Review: Preserving Neighborhoods: How Urban Policy and Community Strategy Shape Baltimore and Brooklyn, by Passell, Aaron

2021 ◽  
pp. 0739456X2110643
Author(s):  
Jennifer Minner
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moisés Rita Vasconcelos Júnior

The municipality of Marituba, Metropolitan Region of Belém - RMB, has suffered environmental impacts due to irregularities in the landfill operation implemented in 2015, which triggered social impacts perceived by all the population, including neighboring municipalities, such as Ananindeua and Belém Protests were carried out by the Movement Outside the Garbage that is constituted by the dwellings of the surrounding neighborhoods to the place where the embankment is located, of owners of commercial activities linked to the tourism and Non Governmental Organizations that interrupted several times the transit of the main route that interconnects the seven municipalities of the RMB and the entrance of the embankment, in order to draw the attention of the municipal public power to the problems that the population would have been facing ever since. From this, the following questions arose: What social impacts would people be making in these protests? Would such problems be directly related to the activities carried out in the landfill? And finally, what are the actions of the public authority and the company that manages the enterprise in the management of these social impacts? The relevance of this study concerns not only the identification of social impacts considering the fragility of this approach in the Environmental Impact Studies and concomitantly in the Reports of Environmental Impacts, but also, from the point of view of the debate about the licensing process of enterprises of this nature and employment and the need for the joint use of environmental and urban policy instruments, considering that RMB municipalities have not yet used sustainable alternatives for the reduction of solid waste produced in their territories, as well as the reduction of environmental impacts caused by dumps , and in the case of Marituba, of the landfill that operates outside the standards established by the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards - ABNT, which is responsible for the management and treatment of solid waste and the National Policy on Solid Waste - PNRSN.


Author(s):  
Gordon C.C. Douglas

Chapter 3 demonstrates that DIY urban designers are largely motivated by failings they perceive in urban policy and planning. Placing them in this context is essential for interpreting the phenomenon. While do-it-yourselfers respond to the problems they see in creative ways, their individualistic tactics of doing so introduce problems of their own. The chapter focuses on bus stops to consider the lack of sidewalk seating in many cities, the privatization of street furniture, and concerns with local service provision. In trying to correct problems they see, do-it-yourselfers always impart their own personal and cultural values, and some DIY alterations can be selfish and anti-social in impact. The chapter interrogates DIY urbanism in the context of the “neoliberalized” city, arguing that even as the practices aim to counter the ill effects of market-driven planning, they can also reinforce an individualistic, undemocratic logic in placemaking.


Author(s):  
Melissa R. Marselle ◽  
Sarah J. Lindley ◽  
Penny A. Cook ◽  
Aletta Bonn

Abstract Purpose of review Biodiversity underpins urban ecosystem functions that are essential for human health and well-being. Understanding how biodiversity relates to human health is a developing frontier for science, policy and practice. This article describes the beneficial, as well as harmful, aspects of biodiversity to human health in urban environments. Recent findings Recent research shows that contact with biodiversity of natural environments within towns and cities can be both positive and negative to human physical, mental and social health and well-being. For example, while viruses or pollen can be seriously harmful to human health, biodiverse ecosystems can promote positive health and well-being. On balance, these influences are positive. As biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate, research suggests that its loss could threaten the quality of life of all humans. Summary A key research gap is to understand—and evidence—the specific causal pathways through which biodiversity affects human health. A mechanistic understanding of pathways linking biodiversity to human health can facilitate the application of nature-based solutions in public health and influence policy. Research integration as well as cross-sector urban policy and planning development should harness opportunities to better identify linkages between biodiversity, climate and human health. Given its importance for human health, urban biodiversity conservation should be considered as public health investment.


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