The Implications of the New Geography Framework of Urban Agro Ecology on Urban Planning

This chapter has the objective to analyze the implications that the new geography framework of urban agro ecology has on urban planning. It departs from the assumption that the new geography is a theoretical framework for the for the analysis of the economic, social, political, ecological, technological, research, and science based on the interrelationships between urban agro ecology and urban planning. The methodology is based in a constructive analysis of the reviewed theoretical and empirical literature to infer a model based on the construct of the new geography. Finally, it is concluded that urban planning of local governments can formulate and implement strategies based on the new geography framework in urban agro ecology to proving incentives in new urban developments and to benefit disadvantaged communities.

From Praxis to Theory

Research has shown that social capital plays a significant role in achieving success. For children from disadvantaged communities in India—such as the urban poor—financial and cultural constraints severely limit their ability to complete their schooling, forcing them to enter the job market as unskilled workers. This chapter presents an educational intervention called Project Disha in an urban slum by Kriti Social Initiatives, a non-profit organization in India. Project Disha is a scholarship and mentoring program that aims to teach life skills and fill the social capital gap for these disadvantaged students. Due to the pandemic, the program switched to an online mode, an already challenging situation made more so due to the extremely limited technology available to the children. With limited internet connectivity, frequent power cuts, and access only to inexpensive smartphones, Project Disha now relies on a team of volunteer mentors and creative pedagogical strategies to keep students connected, engaged, and learning.

Impact of Mobile Money Transfer on the Education Sector in Sub-Saharan Africa

Digitalization of payments related to education has played a significant role in driving the fourth agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) aimed at providing free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education to children by 2030. Since the launch of mobile money transfer (MMT) technologies by Safaricom in Kenya in 2007, many providers have developed a range of services to ensure efficient, transparent, and sustainable means of paying for school and college fees. This has led to enhanced teacher-student interaction times, reduced absenteeism, improved security in handling money, and made it easier for families to save, plan, and educate their children. This chapter reviews key success cases of countries and institutions that have digitalized payments and other education services to empower disadvantaged communities.

Evolution of COVID-19 Health Disparities in Arizona

Objective: COVID-19 burdens are disproportionally high in underserved and vulnerable groups in Arizona. As the pandemic progresses, it is unclear if the disparities have evolved. In this study, we aim to elicit the dynamic landscape of COVID-19 disparities at the community level and identify newly emerged vulnerable subpopulations. Materials and Methods: We compiled biweekly COVID-19 case counts of 274 zip code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) in Arizona from October 21, 2020, to November 25, 2021, during which the COVID-19 growth rate has changed significantly. Within each growth period, we detected health disparities by testing associations between the growth rate of COVID-19 cases in a ZCTA and the population composition of race/ethnicity, income, employment, and age. We then compared the associations between periods to discover temporal patterns of health disparities. Results: High percentage of Latinx or Black residents, high poverty rate, and young median age were risk factors of high cumulative COVID-19 case counts in a ZCTA. However, the impact of these factors on the growth rate of new COVID-19 cases varied. While high percentage of Black residents and young median age remained as risk factors of fast COVID-19 growth rate, high poverty rate became a protective factor. The association between the percentage of Latinx residents and the COVID-19 growth rate converted from positive to negative during summer 2021. The unemployment rate emerged as a new risk factor of fast COVID-19 growth rate after September 2021. Based on these findings, we identified 37 ZCTAs that are highly vulnerable to fast escalation of COVID-19 cases. Discussion and Conclusion: As the pandemic progresses, disadvantaged communities continue suffering from escalated risk of COVID-19 infection. But the vulnerabilities have evolved. While the disparities related to Latinx ethnicity improved gradually, those related to Black ethnicity and young communities aggravated. The struggle of financially disadvantaged communities continued, although the burden had shifted from those living under the poverty line to those with a high unemployment rate. It is necessary to adjust current resource allocations and design and deploy new interventions to address emerging needs.

Resilience to COVID-19-related stressors: Insights from emerging adults in a South African township

There is widespread recognition that stressors related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) jeopardize the development of emerging adults, more particularly those living in disadvantaged communities. What is less well understood is what might support emerging adult resilience to COVID-19-related stressors. In response, this article reports a 5-week qualitative study with 24 emerging adults (average age: 20) living in a South African township. Using digital diaries and repeated individual interviews, young people shared their lived experiences of later (i.e., month 4 and 7) lockdown-related challenges (i.e., contagion fears; livelihood threats; lives-on-hold) and how they managed these challenges. An inductive thematic analysis showed that personal and collective compliance, generous ways-of-being, and tolerance-facilitators enabled emerging adult resilience to said challenges. Importantly, these resilience-enablers drew on resources associated with multiple systems and reflected the situational and cultural context of the township in question. In short, supporting emerging adult resilience to COVID-19-related stressors will require contextually aligned, multisystemic responses.

Food Security among Libyan Migrants Living in Australia: A Qualitative Study

Food security among migrants and refugees is a concern across the globe, with the dearth of evidence on food labels and their influence on food security affecting disadvantaged communities especially. This paper discusses the experiences of food security among Libyan migrant families in Australia. The study is situated within the food and nutrition security framework. A qualitative approach was adopted with in-depth interviews conducted with 27 Libyan migrants. Thematic analysis identified three themes: food security, food label comprehension, and strategies for dealing with food insecurity and food labelling difficulties. Food security had different meanings to different individuals. Access to culturally appropriate (halal) foods was problematic for families in regional and rural areas due to a lack of availability outside the main cities. In terms of food labelling, the language and terms used were a common issue for most families in both rural and city environments. Many families attempted to find ways to counteract food insecurity; however, lower-income families found this more burdensome. It is crucial that health and social welfare providers consider means to reduce food insecurity among Libyan migrants to allow them to live a healthier life in Australia.

Changes Over Time in COVID-19 Vaccination Inequalities in Eight Large U.S. Cities

We estimate the associations between community socioeconomic composition and changes in COVID-19 vaccination levels in eight large cities at three time points. Between March and April, low SES communities had significantly lower change in percent vaccinated than high SES communities. Between April and May, this difference was not significant. Thus, the large vaccination gap between communities during restricted vaccine eligibility did not narrow when eligibility opened up. The link between COVID-19 vaccination and community disadvantage may lead to a bifurcated recovery where advantaged communities move on from the pandemic more quickly while disadvantaged communities continue to suffer.

Sport for Development and Peace

Sport has been used as a core component of programming and in building inclusive social spaces long before it was finally recognized and mainstreamed as a part of the Millennium Development Goals and later in the Sustainable Development Goals. S Ananthakrishnan describes in detail the progressive incorporation of sports in the UN development agenda and discusses the limits and possibilities for member countries like India. The chapter is designed around the issue of sports as a new engine for social development across the globe and its role in empowering the disadvantaged, and its potential for combatting discrimination, engaging youth and women. Until very recently development studies scholars have neglected the rich possibilities of sports as an entry point and a stimulus for change. However, over the decade it has become a strategy for social intervention among disadvantaged communities. The richer countries of the Global North have to be persuaded to invest in sports and its equitable growth in the developing regions, thus defining a new path of international cooperation.

Fostering School Engagement in Children from Disadvantaged Communities

In the last two decades, most of the Romanian mitigate programs aimed at reducing school dropout, have often focused only on remedial activities. However, keeping students in school for as long as possible involves increasing their school engagement, and therefore developing dimensions that target social and emotional skills is strongly recommended. In the present study, 130 primary and secondary school students from disadvantaged backgrounds, participated for 8 months in remedial and personal development activities, whose medium-term goal is to reduce school dropout. Using scales from the BASC3 and ASEBA4 psychological test batteries, we were able to capture significant effects of the intervention in reducing emotional problems and increasing students' adaptability to school-specific tasks, even though the pandemic imposed several restrictions on activities. The collected data revealed two important outcomes. First, they confirmed the effectiveness of a complex, multilevel program, which can develop the socio-emotional abilities of children at risk of dropping out of school. Second, they help us to highlight several factors that can predict its effectiveness. We consider that these empirical data constitute a solid foundation based on which similar future programs can be designed and implemented.

The First Intervention Study for LGBTQ+ Older Adults With Dementia and Caregivers: COVID-19 Lessons Learned

LGBTQ+ older adults face significant health disparities with higher rates of cognitive impairment and social isolation. Yet, the cognitive health needs of LGBTQ+ adults and caregivers have not been adequately addressed in clinical trials and services. In this presentation, we will share findings from Aging with Pride: IDEA (Innovations in Dementia Empowerment and Action), the first randomly controlled trial (RCT) intervention study designed to improve quality of life of LGBTQ+ adults living with dementia and caregivers, and to reduce institutionalization. In this presentation, we will share preliminary efficacy findings, the effectiveness of culturally responsive approaches, and Covid-19 adaptations, including delivery by virtual chat rather than in-home, technology training, ensuring safety of virtual intervention components, and providing on-going technology support. Preliminary findings suggest a higher intervention retention rate in the virtual delivery as compared to in-home. This study illustrates innovative ways to serve disadvantaged communities in dementia care and aging services.