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Objective: To provide a clinical update on the purposes, evidence-base and recommendations for both clinician and patient-rated outcome measures in psychiatric practice. Conclusions: Private and public sector funders have implemented outcome measurement systems in Australian mental healthcare, in order to improve cost-effectiveness. It is important to consider the ultimate aims of outcome measurement from various perspectives in evaluating the evidence-base, as there are a number of measurement dimensions to address. For individual clinicians, the purpose may be to guide treatment-planning, as well as to assess treatment and clinician efficacy. For patients, the purpose is to assess outcomes in terms of their goals for recovery, as well as to evaluate their satisfaction with the care provided, and their healthcare providers. The other orthogonal dimensions of measurement comprise, the proximal to illness measures of symptomatic severity, and the distal measures of disability, which apply to both clinician and patient outcomes. In turn, these measures may be used by healthcare funders in public or private sectors as proxy measures of the cost-effectiveness of psychiatric care provided. Clinical registries linked to service-mapping would provide better data for patients, providers and funders to assess the availability and effectiveness of psychiatric care in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attempts to avoid property vacancy represent an immense challenge for local authorities and planning policy design. Despite recent normative and regulatory advances witnessed in the recent past with the recognition of the social function of the property by the federal constitution (1988) and statutory instruments included in the city statute (2001) and local master plans, Brazilian cities still experience difficulty in producing evidence-based indicators to support the implementation of progressive planning policies. This article offers a methodological approach using a multi-criteria index to identify vacancy propensity levels in the central area of São Paulo. The research results from a partnership between the municipal authority and two planning laboratories from public universities and financial support from UNESCO. The index was designed using a multi-criteria decision aid technique, PROMETHEE II. The proposed methodology involved the manipulation of eight variables related to the vacancy phenomenon and a two-phased validation process: one quantitative using statistical tests and the second qualitative through the scrutiny of the index by urban specialists. The result represents the potential vacancy levels for 3,254 urban blocks and their spatial distribution. For the 344 blocks inspected through fieldwork, 619 potential vacant properties were identified. The development and analysis of the index show that this approach provides valuable information on vacancy levels accounting for its spatial distribution. The index is a flexible tool that can absorb particular local conditions and support evidence-based policy-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban planning is simultaneously shaped by and creates new (spatial) knowledge. The changes in planning culture that have taken place in the last decades--especially the so-called communicative turn in planning in the 1990s--have brought about an increased attention to a growing range of stakeholders of urban development, their interests, logics, and participation in planning as well as the negotiation processes between these stakeholders. However, while this has also been researched in breadth and depth, only scant attention has been paid to the knowledge (claims) of these stakeholders. In planning practice, knowledge, implicit and explicit, has been a highly relevant topic for quite some time: It is discussed how local knowledge can inform urban planning, how experimental knowledge on urban development can be generated in living labs, and what infrastructures can process "big data' and make it usable for planning, to name a few examples. With the thematic issue on "Spatial Knowledge and Urban Planning' we invited articles aiming at exploring the diverse understandings of (spatial) knowledge, and how knowledge influences planning and how planning itself constitutes processes of knowledge generation. The editorial gives a brief introduction to the general topic. Subsequently, abstracts of all articles illustrate what contents the issue has to offer and the specific contribution of each text is carved out. In the conclusion, common and recurring themes as well as remaining gaps and open questions at the interface of spatial knowledge and urban planning are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the extensive structural changes of the Rhenish coal-mining area in Germany. Coal mining was and still is a relevant economic activity throughout Europe and is the focus of many political and societal debates, as well as research activities in the Rhenish coal-mining area. The project DAZWISCHEN followed the concept of evidence-based planning and therefore identified, by means of a GIS-based analysis, the structural changes within the Rhenish coal-mining area for the conflicting thematic clusters for settlement development and open space. Moreover, we investigated the complex multi-level governance that the region is characterized by. The results suggest an increased pressure on blue and green infrastructure by new urban development, especially in the northern part of the Rhenish coal-mining area. On the other hand, the southern part of the Rhenish coal-mining area will be more likely to undergo a process towards an increase in green infrastructure. Thus, the future development of the whole area is segregated in two different development trends in the north and south parts. The complex governance structure in the Rhenish coal-mining area requires an in-depth view of the ongoing working processes in the development of ideas and visions for regional mission statements of different planning areas, levels, and network partners in a real-life laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive spatial plans require a wide range of high quality spatial data, but planning requirements are not always considered in the increasing number of spatial data initiatives. This paper presents a framework for systematically analysing the availability and quality of spatial datasets in urban planning, and applies this to the example of the metropolitan strategy for Greater Adelaide, South Australia. The findings reveal significant gaps in important spatial data that are publicly available. This is especially concerning given the need to better understand integrated and multi-scalar planning policies such as for mixed use developments and polycentric urban structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the extensive structural changes of the Rhenish coal-mining area in Germany. Coal mining was and still is a relevant economic activity throughout Europe and is the focus of many political and societal debates, as well as research activities in the Rhenish coal-mining area. The project DAZWISCHEN followed the concept of evidence-based planning and therefore identified, by means of a GIS-based analysis, the structural changes within the Rhenish coal-mining area for the conflicting thematic clusters for settlement development and open space. Moreover, we investigated the complex multi-level governance that the region is characterized by. The results suggest an increased pressure on blue and green infrastructure by new urban development, especially in the northern part of the Rhenish coal-mining area. On the other hand, the southern part of the Rhenish coal-mining area will be more likely to undergo a process towards an increase in green infrastructure. Thus, the future development of the whole area is segregated in two different development trends in the north and south parts. The complex governance structure in the Rhenish coal-mining area requires an in-depth view of the ongoing working processes in the development of ideas and visions for regional mission statements of different planning areas, levels, and network partners in a real-life laboratory.

Background: In 2010, the Ghana Health Service launched a program of cooperation with the Tanzania Ministry of Health and Social Welfare that was designed to adapt Tanzania's PLANREP budgeting and reporting tool to Ghana's primary health care program. The product of this collaboration is a system of budgeting, data visualization, and reporting that is known as the District Health Planning and Reporting Tool (DiHPART). Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the design and implementation processes (technical, procedures, feedback, maintenance, and monitoring) of the DiHPART tool in northern Ghana. Design: This paper reports on a qualitative appraisal of user reactions to the DiHPART system and implications of pilot experience for national scale-up. A total of 20 health officials responsible for financial planning operations were drawn from the national, regional, and district levels of the health system and interviewed in open-ended discussions about their reactions to DiHPART and suggestions for systems development. Results: The findings show that technical shortcomings merit correction before scale-up can proceed. The review makes note of features of the software system that could be developed, based on experience gained from the pilot. Changes in the national system of financial reporting and budgeting complicate DiHPART utilization. This attests to the importance of pursuing a software application framework that anticipates the need for automated software generation. Conclusions: Despite challenges encountered in the pilot, the results lend support to the notion that evidence-based budgeting merits development and implementation in Ghana.

The convergence of two complementary agendas motivated collaboration between two universities (in Zambia and Finland) to establish the Centre for the Promotion of Literacy in Sub-Saharan Africa (CAPOLSA), focused on initial literacy learning in indigenous languages. The project’s mandate and activities are closely related to Zambia’s national context of literacy and educational provision, emerging trends in information and communication technology, and the University of Zambia’s institutional context of research and development on literacy, child development, and education. CAPOLSA has afforded opportunities for enhancing the working relations between the national university and government and for contributing to the development of institutional linkages and consultative forums. Collaboration between various disciplines, institutions, and economic sectors characterizes CAPOLSA’s activities. Important areas of progress envisaged include institutional development, growth of a sustainable community of researchers whose collective efforts will increase the scale of Africa’s contribution to international knowledge, and evidence-based planning at the interface between humans and technology.

This article brings to the forefront the process concerning evaluating planning, plans and the corresponding criteria in relation to the concept of evidence-based planning (as presented by authors in spatial planning like Simin Davoudi and Andreas Faludi). The subject revolves around two key questions: “Which is the most important aspect to take into account regarding planning at large?” and „ To what extent “evidence” (as discussed by the two authors) always are value-free and unbiased facts regardless of how they are interpreted”. It concludes with the assumption that without strong evidences the evaluation process is almost null, but in the same time, a well-made evaluation of a plan can pose as an evidence for accepting or rejecting a plan.

The trend of the increasing role of data, indicators for assessment of the states and perspectives of physical planning can be observed. The role of spatial data inventory is not decreasing, on the contrary, its role is increasing and its meaning is expanding. Also the role of cooperation between science, the profession, political structures, and the public is increasing. The reason lies in the raising of comprehensiveness, interconnectivity and complexity of planning andimplementation of spatial development policies and developmental projects. Professional and formal determinations towards evidence-based planning both in the European territory and in Slovenia are obvious, and at the EU level also the ones related toimplementation.

This article discusses the use of scientific and Aboriginal knowledge in planning, exploring how their uses are limited within the neo-liberal ideology that underpins planning institutions globally. Western knowledge, based on a scientific, enlightenment philosophy, is often seen as the objective basis for planning and policy-making. However, a more social constructivist view reveals that the use of science in planning is complex; science can be used to justify a neo-liberal agenda, limiting efforts towards sustainability. Aboriginal knowledge, underpinned by an ancestral responsibility, holds an intrinsic obligation for Aboriginal Peoples to care for Country. This knowledge is commonly excluded from planning processes and continually fails to challenge unsustainable neo-liberal planning. We investigate how the neo-liberal ideology limits the uses of these knowledges, contributing to growth and development that risk breaching ecological limits. Drawing on insights from two different research projects, the article shows how politicisation of Western scientific knowledge and the colonisation of Aboriginal knowledge limit plurality and inclusion in planning. We argue that unsustainable planning practice should be challenged through co-learning in order to improve planning. We conclude with suggestions on how a shared understanding of knowledge might be theorised to provoke a sustainable agenda for planning policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: In 2010, the Ghana Health Service launched a program of cooperation with the Tanzania Ministry of Health and Social Welfare that was designed to adapt Tanzania's PLANREP budgeting and reporting tool to Ghana's primary health care program. The product of this collaboration is a system of budgeting, data visualization, and reporting that is known as the District Health Planning and Reporting Tool (DiHPART). Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the design and implementation processes (technical, procedures, feedback, maintenance, and monitoring) of the DiHPART tool in northern Ghana. Design: This paper reports on a qualitative appraisal of user reactions to the DiHPART system and implications of pilot experience for national scale-up. A total of 20 health officials responsible for financial planning operations were drawn from the national, regional, and district levels of the health system and interviewed in open-ended discussions about their reactions to DiHPART and suggestions for systems development. Results: The findings show that technical shortcomings merit correction before scale-up can proceed. The review makes note of features of the software system that could be developed, based on experience gained from the pilot. Changes in the national system of financial reporting and budgeting complicate DiHPART utilization. This attests to the importance of pursuing a software application framework that anticipates the need for automated software generation. Conclusions: Despite challenges encountered in the pilot, the results lend support to the notion that evidence- based budgeting merits development and implementation in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article ascribes poor returns from place-based economic policy to prevailing spatial norms and causal assumptions which continue to influence its deployment across South African cities. By elevating the local over the systemic as the cause of and solution to urban problems, spatial targeting in the telescopic mould gives rise to three forms of spatial bias which lock in suboptimal local outcomes and gradually undermine the resilience of the urban system. Place-based policy should instead be guided by a systemic and relational evaluation of local economic potentiality supported by data-driven planning tools. The article introduces one such tool developed by the City of Cape Town, focusing on its theoretical basis, initial findings and implications for intervention. We find that the tool represents a robust platform for policy-makers to make targeting decisions that are more evidence led and hence less arbitrary. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Assessments of ecosystem services have been proposed as one way of incorporating concerns about environmental change and ecosystem conditions into subnational development planning. In Thailand a policy window for such initiatives is opening because of a transition in national policy toward area-based planning combined with broader political reforms to expand public participation and encourage more evidence-based decision making. We explored three case studies in Thailand in which central and local government agencies and research organizations partnered to engage local communities and other stakeholders in assessments of ecosystem services and human well-being. The analysis focused on the role ecosystem assessments play in building and creating demand for coproductive capacity. By coproductive capacities we mean the ability to combine scientific resources and governance capabilities in ways that bring about informed social change. We found evidence that the assessments built capacities for governance actors to explore scientific and research-based evidence, to consult scientific experts, and then to evaluate existing policies and plans using this newly acquired information. At the same time, scientific experts also learned to explore public policy issues, to consult planners and decision makers in government, and based on this knowledge to evaluate scientific evidence and revise the scope and goals of their research and analytical activities to better meet policy needs and demands. Coproductive capacities were built when various stakeholders jointly engaged in compilation and interpretation of evidence. Doing so helped legitimize the assessment process with positive feedback on both governance and science capacities. We also found evidence, however, of significant cultural and institutional constraints to designing and making better use of ecosystem services assessments. These constraints included insufficient resources for both knowledge making and decision making. Power relations and organizational culture likewise had implications for capacities to govern and do science. Nevertheless, by creating demand for greater capacities, assessments contribute to improving the quality of evidence-based social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing urbanization, impervious space, and the impact of climate change are threatening the future of cities. Nature-based solutions, specifically urban green infrastructures, are seen as a sustainable strategy to increase resilience against extreme weather events, including the escalating occurrence of stormwater runoff flooding. Consequently, urban planners and decision-makers have pushed their efforts toward implementing green infrastructure solutions to reduce the impact of stormwater floods. Among others, green roofs help store water and decrease stormwater runoff impacts on a local scale. This research aims to investigate the effect of surface permeability and green roof implementation on reducing stormwater flooding and subsequently provide urban planners with evidence-based geospatial planning recommendations to improve urban resilience in Helsinki. First, we modeled the current impact of stormwater flooding using the Arc-Malstrom model in Helsinki. The model was used to identify districts under high stormwater flood risk. Then, we zoomed in to a focus area and tested a combination of scenarios representing four levels of green roof implementation, two levels of green roof infiltration rates under 40-, 60-, 80-, 100 mm precipitation events on the available rooftops. We utilized open geographic data and geospatial data science principles implemented in the GIS environment to conduct this study. Our results showed that low-level implementation of green roofs with low retention rates reduces the average flood depth by only 1 %. In contrast, the maximum green roof scenario decreased most of the average flood depth (13 %) and reduced the number of vulnerable sites. The proposed methodology can be used for other cities to develop evidence-based plans for green roof implementations. • Investigated the benefits of green roof implementation on stormwater flooding. • The methodology is based on geospatial data analysis and planning principles. • The methodology is applied on a case study from Helsinki. • The results reveal the maximum green roof implementation reduces vulnerabilities. • The methodology develops evidence-based plans for green roof implementations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, a growing international trend has been the implementation of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as a cost-effective way to enhance urban public transport (UPT) service quality and progress towards sustainable urban transport. To date, in excess of 40 cities worldwide operate BRT within their UPT networks. Despite the international prominence of BRT systems, there has been limited in-depth investigation of their spatial-temporal dynamics. Drawing on a case study BRT system, Brisbane, Australia, we apply a geo-visualisation-based method to a large smart card database to examine spatial-temporal dynamics. The conditional flow-maps (or flow-comaps) are created to visually compare the spatial trajectories of BRT trips and other bus-based trips and their variation by calendar events (i.e., a workday, a weekend, a school holiday and a public holiday). The results highlight (1) marked differences between BRT-based trips to those bus trips undertaken on the broader UPT network; (2) spatial heterogeneity in BRT trips; and (3) the potential of drawing on ‘big data’ to support evidence-based BRT planning. These findings render important implications with the capacity to inform future BRT strategy as it relates to service management and infrastructure expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The convergence of two complementary agendas motivated collaboration between two universities (in Zambia and Finland) to establish the Centre for the Promotion of Literacy in Sub-Saharan Africa (CAPOLSA), focused on initial literacy learning in indigenous languages. The project's mandate and activities are closely related to Zambia's national context of literacy and educational provision, emerging trends in information and communication technology, and the University of Zambia's institutional context of research and development on literacy, child development, and education. CAPOLSA has afforded opportunities for enhancing the working relations between the national university and government and for contributing to the development of institutional linkages and consultative forums. Collaboration between various disciplines, institutions, and economic sectors characterizes CAPOLSA's activities. Important areas of progress envisaged include institutional development, growth of a sustainable community of researchers whose collective efforts will increase the scale of Africa's contribution to international knowledge, and evidence-based planning at the interface between humans and technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Without addressing the constraints specific to disadvantaged populations, national health policies such as universal health coverage risk increasing equity gaps. Health system constraints often have the greatest impact on disadvantaged populations, resulting in poor access to quality health services among vulnerable groups. Methods: The Investment Cases in Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, and the state of Orissa in India were implemented to support evidence-based sub-national planning and budgeting for equitable scale-up of quality MNCH services. The Investment Case framework combines the basic setup of strategic problem solving with a decision-support model. The analysis and identification of strategies to scale-up priority MNCH interventions is conducted by in-country planners and policymakers with facilitation from local and international research partners. Results: Significant variation in scaling-up constraints, strategies, and associated costs were identified between countries and across urban and rural typologies. Community-based strategies have been considered for rural populations served predominantly by public providers, but this analysis suggests that the scaling-up of maternal, newborn, and child health services requires health system interventions focused on 'getting the basics right'. These include upgrading or building facilities, training and redistribution of staff, better supervision, and strengthening the procurement of essential commodities. Some of these strategies involve substantial early capital expenditure in remote and sparsely populated districts. These supply-side strategies are not only the 'best buys', but also the 'required buys' to ensure the quality of health services as coverage increases. By contrast, such public supply strategies may not be the 'best buys' in densely populated urbanised settings, served by a mix of public and private providers. Instead, robust regulatory and supervisory mechanisms are required to improve the accessibility and quality of services delivered by the private sector. They can lead to important maternal mortality reductions at relatively low costs. Conclusions: National strategies that do not take into consideration the special circumstances of disadvantaged areas risk disempowering local managers and may lead to a "business-as-usual" acceptance of unreachable goals. To effectively guide health service delivery at a local level, national plans should adopt typologies that reflect the different problems and strategies to scale up key MNCH interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To contribute to tuberculosis (TB) elimination, TB preventive treatment (TPT) should integrate innovative approaches including tele-contact investigation (TCI), mathematical modelling, and participatory governance. Aligning with the World Health Organisation's primary health care framework, supply is provided by the provincial health system, demand is cultivated by the community, while governance is represented by the governor, who oversees the health leadership structure, local policies, and allocation of resources. A healthy dynamic between these three components is required to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). Because of their potential to integrate health systems and engage communities, primary health care principles underpin an effective approach to TB prevention. First, the provincial health system should connect with the community through TCI to transform the status quo of passive service delivery. Second, community participation should strengthen the linkage between the health system and governance, which ensures that community action plans are aligned with provincial TPT targets. Third, governance should leverage mathematical modelling to allocate resources to those with greatest need. Central to this is a reliable TB information system that should validate a robust mathematical model to measure cost-effectiveness of the intervention. Collectively, this holistic approach to TB prevention could provide a proof-of-concept that investing in primary health care is the key to UHC., Competing Interests: J.S.C., K.E.P., S.S.T., and L.L.S. are employed by FHI 360 (Family Health International). J.S.C. is a founding member of the Philippine Society of Public Health Physicians. We declare no other competing interests., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Abstract: The European Union has always had a territorial agenda, albeit implicit. Existing spatial planning systems in Europe, in particular French aménagement du territoire, have shaped the thinking about how to tackle it more systematically, lately under the flag of an EU territorial cohesion policy. Drawing on work by the European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON), the member states collectively have produced an ‘evidence-based’ document, ‘The territorial state and perspectives of the European Union’. This forms the basis of a political document entitled the ‘Territorial Agenda of the European Union: Towards a more competitive and sustainable Europe of diverse regions’. The subsequent First Action Programme came at a time when it appeared that the Treaty of Lisbon would make EU territorial cohesion policy official. This paper gives an account of the process, pointing out that a turning point has been reached, in that the member states have come to accept the need for EU territorial cohesion policy. Section 1 sets out the theoretical framework and the research approach. Section 2 sets the scene as regards the EU and it institutions. Section 3 looks at spatial planning systems in Europe and, in particular—since it has been instrumental in formulating EU regional and territorial cohesion policy—French aménagement du territoire. Section 4 identifies the implicit EU territorial agenda and how this has been articulated further by the member states formulating the ESDP. Section 5 gives an account of the fledgling EU territorial cohesion policy. Section 6 focuses on the member state initiative to produce the ‘evidence-based’ document, ‘The territorial state and perspectives of the European Union’, which forms the basis for the Territorial Agenda. As a background to this, the section discusses ESPON, which provided the research base for this undertaking. Sections 7 to 9 are about the Territorial Agenda process as such, particularly its making, the substantive policies and the institutional measures proposed therein, and the First Action Programme adopted in the wake of the Territorial Agenda. Section 10 identifies challenges ahead, followed by the final section, which explores issues whose resolution is not immediately in sight. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The social and economic damages caused by climate change have increased rapidly over the last several decades, with increasing instances of heatwaves, floods, and extreme rainfall. In 2011, heavy rain of 110.5 mm/hr caused great damage to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Most of the causes of flooding in modern cities include a sharp increase in non-permeable pavement and a lack of water circulation facilities. It is predicted that heavy rainfalls will occur in the future, causing large amounts of local damage. In this study, possible future flood damages were analyzed using climate change scenarios based on the Korean Peninsula. ArcGIS was adopted to perform analyses, and Huff curves were employed for precipitation analysis. Water tanks, permeable pavement, and ecological waterways were installed as mitigation technologies. These three technologies can contribute to flooding mitigation by increasing the rainwater storage capacity. This study suggests that all floods can be reduced by RCP 8.5 by 2050 and 2060. Although there will be run-off after 2050, it is believed that technology will significantly reduce the volume and possibility of floods. It is recommended that a one-year analysis should be conducted in consideration of the maintenance aspects that will arise in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shifting traffic to active transport modes (eg. walking/cycling) poses one of the most promising ways of tackling the persisting challenges that arise from motorized traffic. However, planning and policy making in walking and cycling domains is frequently impeded by a small-scaled and heterogeneous political landscape that rarely acts based on evidence thus limiting cost-effectiveness and target achievement. This paper proposes a largely data-driven planning approach that builds upon aggregated statistical models explaining walking and cycling modal shares. In addition to investigating a comprehensive set of influencing factors in relevant fields such as environment, climate, infrastructure or demographics, we bring attention to the role of political and administrative commitment in aggregated modal share modeling. Results suggest that our holistic approach is feasible both methodologically and in terms of its applicability in planning practice. As a first step towards evidence-based decision making the incremental effects of individual planning measures can be simulated and thus be used to rank options according to their effectiveness. Another outcome lies in the data-driven identification of spatial target areas for specific agenda setting in terms of awareness, mobility behavior, infrastructure, settlement structure and other planning-relevant domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]