Outdoor Mobility, Place and Older People - Everyday Mobilities in later Life in a Swedish Neighbourhood

The overall aim of this thesis is to offer an understanding of everyday mobilities outdoors among older persons from a place- and context-dependent perspective. The emphasis is to take a gentle approach towards an overall perspective with consideration to physical aspects (like the home neighbourhood), social aspects (like social networks and social participation) and mental aspects (like place images, mental maps and fear of crime). The thesis builds on three different studies with a mixed method approach that have resulted in five papers. Two of the studies are qualitative and were conducted in two neighbourhoods in Malmö city, in southern Sweden. The first neighbourhood is a disadvantaged inner-city neighbourhood, which has been highly exposed in mass media. This ethnographical case study includes a critical discourse analysis of newspaper articles, observations, ‘travel-alongs’ and interviews with senior participants of a senior group in the neighbourhood. The study focuses on issues such as fear of crime, social participation and wellbeing in the light of everyday mobilities in later life. The second study, a case study, focuses on the everyday mobilities of older people in a suburb, with longitudinal interviews and time-geographical diaries. The third study is a quantitative study focusing on changes in outdoor mobility. This study is based on a sample of older people in the transition from a two-person household to a single-person household from a questionnaire that went out to households in both Skåne county and Östergötland county in Sweden. Results from the first study show that social participation and social networking in the neighbourhood have positive effects on everyday mobility and fostering positive effects on neighbourhood development. Thus, avoidance and protective behaviour among the seniors occur because of fear of crime, implying restrictions in everyday life mobility. However, social participation in the form of being a part of the senior group and knowing people in the neighbourhood seems to have a salutary effect on fear of crime and a commendatory effect on everyday life mobility. The results from study two show a pronounced dependence on car use. Representations of suburbia - as places of freedom, independence and mobility enabled by private cars - devolve into a harsh reality, i.e. disabling lock-in effects for people gradually losing locomotion, and experiencing diminishing mobility capital and social intercourse. Finally, in the third study the results suggest that society must put more effort into offering good walking conditions, since a) walking seems to be the most important mode of transport for outdoor mobility in this case and b) walking is valuated almost as high as a car after becoming alone in the household regardless of whether the population in our study reported unchanged, decreased or increased mobility

Further examinations of mobility in later life and improving health and wellbeing

Research is needed to examine how to improve mobility in later life. Research in this section of the special issue suggests that pet ownership, proximity to amenities and culture are associated with older people walking more. Two popular emerging technologies are examined including, mobility scooters and e-bikes and the potential for them to enable mobility, along with barriers to use are included. With regards to driving, there is further evidence that self-regulation planning and implementation intentions may help older drivers achieve their mobility goals and promote safer driving across the lifecourse. In addition, to help older people stay on the roads, support from medical experts is welcomed, though evidence here suggests medical professionals are not always confident to supply it.In conclusion, there is a need to look at the wider relationship between mobility, ageing and health embracing a transdisciplinary and intergenerational approach

Ecological classification of coastal water bodies : an analysis focusing on bad ecological status

I enlighet med ramdirektivet för vatten som är ett EU-direktiv måste alla dess medlemsstater måste följa de krav som anges i direktivet. Ett av grundkraven i vattendirektivet är att medlemsstaterna skall inventera och klassificera sina vattenförekomster, däribland kustvattenförekomster. Man använder sig utav ekologisk status för att klassificera naturliga vattenförekomster, där kustvattenförekomster ingår. De fem olika statusklasserna är: hög, god, måttlig, otillfredsställande samt dålig ekologisk status. Det är totalt 14 av 653 kustvattenförekomster som fått klassificeringen dålig status, av dessa är samtliga havsvikar. Dessa havsvikar är följande: Bogevik, Bollstafjärden, Edeboviken, Edsviken, Hertsöfjärden, Merumsfjärden, Inre fjärden, Inre slätbaken, Mulöviken, Norrfjärden, Skelleftehamnsfjärden, Sörleviken, Trännöfjärden och Östhammarsfjärden. Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka och se om det fanns några gemensamma parametrar mellan de 14 havsvikarna utifrån geografiska aspekter, biologiska kvalitetsfaktorer, påverkansfaktorer, miljöproblem och miljögifter. Det ingick även att undersöka hur prognosen såg ut för de 14 havsvikarna avseende om hög eller god ekologisk status förväntas kunna uppnås. Metoden för att uppfylla syftet bestod av dels litteraturstudie, men även att analysera data från Vatteninformationssystem Sverige (VISS) där all data avseende Sveriges vattenförekomster rapporteras in och även är tillgänglig för allmänheten. Man fann att samtliga havsvikar utom en har problem med övergödning, samt att samtliga havsvikar har någon form av problematik med miljögifter dock så är problematiksgraden väldigt varierande mellan havsvikarna.The EU water framework directive requires compliance from all member states. One of the basic requirements is that member states invent and classify their water bodies, including coastal water bodies. Ecological status is used to classify natural water bodies, which includes coastal water. The five different status classes are: high ecological status, good ecological status, moderate ecological status, poor ecological status, and bad ecological status. There is a total of 14 coastal water bodies that were classified with bad status, these are all coastal bays. These coastal bays are as following: Bogevik, Bollstafjärden, Edeboviken, Edsviken, Hertsöfjärden, Merumsfjärden, Inner fjärden, Inre slättbaken, Mulöviken, Norrfjärden, Skelleftehamnsfjärden, Sörleviken, Trännöfjärden and Östhammarsfjärden. The scope of this thesis is to investigate and analyze if there are any common factors between the 14 coastal bays based on geographical aspects, biological quality factors, impact factors, environmental problems and environmental contaminants. It was also included to investigate if it’s predicted that the 14 coastal bays will be expected to achieve high or good ecological status within the coming assessment cycles. The method used to achieve the scope consisted of a literature study, and analyze primary data from Waterinformationsystemsweden, also called VISS; where all data regarding Sweden's water bodies are reported and presented to the public. It was found that all coastal bays except one have problems with eutrophication, and that all coastal bays have some form of environmental hazard problems, but the problem rate is significantly varied between the coastal bays

Kollektivtrafikens roll för lokalsamhället : En dokumentstudie av övergripande kommunala och regionala styrdokument

Empiriska inventeringar över kollektivtrafikens roll i den regionala- och kommunala praktiken är ovanliga eller så vitt vi känner till obefintliga. Med denna rapport vill vi ge en överblick och beskrivning av vilken roll och vilka värden som beslutsfattare i regioner och kommuner tillmäter kollektivtrafiken i Sverige och vad denna förväntas att bidra med på den lokala samhällsnivån. Ambitionen är också att studera detta över tid.Styrdokument i form av budgetar, landstingsplaner, handlingsplaner, visioner mm. (dvs. de främsta styrdokumenten i regionerna/kommunerna) har insamlats från 15 landsting/regioner och 27 kommuner. Kommunerna har valts ut slumpmässigt och är indelade i fem kommungrupper enligt SKLs kommungruppsindelning 2011; storstäder, större städer, förortskommuner till storstäder, förortskommuner till större städer och pendlingskommuner. Material har insamlats från tre perioder och dokumenten som analyserats kommer främst från år 2008, 2011 och 2015. Materialet har delats upp i analysenheter och analyserades sedan med innehållsanalysen som analytisk metod.Kollektivtrafiken beskrivs till stor del som ett medel för att nå andra samhällsmål och ses i mångt om mycket som ett redskap för att nå attraktivitet och regional utveckling. Stort fokus ligger vid kollektivtrafikens betydelse för den ekonomiska och ekologiska hållbarheten. I den mån kollektivtrafiken nämns, så beskrivs den enbart utifrån positiva ordalag och vissa organisationer beskriver den som vital för hela regionens/kommunens existens, medan andra inte nämner den alls. Det finns således stora skillnader i den mån man behandlar kollektivtrafiken i de analyserade dokumenten.Kollektivtrafiken beskrivs som nämnts i stor utsträckning som viktig för ekonomisk tillväxt dvs. viktig för arbetsmarknad och näringsliv. Den beskrivs också som miljörätt och miljövänlig och som ett gott alternativ till bilen. Likväl värderas tillgänglighet i många av fallen högt och även tillgängligheten för äldre och funktionshindrade. Kollektivtrafiken framställs som något som det bör satsas på och som ligger rätt i tiden, i synnerhet den spårbundna kollektivtrafiken. Likväl betonas det många gånger att samverkan med andra aktörer är viktig och att samorganisering mellan olika trafikslag är angeläget.Det finns dock, som nämnts, stora variationer i materialet vad gäller i vilken mån kollektivtrafiken behandlas i dokumenten (både när det gäller regioner och kommuner). I vissa organisationer behandlas den ytterst lite eller till och med inte alls medan den i andra får sidor med utrymme. Detta kan ses som problematiskt, speciellt då fokus länge har legat vid att få fler att resa kollektivt. Som kan illustreras med det nationella fördubblingsmål vi har, där antalet kollektiva resor ska ha fördubblats år 2020 i förhållande till mättillfället. Det borde därmed vara angeläget att en samhällsfunktion som beskrivs som livsnödvändig för vissa, genomgående lyfts i dessa dokument och tilldelas samma prioritet av de regionala- och kommunala beslutsfattarna som andra viktiga samhällsfunktioner. Då vi starkt menar att detta ger avspeglingar i lokalsamhället överlag och kan ha inflytande på hur prioriteringar och avvägningar i samhället i allmänhet görs

The role of transport and mobility in the health of older people

The world's population is ageing. Older people are healthier and more active than previous generations. Living in a hypermobile world, people want to stay connected to dispersed communities as they age. Staying connected to communities and social networks enables older people to contribute and connect with society and is associated with positive mental and physical health, facilitating independence and physical activity while reducing social isolation. Changes in physiology and cognition associated with later life mean longer journeys may have to be curtailed. A shift in focus is needed to fully explore older people, transport and health; a need to be multidisciplinary in approach and to embrace social sciences and arts and humanities. A need to embrace different types of mobilities is needed for a full understanding of ageing, transport and health, moving from literal or corporeal through virtual and potential to imaginative mobility, taking into account aspirations and emotions. Mobility in later life is more than a means of getting to destinations and includes more affective or emotive associations. Cycling and walking are facilitated not just by improving safety but through social and cultural norms. Car driving can be continued safely in later life if people make appropriate and informed decisions about when and how to stop driving; stringent testing of driver ability and skill has as yet had little effect on safety. Bus use facilitates physical activity and keeps people connected but there are concerns for the future viability of buses. The future of transport may be more community led and involve more sharing of transport modes

Triggers for feelings of insecurity and perceptions of safety in relation to public transport; the experiences of young and active travellers

A key aspect of an attractive and accessible public transport system is that passengers feel safe and secure, not least from a travel chain perspective. The aim of this paper is to provide an increased understanding of triggers for feelings of insecurity and perceptions of safety in relation to public transport, with a special focus on larger public transport nodes in the city of Malmö, Sweden. The study draws on a map-based online survey (public participatory GIS) which was designed to allow people to contribute their experiences and reflections. An online survey was distributed through social media, and the collected data is of both a quantitative and a qualitative nature. The sample consists of 290 students and workers between the ages of 21–35 who frequently use public transport. The findings show that one in ten respondents have often to very often avoided public transport because of feelings of insecurity. Thematic analysis revealed a variety of triggers, covering aspects from the physical dimension to the social dimension. Some examples include the design of bus stops, the surrounding traffic environment, and other people. The presence of guards and the police force seems to increase the feelings of insecurity for some, while the opposite was true for other respondents. The findings emphasize the importance of further research to illuminate different parts of a journey at a micro level, i.e. from the person-environment relationship, as well as to further highlight the issue of who transit environments are planned and designed for

Social impact assessments (SIA) in larger infrastructure investments in Sweden; the view of experts and practitioners

This paper, by highlighting the experiences and reflections of experts and practitioners, aims to increase knowledge of how social impact assessment is managed and handled at various stages of the planning process in major infrastructure investments in Sweden. Interviews were conducted with nine experts and practitioners working with issues of transport planning and social sustainability. The informants represent the national and regional level and three established consultancies. The results largely confirm earlier research, and the area of social impacts assessment in transport planning in Sweden can be seen as being fragmented. Many fundamental issues in the field remain to be addressed for future development, including issues such as public procurement, the role (and competence) of the client, the role (and competence) of the practitioner, how SIA should be included in the whole planning process taking into account the different stages (including how the SIA should be documented, delivered and monitored), how methods should be managed and included, and how the genuine experts should be included, i.e. those living and working in the affected areas

Experienced fear of crime and its implications for everyday mobilities in later life : an ethnographic case study of an urban Swedish neighbourhood

This study aims to provide an understanding of the everyday life of older people in a Swedish urban neighbourhood, with a special focus on the experienced fear of crime and how fear may affect mobilities in later life. The paper draws upon in-depth data from an ethnographic case study conducted between December 2011 and April 2013, which followed a group of older people in the neighbourhood of Seved in the city of Malmö, Sweden. The average income in the neighbourhood is one of the lowest in the city, where unemployment is high. Seved is often negatively portrayed in the media, and the residents generally feel more insecure than those in the rest of Malmö. The senior group followed, is part of a municipal project aimed at strengthening networks and enhancing feelings of social participation for older people. Through a variety of activities, the municipality seeks to achieve social sustainability through everyday life mobility and social participation. Findings highlight that news media plays a substantial role in forming perceptions of the neighbourhood. Mental maps and imagined geographies do negatively impact the everyday mobility of persons both inside and outside the area. Some older residents display both avoidance and protective behaviour, which implies that their everyday life mobility is restricted because of their fear of crime. However, social participation and knowing people in the neighbourhood seems to have a salutary effect on their fear of crime and a commendatory effect on their everyday life mobility. The results also raises questions about stereotyping (the Other) and ageism