Human experience in the natural and built environment : implications for research policy and practice

22nd IAPS conference. Edited book of abstracts. 427 pp. University of Strathclyde, Sheffield and West of Scotland Publication. ISBN: 978-0-94-764988-3

The Application of Space Syntax to Enhance Sociability in Public Urban Spaces: A Systematic Review

Public urban spaces are vital settings for fostering social interaction among people. However, understanding how spatial layouts can promote positive social behaviors remains a critical and debated challenge for urban designers and planners aiming to create socially sustainable environments. Space syntax, a well-established theory and research method, explores the influence of spatial configurations on social aspects. Despite its significant contributions, there is a lack of comprehensive systematic reviews evaluating its effectiveness in enhancing social interaction within urban public spaces. This study aims to identify the existing scientific gaps in the domain of space syntax studies, with a primary focus on sociability in public urban spaces. Following the PRISMA framework, a thorough literature search was conducted in the Scopus database, yielding 1107 relevant articles. After applying screening and eligibility criteria, 26 articles were selected for in-depth review. This review adopted a novel approach to synthesizing and analyzing the findings for identifying underexplored scientific gaps. The findings suggested a wide variety of research gaps to address, encompassing evidence, knowledge, practical, methodological, empirical, theoretical, and target populations to provide a thorough overview of the current state of knowledge in this field. In conclusion, by exploring the interplay between space syntax and design elements such as the urban infrastructure, landscaping, and microclimate in these areas, future research can bridge this gap, particularly when considering a cross-cultural lens. This study underscores the importance of space syntax in promoting social interaction in urban public spaces, offering a robust foundation for future research and practical applications to create more socially engaging environments

Sustainable consumption: towards action and impact. : International scientific conference November 6th-8th 2011, Hamburg - European Green Capital 2011, Germany: abstract volume

This volume contains the abstracts of all oral and poster presentations of the international scientific conference „Sustainable Consumption – Towards Action and Impact“ held in Hamburg (Germany) on November 6th-8th 2011. This unique conference aims to promote a comprehensive academic discourse on issues concerning sustainable consumption and brings together scholars from a wide range of academic disciplines. In modern societies, private consumption is a multifaceted and ambivalent phenomenon: it is a ubiquitous social practice and an economic driving force, yet at the same time, its consequences are in conflict with important social and environmental sustainability goals. Finding paths towards “sustainable consumption” has therefore become a major political issue. In order to properly understand the challenge of “sustainable consumption”, identify unsustainable patterns of consumption and bring forward the necessary innovations, a collaborative effort of researchers from different disciplines is needed

Public survey instruments for business administration using social network analysis and big data

Purpose: The subject matter of this research is closely intertwined with the scientific discussion about the necessity of developing and implementing practice-oriented means of measuring social well-being taking into account the intensity of contacts between individuals. The aim of the research is to test the toolkit for analyzing social networks and to develop a research algorithm to identify sources of consolidation of public opinion and key agents of influence. The research methodology is based on postulates of sociology, graph theory, social network analysis and cluster analysis. Design/Methodology/Approach: The basis for the empirical research was provided by the data representing the reflection of social media users on the existing image of Russia and its activities in the Arctic, chosen as a model case. Findings: The algorithm allows to estimate the density and intensity of connections between actors, to trace the main channels of formation of public opinion and key agents of influence, to identify implicit patterns and trends, to relate information flows and events with current information causes and news stories for the subsequent formation of a "cleansed" image of the object under study and the key actors with whom this object is associated. Practical Implications: The work contributes to filling the existing gap in the scientific literature, caused by insufficient elaboration of the issues of applying the social network analysis to solve sociological problems. Originality/Value: The work contributes to filling the existing gap in the scientific literature formed as a result of insufficient development of practical issues of using analysis of social networks to solve sociological problems.peer-reviewe

From Social Simulation to Integrative System Design

As the recent financial crisis showed, today there is a strong need to gain "ecological perspective" of all relevant interactions in socio-economic-techno-environmental systems. For this, we suggested to set-up a network of Centers for integrative systems design, which shall be able to run all potentially relevant scenarios, identify causality chains, explore feedback and cascading effects for a number of model variants, and determine the reliability of their implications (given the validity of the underlying models). They will be able to detect possible negative side effect of policy decisions, before they occur. The Centers belonging to this network of Integrative Systems Design Centers would be focused on a particular field, but they would be part of an attempt to eventually cover all relevant areas of society and economy and integrate them within a "Living Earth Simulator". The results of all research activities of such Centers would be turned into informative input for political Decision Arenas. For example, Crisis Observatories (for financial instabilities, shortages of resources, environmental change, conflict, spreading of diseases, etc.) would be connected with such Decision Arenas for the purpose of visualization, in order to make complex interdependencies understandable to scientists, decision-makers, and the general public.Comment: 34 pages, Visioneer White Paper, see http://www.visioneer.ethz.c

Recreation, tourism and nature in a changing world : proceedings of the fifth international conference on monitoring and management of visitor flows in recreational and protected areas : Wageningen, the Netherlands, May 30-June 3, 2010

Proceedings of the fifth international conference on monitoring and management of visitor flows in recreational and protected areas : Wageningen, the Netherlands, May 30-June 3, 201

Hybrid Spaces: Users\u27 Perceptions of Digitally Mediated Public Space

Public space has served as a central component to human settlement since the ancient Greeks, and a forum for unmediated discussion, communication, and debate (Hénaff & Strong, 2001; Mitchell 2003). During the industrialization of cities, public space continued to transform in form and typology, and has served society in various ways (Carr, Rivlin, Francis, & Stone, 1992). Public space is also a physical environment where interaction with digital environment occurs. Today, in the City of New York there are 503 privately owned public spaces (POPS) (Kayden, 2000); often these spaces provide varying levels of wireless access as public and/or private provisions. The role of new media and technology in physical space has captured the attention of many researchers in recent years (e.g. Manovich, 2001; Forlano, 2009; de Souza e Silva & Frith, 2012). As technology develops and becomes increasingly mobile and integrated within daily life, there is a need for researchers to also understand how this impacts the physical environment (Townsend, 2004; Forlano, 2009). Concurrently, recent literature suggests that urban public space, especially POPS, are increasingly regulated and controlled (Benton-Short, 2002; Miller, 2007; Németh & Schmidt, 2007, 2011); whereas new media technology continues to promote unmediated exchange and interaction (Manovich, 2001). Additionally, scholars have asserted that Internet access, because of its location within public space and the electronic connectivity it offers may have the ability to increase the overall use of public spaces (Hampton, Livio, & Sessions Goulet, 2010). Unfortunately, it is unclear how access to digital space within public space can affect public perception on the nature of these spaces. Forlano (2009) suggests that wireless networks can reconfigure people, places, and information in physical space. However, beyond the analysis of usage patterns there is little empirical research on how wireless technologies in public space can affect human behavior, interactions with the network, and human perceptions of these spaces and networks. Additionally, there is little research that examines the difference between device users and non-users within these environments. This study examines the role of Wi-Fi networks in five public spaces in Lower Manhattan, New York. A mixed methods approach pairs on-site observation with a survey that examines users\u27 perceptions of these spaces. Ultimately, this study contributes to a larger body of literature that discusses the \u27publicness\u27 of public space by including the role of new media and users\u27 behaviors in its current assessment. Findings demonstrate how access to digital media affects users\u27 perceptions of public space

Minds Online: The Interface between Web Science, Cognitive Science, and the Philosophy of Mind

Alongside existing research into the social, political and economic impacts of the Web, there is a need to study the Web from a cognitive and epistemic perspective. This is particularly so as new and emerging technologies alter the nature of our interactive engagements with the Web, transforming the extent to which our thoughts and actions are shaped by the online environment. Situated and ecological approaches to cognition are relevant to understanding the cognitive significance of the Web because of the emphasis they place on forces and factors that reside at the level of agent–world interactions. In particular, by adopting a situated or ecological approach to cognition, we are able to assess the significance of the Web from the perspective of research into embodied, extended, embedded, social and collective cognition. The results of this analysis help to reshape the interdisciplinary configuration of Web Science, expanding its theoretical and empirical remit to include the disciplines of both cognitive science and the philosophy of mind

Methodology for a Study of the Perceived Quality of Public Transport in Santander

ABSTRACT:This article will primarily deal with improving the quality of a public transport system through the study of the main variables that influence the perceived quality by users, in other words a methodology for modeling the quality of bus services in the Spanish city of Santander, supported by user perception data. The models calibrated to study the quality of public transport perceived by users are firstly obtained by estimating all the different service attributes, considering mean users’ perceptions through an Ordered Probit model, and then studying random variations in users’ tastes, applying an Ordered Probit model with random parameters. The models represent the process of quality evaluation based on a limited group of predefined variables. The choice of these variables is important because they are used to explain the selection process to be modeled. The collected data are analyzed and modeled to check the validity of the different variables. Main results suggest consumers would be willing to pay a higher price for improved transport connection networks including the supply of clearer information and the attention to consumer’s complaints. Ticket price is also an important attribute mainly for frequent bus users.This work was made possible thanks to a grant from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad with additional financing from FEDER funds to the project TRA2012-37659