scholarly journals The Heightened ‘Security Zone’ Function of Gated Communities during the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Changing Housing Market Dynamic: Evidence from Beijing, China

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 983
Author(s):  
Ling Li ◽  
Wayne Xinwei Wan ◽  
Shenjing He
Keyword(s):  
Housing Market ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Housing Prices ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Gated Communities ◽  
Urban China ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Perceived Security

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has left a strong imprint on many aspects of urban life. Gated communities (GCs) in China are less commonly perceived as a negative and segregated urban form of community compared to other contexts, owing to their wide variety and relative openness. Yet, the enhanced security zone function and the popularity of GCs, along with the heightened segregation and exclusion effects, mean they are most likely to emerge in post-pandemic urban China because of the perceived effectiveness of GCs in preventing health risks by excluding outsiders during the pandemic. Drawing on empirical data from Beijing, this research presents strong evidence for a strengthened perceived ‘security zone’ effect of GCs during the pandemic. Given that rigid pandemic control measures were organized at the community level, a large-scale household survey in Beijing suggests that residents commonly recognise the effectiveness of GCs in security control and show a strong preference for GCs over open communities after the pandemic, even though there is a lack of direct evidence of reduced COVID-19 risk in GCs. The heightened perceived ‘security zone’ function of GCs has shown a significant impact on the housing market, evidenced by an increase of 2% in the housing prices for GCs, compared with those of open communities. The rising popularity of GCs is also evidenced by a significant increase in property viewings by potential homebuyers and smaller price discounts in actual transactions in gated communities vis-à-vis open communities. We argue that the rising risk-averse sentiment in the post-pandemic era has given rise to the popularity of GCs. This study provides timely and fresh insights into the changing meaning of GCs in post-pandemic China.

Housing market resilience: Neighbourhood and metropolitan factors explaining resilience before and after the US housing crisis

Urban Studies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (13) ◽  
pp. 2688-2708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyungsoon Wang
Keyword(s):  
Housing Market ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Housing Prices ◽  
Mortgage Market ◽  
Housing Crisis ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Boom And Bust ◽  
The Usa

The advent of the millennium witnessed unparalleled volatility in the housing market, a cycle of bust and recovery to which some US neighbourhoods were resilient and others not. Most planning scholars interested in resilience have paid little attention to examining the resilience of the housing market to economic shocks at the neighbourhood level across the USA. Using cluster analysis and hierarchical linear models, together with changes in housing prices, this study examines patterns and drivers explaining neighbourhood resilience within the context of metropolitan housing markets over periods of housing boom, bust, and recovery. Findings suggest that neighbourhood and metropolitan factors associated with housing market resilience varied across space and time: housing and mortgage market conditions affected neighbourhood recovery in the relatively short term while most urban form variables affected recovery over the long term. In addition, the associations and recovery patterns varied among the types of metropolitan areas, showing that neighbourhoods in strong markets had more drivers of resilience and reverted to their original status more quickly than those in weak markets, highlighting the growth of regional housing disparity during the housing recovery. Across the nation, however, home values in neighbourhoods that experienced more extreme periods of boom and bust underwent short-lived depreciation during the recession but long-term appreciation. This study should help policy makers establish sound policies that stabilise neighbourhoods and prevent future downturns.

Assessment of quality of life in patients with the effects of transient ischemic stroke

2016 ◽  
pp. 37-39
Author(s):  
A. Babirad
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cerebrovascular Diseases ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Cerebrovascular Events ◽  
Sf 36 ◽  
Angioplasty And Stenting

Cerebrovascular diseases are a problem of the world today, and according to the forecast, the problem of the near future arises. The main risk factors for the development of ischemic disorders of the cerebral circulation include oblique and aging, arterial hypertension, smoking, diabetes mellitus and heart disease. An effective strategy for the prevention of cerebrovascular events is based on the implementation of large-scale risk control measures, including the use of antiagregant and anticoagulant therapy, invasive interventions such as atheromectomy, angioplasty and stenting. In this connection, the efforts of neurologists, cardiologists, angiosurgery, endocrinologists and other specialists are the basis for achieving an acceptable clinical outcome. A review of the SF-36 method for assessing the quality of life in patients with the effects of transient ischemic stroke is presented. The assessment of quality of life is recognized in world medical practice and research, an indicator that is also used to assess the quality of the health system and in general sociological research.

scholarly journals Large-Scale Road Network Congestion Pattern Analysis and Prediction Using Deep Convolutional Autoencoder

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5108
Author(s):  
Navin Ranjan ◽  
Sovit Bhandari ◽  
Pervez Khan ◽  
Youn-Sik Hong ◽  
Hoon Kim
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Network Architecture ◽  
Road Network ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Pattern Analysis ◽  
Image Data ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Prediction Algorithm ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Convolutional Autoencoder

The transportation system, especially the road network, is the backbone of any modern economy. However, with rapid urbanization, the congestion level has surged drastically, causing a direct effect on the quality of urban life, the environment, and the economy. In this paper, we propose (i) an inexpensive and efficient Traffic Congestion Pattern Analysis algorithm based on Image Processing, which identifies the group of roads in a network that suffers from reoccurring congestion; (ii) deep neural network architecture, formed from Convolutional Autoencoder, which learns both spatial and temporal relationships from the sequence of image data to predict the city-wide grid congestion index. Our experiment shows that both algorithms are efficient because the pattern analysis is based on the basic operations of arithmetic, whereas the prediction algorithm outperforms two other deep neural networks (Convolutional Recurrent Autoencoder and ConvLSTM) in terms of large-scale traffic network prediction performance. A case study was conducted on the dataset from Seoul city.

scholarly journals Analysis of the illicit tobacco market in Georgia in response to fiscal and non-fiscal tobacco control measures

2021 ◽  
pp. tobaccocontrol-2020-056404
Author(s):  
Megan Little ◽  
Hana Ross ◽  
George Bakhturidze ◽  
Iago Kachkachishvili
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Tobacco Consumption ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Cigarette Consumption ◽  
Control Law ◽  
Excise Tax ◽  
Cigarette Taxes ◽  
Illicit Trade ◽  
Cigarette Pack

BackgroundGeorgian illicit cigarette consumption was 1.5% in 2017. In 2018, a new tobacco control law took effect followed by a substantial cigarette excise tax increase in 2019. Research shows these policies reduce tobacco consumption, but the tobacco industry argues they increase illicit trade. There is limited evidence on this, particularly from developing countries.MethodsA panel household survey in Georgia obtained data over three waves: 2017 baseline, 2018 after the tobacco control law took effect and 2019 after taxes increased. A sample of 1578 smokers (and quitters in later waves) from five regions reported their tobacco use and were asked to present a cigarette pack in their possession. These were examined for tax stamps and health warnings to establish legality.FindingsThere was no evidence of an increase in illicit cigarette consumption in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Akhaltsikhe or Gori in any wave. In Zugdidi, near the Russian-occupied Abkhazia, illicit cigarette consumption was increasing even prior to the tax increase, reaching 30.9% by wave 3. A country-wide shift occurred from manufactured cigarettes to roll-your-own tobacco (whose tax remained unchanged) between waves 2 and 3.ConclusionNo evidence of a country-wide increase in illicit cigarette trade was found after non-fiscal tobacco measures took effect and cigarette taxes increased. Relatively high illicit cigarette consumption in Zugdidi highlights the role of disputed territories and border administration in illicit cigarette supply. Substitution towards roll-your-own tobacco after manufactured cigarette taxes increased demonstrates the importance of equalising taxes on tobacco products to maximise public health benefits.

scholarly journals What is beyond the edges? Gated communities and their role in China’s desire for harmonious cities

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Badiaa Hamama ◽  
Jian Liu
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Real Estate ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Gated Communities ◽  
Urban Fabric ◽  
Chinese Cities ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Process Of Urbanization ◽  
New Urbanization

Abstract During the rapid process of urbanization in post-reform China, cities assumed the role of a catalyst for economic growth and quantitative construction. In this context, territorially bounded and well delimited urban cells, globally known as ‘gated communities’, xiaoqu, continued to define the very essence of Chinese cities becoming the most attractive urban form for city planners, real estate developers, and citizens alike. Considering the guidelines in China’s National New Urbanization Plan (2014–2020), focusing on the promotion of humanistic and harmonious cities, in addition to the directive of 2016 by China’s Central Urban Work Conference to open up the gates and ban the construction of new enclosed residential compounds, this paper raises the following questions: As the matrix of the Chinese urban fabric, what would be the role of the gated communities in China’s desire for a human-qualitative urbanism? And How to rethink the gated communities to meet the new urban challenges? Seeking alternative perspectives, this paper looks at the gated communities beyond the apparent limits they seem to represent, considering them not simply as the ‘cancer’ of Chinese cities, rather the container of the primary ingredients to reshape the urban fabric dominated by the gate.

scholarly journals Universal Masking to Control Healthcare-Associated Transmission of SARS-CoV-2

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Eliza R. Thompson ◽  
Faith S. Williams ◽  
Pat A. Giacin ◽  
Shay Drummond ◽  
Eric Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Infection Prevention ◽  
Index Patient ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Point Prevalence ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Va Health Care System ◽  
Healthcare Associated

Abstract Objective: To assess extent of a healthcare-associated outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 and evaluate effectiveness of infection control measures, including universal masking Design: Outbreak investigation including 4 large-scale point-prevalence surveys Setting: Integrated VA Health Care System with 2 facilities and 330 beds Participants: Index patient and 250 exposed patients and staff Methods: We identified exposed patients and staff and classified them as probable and confirmed cases based on symptoms and testing. We performed a field investigation and assessment of patient and staff interactions to develop probable transmission routes. Infection prevention interventions implemented included droplet and contact precautions, employee quarantine, and universal masking with medical and cloth facemasks. Four point-prevalence surveys of patient and staff subsets were conducted using real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for SARS-CoV-2. Results: Among 250 potentially exposed patients and staff, 14 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were identified. Patient roommates and staff with prolonged patient contact were most likely to be infected. The last potential date of transmission from staff to patient was day 22, the day universal masking was implemented. Subsequent point-prevalence surveys in 126 patients and 234 staff identified 0 patient cases and 5 staff cases of Covid-19, without evidence of healthcare-associated transmission. Conclusions: Universal masking with medical facemasks was effective in preventing further spread of SARS-CoV-2 in our facility in conjunction with other traditional infection prevention measures.

scholarly journals Heterogeneity and effectiveness analysis of COVID-19 prevention and control in major cities in China through time-varying reproduction number estimation

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Cheng ◽  
Zeyi Liu ◽  
Guangquan Cheng ◽  
Jincai Huang
Keyword(s):  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Reproduction Number ◽  
Correlation Method ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Prevention And Control Measures ◽  
And Control

AbstractBeginning on December 31, 2019, the large-scale novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in China. Tracking and analysing the heterogeneity and effectiveness of cities’ prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic is essential to design and adjust epidemic prevention and control measures. The number of newly confirmed cases in 25 of China’s most-affected cities for the COVID-19 epidemic from January 11 to February 10 was collected. The heterogeneity and effectiveness of these 25 cities’ prevention and control measures for COVID-19 were analysed by using an estimated time-varying reproduction number method and a serial correlation method. The results showed that the effective reproduction number (R) in 25 cities showed a downward trend overall, but there was a significant difference in the R change trends among cities, indicating that there was heterogeneity in the spread and control of COVID-19 in cities. Moreover, the COVID-19 control in 21 of 25 cities was effective, and the risk of infection decreased because their R had dropped below 1 by February 10, 2020. In contrast, the cities of Wuhan, Tianmen, Ezhou and Enshi still had difficulty effectively controlling the COVID-19 epidemic in a short period of time because their R was greater than 1.

scholarly journals The role and significance of planning in the determination of house prices in Australia: Recent policy debates

2021 ◽  
pp. 0308518X2198894
Author(s):  
Peter Phibbs ◽  
Nicole Gurran
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Housing Market ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
House Prices ◽  
Housing Prices ◽  
House Price ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Urban Housing ◽  
Price Inflation ◽  
Depth Analysis

On the world stage, Australian cities have been punching above their weight in global indexes of housing prices, sparking heated debates about the causes of and remedies for, sustained house price inflation. This paper examines the evidence base underpinning such debates, and the policy claims made by key commentators and stakeholders. With reference to the wider context of Australia’s housing market over a 20 year period, as well as an in depth analysis of a research paper by Australia’s central Reserve Bank, we show how economic theories commonly position land use planning as a primary driver of new supply constraints but overlook other explanations for housing market behavior. In doing so, we offer an alternative understanding of urban housing markets and land use planning interventions as a basis for more effective policy intervention in Australian and other world cities.

scholarly journals Land Use Transitions and Farm Performance in China: A Perspective of Land Fragmentation

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 792
Author(s):  
Shukun Wang ◽  
Dengwang Li ◽  
Tingting Li ◽  
Changquan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Scale Production ◽  
Land Fragmentation ◽  
Land Transfer ◽  
Large Scale Production ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Farm Performance ◽  
Effect On Yield ◽  
The Relationship

Land fragmentation (LF) is widespread worldwide and affects farmers’ decision-making and, thus, farm performance. We used detailed household survey data at the crop level from ten provinces in China to construct four LF indicators and six farm performance indicators. We ran a set of regression models using OLS methods to analyse the relationship between LF and farm performance. The results showed that (1) LF increased the input of production material and labour costs; (2) LF reduced farmers’ purchasing of mechanical services and the efficiency of ploughing; and (3) LF may increase technical efficiency (this result, however, was not sufficiently robust and had no effect on yield). Generally speaking, LF was negatively related to farm performance. To improve farm performance, it is recommended that decision-makers speed up land transfer and land consolidation, stabilise land property rights, establish land-transfer intermediary organisations and promote large-scale production.

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