Accessibility and Visibility Analysis of Moinhos de Vento Park in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

This paper analyzes physical and visual accessibility at Moinhos de Vento Park in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, through Space Syntax methods. The Park presents a particularity in its configuration： it is crossed by an important avenue in the city that splits it in two portions linked by an elevated pedestrian path. The two portions of the park have different accessibility degrees and intensity of use due to -- we believed -- the way they are inserted in the urban pattern. Both the barrier caused by the avenue crossing the park and the differences of connectedness of each portion to its surrounding grid result in the level of integration occurring in different ways, turning the east portion less intensely used. The all-line and visibility integration maps showed that this was the case, and confirmed that spatial configuration plays an important role in rendering the east portion less integrated and in explaining the more intense use of the west portion. Integration maps showed that the most integrated areas are indeed the most used ones, although line and visibility integration differed slightly as to the exact location. This difference was probably due to the way barriers were modeled, since permeability took into account the paths while visibility considered all the ground as a whole, provided there were no barriers to sight. Another explanation for the difference is the lake located at the center of the west portion which contributed to this location＇s visual integration but, on the other hand, displaced line integration to the larger convex space to the north.

Factors Associated with Physical-Activity Performance by Older Individuals in a Medium-Sized City in S^o Paulo State, Brazil

Physical activity has been scientifically discussed as fundamental in the process of healthy ageing. Hence, this study aimed at determining the factors that influence older people to perform physical activities. The complete IPAQ （International Physical Activity Questionnaire） was applied to a population-based sample consisting of 364 elderly persons in the city of Botucatu, SAo Paulo, Brazil. Days of physical activity performed by the older people were considered by taking into account household and leisure activities. Models for count data were fitted by including socio-demographic variables as well as those related to life satisfaction. It was shown that housework physical-activity performance is associated with female, who predominantly showed to be more active in all levels. Male seemed to be more predisposed to perform lighter recreation, sports and leisure-time physical activities, such as walking. Additionally, poor schooling showed to he decisive for not performing physical activities both at home and during leisure.

Indicators to the Consumption of Electric Energy and Agriculture Cattle Farming Production for the Elaboration of Clusters with Cities of the State of S^o Paulo, Brazil

The issue in this matter is that rules for use of electricity in rural areas are limited to the provision of inputs. Adopting guidelines to consider managed sub regions can generate poor results. The focus of this study was to present parameters for indicators of electric energy and agricultural production to allow the formation of city groups in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, with similar electric energy consumption and rural agricultural production. The methodology was the development of indicators that characterize the electric energy consumption/agricultural production and the preparation of groups using indicators with ward of statistical method of groups. The main conclusions were the formation of six homogeneous groups with similar characteristics regarding agricultural production/consumption of electricity. The application of these groups in cities with similar characteristics would produce more satisfactory results than the division of administrative Rural Development Offices （RDO）.