Challenges and Opportunities for Public Participation in Urban and Regional Planning during the COVID-19 Pandemic—Lessons Learned for the Future

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred significant changes in the fields of economic development, social issues, everyday life, etc. Activities that used to depend on face-to-face communication were firstly suspended and then shifted to new forms of communication. This includes the public participation process in urban and spatial planning. Therefore, this study explores the new domain developed in urban and spatial planning with regard to public participation and surmises future realms in the post-pandemic era. On the occasion of the virtual collaboration platform Cyber Agora organized by the ISOCARP (International Society of City and Regional Planners), chosen participants got together virtually to share, discuss, and compare their practical knowledge in public participation before and during COVID-19. In addition, they addressed the potential benefits of shifting from traditional to virtual participation and potential benefits in the post-COVID-19 era. Considering the collected data and understanding them in the light of the available literature, this study concludes that the application of a combined approach (using both traditional and virtual modes of participation) is recommended because it would enable a larger number and higher diversity of participants. The study also elaborates particular modes of virtual participation with the pros and cons of their use in a particular context.

THE WOUNDED SELF AND THE DISMEMBERED FLESH: ANTHROPOLOGICAL SENSE OF COMMUNICATION DYSFUNCTIONS

В статье анализируются коммуникативные дисфункции между пациентами, генетиками-консультантами и врачами в практиках медико-генетического консультирования. Несмотря на очевидную полезность генетических рекомендаций для консультируемого и членов его семьи, а также факт оплаты им услуги консультирования, он (консультируемый) этим рекомендациям часто не следует, подвергая и свою жизнь, и жизнь близких опасности. Как понять эту странность? В качестве виртуального участия в гибридном форуме, обсуждаются два казуса из практики генетического консультирования, которые, при существенном сходстве ситуации, отличаются друг от друга наличием или отсутствие доверия пациентов к научному знанию и экспертным суждениям генетика консультанта. В целях теоретического истолкования поставленной проблемы вводится предположение о самости как коммуникативной дисфункции, которая диагностируется в различных ценностных координатах либо как некомплаентность (noncomplience) в директивных моделях консультирования, либо как отказ от сотрудничества (nonadherence) в недирективных. Если же учесть, что в основе медицины как культурной практики лежит чувство солидарности перед лицом телесного страдания, то в этом плане странное, контрпродуктивное поведение пациента может указывать на наличие глубоких проблем в основах современной социальности. Предлагается формулировка нарративного императива. The article analyzes communication dysfunctions between patients, consulting geneticists and doctors in the practice of medical genetic counseling. Despite the obvious usefulness of genetic advice for the counseled and their family members, as well as the fact that patients pay for counseling services, they (the counseled) often do not follow these recommendations, putting both their own lives and the lives of the loved ones at risk. How to understand this oddity? As a virtual participation in a hybrid forum, two cases from the practice of genetic counseling are discussed, which, with a significant similarity of the situation, differ from each other in the presence or absence of patient confidence in the scientific knowledge and expert judgments of the geneticist. In order to theoretically interpret the problem posed, an assumption is introduced about the self as a communication dysfunction, which is diagnosed in various value coordinates either as noncompliance in directive models of counseling, or as nonadherence in non-directive ones. If we consider that medicine as a cultural practice is based on a sense of solidarity in the face of bodily suffering, then, in this regard, the patient’s strange, counterproductive behavior may indicate the presence of deep problems in the foundations of modern sociality. The formulation of the narrative imperative is proposed.

Patient characteristics associated with the successful transition to virtual care: Lessons learned from the first million patients

Introduction The increased use of telehealth to maintain ambulatory care during the COVID-19 pandemic had potential to exacerbate or diminish disparities in access to care. Objective The purpose of this study was to describe patient characteristics associated with successful transition from in-person to virtual care, and video vs audio-only participation. Methods This was a retrospective analysis of electronic health record data from all patients with ambulatory visits from 1 October 2019–30 September 2020 in a large integrated health system in the Northeast USA. The outcome of interest was receipt of virtual care, and video vs audio-only participation. We matched home addresses with census-tract level area social vulnerability index (SVI) and Internet access. Among ambulatory care patients, we used logistic regression to identify characteristics associated with virtual participation. Among virtual participants, we identified characteristics associated with video vs audio-only visits. Results Among 1,241,313 patients, 528,542 (42.6%) were virtual participants. Relative to in-person only, virtual participants were older, more often English-proficient and with activated patient portal. Characteristics associated with virtual participation included patients with: only behavioural health visits, COVID patients, highest quartile of visit frequency, and multiple visit types. Characteristics associated with video participation (relative to audio-only) included being younger and patients with: only behavioural health visits, highest quartile of visit frequency, non-Hispanic black race, limited English proficiency and inactivated portal account. Discussion In our regional healthcare system, the transition to virtual care during COVID was vital for continued access to care, but substantial inequity remained. Without audio-only visits, access to care would have been even more limited for our most vulnerable patients.

Vā at the time of COVID-19: When an aspect of research unexpectedly turns into lived experience and practice

In 2019, the Vā Moana–Pacific Spaces research group at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) began to investigate how core Moana and Māori values can be translated from onsite, embodied engagements into digital environments. This was prompted by our wish to provide access to all those who could not travel to attend a conference in late 2021 for our Marsden-funded research project, ‘Vā Moana: Space and relationality in Pacific thought and identity’ (2019–22). The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally reframed this premise, as providing offsite access was no longer simply a ‘nice option’. The crisis challenged us to find out how virtual participation in events can uphold values of tikanga (correct procedure, custom) and teu le vā (nurturing relational space). In particular, our research examines practices foregrounding vā as the attachment to and feeling for place, as well as relatedness between people and other entities. We have observed an emerging conceptual deployment of vā as relational space and a mode of belonging, especially in diasporic constellations oriented by a cosmopolitan understanding of vā. Due to this focus, we noticed early on that simply moving meetings online is unlikely to create a supportive environment for Indigenous researchers in diaspora, who share principal values and a commitment to a kaupapa (agenda, initiative). This realization led us to interrogate how research collaboration and circulation are influenced by the distinct features of physical and online contexts, protocols and connectivity. To develop the alternative kind of vā we envisaged – together with strategies to sustain it through our online practices – thus became a much larger project in the times of rapid change under COVID-19. This is a very brief, initial report on our experiences.

Measures taken by the House of Commons in Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic

As Covid-19 began to change all aspects of daily life, the House of Commons was no exception. The pandemic meant changes to parliamentary procedures such as ‘hybrid proceedings’ that required most MPs to attend the Chamber via Zoom. To track these changes, the House of Commons Library created a spreadsheet to record the COVID-related procedural changes, now published as a “https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/house-of-commons-coronavirus-timeline/” timeline on the Commons Library website. This article looks at changes to Commons procedures and practices, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, to allow for virtual participation and remote voting. Although the House of Commons has been significantly impacted by the ability of Members of Parliament to attend Westminster due to the coronavirus, the political parties and House administration have worked together to adapt procedures to allow virtual participation and remote voting at the height of the pandemic in the spring, followed by limited virtual participation in the summer.

Exploring the Smart Future of Participation

COVID-19 is having an enormous impact on civic life, including public services, governance, and the well-being of citizens. The pace and scope of technology as a force for problem solving, connecting people, sharing information, and organizing civic life has increased in the wake of COVID-19. This article critically reviews how technology use influences the civic engagement potential of the smart city, in particular for people with disabilities. The article aims to articulate new challenges to virtual participation in civic life in terms of accessibility, usability, and equity. Next, the article proposes a framework for a smart participation future involving smarter communities that utilize universal design, blended bottom-up, and virtual community of practice (VCoP) approaches to planning and connecting citizens with disabilities to smart cities. Policy and ethical implications of the proposed smart participation future are considered.

Burgeoning Growth of eCycling as an eSport

The intriguing maneuvering and distinguished styles of traditional cycling combined with the growth of eCycling as an eSport share an intriguing array of similarities as well as new ways of looking at cycling through competitive sports environments. It is an important discussion, associated with distinguishing the pathways and opportunities available to cycling stakeholders as they experience and engage in their sport, including the virtual participation in eCycling and inclusive competitive options, ever increase and evolve. Virtual cycling is a subset of the eSports genre and offers cycling stakeholders an alternative and a complement to traditional competitive cycling. In 2019, the international federation responsible for cycling globally, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), who acts as the steward and regulator for global cycling activities recognized eCycling as a legitimate discipline and authorized a recognized virtual eSports World Championships. The origins of video game eSports, marketing tactics, and health outcomes are also discussed in the chapter.