People and Places
University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, School of Architecture
Fall Risk Monitoring in People’s Daily Lives with Wearable Sensors
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session SangHyun Lee, Gaang Lee
In the U.S., fall is the leading cause of pedestrian injuries in the built environment. To reduce pedestrian falls, wearable motion sensors, such as inertial measurement unit (IMU), have been applied for continuous, and less-invasive fall risk monitoring during people’s daily walk in the built environment. However, solely monitoring kinematic movement may not be able to differentiate fall risks from gait irregularities of normal ambulatory activities such as direction and pace changes. Therefore, this study applies a wristband-type electrodermal activity (EDA) biosensor together with a belt-clip-type IMU to account for both people’s stress response and gait irregularity to fall risks. A mixture model-based algorithm was applied to detect data points of abnormally high stress and gait irregularity respectively. Then, the co-occurrence of high stress and gait irregularity at the same time was identified as representing a fall risk occurrence. For validation, 30 subjects were asked to walk over a pre-determined route along which different types of fall hazards were positioned such as cluttered and slippery surfaces and poor lighting. Meanwhile, their EDA and IMU signals were collected with the two wearable biosensors. The proposed technique was applied on the collected signals and the authors found that fall risks the subjects experienced on the hazards were accurately identified with the proposed technique. This finding can significantly contribute to reducing fall accidents in the built environment by enabling us to monitor individual pedestrians’ fall risks and proactively conduct interventions, such as providing fall hazard-free routes and fixing hazards, before actual falls happen.
The ‘Sultan’s Route’: Ottoman Built and Intangible Heritage in Europe
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Derek Bryce
European Cultural Routes are defined as cultural, educational heritage, and tourism cooperation projects aiming at the development and promotion of an itinerary or a series of itineraries based on a historic route, a cultural concept, figure or phenomenon with transnational importance and significance for the understanding and respect of common European values. These have included routes signifying key moments in European history and heritage like the Via Charlemagne, Viking Route, Destination Napoleon and Iron Curtain Trail (EPA, art.1, Council of Europe, 2010). The contribution of the Ottoman Empire to the development of south east Europe has not yet been formally recognised in this way. Ottoman heritage in Central and South-eastern Europe is extensive and splendid, with built heritage such as the many fortresses, mosques and bridges, but also intangible heritage in the cuisine, music and language of 'post-Ottoman' Europe. Ottoman heritage is, however, a contested one. It has been neglected, re-appropriated or recuperated in different ways and with different aims and motives. There is therefore a need to revalorise Ottoman heritage in formal European identity narratives and emphasise its significant potential in contributing to regional development and sustainable tourism, and the development of a European Cultural Route. This proposed heritage trail, taking in the Ottoman military, trade and diplomatic route from Istanbul to Vienna will raise awareness of and revalorise Ottoman heritage by outlining its importance and capitalising on this shared built heritage through tourism and regional economic development.
The Wisdom of Trees: Rethinking Trees' Capabilities in the Light of East Asian Philosophy, Poetry, and Painting
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Mara Miller
In an example of governmental wisdom, the state of Hawaii has instituted an “Exceptional Tree Program, ” complete with tax deductions for maintenance, advice on pruning, a nomination process, etc. (Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 58 (Act 105, Session Laws of Hawaii 1975) – Exceptional Tree Act, 1975.) Criteria for exceptional tree status state a tree must meet one or more of the criteria: Historic or Cultural Value ; Age; Rarity; Location; Size; Esthetic Quality; Endemic Status. Two new books argue for another criterion: wisdom. Is this even possible? What could wisdom mean in a tree, or for the category of trees? In their book Wise Trees, Diane Cook and Len Jenshel present photographs of magnificent trees from around the world, describe their attributes that led to the authors claim they are “wise,” often size or historical significance. But in spite of their title, none of the modes of significance is precisely wisdom. Could trees be--wise? In The Wisdom of Trees: Thinking Through Arboreality (SUNY Press, David Macauley and Laura Pustarfi, editors), I offer definitions of wisdom and considerations of how these might apply to trees literally and symbolically (setting aside metaphorical applications and sacred trees), and examine how East Asian philosophy and the arts think about these issues. If East Asian thinkers are correct about the capabilities of trees to be wise (as I demonstrate they are), their thinking has important ramifications for how we understand and treat the built and natural environments.
