Neighbourhood change in Genesee and Kent Counties,Michigan, 1970–2019

Michigan was an industrial powerhouse until the onset of deindustrialization in 1970. This paper compares socio-economic and demographic changes at the neighbourhood level between 1970 and 2019 in two medium-sized cities/counties in Michigan (Flint/Genesee County and Grand Rapids/Kent County) that underwent deindustrialization. Only 35% of neighbourhoods in the two counties were of the same class in 2019 as in 1970. Middle-class neighbourhoods declined while poor and upper-middle class neighbourhoods increased. The contemporary spatial structure of neighbourhoods in these two counties is a mixture of classic concentric ring/sectoral models interspersed with socio-economic downgrading inner-ring suburbs identified within other US cities since the 1990s.     

Geographic variation in change in income inequality among US states, 1970–1990

Income inequality in the United States has increased greatly over the last 25 years. This paper examines geographic variation across the states in income inequality from 1970 to 1990 for family and for non-family households. Richer and larger metropolitan states, which had less inequality in 1970, became far more unequal, while many less metropolitan, poorer states in 1970, changed less. Associated with greater inequality or increase in inequality were economic restructuring (low wage versus high end services), surplus labor (babyboom entry, immigration), deregulation and tax changes, spatial polarization within metropolitan areas, family instability and higher shares of proprietary income; and with lesser inequality (or less change) manufacturing growth, higher (female) labor force participation and metro-politan growth (as in the South and the Plains). Received: February 1998/Accepted: July 1998     

Towards democratic planning? Negotiating change in St Kilda,Melbourne

Are planners ‘dealmakers’ caught up in selling urban areas to the highest bidder, or are they negotiators concerned to maintain democratic planning and social diversity in areas that are subject to gentrification? This paper explores this question through the example of two sites in St Kilda, Melbourne. The sites highlight planning strategies used at the local government level by planners who are attempting to negotiate change and to maintain the social and cultural diversity of the area. The first example illustrates the processes of ‘democratic planning’ where planners question what is ‘legitimate’ and draw on discourses of local need. The second example illustrates the problems of co‐opting local culture within a process of democratic planning that is based on community consultation. Together, the examples illustrate the need for tighter local government policies, including stricter policies about the use of developer contributions, and a closer and more critical focus on the term ‘community consultation’, if democratic planning is to be achieved.     

Metropolitan planning and downtown redevelopment: The Cincinnati and Dallas experiences, 1940–60

This study explores the parallel experiences of two rather different American cities with regard to planning and post‐war redevelopment. In both cities, the business‐supported planning movements of the 1940s focused on metropolitan‐wide issues and included a social as well as an economic emphasis. Initial efforts at redevelopment after the war, which included improvement of housing, also mirrored this metropolitan focus. By the mid‐1950s, however, the focus of the planning movement had shifted to the central business district: viewed as an economic problem and calling for massive redevelopment of both cities’ downtowns.

This changing emphasis ‐ from planning for the metropolis to planning for the CBD ‐ is placed within the context of a changing discourse about the relationship between the city and the suburb which was taking place between 1940 and 1960.     

Landscape change in Ramallah—Palestine (1994–2014)

The Palestinian landscape has always been subjected to dynamic processes of change. This article examines the landscape change in Ramallah city during the last 20 years by analysing two aerial photographs from two periods—1994 and 2014—to create land cover maps which illustrate the change in different landscape classes in the city. The article aims to quantify the landscape change in the specified periods using GIS and FRAGSTATS analysis, and to identify and explain spatial patterns of the landscape, taking into consideration the political, social, and economic circumstances. The results reveal a considerable change and fragmentation. The main change is an increase in the built-up area at the expense of a decrease in the permanent trees and scrub areas. This change, due to the occupation policies, is a reflection of many indicators, including population growth, migration, and an economic boom in the construction sector.     

The “Pink Pound” in the “Gaybourhood”? Neighbourhood Deprivation and Sexual Orientation in Scotland

Abstract

The emergence of geographic concentrations of non-heterosexual individuals – so-called “gaybourhoods” – is often linked to housing, demographic characteristics of the non-straight population and wider discrimination. These neighbourhoods are associated with narratives of gentrification with the non-straight population acting as gentrification pioneers. In popular imagery, non-straight households are typically portrayed with higher disposable income, and more likely to live in owner-occupied apartments in affluent neighbourhoods. This paper presents data from the Scottish Health Survey showing a disproportionate concentration of non-heterosexual people in the most deprived places in Scotland. These neighbourhoods are predominantly peripheral housing estates, dominated by social housing; not gentrifying inner-city neighbourhoods. We use data from the Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) to interrogate individual characteristics that might explain this spatial concentration of residence. We argue this means the narratives of LGBT gentrification and affluence should be regarded with caution given ongoing exclusion and deprivation among the non-heterosexual population.     

Urban sprawl in the Mediterranean?: Patterns of growth and change in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region 1993–2000

Debates on the urban form have become strongly polarized between the advocates and opponents of the compact and of the dispersed or “sprawled” city. In this paper we argue that this may be the result of an excessive concentration on the study of the American experience and the neglect of other urban contexts, and examine the recent process of urban growth against the background of urban compactness and extreme densification represented by the Barcelona Metropolitan Region (BMR). The comparison of two detailed land-cover maps of 1993 and 2000 shows a progressive transformation in the traditional urban character of the region. Lower urban densities, high losses of non-urban land covers, depopulation of the metropolitan inner core, an increasing importance of single housing or the expansion of transportation infrastructures confirm the generalization of the dispersed urban model. However, the presence of numerous medium sized towns has also proved to be a deterrent of excessive dispersion. In conclusion, polycentric metropolitan areas such as the BMR may be more adjusted to absorb the negative effects of dispersion than monocentric areas.     

Soft contractualism? Facilitating institutional change in planning and development relations in Scotland

Devolution in the United Kingdom has involved the creation of different quasi-autonomous political administrations. As part of an attempt to encourage institutional learning, there has been a turn to concordats to facilitate cooperation on matters of shared concern, to communicate appropriately and in a timely way, to work in a helpful and open manner and to treat information in confidence. In parallel, the reform of statutory land-use planning systems in the devolved United Kingdom has involved debates around the need for a cultural change to implement a relatively more positive model of planning and development amongst the diversity of stakeholders which have similarly invoked new forms of public diplomacy. The Edinburgh Planning Concordat sets out in some detail the agreed step-by-step actions to be effected and the respective responsibilities of the local authority and developers at the different stages in the land-use planning process. Such anticipated cooperation and coordination in the land-use planning and property development community could suggest a stronger basis for decision making and the articulation of the public interest. Locating the discussion against the backdrop of devolution and planning reform in Scotland, and within theories of new contractualism, this article examines the rise of ‘soft’ forms of public diplomacy as a means to facilitate cultural change and planning reform.     

Hydrochemical distribution patterns in stream waters, Trøndelag, central Norway

A regional geochemical sampling program of stream waters has been carried out in the Nord-Tr?ndelag region of central Norway. This area has hitherto been little affected by regional anthropogenic sources of pollution. Hydrochemical trends appear to be dominated by interplay of two main factors: (i) input of sea salts via marine aerosols in precipitation: and (ii) geological sources (mineral weathering). Factor (i) results in a predominance of Na-Cl waters near the coast, and may also be partially responsible (via proton displacement from soil ion-exchange sites by marine cations) for lower pH values in near-coastal waters. Further inland, the importance of marine salts decreases and waters become dominantly Ca-(Na)-HCO3. Sub-regional anomalies in geochemical maps for, e.g. nitrate and copper may indicate anthropogenic sources for these parameters from agriculture or mining activities.     

The Kano–Kazaure highway,north central Nigeria: the significance of the engineering geology in construction

Kano–Kazaure highway traverses granitic rock with minor occurrences of metasediments and fine sandy deposits. The soil profiles were studied to determine their suitability in the proposed dualization of the highway route as part of the Trans-Sahara international highway construction project. The soils derived from the granitic rocks are well graded, with a high maximum dry density and low optimum moisture content. The soils derived from the schistose and quartzite zone are also suitable for road base and sub-base but the transported loose silty fine sand/sandy silty soils of the Chad Formation are only limited suitability.     

Who leaves rental housing? Examining possible explanations for ethnic housing segmentation in Uppsala,Sweden

Swedish cities are not only segregated but also segmented along ethnic lines; i.e., different ethnic groups are unevenly distributed across the different tenure segments in the housing market. Immigrants are generally overrepresented in rental housing and underrepresented in home ownership and tenant–owner cooperative housing. In this paper, an attempt is made to evaluate the importance of socioeconomic resources in explaining this segmentation, using the Uppsala housing market as a case. By means of binary logistic regression an evaluation is made of the relative importance of socioeconomic resources and ethnic background, while controlling for demographic factors, in explaining whether a person leaves rental housing for home ownership or cooperative housing or remains in the rental segment. The results show that the socioeconomic situation of the individual is indeed very important. A high income and a stable position in the labor market seem to be crucial in order to advance in the housing market. Demographic and socioeconomic factors cannot, however, fully account for the differences found between Swedes and immigrant groups such as Africans and Eastern Europeans. The results imply that ethnic discrimination cannot be ruled out as an explanation for the underrepresentation of immigrants in the cooperative and owner-occupied segments.     

Who are the typical commuters in the post-socialist metropolis? The case of Riga,Latvia

There have been important changes in the geographical mobility of the populations of post-socialist countries since the 1990s. Drawing on an extensive sample survey—the Geographic Mobility of the Labour Force survey conducted by the University of Latvia in 2006—this paper, examines the demographic and socio-economic differences between commuters and stayers in the suburbs, as well as commuting time. The results of the study indicate that people who have suburbanised over the past decade are much more likely to commute than stayers. We show that commuters to Riga differ from non-commuters with regard to most demographic and socio-economic variables. For instance, the probability of commuting is higher for the younger and more affluent suburban residents. Somewhat surprisingly, our analysis shows that there are no significant differences in commuting time between socio-demographic population groups.     

Increased incidence of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii in temperate zones--is climate change responsible?

The bloom-forming, toxic cyanobacterium, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii exhibits global distribution. In recent years both the occurrence and dominance of this species, particularly in temperate regions, has increased. Whilst this may be due to increased sensitivity of analytical detection methods or more rigorous sampling routines, it is possible that this expansion has been assisted by a number of changing conditions in these environments. The geographical expansion of both the organism and toxin production can be attributed to phenomena such as eutrophication and climate change. In this review, we discuss the occurrence of C. raciborskii with respect to current literature against the backdrop of increasing global temperatures. Critically, we identify a concerning trend between the geographical spread of this organism and global climate change.     

Would LEED-UHI greenery and high albedo strategies mitigate climate change at neighborhood scale in Cairo,Egypt?

Neighborhood has always been of significant interest to built environment stockholders as a basic planning unit. However, any discussion in these concerns, without drawing attention to sustainable microclimate approaches, would still in a mess at a time of increasing population and climate change. Emergence of the sustainable development concept at the mid-20th century and its emphasis led to increasing crucial role that the urban green infrastructure along with reflective materials can play in mitigating neighborhood microclimate’s symptoms of climate change. Considering the lack of studies for urban heat island (UHI) in hot arid regions, particularly in Egypt and the limited number of studies concerning the numerical simulation of all mitigation strategies incorporated, this research studies the mitigation of UHI phenomenon in a case study in Cairo in present and future (2020, 2050 and 2080) through applying the criteria of tree lines, green roofs, high albedo pavements and shading structures within the neighborhood sustainability assessment tool (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood; LEED-ND). The microclimatic numerical CFD simulations of ENVI-met 4.0 was used following the measurement of LAI and Albedo of selected Egyptian trees to assess UHI through air and radiant temperature differences before and after applying mitigation strategies. Results demonstrate a considerable ability to acclimatize the microclimate in terms of better conditions in present and future.     

2011,你HOLD住了吗?

有调查称,吃东西能有效减轻压力。那2011年会不会是暴饮暴食的一年?有工程机械用户坦言,2011年是让他们吃不下饭的一年,压力不是小,而是爆棚。的确,经历2009年、2010年,国家4万亿救市计划拉动下的工程牛市,工程机械投资者已经习惯了活多干不完、有闲钱就买设备的繁荣时代。从2011年一季度工程机械销售的火暴行情可以看出,工程机械用户对未来的期望值不低。有松就有紧。2011年第二季度开始,货币紧缩影响开始显现,国家宏观调控马车疾驶而来。这打得工程机械投资者一措手不及,一方面是不断扩大的设备规模,另一方面是工程紧缩,面对狼多肉少的无奈局面,各家有各家的解决之道。有资金实力的用户,继续追加设备,瞄向少有人能企及的新领域、新机遇,期待行业重新洗牌;更多用户选择按兵不动,猫冬静待春天的到来;有的用户不得已黯然退场。2011,纷繁复杂的国内外经济形势下,你hold住了吗?本期封面文章通过走访一线用户和经销商,聆听他们的见解,发现并不都是悲观情绪。弯道超车,经历风浪后的你,能更成熟、理智,并一如既往的勤劳、果敢。所采访的对象有限,观点谨供读者借鉴。2011年即将进入最后一个季度,各方传来的消息越来越多地透露出些许积极面...     

Does remediation save lives? — On the cost of cleaning up arsenic-contaminated sites in Sweden

Sweden has only just begun remediation of its many contaminated sites, a process that will cost an estimated SEK 60,000 million (USD 9100 million). Although the risk assessment method, carried out by the Swedish EPA, is driven by health effects, it does not consider actual exposure. Instead, the sites are assessed based on divergence from guideline values. This paper uses an environmental medicine approach that takes exposure into account to analyse how cancer risks on and near arsenic-contaminated sites are implicitly valued in the remediation process. The results show that the level of ambition is high. At 23 contaminated sites, the cost per life saved varies from SEK 287 million to SEK 1,835,000 million, despite conservative calculations that in fact probably underestimate the costs. It is concluded that if environmental health risks are to be reduced, there are probably other areas where economic resources can be used more cost-effectively.     

Can climate change explain increases in DOC flux from upland peat catchments?

Long-term increases in DOC concentration in rivers draining areas of upland peat are a ubiquitous phenomenon in the UK. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain these increases, but one compelling explanation is the observed long-term increase in temperature in UK uplands causing increases in peat decomposition rates, and increasing the depth of oxidation as evaporation increases depth to the water table. The study constructed an empirical model for water table depth and decomposition rate calibrated against observations from the Environmental Change Network monitoring site at Moor House in the North Pennines, UK. The study shows: (i) Depth of the water table has not changed significantly over a 30-year period, reflecting the fact that blanket peat is well buffered against climate change. (ii) Increases in temperature are responsible for a 12% increase in DOC production while an approximate 78% increase in DOC production has been observed. (iii) Overall DOC production is predicted to rise by 6% but observation suggests increases on the scale of 97%. (iv) The model inadequately represents changes in production and supply of DOC during periods of severe drought. The study shows that temperature change alone is insufficient to explain observed increases in DOC production. Alternative explanations for large increases in DOC production could include changes in land management, but an enzymic latch mechanism, i.e. derepression of anaerobic degradation, causing increased decomposition rates in response to severe drought is preferred.