Chinese Residents’ Perceived Ecosystem Services and Disservices Impacts Behavioral Intention for Urban Community Garden: An Extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior

Urban community gardens (UCGs), greenspace cultivated and managed for vegetables by local communities, provide substantial ecosystem services (ES) and are warmly welcomed by residents. However, they also have many ecosystem disservices (EDS) and are almost always refused by the decision-makers of the government, especially in China. Better understanding the residents’ perceived ES and EDS and the impact on the behavioral intention (BI) toward UCGs is of great value to solve the conflicts between residents and the government concerning UCGs and to develop sustainable UCGs. Following the theory of planned behavior (TPB), we measured perceived ES/EDS, attitudes (ATT), perceived behavioral control (PBC), subjective norm (SN), and BI of 1142 residents in Changsha, China, and investigated their direct and indirect causal relationships using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results showed that: (1) ATT, PBC, and SN significantly and positively impact the BI of UCGs and together explained 54% of the variation of BI. (2) The extended TPB model with additional components of perceived ED/EDS improved the explanatory ability of the model, explaining 65% of the variance of BI. Perceived ES and perceived EDS showed significant direct positive and negative impacts on UCGs, respectively. They also indirectly impacted BI by influencing ATT, PBC, and SN. The findings of this study can extend our understanding of residents’ attitudes, behavior, and driving mechanism toward UCGs, and can help decision makers to design better policies for UCG planning and management.

Investigating the Attitude of Domestic Water Use in Urban and Rural Households in South Africa

South Africa is a semi-arid, water-stressed country. Adequate measures should be put in place to prevent water wastage. This paper aims to assess domestic water wastage and determine the proper attitude towards household water management in rural and urban communities in South Africa. This study was conceptualised in two stages. Firstly, critical observations were used to examine the attitude of households towards water usage in both urban and rural communities (Durban and Thohoyandou, respectively). Secondly, structured questionnaires and interviews were used to identify the factors that influenced the participants’ attitudes towards domestic water usage. This study concludes that, irrespective of the literacy level, accessibility to limited water supply, information available through advertisements about water scarcity, and better water management in an urban community, the rural community has a better attitude towards domestic water usage and water management. The result (83.3%) also indicated that the rural community strongly agreed to be water savers in their homes. However, in the urban community, the results from the participants were somewhat evenly distributed; the participants strongly agreed and disagreed at 36.2% and 32.2%, respectively. Other results of the study also showed that variables such as family upbringing, inaccessibility of domestic water, and advertisement play a major role in influencing the attitude of the rural community to water usage. These variables were statistically significant at p < 0.001. However, the immediate environment was shown to be not statistically significant at p < 0.911. Based on the study results, it is recommended that households should be encouraged to generate greywater collection systems to reduce water use and improve water reuse. The government could introduce a rationed allocation (shedding) of domestic water in urban communities to draw attention to the prevalence of water scarcity in the nation.

Culturally Responsive Academic Advising of Black Males at an Urban Community College During COVID-19

The current research study aims to explore the academic advisors' culturally responsive advising of Black males at an urban community college during COVID-19. The qualitative method is suitable for the current research since the research focused on phenomenon analysis and non-statistical means of inquiry. The current research uses a phenomenological design to examine a specific group and phenomenon. The research will add to the understanding and knowledge base of the motivation and perceptions of academic advisors on advising Black males of an urban community college during the current global pandemic. The purpose is to examine how academic advisors respond to the needs of Black males in how it affects their enrolment, persistence, and success while studying in an urban community college. The research will support reviews regarding cultural intelligence and the need for more accountability for the overall success of Black male students.

Student Acceptance of a Civic Engagement Graduation Requirement in an Urban Community College

Civic engagement is an essential part of a democratic society, though it has recently tended toward adversarial political conflict. Although many college administrators favor encouraging or requiring student civic engagement, little is known about whether students themselves would support this, and how student characteristics are related to acceptance. Past and present civic activities of 2,327 students at a large, very diverse urban community college were surveyed using the newly developed KCC Civic Engagement Scale. Results showed strong agreement that the college had a responsibility to develop civically engaged students, but that the term “civic engagement” is unclear to many. Principal components analysis revealed four distinct factors: general non-political civic engagement, and low-effort, high-effort, and unconventional political activities. Level of student participation in various activities is primarily determined by a student's time availability and secondarily by a complex assortment of personal characteristics, including residency status.

Urban forest carbon stock and biodiversity assesment at Nagan Raya Regency

Urban forest at Nagan Raya Regency is located in the central government and becomes a green open space that provides many benefits both directly and indirectly for the entire community in the region. Nagan Raya urban forest has various types of trees that usually found in low land mineral soil, such as Vitex pubescens locally known as Mane and Artocarpus blumei locally known as Tarap. Besides, the urban forest of nagan raya has become the habitat of several species of primates, reptiles and birds. In order to calculate the carbon stock of Nagan Raya urban forest, we use the “carbon calculator” tool developed by Michigan State University. By using nested plot of 5 m x 5 m for pile (small tree) category; 10 m x 10 m plot for pole (medium tree) category and 20 m x 20 m plot for tree category. With 12 total plots that are systematically spread throughout Nagan Raya urban forest. Averagely, carbon stock at Nagan Raya urban forest is 353,72 tCha-1. Naturally, trees in the climax condition tend to have less increment and will rotten. We suggest that maintenance and replanting of Nagan Raya urban forest is necessary to replace plants that have entered the category of “old” or low increment with made regeneration types to optimize the function of Nagan Raya urban forest as one of the buffer systems for the urban community.

CRISIS OF URBAN IDENTITY: AMBIVALENCE OF VALUE GROUNDS AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES

The article discusses the problem of urban identity in the opposition between global and local processes in urban space. Urban identity is viewed as a type of individual’s social identity in relation to his/her affiliation to a certain urban community. The study of the causes and effects of the urban identity’s crisis is based on the notion of this identity as valuable and meaningful cohesion of individuals and urban community. The problem of urban identity is studied via the analysis of modern concepts of social change in urban space, related to mainstream of human resources, financial, material, information resources. The article indicates that the crisis of identity is represented in the potential loss of individual and personal links to the city, in the loss of affiliation to the place of living, in the vanishing demand for urban identity. The notions of retrospective and prospective urban identity are introduced to identify the ground to maintain urban identity. Retrospective urban identity is based on the existence of so-called “places of memory” in urban space that integrate physical space, fragments of collective memory and individual valuable attitude to this memory as the inclusion to the city history. Prospective urban identity rests on individual’s cohesion and affiliation to future states of urban community as a source of potential social options. Assessments of directions for social change are figured out in positive and negative prospective urban identity, which defines residents’ migration intentions and their active participation in the city life.

The Boudican revolt (c. AD 60–1)

London was destroyed in AD 60/61 by British rebels following the Icenian queen, Boudica. This chapter describes the archaeological traces of fire destruction, and reviews the contribution that the archaeological study of London makes to our understanding of the date and course of the revolt. Arguments concerning London’s unusual status are reviewed, and it is suggested that the city remained under the close control of the governor and imperial procurator. The urban community was dominated by an immigrant community with tastes developed on the Rhineland frontier. The absence of any evidence for the involvement of a local land-owning elite in civic affairs is identified as an important peculiarity of political arrangements in London.