Gase, Lauren N.; Defosset, Amelia R.; Gakh, Maxim; Harris, Celia; Weisman, Susan R.; Dannenberg, Andrew L. (2017). Review of Education-Focused Health Impact Assessments Conducted in the United States. Journal Of School Health, 87(12), 911 – 922.
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Abstract
BACKGROUNDHealth impact assessment (HIA) provides a structured process for examining the potential health impacts of proposed policies, plans, programs, and projects. This study systematically reviewed HIAs conducted in the United States on prekindergarten, primary, and secondary education-focused decisions. METHODSRelevant HIA reports were identified from web sources in late 2015. Key data elements were abstracted from each report. Four case studies were selected to highlight diversity of topics, methods, and impacts of the assessment process. RESULTSTwenty HIAs completed in 2003-2015 from 8 states on issues related to prekindergarten through secondary education were identified. The types of decisions examined included school structure and funding, transportation to and from school, physical modifications to school facilities, in-school physical activity and nutrition, and school discipline and climate. Assessments employed a range of methods to characterize the nature, magnitude, and severity of potential health impacts. Assessments fostered stakeholder engagement and provided health-promoting recommendations, some of which were subsequently incorporated into school policies. CONCLUSIONSHealth impact assessment is a promising tool that education, health, and other stakeholders can use to maximize the health and well-being of students, families, and communities.
Keywords
Decision Making; Elementary Schools; High Schools; Medical Policy; Medline; Nutrition; Online Information Services; Research Funding; Student Health; Systematic Reviews (medical Research); Search Engines; Physical Activity; Health Impact Assessment; United States; Collaboration; Policy; Public Health; Academic-achievement; Programs
Park, Hyoungbae; Kim, Kyeongseok; Kim, Yong-woo; Kim, Hyoungkwan. (2017). Stakeholder Management in Long-Term Complex Megaconstruction Projects: The Saemangeum Project. Journal Of Management In Engineering, 33(4).
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Abstract
This paper identifies 31 critical success factors (CSFs) and suggests a framework for effective stakeholder management in long-term complex megaconstruction (LCM) projects that require more than 10 years for multipurpose development. The results of a survey on the prioritization of these 31 CSFs reveal that LCM projects involve more stakeholders than do general construction projects and require a correspondingly wider range of changes during each project. To identify more systematic and strategic approaches to stakeholder management in LCM projects, a framework was developed through factor analysis and focus-group interviews with project management experts. The framework is composed of the following five agendas: clear understanding of stakeholders, clear definition of the project, effective communication, responding to environmental changes, and social cooperation. The analysis results show that LCM projects require a stronger emphasis on responding to environmental changes and social cooperation. These results, along with the CSF priorities, reveal the necessity of taking customized approaches to LCM projects. The results of this analysis are expected to help LCM project managers effectively manage stakeholders. (C) 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Keywords
Construction; Environmental Management; Project Management; Strategic Planning; Social Cooperation; Environmental Changes; Strategic Approaches; Construction Projects; Saemangeum Project; Long-term Complex Megaconstruction Projects; Stakeholder Management; Critical Success Factors (csfs); Long-term Complex Megaconstruction (lcm) Projects
Cordoba, Hilton A.; Walter, Rebecca J.; Foote, Nathan S. (2018). The Residential Segregation of San Antonio, Texas in 1910: An Analysis Of Ethno-racial and Occupational Spatial Patterns with the Colocation Quotient. Urban Geography, 39(7), 988 – 1017.
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Abstract
The segregation of cities can be traced to a time when the compartmentalization of space and people was based on factors other than race. In segregation research, one of the limiting factors has always been the geographic scale of the data, and the limited knowledge that exists of segregation patterns when the household is the unit of analysis. Historical census data provides the opportunity to analyze the disaggregated information, and this paper does so with San Antonio during 1910. A spatial analysis of residential segregation based on race, ethnicity, and occupations is carried out with the colocation quotient to map and measure the attraction of residents. Results reveal the presence of residential segregation patterns on different sectors of the city based on households' ethno-racial and occupational attributes; therefore, providing evidence of the existence of residential segregation prior to the commonly cited determinants of segregation of the 20th century.
Keywords
Housing Tax Credit; Local Indicators; New York; Association; Indexes; Cities; Scale; City; Differentiation; Environment; Residential Segregation; Colocation Quotient; San Antonio; Spatial Analysis
Liang, Huakang; Lin, Ken-yu; Zhang, Shoujian. (2018). Understanding The Social Contagion Effect Of Safety Violations Within A Construction Crew: A Hybrid Approach Using System Dynamics And Agent-based Modeling. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health, 15(12).
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Abstract
Previous research has recognized the importance of eliminating safety violations in the context of a social group. However, the social contagion effect of safety violations within a construction crew has not been sufficiently understood. To address this deficiency, this research aims to develop a hybrid simulation approach to look into the cognitive, social, and organizational aspects that can determine the social contagion effect of safety violations within a construction crew. The hybrid approach integrates System Dynamics (SD) and Agent-based Modeling (ABM) to better represent the real world. Our findings show that different interventions should be employed for different work environments. Specifically, social interactions play a critical role at the modest hazard levels because workers in this situation may encounter more ambiguity or uncertainty. Interventions related to decreasing the contagion probability and the safety-productivity tradeoff should be given priority. For the low hazard situation, highly intensive management strategies are required before the occurrence of injuries or accidents. In contrast, for the high hazard situation, highly intensive proactive safety strategies should be supplemented by other interventions (e.g., a high safety goal) to further control safety violations. Therefore, this research provides a practical framework to examine how specific accident prevention measures, which interact with workers or environmental characteristics (i.e., the hazard level), can influence the social contagion effect of safety violations.
Keywords
Risk-taking; Coworker Support; Employee Safety; Job Demands; Work Groups; Behavior; Climate; Impact; Performance; Simulation; Social Contagion Effect; Routine Safety Violations; Situational Safety Violations; System Dynamics; Agent-based Simulation; Research; Violations; Modelling; Accident Prevention; Social Factors; Safety; Organizational Aspects; Occupational Safety; Construction; Influence; Construction Accidents & Safety; Workers; Safety Management; Information Processing; Construction Industry; Hybrid Systems; Social Interactions; Cognitive Ability; Human Error; Accident Investigations
Walter, Rebecca J. (2018). Consolidating Zip Codes For Small Area Fair Market Rents: A Method For Implementing The New Rule. Housing Policy Debate, 28(4), 553 – 571.
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Abstract
Fair Market Rents (FMRs), calculated for an entire metropolitan region, are used to establish payment standards for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. In response to recent criticism that FMRs do not represent rent disparity and restrict households from moving to high-opportunity areas, a new rule introducing Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMRs) has been issued. SAFMRs are based on ZIP codes to reflect local market rents and increase the number of payment standards used to administer the HCV program. The purpose of this research is to determine whether the number of payment standards can be reduced by consolidating ZIP codes, while adhering to the primary objectives of the SAFMR rule. The ZIP code grouping process conducted offers one method for reducing the number of payment standards needed to implement the new rule; however, the rent analysis reveals the over- and underestimation of SAFMRs for some ZIP codes.
Keywords
Vouchers; Price; U.S Department Of Housing And Urban Development; Housing Choice Voucher Program; Fair Market Rents; Small Area Fair Market Rents; Standards; Markets; Payments; Housing; Households; Criticism; Metropolitan Areas; Postal Codes; State Court Decisions; Rents; Housing Policy; Rules
Drewnowski, A.; Arterburn, D.; Zane, J.; Aggarwal, A.; Gupta, S.; Hurvitz, P. M.; Moudon, A., V; Bobb, J.; Cook, A.; Lozano, P.; Rosenberg, D. (2019). The Moving to Health (M2H) Approach to Natural Experiment Research: A Paradigm Shift for Studies on Built Environment and Health. Ssm-population Health, 7.
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Abstract
Improving the built environment (BE) is viewed as one strategy to improve community diets and health. The present goal is to review the literature on the effects of BE on health, highlight its limitations, and explore the growing use of natural experiments in BE research, such as the advent of new supermarkets, revitalized parks, or new transportation systems. Based on recent studies on movers, a paradigm shift in built-environment health research may be imminent. Following the classic Moving to Opportunity study in the US, the present Moving to Health (M2H) strategy takes advantage of the fact that changing residential location can entail overnight changes in multiple BE variables. The necessary conditions for applying the M2H strategy to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) databases and to large longitudinal cohorts are outlined below. Also outlined are significant limitations of this approach, including the use of electronic medical records in lieu of survey data. The key research question is whether documented changes in BE exposure can be linked to changes in health outcomes in a causal manner. The use of geo-localized clinical information from regional health care systems should permit new insights into the social and environmental determinants of health.
Keywords
Body-mass Index; Neighborhood Food Environment; Residential Property-values; Cardiometabolic Risk-factors; New-york-city; Physical-activity; Obesity Rates; King County; Weight-gain; Land-use; Built Environment (be); Geographic Information Systems (gis); Electronic Medical Records; Natural Experiments; Obesity; Diabetes; Residential Mobility
Lindell, Michael K.; Arlikatti, Sudha; Huang, Shih-kai. (2019). Immediate Behavioral Response to the June 17, 2013 Flash Floods in Uttarakhand, North India. International Journal Of Disaster Risk Reduction, 34, 129 – 146.
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Abstract
The 2013 Uttarakhand flash flood was such a surprise for those at risk that the predominant source of information for their risk was environmental cues and, secondarily, peer warnings rather than official warnings. Of those who received warnings, few received information other than the identity of the flood threat. A survey of 316 survivors found that most people's first response was to immediately evacuate but some stayed to receive additional information, confirm their warnings, or engage in evacuation preparations. Unfortunately, engaging in these milling behaviors necessarily delayed their final evacuations. Mediation analysis revealed that psychological reactions mediated the relationship between information sources and behavioral responses. Further analyses revealed that immediate evacuation and evacuation delay were both predicted best by information search and positive affect, but correlation analyses indicated that a number of other models were also plausible. Final evacuation was best predicted by immediate evacuation and, to a significantly lesser extent, household together. Overall, results suggest that the Protective Action Decision Model (PADM) should be considered a useful framework for examining household responses to flash floods in developing countries like India. It supports the conclusion that a household's first warning source is a function of two distinct detection and dissemination systems within a community-an official system and an informal system. However, it fails to capture what pre-impact emergency preparedness entails for rapid onset events in a developing country context. Further research is needed to determine the relative importance of situational and cultural characteristics in producing these observed differences.
Keywords
Risk Perception; Mental Models; Warnings; Evacuation; Disaster; Tsunami; Communication; Earthquake; Beliefs; Hazard; Flash Flood; Warning; Psychological Reactions; India
Sheth, Manali; Butrina, Polina; Goodchild, Anne; McCormack, Edward. (2019). Measuring Delivery Route Cost Trade-Offs between Electric-Assist Cargo Bicycles and Delivery Trucks in Dense Urban Areas. European Transport Research Review, 11(1).
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Abstract
Introduction: Completing urban freight deliveries is increasingly a challenge in congested urban areas, particularly when delivery trucks are required to meet time windows. Depending on the route characteristics, Electric Assist (EA) cargo bicycles may serve as an economically viable alternative to delivery trucks. The purpose of this paper is to compare the delivery route cost trade-offs between box delivery trucks and EA cargo bicycles that have the same route and delivery characteristics, and to explore the question, under what conditions do EA cargo bikes perform at a lower cost than typical delivery trucks? Methods: The independent variables, constant variables, and assumptions used for the cost function comparison model were gathered through data collection and a literature review. A delivery route in Seattle was observed and used as the base case; the same route was then modelled using EA cargo bicycles. Four separate delivery scenarios were modeled to evaluate how the following independent route characteristics would impact delivery route cost - distance between a distribution center (DC) and a neighborhood, number of stops, distance between each stop, and number of parcels per stop. Results: The analysis shows that three of the four modeled route characteristics affect the cost trade-offs between delivery trucks and EA cargo bikes. EA cargo bikes are more cost effective than delivery trucks for deliveries in close proximity to the DC (less than 2 miles for the observed delivery route with 50 parcels per stop and less than 6 miles for the hypothetical delivery route with 10 parcels per stop) and at which there is a high density of residential units and low delivery volumes per stop. Conclusion: Delivery trucks are more cost effective for greater distances from the DC and for large volume deliveries to one stop.
Keywords
Transportation; Sustainable Transportation; Parcel Post; Tricycles; Warehouses; Metropolitan Areas; Cargo Bicycles; Cargo Bike; Delivery Modes; E-trike; Electric Assist Cargo Bicycle; Electric Tricycle; Green Transportation; Parcel Deliveries; Urban Deliveries; Urban Logistics
Adhikari, Pramodit; Mahmoud, Hussam; Xie, Aiwen; Simonen, Kathrina; Ellingwood, Bruce. (2020). Life-Cycle Cost and Carbon Footprint Analysis for Light-framed Residential Buildings Subjected to Tornado Hazard. Journal Of Building Engineering, 32.
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Abstract
Light-frame wood building construction dominates the single-family residential home market in the United States. Such buildings are susceptible to damage from extreme winds due to hurricanes in coastal areas and tornados in the Midwest. The consequences of extreme winds on the built environment and on social and economic institutions within the community can be severe and are likely to increase in the coming decades as a result of increases in urbanization and economic development and the potential impacts of changing climate in hazard prone areas. Current building practices provide minimum standards for occupant safety and health, including structural integrity, water and sanitation, lighting, ventilation, means of egress and fire protection. However, they generally do not consider building resilience, which includes robustness and an ability to recover following extreme natural hazard events. Nor do they address sustainability, the notion that building design, construction and rehabilitation should not adversely impact the environment. In this paper, we establish a generalized cost and carbon footprint life-cycle analysis methodology for examining the benefits of different building practices for residential light-frame wood construction subjected to tornado hazards. A multiobjective approach is used to reveal tradeoffs between resilient and sustainable practices for typical residential construction. We show that when the life cycle of a typical residence is considered, a balance between resilience, sustainability and cost might be achieved in design and rehabilitation of residential building construction for tornado hazards.
Keywords
Performance; Risk; Fragility; Residential Buildings; Life-cycle Analysis; Resilience; Optimal Decisions; Sustainable Construction; Tornadoes
Ho, Chung; Lee, Hyun Woo; Gambatese, John A. (2020). Application of Prevention Through Design (PTD) to Improve the Safety of Solar Installations on Small Buildings. Safety Science, 125.
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Abstract
As a viable, clean and renewable energy resource, solar energy has gained a significant interest in the US residential sector. Most solar systems are installed on rooftops to take advantage of available space and reduce land use. However, this installation environment also exposes workers to unique safety hazards related to existing roof conditions such as slippery roofing materials, irregular roof layouts, and steep roof slopes. Although Prevention through Design (ND) has been widely considered as an effective way to address safety issues during the design phase, little to no studies have applied ND to improve safety in solar energy installations. To fill this knowledge gap, this research aimed to investigate how, during the design phase, to address the safety concerns of solar workers when installing solar energy systems on residential buildings. Through a series of interviews, four case studies, and a seminar, seven solar ND attributes were identified: roofing materials, roof slopes, roof accessories, panel layouts, fall protection systems, lifting methods and electrical systems. Based on the attributes, a ND protocol was developed that can serve as guidance for implementing ND in solar installations. This paper presents the research activities and findings, and feedback gained from solar contractors through a seminar on the study. The study is expected to contribute to reducing safety hazards by implementing ND, help improve safety performance in solar installations on small residential buildings and support the promotion of safety in sustainable construction.
Keywords
Roofing Materials; Renewable Energy Sources; Sustainable Construction; Solar Energy; Clean Energy; Construction Safety; Prevention Through Design; Small Buildings; Solar Installations; Buildings (structures); Construction Industry; Hazards; Occupational Safety; Roofs; Safety; Solar Power; Sustainable Development; Steep Roof Slopes; Design Phase; Solar Energy Installations; Solar Workers; Installing Solar Energy Systems; Residential Buildings; Seven Solar Ptd Attributes; Roof Accessories; Ptd Protocol; Solar Contractors; Safety Performance; Viable Energy Resource; Clean Energy Resource; Renewable Energy Resource; Us Residential Sector; Solar Systems; Installation Environment; Unique Safety Hazards; Roof Conditions; Slippery Roofing Materials; Irregular Roof Layouts; Issues; Accident Prevention; Protocol; Energy Sources; Residential Areas; Land Use; Prevention; Design; Falls; Occupational Hazards; Contractors; Residential Energy; Protection Systems; Renewable Energy; Buildings; Roofing; Layouts