Small Urban Centers Research Articles

Multiple causations of hospitalizations due to mycoses in a Brazilian region: from anthropogenic to climate factors

Fungal infections are a public health problem. Mycoses are neglected, some are related to regions with low human development and under the influence of climatic conditions. The study aimed to analyze a series of hospitalizations due to mycoses (HM) that occurred in Minas Gerais, Brazil, from 1998 to 2018, as outcomes of anthropic and climate variability. We performed predictive analyses using Spearman’s rank correlation and logistic regression modeling to determine the correlation between HM and social, demographic, economic, epidemiological, and climate factors in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Data were obtained from national databases from 1998 to 2018. We found significant correlations between HM and population size, demographic density, health facilities (negative correlations), rural population, and coffee area harvested or cultivated (positive correlations), indicating that living in small urban centers is a strong predictor. We find weak but statistically significant associations between HM and meteorological conditions. Interestingly, the outbreak of hospitalizations matched La Niña events in the municipality with the highest frequency of hospitalization due to mycoses in Minas Gerais. Complex interactions among social, demographic, economic, and climatic factors drive mycoses dynamics. This work provides evidence that climatic and human activities influences hospitalizations due to mycoses in a Brazilian region.

Cecilia Tacoli (ed). The Earthscan Reader in Rural-Urban Linkages. London / Sterling, VA: Earthscan. 329 pages. Hardbound. Indian Rs 995.00.

The linkages between ‘rural’ and ‘urban’ locations, people, and activities contribute significantly to livelihoods and act as engines of economic, social, and cultural transformation. There is an increased interest among officials and policy-makers to better understand the opportunities and constraints that these linkages offer. Divided into five parts, the fifteen chapters, of this book bring special attention to the impact of rural-urban linkages on different aspects of sustainable development. Chapter 1 presents an analysis of recent census data, with special attention to small urban centres. David Satterthwaite argus that the rural and urban divide misses the extent to which rural households rely on urban incomes, while many urban households in low-income nations rely on rural resources and a reciprocal relationship with rural households. There is a need to forget this divide and see all settlements as being within a continuum with regard to both their population size and the extent of their non-agricultural economic base.

Modelling and Mapping Coastal Protection: Adapting an EU-Wide Model to National Specificities

We explore the requirements for adapting coastal protection EU-wide indicators nationally. The aim of this research is threefold: (a) to map coastal protection at the national level; (b) to assess the congruence between the regional and national coastal protection estimates; and (c) to qualitatively assess the congruence of our findings with subnational estimates. We assessed coastal protection capacity, exposure, and demand and adapted them for the coastal zone of Greece. We quantitatively compared our findings with the results of the EU model. Through visual interpretation, we compared national estimates with those for the coastal zone of Peloponnese. Most islands have lower protection capacity than the mainland areas, while the southern part of the country’s coastal zone is the most exposed to natural hazards. Higher coastal protection demand was detected in the country’s largest cities (Athens, Thessaloniki). Areas of attention for management were small and medium islands and urban centres, as they mostly revealed high demand and exposure but the lowest natural capacity. The differences observed in the modelling outputs across scales are attributed to the differences in the demarcation process of the coastal zone, the additional variables considered, the terminology used, and the experts involved. Such national adaptations should be considered in order to build or update EU-wide indicators for coastal protection and beyond, towards a rule-based rather than a one-size-fits-all methodology.

Equitable urban water security: beyond connections on premises

Despite worldwide advances in urban water security, equitable access to safely managed drinking water remains a challenge in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Piped water on premises is widely considered the gold standard for drinking water provision and is expanding rapidly in small and medium urban centres in LMICs. However, intermittency in urban water supply can lead to unreliability and water quality issues, posing a key barrier to equitable water security. Leveraging mixed methods and multiple data sets, this study investigates to what extent urban water security is equitable in a small town in Northern Ethiopia with almost uniform access to piped water services. We have developed a household water security index that considers issues of quality, quantity, and reliability. We demonstrate that there is high spatial variability in water security between households connected to the piped water system. Moreover, reliability of piped water supply did not equate to high water security in every case, as accessibility of appropriate alternative supplies and storage mediated water security. Urban water planning in LMICs must go beyond the physical expansion of household water connections to consider the implications of spatiality, intermittency of supply, and gendered socio-economic vulnerability to deliver equitable urban water security.

Contribution to the Ethnobotanical Knowledge of Serre Calabre (Southern Italy)

This work presents the results of an ethnobotanical research carried out in the territory of Serre Calabre, province of Vibo Valentia (Calabria, southern Italy). In this territory, the bond between the residents and the rural environment is still strong, the small urban centers are placed in a predominantly agricultural and forestry environment still managed in a traditional way. The survey took place between January 2019 and July 2021. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with locals. The samples of plants were collected under the indication of the interviewees and then deposited at the herbarium of the Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria (REGGIO). The data were stored on a database, using the software "Microsoft Office Ac-cess" ®. The information was then analyzed statistically with the software "Microsoft Office Ex-cel”®. Some synthetic indexes have also been calculated, such as Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) and the Cultural Importance Index (CI). 17 informants were interviewed and a total of 185 interviews were recorded. This led to the identification of 84 taxa belonging to 39 different fami-lies, among which the most represented are Lamiaceae (23 interviews, 9 taxa), Asteraceae (22 in-terviews, 12 taxa). Among the identified taxa, the prevalent uses are the alimentary one (46 in-terviews, 32 taxa) and the medicinal one (55, 27). The results obtained show how the traditional knowledge about plants in the Serre Calabre area is still alive, however it is exclusive heritage of elderly people and often only in one or just a few informants. Many practices are no longer in use and transmitted to the new generations.

Secondary supermarket revolution: food sources and food security in Northern Namibia

A central feature of the transformation of urban food systems in cities of the Global South is the growing presence of supermarkets and their supply chains, often termed supermarketization or a supermarket revolution. A key issue in the African context is whether supermarkets are a threat to other sources of food including informal sector vendors. Most research on the supermarket revolution and competition with other food retailers focuses on large urban conurbations with little attention paid to the role of supermarkets in smaller urban centres. This paper aims to rectify this situation through a case study of the role of supermarkets in three small urban centres in northern Namibia. The paper uses data from a representative household food security survey in 2018 which collected detailed information on household food consumption and food purchasing patterns. We show that supermarkets have established a dominant role in the local food system and are patronized by almost all households. However, the informal food sector displays considerable resilience and is patronized on a regular basis by low-income households. Future research on the impact of the secondary supermarket revolution should examine the experience and strategies of informal food vendors and whether the relationship with supermarkets is truly symbiotic or not.

De-Bordering Solidarity: Civil Society Actors Assisting Refused Asylum Seekers in Small Cities

Abstract This article elaborates on the activities developed by various actors from the civil society in favour of non-deported refused asylum seekers (NDRAS) through the lens of ‘de-bordering solidarity’. Drawing on qualitative data collected in two small Italian cities ruled by anti-immigrant coalitions, this study explores the rationales and outcomes of migrant supporters’ actions in providing help to NDRAS, thus deepening the action of pro-immigrant civil society in small urban centres. The findings show that, while civil society’s engagement in the provision of basic needs to vulnerable people is unconditional, legal advice and practical help for access to regular status can be more selective and reflect lack of human and financial resources available, the low probability of a part of NDRAS to achieve legal status, low demand in local labour markets, and social workers’ and volunteers’ subjectivities. Despite recognizing such limits in solidarity activities, this article shows that civil society in practice challenges deportation policies through practical and daily solidarity that assumes political and cultural meanings. Based on these findings, this article suggests durable solutions for addressing the issues connected with the presence of NDRAS.

Impact of Alternative Forms of Transport on Urban Freight Congestion

Increasing congestion, environmental pollution, and the resulting full impatience of inhabitants contribute to the search for new solutions to move around the city. Therefore, city dwellers are increasingly turning to alternative means of transport such as bicycles, scooters, monocycles, etc. Recently, this way of traveling around the city has been flourishing. Therefore, the authors decided to investigate the phenomenon of the popularization of alternative forms of urban transport and to determine the influence of this kind of travel on freight transport and sustainable urban development. The research was based on four Polish cities: Wroclaw, Katowice, Opole, and Kedzierzyn-Kozle. The selection was made more precise by indicating two large and two small urban centers. The research was carried out by means of a questionnaire survey addressed to the inhabitants of those centers, specifying their preferences regarding journeys in the cities, as well as through direct interviews with companies providing cargo transport in the cities. The final part of the study is to propose solutions that, based on the residents’ preferences, will reduce their travel by car in favor of alternative transport, thus enhancing freight transport.

Accessing drug treatment programs in Atlantic Canada: the experiences of people who use substances

People who use substances (PWUS) (e.g. inject substances) are at risk of many harms. Various services help reduce risks including drug treatment programs such as withdrawal management and opioid agonist treatment. Much of the research on PWUS’ experiences of treatment programs is set in large urban centers creating a knowledge gap of experiences in other places. Our study helps address this gap by exploring PWUS’ experiences of treatment programs in Atlantic Canada which is a region with many small urban centers and rural areas. One-on-one qualitative interviews were conducted with 55 PWUS focusing on their experiences of treatment program facilitators (or what helped with access and retention), and/or barriers to treatment access and retention (or what was not helpful). Data were analyzed for key themes/subthemes and organized using a slightly modified Rhodes’ risk environment framework. PWUS’ experiences of facilitators and barriers cross all four environments of treatment programs: policy and practice, physical, social, and resource environments. For some PWUS, barriers impacted their access to or retention in treatment, and hence are of serious concern given the current toxic illicit drug supply in Canada. Several barriers are shaped by drug criminalization and thus this research points to the need for decriminalization to help reduce barriers.

LGBTQ Community Archives in Small Urban Centers: Reflections on Community and University Partnerships to Build Awareness of the Lehigh Valley’s Rich LGBTQ History from AIDS Activism to Anti-Discrimination Legislation

Too frequently regional LGBTQ history outside of major metropolises is not a major focus either in university curriculum or for financially strapped local non-profit organizations as they provide essential direct services to our communities. Even as the late twentieth and early twenty-first century have ushered in a new focus on local archival projects, regional organizations often struggle to find funding for local historical projects while universities provide LGBTQ studies courses that center activism in NYC, Los Angeles, or San Francsico, marches in Washington, D.C., and the value of subcultural spaces on the coasts. As scholars have argued in the past decade, literary critics and historians need to focus more attention on LGBTQ activism, cultural production, and community formations outside of major urban centers. For university faculty, staff, and archivists, we have the opportunity to address this need by partnering with regional LGBTQ organizations, using our resources to help build strong local archives, and working with community members to shape narratives about LGBTQ history that engage with national movements while also addressing the nuances of activist work in various cultural contexts. This article addresses how community center leaders, archivists, faculty, and students in Allentown, PA have collaborated to meet these challenges by discussing three impactful archival projects: F.A.C.T. (Fighting AIDS Continuously Together) public history courses, an exhibit titled “Pride Guides and the Early Years of Lehigh Valley Pride Festivals,” and the Lehigh Valley LGBT Community Oral History Project. As we provide details about these projects, we trace the value of centering regional AIDS activism, pride celebrations, and struggles for anti-discrimination legislation for our regional LGBTQ community and our students. We argue that courses, exhibits, and oral history collection not only produce regional connectivity to national political projects and strategies, but also build stronger understanding of the import of local activism for promoting equity at the civic and state level. Beyond understanding the historical trajectory of regional activism, archival work and exhibitions bring diverse young people, elders, and those in the middle of life together who may not have met otherwise to reflect on our history and to imagine our future. The process of incorporating students, organizational leaders, and archivists in shared historical projects and narratives formation builds new networks for meeting urgent present-day needs.

Analysis of Mn accumulation onto plants in urban areas

The biggest problem in dense cities is air pollution and the damage to the environment caused by vehicles. Roadside landscape plants are exposed to pollutants, especially in small urban centers, which are caused by congested traffic. According to the type of landscape plants, being a good biomonitor varies according to their adsorbing capacity of pollutants. Fe and Mn are the leading pollutants originating from emissions. They are selected within the study and have various negative effects on plants in high concentrations. This study aimed to determine the Mn concentration changes according to organ and washing status and location of selected commonly used 14 landscape species in parks. The heavy metal holding capacity of 14 species used was compared the Mn concentration changed significantly depending on the factors evaluated to adsorb them. Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murr.) Parl. and Photinia serrulata Lindl. Where the highest values are obtained, they can reduce Mn pollution. Schinus molle L. is a suitable type that can monitor and mitigate the Mn concentration in the air.

Seismic vulnerability assessment of minor Italian urban centres: development of urban fragility curves

This paper presents a novel hybrid-based methodology devoted to develop urban fragility curves and damage probability matrices to predict likelihood seismic damage scenarios for small and medium Italian urban centres, considering URM buildings only. The concept of urban fragility curve consists of a single curve mean-representative of the seismic fragility of an entire area accounting for the combinations of building classes and their percentage, then they differ from those typological. The methodology has been developed with reference to Rocca di Mezzo, a small Italian urban centre located in the central Apennine area, Italy. Based on CarTiS inventory, building classes have been firstly recognized and urban fragility curves, representative for damage scenarios at Ultimate Limit State, developed. To predict damage scenarios from low to high-intensity earthquakes, an approach to define multi-damage urban fragility curves and damage probability matrices has been also presented. To this aim, a damage scale suffered by building classes has been defined by converting the final outcomes of the AeDES form (used in Italy for post-earthquake surveys) in the damage levels provided by the European Macroseismic Scale (EMS98). Data coming from urban fragility curves have been compared with the actual damage scenario recorded in Rocca di Mezzo after the 2009 L’Aquila’s earthquake, in terms of both peak-ground acceleration and Mecalli-Cancani-Sieberg scale. The achieved results showed a good accordance between theoretical predictions and actual damage scenarios, coherent also with the damage scenarios occurred in other Italian historical centres hit by severe earthquakes over the years. Thus, the methodology can provide a first important indicator to support the development of emergently plans devoted to identify priority of interventions in such areas particularly vulnerable with respect to others.

Dealing with low access to harm reduction: a qualitative study of the strategies and risk environments of people who use drugs in a small Swedish city

BackgroundThe development of harm reduction has been limited in many areas of Sweden. This study aims to understand the implications that this has for the life circumstances and risk management of people who use drugs in areas of low access.MethodsEleven qualitative, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with people who use drugs in a small urban centre with no needle and syringe exchange program (NSP) or Housing First policy.ResultsParticipants reported many solutions to lack of NSP, including travel to an external NSP, creating bridging distribution networks, stealing, borrowing, reusing, ordering online, and smuggling injection equipment. They were at risk of having their equipment confiscated by police. Participants were mostly homeless, and to address exclusion from housing services, were forced to frequently find new temporary solutions, sheltering themselves in public places, with friends, in cars, among others. Participants felt the lack of services reflected stigmatized notions of drug use and heightened their exclusion from general society. For example, they avoided accessing other health care services for fear of discrimination. These issues caused high levels of stress and anxiety, in addition to serious risk for many somatic and psychological health conditions, including HIV and HCV transmission.ConclusionLack of harm reduction services placed a great burden on study participants to develop strategies due to gaps in official programming. It also contributes to a vicious cycle of exclusion from services. The implementation of such evidence-based programs will reduce this burden, as well as provide the indirect, symbolic effect of inclusion.

Improving equitable access to inclusive sexual healthcare in a small urban college health setting.

Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) experience many disparities in sexual health. College health centers must address early inequities for this population. Significant access disparity was noted for SGM students at a small urban college health center. The aim of this quality initiative was to increase equitable access by 20% over 90 days. A rapid-cycle quality improvement project was initiated using a Plan-Do-Study-Act model. Templated nurse-led visits, a discussion starter tool, and an inclusive care checklist were introduced, with assurance of equity for each metric, and a focus on team collaboration. Access to sexual health services increased by 22.6% over 8 weeks with SGM utilization increasing 2.7-fold. Guideline-concordant care improved by 94% for all students. Student comfort scores (Likert range 1-5) also improved, from a baseline of 3.53 to a project mean of 4.62. This project addressed equity in a college health setting through improved student engagement, targeted workflow innovation, and enhanced team collaboration. Application of key findings to other health topics will continue to mitigate disparities in college health centers. Tools may also be applied to adolescent and adult primary care settings to improve patient comfort and SGM-inclusive sexual health service delivery.

Valuing time: Tourism transitions in Svalbard

AbstractAs indications of ‘overtourism’ appear in the Arctic, tourism presents both management challenges and ethical dilemmas, applicable to broader discussions about sustainability within Polar tourism. I argue that mapping value relations can contribute to ongoing discussions for positive ways forwards and that the concept of degrowth holds promise in redirecting tourism to better serve the local community. Tourism has become the largest employer and most rapidly growing sector in Svalbard, taking over from coal mining. Longyearbyen is a small urban centre but nevertheless is the central hub where almost all tourism passes through. Indeed, tourism is how the majority of human relations with its lands, seas, human and non-human inhabitants will be enabled. This paper is centred on charting the transition of Longyearbyen to a ‘tourist town’. Drawing on local voices from 2013 to 2016 and 2019, I use a value-based analysis to assess the changes experienced in the context of wider systems of value at work in Svalbard.

Rozważania na temat klasyfikacji małych miast – przegląd podejść badawczych i próba klasyfikacji wielokryterialnej = The classification of small towns – a review of research approaches and an attempt at multi-criteria classification

Classifications and typologies of small towns are a popular subject for research and debate among geographers, planners and sociologists. The basic aim of this paper being to discuss and assess different classifications and research approaches to small towns that take their social and economic functions into account, as well as relations with surrounding areas. However, the very concept of the small town poses certain problems, not least because definitions generally simplify down to the criterion of population size. Depending on the country, the size criterion differs and is generally in the range 5000-25,000 inhabitants. The subject literature typically includes three types of approach to the classification of small towns: 1) the structural, 2) the location-related, and 3) the mixed. The structural approach allows for the grouping of towns from the point of view of the social, cultural and economic functions they discharge. The location-related approach draws on the idea of there being a continuum between the centre and the periphery, with significance therefore attached to the location of a given small urban centre vis-à-vis large centres undergoing development to the greatest extent. A mixed classification making simultaneous use of the different approaches to research brings the most information to bear in regard to categories of urban locality, but their results may therefore prove hard to interpret, given the more-complex research procedure and number of possible classes, categories or types. Bearing in mind the approaches to classification, it is possible to propose a synthetic method for classifying small towns that takes account of economic structure, location and the relationship between the towns and their surroundings. In the case of economic structure, the small centres may be divided into two basic groups – those featuring a multi-branch structure and those that are specialised economically. A second element of the classification reflects the locations of urban centres. Two basic types can be identified – the small town within the range of impact of a large agglomeration or else the town outside such areas, which is to say located peripherally. The third component of the classification arises out of small towns’ relations with their surroundings - 1) local centres or 2) supra-local centres. In consequence, it is possible to indicate 8 types of small town.

Nighttime lights-innovative approach for identification of temporal and spatial changes in population distribution

Nighttime lights represent the result of satellite observation of the artificial lighting of human activities on the Earth from space during the night, which provides the excellent opportunity to determine their position, pattern, density, and spatial distribution. Such data have a high detail spatial and temporal resolution, which opens a wide range of possibilities for quantitative and qualitative analysis. In this paper, nighttime lights are used as a highly accurate dataset for indirect tracking of changes in temporal and spatial patterns of population distribution and activity in Serbia. Two indicators were applied-Lighted area and Sum of lights. They are calculated for local government units in Serbia, for 2015 and period 2015-2019. The results of the conducted analysis follow the conclusions of the existing knowledge on population distribution based on the official statistical data. Areas with a high share of lighted areas are dominantly urban and the most populated, while traditionally depopulated areas are with a low share of lighted areas. Sum of lights highlighted the distinction between developed and populated north and depressive and depopulated south of Serbia. General conclusion is that ?dark has fallen in Serbia?, not only in peripheral and rural parts of the country, but in the smaller urban centers as well, and it is steadily spreading toward bigger urban areas. With nighttime lights application, this kind of process in terms of spatial disparities, its scope and dynamics can be easily identified, analyzed, and monitored.

Factors influencing the implementation and deployment of e-vehicles in small cities: a preliminary two-dimensional statistical study on user acceptance

Recent sustainable mobility scenarios, aimed at the decarbonization in urban and non-urban contexts, seek to promote an increasing use of electric vehicles (EVs) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) by 2030, considering their attractiveness not only for private use but also as shared mobility alternatives by different categories of users. It is significant to investigate the binomial formed by users’ characteristics and travel habits as influencing factors of the spread associated to these innovative services. This paper presents a descriptive and two-dimensional statistical analysis to assess the acceptance of shared e-mobility linked to the user’s profile. The variables have been investigated via an on-line questionnaire, in applying the Likert scale and a single and multiple bivariate analysis have been performed. The case study of Enna city is presented, characterized by a size typical of Italian small urban centers, with critical issues in terms of the transport services supply. A large sample of under 40 years has been selected assuming their greater propensity to use this innovative transport modes. The results highlight the correlations between the socio-demographic data, the choice of the vehicle power supply and the influence of the characteristics of the service. These factors, along with the mobility patterns, must be taken into consideration for the improvement and promotion of the service.

Slavery in the Middle Assyrian Period

Abstract The Middle Assyrian period (1500–1000 BCE) is used to describe the Northern Mesopotamian state, centered around the capital city Aššur (mod. Qalʿat Aš-Širqāṭ, Iraq). In the early years, Aššur was a small urban center of little political importance. However, as the neighboring state of Mitanni/Hanigalbat weakened, the local rulers were able to politically and militarily dominate Northern Mesopotamia. Due to the expanse of this, originally, small state, a strong administration was required to make the governance of the newly conquered regions possible. Over 3,000 cuneiform texts from the Assyrian administration were uncovered, of which 2,000 were from the two capital cities Aššur and Kār-Tukultī-Ninurta. Just as in any ancient state, slaves were a part of society. However, attestations of slaves are relatively uncommon, and most scholarly attention has gone to the related class of deportees and prisoners of war. Nonetheless, administrative documents such as loans provide us with sufficient information on debt and chattel slavery to make a number of observations on (semi) privately owned slaves.

Between Centre and Periphery: The Small Towns of Pomerelia during the Period of Hanse Domination

This article offers an overview of specific aspects of the material culture of Pomerelian minor towns in the late Middle Ages. Although small urban centres in Pomerelia (also known as Gdańsk Pomerania) were located off the main trade routes and in the hinterland of the Hanseatic world, archaeological excavations have revealed numerous remains related to the Hanseatic way of life. The analysis of buildings, pottery, glassware, and metalware reveal the Baltic towns’ participation in urban culture, providing an insight into the status of the smaller towns in relation to the main trade centres of the Baltic Sea.