Neighborhoods In Brazil Research Articles

Forensic Analytical Approach for Hydrocarbon Fingerprinting in Soil Vapor Samplings: Example of a Residential Neighborhood in Brazil

Conventional analytical methods determine the concentration of compounds used to estimate the presence of environmental contamination capable of posing risk to human and ecological receptors (Murphy and Morrison, 2007). While these target analytes help regulators and environmental professional identify and manage potentially harmful conditions, these compounds can be generated by many natural and anthropogenic (man-made) sources and conventional methods alone fail to compositionally differentiate subsurface sources of contamination in complex environments (Morrison, 2000; Wang and Fingas, 2003; Gouvêa et al, 2019; Douglas et al, 2007). This case study demonstrates the advantage of using both conventional and forensic testing methods to accurately identify the source(s) of volatile hydrocarbon contamination in soil vapor samples for the development of an accurate conceptual site model in a neighbourhood near industrial facilities in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The goal of this study was to differentiate potential impacts from a local steelmaking plant from fugitive hydrocarbons associated with more generic human activity in urban settings. This case study demonstrated the advantage of constructing chemical fingerprints from conventional volatile organic compound (VOC) method TO 15 and a forensic volatile hydrocarbon method using an enhanced version of method TO 15 (PIANO). The chemical fingerprints of vapor samples collected from subsurface soil gas and sewers were analysed and compared to laboratory reference samples. These data determined that the VOCs detected in neighbourhood soil vapor samples were associated with fugitive petroleum products migrating in the sewer pipelines and not with the steelmaking wastes emplaced near the residential area. This article discusses the forensic data and chemical signatures that support these findings, and the use of environmental forensic techniques to evaluate environmental data associated with complex scenarios, involving multiple contamination sources.

Public open spaces and quality of life

In the last decades, rapid urbanization has reduced urban green areas and public open spaces, influencing the health and quality of life of the population. This study analyses the influence of living nearby squares on the perception of quality of life. By using the WHOQOL-BREF Protocol, the quality of life of residents living within two radiuses from two squares located in different neighbourhoods in Brazil were compared. The results have been discussed based on the interviewees’ characteristics and the Public Open Space physical attributes.The results indicated that living close to the urban squares can have positive impacts on quality of life.

New self-sexing Aedes aegypti strain eliminates barriers to scalable and sustainable vector control for governments and communities in dengue-prone environments.

For more than 60years, efforts to develop mating-based mosquito control technologies have largely failed to produce solutions that are both effective and scalable, keeping them out of reach of most governments and communities in disease-impacted regions globally. High pest suppression levels in trials have yet to fully translate into broad and effective Aedes aegypti control solutions. Two primary challenges to date-the need for complex sex-sorting to prevent female releases, and cumbersome processes for rearing and releasing male adult mosquitoes-present significant barriers for existing methods. As the host range of Aedes aegypti continues to advance into new geographies due to increasing globalisation and climate change, traditional chemical-based approaches are under mounting pressure from both more stringent regulatory processes and the ongoing development of insecticide resistance. It is no exaggeration to state that new tools, which are equal parts effective and scalable, are needed now more than ever. This paper describes the development and field evaluation of a new self-sexing strain of Aedes aegypti that has been designed to combine targeted vector suppression, operational simplicity, and cost-effectiveness for use in disease-prone regions. This conditional, self-limiting trait uses the sex-determination gene doublesex linked to the tetracycline-off genetic switch to cause complete female lethality in early larval development. With no female progeny survival, sex sorting is no longer required, eliminating the need for large-scale mosquito production facilities or physical sex-separation. In deployment operations, this translates to the ability to generate multiple generations of suppression for each mosquito released, while being entirely self-limiting. To evaluate these potential benefits, a field trial was carried out in densely-populated urban, dengue-prone neighbourhoods in Brazil, wherein the strain was able to suppress wild mosquito populations by up to 96%, demonstrating the utility of this self-sexing approach for biological vector control. In doing so, it has shown that such strains offer the critical components necessary to make these tools highly accessible, and thus they harbour the potential to transition mating-based approaches to effective and sustainable vector control tools that are within reach of governments and at-risk communities who may have only limited resources.

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE WORKFORCE IN COMMERCIAL RESTAURANTS: an analysis of the bars and restaurants around the Reta da Base Aérea de Santa Cruz, Rio De Janeiro/RJ

Located in the West Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro city, Santa Cruz is the fourth most populous neighborhood in Brazil and has an important history from the colonial and imperial periods. However, there are a number of aspects that have not yet been addressed by academics, such as the way restaurant businesses are organized in the neighborhood. This paper aims to provide a socioeconomic profile characterization of those who work in the bars, restaurants, and similar businesses around the Reta da Base Aérea de Santa Cruz. To this end, it uses exploratory techniques, such as bibliographic research and fieldwork with participant observation and filling out of forms, to gather information to comprise a socioeconomic profile of the workforce, including work relationships, characterization of the businesses, and the types of foods offered. Finally, the importance of this research is highlighted for use in tourism planning of the region.

Forensic analytical approach for hydrocarbon fingerprinting in soil vapor samplings: Example of a residential neighborhood in Brazil

Conventional analytical methods determine the concentration of compounds used to estimate the presence of environmental contamination capable of posing risk to human and ecological receptors. While these target analytes help regulators and environmental professional identify and manage potentially harmful conditions, these compounds can be generated by many natural and anthropogenic (man-made) sources and conventional methods alone fail to compositionally differentiate subsurface sources of contamination in complex environments. This case study demonstrates the advantage of using both conventional and forensic testing methods to accurately identify the source(s) of volatile hydrocarbon contamination in soil vapor samples for the development of an accurate conceptual site model in a neighbourhood near industrial facilities in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The goal of this study was to differentiate potential impacts from a local steelmaking plant from fugitive hydrocarbons associated with more generic human activity in urban settings. This case study demonstrated the advantage of constructing chemical fingerprints from conventional volatile organic compound (VOC) method TO 15 and a forensic volatile hydrocarbon method using an enhanced version of method TO 15 (PIANO). The chemical fingerprints of vapor samples collected from subsurface soil gas and sewers were analysed and compared to laboratory reference samples. These data determined that the VOCs detected in neighbourhood soil vapor samples were associated with fugitive petroleum products migrating in the sewer pipelines and not with the steelmaking wastes emplaced near the residential area. This article discusses the forensic data and chemical signatures that support these findings, and the use of environmental forensic techniques to evaluate environmental data associated with complex scenarios, involving multiple contamination sources.

Exploring neighborhood socioeconomic disparity in self-rated health: a multiple mediation analysis

There is still a need for more empirical investigations to better understand the causal pathways by which neighborhood socioeconomic contexts translate into states of health. This study explored the relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic position and health, as well as the role of social cohesion, violence, places to buy healthy food, and sports and leisure spaces in mediating this relationship in a diverse set of neighborhoods in Brazil. We applied a general multiple mediation approach to analyze a cross-sectional survey of 4.046 adults living in 149 neighborhoods in 2008 and 2009. The property value was chosen as an indicator of neighborhood socioeconomic position and self-rated health as the outcome. The four mediators were constructed from the self-perception of the participants. Results: We found that people living in economically advantaged neighborhoods were less likely to report their health as being fair/poor/very poor (OR = 0.71; 95% CI = 0.63, 0.76) than people living in disadvantaged neighborhoods, and this effect was mediated by the perception of violence in the neighborhoods. On average, 8.4% of the neighborhood socioeconomic disparity in self-rated health may be explained by violence. We did not ascertain as mediators social cohesion, places to buy healthy food, and sports and leisure spaces. Violence perception mediates the relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic position and self-rated health. Targeted interventions designed to improve the health status of the population could usefully focus on reducing the level of violence in which people live.

Mass Customization for Social Housing in Evolving Neighborhoods in Brazil

Mass customization is being adopted in many housing contexts worldwide to provide families with dwellings that suit their individual needs at costs similar to mass-produced items. However, in many social housing contexts, there are barriers that can hinder the adoption of mass customization, despite the benefits it could bring to residents. This is the case in the Brazilian social housing context considering house units for families of the lowest income range. This paper explores the possibilities and limitations of applying mass customization in this context to improve the living conditions in these neighborhoods as they evolve over time. This study analyzes the ecology of the system of provision of social housing for the lowest income range, pre-occupancy, and post-occupancy in the neighborhood’s development over time. This study argues that it would be more feasible and bring more and longer-lasting benefits to the stakeholders involved if mass customization were applied post-occupancy.

Quality of Public Physical Activity Resources and its Association with Frequency of Use in Two Low-Income Neighborhoods in Brazil

This cross-sectional study reports on the relationship between objectively-assessed quality of physical activity resources (PARs) and frequency of use within two low income neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Physical Activity Resource Assessment was used to assess the quality of all PARs of the two neighborhoods (n = 60). Frequency of use was assessed by direct observation. The quality of PARs and frequency of use was both found to be very low, but the higher quality PARs received higher number of users. An interaction between sex, age and use of PARs was found, with females and older adults significantly less present. Homicide rates in the vicinity of PARs did not contribute to lower levels of use. In conclusion, if we are to successfully promote higher levels of leisure-time physical activity among the population, care needs to be taken with the design and maintenance of these spaces.

A critical analysis of literacy discourses in two urban neighbourhoods in Brazil

Abstract Literacy is a contested word, as Brian Street said in his article “The meanings of literacy”, which appeared in 1999 in Literacy: an international handbook, the work he co-edited with Daniel Wagner and Richard Venezky. Its meaning varies across countries with different levels of schooling. There is also considerable variation in academic and popular senses of literacy. Dominant, formal, school literacies have had longstanding visibility in academic research and in official policies. However, there is now greater awareness and understanding of the discursive contrasts between school and home/community literacies, between dominant and vernacular literacies, between formal and informal literacies in the academy and in official policies. In this article, I distinguish between dominant discourses about literacy, on the one hand, and critical knowledge of literacy, on the other hand. I argue that they represent two very different perspectives in public debates on literacy. Taking account of the differences between these perspectives shows us how everyday life can be a space for struggle and contestation over meanings and for the construction of future discourses about literacy. I characterise the relationship between vernacular and dominant literacies by employing Jürgen Habermas’ constructs of lifeworld and systems, as he defined them in The theory of communicative action in 1987. I also employ part of the explanatory framework proposed for Critical Discourse Analysis by Lilie Chouliaraki and Norman Fairclough, in 1999, in Discourse in late modernity. In the central sections of the article, I then draw on ethnographic research, related to literacy, that I carried out in two socioeconomically differentiated neighbourhoods in Brazil. My discussion focuses on ideological issues related to literacy emerging from the ethnographic fieldwork in these two Brazilian neighbourhoods.

Sustainable neighborhoods in Brazil: a comparison of concepts and applications

Contemporary socioeconomic and environmental situation leads to a depletion of the natural resources and social disparities. This condition is even more dramatic in the developing countries. So, human society becomes dependent on urban planning to make cities and neighborhoods more sustainable. Thinking about the sustainable urban planning in the context of the human society dependency, this study compares three Brazilian neighborhoods, planned as sustainable urban units: Pedra Branca (Santa Catarina), Ilha Pura (Rio de Janeiro) and Jardim das Perdizes (Sao Paulo). To achieve this purpose, we are performing an analysis, which shows the establishment of common principles to conceptual guidelines of these neighborhoods, as follows: New Urbanism (NU) concepts, which guide Pedra Branca project; Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design—Neighborhood Development Rating System (LEED ND), applied to Ilha Pura; and “Alta Qualidade Ambiental—Bairros e Loteamentos” (AQUA B&L), applied to Ilha Pura and Jardim das Perdizes. We are using a conceptual framework to group five common principles of urban sustainability: local interaction, mobility, mixed use, natural resources and innovation, and socioeconomic participation. These principles are used as a common base to proceed to a comparison between the neighborhoods. Findings are showing that the NU concepts are wider in applications and imprecise, concerning social aspects, while LEED is more detailed and comprehensive, but more focused on the environmental aspects, as for AQUA—it is more equalized and adapted to the Brazilian context, even though it is narrowed in performance. About Brazilian neighborhood, Pedra Branca, it is more comprehensive in socioeconomic and environmental aspects, but less technological than Ilha Pura and Jardim das Perdizes. Nevertheless, this study suggests that sustainable neighborhoods could encourage Brazilian eco-friendly cities’ development by incorporating active participation from the public stakeholders, ensuring to cover all social and economic segments to mitigate social disparities.

Abstract P245: Economic Residential Segregation is Associated With Obesity and Visceral Adiposity in Brazilian Women: the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)

Introduction: Obesity and obesity-related diseases are increasing globally with the sharpest increases occurring in low and middle-income countries. Economic residential segregation results in increased exposure to adverse neighborhood environments; however, the impact of segregation on markers of obesity have been mostly investigated in US-based samples. Using a novel spatial measure of neighborhood-level economic residential segregation (hereafter, segregation) we examined the association between segregation, obesity and visceral adiposity in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). Methods: The sample included 6,104 women and 4,789 men ages 35-74 with complete geocoded information from the baseline examination of ELSA-Brasil (2008-2010). Segregation was based on data from the 2010 IBGE demographic census and calculated for study-defined neighborhoods using the local Gi* statistic— a spatially weighted z-score that represents how much a neighborhood’s income composition deviates from the larger metropolitan area. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated by dividing the participants’ measured weight in kilograms by their measured height in meters squared. Participants were considered “obese” if they had a BMI greater than 30 kg/m 2 . Visceral adiposity was assessed using measured waist circumference (in cm) as a proxy. Based on statistically significant interactions between gender and segregation, gender-stratified multivariable logistic and linear regression models were used to test associations between segregation and obesity status and visceral adiposity, respectively. Results: Approximately 14% of the sample resided in segregated neighborhoods. Blacks and Browns were more likely to reside in segregated neighborhoods than Whites (Blacks: 25.9%; Browns: 20.2%; Whites: 8.2%). The prevalence of obesity in the sample was 24% among women and 20% among men and was highest among Black women living in the most economically segregated neighborhood environments (35%). After adjusting for age, sex, race, education, income, and study site, segregation was positively associated with obesity among women (OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.07-1.56). Associations for men were not statistically significant (OR: 1.07; 95% CI: 0.85-1.34). Similar patterns were found for visceral adiposity among women (High Segregation, β=1.94 ± 0.51, p=0.0002; Medium Segregation, β=0.90 ± 0.39, p=0.0192) with no statistically significant findings among men. Conclusion: Women residing in economically segregated neighborhoods in Brazil appear to be at an increased risk of obesity and have higher levels of visceral adiposity. Black women may be at highest risk in these settings. Policies and/or structural interventions designed to improve neighborhood conditions may be viable strategies to mitigate the burden of obesity in this setting.

‘Getting more comfortable in an uncomfortable space’: learning to become an activist researcher in a socially vulnerable sport context

ABSTRACTActivist research engages all participants as co-researchers in order to challenge the status quo in hopes of creating spaces in which they will actively participate in their education and feel responsible for their own and others’ learning. There are a number of challenges that researchers might face when engaging in activist research with co-researchers. In that sense, researchers must be open to multiple perspectives and critical attitudes in order to negotiate the challenges that arise in the process. This paper describes the challenges that the lead author faced in learning to become an activist researcher in a socially vulnerable sport context and how these challenges were negotiated. The lead author, supervised by the second author, conducted a six month activist research study in a soccer program in a socially and economically disadvantaged neighborhood in Brazil. Participants included two researchers (lead and second authors), 17 young people, four coaches, a pedagogic coordinator and a social worker as co-researchers. Multiple sources of data were collected, including 38 field journal/observations and audio records of: 18 youth work sessions, 16 coaches’ work sessions, three combined coaches and youth work sessions, and 37 meetings between the lead author and the second author. By using an activist approach four challenges were identified and negotiated: learning to become more comfortable with an activist approach, helping young people to articulate what they know and the researcher to see what they say, valuing co-researchers’ knowledge, and negotiating the culture of sport. We argue that challenges are essential, necessary and significant in an activist research project in order to transform ourselves as researchers and our relationship with others.

Comparative assessment of sustainability strategies applied to urban neighbourhoods in Brazil, Germany and Sweden

Comparative assessment of sustainability strategies applied to urban neighbourhoods in Brazil, Germany and Sweden

Body Perception Index in Children and Adolescents in Deprived Neighborhood in Brazil.

Body Perception Index in Children and Adolescents in Deprived Neighborhood in Brazil.

Exploring an activist approach of working with boys from socially vulnerable backgrounds in a sport context

This study explores an activist approach for co-creating a prototype pedagogical model of sport for working with boys from socially vulnerable backgrounds. This paper addresses the key features that emerged when we identified what facilitated and hindered the boys’ engagement in sport. This study was an activist research project that was conducted between July 2013 and December 2013 in a soccer program in a socially and economically disadvantaged neighborhood in Brazil. The lead author, supervised by the second author, worked with a soccer class of 17 boys between ages 13 and 15, 4 coaches, a pedagogical coordinator and a social worker. Multiple sources of data were collected, including 38 field journal/observations and audio records of: 18 youth work sessions, 16 coaches’ work sessions and 3 combined coaches and youth work sessions. In addition, the first and second author had 36 90-minute debriefing and planning sessions. By using an activist approach, three features were identified as being essential: an ethic of care, an attentiveness to the community and a community of sport. Findings suggest that it is possible to use sport as a cultural asset to benefit youth from socially vulnerable backgrounds by offering them a place where they can feel protected and dream about possible futures.

A method for energy efficiency assessment during urban energy planning

Purpose – Energy use in urban areas has turned a subject of local and worldwide interest over the last few years, especially emphasized by the correlated greenhouse gases emissions. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the overall energy efficiency potential and emissions resulting from integrated solutions in urban energy planning, in the scale of districts and neighbourhoods in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach – The approach is based on the description and the application of a method to analyse energy performance of urban areas and support their planning. It is a quantitative bottom-up method and involves urban morphology, urban mobility, buildings and energy supply systems. Procedures are applied to the case study of Agua Branca urban development area, located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Findings – In the case of Agua Branca area, energy efficiency measures in buildings have shown to be very important mostly for the buildings economies themselves. For the area as a whole, strategies in promoting public transport are more effective in terms of energy efficiency and also to decrease pollutant emissions. Originality/value – Literature review has shown there is a lack of approaches and procedures able to support urban energy planning at a community scale. The bottom-up method presented in this paper integrates a plenty of disaggregated and multisectoral parameters at the same stage in urban planning and shows that is possible to identify the most promising actions by building overall performance indexes.

Margens da política, fronteiras da violência: uma ação coletiva das periferias de São Paulo

O artigo discute a relação contemporânea entre periferias urbanas e mundo político no Brasil, tomando como objeto heurístico a trajetória de mais de duas décadas de uma ação coletiva da zona leste de São Paulo. Argumento que a relação entre periferias e mundo público foi historicamente marcada pelo conflito. O percurso desse conflito, e de suas formas de contenção a partir dos anos 1970, faz ainda hoje coexistirem três dispositivos distintos, que na linha do tempo tiveram ênfases sucessivas: 1) a luta política, cuja lógica interna remeteu à aposta nos direitos da cidadania, central nas ações dos “movimentos sociais” desde os anos 1970 até o início dos 1990; 2) a gestão estatal e civil de grupos sociais das periferias, presente na lógica interna dos “programas sociais” a partir de meados dos anos 1990; e 3) a violência, presente ou latente na força repressiva voltada às periferias e regulada hoje, sobretudo, pelo próprio "mundo do crime".

Social Context and Campaign Volatility in New Democracies: Networks and Neighborhoods in Brazil's 2002 Elections

In new democracies party systems are often young, so partisan cues and roots in the electorate tend to be weak. The results, in many instances, include volatile campaigns with comparatively high degrees of short‐term preference change among voters. We explore the mechanisms of voter volatility and, more broadly, the ways in which citizens learn about issues and candidates in weak‐party systems. We claim that citizens in such settings rely heavily upon persuasive information gathered from their immediate social contexts. Utilizing a unique panel survey implemented during Brazil's historic 2002 presidential election, we demonstrate the importance of political discussion within social networks and neighborhood context for explaining preference change during election campaigns. We also demonstrate the concrete political consequences of social context by showing how candidate momentum runs can be driven by waves of discussion.

Social Cohesion, Criminal Victimization and Perceived Risk of Crime in Brazilian Neighborhoods

Ecological theories linking community characteristics to the level of crime have rarely been tested outside the context of the United States and Western Europe. In this study we examine the effects of social cohesion and neighborhood disorder on crime using data from a survey of neighborhoods in Brazil. Wefind that lower-income neighborhoods, including irregular settlements known asfavelas, have higher levels of social cohesion. Contrary to the results of research in U.S. urban areas, we find that greater cohesion among neighborhood residents is not significantly associated with lower levels of crime, and is in fact associated with a higher perceived risk of victimization. By contrast, neighborhood social and physical disorder increases violent victimization, but does not affect residents' perceived risk of being victimized. We argue that the effect of social cohesion on risk perception is explained by the greater spread of information regarding crimes occurring in more cohesive neighborhoods where residents interact more frequently with each other. A large body of empirical research has focused on the effect that social and organizational characteristics of urban communities have on crime rates. In contrast to criminological theories that emphasize individual correlates of criminal offending and victimization, ecological theories on which this research is based focus on the type of places where crime tends to occur. One of the best-known theories linking community characteristics and crime is social disorganization theory. Since the classic formulation by Chicago School theorists Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay (1942), researchers have argued that community characteristics such as poverty, ethnic heterogeneity and residential mobility disrupt the social organization of urban neighborhoods in such a way as to reduce their capacity to exercise social control, and are therefore conducive to higher rates of crime and delinquency. (See also Bursik 1988; Bursik and Grasmick 1993; Kornhauser 1978; Sampson and Groves 1989.) A community's low socioeconomic status (SES) in particular is thought to reduce civic participation and weaken social ties among residents. However, despite the importance early social disorganization theorists gave to poverty as a key factor disrupting communities' social organization, the extent to which the effect of neighborhood poverty on crime is mediated through community-level factors such as a loss of social cohesion among residents remains