Unauthorised development and seismic hazard vulnerability: a study of squatters and engineers in Istanbul, Turkey

Many cities in developing nations have experienced an influx of poor migrants in search of work. This population influx has often been accommodated through land squatting, irregular construction and unauthorised housing. For the urban poor, this has resulted in immediate affordable housing; however, this housing frequently has long-term vulnerability to natural hazards. This article examines the ways in which squatters in Istanbul, Turkey, understand the seismic vulnerability of their unauthorised housing. Distrust of professional engineers and contractors has led Istanbul squatters to believe that self-built housing will not only be less costly but also safer than commercially built housing. The impact of residents' risk perceptions on their vulnerability to natural hazards is examined through a comparison of social attitudes regarding safe housing and the quality of unauthorised construction. This comparison highlights how squatters' risk perceptions necessitate innovative means of reducing vulnerability in unauthorised neighbourhoods of developing cities.     

物联网感知安全应用的研究与展望

为拓展物联网行业应用、加快发展中国物联网产业,基于提前感知,超前防范对安全科学与工程的重要性,介绍物联网感知安全应用的研究现状,深入分析物联网感知安全行业应用所需要的关键技术和研究方向;在分析国内外物联网发展路径的差异、现有标准及新标准制定的基础上,研究顶层设计、资源部署、应用标准建设等感知安全应用系统建设亟待解决的问题;提出物联网应用示范研究的内容、目标;提出在公共安全和安全生产领域应用物联网技术,对防范重特大事故、安全监管、事故应急救援的重要现实意义。     

网络视域下突发事件对旅游目的地形象的影响过程研究

突发事件直接影响旅游目的地形象,关系到目的地的可持续发展。基于网络视域,从旅游者感知角度,建立突发事件影响目的地形象的过程模型。根据突发事件网络传播的效应——信息爆炸效应和舆论聚合效应,将模型分解为对目的地形象的强化过程和反馈过程。突发事件的网络传播会加速目的地形象感知的过程并深化目的地形象感知的内容,从而强化对目的地形象的感知,反馈过程导致目的地形象的调整。分析表明,网络视域下突发事件对目的地形象的影响更加显著。最后总结网络信息时代目的地遭遇突发事件时维护自身形象的策略。     

风险感知对非适应性应急疏散行为的影响

为研究安全风险感知对非适应性应急疏散行为的影响机制,提升应急疏散的安全性,进而保障公众生命财产安全,建立包含风险感知、心理韧性、安全氛围、群体恐慌和非适应性应急疏散行为5个变量的理论模型,采用问卷调查法研究5个变量之间的关系,应用AMOS软件搭建结构方程模型,并结合调研数据进行分析。研究结果表明：风险感知对发生突发事件后人的非适应性应急疏散行为产生主要正向作用,群体恐慌通过调节作用提高风险感知,也会对人的非适应性应急疏散行为产生相应正向影响;安全氛围和心理韧性通过风险感知的中介作用会,对人的非适应性应急疏散行为产生一定负向影响;可通过加强安全氛围建设、安全知识科普、提高现场管理人员能力等方法,减少突发事件中非适应性应急疏散行为的产生。     

城市中学生地震灾害感知研究——以陕西省宝鸡市石油中学为例

以陕西宝鸡石油中学学生为例,通过问卷调查方式,对其地震灾害认识水平、防震减灾基本技能、自救互救情况、震后心理倾向和信息传播进行了研究。采用权重法,利用Excel和SPSS17.0软件进行统计分析。结果表明:①城市中学生地震知识掌握的准确性和深度还很不够,防震减灾意识淡薄;②城市中学生掌握的实际防震减灾技能不足,但有迫切的学习需求;③城市中学生具有基本的自救能力,但自救互救的组织性和主动性较差;④城市中学生具有广泛的地震信息来源,但辨别地震谣言的能力不强,易于传播地震谣言。针对上述结果,提出了强化城市中学生防震减灾教育的相关建议。     

European winegrowers’ perceptions of climate change impact and options for adaptation

A questionnaire on the perception of climate change and the impact of climate change was distributed among winegrowers in France, Germany, and Italy. These countries are located in three macro-climatic regions that experienced different patterns of climatic change in the twentieth century—Atlantic, transition to Continental and Mediterranean. The majority of winegrowers perceived changing climatic conditions in the last few decades. The characterization of these changes is consistent with results obtained by the analysis of long-term trends in climatic records. The winegrowers noted impacts on harvestable quantities (mainly in Italy), must quality, and risks of pests and diseases. The majority of respondents (66%) indicated an impact on wine quality, which was perceived as quality improvement in 55% of the cases. Perceived impacts on pests and diseases were reported in 56% of the responses. A strong majority of this group (80%) also reported increasing threats. Perceived climatic change and its noticeable impacts has led to growing interest in adaptation options, combined with a need for more information, among winegrowers. Thus, the transfer of technical knowledge from scientific research to practice is necessary for adaptation. Plans for adaptation by a change of wine varieties were reported with substantially different results among the regions. A majority of German growers said they would consider changing varieties to adapt to warming temperatures, while only a minority of the Italian and French growers said they would consider such changes. However, readiness to adopt adaptation measures is correlated with the degree of changes already planned, independent of climatic change.     

Living in grey areas: Industrial activity and psychological health

The main goal of this paper was to explore the relationship between living in industrial areas and individual’s level of psychological health. Using a quasi-experimental design main findings suggest that, regardless of the type of industry that is operating, there was a significant association between living in industrialized areas and decreased levels of well being, optimism and use of active coping strategies. However, results on anxiety and depression were especially high in areas associated with air pollution. Moreover, there was also a significant association between more subjective meanings of place and psychological health. According to a reality-orientation criterion, evidences showed that when individuals live in industrial areas perceptions of their places as industrial are associated with lower depression, anxiety and psychiatric symptoms.     

Risk communication in the internet age: The rise of disorganized skepticism

Communicating risks has become a core ingredient in the regulatory functions of government, interest group advocacy, public health, and corporate relations. The channels of risk communication have grown in complexity along with the development and expansion of the Internet and the birth of personalized blogging. This paper discusses three stages in the development of risk communication as an area of study and research. It examines the way risk is framed in three channels of communication, newsprint, the Expanded Academic Index, and Google using the example of the controversial chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The paper concludes that the Internet, as illustrated by the Google search engine, has created more opportunities for citizen learning and expanded the breadth and channels of risk communication, while also providing new opportunities for stakeholders to influence the message. Democritization of information does not necessarily create greater concordance between the cultural and technical assessment of risk.     

Neighbourhood perceptions among inner-city adolescents: Relationships with their individual characteristics and with independently assessed neighbourhood conditions

We investigated relationships between adolescents’ perceptions of their neighbourhood, their mental health and independently assessed indicators of conditions in their residential neighbourhood. The Research with East London Adolescents Community Health Survey (RELACHS) provided information for 2370 adolescents on area perceptions (specifically alienation from/attachment to the area and satisfaction/dissatisfaction with local amenities and services), and on individual and family attributes including mental distress (measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire). These were combined for this study with independently assessed small area geographical indicators proposed by government to measure local deprivation in England. A Bayesian regression analysis using Gibbs sampling investigated associations between the predictor variables and neighbourhood perception. Alienation from neighbourhood and dissatisfaction with local amenities was greater for girls than for boys and for the older adolescents sampled. Those of ‘Asian’ or ‘Black’ ethnicity, from relatively harmonious families, or with higher levels of social support were less likely to express negative area perceptions. While previously published research found no significant direct association between mental health and small area indicators, this analysis suggests that those with relatively high levels of distress did have worse area perceptions. Also, certain independently assessed area indicators were associated with adolescents’ views of their neighbourhood.     

Constructing risks – Internalisation of flood risks in the flood risk management plan

Traditional flood protection methods have focused efforts on different measures to keep water out of floodplains. However, the European Flood Directive challenges this paradigm (Hartmann and Driessen, 2013). Accordingly, flood risk management plans should incorporate measures brought about by collaboration with local governments to develop and implement these measures (Johann and Leismann, 2014). One of the challenges of these plans is getting and keeping stakeholders involved in the processes related to flood risk management. This research shows that that this challenge revolves around how flood risks are socially constructed.Therefore it is essential to understand and explain the risk perception of stakeholders. System Theory by Luhmann provides the analytical distinction between ‘internal risk’ and ‘external danger’ as key concepts to understand whether or not stakeholders will take action (Luhmann, 1993). While perceptions of ‘external danger’ will not lead to action, perceptions of ‘internal risk’ urge stakeholders to take action.The cases of the rivers Lippe and Emscher in the dense populated region between Duisburg and Dortmund in Germany illustrate how these theoretical concepts materialise in practice. This contribution shows how flood risks are socially constructed and how this construction is influenced by the European flood risk management plan. While clearing up some of the difficulties from the Flood Directive, the research shows a gap between the Flood Directive and the current theory and planning practice, which needs to be addressed in further research.