Spatial Environment Research Articles

The Application of Big Data Analysis in Elderly Oriented Renovation Space Design

In order to understand the application of big data analysis in the design of elderly-oriented renovation spaces, an application study of big data analysis in the design of elderly-oriented renovation spaces has been proposed. The rapid development of the economy has led to the prosperity and spatial expansion of cities. At the same time, social issues such as land scarcity, traffic congestion, environmental pollution, and the uneven allocation of urban spatial resources have led to social polarization, marginalization of the interests of vulnerable groups, and seriously affected the physical and mental health of residents. With the intensification of the aging trend of the world population, aging has become a major global strategic issue. How to create a truly suitable spatial environment for elderly living has become a question worth considering. This article uses methods such as questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews to obtain a large amount of data, analyze the current situation of the living space of the elderly in Changchun City, the physiological and psychological needs, activity characteristics, social interaction characteristics, etc. of the elderly group, and then propose suggestions for the planning and design of the living space of healthy urban elderly.

Point Cloud-Based Spatial Environment Development for Near Real-Time Erection Simulation in Shipyards

<i>Interference and collisions often occur in the loading process at shipyards. Existing simulation methods focus primarily on resource processes and schedules, and there is a lack of real-time reflection in the complex and highly variable loading process. This study aims to develop a spatial environment incorporating real-time product data, such as hulls, and confirms its effectiveness by simulating various construction scenarios. As a method, a near real-time spatial environment based on broadband laser scanning was established, with the situation of loading heavy cargo assumed when converting an existing ship into an LNG dual-fuel propulsion ship. A case study simulation of near-real-time cargo loading processes was then conducted using Unity 3D to confirm the interference and collision risks within the spatial environment. The results indicated that interference occurred in structures previously not identified in the design data, and a collision occurred during the loading object erection phase. The simulation confirmed that the identification of interference and collision risks during the erection phase highlights the need for a relocation or removal process of potential hazards before erection takes place. An improved erection simulation that integrates near real-time data could effectively prevent interference and collision risks.</i>

Conflicting perceptions of the well-organised environment

The paper presents a cross-disciplinary investigation into the intricate state of human-environment interaction. Drawing from the field of environmental psychology, it is an inquiry of the attitudes and perceptions of the human’s surrounding private and public environment, and presumably conflicting understanding, perception and individual interpretation of what well-organised and orderly environment means. It is very common to see the concept of a well-ordered environment in widespread public discourse. Depending on the context, a term encompasses various factors, such as physical, social, educational, and mental domains and can be applied not only to spatial environments but also to business and entrepreneurial, school and workplace environments, and more. Beyond creating an up-to-date understanding of the concept and understanding of orderly environment in the Latvian context, the paper aims to clarify whether there are limitations posed by conflicting understandings of the notion and set objectives, organisation of the environment, quality of life and personal and community growth. The research approach is based on the investigation through society involvement. The online questionnaire was employed to gather original and qualitative data to analyse the set topic. Additionally, the study of relevant scientific publications, bibliography and visual observations was used. The obtained results shows that conflicting opinions and perceptions exist, and they pose challenges to spatial development and quality of life. The paper contributes to the current understanding of the collectively formed environment among Latvia’s population. It can be applied to explain limitations and social colissions in spatial developments, as well as during discussions of environmental maintenance, architecture and urban quality, and overall condition of surroundings among various stakeholders.

Development challenges of the architecture of intergenerational centers in Russia

The study explores the architecture of intergenerational centers with the aim of identifying their specific features based on a review of theoretical and practical experiences in their construction. Currently, Russia lacks architectural and spatial environments that promote social communication between generations. The research work begins with a review of international and domestic experiences in the construction of intergenerational centers and consideration of the modern typology of intergenerational centers and issues in their design and development. Spatial planning models have been developed, and the disadvantages and advantages of existing intergenerational centers have been identified. The findings of this study may be of use for further theoretical research into the development of intergenerational centers.

Экопсихологическая компетентность во взаимодействии с пространственной средой повседневной жизни: теоретические основы и практики развития

The author analyzes the theoretical foundations and practices of the development of ecopsychological compe-tence as the ability of the subject to determine and transform the potential of various characteristics of the spa-tial environment of everyday life into a psychological resource necessary to maintain optimal functioning. A review of theoretical approaches, the focus of which is the position of the environment “as a resource of psy-chological health” and “a resource for overcoming stress” (according to S.K. Nartova-Bochaver), allows us to conclude that there is an impressive number of theoretical “constructions”, where the spatial environment is considered as a factor with which human interaction can contribute to subjective well-being and optimization of psychological functioning. As examples, the salutogenic approach to the interaction between man and the envi-ronment, the theory of the supporting environment, the theory of the restorative environment, the theory of the health-saving environment are given. Some practices of developing a conscious attitude and using the spatial environment of everyday life to maintain psychological well-being are analyzed. It is emphasized that one of such practices is “landscape analytics”, representatives of which note that the psychological resources of inter-action between a person and the space of the natural environment are associated with solving the problems of self-knowledge, self-change, projection, as well as actualization of various meanings, experiences and actions. Another area that actualizes the possibilities for the development of ecopsychological competence is the per-ception of images of the urban and natural environment, where attention is paid to Researchers focus on the resourcefulness of elements and the quality of the visually perceived spatial environment in the field of optimi-zation of cognitive functions and emotional background. Independent practice focused on the development of ecopsychological competence is participatory design, within the framework of which the thesis of the psycho-logical resource of the spatial environment for the development of the subject’s acousticity is formulated. Proof of the existence of a spectrum of everyday practices of office employees to regulate their condition and per-formance by operating with various properties of the spatial environment is the subject of an empirical analysis of ordinary techniques of help in the office. The author concludes that it is relevant to develop a program for the development of ecopsychological competence in interaction with the spatial environment of everyday life.

Теоретические подходы и методические возможности диагностики психологического благополучия сотрудников в условиях пространственной среды офиса

Current research shows that workplace and workplace environmental factors can have an impact on human health and well-being, as well as successful professional self-determination of the individual, defining the rela-tionship between the spatial environment of psychological activity and professional self-determination, satis-faction with the quality of conditions and the organization of work that contribute to achieving success in life, in general. However, empirical studies based on the relationship between the physical factors of the working envi-ronment, the health and well-being of employees are few. This article presents an overview of modern scien-tific research on the impact of the spatial environment of professional activity on the physical, psychological and social well-being of employees working in office premises, studies and describes some methods of organ-izing research, processing and analyzing data.

Thoughtful paths of Nature Park „Ogres Zilie kalni”

In many countries around the world, urbanization has led to a disconnection from nature within major cities and this has prompted increased research into the significance of nature in the daily lives of urban residents. In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, people began to visit the walking trails en masse and the habit has continued even after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study, which was conducted in July of 2023 is a part of a broader research initiative aimed at enhancing recreational opportunities and optimizing the physical and wellness benefits provided by walking paths. The research is centered on the "Ogres Zilie kalni" nature park, which features recreational and activity trails. For a majority of residents, these walking paths and ski tracks are vital for recreation. The research's objective is to outline the planning principles for the nature park's trail network, drawing not only from landscape architecture but also from the field of environmental psychology. This holistic approach is expected to yield better recreational outcomes and subsequently improve human health. The primary goal of this study is to investigate how different types of nature walking trails impact human attention dynamics. Using Schulte's Tables, a psychological method, the study assessed how various stimuli in trail planning and route selection influence human attention. The research results do not offer a definitive answer regarding the influence of path type on attention dynamics. However, the findings indicate that attention dynamics tend to improve after the second or third measurement, typically occurring at 20-30 minute intervals. This aligns with the theory that 20 minutes is sufficient for attention reset. Attention dynamics then diminish towards the end of the walk due to physical exhaustion. It was hypothesized that adequate rest could lead to improved dynamics. In the modelling of the walking path network and route selection, cognitive factors such as the purpose of the walk, group participation, individual walks, social interactions, and the perception of the three-dimensional spatial environment serve as the foundation for designing the layout of walking paths. The study raises intriguing and complex research questions, further complicated by the diverse groups involved, including students, families, and the elderly. Social factors play a pivotal role in determining the optimal path for both fundamental research and practical applications. Understanding the mechanisms and information sources guiding decision-making in path selection should encompass not only psychological but also social aspects. This comprehensive approach will contribute to a better understanding of path planning for psychological wellness and the cultivation of emotionally positive behavioural patterns.

A Dual Effect of Dopamine on Hippocampal LTP and Cognitive Functions in Control and Kindled Mice.

The impact of dopamine on synaptic plasticity and cognitive function following seizure is not well understood. Here, using optogenetics in the freely behaving animal, we examined exploratory behavior and short-term memory in control and kindled male mice during tonic stimulation of dopaminergic neurons within the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Furthermore, using field potential recording, we compared the effect of dopamine on synaptic plasticity in stratum radiatum and stratum oriens layers of both ventral and dorsal hippocampal CA1 regions, and again in both control and kindled male mice. Our results demonstrate that tonic stimulation of VTA dopaminergic neurons enhances novelty-driven exploration and short-term spatial memory in kindled mice, essentially rescuing the seizure-induced cognitive impairment. In addition, we found that dopamine has a dual effect on LTP in control versus kindled mice, such that application of dopamine prevented LTP induction in slices from control mice, but rescued LTP in slices taken from the kindled animal. Taken together, our results highlight the potential for dopaminergic modulation in improving synaptic plasticity and cognitive function following seizure.

Critical critical posthumanism in human geography

Abstract. In this brief contribution, I reflect on some of the newest tendencies and fashions in social theoretic thinking in the field of human geography and beyond. Human geography attracts its scholars, thinkers and audiences with its engagement to contribute to a better environment and a better world. As such human geography as a discipline is a political project, with high societal relevance. In this human engagement with the world around us, the relationship between the human and the spatial environment is of central importance, and thorough scientific conceptual reflections are crucial in a discipline that is not just political but also scientific. Geographers traditionally excel in sophisticated conceptualisations of our physical and social environment but have rather neglected the conceptualisation of the other end of this relationship, the human being and becoming. In the current debate on the various versions of posthumanism, we observe that one easily resorts to rather simplistic categorisations and qualifications of what we envision as posthuman utopias or dystopias, with sometimes also dangerous ethical consequences. In this contribution, I try to argue that, if we dig a bit deeper, with the help of the philosophical anthropology of Helmuth Plessner we gain a more nuanced and sustainable as well as ethically responsible view of the role of the posthuman self in the geography of today's world.

Client and Therapists’ Subjective Understanding of an Ideal Therapy Room: A Divergent Reflection of Experience

An abundance of studies showed that the room/space where therapy takes place could significantly impact the engagement, process, and how people experience therapy. The need to balance the comfort of the room with its fundamental functionality to clients is essential. Nevertheless, studies that report on the perception of therapists and clients about an ideal therapy room are scarce. This study, therefore, aimed to explore the subjective understanding of what makes an ideal therapy room from the perspective of clients and therapists. The study utilised a qualitative descriptive research design and adopted a grounded theory method. Eight participants (three therapists and five clients) volunteered to participate in the study. The participants were purposively recruited for the study and participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Data obtained were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis. Results showed divergent views among the participants about what constitutes an ideal therapy room. Confidentiality, spatial environment, contextual awareness, and privacy were the key emergent themes. Several subthemes pointed to comfortability, brightness, colour, nice viewing, and focus points as recurrent issues determining how ideal the participants perceive a therapy room. Conclusion The results align with Rapoport’s (1992) meaning of the built environment, which emphasises the variability of peoples’ reactions to the environment in terms of its meanings. Implication The study implicates the need for therapists working with clients in therapy rooms to consider what the room means to their clients and tailor the environment to suit their clients’ preferences as much as possible or make this an object of exploration at the start of the session. The built environment designers will also benefit from considering these points perceived as significant.

Which green is more equitable? A study of urban green space equity based on morphological spatial patterns

Urban green space (UGS) is an important factor in sustainable urban development. However, cities often experience unequal access to UGSs during the process of development, due to factors such as shrinkage and spreading. Many cities worldwide are facing urban shrinkage, which may lead to the deterioration of urban spatial environments and aggravation of inequities. In addition, due to urban land and financial constraints, it is not possible to maintain UGS equity by simply increasing the number of UGSs. Therefore, it is necessary to explore what defines a reasonable UGS structure from an equity perspective to support sustainable urban development. In this study, the UGS equity index of Yokosuka City was measured using the Gini coefficient. Morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) was used to understand the morphological structure of UGSs in different regions and to transform them into potential structural classes. Finally, a UGS equity prediction model was constructed by ridge regression to provide a UGS morphological structure that is conducive to equitable UGS development. The main results indicate that 1) UGS inequity exists in Yokosuka; 2) no relationship was found between population decline and UGS inequity in Yokosuka; 3) UGS distribution is more equitable in towns with higher land values and population aging; 4) Islet, edge, loop, and branch components play an important role in the equitable development of UGS, and their corresponding potential UGS morphology is fragmentation, complexity, internal connectivity, and partial connectivity, respectively. This study further improves the analytical framework for describing the morphological structure of UGSs based on MSPA from a morphological perspective and provides a spatial morphological strategy to support the equitable development of UGSs.

Creating and manipulating 3D paths with mixed reality spatial interfaces

Mixed reality offers unique opportunities to situate complex tasks within spatial environments. One such task is the creation and manipulation of intricate, three-dimensional paths, which remains a crucial challenge in many fields, including animation, architecture, and robotics. This paper presents an investigation into the possibilities of spatially situated path creation using new virtual and augmented reality technologies and examines how these technologies can be leveraged to afford more intuitive and natural path creation. We present a formative study (n = 20) evaluating an initial path planning interface situated in the context of augmented reality and human-robot interaction. Based on the findings of this study, we detail the development of two novel techniques for spatially situated path planning and manipulation that afford intuitive, expressive path creation at varying scales. We describe a comprehensive user study (n = 36) investigating the effectiveness, learnability, and efficiency of both techniques when paired with a range of canonical placement strategies. The results of this study confirm the usability of these interaction metaphors and provide further insight into how spatial interaction can be discreetly leveraged to enable interaction at scale. Overall, this work contributes to the development of 3DUIs that expand the possibilities for situating path-driven tasks in spatial environments.

Spatial Environment and Open Defecation: In Pursuit of Social Valuation of Sanitation Ecosystem Services

This article examines the social valuation of the external environment used for open defecation (OD). For this, we distinguish between the necessity-driven OD hypothesis that emanates from the reasoning of scarcity valuation of suitable open spaces used for OD (i.e., as the last resort option) owing to resource constraints preventing toilet adoption and the opportunity-driven OD hypothesis, which contends that it is the availability of suitable spaces per se that attracts people to defecate in the open. We geolocate 283 major OD sites in 175 villages of Purulia district (West Bengal, India), assess their environmental parameters, and propose the OD Suitability Index (ODSI). We linked the village-wise ODSI with social data from structured interviews in 1,240 households practicing OD to investigate the social valuation of the spatial environment concerning OD (specific type of sanitation ecosystem services). Results reveal that the perceived importance of the availability of suitable space for OD is negatively related to the ODSI measure, implying that people acknowledge the scarcity value of suitable space for OD due to the absence of other options rather than its abundance per se. Besides, we also showed that the perceived resource shortages have an objective basis and are negatively related to household income. These findings support the contention that the widespread occurrence of OD in the studied region is best explained by necessity-driven OD rather than the opportunity-driven OD argument. Thus, addressing the resource constraints should be prioritized over (prior to) sanctioning people practicing OD.

Hippocampal contributions to novel spatial learning are both age-related and age-invariant.

Older adults show declines in spatial memory, although the extent of these alterations is not uniform across the healthy older population. Here, we investigate the stability of neural representations for the same and different spatial environments in a sample of younger and older adults using high-resolution functional MRI of the medial temporal lobes. Older adults showed, on average, lower neural pattern similarity for retrieving the same environment and more variable neural patterns compared to young adults. We also found a positive association between spatial distance discrimination and the distinctiveness of neural patterns between environments. Our analyses suggested that one source for this association was the extent of informational connectivity to CA1 from other subfields, which was dependent on age, while another source was the fidelity of signals within CA1 itself, which was independent of age. Together, our findings suggest both age-dependent and independent neural contributions to spatial memory performance.

Rural Environmental Landscape Construction Based on Virtual Reality Technology

With the recent shift in public aesthetics, tourism agriculture, which combines tourism with modern agriculture, has become a new and popular form of tourism, exhibiting great potential. Internationally, tourism is known as a sunrise industry that will never decline because the benefits and impact introduced by tourism are not only limited to the industry itself but also the development of other fields. It stimulates the labor force by creating job vacancies, consumption, economic benefits, and opportunities for the surrounding areas. Therefore, paying attention to the development of tourism and focusing on the trending frontier issues of the industry are of practical value to the development of social economy and culture. Traditional forms of tourism develop economic value by focusing on people’s direct experiences at specific times and places. However, this approach is somewhat limited by time and space constraints, preventing the full exploitation of the economic and cultural value of tourism landscapes. In contrast, modern rural tourism models based on virtual environment modeling and virtual reality technology can address this issue, enhancing the development of rural tourism industries. Virtual environment modeling designs specific spatial environments and simulates internal elements, providing authenticity to environments and a sense of reality using textures. Virtual reality technology goes further in creating highly realistic virtual environments that are generated by computers, encompassing visual, auditory, linguistic, force, tactile, motion, and olfactory elements, and enabling natural interactions between various sensory devices of the operator and the landscape model. The combination of these two approaches offers a broader scope and more nuanced physical and mental experiences for the rural tourism industry. This paper explores the optimization role of virtual environment and environmental landscape modeling based on virtual reality technology in designing rural tourism landscapes. It examines the specific elements of optimization within this type of technology and, using algorithms, demonstrates that these methods provide a 15.73% optimization rate in the sightseeing process compared to traditional tourism models, making them widely applicable in the design of rural tourism landscape environments.

Effects of the spatial environment on tourists’ willingness to adopt robot services

ABSTRACT Much of the literature on individuals’ low adoption of robots revolves around service quality or consumer psychology; physical environmental factors are scarcely addressed. This paper investigates consumers’ willingness to adopt robot services based on the spatial environment. A pair of experimental studies revealed that people are more willing to use robot services when the setting is spacious, whereas the opposite is true when the setting is compact. We also examined illusion of control as a mediator of the above impact. Furthermore, we identified consumers’ knowledge of robots as a boundary condition.

Inverse Problem Numerical Analysis of Forager Bee Losses in Spatial Environment without Contamination

We consider an inverse problem of recovering the mortality rate in the honey bee difference equation model, that tracks a forage honeybee leaving and entering the hive each day. We concentrate our analysis to the model without pesticide contamination in the symmetric spatial environment. Thus, the mathematical problem is formulated as a symmetric inverse problem for reaction coefficient at final time constraint. We use the overspecified information to transform the inverse coefficient problem to the forward problem with non-local terms in the differential operator and the initial condition. First, we apply semidiscretization in space to the new nonsymmetric differential operator. Then, the resulting non-local nonsymmetric system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) is discretized by three iterative numerical schemes using different time stepping. Results of numerical experiments which compare the efficiency of the numerical schemes are discussed. Results from numerical tests with synthetic and real data are presented and discussed, as well.

Designing Neighbourhoods to Facilitate Intercultural Encounters: Negotiating Between Self, Society and Place

Globalisation, and the consequent migratory processes, have radically transformed many countries across the world. A greater number of people with diverse backgrounds have been travelling to more places for numerous reasons. Consequently, immigrants have become an intrinsic part of most societies across the globe. When an individual travels from one place to another, they carry unique cultural information about specific areas. As such, immigrants inadvertently influence the spatial environment they interact with. Consequently, the built context of destination areas can be interpreted as the physical manifestation of accumulated information over time. Thus, immigrants effectively serve as catalysts for increasing levels of cultural flow between the place they have come from and the place they choose to resettle.

Bordering, ordering and othering through tourism: the tourism geographies of borders

The interplay between borders and tourism has fascinated tourism geographers for decades. However, only recently has tourism geographies research on borders mirrored border studies by interweaving tourism with its spatial, cultural, political and economic embedding in order to understand tourism’s socio-spatial place-making and bordering effects. We utilize the highly influential framework for border studies of van Houtum and van Naerssen to reflect on the state of the art of the tourism geographies of borders and make sense of recent developments in the field. The framework focused on the bordering, ordering and othering of society and space, referring, in turn, to creating a sense of boundedness, a process of meaning-making and a process of socio-spatial distinction through the symbolic and material construction of borders. We show that after decades of often descriptive research underpinned by state-centered understandings of how territorial borders have influenced tourism’s growth and development, recent developments in tourism geographies started linking up process-based understandings of borders with reflections on tourism’s place-making role. Our review highlights two important points. First, while massive strides have been made in recent years regarding the process-based understanding of tourism’s constitutive role in bordering processes (and vice versa), the cross-pollination between border studies and tourism geographies research on borders is still incomplete. Second, there is a need to move beyond insular tourism research to see how tourism’s place-making role related to borders and territory manifests in practice. We conclude that tourism is deeply embedded in bordering, ordering and othering society and space, both as an expression and as a driver of, or agent in, these processes, leading to tourism-specific impacts on the spatial environment and to broader socio-spatial (and inherently political) place-making outcomes.

Exhibiting fashion on the heritage site: the interrelation between body, heritage space, and fashionable clothing

The article examines a fashion exhibition at a heritage museum on a historic site in terms of fashion museology. Fashion museology, which has emerged from the growing phenomenon of exhibiting fashion in museums, advocates the visual representation and holistic atmosphere of the curatorial space that determines the on-site audience experience. This article focuses on how the interrelation between fashionable clothing, the bodies of the audience, and the heritage space constructs a hybrid space in which bodily movement articulates the displayed clothing. We consider the heritage space to be a performative event and explore how heritage museums can harness and make practical use of the affective interrelationship within the designed museum space in terms of the quality of the fashion exhibition experience. Museum audiences are situated in and moved around by the curated spatial environment, which is a space with cultural residuals and historical inheritance, where the bodily encounter with the displayed clothing occurs. The investigation of this interaction via case studies sheds light on the overlooked haptic experience and spatial storytelling in fashion exhibitions. The site-specific interaction at the heritage space mediates the body in multiple ways. Such curated bodily movement acts as a narration that imbues the clothing on display with meanings.