Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Response To Comments: The Informal Housing Debate Remains Open, Jonathan P. Bell

Jonathan P. Bell

UrbDeZine, November 12, 2014. In this follow up article on informal housing in Los Angeles, I respond to comments and take on critics who devalue housing code enforcement. I argue that unpermitted housing is inherently unsafe, and unsafe housing is not a viable housing option. I call for all sides of the informal housing debate to come together to look for solutions. URL: http://losangeles.urbdezine.com/2014/11/12/response-to-comments-the-informal-housing-debate-remains-open/

Luchas Urbanas Alrededor Del Fútbol, Fernando Carrión Mena Arq., María José Rodríguez

Fernando Carrión Mena

Esperamos, que esta obra invite a reflexionar sobre la relación entre ciudad y fútbol, evidenciando las prioridades en la gestión de los Gobiernos nacionales y locales cuando se encuentran ante eventos de magnitud internacional y que lleven a evaluar si el modo de gestión de ciertas ciudades contempla las necesidades colectivas o responden a intereses predominantemente privados.

Urban Wildlife, John Hadidian, Sydney Smith

John Hadidian, PhD

Despite the potential for difficulty, there are several reasons why urban wildlife should be valued and better understood. First is its scientific and heuristic value. Urban wildlife populations are essentially parts of ongoing natural experiments in adaptation to anthropogenic stress. How urban animals are affected by human activities— and how they cope with them— can represent, on a highly accelerated scale, a model of what is happening to species in other biomes. No other wild animals live in such intimate contact and under such constant constraint from human activities as do synanthropes. Second, urban animals are exposed to many environmental …

Buildings With Brain Power: Library Architecture In Neural Terms., Hannah Bennett

Hannah Bennett

The connection between neuroscience and the built environment is a fairly new interdisciplinary field and one in which both fields, in their respective pursuits, have worked to understand the relationship between design choices, human behavior, and biological processes. Taken together and applied in tandem, these two activities have potential to vastly improve the effectiveness of buildings designed with the healthcare facilities, laboratories, or elementary schools, all of which share objectives of healing and intellectual cultivation. This paper will extend the dialogue to library design, perhaps the most representationally loaded expression of “mental space.” The library has seen profound changes in …

Theorising The ‘Fifth Migration’ In The United States: Understanding Lifestyle Migration From An Integrated Approach, Brian Hoey

Brian A. Hoey, Ph.D.

This chapter is an empirically-informed discussion of relevant social theory for examining the phenomenon of lifestyle migration in the United States in both rural and urban settings. Specifically, the chapter explores key explanatory models born of research into so-called non-economic migration occurring since the early twentieth century—models that may be characterized as primarily either production or consumption oriented in their emphasis—as a context for outlining an integrated approach. The author then highlights changes in how some Americans appear to calculate personal and collective quality of life as engendered by an emerging economic order—based on principles of flexibility and contingency—whose affects …

Ut Bgsu Research Poster 2014.Jpg, Andreas Luescher

Andreas Luescher

Participatory Design Of Purdue University’S Active Learning Center Final Report, Nancy Fried Foster, Teresa Balser, Rae Lynn Boes, Dianna Deputy, William Ferrall, Michael Fosmire, Jeremy Garritano, Amanda Gill, Vicki Killion, Monica Kirkwood, Clarence Maybee, Kristen Twardowski, Jane Yatcilla, Tao Zhang

Michael Fosmire

Purdue University’s commitment to active learning requires facilities that support small-­‐group work, peer learning, the use of technology, and other classroom innovations. The Active Learning Center is intended to provide classroom space combined seamlessly with library space to meet these needs. Members of the Libraries faculty and staff conducted a series of information-­‐gathering activities to gain insight into the range of activities, work practices and preferences that the new building must support. It is our hope that the building will indeed support these activities, serve as a centrally located, flagship building for Purdue University, and support and inspire learning for …

Nuestras Pobres Ciudades: Modos Y Lenguajes Permanentes De “Vida En Relación”, Jaime F. Erazo Espinosa Arq.

Jaime Erazo

En nuestras ciudades: las pobres, la sostenibilidad y la consolidación del hacer y quehacer populares, se asientan para dar cuenta del alcance que tienen estos procesos, que no culminan pues progresivamente ganan ya no sólo lugares para hogares carenciados sino atractivos para hogares que pertenecen a medianos sectores. Hogares, ambos, que por un lado, fortalecen los esquemas de las organizaciones sociales, cuyas luchas, cada vez más complejas, ya no sólo reclaman tenencia, regularización de suelo o dotación de servicios, sino vida y (re)producción de esta, y nuevas formas de gobernar y modelar nuestras ciudades. Y que por otro lado, en …

Procesos De Planificación Y Análisis De Vivienda Adecuada, Jaime F. Erazo Espinosa Arq., Laura Cedrés Pérez Msc.

Jaime Erazo

La presente publicación forma parte de la serie de investigaciones que ha impulsado el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para los Asentamientos Humanos (ONU-Habitat) a nivel global, en el marco de la Estrategia Mundial de la Vivienda, que busca generar una reflexión sobre la situa- ción de los pueblos indígenas que viven en las áreas urbanas, y que pretende contribuir a los análisis periódicos realizados por el Foro Permanente para las Cuestiones Indígenas de las Naciones Unidas, así como generar propuestas hacia la Tercera Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano Sostenible (HABITAT III), que tendrá lugar …

Procesos De Urbanización Y Análisis De Políticas Urbanas, Jaime F. Erazo Espinosa Arq., Laura Cedrés Pérez Msc.

Jaime Erazo

La presente publicación forma parte de la serie de investigaciones que ha impulsado el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para los Asentamientos Humanos (ONU-Habitat) a nivel global, en el marco de la Estrategia Mundial de la Vivienda, que busca generar una reflexión sobre la situa- ción de los pueblos indígenas que viven en las áreas urbanas, y que pretende contribuir a los análisis periódicos realizados por el Foro Permanente para las Cuestiones Indígenas de las Naciones Unidas, así como generar propuestas hacia la Tercera Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano Sostenible (HABITAT III), que tendrá lugar …

Il Calcolo Del Sviluppo Umano, Nicolás Persico

Nicolás Persico

Dinamica sociale e contratto socio economico: quando un sociologo, fisico, ingegnere e finanziario si incontrano.

Imagining Possibilities For Healthy Appalachian Communities In An Emerging Postindustrial Landscape, Brian Hoey

Brian A. Hoey, Ph.D.

This paper explores how community might be re-imagined to promote incipient social and economic agendas born increasingly of broad-minded citizen initiatives within the Appalachian region aimed at what is generally understood as “development,” but of a form distinct from the prevailing models of a more industrial age. I would like to ask whether a city like Huntington, West Virginia can emerge as a progressive example of what we might term postindustrial, urban regeneration and perhaps what we might call community healing—specifically through grassroots movement now finding local governmental support in collective attempts to transform this place from one defined primarily …

How Much Information Disclosure Of Building Energy Performance Is Necessary?, David Hsu

David Hsu

Many different governments have begun to require disclosure of building energy performance, in order to allow owners and prospective buyers to incorporate this information into their investment decisions. These policies, known as disclosure or information policies, require owners to benchmark their buildings and sometimes conduct engineering audits. However, given substantial variation in the cost to disclose different types of information, it is natural to ask: how much and what kind of information about building energy performance should be disclosed, and for what purposes? To answer this question, this paper assembles and cleans a comprehensive panel dataset of New York City …

Improving Energy Benchmarking With Self-Reported Data, David Hsu

David Hsu

Energy benchmarking for buildings has become increasingly important in government policy and industry practice for energy efficiency. The questions of how energy benchmarking is currently conducted, and how it might be improved using rapidly growing quantities of self-reported data, are examined. A case study of commercial office buildings in New York City demonstrates how the rapid growth in self-reported data presents both new opportunities and challenges for energy benchmarking for buildings. A critique is presented for the scoring methodology and data sources for Energy Star, one of the largest and most successful benchmarking certification schemes. Findings from recent studies are …

Art, Public Spaces And Private Property Along The Streets In New Orleans, Renia Ehrenfeucht

Renia Ehrenfeucht

In this article, I investigate how and why a street art controversy that emerged in post- Katrina New Orleans was transformed from a dispute over property transgressions to a broader struggle over the meanings of art amidst the city’s devastated condition. The controversy began when a street art initiative by the New Orleans artist Rex Dingler invoked a backlash of anti-graffiti activism. In response, local artists began painting on the walls. When the locals were joined by artists from different cities, the discussion intensified about the merits of street art as well as commentary on and reflection of a city …

An Investigation Into Psychological Stress Detection And Management In Organisations Operating In Project And Construction Management, Alan Patching, Rick Best

Rick Best

While psychologists remain divided whether ‘workplace stress’ is caused by workplace experiences or other factors, it’s commonly accepted that, regardless of cause, people experiencing stress can demonstrate decreased workplace performance. From a human performance and productivity perspective, from whence stress arises is somewhat irrelevant–the relevant fact is that it’s far more important to have systems and procedures in place to contribute to avoidance of undue work environment caused stress. It is also important to identify when an employee is exhibiting signs of stress than it is to focus only on remedial measures for when stress effects have already taken their …

Boundaries Of A Complex World, Isbn 978-3-662-49078-5 (2016), Andrei Ludu

Andrei Ludu

Of Earth, Fire, And Faith: Architectural Practice In The Fernandino Missions Of Alta California, 1769-1821, Rubén G. Mendoza, Jennifer Lucido

Jennifer Lucido

No abstract provided.

Post-Disaster Housing Recovery: The Promise And Peril Of Social Capital, Anuradha Mukherji

Anuradha Mukherji

Researchers argue that social networks based on shared values, trust, and norms can facilitate collective action, and such social capital increases the ability of communities to recover after a disaster, implying that the presence of social capital ensures collective community action after a disaster and enables recovery. Drawing from comparative case studies of Bhuj and Bachhau, urban centres impacted by the 2001 Gujarat earthquake in India, this study presents a nuanced view of the role of social capital during post-disaster recovery. It argues that it is important to consider community contexts that are inherent to the amount of social capital …

The Functional Compatibility Of An Outdoor Campus Environment And User’S Sense Of Restoration, Zahra Zamani

Zahra Zamani

Restorative environments reduce stress levels, promote positive moods, enhance recovery, and increase attention spans (Berto, 2005; Hartig, Mang, & Evans, 1991; Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989; Ulrich, 1993). A particular characteristic of a restorative environment associates with its degree of compatibility in which the physical environment fits the individual’s preferences functions (Kaplan, 1995). Read more...

Of Earth, Fire, And Faith: Architectural Practice In The Fernandino Missions Of Alta California, 1769-1821, Rubén G. Mendoza, Jennifer A. Lucido

Rubén Mendoza

No abstract provided.

Examining The Methods For Investigating Behavioral Clues Of Special Schooled Children, Hazreena Hussein, Md Nasir Daud

Hazreena Hussein

This paper discusses the authors’ use of a combination of methods to understand the engagement of special needs children with design features in sensory gardens of two schools in Britain. In addition to observation and behavior mapping, the authors interviewed landscape architects, teachers and therapists to anticipate the children’s behavior when experiencing sensory gardens. We report how these groups’ anticipations differed from what we observed. While the groups anticipated that aesthetic value relates significantly to users’ behavior in the garden, we observed that sensory value has a stronger bearing on the behavior. The potential of this finding is important for …

Rethinking Atlanta's Regional Resilience In An Age Of Uncertainty: Still The Economic Engine Of The New South?, Jennifer Clark

Jennifer Clark