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The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in e-commerce, which has prompted residents to shift their purchasing habits from offline to online. As a result, Smart Parcel Lockers (SPLs) have emerged as an accessible end-to-end delivery service that fits into the pandemic strategy of maintaining social distance and no-contact protocols. Although numerous studies have examined SPLs from various perspectives, few have analyzed their spatial distribution from an urban planning perspective, which could enhance the development of other disciplines in this field. To address this gap, we investigate the distribution of SPLs in Tianjin's central urban area before and after the pandemic (i.e., 2019 and 2022) using kernel density estimation, average nearest neighbor analysis, standard deviation elliptic, and geographical detector. Our results show that, in three years, the number of SPLs has increased from 51 to 479, and a majority were installed in residential communities (i.e., 92.2% in 2019, and 97.7% in 2022). We find that SPLs were distributed randomly before the pandemic, but after the pandemic, SPLs agglomerated and followed Tianjin's development pattern. We identify eight influential factors on the spatial distribution of SPLs and discuss their individual and compound effects. Our discussion highlights potential spatial distribution analysis, such as dynamic layout planning, to improve the allocation of SPLs in city planning and city logistics.
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With the rapid process of urbanization in China, more and more young high-knowledge residents (YHKR) tend to choose to work and live in cities. Under such circumstances, youth apartments have become the first choice for YHKRs due to their flexible leasing methods, efficient layout, convenient service facilities and other advantages, and they have developed rapidly in vast cities in the past 10 years. However, the YHKRs characterized by high population mobility have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused the vacancy rate of youth apartments in China's first-tier cities to rise to 15%-20% in 2020. This paper proposes a design concept of a growth-type youth apartment (GTYA) to meet the above challenges and expounds the proposed design concept from three aspects: the birth of buildings, the growth of buildings and the disappearance of buildings. The design concept of GTYA is considered to be able to be operated in an urban chain mode, which is conducive to more efficient use of land resources. The research results provide new design perspectives and development directions for youth apartments in modern cities under the background of the pandemic. © Conference Proceedings of the 10th International Symposium on Project Management, China, ISPM 2022.
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An inclusive and easily accessible public space, including for persons with disabilities, is one of the goals contained in the SDGs by 2030. The Batu City Government has tried to create a friendly public space by providing facilities and utilities that make it easier for people with disabilities to access it seen on Alun-Alun Batu. The ongoing covid 19 pandemic causes limited visits to Alun-Alun Batu and affects the condition of existing facilities. This research aims to develop the concept of facilities and accessibility based on the perception of disabled users. The analytical methods in this research are the perception assessment of disabled users with IPA analysis and the conformity assessment method according to the current pandemic conditions. The results show that out of 16 facilities, half of the facilities are in unsuitable condition and other facilities are not suitable for disabled users. The priority of upgrading facilities are objects in quadrants I IPA which consists of toilets, traffic parks, carousel, and gazebos/smoking areas. The second priority is facilities located in quadrant II such as parking lots, playgrounds, Ferris wheels, and offices. And the third priority is for facilities located in quadrant III IPA such as dancing fountains, stage performances, seats, rubbish bin, and tourism information.
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The concept of occupational risk assessment is related to the analysis and prioritization of the hazards arising in a production or service facility and the risks associated with these hazards;risk assessment considers occupational health and safety (OHS). Elimination or reduction to an acceptable level of analyzed risks, which is a systematic and proactive process, is then put into action. Although fuzzy logic-related decision models related to the assessment of these risks have been developed and applied a lot in the literature, there is an opportunity to develop novel occupational risk assessment models depending on the development of new fuzzy logic extensions. The 3,4-quasirung fuzzy set (3,4-QFS) is a new type of fuzzy set theory emerged as an extension of the Pythagorean fuzzy sets and Fermatean fuzzy sets. In this approach, the sum of the cube of the degree of membership and the fourth power of the degree of non-membership must be less than or equal to 1. Since this new approach has a wider space, it can express uncertain information in a more flexible and exhaustive way. This makes this type of fuzzy set applicable in addressing many problems in multi-criteria decision making (MCDM). In this study, an occupational risk assessment approach based on 3,4-quasirung fuzzy MCDM is presented. Within the scope of the study, the hazards pertaining to the flight and ground training, training management, administrative and facilities in a flight school were assessed and prioritized. The results of existing studies were tested, and we considered both Pythagorean and Fermatean fuzzy aggregation operators. In addition, by an innovative sensitivity analysis, the effect of major changes in the weight of each risk parameter on the final priority score and ranking of the hazards was evaluated. The outcomes of this study are beneficial for OHS decision-makers by highlighting the most prioritized hazards causing serious occupational accidents in flights schools as part of aviation industry. The approach can also be suggested and adapted for production and service science environments where their occupational health & safety are highly required.
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Purpose The purpose of this study is to discuss the principles and factors that influence the site selection of emergency medical facilities for public health emergencies. This paper discusses the selection of the best facilities from the available facilities, proposes the capacity of new facilities, presents a logistic regression model and establishes a site selection model for emergency medical facilities for public health emergencies in megacities. Design/methodology/approach Using Guangzhou City as the research object, seven alternative facility points and the points' capacities were preset. Nine demand points were determined, and two facility locations were selected using genetic algorithms (GAs) in MATLAB for programing simulation and operational analysis. Findings Comparing the results of the improved GA, the results show that the improved model has fewer evolutionary generations and a faster operation speed, and that the model outperforms the traditional P-center model. The GA provides a theoretical foundation for determining the construction location of emergency medical facilities in megacities in the event of a public health emergency. Research limitations/implications First, in this case study, there is no scientific assessment of the establishment of the capacity of the facility point, but that is a subjective method based on the assumption of the capacity of the surrounding existing hospitals. Second, because this is a theoretical analysis, the model developed in this study does not consider the actual driving speed and driving distance, but the speed of the unified average driving distance and the driving distance to take the average of multiple distances. Practical implications The results show that the method increases the selection space of decision-makers, provides them with stable technical support, helps them quickly determine the location of emergency medical facilities to respond to disaster relief work and provides better action plans for decision makers. Social implications The results show that the algorithm performs well, which verifies the applicability of this model. When the solution results of the improved GA are compared, the results show that the improved model has fewer evolutionary generations, faster operation speed and better model than the intermediate model GA. This model can more successfully find the optimal location decision scheme, making that more suitable for the location problem of megacities in the case of public health emergencies. Originality/value The research findings provide a theoretical and decision-making basis for the location of government emergency medical facilities, as well as guidance for enterprises constructing emergency medical facilities.
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In recent years, the spatial renovation of university libraries in various countries has focused on readers’ needs and followed the trend to develop learning spaces as a primary spatial form. In this study, we reviewed six spatial dimensions affecting student users’ learning experience. Specifically, we built a theory- and practice-based conceptual analysis framework to measure users’ satisfaction with recent spatial renovations at three university libraries in Wuhan, China. We used SPSS statistical software to conduct multiple linear regression analyses of spatial satisfaction. The findings show that five spatial dimensions significantly affect students’ satisfaction with library space, namely, service facility availability, quality of interior design, physical environment elements, spatial diversity, and learning space controllability. Service facility availability is the most critical factor affecting spatial satisfaction. In this study, we present empirical, evidence-based space elements that enhance user satisfaction with library spaces, and provide targeted design suggestions for future library space renovation and the optimization of space allocation and expansion of space services at university libraries in China.
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Purpose>The emergence of COVID-19 and its spread led to severe social, economic and livelihood impacts around the world. This study documented the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdown on the lower-income groups. Also illustrated the impacts on the attainment of SDGs in the context of the slums of Chittagong City.Design/methodology/approach>Both qualitative and quantitative data have been collected from the 150 respondents through questionnaire surveys in the slums.Findings>The lockdown led to the decrease of 90% of the respondents' income level and affected the livelihoods of 97.33% of the respondents, with an overall score of 3.22 ± 0.67 on a four-point Likert-type scale. About 96.67% of respondents' psychological conditions have been affected high to extreme, with an overall score of 3.19 ± 0.68. The pandemic affected 74.67% of respondents' food habits, 95.33% of respondents' child education, increased domestic violence and deteriorated social security, basic service facilities and hygiene practices among the slum dwellers. The severity of COVID-19 outbreaks on the lower-income people makes it critical for the government to attain the SDG 1, SDG 2, SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 5 (Target 5.1, 5.2) SDG 6 and SDG 16.Originality/value>The findings of the study will help governments, policymakers, international organizations to adopt measures to mitigate the effects of the outbreaks.
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Indonesia is currently experiencing the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting maternal health services and maternal mortality. This research aims to investigate the use of antenatal care (ANC) during the COVID-19 second wave and the factors that play a role in this situation. A cross-sectional study was conducted during July 2021 on 344 pregnant women in primary, secondary, and tertiary maternal health care facilities in Pasuruan Regency, Indonesia. The data collection technique was simple random sampling, with face-to-face interviews assisted by questionnaires. Logistic regression and adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI and p<0.05 were performed to identify a significant relationship. 136 (39.5%) pregnant women did not use ANC services during the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. Husband's support (AOR=13.814, 95% CI: 8.090-23.588), believing that pregnant women are not afraid of contracting COVID-19 (AOR=6.501, 95% CI: 3.904-10.825), easy access to transportation (AOR=12.145, 95% CI: 6.186-23.846), ease of ANC fees (AOR=4.105, 95% CI: 2.424-6.950), no lockdown policy (AOR=3.130, 95% CI: 1.983-4.940), knowledge regarding COVID-19 (AOR=2.975, 95% CI: 1.793-4.938), COVID-19 information on social media (AOR=3.035, 95% CI: 1.179-7.815), COVID-19 prevention protocols in health facilities (AOR=8.478, 95% CI: 3.611-19.903) were predictors of ANC utilization. This encourages the importance of prioritizing health services for pregnant women during the pandemic, overcoming the fear of contracting COVID-19 through maternal education, husband support, easy access to ANC, and improving the quality of ANC service facilities.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Prenatal Care , Cross-Sectional Studies , Facilities and Services Utilization , Female , Humans , Indonesia/epidemiology , Pandemics , Patient Acceptance of Health Care , Pregnancy , Prenatal Care/methods , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
Public health is an important issue that involves a substantial segment of a certain population with diseases, such as Type II diabetes, infectious diseases (e.g. Tuberculosis (TB), COVID-19, etc.), mental health challenges, and motor vehicle accidents. Unlike the healthcare field, public health is further concerned about safeguarding the entire population. The focus of public health is to slash health inequalities. The fundamental concepts are to protect the public from contagious diseases, enhance service facilities, and elevate the population’s health by a healthy lifestyle. Despite the rapid evolution and advancement of medical treatments and technologies, many public health problems vexing technologically advanced nations worldwide. This chapter discusses prominent global health issues and illustrates the effect from the COVID-19 pandemic perspective. The chapter will further focus on significant threats to global public health during the worldwide pandemic. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
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Background: The most vulnerable group in this pandemic in the population are the elderly. In terms of their age and health, they are most exposed to the consequences of a pandemic. Social services facilities, where seniors live in communities where SARS-CoV 2 is very easy to spread, are facing a difficult test of how best to protect their residents. Methods: The research deals with the effects of the pandemic situation on seniors, on the work of employees and directors in facilities for seniors. For data collection, we used qualitative research, which was carried out in the form of individual interviews with three target groups, which consisted of recipients of social services, workers in social service facilities and directors as representatives of non-public providers of social services. As part of the research methodology, we used situation analysis with the open coding method. Research was done at senior home Samaritan in Tekovske Luzany, Slovakia. Results: We transformed the data obtained from interviews with 60 participants into codes and categories that emerged from the research questions. The results are shown in the text tables. Conclusion: The pandemic had a significant impact on the lives of seniors in the mental, physical and social spheres. The organization of social care in the facilities had to adapt very quickly and flexibly to the critical situation, although the management did not have any financial resources for the increased costs of hygiene and health care.
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Short-term and large-scale full-population virus testing is crucial in containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. However, the uneven distribution of health service facilities in terms of space and size may lead to prolonged crowding during testing, thus increasing the chance of virus cross-infection. Therefore, appropriate control of crowd exposure time in large-scale virus testing should be an important goal in the layout of urban community health facilities. This paper uses the Quanta concept and Wells-Riley model to define the "certain-exposure time" under low cross-infection rate. Then, an agent-based simulation model was used to simulate the reasonable screening efficiency of community health service facilities during certain-exposure time at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and under different screening processes. Eventually, the screening efficiency was evaluated for all community health service centers in Wuhan. During the early period of the pandemic, 23.13% of communities failed to complete virus testing of community residents within 2 h of certain-exposure time, leaving approximately 56.07% of the population unscreened; during the later period of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 53% of communities and 75% of residents could not be screened. The results can pinpoint the distribution of community health service centers with inadequate screening capacity, facilitate targeted policymaking and planning, and effectively curb COVID-19 cross-infection during screening.