scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Resilience of Sustainable Mobility in Sicily

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 8829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiziana Campisi ◽  
Socrates Basbas ◽  
Anastasios Skoufas ◽  
Nurten Akgün ◽  
Dario Ticali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Cycling Frequency ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented measures changing travel habits in many countries. Many users have started to prefer traveling by private cars, which is against the sustainability policies of the European cities. The necessity of gaining a deeper understanding of road users’ travel habit changes, their feelings on public transport use, and their perceptions of using sustainable urban mobility modes has emerged for future transport planning. Considering these facts, the study in this paper aimed to investigate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on road users’ perceptions, needs, and use of sustainable travel modes (i.e., public transport, walking, and cycling). An online survey was carried out during the period from March to May 2020 in the case study area, Sicily of Southern Italy. Regarding the population of the case study, the survey was representative, with 431 individuals. The survey included variables, namely gender, age, city of residence, private car ownership, walking and cycling frequency before and during the pandemic, public transport use frequency for leisure activities before and during the pandemic, need for remote working, and the stress and anxiety perception of using public transport during the pandemic. The analysis started with descriptive statistics and it was followed by correlation analysis in order to explore the characteristics of the dataset and relationship between variables. It was found that these were not statistically significantly correlated at a 95% confidence level. An ordinal regression model was applied for determining the predictions. The results suggested that women were less likely to walk during the pandemic than men. Participants were more likely to resume remote work even after the second phase in order to reduce their daily travel needs and keep their isolation. Participants have expressed a positive opinion on the use of micromobility during pandemic situations. These results can be considered as a basis for sustainable urban planning and a guide for decision-makers who aim to encourage the use of public transport, walking, cycling, and micromobility.

scholarly journals Analysing the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on everyday travel behaviour in Germany and potential implications for future travel patterns

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktoriya Kolarova ◽  
Christine Eisenmann ◽  
Claudia Nobis ◽  
Christian Winkler ◽  
Barbara Lenz
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Travel Behaviour ◽  
German Population ◽  
Travel Patterns ◽  
Home Office ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Introduction The global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is having a great impact on all areas of the everyday life, including travel behaviour. Various measures that focus on restricting social contacts have been implemented in order to reduce the spread of the virus. Understanding how daily activities and travel behaviour change during such global crisis and the reasons behind is crucial for developing suitable strategies for similar future events and analysing potential mid- and long-term impacts. Methods In order to provide empirical insights into changes in travel behaviour during the first Coronavirus-related lockdown in 2020 for Germany, an online survey with a relative representative sample for the German population was conducted a week after the start of the nationwide contact ban. The data was analysed performing descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. Results and Discussion The results suggest in general an increase in car use and decrease in public transport use as well as more negative perception of public transport as a transport alternative during the pandemic. Regarding activity-related travel patterns, the findings show firstly, that the majority of people go less frequent shopping; simultaneously, an increase in online shopping can be seen and characteristics of this group were analysed. Secondly, half of the adult population still left their home for leisure or to run errands; young adults were more active than all other age groups. Thirdly, the majority of the working population still went to work; one out of four people worked in home-office. Lastly, potential implications for travel behaviour and activity patterns as well as policy measures are discussed.

scholarly journals Vocabularies of Citizenship: West Coast Secondary Students Describe Their Civic Subjectivities, Skills, and Classrooms

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Elbert
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Students ◽  
Social Identity Theory ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Popular Narrative ◽  
Civic Skills ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Support Students

Canada’s changing geopolitical landscape will require a generation of engaged and active citizens. Citizenship education in British Columbia must negotiate conflicting narratives while opening spaces for students to develop civic skills and subjectivities. Given negative program reviews, empirical evidence for the impact of identity - especially group identifications - on behaviours and beliefs, and continued low youth political engagement, there is a great need to understand how citizenship and civic subjectivities are constructed in real school contexts in order to gain insight into how secondary civics classrooms might support students’ active political voices and development of efficacious subjectivities. This article reports preliminary results from a large mixed methods, multiple-case study project. The data reported here focuses on students (n = 64) from two purposefully sampled secondary school classrooms on Vancouver Island: a special civics program, and a regular stream Social Studies classroom in the same school. Data collection consisted of a class-wide online survey near the beginning of the course. Grounded in the larger understandings of social identity theory and rooted cosmopolitanism, qualitative data from open-ended questionnaire responses analyzed with a constant comparative coding technique explored the extent to which students construct regional, national, or global notions of citizenship. A preliminary report of quantitative items investigates the level of conflict present between levels of identification and suggests avenues for future research. Examined against previous research and the theory of rooted cosmopolitanism, this project aims to question the popular narrative of youth apathy and to describe the ways in which students characterize their civic subjectivities. In giving voice to student perspectives on their civic selves and their Civics classrooms, this study aims to contribute to more representative classrooms and pedagogies.

scholarly journals Open Access Perceptions, Strategies, and Digital Literacies: A Case Study of a Scholarly-Led Journal

Publications ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Noella Edelmann ◽  
Judith Schoßböck
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Open Government ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Digital Literacies ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Personal Attitudes ◽  
Set Up

Open access (OA) publications play an important role for academia, policy-makers, and practitioners. Universities and research institutions set up OA policies and provide authors different types of support for engaging in OA activities. This paper presents a case study on OA publishing in a scholarly community, drawing on qualitative and quantitative data gained from workshops and a survey. As the authors are the managing editors of the OA eJournal for eDemocracy and Open Government (JeDEM), the aim was to collect data and insights on the publication choices of authors interested in OA publishing and other crucial factors such as personal attitudes to publishing, institutional context, and digital literacy in order to improve the journal. In the first phase, two workshops with different stakeholders were held at the Conference for e-Democracy and Open Government (CeDEM) held in Austria and in South Korea in 2016. In the second phase, an online survey was sent to all the users of the e-journal JeDEM in October 2019. From the workshops, key differences regarding OA perception and strategies between the stakeholder groups were derived. Participants strongly perceived OA publishing as a highly individualist matter embedded within a publishing culture emphasizing reputation and rankings. The survey results, however, showed that institutional support differs considerably for authors. Factors such as visibility, reputation, and impact play the biggest role for the motivation to publish OA. The results from both inquiries provide a better understanding of OA publishing attitudes and the relevant digital literacies but also suggest the need to investigate further the enablers or difficulties of scholarship, particularly in a digital context. They clearly point to the potential of regularly addressing the users of the journal as well as communicating with them the more nuanced aspects of OA publishing, non-traditional metrics, or respective digital literacies, in order to reduce misconceptions about OA and to support critical stances.

scholarly journals Analysis of Children’s Traffic Behaviour at Signalized Crosswalks as a Precondition for Safe Children Routes Design: A Case Study from Croatia

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Irena Ištoka Otković ◽  
Aleksandra Deluka-Tibljaš ◽  
Sanja Šurdonja
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Children And Adolescent ◽  
Traffic Conditions ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Design Speed ◽  
Pedestrian Infrastructure ◽  
The Impact

Children pedestrians represent road users with some specifics because of which it is important to study and take into account their traffic behaviour when traffic infrastructure is designed. Design should ensure and enhance their traffic safety because for decades, traffic accidents have been among the first few causes of children and adolescent mortality. Pedestrian speed is one of the important inputs when pedestrian infrastructure, especially crosswalks, is designed. On corridors where children are expected on a daily basis as independent pedestrians, the infrastructure should be adjusted to their characteristics and needs. The results of a study conducted in two Croatian cities of a similar size but of different urban and traffic conditions are presented in this paper. This study aimed at establishing and analysing children’s pedestrian speed while crossing the signalized crosswalk in the buffer area of elementary schools, mostly on primary roads in the school vicinity. Children aged 5–15 were observed, and accordingly V15, V50, and V85 speeds were established on the basis of altogether 600 measurements. Speed was established for children walking individually, in a group and supervised by adults, and of a different age, and based on their gender, the impact of infrastructural elements on their speed in traffic was also analysed. Significant differences were found between children’s speed measured in similar conditions in analysed cities and between some of the analysed groups. This fact proves that when improving conditions for children’s independent movement, it is important to consider their specifics in order to ensure safe design adjusted to children’s needs and limitations. As design speed in this paper, 15 percentile speed (V15) is considered. Suggestions on how to establish children pedestrian speed for design of routes regularly used by school children are proposed as well as some inputs elicited from the study done in Croatia are presented.

scholarly journals Third Place Design Strategy for Commuter in Sub-urban (Case Study: Outdoor Public Space in Tangerang City, Indonesia)

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-39
Author(s):  
Mustika Kusumaning Wardhani ◽  
Tomohiko Yoshida ◽  
Alpraditia Malik
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Design Strategy ◽  
Train Station ◽  
Metropolitan City ◽  
Tactical Urbanism ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Impact

In recent years, Urban population density spreads towards suburbs of the metropolitan city as the impact of urbanisation. In Indonesia, Commuting activity does not only occur in the centre of metropolitan city Jakarta but spreads outside to the suburbs such as in Tangerang City. Commuting activities often cause stress, and some outdoor public spaces are expected to be healing space for recreation needs amidst a busy life. The lack of integration of urban design that supports commuting activities along with leisure activities is a problem that will be raised. This paper aims to evaluate the configuration of a potential location as the third space in Tangerang City infrastructure around bus stops and train station. Methods used are qualitative methods with a rationalistic approach. The research findings postulated three paradigms in Tactical Urbanism design strategy, which are: (1) Functionally, Tactical Urbanism can form a multipurpose proximity network that functions simultaneously between mobility and relaxation activities; (2) Socially, tactical urbanism design strategy can eliminate social segregation where there are no gaps to spend leisure time around Tangerang station for commuter, community, also tourist; (3) Visually, Tactical Urbanism can encourage people to come and sit for a while and become an icon of Tangerang City with the design of public open spaces integrated with infrastructure for transportation. Based on the above findings, a framework is conceptualised as an attempt to strengthen the tactical urbanism design strategy in the suburbs area.

scholarly journals The Impact of Mobility Policy and Modal Share to The University Community in Bologna

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Battistini ◽  
Luciana Sacchetti ◽  
Andrea Braschi
Keyword(s):  
Public Transportation ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Territorial Structure ◽  
Policy Application ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

In the Twentieth century transportation has been one of the most impactful drivers for economic and social development, while nowadays, it appears as a major cause of environmental and social problems. Even worse, the more transportation has become a relevant part in daily life and business, the more it is blamed for problems such as traffic congestion, car accidents, social economic inequality, energy consumption and pollution. Transportation is in fact caught in a vicious circle. Urban planning is forced to reduce transition costs, transforming cities in a sort of social network, and in parallel to orient mobility towards sustainability, both capable to convey socioeconomic development. Within this context, the University of Bologna has chosen a sustainable approach for its Multi-campus territorial structure, applying several sustainable mobility policies regarding public transportation, cycling, electric/hybrid car fleet and walking accessibility. The paper purpose is to show significative links between sustainable policy application and modal share, using data from an online survey submitted to university staff and students. Even gender influence on modal share has been investigated.

scholarly journals A cross-sectional survey of psychological distress in a Mexican sample during the second phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aldebarán Toledo-Fernández ◽  
Diana Betancourt-Ocampo ◽  
Héctor Romo-Parra ◽  
Ernesto Reyes-Zamorano ◽  
Alejandro González-González
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Baseline Measure ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Impact Of Event Scale ◽  
Event Scale ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
The Impact

The objectives of this study were to describe severity of psychological distress (event-related stress, anxiety, and depression) during the second stage of COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, and to explore associations between the indicators of psychological distress, sociodemographic characteristics and specific concerns about COVID-19. This report serves as a baseline measure of a longitudinal project to evaluate progression of psychological distress across stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. An online survey was conducted in the State of Mexico from April 8th -18th, 2020, in a sample of men and women who are beneficiaries of a welfare institution in the region. Variables were measured with the Impact of Event Scale-6, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, General Anxiety Disoder-7, and a questionnaire of concerns about COVID-19. A total of 5974 participants were analyzed. Moderate levels of psychological distress (with 23.6% of participants meeting significant event-related stress, but mild levels of depression and anxiety) were found, as well as high values in all concerns about COVID-19, especially regarding financial disruption, worsening of local security and concern of a family member becoming infected. These concerns associated mild-to-moderately with the indicators of psychological distress. Higher values of event-related distress were found in women, individuals with higher educational attainment and those with any current high-risk medical diagnosis, though the effect sizes were mild. Though psychological distress and concerns about COVID-19 have reached significant levels during the pandemic in Mexico, overall, they have not yet reached dysfunctional levels.

scholarly journals Online Word-of-Mouth Communication in a Collectivist Society

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lin Yang
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Measurement Instruments ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Online Word Of Mouth ◽  
The Impact

<p>Word-of-mouth (WOM) is perceived by consumers as a highly credible source of information, and online channels for WOM have become increasingly popular among consumers. Although the impact of online word-of-mouth (OWOM) on consumers‘ purchase decisions has been researched, it remains unclear why information about products, brands or organisations is generated online and what influences its initiation from the sender‘s perspective. This research explores the antecedents of customer OWOM and examines the relationships between key antecedent variables and customer OWOM engagement in a Chinese context.  A conceptual model was developed based on the literature and information obtained through one-to-one in-depth interviews. Customer perceived value, satisfaction, loyalty and affective commitment were incorporated as key antecedent constructs of customer OWOM.  The research used a two-phase research design. The first phase was a qualitative exploration of the customer‘s OWOM experience. These findings were used to gain an understanding of customers‘ OWOM initiation, provide confirmation of the model, and refine the measurement thereof. The second phase used a quantitative online survey to validate the measurement instruments and test the model. The data for the study were collected from OWOM initiators in China over a period of one and a half months. A sample of 574 respondents was obtained. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling and multiple regression analysis.  Findings from the research suggest that an emphasis on creating an affective bond with the brand and organisation is the key to customers‘ engagement of WOM on the Internet. The study also indicates that customer perceived QEP (quality, emotional and price) value is a less immediate but critical antecedent. In addition, the customer perceived social value of a product or service is found to significantly impact OWOM. In China, where the collectivist view predominates, customers conform to social standards and withhold negative comments in their OWOM activities in order to maintain social acceptance and inclusion, and to make favourable impressions. They also engage in OWOM to gain and enhance face, which is a social need in China‘s status driven society.  This research contributes to a growing body of research on customers‘ OWOM behaviour by developing and empirically testing the customer OWOM model. It provides a more holistic view of post-purchase OWOM by simultaneously investigating a set of key antecedents for OWOM in a single framework. The research also widens the geographic and culture scope of OWOM research by undertaking the study in China. By using a mixed method, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative approaches, the research offers a balance among objectivity, detailed description and the predictability of the study. Furthermore, the research provides marketing practitioners with a better understanding of the behaviour of Chinese OWOM initiators, and offers directions to improve their marketing communication strategies.</p>

scholarly journals The impact of cloud software’s agile development on staff roles and delivery of client services: A case study of the University of Auckland Libraries & Learning Services

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Bryony Sinclair
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Agile Development ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Frontline Staff ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Services Delivery ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

<p>Research problem: In 2014, the University of Auckland replaced its legacy Voyager library management system installed in 1998 with the Ex Libris Alma system, which has been developed around Software as a Service (SaaS) architecture. The objective of this research was to investigate the impact of cloud software’s agile development on staff roles and client services delivery in a tertiary library environment, using University of Auckland Libraries and Learning Services as a case study.  Methodology: Framed by organisational change management in the context of technological innovation, a detailed exploration of the University of Auckland’s shift to the cloud software was carried out, from an employee perspective. As a means of collecting rich data from a variety of sources and multiple perspectives from within the organisation, an online survey about Alma Fulfillment, the functional area of Ex Libris Alma used to deliver client services, was distributed to frontline staff six months after Alma’s implementation.  Results: The research found that, notwithstanding the perceived strengths of the new cloud software to deliver enhanced client services from the staff-user perspective, there was a strong preference for ongoing dissemination of information and instruction for frontline staff, particularly on the enhancements and new features regularly deployed by the service provider.  Implications: This research enables further understanding of factors affecting engagement for employees in new systems and potential barriers to effective and efficient service during significant cultural, functional, and technical change.</p>

scholarly journals Bearing Witness 2017: Year 2 of a Pacific climate change storytelling project

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Robie
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Regional Environment ◽  
Bearing Witness ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

In 2016, the Pacific Media Centre responded to the devastation and tragedy wrought in Fiji by Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston by initiating the Bearing Witness journalism project and dispatching two postgraduate students to Viti Levu to document and report on the impact of climate change (Robie & Chand, 2017). This was followed up in 2017 in a second phase of what was hoped would become a five-year mission and expanded in future years to include other parts of the Asia-Pacific region. This project is timely, given the new 10-year Strategic Plan 2017-2026 launched by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in March and the co-hosting by Fiji of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP23) climate change conference in Bonn, Germany, during November. The students dispatched in 2017 on the  ‘bearing witness’ journalism experiential assignment to work in collaboration with the Pacific Centre for the Environment and Sustainable Development (PaCE-SD) and the Regional Journalism Programme at the University of the South Pacific included a report about the relocation of a remote inland village of Tukuraki. They won the 2017 media and trauma prize of the Asia-Pacific Dart Centre, an agency affiliated with the Columbia School of Journalism. This article is a case study assessing the progress with this second year of the journalism project and exploring the strategic initiatives under way for more nuanced and constructive Asia-Pacific media storytelling in response to climate change.

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