Cultural landscapes in climate change: A framework for resilience in developing countries.

Cultural landscapes, particularly cities with rich historical and cultural heritage, play a crucial role in bolstering the resilience of local communities. The occurrence of climate change-induced phenomena jeopardizes cultural landscapes, resulting in the deterioration of historical structures, natural landscapes, cultural heritage, the economy, and the livelihoods of residents in these areas. Therefore, adopting a resilient approach is essential for the integrated management of cultural landscapes. This study develops a model for enhancing cultural landscape resilience to climate change in Nishapur, a historical and cultural city in Iran. Through desk studies, factors affecting the resilience of cultural landscapes to climate change were extracted in the context of developing countries. Subsequently, a model was developed based on the frequency of the occurrence of dimensions and indicators. Snowball sampling was used to distribute questionnaires to 310 members of the academic and professional communities in the field. Next, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted using IBM SEM-AMOS to analyze the data and measure the reliability and validity of the model. The findings indicate that the driving factors of change, such as changes in livelihood and social issues, historical fabric and physical environment, natural hazards, biodiversity patterns, and management patterns, can significantly affect the resilience of cultural landscapes to climate change. The developed model can contribute to policymaking in various fields, including urban design and planning, economics, sociology, and cultural heritage conservation. This can play a vital role in creating cultural landscapes that are resilient to the increasing impacts of climate change.

Perceived urban green spaces and youth mental health in the post-COVID-19 era.

Introduction: The urban green space (UGS) is one of the most significant urban spaces with unique visual and social features, including pleasant air, low noise, and vitality, making it a recreational place for citizens, especially the youth. According to previous studies, perceived green space and the interaction with it is associated with mental health and lower symptoms of anxiety and depression. Although the presence of urban and blue-green spaces in Isfahan has a long history, the UGSs have been out of reach, causing a significant impact on youth mental health due to the spread of COVID-19 and the forcing of the Iranian government to severe and long-term lockdown. This study investigates the relationship between the long-term isolation of youth and being away from UGSs on their mental health in Isfahan city. Methods: In September 2022, the youth (n = 273) in 12 neighborhoods with similar socio-economic status were asked to answer the online questionnaire. To investigate the correlation between perceived UGS and the mental health of the youth, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is done. Results: The results show that the perceived UGSs negatively relate to the youth's fear of the reoccurrence of COVID-19 infection, anxiety, and depression. Moreover, the model shows that perceived UGS has an inverse correlation with anxiety (ß = -0.24, p = 0.00), and no meaningful correlation exists with depression. Discussion: These results point to a practical solution for designing UDGs in residential areas for youth according to their benefits for mental health during the epidemic era.

Driving the determinants of older people's mental health in the context of urban resilience: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Population aging is a pervasive phenomenon occurring rapidly worldwide, while sustainable development goals are considered the mental health among older adults. METHODS: To investigate the factors affecting mental health, we conducted a scoping review of the 47 papers published between 2015 and 2022 to explore various dimensions affecting older adults' mental health. RESULTS: Our finding mirrors four dimensions of creating healthy and sustainable environments for older adults: person, place, processes, and resilience-related health in the living environment. The person dimension includes individual characteristics, attitudes and behaviors, and health status. The place dimension is divided into five categories: land use, access, physical form, public open spaces, and housing, while the process consists of the social, cultural, and economic environments. Resilience-related health dimension emphasizes the impact of natural and man-made disasters on older people's mental health. DISCUSSION: These findings can provide policymakers insights into developing community-based environmental intervention strategies to promote mental health among older adults and support healthy and active aging.

Green space and the health of the older adult during pandemics: a narrative review on the experience of COVID-19.

Introduction: Aging is an inevitable process that leads to changes in various dimensions of older adult life, including physical, psychological, and social aspects. Unfortunately, older adults are more susceptible to health problems caused by adverse experiences such as the Corona outbreak. Aim: The current study examines the lived experience of older adults in facing the conditions of the Corona epidemic to see how green spaces at various scales can influence the physical and mental health of this group. Method: Relevant articles published, from 2019 to February 17, 2023, were searched using in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Eligible studies published in English and all studies passed a quality evaluation. Result: In the final search, 40 articles were selected and analyzed. The majority of studies conducted during the pandemic categorized the impact of green spaces on the health of older adults into three main categories: Place-based attribute, Process, and Function. Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrated that people were using private green spaces (gardens, balconies, etc.), small local green public spaces, sitting and gathering spaces in the neighborhood, nearby open spaces, and urban green-blue spaces throughout the epidemic era. They visited green spaces outside the city and urban areas, including urban gardens, agricultural areas, forestlands, and pastures. In this research, we investigated the characteristics of these spaces and classified them into four physical categories: urban landscape, land use, activity, movement, and accessibility. The results showed that exposure to nature or green space improved physical and mental health and increased attention and decision-making quality in older people. We have proposed design implications recommendations for crises to improve safety, security, and social capital by increasing the safe access of older adults to diverse and high-quality green spaces on different scales, which will ultimately enhance the physical and mental health of people in different age groups.

The nexus between digitalization and sustainability: A scientometrics analysis.

Digitalization and sustainability are among the most critical mega-trends in 21st century. The nexus between digitalization and sustainability unfolds exciting opportunities in addressing global challenges, creating a just and sustainable society and laying the groundwork for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Several studies have reviewed the link between these two paradigms and how they mutually impact one another. However, most of these reviews are qualitative and manual literature reviews that are prone to subjectivity and so lacking the required rigor. Given the above, this study aims to provide a comprehensive and objective review of the knowledge base on how digitalization and sustainability actually and potentially contribute to each other and highlight the key research that links these two megatrends. A comprehensive bibliometric analysis of academic literature is conducted to objectively visualize the research status quo across time, disciplines, and countries. The Web of Science (WOS) database was searched for relevant publications published between January 1, 1900, and October 31, 2021. The search returned 8629 publications, of which 3405 were identified as primary documents pertaining to the study presented below. The Scientometrics analysis identified prominent authors, nations, organizations, prevalent research issues and examined how they have evolved chronologically. The critical review of results reveals four main domains in research on the nexus of sustainability and digitalization including Governance, Energy, Innovation, and Systems. The concept of Governance is developed within the Planning and Policy-making themes. Energy relates to the themes of emission, consumption, and production. Innovation has associated with the themes of business, strategy, and values & environment. Finally, systems interconnect with networks, industry 4.0, and the supply chain. The findings are intended to inform and stimulate more research and policy-making debate on the potential interconnection between sustainability and digitization, particularly in the post-COVID-19 era.

The influencing factors of elder-friendly public open spaces promoting older adults' health in deprived urban neighborhoods: Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling approach.

Background: Public open spaces (POSs) is considered a feature of the built environment that is important for physical, mental, and social health during life and contributes to active aging. Hence, policymakers, practitioners, and academics have recently focused on indicators of elder-friendly environments, particularly in developing countries. Objective: This study aimed to examine the attributes of POSs and socio-demographic status that positively influence older people's health in Tehran's deprived neighborhoods using a pathway model. Methods: We employed a pathway model to explore the relationships between place function, place preferences, and process in the environment as the perceived (subjective) positive features of POSs associated with older adults' health, compared to the objective attributes of POSs. We also included personal characteristics, including physical, mental, and social dimensions, to explore how these factors are related to the health of older adults. To assess the subjective perception of POSs attributes, 420 older adults were asked to complete Elder-Friendly Urban Spaces Questionnaire (EFUSQ) from April 2018 to September 2018 in the 10th District of Tehran. We used the SF-12 questionnaire and "The self-Rated Social Health of Iranians Questionnaire to measure older people's physical and mental health and elder social health." Geographical Information System (GIS) measures (Street connectivity, Residential density, Land use mix, Housing quality) were derived as objective measures of neighborhood features. Results: According to our findings, the personal aspect, socio-demographic status (such as Gender, Marital status, Education, Occupation as well as Frequency of being present in POSs), place preferences (Security, Fear of Falling, Way Finding and Perceived Aesthetics), and process in the environment's latent (Social Environment, Cultural Environment, Place Attachment, and Life Satisfaction)constructs collectively influenced the elders' health. Conclusion: We found positive associations between Place preference, Process-in-environment, and personal health-related factors to elders' health (social, mental, and physical). The path model presented in the study could be guided in future research in this area and inform the development of evidence-based urban planning and design interventions for improve older adults health and social functioning and quality of life.

Measuring the effects of Compactness/Sprawl on COVID 19 spread patterns at the neighborhood level.

This study analyzes the compactness/sprawl index and its effects on the spread of COVID-19 in the neighborhoods of Ahvaz, Iran. Multiple Criteria Decision Making and GIS techniques were used to develop the index. Also, the effects of compactness/sprawl on COVID-19 were investigated using a regression model. It was found that when considering the number of COVID-19 cases per 1000 people, the compactness/sprawl index did not affect the spread of the disease. However, it had a low but significant effect if the raw number of cases was considered. Results also showed that the compactness index significantly affected the raw number of cases, with a coefficient of 0.291, indicating that more compact neighborhoods had more COVID-19 cases. This is unsurprising as more people live in compact areas and, therefore, the raw number of cases is also likely to be higher. In the absence of proper control measures, this could result in further contact between people, thereby, increasing the risk of virus spread. Overall, we found that compactness had a dual effect on the spread of COVID-19 in Ahvaz. We conclude that proper development and implementation of control measures in well-designed compact neighborhoods are essential for enhancing pandemic resilience.

An evaluative model for assessing pandemic resilience at the neighborhood level: The case of Tehran.

The spread of the COVID-19 virus, which has caused abundant mortalities in human settlements, has drawn the attention of urban planners and policy-makers to the necessity of improving resilience to future pandemics. In this study, a set of indicators related to pandemic resilience were identified and used to develop a composite multi-dimensional pandemic resilience index for Tehran's neighborhoods. The physical, infrastructural, socio-economic, and environmental dimensions of pandemic resilience were defined considering the conditions of 351 neighborhoods through the exploratory factor analysis method. Accordingly, the pandemic resilience (PR) score of the neighborhoods was calculated. Furthermore, the Pearson correlation analysis was used to validate the PR scores by examining the correlation between the neighborhood PR scores and the number of confirmed cases. For this purpose, we used a sample consisting of 43,000 confirmed COVID-19 patients in the first five months of its spread. The test shows a statistically significant negative correlation between neighborhoods' resilience score and the cumulative number of confirmed patients in the neighborhoods (r= -.456, P<0.001). This study also tries to develop a new model to better understand health determinants of pandemic resilience. The proposed model can inform planners and policymakers to take appropriate measures to create more pandemic-resilient urban neighborhoods.

An ecological approach to the development of an active aging measurement in urban areas (AAMU).

BACKGROUND: An essential element in the process of "aging well" is the concept of Active Aging (AA). To propose an operational definition of Active Aging, the present study seeks to develop a new measurement tool through an ecological approach. The aim is to recognize significant indicators that play a role in assessing AA in urban areas. METHODS: This study was conducted through a two-phase process of consensus-building: 1) identifying a set of indicators that were likely candidates for inclusion based on literature review, and 2) a two-round modified Delphi survey using an international panel of academic experts in environmental sciences and gerontology to achieve consensus on the importance of the extracted indicators and validate the items. The panelists were asked to complete a researcher-developed questionnaire with an 11-point Likert scale based on the indicators derived in phase 1. Finally, the Delphi survey's valid indicators and criteria were utilized to develop the measurement tool. RESULTS: At the outset, a list of 111 indicators of AA was prepared through the desk study. A panel of 22 experts reviewed the extracted items and arrived at a consensus on 99 items in the first round and finalised in the second round. Thematic analysis of the panelists' open-ended responses revealed new concepts that would be explicitly considered by the consensus group. This developed measurement scale consists of five domains, i.e., individual, spatial, socio-economic, governance, and health-related, which contain 15 criteria and 99 indicators. CONCLUSIONS: The present researchers have developed the active aging measure for urban settlements (AAMU), which can be used both by policy-makers and as an informal self-reported statement among the elderly. AAM's results in the elderly's residential environmental communities can improve policy-making to address urban design to sustain an active, healthy life among older people in urban environments.

A description of spatial-temporal patterns of the novel COVID-19 outbreak in the neighbourhoods' scale in Tehran, Iran.

Background: Analyzing and monitoring the spatial-temporal patterns of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic can assist local authorities and researchers in detecting disease outbreaks in the early stages. Because of different socioeconomic profiles in Tehran's areas, we will provide a clear picture of the pandemic distribution in Tehran's neighbourhoods during the first months of its spread from February to July 2020, employing a spatial-temporal analysis applying the geographical information system (GIS). Disease rates were estimated by location during the 5 months, and hot spots and cold spots were highlighted. Methods: This study was performed using the COVID-19 incident cases and deaths recorded in the Medical Care Monitoring Centre from February 20, to July 20, 2020. The local Getis-Ord Gi* method was applied to identify the hotspots where the infectious disease distribution had significantly clustered spatially. A statistical analysis for incidence and mortality rates and hot spots was conducted using ArcGIS 10.7 software. Results: The addresses of 43,000 Tehrani patients (15,514 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 27,486 diagnosed as probable cases) were changed in its Geo-codes in the GIS. The highest incidence rate from February to July 2020 was 48 per 10,000 and the highest 5-month incidence rate belonged to central and eastern neighbourhoods. According to the Cumulative Population density of patients, the higher number is estimated by more than 2500 people in the area; however, the lower number is highlighted by about 500 people in the neighborhood. Also, the results from the local Getis-Ord Gi* method indicate that COVID-19 has formed a hotspot in the eastern, southeast, and central districts in Tehran since February. We also observed a death rate hot spot in eastern areas. Conclusion: Because of the spread of COVID-19 disease throughout Tehran's neighborhoods with different socioeconomic status, it seems essential to pay attention to health behaviors to prevent the next waves of the disease. The findings suggest that disease distribution has formed a hot spot in Tehran's eastern and central regions.

Spatio-temporal patterns of the COVID-19 pandemic, and place-based influential factors at the neighborhood scale in Tehran.

Since its emergence in late 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has attracted the attention of researchers in various fields, including urban planning and design. However, the spreading patterns of the disease in cities are still not clear. Historically, preventing and controlling pandemics in cities has always been challenging due to various factors such as higher population density, higher mobility of people, and higher contact frequency. To shed more light on the spread patterns of the pandemic, in this study we analyze 43,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases at the neighborhood level in Tehran, the capital of Iran. To examine spatio-temporal patterns and place-based factors contributing to the spread of the pandemic, we used exploratory spatial data analysis and spatial regression. We developed a geo-referenced database composed of 12 quantitative place-based variables related to physical attributes, land use and public transportation facilities, and demographic status. We also used the geographically weighted regression model for the local examination of spatial non-stationarity. According to the results, population density (R2 = 0.88) and distribution of neighborhood centers (R2 = 0.59), drugstores (R2 = 0.64), and chain stores (R2 = 0.59) are the main factors contributing to the spread of the disease. Additionally, density of public transportation facilities showed a varying degree of contribution. Overall, our findings suggest that demographic composition and major neighborhood-level physical attributes are important factors explaining high rates of infection and mortality. Results contribute to gaining a better understanding of the role of place-based attributes that may contribute to the spread of the pandemic and can inform actions aimed at achieving Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goals 3 and 11.

Resilient urban form to pandemics: Lessons from COVID-19.

Background: The worldwide emergence of future pandemics emphasizes the need to assess the pandemic resilient urban form to prevent infectious disease transmission during this epidemic. According to the lessons of the COVID-19 outbreak, this study aimed to review the current strategies of responding to pandemics through disaster risk management (DRM) to develop a pandemic-resilient urban form in phases of response, mitigation, and preparedness. Methods: The research method is developed through desk study was used to explore the current literature of urban form responded to COVID-19 pandemic and for the text analysis; qualitative content analysis was applied developing a conceptual framework. Results: To create pandemic resilient urban form, this study proposes principles to enhance the urban form resiliency in 3 scales of housing, neighborhoods/public spaces, and cities. These principles focus on the concept of resilient urban form from new perspectives focusing on the physical and nonphysical aspects of resilient urban form, which develops a new understanding of pandemics as a disaster and health-related emergency risks. The physical aspect of resiliency to epidemic outbreaks includes urban form, access, infrastructure, land use, and natural environment factors. Moreover, the nonphysical aspect can be defined by the sociocultural, economic, and political (including good governance) factors. By providing and enhancing the physical and nonphysical prerequisites, several benefits can be gained and the effectiveness of all response, mitigation, and preparedness activities can be supported. Conclusion: As the pandemic's disruptions influence the citizens' lifestyle dramatically, the prominent role of place characteristics in the outbreak of pandemics, policymakers, urban planners, and urban designers should be pulled together to make urban areas more resilient places for epidemics and pandemics.

Correction to: Comprehensive 5P framework for active aging using the ecological approach: an iterative systematic review.

It was highlighted that the original article [1] contained a spelling mistake in the name of Hamid R. Baradaran. This was incorrectly captured as Bradaran. The original article has been updated.

Comprehensive 5P framework for active aging using the ecological approach: an iterative systematic review.

BACKGROUND: "Active aging" is an inclusive term and has been defined from a variety of aspects in different domains throughout the literature. The aim of this review was to identify those aspects that play significant roles in building this concept using an ecological approach. METHODS: In this study, seven online databases, including JSTOR, Pub-Med, Web of Science, Google Scholar, ProQuest, EBSCO, and Scopus, were searched from 2002 to 2018 for both qualitative and quantitative articles published in English. Two reviewers independently found the related articles using the search terms "active aging" and "built environment" and included both "ageing" and "aging". RESULTS: Of 1500 records which passed the screening stage, 92 were eligible for inclusion in the review. A total of 15 subthemes were derived: (1) personal characteristics, (2) behavioral attitude, (3) land use, (4) access, (5) physical form, (6) cityscape/city image, (7) public open spaces, (8) housing, (9) social environment, (10) cultural Environment, (11) economic environment, (12) good governance, (13) physical health, (14) mental health, and (15) social health. Ecological themes of active aging can be defined as the 5P model: person, processes, place, prime, and policymaking. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study can shed light on different aspects of active aging. Also, the results emphasized the significance of the multidimensional nature of active aging, micro (person), meso (process), and macro systems (place and policymaking), based on health (prime) environments. Moreover, the results were based on the relationships between the person and the environment at the individual, interpersonal, and environmental levels, which can be used to conduct future studies and develop policies on aging populations.

Development and validation of elder-friendly urban spaces questionnaire (EFUSQ).

BACKGROUND: Considering the lack of specific measurement tools to study elders' perceptions in outdoor spaces, the study objectives were to derive and validate a questionnaire that assesses the essential features of elderly-friendly urban spaces. METHODS: We used closed-ended questions in two phases. In the first qualitative phase, a preliminary questionnaire was defined using grounded theory. In the second phase, the psychometric properties of the elderly-friendly urban spaces were examined through validity and reliability indices. RESULTS: The findings of the first phase led to a preliminary item extraction and questionnaire with 15 major domains based on three dimensions: place function, place preferences, and process. In the second phase, a 48-item questionnaire, based on three dimensions, in addition to personal characteristics, was introduced. CONCLUSIONS: The Elderly-Friendly Urban Spaces Questionnaire (EFUSQ) can be adopted in various communities in understanding of how to create age-friendly urban spaces to promote active aging.

Adaptation and reliability of neighborhood environment walkability scale (NEWS) for Iran: A questionnaire for assessing environmental correlates of physical activity.

Background: In spite of the increased range of inactivity and obesity among Iranian adults, insufficient research has been done on environmental factors influencing physical activity. As a result adapting a subjective (self-report) measurement tool for assessment of physical environment in Iran is critical. Accordingly, in this study Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS) was adapted for Iran and also its reliability was evaluated. Methods: This study was conducted using a systematic adaptation method consisting of 3 steps: translate-back translation procedures, revision by a multidisciplinary panel of local experts and a cognitive study. Then NEWS-Iran was completed among adults aged 18 to 65 years (N=19) with an interval of 15 days. Intra-Class Coefficient (ICC) was used to evaluate the reliability of the adapted questionnaire. Results: NEWS-Iran is an adapted version of NEWS-A (abbreviated) and in the adaptation process five items were added from other versions of NEWS, two subscales were significantly modified for a shorter and more effective questionnaire, and five new items were added about climate factors and site-specific uses. NEWS-Iran showed almost perfect reliability (ICCs: more than 0.8) for all subscales, with items having moderate to almost perfect reliability scores (ICCs: 0.56-0.96). Conclusion: This study introduced NEWS-Iran, which is a reliable version of NEWS for measuring environmental perceptions related to physical activity behavior adapted for Iran. It is the first adapted version of NEWS which demonstrates a systematic adaptation process used by earlier studies. It can be used for other developing countries with similar environmental, social and cultural context.