Socioeconomic Characteristics Of Residents Research Articles

Assessment and Modelling of Walk Trips in Akure, Nigeria

The study examined and modeled the walking behavior patterns of residents in Akure, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling approach was used to collect relevant data for assessing and modeling the walking trip patterns. The questionnaires were administered to 300 participants between May to November 2019 (6 months) across three primary residential neighborhoods in the city; high-density, medium-density, and low-density areas. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS software and subsequently modeled using multi-variable regression techniques. The study found that 48.7% of the sampled population preferred to walk, and 49.7% perceived walking as an alternative to motorized trips. Significant differences were observed in the socioeconomic characteristics of residents, such as age and income, across the residential zones (F = 54.731, p<0.001; F = 68.278, p<0.001). The key factors that greatly influenced decision of respondents to walk included socioeconomic factors, such as income, personal car ownership, educational qualifications, and employment status, with age and sex being the least significant socioeconomic determinants. Generally, the factors that motivated respondents to choose walking as a travel mode included its relative affordability, the lack of personal vehicles, awareness of health benefits, safety and security concerns, avoidance of motorized traffic congestion, and favorable weather conditions. The findings of this study have important implications for transportation planning. The paper recommends the need to incorporate non-motorized spaces and walkways into various levels of urban planning and implementation to foster a more walkable environment and encourage active transportation in the city.

Perceived conditions of public open spaces (POS) and their associated impact in Kano, Nigeria: resident and patrons account

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of public open spaces (POS) on host community in Kano Metropolis. Design/methodology/approach Two sets of questionnaires and participant observation were used to collect data for the study. The questionnaires were used to elicit information on the socioeconomic characteristics of residents and users, a total of 140 residents and 70 users were selected for the study using random sampling without replacement. Findings Findings revealed majority of the residents earn above 25,000 naira monthly with a percentage of 32.85% while patrons were dominated by respondents that earn below 25,000 monthly. Also, majority of the respondents (94%) have received formal education. Further findings revealed that POS in Kano Metropolis plays an important role in encouraging recreational activities; although some of the open spaces were to some extent declined, the study confirmed the existence of 28 open spaces from the underlying 35 POS within the metropolis. It is noteworthy to note that males were found to be more (80.9%) among users of all the open spaces in the study area with the least participation from their female counterparts. The study further revealed that the adverse effects faced by users of POS and members of the host communities comprised of lack of facilities within the open space, inadequate security, inadequate lighting, lack of vegetation cover, poor parking spaces, breaching the public peace while the residents perceived the open space as means of obstruction of public facilities, causes accident, causes traffic congestion, environmental pollution, increase in accident, obstruction of public facilities, increased accident, degrades the environment, breaching of public peace, traffic congestion and obstruction of public facilities. Originality/value The outcome of the study will raise the awareness of the people on the importance, conditions of facilities and the impact associated with the usage of open spaces on adjoining residence. It will also inform stakeholders the modalities to prevent further decline or conversation of open space to other land use and promote proper management of open space facilities and mitigate its likely negative impact on the environment. This will contribute toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 11.

Housing Patterns and Socioeconomic Characteristics of Residents in Urban Areas: A Case Study of D/line Neighborhoods in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Housing Patterns and Socioeconomic Characteristics of Residents in Urban Areas: A Case Study of D/line Neighborhoods in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Built-in Flood Risk: the Intertwinement of Flood Risk and Unregulated Urban Expansion in African Cities

Urban flood risk is significantly shaped by ground conditions and the built environment, which are constantly modified and transformed by human actions. This paper examines the intertwinement of flood risk and unregulated urban expansion processes in three selected sites in Accra’s expanding periphery. All three sites have been included in Accra’s urban extent since the 1990s, but differ with regard to the timing of development and socio-economic characteristics of residents. The research illuminates how flood risk is produced and “built-in” to the urban fabric through widespread practices associated with unregulated urban expansion processes, especially the persistent encroachment on water retention areas, wetlands and riparian zones and the highly fragmented provision of transport infrastructure in emerging residential areas in the periphery. Such harmful development practices are neither confined to homebuilders from poorer segments of the urban population nor spatially concentrated in low-income areas. The research highlights how the actions and inactions of a wide range of social groups and actors engaged in urban land administration and development contribute to flood risk in various ways, making flooding an increasingly alarming issue of citywide concern. Different stakeholders highlight fragmented urban governance as an underlying root cause for the obstruction of sustainable land and water management. Overall, the study calls for a more robust recognition of spatial planning and transport infrastructure provision in flood risk mitigation and highlights the urgent need for planning and governance practices that challenge the existing fragmentation of urban governance systems.

Open spaces and wellbeing: the impact of outdoor environments in promoting health

ABSTRACT Although open spaces are known to improve the health and well-being of residents, little contextual evidence is reported in developing countries. This study examined the relationships among socio-economic characteristics of residents, the attributes and uses of neighbourhood open spaces and self-rated health of residents. The study utilised a cross-sectional survey with 1659 participants in Osogbo, Osun State Nigeria. Primary data were collected through pretested questionnaires, while direct observation was used to obtain information on attributes of open spaces. Secondary data, such as maps were obtained from Osun State Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Structural equation model (mediation analysis) was used to examine the relationships among the variables by estimating their direct and indirect paths of relationships as well as their mediating effects on self-rated health. The mediation analysis results showed that age, household size, income and education level significantly influenced residents’ assessment of open space quality. Also, physical, stress reduction and social cohesion activities influenced the relationship between open spaces and health indirectly (CFI = 0.802, RMSEA = 0.015, p < 0. 005). The study concluded that open spaces influenced residents’ health indirectly through activities performed.

SOCIOECONOMIC VARIABILITY OF HOUSEHOLDS’ TRAVEL BEHAVIOUR IN THE PERI-URBAN AREAS OF IBADAN, NIGERIA

The growth of peri-urban areas is increasingly recognised as one of the dominant land use planning problems, with significance in the area of transport planning. This has necessitated the studying of travel behaviour in peri-urban areas in cities around the world. This study particularly examined the travel behaviour of households in the peri-urban areas of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. It used both primary and secondary data. The primary data were obtained through a field survey from the administration of questionnaires on household heads in the study area using a multi-stage sampling technique. Findings revealed that 21.5% of the variability in the travel behaviour among the respondents could be attributed to socioeconomic characteristics such as age, household size, and length of stay, the number of cars owned and monthly income of households. It is recommended that the socioeconomic characteristics of residents in peri-urban areas should be considered when making transport policies in the State.

What it means to live in spatially diverse neighbourhoods: Understanding the socio-spatial ruptures and fortresses in Temuco

This study interrogates and evaluates how current transformations in Temuco's neighbourhoods promote social and spatial diversity-in terms of the mix of land uses, housing types, urban activities, and socioeconomic characteristics of residents. Based on neighbourhood classification criteria by the National Institute of Statistics of Chile (INE), two neighbourhoods (Villa Llaima and Banco Estado1-Carabineros) in Temuco were selected for detailed study. Both spatial and Social Variables data were collected using land use maps and structured individual interviews with 100 households in the two communities. By measuring spatial and social diversity in the neighbourhoods based on Shannon's Diversity Index, the study showed that the transformations of Villa Llaima and Banco Estado1-Carabineros between 1990 and 2018 represent social and spatial dimensions of diverse urban spaces. However, However, the diversities generated have not been work out to improve connectedness and social cohesion in the two neighbourhoods. The lack of development control at the neighbourhood level, the lack of appropriate codes to address the land use mix, and the lack of neighbourhood review of projects were identified as factors contributing to the poor state of neighbourhood cohesion. Policy recommendations are offered for improving and leveraging existing diversity for place-making.

Assessing the Inclusiveness of Housing Conditions in Ogbomoso Township, Nigeria

It is against the background of deficit in housing stock in Nigeria major cities and its associated exclusion in that this study evaluates housing condition in Ogbomoso Township. This is with a view to proffering recommendations that will aid the achievement of sustainable and inclusive housing in the town, and other ones with similar socioeconomic characteristics. Assessed were the socioeconomic characteristics of residents in the study area, characteristics and condition of housing units and impact of the identified condition on residents. The study utilized a multistage sampling approach to sample 150 buildings, and questionnaire administered to an adult resident in each of the sampled building. Data obtained were summarized using tables and percentages while analysis of variance was used to evaluate variation in the condition of housing units across political wards in the study area. The study discovered that 50.7% of the residents are male, and 52.7% are youths. Also, 50.7% of the respondents are single as about 29.3% are students, and 46% of the residents earn below N18, 000 monthly. About 44.7% of the residents have been living in their residences for less than 5 years, 26.7% have used 6-10 years in their residence while about 8% have used 16-20 years in their residences. Thus suggesting frequent change of residences by residents to adjust and readjust to various exclusion tendencies. The predominant housing type in the study area is flat (58.7%), and 69.3% of the housing units were constructed between 1 and 3 years. Meanwhile, 78.7% of the housing units have good roof, 12.0% are leaking and 9.3% are sagging. 48.7% of the housing units were perceived to be substandard, 45.8% were standard building while 5.5% were dilapidated. With F=13.050, p=0.000; there is variation in the condition of housing units across political ward in the town. Urban renewal, granting of loans for housing renovations as well as subsidizing of building materials were therefore recommended. The study concluded that sustainable and inclusive housing can only be achieved with conscious policy and planning intervention.

Understanding residents’ acceptance of professional urban and peri-urban farming: A socio-economic study in Polish metropolitan areas

The aim of the study is to present residents’ views on the perceived risks and acceptance of the maintenance and development of professional Urban Farming (UF) in selected Polish metropolitan areas. Attention was mainly devoted to exploring factors in the acceptance of UF, including the importance of perceived risks associated with urban farming, physical and social distance and the socio-economic characteristics of residents. We surveyed 577 participants from urban and peri-urban areas. The results obtained show that UF is accepted by residents: over 70% approve lasting maintenance of agriculture in metropolitan areas. The analyses show that acceptance of UF depends on two groups of factors: the perception of the risks of UF and the social distance from agriculture. People perceiving a lot of risks associated with urban farming and being characterized by a large social distance to agriculture, i.e. those who do not know farmers, do not take advantage of the offer of UF. Participants who are not involved in various forms of urban and peri-urban agriculture are skeptical about the development of UF. Conversely, those who see fewer hazards and are more closely related to this sector (low social distance) are advocates of this concept. The study shows that the socio-economic characteristics of residents, including age, education, and financial situation, do not differentiate acceptance of UF significantly. The formulated recommendations, i.e. regarding educational activities or the popularization of short supply channels, can help increase acceptance for the maintenance and development of UF.

DETERMINANTS OF PARTICIPATION IN ROTATING SAVINGS AND CREDIT ASSOCIATIONS (ROSCAs) IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Due to favorable disposition of residents to participation in Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs) in the Ogun State, Nigeria many individuals are nursing the ambition to establish one. This study provides empirical link between the socio-economic characteristics of residents within the division with a view to helping prospective foreman to understand factors that predispose residents to participation for decision-making. Data were obtained from 400 respondents and 25 randomly selected residents and foremen respectively within the division. Structured questionnaire and semi-structured interview were the instrument for data collection. The mixed-method collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, logit regression model and content analysis as applicable. Irrespective of the respondents’ ROSCA participation status, a typical respondent had about two members of his/her household working. Education, marital status, sex and annual income of the respondents were significant (p&lt;0.05) predictors of participation in the ROSCAs. Based on the study findings, it is recommended that the prospective foreman targets residents that are married, with relatively higher income level and the less-educated to increase probability of participation in the association.

Tree cover shows an inverse relationship with depressive symptoms in elderly residents living in U.S. nursing homes

People who live near more greenspace report less anxiety and depression. Do these findings hold for elderly populations living in care facilities, such as nursing homes? The answer to this question has not been directly examined. Studies on the relationship between greenspace and mental health in this population have focused on nature-based therapy programs rather than on greenspace coverage. Research on outdoor greenspace coverage is important for facility design. Facilities should know whether to prioritize greening investments in indoor atriums where programming can be provided year-round or in outdoor greenspace, which can also promote health by providing restorative views and reducing harmful exposures (e.g., noise and air pollution). To investigate whether nursing homes residents benefit from outdoor greenspace cover, we examined the relationship between tree canopy cover around 9186 U.S. nursing homes and the percentage of residents suffering from depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms data were obtained from the 2011 Minimum Data Set, and canopy data were obtained from the 2011 National Land Cover Database. Because facilities with more resources and higher qualities of care might also have more trees, we gathered 2011 data on occupancy rates, staffing ratios, age, sex, percent Medicaid eligibility, care needs, for-profit status, presence of special care units from the Long Term Care Focus dataset as well as air quality and population density and used these potential covariates in adjusted generalized linear mixed models and spatial lag models. We observed an inverse relationship between depressive symptoms and tree cover surrounding facilities. Associations did not vary by aggregated racial or socioeconomic characteristics of residents but did became weaker at greater distances from facilities. These findings provide hypotheses for future testing regarding whether nursing homes should incorporate outdoor greening in addition to nature-based therapy programs for residents’ mental health.

Community awareness and evaluation of surface water bodies in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria

This study covers the examination of socio-economic characteristics of residents, identification of different types of surface water bodies, determination of level of accessibility of those water bodies, the evaluation of the water bodies and the identification of the challenges being faced by communities in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria using four hundred (400) well-structured questionnaires. Data obtained were analyzed using frequency counts and percentages with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 15. Result showed that, 58.3% were married, the male (54.2%) respondents were higher than the females, and the occupation of the majority were informal sector (37.1%). Also, the highest age group was 15-25 years (34.3%) while family size of 2-3 members (61.1%) were higher than the other categories. Educational qualifications ranged from 2.2% - Primary School Certificate holders to 30.5% - NCE/OND/HND (30.5%) graduates. Eighty-one percent of the respondents were aware of the water bodies. River (37.7%) and stream (38.1%) were the major water sources in the study area, and one of the rivers was dammed and used for religious and traditional purposes. The Rate of obtaining the water varied from regularly (19.6%) to rarely (28%) while the Reasons for obtaining water ranged from its natural state (5.9%) to lack of portable water source (27.4%). Approximately fifty-three percent (52.7%) respondents had contacted one disease or the other ranging from bilharzias (6.2%) to malaria (18.1%) due to the use of the water while scarcity during the dry season has often resulted in frequent clashes among most users. Therefore, this study suggests that government and its agencies should provide portable water, care and maintenance of surface water bodies. Keywords: public perception; surface water; disease; Nigeria

Factors in hybridization of local medical systems: Simultaneous use of medicinal plants and modern medicine in Northeast Brazil.

The presence of mainstream medicine in local medical systems inserts a set of external treatments and concepts that generate adjustments in the local conceptions of health and disease. What points in the system are most receptive to change? Who are the residents most likely to adopt these external treatments to deal with diseases? To answer these questions, this work used a study model consisting of the simultaneous use of medicinal plants and modern medicine, testing whether diseases that require greater treatment efforts are the main targets of adherence to modern medicine and if socioeconomic characteristics of residents can cause intracultural variation in relation to simultaneous use. To obtain socioeconomic data on the knowledge of medicinal plants and simultaneous use of these resources with modern medicine, semistructured interviews were conducted in a rural community that has easy access to modern medicine. Participatory workshops were held to access the local perceptions about the frequency of occurrence and severity of illnesses. A multilevel logistic regression model was applied for data analysis. We found that chronic, severe and frequently occurring diseases in the community tended to show greater simultaneous use locally. Among the socioeconomic factors, we determined that high educational levels positively influenced the combined use of plants and modern medicine. The need to ensure the cure of frequent, severe and chronic diseases is a factor that leads residents to seek a greater number of possible treatments, stimulating the combined use of plants and modern medicine. Residents with higher educational levels were more likely to use a combination of treatments than those with lower educational levels, demonstrating that more participation in formal education may facilitate the combined use of medicinal plants and modern medicine.

The Effect of Socio-economic Characteristics of Residents on the Cognitive Evaluation for Physical Mixture-layout Types between a Rental- and Sale Apartment Housing Unit

The Effect of Socio-economic Characteristics of Residents on the Cognitive Evaluation for Physical Mixture-layout Types between a Rental- and Sale Apartment Housing Unit

The socio-economics of travel behavior and environmental burdens: A Detroit, Michigan regional context

The transportation industry—particularly light-duty vehicles—is a significant contributor of greenhouse gasses, accounting for about one-third of overall emissions in the U.S. Research to date has studied various factors that impact travel behavior of residents with varying socio-economic characteristics. However, research on the socio-economic characteristics of residents and their impact on environmental burdens within a single urban region, as measured by fuel consumption and vehicular emissions, is recognized as under-represented in the U.S. planning and transportation literature. This study focuses on the Detroit region, Michigan, a unique case study due to the scale of suburbanization and urban decline, yet representative of many mid-western cities. The article explores how socio-economic characteristics impact travel patterns and environmental burdens within six Detroit region neighborhoods. Data on individual travel behavior and personal vehicle characteristics gathered from a mail survey enabled an analysis into how associated environmental burdens varied with socio-economic composition. The analysis explores contributions to environmental burdens between poorer urban and wealthier suburban populations.

Regional inequalities in self-rated health and disability in younger and older generations in Turkey: the contribution of wealth and education

BackgroundIn Turkey, large regional inequalities were found in maternal and child health. Yet, evidence on regional inequalities in adult health in Turkey remains fragmentary. This study aims to assess regional and rural/urban inequalities in the prevalence of poor self-rated health and in disability among adult populations in Turkey, and to measure the contribution of education and wealth of individual residents. The central hypothesis was that geographical inequalities in adult health exist even when the effect of education and wealth were taken into account.MethodsWe analyzed data of the 2002 World Health Survey for Turkey on 10791 adults aged 20 years and over. We measured respondents’ rating of their own general health and the prevalence of five types of physical disability. Logistic regression was used to estimate how much these two health outcomes varied according to urban/rural place of residence, region, education level and household wealth. We stratified the analyses by gender and age (‹50 and ≥50 years).ResultsBoth health outcomes were strongly associated with educational level (especially for older age group) and with household wealth (especially for younger age group). Both health outcomes also varied according to region and rural/urban place of residence. Higher prevalence rates were observed in the East region (compared to West) with odd ratios varying between 1.40–2.76. After controlling for education and wealth, urban/rural differences in health disappeared, while regional differences were observed only among older women. The prevalence of poor self-rated health was higher for older women in the Middle (OR = 1.69), Black Sea (OR = 1.53) and East (OR = 2.06) regions.ConclusionIn Turkey, substantial geographical inequalities in self-reported adult health do exist, but can mostly be explained by differences in socioeconomic characteristics of residents. The regional disadvantage of older women in the East, Middle and Black Sea may have resulted from life-long exposure to gender discrimination under a patriarchal ideology. Yet, not geographic inequalities, but the more fundamental socioeconomic inequalities, are of key public health concern, also in Turkey.

Urban Socio-economic Development and Intra-city travel in Ogun state, Nigeria

This study is on influence of socio-economic development of urban centers on intra-city trip generation in Ogun state, Nigeria. The proportion of the aggregate socio-economic variables in each city was used to rank the cities in hierarchical order of development while the average household trip per week was used to rank cities on trip generation. Spearman rank correlation was used to establish nature and extent of relationship between level of urban development and frequency of trip generation of urban centers. The urban centers exhibit hierarchical development pattern both in level of development and trip generation. Abeokuta dominates the distribution of socio-economic variables with aggregate average of 31.22%. This is followed by Ijebu-Ode (14.41%) and Sagamu (10.33%). In the same manner, Abeokuta has the highest average of household trip generation in the state. Ijebu-ode and Sagamu followed with 43 trips per week each. There is a significant high positive correlation coefficient (r=0.75, p≤0.01) between level of urban development and household trip generation. With coefficient of determination (r2) of 0.56, 56% of variation in household trip generation in Ogun state is explained by level of socio-economic development of cities. This suggests the needs to be critical in using socio-economic characteristics of residents alone as measures of determinants of household travel behavior as done in several previous studies in transport research.Key words: Intra-urban, trip generation, Socio-economic development, urban centers, Nigeria, OgunState.

Patrones de movilidad residencial en la Ciudad de México como evidencia de co-localización de población y empleos

The article describes residential mobility in Mexico City and finds evidence of a co-location process between jobs and housing. The methodology employed is based on a series of statistical analyses including a log-log regression of residential mobility flows be- tween municipalities, as well as a binomial logistic model that predicts the probability of changing residence with given changes of job location. We conclude that together with the socioeconomic characteristics of residents that move, there is a clear influence of the place of work on the choice of housing location. We conclude that residential mobility can be seen as a social equilibrium mechanism that acts as a response to changes in urban structure.

Forgotten Needs? The Demographic and Socio-economic Impact of Free-standing New Settlements

For some time, local authorities have attempted to restrict the residential development of large, medium and small settlements on the grounds of the regional and local land use planning impacts. However, the changing distribution of national populations and associated housing pressure during recent decades suggest a need for a more appropriate land use planning response. One such approach is the creation of freestanding new settlements. Using a Scottish case study, this paper assesses the impact of such developments on residential mobility patterns and examines the socio-economic characteristics of residents and their level of satisfaction with the provision of services. The study provides one measure of the effectiveness of new settlements as a planning mechanism for meeting the needs of residential development from the consumers' perspective. It is concluded that free-standing new settlements are in danger of becoming elitist satellite communities where residents are likely to be disadvantaged in terms of service provision.

Residential preferences in Sydney's inner suburbs: a study in diversity

The revitalization of inner suburban areas is attracting a good deal of attention throughout the Western world, not least because it frequently involves a process of gentrification whereby middle-class individuals move into and renovate formerly working-class dwellings. Evidence from Sydney suggests that this process of revitalization is spatially very selective and as a result it is overly simplistic to talk about the inner suburbs as a whole, because within inner city areas there exists a very considerable mix of both land use and building quality. Moreover the socio-economic characteristics of residents and their attitudes towards the issues of preservation, rebuilding, and high-rise, tend to vary between the different types of residential environment. Consequently there can exist no single planning prognosis for all inner suburban areas. What seems to be needed is a blend of preservation and redevelopment that avoids forcing middle-class aesthetic values on working-class residents, for whom considerations of accessibility to central area employment and facilities appear dominant.