The Distribution of Urban Voluntary Resources: An Exploratory Analysis

1983 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1067-1082 ◽  
Author(s):  
J R Wolch ◽  
R K Geiger

The role of voluntary sector service provision in local communities has been largely overlooked, but is increasingly critical to the quality of urban life. This paper provides an exploratory analysis of questions about the distribution of voluntary activity within metropolitan regions and the determinants of voluntary service provision levels. A variety of hypotheses concerning the distribution of voluntary resources in the social welfare and community services (SWCS) sector are tested utilizing data on nonprofit organizations and local jurisdictions within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Results indicate that cities within this region with relatively abundant SWCS resources tend to be older inner-ring working-class suburbs, in contrast to the significantly reduced scale of SWCS activities found in outlying affluent communities, industrial enclaves, and cities with large minority and service-dependent populations.

Author(s):  
N. Gawai ◽  
A. Phadke

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The quality of urban life has become one of the most pertinent issues in contemporary times in India. There have been several reports published by government and nongovernmental agencies listing out various dimensions of quality of urban life but in a half-hearted manner as some reports have focused just upon the quality of urban air or some governmental reports talk about Human Development Index. There has hardly been any holistic effort to scale the quality of urban life in terms of economic, social, cultural, environmental and psychological well-being. Unless all these parameters are combined, one cannot furnish the livability index of micro urban spaces within major metropolitan regions. The calculation of livability index thus needs to take into account environmental, socio-economic and mental dimensions. The environment related data has been achieved by extracting NDVI through LANDSAT satellite imagery for the month of May, 2018. NDVI has been used for calculating green spaces index. The data related to socio-economic parameters have been collected through primary and secondary sources of data. The data related to psychological health is gathered through questionnaire survey and personal interviews. Ranking based index calculation has been applied to arrive at a common livability index of select sub spaces in Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The outcomes are very interesting and helpful in comparative analysis of select sub-spaces vis-à-vis quality of life. It has also helped in the identification of stressed sub-regional or micro spaces. Such livability index will be highly useful in regional and urban planning. The research aims at calculating livability index for select sub-regional spaces in Mumbai Metropolitan Region.</p>


2011 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 776-777

Matthew J. Kotchen of Yale University reviews “Climatopolis: How Our Cities Will Thrive in the Hotter Future” by Matthew E. Kahn. The EconLit Abstract of the reviewed work begins “Explores how cities will adapt to the challenges of climate change, focusing on how geographical and socioeconomic factors will affect the quality of urban life in a hotter world. Discusses too much gas; what we've done when our cities have blown up; king of the hill; the case of Los Angeles; whether Manhattan will flood; whether China's cities will go green; effects and adaptations in developing countries; seize the day--opportunities from our hotter future; and the future of cities. Kahn is Professor with the Institute of the Environment, the Department of Economics, and the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles. Index.”


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 610-614
Author(s):  
Garry Cooper-Stanton

There are various opportunities and challenges in the delivery of care to those diagnosed with chronic oedema/lymphoedema. Service provision is not consistent within the UK, and non-specialist nurses and other health professionals may be called on to fill the gaps in this area. The latest best practice guidance on chronic oedema is directed at community services that care for people within their own homes in primary care. This guide was developed in order to increase awareness, knowledge and access to an evidence base. Those involved in its creation cross specialist fields (lymphoedema and tissue viability), resulting in the document covering a number of areas, including an explanation of chronic oedema, its assessment and management and the association between chronic oedema and wet legs. The document complements existing frameworks on the condition and its management and also increases the available tools within chronic oedema management in the community. The present article provides an overview of the guidance document and discusses its salient features.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 724
Author(s):  
Alicja K. Zawadzka

The paper presents the results of a study on the attractiveness to tourists and natives of the cultural qualities of coastal towns on The Pomeranian Way of St. James that are members of the Cittaslow network. Attention to the quality of urban life is inscribed in the development policies of towns applying to join the Cittaslow movement. In order to join the network (apart from the size criterion), towns need to meet a minimum of 50% plus one of the 72 criteria grouped into seven categories. One of the category is Quality of Urban Life Policy, so the towns applying to join Cittaslow commit themselves to actions aimed at improving the quality of urban life. The study on the attractiveness of cultural qualities of towns to tourists and natives was conducted using the author’s BRB method, whose added value is its universality and the possibility to study small towns regardless of their membership in the Cittaslow network. BRB is an acronym that stands for BUILDINGS, RELATIONSHIPS, BALANCE, and comprises three scopes of activities: BUILDINGS (iconic building and important sites where the inhabitants and the tourists are present); RELATIONSHIPS (the visual effects of the relations between the inhabitants and the town) and BALANCE (solutions that implement modern technologies). This method enables identification of places that are important to the inhabitants, where urban life takes place and which are often created with the involvement of the inhabitants. These are often the same spaces as those that attract tourists and perhaps stimulate them the desire to visit the town again (BRB—be right back). The aim of the BRB method is shown the attractiveness of small towns. The study has shown that the characteristic feature of Polish Cittaslow towns is their diversity: the architectural attractiveness of three towns is high both to tourists and natives. On the other hand, the urban attractiveness of the examined towns is an insufficient.


2003 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaughan J. Carr ◽  
Amanda L. Neil ◽  
Sean A. Halpin ◽  
Scott Holmes ◽  
Terry J. Lewin

Objective: To estimate the costs associated with the treatment and care of persons with psychosis in Australia based on data from the Low Prevalence Disorders Study (LPDS), and to identify areas where there is potential for more efficient use of existing health care resources. Method: The LPDS was a one-month census-based survey of people with psychotic disorders in contact with mental health services, which was conducted in four metropolitan regions in 1997–1998. Mental health and service utilization data from 980 interviews were used to estimate the economic costs associated with psychotic disorders. A prevalencebased, ‘bottom-up’ approach was adopted to calculate the government and societal costs associated with psychosis, including treatment and non-treatment related costs. Results: Annual societal costs for the average patient with psychosis are of the order of $46 200, comprising $27 500 in lost productivity, $13 800 in inpatient mental health care costs and $4900 in other mental health and community services costs. Psychosis costs the Australian government at least $1.45 billion per annum, while societal costs are at least $2.25 billion per annum (including $1.44 billion for schizophrenia). We also report relationships between societal costs and demographic factors, diagnosis, disability and participation in employment. Conclusions: Current expenditure on psychosis in Australia is probably inefficient. There may be substantial opportunity costs in not delivering effective treatments in sufficient volume to people with psychotic disorders, not intervening early, and not improving access to rehabilitation and supported accommodation.


Author(s):  
Can Zhang ◽  
Atalay Atasu ◽  
Karthik Ramachandran

Problem definition: Faced with the challenge of serving beneficiaries with heterogeneous needs and under budget constraints, some nonprofit organizations (NPOs) have adopted an innovative solution: providing partially complete products or services to beneficiaries. We seek to understand what drives an NPO’s choice of partial completion as a design strategy and how it interacts with the level of variety offered in the NPO’s product or service portfolio. Academic/practical relevance: Although partial product or service provision has been observed in the nonprofit operations, there is limited understanding of when it is an appropriate strategy—a void that we seek to fill in this paper. Methodology: We synthesize the practices of two NPOs operating in different contexts to develop a stylized analytical model to study an NPO’s product/service completion and variety choices. Results: We identify when and to what extent partial completion is optimal for an NPO. We also characterize a budget allocation structure for an NPO between product/service variety and completion. Our analysis sheds light on how beneficiary characteristics (e.g., heterogeneity of their needs, capability to self-complete) and NPO objectives (e.g., total-benefit maximization versus fairness) affect the optimal levels of variety and completion. Managerial implications: We provide three key observations. (1) Partial completion is not a compromise solution to budget limitations but can be an optimal strategy for NPOs under a wide range of circumstances, even in the presence of ample resources. (2) Partial provision is particularly valuable when beneficiary needs are highly heterogeneous, or beneficiaries have high self-completion capabilities. A higher self-completion capability generally implies a lower optimal completion level; however, it may lead to either a higher or a lower optimal variety level. (3) Although providing incomplete products may appear to burden beneficiaries, a lower completion level can be optimal when fairness is factored into an NPO’s objective or when beneficiary capabilities are more heterogeneous.


2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
XI PAN ◽  
JASLEEN K. CHAHAL ◽  
ROSE MARIE WARD

ABSTRACTThe concept of quality of urban life (QoUL) can be interpreted quite differently across different cultures. Little evidence has shown that the measure of QoUL, which is based on Western culture, can be applied to populations cross-culturally. In the current study, we use data from the 2006 Assessing Happiness and Competitiveness of World Major Metropolises study to identify underlying factors associated with QoUL as well as assess the consistency of the QoUL measurement among adults, aged 60 and older, in ten world major metropolises (i.e. New York City, Toronto, London, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Stockholm, Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul). Exploratory factor analysis and multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) are used to analyse the data. Findings of the study suggest that the measure of QoUL is sensitive to socio-cultural differences. Community factor and intrapersonal factor are two underlying structures that are related to QoUL among older adults in ten metropolises cross-culturally. Results from the CFA indicate that Toronto is comparable with Beijing, New York City, Paris, Milan and Stockholm in QoUL, while other cities are not. The results provide insights into the development of current urban policy and promotion of quality of life among older residents in major metropolitan areas. Future researchers should continue to explore the relationship between QoUL and socio-cultural differences within international urban settings, while remaining cautious when making cross-cultural comparisons.


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