scholarly journals Valuing Physical and Social Output: A Rapid Assessment of a London Community Garden

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 5452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Schoen ◽  
Silvio Caputo ◽  
Chris Blythe
Keyword(s):  
Return On Investment ◽  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
Community Gardens ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Community Garden ◽  
True Value ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
Prime Objective ◽  
Minimal Invasion

The value of urban farms and gardens in terms of their potential for supplying a healthy diet to local residents is well known. However, the prime objective of these spaces often differs from one of food production with this being the means by which other outputs are achieved. Valuing these spaces that provide diverse benefits is therefore a complex exercise as any measure needs to incorporate their physical as well as their social outputs. Only through such an integrated approach is the true value of these gardens revealed and the scale of their potential for contributing to health agendas made apparent. Social return on investment studies can be heavily resource dependent and the rapid cost benefit approach advanced here suggests that with limited expertise and minimal invasion of volunteer and beneficiary time and space, a public value return on investment ratio can be estimated relatively rapidly using an ‘off the shelf’ tool. For the food growing area of a London community garden, a return on investment of £3 for every £1 invested is calculated. This demonstrates the contribution that community gardens can make to social wellbeing within cities and justifies a call for further recognition of these spaces in urban planning policy.

scholarly journals Improving the quality of life in cities using community gardens: from benefits for members to benefits for all local residents

GeoScape ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenka Dubová ◽  
Jan Macháč
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Community Gardens ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Economic Assessment ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
Community Garden ◽  
Local Residents

Abstract Recent effects of globalization, urbanization and climate change have resulted in an increasing interest in the quality of life in cities and seeking pathways for its improvement. At the same time, there are changes in society and lifestyles that may challenge or facilitate these pathways. Community gardens (CGs) represent an effort to provide more sustainable urban economies, while reflecting on the public demand for cultivation of own crops. However, members of CGs may not perceive all the benefits that CGs provide for their surroundings. Using two case studied from Czechia (CG Kuchyňka and CG Vidimova in Prague) the aim of this paper is a comparison of the benefits perceived by community garden members and the evaluated net social benefits of community gardens in cities for all local residents. Through a questionnaire survey, the paper answers the research question of the benefits of community gardens perceived by community garden members. An economic assessment based on cost-benefit analysis was made to answer the question of the value of the net social benefits of community gardens in cities. Our comparison shows that the net social benefits are higher than perceived by their members. Net present benefits of EUR 31 550 for CG Kuchyňka and EUR 1 175 for CG Vidimova were quantified in a 50-year horizon. This economic analysis should contribute to greater support for community gardens by city governments and spatial planners.

scholarly journals Impact of community gardening on lifestyles' sustainability: quantitative & qualitative evaluation of a natural experiment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Tharrey ◽  
Ashby Sachs ◽  
Marlène Perignon ◽  
Chantal Simon ◽  
Caroline Mejean ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Community Gardens ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Health ◽  
Lower Percentage ◽  
Independent Effect ◽  
First Year ◽  
Community Garden ◽  
Community Gardening ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: Despite the increasing number of studies on gardening and health, evidence of health benefits of community gardening is limited by cross-sectional design. The “JArDinS” quasi-experimental study aimed to assess the impact of community garden participation on the adoption of more sustainable lifestyles in French adults. Methods: Individuals starting gardening in community gardens in Montpellier (France) in 2018 (N=66) were compared to pairwise matched individuals with no experience in community gardening (N=66). Monthly household food supplies, physical activity measured by accelerometers and questionnaires on physical, mental and social well-being, sensitivity to food waste, and connection with nature were used to explore sustainability of lifestyles in social/health, environmental and economic dimensions. Data were collected at baseline (t0) and 12 months later (t1). Linear mixed models were used to determine the independent effect of community gardening on investigated lifestyles components. In-depth interviews were conducted at t1 with 15 gardeners to better understand changes that may have occurred in gardeners’ lives during the first year of gardening.Results: At t0, gardeners had lower education level, lower BMI and reported lower percentage of meals consumed outside of the home in total household meals compared to non-gardeners (p<0.05). At t1, the mean weight of fruit and vegetables harvested from the garden was 19.5g/d/p. Participating in the community garden had no significant impact on any of the social/health, environmental and economic lifestyle components investigated. Qualitative interviews suggested the existence of pre-established health and environmental consciousness in some gardeners and revealed several barriers to the participation such as lack of time, lack of gardening knowledge, difficulty of gardening, health problems and conflicts with other gardeners. Conclusions: Using a longitudinal design allowing causality assessment, no impact was observed of the first year of community gardening on lifestyle sustainability. The pre-established sensitivity to sustainability and the various barriers encountered by new gardeners might explain the absence of community gardening impact. Further rigorous longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether or not community gardening is a relevant public health tool.Trial registration: The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03694782. Date of registration: 3rd October 2018, retrospectively registered.

Integrated Approach of Safety, Sustainability, Reliability, and Resilience Analysis via a Return on Investment Metric

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (24) ◽  
pp. 19522-19536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kariana Moreno-Sader ◽  
Prerna Jain ◽  
Luis Carlos Ballestas Tenorio ◽  
M. Sam Mannan ◽  
Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi
Keyword(s):  
Return On Investment ◽  
Integrated Approach

An Economic Analysis and Approach for Health Care Preparedness in a Substate Region

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 344-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benoit Stryckman ◽  
Thomas L. Grace ◽  
Peter Schwarz ◽  
David Marcozzi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Return On Investment ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Benefit Analysis ◽  
Response Team ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Positive Return

AbstractObjectiveTo demonstrate the application of economics to health care preparedness by estimating the financial return on investment in a substate regional emergency response team and to develop a financial model aimed at sustaining community-level disaster readiness.MethodsEconomic evaluation methods were applied to the experience of a regional Pennsylvania response capability. A cost-benefit analysis was performed by using information on funding of the response team and 17 real-world events the team responded to between 2008 and 2013. By use of the results of the cost-benefit analysis as well as information on the response team’s catchment area, a risk-based insurance-like membership model was built.ResultsThe cost-benefit analysis showed a positive return after 6 years of investment in the regional emergency response team. Financial modeling allowed for the calculation of premiums for 2 types of providers within the emergency response team’s catchment area: hospitals and long-term care facilities.ConclusionThe analysis indicated that preparedness activities have a positive return on their investment in this substate region. By applying economic principles, communities can estimate their return on investment to make better business decisions in an effort to increase the sustainability of emergency preparedness programs at the regional level. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:344–348)

scholarly journals The unexpected benefits of reflection: a case study in university-business collaboration

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darryll Bravenboer
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Change ◽  
Return On Investment ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Organisational Learning ◽  
Learning Culture ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Context ◽  
Business Collaboration

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the development process and outcomes from a six-year collaboration between Halifax Bank (part of the Lloyds Banking Group) and Middlesex University between 2010 and 2016 in the UK. The collaboration involved the construction of work-integrated higher education programmes that were, from the outset, predicated on clear return on investment criteria for the Bank. One unexpected outcome from the collaboration was the emergence of critical reflection as a valued business benefit that, it is argued, has the potential for significant cultural change within the organisation. Design/methodology/approach This case study discuses how “productive reflection” can lead to an integrated approach to organisational learning. The study is located in the context of Halifax’s specific organisational objectives established following the banking crash of 2008. Quantitative and qualitative evidence is considered to illustrate the extent to which the “return on investment” criteria established by Halifax have been achieved. Findings The case study indicates that the challenging business context of the financial crash of 2008 provided the impetus for a sustained collaborative development that allowed the potential pitfalls of restricted learning opportunities to be addressed resulting in an integrated approach to organisational learning. In addition to the organisation’s return on investment criteria being met, there is evidence that the work-integrated approach has raised the prospect of productive reflection becoming part of an emerging learning culture. Originality/value The scale and sustained period of the university-business collaboration is unique and provides valuable insight into how an organisation’s learning culture can be affected by a work-integrated approach. In demonstrating the perceived business value of productive reflection, the case presented illustrates how learning can start to become considered as a normal aspect of working life.

Condition Based Integrity Assessment of Pipelines

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amrita Kumar ◽  
Robert Hannum ◽  
Shawn J. Beard ◽  
Mamdouh M. Salama ◽  
Will Durnie
Keyword(s):  
Asset Management ◽  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Corrosion Monitoring ◽  
Damage State ◽  
Integrity Assessment ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Pipeline Structures ◽  
Pipeline Failures

The integrity of pipelines transporting hydrocarbon is critical to economy, safety and environment. One of the leading cause of pipeline failures is 3rd party damage during excavation activities, followed by corrosion, which is becoming increasingly significant as the pipeline infrastructure ages. Current inspection techniques for corrosion monitoring may require the pipeline to be shutdown during inspection reducing overall availability and a potential loss of revenue. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) offers the promise of a paradigm shift from schedule-driven maintenance to condition-based maintenance (CBM) of pipeline structures. Built-in sensor networks integrated with the pipeline can provide crucial information regarding the condition and damage state of the structure. Diagnostic information from sensor data can be used for prognosis of the health of the structure and facilitate informed decision processes with respect to inspection and repair, e.g., repair vs. no repair or replacement. Asset management can be performed based on the actual health and usage of structures, thereby minimizing in-service failures and maintenance costs, while maximizing reliability and readiness. This paper provides an overview on the design of a SHM system for in-situ real-time, rapid assessment of pipeline integrity using a built-in sensor network. Results of a cost-benefit study conducted for the system usage on pipeline structures will also be presented.

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