Geoweb 2.0 for Participatory Urban Design: Affordances and Critical Success Factors

In this paper, we discuss the affordances of open-source Geoweb 2.0 platforms to support the participatory design of urban projects in real-world practices.We first introduce the two open-source platforms used in our study for testing purposes. Then, based on evidence from five different field studies we identify five affordances of these platforms: conversations on alternative urban projects, citizen consultation, design empowerment, design studio learning and design research. We elaborate on these in detail and identify a key set of success factors for the facilitation of better practices in the future

Volunteering

In recent decades, there has been a burgeoning interest in the study of volunteering, and the number of publications devoted to volunteering has grown exponentially. In this chapter, we examine emerging theories and new directions in volunteering research. First, we discuss multi-level perspectives that try to understand volunteering in complex interaction with the organizational and institutional context. Next, we present process-oriented approaches that focus on the experience of volunteering, as it changes through different stages of organizational socialization, and as a consequence of broader societal and sector-wide transformations. Finally, in the light of these sector changes, new methods of social accounting have emerged that expand traditional financial statements of nonprofits to account for volunteer labor. This review Demonstrates that, as research on volunteering further expands, it tends to grow in its diversity of questions and viewpoints, and to reflect the complex and dynamic nature of volunteering more precisely

Creative Places for Collaborative Cities

This paper will focus in the urban territory and its social, cultural and economic dynamics, and in particular in the different manifestations of creativity that can be found here, namely in spaces in which spontaneous and diffuse forms of social innovation and creativity are emerging: Creative Places. It is in this urban context that Creative Places thrive, working as incubators of change, sustainable behaviours, bottom-up creativity and a subculture of collaboration. In this framework, Creative Places shape a Collaborative City, which in turn fosters the appearance of Creative Places. The assumption of design as a strategic instrument to operate in complex systems involving complex networks of actors and able to decode, combine and make sense of multidisciplinar knowledge; and in so doing, able to decline it into a coherent projectual, flexible and open-ended language in order to promote the diffusion of sustainable social innovations and widen their reach and impact through designing for sustainability and for radical systemic innovation

Enhancing Collaborative Governance to Build Active Citizenship through Social Inclusion in Historical Neighborhood Regeneration: A Dynamic Performance Governance Approach.

Active citizenship and collaborative governance can be supported to enhance urban regeneration and social inclusion through Dynamic Performance Governance (DPG). The problem of urban decay and urban decline is identified as the main problem that continues to affect cities and urban areas. The study focuses on the urban regeneration experience of the historic urban neighborhood of Ballaro which is located in the historic city of Palermo. Urban regeneration is essential for transforming urban neighborhoods which are at risk of decline and blight. However, the lack of a social aspect such as social inclusion through active citizenship was identified to affect the sustainability of urban regeneration policies. This study therefore illustrates how social inclusion as a social aspect of urban regeneration can be attained through active citizenship. It also illustrates how active citizenship can be supported by collaborative governance so as to generate community outcomes. The main goal of the study is to demonstrate how DPG can be applied by decision makers to design and implement sustainable urban regeneration policies. In this regard, urban regeneration was depicted as an intervention within an interconnected system, rather than a sum of single interventions. The study therefore identifies social inclusion as a key variable which can be promoted through active citizenship and collaborative governance so as to ensure sustainable urban regeneration. The following objectives were studied: (1) To identify factors which influence the growth and decline of cities and urban neighborhoods. (2) To illustrate how active citizenship can be generated so as to foster collaborative governance. (3) To determine how stakeholder collaboration can be used to generate sustainable outcomes. (4) To demonstrate how DPG can be applied in local areas strategic planning to support sustainable outcomes. Findings from the study indicate that factors associated with urban decline include the presence of social ‘wicked’ problems and dynamic complexity. The factors that support urban growth include, the balanced scorecard for strategic planning, social inclusion, system dynamics, and implementation of urban regeneration policies. Active citizenship was found to sustain collaborative governance. Collaborative governance across stakeholder groups was found to be essential in fostering sustainable outcomes. The study illustrates the role of DPG in decision making and strategic planning. In addition, DPG was used as a methodology in the study. The study recommends a theoretical and practical integration of Dynamic Performance Management and Governance in urban settings which will enrich this field of study, and improve the way decision makers approach urban regeneration.Active citizenship and collaborative governance can be supported to enhance urban regeneration and social inclusion through Dynamic Performance Governance (DPG). The problem of urban decay and urban decline is identified as the main problem that continues to affect cities and urban areas. The study focuses on the urban regeneration experience of the historic urban neighborhood of Ballaro which is located in the historic city of Palermo. Urban regeneration is essential for transforming urban neighborhoods which are at risk of decline and blight. However, the lack of a social aspect such as social inclusion through active citizenship was identified to affect the sustainability of urban regeneration policies. This study therefore illustrates how social inclusion as a social aspect of urban regeneration can be attained through active citizenship. It also illustrates how active citizenship can be supported by collaborative governance so as to generate community outcomes. The main goal of the study is to demonstrate how DPG can be applied by decision makers to design and implement sustainable urban regeneration policies. In this regard, urban regeneration was depicted as an intervention within an interconnected system, rather than a sum of single interventions. The study therefore identifies social inclusion as a key variable which can be promoted through active citizenship and collaborative governance so as to ensure sustainable urban regeneration. The following objectives were studied: (1) To identify factors which influence the growth and decline of cities and urban neighborhoods. (2) To illustrate how active citizenship can be generated so as to foster collaborative governance. (3) To determine how stakeholder collaboration can be used to generate sustainable outcomes. (4) To demonstrate how DPG can be applied in local areas strategic planning to support sustainable outcomes. Findings from the study indicate that factors associated with urban decline include the presence of social ‘wicked’ problems and dynamic complexity. The factors that support urban growth include, the balanced scorecard for strategic planning, social inclusion, system dynamics, and implementation of urban regeneration policies. Active citizenship was found to sustain collaborative governance. Collaborative governance across stakeholder groups was found to be essential in fostering sustainable outcomes. The study illustrates the role of DPG in decision making and strategic planning. In addition, DPG was used as a methodology in the study. The study recommends a theoretical and practical integration of Dynamic Performance Management and Governance in urban settings which will enrich this field of study, and improve the way decision makers approach urban regeneration

Worldwide Workshop on Youth Involvement as a Strategy for Social, Economic and Democratic Development

Summarizes January 2000 discussions on building capacity in the field of youth service. Explores connections with social capital, economic productivity, adolescent development, marginalized youth, civic engagement, and policy. Includes country summaries

Simulating the impact of urban transport infrastructure design on local air quality in Beijing

Urban transport infrastructure can result in the physical, psychological and environmental separation of neighborhoods, public space and pedestrian network, leading to negative impacts on citizens’ daily commutes, social activities and health. In this paper, we simulate the impacts of road network design on individual activity patterns, travel mode choices and air pollution using an agent-based model. The simulation model is applied to a case study in Beijing and the air pollution heat maps are produced for road network designs comparing with the real-time pollution data. This illustrates the potential value of such simulation models which generate activities for a given urban layout and transport network, and shows how human behavior can impact air qualit

Community planning in the network society

Models of social change have yet to emerge that deal with planning for change at the local community level due to the growth of public network, the Internet. The interactive network is changing the way people live, the way people earn a living, and perhaps more importantly, the way people spend their leisure time. The understanding of the impacts such technological diffusion plays in sustaining the social capital of the smaller communities of America will be of importance to developers of public networks and planners of the local and regional communities. This thesis discusses major trends that will shape the future of social participation in smaller American communities. The thesis will lead a discussion of the history of technological diffusion in society and will focus on the acceptance of advanced means of communication and information processing within various forms of social groups. After such discussion, a proposed Human/Network Interface (HuNI) model will provide a structure for the evolving roles of social groups with regard to the increasing pervasiveness of advanced network communications. Using the HuNI model as a framework, the thesis will conclude with a discussion of practical implications for planners concerning the influence the Internet will have on smaller communities

Reflections on Communication, Collaboration, and Convergence: Strategic models for STEM education and research

This book explores over five years of research experience and practice around learning and education systems especially related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). It is a collection of ideas on how to Communicate with stakeholders to increase Collaboration and impact Convergence. The following collection of articles is based on primary empirical research, which, taken together, spans several years and numerous sponsored research endeavors, presents frameworks for thinking about STEM knowledge transfer and student character building as well as practical suggestions for everyday praxis. Through its pages, the reader will explore strategic models for STEM education and research, analyzing the communication processes and their relationship with language while considering their impact on Trans-Disciplinary Collaboration for innovation.https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/stemresources/1036/thumbnail.jp