Imagining and implementing healthy city interventions: Combined results from parallel concept mapping exercises in Montreal with community members and stakeholders.

OBJECTIVE: Built environment interventions provide structural solutions to complex urban challenges. Though community voices are part of municipal decision-making, planners and public health professionals need tools to better integrate their perspectives for desired changes (what) when implementing built environment interventions (how). We present two simultaneous concept mapping exercises conducted in Montréal, Canada, to facilitate the consideration of these dimensions. METHODS: Community members were prompted about neighbourhood changes that could improve their quality of life; stakeholders were prompted about factors that contribute to successful implementation of interventions. Through each exercise, items were generated, grouped, and rated on importance and feasibility. Concept maps were produced using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. The clusters identified by community members and stakeholders were combined into a Community × Stakeholder Matrix, which supported discussions on interventions with the research's Advisory Committee. RESULTS: Thirty-two community members generated 41 responses, which resulted in 6 clusters: (1) strengthen public transportation, (2) reduce space dedicated to cars, (3) foster local social connections, (4) develop quality cycling infrastructure, (5) improve pedestrian accessibility, and (6) green the city. Thirty-seven stakeholders generated 40 items, which resulted in 5 clusters: (1) collaboration with stakeholders and citizens, (2) planning and evaluation, (3) common vision for the future, (4) regulatory framework and funding, and (5) context-informed approach. CONCLUSION: Capturing the collective vision of our urban environments and the processes underlying change through concept mapping can lead to more successful changes. We propose combining understandings of the what and how into a matrix to support evaluation and strategic planning of interventions and better integrate community voices into operational planning.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIF: Les interventions sur le cadre bâti peuvent offrir des solutions structurelles aux défis urbains complexes. Bien que les communautés fassent partie du processus décisionnel municipal, les urbanistes et les professionnels de la santé publique ont besoin d'outils pour mieux intégrer leurs perspectives sur les changements souhaités (le quoi) dans la mise en œuvre réussie des programmes et des interventions sur l'environnement bâti (le comment). Nous présentons deux exercices simultanés de cartographie conceptuelle menés à Montréal, Canada, visant à capter ces dimensions de mise en œuvre. MéTHODES: Les membres de la communauté ont été sondés sur les changements dans leur quartier qui seraient susceptibles d'améliorer leur qualité de vie, tandis que des acteurs municipaux ont été sondés sur les facteurs qui contribuent à la réussite de la mise en œuvre des interventions urbaines. Pour chaque exercice, des items ont été générés, regroupés et notés en fonction de leur importance et de leur faisabilité. Des cartes conceptuelles ont été produites à l'aide d'analyse multivariée d'étalonnage multidimensionnel et d'une analyse hiérarchique ascendante. Les regroupements identifiés par les membres de la communauté et les acteurs municipaux ont été combinés dans une matrice communauté × acteurs municipaux, qui a encadré une discussion sur les interventions sur le cadre bâti avec le comité consultatif du programme de recherche. RéSULTATS: Trente-deux membres de la communauté ont généré 41 réponses uniques, qui ont formé 6 regroupements : (1) renforcer les transports en commun, (2) réduire l'espace dédié aux voitures, (3) favoriser le lien social local, (4) développer des infrastructures cyclables de qualité, (5) améliorer l'accessibilité piétonne, et (6) verdir la ville. Trente-sept acteurs municipaux ont généré 40 éléments uniques, qui ont mené à 5 regroupements : (1) collaboration avec les parties prenantes et les citoyens, (2) planification et évaluation, (3) vision commune pour l'avenir, (4) cadre réglementaire et financement, et (5) approche contextuelle. CONCLUSION: En captant la vision collective sur nos environnements urbains et la compréhension des processus sous-jacents au changement avec la cartographie conceptuelle, les transformations urbaines peuvent être plus réussies et plus inclusives. Nous proposons de combiner les perspectives sur le quoi et le comment dans une matrice pour soutenir l'évaluation et la planification stratégique d'interventions, tout en promouvant l'intégration des voix de la communauté dans la planification opérationnelle de l'aménagement urbain.

Nature-based solution enhances resilience to flooding and catalyzes multi-benefits in coastal cities in the Global South.

Coastal cities are facing a rise in groundwater levels induced by sea level rise, further triggering saturation excess flooding where groundwater levels reach the topographic surface or reduce the storage capacity of the soil, thus stressing the existing infrastructure. Lowering groundwater levels is a priority for sustaining the long-term livelihood of coastal cities. In the absence of studies assessing the possibility of using tree-planting as a measure of alleviating saturation excess flooding in the context of rising groundwater levels, the multi-benefit nature of tree-planting programs as sustainable Nature-based solutions (NBSs) in coastal cities in the Global South is discussed. In environments where groundwater is shallow, trees uptake groundwater or reduce groundwater recharge, thereby contributing to lower groundwater levels and increasing the unsaturated zone thickness, further reducing the risk of saturation excess flooding. Tree-planting programs represent long-term solutions sustained by environmental factors that are complementary to conventional engineering solutions. The multi-benefit nature of such NBSs and the expected positive environmental, economic, and social outcomes make them particularly promising. Wide social acceptance was identified as crucial for the long-term success of any tree-planting program, as the social factor plays a major role in addressing most weaknesses and threats of the solution. In the case of Nouakchott City (Mauritania), where a rise in groundwater levels has led to permanent saturation excess flooding, a tree-planting program has the potential to lower the groundwater levels, thereby reducing flooding during the rainy season.

Mapping healthy planning frameworks.

AIMS: The aim of this research was to map available healthy planning frameworks to discover the range, composition, design, and implementation of healthy planning frameworks. METHODS: A systematic scoping review with date, location, and usability limitations was augmented by a grey literature search. Data were extracted on key details, design, outcomes considered, and implementation features of the final 61 frameworks. RESULTS: Data extracted indicated that most frameworks tend to focus on one element of the built environment, with active mobility, active environments, and transport being the most prevalent ones (34%). Most frameworks (40) stated their intended outcomes on health in general terms, rather than targeting specific health outcomes. Very few frameworks (12%) were aimed at the public, and only 11% of frameworks included an evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: While there are a wide variety and number of frameworks available in the field of healthy urban planning, they are generally siloed, focusing on highly specific individual urban determinants, and rarely consider health outcomes in detail. There is significantly less provision available for citizen and community use. Frameworks tend to offer limited updating mechanisms and very rarely include ongoing evaluation processes, making their success difficult to assess.

Integrating street view images and deep learning to explore the association between human perceptions of the built environment and cardiovascular disease in older adults.

Understanding how built environment attributes affect health remains important. While many studies have explored the objective characteristics of built environments that affect health outcomes, few have examined the role of human perceptions of built environments on physical health. Baidu Street View images and computer vision technological advances have helped researchers overcome the constraints of traditional methods of measuring human perceptions (e.g., these methods are laborious, time-consuming, and costly), allowing for large-scale measurements of human perceptions. This study estimated human perceptions of the built environment (e.g., beauty, boredom, depression, safety, vitality, and wealth) by adopting Baidu Street View images and deep learning algorithms. Negative binomial regression models were employed to analyze the relationship between human perceptions and cardiovascular disease in older adults (e.g., ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease). The results indicated that wealth perception is negatively related to the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, depression and vitality perceptions are positively associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, we found no relationship between beauty, boredom, safety perceptions, and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Our findings highlight the importance of human perceptions in the development of healthy city planning and facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between built environment characteristics and health outcomes in older adults. They also demonstrate that street view images have the potential to provide insights into this complicated issue, assisting in the formulation of refined interventions and health policies.

The Capability Approach and the WHO healthy ageing framework (for the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing).

This commentary discusses the WHO definition of health ageing in terms of functional abilities, and the problem definition and evidence-based public health response framework outlined in the 2015 WHO Report on Ageing and Health. After identifying the neglect of older people in health policy at national and global levels, some data are presented on the majority of COVID-19 deaths being older people. The discussion then focuses on the underlying ethical and analytical framework of functional abilities provided by the Capability Approach. The approach is presented as distinguishing between achievement and capability, the ethical significance of recognising both, and its inclusion of surrounding social conditions from local to global in assessing wellbeing of older people's functional abilities. Measurement of functional abilities, informed by the Capabilities Approach, is stated to be an enormous and crucial task in establishing a global baseline, and making progress in improving the health and wellbeing of older people.

[Traffic planning for the protection of vulnerable groups of persons exemplified by the City of Munich]. / Verkehrsplanung zum Schutz vulnerabler Personengruppen am Beispiel der Stadt München.

Pedestrian and bicycle traffic make a significant contribution to the traffic turnaround. Measures to improve the road safety of pedestrians and cyclists are insofar an important building block to a successful sustainable city and traffic planning. The mobility strategy 2035 of the City of Munich includes partial strategies for walking and cycling as well as for road safety, which was confirmed through former city council resolutions on Vision Zero. The most important measures for the comfort and safety of pedestrians are a speed limit of 30 km/h, wide and free sidewalks (without obstacles) and crossing assistance with good visibility conditions. Depending on the local situation, sidewalk extensions, road islands, pedestrian crossings (zebra crossings) and traffic lights with attractive circuit conditions for pedestrians make crossing easier. The comfort and safety of cyclists can be improved with broad cycling paths along the main streets. They should allow the overtaking of cyclists in both directions. At least on side streets, a comprehensive speed limit of 30 km/h is an important issue. One-way streets should be open for oncoming cyclists against the one-way direction. At road crossings and road junctions the visibility of cyclists should be improved with road markings and widened bike lanes and there should be a conflict-free circuit of traffic lights, especially where there is a high percentage of commercial vehicles.

A "bottom up" Health in All Policies program: Supporting local government wellbeing approaches.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: A wellbeing economy requires multiple inputs to enable the wholistic vision of a sustainable healthy population and planet. A Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach is a useful way to support policy makers and planners to implement the activities required to support a wellbeing economy. OUTLINE OF THE PROJECT: Aotearoa New Zealand's Government has explicitly set a path towards a wellbeing economy. Here, we report the utility of a HiAP approach in Greater Christchurch, the largest urban area in the South Island of New Zealand, to achieving the shared societal goals of a sustainable healthy population and environment. We use the World Health Organisation draft Four Pillars for HiAP implementation as a framework for discussion. SO WHAT?: The paper adds to the growing number of examples of city and regions supporting a wellbeing agenda, specifically focused on some of the successes and challenges for local HiAP practitioners working within a public health unit in influencing this work.

Perspectives on urban mobility in promoting physical activity in the context of commuting in Brazil / Perspectivas sobre mobilidade urbana na promoção da atividade física no contexto dos deslocamentos no Brasil

Despite Brazil's important advances in regulatory aspects related to city planning, the disorder-ly growth of Brazilian cities makes it difficult to implement changes that would result in greater opportunities for the active commuting of the population. This essay was designed to reflect on opportunities for improvement in the urban environment to promote physical activity in the context of commuting in Brazil. From this perspective, the study identified policies that promote orderly growth and support active commuting in cities. It also suggested the use of indicators to evaluate and monitor development, with a particular emphasis on active commuting. Furthermore, it is essential to adapt and improve the urban planning process to meet the needs of Brazilian municipalities and foster closer collaboration with civil society. Thus, it will be possible to verify the changes in the urban environment and their impact on the active commuting, promoting the development of healthy and sustainable cities

Apesar do Brasil apresentar importante avanço em aspectos regulatórios relacionados ao planejamento das cidades, o crescimento desordenado das cidades brasileiras dificulta a realização de mudanças que reflitam em maiores oportunidades no deslocamento ativo da população. Este ensaio foi elaborado com objetivo de refletir sobre as oportunidades para melhorias no ambiente urbano para a promoção da atividade física no contexto do deslocamento no Brasil. Nessa perspectiva, o estudo identificou políticas que permitem o crescimento ordenado e favoreça o deslocamento ativo nas cidades, além de sugerir o uso de indicadores para avaliação e monitoramento do desenvolvimento, com especial foco no deslocamento ativo. Ademais, é imprescindível que o processo de planejamento urbano seja adaptado e aprimorado considerando as necessidades dos municípios brasileiros e com aproximação da sociedade civil. Assim, será possível verificar as modificações no ambiente urbano e seu impacto no deslocamento ativo da população, estimulando a criação de cidades saudáveis e sustentáveis

Potential roles of occupational therapists in urban planning for age-friendly environments: A Q-methodology.

BACKGROUND: Urban planning for age-friendly environments is an important issue, and occupational therapists and occupational scientists could contribute to planning such environments; however, knowledge of the potential roles of occupational therapists is limited. AIM: To explore the potential roles of occupational therapists in urban planning for age-friendly environments in Japan from the perspectives of occupational therapists and stakeholders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A Q-methodology study was conducted to gain viewpoints from occupational therapists and stakeholders regarding their roles in the urban planning of age-friendly environments for older people in Japan. Participants included eight occupational therapists and seven stakeholders who completed the Q-sorting process. RESULTS: Three viewpoints emerged which are interpreted as roles of occupational therapists: (1) Promote older people's participation in everyday activities in their communities, (2) Advocate for older people towards policy-making to reflect their occupational needs or perspectives, and (3) Arrange neighbourhood environments towards enhancing participation in occupation through adjustments to compensate for functional limitations. CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: Results reveal the potential roles of occupational therapists in urban planning for age-friendly environments in Japan. These roles can be a guide in the continuing professional development of occupational therapists in the fields of urban planning for older people.

Perceived Gap of Age-Friendliness among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Findings from Malaysia, a Middle-Income Country.

BACKGROUND: The United Nations predicts that the global population aged 65 years or above will double from 703 million in 2019 to 1.5 billion by 2050. In Malaysia, the older population has reached 2.4 million, accounting for nearly 8% of the population. This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of the elderly on the importance and availability of the age-friendly features in eight domains specified by the Global Network of Age-Friendly City and Communities. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted by structured face-to-face and or telephone interviews. Gap score analysis was performed for 32 items of the 8 age-friendly domains. The gap scores were categorized as follows: 0 = not important OR important and element available; 1 = important but unsure whether the element is available; 2 = important but element not available. The gap scores were then dichotomized into "yes" and "no", and multivariate logistic regression analysis was subsequently performed. RESULTS: From the 1061 respondents, the housing (55.4%) and transportation (50.7%) domains reported the highest mean perceived gap scores. Out of the 32 elements, the highest mean gap percent scores were observed in elderly priority parking bays (83.8%), home visits by healthcare professionals (78.9%), financial assistance for home modification and purchase (66.3%), and affordable housing options (63.6%). Respondents in the city center reported higher gap scores for modified restrooms, parks, volunteer activities, and the internet; respondents in the non-city center reported higher gap scores for nursing homes, healthcare professionals, and cultural celebrations. Age, location, marital status, income, duration of stay, physical exercise, internet access, and intention to continue working were found to be associated with a higher perceived gap in specific domains. CONCLUSION: The most significant unmet needs were detected in the housing, transportation, and employment opportunities domains. Considerable disparities in the perceived gap were detected between the older population in the city center and non-city center. To address shortcomings in the local age-friendly setting, coordinated municipal policies, political commitment, and benchmarking of existing age-friendly cities are warranted.

Residential Greenspace Is Associated with Lower Levels of Depressive and Burnout Symptoms, and Higher Levels of Life Satisfaction: A Nationwide Population-Based Study in Sweden.

Population-based studies of individual-level residential greenspace and mental health outcomes are still limited. Thus, the present study investigates greenspace-mental health associations-including depressive symptoms, burnout symptoms, and life satisfaction-in a population-based sample of adults, the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health, in 2016 (n = 14,641). High-resolution land cover of greenspace and green-blue-space was assessed at 50, 100, 300 and 500 m buffers around residential addresses. Higher residential greenspace and green-blue-space were associated with lower levels of depressive and burnout symptoms among non-working individuals and with higher life satisfaction in the whole study population, after controlling for age, sex, individual income, and neighborhood socioeconomics. The immediate residential-surrounding environment (50 m) consistently showed the strongest associations with the outcomes. Having a partner was associated with better mental health outcomes and with having more residential greenspace, and adjusting for this rendered greenspace-health associations mostly statistically non-significant. In conclusion, higher levels of greenspace and green-blue-space in the immediate residential-surrounding environment were associated with better mental health outcomes in the present study, which contributes additional nuances to prior studies. The importance of residential greenspace for public health, urban planning, and development is discussed.

Very high-resolution remote sensing-based mapping of urban residential districts to help combat COVID-19.

Urban residential districts (URDs) are a major element in the formation of cities that are essential for urban planning. Regarding the COVID-19 virus, which remains variable in aerosols for several hours, airborne transmission tends to occur in areas of poor ventilation and high occupant density. Thus, ventilation capacity is an important factor influencing airborne transmission in URDs, which should be evaluated as part of efforts to fight COVID-19 and guide healthy city planning and implementation. Here, we develop and test systematic methods to map URDs in a typical city in northern China and quantify their ventilation capacity using very high-resolution remote sensing images. Four fundamental spatial forms of URD are identified in the research area: the point-group form, parallel form, enclosed form, and hybrid form. Our analyses indicate that the integrated ventilation capacities for well-designed URDs are nearly twice those of poorly designed URDs. Large variations in ventilation capacity are also observed within URDs, with up to 13.42 times difference between the buildings. Therefore, very high-resolution remote sensing data are fundamental for extracting building height and generating precise spatial forms, which can improve the micro-scale URD ventilation planning for the prevention of COVID-19.

[The municipal planning for the benefit of health].

The article, on the basis of analysis of scientific publications, presents brief overview of principles and technologies of development of cities considering impact on population health. The particular attention is paid to analysis of being built areas and careful use of available resources. The definition of the term "sustainable development of territory" and description of necessary measures for its application in practice are given. The actual trend of "coronavirus" transformation of architectural urban environment is presented, including availability for each family member of one's own space, room, house and flat with terrace, balcony, separate entrances (in case when apartment is located on the first floor), expanded house territory, life outside the city. At that, reduction of social relationships is established. To control effectiveness of city management corresponding indices are presented.

Satisfacción y percepciones sobre aspectos de la ciudad que afectan la salud, por nivel socioeconómico, 2010-2019, en Lima Metropolitana / Satisfaction and perceptions about aspects of the city that affect health, by socioeconomic status, 2010-2019, in Lima

RESUMEN Se buscó caracterizar la satisfacción y percepciones de los residentes de Lima Metropolitana sobre distintos aspectos de la ciudad que pueden afectar su calidad de vida y salud, identificando diferencias por nivel socioeconómico (NSE) y cambios en el tiempo. Se realizó un análisis secundario de la Encuesta «Lima Cómo Vamos¼ entre 2010 y 2019, reportando los resultados mediante porcentajes, con diferencias entre NSE para cada año y entre años. En 2019 la satisfacción y percepciones eran mayoritariamente desfavorables, y han disminuido hasta en 30 puntos porcentuales con el tiempo. Las personas de NSE más bajos tenían valoraciones más desfavorables y con mayores reducciones en el tiempo. Esta insatisfacción y percepciones desfavorables revelan deficiencias en servicios públicos y condiciones urbanas que podrían afectar negativamente la calidad de vida y salud, haciendo necesarias políticas que reduzcan las brechas socioeconómicas y mejoren la salud de los ciudadanos de Lima Metropolitana.

ABSTRACT We aimed to characterize the satisfaction and perceptions of the residents of Lima about different aspects of urban life that can affect their quality of life and health, identifying differences by socioeconomic status (SES) and changes over time. A secondary data analysis of the "Lima Cómo Vamos" survey was conducted between 2010 and 2019. Results are reported through percentages, with differences between SES for each year and between years. In 2019, satisfaction and perceptions were mostly unfavorable, and have decreased by up to 30% over time. People with lower SES had more unfavorable evaluations and with greater reductions over time. This dissatisfaction and unfavorable perceptions reveal deficiencies in public services and urban conditions that could negatively affect the quality of life and health, making it necessary to design and implement policies that reduce socioeconomic gaps and improve the health of Lima citizens.

Estigma em mulheres participantes de um grupo de práticas corporais/atividade física de um bairro pobre / Stigma experienced by women participating in a body practice an dphysical activity group in a poor neighborhood / Estigma enmujeres que participan en un grupo de prácticas corporales y actividad física de un barrio pobre

Objetivou-se analisar a percepção do estigma sofrido por mulheres moradoras de um bairro do Programa Minha Casa, Minha Vida, destinado a pessoas de baixa renda, e a importância percebida em relação à participação no grupo de Práticas Corporais/Atividade Física (PCAF) de uma Unidade Básica de Saúde. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevistas, com 25 mulheres. Foram definidas duas categorias de análise: "estigma e discriminação" e "mudanças percebidas na vida após participação no grupo". As participantes relataram experiências em que sofreram estigmas e que a participação no grupo foi benéfica, tanto em relação aos aspectos físicos, quanto em relação ao desenvolvimento do sentimento de pertencimento ao bairro. Conclui-se que o grupo de PCAF foi importante para o enfrentamento do sofrimento relacionado às experiências de estigma, problema este que precisa ser enfrentado de maneira ampla e articulada.

The objective was to analyze the perception of the stigma experienced by women living in a neighborhood of the Minha Casa, Minha Vida program, aimed at low-income people, and the perceived importance in relation to participation in relation to participation in a group of Body Practices/Physical Activity (BPPA) offered by a Health Center. Data were collected through interviews with 25 women. Two categories of analysis were defined: "stigma and discrimination" and "perceived changes in life after participation in the group". Participants reported situations in which they experienced stigma and that participation in the group was beneficial both for physical fitness and for the developmentof a feeling of belonging to the neighborhood. It is concluded that the BPPA group was important to face the suffering related to the experiences of stigma, a problem that needs to be addressed in a broad and articulated manner.

El objetivo fueanalizarlapercepcióndel estigma que sufren las mujeres residentes en un barrio del programa Minha Casa, MinhaVida, dirigido a personas pobres, y la importancia percibida en relación a la participación en un grupo de Prácticas Corporales/Actividad Física (PCAF) de un Centro de Salud. Los datos se obtuvieron mediante entrevistas a 25 mujeres. Se definieron dos categorías de análisis: "estigma y discriminación" y "cambios percibidos en la vida tras la participación en el grupo". Las mujeres relataron experiencias en las que sufrieron estigmatización y que su participación en el grupo fue positiva, tanto enlos aspectos físicos como enrelación al desarrollo de lsentimiento de pertenencia al barrio. Se concluye que el grupo PCAF fue importante para enfrentar el sufrimiento relacionado con las experiencias de estigma, problema que de be ser abordado de manera amplia y articulada.

Avante Luta Antimanicomial, ocupemos os planos diretores das cidades / Onward with the Anti-asylum Struggle, occupying city master plans

Resumo O presente artigo reflete sobre os limites e possibilidades de articulação entre a Luta Antimanicomial e os Planos Diretores Participativos das cidades (PDPs) no Brasil, com vistas ao cuidado antimanicomial em liberdade para as pessoas em sofrimento mental, bem como à garantia de realização e à ampliação dos seus direitos. Ao partir da premissa de que a cidade não é por si terapêutica nem tampouco cuidadora, desenvolvemos uma analítica que busca entrecruzar os desafios do "morar em liberdade" com as políticas de desenvolvimento urbano nos municípios brasileiros - estas, orientadas pelos PDPs. Assim, analisamos citações concernentes ao temário da Luta Antimanicomial e Reforma Psiquiátrica Brasileira (RPB) nos PDPs dos 15 municípios mais bem avaliados no ranking de qualidade urbana nacional, de acordo com a Plataforma Connected Smart Cities. Com base nessa pesquisa, pudemos refletir sobre a importância de a Luta Antimanicomial disputar as políticas urbanas municipais para articular, em arenas ainda mais ampliadas na via legislativa, avanços nos termos da desinstitucionalização, transformação do lugar social da loucura e realização dos direitos de cidadania para pessoas em situação de sofrimento mental nas cidades.

Abstract This article reflects on the limits and possibilities for articulating the anti-asylum struggle with participatory city master plans (PMPs) in Brazil with the aim of helping enhance anti-asylum care in liberty and guaranteeing the rights of people experiencing mental suffering. Departing from the premise that the city is neither a therapeutic nor a caring environment, this analysis seeks to weave together the challenges of "living in liberty" with urban planning policies guided by PMPs. To this end, we analyzed terms pertaining to the anti-asylum struggle and Brazil's mental health reform in the PMPs of the 15 highest-scoring cities in the Connected Smart Cities Ranking. The findings show that it is important for the anti-asylum struggle to dispute municipal urban policies in wider legislative arenas in order to promote further advances in deinstitutionalization and a transformation of the social place of madness, and guarantee the rights of people experiencing mental suffering in cities.

Dynamic geographical accessibility assessments to improve health equity: protocol for a test case in Cali, Colombia.

This protocol proposes an approach to assessing the place of residence as a spatial determinant of health in cities where traffic congestion might impact health services accessibility. The study provides dynamic travel times presenting data in ways that help shape decisions and spur action by diverse stakeholders and sectors.  Equity assessments in geographical accessibility to health services typically rely on static metrics, such as distance or average travel times. This new approach uses dynamic spatial accessibility measures providing travel times from the place of residence to the health service with the shortest journey time. It will show the interplay between traffic congestion, accessibility, and health equity and should be used to inform urban and health services monitoring and planning. Available digitised data enable efficient and accurate accessibility measurements for urban areas using publicly available sources and provide disaggregated sociodemographic information and an equity perspective. Test cases are done for urgent and frequent care (i.e., repeated ambulatory care). Situational analyses will be done with cross-sectional urban assessments; estimated potential improvements will be made for one or two new services, and findings will inform recommendations and future studies. This study will use visualisations and descriptive statistics to allow non-specialized stakeholders to understand the effects of accessibility on populations and health equity. This includes "time-to-destination" metrics or the proportion of the people that can reach a service by car within a given travel time threshold from the place of residence. The study is part of the AMORE Collaborative Project, in which a diverse group of stakeholders seeks to address equity for accessibility to essential health services, including health service users and providers, authorities, and community members, including academia.

Renal Health Benefits of Rural City Planning in Japan.

Progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a substantial threat because it is associated with reduced healthy life expectancy and quality of life, and increase in economic burden. Research indicates people with nondialysis CKD often have lower physical functioning and that improvement of physical activity may contribute to maintaining renal health. Another issue with the current treatment of CKD is that the synergistic effects of rural depopulation due to aging and uncontrolled rural city sprawling will increase the number of under-served healthcare areas. To ensure the quality of renal health care, hospital integration is desirable, under the condition of reconstruction of the public transport system for physically and socially vulnerable people. Recently, medical and non-medical scientists advocate the challenge of city planning for population health. The links between city design and health such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and mental disorders, have been widely studied, except for renal health. Based on our experience in a Kidney and Lifestyle-related Disease Center, we propose the idea that city planning be prioritized to improve renal health through two main streams: 1) Improve physical status by use of public and active transportation including daily walking and cycling; and 2) Equal accessibility to renal health services. Many countries, including Japan, have enacted plans and public policy initiatives that encourage increased levels of physical activity. We should focus on the impact of such movement on renal as well as general health.

COVID-19 and urban planning: Built environment, health, and well-being in Greek cities before and during the pandemic.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to dramatic changes in quality of life, bringing to the forefront of the debate the question of planning and design of pandemic-resilient cities. Using quasi-longitudinal survey data (via a social media campaign) and geospatial data from Greek cities, we evaluate changes in health and well-being during COVID-19 compared to the pre-COVID-19 period, and then explore in detail how specific built environment characteristics in Athens and Thessaloniki relate to health and well-being before and during COVID-19. Results suggest that overall health, life satisfaction, happiness, personal relationships satisfaction, leisure satisfaction, satisfaction with income, and satisfaction with vacations all decreased during COVID-19, while anxiety and back pain increased during COVID-19. The role of the urban built environment in health and well-being was found to differ considerably for the COVID-19 period compared to pre-COVID-19. Proximity to large parks, proximity to numerous local facilities, lower neighborhood density, living further from the city center, and living in a larger dwelling were associated with better health and well-being outcomes during COVID-19. Urban planning and relevant policies that cities adopt should carefully focus on mitigating implications for critical issues such as the quest for sustainable urban development and city forms.

COVID-19 and the compact city: Implications for well-being and sustainable urban planning.

This paper provides new evidence on the role of city planning, urban form, and built environment characteristics in health and well-being during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Based on survey and geographic information systems (GIS) data from Oslo and Viken in Norway, the paper investigates changes in health and well-being due to COVID-19 and how the compact city and its characteristics relate to these changes. Findings indicate that self-reported measures of health and well-being worsened due to COVID-19. The most substantial changes were reported for life satisfaction, anxiety, and satisfaction with leisure, personal relationships, and vacations. General health, happiness, and satisfaction with income also declined during COVID-19 in comparison with pre-COVID-19 times. Overall, residents of compact neighborhoods reported lower well-being during COVID-19 compared to residents of lower-density neighborhoods. Important compact city characteristics - higher neighborhood density, reliance on public transport, smaller dwellings, and less green space - were negatively associated with well-being and health outcomes during COVID-19. In contrast, another compact city attribute, the presence of numerous local facilities, was positively linked to well-being and health during COVID-19. Based on these findings, the paper presents possible implications for sustainable urban planning and compact cities.