There is an increasing call in society for the improvement of well-being for nursing home residents and the support of care professionals through a wide array of architectural and technological solutions that are available in modern nursing homes. This study investigated which of these solutions are considered essential by stakeholders from healthcare and technology. Data were gathered via 22 simultaneously held multidisciplinary mind map sessions with 97 stakeholders, resulting in 43 mind maps. These, in turn, were grouped into a single mind map of the nursing home in general, the private rooms for residents with somatic or psychogeriatric health problems, and the group living room. A prioritization of solutions was added. The contents of the mind maps reflect a Dutch consensus on the necessary architectural and technological features for the design of nursing homes.
Ship-source greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions could increase by up to 250% from 2012 levels by 2050 owing to increasing global freight volumes. Binding international legal agreements to regulate GHGs, however, are lacking as technical solutions remain expensive and crucial industrial support is absent. In 2003, IMO adopted Resolution A.963 (23) to regulate shipping CO2 emissions via technical, operational, and market-based routes. However, progress has been slow and uncertain; there is no concrete emission reduction target or definitive action plan. Yet, a full-fledged roadmap may not even emerge until 2023. In this policy analysis, we revisit the progress of technical, operational, and market-based routes and the associated controversies. We argue that 1) a performance-based index, though good-intentioned, has loopholes affecting meaningful CO2 emission reductions driven by technical advancements; 2) using slow steaming to cut energy consumption stands out among operational solutions thanks to its immediate and obvious results, but with the already slow speed in practice, this single source has limited emission reduction potential; 3) without a technology-savvy shipping industry, a market-based approach is essentially needed to address the environmental impact. To give shipping a 50:50 chance for contributing fairly and proportionately to keep global warming below 2°C, deep emission reductions should occur soon.
This paper aims to address the research gap in ethical design frameworks for self-sovereign identity (SSI) solutions. We present a case study of value sensitive design (VSD) conceptual investigation applied in the context of SSI-based solutions for the sharing of medical credentials uNLock. We evaluate the applicability and quality of VSD application on the basis of 5 criteria. We validate these findings by comparing the results of the original report with the studies presenting empirically informed insights from the deployment of SSI solutions for the presentation of medical credentials. We identify a problem of “value branching” particular to SSI solutions that can lead to the overinflation of the set of relevant values. We outline the affordances and limitations of the conceptual VSD investigation in our case study. We further reflect on the limits of general SSI principles and argue that the ethical design of SSI solutions always requires context-specific evaluative frameworks.
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Designing cities that are socially sustainable has been a significant challenge until today. Lately, European Commission’s research agenda of Industy 5.0 has prioritised a sustainable, human-centric and resilient development over merely pursuing efficiency and productivity in societal transitions. The focus has been on searching for sustainable solutions to societal challenges, engaging part of the design industry. In architecture and urban design, whose common goal is to create a condition for human life, much effort was put into elevating the engineering process of physical space, making it more efficient. However, the natural process of social evolution has not been given priority in urban and architectural research on sustainable design. STEPS stems from the common interest of the project partners in accessible, diverse, and progressive public spaces, which is vital to socially sustainable urban development. The primary challenge lies in how to synthesise the standardised sustainable design techniques with unique social values of public space, propelling a transition from technical sustainability to social sustainability. Although a large number of social-oriented studies in urban design have been published in the academic domain, principles and guidelines that can be applied to practice are large missing. How can we generate operative principles guiding public space analysis and design to explore and achieve the social condition of sustainability, developing transferable ways of utilising research knowledge in design? STEPS will develop a design catalogue with operative principles guiding public space analysis and design. This will help designers apply cross-domain knowledge of social sustainability in practice.
Developing and testing several AR and VR concepts for SAMSUNG (Benelux) Samsung and Breda University of Applied Sciences decided to work together on developing and testing several new digital media concepts with a focus on VR and gaming. This collaboration has led to several innovative projects and concepts, among others: the organisation of the first Samsung VR jam in which game and media students developed new concepts for SAMSUNG GEAR in 24 hours, the pre-development of a VR therapy concept (Fear of Love) created by CaptainVR, the Samsung Industry Case in which students developed new concepts for SAMSUNG GEAR (wearables), the IGAD VR game pitch where over 15 VR game concepts were created for SAMSUNG VR GEAR and numerous projects in which VR concepts are developed and created using new SAMSUNG technologies. Currently we are co-developing new digital HRM solutions.
Due to societal developments, like the introduction of the ‘civil society’, policy stimulating longer living at home and the separation of housing and care, the housing situation of older citizens is a relevant and pressing issue for housing-, governance- and care organizations. The current situation of living with care already benefits from technological advancement. The wide application of technology especially in care homes brings the emergence of a new source of information that becomes invaluable in order to understand how the smart urban environment affects the health of older people. The goal of this proposal is to develop an approach for designing smart neighborhoods, in order to assist and engage older adults living there. This approach will be applied to a neighborhood in Aalst-Waalre which will be developed into a living lab. The research will involve: (1) Insight into social-spatial factors underlying a smart neighborhood; (2) Identifying governance and organizational context; (3) Identifying needs and preferences of the (future) inhabitant; (4) Matching needs & preferences to potential socio-techno-spatial solutions. A mixed methods approach fusing quantitative and qualitative methods towards understanding the impacts of smart environment will be investigated. After 12 months, employing several concepts of urban computing, such as pattern recognition and predictive modelling , using the focus groups from the different organizations as well as primary end-users, and exploring how physiological data can be embedded in data-driven strategies for the enhancement of active ageing in this neighborhood will result in design solutions and strategies for a more care-friendly neighborhood.
