Metropolitan Area Job Accessibility and the Working Poor: Exploring Local Spatial Variations Of Geographic context

Critical geographic perspectives argue that employment access in U.S. metropolitan areas is more complex than traditional understandings, calling for research utilizing approaches that reflect the spatially dynamic structure of cities. This study uses a job proximity indicator of employment access among the working poor, with cluster analysis and spatial regimes modeling, to explore the spatial dimensions of geographic context (neighborhood characteristics) at a localized scale. The findings indicate that: (1) patterns of high or low employment access are not consistent with neoclassical conceptualizations of metropolitan areas; and (2) the statistical relationship between geographic context indicators and the measure of job accessibility were not spatially constant, but varied across the urban landscape. This supports the critical geographic arguments that a high degree of complexity underlies the employment access problem. To better inform public policy, future empirical research needs access to more sophisticated data and methodological approaches to analyze this complex sociospatial phenomenon.     

Effects of accessibility and environmental health risk on housing prices: a case of Salt Lake County,Utah

While transportation infrastructure can increase housing price by improving accessibility to opportunities, it generates environmental health risks, such as noise and air pollution, which may have negative effects on housing price. However, the combined effects of accessibility and environmental health risk on housing price have not been well examined in the literature, especially in the auto-oriented urban context of the United States. In this study, we use assessed housing value data and the hedonic model to examine the single-family housing market's reaction to accessibility and environment health risks in Salt Lake County, a growing metropolitan area in Utah experiencing significant air pollution. Three regression models are employed with the consideration of spatial effects: ordinary least squares (OLS), spatial lag regression (SLR), and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM, or multilevel modeling/MLM). By controlling for the influences of structural attributes and socioeconomic conditions, we find that the negative impacts (traffic noise and air pollution) of transportation systems on single-family housing prices are greater than the positive impact (accessibility). Single-family residents in Salt Lake County are willing to pay more to reduce environmental health risks than to get better accessibility. These findings are different from what have been found in some dense and compact urban areas in the literature. These findings suggest that people's willingness to pay for minimizing environmental health risks varies across different urban contexts.     

Mixed land use and obesity: an empirical comparison of alternative land use measures and geographic scales

Obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. Walkable neighborhoods, characterized as having the 3Ds of walkability (population Density, land use Diversity, and pedestrian-friendly Design), have been identified as a potentially promising factor to prevent obesity for their residents. Past studies examining the relationship between obesity and walkability vary in geographic scales of neighborhood definitions and methods of measuring the 3Ds. To better understand potential influences of these sometimes arbitrary choices, we test how four types of alternative measures of land use diversity measured at three geographic scales relate to body mass index for 4960 Salt Lake County adults. Generalized estimation equation models demonstrate that optimal diversity measures differed by gender and geographic scale and that integrating walkability measures at different scales improved the overall performance of models.     

Mixed Land Use and Obesity: An Empirical Comparison of Alternative Land Use Measures and Geographic Scales

Obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. Walkable neighborhoods, characterized as having the three Ds of walkability (population Density, land use Diversity, and pedestrian-friendly Design), have been identified as a potentially promising factor to prevent obesity for residents. Past studies examining the relationship between obesity and walkability vary in geographic scales of neighborhood definitions and methods of measuring the three Ds. To better understand potential influences of these sometimes arbitrary choices, we test how four types of alternative measures of land use diversity measured at three geographic scales relate to body mass index for 4,960 Salt Lake County adults. Generalized estimation equation models demonstrate that optimal diversity measures differed by gender and geographic scale and that integrating walkability measures at different scales improved the overall performance of models.     

Effects of Urban Growth Boundaries on Residential Development in Pierce County,Washington

Although the literature on growth management is extensive, few researchers have explored policy‐oriented evaluation methodologies. This article develops a new methodology to measure urban sprawl in order to evaluate the geographical effects of urban growth boundaries in Pierce County, Washington. The methodology utilizes residential building permit data from 1991 to 2002 that were put into a geographic information system and geocoded to the Pierce County street centerline file. The results of our study indicate that since the establishment in 1995 of urban growth boundaries there has been a substantial increase in the clustering of residential permits inside those boundaries. The implications of these findings are important for planning practitioners and the evaluation of growth management policies throughout the United States and elsewhere.     

A total water management analysis of the Las Vegas Wash watershed,Nevada

Climate change, land-use change, and population growth are fundamental factors affecting future hydrologic conditions in streams, especially in arid regions with scarce water resources. Located in the arid southwest within the Las Vegas Wash watershed, Las Vegas is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas of the country. In the past 30?years, because of climate and land-use changes, it has experienced a decrease in clean water supply but an increase in water demand. To alleviate some of these problems, large amounts of water have been pumped into the city from different sources, such as Lake Mead, and the urban wastewater is treated and returned back to the reservoir for water augmentation. However, in the face of continual global climate change and urbanization in the watershed, long-term planning for sustainable water management is critical. This research was designed to provide a comprehensive analysis incorporating hydrologic modeling, population projection, land-use change modeling, and water management policies to examine the total water balance and management options in this arid and rapidly urbanizing watershed under various scenarios of climate regime, population growth, land-use change, and total water management programs for the year 2050.     

沈阳市部门企业地理集聚与城市结构

基于产业空间聚集分布情况探寻城市结构特征,是当前大都市区实证研究中的聚焦点所在,但由于方法论的限制而无法真正揭示产业地理集聚之间的内在关联性。基于已有研究基础,试图通过完善潜力模型、设置距离参数、结合主成分分析法实现对产业地理集聚测度方法论的完善与发展,并选取极具代表性大都市区核心城市——沈阳市为样本单元,以2008年的经济普查部门企业数据开展实证检验。结果表明：沈阳市部门企业之间除了交通运输、仓储和邮政中心产业属于地方化经济外,其余的均为企业关联;水利、环境和公共设施管理业产业依附于制造业呈临街抑或隔街集聚,而与公共管理和组织产业之间同街道集聚;支配主角之间,存在中心CBD主宰制造业的布局,而制造业又在很大程度上影响着交通运输、仓储和邮政中心的布局;企业地理集聚形成的城市结构依然是一个明显的“单中心圈层”结构,没有表现出“去中心化”抑或多极化或分散化演变趋势。研究成果与现实情况基本吻合,侧面说明该模式对揭示城市产业地理集聚模式以及由此形成的城市结构特征具有一定的解释力。     

近20a察尔汗盐湖区景观格局变化与趋势分析

柴达木盆地主要景观类型为干盐湖和盐渍地,为了解区内各类景观类型空间分布特征、景观类型变化转移矩阵及变化趋势,分别选取了2000年、2010年、2020年作为3个关键研究时段,以Landsat TM多光谱卫星遥感数据为数据源,采用水体指数法与目视解译相结合的方法,建立了七类遥感图像解译标志,对近20a察尔汗盐湖区景观格局变化进行了分析。结果表明:察尔汗湖区的工矿用地面积、盐田面积、人工湿地(水库)面积在2000~2020年呈现出明显增加的趋势,而盐湖和干盐湖的面积呈现出明显减少的趋势;2000年以后,人工湿地(水库)的面积逐年增长达到了218.88 km²,在以盐滩戈壁为主的原生环境比较恶劣的盐湖区内,这片新生水域为当地野生动植物提供了十分宝贵的生境场所。     

Integrating a GIS with an expert system to identify and manage dryland salinization

To manage secondary dryland salinization successfully a coordinated regional management approach must be implemented. This paper considers the development of an interactive land classification methodology that identifies key land areas associated with the problem and then conveys information regarding the decision-making process to the end user. The developed system, Salt Manager, utilizes an expert system, a geographic information system, remotely sensed information and a relational database management system to implement the land classification method. Consideration is given in the paper to the salinization process, the problem of system integration and the provision of contextual information via graphic and textual formats.     

台吉乃尔盐湖景观格局变化遥感分析(1990~2015年)

以1990年、2005年、2015年台吉乃尔盐湖区Landsat遥感影像作为数据源,从景观学角度分析了台吉乃尔盐湖区近25年来景观格局的动态变化。借助遥感和地理信息技术提取各类景观的信息,然后选取景观斑块平均面积(MPS)、景观破碎度指数(FN)、香浓多样性指数(SHDI)进行计算分析,同时研究了不同景观类型的面积变化情况。结果表明:1)台吉乃尔盐湖区景观空间格局以荒漠景观为主要特征,自然景观所占的比重明显高于人为景观,人为景观所占比重呈增加趋势;2)1990～2005年间,干盐滩、盐湖、荒漠为湖区主要景观,景观面积变化与景观格局变化主要受控于气候因素的影响,总体上各类型景观的变化幅度较小,但景观多样性有提高;3)2005～2015年间,干盐滩、荒漠为湖区主要景观,盐湖大面积减少,景观面积变化与景观格局变化主要受控于人类活动的影响,景观多样性降低。     

可可西里盐湖湖水外溢可能性初探

2011年9月可可西里地区卓乃湖溃决后,关于盐湖湖水能否外溢进入楚玛尔河继而成为长江的最北源是公众及学界普遍关注的话题。本研究基于2010-2015年Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI遥感影像、SRTM 1弧秒数据、Google Earth高程数据和五道梁气象台站观测数据,首次对盐湖变化、湖水外溢条件及其可能性进行分析。结果表明：卓乃湖溃决后,盐湖在2011年10月至2013年4月期间面积急剧增加,之后湖泊进入稳定扩张期,2015年10月27日盐湖面积为151.38 km²,是2010年3月3日湖泊面积的3.35倍。盐湖发生湖水外溢的条件是湖泊面积达到218.90~220.63 km²。由于SRTM和Google Earth高程数据间的差异,盐湖湖水外溢时的水位将比当前高12 m或9.6 m,相应湖泊库容增加23.71 km³或17.27 km³,届时湖水将由湖泊东侧流入清水河流域。尽管盐湖在未来10年内不可能发生湖水外溢,但是随着盐湖集水区的扩大及预估的区域未来降水量的增加,在更长时间尺度内盐湖发生湖水外溢并成为长江支流的可能性依然存在。     

And Did the Walls Come Tumbling Down? Ethnic Residential Segregation in Four U.S. Metropolitan Areas 1980-2000

The initial releases of data from the 2000 U.S. Census allow exploration of the extent of change, if any, in residential segregation in four major cities, where substantial population growth has continued to generate increased ethnic diversity. Using a recently established method of classifying residential areas according to their ethnic composition which facilitates comparative study over time and space, this paper examines segregation trends in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Miami over the period 1980-2000 in the context of recent discussions of the nature of residential patterns there. It finds that though there has been some reduction in the extent of extreme segregation areas that are predominantly either White or African American with consequent greater ethnic mixing at the census tract level, nevertheless cores of extreme segregation remain, and these are being extended with greater segregation of the Hispanic population. Ethnic residential segregation in United States' metropolitan areas attracted much research throughout the 20th century, with each census providing new impetus for mapping and analysis. The 2000 census will be no exception, providing data with which the extent of change can be assessed after a further decade in which discrimination on the grounds of race and color was illegal. This paper provides an initial exploration for four metropolitan areas that have experienced substantial recent multi-ethnic in-migration. Using a method for classifying residential areas designed to facilitate comparative studies over space and time, it explores the extent of desegregation during the previous 20 years for each of the four main census ethnic groups.     

Implementing a new data model for simulating processes

The paper describes the development of a new methodological approach for simulating geographic processes through the development of a data model that represents a process. This methodology complements existing approaches to dynamic modelling, which focus on the states of the system at each time step, by storing and representing the processes that are implicit in the model. The data model, called nen, focuses existing modelling approaches on representing and storing process information, which provides advantages for querying and analysing processes. The flux simulation framework was created utilizing the nen data model to represent processes. This simulator includes basic classes for developing a domain specific simulation and a set of query tools for inquiring after the results of a simulation. The methodology is prototyped with a watershed runoff simulation.     

A Review of “India and South Asia: Economic Developments in the Age of Globalization”

Any analysis of health service problems facing the world today must consider that these problems exist in a geographic context. This fact has led to an increased need for accurate and current information to support emergency planning and decision making. In this article we combine geographic information systems (GIS) and neural networks for performing health emergency assessments and generating hazard maps that show areas that are potentially at high risk for emergencies. Through the use of neural networks we predict the location of future emergency events. On these events we use a kernel density estimator to create maps of areas that have a high risk for future emergencies. As a result, emergency services will know in advance where there is a high possibility of an emergency event occurring and can formulate a response, thus improving incident management and health planning. For example, the service can locate ambulances in places near the expected emergency cases, minimizing response time. The approach was tested in stroke-event analysis in the city of Athens, Greece.     

An Alternative Classification Scheme for Uncertain Attribute Mapping

The reality of uncertain data cannot be ignored. Anytime that spatial data are used to assist planning, decision making, or policy generation, it is likely that error or uncertainty in the data will propagate through processing protocols and analytic techniques, potentially leading to biased or incorrect decision making. The ability to directly account for uncertainty in spatial analysis efforts is critically important. This article focuses on addressing data uncertainty in one of the most important and widely used exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) techniques—choropleth mapping—and proposes an alternative map classification method for uncertain spatial data. The classification approach maximizes within-class homogeneity under data uncertainty while explicitly integrating spatial characteristics to reduce visual map complexity and to facilitate pattern perception. The method is demonstrated by mapping the 2009 to 2013 American Community Survey estimates of median household income in Salt Lake County, Utah, at the census tract level.     

Changing Properties of Snowpack in the Great Salt Lake Basin,Western United States,from a 26-Year SNOTEL Record

Daily observations from automated snowpack telemetry (SNOTEL) stations from within the drainage basin of the Great Salt Lake over the period from 1982 to 2007 are analyzed. The major finding is a shift toward an earlier date of peak snow water equivalent (SWE) by around fifteen days. Less robust findings are reductions in the amounts of peak SWE and 1 April SWE. This suggests increased chances of late-summer water shortages, especially when combined with rapid recent population growth. Less freshwater is likely to be available to flow into the Great Salt Lake, increasing its salinity and potentially affecting its ecology.     

Overflow probability of the Salt Lake in Hoh Xil Region

After the bursting of Huiten Nor in Hoh Xil Region in September, 2011, the topic on whether the water overflowed from the Salt Lake would enter into the Chumaer River and become the northernmost source of the Yangtze River has aroused wide concern from public and academic field. Based on Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI remote sensing images during 2010–2015, SRTM 1 arc-second data, Google Earth elevation data and the observation data from the Wudaoliang meteorological station, the study initially analyzed the variations of the Salt Lake and its overflowing condition and probability. The results showed that the area of the Salt Lake expanded sharply from October 2011 to April 2013, and then it stepped into a stable expansion period. On October 27, 2015, the area of the Salt Lake had arrived at 151.38 km², which was about 3.35 times the area of the lake on March 3, 2010. The Salt Lake will overflow when its area reaches the range from 218.90 km² to 220.63 km². Due to the differences between SRTM DEM and Google Earth elevation data, the water level of the Salt Lake simulated would be 12 m or 9.6 m higher than the current level when the lake overflowed, and its reservoir capacity would increase by 23.71 km³ or 17.27 km³, respectively. Meanwhile, the overflowed water of the Salt Lake would run into the Qingshui River basin from its eastern part. Although the Salt Lake does not overflow in the coming decade, with watershed expansion of the Salt Lake and the projected precipitation increase in Hoh Xil region, the probability of water overflow from the Salt Lake and becoming a tributary of the Yangtze River will exist in the long term.     

Neighborhood and socioeconomic change in emerging megapolitan nodes: tracking shifting social geographies in three rapidly growing United States metropolitan areas, 1980–2010

This paper investigates the complex demographic and social changes that have occurred in the neighborhoods of fast-growing United States metropolitan areas emerging as nodes in megapolitan regions between 1980 and 2010. A neighborhood typology is created using k-means cluster analysis to examine the demographic and housing characteristics, and geographic distribution, of neighborhoods that have existed in rapidly growing metropolitan areas. A socioeconomic index is created using principal component analysis (PCA) to analyze socioeconomic conditions within neighborhoods. Using data from the metropolitan areas of Las Vegas, Nevada; Austin, Texas; and Raleigh, North Carolina, this study identifies five neighborhood types, each of which has distinctive geographic and socioeconomic trends. The geographic orientation of each metropolitan area within their larger megapolitan region appears to have a role in the geography of neighborhood change. The results are also discussed in relation to human ecology, immigration, and economic restructuring.     

Identifying spatial concentrations of surnames

Surnames (family names) have been overlooked as a valuable source of spatially referenced population data. Presented here is a methodology, based on kernel density estimation, which is used to identify the areas of Great Britain where any surname is most concentrated. This not only indicates a surname's geographic origin in the country but also its current spatial extent and spatial relationship with other surnames and place names. We argue that such analysis can provide baseline and change measures, and an empirical basis to change forecasting. Such analysis offers valuable insights into national, regional and local changes in population structure, and testimony to the relevance of GIScience to population genetics, historical geography and genealogy.     

Metropolitan dynamics in Israel: an emerging “metropolitan island state”?

This study analyzes metropolitan dynamics in a small country with an “island state” context of closed boundaries, using commuting data and mobile phone tracking data. We examine whether the Israeli context encourages the formation of a monocentric “metropolitan state,” characterized by increasing links between localities throughout the country and its principal metropolitan node (Tel Aviv)—rather than with secondary metropolitan areas—and by fuzzy, overlapping metropolitan boundaries. Commuting data from the 1995 and 2008 censuses show that metropolitan expansion processes in Israel are gradual. Mobile phone tracking data for 2013 reveal similar patterns, confirming the urban structure’s stability and the reliability of tracking data as a means of assessing metropolitan processes. The “island state” context supports growing monocentricity, but, when it comes to commuting and travel for other purposes, Israel is not yet a metropolitan state; metropolitan boundaries are not as fuzzy and rapidly changing as expected.