Mapping Farmer Identity: why,how, and what does it tell us?

Rural areas in developed economies are becoming increasingly multi-functional in that their character is being shaped by a mix of production, consumption and conservation values. Agriculture may remain the dominant land use, but many landholders do not see themselves as farmers by occupation. Researchers have demonstrated that occupational identity influences land use and management. However, efforts to explore the influence of occupational identity often rely on surrogate measures and have largely ignored identity theory. We build on research demonstrating that collective identity theory can be used to develop a valid and reliable measure of farmer identity and to then classify rural landholders across a natural resource management (NRM) region. The contribution of this paper is to explain how that measure of farmer identity can be mapped and then demonstrate the relevance of doing so for regional NRM in Australia. As expected, farmer identity varied across the case study region with distance from urban centres, and across different environmental assets. Those findings should lead to a more targeted approach to landholder engagement in NRM. We suggest that farmer identity (i.e. farmer-collective occupational identity construct; F-COIC) might provide a next step for responding to the challenges of interpreting and mapping multi-functionality.     

Sustainable for whom? Green urban development,environmental gentrification,and the Atlanta Beltline

Large-scale, sustainable urban development projects can transform surrounding neighborhoods. Without precautionary policies, environmental amenities produced by these projects, such as parks, trails, walkability, and higher-density development, tend to result in higher land and housing costs. This will make it harder for a low- and moderate-income households to live near the projects, and neighborhoods are likely to become increasingly affluent. The Atlanta Beltline will ultimately connect 45 Atlanta neighborhoods via a 22-mile loop of trails, parks, and eventually a streetcar, all of which follow abandoned railroad tracks. This paper examines the effect of the Beltline on housing values within one half mile. From 2011 to 2015, depending on the segment of the Beltline, values rose between 17.9 percent and 26.6 percent more for homes within a half-mile of the Beltline than elsewhere. The implications for housing affordability and neighborhood change of projects like the Beltline, and associated policy questions, are addressed.     

Shrinking ‘Smart’?: Urban Redevelopment and Shrinkage in Youngstown,Ohio

Abstract

This article analyzes the impact of the much-heralded Youngstown 2010 Plan and the enacting of a program of “controlled” or “managed” shrinkage. It is argued that while the program of redevelopment has had an impact on Youngstown and its national image, it represents an exclusionary project that has centered on redeveloping downtown areas and neglected many city neighborhoods which continue to experience high levels of unemployment, vacancy, and crime. The analysis is situated in relation to the contemporary literature on “shrinking cities.” Youngstown's experience raises critical questions regarding the nature of the challenges facing shrinking cities, the constraints on actions available to them due to state and federal funding, and the coherence of the concept of “smart shrinkage.”     

“Protecting” street children? Urban revitalization and regulation in Lima,Peru

In this article, I develop a critical analysis of the relationship between urban “revitalization” campaigns and the regulation of street children in Lima, Peru. Scholars writing mostly in the Global North have drawn attention to increasingly punitive policies regarding public space. While in many regards Lima’s urban policy is reflective of such larger trends, I consider whether the regulation of street children is as punitive as might be assumed. I am particularly concerned with the role that children’s rights play as another logic structuring urban regulation. I first show how a language of children’s rights has been manipulated to justify the removal of street children from public space, as is most evident through Peru’s Law to Protect Minors from Situations of Begging. However, there is also something more ambiguous occurring. In the second part of this article, I examine the uneven implementation of policy: street children themselves resist and rework policies “on the ground,” and children’s rights frameworks may offer possibilities for rupture of formal regulation. I suggest that these overlapping and competing dynamics sustain an uneven and contingent geography of urban regulation.     

Meeting the urban challenge? Urban agriculture and food security in post-conflict Freetown,Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone has recently emerged from a long period of political instability and is ranked among the world's poorest countries. During the decade-long civil war of the 1990s, widespread forced out-migration left much of the countryside abandoned, as rural residents fled to the safety of the capital city, Freetown. Consequently, food production became severely dislocated and, in the post-conflict era, the state of the agricultural sector has become a major concern to governmental and non-governmental development agencies. Focussing on the question of urban food security in Freetown, this paper examines the incidence, dynamics and significance of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) among households, at a crucial point in Sierra Leone's post-conflict reconstruction phase. Drawing on recent field-based data, the paper contributes to the growing debate concerning how urban planning and development might be reconciled with the promotion of an ‘enabling environment’ in which UPA is encouraged and supported. It is argued that in the case of Freetown, a detailed evaluation of UPA is urgently needed to determine how agricultural activities can fit in with urban structure, urban problems and the livelihoods of a wide range of actors in and around the city. The paper concludes that not only is UPA a vital element in ensuring household food security, but it could potentially play a fundamental role in safeguarding the urban food continuum and promoting sustainable urbanization in the post-conflict period and beyond.     

Urban Pulse—The Struggle for Water,Life, and Dignity In South African Cities: The Case of Johannesburg

The struggle for water is a key feature of life in Johannesburg, as it is in all South African cities. This article describes a court action that was brought against the City of Johannesburg by the people of one neighborhood, Phiri, in an effort to secure an adequate supply of water. It is shown how the people of Phiri argued for the removal of discriminatory technology in the form of prepayment meters and for an increase in the quantity of water. Furthermore, it will show how race, class, and geography are articulated in the post-apartheid city.     

Urban forest loss using a GIS-based approach and instruments for integrated urban planning: A case study of Jo?o Pessoa,Brazil

Urban forests play an important role in the thermal comfort and overall life of local populations in large-and medium-sized cities. This study analyzes urban forest loss and maps land use and land cover(LULC) changes between 1991 and 2018 by evaluating the use of urban planning instruments for the mitigation of urban forest loss in Jo?o Pessoa, Brazil. For this purpose, satellite-derived LULC images from 1991, 2006, 2010 and 2018 and data on urban forest loss areas obtained using the Google Earth Engine were used. In addition, this paper also discusses the instruments used for integrated urban planning, which are(a) the legal sector, responsibility and nature;(b) the urban expansion process; and(c) the elements of urban infrastructure. The results show a clear shift in land use in the study area. The major changes in LULC classes occurred in urban areas and herbaceous vegetation, while the greatest loss was in arboreal/shrub vegetation. Thus, an increase in the pressure to occupy zones intended for environmental preservation could be estimated. Our results showed similar accuracies with other studies and more spatial details. The characteristics of the patterns, traces, and hotspots of urban expansion and forest cover loss were explored. We highlighted the potential use of this proposed framework to be applied and validated in other parts of the world to help better understand and quantify various aspects of urban-related problems such as urban forest loss mapping using instruments for integrated urban planning and low-cost approaches.     

Hard times in Apia? Urban landlessness and the church in Samoa

This paper presents findings from a study about the relationships between social change and settlement change in Samoa, where a form of landlessness is emerging in low income areas of the main town, Apia. It examines changing reciprocal kinship arrangements with respect to customary rural village plantation land and changes in both individual and household relationships with the church. Although these relationships are typically closely bound in Pacific island societies, recent field‐based research has revealed the expansion of landless urban settlements with households that are alienated from rural village‐based kin and, by extension, customary land.     

Towards sustainable mining cities: what policies should be sought and experiences could be learnt for China?

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Urban Expansion Pattern and Land Use Dynamics in Dhaka, 1989–2014

Rapid change in land use and land cover (LULC) and unplanned urban expansion in Dhaka City, Bangladesh, receives continuous attention from local policymakers and the international community. This study employed a supervised classification procedure and postclassification change detection technique to estimate major changes between different LULC classes. The study revealed that built-up area increased significantly from 1989 to 2014. The total urban growth of 81.54 percent resulted in a substantial decrease in natural vegetation cover and agricultural land. In addition, water bodies have declined consistently over the last twenty-five years. The overall accuracy of LULC change maps produced from Landsat data ranged from 89.72 percent to 92.97 percent. The results should contribute to ongoing LULC information updates while forecasting possible future LULC change and sustainable development under greater population density.     

“Story-Networks” of Livestock and Climate Change: Actors,Their Artifacts,and the Shaping of Urban Print Media

Despite widespread media coverage of livestock-related issues and growing scientific evidence linking meat production and climate change, systematic content analysis of this relationship in media coverage has been surprisingly minimal. In this article, we combine actor-network theory with framing theory to develop the basis for “story-networks”—networks of actants and artifacts that shape how a media report or “story” is framed. We coded livestock-related articles from a major U.S. newspaper, the Los Angeles Times, over the 1999–2010 period to understand how various actants and artifacts shaped different story-networks. Just 5% of all livestock articles addressed connections with climate change; these articles focused on technology, lifestyle, or policy. Distinctive story-networks characterized each category, framing the livestock–climate change linkage as an issue to be addressed through either technological innovation, individual lifestyle choices, or policy action. In each story-network type, varying configurations of actants and artifacts were involved, including the cattle themselves.     

Activity patterns,socioeconomic status and urban spatial structure: what can social media data tell us?

ABSTRACT

Individual activity patterns are influenced by a wide variety of factors. The more important ones include socioeconomic status (SES) and urban spatial structure. While most previous studies relied heavily on the expensive travel-diary type data, the feasibility of using social media data to support activity pattern analysis has not been evaluated. Despite the various appealing aspects of social media data, including low acquisition cost and relatively wide geographical and international coverage, these data also have many limitations, including the lack of background information of users, such as home locations and SES. A major objective of this study is to explore the extent that Twitter data can be used to support activity pattern analysis. We introduce an approach to determine users’ home and work locations in order to examine the activity patterns of individuals. To infer the SES of individuals, we incorporate the American Community Survey (ACS) data. Using Twitter data for Washington, DC, we analyzed the activity patterns of Twitter users with different SESs. The study clearly demonstrates that while SES is highly important, the urban spatial structure, particularly where jobs are mainly found and the geographical layout of the region, plays a critical role in affecting the variation in activity patterns between users from different communities.     

Micro-level analysis of childhood obesity, diet, physical activity, residential socioeconomic and social capital variables: where are the obesogenic environments in Leeds?

This paper describes global (whole of Leeds) and local (super output area) analyses of the relationship between childhood obesity and many 'obesogenic environment' variables, such as deprivation, urbanisation, access to local amenities, and perceived local safety, as well as dietary and physical activity behaviours. The analyses identify the covariates with the strongest relationships with obesity, and highlight variation in these relationships across Leeds, thus identifying 'at-risk' populations. This paper seeks to demonstrate the importance of analysis at the micro-level in order to provide health planners with additional information with which to tailor interventions and health policies to prevent childhood obesity.     

An Eruv for St Ives? Religion,identity, place and conflict on the Sydney north shore

Religious identity, when marked by physical changes to urban landscapes, has been a cause of tension and conflict in many cities. In the Sydney suburb of St Ives, an attempt to create an eruv, a symbolic and only partly physical boundary around orthodox Jewish space, was vigorously opposed and eventually defeated through the planning system. The religious and physical significance of the eruv resulted in diverse rationales of opposition, centred on the physical and environmental impact, the conceptual nature of boundaries and the role of religion and ‘modernity’ in everyday suburban life. The place of an eruv was opposed with reference to spatial imaginaries of the nation, the suburb and the secular public, as religion and worship intersected with the politics of urban citizenship and belonging. Each of these spatial imaginaries was constructed by opponents in such a way as to deny a place for an eruv in St Ives, and reinforced through the application of planning instruments which eventually refused permission for an eruv. To many residents, public space was seen to be at risk, raising complex questions over amenity, the politics and perception of difference and what is in or out of place. The planning framework adjudicating such development proposals must transcend such imaginaries in the production of public spaces in multicultural cities.     

Immigration,Polarization, or Gentrification? Accounting for Changing House Prices and Dwelling Values in Gateway Cities

Past research has identified immigration, social polarization, and gentrification as factors with significant impacts upon price movements and other housing characteristics in gateway cities. This study attempts to compare the effects of these three factors in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada's primary gateway cities, over the period from 1971 to 1996. The paper describes house price changes from Multiple Listing Service rolls and changes of dwelling values in census tracts, and interprets visual evidence for the effects of the three factors. The observed centralization of price gains is then sharpened in a univariate and multivariate analysis of changes in dwelling values for census tracts in each metropolitan area. While there is consistency in the spatial patterns of changes in housing prices and dwelling values between the two cities, there are differences in the importance of the three processes at different times and places. Moreover, strong effects at the metropolitan scale become much more blurred with spatial disaggregation.     

Migration between rural and urban areas, 1960-1970: what is revealed by linked census data?

Internal migration trends in Norway are analyzed for the period 1960 to 1970. Four types of migration are identified: rural-urban, urban-rural, urban-urban, and rural-rural. The data are taken from official sources, and the study is based on linked census data for 1960 and 1970. (summary in ENG)