Assessing the level of living condition in Bundelkhand region of Central India: a households level analysis

The study assesses the level of development and disparities in terms of living conditions of the households in the districts of Bundelkhand region. To measure actual scenario of living conditions of the HHs, a Composite Index was developed on the basis of 18 indicators. Even to assess living conditions of the HHs, four indices have been developed namely Housing Index, Physical Capital Index and Asset Index. The level of development of the districts has been categorized on the basis of Composite Index value. The results show that there is a wide disparity in terms of conditions of living in different districts of Bundelkhand region. The results also shows that northern part of Bundelkhand region is more developed as compared to southern part. From the result, it was recorded that the districts belonging in Madhya Pradesh having better condition of living in comparison to Uttar Pradesh in Bundelkhand region. The research study suggests that authorities should focus on the proper implementation of the existing policies and more effective planning and policies should be implemented to enhance the better living conditions of the households in Bundelkhand region.

     

Analysing transition of land surface temperature and derived indices with respect to elevation values in Kohima Saddar

Human activities have affected the urban environment resulting in a drastic change in the surface temperature. The impact of urban heat islands is noticeable in urban areas than in rural areas. The thermal band of Landsat 8 data is used to retrieve the spatial distribution of land surface temperature (LST) over Kohima Sadar for the years 2009, 2015 and 2020 with the Mono-window algorithm. Urban Thermal Field Variance Index (UTFVI) is used to assess the ecological condition in the area impacted by LST. Cartosat-1 Digital Elevation Model (Carto DEM) is used to understand the variations of LST and indices values with reference to the elevation profile located at different random points. The variations in the land cover are categorized as per the values of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and built-up density index (BUI). This work estimates the influence of elevation over LST, vegetation, and the built-up area. Results implies a negative correlation between LST and NDVI whereas a positive correlation between LST and BUI. Likewise, NDVI and BUI show a strong negative correlation. It is observed that LST is independent of elevation profile but the variation of LST depends on the impact of change in topography urbanization, deforestation, and afforestation. There is no significant relationship of elevation with the variations in NDVI and BUI values. It is observed that the impact of emissivity influences the estimation of LST values. For the locations having the highest and lowest LST, NDVI, and BUI values, 50 random points are generated for the entire region, and validation is executed with the google earth historical image.

     

Analyzing spatial disparities in access to health care: A methodology with application in Bangladesh

This paper develops a methodology for analyzing spatial disparities in access to health care in situations where the data base is limited, and applies it in the context of Bangladesh. The proposed indirect measures of inpatient and outpatient service utilization, and of quality of available services, seem to provide reasonably accurate, consistent, and interpretable results; these indices are combined into a composite index of relative access to health care. The form of the composite index and its components permits the incorporation of Sopher's disparity index into the methodology for measuring urban-rural disparities in relative access to health care. The empirical analysis based on subdivision level data revealed that Bangladesh's health care delivery system is, in general, characterized by extremely low level of access and a high degree of disparity in favor of urban areas, especially in terms of inpatient services. Spatial patterns of relative access and urban/rural disparity were perused through cartographic and statistical analyses; although clear-cut regional patterns did not emerge, the considerable spatial variations could be explained largely with reference to urbanization and density of population. Assuming improved level of access and minimal urban/rural disparity as basic policy goals a method to prioritize spatial units for future allocation of health sector resources is recommended.The author gratefully acknowledges the helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper by Dr. S. M. Bhardwaj, Professor of Geography, Kent State University.     

Determinants of utilisation of health services by women in rural and urban areas in Ghana

The paper examines the factors that influence the utilisation of health services by women in the rural and urban areas in Ghana. The systematic sampling procedure was used to draw the sample from women aged 18 and above with diverse backgrounds from Ahafo-Ano South district, representing the rural districts and Kumasi metropolis, representing the urban districts. The research instruments used for data collection were the questionnaire and formal interviews. Multiple regression was the main tool for analysis. The research reveals that the key factors that impact significantly on the utilisation of health services by women in the Ahafo-Ano South district are, distance, income and family size (number of children) while for Kumasi metropolis they are education, distance and marital status. Whereas it is clear that distance is a common problem facing women in both rural and urban areas in Ghana in the utilisation of health services, marital status and number of children have emerged as contrasting factors influencing utilisation of health services by women in rural and urban Ghana. Recommendations to improve utilisation include the location of maternal and child health services within easy reach in the rural areas, intensification of family planning education in the rural areas, the empowerment of women through access to formal education and vocational training for income generation activities and the full implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). A model of utilisation of health services by women in the rural and urban areas has emerged.     

基于时间序列建模的城市热岛时间尺度成分分离方法与应用

城市热岛效应是全球与区域气候变化研究中的焦点问题。基于2001—2012年较长时间序列的北京市MODIS地表温度产品及相关NDVI和反射率产品,给出地表温度时间序列构建方法。基于站点气象观测资料进行的精度验证表明地表温度时间序列构建方法可行,并最终给出城市热岛强度的量化方案。研究选取统计学中X-11-ARIMA时间序列建模方法,分离并分析城市热岛强度时间序列的结构性成分。分析发现,以平均城乡温差为指标的北京城市热岛强度季节性特征明显,与城乡土地利用状况、季节性地表覆盖、地物热特性以及气候因子等联系密切。趋势—循环特征与城市扩张速度及入选城市区域面积相关。以已发生城市热岛区域城乡平均温差为指标的北京城市热岛强度趋势—循环特性在12年间表现平稳。时间序列建模分析提取出不规则变动成分,为定量研究偶然因素对城市热岛的影响提供了可能。     

[Without Title]

The paper examines the factors that influence the utilisation of health services by women in the rural and urban areas in Ghana. The systematic sampling procedure was used to draw the sample from women aged 18 and above with diverse backgrounds from Ahafo-Ano South district, representing the rural districts and Kumasi metropolis, representing the urban districts. The research instruments used for data collection were the questionnaire and formal interviews. Multiple regression was the main tool for analysis. The research reveals that the key factors that impact significantly on the utilisation of health services by women in the Ahafo-Ano South district are, distance, income and family size (number of children) while for Kumasi metropolis they are education, distance and marital status. Whereas it is clear that distance is a common problem facing women in both rural and urban areas in Ghana in the utilisation of health services, marital status and number of children have emerged as contrasting factors influencing utilisation of health services by women in rural and urban Ghana. Recommendations to improve utilisation include the location of maternal and child health services within easy reach in the rural areas, intensification of family planning education in the rural areas, the empowerment of women through access to formal education and vocational training for income generation activities and the full implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). A model of utilisation of health services by women in the rural and urban areas has emerged.     

Quantifying the spatio-temporal patterns of settlement growth in a metropolitan region of Ghana

Retrospective understanding of the magnitude and pace of urban expansion is necessary for effective growth management in metropolitan regions. The objective of this paper is to quantify the spatial–temporal patterns of urban expansion in the Greater Kumasi Sub-Region (GKSR)—a functional region comprising eight administrative districts in Ghana, West Africa. The analysis is based on Landsat remote sensing images from 1986, 2001 and 2014 which were classified using supervised maximum likelihood algorithm in ERDAS IMAGINE. We computed three complementary growth indexes namely; Average Annual Urban Expansion Rate, Urban Expansion Intensity Index (UEII) and Urban Expansion Differentiation Index to estimate the amount and intensity of expansion over the 28-year period. Overall, urban expansion in the GKSR has been occurring at an average annual rate of 5.6 %. Consequently, the sub-region’s built-up land increased by 313 km² from 88 km² in 1986 to 400 km² in 2014. The analysis further show that about 72 % of the total built-up land increase occurred in the last 13 years alone, with UEII value of 0.605 indicating a moderate intensity of urban expansion. Moreover, the metropolitan-core of the sub-region, being the focal point of urban development and the historical origins of expansion, accounted for more than half of the total built-up land increase over the 28-year period. Over the last decade and half however, urban expansion has spilled into the neighbouring peripheral districts, with the highest intensity and fastest rate of expansion occurring in districts located north and north east of the sub-regional core. We recommend a comprehensive regional growth management strategy grounded in effective strategic partnerships among the respective administrative districts to curb unsustainable urban expansion.     

A composed index of critical accessibility (CICA) to healthcare services in a traditional African City

While empirical works that analyse rural–urban differentials in accessibility to health services are common in the developing countries, systematic studies focusing on intra-urban variations in accessibility to overall healthcare resources remain scant. Yet, many urban dwellers especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa have to travel long distances within the urban space to access basic health services. This study employs composed index of critical accessibility (CICA) to analyse differentials in access to health resources in Ibadan, a traditional African City. Data on healthcare centre location, ownership, doctors’ population were collected through field survey while spatial data on the administrative units and populated places were obtained from archival sources. Also, data on road networks was collected. Results show that the distribution of health facilities across local administrative units varies. In terms health facilities, Ibadan South West has 26 (36 %) of the total number while Ibadan South east has only 7 (9.8 %). The Doctor-Population Ratio also exhibits similar variations as Ibadan North has 20.5 as against 2.2, 1.9 and 0.3 for Ibadan SW, Ibadan NW and Ibadan NE respectively. The CICA analysis shows that 228,938 inhabitants are in high risk of negative accessibility while 49,234 are faced with condition of low risk of negative accessibility, which implies that a significant proportion of the population still finds it difficult to access basic health services as and when needed. The variations in the distribution of this deprived population are also noteworthy as the largest proportion of this group was localized in Ibadan NW. This has grave implication for the health and wellbeing of the population and raises once again the question of spatial equity in the delivery of urban public service. Curiously, these differences in the level of accessibility cut across administrative boundaries which brings to the fore the role of jurisdictional partitioning in ensuring equity in the delivery of urban public services. This opens a vista of research opportunity into the role jurisdictional partitioning in service provision in the urban centres.     

Identifying urban–rural differences in social vulnerability to natural hazards: a case study of China

Identifying and analyzing the urban–rural differences of social vulnerability to natural hazards is imperative to ensure that urbanization develops in a way that lessens the impacts of disasters and generate building resilient livelihoods in China. Using data from the 2000 and 2010 population censuses, this study conducted an assessment of the social vulnerability index (SVI) by applying the projection pursuit cluster model. The temporal and spatial changes of social vulnerability in urban and rural areas were then examined during China’s rapid urbanization period. An index of urban–rural differences in social vulnerability (SVI_D) was derived, and the global and local Moran’s I of the SVI_D were calculated to assess the spatial variation and association between the urban and rural SVI. In order to fully determine the impacts of urbanization in relation to social vulnerability, a spatial autoregressive model and Bivariate Moran’s I between urbanization and SVI were both calculated. The urban and rural SVI both displayed a steadily decreasing trend from 2000 to 2010, although the urban SVI was always larger than the rural SVI in the same year. In 17.5% of the prefectures, the rural SVI was larger than the urban SVI in 2000, but was smaller than the urban SVI in 2010. About 12.6% of the urban areas in the prefectures became less vulnerable than rural areas over the study period, while in more than 51.73% of the prefectures the urban–rural SVI gap decreased over the same period. The SVI_D values in all prefectures had a significantly positive spatial autocorrelation and spatial clusters were apparent. Over time, social vulnerability to natural hazards at the prefecture-level displayed a gathering–scattering pattern across China. Though a regional variation of social vulnerability developed during China’s rapid urbanization, the overall trend was for a steady reduction in social vulnerability in both urban and rural areas.

     

北京市可吸入大气颗粒物中Pb的浓度分布特征研究

本研究以取暖期和停暖后北京市主要功能区及郊区的可吸入大气颗粒物为研究对象,重点对比了市区与郊区、市区内不同功能区的PM10、PM25的浓度分布特征以及重金属元素Pb在其中的浓度分布特征。结果表明：可吸入大气颗粒物的浓度在取暖期间远高于停暖后的浓度,雾霾天气时可吸入大气颗粒物的浓度是非雾霾时的174~256倍。取暖期间,Pb在PM10中的浓度明显远高于PM25中的浓度,北京市区内Pb浓度较郊区要高,尤其是建材厂区可吸入大气颗粒物中的Pb浓度最高,商业区次之;停暖后,Pb在PM10和PM25中的浓度相当,建材厂区可吸入大气颗粒物中Pb浓度依然是功能区中最高的,但整体上郊区可吸入大气颗粒物中Pb的浓度和市区相差不大。对比分析2007年和2013年的数据,可以估算出,可吸入大气颗粒物PM10中Pb的浓度以每年978%的速度在增长,PM25中Pb的浓度以每年1145%的速度在增长。因此,北京市可吸入大气颗粒物中Pb的增长问题应引起相关部门的重视。     

经济强村兼并弱村的实施与模式探讨——以文登市金岭山庄为例

在二元土地所有制下,中国城市市区的建设用地、农村和城市郊区依法征收后新增的建设用地,属于国家所有;城市市区以外以及法律规定由国家所有土地以外的农民宅基地和其他建设用地,属于农民集体所有。文登市金岭山庄被位于城区的经济强村西楼兼并后,土地资源得以高效利用,加速了城市化进程,成为城乡统筹发展的典范。     

Urban growth and quality of life: inter-district and intra-district analysis of housing in NCT-Delhi, 2001–2011–2020

One out of three people in India is urban. In 2011, there were about 53 urban agglomerations larger than 1 million population as against only 35 in 2001. Much of this urban expansion has been occurring in the country’s largest metropolises including the National Capital Territory of Delhi which has expanded horizontally and vertically both. This has also added to overall decline in its already dilapidated housing stock and quality of life. Delhi, a historical hub for regional, national, and international commerce, and a place for the socio-political elites, has failed to provide basic life amenities to its average citizens. This research critiques the (un)sustainable elements of Delhi’s urbanization and concomitant decline in basic amenities pertaining to quality-of-life by examining the growth and expansion of its urban-built-up areas during 2001–2011–2020 and provides nuanced insights into its ‘livability’ by examining select quality-of-life attributes. The LANDSAT imageries for 2010 and 2020 are used to measure NDB-Index that assesses its built-up area and change, which are later corroborated with Census household data to examine change in its ‘livable’ and ‘dilapidated’ housing structures. Significant sub-regional disparity exists in the availability of good and livable homes, with almost 20–30% of several districts still without drinking water source inside premises. However, significant progress is also noted for basic amenities like lighting, latrine and bathing facilities, and majority of Delhi’s built-up area has expanded along newer developments and transportation corridors. This calls for goal-oriented strategic interventions by policymakers to help achieve the SDG-11 on Sustainable Cities.

     

Women’s pay in English rural districts

This paper examines hourly wage payments for women who live in the rural districts of England, both in terms of variability within such districts and in terms of comparisons with non-rural districts. Drawing on the Labour Force Survey’s Local Annual Database, the paper argues that, once education, industry and occupation are taken into account, there is little to distinguish wage rates in rural and urban districts. Regionally there are important differences in wage rates, but these apply to rural as well as urban districts and are largely confined to contrasts between South East England and elsewhere. Rural-urban contrasts in wage levels are apparent in pay differences for men and women, although even here distinctions along a rural-urban divide are restricted to managerial workers, with the key distinction for professionals and technicians being between South East England and the rest of the country. For other occupations there is little to distinguish the relative magnitude of difference in men’s and women’s pay along rural-urban or regional lines. It is suggested that more attention to gender relations in wage determination practices within the workplace and within professions are worth exploring to develop a stronger understanding of division lines in wage inequalities.     

Extraction of impervious features from spectral indices using artificial neural network

An urban area comprises a complex mix of diverse land cover types and materials. Urban ecology and environment is significantly influenced by the proportion of impervious cover that is increasing considerably with time due to the continuous influx of people into urban areas. Therefore, it is of vital importance to determine the spatiotemporal pattern and magnitude of urbanization. In the present study, we have employed a supervised backpropagation neural network in order to extract the impervious features using five spectral indices, such as one vegetation index—Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), one water index—Modified Normalized Water Index (MNDWI), and three urban indices—Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), Built-up Index (BUI), and Index-Based Built-up Index (IBI). The study has been performed using Landsat Thematic Mapper data of November, 2011, of the rapidly urbanizing city of Ranchi, capital of Jharkhand state, India. Using different combinations of these spectral indices while keeping SAVI and MNDWI constant, seven composite images were built, and from each of these composites, impervious features were classified and its accuracy assessed with reference to high-resolution images provided by Microsoft Bing Imagery and adequate ground truthing. It was observed that along with SAVI and MNDWI, whenever IBI was used in any combination, it decreased the classification efficiency. On the other hand, NDBI and BUI, individually or when used together, discriminated the impervious features from the others with high accuracy with the combination of SAVI, MNDWI, and BUI achieving the highest accuracy of 90.14 %.     

日照市城乡建设用地增减挂钩工作的探讨

随着社会主义市场经济的发展,推进土地集约节约利用,促进城乡统筹发展,是当前和今后一个时期有效的利用现有土地资源,改善农村生产生活条件和环境、缓解建设用地供需矛盾的有效途径和手段。近几年来,日照市严格按照上级有关要求,规范开展了城乡建设用地增减挂钩试点工作,取得了显著成效。     

Factors triggering landslide occurrence on the Zemun loess plateau,Belgrade area,Serbia

Among the numerous factors that trigger landslide events, the anthropogenic impact caused by inadequate planning and faulty land use in urban areas is increasing. The Zemun settlement on the northern outskirts of Belgrade has experienced a number of landslides in the last three decades, endangering buildings and roads, and claiming human lives, particularly in the case of the 2010/2011 landslides. Selected meteorological parameters were used to calculate rainfall erosivity indices such as Precipitation Concentration Index and Modified Fournier Index over the period 1991–2015. Drought indices, Lang aridity index and Palfai Drought Index were calculated as well. Mann–Kendall trend test was applied to identify potential rising and/or declining trends both in meteorological parameters and calculated indices. Trend analysis of the annual and seasonal scales yielded a statistically significant trend in the spring time series. Stable arid and pronounced drought conditions were recorded. The modified Fournier index based on monthly mean values yields moderate aggressiveness, with several extreme values indicating very high erosivity classes, especially for 2010/2011. The geological substrate is predominantly loess and hence highly susceptible to erosion and slope failure when climatological conditions are suitable. Accelerated urbanization at the end of the last century reduced vegetation cover, intensified pressure on the vertical loess slope, and lacked suitable rain drainage systems so that surface-water runoff was directed into the porous loess, thereby endangering slope stability. We proposed a geomorphic model to describe the nature of the erosional processes on the loess cliffs of the Zemun loess plateau. Results from this study have implications for mitigation strategies.     

玛纳斯河流域绿洲区域经济差异分解研究

以县域为研究单元,运用崔王指数（TW）、经济增长指数和泰尔指数分解等方法,对1978—2007年新疆典型绿洲县域经济的增长及其差异进行了分析.结果表明：以崔王极化指数测度的绿洲县域经济极化态势呈波动性扩大的趋势,并大致可以分为2个不同的发展阶段;自1978年以来玛纳斯河流域各县域经济都得到了较快发展,绿洲平均经济增长率...     

辽宁省气温变化趋势中的城市化影响研究

利用1961 - 2017年逐日平均、 最低、 最高气温资料、 DMSP/OLS卫星夜晚灯光数据, 定量分析了城市化对辽宁省平均气温和极端气温指数趋势变化的影响。研究表明： 辽宁省气温呈显著增加趋势, 城市站增温速率明显快于乡村站; 平均最低气温增温率最快, 平均气温次之, 平均最高气温相对较慢; 四季增温速率依次为： 冬季>春季>秋季>夏季; 最低气温的城市化影响贡献率最大, 平均气温次之, 最高气温相对较小; 城市站最低气温的明显升高和最高气温增幅较小, 必将导致日较差明显减小和日较差城市化影响贡献率的增大。城市化加剧了辽宁省极端低温事件的显著减少和极端高温事件的明显增加, 城市化对极端气温事件影响显著。与冷事件有关的极端气温指数的城市化影响均为负值, 与暖事件有关的均为正值; 相对指数的城市化影响贡献率较大, 持续时间指数次之, 除气温日较差以外的绝对指数相对较小。基于最低气温的极端气温指数比基于最高气温的极端气温指数受城市化影响更显著, 其原因可能是城市热岛强度的非对称性以及城市站和乡村站气溶胶浓度之间的差异, 导致最高气温的增加没有最低气温的增加显著。     

Trace metal assessment in soils in a small city and its rural surroundings,Pensacola, FL,USA

This study assesses the origin and pollution of trace metals in surface soils in a region with contrasting land uses (urban vs. rural). Principal component analysis (PCA) reveals that Cr and Ni are predominantly of geogenic origin. These two trace metals are also the only ones with statistically significant correlations with soil particle size and organic matter content. Copper, Pb and Zn, and possibly Hg, are of anthropogenic origin, but their concentrations rarely reach levels described as strongly polluted by pollution indexes. The concentrations of these anthropogenic trace metals are statistically not different in urban and rural areas, except for Pb that is higher in the urban area. This general lack of a difference between the two land uses indicates that the influence of this small urban area on trace metal concentrations in soils is minor. Lead and Zn have the most, but still a modest number, of strongly polluted sites, mainly in an industrial part of the city. GIS analysis shows that, based on the pollution load index (PLI), overall concentrations of trace metals also reach their highest levels in that industrial area. These observations indicate that the influence of industry on trace metal pollution in soil exceeds that of other urban activities in the region. Local background concentrations were found to be very different from general crustal background concentrations. This demonstrates the importance of the careful selection of a background type in studies like this.     

Patterns of literacy in the People's Republic of China

The recent publication of data from the 1982 census permits an assessment of the patterns, progress and problems of illiteracy in China. Educational progress, since the communists came to power in 1949, has been particularly impressive, especially in relation to the low levels of income within the People's Republic. Nevertheless, nearly a third of the country's population are still unable to read and write and major variations in literacy exist between the developed and less developed regions, between men and women, between the urban and rural areas, between the various age groups and among the many ethnic groups that constitute the People's Republic of China. Among the most favoured people and places, literacy rates exceed 90% but among the most disadvantaged groups, retired women in rural areas for example, levels of literacy fall below 3%. Proposed educational reforms, targeted to provide nine years of compulsory education, offer the potential for boosting literacy levels and breaking the bondage of ignorance. However, such proposals are being undermined by the recent economic reforms in rural China. By stressing the value of labour, including child labour, the agricultural responsibility system has generated a surprising decline in school attendance which may jeopardise future improvements in literacy, particularly so among the poorer people in the poorer areas of China.