Working out What Works: The Role of Tacit Knowledge Where Urban Greenspace Research, Policy and Practice Intersect

Unraveling complexity in changing mental health care towards person-centered care

Background

Mental health care (MHC) needs to shift towards person-centered care to better meet people's individual needs. Open Dialogue (OD) is well-aligned with this perspective and brings it into practice. This study focuses on exploring the change process within a pilot project involving three MHC teams as they transition to a person-centered OD practice. Our aim is to identify and reflect on the challenges faced by MHC professionals in adopting person-centered care, and shedding light on the underlying complexity of these challenges. By gaining a better understanding of these obstacles, we hope to contribute to the adoption of the person-centered approach in MHC practice.

Methods

Our research employed a qualitative design, involving a total of 14 semi-structured interviews with MHC professionals who were either trained in OD, OD trainees, or MHC professionals without OD training. To analyze the data, we utilized a hybrid approach that combined deductive - and inductive thematic analysis.

Results

We identified four distinctive challenges: (1) understanding and knowledge transfer, (2) (inter)personal process, (3) emotional discomfort, and (4) the need for multi-stakeholder participation and support. In practice, these challenges intersect and the appearance of and relationships between these challenges are not linear or disentangleable.

Conclusion

Upon careful consideration of these interdependent challenges, it became evident that embedding a person-centered approach like OD brings about systemic change, leading to an unfamiliar situation X. The research findings indicated that understanding and conveying the concept of person-centered care in practical settings poses significant challenges. The field of knowledge management helps to capture the complexity of understanding and transferring this knowledge. The change process necessitates an (inter)personal process and elicits emotional discomfort, as person-centered OD practice confronts a deeply entrenched paradigm in MHC. Achieving a shared understanding of person-centered care requires dedicated time and attention, while introducing this approach prompts broader discussions on underlying values and human rights in MHC. Current implementation efforts may underestimate or overlook these underlying values, but initiating an open dialogue can serve as an initial step in addressing the complexities.

Integration of knowledge systems in urban farming initiatives: insight from Taipei Garden City

There is growing interest globally in the potential of urban farming to respond to a breadth of urban sustainability challenges. Yet it is also recognised that the policy and implementation of this nature-based strategy is influenced by an underlying science-policy-practice community. The aim of this paper is to understand how different actors and knowledges come together to form a science-policy-practice community for a citywide urban farming initiative-Taipei Garden City. The result shows that the science-policy-practice community was formed in a dynamic 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' process. This allows long-term public-private partnership to be developed and enables different knowledges and experiences to co-exist in policies and practices. This study argues that in-between spaces and actors, who can cut across different fora, are vital to make urban farming interventions happen. Nonetheless, we also question the extent to which embodied and experiential knowledge is sufficient to support environmentally and socially appropriate outcomes for attaining urban sustainability.

Green Public Areas and Urban Open Spaces Management: New GreenCAL Tool Algorithms and Circular Economy Implications

Urban Open Spaces (UOS) are green infrastructures that provide social and ecosystem services. Green public areas contribute to mitigation and adaptation strategies for addressing climate changes, but their maintenance has a significant cost. Frequent grass cutting operations must be carried out during growing periods to ensure the safe livability of UOS to citizens. In the present paper, a geo database was developed to map green public areas of the city of Latina (Lazio Region, Central Italy) by using a multisource dataset according to the European INSPIRE Directive. The GreenCAL Tool was implemented. Two algorithms to determine UOS extension and the necessary budget for grass cutting operations are used, considering the contribution of different mowing (i.e., mulcher, lawnmower, or brush cutter) and UOS extension itself (~160 ha). The implemented processing chain allowed us to simulate forestation of abandoned areas and potential CO2 sequestration values. Two different scenarios of maintenance programs were also implemented to reduce more than 60% of operational cost according to: (1) different use of UOS; (2) their position within the urban area; (3) guidelines of Italian working group on public green management; and (4) management of vegetal residues. The management of the latter, derived by mowing, contribute to more than 23% of the budget allocated to maintain UOS. Besides the long-term environmental and health perspective, the short-term impact of the present applied research is relevant for a geomatic approach, green public procurements, as well as land use and climate interactions. The alternative management of UOS discussed in the present paper can also reduce organic waste production if the mowing within the UOS is managed as a resource for agriculture rather than urban waste.

The role of tacit knowledge in communication and decision-making during emerging public health incidents

Strong communication systems for knowledge exchange are required to prevent, respond to and mitigate the effects of emerging public health incidents (EPHIs). The objective of this paper is to examine how "tacit knowledge" - implicit knowledge used to guide everyday practice - is employed in professional relationships and communication processes between public health and acute care settings. A qualitative study design was used to explore the experiences of key informants from public health and acute care settings in Ontario, Canada, to examine how specific dimensions of tacit knowledge are employed in communications about EPHIs. Twenty-six in-depth interviews were conducted from 2014 to 2015. The results describe the way in which participants employ discretion and knowledge of local context, and rely on relationships built on trust and credibility, to facilitate decision-making and communication during EPHIs. Given the uncertainty characterizing most EPHIs, communicators rely a great deal on their informal knowledge and networks which allow them to remain flexible and respond quickly to changing situations. The results reveal that communication about public health guidance during emergencies is a complex and active process that draws from past experiences of the individuals involved, and is shaped by the requirements of local circumstances. The broader implications of these findings for building resilient and responsive health systems are considered. In particular, for rethinking the authority of standardized forms of evidence in public health decision-making, and the importance of knowledge which is grounded in the uniqueness of specific local contexts.