Drivers of housing development in Tamale Metropolitan District,Ghana

In developing countries the most remarkable feature of housing production and consumption is the active involvement of households in all segments of the housing markets. The purpose of the study was to assess the main drivers of households’ decisions to build housing in Tamale Metropolitan District, Ghana. The authors used a probit regression model to analyse the main forces underlying housing production decisions in the district and to highlight the challenges associated with households’ self-building efforts. The results revealed that economic, demographic, and cultural factors were the main forces accounting for variations in households’ decisions to build housing. Additionally, the results indicated that households’ efforts were severely constrained by rising land values, low levels of household income, limited employment opportunities, and intermittent chieftaincy conflicts. The authors conclude that access to land and security of tenure were important prerequisites for housing development in Tamale Metropolitan District. They recommend the establishment of a good land administration system to help to address the excessive bureaucracy in the delivery of land for house building in the metropolis.     

The importance and limitations of social networks and social identities for labour market integration: The case of Ghanaian immigrants in Bergen,Norway

Whereas refugees and larger immigrant groups’ integration in the Norwegian labour market has received considerable research attention, less is known about the labour market integration of small, non-refugee immigrant groups from West African countries such as Ghana. The purpose of the article is to examine the role of social networks and social identities for the differentiated labour market integration outcomes among Ghanaian immigrants in the city of Bergen. Based on data produced through in-depth interviews, participant observation and informal conversations, the authors argue that Ghanaian immigrants’ ability to obtain jobs is determined by more than simply having the appropriate educational and language qualifications, and largely depends on having favourable social identities and being embedded in social networks beyond the Ghanaian immigrant community. They find that those who mainly relied on Ghanaian networks found it difficult to circumvent labour market hindrances and they predominantly obtained menial jobs. The authors conclude that Norwegian job-seekers networks played a crucial role in the immigrants’ opportunities and for potential Norwegian employers’ perception of their employability, especially in professional and semi-professional jobs.     

The adoption of a local food concept in post-communist context: Farm shops in Czechia

The article examines an alternative food network evolution in the post-communist context in Czechia in general and farm shop developments in particular. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with farm shopkeepers operating in Czechia. The results revealed that the development of the farm shop network was significantly shaped by the communist past of the country. While consumers’ demand for quality food contributed to the initiation of developments in local food movements such as farm shops in Czechia, the inconvenient structure of the farming sector, comprising a limited number of small-scale farmers, hindered the development. Although the farm shops usually operate as middlemen by reselling goods produced by a range of farmers, farm shopkeepers expressed significant awareness of the sustainability principles of the local food concept and dissociated themselves from unethical practices of large retailers. Nevertheless, the author finds that the local concept is used in a flexible manner to meet customers’ demands. Despite obstacles faced by farmers when developing their own farm shops, there is significant potential in ‘Czech-type’ farm shops operating solely as retailers. However, the author concludes that the threat of the diversion from the sustainability principles of the local food concept should not be neglected.     

Natural hazard experiences and adaptations: A study of winter climate-induced road closures in Norway

The effects of global climate change include more extreme weather events that harm lifeline infrastructure such as road access. The questionnaire-based study takes a novel natural experiment approach to subjective personal experiences and perceptions of lifeline vulnerability in two seaside communities in Norway that have been sporadically isolated due to avalanches, heavy snowfall, and/or snowdrifts. The enquiry aims at filling a research gap on sudden winter climate-induced disconnections and road travel hazards in advanced societies. The results show that weather-induced road closures lead to worries about road travel and practical problems, but also that many people are able to adjust to reduce their vulnerability. The authors concluded that community characteristics such as available services and social and human capital are important for understanding people’s vulnerabilities, worries, and hazard preparedness.     

The importance of symbols in the region formation process

The aim in the article is to conceptualize the general foundations of research on the importance of regional symbolism in the process of region and regional identity formation. The article is founded on a critical analysis of works pertaining not only to the field of the new regional geography, but also to the field of regional marketing and/or branding, sociology, and semiology. The authors focus on meanings attributed to symbols and symbolism in literature, and observe which elements are viewed as regional symbols and how these symbols contribute to the process of regional development and institutionalization, especially in the formation of its symbolic shape. They examine the thematic and theoretical grounds, looking at identity, regional identity, and regional institutionalization. Next, regional symbols are defined and classified according to their types and forms, and their importance in the process of regional formation and institutionalization is discussed. The results show that symbols of any type can play an important role in a region’s marketing, and become the key image associated with a region. The authors conclude that regional symbols are a significant feature of the formation of a region and its identity, both outwardly (the external image of a region) and inwardly (concerning the inhabitants’ relationships with their region).     

Food gardens as important elements of urban agriculture: Spatio-developmental trends and future prospects for urban gardening in Czechia

The main research goals of the article are to explain the historical context of urban food gardens in Czechia, to describe the current spatial pattern of allotment gardens, and to introduce and analyse recent trends in urban gardening. The main method for achieving the first goal was a literature study. For the second goal, geographical mapping and analysis of data relating to the spatial distribution of allotment gardens were used. For the third goal, mapping together with analysis of semi-structured interviews carried out in community gardens in Prague were used. The analysis showed a strong tradition of urban agriculture and urban food gardening activities in Czechia. Both allotment gardens and newly emerged community gardens were concentrated mainly in the biggest cities and in areas with a rich industrial and mining tradition. This finding supports the significance of gardening as an important element of urban agriculture. However, uncertainty regarding land tenure and long-term sustainability were among the greatest obstacles for the future of allotment and community gardens. The authors’ main recommendations are that urban agriculture should be included as primary land use in sustainable planning and there should be broader community involvement in planning and decision-making processes.     

Contextualizing the quality of primary education in urban and rural settings: The case of Iringa Region,Tanzania

The purpose of the article is to discuss the term ‘quality’ in relation to primary education in Tanzania, and to contextualize quality and identify the premises for obtaining quality in primary school education in rural and urban settings. To understand opinions about the quality of education and the current situation in primary schools, the author conducted interviews with teachers and focus group discussions with parents and caregivers in Iringa town and three villages in Iringa Region. The findings indicate a general consensus, regardless of geographical setting, that quality in primary education is primarily measurable through national exams. However, surrounding circumstances such as infrastructure and poverty have a great impact on the quality of education in rural primary schools. Lack of water and electricity, and poor transport networks have consequences for schooling by limiting children’s, parents’, and teachers’ access to school supplies and limiting the ability of officials to carry out monitoring activities. The author concludes that the premises for providing and receiving education vary to a great extent, depending on geographical setting, and favour urban youths with respect to their further education.     

The role of lead firms in cluster evolution: The case of the Manchester television cluster

ABSTRACT

The author utilizes recent work in evolutionary economic geography to examine the television cluster in Manchester, UK. A path dependency approach is used to trace the evolutionary phases of the cluster, and to reveal the shifting dynamics of the cluster and the role of key actors. The article focuses on the role of two lead firms – the BBC and Granada. Based on qualitative interview and participant observation data, supplemented with contextual quantitative data collection, the study presents the results of longitudinal research conducted between 2000 and 2014. The author finds that the role of lead firms varied according to the evolutionary phase of the cluster. The role of the broadcasters was most significant during the emergence and growth of the cluster. Both the lead firm and the cluster have been impacted by exogenous factors, particularly regulatory changes. A key trigger point in 2003 led to the evolutionary trajectory of the cluster shifting into decline and stagnation.     

Russian cross-border shopping tourists in the Finnish and Polish borderlands

Cross-border shopping and tourism are worldwide phenomena, appearing at any border with at least some degree of permeability. The authors investigate the range of cross-border shopping and tourism activities practised by Russians at two of the EU’s external borders, one between Finland and the Leningrad Oblast, and the other between Poland and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast. The study is based on research conducted in the Polish–Russian and Finnish–Russian border regions between 2013 and 2015, when the authors held interviews, administered survey questionnaires, and engaged in participant observation. The information was supplemented with data from the Finnish and Polish Border Guard services. Based on the results of the fieldwork, the authors argue that cross-border shopping and tourism are often combined during the same trip, and thus constitute a specific form of cross-border activity. Their study sheds light on how cross-border shopping tourism depends on and is interconnected with more than just the factor of the non-availability of goods and services. They conclude that cross-border shopping at the Polish–Russian border and the Finnish–Russian border has become more like a Western European practice, namely shopping for pleasure.     

Allocation of degraded hillsides to landless farmers and improved livelihoods in Tigray,Ethiopia

In the northern highlands of Ethiopia degraded hillsides have been allocated to landless farmers for tree planting since the mid-1990s. The authors assessed the effect of hillside plantations on the livelihoods of landless farmers in the eastern part of the Tigray Region by using transect walks, focus group discussions, and pretested questionnaires. A matched-pairs design was used to compare crop yields, livestock holdings per household, and household incomes to test the differences before and eight years after the intervention. In addition, regression analysis was used to capture variables influencing hillside management. The findings revealed that the plantations significantly increased crop yields, livestock holdings, and the household incomes of all beneficiaries. In addition, tree planting on degraded hillsides had a positive impact on the livelihoods of formerly landless farmers. However, moisture stress and free-ranging livestock were crucial problems. The findings are highly relevant in a conservation context because many existing or planned hillside allocations to landless farmers are located on degraded steep slopes that are unsuitable for crop production. Thus, replicating the practice to other areas with similar environment and problems would be worthwhile, although the management should focus on careful planning to avoid conflicts of interest between beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries.     

Resource management regimes and innovation in peripheral nature-based tourism: The case of North Cape tourism and sea-fishing tourism

The study objective was to analyse how capitalized and non-capitalized resource rents act as mechanisms of innovation in nature-based tourism within a centre–periphery context dominated by distance, instability, and dependency. The authors studied 55 out of 64 businesses engaged in tourism in Nordkapp Municipality in Norway in the period 2002–2012. Data were collected from a survey, interviews, and empirical observations, and then analysed using both deductive and inductive methodological approaches. The main findings were that tourism in the Nordkapp Municipality had suffered from a lack of local innovation initiatives caused by the capitalized resource rent of tourism to North Cape and its leakage. Nevertheless, local tourism had increased partly because of the inclusion of new and more attractive products, due to the open-access, non-capitalized resource management in fishing tourism that operated simultaneously with the closed and capitalized context of North Cape tourism. The authors conclude that this open-access regime of fishing tourism stimulated innovation and further development of coastal tourism, and even affected traditional North Cape tourism. Non-capitalized resource rent had not leaked out because it had not been collected by external companies and because it had acted as an innovation mechanism on the periphery.     

Rediscovering the anatomy of urban growth: The spatio-temporal evolution of building activity in a Mediterranean city

ABSTRACT

The impact of building cycles on recent expansions of Athens was assessed under the hypothesis that non-linear paths of urban growth result from sequential phases of economic growth and decline. Changes over time in building activity were examined by considering indicators derived from a local-scale analysis of building permits issued by Greek municipalities between 1990 and 2016. Relevant socioeconomic forces shaping spatio-temporal variability in building activity were identified by analyzing contextual indicators through inferential techniques and multivariate analysis. The results showed distinctive responses of real-estate local markets to economic cycles at the local scale in Athens, allowing for identification of short-term and long-term urban dynamics characteristic of expansion and recession waves. The most sensitive indicators to economic cycles in Athens were density of new buildings, average floors per new building, density of building additions, and number of building permits per inhabitant. Infrastructure-driven development, as a result of the 2004 Olympic Games, has produced relevant alterations in short-term patterns in the construction market, resulting in spatially-complex urbanization trends. The author concludes that local-scale indicators derived from building permit data provide insights into progressively complex dynamics of urban growth, with implications for regional planning and the design of sustainable development practices.     

全球和地方力量对中国城市制造业增长的影响

企业动态是中国制造业空间重构的微观基础。采用中国制造业企业数据,根据新企业成立和就业净增长的关系,把中国城市划分为创业型、旋转门型、惯例型和缓增型4类增长模式,描述其在2003—2008年和2008—2013年的时空变化。发现受全球金融危机影响,东部外向型制造业核心区的城市新企业成立不足,现有企业增长乏力,制造业就业增长率下降,由惯例型转变为缓增型;在国内市场潜力不断提高的背景下,东部的相对欠发达地区和中部地区的城市持续吸引了大量新企业成立,并推动制造业就业快速增长,由旋转门型转变为创业型。论文建立“全球力量和地方力量”的分析框架,采用多项Logit模型揭示全球力量和地方力量对中国城市制造业增长模式在2个时期的不同影响。研究发现：全球力量中的出口导向和地方力量中的集聚经济对中国城市制造业增长的影响经历了从向心力到离心力的转变;全球力量中的出口导向和地方力量中的小企业比重和产业结构的影响此消彼长,体现了“全球-地方”联系。     

The obligation to heal when the market hurts - national regulation of the electricity sector and local industrial impacts

The article offers an institutional-comparative approach to a discussion about national regulation and its local consequences. The industrial regulations formulated after Norwegian independence in 1905 allowed public control of transactions concerning rights to Norwegian waterfalls. Efforts to restructure energy-intensive industry have often encountered local demands for the maintenance of local production. Due to the regulations, companies were forced to negotiate with the state and later also with local authorities. Deregulation of the electricity sector in the early 1990s facilitated a radical restructuring as companies stopped using electricity in local production and instead exported it from the region where it was generated. However, companies are still obliged to make different kinds of compensation to the host locality. The article presents cases of single company towns in Telemark and Nordland counties in Norway.     

中国海洋油气资源开发与国家石油安全战略对策

石油是中国能源安全的核心问题,随着我国石油供应对外依赖程度的增大,石油安全问题越来越突出,将会成为我国21世纪经济、社会可持续发展面临的一个重要问题。我国是海洋油气资源丰富的国家,广阔的海域中分布着近100×10⁴km²的含油沉积盆地,近海石油资源量为240×10⁸t,天然气资源量为140×10¹²m³。海洋油气资源的开发利用,将能部分解决我国油气资源进口数量。本文讨论了解决石油安全的四种模式,对我国油气安全的国际和国内条件进行了分析,提出了解决我国油气安全的战略对策。     

越南石油生产和出口形势变化及其对中国的影响

越南石油产量快速上升,在2006年达到峰值后而迅速下降。为改变油品几乎全靠进口的状况,着手大力兴建炼厂。因而石油进出口形势将发生逆转。预计2013年后就可成为原油净进口国（进口量可达3—5千万吨）且将大量出口油品。此前越南是中国的原油进口源国和油品（特别是轻质油）的出口目的地。越南石油形势的重大变化将对中国和东亚石油格局产生一定的影响。     

The space-time structure of oil and gas field growth in a complex depositional system

Shortly after the discovery of an oil and gas field, an initial estimate is usually made of the ultimate recovery of the field. With the passage of time, this initial estimate is almost always revised upward. The phenomenon of the growth of the expected ultimate recovery of a field, which is known as field growth, is important to resource assessment analysts for several reasons. First, field growth is the source of a large part of future additions to the inventory of proved reserves of crude oil and natural gas in most petroliferous areas of the world. Second, field growth introduces a large negative bias in the forecast of the future rates of discovery of oil and gas fields made by discovery process models. In this study, the growth in estimated ultimate recovery of oil and gas in fields made up of sandstone reservoirs formed in a complex depositional environment (Frio strand plain exploration play) is examined. The results presented here show how the growth of oil and gas fields is tied directly to the architectural element of the shoreline processes and tectonics that caused the deposition of the individual sand bodies hosting the producible hydrocarbon.