PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Unlocking urban diversity: The magnetism of complex amenities

Unlocking urban diversity: The magnetism of complex amenities
2023-09-18
(Press-News.org) Diversity fuels prosperity in cities, but where do people from diverse backgrounds meet? A study from the Complexity Science Hub now indicates that locations offering a range of rare shops and services may hold the key.

 

Extensive research consistently underscores a common factor in successful cities: diversity. Encouraging interactions between individuals of different backgrounds fosters the exchange of ideas, leading to innovation and economic success. “However, segregation persists in urban areas, not solely based on residence but also on the places people frequent,” CSH researcher Sándor Juhász explains.

WHERE DO DIVERSE PEOPLE MEET?

Given this premise, it would be advantageous for cities to proactively establish spaces where individuals from varying socio-economic backgrounds can come together. Juhász emphasizes, "To achieve this, we must comprehend the characteristics of urban locations that attract people from diverse strata and understand why these locations possess such an appeal."

DIVERSE BUT NOT UBIQUITOUS

This new study contributes a piece here. Working alongside colleagues from ANET Lab Budapest, Juhász demonstrates that locations in Budapest offering diverse but not widely available amenities effectively attract people with different socio-economic backgrounds.

These “complex” locations provide a range of shops and services, such as cinemas, zoos, and coffee shops, which are not universally accessible, like a zoo, for instance. Juhász explains, "We draw inspiration from the economic complexity framework, which posits that economies with a diversified product portfolio, featuring numerous non-ubiquitous outputs, tend to thrive." Following this approach, the researchers developed indices reflecting the complexity of neighborhoods in Budapest based on the distribution of different Point-of-Interest (POI) categories on Google Maps.

They also assessed the complexity of amenity types by considering their ubiquity and the number of other POI types available nearby. Just like neighborhoods, less common amenities, such as zoos, surrounded by various POIs attract a more diverse audience.

Both are strongly tied to how centrally located the respective neighborhood or amenity is. While the mixing of different people naturally depends heavily on centrality, understanding the complexity of neighborhoods and amenities provides an even more precise insight.

MOBILITY DATA FROM APPS

To uncover visitation patterns inside Budapest, the researchers employed GPS data from mobile phones. Juhász clarifies, "When you use smartphone apps, you may be asked to permit the collection of your location data. If you consent, the app developers can collect information on your mobility, including time and precise location, but without personal data. This anonymous data can be used by researchers like us to find out how cities can become a better place for everyone."

The team then tracked all the places where people stopped for a short stay over months in Budapest, considering at what period of the day. During the night, the stop is most likely at people's homes, and from 9 am to 5 pm, it’s most likely their workplace. “So, we focused on so-called 'third places,' such as coffee shops or cinemas, as potential locations for interaction,” Juhász states. They also used real estate prices in the individuals' residential areas as an indicator of their wealth.

PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT OBJECTIVES COME TOGETHER

By combining this information, the researchers could assess a person's economic situation and the types of places they frequented. In Budapest, Városliget, the city's largest and oldest public park, stood out as the most complex neighborhood, boasting a museum, spa, zoo, and other unique facilities not widely accessible. In terms of amenity categories, Zoo turned out to be the most complex type.

"People with various aims and objectives are drawn to locations like these, offering a diverse portfolio that includes super-rare amenities. This is why we believe that socio-economically diverse individuals will adhere to this rationale and seek out complex places," Juhász notes. While interaction in these places isn't guaranteed, the likelihood is significantly higher than in other, less complex neighborhoods or amenities.

SUPPORTING POLICYMAKERS

"Consequently, for policymakers, this knowledge is essential as it enables them to identify potential areas of segregation in their city using the economic complexity framework and to implement measures to mitigate it," Juhász emphasizes.

 

___________

 

ABOUT THE COMPLEXITY SCIENCE HUB

The mission of the Complexity Science Hub (CSH) is to host, educate, and inspire complex systems scientists dedicated to making sense of Big Data to boost science and society. Scientists at the Complexity Science Hub develop methods for the scientific, quantitative, and predictive understanding of complex systems.

The CSH is a joint initiative of AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Central European University CEU, Danube University Krems, Graz University of Technology, Medical University of Vienna, TU Wien, VetMedUni Vienna, Vienna University of Economics and Business, and Austrian Economic Chambers (WKO). https://www.csh.ac.at

 

END


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Unlocking urban diversity: The magnetism of complex amenities Unlocking urban diversity: The magnetism of complex amenities 2 Unlocking urban diversity: The magnetism of complex amenities 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Latest blood cancer treatment updates presented at annual NCCN event during Blood Cancer Awareness Month

2023-09-18
SAN FRANCISCO, CA [September 18, 2023] — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) 2023 Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies™ returns to San Francisco this week, for the first time since 2019. The meeting features insights from world-renowned experts on providing optimal, evidence-based treatment for various blood cancers, plus best practices for protecting vulnerable populations in a changing healthcare landscape. The live event is taking place September 22-23, 2023, at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square. ...

How do suicide risk or depression screenings compare to identify patients at risk?

2023-09-18
Editor’s Note: September is National Suicide Prevention Month.   COLUMBUS, Ohio – Research led by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Wesleyan University found that depression screening tools outperformed suicide risk screenings under most conditions.  “We compared the effectiveness of multiple depression and suicide risk screening methods for the purpose of identifying primary care patients who subsequently attempted suicide. Our findings may generate a lot of discussion within the suicide prevention community, as it contradicts long-held assumptions ...

Atomic layer deposition route to scalable, electronic-grade van der Waals Te thin films

Atomic layer deposition route to scalable, electronic-grade van der Waals Te thin films
2023-09-18
A research team, led by Professor Joonki Suh in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Graduate School of Semiconductor Materials and Devices Engineering at UNIST, has made a significant breakthrough in thin film deposition technology. By employing an innovative atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, Professor Seo successfully achieved regular arrangement of tellurium (Te) atoms at low temperatures as low as 50 degrees Celsius. The ALD method is a cutting-edge thin film process that enables precise stacking ...

NIH launches $2 million prize competition to spur innovation in fetal diagnostic and monitoring technologies

NIH launches $2 million prize competition to spur innovation in fetal diagnostic and monitoring technologies
2023-09-18
The National Institutes of Health will award up to $2 million in cash prizes to accelerate development of diagnostic and monitoring technologies that improve fetal health outcomes in low-resource settings. The Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Technology (RADx® Tech) Fetal Monitoring Challenge calls on scientists, engineers, and clinicians around the country to submit their innovative approaches and compete for prizes and additional resources to support technology development and clinical impact. The challenge is sponsored by the NIH’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), ...

Incubator or barrier? Exploring the links between agriculture, biodiversity and the spread of pathogens

2023-09-18
Many pathogens, including the virus that causes COVID-19, are thought to have originated in wild animals before spilling into human populations. Agriculture is often blamed for accelerating this process, which is known as zoonotic spillover, through deforestation and habitat fragmentation that reduce biodiversity and increase the likelihood of contact between infected wildlife and humans. But in a Perspectives article published online Sept. 15 in the journal One Earth, University of Michigan ecologist Ivette Perfecto and her colleagues argue that agriculture can both help and hinder: ...

FAU receives $750,000 philanthropic grant for Alzheimer’s disease

FAU receives $750,000 philanthropic grant for Alzheimer’s disease
2023-09-18
More than 720,000 Floridians will be living with Alzheimer’s disease by 2025. Currently, Florida has the second highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in the United States and is the sixth leading cause of death in Floridians 65 and older. Although the epidemic of age-related brain dysfunction – of which Alzheimer’s disease is a major factor –  is growing at an alarming rate, there is a disconnect between the existing care model designed for urgent care and the progressive nature of this chronic condition, which tends to worsen over time. To address this widespread health concern, Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt College ...

Study shows nearly 300% increase in ADHD medication errors

2023-09-18
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most common pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders. In 2019, nearly 10% of United States (U.S.) children had a diagnosis of ADHD. Approximately 3.3 million children, or roughly 5 out of every 100 children in the U.S., are currently prescribed medication for ADHD. In a new study, published today in Pediatrics, researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy and Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital investigated the characteristics ...

KICT develops road pothole filtering program based on AI

KICT develops road pothole filtering program based on AI
2023-09-18
The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, President Kim Byung-Suk) has developed a 'Road Pothole Filtering Program' to establish an emergency road restoration system for frequent pothole occurrences. Commonly referred to as 'the landmine of the road,' potholes are a road damage phenomenon in which parts of the asphalt sink into bowl-like depressions. Potholes occur when a significant amount of rainwater infiltrates the road surface, weakening the ground below and causing the asphalt ...

New online tool available to help health care providers identify a hard to diagnose breast cancer

2023-09-18
A new diagnostic scoring system, developed by renowned breast cancer experts, is now available as an easy-to-use online tool through Susan G. Komen®, the world’s leading breast cancer organization. This tool will help health care providers recognize and effectively diagnose a rare and aggressive breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer. The new Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) Scoring System online tool is available at https://www.komen.org/ibc and may help to increase diagnostic accuracy, predict outcomes, guide treatment decisions ...

Pearl Harbor: Bombed battleships’ boost for climate science

Pearl Harbor: Bombed battleships’ boost for climate science
2023-09-18
Weather data from several ships bombed by Japanese pilots at Pearl Harbor has been recovered in a rescue mission that will help scientists understand how the global climate is changing.  Crew members aboard various vessels - such as the USS Pennsylvania and the USS Tennessee - died when their battleships were targeted in December 1941. Despite these losses, many boats returned to service during the Second World War and US naval servicemen continued their daily duties, which included recording weather data.   A new research paper, published in Geoscience Data ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Protein shakeup: Researchers uncover new function of a protein that may unlock age-related illnesses

UMD-led study could ‘pave the way’ for improved treatment of premature aging disease

How chain IVF clinics improve infertility treatment

Study shows that Rett syndrome in females is not just less severe, but different

Big data, real world, multi-state study finds RSV vaccine highly effective in protecting older adults against severe disease, hospitalization and death

Manliness concerns impede forgiveness of coworkers

Better ocean connectivity boosts reef fish populations

Two 2024 Nobel laureates are affiliates of the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole

Ultra-processed foods pose unique dangers for people with type 2 diabetes

When hurricanes hit, online chatter drowns out safety messaging

Study seeks rapid, paper-based test to detect cancer cells in cerebrospinal fluid

Raising happy eaters: Unlocking the secrets of childhood appetite

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons launches two new thoracic surgery risk calculators

FAPESP and CNR plan to launch joint call for proposals in April 2025

Smaller, more specific academic journals have more sway over policy

Medicaid ACOs have not yet improved care for kids with asthma

New study sheds light on lily toxicity in cats; outpatient treatment may be viable option

A new benchmark to recognize the hardest problems in materials science

Why do we love carbs? The origins predate agriculture and maybe even our split from Neanderthals

Key protein for the biosynthesis of defense steroids in solanaceous plants discovered

Global CO2 emissions from forest fires increase by 60%

AI-assisted deliberation can help people with different views find common ground

Special Issue explores factors influencing democratic attitudes, and what’s at stake for science in the U.S. after November election

Extratropical forest fire emissions are increasing as climate changes

A new approach to capturing complex mixtures of organic chemicals in blood, evaluated in pregnant women

Gut instincts: Intestinal nutrient sensors

Catching prey with grappling hooks and cannons

Effects of chemical mixtures: Neurotoxic effects add up

Mpox in Africa was neglected during the previous outbreak, and requires urgent action and investment by leaders now to prevent global spread

A new era of treating neurological diseases at the blood-brain-immune interface

[Press-News.org] Unlocking urban diversity: The magnetism of complex amenities