The Quality of the Living Environment versus Natural Factors – the Case Study of Olsztyn

Author(s):  
Monika Wasilewicz-Pszczółkowska ◽  
Agnieszka Szczepanska

Current social requirements concerning the living environment tend to be more and more related to the natural values of the urban space. People are aware of the fact that contact with nature is extremely important for of mental and physical health. Therefore, the quality of the natural environment around the place of living influences the quality of life. The studies confirm that the presence of natural elements in the urban space may expressly affect the improvement of this quality. An example of a city with high quality of life is represented by Olsztyn, the capital of the Warmian- Masurian Province, located within the borders of the functional area of the Green Lungs of Poland, which is characterized by the particularly valuable quality of its natural environment. This is confirmed by the results of the social Diagnosis dated 2015, which put Olsztyn in 4th place among the largest Polish cities in the ranking concerning the quality of life. It is also influenced by the quality of the natural environment, which in the case of Olsztyn is manifested in a large number of green areas and standing bodies of water located within the administrative borders of the city. The aim of this paper is to compare the quality of the living environment of individual boroughs of Olsztyn conditioned by the natural elements (greenery, bodies of water, air, noise) in relation to the received public opinion polling results.

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10

The dance has been increasingly sought as a practice of alternative physical activity to improve the quality of life and valorization of self-esteem among other benefits. This work is a study conducted in a neighborhood association in the city of Capão do Leão-RS. The aim of this study was to investigate the benefits of dance related to quality of life, relating the empowerment of women when practicing dance. The research is of a qualitative nature, with a bibliographical character using a questionnaire as an instrument. The methodology of the case study conducted in the Associação Família Pela Vida (AFAVI) founded more than two years ago, is located in the city of Capão do Leão-RS, in the neighborhood Jardim América in the South zone of the state. In this space are provided activities for the community in general, among which we highlight the dance classes (rhythms) with a class of 22 women, these classes have the purpose of socialization, quality of life and integralization. According to the results it is concluded that these activities can really influence in the lives of these women valuing the social, emotional side and fighting the sedentarism in their daily life.


Author(s):  
Alicja Szerląg ◽  
Arkadiusz Urbanek ◽  
Kamila Gandecka

Background: The analysis has involved social interactions in a multicultural environment. The social context has been defined by the Vilnius region (Lithuania), where national, religious, and cultural differences exist across generations (multicultural community). The space of “social relationships”, as one of the modules of the WHO quality of life assessment, has been studied. An innovation of the research has been related to the analysis of the phenomenon of community of nationalities and cultures as a predictor of quality of life (QoL). The social motive of the research has been the historical continuity (for centuries) of the construction of the Vilnius cultural borderland. Here, the local community evolves from a group of many cultures to an intercultural community. Interpreting the data, therefore, requires a long perspective (a few generations) to understand the quality of relationships. We see social interactions and strategies for building them as a potential for social QoL in multicultural environments. Methods: The research has been conducted on a sample of 374 respondents, including Poles (172), Lithuanians (133), and Russians (69). A diagnostic poll has been used. The respondents were adolescents (15–16 years). The research answers the question: What variables form the interaction strategies of adolescents in a multicultural environment? The findings relate to interpreting the social interactions of adolescents within the boundaries of their living environment. The description of the social relations of adolescents provides an opportunity to implement the findings for further research on QoL. Results: An innovative outcome of the research is the analysis of 3 interaction strategies (attachment to national identification, intercultural dialogue, and multicultural community building) as a background for interpreting QoL in a multicultural environment. Their understanding is a useful knowledge for QoL researchers. The data analysis has taken into account cultural and generational (historical) sensitivities. Therefore, the team studying the data has consisted of researchers and residents of the Vilnius region. We used the interaction strategies of adolescents to describe the category of “social relationships” in nationally and culturally diverse settings.


Author(s):  
Aleksandar Videnovic ◽  
Milos Arandjelovic

The architecture of public buildings in rural areas, through the advancement of skills, knowledge, technologies, and materials, has become increasingly representative in recent decades, especially considering tourism as a global theme. The work is related to the planning of visitor centers in rural areas and the main task is defined by the effort to improve the quality of life in such areas, that is, highlight the major advantages in space, such as the natural environment. The aim of the research is defined by establishing certain elements in the planning of the visitor centers within the idea of promoting local values and cultural heritage. The first part of the chapter has been defined as an analysis of the theoretical views. The second part of the study has been defined as an analysis of the visitor centers. Through a case study, in the third part of the chapter, the work presents a comparative overview of the process to achieve two individual similar investments in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.


Author(s):  
Camilla Aparecida Silva de Oliveira ◽  
Andréa Maria Duarte Vargas ◽  
Fernanda de Morais Ferreira ◽  
Efigênia Ferreira e Ferreira

(1) Objective: To understand the perception of Brazilian children about the Quality of Life (QoL) considering their living environment. (2) Methods: This is a qualitative study conducted with children aged 6–10 years, from a medium-sized Brazilian municipality, recruited from public and private schools. An adaptation of the “draw, write, and say” method was used to collect data. At first, all children (n = 252) drew a “neighborhood with QoL”. On the same day, the researcher analyzed the graphic elements of the representations and intentionally selected the two best-detailed drawings from each class (n = 49) and the children were invited to narrate them. The narratives were analyzed through content analysis. (3) Results: Two major themes emerged from the content analysis, namely, the physical environment and social environment. The first included the needs to live in a community, such as housing, places of leisure, essential services, and natural elements. The second was relationships with family and friends. (4) Conclusion: The children presented the meaning of an environment with QoL, pointing out essential items to have this ideal environment. The social environment and the physical environment were perceived interdependently; that is, any change in one of these aspects may affect children’s QoL.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Christos Stamopoulos ◽  
Eleni Theodoropoulou

The present paper investigates the characteristics and best construction strategies of smart cities around the world, as well as the determining factors of the satisfaction of the quality of life and the importance of the value of environmental sustainability. A case study of the city of Kalampaka and its residents was examined. The survey was conducted between July 2016 and August 2016. The selection of the sample was done by using the method of simple selection and includes a random sample of N=150 individuals. Statistical analysis showed that resident’s knowledge about smart cities was fairly good (48% of sample knew the phrase “smart cities”). Furthermore, they believe that the appearance of the city of Kalampaka needs improvement (75% of sample is disappointed with the current appearance of the city). Regression analysis showed that the value of environmental sustainability is greatly influenced by the energy saving, as well as, innovation has an impact on the level of quality of life. Older people seem to be satisfied with administration’s efforts.


2013 ◽  
pp. 9-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Adam Perdue

Populations in contemporary cities are being measured, analyzed, or represented in less than optimal ways. Conventional methods of measuring density of populations in cities rely on calculating the number of people living within a bounded surface space. This approach fails to account for the multiple floor residential patterns of the contemporary urban landscape and exposes the vertical space problem in population analytics. To create an accurate representation of people in contemporary urban spaces, a move beyond the conventional conception of density is needed. This research aims to find a more appropriate solution to mapping humans in cities by employing a dasymetric method to represent the distribution of people in a city of vertical residential structures. The methodology creates an index to classify the amount of floor space for each person across the extent of the city, a metric called the personal space measure. The personal space measure is juxtaposed with the conventional population density measurements to provide a unique perspective on how population is concentrated across the urban space. The personal space metric demonstrates how improved metrics can be employed to better understand the social and structural landscape of cities. Chicago, with a large population and a high vertical extent, makes an ideal case study to develop a methodology to capture the phenomena of urban living in the 21st century and to explain alternative approaches to accurately and intelligently analyze the contemporary urban space.


Urban Studies ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 705-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Edson Jones ◽  
Michael Granzow ◽  
Rob Shields

In the highly competitive landscape of global cities and entrepreneurial urbanism, the development goals of cities are increasingly framed through discourses of ‘innovation’. In this paper we critically examine this relationship through a case study exploring the attempt to build a nanotechnology sector in Edmonton, Alberta. Adopting a collaborative research methodology involving citizen engagement and urban touring, we explore participant representations of Edmonton as an ‘innovative city’. The conversations we had with participants follow some common themes within an emerging literature on innovation geographies, for instance as related to network collaborations and quality of life. However, participants furthermore articulated innovation pathways which were more closely linked to local identities and values within the city, including negative place narratives. We argue that paying attention to these ‘virtues of place’ can assist cities to counteract trends towards the homogenisation of urban innovation strategy, and affix the ‘innovative city’ to more socially robust articulations of the future prosperity and the possibility of place.


2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 303-310
Author(s):  
Verônica de Freitas ◽  
◽  
Luzenira Alves Brasileiro ◽  

Traffic is getting increasingly chaotic and the jams are getting more and more frequent in such way that people's lives in cities are being affected with reduced quality of life due to the time spent to come and go for everyday tasks, therefore the importance of studying traffic demands for installation of cycle routes in order to contribute to the reduce the usage of motorized vehicles. This case study was held in the city of Presidente Epitácio-SP, applying 1763 questionnaires which were applied in a total of 41.511 inhabitants. The number of questionnaires that were applied were defined by the statistical method Simple Random Sampling (AAS). These data from the questionnaires resulted in matrices source destination, S/D, via Google Maps software, which allowed the research to obtain the main mode used, and the greater flow routes. Non-motorized modes predominated in results in 50%, thus clearly showing the necessity for cycle lanes in the aforementioned town.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-20
Author(s):  
N. K. Nurlanova ◽  
F. G. Alzhanova ◽  
Z. T. Satpayeva

In Kazakhstan, in recent years, there has been an intensification of urbanization processes due to the uncontrolled migration of rural population to cities. In this regard, there arise the number of problems related to ensuring the quality of life in cities.The purpose of this article is to assess the quality of urban space and its role in sustainable economic development on Almaty example. When assessing the quality of space in Almaty’s districts, there were calculated the groups of indicators that reflect the basic characteristics of a modern city: safety, comfort, ecology, diversity, modernity, business environment, quality of life, social development and human capital. Data from open sources were used: Department of statistics of Almaty, Committee on legal statistics and special accounts of the General prosecutor’s office of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Department of emergency situations of Almaty.The study concluded that the spatial development of Almaty is uneven. Four types of territories were identified in the city structure: the historic center, integrated with the adjoining business center; microdistricts of mass housing development (sleeping areas); old areas of low-rise buildings and private households; new annexed areas that are characterized by unregulated individual housing construction. As a result of the analysis, it was concluded that the quality of urban space is an important factor in the sustainable economic development of the city, in particular business.It was also concluded that it is necessary to develop a universal system of urban development indicators for use on an ongoing basis by representatives of business and the Akimat of Almaty in order to more fully identify the problems of urban space development, develop and implement strategic plans for the city’s development, as well as urban researchers.


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