Walkable Access and Walking Quality of Built Environment

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Aynaz Lotfata
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment

scholarly journals 31.B. Workshop: Public health and urban design: an interdisciplinary approach to promote autism friendly environments

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Urban Design ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
Prevalence Rates ◽  
Environmental Characteristics ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Autism is a set of heterogeneous neurodevelopmental conditions, characterised by early-onset difficulties in social communication and restricted, repetitive behaviour and interests. The worldwide population prevalence is about 1% with an increasing incidence and prevalence rates. Autism affects more male than female individuals, and comorbidity is common (>70% have concurrent conditions). Determinants of these changes in incidence and prevalence rates may also be related to exposure to environmental factors and to modifications in diagnostic concepts and criteria. In spite of the uncertainty in determinants of incidence of autisms, there is evidence that environmental characteristics play a significant role both as autism risk factors and as potential obstacles that influence the capabilities of autonomously and fully “using” everyday spaces. The workshop aims to provide a framework on risk factors of autism and explore the relationship with the built environment, focusing on the quality of the everyday spaces and projecting the effects that it could have in the long term on achieving a desirable level of quality of life. The 11th Sustainable Development Goals of United Nations “Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” underlines the necessity of designing policies and projects acting to enhance and promote healthy cities and communities by addressing the needs of the most vulnerable groups of inhabitants. Herewith we bring together the discipline of Public Health and Urban Design to promote an interdisciplinary debate on a little explored topic investigating how the approaches adopted during childhood to promote the wellbeing of people with ASD can be related or strengthen by focusing also on built environment design intervention to pursue and reach the same objectives even during adulthood. The workshop will consist of four presentations. The first focuses on giving an overview on current knowledge of intervention for people with autism, presenting also criteria for evidence-based interventions. The second explores the relationship between autism and built environment by providing an exhaustive framework of the available research literature in order to identify a first set of spatial requirements for autism friendly cities. The third examines the impact of built environment on ASD users with the aim of developing a specific evaluation tool for healthcare spaces and best practices formulation according to the specific sensorial hypo- or hyper-activation of people with autism. Finally, the fourth reports the results of a two years Research & Development project called “GAP REDUCE” finalized at developing an Assistive Technology tool to support people with ASD, adult and high-functioning, to plan urban itineraries towards daily destinations. Key messages World's incidence of autism is about 1% with an increasing incidence whose determining rates may also be related to environmental factors and to modifications in diagnostic concepts and criteria. Environmental characteristics play a significant role also as potential obstacles that influence the capabilities of people with autism of autonomously and fully “using” everyday spaces.

scholarly journals Making a Building Smart with a Co-Created and Continuously Evolving Enjoyable Service Entity—Insights from a Collaborative Study

Smart Cities ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Maaria Nuutinen ◽  
Eija Kaasinen ◽  
Jaana Hyvärinen ◽  
Airi Mölsä ◽  
Sanni Siltanen
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Smart City ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Collaborative Study ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Smart Services ◽  
Smart Building ◽  
Quality Of Urban Life

Buildings shape cities as those cities grow from and nurture people living and working within the built environment. Thus, the conceptualization of smart building should be brought closer to the smart city initiatives that particularly target ensuring and enhancing the sustainability and quality of urban life. In this paper, we propose that a smart building should be interlinked with a smart city surrounding it; it should provide good experiences to its various occupants and it should be in an ongoing state of evolving as an ecosystem, wherein different stakeholders can join to co-produce, co-provide and co-consume services. Smart buildings require a versatile set of smart services based on digital solutions, solutions in the built environment and human activities. We conducted a multiphase collaborative study on new service opportunities guided by a Design Thinking approach. The approach brought people, technology, and business perspectives together and resulted in key service opportunities that have the potential to make the buildings smart and provide enjoyable experience to the occupants who support their living and working activities in smart cities. This paper provides the resulting practical implications as well as proposes future avenues for research.

scholarly journals An insight into the quality of internal built environment in Vladivostok. Part 1: Studying background radiation in residential premises

2020 ◽  
pp. 28-47
Author(s):  
Vladimir A. Drozd ◽  
Valery V. Temchenko ◽  
Yuri V. Chubov ◽  
Vladimir N. Kustov ◽  
Kirill S. Golokhvast
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Gamma Radiation ◽  
Background Radiation ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Apartment Buildings ◽  
Measurement Results ◽  
Background Gamma Radiation

Introduction. The article addresses background gamma radiation in residential premises of apartment buildings in Vladivostok. This study is based on earlier research undertakings focused on the sick building syndrome (SBS), which proves its high relevance. The research is focused on the intensity of background gamma radiation in the residential premises of apartment buildings in Vladivostok. New data obtained in the course of the field experiments, the scale of their analysis, the coverage of substantive issues concerning radiation intensity and its monitoring in residential buildings guarantee the novelty of this research project. These findings also have a practical value that deals with environmental safety. Materials and methods. Onsite examinations were conducted in the form of background gamma radiation measurements taken in versatile apartment buildings, built at different times and made of different materials. Results. This section contains analytical information about the lack of influence of the location of apartment buildings on background radiation inside the apartments examined within the framework of this research project. Measurement results represent a range of values depending on construction materials used. Principal regularities, derived from the measurement results, are based on the time of operation of residential buildings, which is of practical importance. Conclusions. Patterns of influence of building parameters on background radiation inside apartments allow to assess the condition of residential buildings. Background radiation information can be entered into BIM databases and used to formulate the approach to the design of buildings and urban infrastructure so that they were focused on their residents and users. Background radiation research findings, entered into the database and contributed to design algorithms which are customized to the needs of urban residents, will enable designers to project the overall quality of the living environment encompassing the built environment analyzed in this article and other nearby buildings and structures located in Vladivostok.

Palliative Design Meets Palliative Medicine: A Strategic Approach to the Design, Construction, and Operation of Healthcare Facilities to Improve Quality of Life and Reduce Suffering for Patients, Families, and Caregivers

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-186
Author(s):  
Rana Sagha Zadeh ◽  
Paul Eshelman
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Design Construction

A built environment designed to be appropriate for palliative care can make a profound difference for people with life-limiting illnesses. The built environment affects a patient’s quality of life, the management of physical and psychological symptoms, and the quality of social interactions with loved ones and caregivers. This article is informed by the emerging trends in the research and practice in the disciplines of architecture, design, medicine, and nursing. The article is intended to provide a definition of palliative design and invite discussion of its potential impact on patients, families, and caregivers. Our goal is to initiate conversation about palliative design, foster sharing of experiences and feedback among building professionals, and discuss future paths for formal adoption into practice.

Developing an integrated indoor built environment–quality of life model for the elderly in public and subsidized housing

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei-yung Leung ◽  
Ibukun Oluwadara Famakin ◽  
Chendi Wang
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Walking Distance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environment Quality ◽  
Life Model

Purpose The growth rate of the aging population raises the demand for and challenges of public and subsidized (P&S) housing for the elderly. The decline in elderly ability increases their dependence on the quality of facilities provided by their residential apartment. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated indoor built environment–quality of life model for the elderly in P&S housing estates. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey, including scales for 4 quality of life (QoL) domains (physical health, psychological health, social relationships and overall QoL), and 13 indoor built environment (BE) components were identified. In total, 365 survey data were collected from the elderly in 18 political districts of Hong Kong, while reliability analysis, multiple regression analysis and structural equation modeling were adopted in the data analysis. Findings Based on the congruence of results of these statistical analyses, it was revealed that: furniture and fixtures predict all the four QoL domains of the elderly; lighting and color induce social relationships; and overall QoL is predicted by distance and handrails. Originality/value Several recommendations were made in accordance with the research results, such as review minimum spacing requirements to provide walking distance for elderly physical activity, investigate the micro-climate for appropriate building orientation, consider the changing body size of the elderly for supply of furniture, use warm colors with high levels of illumination, and so on.

Impact of the built environment and care services within rural nursing homes in China on quality of life for elderly residents

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1170-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingyu Yu ◽  
Guixia Ma ◽  
Xiaoyan Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Indoor Environment ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural Nursing ◽  
Daily Care ◽  
Care Services

Purpose The ageing of rural Chinese populations is challenging health and social policy, driving growth in rural nursing homes. Living environment plays a role in enhancing elderly quality of life (QoL), however, the impact of the built environment and care services are under-studied. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of the built environment and care services on the QoL of elderly people within rural nursing homes in China. Design/methodology/approach A total of 242 residents of nursing home were surveyed, of which 76 percent were male and 24 percent were female. In total, 25.6 percent were aged between 60 and 69, 40.1 percent between 70 and 79, 31 percent between 80 and 89, and 3.3 percent were 90 or above. Quantitative data were analyzed through factor analysis, reliability test and multiple regression modeling. Findings The authors identified six built environment factors (room distance, space, barrier-free design, indoor environment, fire safety, and support facilities) and three services factors (i.e. daily care services, cleaning services, and healthcare services). QoL was measured over four dimensions: QoL, physical health, psychological health, and social relationships. Elderly QoL could be accurately predicted from room distance, space, barrier-free design, indoor environment, daily care services, and cleaning services. Practical implications Interventions in design of the built environment and the provision of care services are proposed, including dimensions of living space, heating, and provisions for qualified care providers. Originality/value This paper provides a clear picture about elderly special requirements on their built environment and healthcare services, helping architects, engineers and facilities managers understand elderly needs and improve built environment during design and operation stages.

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