Park in hilly urban nature : a design proposal for Talludden in Sköndal, Stockholm

I samband med att Stockholm förtätas och ytorna för traditionella parker i dalarna minskar kan relevansen öka i att utveckla stadens många utsparade kuperade naturmarker till mer funktionella rekreativa grönområden. En typ av park som även kan ha potential att bidra med höga upplevelsevärden. Stockholm har också, framförallt historiskt, utvecklat flera så kallade bergsparker i svårbyggd terräng. Dagens förhållanden och ideal ställer dock högre krav kring tillgänglighet och värnande av naturen. Detta arbete syftar till att undersöka möjligheterna och utmaningarna med att utveckla nya parker i städers utsparade kuperade natur och ställer sig frågan hur dessa parker kan gestaltas för att stärka upplevelsevärden och aktiviteter samt på ett adekvat sätt bemöta dagens krav kring tillgänglighet och värnande av naturen. Frågan har undersökts genom att ta fram ett gestaltningsförslag för Talludden som ligger i Stora Sköndal i södra Stockholm. Platsen är representativ för problemet utifrån sin topografi, sina höga upplevelse- och naturvärden, att det i området finns ovanligt höga behov av tillgängliga utemiljöer samt att det i Stora Sköndal planeras för en storskalig stadsutveckling. Metoderna som har använts under gestaltningsarbetet är en litteraturgenomgång av relevant teori och planhandlingarna för Stora Sköndals stadsutveckling, inventering och analys av Talludden, undersökning av referensexempel samt olika former av skissarbete. Det gestaltade resultatet är en, till hög grad tillgänglig, park med utvecklade stråk som leder till olika vistelseytor samt sparar naturens vegetation och terrängformer. Upplevelsemässigt syftar gestaltningen särskilt till att ta vara på rörelsen genom landskapet och naturliga platsbildningar vilket är två aspekter som starkt påverkas av topografin och dess förmåga att skapa bland annat upplevda landskapsrum och visuella sekvenser mellan dessa, utblickar, tysta områden samt skyddade visten. I gestaltningen har särskild uppmärksamhet riktats mot flera av Talluddens upplevda krön eftersom gestaltade tillägg vid dessa har potential att fylla många syften. Krönen har nämligen identifierats som trivsamma platser med god överblick, platser som är väl synliga utifrån och därmed kan bilda karaktärsgivande fokuspunkter, platser som skapar naturliga tröskeleffekter samt platser som utgör stora hinder för tillskapandet av tillgängliga stråk. I diskussionen lyfts bland annat hur föreslagna tillgänglighetsåtgärder på Talludden kan tänkas vara beroende av hur mycket som är rimligt att satsa rent ekonomiskt. Ett av argumenten för att de ekonomiska incitamenten kan anses öka i samband med den fortgående stadsutvecklingen är att den kuperade naturmarken erbjuder aktiviteter och upplevelser som har potential att komplettera, och till viss grad kompensera, parken i dalen. En rimlig utgångspunkt kan också vara att alltid vidta de åtgärder som krävs för att värna naturen och samtidigt se till att åtminstone vissa parker i stadens kuperade natur har en högre grad av tillgänglighet. Talludden kan anses ha god potential att utvecklas till ett sådant tillgängligt utflyktsmål.The room for traditional parks in the valleys of the landscape are decreasing in Stockholm as an effect of ongoing urban densification. This may increase the relevance in developing the city’s many unbuilt hilly forests into more functional recreational green areas. A type of park that, in addition, could contribute with several experiential values. In the past, Stockholm has also developed so-called mountain parks in terrain that is difficult to build on. However, today’s conditions and ideals place higher demands on nature preservation and accessibility which leads to new challenges linked to how this type of park can be designed in the future. The aim of this thesis is to investigate challenges and opportunities of creating new parks in unbuilt parts of hilly urban nature. The research question asked is: how can parks in the hilly nature of cities be designed to strengthen experiential values and activities as well as adequately respond to requirements regarding accessibility and nature preservation? The research question has been investigated by carrying out a real-world design for Talludden in Stora Sköndal in the southern parts of Stockholm. This place is representative of the problem picture based on its topography, its high experiential and natural values, the fact that there is an unusually high need for accessible outdoor environments in the area and that a large-scale urban development is planned in Stora Sköndal. The methods used during the design work are a literature review of relevant theory and the planning documents for Stora Sköndal's urban development, inventories and analyzes of Talludden, studies of reference projects and various forms of sketch work. The resulting design forms a highly accessible park with developed paths that lead to different spots and preserves vegetation and landforms. In terms of experience values, the design particularly aims to highlight the movement through the landscape and natural place formations, which are two aspects that are strongly influenced by the topography and its ability to create perceived landscape spaces and visual sequences between these, views, quiet areas and sheltered places. Special attention has also been directed to several of Talludden's crests because built additions on these have the potential to fulfil many purposes. The crests have been identified as pleasant places with a good overview, places that are well visible from the outside and can thus form character-giving focal points, places that create natural threshold effects and places that constitute major obstacles to the creation of accessible paths. The discussion highlights, among other things, how accessibility interventions at Talludden could conceivably be dependent on how much it is reasonable to invest in purely financial terms. One of the arguments that can be considered to increase the economic incentives for such an investment is that the hilly nature offers activities and experiences that have the potential to complement, and to some extent compensate, the park in the valley. A reasonable starting point can also be to always carry out the necessary measures to protect valuable nature and at the same time ensure that at least some parks in the city’s hilly nature have a higher degree of accessibility. Talludden could have the potential to develop into such an accessible target point

Playing with bicycles : design guidelines for traffic playgrounds

En ökad cykling är positivt för miljön och folkhälsan samt för att skapa mer attraktiva och trafiksäkra städer. För barn och unga är cykling en viktig källa till fysisk aktivitet men också för ökad rörelsefrihet. Barn och ungas cykling har dock minskat de senaste decennierna. Ett verktyg i arbetet för att bryta denna negativa trend kan vara att satsa på så kallade trafiklekplatser vilket några svenska kommuner har valt att göra. Dessa lekplatser är uppbyggda som trafikmiljöer i miniatyr och tanken är att möjliggöra övning på cykel i en trygg och god lekmiljö. Det framstår dock som oklart hur konceptet med trafiklekplatser kan tänkas främja barn och ungas cykling och skapa lekmiljöer av hög kvalitet. Därför har en litteraturstudie kring lekplatsers kvalitet och barns cykling genomförts. De samlade kunskaperna har sedan sammanställts i sju designriktlinjer för trafiklekplatsers utformning. Riktlinjerna föreslår bland annat en förändring av trafiklekplatsens strategi för utbildning samt att lekplatsens hårdgjorda ytor bör kontrasteras med många naturelement och integreras i det platsspecifika landskapet. Nya typer av cykelutmaningar kan också erbjudas för att locka fler ungdomar.Increased levels of bicycling is positive for the environment and public health as well as for creating more attractive and traffic-safe cities. For children and adolescents, bicycling is important for increased physical activity and independent mobility. However, bicycling among children and adolescents has decreased in recent decades. One way to prevent this negative trend may be to invest in socalled traffic playgrounds, which some Swedish municipalities have chosen to do. These playgrounds are built as miniature traffic environments and the idea is to enable bicycle exercise in a safe and attractive play environment. However, it seems unclear how the concept of traffic playgrounds could conceivably promote bicycling among children and adolescents and create high-quality play environments. Therefore, a literature study on the quality of playgrounds and children's bicycling has been carried out. The accumulated knowledge has been compiled into seven design guidelines for traffic playgrounds. The guidelines suggest, among other things, a change in the traffic playground's educational strategy and that the playground's hardened surfaces should be contrasted with many natural elements and integrated into the site-specific landscape. New types of bicycle challenges could also be offered to attract more adolescents

Preventing foot ulceration in diabetes:systematic review and meta-analyses of RCT data

Aims/hypothesis: Foot ulceration is a serious complication for people with diabetes that results in high levels of morbidity for individuals and significant costs for health and social care systems. Nineteen systematic reviews of preventative interventions have been published, but none provides a reliable numerical summary of treatment effects. The aim of this study was to systematically review the evidence from RCTs and, where possible, conduct meta-analyses to make the best possible use of the currently available data. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs of preventative interventions for foot ulceration. OVID MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched to February 2019 and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to October 2018. RCTs of interventions to prevent foot ulcers in people with diabetes who were free from foot ulceration at trial entry were included. Two independent reviewers read the full-text articles and extracted data. The quality of trial reporting was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. The primary outcome of foot ulceration was summarised using pooled relative risks in meta-analyses. Results: Twenty-two RCTs of eight interventions were eligible for analysis. One trial of digital silicone devices (RR 0.07 [95% CI 0.01, 0.55]) and meta-analyses of dermal infrared thermometry (RR 0.41 [95% CI 0.19, 0.86]), complex interventions (RR 0.59 [95% CI 0.38, 0.90], and custom-made footwear and offloading insoles (RR 0.53 [95% CI 0.33, 0.85]) showed beneficial effects for these interventions. Conclusions/interpretation: Four interventions were identified as being effective in preventing foot ulcers in people with diabetes, but uncertainty remains about what works and who is most likely to benefit

Knowledge about diabetes in Malmö prior to initiation of “Cities Changing Diabetes”

AimTo identify existing public knowledge regarding diabetes and diabetes-related services offered to persons living with diabetes in the City of Malmö.MethodsA literature review of City of Malmö’s website, public statistics, School health documentation, job databases, education programs, local newspaper, Swedish National Diabetes Register, and PubMed was performed in 2020.ResultsWe identified political decisions about diabetes nurses in home care, financing a project about diabetes complications, and funding support in schools for designated children. Schools had no registrations of diagnoses. Diabetes was common among pregnant women. The local newspaper discussed children and older people with diabetes asking for increased support. Job listings did not require diabetes-relevant competencies. Curricula for nursing assistants did not mention diabetes. National Diabetes Register reported 16,658 persons in Malmö. Three articles were identified in PubMed.ConclusionPublic documents in Malmö did not mention diabetes despite being responsible for caring for persons with diabetes

Exploring FDI-led Growth Using Panel Vector Autoregressive Models

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has a prevalent role within economics, being a premiere variable when measuring relationships between countries participating in global trade. Developmental economics in particular have long discussed it as a potential source of economic output for lower-income countries. Policymakers have been adapting it as a premiere economic strategy in response. The empirical results on foreign investments as a catalyst for growth have been mixed however. Econometric analysis has found that the impact of FDI on growth, if such an effect exists, varies across countries, being affected by domestic factors. Despite this heterogeneity cross-panel methodology is commonly found within previous works, threatening the possibility of drawing valid conclusions. The aim of this paper is to employ time series methodology through simple panel based vector autoregressive (PVAR) models in order to examine these issues. The end result finds that the existence of general spillover effects heavily depends on data selection rather than methodology. While spillover effects are likely real in certain cases, a general relationship should not be stipulated based on development. This challenges widespread beliefs within policymaking. Future literature may need to take this into account through extensive use of microstudies

Lönearbetet, Arbetslösheten och Möllevången : En studie i arbetslöshetens vardag och dess platser

The study is divided into three parts – the development of wage labour towards becoming the dominant norm in society, how this norm is challenged in a specific geographical context, and lastly a study of two unemployed individuals and their everyday activities, what and especially why certain behaviour occurs. The main purpose with the text is to study unemployed people in a specific geographical context in a overall society where wage labour is thought to be the norm. Questions that is being asked is how the unemployed individual works in a society where wage labour is the dominant activity for the day. This is connected to a study of Möllevången, a district of Malmö, where the wage labour norm can be thought of as being challenged. Employment and unemployment is categorised as part of the same activity, in a perspective they share the same functions, the demand for spending time in the system and they constitute, in principle, the only ways of earning a living, the wage or unemployment benefit, which both comes with similar demands towards the individual