One of the most challenging issues within the planning and development process of our cities and societies is the changing climate that already can be seen in several parts of the world. To be able to decrease the cities’ and societies’ vulnerability towards these projections it is important to actively work with climate adaptation. Today, the majority of the climate adaptation measures are implemented in new developments, and not in the same extent in the existing built environment. Because the projected climate changes will affect all parts of the cities and societies it is important to work with an overarching climate adaptation. Within the Swedish context, the municipality has an important role in the work with climate adaptation. The aim of this master thesis is to generate an understanding of how Swedish municipalities work with climate adaptation within the existing built environment, and what challenges they face within their work. Additionally, the study will look at how the current legislation affects the municipal climate adaptation work, and how the new amendments in PBL, will affect the municipalities’ work. Three municipalities (Täby, Vellinge, and Gothenburg) have been studied to be able to conduct this master thesis, where sixteen interviewees from the municipalities, as well as from the Stockholm County Administrative Board and from Sweco, a Swedish consulting company, have been interviewed. The results from the study show that several challenges that the municipalities, in the current situation, are facing and are affecting their climate adaptation work. The main challenges that was identifies were the uncertain forecasts, the political will and priorities, the division of responsibility, the financial responsibility, and conflicting legislations. These challenges are creating limitations and difficulties for the municipalities to act in the issue of adapting to the changing climate, especially within the existing built environment. In the current situation, the three studies municipalities have started their climate adaptation work but are facing difficulties with going forward in the process. / En av de mest utmanande frågorna inom dagens planering och utveckling av våra städer och samhällen är klimatförändringarna och dess effekter som redan är synliga i flera delar av världen. För att minska städernas och samhällenas sårbarhet gentemot dessa förändringar är det viktigt att aktivt arbeta med klimatanpassning. Idag implementeras majoriteten av dessa typer av åtgärderna inom den nya bebyggelsen och inte i samma utsträckning i den befintliga bebyggda miljön. Eftersom de beräknade klimatförändringarna kommer att påverka alla delar i våra städer är det viktigt att arbeta med en övergripande klimatanpassning. I Sverige har kommunen en viktig roll i arbetet med klimatanpassningar. Denna masteruppsats syftar till att skapa en förståelse för hur svenska kommuner arbetar med klimatförändringar inom den befintliga bebyggda miljö, samt vilka utmaningar de står inför i detta arbete. Studien kommer även att undersöka hur den nuvarande lagstiftningen påverkar det kommunala klimat-anpassningsarbete samt vilken påverkan de nya lagändringarna i PBL kommer att resultera i. Tre kommuner (Täby, Vellinge och Göteborg) har studerats för att kunna genomföra denna masteruppsats, där sexton intervjupersoner från kommunerna samt från Stockholms länsstyrelse och Sweco har intervjuats. Resultatet från studien visar att kommunerna står inför flertalet utmaningar som skapar hinder och svårigheter i deras klimatanpassningsarbete. De främsta utmaningarna som har identifierats är de osäkra prognoserna som påverkar kommunernas planering av åtgärder samt deras vilja till klimatanpassning; den politiska viljan, prioriteringarna, och stöder för att anpassa kommunen; ansvarsfördelningen gällande arbetet med klimatanpassning mellan de olika nivåerna i samhället, samt mellan olika aktörer; det ekonomiska ansvaret att finansiera klimatanpassningsarbete; och den motstridiga lagstiftningen som skapar svårigheter för kommunerna. Dessa utmaningar försvårar för kommunerna att aktivt agera i frågan angående klimatanpassning och därmed att säkra den befintliga bebyggda miljön för de förväntade klimatförändringarna. I dagsläget har de tre studerade kommunerna påbörjat sitt klimatanpassningsarbete, men på grund av de identifierade utmaningarna, har de svårigheter att gå vidare i denna process.

This master thesis is intended as a contribution to the understanding of the influence urban form has on urban life and by extension social structures in society, by focusing on gender relations and their reflections on the use of public space. In addition, the aim of the study is to do so in relation to a comparison between two different types of urban environments; one slum area that can be regarded as formally unplanned with an irregular gradually grown street network and one slum area of more deliberately planned character with a more regular street grid. With the use of quantitative methods, such as space syntax, structured observations and correlations studies, differences in co-presence between women and men, in the form of staying in public space, and between the areas are discovered. With the addition of qualitative methods, such as interviews and unstructured observations, as well as a review of the context in which the study is set and a theoretical discourse the reasons behind the differences is discussed. It is suggested that the blurred distinctions between private and public space often found in slum areas and the division of responsibilities and activities between women and men in the given context results in a certain degree of gender segregation in public space. Women are often restricted to the space in proximity of their homes, why it becomes an extension of their homes as well as a space for interaction which creates semi-public spaces. As men more often socialise further away from home in spaces of more public function, this creates a certain degree of segregation between women and men in public space. The most significant physical difference between the study areas proved to be the hierarchal properties of the street network. The clearer hierarchy in the unplanned area implicates that the spaces where women stays generally is of a lower degree of public function. The regular street grid of the planned area resulted in a more even distribution of public function, why men more often also stays in the semi-public spaces in residential alleys. In this way the built environment in the unplanned area reflects and reproduces gender relations in the use of public space. An implication is that since the correspondence between social structures in society and the use of public space is something that can assumed be effected by design, the urban designer has continuously in the context of development of slum areas in the developing world, and in general, an important role to play.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the decision-making processes of real estate organisations in the built environment with respect to sustainable operations, as well as how they relate to management systems and building certifications. In the study, we utilised the proposed framework by Schrettle et al. (2014) after examining the relevant literature on operations management in general and built environment-specific research, as well as acquiring insights from multiple studies. The framework included areas regarding sustainability decision motivators, mediators, approaches, and actions, as well as their impact on sustainability performance andfirm performance. Therefore, we conducted a comparative case study of six Swedish real estate organisations responding to calls for more in-depth research on these topics.Our findings support the applicability of Schrettle et al.'s (2014) conceptual framework to conceptualise and examine sustainable operations decision-making processes in the built environment. This study's results underlined the impact of stakeholder expectations and organisational capabilities influence on the strategic approaches and actions of an organisation's sustainability transition. According to the findings, active engagement from all key stakeholders is required to provide economic value as well as social and environmental achievements. It also described how real estate companies could comply with regulations, attract tenants, and prepare for the future by adopting sustainable practises at all levels of decision-making. Aligning sustainable practises with business performance is advantageous for all parties involved, resulting in cost savings, enhanced quality, and growth opportunities. Through empirical evidence, qualitative case studies, and insights into strategies, methods, andactions employed by real estate operators, this study contributes to the fields of sustainable operations management and the built environment. Additionally, linking concepts from the field of management system theory to these fields by demonstrating how management systems and certification act as green labels that increase resource efficiency, make it easier to create sustainable products, and contribute to improving firm and sustainability performance.

The “graying” of the population is proceeding rapidly, and the prevalence of people living with dementia is rising. Dementia is a syndrome due to the disease of the brain, which is characterized by a progressive, global deterioration in the intellect including memory, learning, orientation, language, comprehension, and judgment. This entails an increased need for assistance with daily tasks. In most cases, family members perform the caregiving role. However, providing care and support for someone with dementia is associated with an enormous emotional, physical, and social stress. Therefore, it is necessary for caregivers to take periods of rest regularly and to take care of their own health. In Germany, assisted vacations have been established as an important type of potential support for family caregivers. They go on a vacation together with their care recipient. During their stay, professionals and volunteers assist with the care and, as a result, relieve the family caregivers. Unfortunately, few vacation accommodations meet the specific needs of the target group. Especially, a proper design of the physical environment can positively affect functionality, behavior, and well-being among people with dementia and, thus, also benefit the caregivers. Former research on designing dementia-friendly environments has been heterogenic, and little is known about how to design the built environment for people with dementia outside nursing homes. The purpose of this paper is to explore ways of designing holiday accommodations for people with dementia and their family caregivers. The methods used were, first, a literature review on design and family caregiving for people with dementia. This aimed at identifying dementia-friendly physical features and at determining dementia caregivers’ characteristics. Second, a case study of existing holiday homes was carried out to detect strengths and weaknesses of their built environments. In combination, caregiver’s demands on the design of the built environment were assessed through qualitative interviews with caregivers. Consequently, design criteria were developed through a synthesis of the result of the previous steps. Finally, the resulting design criteria were transferred into a concept for a prototypical holiday accommodation. Results suggest that a holiday accommodation, which meets the demands of the target group on the built environment, has to be barrier-free and dementia-friendly designed; has to offer situational orientation cues; and provides space for activities, communication, and retreat. This paper represents a first approach of exploring ways to design dementia-friendly holiday homes. There is a need to further examine the resulting ideas.

The Central Appalachian region of the United States disproportionately experiences higher rates of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and associated risk factors. Primary risk factors for CVD include hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and tobacco use, all of which have the potential to be mitigated through lifestyle behavior changes. Dietary and physical activity practices are the two main driving forces for the development of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, while tobacco use is a behavioral choice on its own. Subsequentially, shifting lifestyle choices to emphasize healthier living has the potential to reduce CVDs within the Central Appalachian region. Considering behavioral choices are not made in isolation and are the result of internal and external influences, it is necessary to contemplate the multitude of factors driving these rates. Additionally, healthcare systems within this region ability to provide patient-centered care (PCC) is another consideration, as effective point of care also can address these rates from a disease treatment and management level. The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge, perceptions, and influences among patients with cardiovascular diseases and non-licensed caregivers within these communities, at the behavioral and community levels, in addition to the perceptions of essential components of PCC among professional stakeholders. Seven focus group discussions with CVD patients and non-licensed caregivers were conducted, with a total of 78 participants; additionally, 20 interviews were held with professional stakeholders within the healthcare field. At the behavioral level participants identified internal and external barriers to sustaining healthy diets, the impact of interpersonal relationships on diet and stress, and influential role of cardiac rehabilitation in physical activity following a major cardiac event. At the community level participants discussed the economic characteristics of communities, a need for community infrastructure expansion, and the role of community organizations. Professional stakeholders addressed PCC in the current healthcare system, constructs of effective patient-provider interactions and the role of community outreach. This research serves as a look into the challenges and opportunities within this region and provides insight to inform future research and interventions.

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Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and its relationship with the built environment has been extensively studied. Most notably, five D variables of the built environment including density, diversity, design, destination accessibility, and distance to transit are the key variables included in this research to explain VMT generation from housing developments. This thesis uses prior research that developed robust statistical models and findings to create a framework to estimate VMT reduction affected by infill housing developed using incentives provided by the state compared to a regional comparator. The regional comparator is typically a suburban single-family housing development in the region. The models recommended for future application of the framework are based on ease of finding the data on variables included in the model and statistical robustness. The application of the framework in the Central Coast and San Francisco Bay Area regions of California shows that infill prototypes developed can generate an 11-27% reduction in VMT per capita. The findings are specific to a synthetic household defined for this study. The research provides ways to apply this framework to other regions of the state along with ideas to consider for future work. These ideas include exploring the VMT reduction potential based on households with different income levels appropriate for the regions, future modeling efforts, and selection of existing models. The findings of this thesis support that the combination of the five D variables can help attribute to a larger VMT reduction than the VMT reduction caused by the change of a single variable. When destinations are clustered, and jobs are available at a reasonable distance to the residence, a significant reduction in VMT is more achievable. The results inform public agencies on which locations are ripe for devoting further resources for incentivizing housing development to reach climate and housing goals.

To understand which factors affect the perception of stress while driving is interesting since it would help us to get closer to comprehending how the street network design can avoid putting stress on the drivers. Earlier research has measured drivers’ perception of safety under different street conditions by using video clips of real street environments. This study, that is carried out in cooperation with ITRL and it forms part of the MERGEN project, aims to introduce HCI techniques in order to prove that these techniques can bring valuable and credible results when substituting the conventional means of carrying out experiments. The study focuses on how the level of car traffic and the presence or not of traffic signs and lights affect how the drivers’ perceive stress emotion. To extract relevant information, a perceptual experiment was conducted in which 29 subjects were exposed to stimuli that represented four different virtual street scenarios. Each scenario comprised a unique case that combined the two factors under examination. In order to measure the levels of the perceived stress, the subjects of the experiment were asked to answer questions on how they perceive the following four aspects: confidence, comfort, route information and manageability of traffic load. It was concluded that the presence of traffic signs and automated traffic lights has a big impact on every aspect that was examined since a significant difference on the responses given was measured. It was also concluded that the level of car traffic does not play a very significant role when it alters in street scenarios where traffic signs and traffic lights are present. Nevertheless, the level of car traffic becomes a factor on how drivers perceive stress when the street scenario does not include presence of traffic signs and lights. The use of HCI techniques with the goal to extract information on how drivers perceive emotions managed to give back descriptive results, something that can enhance the use of this kind of methods in the evaluation of not only street network designs but any Built Environment design in general. The study is conducted using virtual scenarios but is meant to help better understand emotions in real situations. / Att förstå vilka faktorer som påverkar uppfattningen av stress under körning är intressant eftersom det skulle hjälpa oss att begripa hur gatunätets design kan undvika att sätta stress på förarna. Tidigare forskning har mätt förarnas uppfattning om säkerhet under olika gatuförhållanden genom att använda videoklipp från verkliga gatumiljöer. Denna studie, som genomförs i samarbete med ITRL och ingår i MERGEN-projektet, syftar till att införa HCI-tekniker för att bevisa att dessa tekniker kan ge värdefulla och trovärdiga resultat när de ersätter konventionella metoder för att genomföra experiment. Studien fokuserar på hur nivån på biltrafik och närvaro av trafikskyltar och ljus påverkar hur förarna uppfattar stresskänslor. För att extrahera relevant information genomfördes ett perceptuellt experiment där 29 personer utsattes för stimuli som representerade fyra olika virtuella gatuscenarier. Varje scenario bestod av ett unikt fall som kombinerade de två faktorer som undersöktes. För att mäta nivåerna av den upplevda stressen ombads försökspersonerna att svara på frågor om hur de uppfattar de följande fyra aspekterna: förtroende, komfort, ruttinformation och hanterbarhet av trafikbelastningen. Man drog slutsatsen att närvaron av trafikskyltar och automatiserade trafikljus har stor inverkan på varje aspekt som undersöktes eftersom en signifikant skillnad i de givna svaren uppmättes. Man drog också slutsatsen att biltrafiknivån inte spelar en så viktig roll när den förändras i gatuscenarier där trafikskyltar och trafikljus finns. Ändå blir biltrafiknivån en faktor för hur förare upplever stress när gatuscenariot inte inkluderar närvaron av trafikskyltar och ljus. Användningen av HCI-tekniker i syfte att extrahera information om hur förare uppfattar känslor lyckades ge tillbaka beskrivande resultat, något som kan förbättra användningen av denna typ av metoder vid utvärderingen av inte bara gatunätdesign utan alla byggnadsmiljöer generellt. Studien genomförs med virtuella scenarier men är tänkt att hjälpa till att bättre förstå känslor i verkliga situationer.

No description available.