Local Residential Environment Research Articles

서울시 공공임대주택 주택성능과 주거환경 만족도에 미치는 영향요인

In order to balance with supply policy, public housing management and operation policies have been implemented in terms of housing welfare, but citizens have not yet achieved the results that the citizens are experiencing. The purpose of this study is to analysis the residential satisfaction of the including the housing performance through the characteristics of the public housing residents in Seoul. The data used in this study is based on the survey data of public housing panel survey in Seoul (2016). The study method used ordered logistic regression analysis based on the fact that dependent variables appeared as ordered responses. Major research results are as follows. Firstly, housing performance and residential satisfaction may not match. Even though the satisfaction of housing area, type, and management fee is high, satisfaction with residential environment is low if commuting distance, the number of small libraries, and hospitals are small. Secondly, it showed different characteristics of residential environment factors among types of public housing. Rather than focusing on supply, customized supply is needed considering characteristics of public housing types. Thirdly, the policy for public housing needs to be realized by a fair policy on the residential environment. It is necessary to contribute to better housing stability as a customized policy considering the local residential environment.

More miles on the clock: Neighbourhood stressors are associated with telomere length in a longitudinal study.

BackgroundThere is a substantial gap in health and longevity between more affluent and more deprived areas, and more knowledge of the determinants of this health divide is required. Experience of the local residential environment is important for health although few studies have examined this in relation to biological markers of age such as telomere length. We sought to examine if residents’ perceptions of neighbourhood stressors over time were associated with telomere length in a community study.Methodology/Principal findingsIn a prospective cohort study of 2186 adults in the West of Scotland, we measured neighbourhood stressors at three time points over a 12-year period and telomere length at the end of the study. Using linear regression models, we found that a higher accumulation of neighbourhood stressors over time was associated with shorter telomere length, even after taking cohort, social class, health behaviours (smoking status, diet, physical activity), BMI and depression into account among females only (Beta = 0.007; 95%CI [0.001, 0.012]; P<0.014).Conclusions/SignificanceNeighborhood environments are potentially modifiable, and future efforts directed towards improving deleterious local environments may be useful to lessen telomere attrition.

Distribution and Bioaccumulation Characteristics of Cadmium in Fish Species from the Longjiang River in the Guangxi Autonomous Region

Emergent cadmium pollution can cause water quality deterioration in rivers, which destroys the aquatic eco-environment and poses threats to human health. Fish species in these aquatic systems are prone to such pollution incidents and act as important indicators of the pollution level. Because cadmium enters the systematic circulation of fish and is non-biodegradable, the investigation of cadmium accumulation in fish bodies provides insights into the detrimental effects of cadmium pollution on the aquatic biological system. This research aims to validate the eco-environmental risks associated with emergent cadmium pollution incidents based on the investigation of the different tissues and organs of diverse fish species. The investigation was conducted six times along the Longjiang River using sampling methods during which all fish species were also classified and analyzed based on the water layer they reside in and their feeding habits. The results show that the cadmium concentration in the fish tissues is significantly higher in the former three investigations compared with that of the latter three analyses. For herbivorous, carnivorous, and omnivorous fish species, the cadmium concentration of their different tissues and organs follows the order:kidney > liver > gut > gill > egg > scale ≈ muscle. The cadmium concentration in the kidney is significantly higher (P<0.05) than that in any other organs of the fish species. This agrees with the fact that the kidney intensively metabolizes and accumulates heavy metals. The cadmium concentration in the same tissues or organs of the fish species living in different water layers follows the trend:demersal fish species > middle lower-layer species > middle upper-layer species. The sequence of the cadmium bioaccumulation factors in the muscles of different fish species is omnivore > carnivorous > herbivorous, that is, 8.32, 6.33, and 5.15, respectively, while the bioaccumulation factors in the muscles of the fish species in different water layers decrease in the following sequence:demersal fish species (8.18) > middle bottom-layer fish species (7.70) > middle upper-layer fish species (4.99). These experimental results indicate the biomagnification effects in heavy metal-polluted aquatic environments, where the bioaccumulation of heavy metals by fish is related to both the overall pollution level and local residential environment.

How poverty restricts elderly Germans’ everyday travel

Many elderly people are affected by poverty. Furthermore, old-age poverty is likely to increase in the future. However, the everyday travel behaviour of disadvantaged elderly people is not a focus of German transport research. Against this background, the aim of this paper is to examine the everyday travel of older people (65+) at risk of poverty using the example of Germany. The empirical analysis is based on the country-wide survey “Mobility in Germany 2008”. A logistic regression has been undertaken alongside descriptive statistical analyses. The analysis shows that elderly people at risk of poverty are less mobile, are restricted in their access to transport, make significantly fewer trips and cover less distance daily than the group with above-average income. Furthermore, the trips of disadvantaged older women in low-status residential areas are rather concentrated on the local residential environment. The travel behaviour of elderly people is different depending on their income and gender. Disadvantaged older women in particular are characterised by limited mobility options and restricted everyday travel, which is concentrated to the local area even in deprived neighbourhoods. Further research has to examine if these restrictions lead to unsatisfied daily needs and could threaten the social participation of this growing group.

Conceptualization and measurement of environmental exposure in epidemiology: Accounting for activity space related to daily mobility

A considerable body of literature has investigated how environmental exposures affect health through various pathways. These studies have generally adopted a common approach to define environmental exposures, focusing on the local residential environment, using census tracts or postcodes to delimit exposures. However, use of such administrative units may not be appropriate to evaluate contextual effets on health because they are generally not a ‘true’ representation of the environments to which individuals are exposed. Recent work has suggested that advances may be made if an activity-space approach is adopted. The present paper investigates how various disciplines may contribute to the refinement of the concept of activity space for use in health research. In particular we draw on seminal work in time geography, which provides a framework to describe individual behavior in space and time, and can help the conceptualization of activity space. In addition we review work in environmental psychology and social networks research, which provides insights on how people and places interact and offers new theories for improving the spatial definition of contextual exposures.

Associations between Resident Perceptions of the Local Residential Environment and Metabolic Syndrome

A substantial body of research has arisen concerning the relationships between objective residential area features, particularly area-level socioeconomic status and cardiometabolic outcomes. Little research has explored residents' perceptions of such features and how these might relate to cardiometabolic outcomes. Perceptions of environments are influenced by individual and societal factors, and may not correspond to objective reality. Understanding relations between environmental perceptions and health is important for the development of environment interventions. This study evaluated associations between perceptions of local built and social environmental attributes and metabolic syndrome, and tested whether walking behaviour mediated these associations. Individual-level data were drawn from a population-based biomedical cohort study of adults in Adelaide, South Australia (North West Adelaide Health Study). Participants' local-area perceptions were analysed in cross-sectional associations with metabolic syndrome using multilevel regression models (n = 1, 324). A nonparametric bootstrapping procedure evaluated whether walking mediated these associations. Metabolic syndrome was negatively associated with greater local land-use mix, positive aesthetics, and greater infrastructure for walking, and was positively associated with greater perceived crime and barriers to walking. Walking partially mediated associations between metabolic syndrome and perceived environmental features. Initiatives targeting residents' perceptions of local areas may enhance the utility of environmental interventions to improve population health.

地方都市在住高齢者の「食」を巡る生活環境の悪化とフードデザート問題―茨城県水戸市を事例として―

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the local residential environment of the elderly in Japanese cities, and to provide an introduction to ‘food deserts’. The case-study city is Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Food desert issues represent a social exclusion problem. These issues include access to food for low-income households in low-income neighborhoods, particularly to food that is integral to a healthy diet. These issues are openly discussed outside Japan, especially in European countries. Food deserts are defined as, “those areas where car-less residents, unable to reach out-of-town supermarkets, depend on the corner shop, where prices are high, products are processed and fresh fruit and vegetables are poor or non-existent.” It has further been stated that, “the increasing tendency toward out-of-town supermarkets has led to the creation of ‘food deserts’, where cheap and varied food is accessible only to those who have private transport or are able to pay the costs of public transport if it is available.” In the UK, fatal diseases such as cerebrovascular disease and breast and lung cancer have been linked to poor nutrition, which in turn is linked to food deserts. In addition, these social exclusion issues often lead to crime, violence, and terrorism.

Are perceived neighbourhood problems associated with the likelihood of smoking?

Objective:To explore associations between residents’ perceptions of the local residential environment and the likelihood of their smoking.Design:Using data (n = 2615) from the West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study, separately by gender, cross-sectional associations between respondents’ perceptions of neighbourhood (perceived absence of goods, incivilities and physical environmental problems) and the likelihood of being a current smoker and the amount smoked were examined.Results:Perceived neighbourhood problems are associated with the likelihood of smoking but mainly among those with the most negative view of the local neighbourhood. Perceptions of the provision of neighbourhood amenities seems to be more strongly associated with women’s than men’s smoking status, whereas the perceived quality of the local neighbourhood appears to be a better predictor of men’s smoking.Conclusions:Efforts to reduce smoking levels among more deprived groups may need to pay more attention to the role of local environmental conditions in influencing smoking behaviour.

RESEARCH ON THE ARCHITECTURAL RENEWAL OF HISTORIC BLOCKS IN CHINESE MODERN CITIES OF TOURISM, A CASE STUDY OF HANGZHOU CITY, CHINA

From the viewpoints of urban architecture and culture, the cause of crises in modern tourism cities of China is analyzed and concluded as loss of urban cultural features. As a resolution, the status of historic blocks in those cities and their influence on local tourism are explored. Harmonization between the renewal and succession of historic blocks contributes to improving local residential environment and attracting more tourists. Based on the practice of theprotection project of Qing-He-Fang Street in Hangzhou, China, the architectural methodology and the technologic measures in historic block protection are discussed. The results confirm that the renewal of historic blocks can resume local cultural tradition and inspire attraction to tourists.

Perceptions of Place and Health in Socially Contrasting Neighbourhoods

This paper describes an analysis of perceptions of the local residential environment and self-reported health in four socially contrasting neighbourhoods in Glasgow in the late 1990s. After adjusting for individual characteristics such as age, sex and social class, neighbourhood of residence predicted perceptions of problems and neighbourhood cohesion in the area: and self-assessed health, mental health and recent symptoms were associated with perceived local problems and neighbourhood cohesion. Housing tenure and employment status also predicted perceptions of the neighbourhood. These results support the importance of tackling anti-social problems in worst-off areas and of neighbourhood management across a range of areas.

School-Performance Indicators, the Local Residential Environment, and Parental Choice

The results of unadjusted national tests are to be used as school-performance indicators to monitor school effectiveness and to form part of the basis on which parental choice will operate. In this paper, it is argued that educationists, in their desire to show that schools matter, have reinforced the arguments of the political Right, often unintentionally, and have neglected the effects of the social geography of catchments. On the basis of past and present research findings, it is argued that any adjustments to the indicators need to consider the effects of the local environment and perhaps parental choice itself, as well as prior attainment and social class. The impracticality of making such adjustments, the difficulty of establishing a standardised effect of local environments across the country, and the problems of disentangling school effects from those of social geography, cast great doubt on the use even of adjusted indicators as a meaningful basis for parental choice. These indicators, as one of the major mechanisms in the newly constructed education system by which schools will compete for pupils and resources, are thus seriously flawed.

Assessments of Neighborhood Quality in Metropolitan America

Two decades of research have advanced our understanding of the manner in which individuals perceive neighborhoods and how various aspects of neighborhoods affect the lives of residents. This investigation utilizes national survey data to ascertain which elements of neighborhoods affect overall levels of satisfaction with local residential environments, how often these elements are perceived as existing, and how often they are evaluated as bothersome. These questions are answered in a geographical framework that disaggregates the nation's metropolitan settlement system by two macrolevel components-size of settlement and centrality within settlements-and one microlevel component—the neighborhood itself. Global assessments of neighborhood quality are shown to be a function of centrality and (secondarily) of size, and of the mix of conditions perceived as existing in the local residential environment. Evidence for a geographical basis for policies concerning the quality of residential environments is found to be considerable.

Influences on Educational Attainment: The Importance of the Local Residential Environment

The local residential environment is shown to be a major factor affecting the educational attainment of thirteen-year-old and fifteen-year-old schoolchildren. Its strength and effect relative to other variables, like intelligence and social class, are demonstrated via path analysis. It has a greater influence on the educational attainment of girls than of boys. Possible processes leading to both the differential and the general effect are discussed. The scale of analysis suggests that exactly where within a catchment area people live affects their children's educational attainment.