Secular and Faith-based Organisations as Reliable Information Sources for Residents of Environmentally Stressed Neighbourhoods

A sample of 873 residents of Accra, Ghana, and 504 residents of the state of New Jersey, USA, stratified by type of neighbourhood was gathered in order to determine the sources of information residents rely on for accurate information about their neighbourhoods. In both countries residents relied most heavily on personal contacts, television and radio, and much less on community organisations. Residents who rely on many sources for reliable information tend to have lived in their neighbourhood for a long time and to be more engaged in neighbourhood activities than those who reach out to fewer sources. Those who rely on secular community organisations tend to mistrust science, experts and local officials. Those who rely on faith-based organisations are much more trusting of local officials but are even less trusting of science and experts than their counterparts. The implications of these results for building and sustaining community organisations are discussed.     

Secular and Faith-based Organisations as Reliable Information Sources for Residents of Environmentally Stressed Neighbourhoods

A sample of 873 residents of Accra, Ghana, and 504 residents of the state of New Jersey, USA, stratified by type of neighbourhood was gathered in order to determine the sources of information residents rely on for accurate information about their neighbourhoods. In both countries residents relied most heavily on personal contacts, television and radio, and much less on community organisations. Residents who rely on many sources for reliable information tend to have lived in their neighbourhood for a long time and to be more engaged in neighbourhood activities than those who reach out to fewer sources. Those who rely on secular community organisations tend to mistrust science, experts and local officials. Those who rely on faith-based organisations are much more trusting of local officials but are even less trusting of science and experts than their counterparts. The implications of these results for building and sustaining community organisations are discussed.     

The Environmental Pollution Perception of Residents in Coal Mining Areas: A Case Study in the Hancheng Mine Area, Shaanxi Province, China

The environmental behavior of the residents depends on their perception of environmental pollution. Hence, it is important for scientific and policy experts to research on the impact of the environmental pollution perception of local residents. Owing to the richness of natural resources, Hancheng coal mine areas are abound in heavy industries, and environmental pollution is serious and typical in this area, thus, the residents are anxious about their health. Using questionnaires, this paper surveys the perception of residents living in the coal mine area. The influential factors of environmental perception were analyzed by the Rank Sum Test. The results were: (1) the majority of the residents in the coal mine area are not satisfied with their living environment. The perception order of pollution severity is: air pollution?>?noise pollution?>?sanitation?>?water pollution. The residents think that pollution is mainly caused by coal processing. Hence, coal mining is not the main reason of the pollution in the coal mine area. (2) Age and length of residence have significant positive effects on perceptions of air, water, and noise pollutions; whereas education has a significant negative effect on perceptions of water and noise pollutions, as well as sanitation. This phenomenon can be explained by the various cultural groups having varied perceptions on the environmental pollution. In addition, proximity to mine has significant negative effect on perceptions of water and noise pollution. In conclusion, the paper discusses the effects of demographical and social factors on the perception of environmental pollution and gives suggestions on the planning and management of the environment.     

Clashing coalitions: a discourse analysis of an artificial groundwater recharge project in Finland

The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the dynamics of knowledge production in the context of large-scale environmental projects causing local conflict. In particular, the paper analyses the discourse coalitions that formed around an artificial groundwater recharge project for the Turku Region in Finland. The material for this study consists of over 400 articles and opinion pieces which were collected from local and regional newspapers between 1999 and 2010. The articles were analysed by using Hajer's [1995. The politics of environmental discourse. Ecological modernisation and the policy process. Oxford, UK: Clarendon] discursive framework, and the analysis was complemented with the concept of knowledge coalition by Van Buuren and Edelenbos [2004. Conflicting knowledge. Why is joint knowledge production such a problem? Science and Public Policy, 31 (4), 289–299]. Results of the study indicate that knowledge coalitions were formed among the researchers, lay residents, and policy-makers, and they all utilised similar expertise-based factual arguments to support their cause. Thus, the paper participates in the academic discussion on the use and interpretation of expert knowledge in environmental policy-making by reshaping the division between experts and lay residents.     

Discounted knowledges: farmers» and residents» understandings of nature conservation goals and policies

Local Biodiversity Action Plans are the preferred policy mechanism for setting and delivering local biodiversity targets in the UK. This paper reviews the kind of knowledge conservation scientists envisage being used to identify and set local targets, and explores the means of incorporating local knowledge into this process. We use a case study of a Wildlife Enhancement Scheme (WES) on the Pevensey Levels, East Sussex, to reveal the understandings that local farmers and residents have of the nature conservation goals and practices associated with the scheme. Drawing on the findings of in-depth discussion groups, we show how farmers challenge both the monopoly of knowledge conservationists profess about nature, and the enlistment of farmers on the scheme as «technicians», motivated solely by financial rewards, rather than as knowledgeable experts who also have emotional attachments and ethical values for nature. Local people use their knowledge of both local farmers, and the industry in general, to challenge the assumption that farmers can be trusted with delivering nature conservation goals. In the absence of a commitment by central government to agree widely-held environmental standards, and a more democratic process of making judgements about what local nature is worth conserving, local residents challenge existing processes designed to conserve nature that are driven by the knowledge and practices of official experts alone. The findings of the study suggest that a widening of the knowledge base on which the goals and practices of nature conservation are founded, and a more deliberative process of making decisions about what nature is important locally, will secure and strengthen public support for local biodiversity action plans.1998 Academic Press     

乡村振兴背景下社区居民旅游创业意愿研究——基于分布式认识理论

在乡村振兴背景下,选择兰州市榆中县浪街村社区为研究对象,依托分布式认知理论,构建了居民旅游创业意愿和影响因素模型。结果发现:(1)个人力因素不是形成创业意愿的决定性因素。(2)在地域力方面,大部分居民参与旅游创业的资源条件有限。(3)在文化力方面,领导和以领导为核心的社会关系网是旅游创业意愿形成和转变的决定性因素,并且能够将这种创业意愿转化为创业行为。在研究基础上,提出对策建议:注意培育旅游创业主体,增强现存社区创业能力,争取外部专家与辅助者的支持,以增强乡村旅游发展的可持续性。     

Risk discourses and governance of high-level radioactive waste storage in Taiwan

Policy scholars have indicated that the quality of the solution to a perceived social problem depends on the adequacy of its framing. This paper examines how policy stakeholders and local residents frame the issue of the radioactive waste storage facility in Taiwan, the limits of institutional mechanisms in decision-making processes, and the implications of the deliberative forums undertaken by the national Stop Nukes Now organisation. The controversy illustrates the problems of a knowledge gap and the top-down procedures as well as the challenges that Taiwan faces in becoming a nuclear-free country. This case demonstrates civic society organisations’ efforts to challenge the ‘social–technical divide’ and technical experts’ prior definition of the ‘problems’ and selection of a ‘solution’. Deliberative forums enable the participation of affected communities to shape public discourses, which helps to strengthen public communication, improves citizen consciousness of nuclear waste issues, and attempts to link wider communities and public interests.     

INFLUENCES ON RESIDENTIAL YARD CARE AND WATER QUALITY: TUALATIN WATERSHED,OREGON1

ABSTRACT: The Tualatin is the first watershed in Oregon to implement the Total Maximum Daily Load provisions of the Clean Water Act to deal with nonpoint source pollution. Local officials cite residential yard care practices as potential contributors to nonpoint source pollution in the basin. Qualitative and quantitative methods, including observation of yard maintenance styles, suggest behaviors potentially harmful to water quality and conservation. Yard maintenance is influenced by the importance of neighborhood appearance and concern for aesthetics. These concerns stimulate residents to water, fertilize, and apply weed control at more frequent intervals than yard care experts recommend. Better understanding of the effects that relations with neighbors and yard maintenance knowledge have on residential yard care practices can help improve water quality.     

Stakeholder Analysis and Social-Biophysical Interdependencies for Common Pool Resource Management: La Brava Wetland (Argentina) as a Case Study

This article gives an account of the implementation of a stakeholder analysis framework at La Brava Wetland Basin, Argentina, in a common-pool resource (CPR) management context. Firstly, the context in which the stakeholder framework was implemented is described. Secondly, a four-step methodology is applied: (1) stakeholder identification, (2) stakeholder differentiation-categorization, (3) investigation of stakeholders' relationships, and (4) analysis of social-biophysical interdependencies. This methodology classifies stakeholders according to their level of influence on the system and their potential in the conservation of natural resources. The main influential stakeholders are La Brava Village residents and tourism-related entrepreneurs who are empowered to make the more important decisions within the planning process of the ecosystem. While these key players are seen as facilitators of change, there are other groups (residents of the inner basin and fishermen) which are seen mainly as key blockers. The applied methodology for the Stakeholder Analysis and the evaluation of social-biophysical interdependencies carried out in this article can be seen as an encouraging example for other experts in natural sciences to learn and use these methods developed in social sciences. Major difficulties and some recommendations of applying this method in the practice by non-experts are discussed.     

居民对垃圾焚烧发电态度的实证研究——以泰安市垃圾焚烧电厂为例

基于对山东省泰安市垃圾焚烧发电厂周边居民的调查数据,运用SPSS20.0统计软件对数据进行二元Logistic回归分析,探讨垃圾焚烧发电厂周边居民对电厂态度的影响因素。实证结果表明,受教育年限、是否被征求意见、是否接受物质补偿3个变量对周边居民的态度有显著的正向影响;而是否知道二噁英、居住地与电厂距离与周边居民态度呈显著负相关关系。结合相关研究,发现本研究中影响电厂周边居民态度的因素既有普遍性,也有其特殊性。     

Made in conflict. Local residents' construction of a local environmental problem

The aim of this paper is to understand how local residents participate in the construction of local environmental problems and to evaluate a particular analytical approach in environmental sociology to study this phenomenon. The paper is based on an interview study with a sample of local residents. The analysis demonstrates how the local residents attempt to construct a local environmental problem. In particular, the study focuses on how involved actors are positioned, how different sorts of knowledge claims are used, and how the neglect the residents perceive from the authorities affects the attempt to construct a local environmental problem. The study shows that the local residents play a central role in the construction of the situation and that the evaluated model could be very helpful as an analytical tool in the investigation of local residents' participation in the construction of environmental problems.     

Overtown: neighbourhood,change, challenge and “invironment”

This paper explores how residents of Overtown, a low-income neighbourhood in Miami, Florida, view the positive and negative aspects of their neighbourhood “invironment” through photographs taken by residents. The “invironment” [Bell, M., 2004. An invitation to environmental sociology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press] alludes to the interactions between environment/surroundings and the human body. Residents involved with a community social justice organisation were provided with a photographic workshop and cameras to visually document the positive and negative aspects of their neighbourhood. These participant photographers provided narratives paired with their photographs which were then exhibited at local community events. During the exhibits, community members’ comments on the photographs were recorded. This paper analyses community issues through both photographs and neighbourhood comments inspired by the photographs. The following themes of importance to residents were derived from the photographs and discussion with residents: Housing, Public Space, Neighbourhood Economy, History, Environmental/Invironmental Issues, Human Capital and Power. These themes were all connected by residents’ concerns about inequality in Overtown compared to other neighbourhoods in Miami.     

火电厂脱硫项目后评价指标权重确定方法研究

我国脱硫项目进行后评价的特点是依靠专家,因此评价结果受人为因素影响较大。通过采用层次分析法（AHP）确定评价指标的权重,同时利用专家判断矩阵一致性比率引入调节器,给予后评价专家相应的权重,进而得到评价指标的综合权重。得出一种适合于脱硫项目后评价群决策指标权重的确定方法,并利用脱硫项目后评价实例进行了验证计算。     

Science-practice interactions linked to climate adaptation in two contexts: municipal planning and forestry in Sweden

This paper examines the science-practice interface in the process of adapting to climate change in society. This paper analyses science-based stakeholder dialogues with climate scientists, municipal officers and private individual forest owners in Sweden, and examines how local experts both share scientific knowledge and experience and integrate it into their work strategies and practices. The results demonstrate how local experts jointly conceptualise climate adaptation, how scientific knowledge is domesticated among local experts in dialogue with scientific experts, the emergence of anchoring devices, and the boundary-spanning functions that are at work in the respective sectors.     

云南省昆明市居民生态环保意识调查研究

本文主要是对云南省昆明市居民环保意识进行调查研究，通过分析得到文化水平与环保意识存在正相关的关系；居民的环保意识与环保行动脱节；政府、企业的环保力度不够大等结论。最后给出了相应的建议和措施。     

禾木景区社区居民旅游影响感知实证研究

旅游目的地居民作为旅游产业的重要利益相关者,对当地发展旅游业的感知和态度直接影响着当地旅游资源的合理利用及旅游业的健康发展.运用社会交互理论和道科西旅游发展阶段理论,通过问卷调查和实地访谈的方法,从四个维度研究了禾木景区社区居民对旅游影响的感知和态度.结果表明,当地居民对旅游经济的影响大都持乐观的支持态度,旅游发展使居民的生计方式、收入水平明显改善;对生活环境的影响较大,对生态环境和环保意识的影响较小;对居民的传统文化影响较弱,居民与游客的双向交流很少,旅游业仍处于初级发展阶段.因此,当地居民的旅游感知目前还停留在经济层面,缺少对传统文化、自然生态、环境保护等感知的关注.     

湖南小城市居民娱乐休闲意向研究

为了准确把握湖南省城市居民娱乐休闲意向的特征及其影响因素,进行了一项辅助和补充研究。通过对宁乡和常德的居民抽样调查得到基础数据,运用因子分析和聚类法得出3个大类生活形态相异的细分市场,采用对应分析和多重反应分析,得出了不同生活形态细分市场的娱乐休闲意向差异,为湖南省的娱乐市场营销问题提供基础数据和结论。     

Participatory diagnosis in urban planning: proposal for a learning process based on geographical information

Urban planning involves compromise between the diverse and often contradictory issues supported by the different stakeholders. The literature generally agrees on the need to broaden the participation base to overcome this difficulty. However, participation should not be limited to problem solving, but should also take place in the problem setting phase. This paper proposes a participatory diagnosis process for structuring the problem setting phase. We describe an experiment in a participatory diagnosis conducted with the residents of a Geneva neighborhood. The experiment began by identifying the residents' concerns, which were then reformulated under broader issues. Some 20 spatial indicators were built using GIS tools, and were then applied in a second phase of resident consultations to assess the relative importance of each issue. The ensuing priority issues formed the core of the diagnosis. The approach emphasized comparison between the daily experiences of residents and so-called official information (i.e. census tract, traffic measurement, and so on). The residents were therefore involved in a learning process that allowed them to consolidate or modify their opinions. The process led to the emergence of a clearly defined collective awareness that supplanted individual aspirations.     

基于城镇污水处理厂运行情况的城镇生活污水污染核算方法——以滇池流域城镇生活污水污染核算为实例

根据城镇污水处理厂运行情况和城市供排水平衡分析提出一种简化的城镇居民生活污染源产排污总量核算的思路与方法,并以滇池流域为例核算了2010年滇池流域城镇居民生活主要污染物产生与排放总量。     

A resilience-based approach for comparing expert preferences across two large-scale coastal management programs

This report proposes a method for assessing resilience-building components in coastal social–ecological systems. Using the proposed model, the preferences of experts in Masan Bay (South Korea) and Puget Sound (USA) are compared. A total of 30 management objectives were determined and used to build a hierarchic tree designed using the principles of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Surveys were performed with 35 Puget Sound experts using face-to-face interviews and with 28 Masan Bay experts by mail. The results demonstrate that the legal objective, which enables legislation, was the highest preferred component in both regions. The knowledge translation variable was also given a high preference score in both regions. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the Puget Sound experts significantly favored attention to education, habitat restoration and species protection objectives in comparison to the Masan Bay experts. The Masan Bay experts placed greater emphasis on legislation and the type of institutional design than did the Puget Sound experts. Using cluster analysis, four distinct groups of respondents were independently identified in Puget Sound and three groups were identified in Masan Bay. One unique subgroup in the Puget Sound experts group, which was characterized by its high preferences for habitat restoration and species protection, was not observed in Masan Bay. Demographic variables (length of career and role in coastal issue) failed to account for the differences in groupings and preferences in either region, except for the variable ‘favoring information source’ in the Puget Sound group. This finding implies that the demographic information was not related to differences in group opinions in both regions. The analysis framework presented here was effective in identifying expert preferences regarding the overall structure and emphasis in coastal management programs. Thus, this framework can be applied towards coastal policy development.