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Sustainable and Healthy Public Spaces: Towards a More Inclusive City
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Sustainable and Healthy Public Spaces: Towards a More Inclusive City

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 28099

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Fernando Brandão Alves

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CITTA/Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
Interests: public space and inclusive urban design; bioclimatic urban design and morphology; public space accessibility for all; low-carbon cities; aging friendly cities; healthy cities; urban rehabilitation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cities are currently facing relevant challenges for equity, social inclusion, health, and environmental sustainability. This Special Issue of the Sustainability Journal seeks to collect high-level interdisciplinary research studies regarding sustainable and healthy public spaces, supported by innovative ideas, sharing public policies, tools, recommendations, and good practices. The discussion on these topics—sustainability and health in urban environment—is crucial on how to reach more inclusive and equitable cities in a more effective manner. Creating public (or semi-public) spaces for imaginative and inclusive processes should be part of the municipal agenda and should become a standard operating procedure.

Equity and social inclusion constitute a key objective of Habitat III and the New Urban Agenda. Placemaking as a connecting link between sustainability and livability, as well as the reclaim of the public function of spaces and neighborhoods can be an effective way of providing benefits to all citizens, regardless of age, race or gender, addressing important issues related to sustainable pedestrian mobility, access to public services and public transportation, age-friendly spaces, environmental resilience, leisure, cultural links and collective memories, social interaction, inclusive citizens’ engagement and trust, equitably shared wealth, and the integration of disadvantaged people.

Studies addressing innovative theoretical and methodological approaches to create, manage, and study more sustainable and healthy public spaces, increasing cities’ inclusiveness, are welcome.

This Special Edition includes the following topics (but is not limited to them):

  • Shares ideas and tools for sustainable public spaces;
  • Good practices related to inclusion in the design;
  • Sustainable mobility;
  • Public space as a stage for social inclusion;
  • Mobility as a healthy activity;
  • Access to public transportation;
  • Implementation and evaluation of city-level related policies and services;
  • Citizens’ welfare and satisfaction;
  • Collective memories as a means to increase inclusiveness;
  • Public space and policies against discrimination;
  • Good places for interaction;
  • Urban spaces and the accessibility for all;
  • Inclusive citizens’ engagement;
  • Sustainable development to promote equity, welfare, and shared prosperity;
  • Livable neighborhoods;
  • Cities as key sites for sustainable and inclusive development;
  • City-level actions in fostering social inclusion;
  • Placemaking, key actions for sustainability and inclusiveness;
  • Public space as an opportunity for gender equality.

Dr. Fernando Brandão Alves
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • inclusive cities
  • sustainable and healthy places
  • pedestrian mobility
  • accessibility for all
  • placemaking
  • inclusive urban design
  • livable places
  • social inclusion
  • citizens’ welfare
  • public transportation accessibility

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 4827 KiB  
Article
Digital Tools to Foster Inclusiveness: Porto’s System of Accessible Itineraries
by Miguel Lopes and Fernando Alves
Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 5840; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115840 - 22 May 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2097
Abstract
The recognition, by public authorities, of the shared nature of urban places and the extent and variety of disabling conditions associated with the emergence of phenomena of social exclusion and a steadily ageing population has motivated the creation of new legislation and strategic [...] Read more.
The recognition, by public authorities, of the shared nature of urban places and the extent and variety of disabling conditions associated with the emergence of phenomena of social exclusion and a steadily ageing population has motivated the creation of new legislation and strategic tools under the umbrella of inclusive design and accessibility for all. This study aims to show how the use of a new interactive accessibility instrument—the System of Accessible Itineraries (SIA)—can help decision-makers, municipality services and citizens to develop pedestrian-friendly networks in their cities. An in loco analysis of the main features, weaknesses, and potential of public spaces was undertaken within a selected survey area in the city of Porto, with the aim of improving the inclusiveness of public spaces. The integration of several concerns and regulations, pertaining to inclusiveness in the design of public spaces, into an easy-to-understand summary specific to this territory constitutes an important first step towards changing the existing paradigm. Apart from the inherent advantages to citizens with reduced mobility, the SIA also has the ability to inform urban planners concerning areas in need of intervention, prioritizing the execution of corrective actions within the public space. Additionally, due to the morphological similarity of the consolidated urban fabric of most Portuguese and European cities, the adopted interactive framework also reveals a considerable potential for comprehensive replication in many city centres, reducing the physical barriers, in a more integrative land strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable and Healthy Public Spaces: Towards a More Inclusive City)
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26 pages, 18555 KiB  
Article
Summer Thermal Conditions in Outdoor Public Spaces: A Case Study in a Mediterranean Climate
by Renato Soares, Helena Corvacho and Fernando Alves
Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5348; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105348 - 11 May 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1778
Abstract
Comfort in public spaces is essential to their attractiveness and continued role in improving human quality of life. Acceptable thermal conditions are determinant to ensuring users’ comfort. This study undertakes an assessment of three urban sites in Arouca, in the north of Portugal, [...] Read more.
Comfort in public spaces is essential to their attractiveness and continued role in improving human quality of life. Acceptable thermal conditions are determinant to ensuring users’ comfort. This study undertakes an assessment of three urban sites in Arouca, in the north of Portugal, using ENVI-met software. Simulations test the influence of pavement and façade covering material, vegetation, and site morphology. The climate of the region is classified as Mediterranean Csb, with rainy winters and dry and mildly warm summers. A typical summer day is considered. The results reveal that a combination of factors might lead to thermal discomfort even in this mild climate on an average day, mainly due to heat exchange by radiation. In addition, the impact of alterations to surface properties depends on the morphological characteristics of the site, e.g., high albedo of the pavement may lead to a decrease or an increase in mean radiant temperature, depending on the space. This variability is present in the effects observed at the studied sites. A high façade albedo always contributes, in these cases, to thermal discomfort. The conclusions of the present study highlight the importance of performing a specific study for each urban site whenever an intervention is to be planned. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable and Healthy Public Spaces: Towards a More Inclusive City)
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18 pages, 8167 KiB  
Article
An Application of the Walkability Index for Elderly Health—WIEH. The Case of the UNESCO Historic Centre of Porto, Portugal
by Fernando Alves, Sara Cruz, Sophia Rother and Tino Strunk
Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 4869; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094869 - 26 Apr 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3340
Abstract
This work provides a follow-up to the article Walkability Index for Elderly Health: A Proposal, published in 2020. Previous research linked the quality of public spaces, walkability characteristics relevant to older people, and the direct health benefits of walking for the same target [...] Read more.
This work provides a follow-up to the article Walkability Index for Elderly Health: A Proposal, published in 2020. Previous research linked the quality of public spaces, walkability characteristics relevant to older people, and the direct health benefits of walking for the same target group. The present article, on the other hand, aims to validate the conceptual design of the walkability index for elderly health (WIEH), developed by the authors in the previous study, by applying it to a study area located in the historic center of Porto, Portugal. Therefore, public spaces and the pedestrian network are analyzed according to their suitability for older people’s walkability. Presented in a visual format, the results show that only a few paths within the study area were strongly suited to older people, and emphasize the impact of existing steep slopes on the quality of the pedestrian network. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable and Healthy Public Spaces: Towards a More Inclusive City)
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13 pages, 3959 KiB  
Article
Health Lens Analysis: A Strategy to Engage Community in Environmental Health Research in Action
by Sharon Ron, Noelle Dimitri, Shir Lerman Ginzburg, Ellin Reisner, Pilar Botana Martinez, Wig Zamore, Ben Echevarria, Doug Brugge and Linda S. Sprague Martinez
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 1748; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041748 - 06 Feb 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2651
Abstract
Health Lens Analysis (HLA) is a tool to facilitate collaboration among diverse community stakeholders. We employed HLA as part of a community-based participatory research (CBPR) and action study to mitigate the negative health effects of traffic-related air pollution TRAP and ultrafine particles (UFPs) [...] Read more.
Health Lens Analysis (HLA) is a tool to facilitate collaboration among diverse community stakeholders. We employed HLA as part of a community-based participatory research (CBPR) and action study to mitigate the negative health effects of traffic-related air pollution TRAP and ultrafine particles (UFPs) in Somerville, MA. HLA is a Health in All Policies tool with previously limited implementation in a North American context. As part of the HLA, community and academic partners engaged residents from across near-highway neighborhoods in a series of activities designed to identify health concerns and generate recommendations for policies and projects to improve health over an 18-month planning period. Noise barriers, which may reduce TRAP exposure among residents in addition to reducing traffic noise, were seen as an acceptable solution by community stakeholders. We found HLA to be an effective means to engage stakeholders from across sectors and diverse community residents in critical discourse about the health impacts of near-roadway exposures. The iterative process allowed the project team to fully explore the arguments for noise barriers and preferred health interventions, while building a stakeholder base interested in the mitigation of TRAP, thus creating a shared language and understanding of the issue. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable and Healthy Public Spaces: Towards a More Inclusive City)
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17 pages, 1807 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Open Space on Reducing Workplace Stress: Case Study of Business Park in the Post-Socialist Urban Setting
by Jelena Maric, Djukic Aleksandra, Branislav Antonic, Danilo Furundzic and Vladimir Parezanin
Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 336; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010336 - 01 Jan 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5038
Abstract
Working people spend around 54% of their waking hours at a workplace, according to recent statistics. Work-related stress is unavoidable, and it can damage the health of employees and affect business performance. In this paper, we argue that open space inside the workplace [...] Read more.
Working people spend around 54% of their waking hours at a workplace, according to recent statistics. Work-related stress is unavoidable, and it can damage the health of employees and affect business performance. In this paper, we argue that open space inside the workplace environment can have a positive influence on reducing overall stress levels in all the categories of users. To our knowledge, there is a significant lack of research considering specific business districts and the gated complexes called business parks, especially in post-socialist Eastern European cities, where there they are still a novelty. Empirical research in this study is on the single case study of Business Park “Airport city” in Belgrade, Serbia. Its main focus is on the survey conducted with 235 participants based on a questionnaire, which examines the relation between workplace stress and workplace environments. The findings from the questionnaire show that the frequency, duration, and activity of open space usage influence the stress levels of employees in this specific workplace, while it is not visible relating to their age and gender. Additionally, final implications suggest that improved open space, such as well-expected greenery, but also the urban design non-associative to workspace and the socialization and exercise amenities customized for frequent and short work breaks, can facilitate the overall well-being of employees. They are innovative elements in relatively underdeveloped research on stress measures with open space usage characteristics in the specific (gated) workplace setting. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable and Healthy Public Spaces: Towards a More Inclusive City)
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27 pages, 3401 KiB  
Article
Walkability Index for Elderly Health: A Proposal
by Fernando Alves, Sara Cruz, Anabela Ribeiro, Ana Bastos Silva, João Martins and Inês Cunha
Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7360; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187360 - 08 Sep 2020
Cited by 43 | Viewed by 9049
Abstract
Nowadays, the elderly tend to make more trips: Health benefits resulting from their daily walking routines are an important topic in the context of urban renewal processes. Many health organizations and researchers have demonstrated the influence of the urban environment on walkability levels. [...] Read more.
Nowadays, the elderly tend to make more trips: Health benefits resulting from their daily walking routines are an important topic in the context of urban renewal processes. Many health organizations and researchers have demonstrated the influence of the urban environment on walkability levels. This article aims to design a multifactor Walkability Index for Elderly Health (WIEH), capable of associating both the adequacy level of public spaces to elderly walkability, and physical exercise benefits while walking. The methodological approach comprised two main parts: Firstly, a literature review of main reports, legislation, and scientific articles was conducted at the intersection of ‘gerontology and physical exercise’ with ‘urban design and mobility’, leading to the selection of four aging-related studies as main contributors to the design of the WIEH; and, secondly, the development of the WIEH was undertaken, based on two premises and designed according to four steps. The first premise defined three systematic areas (urban tissue, urban scene, and safety), variables, and criteria to classify the pedestrian network; and the second premise focused on slopes and stairs in public spaces. The WIEH is divided in four steps: (1) Analyzing public spaces and characterizing their quality for walking, (2) considering the existence of slopes and stairs, (3) calculating different routes for the elderly in their daily routines, or when going to points of interest, and (4) selecting the “heart-friendly route” for elderly people. Adequate walking paths for the elderly can be identified through this innovative approach, with the aim of achieving direct health benefits during their daily routines. Ultimately, the WIEH is capable of supporting decision makers and designers in creating inclusive and age-friendly spaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable and Healthy Public Spaces: Towards a More Inclusive City)
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Review

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18 pages, 333 KiB  
Review
Restoring the Balance between People, Places, and Profits: A Psychosocial Analysis of Uneven Community Development and the Case for Placemaking Processes
by Erin E. Toolis
Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7256; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137256 - 29 Jun 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2885
Abstract
Recent years have seen a paradigm shift from individualistic, market-based models of community development to more sustainable and human-centered approaches that emphasize inclusion and participation. Yet processes of privatization in the era of neoliberalism threaten these efforts by concentrating profits for elites while [...] Read more.
Recent years have seen a paradigm shift from individualistic, market-based models of community development to more sustainable and human-centered approaches that emphasize inclusion and participation. Yet processes of privatization in the era of neoliberalism threaten these efforts by concentrating profits for elites while impoverishing everyday people and the environments they inhabit, resulting in profoundly uneven access to resources, inclusion, and participation. This analysis examines the psychosocial processes that produce and are produced by these unequal and segregated settings, as well as the causes and correlates of this imbalance in the context of the United States. Then, empirical literature is reviewed exploring the harmful consequences that inequality entails for individual and societal wellbeing, arguing that inequality (a) undermines opportunity by limiting access to resources and constraining upward mobility, (b) undermines community by dissolving trust and cohesion, (c) undermines ecosystems health by accelerating environmental degradation, and (d) undermines democracy by reducing the political power of the non-wealthy relative to the wealthy. Finally, four placemaking principles are proposed as a way to promote more sustainable, equitable, and inclusive community development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable and Healthy Public Spaces: Towards a More Inclusive City)
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