The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stress-related Dermatologic Diseases

The number and variety of patients admitted to hospitals have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes have also affected dermatology clinics. The pandemic has had an adverse effect on the psychol- ogy of people by negatively affecting their quality of life. Patients who were admitted to the Bursa City Hospital Dermatology Clinic between July 15, 2020 and October 15, 2020 and from July 15, 2019 to October 15, 2019 were includ- ed in this study. The data of patients were gathered retrospectively by review- ing the electronic medical records and International Classification Diseases (ICD-10) codes. Our results showed that, despite the decrease in the total number of applications, a significant increase was observed in the frequency of stress-related dermatological diseases such as psoriasis (P<0.001), urticaria (P<0.001), atopic dermatitis (P<0.001), and seborrheic dermatitis (P=0.035). However, there was no significant change in the rates of alopecia areata, vit- iligo, herpes zoster, and lichen simplex chronicus (P>0.05, for all). There was a significant decrease in the telogen effluvium rate during the pandemic (P<0.001). Our study demonstrates that the incidence of certain stress-related dermatologic diseases increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may increase awareness of dermatologists on this issue

Cost-Benefit Evaluation Tools on the Impacts of Transport Infrastructure Projects on Urban Form and Development

This study reviews literature for identifying the methods in order to evaluate the impacts of key transport infrastructure provisions on urban form and peri-urban development in European Union (EU) member countries. Key impacts and linkages of transportation provision on urban development trends are identified through the international literature. These include direct impacts of transportation infrastructure provision, socio-economic impacts, transportation network effects and energy and environmental impacts. Among the evaluation methodologies, cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is the most common approach for transport policy impact assessments both in the national project appraisal guidelines and in scientific analysis and research. Considering its extensive usage in the appraisal work, the main focus will be on the evaluation tools used within the CBA approach. The corresponding data requirements for the valuation of indicators will be also discussed in order to assess the impacts of costs and benefits of transport investments, particularly rapid rail investments, on urban form and development

Reconstruction of residential land cover and spatial analysis of population in Bursa region (Turkey) in the mid-nineteenth century

The historic reconstruction of residential land cover is of significance to uncover the human-environment relationship and its changing dynamics. Taking into account the historical census data and cadastral maps of seven villages, this study generated residential land cover maps for the Bursa Region in the 1850s using a model based on natural constraints, land zoning, socio-economic factors and residential suitability. Two different historical reconstructions were generated; one based on a high density residential model and another based on a low density model. The simulated landcover information was used as an ancillary data to redistribute aggregated census counts to fine scale raster cells. Two different statistical models were developed; one based on probability maps and the other applying regression models including Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) models. The regression models were validated with historical census data of the 1840s. From regression models, socio-economic and physical characteristics, accessibility and natural amenities showed significant impacts on the distribution of population. Model validation analysis revealed that GWR is more accurate than OLS models. The generated residential land cover and gridded population datasets can provide a basis for the historical study of population and land use

Scenario Analysis of Alternative Land Development Patterns for the Leipzig-Halle Region: Implications for Transport-Land-Use Sustainability

The objective of this paper is to present alternative land development scenarios for the sustainability impact assessment of transport-land-use relationship in the Leipzig-Halle Region. Using the MOLAND Model that was applied to a declining urban region for the first time, two different land-use scenarios were developed representing a baseline dispersed development and an alternative compact development case. The assessment of land-use-transport relationships is carried out incorporating the use of social, economic and environmental indicators. The impacts and indicators were specified and evaluated subject to a quantitative and qualitative assessment. The findings imply that a compact development scenario is preferable over dispersed development scenario in terms of potential quantitative data on the benefits to the environment and society. In contrast, dispersed development in the baseline case indicates the costs of such development exceed the benefits. The results of this type of scenario analysis provide an objective evidence basis in policy evaluation and decisions regarding future urban developments. This research was developed from several scenarios created with the key stakeholders of the Leipzig-Halle Region from research originally conducted as part of the PLUREL Project in 2012 and updated in 2016. It aims at contributing to literature by providing a sustainability assessment framework for rapid rail infrastructure provision that incorporates socio-economic and environmental impact assessment of alternative future urban form scenarios into the analysis. In addition, due to MOLAND features, it provides the opportunity for the sustainability impact assessment of different forms of urban development linked with transport infrastructure provision in the Region and compare the findings with other case study areas in Europe and internationally

Direct and Indirect Land Use Impacts of the EU Cohesion Policy. Assessment with the Land Use Modelling Platform

The Cohesion policy for the programming period 2014-2020 is analyzed in terms of its likely land use and environmental impacts using the Land Use Modelling Platform (LUMP). This report describes in detail the process and the methodology by which the ex-ante impact assessment was made, and presents the results for Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, and Poland. The modelling approach can provide insights on the trade-offs between economic growth, investment policies (such as the Cohesion policy), and land use and the environment. In addition, ways to mitigate potentially negative land use and environmental impacts were explored. The future development of the LUMP is discussed in view of planned future work.JRC.H.8-Sustainability Assessmen

Institutional Settings and Effects on Agricultural Land Conversion: A Global and Spatial Analysis of European Regions

Spatial planning systems and institutions have a significant role in managing non-agricultural land growth in Europe and the assessment of how their implementation impacts on agricultural land consumption is of great significance for policy and institutional improvement. Reducing the area of agricultural land taken for urban development, or eliminating such conversion, is an international policy priority aiming to maintain the amount and quality of land resources currently available for food production and sustainable development. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of land use planning systems and institutional settings on urban conversion of agricultural land in the 265 NUTS2 level EU27 and UK regions. Taking these regions as the unit of our analysis, the research developed and used global and local econometrics models to estimate the effect based on socio-economic, institutional and land use data for the 2000–2018 period. There is limited research focusing on the impacts of institutional settings and planning types of the European countries on the conversion of agricultural land. Furthermore, existing research has not considered the spatial relationships with the determinants of agricultural land conversion and the response variable, therefore, our research aimed to contribute to the literature on the subject. The results showed that the types of spatial planning systems and institution variables significantly impact the conversion of agricultural land to urban uses. Socio-economic indicators and areas of agricultural and urban land have significant impact on agricultural land conversion for any type of spatial planning system. A further result was that decentralization and political fragmentation were positively associated with agricultural land conversion while quality of regional government and governance was negatively associated. A local regression model was assessed to explore the different spatial patterns of the relationships driving agricultural land conversion. The main empirical finding from this model was that there was spatial variation of driving factors of agricultural land conversion in Europe

The Inter-Relationships of Territorial Quality of Life with Residential Expansion and Densification: A Case Study of Regions in EU Member Countries

High-density urban development is promoted by both global and local policies in response to socio-economic and environmental challenges since it increases mobility of different land uses, decreases the need for traveling, encourages the use of more energy-efficient buildings and modes of transportation, and permits the sharing of scarce urban amenities. It is therefore argued that increased density and mixed-use development are expected to deliver positive outcomes in terms of contributing to three pillars (social, economic, and environmental domains) of sustainability in the subject themes. Territorial quality of life (TQL)—initially proposed by the ESPON Programme—is a composite indicator of the socio-economic and environmental well-being and life satisfaction of individuals living in an area. Understanding the role of urban density in TQL can provide an important input for urban planning debates addressing whether compact development can be promoted by referring to potential efficiencies in high-density, mixed land use and sustainable transport provisions. Alternatively, low-density suburban development is preferable due to its benefits of high per capita land use consumption (larger houses) for individual households given lower land prices. There is little empirical evidence on how TQL is shaped by high-density versus low-density urban forms. This paper investigates this topic through providing an approach to spatially map and examine the relationship between TQL, residential expansion, and densification processes in the so-called NUTS2 (nomenclature of terrestrial units for statistics) regions of European Union (EU) member countries. The relative importance of each TQL indicator was determined through the entropy weight method, where these indicators were aggregated through using the subject weights to obtain the overall TQL indicator. The spatial dynamics of TQL were examined and its relationship with residential expansion and densification processes was analysed to uncover whether the former or the latter process is positively associated with the TQL indicator within our study area. From our regression models, the residential expansion index is negatively related to the TQL indicator, implying that high levels of residential expansion can result in a reduction in overall quality of life in the regions if they are not supported by associated infrastructure and facility investments

Farmland Abandonment in Europe: An Overview of Drivers, Consequences and Assessment of the Sustainability Implications

In the last decades, there have been large areas of agricultural land that were abandoned in Europe, producing significant social and environmental impacts. Land abandonment is a dynamic process, which is influenced by a complex range of drivers that vary over time and space. This process is driven by a combination of socio-economic, political and environmental factors, by which formerly cultivated fields are no longer economically viable under existing land-use and socio-economic conditions. The implications of land abandonment on biodiversity and other ecosystem services can be positive or negative depending on the conservation status of the area, agro-climatic conditions and local factors. Therefore, the scope and extent of environmental impacts vary over time and location. Considering that land abandonment is a contentious issue in Europe, there is still growing need for research on this topic. This paper reviews (i) drivers and consequences of farmland abandonment in Europe, (ii) policy measures and tools developed by the EU in relation to land abandonment process, (iii) the impacts and indicators that are used to assess ecosystem services that are related to land abandonment, (iv) the methods by which socio-economic, environmental and cultural values can be assessed. An overview of key impacts and indicators, and the impact assessment methodologies will guide policy-making and planning processes that focus on sustainability impact assessment of land abandonment related to ecosystem services in Europe.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Land Suitability Assessment of Green Infrastructure Development

Urban green space, an integral part of urban ecosystems, provides important environmental and social services that mitigate environmental problems caused by rapid urbanisation and urban sprawl. Urban planning and policy aim at optimising the benefits obtained from urban green spaces. The analytic hierarch process (AHP) is a commonly used technique for suitability assessment of land uses. The traditional AHP method is criticised for its subjectivity and uncertainty. Considering this, Fuzzy-AHP has been introduced as an advanced methodology in dealing with the uncertainty in the decision making process. In this study, we compared the two methods of AHP and fuzzy-AHP integrated with geographic information systems (GIS) for the suitability assessment of Pendik district, Istanbul regarding green space development. First, criteria and sub-criteria were determined and the corresponding weights were assigned based on literature and experts’ knowledge. This is followed by preparation of spatial maps integrated with the corresponding weights and development of final suitability maps in both methods of AHP and fuzzy-AHP. Our results show that high suitability areas are mainly distributed in the southern part of Pendik district around the existing urban green infrastructure. In both maps obtained from AHP and fuzzy-AHP, more than 30 percent of the study area has the potential for green space development