/10.3389

  • Correlation between sustainability and smartness indicators in Brazilian cities: insights from the 5SenSu model
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1390735

    To face the growing challenges of urbanization, urban management models grounded in the principles of sustainability and smart cities are being proposed. Despite their acknowledged importance, these models are often misunderstood or improperly applied due to a lack of thorough conceptualization, and they are frequently viewed as interchangeable. The aim of this study is to verify whether a correlation exists between indicators of sustainability and smartness in cities. For a sample of 130 Brazilian cities, their Sustainability Synthetic Indicator of System (SSIS) was computed using the Five-Sector Sustainability Model (5SenSu) and data sourced from the ‘Mandala ODS’ framework. Data concerning smart city were directly sourced from the ‘Connected Smart Cities’ framework. Results show that (...)

  • AUTISME et TRANSIDENTITE
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V2u-gpXE9I

    Le milieu de l’autisme est frappé depuis quelques années par un étrange phénomène : de plus en plus de jeunes femmes diagnostiquées TSA (Trouble du Spectre de l’Autisme) ou à suspicion de l’être, revendiquent une « identité transgenre » et entament une démarche de transition vers le « genre » masculin. Des garçons autistes font le chemin en sens inverse. Les associations dédiées au TSA sont désormais investies par des personnes transidentifiées au comportement extrêmement prosélyte. Selon les études, de 15 à 20% des jeunes en désir de transition seraient dans le spectre de l’autisme. Il étaient inexistants il y dix ans. La vague est telle que ce chiffre pourrait être largement sous estimé, a tel point qu’un certain nombre de professionnels (psychologues et psychiatres) abandonnent le terrain de l’accompagnement de l’autisme pour se consacrer exclusivement au nouveau marché de la transidentité. Sur ce sujet, jusqu’à présent, seules les revendications transidentitaires ont été entendues. Pour la première fois, trois femmes vont s’exprimer avec un discours critique beaucoup plus nuancé : Danielle est TSA et désisteuse, Pamela est psychologue TCCn elle accueille dans sa patientèle des personnes TSA et en parcours de transition, Magali est TSA et co fondatrice de l’association PAARI « Personnes Autistes pour une Autodétermination Responsable et Innovante ». Cette interview croisée a été réalisée, animée et montée par Sophie Robert.

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    Je m’étonne que personne n’y évoque ceci ;
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    Selon l’association francophone des femmes autistes
    9 femmes autistes sur 10 victimes de violences sexuelles : et tout le monde s’en fout ?
    https://femmesautistesfrancophones.com/2022/05/18/femmes-autistes-violences-sexuelles

    Extrait de l’étude française publiée dans la revue scientifique Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience le 27 avril 2022

    Nous déplorons le peu de relais médiatique à la sortie de cette étude française. Certains sites ont repris les grandes lignes de l’étude mais sans creuser le sujet, sans parler des mécanismes des violences, ni des conséquences psychotraumatiques, sans parler de l’urgence d’accompagnement ou de soins, sans remettre en question ni le système institutionnel médico-social, ni les familles, ni l’école, encore moins la société ou son incapacité à inclure et protéger les plus vulnérables.

    Quand même des chiffres démontrent l’ampleur du désastre, il semblerait que cela ne suffise pas…

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    • Evidence That Nine Autistic Women Out of Ten Have Been Victims of Sexual Violence
      https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.852203/full

      Background: Research indicates that sexual violence affects about 30% of women in the general population and between two to three times as much for autistic women.

      Materials and Methods: We investigated prevalence of sexual abuse, autistic traits and a range of symptoms, using an online survey addressed to the women of the French autistic community (n = 225). We assessed victimization through an open question and through a specific questionnaire, derived from the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization.

      Results: Both case identification methods yielded high figures: 68.9% victimization (open question) compared to 88.4% (standardized questionnaire). Two thirds of the victims were very young when they were first assaulted: among 199 victims, 135 were aged 18 or below and 112 participants were aged 15 or below. 75% of participants included in our study reported several aggressions. Analyses indicate that primo-victimization was highly correlated to revictimization and that being young increased that risk. Young victims were also at higher risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder. A third of the victims reported the assault. 25% of those were able to file a complaint (n = 12) and/or receive care (n = 13). For the remainder 75%, reporting did not lead to action.

      Discussion: Those findings indicate a very large proportion of victims of sexual assault among autistic women, consistently with previous research. The World Health Organization states unambiguously that sexual violence is systemic and that vulnerable individuals are preferably targeted by offenders. We therefore postulate that it would be erroneous to consider that victimization of autistic women is mainly due to autism. On the contrary, autism seems to be just a vulnerability factor. Some authors propose that educating potential victims to better protect themselves would help preventing abuse. We reviewed this proposition in the light of our results and found it to be impossible to apply since more than half of the victims were below or at the age of consent. Literature about sexual violence is discussed. Large-scale prevention programs proposed by World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control aim at cultural changes in order to diminish gender inequality, that they identify as the very root of sexual violence.

  • Heat and the planning system: how can local authorities encourage deployment of low and zero-carbon heating?
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1339709

    There is widespread recognition of the need for new homes to feature only low or zero-carbon (LZC) heating. However, residential developers continue to choose conventional high-carbon options such as natural gas boilers over net-zero compatible alternatives. This study explores how UK local authorities (LAs) within the English planning system can encourage residential developers to deploy LZC heating systems within their projects. We adopt an embedded case study design and analyse 30 residential project proposals within two LA areas. Our study examines local planning policies and interactions between developers and LA officers, along with the resultant outcomes, through documentary analysis and expert interviews with local stakeholders. We find that LAs can encourage developers to (...)

  • Innovative development of small resort towns: the triad of science, business, and education
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1296493

    Urban areas are places associated with the transformation of ideas into practices, social initiatives, and spatial economics. The study aims to assess the triad interaction between education, science, and business as a multiplier on the socio-economic development in the region. The study built a conceptual model of socio-economic space in the context of innovative urban development: the unity of education, science, and business. The statistical analysis allowed the author to substantiate the peculiarities of the local triad. The study revealed correlations in the influence of education, science, and business on changes in the regional system. The paper suggests that the triad of education, science, and business rests on territorial specifics. This feature is the determining factor of (...)

  • Current and future development of thermal grids in Switzerland: an organizational perspective
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1379554

    IntroductionThermal grids are key to decarbonizing heating and cooling. However, their development is a complex socio-technical process. This study aims to (1) understand the thermal grid ecosystem’s development under changing political, economic and cultural frame conditions, (2) elicit actors’ perception of options for future development, and (3) identify concrete problem situations for the future development of thermal grids and describe how to address them.MethodsWe draw on 18 semi-structured interviews with decision-makers in utilities, municipal administrations, planning and engineering companies and intermediary organizations.ResultsWith increased strategic importance of thermal grids, the ecosystem has been in a phase of rapid growth and professionalization in the last 10–15  (...)

  • Optimizing the co-benefits of biodiversity and carbon sinks in urban residential yards
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1327614

    Urban green infrastructure is recognized for its potential to combat biodiversity loss and enhance carbon sequestration in cities. While residential yards constitute a significant part of urban green infrastructure, their role in providing urban ecosystem services remains largely understated. There is a lack of systematic measures for effectively implementing urban vegetation to enhance ecosystem services. The aim of this study is to investigate how different vegetation types typically found in urban residential yards of apartment blocks can enhance carbon sequestration and biodiversity, and how these benefits can be supported through landscape design. The study encompasses an integrative literature review and qualitative analysis. Drawing from a review of previous research, this (...)

  • Modeling urban expansion in Zahedan’s dry climate: insights from the SLEUTH model
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1357350

    IntroductionRapid uncontrolled growth of build-up areas has increasingly challenged the sustainable use of urban area simulating the growth patterns of fastest-growing cities is more necessary in dry climates, due to low ecological suitability for urban development and meeting the needs of citizens. Therefore, this research conducted aiming at predicting the expansion of urban land use in Zahedan City, Iran, which has a dry climate with an evenness landscape.MethodsUrban Expansion in Zahedan Modeled using SLEUTH (slope, land use, exclusion, urban extent, transportation and hillshade) in two historical and environmental scenarios until 2050. The input data were extracted from processing on DEM and remote sensing data and the SLEUTH model was calibrated in four stages from 1990 to (...)

  • Spatial modeling of land resources and constraints to guide urban development in Saudi Arabia’s NEOM region using geomatics techniques
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1370881

    This research presents a GIS-based approach to evaluate land suitability for the urbanization of Saudi Arabia’s NEOM region, an ambitious initiative for sustainable development within a desert setting. By employing a multi-criteria decision-making framework, we have synthesized data on land resources, stability, accessibility, construction costs, and proximity to conservation areas using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to prioritize these factors based on their importance for sustainable growth. Our analysis reveals that areas designated with grid values of 9 and 8, totaling 6312.33 square kilometers or 28.23% of the area studied, are most favorable for urban development. These sectors span the northern, central, and southern parts of NEOM, which are notable for their strategic (...)

  • Recency-based spatio-temporal similarity exploration for POI recommendation in location-based social networks
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1331642

    Point-of-interest (POI) recommendation is one of the primary tasks of location-based social networks (LBSNs). With user data in bulk, extracting useful information and addressing issues such as data sparsity and cold-start problems looming large in collaborative filtering become difficult. One of the plausible solutions is to incorporate contextual information into the recommendation process. In this article, we propose a Recency-based Spatio-Temporal Similarity Exploration (RSTSE) for POI recommendation that utilizes the recency-based trust estimation among the prospective neighbors of the target user. The trust level is categorized into two heads: direct trust, which can be extracted from the peer group information of the user, and indirect trust, which is measured based on venue (...)

  • Capacity building within urban climate resilience in the Global South – a literature review
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1380936

    Capacity building for urban climate resilience is essential for strengthening both cities’ own capacities and multilevel governance, which are instrumental for the successful operationalisation of the Paris Agreement. Strengthening the capacities for planning, managing, and developing cities is required to support an urban resilient transition in a context of high complexity and uncertainty, especially in the Global South. The main objective for this article is to investigate the differences in understanding of capacity building in urban climate resilience in the Global South through literature review. Specifically, this paper investigates the main approaches, aspects, components, and end users for capacity building in the frame of urban climate resilience. The article identifies a set (...)

  • Present day and future urban cooling enabled by integrated water management
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1337449

    The process of urbanisation has increased public health risks due to urban heat, risks that will be further exacerbated in future decades by climate change. However, the growing adoption of integrated water management (IWM) practices (coordinated stormwater management of water, land, and resources) provides an opportunity to support urban heat amelioration through water supply provision and irrigated and vegetated infrastructure that can provide cooling benefits. This study examines the thermal impacts of future implementations of IWM for nine Australian cities based on a review of Government policy documents in the present and over two future time frames (2030 and 2050) under different greenhouse gas emission scenarios (SSPs 1.2-6, 3.7-0 and 5.8-5). Statistical analysis of the future (...)

  • Measuring the level of urban traffic congestion for sustainable transportation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the cases of selected intersections
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1366932

    Traffic congestion poses a persistent and escalating problem for major cities in both developed and developing countries, exerting a direct impact on the economic growth and development of these urban areas. Quantifying the extent of traffic congestion is the fundamental initial step in comprehending the severity of traffic congestion in order to devise effective methods for alleviation. The city of Addis Ababa is currently experiencing significant traffic congestion at its main intersections. The primary aim of this research is to assess the current level of traffic congestion at specific intersections. The assessment of traffic congestion was conducted using the travel time method. Data on travel time, traffic volume, and travel speed were gathered at three blocks and two (...)

  • Three attributes determining land values in three selected housing estates in Uyo, Nigeria
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1384945

    There is a knowledge gap regarding the specific attributes (location-specific, environmental, and neighborhood) that impact land value, the relationship among these attributes, and the degree of impact on the land values in residential estates in Uyo, Nigeria. The three factors all combine to create a unique picture of a place, impacting its desirability and ultimately, its land value. This study explores the relationship between various land value attributes within specific residential estates (Ewet Housing Estate, Shelter Afrique Estate, and Akwa-Ima Estate) in Uyo. A questionnaire was designed and used to solicit data from the respondents living in the three estates with the aid of the purposive sampling technique. The findings revealed the following: Closeness to school is the (...)

  • Evaluating the feasibility of constructing shopping centers on urban vacant land through a spatial multi-criteria decision-making model
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1373331

    Shopping centers are among the major economic and commercial places in cities in terms of social function, urban sustainability, environment, etc. Therefore, it is crucial to determine suitable locations for building new shopping centers. In this regard, urban vacant lands can be considered as high-potential locations to transform the urban landscape and enhance socio-economic development. The main purpose of this study is to assess the potential of urban vacant lands based on a spatial multi-criteria decision-making (SMCDM) system for building shopping centers in 22 districts of Tehran. In this study, first, 16 effective spatial criteria for locating the new shopping centers were identified using expert opinions and a literature review. The best-worst method (BWM) and the Min/Max (...)

  • Solar energy for societal decarbonisation: a perspective on emerging opportunities in utility-scale solar electricity and solar in the built environment
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1344771

    The solar resource presents almost limitless opportunities for creating clean energy – not just in the form of solar-derived electricity, but also to drive heating and cooling cycles, create solar fuels, or indeed to promote chemical and biochemical pathways for the production of food, clean water and raw materials. There is an ever-expanding plethora of applications for solar energy as a critical contributor to global decarbonization. This short Perspective is focused on two of the largest opportunities for solar energy to make major emissions reduction and deliver societal fairness and economic impacts: notably utility-scale electricity generation and the more local opportunities of the built environment. We examine the two dominant forms of solar energy – the direct generation of (...)

  • Electric vehicles adoption challenges in Oman: a comprehensive assessment and future prospects for sustainable cities
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1360203

    The rising popularity of Electric Vehicles (EVs), fuelled by technological advancements and supportive government policies, presents a promising solution to reduce carbon emissions from conventional cars. This study explores public perceptions of obstacles to Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption in Oman and assesses EVs’ impact on city sustainability. Over 300 car consumers in Muscat participated in a survey, facilitated through Microsoft Forms, and distributed via email and social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Data analysis utilized descriptive statistics and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The study finds that the main obstacles to EV adoption in Oman include a lack of public charging infrastructure, limited EV knowledge, and concerns about (...)

  • Unveiling transportation disparities: investigating accessibility gaps in metropolitan cities using GIS—a case study of Alexandria, Egypt
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1372918

    IntroductionPublic transportation is essential to reduce pollution and traffic congestion in urban areas. However, in densely populated regions like Alexandria, characterized by high population density and limited road infrastructure, accessibility to diverse transportation options is crucial.MethodsThis study investigates the accessibility of public transportation modes, including railways and buses, and their interaction with informal transit. Questioning if public transportation alone will be sufficient for pedestrians or if the presence of informal transit is crucial, and whether all residents of Alexandria have their rightful accessibility for different transport modes, the goal was to establish an efficient and interconnected transportation network. A survey was conducted in (...)