La légitimité des parties prenantes dans l'aménagement des villes : éthique de la conduite des projets urbains

Les projets urbains – appelés aussi projets d’aménagement urbain ou opérations d’aménagement – sont largement tributaires de la participation accrue d’une multitude de parties prenantes, dont les atouts pour le projet et les revendications vis-à-vis de celui-ci peuvent être complémentaires et/ou contradictoires. Dans ce contexte quel degré de priorité accorder à telle ou telle partie prenante ? Pour y parvenir, les porteurs d’un projet sont appelés à évaluer la légitimité de ces parties prenantes. Afin d’examiner ce concept, l’étude fait appel au croisement de textes issus de corpus théoriques autres que les corpus classiques de l’urbanisme et des études urbaines : ceux de la théorie des stakeholders dans le domaine du management organisationnel et de l’éthique des affaires ; du modèle des cités, ancré dans la sociologie pragmatique ; et des théories de la justice. Puis elle confronte les enseignements de ces théories à l’analyse empirique d’un cas pratique virtuel, créé pour les besoins de cette recherche. L’aller-retour entre la théorie et des mises en situation concrètes, mettant souvent en avant des tensions entre légitimités concurrentes, permet d’affiner les principes éthiques à la base de ces légitimités, selon une méthode inspirée de celle de l’équilibre réflexif. L’analyse montre que la légitimité d’une partie prenante résulte d’un raisonnement s’appuyant sur une norme d’efficacité ou sur une norme éthique, idéalement compatibles dans le cadre d’une éthique de responsabilité. Dans la première approche (l’efficacité) le porteur du projet sera principalement attentif aux capacités d’action des parties prenantes sur le projet, incluant la capacité de représentativité, les capacités légales (titres, droits, liens contractuels), les savoirs et savoir-faire (expertise, compétences), la créativité, les ressources matérielles et financières, et la capacité à engager. Dans la deuxième approche (éthique) le porteur de projet sera principalement attentif aux revendications légitimes des parties prenantes vis-à-vis du projet : les revendications de bien-être global, de capabilités (autonomie, libertés, possibilités offertes aux individus, avantages socio-économiques), de liens communautaires (valeurs et traditions), de bien-être d’autrui et les revendications environnementales. La recherche permet alors de faire émerger six principes éthiques pour l’évaluation de la légitimité : l’utilité globale, le respect de la liberté, l’équité, la solidarité (et la tolérance), le care et la responsabilité environnementale. Alors que les théories de l’urbanisme – dont l’un des objets principaux est pourtant l’analyse critique des processus de fabrication des villes – se sont peu intéressées aux principes normatifs à la base de ces processus, cette recherche propose un cadre conceptuel utile aux chercheurs et aux professionnels pour porter un jugement, notamment en termes éthiques, sur les décisions relatives à la prise en compte des parties prenantes dans les projets urbains. En faisant cela, elle contribue à jeter les bases d’une éthique de la conduite des projets urbains.Urban projects - also referred to as urban development projects - are largely dependent on the increased involvement of a multitude of stakeholders, whose assets for, and demands on, the project may be complementary and / or contradictory. In this context, how much priority should be given to different stakeholders? To answer this question, project leaders are called upon to assess the legitimacy of these stakeholders. To examine this concept, the study calls upon the crossing of texts from theoretical corpuses other than the classic corpus of urban planning and urban studies: those of stakeholder theory in the field of organizational management and business ethics; the model of the « cités », anchored in pragmatic sociology; and theories of justice. Then it confronts the lessons of these theories with the empirical analysis of a virtual practical case created for the purpose of this research. The round-trip between theory and concrete situations, often emphasizing tensions between competing legitimacies, makes it possible to refine the ethical principles underlying these legitimacies, through a method inspired by that of reflexive equilibrium. The analysis shows that the legitimacy of a stakeholder results from reasoning based on an efficiency standard or on an ethical standard, ideally compatible in the context of an ethics of responsibility. In the first approach (effectiveness) the proponent will be mainly attentive to the stakeholders' capacities for action on the project, including representativeness, legal capacities (titles, rights, contractual links), knowledge and know-how (expertise, skills), creativity, material and financial resources, and the ability to engage other stakeholders into the project. In the second (ethical) approach, the project proponent will be mainly attentive to the legitimate demands of stakeholders on the project: demands for global well-being, capability building (autonomy, freedoms, opportunities for individuals, socio-economic benefits), community ties (values ​​and traditions of large and small communities), well-being of others and environmental claims. The research then enables the emergence of six ethical principles for the assessment of legitimacies: global utility, respect for freedom, equity, solidarity (and tolerance), care and environmental responsibility. While the theories of planning and urban studies - one of the main objects of which is the critical analysis of the manufacturing processes of cities - have paid little attention to the normative principles underlying these processes, this research proposes a conceptual framework that is useful for researchers and professionals to make a judgment, especially in terms of ethics, on decisions concerning the consideration of stakeholders in urban projects. In doing so, it helps to lay the foundations for an ethic of the conduct of urban projects

An Autonomous Monolithic Wearable System for Diurnal Sweat Biomarker Data Acquisition and Analysis

To track dynamically varying and physiologically relevant biomarker profiles in sweat, autonomous wearable platforms are required to periodically sample and analyze sweat with minimal user intervention. Previously reported sweat sensors are functionally limited to capturing biomarker information at one time-point/period, thereby necessitating repeated user intervention to increase the temporal granularity of biomarker data. Accordingly, we present a multi-compartment wearable system, where each compartment can be activated to autonomously induce/modulate sweat secretion (iontophoretically) and analyze sweat at set timepoints. This system was developed following a hybrid-flex design— vertically integrating the required functional modules: miniaturized iontophoresis interfaces, adhesive thin film microfluidic-sensing module, and control/readout electronics. The system was deployed in a human subject study to track the diurnal variation of sweat glucose levels in relation to the daily food intake. The demonstrated autonomous operation for diurnal sweat biomarker data acquisition illustrates the system’s suitability for large-scale and longitudinal personal health monitoring applications

Temperature and Humidity Calibration of a Low-Cost Wireless Dust Sensor for Real-Time Monitoring

This paper introduces the design, calibration, and validation of a low-cost portable sensor for the real-time measurement of dust particles within the environment. The proposed design consists of low hardware cost and calibration based on temperature and humidity sensing to achieve accurate processing of airborne dust density. Using commercial particulate matter sensors, a highly accurate air quality monitoring sensor was designed and calibrated using real world variations in humidity and temperature for indoor and outdoor applications. Furthermore, to provide a low-cost secure solution for real-time data transfer and monitoring, an onboard Bluetooth module with AES data encryption protocol was implemented. The wireless sensor was tested against a Dylos DC1100 Pro Air Quality Monitor, as well as an Alphasense OPC-N2 optical air quality monitoring sensor for accuracy. The sensor was also tested for reliability by comparing the sensor to an exact copy of itself under indoor and outdoor conditions. It was found that accurate measurements under real-world humid and temperature varying and dynamically changing conditions were achievable using the proposed sensor when compared to the commercially available sensors. In addition to accurate and reliable sensing, this sensor was designed to be wearable and perform real-time data collection and transmission, making it easy to collect and analyze data for air quality monitoring and real-time feedback in remote health monitoring applications. Thus, the proposed device achieves high quality measurements at lower-cost solutions than commercially available wireless sensors for air quality

Feasibility of a Secure Wireless Sensing Smartwatch Application for the Self-Management of Pediatric Asthma.

To address the need for asthma self-management in pediatrics, the authors present the feasibility of a mobile health (mHealth) platform built on their prior work in an asthmatic adult and child. Real-time asthma attack risk was assessed through physiological and environmental sensors. Data were sent to a cloud via a smartwatch application (app) using Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant cryptography and combined with online source data. A risk level (high, medium or low) was determined using a random forest classifier and then sent to the app to be visualized as animated dragon graphics for easy interpretation by children. The feasibility of the system was first tested on an adult with moderate asthma, then usability was examined on a child with mild asthma over several weeks. It was found during feasibility testing that the system is able to assess asthma risk with 80.10 ± 14.13% accuracy. During usability testing, it was able to continuously collect sensor data, and the child was able to wear, easily understand and enjoy the use of the system. If tested in more individuals, this system may lead to an effective self-management program that can reduce hospitalization in those who suffer from asthma

HIPAA Compliant Wireless Sensing Smartwatch Application for the Self-Management of Pediatric Asthma

Asthma is the most prevalent chronic disease among pediatrics, as it is the leading cause of student absenteeism and hospitalization for those under the age of 15. To address the significant need to manage this disease in children, the authors present a mobile health (mHealth) system that determines the risk of an asthma attack through physiological and environmental wireless sensors and representational state transfer application program interfaces (RESTful APIs). The data is sent from wireless sensors to a smartwatch application (app) via a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant cryptography framework, which then sends data to a cloud for real-time analytics. The asthma risk is then sent to the smartwatch and provided to the user via simple graphics for easy interpretation by children. After testing the safety and feasibility of the system in an adult with moderate asthma prior to testing in children, it was found that the analytics model is able to determine the overall asthma risk (high, medium, or low risk) with an accuracy of 80.10±14.13%. Furthermore, the features most important for assessing the risk of an asthma attack were multifaceted, highlighting the importance of continuously monitoring different wireless sensors and RESTful APIs. Future testing this asthma attack risk prediction system in pediatric asthma individuals may lead to an effective self-management asthma program

A programmable epidermal microfluidic valving system for wearable biofluid management and contextual biomarker analysis.

Active biofluid management is central to the realization of wearable bioanalytical platforms that are poised to autonomously provide frequent, real-time, and accurate measures of biomarkers in epidermally-retrievable biofluids (e.g., sweat). Accordingly, here, a programmable epidermal microfluidic valving system is devised, which is capable of biofluid sampling, routing, and compartmentalization for biomarker analysis. At its core, the system is a network of individually-addressable microheater-controlled thermo-responsive hydrogel valves, augmented with a pressure regulation mechanism to accommodate pressure built-up, when interfacing sweat glands. The active biofluid control achieved by this system is harnessed to create unprecedented wearable bioanalytical capabilities at both the sensor level (decoupling the confounding influence of flow rate variability on sensor response) and the system level (facilitating context-based sensor selection/protection). Through integration with a wireless flexible printed circuit board and seamless bilateral communication with consumer electronics (e.g., smartwatch), contextually-relevant (scheduled/on-demand) on-body biomarker data acquisition/display was achieved

A programmable epidermal microfluidic valving system for wearable biofluid management and contextual biomarker analysis.

Active biofluid management is central to the realization of wearable bioanalytical platforms that are poised to autonomously provide frequent, real-time, and accurate measures of biomarkers in epidermally-retrievable biofluids (e.g., sweat). Accordingly, here, a programmable epidermal microfluidic valving system is devised, which is capable of biofluid sampling, routing, and compartmentalization for biomarker analysis. At its core, the system is a network of individually-addressable microheater-controlled thermo-responsive hydrogel valves, augmented with a pressure regulation mechanism to accommodate pressure built-up, when interfacing sweat glands. The active biofluid control achieved by this system is harnessed to create unprecedented wearable bioanalytical capabilities at both the sensor level (decoupling the confounding influence of flow rate variability on sensor response) and the system level (facilitating context-based sensor selection/protection). Through integration with a wireless flexible printed circuit board and seamless bilateral communication with consumer electronics (e.g., smartwatch), contextually-relevant (scheduled/on-demand) on-body biomarker data acquisition/display was achieved

A programmable epidermal microfluidic valving system for wearable biofluid management and contextual biomarker analysis.

Active biofluid management is central to the realization of wearable bioanalytical platforms that are poised to autonomously provide frequent, real-time, and accurate measures of biomarkers in epidermally-retrievable biofluids (e.g., sweat). Accordingly, here, a programmable epidermal microfluidic valving system is devised, which is capable of biofluid sampling, routing, and compartmentalization for biomarker analysis. At its core, the system is a network of individually-addressable microheater-controlled thermo-responsive hydrogel valves, augmented with a pressure regulation mechanism to accommodate pressure built-up, when interfacing sweat glands. The active biofluid control achieved by this system is harnessed to create unprecedented wearable bioanalytical capabilities at both the sensor level (decoupling the confounding influence of flow rate variability on sensor response) and the system level (facilitating context-based sensor selection/protection). Through integration with a wireless flexible printed circuit board and seamless bilateral communication with consumer electronics (e.g., smartwatch), contextually-relevant (scheduled/on-demand) on-body biomarker data acquisition/display was achieved