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A youth-centric participatory mapping approach was employed to monitor the lower Mill Creek, an urban waterway located in Cincinnati, Ohio, by collecting geospatial data points on surface water quality and ecological assets. Utilizing the ArcGIS Field Maps application, a digital survey-based tool was developed to identify key areas related to ecological assets and urban water management challenges. The purpose of this citizen science approach was to allow researchers to capture and understand community perspectives and insights while engaging in scientific research that focuses on identifying geographic vulnerability areas and ecological assets. The primary objective was to empower local community groups and residents in an environmental justice neighborhood to understand the current opportunities and constraints of the adjacent waterbody, enabling informed decision-making for future planning initiatives that benefit both conservation and remediation efforts aligned with local values and needs. A youth-centric participatory mapping approach was employed to monitor the lower Mill Creek, an urban waterway in Cincinnati, Ohio, through the collection of geospatial data on surface water quality and ecological assets. The findings, based on hotspot analysis, revealed significant spatial clustering of heavy debris near the barrier dam and the lower portion of Mill Creek, where it converges with the Ohio River. This accumulation is attributed to the structural features of the barrier dam's inner flood catchment area, which traps debris during rainfall events. Although no areas showed spatial significance for perceived ecological services, students identified specific areas with esthetic and biodiversity value, particularly at Mill Creek's confluence with the Ohio River and along the northern stretch of the stream corridor. These findings provide valuable insights for guiding future conservation and remediation efforts that reflect both community values and environmental priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using stakeholder theory, this article introduces a framework to inform decision making with respect to the regulation of on-premise signs. Because signage resides in a broader, shared environment and its regulation largely takes place at the local level of government, it can be considered unique among most other marketing-related communications. On-premise signs are important to individual businesses and the communities in which they are used, but at the same time, they are “out in the world,” cannot be avoided, and may not be relevant to or welcomed by many consumers who are exposed to them. A transformative consumer research lens is applied in this article to arrive at regulatory recommendations that balance the interests of the business with the interests of consumers, the general public, and other stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reliable and comprehensive measurement of physical activity settings is needed to examine environment-behavior relations. Methods: Surveyed park professionals (n = 34) and users (n = 29) identified park and playground elements (e.g., trail) and qualities (e.g., condition). Responses guided observational instrument development for environmental assessment of public recreation spaces (EAPRS). Item inter-rater reliability was evaluated following observations in 92 parks and playgrounds. Instrument revision and further reliability testing were conducted with observations in 21 parks and 20 playgrounds. Results: EAPRS evaluates traillpath, specific use (e.g., picnic), water-related, amenity (e.g., benches), and play elements, and their qualities. Most EAPRS items had good-excellent reliability, particularly presence/number items. Reliability improved from the original (n = 1088 items) to revised (n = 646 items) instrument for condition, coverage/shade, and openness/visibility items. Reliability was especially good for play features, but cleanliness items were generally unreliable. Conclusions: The EAPRS instrument provides comprehensive assessment of parks' and playgrounds' physical environment, with generally high reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the use of juvenile correctional facility records to plan and implement prevention and treatment programs for violent juvenile offenders. Adoption of risk-based approaches for violent juvenile prevention and treatment programs; Use of records to identify local risk and protective factors of criminal behavior; Cost-effectiveness of using client records.

The infant mortality rate (IMR) is an important indicator of social development, reflecting the equitable distribution of basic resources. However, use of a single IMR for a large city obscures variations within the city. A low citywide IMR may hide success in reducing infant deaths in some neighborhoods and failures in others. Tools are needed by public health officials and researchers to rapidly and reliably describe infant mortality in small areas within cities. This article presents a case study demonstrating how geographic information systems (GIS) technology can be used to effectively measure and describe infant mortality for census tracts within Cincinnati. The results show that GIS are effective for measuring the wide variation in infant mortality within the city and communicating the spatial relationships using maps. Furthermore, census tracts with IMRs lower and higher than predicted by socioeconomic characteristics can be identified for special attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]