A spatial analysis of the geographic distribution of musculoskeletal and general practice healthcare clinics in Auckland,New Zealand

Despite the high incidence of musculoskeletal health problems in New Zealand, the use of specialised musculoskeletal healthcare providers appears to be limited to a small subsection of society. Analysis of the spatial distribution of musculoskeletal and general practice clinics in Auckland, New Zealand was undertaken to understand the geographical component of the issue of musculoskeletal healthcare accessibility. The locations of all physiotherapy, chiropractic, osteopathic, podiatry, acupuncture and general practitioner (GP) clinics in urban Auckland were mapped and analysed using a combination of spatial statistical tools. Results showed a contrast between the distribution of the predominantly privately-funded musculoskeletal clinics, which appeared clustered in central areas of the city, and predominantly publicly-funded GP clinics, which appeared more evenly spread across the study area. Several physical and social environmental variables appeared to be correlated with clinic location, including clinic proximity to major roads and urban centres, and residential socioeconomic status and ethnicity. This study represents a first step in understanding the underlying causes of the demographic divide between users and non-users of musculoskeletal healthcare. These results may help to inform the development of strategies to improve the accessibility of musculoskeletal healthcare services for people living or working in areas with low provision of musculoskeletal clinics.     

An evaluation of the Wellington Regional Genuine Progress Index

There is widespread discontent with the gross domestic product (GDP) as a measure of progress for society. Alternative measures have been proposed, including the genuine progress indicator (GPI). This paper examines the changing institutional arrangements and attitudinal context in the recently developed Wellington region (New Zealand) GPI. We found an alignment between the GPI framework and the Local Government Act. Despite this fit, we identified challenges, including the need to revitalise public participation through deliberative techniques. It remains too early to judge whether the GPI initiative will launch a viable alternative to the GDP for the Wellington region.     

Emerging transitions in organic waste infrastructure in Aotearoa New Zealand

Aotearoa New Zealand is at a critical juncture in reducing and managing organic waste. Research has highlighted the significant proportion of organic waste sent to landfills and associated adverse effects such as greenhouse gas emissions and loss of valuable organic matter. There is current debate about what practices and infrastructure to invest in to better manage and use organic waste. We highlight the diversity of existing organic waste practices and infrastructures, focusing on Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. We show how debates about organic waste practices and infrastructure connect across three themes: waste subjectivities, collective action in place and language.     

Fictive clusters: Crafty strategies in the New Zealand beer industry

ABSTRACT

The authors bring together two theoretical and empirical strands in economic geography – established work on clusters and nascent research on ‘fictive place’ – in order to introduce the concept of ‘fictive clusters’. To explore this concept, they examine the New Zealand craft beer sector, which has evolved from non-existence since the year 2000. This growth has precipitated the rise of a dynamic and innovative cluster at the local scale in Wellington. The fictive cluster is explored through the Wellington case study, and the authors pose various questions for future work based on this discursive geographical device. The construction and complicit reproduction of what they term a ‘fictive cluster’ has been central to the evolving strategies of the involved agents. Through the use of this term, the evolution of Wellington place-based brands that are increasingly territorially specific are seen as building competitive advantage based on constructed histories, environments, and other geographic characteristics.     

Realistic Sustainability? Urban Transport Planning in Wellington,New Zealand

Urban transport systems have key roles in supporting environmental sustainability. New Zealand's transport planning arrangements are promoted as a model by agencies such as the World Bank. This paper explores the New Zealand transport planning framework using a case study of the Wellington region's strategic balancing of transport modes and projects. The paper argues that despite some positive rhetoric, concerns about the sustainability of transport planning in Wellington remain. The paper concludes by discussing the need to reassess New Zealand's national framework, and identifies some directions for reform.     

EARTHQUAKE OCCURRENCE,EXPERIENCE AND APPRAISAL IN WELLINGTON,NEW ZEALAND

Data collected in Newlands, Wellington, New Zealand show a high level of earthquake experience by residents. Most respondents anticipated Future earthquakes and expected damage from future tremors, findings which generally differ from previous research. The denial of earthquake trouble is positively associated with older age.     

Intersection-pavement de-icing: comprehensive review and the state of the practice

Winter maintenance operations are crucial for pedestrian and motorist safety and public mobility on urban streets and highways in cold regions, especially during winter storms. This study provides a comprehensive literature review of existing deicing technologies, with emphasis on electrical resistance-heating deicing technologies for possible applications in areas with concentrated traffic, such as street intersections and crosswalks. A thorough review of existing and emerging deicing technology for snow/ice melting was conducted. The performance of various deicing methods was evaluated and the installation and operation cost of the electrical resistance-heating methods compared. Finally, current state of the practice of intersection/crosswalk winter maintenance was surveyed among state departments of transportation in North America. The intersection/crosswalk winter maintenance procedure adopted by the State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities was described, and the annual winter maintenance and operation cost per intersection was estimated. It was found that the annual energy cost of an electrical resistance-heating method such as the carbon-fiber-tape deicing technology is about the same as the average annual maintenance and operation cost of current practice. In addition, an automatic electrical resistance-heating deicing system will bring benefits such as minimized delay time and improved safety for pedestrian and vehicular traffic in an urban application.     

美国导弹防御系统的空间特征及对我国安全影响分析

小布什总统上台后,美国加速推进导弹防御计划,并在相关地区迅速布建导弹防御系统。该系统的核心目标是保卫美国本土和重要海外利益的安全,其主要防范对象是欧亚大陆上具有远程打击能力的大国。美国导弹防御系统建设的空间格局显示,俄罗斯、中国是该系统的主要对手,该计划的实施严重危害大国之间的战略平衡,对中国国家安全构成威胁。     

Chaffers Park redevelopment in Wellington – An analysis

Abstract: This article discusses the redevelopment of a significant area of Wellington city's waterfront, centred on the Chaffers Park district between the national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, and Oriental Bay. This site is now being transformed into Waitangi Park. The analysis seeks to determine whether or not the redevelopment will be successful, by assessing the wider context of the issue and evaluating the perspectives of stakeholders.     

REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
NORTHLAND REGION. National Resources Survey, Part III. Wellington: Town and Country Planning Branch, Ministry of Works
ECONOMIC SURVEY OF NORTHLAND. Department of Industries and Commerce     

Irish on the move

Trends in emigration from Ireland over time are reviewed. "During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries overseas migration to the United States and seasonal harvest migration to Britain were the main types of movement, but over the past 100 years the Irish have developed a special affinity for settling in British towns. Although the outflow was halted for a time during the 1970s, when return migration took over, the 1980s have seen a renewal of the exodus. This time, however, the character of the flow has changed from predominantly low-skill construction and factory workers to embrace better-educated emigrants, including many graduates. This shift reflects Ireland's changing position in the international market for labour."     

Air Pollution Exposure Index for New Zealand

This study proposes a regional air pollution exposure index (RAPEI) for Auckland, Canterbury, Otago and Wellington regions. The air pollution index multiplies an emission index (NOx emissions kg/annum), a surrogate for ambient air pollution levels, with a population density index (people per sq km), a surrogate for population exposure. Census Area Units (CAUs), and subsequently defined “key areas” within a region are ranked from 0 to 16. This is one method of investigating the effectiveness of air quality monitoring networks and identifying urban exposure airsheds in New Zealand. Results verified New Zealand's urban exposure airsheds and highlighted areas that may be potential “hot spots” in terms of relatively high ambient air pollution levels and potentially high population exposures. It is possible that these areas should be closely monitored. The GIS‐based maps also show New Zealand's permanent and temporary air quality monitoring stations.     

The Nature of Decision Making in the Practice of Dwelling: A Practice Theoretical Approach to Understanding Maintenance and Retrofitting of Homes in the Context of Climate Change

In order to make existing private housing more energy efficient, various policies aim at influencing decisions made by homeowners regarding renovation and retrofitting in Scandinavia. Presenting two case studies from Denmark and Norway, we take one step back and observe the whole process of keeping a home habitable. Inspired by theories of Tim Ingold and Elizabeth Shove, we suggest calling this process “the practice of dwelling.” Rather than focusing on decisions and acts pertaining to retrofitting alone, we observe how maintenance and retrofitting are parts of an ongoing practice of dwelling. The cases demonstrate how decisions can be understood as embedded in the practice of dwelling, and how a readiness for decisions regarding retrofitting is created, or not, in this practice. We suggest shifting focus from the outcome of decisions, to attention toward the process that leads to readiness for making the decision in the first place.     

Trans-Tasman migration: New Zealanders' explanations for their move

Abstract:  This study investigates why New Zealanders move to Australia. A survey of New Zealanders living in Australia found 'pull' factors, notably greater opportunities and better climate, were the most common reasons. While desire for change or sense of adventure was important, dissatisfaction with life in New Zealand was also a factor. Results indicated a form of transnationalism as migrants felt at home in both countries. They maintained links with New Zealand evident in support for New Zealand sporting teams, expressions of New Zealand nationality, emotional connection and regular contact with New Zealand.     

基于IPA模型的广东科学中心游客感知研究

设计旅游特征感知因子量表,通过问卷调查获取第一手资料,采用SPSS作为数据分析工具,运用重要性-绩效分析模型(IPA)和比较研究法,分析和讨论游客对广东科学中心旅游特征的感知.研究结果显示,教育价值、科技价值、可体验性、可参与性、更新速度和解说服务是科技馆特有的主要旅游特征,这些特征对科技馆未来的工作重点和营销资源配置战略具有重要的启示作用.     

Seismicity within a zone of plate convergence—the Wellington region, New Zealand

Summary. A telemetered network of sensitive seismographs is being used to study the seismicity of the Wellington region, within the broad shear belt through New Zealand that marks the convergence of the Pacific and Indian plates. On average about 4 event/day are detected within 75 km of the network centre. Of the events located during the first two years of operation, the majority define a band of relatively intense activity, at depths from 20 to 40 km, dipping gently to the north-west and marking some surface near the top of the underthrust Pacific lithosphere. There is less intense and more diffuse activity both above and below this zone. The shallower activity does not correlate with major surface faults and reflects the widespread nature of shallow deformation throughout the shear belt. The mechanism of shallow events well above the band of high activity appears to be a mixture of strike-slip and thrust faulting, while that of at least part of the activity in the band is normal faulting. The rate of activity and b value, as functions of time, show significant variations, some of which may be related to the occurrence of the largest shock of the period, M _L= 6.1.     

Asia on the move: research challenges for population geography

This paper "summarises some of the major changes which have occurred in international migration to, from, and within Asia in the last two decades....A number of theoretical challenges are put forward regarding the complex interrelationships between international population movements, economic development and social change. The employment of systems approaches, neoclassical economic theory, social networks and institutional approaches, and the potential role of population geography in developing a more comprehensive explanation of the changing dynamics of international migration in the region, are discussed. Also considered are the gender dimension in migration, remittance flows and their consequences, and policy issues."     

On the move: explaining migration patterns in Estonia during the transition period

This paper attempts to explore the migration patterns during the transition period in Estonia. A structuration approach was used to analyze data from the Estonian Statistical Office collected in 1997. Findings show that for migration between urban and rural areas, work-related reasons have been the most important motivating factor in urban growth during the transition period. Also considered are the family and education. In relation to sociodemographic structure of the population, men cite work, while women count family-related reasons, as the main motive for migrating. As to nonregistration, the most significant reason relates to issues of ownership. Because migrants are living in rented housing, it is not possible for them to register even if they desire to do so. Other reasons include "temporary", associated with study and work; "juridical", bureaucratic matters; and "multiple places of residence". This analysis, however, is incomplete because the attitudes and patterns of behavior have only partially or perfunctorily been related to the dramatic changes that have occurred in Estonian society. Proper statistical data are needed to help examine trends at a more disaggregated spatial level.     

The Decline of Competition: The emergence of a duopoly in the Australian sugar refinery sector, 1841–1915

The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries saw the emergence of large single-product organisations whose expansion was stimulated by a desire to control a substantial part of a particular product market. An Australian example is the Colonial Sugar Refining Company Ltd (CSR). By 1915, the company accounted for 90 per cent of refined sugar production in Australia. CSR had achieved this control over the Australian refined sugar market by using underselling, strategies that denied its competitors outlets for their refined sugars and amalgamations with rivals. After 1890, however, CSR was interested in sharing the Australian market for refined sugar with its rivals by forming spheres of influence in marketing areas or adopting production quotas, although the Queensland National Bank was the only organisation to successfully negotiate annual market share agreements with CSR in the 1900s. These agreements ensured the survival of its Millaquin Refinery. Other competitors eventually exited the industry. In 1915, the Commonwealth government institutionalised this duopoly in the sugar refining sector by agreements with CSR and the Queensland government, and allowed it to continue until deregulation of the Australian sugar refining sector in the early 1990s.     

Quantitative measures for spatial information of maps

The map is a medium for recording geographical information. The information contents of a map are of interest to spatial information scientists. In this paper, existing quantitative measures for map information are evaluated. It is pointed out that these are only measures for statistical information and some sort of topological information. However, these measures have not taken into consideration the spaces occupied by map symbols and the spatial distribution of these symbols. As a result, a set of new quantitative measures is proposed, for metric information, topological information and thematic information. An experimental evaluation is also conducted. Results show that the metric information is more meaningful than statistical information, and the new index for topological information is more meaningful than the existing one. It is also found that the new measure for thematic information is useful in practice.