Certains chercheurs veulent que les gouvernements modifient les déterminants de l’environnement urbain du transport actif dans des régions à bas statut socioéconomique pour réduire les inégalités en activité physique et santé. Mais, des individus de différents sousgroupes de la population pourraient réagir différemment à l’environnement urbain. Plusieurs chercheurs ont examiné si l’influence d’un environnement urbain propice aux piétons sur le transport actif diffère entre les personnes ayant un statut socioéconomique de quartier différent et ont obtenu des résultats mixtes. Ces résultats équivoques pourraient être dus à la façon dont les mesures de l’environnement urbain étaient déterminées. Plus spécifiquement, la plupart des études ont examiné l’effet de la propicité à la marche des lieux résidentiels et n’ont pas pris en compte les destinations non-résidentielles dans leurs mesures. Cette étude a examiné le statut socioéconomique du quartier comme modérateur de la relation entre l’environnement urbain et le transport actif en utilisant des mesures d’environnement urbain qui proviennent de toute la trajectoire spatiale estimé des individus. Les trois variables de l’environnement urbain, la connectivité, la densité des commerces et services et la diversité du territoire avaient une plus grande influence sur le transport actif de ceux avec un haut statut socioéconomique. Nos résultats suggèrent que même quand la configuration de l’environnement urbain est favorable pour le transport actif, il peut y avoir des barrières sociales ou physiques qui empêchent les gens qui habitent dans un quartier à bas statut socioéconomique de bénéficier d’un environnement urbain favorable au transport actif. / Researchers have called for policymakers to modify the built environment determinants of active travel in low SES areas in the hopes of reducing disparities in physical activity and health. However, different population sub-groups may be differently responsive to the built environment. Researchers have examined whether the influence of walkable built environments on active transportation differs for those of different socio-economic status and have obtained mixed results. These equivocal findings could be due to the way the built environment measures were determined. More specifically, most studies have examined walkability in residential settings ignoring non-residential destinations. This study examined socio-economic status as a moderator of the relationship between the built environment and active transportation using a trip level analyses with measures of built environment exposure derived from the estimated spatial trajectory of transport trips. All three of the environmental variables, connectivity, density of business and services, and land-use mix, were found to have a greater association with AT if the individual undergoing the trip was from a high socioeconomic status neighbourhood. Our findings suggest that even when the built environment is favourable for AT there may be social or physical barriers that prevent those from low socio-economic status neighbourhoods from benefitting from built environments that are conducive to active transportation.

Dissertation declaring that The United States of America is a Fourth World Nation. It has earned this distinction as direct a result of the manner in which it was established, how it developed, and the fact that it has demonstratively failed to confront its ever-increasing disparity and unevenness. Fourth World Theory provides a foundation and framework for a critical investigation of society and culture though an analytical lens, and an examination of the inequities that are increasingly prevalent throughout a post-industrial, post-agrarian, post-developing space of inevitable decline.

Drawing upon case studies of three organisations operating six call centres in Australia, this thesis explores the manifestations and interplay of employee resistance and accommodation in response to five facets of employer control: electronic monitoring; repetitious work; emotional control; the built environment; and workplace flexibility. Accommodation refers to the ways workers protect themselves from and adapt to the pressures that make up their day-to-day experiences of work. Accommodation, unlike resistance, which implies opposition to control, may superficially resemble consent to control. I argue that resistance and accommodation are not polar opposites; rather they are both reflections of the conflict and tensions that lie at the heart of the employment relationship. At the study sites, employees utilised resistance and accommodation both separately and concurrently. An explanation of these seemingly contradictory responses and of the links among accommodation individual resistance and collective resistance lies in the concept of ???self???. In this thesis, ???self??? refers to workers??? perceptions of fairness, dignity and autonomy. I examine how these notions frame worker discontent and promote employee solidarity. ???Everyday resistance???, a concept first developed by Scott (1985) in relation to peasant struggles, is employed to highlight the existence of subterranean struggles in workplaces that otherwise appear to be harmonious. At the study sites, everyday resistance was a multi-faceted, widely employed strategy whose strength lay primarily in its immediate impact. There was, however, no necessary sequential development from accommodation, through everyday resistance to overt, formal forms of conflict. What was evident was that multiple responses to employer control could co-exist and inhibit or promote one another. But it was through organised collective resistance that more formalised gains were made and widely held grievances addressed. I suggest that, although everyday resistance may lay the groundwork for more formal struggles, one should not conclude that traditional collective resistance is ???genuine??? resistance and everyday resistance is simply a second-best prelude to it. Although conflict is always present, its intensity differs. If we are to understand the complexity of worker responses to managerial control, we need to expand the theoretical frameworks within which we analyse and interpret conflict.

During the period 1967-1995, Swedish mental healthcare underwent a complete re-organisation, starting with county councils taking over responsibility for mental healthcare from the state. Asylums were then phased out and mental health care moved closer to patients. The Mental Health Reform of 1995 completed this decentralisation and put the emphasis on an independent and integrated life as a citizen in society and the idea of a dwelling of one’s own. This thesis describes and analyses spatial aspects of decentralised mental healthcare in Sweden, focusing on the decentralisation discourse regarding organisation, localisation, patient care and working methods behind decentralisation and its spatial performance. A case study of decentralised mental healthcare in Nacka, a Stockholm suburb, between 1958-1999 examines in particular the emerging decentralisation discourse 1958-1973, The Nacka Project 1974-1980 (one of the first examples of community care in Sweden), psychiatry in Nacka 1980-1994 and the official report Welfare and Freedom of Choice from 1995. The methods used include studies of documents, interviews, visual and architectural drawing analysis. The theoretical point of departure for the analysis is a post-structural heterogeneous concept of space where spatial materiality and discursiveness are looked upon as intertwined.    The result shows that the re-organisation of mental healthcare brought about a substantial spatial transformation. Normalisation of patients’ lives involved integration into society and support for independent living. The local environment was the main trope for the early stage of decentralised mental healthcare, but the notion of a dwelling of one’s own became the important trajectory to an independent life after 1995. The idea of the patient is challenged by the independence discourse, which could be said to contain an idea of the ‘non-patient’. Overall, it can be concluded that spatial organisations of the built environment are never value-free or neutral. They reflect, enable and constrain power relations in a society and material space can contribute to the power of one group at the expense of another. Furthermore, the results of the spatialities, or the meanings, cannot be predicted. It is therefore crucial to distinguish power in all its configurations and scales and to keep negotiations alive, especially within the field of mental healthcare, but also in the care sector as a whole and in other societal institutions where policies buildings and built environment interact with user practices. This kaleidoscopic perspective can be used for examining complexities in the past and present and for encouraging future potentialities in the process of making/enacting spatial relations. / QC 20120306

This professional report examines the degree to which the perception of safety shapes travel behavior in Austin, Texas, using Huston Tillotson University (HT) students as our case study. Focus groups are used to explore and identify what elements of the public transit experience are considered safe and unsafe. The report explores what “frightens” HT participants away from using the bus. A quantitative study is then used to measure environmental variables and their relation to bus stops and perceptions of safety. Austin crime data are used to locate bus stop crimes and develop a real context for bus riders’ perceptions of crime. After describing the conditions of bus stops based on physical, environmental, and criminal attributes, the study develops scenarios for the study areas. This report closes by summarizing the empirical findings and gives design and policy recommendations for transportation planners, agencies, and policy makers. / text

土地混合使用，尤其是住商混合使用，一直被認為是達成環境面永續都市或是生態城市的要素之一。其除了提高住商可及性使人們步行與騎自行車的機率增加外，同時也讓公共空間的安全性提高、並增加都市的活力。然而住、商兩者間不完全相容的土地使用型態卻也容易引發對居住環境的負面衝擊，例如噪音、異味、光線侵擾、使人感覺較擁擠、降低隱私性等使環境品質下降，而可能降低人對住商混合住宅社區的偏好。本研究從過去研究中較少提及的都市空間規劃與設計角度切入，探討不同都市規劃與設計元素如何影響住商混合區之環境品質，其研究目的有三：1. 歸納整理可能影響住商混合區建成環境之都市規劃與設計元素2. 建立環境面生態都市概念下，住商混合實質環境品質之評估面向與指標3. 分析各都市規劃與設計元素對住商混合建成環境指標之影響。 本研究以台北市的住三分區為基礎，建立模擬住商混合社區，模擬各種都市規劃、設計元素之變化情境，以利衡量每項都市設計元素以及組合情境影響下，住商混合社區各面向建成環境品質評估指標的變化。使用工具包括ArcGIS、Google ShetchUP、及AutoCAD軟體，以建立模擬都市基本圖，並使用空間分析工具、ArcGIS外掛模組及Excel計算各面向之環境指標數值。 研究結果顯示降低建築建蔽率有助於提升住商混合社區整體環境品質以及除了商店經營性外所有面向的建成環境(例如行人友善步行空間、居民住家可居住性及自然環境)，商店經營性則於建蔽率40%-55%間時表現較佳。在建物形狀方面，顯示正方塔型與長條型建築在住商混合區建成環境各面向指標上表現的差別不大。此外，階梯式退縮建築對於行人友善步行空間、居民住家可居住性及自然環境等均有提升的效果。 / Mixed land use has been widely considered as one of the key planning principles for achieving (environmentally) sustainable city or eco-city in terms of promoting transit patronage, walking and biking, and incubating retail-business friendly communities. However, it may also lower the livability because of the problems like noise, light instruction and downgraded residents privacy as to decrease the residents’ preference to live in mixed-use area. Few studies, nevertheless, has been done on the roles of the various tools in urban planning and design in improving the physical environment for both residents and retail businesses. The objectives of the paper are: (1) to review the urban planning and design tools normally applied by planners which may have impacts on the physical environment of mixed-use community; (2) to compile an inventory of indexes corresponding to the quality of physical environment for both residents and retail businesses; and (3) to examine the impacts of these tools on the physical environment indexes. The research method involves an simulation analysis, which is conducted in a selected mixed-use community in Taipei city, Taiwan. The simulation analysis helps examining the impact of each of the tools on physical environment indexes . The software packages applied are Google SketchUp, AutoCAD, ArcGIS, and Excel. The results of simulation analyses suggest that lowering the building coverage rate (BCR) is helpful in improving overall quality of mixed-use community and all sub-indexes (i.e., pedestrian-friendly environment, residents’ livability and nature environment) except for retail business operation environment. The quality of retail business operation environment performs better when BCR stays at the intermediate level (between 40%-55%). In the aspect of building shape, there is minimal difference showed on the impact on the overall index between tower-shaped and slab-shaped buildings. Besides, the stair-shaped setback is suggested for better pedestrian-friendly environment, residents’ livability, and especially nature environment.

The motivation for development of energy efficiency and implementation of novel advanced materials applied in buildings can be traced to increasing energy costs in conjunction with an enhanced environmental awareness among people. This doctoral dissertation presents contributions towards sustainable building, where factors such as building technology, energy efficiency in buildings, workers' health issues during construction measures, and certain economic considerations for renovation of buildings have been considered. The research study aims to provide a knowledge base for motivating building owners to renovate buildings based on energy efficiency and improved indoor environment. The initial phase of the research study identifies a detailed description of common drivers, expected in renovation projects by building owners. In the second phase, an information base is identified which may facilitate the bidding processes for decision makers by means of technological, social and economic aspects. The aforementioned information base can also contribute to attentive decisions regarding sustainable renovation and energy saving measures. A strategy was developed within the Renovation Workshop of Riksbyggen, in order to promote energy saving measures concurrent with major renovations in residential buildings. This operational decision support process was applied in a tenant owners' cooperative in Sweden. The objective of this process was to showcase and more importantly to implement energy saving measures, based on knowledge transfer between different parties involved in the renovation project. For the conducted case study, this process was shown to be of great importance when decisions regarding energy saving measures in conjunction with scheduled renovations are being planned. A unique case study was conducted on two of the most commonly used environmental certification programs for buildings in Sweden; Environmental Building (Miljöbyggnad) and GreenBuilding. Following a granted access to a limited database of submitted applications to Sweden Green Building Council, the most common mistakes in these were identified and categorized. This study contributed to further understanding about the level of ability among building consultants, comprehension of environmental certification, and enhancement of the ability to produce high-quality calculations concerning building-related energy usage. In addition, this insight can provide a basis for planning of continuing education of consultants within the field of building technology. For a church building, a study was conducted subsequent to an exchange of an existing electric coil heating system to a hydronic ground source heat pump system. Analyses of the energy demand and energy signature, prior to and after installation were carried out. The replacement of the original heating system with a ground source heat pump system for the church building constitutes a reduced energy consumption level of approximately 66%, at the average outside temperature of -2.30 °C. This study demonstrated that data from a detailed electric bill can be utilized in order to obtain the energy signature of the building and henceforth assess the energy savings. One aspect of the research, examined the decision making process related to sustainable renovation and refurbishment in buildings. The utilized methodology identified three distinct phases in order to instigate an engagement in sustainable renovation, by means of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. In particular, the attitudes of stakeholders in Sweden, Denmark and Cyprus to sustainable building were studied through three separate case studies. Within the framework of this study, it was identified that building physics and durability are among the most important drivers for energy renovation. The results provided an insight into the renovation process in the aforementioned countries and identified that drivers such as improvement of indoor air quality and elimination of moisture in the building envelope are also of crucial importance. Another aspect of the conducted research highlights workplace accidents occurring within the Swedish construction sector. The purpose of this study was to serve as a useful tool to track the working environments of construction workers in order to reduce health and safety issues within the construction sector. The findings of this research suggest that despite laws, regulations or additional factors that seek to ensure a safe and healthy environment for construction workers, the Swedish construction work force still faces challenges. Moreover, it is identified that construction workers participating in the study call for additional measures to ensure occupational health and safety. Improved knowledge of economic performance and technical results of renovations can contribute to a snowball effect, with more property owners recognizing the value of energy aspects and thus provide an increased level of energy savings. / <p>QC 20140127</p> / A Concept for promotion of sustainable retrofitting and renovation in Early Stages (ACES)

This thesis is concerned with placing public art within the broader modernist spatialisation of social relations. The research takes place around two related enquiries. The first emerges from questions raised by the art critic Rosalyn Deutsche with regard to the proposition that public art functions as both a profession and technology that attempts to pattern space so that docile and useful bodies are created by and deployed within it. Following such questions, this thesis seeks to scrutinise the ways in which discourses on public art might operate in enabling, maintaining or disrupting everyday practices and socio-spatial relations. Secondly, as a foray into methodologies of public art research, the thesis considers Foucauldian governmentality approaches in terms of what these might have to offer an investigation of public art. The thesis undertakes the analysis of a wide range of texts connected with three South Australian urban developments for which public art was separately proposed, designed, selected and installed. Attention is given principally to the Rundle Street Mall, a pedestrianised shopping street in the city-centre of Adelaide, examined at several moments throughout the period of its development (1972-1977) and later refurbishment (1996-2001). Also discussed are the Adelaide Festival Centre Plaza (1973-1977) and the Gateway to Adelaide (1996-2000), the latter project involving the reconstruction of a major traffic intersection on the outskirts of metropolitan Adelaide. Through these examples the thesis documents key debates in the history of Australian discourses concerning public art. In addition, this study brings attention to the relations between artwork and a proliferation of individuals, agencies, and other interests, highlighting the competitions over space, authority and expertise, and the often unexamined role that public art plays in maintaining or unsettling socio-spatial relations. Knowledge about public art, it is argued, is produced, transformed and deployed across a range of discursive sites (contemporary art, urban design, planning, transport and others) and becomes tied to specific problems of governing. / Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2008

Drawing upon case studies of three organisations operating six call centres in Australia, this thesis explores the manifestations and interplay of employee resistance and accommodation in response to five facets of employer control: electronic monitoring; repetitious work; emotional control; the built environment; and workplace flexibility. Accommodation refers to the ways workers protect themselves from and adapt to the pressures that make up their day-to-day experiences of work. Accommodation, unlike resistance, which implies opposition to control, may superficially resemble consent to control. I argue that resistance and accommodation are not polar opposites; rather they are both reflections of the conflict and tensions that lie at the heart of the employment relationship. At the study sites, employees utilised resistance and accommodation both separately and concurrently. An explanation of these seemingly contradictory responses and of the links among accommodation individual resistance and collective resistance lies in the concept of ???self???. In this thesis, ???self??? refers to workers??? perceptions of fairness, dignity and autonomy. I examine how these notions frame worker discontent and promote employee solidarity. ???Everyday resistance???, a concept first developed by Scott (1985) in relation to peasant struggles, is employed to highlight the existence of subterranean struggles in workplaces that otherwise appear to be harmonious. At the study sites, everyday resistance was a multi-faceted, widely employed strategy whose strength lay primarily in its immediate impact. There was, however, no necessary sequential development from accommodation, through everyday resistance to overt, formal forms of conflict. What was evident was that multiple responses to employer control could co-exist and inhibit or promote one another. But it was through organised collective resistance that more formalised gains were made and widely held grievances addressed. I suggest that, although everyday resistance may lay the groundwork for more formal struggles, one should not conclude that traditional collective resistance is ???genuine??? resistance and everyday resistance is simply a second-best prelude to it. Although conflict is always present, its intensity differs. If we are to understand the complexity of worker responses to managerial control, we need to expand the theoretical frameworks within which we analyse and interpret conflict.

This thesis is concerned with placing public art within the broader modernist spatialisation of social relations. The research takes place around two related enquiries. The first emerges from questions raised by the art critic Rosalyn Deutsche with regard to the proposition that public art functions as both a profession and technology that attempts to pattern space so that docile and useful bodies are created by and deployed within it. Following such questions, this thesis seeks to scrutinise the ways in which discourses on public art might operate in enabling, maintaining or disrupting everyday practices and socio-spatial relations. Secondly, as a foray into methodologies of public art research, the thesis considers Foucauldian governmentality approaches in terms of what these might have to offer an investigation of public art. The thesis undertakes the analysis of a wide range of texts connected with three South Australian urban developments for which public art was separately proposed, designed, selected and installed. Attention is given principally to the Rundle Street Mall, a pedestrianised shopping street in the city-centre of Adelaide, examined at several moments throughout the period of its development (1972-1977) and later refurbishment (1996-2001). Also discussed are the Adelaide Festival Centre Plaza (1973-1977) and the Gateway to Adelaide (1996-2000), the latter project involving the reconstruction of a major traffic intersection on the outskirts of metropolitan Adelaide. Through these examples the thesis documents key debates in the history of Australian discourses concerning public art. In addition, this study brings attention to the relations between artwork and a proliferation of individuals, agencies, and other interests, highlighting the competitions over space, authority and expertise, and the often unexamined role that public art plays in maintaining or unsettling socio-spatial relations. Knowledge about public art, it is argued, is produced, transformed and deployed across a range of discursive sites (contemporary art, urban design, planning, transport and others) and becomes tied to specific problems of governing. / Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2008