The older African American women living Texas fall into one of the most inactive population segments. Recently, the importance of socio-ecological models on human health behavior and more complex associations between variables have been discussed. Therefore, this cross-sectional study focuses on investigating the trends in physical activity among older African American women, exploring the effects of actual environmental variables that might encourage or discourage their physical activity, and discovering any plausible mediating effects between environmental factors and older African American women’s physical activity. The study sample is composed of African American women aged 55 to 84 who reside in independent housing in Bryan, Texas. A total of 282 older African American women’s addresses were systematically selected and a self-administrated survey questionnaire documenting the level of physical activity, psychological well-being, sense of community, perception of safety, physical health status, and background information was collected for each of the women. The environmental influences of natural and built environments were defined using two boundaries: 1) nearby home level (0.5 mile street distance), and 2) neighborhood level (1 mile street distance) from the participant’s house. The natural and built environments were measured using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and aerial photographs. Results showed that a) walking was the most prevalent type of physical activity and streets were the most popular places for older African American women; b) at the nearby home level, greenery and land use mixture were positively associated with older African American women’s physical activity while street pattern and access to commercial areas influenced their physical activity at the neighborhood level; and c) perceptions of crime-related neighborhood problems had significant mediating effects decreasing older African American women’s physical activity. The findings revealed that the environmental variables had a distance effects on older women’s physical activity. In addition, on a policy level, neighborhood problems should be dealt with using careful insight in order to encourage physical activity.

abstract: It has been identified in the literature that there exists a link between the built environment and non-motorized transport. This study aims to contribute to existing literature on the effects of the built environment on cycling, examining the case of the whole State of California. Physical built environment features are classified into six groups as: 1) local density, 2) diversity of land use, 3) road connectivity, 4) bike route length, 5) green space, 6) job accessibility. Cycling trips in one week for all children, school children, adults and employed-adults are investigated separately. The regression analysis shows that cycling trips is significantly associated with some features of built environment when many socio-demographic factors are taken into account. Street intersections, bike route length tend to increase the use of bicycle. These effects are well-aligned with literature. Moreover, both local and regional job accessibility variables are statistically significant in two adults' models. However, residential density always has a significant negatively effect on cycling trips, which is still need further research to confirm. Also, there is a gap in literature on how green space affects cycling, but the results of this study is still too unclear to make it up. By elasticity analysis, this study concludes that street intersections is the most powerful predictor on cycling trips. From another perspective, the effects of built environment on cycling at workplace (or school) are distinguished from at home. This study implies that a wide range of measures are available for planners to control vehicle travel by improving cycling-level in California. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Urban and Environmental Planning 2015

Sustainable development efforts frequently focus on understanding and promoting the factors that influence health and wellbeing. Urban environments have received attention in recent years as spaces which can increase psychological distress. Despite hypothesized reports of urban environments being less conducive to good mental health then natural environments, few studies have investigated the effects of urban form characteristics (size, density, nuisances, transportation, and housing characteristics) and mental health measures at the city level. Using 2014 data from the 500 largest cities in the United States, this thesis evaluates the relationship between urban form and aggregate self-report scores of poor mental health. Results suggest that elements of the built environment have a direct influence on mental health status. The aim of this study is to test the association of urban form characteristics and psychological distress using a cross-sectional analysis of individual health survey responses. Mental health data were collected for a study of Center for Disease Control health characteristics in the 500 largest cities in the United States. Urban form data was collected from both United States Census and GIS datasets such as the Center for Neighborhood Technology’s Housing and Transportation Affordability Index (H+T Index). Linear regression analysis and factor analyses were used to estimate the relationship between psychological distress and urban form characteristics. Results suggest that urban density is negatively associated with mental health status at city level. This finding is logical and confirms earlier research. While measures of housing cost and diversity were slightly negatively associated with mental health, measures of transportation cost and employment access were slightly positively associated.

Submitted by Rosivalda Pereira (mrs.pereira@ufma.br) on 2017-06-23T17:49:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 IvanaOliveira.pdf: 2640003 bytes, checksum: 9d8db6b179f97c205f4440e522a58001 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-23T17:49:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 IvanaOliveira.pdf: 2640003 bytes, checksum: 9d8db6b179f97c205f4440e522a58001 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-23 / Demographic revolution experienced worldwide resulting from considerable growth of elderly population in various countries brings with it a growing concern with life quality of the older population. It is known that it is extremely important to adapt residential environments to new conditions and limitations of elderly in order to preserve their autonomy and prevent accidents. Thus, it is noticeable the importance of activities done by Architecture and Interior Design professionals next to this audience, which raises the issue of communication difficulties between the professional and the client, considering that the graphic language used is not dominated by the layman who often just does not understand what is being proposed in the project. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate three projects presentation media: humanized technical drawings in 2D, static prospects for the environment in 3D, and digital simulation of a "virtual tour" through the planned environment, in order to verify which one establishes more effective communication with the public in question, by providing them with a greater understanding of information contained within the projects. For this, we used a qualitative approach with emphasis on a case study, in which fifteen elderly were submitted to presentations followed by open standardized interviews, which enabled the evaluation regarding the understanding and preference of each one of them. At the end, one can see that technical drawings, even if presented in a humanized way, do not allow proper understanding for the elderly, not being considered a proper tool for submitting projects to the public. The static prospects for the environment in 3D promote greater understanding when it was compared to the first media, however, the virtual ride simulation was the media which enabled greater understanding by the respondents, but then it was realized the existence of variables that can influence this result, such as the sex and age of the participants. Thus, architects and interior designers need to pay attention to the various existing forms of project communication in order to choose appropriate ways to the context in which communication will be inserted, considering the peculiarities of the target audience. / A revolução demográfica vivenciada em todo o mundo, resultante do considerável crescimento da população idosa nos mais diversos países, acarreta uma preocupação crescente com a qualidade de vida na terceira idade. Sabe-se que é de extrema relevância a adaptação dos ambientes residenciais às novas condições e limitações do idoso, a fim de preservar a sua autonomia e prevenir acidentes. Sendo assim, constata-se a importância da atuação dos profissionais de Arquitetura e Design de Interiores junto à esse público e levanta-se a questão da dificuldade de comunicação entre o profissional e o cliente, tendo em vista que a linguagem gráfica utilizada não é dominada pelo leigo, que acaba, muitas vezes, por não entender o que está sendo proposto no projeto. Diante disso, esta pesquisa tem por objetivo, avaliar três mídias de apresentação de projetos: desenhos técnicos humanizados em 2D, perspectivas estáticas do ambiente em 3D e a simulação digital de "passeio virtual" pelo ambiente planejado, a fim de verificar qual delas estabelece uma comunicação mais eficaz com o público em questão, proporcionando-lhes uma maior compreensão das informações contidas nos projetos. Para isso, utilizou-se de uma abordagem qualitativa com ênfase em um estudo de caso, em que quinze idosos foram submetidos às apresentações seguidas de entrevistas padronizadas abertas, que viabilizavam a avaliação da compreensão e preferência de cada um deles. Ao fim, pode-se perceber que os desenhos técnicos, mesmo que apresentados de forma humanizada, não possibilitam a compreensão adequada do idoso, não sendo uma ferramenta indicada para a apresentação de projetos à esse público. As perspectivas estáticas em 3D promoveram uma maior compreensão quando comparada à primeira mídia, no entanto a simulação de passeio virtual foi a que possibilitou um maior entendimento por parte dos entrevistados, embora tenha-se percebido a existência de variáveis que podem influenciar neste resultado, como é o caso do sexo e faixa etária dos participantes. Sendo assim, arquitetos e designers de interiores precisam atentar-se as diversas formas existentes de comunicação do projeto para escolher os meios adequados ao contexto em que a comunicação estará inserida, considerando as peculiaridades do público em questão.

Materiais de construção como: adesivos, selantes, aglomerados, compensados, carpetes, revestimentos de parede, isolamentos, forros acústicos etc., emitem compostos orgânicos volateis (COVs) em ambientes internos (Niu e Burnett, 2001). No caso da tinta no Brasil, Salasar (2006) indica que \"as tintas à base de solventes emitem 520 vezes mais COVs em relação às tintas à base de água\". Consequentemente aumentos significativos na concentração de poluentes químicos e biológicos do ar em ambientes internos são provocados pelas baixas taxas de troca de ar em conjunto com a emissão de COVs originados pelos materiais de construção dos ambientes internos (Gioda & Neto, 2003). O objetivo nesta pesquisa é identificar compostos orgânicos volateis nas emissões de tintas imobiliárias usadas em ambientes internos na cidade de São Carlos. O laboratório foi realizado com o equipamento de cromatografia gasosa acoplado a espectrometria de massas, com siglas GC/MS, junto com o aparelho para extração da amostra chamado de micro extração de fase sólida (SPME), para duas amostras de cada tinta sendo uma fresca (úmida) e outra seca. O laboratório GC/MS quando é utilizado com micro extração de fase sólida (SPME) é o método mais aproximado do ideal, já que permite qualificar os COVs contidos nas amostras de tinta com maior eficiência que qualquer outro método (Koziel & Pawliszym, 2001). A escolha das tintas, esmaltes e o verniz foram determinadas como aquelas de maior uso e venda entre os pintores e lojas de tintas, respectivamente, na cidade de São Carlos. Os resultados mostraram que as tintas podem chegar a emitir juntas mais de 61 compostos orgânicos voláteis, a maior parte deles causa irritação respiratória e cinco desses compostos são suspeitos de desenvolver câncer, a concentração de cada composto não foi determinada. Uma suposição é que a saúde dos pintores pode estar sendo afetada, pois eles têm contato constante com as emissões das tintas, neste sentido é preocupante que esses trabalhadores da construção civil sejam informais, pois nesta condição o risco à sua saúde pode ser agravado devido à falta de capacitação necessária sobre a utilização do material que estão manipulando. Parte do resultado da pesquisa mostra também por meio de um questionário, as marcas de tintas imobiliárias comumente usadas na cidade de São Carlos, assim como uma noção sobre as doenças que as tintas produzem. O questionário foi elaborado para 40 pessoas entre pintores e vendedores de lojas de tinta na cidade de São Carlos. As fichas de segurança de produtos químicos FISPQ correspondentes para cada tinta omitem informações sobre alguns ingredientes considerados de risco encontrados nas amostras de tintas, como por exemplo, compostos suspeitos de desenvolver câncer. É importante para o Brasil a criação com urgência de um selo ambiental confiável que garanta a baixa concentração de emissão de COVs nas tintas como produto, mediante valores quantificáveis. Se similar ao selo \"Green Seal\", o mesmo daria não só uma forma de controle sobre a emissão de COVs nos prédios senão confiabilidade e garantia. O selo será um parâmetro de exigência nas certificações ambientais para confirmar as baixas emissões de COVs nos materiais das edificações sustentáveis, que até agora são inexistentes. / Building materials such as: Adhesives, sealants, plywood, carpeting, wall coverings, insulation, acoustic ceilings etc., emit volatiles organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor environments (Niu e Burnett, 2001). In the case of the paint in Brazil, Salasar (2006) indicates that \"solvent-based paints emit VOCs 520 times as compared to water-based paint.\". Consequently significant concentration of chemical and biological pollutants from indoor air, are caused by low rates of air exchange in conjunction with the emission of VOCs originating from the construction of the indoor materials (Gioda & Neto, 2003). The objective of this research is to identify volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions from architectural coatings used indoors in São Carlos. The laboratory was performed with gas chromatography equipment coupled to mass spectrometry with acronyms GC/MS, with the instrument for sample extraction called solid phase micro extraction (SPME) for two samples of each paint: a fresh (wet) and a dry. The GC/MS laboratory when used with solid phase micro extraction (SPME) is the closest to the ideal method, allows to qualify the VOCs contained in the paint samples more efficiently than any other method (Pawliszym & Koziel, 2001). The choice of paints, enamels and varnish were determined as those of greater use and sale among painters and paint stores, respectively, in the city of São Carlos. The results showed that the paint can issue more than 61 volatile organic compounds, most of them cause respiratory irritation and five of these compounds are suspected of developing cancer, the concentration of each compound was not determined. One of the hypotheses is that the health of painters may be being affected, as they have constant contact with emissions from paints,in this respect it is wrong that these workers of the construction are informal, because in this condition the risk to your health can be aggravated due to lack of necessary training on the use of the material. Part of the search result also shows by means of a questionnaire , the marks of paints commonly used in the city of São Carlos, as well as a notion about the diseases that produce the paints. The questionnaire was designed in 40 people between painters and sellers of paint shops in the city of São Carlos. Safety data sheets for chemicals corresponding MSDS for each paint omit some information about ingredients considered risk in samples of paints, such as examples, compounds suspected of developing cancer. It is important for Brazil to urgently create a reliable environmental seal that ensures low emission concentration of VOCs in paints and product through quantifiable values . If the seal is similar to the seal \"Green Seal\", it would not only a form of control over the emission of VOCs in buildings too reliability and warranty The stamp will be a requirement parameter in environmental certifications to confirm low emissions of VOCs in materials of sustainable buildings , which until now are nonexistent.

Materiais de construção como: adesivos, selantes, aglomerados, compensados, carpetes, revestimentos de parede, isolamentos, forros acústicos etc., emitem compostos orgânicos volateis (COVs) em ambientes internos (Niu e Burnett, 2001). No caso da tinta no Brasil, Salasar (2006) indica que \"as tintas à base de solventes emitem 520 vezes mais COVs em relação às tintas à base de água\". Consequentemente aumentos significativos na concentração de poluentes químicos e biológicos do ar em ambientes internos são provocados pelas baixas taxas de troca de ar em conjunto com a emissão de COVs originados pelos materiais de construção dos ambientes internos (Gioda & Neto, 2003). O objetivo nesta pesquisa é identificar compostos orgânicos volateis nas emissões de tintas imobiliárias usadas em ambientes internos na cidade de São Carlos. O laboratório foi realizado com o equipamento de cromatografia gasosa acoplado a espectrometria de massas, com siglas GC/MS, junto com o aparelho para extração da amostra chamado de micro extração de fase sólida (SPME), para duas amostras de cada tinta sendo uma fresca (úmida) e outra seca. O laboratório GC/MS quando é utilizado com micro extração de fase sólida (SPME) é o método mais aproximado do ideal, já que permite qualificar os COVs contidos nas amostras de tinta com maior eficiência que qualquer outro método (Koziel & Pawliszym, 2001). A escolha das tintas, esmaltes e o verniz foram determinadas como aquelas de maior uso e venda entre os pintores e lojas de tintas, respectivamente, na cidade de São Carlos. Os resultados mostraram que as tintas podem chegar a emitir juntas mais de 61 compostos orgânicos voláteis, a maior parte deles causa irritação respiratória e cinco desses compostos são suspeitos de desenvolver câncer, a concentração de cada composto não foi determinada. Uma suposição é que a saúde dos pintores pode estar sendo afetada, pois eles têm contato constante com as emissões das tintas, neste sentido é preocupante que esses trabalhadores da construção civil sejam informais, pois nesta condição o risco à sua saúde pode ser agravado devido à falta de capacitação necessária sobre a utilização do material que estão manipulando. Parte do resultado da pesquisa mostra também por meio de um questionário, as marcas de tintas imobiliárias comumente usadas na cidade de São Carlos, assim como uma noção sobre as doenças que as tintas produzem. O questionário foi elaborado para 40 pessoas entre pintores e vendedores de lojas de tinta na cidade de São Carlos. As fichas de segurança de produtos químicos FISPQ correspondentes para cada tinta omitem informações sobre alguns ingredientes considerados de risco encontrados nas amostras de tintas, como por exemplo, compostos suspeitos de desenvolver câncer. É importante para o Brasil a criação com urgência de um selo ambiental confiável que garanta a baixa concentração de emissão de COVs nas tintas como produto, mediante valores quantificáveis. Se similar ao selo \"Green Seal\", o mesmo daria não só uma forma de controle sobre a emissão de COVs nos prédios senão confiabilidade e garantia. O selo será um parâmetro de exigência nas certificações ambientais para confirmar as baixas emissões de COVs nos materiais das edificações sustentáveis, que até agora são inexistentes. / Building materials such as: Adhesives, sealants, plywood, carpeting, wall coverings, insulation, acoustic ceilings etc., emit volatiles organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor environments (Niu e Burnett, 2001). In the case of the paint in Brazil, Salasar (2006) indicates that \"solvent-based paints emit VOCs 520 times as compared to water-based paint.\". Consequently significant concentration of chemical and biological pollutants from indoor air, are caused by low rates of air exchange in conjunction with the emission of VOCs originating from the construction of the indoor materials (Gioda & Neto, 2003). The objective of this research is to identify volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions from architectural coatings used indoors in São Carlos. The laboratory was performed with gas chromatography equipment coupled to mass spectrometry with acronyms GC/MS, with the instrument for sample extraction called solid phase micro extraction (SPME) for two samples of each paint: a fresh (wet) and a dry. The GC/MS laboratory when used with solid phase micro extraction (SPME) is the closest to the ideal method, allows to qualify the VOCs contained in the paint samples more efficiently than any other method (Pawliszym & Koziel, 2001). The choice of paints, enamels and varnish were determined as those of greater use and sale among painters and paint stores, respectively, in the city of São Carlos. The results showed that the paint can issue more than 61 volatile organic compounds, most of them cause respiratory irritation and five of these compounds are suspected of developing cancer, the concentration of each compound was not determined. One of the hypotheses is that the health of painters may be being affected, as they have constant contact with emissions from paints,in this respect it is wrong that these workers of the construction are informal, because in this condition the risk to your health can be aggravated due to lack of necessary training on the use of the material. Part of the search result also shows by means of a questionnaire , the marks of paints commonly used in the city of São Carlos, as well as a notion about the diseases that produce the paints. The questionnaire was designed in 40 people between painters and sellers of paint shops in the city of São Carlos. Safety data sheets for chemicals corresponding MSDS for each paint omit some information about ingredients considered risk in samples of paints, such as examples, compounds suspected of developing cancer. It is important for Brazil to urgently create a reliable environmental seal that ensures low emission concentration of VOCs in paints and product through quantifiable values . If the seal is similar to the seal \"Green Seal\", it would not only a form of control over the emission of VOCs in buildings too reliability and warranty The stamp will be a requirement parameter in environmental certifications to confirm low emissions of VOCs in materials of sustainable buildings , which until now are nonexistent.

<p>  </p> <p>Transportation and health are undeniably related. Transportation and its relationship with health are widely recognized as facing unique challenges in different geographic settings. However, research to date has mainly focused on understanding this relationship in urban areas. Remarkably, the importance of promoting physical activity through active travel (i.e., walking, biking, transit) is understudied in places other than urban areas. Increasing awareness regarding the ability of one's surroundings to encourage or inhibit active travel is critical to preparing us for the transformation of transportation habits. This issue takes on added significance considering telecommuting and the advent of autonomous vehicles.</p> <p>The overall goal of this dissertation is to examine the complex relationship between transportation and transport-related health determinants in diverse geographical settings (i.e., urban core, suburban, large rural towns, and rural areas) from an active travel perspective. To that end, four interdependent studies were conducted to address the following research questions: (i) Do the relationships among built environment, access to infrastructure, and physical activity differ across diverse geographic settings? (ii) What is the relationship among car usage, self-perceived health, and physical activity in rural areas? (iii) Which are the most significant pathways in the association between transportation and health in rural areas? (iv) What are the potential public health implications of adopting Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) in urban areas?</p> <p>First, the differences between various geographic settings regarding the built environment, access to infrastructure, and physical activity levels were assessed using individual-level data in the contiguous U.S. This dissertation employed behavioral science techniques (Structural Equation Modeling – Multi-group Analysis) to estimate how statistical constructs varied across multiple geographic settings. This dissertation concluded that the possibility of being physically active through active transportation, facilitated by the built environment and access, does not decrease linearly with the level of rurality defined in this study. Isolated Rural areas’-built environments and access to infrastructure were usually negatively associated with physical activity levels. This conclusion called for a deep analysis of rural areas regarding their ability to promote active travel.</p> <p>This dissertation studied rural areas' physical activity and its connection with socioeconomic determinants, perceived health, and car usage. Given that this relationship is described as non-linear, using statistical techniques such as path analysis allowed quantifying the direct and indirect effects among variables. This study concluded that high car usage and poor self-perceived health are mediators of physical activity levels. Therefore, efforts from both the transportation and health domain need to promote active travel in rural areas.</p> <p>Informed by transportation and health literature review, a conceptual framework was created by considering socioeconomic, personal, and physical transport-related health determinants. Structural equation models helped elucidate the complex relationships among determinants. The model results confirmed significant pathways among the various transport-related health determinants; hence comprehensive solutions need to be contemplated in future interventions to promote active travel. Interventions such as town center revitalization, heavy transit investments, and better broadband access that facilitate technology-enabled mobility services could significantly impact health outcomes in rural areas. Completing this objective fulfilled a pronounced research gap that has only been addressed using qualitative research. </p> <p>Finally, this dissertation examines how access to technologies, such as AVs, could impact the urban settings’-built environment and its potential to promote or inhibit active travel. Two urban settings were used as a case study since urban areas might be the first to experience this technology's deployment. This dissertation used cluster analysis and ordered probit models to understand AV adopters' individual and location-based characteristics. Our results suggest that AV implementation based only on the propensity to adopt might have adverse health outcomes (i.e., obesity). This dissertation points out the need for place-based interventions to enhance active travel and decrease the "obesogenic" environment that could arise in the AV era. </p> <p>Overall, we conclude that transportation's impact on public health cannot be seen as a "one exposure- one outcome- one solution" approach, and all-inclusive planning is needed to generate changes and prepare for transportation innovations to come. This dissertation proposed the ABC PATH framework that offers guidance to improve the population's health from transport-related changes comprehensively. The results of this research can help different organizations, such as planning organizations and rural health associations, advance communities' health through transportation.</p>

Flerbostadshus anses viktiga för att minska energianvändningen i byggnader, och potentialen att energieffektivisera i samband med renovering är stor. Denna studie behandlar hur arbete med energifrågor genomförs i renovering av flerbostadshus byggda under miljonprogrammet i stadsdelen Östra Sätra i Gävle. Avhandlingens analytiska verktyg baseras på perspektiv utvecklade inom teknik och vetenskapsstudier (STS) och aktörsnätverksteori (ANT) samt urbana studier. I studien utvecklas och tillämpas verktyget energisammansättningar. Genom en symmetrisk ansats studeras energifrågors definition och innehåll i renoveringen genom att spåra kedjor av översättningar. Det empiriska underlaget är kvalitativa intervjuer, mål- och strategidokument, beslutsprotokoll och observationer. Avhandlingen visar att energiarbetets innehåll flätades samman med exempelvis kommunal planering och energipolitik, med bostadsbolagets befintliga arbetssätt för renoveringar och dess relationer till sina kunder, samt med lagen för allmännyttiga bostadsbolag. Studien identifierar också att spänningar uppstod i energiarbetet inom flera områden. Dessa rör hur de ekonomiska vinsterna och kostnaderna för energiarbete ska beräknas och fördelas, översättningar av energimål, var och hur energiarbete ska prioriteras i den bebyggda miljön, i vilken takt energiarbetet ska ske och hur de boende ska delta i energiarbete. Studien visar att energieffektiviserande åtgärder prioriterades i renoveringen så länge som de beräknades vara ekonomiskt affärsmässiga och en del av det allmännyttiga arbetet, men även hur förändringar var svåra att genomföra om de utmanade eller förändrade befintliga relationer och arbetssätt. Det gällde särskilt i relationen till de boende i området och till ekonomiska kostnader för renoveringen. / Transforming the energy used in apartment buildings have become increasingly important issues. This study examines how energy issues were designed in a refurbishment project for apartment buildings built during the “Million Programme” era in Sweden in the district of Östra Sätra in Gävle. The analytical approach and tools used are based on science and technology studies (STS), actor–network theory (ANT), and urban studies. Specifically, the study applies the concept of assemblages, which in this study are called energy assemblages. Energy issues are examined as they translated and negotiated in practice by actors and how they are incorporated into the refurbishment design. The empirical data are based on qualitative interviews, analyses of documents, and observations. The analyses demonstrate that work on energy issues was intertwined with the city’s work on planning and energy issues, the housing company’s working practices, as well as the laws governing public housing companies. The study also demonstrates that sometimes tensions arose in situations in which different energy assemblage processes collided. The study identifies several areas of tension. First, tensions arose in situations of diverse translations of energy goals. Second, in negotiations about calculations of the financial costs of energy transition. Third, tensions also arose when determining where energy transition should be located. Fourth, about resident participation in energy issues. Fifth, the energy transition timeframe. The study demonstrates that energy efficiency measures were prioritized in the refurbishment as long as they were treated as financially beneficial and did not challenge or change existing relationships, work practices, and customer relations.

With the urbanization of Swedish cities, densification has emerged as a sustainable ideal in urban planning. As new buildings and hard surfaces replace more green spaces and open areas, the Earth´s climate is becoming warmer, and the consequences of rising temperatures are becoming more tangible. In densely built environments, the warm climate is further exacerbated due to the urban heat island effect, which means that the temperature difference between urban and rural areas can reach several degrees. This affects the local climate and has serious consequences for the people who live and stay in the cities, including increased heat stress and health risks. Through climate-conscious planning, where heat-reducing measures are implemented, the heat island effect can be mitigated and thereby creating favorable urban climates. This work focuses on the impact of the densification ideal on the heat island effect and human living environments. In the literature review, heat islands and their consequences are discussed to emphasize the importance of planning for rising temperatures and to identify temperature-reducing measures. The study examines a typical densification project to understand how heat-reducing measures can be integrated into existing urban areas and suggest actions that should be introduced early in the planning process. The measures have been proposed using two methods; a qualitative document study and a site analysis. The site analysis conducted in Ebbepark, Linköping aimed to create an understanding of aspects in the built environment. Through the site analysis and document study, proposals for measures were developed, which then formed the basis for the design proposal in Ebbepark. The results showed that the integration of heat-reducing measures in densely built areas significantly contributes to the improvement of people´s living environments by counteracting the heat island effect and creating a more pleasant microclimate. Implementation of vegetation, high-reflective materials, and water features results in significant temperature reductions. To effectively counteract the heat island effect, these measures can be integrated into urban planning, both in new and existing densification areas. Heat-reducing measures should also be incorporated into municipalities’ overall planning documents to promote the development of sustainable and resilient urban environments. / I takt med urbaniseringen av Sveriges städer har förtätning växt fram som ett hållbart ideal i den fysiska planeringen. Under tiden som ny bebyggelse och hårdgjorda ytor ersätter allt fler grönområden och friytor blir jordens klimat allt varmare och de stigande temperaturernas konsekvenser mer påtagliga. I den tätbebyggda miljön förstärks det varma klimatet ytterligare med anledning av den urbana värmeöeffekten, som innebär att skillnaden i temperatur mellan stad och landsbygd kan nå flera grader. Detta påverkar det lokala klimatet och får allvarliga konsekvenser för de människor som bor och vistas i städerna, däribland ökad värmestress och hälsorisker. Genom en klimatmedveten planering där värmereducerande åtgärder implementeras kan värmeöeffekten mildras och därmed goda stadsklimat skapas. Arbetet handlar om förtätningsidealets påverkan på värmeöeffekten och människans livsmiljö. I kunskapsöversikten behandlas värmeöar och dess konsekvenser för att betona vikten av att planera för stigande temperaturer samt för att kunna identifiera temperaturreducerande åtgärder. Arbetet undersöker ett typiskt förtätningsprojekt för att förstå hur värmereducerande åtgärder kan integreras i befintliga områden och föreslår åtgärder som bör införas tidigt i planeringsprocessen. Åtgärderna har föreslagits med hjälp av två metoder; en kvalitativ dokumentstudie och en platsanalys. Platsanalysen som genomförts i Ebbepark, Linköping syftade till att skapa förståelse för aspekter i den byggda miljön. Genom platsanalysen och dokumentstudien kunde förslag på åtgärder tas fram, vilka sedan lade grund för gestaltningsförslaget i Ebbepark.  Arbetets resultat visade att integreringen av värmereducerande åtgärder i tätbebyggda områden avsevärt bidrar till förbättringen av människors livsmiljö genom att motverka värmeöeffekten och skapa ett mer behagligt mikroklimat. Implementering av vegetation, högreflekterande material och vatteninslag resulterar i betydande temperaturminskningar. För att effektivt motverka värmeöeffekten kan dessa åtgärder integreras i den fysiska planeringen, både i nya och befintliga förtätningsområden. Värmereducerande åtgärder bör också införlivas i kommuners övergripande planeringsdokument för att främja utvecklingen av hållbara och motståndskraftiga urbana miljöer.