Due to the emerging complexity of cities, this paper argues for a holistic, integrative and relational approach to more inclusive city planning and design to fit the needs of citizens with diverse impairments. It proposes and tests a new theoretical model called the combined methodological approach (CMA). The backbone of this model is an often-overlooked qualitative, bottom-up-driven, slow, small and deep-data-oriented ethnographic research, combined with components or phases of post-occupancy evaluation and behavioural mapping as two user-oriented techniques for assessing usage-space relationships. The paper is rather theoretical, as it focuses on the argumentation of different approaches in city planning, design and governance. However, tests of the proposed model were conducted in public open spaces of four pilot cases in two European cities (Maribor and Ljubljana, in Slovenia). The proposed CMA was tested against its applicability to real urban environments. The results, in accordance with the methodology used, showed that such a combination of often closely related, overlapping and complementary techniques can significantly enhance the understanding of complex relations and interactions between people, space and technology within the city. Hence, it can empower stakeholders towards more informative and responsive measures and, finally, more inclusive, individualized, tailor-made cities.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2892995
The transformations in the welfare state regimes that have occurred globally, over the last three decades or so, have seriously affected the capacity of states to sustain the previous levels of social care and protection. These changes, already being manifested, inter alia, in trends in declining earnings of pensioners have inspired some researchers in this field to explore alternative ways of mitigating their impact on the well-being of the elderly during the retirement period. One of the theories that has been advanced to this effect is the so-called asset-based welfare concept which suggests that the wealth accumulated by people in the form of housing assets presents a financial reservoir that may serve as a source of income for pensioners in time of need. To address these issues, a variety of mechanisms have been developed and presented as "equity release products" that may be used by senior homeowners to improve their living situation. This article contributes to the debate from the perspective of a country in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), a region that has been rarely included in the scholarly discourse on the topic. While there might have been some level of success in the implementation of these instruments in some countries, the survey findings presented and discussed in this article show that Slovenian elderly homeowners strongly reject all the equity release products that were presented to them as potential options for alleviating financial hardship in old age.
COBISS.SI-ID: 35896669
This study uses sense of place to empirically compare, in two case study cities, how people connect with the peri-urban green space which they visit most often for their leisure activities. Based on a literature review and identified gaps in previous research, we developed a conceptual model which explains the factors that contribute to how people form a sense of place. We hypothesize that involvement with and appreciation of peri-urban green spaces, used by urban dwellers for leisure activities, are reflected in people's sense of (peri-urban) place. Furthermore, we hypothesize that sense of place affects people's place-concerning behaviour towards peri-urban green spaces, fact which can contribute to the planning and management of peri-urban areas. Principal components analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used to test the study hypotheses using data collected from 328 inner-city dwellers in Ljubljana and Edinburgh. Results indicate positive and significant effects of place involvement and appreciation on sense of place, and positive and significant effects of sense of place on place-concerning behaviour. Findings demonstrate that understanding people's sense of place towards peri-urban green spaces is crucial for promoting place-concerning behaviour and, consequently, prioritizing effective policy responses to ensure the sustainable future of these areas.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2925507
This article addresses user-related issues in flood-sustainable spatial planning. It presents the concept and methodological development of a user-centred module, one of three modules of a model for an integral system of flood-sustainable planning. By introducing daily routine analysis of a selected user profile, backgrounded by behaviour mapping, it addresses small but important data in the context of what is usually big-data analysis of flood modelling in order to bring the dynamics of everyday life into flood-sustainable planning. This user-centred module was developed and tested in the Planina Karst Field, a typical overflow karst field that is frequently flooded. It is a novel approach to addressing people’s lives and their interactions with space that opens new perspectives on flood-related issues and can act as an alternative or complement to spatial-planning measures and processes.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2904771
Sustainable urban mobility plan (SUMP) is a relatively new approach to transport and mobility planning in Slovenia. The biggest steps in this field were taken in 2016 when more than 60 municipal SUMPs were developed. Through the development and implementation several challenges were reported by local communities related to Municipal spatial plans. A study was carried out to establish current level of integration. The approach combined a survey and structured interviews among experts leading the development process of both types of documents, as well as experts managing spatial and transport planning in local communities. Results showed that current level of integration is relatively low. Even though experts from both fields were often involved in development of both documents, objectives, targets and measures are not equally included in both plans even if the topics overlap
COBISS.SI-ID: 2931651