Farming relies on the ecosystem services provided by biodiversity for production. Farming has been, however, responsible for habitat degradation and destruction, and consequently, biodiversity loss. At present, efforts to increase habitat on farmland are largely confined to voluntary programs. The effectiveness of the provincially delivered Agricultural Biodiversity Conservation (ABC) program was measured using a quantitative survey. Follow-up interviews during farm tours further explored qualitatively how farmers value biodiversity and biodiversity conservation on their land. Results from the survey quantitatively link ABC program participation to increased engagement in riparian management and modified harvesting activities. Qualitative results suggest that the motivation for engagement in biodiversity conservation stems from the farmers’ interest in preserving the balance between production and 'nature', thereby preserving what they perceive to be the health of their land. These results have implications for the improvement of the ABC program and of future stewardship program design.

The idea of this thesis is to achieve deeper understanding of how gender is materialised in the retail environments of brands challenging the traditional division between male and female especially in their marketing and style direction. Furthermore, the research aims to give deeper understanding on how the gendered shop environments are understood by a sample of Millennial consumers and how the consumers reflect on gender in these settings. Using varying data collection methods from in-store observations to go-along interviews with participants chosen with purposive sampling technique, the thesis uses qualitative method as a research tool and further analyses the data upon framework of servicescape theory. Using constructivist grounded theory as main analysis method, the findings suggest that there are significant differences between merchandising womenswear and menswear assortments. The research also indicates that among Millennial consumers there is clear interest and market potential towards the assortment of opposite gender, and the consumers also recognise the gendered differences in the materialised retail environments.

Mobility is an essential part of older people’s quality of life and the opportunity to maintain their inclusion in society. Accessing public transport is inextricably linked to older people’s ability to live an independent life and engage in various activities. The global population is aging, and more people live in cities, which creates challenges for transport planning to provide a transport system for everyone that also encourages sustainable mobility. This thesis investigates older peoples’ experiences traveling by public transport in Stockholm and how their experiences relate to social sustainability. Drawing on material collected through go-along interviews, this thesis examines the bodily and emotional dimensions of traveling and the meanings and values they ascribe to being mobile with public transport. The research illustrates the importance of understanding older peoples’ public transportation experiences in situ by traveling with the participants.

People with disabilities will experience discrimination in many ways during their daily life; one way being the presence of physical barriers in the public built environment which prevent their full participation. Within the EU and in Germany, regulations and building standards are the primary tool used for ensuring accessibility within the built environment, however, full and equal access for people with disabilities has not been achieved. This discrepancy indicates the limitations of accessibility through standardization and regulation. Physical barriers, such as stairs, have long been identified and understood to prevent access for people with disabilities, however, there seems to be relatively little scientific literature discussing temporary forms of barriers which also prevent access in the built environment. This research project aims to identify and understand barriers which create temporary inaccessibility for people with disabilities. These barriers may reflect unregulated or unenforced situations within the public built environment, one example of this type of situation being construction sites. Of particular interest is the role temporality plays within the development of barriers and accessibility. The primary research takes the form of go-along case studies with three participants, each having a different disability or impairment. The setting for these case studies is Europaplatz, a plaza at Berlin’s central train station; this location can be considered as a critical case, findings here should be archetypal and can be expected to hold true in other similar situations. The research shows the existence of many temporary barriers which have long lasting inaccessible impacts for people with disabilities. These barriers primarily stem from the presence of nearby construction sites and activities. In most cases a small amount of initial consideration towards accessibility would have prevented these temporary inaccessibilities. Even after their creation, very minor changes could remove these barriers and create a more accessible environment. My research indicates that there are serious problems around construction related activities which create barriers for people with disabilities. A clear lack of consideration for accessibility during the planning, approval and oversight of construction activities is shown.

<p>The Canadian prevalence for all food allergies is estimated to be 7.5%. The only management strategy for an allergic individual is a strict avoidance diet, which is heavily reliant on the effectiveness of food labels used on commercial food products. This thesis explores the effects of food allergen labels on the well-being of affected Canadians, using a social constructionist framework and a mixed methods approach.</p> <p>The quantitative portion of this study drew upon primary survey data. Respondents were asked to self-report household allergic status, as well as purchasing behavior and attitudes towards precautionary statements (n=1380). Results from the quantitative analysis were used to inform and develop the qualitative interview schedule for the second phase of this thesis. Qualitative interviews in a grocery store setting were conducted with 12 anaphylactic individuals, or parents of anaphylactic children.Respondents were observed during the course of product selection and questioned about their shopping habits, perceptions of and preferences for allergen labels.</p> <p>Results indicate that current Canadian allergen labels are not as effective as expected, since affected consumers reported not heeding precautionary statements. Allergic families were found to be less diligent than indirectly affected families, and also less likely to find precautionary statements helpful. Through qualitative interviews, it was found that prior experience, not allergen information, is the primary factor guiding purchasing decisions. Even though precautionary statements were found to be easy to understand, terminology, font sizes, and contrast issues on labels were reported to be key areas of improvement. Results from the two phases reflect differences in individuals‟ social constructions of risk, which ultimately shape purchasing and consumption behaviors. This research is the first to explore the effects of allergen labels on affected Canadians, using a social constructionist approach. Ultimately, results will help effective policy change in Canada and help affected consumers make safe consumption choices.</p> <p>This research contributes to the number of health studies that utilized a mixed methods approach, which is an emerging paradigm. The use of mixed methods allowed for extension and refinement of results. Future research directions identified in this research include the need for pharmaceutical labeling in Canada, as well as the need to explore purchasing behaviors of indirectly affected families, as they also utilize allergen labels to guide consumption choices when shopping for allergy-controlled environments.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

Women feel more fear than men in public space and when using public transport. This is an inequality in our society which limits women’s mobility and access to public goods. This study aims to qualitatively explore how women experience their public transport trips from a perceived safety perspective in a study of Gullmarsplan. Which elements women focus on during the trips and what they perceive as unsafe was explored, as well as what behaviors and strategies women use to manage their fear of crime. This was explored by first collecting travel diaries using a whole journey approach and then by narrowing the study down to performing walk-alongs in the walking environment at Gullmarsplan. The study found that women focus mostly on the social environment and that their reflections on the physical environment usually are related to perceived indicators of social incivilities and risk of victimization. Gullmarsplan was generally perceived as quite safe during the day but during evenings and nights most women avoided certain places which usually were secluded, difficult to survey or were perceived to attract dangerous others. Defensive adaptation strategies, mainly avoidance strategies and vigilance, were found to be the most commonly used safety strategies by women. Women’s fear of crime likely cannot be completely designed away in the physical environment but will require structural changes that promote gender equality in our society. With that noted, it is important that urban planners and designers are aware of how the physical environment affects women’s perceived safety. This study found that principles of CPTED generally made women feel safer, particularly important were good lighting and natural surveillance. Green spaces such as parks were found to often be avoided by women after dark. The geographical location and use of safety principles such as CPTED is thus especially important at such locations. Urban planners and designers have the power to shape public spaces that are accessible and safe. Public policies and design that promote equality in access to and use of public space is a feature of a more just democratic society.

Au moment où les territoires périurbains se transforment rapidement sous l’impulsion des stratégies de développement de l’industrie immobilière, les préoccupations sociales en matière de qualité des paysages et des cadres de vie se font de plus en plus grandes. Devant ces enjeux, les actions aménagistes privilégient le plus souvent des solutions à partir d’un regard « expert » généralement étranger aux demandes sociales en présence. Devant l’insuffisance des connaissances des regards citoyens, il y a une urgence à développer des méthodes originales aptes à révéler ce savoir local. Une enquête menée à l’automne 2009 à Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, sur la Rive-Sud de Montréal, révèle la pertinence d’une approche anthropologique sous-utilisée et novatrice en particulier pour les recherches en aménagement : celle du « récit-parcours ». Permettant un accès privilégié aux récits ancrés aux lieux de vies, cette méthode a permis de susciter des discours singuliers et collectifs sur le territoire, de révéler des propos sur les imaginaires portés sur la ville et d’offrir un espace d’expression des préoccupations, des valorisations et des aspirations des résidants. Les résultats de l’enquête à cet effet sont concluants : ce que nous révèlent les résidants de par leurs expériences vécues des lieux et leurs cheminements spatiaux est incontestablement riche et pertinent pour la compréhension des enjeux collectifs d’un milieu. Les logiques existantes derrière les transformations de ces territoires bénéficieraient grandement de ce savoir localisé, complexe et ingénieux dont dispose les résidants de la géographie, de l’environnement, de l’urbanisation et des caractéristiques sociales de leur ville. Ce faisant, le territoire change alors de statut : d’un objet d’évaluation experte, il devient une mise en scène dynamique où s’inscrivent des fragments significatifs d’histoires faisant référence à l’expérience du vécu quotidien, mais aussi, à la potentialité des lieux. Par le biais d’une telle démarche et en conjonction avec des méthodes participatives, il devient possible d’engager une véritable réflexion plurielle envers l’avenir des territoires périurbains, en résonance avec les aspirations locales. / While suburbs are being transformed at an alarming rate, under the pressures of the Real estate industry’s development strategies, social concerns regarding the quality of life and the resulting landscapes are currently on the rise. With these challenges to bear, stakeholders usually employ solutions from an "expert" perspective that remain impervious to existing social conditions and demands. Given the lack of knowledge from the citizens’ perspectives, there is an urgent need for developing novel methods that are capable of bringing forth this local knowledge. A survey conducted in fall 2009 with residents of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, on the south shore of Montreal, revealed the strength of an under-used and innovative method: the go-along. This method has demonstrated a particularly interesting technique to grasp the way dwellers qualify, imagine, value and move through their locality. Allowing privileged access to biographies and giving rise to improvised paths, the method has enabled placed-based narratives and has lead to an opening for expressing concerns, valuations and aspirations of citizens towards their community. In doing so, landscapes shift from expert evaluation to a dynamic scene where significant fragments of individual stories are told in relation to the experience of places in the everyday life. The study results conclude that the residents’ narratives and knowledge are undeniably rich and relevant to comprehending collective landscape issues and values. The existing logics and processes behind suburban landscape transformations would highly benefit from the collective wealth of dwellers’ extensive, situated and complex knowledge of the city’s geography, politics, economy and sociology. Furthermore, it can lead way to community participatory projects engaging multiple actors within a collective multifaceted reflection on the future of suburbs and the actions that should be taken towards a better future.

Au moment où les territoires périurbains se transforment rapidement sous l’impulsion des stratégies de développement de l’industrie immobilière, les préoccupations sociales en matière de qualité des paysages et des cadres de vie se font de plus en plus grandes. Devant ces enjeux, les actions aménagistes privilégient le plus souvent des solutions à partir d’un regard « expert » généralement étranger aux demandes sociales en présence. Devant l’insuffisance des connaissances des regards citoyens, il y a une urgence à développer des méthodes originales aptes à révéler ce savoir local. Une enquête menée à l’automne 2009 à Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, sur la Rive-Sud de Montréal, révèle la pertinence d’une approche anthropologique sous-utilisée et novatrice en particulier pour les recherches en aménagement : celle du « récit-parcours ». Permettant un accès privilégié aux récits ancrés aux lieux de vies, cette méthode a permis de susciter des discours singuliers et collectifs sur le territoire, de révéler des propos sur les imaginaires portés sur la ville et d’offrir un espace d’expression des préoccupations, des valorisations et des aspirations des résidants. Les résultats de l’enquête à cet effet sont concluants : ce que nous révèlent les résidants de par leurs expériences vécues des lieux et leurs cheminements spatiaux est incontestablement riche et pertinent pour la compréhension des enjeux collectifs d’un milieu. Les logiques existantes derrière les transformations de ces territoires bénéficieraient grandement de ce savoir localisé, complexe et ingénieux dont dispose les résidants de la géographie, de l’environnement, de l’urbanisation et des caractéristiques sociales de leur ville. Ce faisant, le territoire change alors de statut : d’un objet d’évaluation experte, il devient une mise en scène dynamique où s’inscrivent des fragments significatifs d’histoires faisant référence à l’expérience du vécu quotidien, mais aussi, à la potentialité des lieux. Par le biais d’une telle démarche et en conjonction avec des méthodes participatives, il devient possible d’engager une véritable réflexion plurielle envers l’avenir des territoires périurbains, en résonance avec les aspirations locales. / While suburbs are being transformed at an alarming rate, under the pressures of the Real estate industry’s development strategies, social concerns regarding the quality of life and the resulting landscapes are currently on the rise. With these challenges to bear, stakeholders usually employ solutions from an "expert" perspective that remain impervious to existing social conditions and demands. Given the lack of knowledge from the citizens’ perspectives, there is an urgent need for developing novel methods that are capable of bringing forth this local knowledge. A survey conducted in fall 2009 with residents of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, on the south shore of Montreal, revealed the strength of an under-used and innovative method: the go-along. This method has demonstrated a particularly interesting technique to grasp the way dwellers qualify, imagine, value and move through their locality. Allowing privileged access to biographies and giving rise to improvised paths, the method has enabled placed-based narratives and has lead to an opening for expressing concerns, valuations and aspirations of citizens towards their community. In doing so, landscapes shift from expert evaluation to a dynamic scene where significant fragments of individual stories are told in relation to the experience of places in the everyday life. The study results conclude that the residents’ narratives and knowledge are undeniably rich and relevant to comprehending collective landscape issues and values. The existing logics and processes behind suburban landscape transformations would highly benefit from the collective wealth of dwellers’ extensive, situated and complex knowledge of the city’s geography, politics, economy and sociology. Furthermore, it can lead way to community participatory projects engaging multiple actors within a collective multifaceted reflection on the future of suburbs and the actions that should be taken towards a better future.

Contexte L’aphasie, conséquence d’une lésion neurologique, est une difficulté à parler, comprendre, lire ou écrire. La diminution de qualité de vie des personnes vivant avec une aphasie (PVA) ne serait pas associée à la sévérité de l’aphasie, mais à leur participation - c’est à dire la façon dont une personne fonctionne dans la société. Les PVA réalisent moins d’activités sociales, et s’en montrent insatisfaites. Elles éprouvent de la difficulté à communiquer dans leurs échanges du quotidien, y compris avec des personnes non familières de la communauté comme les commis, serveurs, etc. Quand ces interactions sont jugées trop difficiles, les PVA peuvent en venir à éviter de communiquer avec d’autres interlocuteurs que leurs proches et s’enfermer dans un environnement de communication protégé mais limité. Ceci ne leur permet plus de s'engager dans la société autant qu’elles le souhaiteraient. En s’isolant ainsi, leur qualité de vie est menacée. Il est donc à la fois nécessaire et important de favoriser les interactions des PVA en dehors du domicile, ce qui est encore peu courant dans les interventions orthophoniques proposées en réadaptation. Pour cela, il faut pouvoir comprendre les situations dans lesquelles les PVA peuvent s'engager dans le cadre de leurs activités quotidiennes. Or peu d’écrits ont étudié en détail les situations d'interaction entre des PVA et les interlocuteurs non familiers de leur communauté. Objectif L’objectif de ce projet doctoral est de comprendre la situation d’interaction entre des PVA et des interlocuteurs non familiers de leur communauté. Méthodologie Trois études furent réalisées. - Nous avons effectué une première étude à visée exploratoire avec l'objectif de décrire, grâce à l'analyse de conversation, la structure de ces interactions de service récoltées auprès de 6 PVA (étude 1).  - À partir de la première étude et toujours grâce à l'analyse de conversation, nous avons réalisé une nouvelle étude, visant à décrire comment ces 6 PVA faisaient comprendre leurs requêtes lors des interactions de service malgré leur aphasie (étude 2). - Enfin, dans une troisième étude nous avons cherché à comprendre - avec une étude de cas - comment une personne dont l'aphasie était sévère vivait la situation d’interaction de service au quotidien (étude 3). Résultats Dans l'étude 1, nous avons décrit les situations d’interaction de service de la vie quotidienne (ISQ) pour les PVA, et en avons notamment relevé la structure en quatre étapes sur le plan de la communication. Les interlocuteurs doivent s’entendre sur : 1) leur disponibilité à réaliser l’interaction, 2) l’objet de l’achat, 3) son prix, 4) le fait que l’interaction commerciale est terminée. Cette étude a également révélé que : - Les étapes 1 et 4, au cours desquelles la PVA doit faire comprendre à l’interlocuteur qu’elle est prête à commencer / clore l’interaction, ne représentent pas de défi spécifique pour les PVA. - Les étapes 2 et 3 peuvent pour leur part représenter des défis sur le plan de la communication. L'étape 2 visant à faire comprendre à l’interlocuteur l’objet de l’achat ou de l’intérêt de la PVA, l’interaction sera facilitée si la PVA peut se servir elle-même ou pointer sur des supports visuels. L'étape 3 sera facilitée si le montant est visible au moment où la PVA prend connaissance du prix qu'elle doit payer. Cette première étude a ainsi permis de mieux circonscrire les sources de défis sur le plan de la communication pour les PVA lors d’interactions à la caisse. Dans la deuxième étude, nous nous sommes spécifiquement penchées sur l'étape 2 des interactions de service afin d'analyser comment les PVA font comprendre l’objet de leur intérêt à leurs interlocuteurs. Nous avons examiné comment la PVA exprimait sa requête, et comment l’interlocuteur y réagissait. Cette étude mit en lumière la façon dont les personnes vivant avec une aphasie même sévère pouvaient faire comprendre l’objet de leur requête lors des interactions de service en appuyant leur communication non verbale dans le contexte et l’environnement physique de l’interaction. Dans notre étude 3, nous avons montré que la participation aux interactions de service de la vie quotidienne (ISQ) semblait liée chez le participant de cette étude de cas à la confiance qu’il avait dans sa capacité à réaliser l’ISQ malgré son trouble du langage. Ce participant a démontré un éventail de savoir-être et savoir-faire lissant l’interaction là où l’aphasie aurait pu l’écorcher, lui permettant d'obtenir le bien ou le service qu'il désirait, tout en donnant l'image d'un bon client, et ce malgré son aphasie. Conclusions Les interactions de service représenteraient une situation de communication dans laquelle les PVA pourraient participer de façon autonome et efficace. Leur structure, contexte et environnement physique pourraient permettre d'appuyer la communication non-verbale des PVA, et la relation de service orienterait les interlocuteurs vers une collaboration dans l'échange. Il est possible pour les PVA - mêmes celles dont l'aphasie est sévère - d'avoir confiance dans leur communication dans les situations d’interactions de service avec des personnes non familières, et de participer dans leur communauté de façon plus satisfaisante. / Background Aphasia is a difficulty in speaking, understanding, reading or writing as a result of neurological damage. The quality of life of people living with aphasia (PLWA) is not related to the severity of aphasia, but to their participation - that is, how well a person functions in society. PLWA perform fewer social activities and are less satisfied with them. They find it difficult to communicate in their daily interactions, including with people unfamiliar within their community such as clerks, waiters, etc. They have difficulty communicating in their daily interactions. If these interactions are felt to be too difficult, PLWA may avoid communicating with people other than their relatives, and remain in a protected but limited communication environment. This does not allow them to engage in society as much as they would like. By isolating themselves this way, their quality of life is threatened. It is therefore important to encourage PLWA’s interactions outside their home, which is still uncommon in speech-language pathology interventions offered in rehabilitation. This requires an understanding of the situations in which PLWA may engage in their daily activities. However, there is little literature that has examined in detail the situations in which PLWA interact with unfamiliar people in their community. Objective The objective of this Ph.D. project is to understand the situation of interaction between PLWA and unfamiliar people within their community. Methodology Three studies were carried out. The first is an exploratory study whose objective is to describe through conversation analysis the structure of service encounters collected from 6 PLWA (study 1). Based on Study 1 and still using conversation analysis, we conducted a new study to describe how these 6 PLWA made their requests understood during service interactions despite their aphasia (study 2). Finally, in a third study we sought to understand with a case study how a person with severe aphasia experienced this communication situation in everyday life (study 3). Results In Study 1, we described the Daily Service Encounter (DSE) situations for PLWA, including the four-step communication structure. Interlocutors must agree on: 1) their availability to perform the interaction, 2) the purpose of the purchase, 3) the price, 4) that the business interaction is complete. This study also found that: -Steps 1 and 4, where the PLWA must make the interlocutor understand that they are ready to begin/end the interaction, do not present specific challenges for PLWA. -Steps 2 and 3 however may present communication challenges. Since Step 2 aims to make the clerk understand the purpose of the purchase, the interaction will be facilitated if PLWA can help themselves or point to visual aids. Step 3 will be facilitated if the price is visible when PLWA are ready to pay. This initial study thus made it possible to better identify the sources of communication challenges for PLWA at the checkout. In the second study, we specifically looked at Step 2 of the service interactions in order to analyze how PLWA make the clerks understand the purpose of their interest. We looked at how the PLWA expressed their request, and how the clerks responded to it. This study highlighted how PLWA – even severe aphasia - could make the subject of their request understood during service encounters by supporting their non-verbal communication in the context and physical environment of the interaction. In our third study, we found that participation in DSE appeared to be related - in this case study - to the confidence of the participant in his ability to perform the DSE despite his language impairment. This participant demonstrated a range of interpersonal skills and abilities that smoothed interaction where aphasia might have nicked it, enabling him to obtain the good or service he wanted, while still presenting the image of a good customer, despite his aphasia. Conclusion Service encounters provide communication situations in which PLWA could participate effectively. Their structure, context, and physical environment would support the non-verbal communication of PLWA, and the service relationship would direct the interlocutors towards collaborative exchange. It is possible for PLWA - even those with severe aphasia - to be confident in their communication with unfamiliar people in service encounters, and to participate in their community in a more satisfying manner.