scholarly journals Is Urbanization Good for the Climate? A Cross-County Analysis of Impervious Surface, Affluence, and the Carbon Intensity of Well-Being

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 237802311989689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Trent Greiner ◽  
Daniel A. Shtob ◽  
Jordan Fox Besek
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Urban Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Impervious Surface ◽  
Random Coefficients ◽  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Median Income ◽  
Industrial Emissions ◽  
County Population ◽  
Social Settlement

We contribute to literature exploring the socioecological impact of urban development as a multidimensional project, one in which changes to landscape features complement changes in demographic and administrative measures to co-constitute the socioecological impact of urbanity. We use a random coefficients modeling approach to examine U.S. relationships between the intensity of impervious surface within a county, population density in impervious areas, and carbon intensity of well-being (CIWB)—here constructed using industrial emissions. We then explore the moderating association that another component of social settlement patterns, household median income, has on the impervious surface–population density–CIWB nexus. Findings suggest that landscapes featuring greater development of impervious surface are associated with increased CIWB. Further exploration indicates that income acts to attenuate the association of urban space and CIWB. Ultimately, we argue that such attenuation indicates that more affluent areas are able to shift production-based processes associated with urban forms to less affluent areas.

scholarly journals Does Gender Climate Influence Climate Change? The Multidimensionality of Gender Equality and Its Countervailing Effects on the Carbon Intensity of Well-Being

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3956
Author(s):  
Christina Ergas ◽  
Patrick Trent Greiner ◽  
Julius Alexander McGee ◽  
Matthew Thomas Clement
Keyword(s):  
Labor Force ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Ecological Efficiency ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
Force Increase ◽  
Women In Parliament ◽  
Women's Labor Force Participation ◽  
The Relationship

The carbon intensity of well-being (CIWB) (a ratio measuring the amount of CO2 emitted per unit of life expectancy at birth) is an increasingly popular way to measure the ecological efficiency of nations. Although research demonstrates that economic development typically reduces this efficiency, little research has explored the extent to which social equality improves it. This study uses panel data for 70 nations between 1995 and 2013 to assess how various aspects of gender equality affect the ecological efficiency of nations. We estimate a series of Prais-Winsten regression models with panel-corrected standard errors (PCSE) to assess how increases in the percentage of women in parliament, expected years of education for women, and the percentage of women in the labor force independently affect CIWB. Our findings indicate that across all nations, increases in the percentage of women in parliament and expected years of schooling reduce CIWB; however, increases in the percentage of women in the labor force increase CIWB. Our results further show that the relationship between different dimensions of gender equality and CIWB differs between more developed and less developed nations. Finally, we find that increases in the number of women in parliament and women’s education attenuate the relationship between women’s labor force participation and CIWB. We discuss the variation in our results by reviewing relevant eco-gender literatures and feminist economics.

Abstract W P48: Marked Regional Variation in Acute Stroke Treatment in Medicare Beneficiaries

Stroke ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James F Burke ◽  
Lesli E Skolarus ◽  
Eric E Adelman ◽  
Phillip A Scott ◽  
William J Meurer
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Acute Stroke ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Combined Therapy ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Median Income ◽  
Medicare Beneficiaries ◽  
Stroke Treatment ◽  
Acute Stroke Treatment ◽  
Iv Tpa

Objective: Regionalization of stroke care has occurred sporadically across the U.S, so determining realistic goal treatment rates for individual regions or the nation as a whole is challenging. Studies of a single hospital or region vary widely in estimates of eligibility for acute therapy and may have limited generalizability or biases. We hypothesized that the proportion of U.S. Medicare beneficiaries receiving acute stroke therapy varies by region. Treatment rates in high performing regions may represent realistic national goals and inform policy to increase treatment rates. Methods: All Medicare beneficiaries with a principal diagnosis of ischemic stroke (ICD-9 433.x1, 434.x1, 436) admitted through the emergency department were identified using MEDPAR files from 2007-2010. Receipt of IV tPA (DRG 559, MS-DRG 61-63, ICD-9 procedure code 99.10) or IA thrombolysis (CPT code 37184-6, 37201, 75896 via linked Medicare Carrier files) was determined. Patients were assigned to one of 3,436 Hospital Service Areas (HSA; local health care markets for hospital care) by zip code. Regional acute stroke treatment rates were calculated and the lowest and highest quintiles were compared. Multi-level logistic regression was used to adjust for individual demographics as well as regional population density, education, median income, and unemployment using linked census data. Model-based adjusted regional acute stroke treatment rates were estimated. Results: Of 916,232 stroke admissions 3.6% received IV tPA only and 0.6% received IA or combined therapy. Unadjusted treatment rates by region ranged from 0.8% (minimum) to 14.8% (maximum). Regional rates ranged from 1.7% (quintile 1) to 5.4% (quintile 5). Regions with higher education, population density and income had higher treatment rates (p <= 0.001). After adjustment, regional differences were attenuated slightly _ 1.9% (quintile 1) to 5.1% (quintile 5). Conclusions: Marked variation exists in acute stroke treatment rates by region, even after adjusting for patient and regional characteristics, supporting the perception that a major opportunity exists to improve acute stroke treatment within many HSAs.

World Society, World Polity, and the Carbon Intensity of Well-Being, 1990–2011

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Givens
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
World Society ◽  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Global Integration ◽  
World Polity ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Modeling Techniques ◽  
Developed Nations

Research on the carbon intensity of well-being (CIWB), a measure representing a country's development in terms of both environmental and human well-being, often explores the role of economic development, while the effects of other aspects of global integration remain under-explored. I use macro-comparative sociological perspectives to investigate the extent to which theories of global integration help explain variation in countries’ CIWB over time. I evaluate propositions drawn from neoinstitutional world society and world polity theories using longitudinal modeling techniques to analyze data from 81 countries from 1990 to 2011. I also examine subsets of more and less developed countries and compare production- and consumption-based measures of CIWB. I find that world society/world polity integration is associated with a reduction in CIWB only in more developed nations, and only when using the production measure for CO2 emissions, highlighting the complexities of sustainable development in an unequal global system.

scholarly journals Economic assessment of urban space and blue-green infrastructure in Singapore

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mabel Lim ◽  
Stefanos Xenarios
Keyword(s):  
Urban Space ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Economic Assessment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Urban Greenery

Abstract The urban conglomeration has accentuated the role of urban greenery as a determinant factor for sustainable living, especially in highly dense cities. The country of Singapore has consistently attempted to develop and rehabilitate urban greenery by attempting to align the green space policy with the pursuit of better life quality. In this study, we assess the benefits arising from the rehabilitated Bishan-Ang Mo Kio (AMK) Park in north Singapore and the effects on economic welfare. The Bishan-AMK Park was initially constructed in the late 70 s as a drainage area for the avoidance of flooding incidents. In 2012, a pilot project was introduced to create a blue-green infrastructure (BGI) space for the provision of drainage and flood prevention but also for recreational and environmental improvement in the area. Yet, the benefits emerging from BGI are not well explored and still underestimated. To this extent, we evaluate selected services related to recreational, socio-cultural and tourism-related values by indicating the economic benefits from the introduction of BGI in condensed urban environments like Singapore. The findings indicate that the benefits deriving from the selected services could be within the range of US$100 million to US$220 million with a mean value of US$160 million per year by substantially contributing to human well-being. The assessment of environmental services can raise the awareness of residents and local authorities on the contribution of urban greenery to livelihoods and economic development in Singapore and similar densely populated areas.

scholarly journals Parklet: A New Urban Platform for Emergent Forms of Communication and Social Interaction in the Cities

2019 ◽  
pp. 571-578
Author(s):  
Mona Ghandi
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Urban Space ◽  
Structural Engineering ◽  
Adaptive Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Learning By Doing ◽  
Zoning Regulations ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Design Build ◽  
Construction Strategies

Social interaction is critical to the physical and intellectual well-being of a functioning democracy. The excessive influence of technology and lack of urban design and planning’s attention to pedestrian experience has caused our interactions to become more private, isolated, and mostly virtual. The following project presents the product of a design-build studio which uses adaptive/Kinetic systems to generate a creative solution to this social problem. Specifically, it will showcase the efforts of students working on a Parklet project, repurposing urban space to advance local business ethics and social justice issues. The Parklet replaces a parking space, fostering increases in social connections, public vibrancy, and support for local businesses. To move beyond schematic design, and offer students an experiment in real-world design issues, this studio provided a hands-on atmosphere for collaborative and consensus design experience, learning-by-doing, detailing challenges, and offsite construction strategies. It was structured to promote lessons in collaboration, construction detailing and process, and adaptive design, including working with city officials to meet code and zoning regulations. Since the project’s site is located in a neighboring city, students prefabricated the pieces in school and shipped and assembled them on site in one day. The studio sought to promote CAAD education, teaching design, and construction, but also innovation and entrepreneurship, through computational technology. The pedagogical framework was defined around various considerations such as structural, functional, financial, aesthetical, technological, and collaboration with other disciplines such as structural engineering and construction management

scholarly journals Student Homelessness: Sheltering Our Future: An Adaptable Approach to Underutilised City Spaces

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Caryl Ramos
Keyword(s):  
Urban Space ◽  
Modular Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Test Site ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Homeless Population ◽  
Future Application ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Urban Context ◽  
The City

<p>The increasing housing demands from population growth creates a persistent housing shortage and unaffordability in our cities. Students are one demographic that is dramatically affected as they move closer to their education provider for study. The student influx at the start of the semester creates a large demand in the already inadequate housing market. Students with a limited budget have reduced accommodation options and this consequently drives many into a state of homelessness. A study from University of Otago measures that over a quarter of New Zealand’s homeless population are students (Amore, 2016). This considerable number of students are living in cars, tents, couch-surfing and sleeping rough for weeks during their studies. The desperate situation impinges on the student’s health and well-being and thus their academic performance.  In this context, the scope of this research focuses on the requirements of homeless tertiary students in the urban setting. Their vulnerability, insecurity and distress are explored to provide direction to solutions that will alleviate the existing problems of their insufficient living environments. As proximity to the education providers and amenities are key factors, this thesis examines underutilised and leftover spaces within the city as opportunities for inhabitation, and to create efficient use of urban space. Currently, there are successful examples of activating overlooked laneways into vibrant spaces. However, these transformations rely on the activities in the lane and the interventions are largely landscaping and installations. By investigating the successful regeneration of previously undesirable and neglected spaces through architectural re-imagination, this thesis identify laneways to be a potential site to the urgent need for shelters.  The architectural experiments and design development are informed by the combination of site challenges and programme to form an overall design-led research. The thesis tests how temporary modular design has a significant role in the design of economic and adaptable solutions for the increasing issue of homelessness. This establishes that through a critical design, we may shelter those in desperate need within the urban context. The architecture provides a safe environment that is empathetic to its users and the larger urban scale while also creating a statement and awareness to homelessness. The thesis concludes with the design framework for a single test site and assesses its suitability for future application to other leftover spaces in the city.</p>

scholarly journals NWS Tornado Warnings with Zero or Negative Lead Times

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Brotzge ◽  
S. Erickson
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Lead Time ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Weather Forecast ◽  
Sociological Factors ◽  
Tornado Warnings ◽  
County Population ◽  
Tornado Warning ◽  
Tornado Event ◽  
Difficult Challenge

Abstract During a 5-yr period of study from 2000 to 2004, slightly more than 10% of all National Weather Service (NWS) tornado warnings were issued either simultaneously as the tornado formed (i.e., with zero lead time) or minutes after initial tornado formation but prior to tornado dissipation (i.e., with “negative” lead time). This study examines why these tornadoes were not warned in advance, and what climate, storm morphology, and sociological factors may have played a role in delaying the issuance of the warning. This dataset of zero and negative lead time warnings are sorted by their F-scale ratings, geographically by region and weather forecast office (WFO), hour of the day, month of the year, tornado-to-radar distance, county population density, and number of tornadoes by day, hour, and order of occurrence. Two key results from this study are (i) providing advance warning on the first tornado of the day remains a difficult challenge and (ii) the more isolated the tornado event, the less likelihood that an advance warning is provided. WFOs that experience many large-scale outbreaks have a lower proportion of warnings with negative lead time than WFOs that experience many more isolated, one-tornado or two-tornado warning days. Monthly and geographic trends in lead time are directly impacted by the number of multiple tornado events. Except for a few isolated cases, the impacts of tornado-to-radar distance, county population density, and storm morphology did not have a significant impact on negative lead-time warnings.

scholarly journals Urban River Reserve Potentials as Passive Cooling Strategies

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 ◽  
pp. 05006
Author(s):  
Siti Rahmah Omar ◽  
Johan Sohaili ◽  
Nur Hidayah Abd Rahman ◽  
Norhazren Izatie Mohd
Keyword(s):  
Urban Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical Structure ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Urban River ◽  
Passive Cooling ◽  
Cooling Strategies ◽  
Planning And Design ◽  
Technical Requirements ◽  
Physical Attributes

In Malaysia, urban riparian refers to river reserve that reflects green space. As surviving greenery space amidst concrete jungle, urban riparian is essential for safe-keeping the river health, the surrounding environment, and the well-being of urbanites. The existing developments found by the Malaysian riversides are already in place prior to river reserves establishment, thus constricting expansion and synchronisation due to its guidelines applied in isolation within several related agencies. Prior studies have highlighted the potential of riparian vegetation as a viable method that lowers the temperature within urban space. Hence, this paper probes into the potential of river reserve as a passive cooling strategy by determining the vegetation technical requirements from the light of urban river physical planning and design guidelines in Malaysia. Thus, this study outlines the possibility of integration by comparing vegetation requirements for river buffer with vegetation function and ability in altering radiation, as well as heat transfer, through physical attributes. By focusing on vegetation physical structure, the riparian area can attain multiple functions and benefits. Thus, this finding serves as a basis for integration of passive cooling strategies with vegetation requirements for urban river reserve, and for further studies that investigate other essential physical attributes.

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