Greenness and the Potential Resilience to Sexual Violence: “Your Neighborhood Is Being Neglected Because People Don’t Care. People With Power Don’t Care”

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110280
Author(s):  
Gibran C. Mancus ◽  
Andrea N. Cimino ◽  
Md Zabir Hasan ◽  
Jacquelyn C. Campbell ◽  
Phyllis Sharps ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Violent Crime ◽  
Green Space ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Community Resilience ◽  
The United States ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
Black Communities ◽  
Black Neighborhoods

There is increasing evidence that green space in communities reduces the risk of aggression and violence, and increases wellbeing. Positive associations between green space and resilience have been found among children, older adults and university students in the United States, China and Bulgaria. Little is known about these associations among predominately Black communities with structural disadvantage. This study explored the potential community resilience in predominately Black neighborhoods with elevated violent crime and different amounts of green space. This embedded mixed-methods study started with quantitative analysis of women who self-identified as “Black and/or African American.” We found inequality in environments, including the amount of green space, traffic density, vacant property, and violent crime. This led to 10 indepth interviews representing communities with elevated crime and different amounts of green space. Emergent coding of the first 3 interviews, a subset of the 98 in the quantitative analysis, led to a priori coding of barriers and facilitators to potential green space supported community resilience applied to the final 7 interview data. Barriers were a combination of the physical and social environment, including traffic patterns, vacant property, and crime. Facilitators included subjective qualities of green space. Green spaces drew people in through community building and promoting feelings of calmness. The transformation of vacant lots into green spaces by community members affords space for people to come together and build community. Green spaces, a modifiable factor, may serve to increase community resilience and decrease the risk of violence.

Racial Justice and Criminal Justice

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Valls
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Racial Inequality ◽  
Racial Bias ◽  
The United States ◽  
Black Communities ◽  
Racial Justice ◽  
Black Neighborhoods

The criminal justice system in the United States both reflects racial inequality in the broader society and contributes to it. The overrepresentation of African Americans among those in prison is a result of both the conditions in poor black neighborhoods and racial bias in the criminal justice system. The American system of criminal justice today is excessively punitive, when compared to previous periods and to other countries, and its harsh treatment disproportionately harms African Americans. In addition, those released from prison face a number of obstacles to housing, employment, and other prerequisites of decent life, and the concentration of prisoners and ex-prisoners in black communities does much to perpetuate racial inequality.

scholarly journals A higher ratio of green spaces means a lower racial disparity in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection rates: A nationwide study of the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Lu ◽  
Long Chen ◽  
Xueming Liu ◽  
Yuwen Yang ◽  
Wenyan Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Racial Disparity ◽  
Green Space ◽  
The United States ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
County Level ◽  
Infection Rates ◽  
Nationwide Study

AbstractThere is striking racial disparity in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection rates in the United States. We hypothesize that the disparity is significantly smaller in areas with a higher ratio of green spaces at the county level. This study used the 135 most urbanized counties across the United States as sample sites. County level data on the SARS-CoV-2 infection rates of black and white individuals in each county were collected. The ratio of green spaces by land-cover type at the county level was calculated from satellite imagery. An ecological hierarchical regression analysis measured cross-sectional associations between racial disparity in infection rates and green spaces, after controlling for socioeconomic, demographic, pre-existing chronic disease, and built-up area factors. We found significantly higher infection rate among black individuals compared to white individuals. More importantly, a higher ratio of green spaces at the county level is significantly associated with a lower racial disparity in the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate. Further, we identified four green space factors that have significant negative associations with the racial disparity in SARS-CoV-2 infection rates, including open space in developed areas, forest, shrub and scrub, and grassland and herbaceous. We suggest that green spaces are an equalizing salutogenic factor, modifying infection exposure.HighlightsThe first study to identify significant relationships between green spaces and the racial disparity of SARS-CoV-2 infection rates.A nationwide study of the 135 most urbanized counties of the United States.A within-subject study: The black-white racial disparity of SARS-CoV-2 infection rates was measured within each county.A higher ratio of green spaces in a county is associated with a lower racial disparity of SARS-CoV-2 infection rates after controlling for socio-economic, demographic, pre-existing chronic disease, and built-up area factors.Four green space factors are significantly associated with a lower racial disparity of SARS-CoV-2 infection rates.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Equity and Regional Management of Some Urban Green Space Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of Main Urban Area of Xi’an City

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 813
Author(s):  
Hui Dang ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
Yumeng Zhang ◽  
Zixiang Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Green Space ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Deposition Flux ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Xi’An City

Urban green spaces can provide many types of ecosystem services for residents. An imbalance in the pattern of green spaces leads to an inequality of the benefits of such spaces. Given the current situation of environmental problems and the basic geographical conditions of Xi’an City, this study evaluated and mapped four kinds of ecosystem services from the perspective of equity: biodiversity, carbon sequestration, air purification, and climate regulation. Regionalization with dynamically constrained agglomerative clustering and partitioning (REDCAP) was used to obtain the partition groups of ecosystem services. The results indicate that first, the complexity of the urban green space community is low, and the level of biodiversity needs to be improved. The dry deposition flux of particulate matter (PM2.5) decreases from north to south, and green spaces enhance the adsorption of PM2.5. Carbon sequestration in the south and east is higher than that in the north and west, respectively. The average surface temperature in green spaces is lower than that in other urban areas. Second, urban green space resources in the study area are unevenly distributed. Therefore, ecosystem services in different areas are inequitable. Finally, based on the regionalization of integrated ecosystem services, an ecosystem services cluster was developed. This included 913 grid spaces, 12 partitions, and 5 clusters, which can provide a reference for distinct levels of ecosystem services management. This can assist urban managers who can use these indicators of ecosystem service levels for planning and guiding the overall development pattern of green spaces. The benefits would be a maximization of the ecological functions of green spaces, an improvement of the sustainable development of the city, and an improvement of people’s well-being.

scholarly journals Is Brief Exposure to Green Space in School the Best Option to Improve Attention in Children?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7484
Author(s):  
Asier Anabitarte ◽  
Gonzalo García-Baquero ◽  
Ainara Andiarena ◽  
Nerea Lertxundi ◽  
Nerea Urbieta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
School Children ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Statistical Design ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Attention Network Test ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Gender Biases ◽  
Before And After

The positive effects of Green Spaces on health are thought to be achieved through the mechanisms of mitigation, instoration and restoration. One of the benefits of Green Spaces may be the restoration of attention and so the objective of this research is testing empirically whether exposure to a green environment improves attention in school children. For so doing, we first used a split-unit statistical design in each of four schools, then combined the primary results via meta-analysis. The Attention Network Test (ANT) was used to measure attention before and after exposure and a total of 167 seven-year-old students participated in the experiments. Overall, our experimental results do not support the hypothesis that students’ exposure to activities in green vs. grey spaces affected their performance in ANT. This was so despite the fact that neither age nor gender biases have been detected and despite that our experiments have been proved to be sufficiently statistically powerful. It would be advisable to consider air pollution and noise. We also recommend that participants attend the experiment with mental exhaustion to maximize the ability to detect significant changes.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic Differences in Walking Time of Children and Adolescents to Public Green Spaces in Urban Areas—Results of the German Environmental Survey (2014–2017)

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2326
Author(s):  
Julia Rehling ◽  
Christiane Bunge ◽  
Julia Waldhauer ◽  
André Conrad
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Environmental Survey ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Public Green Space ◽  
Walking Time

Public green spaces have a high potential for a positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing, especially in urban areas. Studies on environmental justice indicate socially unequal access possibilities to urban green spaces. This article presents results on associations between individual socioeconomic position (SEP) and walking time from home to public green spaces in young people living in urban areas with more than 20,000 inhabitants in Germany. Data were derived from the German Environmental Survey for Children and Adolescents 2014–2017 (GerES V), the environmental module of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS Wave 2). The sample comprises 1149 participants aged 3 to 17 years. A total of 51.5% of the participants reach a public green space on foot within five and 72.8% within ten minutes from home. The lower the participant’s SEP, the longer the walking time. Logistic regression models controlling for age group, sex, migration background, and region of residence show that participants with a low SEP have a significantly higher risk (odds ratio = 1.98; 95% confidence interval: 1.31–2.99) of needing more than ten minutes to walk from home to a public green space than participants with a high SEP. GerES V data indicate that young people living in urban areas in Germany do not equally benefit from the health-promoting potential of green spaces, which is an important aspect of environmental health inequalities.

scholarly journals The Effects of Urban Natural Environments on Preference and Self-Reported Psychological Restoration of the Elderly

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 509
Author(s):  
Ling Qiu ◽  
Qujing Chen ◽  
Tian Gao
Keyword(s):  
Green Space ◽  
Environmental Design ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
The World ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Aging Populations

The world is facing the challenge of aging populations. Urban natural environments, including green spaces and blue spaces, have been demonstrated to have great benefits to the mental restoration of the elderly. However, the study of the specific characteristics of urban environments that are popular and the most restorative for the elderly is still lacking. Photo elicitation as visual stimuli was utilized to explore the differences in preference and psychological restoration of the elderly through the perception of the eight perceived sensory dimensions (PSDs) in different types of urban environments. The results showed that: (1) The respondents had different perceptions of the eight PSDs in the different urban natural environments. Blue space and partly-closed green space were more preferred by the elderly, and also had more psychological restorative effects on the elderly. (2) There was no significant correlation between the number of highly perceived PSDs and preference, as well as between the number of highly perceived PSDs and psychological restoration. However, there was a significant correlation between preference and psychological restoration. (3) Partly-closed green space with more Serene and Refuge qualities, and blue space with more Serene, Refuge and Prospect properties were optimal characteristics for psychological restoration of the elderly. In addition, open green space with more Prospect, Serene and Social qualities, and closed green space with more Space, Refuge and less Nature properties could also increase psychological restoration of older adults. These findings can provide useful guidelines for restorative environmental design for the elderly in the future.

Effect of Changing a Traffic Control Device Color on Driver Behavior and Perception across Different Age Groups

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110111
Author(s):  
Hatem Abou-Senna ◽  
Mohamed El-Agroudy ◽  
Mustapha Mouloua ◽  
Essam Radwan
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Driving Simulator ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The United States ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
Driving Conditions ◽  
And Performance

The use of express lanes (ELs) in freeway traffic management has seen increasing popularity throughout the United States, particularly in Florida. These lanes aim at making the most efficient transportation system management and operations tool to provide a more reliable trip. An important component of ELs is the channelizing devices used to delineate the separation between the ELs and the general-purpose lane. With the upcoming changes to the FHWA Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, this study provided an opportunity to recommend changes affecting safety and efficiency on a nationwide level. It was important to understand the impacts on driver perception and performance in response to the color of the EL delineators. It was also valuable to understand the differences between demographics in responding to delineator colors under different driving conditions. The driving simulator was used to test the responses of several demographic groups to changes in marker color and driving conditions. Furthermore, participants were tested for several factors relevant to driving performance including visual and subjective responses to the changes in colors and driving conditions. Impacts on driver perception were observed via eye-tracking technology with changes to time of day, visibility, traffic density, roadway surface type, and, crucially, color of the delineating devices. The analyses concluded that white was the optimal and most significant color for notice of delineators across the majority of subjective and performance measures, followed by yellow, with black being the least desirable.

scholarly journals The cooperative and conflictual interactions between the United States, Russia, and China: A quantitative analysis of event data

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 1702-1720
Author(s):  
Lihua Yuan ◽  
Changqing Song ◽  
Changxiu Cheng ◽  
Shi Shen ◽  
Xiaoqiang Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Event Data

Manufacturing Distress: Race, Redevelopment, and the EB-5 Program in Central Brooklyn

2021 ◽  
pp. 089692052098661
Author(s):  
Amanda T. Boston
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Urban Space ◽  
Foreign Investment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Urban Neighborhoods ◽  
Uneven Development ◽  
Black Communities ◽  
Racial Inequalities ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
Job Growth

Gentrification’s racial consequences are garnering increased attention as the process advances into majority–minority urban neighborhoods. This study examines the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program’s implementation in Brooklyn, New York to ground these trends in policies through which gentrification is promoted, histories of racism and uneven development against which they are unfolding, and their disparate impacts on Black communities. While the program purports to use foreign investment to promote job growth in high unemployment areas, its financing of multimillion and billion-dollar development projects facilitates the displacement of longtime residents of the very places the initiative was designed to improve. Central Brooklyn and its outlying areas, home to one of the largest contiguous Black communities in the United States, are host to numerous EB-5 projects that have failed to produce sustainable job growth for existing residents and heightened the growing crisis of unaffordability. My analysis shows how EB-5 projects have enabled investors to use distressed areas disproportionately inhabited by poor and working-class Black communities to qualify for funding, while redistributing benefits upward to wealthy developers and affluent residents and consumers. Ultimately, the EB-5 program and other neoliberal, colorblind urban development policies exacerbate existing racial inequalities in the organization and operation of urban space.

Support for the Americans With Disabilities Act Among Nondisabled People

2021 ◽  
pp. 104420732110231
Author(s):  
Carli Friedman ◽  
Laura VanPuymbrouck
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Americans With Disabilities Act ◽  
A Priori ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Limited Participation ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Relationship

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) opened the doors to access and enhanced the civil rights of people with disabilities. However, a lack of accessibility to all segments of society continues throughout the United States and is frequently described by people with disabilities as a leading cause for limited participation. Beliefs and attitudes regarding disability can affect critical decisions regarding inclusion and people with disabilities’ civil rights. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore support and opposition to the ADA among nondisabled people. We had the following research questions: (a) What is the relationship between disability prejudice and support for the ADA? and (b) When controlling for disability prejudice, what other factors lead people to support the ADA? To do so, we examined secondary data from approximately 13,000 participants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Findings from this study revealed that people who oppose the ADA are significantly more prejudiced toward people with disabilities than people who support the ADA. Understanding and becoming aware of attitudes and prejudice toward persons with disabilities can be a first step toward dispelling such beliefs and possibly a priori step to achieving the intent and spirit of the ADA.

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