scholarly journals Time for action. Implementing the New Urban Agenda in public spaces for health and wellbeing

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregor H. Mews ◽  
Milica Muminovic ◽  
Paul Tranter
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
City Development ◽  
Collective Wisdom ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Modern Cities ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
New Urban Agenda

Urban Agendas are important guiding tools that frame thinking and point to major directions and changes needed. The dominant planning and city development practices in the 20th century resulted in the proliferation of modern cities that brought numerous problems that urban planners and designers are still dealing with. Do we have the capacity and appropriate tools to change the cities of tomorrow to make them more liveable places?The challenges may seem overwhelming. However, there are advantages in strategies that combine acting locally and synergising with other places. Using insights from the Urban Synergies Group this paper represents a summary of initial pathways that may effectively implement the NUA (New Urban Agenda) – a collective vision for sustainable and healthy cities. To address the main issues of the NUA we discuss five key themes. First, we consider the level of commitment to achieve healthier cities for all during the 9th World Urban Forum (WUF 9). Second, we narrow our focus to examine child health and well-being. Third, we introduce an exemplary collaboration that harnesses collective wisdom through empowerment of participants. Fourth, we provide the rationale for the focus on public space. Within the fifth point we summarise tangible actions within the nexus of child health and public space that help to implement the NUA on the ground.

scholarly journals Public Space in the New Urban Agenda. The Challenge of Implementation

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Elmlund ◽  
Tigran Haas ◽  
Michael Mehaffy
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sustainable Urban Development ◽  
Cultural Expression ◽  
Social And Economic Development ◽  
Being There ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
New Urban Agenda

The New Urban Agenda – the landmark 2016 agreement for sustainable urban development that has now been adopted by consensus by 193 nations – contains no fewer than nine paragraphs extensively discussing the importance of public space.  Among other things, the document describes public spaces as “drivers of social and economic development,” “enhancing safety and security, favoring social and inter-generational interaction and the appreciation of diversity” and “promoting walkability and cycling towards improving health and well-being.” There is also language on the role of public space in enhancing ecological sustainability and resilience, on equity and opportunity, on connectivity and social inclusion, on cultural expression and dialogue, and on broader human development (United Nations, 2017).

scholarly journals We the public space. Strategies to deal with inequalities in order to achieve inclusive and sustainable urban environments

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Bravo
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Design Management ◽  
Kuala Lumpur ◽  
True Nature ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
New Urban Agenda

At the Ninth session of the World Urban Forum, convened by UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, held on 7-13 February 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, City Space Architecture was selected to coordinate a networking event, which took place on Sunday February 11 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.The networking event was intended to be an effective contribution to the discussion related to improvement of human health and well-being, overcoming discrimination and inequalities, thus giving rights to vulnerable community-groups. Those references are relevant both for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and for the achievement of the SDGs. Human health and well-being are strongly related to public space and the way it is designed and managed. Nowadays we often record the increasingly privatisation of the public domain in direct and indirect ways; also, the lack of facilities to access, live and enjoy the public space often isolate communities, limiting their freedom to engage into the public sphere. We mainly refer to public space's cultural richness, identity and diversity, but in our contemporary times public space is dealing more and more with inequalities, poverty and conflicts. Public spaces are meant to be open, inclusive and democratic, but today we see physical, social and economic barriers that challenge the true nature of public space: economic issues, social and cultural segregation, huge real estate investments, privatization trends and gentrification processes are dominating aspirations of local communities and different social groups. We also experience theoretical barriers to an open discussion on public space: the discourse is often limited to specific national or linguistic areas and the dominance of exempla from the so-called global West or global North are limiting our knowledge about public space, often imposing an oversimplified view of public space design, management and use. Those barriers, physical and theoretical, are a threat to our communities in terms of access to basic needs; they are also an obstacle for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and its principles.

scholarly journals Health and Happiness in the New Urban Agenda: The Central Role of Public Space

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 5891
Author(s):  
Michael W. Mehaffy
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Framework Agreement ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Life Aspirations ◽  
New Urban Agenda

The New Urban Agenda—the global urbanization framework agreement adopted by acclamation by all 193 countries of the United Nations—contains no fewer than eight paragraphs on the importance of public space, three of which outline its role in achieving “human health and well-being”, “attractive and liveable cities”, and “physical and mental health”. However, there is an urgent need to translate these and other quality of life aspirations contained in this landmark document into measurable targets, tools, and strategies to achieve outcomes. This paper examines the core theories that connect health and well-being to public space as reflected in the document, surveying some of the most relevant research in the field. It then analyzes the document text to identify a number of potentially useful indicators. Finally, it proposes a framework for data gathering, assessment, and iterative progress in achieving the stated goals, concluding with an overview of emerging research and practice, and proposed next steps.

Perceived partner responsiveness, responsive parenting and child health and well-being

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Kane ◽  
Erin T. Tobin ◽  
Daniel J. Saleh ◽  
Sylvie Naar-King ◽  
Wayne Pierantoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Responsive Parenting ◽  
Perceived Partner Responsiveness ◽  
Partner Responsiveness ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
And Child Health

scholarly journals Boosting urban health and well-being through cross-sectoral cooperation

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Liinamo ◽  
K Matinheikki-Kokko ◽  
I Gobina ◽  
A Villeruša
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract In the future, health promotion would require developed strategies that lead to stronger cross-sectoral cooperation. Cross-sectoral cooperation enables the integration of fragmented resources and competencies, which benefit service solutions for urban health. Healthy Boost “Urban Labs for Better Health for All in the Baltic Sea Region”, funded by the EU Interreg Baltic Sea Region -program, aims to develop the Model for cross-sectoral cooperation, which will be tested in the cities of the Baltic Sea Region during 2020-21. The self-assessment tool for cross-sectoral cooperation was developed, and the self-assessment among the nine cities in seven countries from the Baltic Sea Region was conducted in 2019. The results indicated to what extent the staff (n = 329) in the cities have recognized the cross-sectoral cooperation for health and wellbeing as strategically crucial in their policies, communication, and in the design of their organizational functions. The daily practices were evaluated in terms of how systematically cities have implemented cross-sector actions for health and wellbeing. The biggest challenges for cooperating across sectors for the cities were coordination and systematic identification of the community needs for health promotion. The cooperative actions were less systematic than expected in the strategic approach. The variation among respondents' assessments was high within the cities that lead to a conclusion about existing gaps in coordination, communication, and leadership of cross-sectoral work within the cities. The Likert type self-assessment measurement was statistically reliable in both strategic and operational dimensions of cooperation. Key messages Evaluation and measurements are needed to identify cross-sectoral actions to health and well-being. The evidence-based Model developed in the Healthy Boost project will guide partners towards systematic cross-sectoral cooperation processes.

Variation in Generational Perceptions of Child Health and Well-being

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 384-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary L. Freed ◽  
Matthew M. Davis ◽  
Dianne C. Singer ◽  
Acham Gebremariam ◽  
Sara L. Schultz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Generational Perceptions ◽  
Health And Well Being

scholarly journals Identifying and overcoming barriers to healthier lives

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riz Firestone ◽  
Tevita Funaki ◽  
Sally Dalhousie ◽  
Akarere Henry ◽  
Mereaumate Vano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Healthier Living ◽  
Sociocultural Experiences ◽  
Diet And Lifestyle ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Improve Health

Understanding the key determinants of health from a community perspective is essential to address and improve the health and wellbeing of its members.  This qualitative study aimed to explore and better understand New Zealand-based Pasifika communities’ sociocultural experiences and knowledge of health and wellbeing. Fifty-seven participants were involved in six separate focus groups. Community coordinators co-facilitated and transcribed the discussions and conducted thematic analysis. The findings suggested two overarching themes: (1) ‘Pasifika experiences on poor health and well-being’: were based on sub-themes: (i) ‘recognisable issues’ (e.g., poor diet and lifestyle behaviours); (ii) ‘systemic issues’ that support the perpetual health issues (e.g., lack of knowledge and education) and; (iii) ‘profound issues’ that are often unspoken of and create long-term barriers (e.g., cultural lifestyle and responsibilities).  (2) ‘Hopes and dreams’ to improve health and well-being requires: (i) a family-centric approach to health; (ii) tackling systemic barriers; and (iii) addressing community social justice issues.  This study provides deepened insights on Pasifika communities’ understanding healthier living in the context of their cultural environment and family responsibilities. If we are to develop effective, sustainable programmes that prioritises health and well-being based on the needs of Pasifika communities, the findings from this study highlight their needs as step forward in overcoming barriers to healthier lives.

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