial medium in transmitting ARB and ARGs between food-producing animals and humans. Moreover, frequent inter/intragroup transmission via strains, plasmids and/or mobile elements was evident. Carriage of mcr-1.1 on human-gut-prevalent plasmids possibly promoted its enrichment in the HEG. The HEG is a crucial factor in transmitting ARB and ARGs between food-producing animals and humans. Rational measures to contain the risks of occupational exposure are urgently needed to keep dissemination of antibiotic resistance in check and safeguard public health.

An Artificial Intelligence‐Based Framework to Accelerate Data‐Driven Policies to Promote Solar Photovoltaics in Lisbon

Due to the unavailability of up‐to‐date and georeferenced information about Lisbon's existing solar energy systems, tracking the progress of solar energy in relation to the city's Climate Action Plans 2030 is a complex task, thus hindering the potential of data‐driven decision‐making for a targeted implementation of photovoltaics (PV) in buildings and urban infrastructure. To overcome the challenges posed, an integrated approach to accelerate policy‐making based on artificial intelligence (AI) resources and local citizens' and stakeholders' participation is developed and piloted in Lisbon. Recurring to a two‐step AI model setup to identify and geolocate PV systems, key policy indicators are calculated to inform policy‐makers about the evolution of PV deployment in the city and contribute to tailor future incentives to more depressed or energy poor districts. The AI model based on open data orthophotos from 2016 allowed estimates for the installed peak power at the city level, in that year, to be delivered in a few minutes, whereas manual inspection of aerial images will have taken several months. Although the PV capacity determined is 30% lower than the historical official numbers, the proof of concept for the proposed framework is achieved and validated by local stakeholders.

Working and residential segregation of migrants in Longgang City, China: A mobile phone data-based analysis

Despite being a long-established research topic, most urban segregation studies have neither explored the socio-spatial disparities beyond the context of housing, nor systematically examined both residential and non-residential segregation patterns at a very fine spatial scale. Recently, mobile phone data has been increasingly used as a data source to investigate experiences of segregation. While being celebrated for its high spatiotemporal resolution, mobile phone data analysis is often limited by the lack of users' socioeconomic information. To fill these gaps and by taking a small Chinese county city, Longgang, as the case of study, we measure migrants' residential and working segregation experiences through mobile phone data at a 100-metre scale. Results showed that both working and residential populations show a high level of segregation using the population diversity and location quotient indicators, but the segregation experienced by working population is less than that by residential population. Migrants are highly segregated with local citizens, but less segregated in some areas like the industrial zones surrounding the traditional downtown area. This study helps us better understand migrants' working and residential segregation of migrants in subordinate Chinese cities, and inform the planning and policy-making process to promote urban integration.