The built environment,maintenance of the public sphere and connections to others and to place: an examination of 10 international cities

Using surveys collected from 10 major metropolitan cities across the world, this article examines the factors that affect the extent to which people feel connected to others who live in their neighborhood and feel proud and satisfied with life in their cities. The cities included in the analysis are: New York, London, Paris, Stockholm, Toronto, Milan, Berlin, Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo. We find that certain aspects of the built environment, the conditions of the public sphere, and the extent of positive social networks in the city are critically important for understanding residents’ connections to each other and to their cities. Our findings provide insights for policy makers and planners concerned with making cities viable and livable.     

谈活力的城市公共交通环境设计

针对城市化带来的居民体力活动减少而引起的健康问题,在城市公共交通站点、街道绿化、候车亭环境等方面,对如何营造活力的公共交通环境作了初步的探讨,以促进居民更多地选择公共交通出行,提高人们的体力活动水平。     

The built environment and health: Impacts of pedestrian-friendly designs on air pollution exposure

In the wake of the growing popularity of pedestrian-oriented community designs, it is timely to assess potential risk trade-offs of such urban planning strategies. Pedestrian-friendly designs are currently being called for and implemented in the US to tackle in particular problems associated with insufficient physical activity in the population. Unintended consequences may emerge, however, especially due to potential increases in the inhalation of pollutants as the population walking or cycling in polluted environments increases. A risk assessment of such built environment transformations was undertaken to evaluate quantitatively the competing risks and benefits of community design changes in active travel. A simulation model, built incorporating research from the fields of transportation, environmental sciences and exposure analysis, is applied to a case study area that undergoes hypothetical urban transformations. We find that the simulated population experiences roughly the same number of days in a year with decreases as number of days with increases in energy expenditure or inhalation of pollutants. In the 5% of days with greatest shifts, PM₁₀ inhalation was shown to increase by 175% or more, while the 5% of days of greatest decreases exhibited reductions of 45% or more (with similar results for ozone). Of particular concern, some individuals are shown to double their intake of the pollutants on high pollution days. However, uncertainty in the estimates is high. In particular, interpretations are very different according to the approach used to characterize year-long activity patterns. This innovative risk assessment uncovers critical gaps in the literature that must be further researched to allow essential comprehensive analyses of planning decisions.     

Future Directions in Housing and Public Health: Findings From Europe With Broader Implications for Planners

Problem: Chronic diseases such as asthma are rising at alarming rates in the United States and worldwide. Housing environments play an important, underappreciated role in these trends.

Purpose: In this article, we document the magnitude of the association between housing conditions and asthma and related respiratory symptoms, present examples of new systems for addressing adverse effects of housing on health, and discuss how planners might require or encourage such innovations.

Methods: We use logistic regressions based on household survey data from seven European cities to show the magnitude of the association between housing conditions and noise annoyance and the exacerbation of asthma and related respiratory symptoms. To support our argument that new housing intervention systems show great promise for alleviating current housing-related health challenges, we offer several different examples of green building criteria that incorporate health measures.

Results and conclusions: After taking into consideration individual-level characteristics, we found that respondents across a range of cities who were strongly annoyed by general neighborhood noise had twice the odds of a doctor-diagnosed asthma attack or related respiratory symptom than those not at all annoyed. Those strongly annoyed by traffic noise had 68% higher odds. Drainage problems at the housing unit were associated with 54% higher odds of experiencing respiratory symptoms, building structural problems with 27% higher odds, and a leaky roof with 35% higher odds. We identify healthy housing development, construction, and housing rehabilitation systems as promising initiatives for addressing the web of associations between housing and health. We suggest that funds such as Community Development Block Grants or housing trusts could subsidize such efforts, and various existing planning processes could incorporate health requirements or scoring criteria.

Takeaway for practice: There is compelling evidence that housing conditions are associated with poor health. Planners should inform themselves about these and identify opportunities to incorporate health considerations into planning that affects housing.

Research support: None.     

试析建成环境评价课的意义

在本科三年级的建筑设计教学中,引入了建成环境评价课程环节,评价以学生日常接触的校园建筑为对象,首先根据日常的使用经验确定评价内容,然后通过问卷、访谈等调查方式,以客观的数据、表格反映使用者回应建成环境刺激时的思考和反应,由此对建成环境的建造意图与使用成效之间的关系做进一步的探讨,培养学生对建筑设计较为全面的理解能力和发现问题、解决问题的能力。     

Institutional practices and planning for walking: A focus on built environment audits

Built environment audits, part of the “toolbox” for planning multi-modal urban transport systems, are used to evaluate the walkability of streets. Whereas the methodological features of audits have attracted attention from planning research, little attention has been paid to the institutional contexts where audits are developed and used. Drawing on literature on audit culture in contemporary institutions and on expert interviews with audit developers and professionals in Australia and New Zealand working with walking audits, three questions are addressed: Who uses walkability audits? How are they used? What substantive changes emerge from auditing practice? The knowledge of practice of auditing the built environment for walking is underdeveloped. While planners, engineers and advocates consider built environment audits useful in different ways, of concern is the use of audits to rationalise limited resources already devoted to infrastructure for walking, rather than produce substantive changes to the quality of the built environment for walking.     

营造健康社区：场所、过程与未来的思考

【目的】营造一个健康场所需要什么？循证实践存在哪些潜在的可能性与局限性？【方法】基于对多年来健康场所研究经验的反思,探讨循证实践的潜在可能性。【结果】健康社区可以保护人们免受有害环境的影响,为人们提供健康生活所需的资源,并支持开展促进健康的活动。【结论】营造健康场所不仅是创造能够促进健康的环境特征,而且还涉及营造、维护和使用这类场所的过程,建立持续的合作关系是实现营造健康场所的关键。     

基于培养学生创新能力的建筑环境学课程教学方法

建筑环境学课程专业知识丰富,且生动易懂,应从授课、实验、考核和辅导等四个方面积极推进重在培养学生创新能力的教学改革。课堂授课按照"提出问题、寻找答案、向科研方法或成果延伸"的路径展开,激发学生的创新热情。开放实验室,为学生的创新思维提供实践条件。课程考核与专利说明书、科研论文、实验报告或调研报告等科研成果挂钩,鼓励和引导学生开展科学研究,不断创新。推行导师制,既能缓解授课教师的压力,也能提高学生培养的针对性和有效性。实践证明,增强学生的创新能力在培养创新人才方面具有积极作用。     

日本历史环境保护的理论与实践——法律、政策与公众参与

历史环境是指与一定范围的土地密切相关的历史文化遗产构成一体的实体环境状态,它与居民的精神生活息息相关,1966年日本制定了《古都保存法》来保护古都的“历史风上”,1975年修订了《文化财保护法》,创立了“传统建造物群保存地区”制度,对一般城镇内的历史街区以及以村落聚落景观为代表的历史环境进行切实保护与合理再利用。70年代又对全国综合开发规划中的国土政策进行了重大调整,在这人转变过程中,历史保护运动中的公众参与和地方自治体条例起了积极的推动作用。     

论公路交通运输对环境的影响

从交通运输对土地开发影响、管理者思维影响、能源影响、区域性经济影响以及交通运输产生的负面影响五方面来论述,得出了只有交通运输和各种环境相匹配,才能实现交通运输和社会经济建设和谐统一的结论。     

Establishing sustainability: policy successes and failures

While some countries' building sectors have accepted and implemented public policies aimed at promoting a sustainable built environment, these measures have had little impact and change has been modest. This problem has been investigated by evaluating the concept of sustainable development in terms of its influence on environmental problems caused by the processes involved in planning, building and construction. A literature survey examining the resulting changes in public policies for a built environment produced a summary of the explanations for policy failure. The barriers to sustainable development are both general and sector specific. Policy-makers could be more effective in tackling the fragmented nature of the built environment's institutional context. Policy-making theory and past experience in planning suggest that a variety of actors should be included in the policy process, and that their knowledge should be put to good use. Those involved must develop a common understanding of what sustainable building entails, and of how it can be achieved. This requires flexibility concerning goals and procedures. One pitfall is a disproportionate focus on policy processes as against real issues. It is vital that policy processes are prioritized, sustainability presented unambiguously, and practitioners' use of research results closely monitored.

Alors que dans certains pays, les industriels de la construction ont accepté et mis en ?uvre des politiques publiques visant à promouvoir un milieu bâti durable, ces mesures ont eu peu d'impact et les changements ont été modestes. Ce problème a été étudié en évaluant le concept de développement durable en termes de son influence sur les problèmes d'environnement posés par les processus intervenant dans la planification, la construction et les bâtiments. Une analyse de la documentation consacrée aux changements qui en ont résulté dans les politiques publiques relatives au milieu bâti a permis de présenter un résumé des explications des défaillances de la politique. Les obstacles au développement durable sont à la fois de nature générale et propres à ce secteur. Les décideurs pourraient être plus efficaces lorsqu'ils s'attaquent au problème de la nature fragmentée du contexte institutionnel du milieu bâti. La théorie de l'élaboration des politiques et l'expérience passée en matière de planification laissent à penser que plusieurs facteurs devraient être inclus dans les processus politiques et que leur connaissance devrait être mise à bon usage. Tous ceux qui sont engagés dans ce processus doivent développer une compréhension commune de ce que les bâtiments durables impliquent et expliquer comment cet objectif peut être atteint. Cela nécessite une certaine souplesse en ce qui concerne les objectifs et les procédures. La focalisation disproportionnée sur les processus politiques au détriment des vrais problèmes serait un écueil. Il est essentiel que les processus politiques soient prioritaires, que la durabilité soit présentée sans ambiguïté et que l'utilisation des résultats de la recherche par les intéressés soit surveillée de près.

Mots clés: performances des bâtiments, obstacles institutionnels, processus politiques, outils de politique, politique publique, milieu bâti durable, développement durable, tendances     

高校学术英语系列课程建设的探索——基于建筑学科本科生英语学习需求的分析

在国际交往及教育国际化进程不断深入的背景下,高校学术英语课程建设日趋重要。以建筑学科本科生为例,采用问卷调查的方式,从学生现有语言水平及能力、英语学习目的、对大学英语课程的期望、目标需求以及学生对开设学术英语课程的认识及看法5个方面调查了解学生的英语学习需求。研究结果表明,学生已有多年的英语学习经历,具备一定的语言基础知识,具有多元的目标需求,渴望将英语学习和其专业研究及今后的职业发展相结合,对学术英语的呼声高涨。最后,从开设学术英语课程的必要性、多元学术英语课程构架的设置、课程教学内容的细化以及研究型教学法的应用4个方面对国内高校学术英语课程建设提出了意见和建议,以期切实提高学生的学术交流和沟通能力,将学生培养成为社会所需的复合型人才。     

The policy of attraction. Comparing three cities on their policy toward international and nongovernmental organizations: The Hague,Geneva and Vienna

The Hague, Geneva and Vienna are three cities that historically grew into global centers, specialized in human rights, nonproliferation, security, and peace and justice-related topics. The aim of this paper is to compare the policy of these cities on international organizations (IOs) and international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs). These cities experience increased competition from other international cities hosting IOs and INGOs due to globalization. Therefore, the need exists to reformulate strategies in attracting and retaining IOs and INGOs. Through an intensive comparative method, this paper seeks to describe the parallels and differences between these three cities, concerning their strategies. Furthermore, it describes the current need to make use of well-coordinated lobbying strategies, policy networks and thematic policy coalitions in order to gain and retain IOs and INGOs in a successful way.     

Evolution of energy policy in the Netherlands: past,present and future

In this paper, the past, present and possible future developments of energy policy for the built environment in the Netherlands are described briefly. The focus is on the development of and necessity for introducing new policy instruments for the built environment. Over the years, energy policy has evolved gradually to create a more integrated approach to the energy efficiency of buildings and larger urban districts. However, further evolution might be inevitable due to a shift of the primary driver for ‘energy’ policy from energy conservation to carbon dioxide reduction. Maximum targets of carbon dioxide emissions are being developed for each sector by 2010 and each sector has the obligation to meet its defined carbon dioxide reduction goal. Severe carbon dioxide reduction goals for the built environment in the Netherlands can only be achieved by means of energy efficiency improvement and fuel substitution, replacing natural gas with lower-carbon fuels. The introduction of lower-carbon fuels raises policy questions on whether to maintain the old infrastructure at great cost or whether investment should be in a new energy infrastructure and how this transition can be managed.     

健康城市环境测度方法与尺度的差异性研究——以大连市为例

环境与健康日益受到关注,但获取环境要素的方法没有明确的界定。通过不同的测度方法和尺度(400m、800m、1200m和1600m)获取物理环境特征(土地利用、密度、街道连接、可达性、坡度、建设环境、步行道环境、美观与安全)和社会环境(社交活动和社会交往),以及人群健康结果(体力活动、心理和生理层面健康)。通过回归模型探索环境对健康结果的影响,以及不同测量方式间的差异,同时以社会环境为调节变量,控制人口特征。结果显示,在400m尺度下呈现显著结果的建成环境要素最多,但主观和客观测量方式之间关联度并不高。建成环境要素以相同的测量方式在不同的尺度下测量有不同的结果,在相同的尺度下通过不同的方式测量亦会有不同的结果。     

住区建成环境对老年人生活品质影响的实证研究 ——以大连市既有住区为例

伴随着生活圈的不断收缩,住区逐渐成 为了老年人日常生活的主要场所,然而,既有住区 的建成环境却往往不能满足老年人生活需求, 影响老年人的生活品质。研究以大连市既有住区 建成环境为对象,基于扎根理论采用拍照、测 绘、半开放式访谈的方法,结合文献梳理,分析 了住区建成环境对老年人生活品质的影响。研究 认为住区建成环境现状问题主要体现于无障碍 设计缺失、规划缺失以及管理缺失。这些问题均 导致了老年人生活品质下降,且主要体现于无法 满足营养需求、安全感需求、卫生需求以及社交 需求。因此,为了提高老年人的生活品质,在进行 建成环境改造时,应该充分考虑导致老年人生 活品质下降背后的动因,并以需求为导向进行统 筹优化。研究认为老年人生活品质是一项综合的指标,通过建成环境的优化能够在一定程度上对其进行提升,但只有建成环境与社会环境协同作 用,才能更有效的提升老年人的生活品质。