Search Results (30)

The spatial genes of rural settlements show a lot of different traditional settlement traits, which makes them a great starting point for studying rural spatial morphology. However, qualitative and macro-regional statistical indicators are usually used to find and extract rural settlement spatial genes. Taking Yubei Village in the Nanxi River Basin as an example, this study combined remote sensing images, real-time drone mapping, GIS (geographic information system), and space syntax, extracted 12 key indicators from five dimensions (landform and water features (environment), boundary morphology, spatial structure, street scale, and building scale), and quantitatively “decoded” the spatial genes of the settlement. The results showed that (1) the settlement is a “three mountains and one water” pattern, with cultivated land accounting for 37.4% and forest land accounting for 34.3% of the area within the 500 m buffer zone, while the landscape spatial diversity index (LSDI) is 0.708. (2) The boundary morphology is compact and agglomerated, and locally complex but overall orderly, with an aspect ratio of 1.04, a comprehensive morphological index of 1.53, and a comprehensive fractal dimension of 1.31. (3) The settlement is a “clan core–radial lane” network: the global integration degree of the axis to the holy hall is the highest (0.707), and the local integration degree R3 peak of the six-room ancestral hall reaches 2.255. Most lane widths are concentrated between 1.2 and 2.8 m, and the eaves are mostly higher than 4 m, forming a typical “narrow lanes and high houses” water town streetscape. (4) The architectural style is a combination of black bricks and gray tiles, gable roofs and horsehead walls, and “I”-shaped planes (63.95%). This study ultimately constructed a settlement space gene map and digital library, providing a replicable quantitative process for the diagnosis of Jiangnan water town settlements and heritage protection planning. Full article

This study presents a comprehensive framework for evaluating urban heat resilience, incorporating urban climatology models, their characteristics, and simulation programs. Utilizing the local climate zone (LCZ) classification method, this research explores how urban geomorphology influences the thermal characteristics of the area. This study integrates spatial data at different “levels of detail” (LOD), from the meso- to building scales, emphasizing the significance of detailed LOD 3 models acquired through 3D laser scanning. The results demonstrate the ability of these models to identify urban heat islands (UHIs) and to simulate urban planning scenarios, such as increasing green spaces and optimizing building density, to mitigate the UHI effect. The ST3D 3D model of the city of Split, represented using an LOD 2 object model, is utilized for meso- and local-scale analyses, while LOD 3 models derived from laser scanning provided in-depth insights at the building scale. The case studies included the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture, and Geodesy building on the University of Split campus and the old town hall in the densely built city center. This framework highlights the advantages of integrating GIS and BIM technology with urban climate analyses, offering tools for data-driven decision-making and fostering sustainable, climate-resilient urban planning. Full article

Recent legislation in Texas changes the legal civic engagement landscape. With Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs now prohibited on public university campuses, advocates of affirmative steps to reach historically underserved groups may face unexpected obstacles. And recent Supreme Court decisions, on the use of race as a factor in college admissions, further increase the challenges. Due to these shifts in the goals public universities can legally pursue, what are the most appropriate civic engagement policy steps to eliminate barriers to success and realize a diverse student body? Building on the Town Hall program at Tarleton State University, and the specific ways in which it leverages trust, we make three recommendations: (1) Institutions should maintain an openness to outreach, through the leadership of student groups and invited guest speakers and other initiatives, to those on campus who struggle with the burden of invisibility; (2) Town Hall and related civic engagement programs should fine-tune the selection of advanced peer leaders, making it easier for them to pursue expertise in the classroom, in turn facilitating their ability to attract speakers as recommended in (1); and (3) institutions should ensure an opening for representatives to travel to underserved parts of the state, with the effect if not University-wide intention of increasing inclusion. Building on the research of Eric Morrow, Boleslaw Z. Kabala, and Christine Hartness in 2023, we seek to leverage trust for the sake of a genuinely inclusive environment, consistent with current legal limitations on civic engagement in Texas. Full article

Through a social learning theoretical framework, this article seeks to understand how gender normativity is perpetuated, as well as how it results in the marginalization of transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) youth. Additionally, ways in which TGNC youth navigate oppression and how discrimination against TGNC youth may be reduced through disruption of gender normativity are explored. Using qualitative methods, including the analysis of community meeting transcripts as well as town hall meetings with gender-diverse participants, the present study will answer the following research questions: (1) how do transgender and gender-nonconforming youth navigate discrimination and marginalization? (2) How can social learning theory be leveraged to disrupt gender normativity and reduce the discrimination, marginalization, and victimization of transgender and gender-nonconforming youth? This article aims to bridge the gap in the literature by expanding on research specifically pertaining to TGNC youth and directly addressing how social learning mechanisms can both perpetuate and mitigate gender-normative ideologies. Full article

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy had major implications for racial health equity at the beginning of the vaccination campaign in the U.S. Interventions to reduce vaccine hesitancy among Black and African American individuals partially helped to reduce vaccine hesitancy in specific communities. This article describes findings on interventions to reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Black and African American individuals from a literature review we conducted. We found 12 studies that described communication, partnerships, and distribution interventions. Regarding communication, examples include a webinar hosted by an academic-community partnership team, information sessions, social media campaigns, educational materials, and virtual town halls. Effective partnerships identified through this literature review were a statewide alliance and one between an academic institution and faith and community leaders. Distribution interventions identified through the literature review were the deployment of multiple tactics to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake (virtual town halls, a confidential employee hotline, department huddles, written educational material, and accessible vaccination stations) and offering to administer the COVID-19 vaccine during medical appointments. The results of this review show that implementing interventions directed at specific minority groups improves COVID-19 vaccine acceptance without undermining overall vaccine distribution or uptake. Full article

In Europe, it is estimated that 14% of existing buildings were built before 1919, whereas 26% were built before 1945. In Romania, about 31% of the buildings date from before 1961, contributing to the current stock of old buildings with historic and architectural value in the country. This paper illustrates the current state of buildings with historic and architectural value in Romania, alongside a case study of a representative administrative building in Câmpulung, Romania. The analysis of the Town Hall building in Câmpulung, Romania, demonstrates that potential energy savings of up to 47.53% can be achieved by implementing interventions such as upgrading windows, insulating the attic, and installing photovoltaic panels. The highest energy reduction is obtained by replacing the window glass with a value of 18.16% with attic insulation with a value of 16.1%. This paper also presents indoor measurements of temperature and humidity in different offices positioned in the north and the south. The study conducted on the south façade office revealed consistent temperatures ranging from 21.7 °C to 24.4 °C, with an average of 23.31 °C. However, the humidity levels fluctuated considerably, ranging from 17.1% to 39.1%, with an average of 26.89%. The sun-exposed section of the building saw relatively stable temperature conditions, but the varying humidity levels could have a detrimental impact on the quality of the indoor atmosphere and potentially decrease the effectiveness of the workforce. By contrast, the north façade office exhibited lower and more fluctuating temperatures, ranging from 19.8 °C to 23.6 °C, with an average of 21.74 °C. Additionally, it had higher and more stable humidity levels, ranging between 19.5% and 41.7%, with an average of 29.83%. A thermographic analysis was performed on the north façade of the Câmpulung Town Hall, utilizing thermal imaging technology to detect areas of heat loss, and thus identifying the energy inefficiency problems of the building’s exterior. The investigation found notable variations in temperature, especially around the windows, where temperatures could be as high as 14.1 °C, highlighting the insufficiency of the building’s antiquated timber-framed windows in preventing energy loss. Full article

The metaverse, powered by XR technologies, enables human augmentation by enhancing physical, cognitive, and sensory capabilities. Cultural heritage sees the metaverse as a vehicle for expression and exploration, providing new methods for heritage fruition and preservation. This article proposes a metaverse application, inspired by the events of the Italian Resistance, promoting interactions between multiple users in an immersive VR experience while safeguarding intangible cultural assets according to an edutainment approach. The virtual environment, based on Ivrea’s town hall square, provides in-depth information about the partisan’s life and the historical value of its actions for the city. Furthermore, the application allows users to meet in the same virtual place and engage with one another in real time through the Spatial SDK. Before the public presentation, a heterogeneous group of thirty users underwent usability and engagement tests to assess the experience on both VR headsets and smartphones. Tests revealed statistically significant evidence that there is a genuine difference in users’ perceptions of usability and engagement with different devices and types of interaction. This study highlights the effectiveness of adopting XR as a supporting technology to complement the real experience of cultural heritage valorization. Full article

In the Changxi River Basin in eastern Fujian, a few stone elements remain and Buddhist buildings with one bay in width and three bays in depth have been preserved dating from the timespan of the Tang to the Song dynasty. These features are characterized by a regional form of early Buddhist architecture seldom seen in Chinese history. The article focuses on the reconstruction of a Song dynasty Buddhist building at the Gonghoulou Temple site in Huotong Town, Jiaocheng District, Ningde City, and aims to analyze the potential characteristics and rules of single-bay Buddhist architecture. From the styles of the remaining stone columns, the direction of the lotus carving at the column base, and the mortises of the plinth stone, a spatial arrangement is indicated that includes an open front corridor and a closed rear section. A “reconstruction” of the ruler used in the original building reveals the possibility that a local Fujian ruler was used, shorter than the standard measurement device employed elsewhere. The analysis of the frame construction indicates that this hip-gable roof-covered Buddhist hall utilizes the horizontally layered logic of multi-storied palatial-style halls. Key elements include its gentle roof slope, restraint from the practice of shortening the roof ridge, use of the traditional chuji method, and the interior columns use of internal longitudinal architraves secured to beam supporting brackets. This research brings to light a unique architectural type that has disappeared in the course of history and was previously unknown to the academic community. It holds significant importance and value for deepening the understanding of the history of timber frame architecture technology in Fujian. Full article

In a faraway apple orchard in Sannohe, a small town in Japan’s Aomori Prefecture, a zushi miniature wooden shrine at the Nose Kannon Hall caught the media’s attention with its unique adornment—the karuta playing cards with European-inspired abstract designs in bold red and black colors that were used during the early modern period for pastime and gambling. Because of this decoration, the Nose Kannon Hall is known by locals as the Karuta Hall, and the zushi that enshrines the Buddhist deity Bodhisattva Shō-Kanzeon is also believed to be the home of bakuchi no kamisama “the kami deity of gambling”. Little is known about the nature of devotion to this bakuchi no kamisama or how the playing cards that were used for frivolous games came to be sacralized as items worthy to be used as decoration of a Buddhist shrine. This article considers the slippage between prayer and play in the regional Buddhist devotion by focusing on the Nose Kannon Hall, which presided at a key intersection along the northern trade route where the local community and outside visitors, such as pilgrims and traders, converged, especially during the Edo period (1603–1868). Marshaling historical records, televised interviews, and images provided by the town officials and guardian family of Nose Kannon Hall, I argue that the use of karuta playing cards on the miniature shrine at Nose Kannon Hall epitomizes a kind of localized early modern Shinto–Buddhist syncretism at the margins of the urban culture that is simultaneously devotional and tongue-in-cheek sacrilegious in a quintessentially Edo-esque way. Full article

After his return from Italy in 1608, Peter Paul Rubens received a commission to depict an Adoration of the Magi for the Statenkamer in Antwerp’s Town Hall. It was the first, grand display of his stylistic and iconographic innovations. By building on unexplored contemporary sources and close reading of the iconography, this article posits that Rubens’s canvas served as a questie on various matters under discussion at the time, and was designed to induce divergent affects in the beholders. Full article

Correct approaches to the assessment of historic structures involve the collection of data related to materials, building technology, eventual damage and decay, and transformation that has occurred over time. The procedure proposed by the authors is based on multidisciplinary research, merging data ranging from documentary and archive research to structural modeling. In the developed procedure, the minimization of the costs and timing of the structural assessment were the main requirements. The procedure, implemented on the Arengario, the 13th-century Town Hall of Monza, focuses on the key role of historic and documentary research in order to highlight the difference in the building technology. The overall research program involves the following steps: (i) historical analysis and documentary research; (ii) visual inspections, geometric survey, and decay/damage identification and mapping; and (iii) dynamic testing and modal identification, with these steps driving the choices involved in the subsequent step: (iv) FE modeling and updating. Full article

Insufficient sleep contributes negatively to child developmental processes and neurocognitive abilities, which argues the need for implementing interventions to promote sleep health in children. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of a multimodal and multilevel school-based sleep education program in primary school children using a cluster randomized controlled design. Twelve schools were randomly assigned to either the sleep education or nonactive control groups. The sleep education group included a town hall seminar, small class teaching, leaflets, brochures, and a painting competition for children. Parents and teachers were invited to participate in a one-off sleep health workshop. Parental/caregiver-reported questionnaires were collected at baseline and 1-month follow-up. A total of 3769 children were included in the final analysis. There were no significant improvements observed in the sleep-wake patterns, daytime functioning, and insomnia symptoms between the two groups at follow-up, whereas the intervention group had significantly improved parental sleep knowledge than the controls (paternal: adjusted mean difference: 0.95 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.18 to 1.71]; maternal: adjusted mean difference: 0.87 [95% CI: 0.17 to 1.57]). In addition, children receiving the intervention had a lower persistence rate of excessive beverage intake (adjusted odds ratio: 0.49 [95% CI: 0.33 to 0.73]), and experienced greater reductions in conduct problems (adjusted mean difference: 0.12 [95% CI: 0.01 to 0.24]) compared with the controls at 1-month of follow-up. Moreover, a marginally significant reduction for emotional problems in the intervention group was also observed (adjusted mean difference: 0.16 [95% CI: −0.00 to 0.32]). These findings demonstrated that school-based sleep education was effective in enhancing parental sleep knowledge and improving behavioral outcomes in children, but not sufficient in altering the children’s sleep-wake patterns and sleep problems. Full article

Air pollution is a pressing concern in urban areas, necessitating the critical monitoring of air quality to understand its implications for public health. Internet of Things (IoT) devices are widely utilized in air pollution monitoring due to their sensor capabilities and seamless data transmission over the Internet. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning techniques play a crucial role in classifying patterns derived from sensor data. Environmental stations offer a multitude of parameters that can be obtained to uncover hidden patterns showcasing the impact of pollution on the surrounding environment. This paper focuses on utilizing the CO parameter as an indicator of pollution in two datasets collected from wireless environmental monitoring devices in the greater Port area and the Town Hall of Igoumenitsa City in Greece. The datasets are normalized to facilitate their utilization in classification algorithms. The k-means algorithm is applied, and the elbow method is used to determine the optimal number of clusters. Subsequently, the datasets are introduced to the grammatical evolution algorithm to calculate the percentage fault. This method constructs classification programs in a human-readable format, making it suitable for analysis. Finally, the proposed method is compared against four state-of-the-art models: the Adam optimizer for optimizing artificial neural network parameters, a genetic algorithm for training an artificial neural network, the Bayes model, and the limited-memory BFGS method applied to a neural network. The comparison reveals that the GenClass method outperforms the other approaches in terms of classification error. Full article

Given the immersion of cities in a global situation of social emergency since the latest environmental and health events, current research on increasing the quality of life of citizens has become a priority in the attempt to provide the set of sustainable strategic conditions that must be met in favour of the necessary urban regeneration associated with the improvement of the habitable environment. Thus, being directly concerned by this matter, the construction of new buildings will have to follow concordant dynamics aiming at the improvement of the quality of life of their users and of the city as a whole, thus contributing to their mandatory healthy, habitable and equitable nature. It is necessary to redefine in the design of buildings certain potential criteria with a positive effect on the quality of life. These can be grouped into the following five key factors that define architectural work in relation to its habitability conditions: identity, character, image, materiality and implementation. These quality-of-life descriptors are assessed in a particular building, which serves as a real case study as follows: the new town hall of Estepona (Malaga, Spain). The aim is to provide an answer to the potential use of indicators that determine the improvement of the quality of life provided by a building in the city as a whole. The fact that it is a public building also turns it into a model of management that is consistent with the requirements of sustainable environmental progress in the general interest of a socially just city. Full article

It is estimated that almost 40% of the world’s energy is consumed by buildings’ heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. This consumption increases by 3% every year and will reach 70% by 2050 due to rapid urbanisation and population growth. In Darwin, building energy consumption is even higher and accounts for up to 55% due to the hot and humid weather conditions. Singapore has the same weather conditions but less energy consumption, with only 38% compared to Darwin. Solar radiation can be defined as electromagnetic radiation emitted by the Sun and the Darwin area receives a large amount of solar radiation; building energy consumption can be reduced hugely if this radiation is blocked effectively by analysing appropriate shading devices. This study investigated the influence of different types of shading devices on the cooling load of a town hall building located in Darwin, Australia, and proposed the optimal shading device. The results showed that the horizontal fins led to a 5% reduction in the cooling load of the building. In contrast, adding a variation to the device angles and length increased the savings to 8%. The results demonstrated that the overhangs were more efficient than the fins, contributing 9.2% energy savings, and the cooling reduction savings were increased to 15.5% with design and length variations. Full article