Characteristic Analysis of the Built Environment of Ferry Terminals: A Case Study of Mokpo, South Korea

Ferry terminals are an essential facility for those frequently commuting between islands or towns ashore. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure a smooth and efficient flow of passengers and vehicles while guaranteeing safety and convenience at the ferry terminal. This study investigates and evaluates the walking path environment and determines the passengers’ walkability and walking satisfaction of ferry terminals in Korea. As a case study, to measure the passenger’s overall perception and satisfaction of the built environment of the ferry terminal, we conducted an importance–performance analysis for two ferry terminals located in Mokpo city of Korea. The segments of the poor built environment in terms of walking were found. Furthermore, the ANOVA and t-test results confirmed that the satisfaction level of the built environment varied by age and residential location of passengers. There was a significant difference in satisfaction between the groups (age and residential location) in the walking path segments while embarking and disembarking the ferry. Passengers’ perceptions and walking satisfaction were different depending on the features of the built environment, including public transport accessibility, layout, distance, and surface condition of the walking path of the ferry terminal. As a limitation of the study, the case study was conducted only in the Mokpo region due to the impact of COVID-19, and the sample survey was also conducted in a short period of time. In addition, further studies are needed on the generalization of passengers’ walkability in ferry terminals

Machine Learning Approach for Automated Detection of Irregular Walking Surfaces for Walkability Assessment with Wearable Sensor

The walkability of a neighborhood impacts public health and leads to economic and environmental benefits. The condition of sidewalks is a significant indicator of a walkable neighborhood as it supports and encourages pedestrian travel and physical activity. However, common sidewalk assessment practices are subjective, inefficient, and ineffective. Current alternate methods for objective and automated assessment of sidewalk surfaces do not consider pedestrians’ physiological responses. We developed a novel classification framework for the detection of irregular walking surfaces that uses a machine learning approach to analyze gait parameters extracted from a single wearable accelerometer. We also identified the most suitable location for sensor placement. Experiments were conducted on 12 subjects walking on good and irregular walking surfaces with sensors attached at three different locations: right ankle, lower back, and back of the head. The most suitable location for sensor placement was at the ankle. Among the five classifiers trained with gait features from the ankle sensor, Support Vector Machine (SVM) was found to be the most effective model since it was the most robust to subject differences. The model’s performance was improved with post-processing. This demonstrates that the SVM model trained with accelerometer-based gait features can be used as an objective tool for the assessment of sidewalk walking surface conditions

An Application of Economics & Environmental Planning: The Impacts of Variable Rate Irrigation Technology on Net Farm Income

Restoring playa wetlands back into predominantly agricultural landscapes has been a pressing issue for decades. The Nebraska Rainwater Basin Joint Venture (RWBJV) and its partners represent a wide variety of private and public groups who are offering solutions to this problem, while helping farmers maximize net farm income. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln partnered with the RWBJV on a project to determine how Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) technology would impact the profitability of farm management operations, while allowing the preservation of adjacent wetland areas. This study conducted an economic analysis that compared net farm income for producers that had participated in wetland restoration and adoption of VRI. Crop Enterprise Budgets were used to analyze the fluctuations in operational variables that may be affected by VRI. The feasibility of this technology was determined by using a discounted payback model with different levels of cost-share assistance over a two year period. Several scenarios were created to highlight how specific variables can greatly affect the model. The results of this study show that grazing infrastructure played a critical role in the feasibility of this investment. The benefits that were seen from this single resource were enough to potentially offset other setbacks and to give economic and environmental planners a powerful tool for convincing producers to participate. Increasing the longevity and quantity of research studies similar to this will be necessary to determine what specific input cost variables are being effected by VRI in the future

Spatial variation of residential and employment land consumption rates in a metropolitan region: Atlanta, Chicago, Sacramento, San Antonio

This study attempted to develop an improved spatial model for estimating variations of residential and employment land consumption rates in a metropolitan region. In pursuing this goal, there were two major research streams in this dissertation. The one is the research question of what factors influence the differences of land consumption rates in a region? The related research question is what model specifications do we need to estimate it? In order to answer the research questions, the following research issues are focused in particular. First, we tested alternative accessibility measures under different urban form assumptions: monocentric, polycentric and dispersive. Using the criterion of maximum explanatory power, it is found that a gravity type accessibility measure with power form is the most useful in explaining the variations of residential and employment land consumption rates. Second, with theoretical considerations, relevant factors that matter with spatial variations of residential and employment (commercial and basic) land consumption rates are identified and reviewed. These variables can be broadly grouped by Transportation Accessibility factors and Locational Amenity factors. We also hypothesized the relationship between explanatory variables and land consumption rates, and empirically tested with four metropolitan regions data: Atlanta, Chicago, Sacramento and San Antonio. Rather than accepting a deterministic logic (‘all relevant factors should be consistent in any urban regions’) or an ‘every case is different’ approach, this study assumed a contingency approach, and developed a procedure of assessing and selecting relevant factors for statistical analysis. The resulting model is called as a reduced model, which works better than a full model. Third, we also considered ‘spatial interaction effects’ in the models, and thus specified Spatial Autocorrelation model (SAR) and Spatial Lag model (SL). These spatial models are compared with OLS models. The results suggested that spatial regression models are preferred in 10 of 12 cases

An Application of Economics & Environmental Planning: The Impacts of Variable Rate Irrigation Technology on Net Farm Income

Restoring playa wetlands back into predominantly agricultural landscapes has been a pressing issue for decades. The Nebraska Rainwater Basin Joint Venture (RWBJV) and its partners represent a wide variety of private and public groups who are offering solutions to this problem, while helping farmers maximize net farm income. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln partnered with the RWBJV on a project to determine how Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) technology would impact the profitability of farm management operations, while allowing the preservation of adjacent wetland areas. This study conducted an economic analysis that compared net farm income for producers that had participated in wetland restoration and adoption of VRI. Crop Enterprise Budgets were used to analyze the fluctuations in operational variables that may be affected by VRI. The feasibility of this technology was determined by using a discounted payback model with different levels of cost-share assistance over a two year period. Several scenarios were created to highlight how specific variables can greatly affect the model. The results of this study show that grazing infrastructure played a critical role in the feasibility of this investment. The benefits that were seen from this single resource were enough to potentially offset other setbacks and to give economic and environmental planners a powerful tool for convincing producers to participate. Increasing the longevity and quantity of research studies similar to this will be necessary to determine what specific input cost variables are being effected by VRI in the future

Characteristic Analysis of the Built Environment of Ferry Terminals: A Case Study of Mokpo, South Korea

Ferry terminals are an essential facility for those frequently commuting between islands or towns ashore. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure a smooth and efficient flow of passengers and vehicles while guaranteeing safety and convenience at the ferry terminal. This study investigates and evaluates the walking path environment and determines the passengers’ walkability and walking satisfaction of ferry terminals in Korea. As a case study, to measure the passenger’s overall perception and satisfaction of the built environment of the ferry terminal, we conducted an importance–performance analysis for two ferry terminals located in Mokpo city of Korea. The segments of the poor built environment in terms of walking were found. Furthermore, the ANOVA and t-test results confirmed that the satisfaction level of the built environment varied by age and residential location of passengers. There was a significant difference in satisfaction between the groups (age and residential location) in the walking path segments while embarking and disembarking the ferry. Passengers’ perceptions and walking satisfaction were different depending on the features of the built environment, including public transport accessibility, layout, distance, and surface condition of the walking path of the ferry terminal. As a limitation of the study, the case study was conducted only in the Mokpo region due to the impact of COVID-19, and the sample survey was also conducted in a short period of time. In addition, further studies are needed on the generalization of passengers’ walkability in ferry terminals

Trust : from theoretical introspection to empirical analysis

The article deals with the idea of confidence and its manifestation in Lithuania. A detailed theoretical analysis of confidence shows its importance in individuals’ collective activities. The empirical part of the article proves the theoretical statements. The research reveals that during transition the population’s confidence in Lithuanian public institutions was mainly determined by their attitude to the activities of the Liberation Movement, restoration of the Lithuania’s independence. Public institutions were assessed on the basis of future expectations, related to possibilities to create a better life for the entire population of the country. The population’s hope was destroyed by the consequences following the institutionalisation of democracy and market economy: economic downturn, deterioration of living conditions, social anomaly. On the one hand, a rapid decline in confidence in Lithuanian public institutions, which started in 1992, was determined by the population’s disapproval of the initiated political, social and economic reforms, on the other hand, by a rather frequent incompetence, selfishness, corruption of persons performing the functions of authorities, which stimulated the establishment of a negative image of public institutions in the society. Current confidence in public institutions is evidenced by the following factors: confidence in the Seimas, population’s attitude to the efficiency of the new political regime, relations between ideological dispositions, subjective welfare and interest in politics. The most influential among the abovementioned factors is assessment of the efficiency of the political regime, which depends on the economic progress of the country and enforcement of civil, political, social and economic human rights in the country

Characteristic Analysis of the Built Environment of Ferry Terminals: A Case Study of Mokpo, South Korea

Ferry terminals are an essential facility for those frequently commuting between islands or towns ashore. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure a smooth and efficient flow of passengers and vehicles while guaranteeing safety and convenience at the ferry terminal. This study investigates and evaluates the walking path environment and determines the passengers’ walkability and walking satisfaction of ferry terminals in Korea. As a case study, to measure the passenger’s overall perception and satisfaction of the built environment of the ferry terminal, we conducted an importance–performance analysis for two ferry terminals located in Mokpo city of Korea. The segments of the poor built environment in terms of walking were found. Furthermore, the ANOVA and t-test results confirmed that the satisfaction level of the built environment varied by age and residential location of passengers. There was a significant difference in satisfaction between the groups (age and residential location) in the walking path segments while embarking and disembarking the ferry. Passengers’ perceptions and walking satisfaction were different depending on the features of the built environment, including public transport accessibility, layout, distance, and surface condition of the walking path of the ferry terminal. As a limitation of the study, the case study was conducted only in the Mokpo region due to the impact of COVID-19, and the sample survey was also conducted in a short period of time. In addition, further studies are needed on the generalization of passengers’ walkability in ferry terminals

Community-Engaged Public Health Research to Inform Hospital Campus Planning in a Low Socioeconomic Status Urban Neighborhood

Objective: To compare sociodemographic and motivational factors for healthcare use and identify desirable health-promoting resources among groups in a low socioeconomic status (SES) community in Chicago, IL. Background: Disparities in health services and outcomes are well established in low SES urban neighborhoods in the United States and many factors beyond service availability and quality impact community health. Yet there is no clear process for engaging communities in building resources to improve population-level health in such locales. Methods: A hospital building project led to a partnership of public health researchers, architects, and planners who conducted community-engaged research. We collected resident data and compared factors for healthcare use and choice and likelihood of engaging new health-promoting services. Results: Neighborhood areas were strongly associated with ethnic groupings, and there were differences between groups in healthcare choice and service needs, such as, proximity to home was more important to Latinos than African Americans in choice of healthcare facility (padj = .001). Latinos expressed higher likelihood to use a fitness facility (padj = .001). Despite differences in vehicle ownership, \u3e75% of all respondents indicated that nearby public transportation was important in choosing healthcare. Conclusion: Knowledge of community needs and heterogeneity is essential to decision makers of facility and community development plans. Partnerships between public health, urban planning, architecture, and local constituents should be cultivated toward focus on reducing health disparities. Further work to integrate community perspectives through the planning and design process and to evaluate the long-term impact of such efforts is needed