Engaging in social interaction: relationships between the accessibility of path structure and intensity of passive social interaction in urban parks

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Faezeh Mohammadi Tahroodi ◽  
Norsidah Ujang

PurposeFunctioning as space connectors, path structures in urban parks may rarely present social interaction opportunities, although centralized activity spaces are available. This paper investigated the interrelationships between the visual and physical accessibility attributes of path structure and their impacts on passive social interaction intensity across urban parks in Kuala Lumpur.Design/methodology/approachThe concept of social interaction has been studied elsewhere in social cohesion, social affiliation and sense of communication. Still, it has not been studied in the context of urban park design. This study employed mixed methods using an adaptive and unique combination of qualitative and quantitative data collections to analyze urban parks with a bit of visual vegetation barrier. The experiential landscape method was applied to determine visual accessibility by interpreting experiential landscape maps. The space syntax method based on quantitative analysis is considered to measure physical accessibilities and vigorous activities along the designated paths by conducting integration analysis and gate observation. The data were crossed-analyzed using a Geographic Information System (GIS) classification technique, correlation analysis and Microsoft combo-charts to generate the relationship between patterns of activities and their accessibilities.FindingsThe results suggested that designated paths with higher accessibility attributes, impressively more elevated than other tracks, could influence the intensity of passive social interactions. The findings supported the understanding that activity nodes and active areas adjoining designated routes could make accessibility attribute areas more critical. These findings verify that visually enriching the spaces along the path structure toward activities is a pivotal contributor to urban planners and designers to enhance the paths’ local integration (LI) and visual accessibility to predict more passive eye contact among park visitors.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed interrelationship among variables in this study has limitations because of not considering other qualitative methods and techniques like cognitive maps and interview simultaneously. These techniques could discover why some paths generate more passive eye contact among park users (Mohammadi Tahroodi, 2018).Practical implicationsKuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020 emphasizes Kuala Lumpur’s unique image as a tropical garden city via preserving and developing the iconic historical urban parks in the city center (CHKL, 2004, pp. 3–3). The latest Draft Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2040 has outlined the strategy to achieve a conducive, good-quality neighborhood that encourages social interaction. The findings could assist urban planners and designers better public parks by considering accessibility and permeability aspects of design. This research endorses the appropriateness of interrelationship between accessibility attributes of path structure and social interaction in urban design research, which local urban designers have not fully considered until now. Evaluating the visual convenience of designated paths and assessing LI of the axial lines constructing each designated route of urban parks during the primary stage could enable urban designers to estimate to what extent the paths are accessible and respond to passive social interaction. Then they could enrich with salient landmarks, views and activity nodes to make them attractive. The considerable number of designated paths connections, specifically while they shape the sides of activity nodes, could increase the connectivity and integration of spaces within the parks. These patterns of positioning the activity nodes make the designated routes more legible and provide ease of movement. As a result, it will give urban park users more information about the activities. Allowing people to use the paths will increase people’s presence and, subsequently, passive social interaction. One way is to locate accessible lands that provide social activities at direct visual access paths within urban parks for legibility.Social implicationsThe socially responsive urban design enhances the quality of life and provides life satisfaction, happiness and society’s overall health. Being in urban social parks in any passive and active situations has psychological benefits. It facilitates relief and rests from a stressful modern lifestyle that significantly impacts their mental health and well-being. The framework applied in this research integrates the social, spatial and physical aspects of parks design. With this regard, principles and indicators facilitate physically and socially attractive urban parks for Kuala Lumpur city center and applicable to similar contexts elsewhere.Originality/valueThe concept of social interaction has been studied elsewhere in social cohesion, social affiliation and sense of communication. Still, it has not been studied in the context of urban park design. This study employed mixed methods using an adaptive and unique combination of qualitative and quantitative data collections to analyze urban parks with a bit of visual vegetation barrier.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.K. LOKULIYANA ◽  
◽  
G.R RATNAYAKE ◽  

In 1990s, the decrement of non-built up areas due to urbanization in Sri Lanka cause for reducing the quality of life and emerging of social issues by interruption of human interaction with the busiest monotonous life styles. The urban beautification projects like urban park concept was introduced to achieve the Sri Lankan sustainable vision by 2030 by developing those spaces as social spaces for the purpose of community gathering and interaction. With this emerging concept, there is no such consideration or the research regarding identification of social interaction types in park to increase the park planning potentials in Sri Lanka by achieving the social sustainability of the place via social interaction. Above mentioned objective of the research is overcome through the theoretical framework of “social network theory” by understanding the actor and user types in the urban park context in Sri Lanka especially for Colombo district which have dissimilarity of availability of design characteristics. The methodology of the research is consisted with onsite observations and questionnaire surveys under mixed method approach. There are different intensity of social interactions were happened in three selected parks, from these the social interactions highly occurred among adults-adults user category and the least social interaction can be seen among children-younger user category in three parks and the highest expected factor for interaction is accessibility rather than consideration other factors. Additionally, provide shady greenery areas with multi-diverse activities for all user and actor categories based on respondents’ comments will be needed to consider in increasing the future planning potentials to achieve social sustainability of the urban parks via social interaction in Sri Lanka.


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-130
Author(s):  
Hesham Omran Elfartas ◽  
Haithem Ahmed Albeera ◽  
Ismail Said ◽  
Job U. Momoh

Social interaction among diverse ethnic groups motivates people within communities to visit urban parks towards achieving social cohesion. Malaysians of different ethnic backgrounds spend their leisure time in urban parks because it offers opportunities for social interaction. The perception and requirement of attributes needed varies among the various ethnic groups of Malays, Chinese and Indians in order to be assured of their full utilization of the parks. This study investigates the urban park attributes that encourage the utilization of urban park by these three ethnic groups toward achieving social cohesion. Using a survey questionnaire method a total of 274 respondents were sampled at Batu Pahat urban parks in Johor, Malaysia. Afterwards, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyse and validate respondents’ perception of urban park utilization. The findings show that aesthetics, safety, lighting, maintenance and cleanliness in public spaces attracted people to visit the urban park and contributed towards social cohesion.


Author(s):  
Nur Allia Mohamad ◽  
Hazreena Hussein

A restorative environment tells how certain types of environment help heals people mentally and physically, and many studies in the related field have drawn connection that natural and green places are more likely to be restorative to a person’s health, especially when compared those living in cities. In Kuala Lumpur, rapid urbanization and previous poor city planning result in residents becoming increasingly susceptible to mental fatigue and urban stress. Residents frequent for the very few urban parks available as a place to restore themselves, thus the restorative qualities of the urban parks are critical to elevating the quality of life. This study investigates the theory of restorative environment and highlighting its criteria in the context of Kuala Lumpur, by analyzing an existing urban park as a case study: the Perdana Botanical Garden. The methods used include site observation, interview, and a questionnaire to evaluate the quality of the environment as well as user perception. Data from finding confirms the restorative theories as perceived by users and its suggested space criteria and shows that most users come to the park as green therapy and to relieve stress and relax, as they find that the natural scenery and engaging landscaping inside the park are restorative to their overall well-being.


Author(s):  
Renita Prera Winsen

பேராக் மாநிலத்தில் தைப்பிங் மாவட்டத்தில் அமைந்துள்ள ஓர் இடைநிலைப்பள்ளியில் திருக்குறள் கற்றலின் வழி படிவம் 2 மாணவர்களின் உயர்நிலைச் சிந்தனைத் திறனை மேம்படுத்தும் முயற்சியில் ஆய்வு மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்டது. தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்ட 10 மாணவர்கள் இந்த ஆய்வில் உட்படுத்தப்பட்டனர். திருக்குறளில் மாணவர்களின் ஆளுமையைக் கண்டறிய அந்த இடைநிலைப்பள்ளியின் தமிழாசிரியரிடம் நேர்காணல் நடத்தப்பட்டது. மாணவர்களின் உயர்நிலைச் சிந்தனைத் திறனை மேம்படுத்த படிவம் 1 மற்றும் படிவம் 2-இல் வரையறுக்கப்பட்ட ஆறு திருக்குறள்கள் தேர்தெடுக்கப்பட்டன. தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்ட திருக்குறள்கள் யாவும் சீரமைக்கப்பட்ட புளூமின் அறிவுசார் முறைப்பாட்டியலின் துணைக்கொண்டு பலதரப்பட கேள்விகள் தயாரிக்கப்பட்டது. ஆறு வாரத் திருக்குறள் வகுப்பிற்குப் பின் இக்கேள்விகள் யாவும் மாணவர்களுக்கு வழங்கப்பட்டன. கேள்விக்கான பதில்களிலிருந்து மாணவர்களின் உயர்நிலைச் சிந்தனைத் திறனில் ஏற்பட்ட மாற்றங்கள் கண்டறியப்பட்டது. ஆய்வின் முடிவாக, முறையான திருக்குறள் கற்றலின் வழி மாணவர்களின் உயர்நிலைச் சிந்தனைத் திறனை மேம்படுத்த முடியும் என்பது உறுதிச் செய்யப்பட்டது. (This study has been conducted with the purpose of improving the level of HOTS (Higher order thinking skills) of Form 2 students through learning Thirukkural. For this study, the Thirukkural, a well-known literary work of Tamil Language was taken. Thus, this research was carried out in a secondary school which is located at Taiping, Perak. The research was carried out under the design of action research. The sample of this study consisted of ten Form 2 students. Besides that, a teacher also interviewed in order to know the students' personality in learning Thirukkural. In this research, the learning process of Thirukkural approach was implemented for 6 weeks. There are 6 couplets of Thirukkural selected according to the syllabus of Form 1 and Form 2. This six couplets of Thirukkural used to test the level of HOTS. The questions were created based on Thirukkural, according to Revised Bloom's Taxonomy. The data of the study was collected through pre-test, the questions asked in Thirukkural classes and post-test via qualitative and quantitative data collection tools. The findings obtained through qualitative and quantitative data collections showed that the level of HOTS through learning Thirukkural among Form 2 students has improved.)


2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin O'Sullivan ◽  
Richard Kemp ◽  
David Bright

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to lay the groundwork for a narrative study of desistance that is both qualitative and quantitative. Design/methodology/approach – The review traces the strands of research that have made self-story an important theme in the study of desistance with particular reference to work since 2001. Findings – The importance of an agentic self-story in the process of desistance from crime came to prominence in the work of Shadd Maruna (1997, 2001). Since then authors have attempted to formulate: first, an integrated theoretical view of desistance incorporating agency; and second, a clinically useful understanding of how self-story is important. The clinical studies have almost always been qualitative, relying on extensive life history interviews which yield great richness of detail but few, if any, testable hypotheses. To date, such studies have not provided the empirical foundation on which to develop policy in correctional environments. Practical implications – If it is found that a measure of self-belief correlates with desistance from crime, it may be possible to devise psychological interventions to enhance and change self-belief. Originality/value – The paper proposes adding a quantitative approach to the measurement of self-concept in order to estimate the likelihood of desistance.


2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheri Jeanette Duncan ◽  
Genya Morgan O'Gara

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of a flexible collections assessment rubric comprised of a suite of tools for more consistently and effectively evaluating and expressing a holistic value of library collections to a variety of constituents, from administrators to faculty and students, with particular emphasis to the use of data already being collected at libraries to “take the temperature” of how responsive collections are in supporting institutional goals. Design/methodology/approach – Using a literature review, internal and external conversations, several collections pilot projects, and a variety of other investigative mechanisms, this paper explores methods for creating a more flexible, holistic collection development and assessment model using both qualitative and quantitative data. Findings – The products of scholarship that academic libraries include in their collections are expanding exponentially and range from journals and monographs in all formats, to databases, data sets, digital text and images, streaming media, visualizations and animations. Content is also being shared in new ways and on a variety of platforms. Yet the framework for evaluating this new landscape of scholarly output is in its infancy. So, how do libraries develop and assess collections in a consistent, holistic, yet agile, manner? Libraries must employ a variety of mechanisms to ensure this goal, while remaining flexible in adapting to the shifting collections environment. Originality/value – In so much as the authors are aware, this is the first paper to examine an agile, holistic approach to collections using both qualitative and quantitative data.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veepan Kumar ◽  
Ravi Shankar ◽  
Prem Vrat

PurposeIn today’s uncertain business environment, Industry 4.0 is regarded as a viable strategic plan for addressing a wide range of manufacturing-related challenges. However, it appears that its level of adoption varies across many countries. In the case of a developing economy like India, practitioners are still in the early stages of implementation. The implementation of Industry 4.0 appears to be complex, and it must be investigated holistically in order to gain a better understanding of it. Therefore, an attempt has been made to examine the Industry 4.0 implementation for the Indian manufacturing organization in a detailed way by analyzing the complexities of relevant variables.Design/methodology/approachSAP-LAP (situation-actor-process and learning-action-performance) and an efficient interpretive ranking process (e-IRP) were used to analyze the various variables influencing Industry 4.0 implementation. The variables were identified, as per SAP-LAP, through a thorough review of the literature and based on the perspectives of various experts. The e-IRP has been used to prioritize the selected elements (i.e. actors with respect to processes and actions with respect to performance) of SAP-LAP.FindingsThis study ranked five stakeholders according to their priority in Industry 4.0 implementation: government policymakers, industry associations, research and academic institutions, manufacturers and customers. In addition, the study also prioritized important actions that need to be taken by these stakeholders.Practical implicationsThe results of this study would be useful in identifying and managing the various actors and actions related to Industry 4.0 implementation. Accordingly, their prioritized sequence would be useful to the practitioners in preparing the well-defined and comprehensive strategic roadmap for Industry 4.0.Originality/valueThis study has adopted qualitative and quantitative approaches for identifying and prioritizing different variables of Industry 4.0 implementation. This, in turn, helps the stakeholder to comprehend the concept of Industry 4.0 in a much simpler way.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emad Mohamed ◽  
Parinaz Jafari ◽  
Ahmed Hammad

PurposeThe bid/no-bid decision is critical to the success of construction contractors. The factors affecting the bid/no-bid decision are either qualitative or quantitative. Previous studies on modeling the bidding decision have not extensively focused on distinguishing qualitative and quantitative factors. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to improve the bidding decision in construction projects by developing tools that consider both qualitative and quantitative factors affecting the bidding decision.Design/methodology/approachThis study proposes a mixed qualitative-quantitative approach to deal with both qualitative and quantitative factors. The mixed qualitative-quantitative approach is developed by combining a rule-based expert system and fuzzy-based expert system. The rule-based expert system is used to evaluate the project based on qualitative factors and the fuzzy expert system is used to evaluate the project based on the quantitative factors in order to reach the comprehensive bid/no-bid decision.FindingsThree real bidding projects are used to investigate the applicability and functionality of the proposed mixed approach and are tested with experts of a construction company in Alberta, Canada. The results demonstrate that the mixed approach provides a more reliable, accurate and practical tool that can assist decision-makers involved in the bid/no-bid decision.Originality/valueThis study contributes theoretically to the body of knowledge by (1) proposing a novel approach capable of modeling all types of factors (either qualitative or quantitative) affecting the bidding decision, and (2) providing means to acquire, store and reuse expert knowledge. Practical contribution of this paper is to provide decision-makers with a comprehensive model that mimics the decision-making process and stores experts' knowledge in the form of rules. Therefore, the model reduces the administrative burden on the decision-makers, saves time and effort and reduces bias and human errors during the bidding process.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaurav Kumar ◽  
Akshay Kumar ◽  
Farhan Mohammad Khan ◽  
Rajiv Gupta

PurposeThere are several methods developed in the recent past to predict the spread of COVID-19 in different countries. However, due to changing scenarios in terms of interaction among people, none could predict the case close to the actual figures. An attempt to simulate people's interaction due to economic reopening concerning the confirmed cases at various places as per changing situation has been made. The scenario development method's base lies in the hypothesis that if there were no inter-state transportation during India's lockdown after May 24th, the number of infection cases would have started lowering down in a normalized progression.Design/methodology/approachThis study has developed three scenarios from the worst to the business-as-usual to the best in order to project the COVID-19 infections in India concerning infections observed from January 30th till May 24th, 2020, since the domestic flights became operational from May 25th, 2020, in India.FindingsBased on the observed cases till May 24th, the rise of cases is projected further in a random progression and superimposed to the normal progression. The results obtained in the three scenarios present that worst case needs complete lockdown, business-as-usual case needs regulatory lockdown and best case assures complete lockdown release by the second week of September 2020. This study suggests the preparedness and mitigation strategy for a threefold lockdown management scheme in all-inclusive.Originality/valueThe work has been done on a hypothesis which is solely original.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Musaab Al-Obeidy ◽  

Although, the diverse activities and uses are one of the significant key factors to improve quality of streets, some places and shops in Mawlawi Street are disappeared or used by few number of people, while others are used by high number of people. Moreover, just some attractions and points of interest (POIs) are located in the Global Positioning System (GPS). This issues lead to lake of finding urban diversity in Mawlawi Street. This paper examines and find out the diversity of activities and uses that improves the quality of streets and makes successful streets in Sulaimaniya City Centre. It is also to identify POIs provided in GPS. The study employed a mix-methodology method. 330 questionnaire surveys, 20 semi-structured interview, and qualitative and quantitative observation, were conducted in Mawlawi Street. The results show that the diverse activities and choices are important key to make streets of Sulaimaniya City Center successful. There is also a need to define and insert many places on map for enhancing diversity. To secure the quality of the Street, this study suggests to improve the quality of goods and shops, provide night activities, and refresh some left places and shops along the Street.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document