scholarly journals Biophilia Beyond the Building: Applying the Tools of Urban Biodiversity Planning to Create Biophilic Cities

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2450
Author(s):  
Stephanie Panlasigui ◽  
Erica Spotswood ◽  
Erin Beller ◽  
Robin Grossinger
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Biodiversity ◽  
Urban Greening ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Tools And Techniques ◽  
Biodiversity Planning ◽  
Health And Well Being

In response to the widely recognized negative impacts of urbanization on biodiversity, many cities are reimagining urban design to provide better biodiversity support. Some cities have developed urban biodiversity plans, primarily focused on improving biodiversity support and ecosystem function within the built environment through habitat restoration and other types of urban greening projects. The biophilic cities movement seeks to reframe nature as essential infrastructure for cities, seamlessly integrating city and nature to provide abundant, accessible nature for all residents and corresponding health and well-being outcomes. Urban biodiversity planning and biophilic cities have significant synergies in their goals and the means necessary to achieve them. In this paper, we identify three key ways by which the urban biodiversity planning process can support biophilic cities objectives: engaging the local community; identifying science-based, quantitative goals; and setting priorities for action. Urban biodiversity planning provides evidence-based guidance, tools, and techniques needed to design locally appropriate, pragmatic habitat enhancements that support biodiversity, ecological health, and human health and well-being. Developing these multi-functional, multi-benefit strategies that increase the abundance of biodiverse nature in cities has the potential at the same time to deepen and enrich our biophilic experience in daily life.

scholarly journals Assessment of the Economic and Social Impact Using SROI: An Application to Sport Companies

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 3612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Lombardo ◽  
Andrea Mazzocchetti ◽  
Irene Rapallo ◽  
Nader Tayser ◽  
Silvano Cincotti
Keyword(s):  
Social Impact ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Business Activity ◽  
Financial Investment ◽  
Football Club ◽  
The Social ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Health And Well Being

This paper evaluates the social impact of a football club and its philanthropic organization on the local community and its stakeholders, namely supporters, sponsors, players, and shopkeepers. The methodology used is the Social Return on Investment (SROI). SROI methodology includes all the beneficiaries that are beyond the scope of the company’s accounting and its fiscal and financial statements. The aim is to assess both the benefits and the negative impacts of a company’s activities on stakeholders. This type of analysis combines the use of qualitative, quantitative and financial information gathered and analyzes them in order to estimate the amount of “value”, including mental health and well-being, created or destroyed by a business activity, by a project or by the overall operation of an organization. The sport club under review in the present analysis is called Virtus Entella, an Italian football club playing in the second division. An SROI indicator was applied in reference to the business activity that took place during the championship season 2017/2018. Results show that the social impact created during the championship amounts to approximately 44 million Euro against a financial investment of 15 million Euro, producing an SROI ratio of 2.98:1. This outcome suggests that for every euro invested by the football club, about 3 Euros of social value is created.

scholarly journals A Coproduction Community Based Approach to Reducing Smoking Prevalence in a Local Community Setting

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. McGeechan ◽  
D. Woodall ◽  
L. Anderson ◽  
L. Wilson ◽  
G. O’Neill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Prevalence ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Community Setting ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Small Community ◽  
Prevalence Survey ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
Health And Well Being

Research highlights that asset-based community development where local residents become equal partners in service development may help promote health and well-being. This paper outlines baseline results of a coproduction evaluation of an asset-based approach to improving health and well-being within a small community through promoting tobacco control. Local residents were recruited and trained as community researchers to deliver a smoking prevalence survey within their local community and became local health champions, promoting health and well-being. The results of the survey will be used to inform health promotion activities within the community. The local smoking prevalence was higher than the regional and national averages. Half of the households surveyed had at least one smoker, and 63.1% of children lived in a smoking household. Nonsmokers reported higher well-being than smokers; however, the differences were not significant. Whilst the community has a high smoking prevalence, more than half of the smokers surveyed would consider quitting. Providing smoking cessation advice in GP surgeries may help reduce smoking prevalence in this community. Work in the area could be done to reduce children’s exposure to smoking in the home.

scholarly journals Authors’ Response to Peer Reviews of “A Local Community-Based Social Network for Mental Health and Well-being (Quokka): Exploratory Feasibility Study” (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Shih ◽  
Ruhi Pudipeddi ◽  
Arany Uthayakumar ◽  
Peter Washington
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Peer Reviews ◽  
Health And Well Being

UNSTRUCTURED These are authors' responses to peer review of ms#24972.

scholarly journals Industrial Heritage Tourism: a Regional Perspective (Warsaw)

2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 276-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Pawlikowska-Piechotka
Keyword(s):  
Urban Space ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Heritage Tourism ◽  
Well Being ◽  
City Image ◽  
Industrial Heritage ◽  
Industrial Landscape ◽  
Industrial Architecture ◽  
Regional Perspective

Industrial Heritage Tourism: a Regional Perspective (Warsaw)When touring a region, one of the things previous generations certainly overlooked were the industrial areas. With the exception of the old saltmine "Wieliczka" in the south of Poland, industrial heritage was mainly unknown. Industrial landscape (mills, factories with chimneys emitting all-blackening smoke, poverty-stricken workers' houses) have been regarded with dislike and considered grim.Using the example of Warsaw's industrial heritage revitalization projects, we examined already modernized historic buildings, which sought to respond to tourist and leisure needs (museums, art galleries, cultural centres). We were interested in their new functions and meanings for urban space quality. We wanted to consider how much revitalized architecture help to change (socially, culturally, economically) declining areas and their painful "inner-city" image (Thorns 2001). Our research (carried out in 2005-2006) covered nine historic industrial compounds, already converted and having new functions. Results of our inquiry polls (taken in 2005-2006) confirmed the thesis, that revitalized historic industrial architecture might enrich urban space with values visible in many dimensions: social, historical, aesthetical and economic (Evans 2005). Although selected and studied cases in Warsaw were not completed equally successfully, due to the objective barriers or carelessness in the planning process, all show good results in space quality and cultural services improvement, appreciated by the local community members and visitors relevantly.Once neglected run-down Warsaw districts (Wola, Praga) now draw benefits from new identities, attracting tourists and enhancing the local community's sense of belonging and well-being. Similar cases were described by scholars after studies in other European cities (Jones 2006).

scholarly journals Improving Mood Through Community Connection and Resources Using an Interactive Digital Platform: Development and Usability Study

10.2196/25834 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e25834
Author(s):  
Robin Ortiz ◽  
Lauren Southwick ◽  
Rachelle Schneider ◽  
Elissa V Klinger ◽  
Arthur Pelullo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Interactive Tool ◽  
Mood Rating ◽  
Health And Well Being

Background COVID-19 continues to disrupt global health and well-being. In April-May 2020, we generated a digital, remote interactive tool to provide health and well-being resources and foster connectivity among community members through a text messaging platform. Objective This study aimed to prospectively investigate the ability of a health system–based digital, remote, interactive tool to provide health and well-being resources to local community participants and to foster connectivity among them during the early phases of COVID-19. Methods We performed descriptive and nonparametric longitudinal statistical analyses to describe and compare the participants’ mood ratings over time and thematic analysis of their responses to text messages to further assess mood. Results From among 393 individuals seeking care in an urban emergency department in an academic setting, engaged in a two-way text messaging platform, we recorded 287 mood ratings and 368 qualitative responses. We observed no difference in the initial mood rating by week of enrollment [Kruskal-Wallis chi-square H(5)=1.34; P=.93], and the average mood rating did not change for participants taken together [Friedman chi-square Q(3)=0.32; P=.96]. However, of participants providing mood ratings at baseline, mood improved significantly among participants who reported a low mood rating at baseline [n=25, 14.97%; Q(3)=20.68; P<.001] but remained stable among those who reported a high mood rating at baseline [n=142, 85.03%; Q(3)=2.84; P=.42]. Positive mood elaborations most frequently included words related to sentiments of thankfulness and gratitude, mostly for a sense of connection and communication; in contrast, negative mood elaborations most frequently included words related to anxiety. Conclusions Our findings suggest the feasibility of engaging individuals in a digital community with an emergency department facilitation. Specifically, for those who opt to engage in a text messaging platform during COVID-19, it is feasible to assess and respond to mood-related queries with vetted health and well-being resources.

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