A typology of urban shrinkage

UID/HIS/04209/2013Cities develop according to different patterns, undergoing population growth during some periods and decline (shrinkage) during others. Theories attempting to understand these behaviours include: 1) shrinkage is a natural process in the life cycle of a city, alternating with periods of growth, or 2) shrinkage is an extreme event that places cities into a continuous decline process with no return to population growth. We use retrospective data over a period of 130 years to study 25 Portuguese cities currently facing population decline, and show that both theories coexist in time and space. Five types of shrinking city are revealed: “Persistent Early Shrinkage” due to exodus from the rural periphery, “Metropolitan Shrinkage” due to the challenges of urban sprawl, “Recent Shrinkage” in de-industrialisation hotspots, “Cyclic Shrinkage” occurring in political transformation cores, and “Mild Shrinkage” due to life-style disamenity. As diversity of city population trajectories appears to be the norm in both Portugal and other Western European countries, the incorporation of this range into the management of urban transitions is recommended in order to reinforce city resilience.publishersversionpublishe

The effects of sedative music of test-anxiety in college students : presented to the graduate faculty of the University of the Pacific in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts

Thirty-seven volunteers participated in a study examining the effects of sedative music on test anxiety in college students. The experimental group used sedative music with progressive muscle relaxation and a suggestion of imagery before the scheduled hour of a final examination. The control group had self selected relaxation with no music. Baseline measurements were taken in blood pressure and pulse rates. These measurements were repeated and an anxiety inventory was administered before and after treatment. Results indicated no significant differences between the two groups in the physiological measurements. Verbal report from the anxiety inventory gave significant results at the .05 level

Residents' preferred policy actions for shrinking cities

Cities facing a continued and prolonged process of population decline require innovative urban regeneration policies complementary to growth-oriented policies. Losing inhabitants involves a decrease in economic activity and social capital. Therefore citizens' participation in defining policies to cope with population decline is being increasingly advocated. This research focused on four shrinking cities of Portugal to capture residents' knowledge about the strengths and weaknesses of their city of residence as well as the policies and actions they prioritized for dealing with the population decline. The responses from 701 questionnaires show that economic revival policies as well as safety and accessibility policies were preferred. To put these policies into action, the recovery of industrial activity, the creation of business incubators, an improvement in law enforcement, and public lighting were ranked as top priorities. Rank-ordered logistic regression models were used to understand which variables influenced the residents' rankings. We found that the evaluation of the city's characteristics impact the ranking of the policies and actions. Hence, residents show a high level of coherence when engaging in a discussion at the level of policy-making. Therefore, the findings support residents' involvement in decision-making processes regarding urban regeneration in shrinking cities

Social Relations, Second Homes, and the Space Between Insider and Outsider in a Rural, Amenity Rich Community

Discussions about the current affordable housing crisis in the United States often neglect rural America. Drawing on research in rural geography and community development, this study investigates the affordable housing crisis through the lens of the impact of second-home development and the relationships created between second-home owners and full-time residents in the rural amenity-rich village of Bellaire, Michigan. It seeks to answer the following questions: What are the relationships between second-home owners and residents? Do these relationships follow the overarching narrative that residents of rural communities are unwelcoming to perceived outsiders? What is the current state of affordable housing in Bellaire? Has second home ownership impacted the affordability of housing for local residents of this village? If so, how has second home ownership impacted housing affordability? The findings suggest that housing in Antrim County is not affordable, and that there are dynamic relationships, both positive and negative, between second homeowners and full-time residents of Bellaire. This further suggests that there are no true “insiders” and “outsiders” as all stakeholders move through these positionalities throughout this community. The findings from this study can be used to inform actions to promote the quality of life and well-being of both local residents and second homeowners alike within these unique communities

DYNAMICS, STABILITY, AND MAINTENANCE MECHANISMS OF SUPER LONG-LIVED OCEAN VORTICES

Ocean variability in the form of coherent mesoscale eddies is still poorly understood despite more than a century of persistent interest and undeniable geophysical significance. These eddies propagate for thousands of miles and distribute vast amounts of nutrients and energy throughout the world’s oceans. Most intriguing is how analytical theories and physical arguments suggest that larger vortices, those with radii greater than 75 km, should become unstable and break down in the span of months, yet they are observed to last for years. This research explores two phenomena that contribute to the longevity of these features. First is their ability to adjust to ambient large-scale flows—a feature that determines the eddy’s endurance. The second aspect is the role small-scale, irregular topography plays in vortex dynamics. We demonstrate that rough seafloor stabilizes surface-intensified vortices by restricting the motion in the deep layer, thereby allowing the upper ring to perpetuate unhindered. Using an analytical parameterization, we show how this "sandpaper effect" can be accounted for in quasi-geostrophic and full Navier-Stokes models. This research will ultimately allow the U.S. Navy to improve global ocean forecasts without dramatically increasing the spatial resolution.Civilian, Department of the NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Community Distress Towards a National Measure

96 p.This report developed and tested a proposed Canadian Distress Index (CDI) model capable of exploring distress across and within Canadian cities. The proposed index is discussed in terms of its ability to inform policy making concerning Canada’s urban centres. The report considers a community to be in distress when it displays significantly weaker social, economic, environmental, and physical attributes; and has insufficient internal resources and capacity to respond to those conditions. The report reviews the primary theories that explain and explore distress and are captured broadly within theories of neighbourhood change. It examined national and international precedents for measuring distress, which vary substantively in approach and application with the most comprehensive examples drawing on both qualitative and quantitative information sources. International measurements of urban distress were examined for their capacity to capture a national perspective. From this review it was determined that factor analysis would be a useful analytical tool. Twenty-four variables were drawn from the Census of Canada. Following a series of preliminary analytical steps, factor analysis was then used to develop the final models variables representing four domains comprising the Canadian distress index (CDI). Final weightings for each of the domains were proposed using statistical tests. The CDI model was then tested using 10 cities and 2500 census tracts to produce rankings of the cities and census tracts for both their composite score and also how they ranked among the four domains. It was determined that the composite ranking provides a glimpse into relevant factors, but that a local context would be necessary to fully interpret the results. This might involve the review of more local qualitative data or opinions from local experts to help understand the local contributors to distress. The Index was found effective in comparing cities within tiers in the urban hierarchy, but less capable of comparing cities across tiers

Surface Mol (CD11b/CD18) glycoprotein is up-modulated by neutrophils recruited to sites of inflammation in vivo

Inasmuch as the recruitment of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) to inflammatory foci in vivo involves adhesion-dependent events (e.g., margination, diapedesis, and directed migration), we sought to characterize the relationship between the local accumulation of PMNs in sterile peritonitis and their surface expression of the adhesion-promoting plasma membrane glycoprotein. Mol (CD11b/ CD18). In an immunofluorescence analysis of PMNs isolated from rats injected intraperitoneally with sterile 1% glycogen solution, we detected a significant enhancement of surface Mol expression by exudative peritoneal PMNs. In contrast, no significant rise in Mol expression was noted over time by circulating intravascular PMNs (isolated simultaneously). However, these intravascular PMNs had the capacity to increase their surface Mol density upon exposure to peritoneal fiuid supernatant at 37°C. These results demonstrate that PMNs at sites of inflammation in vivo do up-modulate their surface expression of the adhesion-promoting Mol glycoprotein during their recruitment from the circulating, intravascular leukocyte pool.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44502/1/10753_2004_Article_BF00916757.pd