Topophilia: The Human Geography and Planning Student Journal
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Developing an Accessibility Index to Inform Housing First Policy: A Critical Evaluation of Social Services in Edmonton
No full textUnique among housing initiatives, Housing First operates on the principle that every person has the right to a safe and secure home regardless of housing readiness. The Housing First Support Program, operated by Homeward Trust Edmonton, is currently providing over 2,500 Edmontonians with secure housing and the supports needed in the transition from homelessness into housing. The program is intended to last 12 months, gradually reducing a client’s support untilthey are self-sufficient; however, this may be difficult for some clients, especially if they experience poor accessibility to the services and amenities they require to achieve housing stability. In particular, youth experiencing homelessness require supports that are tailored to their needs and that aid in the transition from adolescence to adulthood. As youth make up 17% (n=312) of Housing First clients, it is imperative that the services, centres, and supports necessary to breaking the cycle of homelessness are accessible to them at this critical stage in development. With this project, we mapped the locations of current Housing First clients aged 12-24 in relation to the services and amenities they may require to achieve housing stability. After identifying these services and amenities, we used a gravity model to create an Accessibility Index. This Accessibility Index highlights the service accessibility of current Housing First clients, and can be used in the future to identify areas of need and opportunities for increasing accessibility
“Without Tits There Is No Paradise”: Medical Tourism and Cosmetic Surgery in Colombia
No full textGlobalization has allowed for the international flow of information, goods, services and, oddly enough, medical patients. Medical tourism is a growing globalized industry, where the ability to pay and willingness to travel have become prerequisites for medical care. The case study of cosmetic surgery in Colombia reveals that the advertising and information provided online compliments the literature’s descriptions of what is desirable and sought out by medical tourists. Johnston et al. (2012) established that the medical tourist’s interest in the characteristics of the country they visit is minor. However, the underlying national stereotypes or aesthetics may have an unconscious effect of association on the decision of medical tourists. For the medical tourism industry, the national stereotypes and aesthetics are a marketing opportunity to distinguish themselves from their international competitors beyond the comparable affordability of their services. Cosmetic surgery in Colombia indicates that, although medical tourism is a massively globalized industry, the roots and ongoing success of specializations in countries may have cultural origins that are not purely the product of foreign market demands
Differences in the effect of homeownership on health status across health regions in Alberta, 2011-2012
No full textThe housing we live in - from the type and the location to our homeownership status - impacts our health status. Housing is one of the most central environments individuals live in, and as a socio-economic determinant of health, has disproportionate impact on certain groups. Previous research indicates that homeowners tend to have better health than renters. However, this relationship changes when living in unaffordable housing. Organizations have issued numerous warnings about rising unaffordability, debt, and home prices in Canada. In this paper, I focus on the effects of homeownership status in the five different health regions in Alberta, stratified by housing affordability. Using Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Survey from 2011- 2012 in a logistic multivariate regression, I find that homeownership is positively associated with self-reported good or better health status, but that the association was smaller in less affordable regions. This suggests living in regions that are less affordable dampens the health benefits of homeownership. These findings also support the the idea that homeownership is more than a proxy for socioeconomic status and has its own effects on health
Sustainability Through Green Roofs and Walls in Urban Areas
No full textThis paper discusses the sustainability benefits through the installation of living green roofs and walls in urban areas. A brief history of these living systems is provided to give context to the reader. Different kinds of green roofs and walls, how they are maintained, and their many benefits will be discussed. The many public and private benefits for cities that implement these systems will be examined. Then two case studies in different locations will be looked at that examine different benefits of green roofs in two different climates
The Skinny on Obesity: A need for a comprehensive diagnostic of obesity beyond self and health variables to include social and environmental strategic drivers
No full textThe rapid increase in the number of obese adults and children in both developed and developing countries is alarming and will strain health resources in the future. A review of pertinent social and built environmental influences that contribute to the prevalence of this chronic disease is examined with reference to current literature. This paper explores the relationship between factors of the built and social environments that ultimately lead to the creation of obesogenic environments. Recognizing the importance of human interaction, coupled with genetic factors, with the built environment in addressing obesity is an important variable, the author argues that rather than evaluating obesity with a retrospective approach, a forward thinking approach in creating built environments which entice human action in the environment should be an ongoing premise in fighting obesity
Medical Tourism: A History and Overview of the Industry and the Case Study of Addiction Recovery in Spain
No full textThis paper focuses on the emerging global market in medical tourism. The industry continues to expand and become increasingly profitable with greater popular support. This paper conveys the findings of a literature review on the origins, history and contemporary development of the industry. It explores the rationale and access of the medical tourist, and the purported benefits and costs to involved parties including patients, caregivers, citizens and governments. Ultimately it reveals that this phenomenon leads to lower costs, better care, discretion and leisure benefits to wealthy and mobile international clients while reducing available resources and quality of care for residents of host countries, which are mostly low and middle income countries and potentially costing source countries in aftercare. This paper examines the case study of international treatment for addiction in Spain and analyze two websites advertising the treatment for their use of promotional tactics, the importance of place and the relevance of Wilbert Gesler’s therapeutic landscape concept in marketing services. This reveals that international mobility allows businesses to profit from permissive legal environments and popular therapeutic landscapes abroad