No description available.

The aim of our study is to provide a broader understanding of how important the design of the public space is in relation to the safety of the inhabitants. We intend to shed light on the city planners perspective in the planning of redevelopments of two existing districts in Malmö. In other words, the paper examines how city planners in Malmö plan two different areas so that they go from unsafe to safe. We also discuss the definition of the concept of safety and how important the safety of citizens is for residential areas to become attractive. In the study, we investigate this phenomenon by analyzing planning programs over each district. We analyzed a planprogram over Kroksbäck and Holma as well as a planprogram over Amiralsgatan and station Persborg. The choice of these areas was due to the fact that they are two areas that today are perceived as unsafe and vulnerable areas. For this reason, it is appropriate to analyze how the sites are planned to reshape according to the plan programs. To give a broader view of the safety aspect and how the place looks and is experienced today, we also chose to make site analyzes of each place. The site analyzes are intended to give a more personal idea of how the authors experience the site based on the safety aspect. The object of study is used to discuss how design can affect the safety in public spaces. In conclusion, we expect to be able to give a more concrete answer to how the design of the physical environment can affect security with the help and guidance through previous research by authors such as Jane Jacobs (2005).

Some studies have demonstrated that Adult day services (ADS) benefit elders' and caregivers' well-being; however, others indicated that infantilization exists in some ADS centers where staff ignore the lifetime of elders' experiences. Many ADS environments in the United States are socially constructed as places for incompetent elders, and ADS clients may be labeled as child-like dependents. Most ADS research has been performed in Western society; little is known about ADS centers in Asian countries. Because ADS programs are promoted by the Taiwanese government to meet the needs of a growing aging population, it becomes essential to examine ADS centers and their practices in Taiwan in order to provide suggestions for future research and professional practice that supports respectful care of elders. This dissertation examined how elders experienced their daily life within the physical and social environment of two different types of ADS centers in Taiwan. I utilized theories of environmental press, place rules, and the total institution to shape my research framework. Using ethnographic data from two ADS centers with 270 hours of observations and 23 interviews with staff and clients, I analyzed staff-client interactions and clients' reactions toward staff behavior. The results are based on the analysis of clients' competencies, each center's approach to care, and their physical and social environments. Staff-client interactions within the two centers occurred not only in the form of infantilization but also with age-appropriate treatment in which staff paid respect to clients. I found two formats of staff-client interactions that reflected a culture of care uniquely Taiwanese yet also reminiscent of western programs: teacher-student format and nurse-patient interactions predominated. In one center, staff-client interactions were oriented toward a teacher-student relationship in which staff played the role of a teacher during activities by giving directions that controlled clients' behavior. In the other center, staff-clients relationships were focused on physical care and therapeutic practices. Staff treated the clients as patients and had the power to rule over clients' behavior by directing them how to eat and when to use the restroom. These patterns were neither inherently ageist nor absent of ageism. These differences stemmed from different models but each was supported within the context of Taiwanese culture derived from Confucianism and Japanese colonization, which emphasize hierarchical relationships. The findings also reveal that clients' individual differences influenced how they reacted toward both infantilizing and age-appropriate interactions. The differences were not only related to their competencies but also their different life experiences. These findings may inform a new approach to professional practice that incorporates a home-like environment that fosters autonomy and inhibits ageist treatment of differently-abled adults, thereby achieving a positive person-environment fit in the long-term care setting. / Ph. D.

Older people are as diverse a group as they were as younger people. Home environments should reflect these diverse individuals' varying interests, preferences, and needs. In spite of efforts to remain independent and at home, some elderly people have to leave conventional housing and move into long-term care facilities because of factors such as mental or physical health problems or the loss of family members. Most elderly people who move into these facilities do not feel "at home" in their new living arrangements. Assisted living facilities (ALFs) have been developed as a response to these issues. The major goal of assisted living is to create a supportive social setting that elderly residents can call home. Although assisted living is the fastest growing long-term care alternative, it still needs to continually change in response to the needs of older residents and the desires and interests of family members. The purpose of this study was to examine the features that make residents feel "at home" in ALFs in Southwest Virginia and to suggest further policy and design guidelines for better quality of ALFs as a "home." For this purpose, residents' needs, experiences, and opinions of the physical environment, the social environment, and the organizational environments such as policies and programs of ALFs were identified. As a multi-site case study, I studied five ALFs in Southwest Virginia and did a cross-case analysis. In addition to face-to-face interviews with 25 residents and five administrators of five ALFs, I also conducted observations and recorded my feelings in a personal journal with document review. To analyze the data gathered in this study, I used the constant comparative method of data analysis. The respondents' age range was between 64 and 95 and the average age was 82. There were 6 males and 19 females among the respondents and most of them were widowed. They came from a wide geographic area, and most of them have lived in single-family homes for a long time. Many had children or family members nearby. Overall, the five sites selected presented homelike features showing the philosophy of assisted living which combines housing and services. Each facility was designed to be a single-family house or multi-family dwelling in outside appearance. However, the older the structure, the fewer homelike features were provided. As a whole, residents felt isolation and loneliness and they did not have active interaction with other residents because of diverse background among the residents. During meals, people had active interaction with one or two residents. However, all of them had close relationships with the staff. The staff's attitude and behavior seemed to influence greatly the residents' feeling "at home." Friends and family members also provided an important role for the residents to adjust to their new environment. Despite the provision of diverse activities by the facilities, many residents did not participate in the programs. Among the services provided, there were only a few complaints about food and mealtimes. Most of the residents agreed that the rules and regulations were fair; however, one person disagreed with the smoking rules. For the meaning of "home," many residents talked about love, fellowship, privilege, stability, and security. The administrators tried to make the residents feel "at home;" however, they mentioned the limitation of providing a real "home" for the residents due to the residents' diversity. Some categories which could contribute to the perception of ALFs as a "home" were classified by the researcher: safety and security, services and care, autonomy/privacy, independence, social life/friendship, family support, daily routine, personalization, physical environment, and management. Regardless of the type of facilities and the residents' characteristics, most of the respondents were satisfied with their current dwelling. In spite of high satisfaction with the facility, many people did not think of their current dwelling as a real "home." As the biggest difference between living in their own homes and living in the ALF, people pointed out a lack of independence, freedom, and autonomy. Moreover, they talked about the loneliness stemming from living with strangers who are not their family or friends. Residents of ALFs may have reordered their priorities in their current life situation so that safety, security, and care were more important to them than feeling "at home." Among the four factors --personal, physical, social, and organizational-- that affect the residents' perception of ALFs as a "home," many emphasized the importance of social factors such as relationships with the staff and residents, and social support from their family or friends. / Ph. D.

Sense of community (SoC) positively promotes persistence and graduation rates of college students by helping them to feel cared about by others, accepted as members of the campus community, and that they matter to their peers and other community members (Cheng, 2004; Harris, 2007a; Schlossberg, 1989). The college union is one of the most influential settings in developing SoC (Barrett, 2014; Janisz, 2014; Maxwell, 2016; Smyth, 2016) and improving student persistence (Tierno, 2013). However, scholars and educators lack understanding of the ways in which the physical and organizational environments of college unions contribute to SoC development among students. The purpose of this narrative study (Clandinin, 2013) was to understand the role of the college union in developing SoC among college students. Anchored in a modified version of Strange and Banning's (2015) campus ecology framework, the study explored how physical and organizational environments within a college union influenced the community conditions necessary for supporting the educational purposes of student engagement and learning. To understand the role of the physical and organizational environments of the college union in students' SoC development, this study used photo-elicitation methods and semi-structured interviews with seven participants from one large, public, historically White university with high research activity. Students' stories revealed a College Union Sense of Community (CU-SoC) Actualization Model in which students progressed through developmental stages: feeling overwhelmed initially, connecting with campus sub-communities, building localized community, and deepening connections and strengthening bonds with administrators and peers. By progressing through these stages, students developed a SoC toward the institution. The data also highlighted how the college union's physical and organizational environments advanced the SoC development process by creating a home-like feeling, encouraging and enhancing interactions through design, cultivating lasting memories, and nurturing a student-centered culture. These findings represent a narrative account describing the students' personal experiences in relation to how the college union shaped their SoC. / Ph. D.

This thesis aims to analyze Sundby Hospital from a spatial perspective to gain a deeperunderstanding of the development of mental healthcare during the specified time period.The history of mental healthcare is often overlooked, particularly when examined through aspatial lens. By analyzing the history of Sundby Hospital, I aim not only to highlight aneglected aspect of Swedish history but also to understand how medical care interacted withthe physical and social environment.The spatial perspective is crucial for this thesis to understand how an institution like SundbyHospital viewed the landscape, the lived place of mental patients, and how the constructedspace was shaped by workers and utilized by patients. In conclusion, I examined patientsfrom Sundby Hospital through their medical records to give them a chance to highlight theirofficial space in Sundby Hospital. By addressing my three research questions, all concerningSundby Hospital and the spatial perspective, I have investigated how the spatial perspectiveimpacts an entire institution. The results have shown that the spatial perspective played asignificant role at Sundby Hospital as an institution, affecting both workers and patients.Patients' lives were restricted by the spatial arrangements, while workers tried to create asense of community and improvement through their efforts. Through my research on SundbyHospital, I have offered a more nuanced understanding of the personal implications ofintegrating a spatial perspective to explore how architecture and landscapes influenced theformation and experience of mental healthcare at Sundby Hospital.

A safe school is defined as a physically and emotionally safe environment where faculty and staff, members of the community, and students perceive that they are safe. School safety is an important topic for both school administrators and architects who design schools. Previous research into the physical environment of a school has explored its impact on student achievement and, to a lesser extent, school climate and school safety. Overall, research into the relationship between a physical environment of a school and its influence on the perception of safety is inadequate. The study sought to determine what were the design elements that principals and architects believed promoted a safe elementary school. The main research question for the study was, "What are the design elements that principals and architects believe influence a safe elementary school?" The study replicated the methodology of Walton's study (2011) called Physical Design for Safe Schools. Walton focused on perceptions of high school principals and architects who were involved in designing and building schools. Walton's study concluded that safety was an important issue to principals and architects. Specifically, each group identified supervision, technology and cameras, and controlling access to school buildings as important to school safety. The groups also identified restrooms and locker rooms as the two most problematic areas of a school building due to inability to supervise. Data for the study were gathered through qualitative methods and utilized a phenomenological approach to exploring data. Principals from elementary schools built before 1999, principals from elementary schools built since 2011, and architects with experience designing elementary schools were included as participants in the study. Participants were asked five to nine semi-structured and open-ended questions relevant to the design elements and physical features associated with school buildings. Results of the study found that the physical design of a school building was viewed as having an influence on safety in schools. The two common themes from all three groups were access control and visibility. Sub-themes were the importance of preparation for emergencies, perceptions of inequality in funding for school safety measures, the prevalence of technology that has created greater opportunities to keep schools safe, and the need for balance between safety and aesthetics when designing schools. / Ed. D. / “A safe school is defined as a physically and emotionally safe environment where faculty and staff, members of the community, and students perceive that they are safe. The study sought to determine what were the design elements that principals and architects believed promoted a safe elementary school. The main research question for the study was, “What are the design elements that principals and architects believe influence a safe elementary school?” The study concluded that safety was an important issue to principals and architects. Results of the study found that the physical design of a school building was viewed as having an influence on safety in schools. The two common themes discussed were access control and visibility. Sub-themes were the importance of preparation for emergencies, perceptions of inequality in funding for school safety measures, the prevalence of technology that has created greater opportunities to keep schools safe, and the need for balance between safety and aesthetics when designing schools."

Résumé : Introduction : Les infrastructures récréatives telles que les parcs et les pistes cyclables peuvent fournir des opportunités pour pratiquer l’activité physique (AP). Comme les déterminants de l’AP organisée et non-organisée (APO et APNO) pourraient différer, nous avons investigués si la proximité à des infrastructures récréatives est associée avec le maintien de la participation à l’APO et à l’APNO sur une durée de trois ans lors de la transition entre l’enfance et l’adolescence. Méthodes : 187 jeunes, initialement âgées de 10 à 12 ans, ont rapporté leur participation à l’APO et l’APNO trois fois par an pendant trois ans pour un total de neuf cycles d’observations. Les données sur la proximité des infrastructures récréatives ont été obtenues par le biais de questionnaires téléphoniques auprès des parents. Les scores de proximité ont été divisés en tertiles. Des analyses Kaplan-Meier et des modèles de risques proportionnels de Cox ont été utilisés pour estimer les associations univariées et multivariées entre la proximité aux infrastructures récréatives et le nombre de cycles moyen dans lequel l’APO et l’APNO a été maintenu. Résultats : Aucune différence, brute ou ajustée, de la durée moyenne du maintien de la participation à l’APO [nombre de cycles d’observation moyen (intervalle de confiance 95%) était 6.6 (5.7, 7.5), 6.3 (5.5, 7.1), et 5.8 (5.1, 6.6)] et à l’APNO [6.8 (6.2, 7.4), 5.9 (5.3, 6.5), 6.6 (5.9, 7.3)] a été observée entre les tertiles de proximités bas, moyen et haut, respectivement. Conclusion : Les résultats suggèrent que la proximité aux infrastructures récréatives n’influence pas le maintien de l’APO et de l’APNO lors de la transition entre l’enfance et l’adolescence. D’autres aspects de l’environnement physique pourraient avoir un effet sur le maintien de l’APO et de l’APNO. / Abstract : Background: Physical activity (PA) infrastructures such as parks and cycle lanes can provide youth opportunities to engage in physical activity. As the determinants of organized and unorganized PA (OPA and UPA) are likely to differ, we investigated if proximity to PA infrastructure was associated with maintenance of participation in OPA and UPA over 3 years during the transition from childhood to adolescence. Methods: Youth (n=187) initially 10-12 years self-reported participation in OPA and UPA at 4 month intervals over 3 years for a total of nine survey cycles. Data on proximity to PA infrastructures was obtained from parents through phone-based questionnaires. Proximity scores were divided into tertiles. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess univariate and multivariate associations between proximity to PA infrastructure and number of cycles in which OPA and UPA were maintained. Results: There were no crude or adjusted differences in average duration of maintenance of participation in OPA [mean number of survey cycle participation (95% confidence interval) was 6.6 (5.7, 7.5), 6.3 (5.5, 7.1), and 5.8 (5.1, 6.6)] and UPA [6.8 (6.2, 7.4), 5.9 (5.3, 6.5), 6.6 (5.9, 7.3)] across low, moderate and high tertiles of proximity to PA infrastructure scores, respectively. Conclusion: Findings are suggestive that proximity to PA infrastructure alone does not affect maintenance of participation in OPA or UPA during adolescence. Other aspects of the environment may have a greater effect. Thus, further research is needed on these aspects before firm conclusions can be drawn.

O envelhecimento populacional é um tema que cada vez mais vem sendo pensado e discutido visando garantir qualidade de vida e bem-estar a esse contingente de cidadãos que com frequência convivem com a redução de suas capacidades funcionais e requerem cuidados especiais. Devido às mudanças nos arranjos familiares, verifica-se o aumentando da demanda por instituições de longa permanência para idosos, fato decorrente em parte pela redução de cuidadores no local de moradia. Dado que idosos institucionalizados, em sua maioria, apresentam saúde fragilizada acentuando o risco maior de quedas, esse trabalho teve como objetivo levantar parâmetros recomendáveis para a configuração do quarto e do banheiro do idoso buscando garantir segurança e autonomia ao usuário. A escolha do quarto e do banheiro se deu pela grande incidência de acidentes nesses ambientes relatada na bibliografia estudada e nos estudos de caso feitos em duas instituições na cidade de São Paulo. Para alcançar o objetivo buscou-se normas e bibliografia nacional e internacional que abrangessem os assuntos sobre acessibilidade ao meio físico, desenho universal e ergonomia, além de caracterizar dados sobre capacidade funcional com foco no idoso. As informações adquiridas na revisão bibliográfica foram confrontadas com os dados levantados nos estudos de caso como forma de identificar, na prática, as recomendações que estão dando resultado positivo e pontos que precisam ser melhorados. Os resultados obtidos a partir da abordagem teórica e prática proporcionaram o levantamento de recomendações para o ambiente, mobiliários e instalações do quarto e do banheiro do idoso que ofereçam segurança e autonomia aos usuários nas atividades diárias. Pretende-se que os dados apresentados nesse trabalho possam ser aplicados na prática projetual e colaborem para ampliar o conhecimento sobre o assunto. / Population aging is an issue that is being increasingly considered and discussed to ensure quality of life and well-being to this contingent of citizens who often deal with the reduction of its functional capabilities and require special care. Due to changes in family arrangements, it appears the increasing demand for long-term care institutions for the elderly, a fact due in part by the reduction of family carers. Since most institutionalized elderly have poor health, it contributes to the increase risk of falls, this work aimed to indicate recommended parameters for configuring the bedroom and bathroom of the elderly seeking to ensure user`s security and independence. The choice of the bedroom and bathroom was motivated by the high accident incidence in these environments reported by the studied literature and case studies carried out in two institutions in the city of São Paulo. To achieve the goal national and international standards were studied, as well as literature that covered the issues of accessibility to the physical environment, universal design and ergonomics, besides characterizing data on functional capacity with focus on the elderly. The information gathered in the literature review was compared with data collected in the case studies as a way to identify in practice the recommendations that are giving positive results and points that need to be improved. The results obtained from the theoretical and practical approach led to environment, furniture and facilities recommendations for the elderly\'s bedroom and bathroom that offer users security and independence in daily activities. It is intended that the data presented here in this study can be applied in design practice and collaborate to expand subject knowledge.

Neste trabalho, é analisado o processo de avaliação de impacto ambiental - AIA do Aterro Industrial Brunelli, que se caracterizou como bastante complexo, em razão da polêmica em torno dos impactos ambientais incidentes em sua área de influência, principalmente os relativos à contaminação do solo e da água. São descritos os principais elementos do projeto e as características dos entornos da área selecionada para a implantação do aterro, bem como analisados os principais fatores que fundamentaram a decisão da Secretaria do Meio Ambiente pela viabilidade ambiental do empreendimento. São apresentadas, ainda, avaliações de outras instituições que contribuíram, com seus pareceres técnicos, no processo de tomada de decisão. A partir dessa análise, é apresentada uma avaliação crítica dos principais fatores que resultaram na morosidade do licenciamento e propostos critérios para o aperfeiçoamento dos processos de AIA de unidades de disposição de resíduos. / This work is focused on the environmental impact assessment of the Brunelli Industrial Landfill Project, which proved to be a very complex process, mainly because of the expected environmental impact in the neighborhood of the plant, especially those related to soil and water contamination. The project major elements are presented, as well as the basic characteristics of the selected area for landfill development, besides a complete analysis of the principal facts that supported the São Paulo State Secretariat of the Environment final decision on the matter. Several technical contributions by a number of other Institutions are also presented, regarding the environmental viability of the project, which were very important in the decision making process. A critical review and analysis of all the information allowed identifying the factors that were responsible for the delay in final decision taken by the State Secretariat. As a consequence, some proposals are made in order to improve the assessment of environmental impacts of similar facilities.