scholarly journals Improving the quality of life in cities using community gardens: from benefits for members to benefits for all local residents

GeoScape ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenka Dubová ◽  
Jan Macháč

Abstract Recent effects of globalization, urbanization and climate change have resulted in an increasing interest in the quality of life in cities and seeking pathways for its improvement. At the same time, there are changes in society and lifestyles that may challenge or facilitate these pathways. Community gardens (CGs) represent an effort to provide more sustainable urban economies, while reflecting on the public demand for cultivation of own crops. However, members of CGs may not perceive all the benefits that CGs provide for their surroundings. Using two case studied from Czechia (CG Kuchyňka and CG Vidimova in Prague) the aim of this paper is a comparison of the benefits perceived by community garden members and the evaluated net social benefits of community gardens in cities for all local residents. Through a questionnaire survey, the paper answers the research question of the benefits of community gardens perceived by community garden members. An economic assessment based on cost-benefit analysis was made to answer the question of the value of the net social benefits of community gardens in cities. Our comparison shows that the net social benefits are higher than perceived by their members. Net present benefits of EUR 31 550 for CG Kuchyňka and EUR 1 175 for CG Vidimova were quantified in a 50-year horizon. This economic analysis should contribute to greater support for community gardens by city governments and spatial planners.

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. 75-76
Author(s):  
Paul van Gils ◽  
Eelco Over ◽  
Anita Suijkerbuijk ◽  
Joran Lokkerbol ◽  
Ardine de Wit

INTRODUCTION:Due to their chronic nature and high prevalence, alcohol and cannabis addiction leads to a significant (disease) burden and high costs, both for those involved and for society. The latter includes effects on health care, quality of life, employment, criminality, education, social security, violence in the public and private domain, and traffic accidents. In the Netherlands, a considerable number of people with an alcohol or cannabis addiction currently do not receive addiction care. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is effective as a treatment for both alcohol and cannabis addiction and is widely used in specialized addiction care centers. This social cost-benefit analysis (SCBA) models costs and benefits of increasing the uptake of CBT for persons with an alcohol addiction and for adolescents with a cannabis addiction, taking into account a wide range of social costs and effects (1).METHODS:The method follows general Dutch guidance for performing SCBA. A literature search was conducted to evaluate efficacy of CBT for alcohol and cannabis dependence. In addition, the social costs of alcohol and cannabis addiction for society were mapped, and the costs of enhancing the uptake of CBT were explored. Costs and benefits of increased uptake of CBT for different social domains were modeled for a ten year period, and compared with current (unchanged) uptake during this period. Compliance problems (about 50 percent of clients do not finish CBT) and fall-back to addiction behavior (decrease of effects of CBT over time) were taken into account in model estimations.RESULTS:Per client treated with CBT, the estimated benefits to society are EUR10,000-14,000 and EUR9,700-13,000, for alcohol and cannabis addiction, respectively. These benefits result from reduced morbidity and mortality, improved quality of life, higher productivity, fewer traffic accidents, and fewer criminal activities.CONCLUSIONS:This SCBA shows that not only treated clients but also society will benefit from an increase in people treated with CBT in specialized addiction care centers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 5452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Schoen ◽  
Silvio Caputo ◽  
Chris Blythe

The value of urban farms and gardens in terms of their potential for supplying a healthy diet to local residents is well known. However, the prime objective of these spaces often differs from one of food production with this being the means by which other outputs are achieved. Valuing these spaces that provide diverse benefits is therefore a complex exercise as any measure needs to incorporate their physical as well as their social outputs. Only through such an integrated approach is the true value of these gardens revealed and the scale of their potential for contributing to health agendas made apparent. Social return on investment studies can be heavily resource dependent and the rapid cost benefit approach advanced here suggests that with limited expertise and minimal invasion of volunteer and beneficiary time and space, a public value return on investment ratio can be estimated relatively rapidly using an ‘off the shelf’ tool. For the food growing area of a London community garden, a return on investment of £3 for every £1 invested is calculated. This demonstrates the contribution that community gardens can make to social wellbeing within cities and justifies a call for further recognition of these spaces in urban planning policy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
E A B Over ◽  
P F van Gils ◽  
A W M Suijkerbuijk ◽  
J Lokkerbo ◽  
G A de Wit

Abstract Background A considerable number of people with an alcohol or cannabis addiction currently do not receive addiction care. Some hundreds of thousands persons in the Netherlands suffer from alcohol dependency, while some tens of thousands adolescents suffer from cannabis addiction. Methods A (hypothetically) enhanced uptake of CBT in specialized addiction care centers was modeled using the SCBA approach. Two SCBA’s were performed: one with respect to alcohol addiction and the other regarding cannabis addiction among adolescents. Results Per person treated with CGT, these benefits accumulate to about 12,000 euro (range 10.000 - 14.000 euro). These profits originate from improved health and less mortality, improved quality of life and higher productivity. A decrease in the number of persons with an alcohol addiction will also lead to lower costs for police and justice following from less criminal activities. Furthermore, CGT is effective as treatment for adolescents with cannabis addiction. Per person treated with CGT, societal benefits accumulate to about 11.000 euro (range 9.700 - 13.000 euro). Here, the net benefits arise from improved health, improved quality of life, reduced early school leaving and higher incomes for those clients who have successfully participated in CGT in addiction care. Conclusions This study shows that society can benefit from an increase in people treated with CGT in specialized addiction care. Such an increase in number of people treated could for instance be realized by educational programs for professionals who come across people with dependency problems, such as general practitioners, professionals working in emergency care and youth care.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-108
Author(s):  
Roshan Sebastian ◽  
William K. Gray ◽  
Aishling Foley ◽  
Lydia Trendall ◽  
Doori Oh ◽  
...  

Objectives: Previous studies have looked at the reasons for hospital admission in people with parkinsonism (PwP), yet few have looked at factors that precipitate admission. Methods: People with parkinsonism with a diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson disease of Hoehn and Yahr stage III-V and those with Parkinson plus syndromes were assessed for motor and nonmotor symptoms, quality of life, and functional performance. Logistic regression was used to investigate predictors of hospital admission over the subsequent 2 years. Results: Overall, 162 patients consented to be part of the study. Seventy-one PwP (43.8%) had at least 1 hospital admission, and 17 (10.5%) patients had 3 or more admissions to hospital. Poorer cognition, more nonmotor symptoms, poorer quality of life, slower timed-up-and-go test scores, and abnormal swallow predicted a subsequent hospital admission. Discussion: Our study emphasizes the importance of nonmotor symptoms in predicting admission. A cost–benefit analysis of early intervention to prevent admission should be considered.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
EDUARDO CHIERRITO-ARRUDA ◽  
SOLANGE FRANCI RAIMUNDO YAEGASHI ◽  
EDNEIA APARECIDA DE SOUZA PACCOLA ◽  
RUTE GROSSI-MILANI

Abstract The community gardens seek to ensure the promotion of healthy food and family economy. However, these areas demonstrate a potential for rescuing affective bonds and promoting the collectivity. The objective was to analyze the environmental perception and affections of the community garden program users in a city located in southern Brazil. 14 users were interviewed, mostly retired and over 60 years old. The Affective Maps Generator Tool was adapted to make the affections possible for interpretation. The content analysis found the perception of an environment that facilitates the psychological restoration, mental health, quality of life, environmental interactions, productivity, healthy diet and family economy. The affections experienced were often described with the intention to identify gardens as restorative environments and spaces that promote quality of life, which are important mediators of collectivity and the appropriation of environment.


2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1871-1878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Braga ◽  
Nicolò Pecorelli ◽  
Denise Ferrari ◽  
Gianpaolo Balzano ◽  
Walter Zuliani ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
John Bronsteen ◽  
Christopher Buccafusco ◽  
Jonathan Masur

Governments rely on certain basic metrics and tools to analyze prospective laws and policies and to monitor how well their countries are doing. In the United States, cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is the primary tool for analyzing prospective policies, especially with respect to administrative regulations. Similarly, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is perhaps the most prominent metric for monitoring a country's progress. In recent years, one of the most important developments in social science has been the emergence of psychological research measuring subjective well-being (SWB) or ‘happiness’. This article first explains the way in which SWB is measured and how those measurements have been validated. It then discusses well-being analysis (WBA), which uses happiness data to analyze prospective policies more accurately than does CBA. Next, it covers the ways in which SWB data have been used to generate prices that can be used by traditional economic analysis. This is followed by a discussion of attempts to revise CBA to deal with the limitations stemming from the fact that it uses wealth to assess the effects of policy on quality of life. Finally, the article lays out the progress made towards creating an SWB-based alternative to GDP.


2009 ◽  
Vol 101 (04) ◽  
pp. 674-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo Franchini ◽  
Annarita Tagliaferri ◽  
Antonio Coppola

SummaryA four-decade clinical experience and recent evidence from randomised controlled studies definitively recognised primary prophylaxis, i.e. the regular infusion of factor concentrates started after the first haemarthrosis and/or before the age of two years, as the first-choice treatment in children with severe haemophilia. The available data clearly show that preventing bleeding since an early age enables to avoid or reduce the clinical impact of muscle-skeletal impairment from haemophilic arthropathy and the related consequences in psycho-social development and quality of life of these patients. In this respect, the aim of secondary prophylaxis, defined as regular long-term treatment started after the age of two years or after two or more joint bleeds, is to avoid (or delay) the progression of arthropathy. The clinical benefits of secondary prophylaxis have been less extensively studied, especially in adolescents and adults; also in the latter better outcomes and quality of life for earlier treatment have been reported. This review summarises evidence from literature and current clinical strategies for prophylactic treatment in patients with severe haemophilia, also focusing on challenges and open issues (optimal regimen and implementation, duration of treatment, long-term adherence and outcomes, cost-benefit ratios) in this setting.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document