Phenomenon of Urban Agriculture and Its Role in Shaping Sustainable Cities

The rapid growth and development of the world have lead to significant changes in the expansion of urban sprawl, land distribution, and the general functioning model of modern cities. The problems connected to ecology, economy, human physical and mental well-being become more urgent with every day under the influence of arising deficiency of open green spaces, nutritional security, and sustainable financial models for small-scale businesses within the cities; and not only affect regular citizens but also general tendencies of urban and landscape planning that are supposed to deal with those issues. One of the tools aimed at combating them for the past decades has been an increasingly popular urban agriculture, particularly chosen as a studying object of interest for this publication. The following paper represents complex research conducted in an integrated manner by reviewing the overall phenomenon of urban agriculture and its pioneering practices; determining the key components of their successful functioning and positive ways of affecting surroundings; and consequently forming the list of concluding recommendations for planning and management of such structures. As the main methods of research, the selective case study, describing principal features of such initiatives, and relevant literature analysis for the fundamental information gathering were applied by the author. The results of the research were composed into the summarizing table highlighting core data and supporting developed conclusion based on examination and designing suggestion for interested parties.

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Creative practice in a group setting

Mental Health and Social Inclusion ◽

10.1108/mhsi-04-2015-0014 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 141-147 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Elaine Argyle ◽

Gary Winship

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Inclusion ◽

Service Use ◽

Relevant Literature ◽

Well Being ◽

Mental Health Service Use ◽

Group Setting ◽

Content Type ◽

Creative Practice ◽

Mental Well Being

Purpose – Involvement in creative practice is commonly regarded as “therapeutic” but what is actually meant by this and how does this work promote social inclusion and mental well-being, particularly when performed in a group setting? Drawing on the findings of a research project called Clay Transformations (AHRC), the purpose of this paper is to consider these questions. The project involved running a series of clay workshops aimed at people with experience of mental health service use and those who work with them. Design/methodology/approach – In order to explore the significance of art involvement to people who use mental health services, qualitative research findings are presented. These are then linked to relevant literature in order to consider the way in which workshop participation helped to promote social inclusion and mental well-being. Findings – Many benefits were gained from workshop attendance deriving from involvement in the process and the outcome of art creation. These benefits were enhanced by the group context in which the work took place and the mutual support and interaction arising from this group membership. Originality/value – The recognition of the therapeutic value of creative practice has been accompanied by the emergence of the notion of “mutual recovery” which extends the concept of recovery beyond an individualised focus. The positive findings of this project uphold these developments and suggest that mental health practice should address the wider social contexts that can facilitate the promotion of mental well-being.

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PUTTING A STICKING PLASTER ON A GAPING WOUND – EXPLORING THE PROVISION BEING MADE IN ENGLISH SECONDARY SCHOOLS TO SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH AND MENTAL WELL-BEING

The Buckingham Journal of Education ◽

10.5750/tbje.v1i1.1838 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Max Coates ◽

Domini Bingham

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Secondary Schools ◽

Well Being ◽

Small Scale ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

The Media ◽

Examination Stress ◽

The Uk ◽

Mental Well Being ◽

Pastoral Staff

The article presents a small-scale study utilising both questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Against the backdrop of widespread interest in the area of mental health/well- being by the UK government and also by the media, the study starts to explore the provision being made by secondary schools. The study suggests that the actions being taken nationally lack coherence. Even within the schools themselves, there is evidence of a fragmented approach as mental health/well-being initiatives are added to existing provision being offered by pastoral staff and formally appointed councillors. As new waves of pressure from social media, gender identity, examination stress and personal identity are held to impact mental health/well-being issues schools understand themselves as being the first responder. In turn, the majority of those interviewed in the study have a perception that support services such as Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and educational psychologists are less accessible as a result of budgetary constraints.

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Perceived Overprotection and Its Association With Quality of Life in Dementia

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000207 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 125-134

Author(s):

Mechthild Niemann-Mirmehdi ◽

Andreas Häusler ◽

Paul Gellert ◽

Johanna Nordheim

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Patient Autonomy ◽

Positive Association ◽

Well Being ◽

Negative Association ◽

Significant Positive Association ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

People With Dementia ◽

Mental Well Being

Abstract. To date, few studies have focused on perceived overprotection from the perspective of people with dementia (PwD). In the present examination, the association of perceived overprotection in PwD is examined as an autonomy-restricting factor and thus negative for their mental well-being. Cross-sectional data from the prospective DYADEM study of 82 patient/partner dyads (mean age = 74.26) were used to investigate the association between overprotection, perceived stress, depression, and quality of life (QoL). The analyses show that an overprotective contact style with PwD has a significant positive association with stress and depression, and has a negative association with QoL. The results emphasize the importance of avoiding an overprotective care style and supporting patient autonomy.

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