Measuring neighbourhood change in public space: a public life study in Poblenou, Barcelona

This research aims to learn if gentrification processes and neighbourhood change might be manifested in observable patterns of public life. Through the systematic observation of pedestrian movement, staying behaviour and other indicators, the study provides a diagnostic of the current conditions in four sites in the Poblenou neighbourhood of Barcelona: the Rambla of Poblenou, Pere IV at Trullàs, Mar Bella beach, and the Superilla. The research team observed public life from 8:00-24:00 hrs during a week in June 2018. The studydoes not find clear evidence of gentrification processes but there are systematic differences across sites. The Rambla performs best overall, with the highest level of pedestrian traffic, afternoon staying behaviour and gender balance. Three of the four sites are gendered spaces, in which men have a disproportionate use of public space. Describing the current patterns of public life may inform urban design interventions and serve as a baseline for long-term studies that aim to measure neighbourhood change.Peer Reviewe

Green Spaces with Fewer People Improve Self-Reported Affective Experience and Mood

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MCalm and quiet green spaces provide health benefits for urban residents. Yet as cities become more densely populated, increasing public users to green spaces may reduce or moderate these benefits. We examine how increased pedestrian density in a green street changes self-reported wellbeing. We use a between subject experimental design that added public users as confederates in randomly selected periods over three weeks. We collect data on mood and affective response from pedestrians moving through the green street (n = 504), with and without our public user treatment in randomly selected periods. Mood and affective response are improved when experiencing the green street with fewer people. We find that an increased number of public users in the green space has a negative effect on mood, especially among women. We provide experimental evidence that self-reported wellbeing in urban green spaces depends on social context, and that there are gender inequities associated with changes in affective response. Although we only measure immediate impacts, our results imply that the health benefits of green spaces may be limited by the total number of users. This research contributes additional evidence that greener cities are also healthier cities, but that the benefits may not be equally shared between women and men and will depend on the social context of use

El robatori de bicicletes a Barcelona 2021

La prevalença del robatori de bicicletes és un inconvenient per als ciclistes a més d'una barrera per a adoptar de forma més estesa la bicicleta com a forma de transport urbà. Malgrat que el ciclisme estigui obtenint atenció a causa de ser una modalitat de transport neta i saludable, la sostracció de bicicletes roman en gran part ignorada i subestimada. Si revisem els patrons espacials i temporals de totes les bicicletes usurpades a la ciutat de Barcelona l'any 2021, ens trobem que es van robar 870 bicicletes, amb una mitjana de més de 2 bicicletes diàries. La majoria van ser sostretes als districtes de Sant Martí, Eixample i Ciutat Vella. Per altra banda, a Gràcia va haver-hi molt pocs robatoris tenint en compte el gran nombre de bicicletes aparcades al carrer. El pic d'usurpacions va ser al mes de maig, i la majoria de bicicletes van ser sostretes durant les hores diürnes. Una anàlisi comparativa ens mostra com a Barcelona es reporten menys bicicletes sostretes que altres ciutats, per aquest fet deduïm que probablement moltes víctimes de robatoris a Barcelona no en denuncien la pèrdua, deixant-nos amb una subestimació de la magnitud real del problema. Per tal d'afrontar amb èxit aquesta problemàtica, és necessària la col·laboració entre les agències públiques i la comunitat acadèmica. A mesura que les polítiques ciclistes adquireixen una nova centralitat en els esforços per abordar el canvi climàtic, també caldrà prestar més atenció a la lluita contra el robatori de bicicletes

How effective are biodiversity conservation payments in Mexico?

We assess the additional forest cover protected by 13 rural communities located in the southern state of Chiapas, Mexico, as a result of the economic incentives received through the country's national program of payments for biodiversity conservation. We use spatially explicit data at the intra-community level to define a credible counterfactual of conservation outcomes.We use covariate-matching specifications associated with spatially explicit variables and difference-in-difference estimators to determine the treatment effect. We estimate that the additional conservation represents between 12 and 14.7 percent of forest area enrolled in the program in comparison to control areas. Despite this high degree of additionality, we also observe lack of compliance in some plots participating in the PES program. This lack of compliance casts doubt on the ability of payments alone to guarantee long-term additionality in context of high deforestation rates, even with an augmented program budget or extension of participation to communities not yet enrolled. (Résumé d'auteur

Emerging evidence on the effectiveness of tropical forest conservation

The PLOS ONE Collection “Measuring forest conservation effectiveness” brings together a series of studies that evaluate the effectiveness of tropical forest conservation policies and programs with the goal of measuring conservation success and associated co-benefits. This overview piece describes the geographic and methodological scope of these studies, as well as the policy instruments covered in the Collection as of June 2016. Focusing on forest cover change, we systematically compare the conservation effects estimated by the studies and discuss them in the light of previous findings in the literature. Nine studies estimated that annual conservation impacts on forest cover were below one percent, with two exceptions in Mexico and Indonesia. Differences in effect sizes are not only driven by the choice of conservation measures. One key lesson from the studies is the need to move beyond the current scientific focus of estimating average effects of undifferentiated conservation programs. The specific elements of the program design and the implementation context are equally important factors for understanding the effectiveness of conservation programs. Particularly critical will be a better understanding of the causal mechanisms through which conservation programs have impacts. To achieve this understanding we need advances in both theory and methods. (Résumé d'auteur

Mainstreaming impact evaluation in nature conservation

An important part of conservation practice is the empirical evaluation of program and policy impacts. Understanding why conservation programs succeed or fail is essential for designing cost-effective initiatives and for improving the livelihoods of natural resource users. The evidence we seek can be generated with modern impact evaluation designs. Such designs measure causal effects of specific interventions by comparing outcomes with the interventions to outcomes in credible counterfactual scenarios. Good designs also identify the conditions under which the causal effect arises. Despite a critical need for empirical evidence, conservation science has been slow to adopt these impact evaluation designs. We identify reasons for the slow rate of adoption, and provide suggestions for mainstreaming impact evaluation in nature conservation. (Résumé d'auteur

How small is too small? Assessing the wellbeing impacts of nano suites on university students

As cities densify and more residents move into smaller apartments, there are questions about the wellbeing impacts of living in tiny spaces. To understand the wellbeing impacts of tiny living, we surveyed residents of new nano suites (140 ft2 or 13 m2) built for students at a Canadian university. Using a pre-post survey design, we measured the changes to social and subjective wellbeing, environmental attitudes and future housing expectations. After seven months living in a nano flat, we found no negative impacts on subjective and social wellbeing. We also found that tiny living may change expectations about where residents would like to live in the future, making them more open to the idea of living in an apartment instead of a single family detached home. This is particularly relevant in cities and regions where the expectation of living in a single family detached home serves as a barrier to densification and sustainable land use planning. Overall residents were highly satisfied with the nano suite and were motivated to live there because of its affordability. A prolonged housing affordability crisis may make tiny units increasingly a part of the housing mix in the city of the future. Our results are specific to young adults in a university environment and how these results may apply for residents in other conditions or life stages remains an open question

La nova centralitat de la bicicleta en les ciutats i regions

El Consell Assessor per al Desenvolupament Sostenible (CADS) ha impulsat un cicle d'audiències a experts sobre els mecanismes per accelerar la descarbonització de l'economia i la societat catalanes. Les intervencions han quedat recollides en el document 'Apunts per a la reflexió sobre la descarbonització de l'economia i la societat catalanes: relatories de les audiències a persones expertes'. La sessió 2, del 6 de maig del 2022, es va anomenar 'Mobilitat regional' i inclou l'aportació de Jordi Honey-Rosés que es correspon a aquest document.L'ús de la bicicleta ajuda a descarbonitzar la mobilitat, a més de millorar la salut, el benestar i la qualitat de vida. Fins ara la bicicleta s'ha plantejat com un afegit a la resta de modes de mobilitat i actualment. Però amb l'emergència climàtica present cal apostar cada vegada més pel seu ús. Per tant, les polítiques sobre la bicicleta han de guanyar protagonisme, centralitat, rigor i serietat en el planejament urbà i regional. Cal considerar la bicicleta com a prioritat dins els pressupostos, plans de mobilitat, plans d'infraestructures per esdevenir un eix central a les ciutats per descarbonitzar la mobilitat. Per fer-ho caldran inversions en infraestructura ciclable

Green Spaces with Fewer People Improve Self-Reported Affective Experience and Mood

Calm and quiet green spaces provide health benefits for urban residents. Yet as cities become more densely populated, increasing public users to green spaces may reduce or moderate these benefits. We examine how increased pedestrian density in a green street changes self-reported wellbeing. We use a between subject experimental design that added public users as confederates in randomly selected periods over three weeks. We collect data on mood and affective response from pedestrians moving through the green street (n = 504), with and without our public user treatment in randomly selected periods. Mood and affective response are improved when experiencing the green street with fewer people. We find that an increased number of public users in the green space has a negative effect on mood, especially among women. We provide experimental evidence that self-reported wellbeing in urban green spaces depends on social context, and that there are gender inequities associated with changes in affective response. Although we only measure immediate impacts, our results imply that the health benefits of green spaces may be limited by the total number of users. This research contributes additional evidence that greener cities are also healthier cities, but that the benefits may not be equally shared between women and men and will depend on the social context of use