Suburban City Research Articles

A Platform for Voice and Identity: School Library Standards in Support of YA Urban Literature's Transformative Impacts on Youth

In this qualitative study of collaboration between an eighth grade English teacher and school librarian, 14 urban youth from a suburban city in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States were interviewed on the impact they experienced from a yearlong study with young adult literature reflective of their lived experiences. Steeped in the language of social justice and inclusive of the American Association of School Librarians’ Standards for the 21st Century Learner (2009) and International Federation of LibraryAssociations’ School Library Guidelines (2015), an analysis of findings bring attention to the impact highly effective partnerships have on implementing literature discussion circles and Socratic Seminars to provide a platform of expression for young adult voices seldom heard.

Exploring the spatial variations of transfer distances between dockless bike-sharing systems and metros

Dockless bike-sharing is emerging as a convenient transfer mode for metros. The riding distances of bike-sharing to or from metro stations are defined as transfer distances between dockless bike-sharing systems and metros, which determine the service coverages of metro stations. However, the transfer distances have rarely been studied and they may vary from station to station. Therefore, this study aims to explore the influencing factors and spatial variations of transfer distances between dockless bike-sharing systems and metros. First, a catchment method was proposed to identify bike-sharing transfer trips. Then, the Mobike trip data, metro smartcard data, and built environment data in Shanghai were utilized to calculate the transfer distances and travel-related and built environment variables. Next, a multicollinearity test, stepwise regression, and spatial autocorrelation test were conducted to select the best explanatory variables. Finally, a geographically weighted regression model was adopted to examine the spatially varying relationships between the 85th percentile transfer distances and selected explanatory variables at different metro stations. The results show that the transfer distances are correlated with the daily metro ridership, daily bike-sharing ridership, population density, parking lot density, footway density, percentage of tourism attraction, distance from CBD, and bus stop density around metro stations. Besides, the effects of the explanatory variables on transfer distances vary across space. Generally, most variables have greater effects on transfer distances in the city suburbs. This study can help governments and operators expand the service coverage of metro stations and facilitate the integration of dockless bike-sharing and metros.

A method for estimating neighborhood characterization in studies of the association with availability of sit-down restaurants and supermarkets

BackgroundAlthough neighborhood-level access to food differs by sociodemographic factors, a majority of research on neighborhoods and food access has used a single construct of neighborhood context, such as income or race. Therefore, the many interrelated built environment and sociodemographic characteristics of neighborhoods obscure relationships between neighborhood factors and food access.MethodsThe objective of this study was to account for the many interrelated characteristics of food-related neighborhood environments and examine the association between neighborhood type and relative availability of sit-down restaurants and supermarkets. Using cluster analyses with multiple measures of neighborhood characteristics (e.g., population density, mix of land use, and sociodemographic factors) we identified six neighborhood types in 1993 in the Twin Cities Region, Minnesota. We then used mixed effects regression models to estimate differences in the relative availability of sit-down restaurants and supermarkets in 1993, 2001, and 2011 across the six neighborhood types.ResultsWe defined six types of neighborhoods that existed in 1993, namely, urban core, inner city, urban, aging suburb, high-income suburb, and suburban edge. Between 1993 and 2011, inner city neighborhoods experienced a greater increase in the percent of sit-down restaurants compared with urban core, urban, and aging suburbs. Differences in the percent of sit-down restaurants between inner city and aging suburbs, high-income suburbs and suburban edge neighborhoods increased between 1993 and 2011. Similarly, aging suburb neighborhoods had a greater percent of supermarkets compared with urban and high-income suburb neighborhoods in 2001 and 2011, but not in 1993, suggesting a more varied distribution of food stores across neighborhoods over time. Thus, the classification of neighborhood type based on sociodemographic and built environment characteristics resulted in a complex and increasingly varied distribution of restaurants and food stores.ConclusionsThe temporal increase in the relative availability of sit-down restaurants in inner cities after accounting for all restaurants might be partly related to a higher proportion of residents who eat-away-from-home, which is associated with higher calorie and fat intake.

Home Gardening and the Social Divide of Suburban Space: Methodological Proposal for the Spatial Analysis of a Social Practice in the Greater Paris Urban Area

This paper explores home gardening geography in metropolitan outskirts, seen as a major asset and challenge of the alternative suburban city model. Studies that estimate the domestic production of backyard gardens are scarce, but they all confirm the persistence of an ancient and “ordinary” phenomenon still firmly rooted in the food landscape of the globalised North cities. To fill a gap in European alternative urban and food systems studies, we focus on the case of two subsectors of the extended suburban belt of greater Paris agglomeration. We designed and performed a spatial analysis protocol that differentiates vegetable garden types to test spatial relationships between environmental and intrinsic factors and assess clustering patterns. We had to overcome several methodological barriers by building an original vegetable gardens database and applying distinct qualitative and quantitative methods. Our results show spatial home gardening patterns differentiation at three intertwined levels: At the micro-level of domestic space (according to the size and share of vegetable plots); at the house block level (according to their socio-economic and built environment profile); and at the level of the housing estates or urban agglomeration (according to the geography of social specialisation).

Ecological risk assessment of soils under different wastewater irrigation farming system in Punjab, Pakistan.

Pakistan is an agricultural and developing country. The use of wastewater to irrigate agricultural farms is increasing day by day due to water shortage in the country. This study assessed the Potential Ecological Risk Index (PERI) of soils of agricultural farms (six sites) being irrigated with industrial effluents, urban sewage, canal and tube-well water in suburb of Multan city, Pakistan. Surface soil samples (n = 30) from the six sites were analyzed for cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni) and lead (Pb) by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Samples of wastewater/water (n = 30) used for irrigation from respective sites were analyzed for same metals for statistical analysis. Mean contents (mg/kg) of Cd (5.65), Cr (153.1) and Pb (63.95) in soil under industrial effluents exceeded the threshold limits. The ecological risk factor 5650 > 320 for Cd was the highest and contributed 91-98.6% in raising the ecological risk. Cd, Cr, Cu and Pb were the prominent contaminants in soil across all sites. Soil under industrial effluents showed very high ecological risk (PERI 5730>600) and soils under urban wastewater exhibited moderate risk (PERI 153.5–294) and soils under tube well and canal water indicated low risk (PERI 138–149.7<150). Statistical analysis indicated that soil contamination is sourced from wastewater and water applied for irrigation is. Very high and moderate ecological risk of soils are source of food chain contamination. Proper treatment of wastewater before its use in agricultural farming system may save the health of ecosystem.

The immigrant effect on commuting modal shares: variation and consistency across metropolitan zones

ABSTRACT The literature has identified an “immigrant effect” in commuting modal shares, accounting for higher reliance on public transit. Few studies have, however, studied the immigrant effect at the intra-metropolitan scale. This paper relies on individual- and census tract-level data to identify relations between immigrant modal shares and housing location within three metropolitan concentric zones (inner city, inner and outer suburb) and selected socioeconomic variables. Findings from the Toronto metropolitan area confirm the existence of an immigrant effect, as immigrants register higher levels of transit use than the domestically born population in all categories of residential location across the metropolitan region. The paper reflects on reasons for, and sustainability consequences of, disproportional immigrant transit reliance in sectors, such as the outer suburb, that are poorly served by transit. It suggests a demand-driven transit strategy that would involve adjusting services to the higher transit reliance of immigrants.

Health and economic measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic- Effect on street vendors.

COVID-19 pandemic affects human health and the global economy. Its evolution is unpredictable, making it hard for governments to provide response actions suited for all populations. Meanwhile, informal street workers carry on with their labor despite contingency measures to sustain their lives. The objective was to conduct a case-control study to become aware of how street vendors' economy is affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. During phase 2 of the COVID-19 pandemic in a Mexican suburban city. We interviewed informal street vendors (cases) and formal employees (controls). Before mobility restrictions were in place, population income came 1.5% from formal employment and 23.5% from informal employment (street vendors). Informal employees lived on less than the equivalent of 1.5 Big Macs per day (p <0.001). After the contingency measures, formal employment kept the same, while the informal employment ratio increased to 57.4% (p < 0.001). The street vendors were almost 100-times less likely to be concerned about the coronavirus outbreak (p < 0.001) and were 38-times less likely to stop working compared with the formal workers (p < 0.001). We have proven that street vendors are a sector of the population that is highly vulnerable to significant economic loss due to contingency measures. Informal workers cannot stop working despite the "Stay at Home" initiative because the government has not implemented strategies that guarantee their survival and their families. Therefore, street vendors continue to be a source of the virus's spread throughout cities.

How Are Consensual, Non-Consensual, and Pressured Sexting Linked to Depression and Self-Harm? The Moderating Effects of Demographic Variables.

Sexting among adolescents has triggered controversial debates among scholars and the general public. However, questions regarding the associations between different types of sexting, namely consensual, non-consensual, and pressured sexting, depressive symptoms, and non-suicidal self-harm remain. In addition, little attention has been given to whether demographic variables (i.e., gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual minority) might influence these associations. To fill these gaps in the literature, the present study was conducted. Participants were 2506 adolescents (ages 13–16 years old; Mage = 15.17; SDage = 0.89) from eight high schools located in the suburbs of a large Midwestern city in the United States. Adolescents self-identified as female (50%), Caucasian (57%), approximately 15% reported that they had a disability they received school accommodation for, and 18% self-identified as a sexual minority. They completed self-report questionnaires on their sexting behaviors, depressive symptoms, and non-suicidal self-harm. Findings revealed that non-consensual and pressured sexting were positively related to depressive symptoms and non-suicidal self-harm, whereas consensual sexting was unrelated to these outcomes. Boys engaged in more non-consensual sexting compared with girls, girls were more pressured to send sexts compared with boys, and sexual minority adolescents reported greater consensual sexting compared with non-sexual minority adolescents. Moderating effects revealed that girls, non-minority adolescents, and non-sexual minority adolescents experienced greater depressive symptoms and non-suicidal self-harm when they experienced pressured sexting. These findings underscore the importance of considering various types of sexting and adolescents’ demographic variables when examining the negative outcomes of sexting. Disentangling the relationships among different types of sexting, depressive symptoms, and self-harm aids in the development of evidence-based recommendations for sexting harm prevention and sexual education programs.

Peran Administrasi Pertanahan dalam Pengendalian Pemanfaatan Kawasan Pertanian Lahan Basah Kabupaten Bogor

The area of irrigated rice fields during 2017-2018 has decreased by 19.84% in Indonesia and 30.10% in Bogor Regency. Wetland agricultural area of Bogor Regency Spatial Plan (RTRW) is intended for wetland food crops (lowland rice) which are cultivated intensively because their potential to provide an irrigation system thus urge to be protected. In certain conditions, land registration has impact on the conversion of agricultural land. This study aims to examine the relationship between land administration and the conversion of agricultural land. Interpretation of Google Earth imagery and field checks are methods for inventories of constructed land. The relationship between the variable y (built-up area) and the variable x (land administration) is modeled by Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR). Literature study of land administration regulations was carried out to understand the modeling results with the realities that occur in the field. The dynamics of land administration are greatest in the northern part of Central WP Bogor Regency, in the suburbs of South Tangerang City, and Depok City. The modeling produces a global value of R2 0.72 and local R2 0.44 to 0.86, meaning that land administration has the opportunity to become an instrument of control, by tightening the service requirements specified in the Regulation of the Head of the National Land Agency RI No. 1 Tahun 2010.

Using a fully polarimetric SAR to detect landslide in complex surroundings: Case study of 2015 Shenzhen landslide

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) polarimetry has demonstrated high efficiency in the detection of landslides in vegetated mountainous areas. In such places, post-landslide soil layers appear to correspond to the typical surface scattering mechanism, which is significantly different from the volume scattering behaviour of the surrounding vegetation. However, a landslide in the complex surroundings of various landforms, involving naked hillslopes, construction fields, bare farmlands, and other such aspects, may not be accurately identified owing to the occurrence of surface scattering behaviours. In order to detect landslides using SAR polarimetry without the limitation of vegetated mountainous areas, we propose a novel method of combining change detection (CD) and an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) based on the Yamaguchi decomposition (YD) to identify landslides while ensuring fewer false alarms. In particular, CD is applied to a pair of pre- and post-event datasets to determine the regions modified by landslides or human activities, and the AHP is performed over the post-event dataset to identify the suspect landslide region characterised by the surface scattering mechanism. Finally, the two results are fused by a logical operation to identify the actual landslide by removing the non-modified surface scattering regions. A case study of the Shenzhen landslide in complex surroundings was considered to verify the performance of the proposed method (CD-AHP). The results indicate that the method could clearly define the main body of the Shenzhen landslide from the city suburbs with a small number of false alarms. Therefore, this method provides a considerable perspective for landslide detection in complex surroundings using SAR polarimetry.

Basic Life Support Awareness and Knowledge in High School Students.

IntroductionCardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. When cardiovascular disease results in cardiac arrest, the ability to perform basic life support (BLS) can change the outcome from death to survival. There is no definitive statistical data on high schoolers’ awareness of basic life support (BLS).MethodsA survey-based research study was conducted to find high schoolers’ awareness of BLS. A total of 105 students, primarily from Kansas City suburbs, took a survey with questions ranging from their views on whether BLS courses should be integrated into the high school curriculum to the steps they would take when a person collapses on the ground. Results were analyzed to determine the students’ knowledge of different aspects of BLS and their interest in taking a BLS course in school.ResultsOver 70% of the students would take a BLS course should it be offered in a high school class. Most students answered questions regarding BLS steps correctly but lacked critical knowledge on an automated external defibrillator (AED).ConclusionsAlthough over 70% of the students were aware of the basics of BLS, most students lacked knowledge on the critical aspects of BLS, such as the use of an AED. Most students recognize the importance of BLS in the high school curriculum and would acquire the skills in a high school class. Introducing a BLS course in the high school curriculum would improve the students’ knowledge and contribute to improved survival rates of victims of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Food group intakes and all-cause mortality among a young older Japanese population of the same age: the New Integrated Suburban Seniority Investigation Project.

ABSTRACTEvaluating the effects of dietary intake on mortality in older populations has become increasingly important in modern aging societies. The objective of the present study was to investigate the associations between food group intakes and all-cause mortality among a young older population. We conducted a prospective study on 1,324 men and 1,338 women aged 64–65 years at baseline who were living in a suburban city from 1996 to 2005. The participants were followed for all-cause mortality from 1996 through 2015 to assess the effects of 17 food group intakes (g) per 1,000 kcal after multivariable adjustments in proportional hazard models. During follow-up (mean: 13.2 years), 339 deaths were registered. In women, total mortality was significantly and inversely associated with the consumption of milk and dairy products and vegetables. The hazard ratios across intake quartiles after multivariable adjustment were 1, 0.70 (95% confidence interval: 0.42–1.17), 0.66 (0.40–1.10), and 0.40 (0.22–0.75) (P for trend = 0.003) for milk and dairy products, and 1, 0.77 (0.46–1.28), 0.83 (0.50–1.38), and 0.42 (0.23–0.78) (P for trend = 0.008) for vegetables. In men, a positive association was found between total mortality and sugar and sweetener consumption (P for trend = 0.038). Higher consumption of milk and dairy products and vegetables was suggested to reduce all-cause mortality in young older women.

Optimal water use strategies for mitigating high urban temperatures

Abstract. Urban irrigation and road sprinkling are methods for mitigating high urban temperatures which are expected to enhance evapotranspiration and affect the urban weather, climate, and environment. Optimizing limited water supplies is necessary in regions with water shortages. In this study, we implemented urban water usage schemes, including urban irrigation and road sprinkling in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, and assessed their effects with different amounts of water in city centers, suburbs, and rural areas by using the WRF model at a resolution of 1 km in Beijing, China. In addition, we developed an optimization scheme with a cooling effect as the optimal objective and the total water supply as the constraint condition. Nonlinear relationships were identified between the cooling effect and water consumption for both road sprinkling and urban irrigation, and the cooling effect due to urban irrigation was more effective than that attributed to road sprinkling. Based on the optimal water management scheme, and according to Beijing's 13th 5 Year Plan, about 90 % of the total water supply should be used for urban irrigation and 10 % for road sprinkling as the most effective approach for decreasing urban temperatures by about 1.9 ∘C.

Trends in presentations to a private emergency department during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia coincided with an early trend of reduced visits to the emergency department (ED), but to determine which patients presented less requires closer evaluation. Identifying which patient groups are presenting less frequently will provide a better understanding of health care utilisation behaviours during a pandemic and inform healthcare providers of the potential challenges in managing these groups. Methods This single-centre retrospective study examined trends in presentations in 2020 to a private, mixed paediatric and adult ED in an inner city suburb within the state of Victoria that treats both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. The 2019 dataset was used as a reference baseline for comparison. All analyses were performed using baseline characteristics and triage data. Results The total number of visits to the ED dropped from 24 775 in 2019 to 22 754 in 2020, representing an overall reduction of 8%. Significant reductions in daily presentations and admissions from the ED were observed in the months immediately following the peak of the two COVID-19 waves in the state of Victoria. Visits by those in the 0- to 17-year age group, triage categories 4 and 5 and musculoskeletal presentations were also reduced for most of 2020. Gastrointestinal/abdominal and urological/renal presentations were reduced immediately after the first COVID-19 wave, whereas infectious diseases visits were reduced during and after the second COVID-19 wave. Conclusions These findings add to the growing body of evidence regarding emergency care underutilisation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reduced private ED presentations were observed overall and in paediatric patients, lower acuity triage categories, musculoskeletal, abdominal/gastrointestinal and urological/renal presentations during the first wave, whereas infectious disease cases were reduced during the second wave. What is known about the topic? During the first and second waves of COVID-19 in Victoria, ED visits were reduced in the public sector across all diagnostic categories and all triage categories. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on private ED attendance is less well known. What does this paper add? Total visits to the private ED during the first and second waves of COVID-19 were reduced across all major diagnostic categories except cardiac presentations. During this same period, visits for triage categories 4 and 5 were significantly reduced. What are the implications for practitioners? ED underutilisation during the initial two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic is apparent in both the private and public sector. Patients should be encouraged not to delay seeking urgent medical care during the pandemic.

Knowledge, attitude and practices on developmental surveillance and screening among health professionals in Indian health care settings: An exploratory sequential mixed methods study

The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of health care professionals in pediatric settings on developmental surveillance and screening programs and also to identify the barriers and facilitators during its implementation. The data were collected from health professionals involved in pediatric developmental care, practicing in various hospitals, clinics and nursing homes in a suburban city on west coast of Southern India. The study involved cross-sectional exploratory sequential mixed method design which included a quantitative questionnaire survey on health professionals (n= 52) followed by qualitative face-to-face interviews with chosen respondents who participated in the survey (n= 8). The survey data are reported with descriptive statistics, and interview data are subjected to inductive content analysis for deriving codes, categories and themes. The study results indicate that health professionals involved in pediatric developmental care in Indian health care settings have fair knowledge and a favorable attitude towards the use of developmental surveillance and screening. Furthermore, the facilitators and barriers of implementation have been reported. The strategies outlined by interview respondents to improve adherence to implementation have been discussed. The practice of developmental surveillance and screening is limited despite favorable knowledge and attitude among health professionals in pediatric developmental care and is dependent on health care organizational setup.

The adjustment strategy of ecological land use in the process of urbanization in the suburbs of big cities: A case study of Jizhou District, Tianjin

With the rapid development of rural urbanization, ecological problems have become increasingly serious, so the protection of ecological land is very important. Using vector images from 2010 to 2014 in Jizhou District, Tianjin City, supported by GIS technology, the land use types in Jizhou District, Tianjin City are divided into three categories: cultivated land, construction land and ecological land, and the ecological land is divided into three categories. It is divided into five categories: plantation land, forest land, grassland, water area and water conservancy facility land, and unused land, using methods such as ecological land area change rate and land use transfer matrix model to conduct research and analysis. Studies have shown that the ecological land in Jizhou District of Tianjin has been decreasing year by year in the past five years, and most of the ecological land has been transformed into construction land; the amount of woodland has changed the most drastically, the land for plantation has changed the fastest, while the amount of unused land has shown an overall upward trend.

Correlation of Vertical Cup Disc Ratio and Matrix FDT Mean Deviation in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma Patients

Objectives: To evaluate the correlation between glaucomatous structural change using vertical-cup-disc ratio of the optic nerve head and functional loss measured by Frequency Doubling Technology perimetry. Materials and methods: It was a retrospective observational clinic-based study of 77 newly diagnosed Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) patients from a Private Eye clinic in a suburb of Port Harcourt city, Nigeria. They underwent clinical fundal examination with slit-lamp biomicroscope (Perkin’s slit-lamp) with 90D (Volk) lens; and Frequency Doubling Technology perimetry 24-2 threshold (Humphrey Matrix 800, 2011 Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, California). The Vertical-cup-disc-ratio was assessed for each eye and the Mean deviation calculated for each eye. The relationship between VCDR and mean deviation was evaluated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient regression analysis. Result: There were 24 males (31.17%) and 53 females (68.83%). The mean age of the patients was 56.65 ± 14.33 years with a range of 37-78 years. The mean VCDR was 0.83±0.09 and 0.78±0.13 for the right and left eyes, respectively while mean FDT mean deviation was -13.99±9.33Db and -11.9.22Db for the right and left eyes, respectively. The VCDR significantly correlated with FDT mean deviation (Pearson Correlation Coefficient, r= -0.923, r2= 0.852, p-value=0.001 for the right eye; r= -0.915, r2=0.836, p-value=0.001 for the left eye. Conclusion: This study shows that at least 80% of VCDR correlated with the Mean deviation of matrix FDT amongst this cohort of POAG patients. it buttresses the fact that clinical evaluation of the optic nerve remains an indispensable tool in glaucoma diagnosis and can use to assess glaucoma severity in resource poor setting where visual field machine is not available.

On Some Properties of the Quasi-Moment-Method Pathloss Model Calibration

Certain properties of the recently introduced Quasi-Moment-Method (QMM) for the calibration of basic radiowave propagation pathloss models are systematically examined in this paper. Using measurement data concerning three different routes located in a smart campus environment and made available in the open literature, the paper, in particular, investigates the effects of size of pathloss measurement data on the outcomes of the QMM calibration of nine basic pathloss models: namely, COST 231-urban and sub-urban cities models, ECC33-large and medium sized cities models, and the Egli, Ericsson, Hata, Lee, and SUI-‘Terrain A’ models. Computational results reveal that for the data sizes considered, and in the cases of the basic COST 231 and Hata models, which share identical correction factors for receiver antenna height, the ‘model calibration matrix’ becomes ill-conditioned for one choice of basis functions. The corresponding calibrated models, however, still predict pathloss with accuracy typical of the QMM. For example, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) outcomes of predictions due to the calibration of these models, emerged as approximately the same for these three models; with values of 6.03 dB (Route A), 7.96 dB (Route B), and 6.19 dB (Route C). The results also show that when model calibration utilizes measurement data for distances further away from the transmitters (by ignoring measurement data for radial distances less than 100m away from the transmitters) significant improvements in RMSE metrics were recorded. The paper, in terms of the eigenvalues of the model calibration matrices, further examined the responses of these models to calibration with large-sized measurement data, to find that the model calibration matrices remained characterized, in each case, by a distinctly dominant eigenvalue. An important conclusion arising from the results of the investigations is that whereas the QMM model calibration process may lead, in some cases, and when large-sized measurement data is involved, to ‘badly-scaled’ model calibration matrices, the calibrated models still record very good assessment metrics. Computational results also reveal that with large-sized data sets, QMM models yield pathloss predictions with excellent (close to 0 dB) mean prediction errors.

Effect of COVID-19 Prevention Measures on Air Quality in Thailand

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a global pandemic since early 2020. In Thailand, the number of cases increased exponentially from the middle of March 2020. In response, Thailand’s government has imposed various pandemic prevention measures, such as a rigorous stay-at-home measure to reduce viral transmission between humans. Many human activities ceased, such as transportation, businesses, and services. This has been associated with reductions in air pollutant emissions. This study thus aimed to measure air quality in metropolitan, industrial, and suburban cities of in Thailand. Data on the hourly concentrations of six criteria pollutants were obtained from Thailand’s Pollution Control Department from five stations during three measurement periods: pre-COVID, early COVID, and working-from-home (WFH) periods. The results indicated that vehicle-emitted pollutants had significantly decreased during WFH periods. Moreover, the air quality of all city types ostensibly improved (50%–70%) because of reduced transportation in Thailand’s central and eastern provinces. However, results for Northern provinces were unclear because PM2.5 concentrations were still high during WFH period due to effects from open burning activity as well as meteorological condition.

Structure of forestry fund plots of the green belt of Zhytomyr city

The city of Zhytomyr is one of the settlements of Ukraine with large areas of green forestry. Due to the lack of up-to-date integrated information on the characteristics of the city's suburban forests, the forestry fund of three enterprises was analysed, the forests of which actually form a green belt. According to the results of the analysis of forest management information, it was determined that about 58% of the area of suburban forests belongs to the forestry-based part. Accordingly, the share of areas of parklands of the green belt of the city is 42%. For each of the parts, the area of plots was divided into categories, predominant species, age groups, forest types, the presence of features in the sections. Areas of forest parks are mostly covered with forests, the share of which reaches 91% against 89% in the forestry part. By age, the forest stands in parklands are slightly older. It is established that the species and typological structure of forests of both zones differ. Forest vegetation conditions in the forestry part of the green belt forests are richer, which has led to the allocation of more forest types, more diverse species composition of plantations, the predominance of oak forest stands. In the suburban forests, due to the drying up of hayfields and more than half of the swamps, over a third of their area was found to be overgrown with trees and shrubs. The areas of hayfields and swamps were divided according to their types and uses. Areas with important features for recreation include areas with species, drinking water sources, monuments, landscaping elements, age-old trees, small lawns, biotechnical facilities, as well as tracts that constitute monuments of landscape art, places of memorable events, settlements of rare animals and birds. It is discovered that in the forests of the green belt of Zhytomyr, there are significant areas with actual berrying grounds (430 ha) and medicinal plants of industrial importance (179 ha). Berries are represented only by blueberries and strawberries, the projective coverage of which varies from 5% to 35%. In the future, the studies on determination of the level of recreational use of sites that have features valuable for recreation, improvement elements and berry fields are considered to be promising