The Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Reported Crimes in Louisiana: A Spatial and Temporal Analysis

This research assesses the impact that one natural disaster—Hurricane Katrina—and subsequent population movements have had on crime in the state of Louisiana. Using Index Crimes from the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, time series of violent and nonviolent crime rates were first analyzed using autoregressive, integrated, and moving average (ARIMA) models. Cumulative percentile maps were created next to analyze spatial trends of crime hot and cold spots in the study area. Overall, results from this research support theories that suggest that crime rates remain stable or actually decline in regions receiving evacuees from areas hardest hit by the hurricane. In the case of Orleans Parish, results are inconclusive due to unreliable crime rates for the period following Hurricane Katrina until the beginning of 2006. It is suggested that crime rates in Orleans Parish fell drastically after the storm. However, some crime types, including robbery, burglary, and larceny, returned to pre-Katrina levels and murder and aggravated assault even exceeded prestorm averages by the end of December 2007.     

Cultivated-land change in Mu Us Sandy Land of China before and after the first-stage grain-for-green policy

Mu Us Sandy Land(MUSL) of China, as a typical eco-fragile and farming-pastoral transitional region, shows great vulnerability to disturbances from cultivation activity. In this region, the conflict between cultivation activity and environmental protection has not attracted great importance until the implementation of China's Grain-for-Green Policy(CGGP) since2000. Here, using Landsat5 TM/Landsat7 ETM+ images from 1990, 2000, and 2010, we monitor the cultivation activity and land-use/cover changes(LUCC) resulting from cultivation activity in the MUSL region. Based on the data from images, we developed a series of databases of cultivated activity-induced LUCC and use them to discuss comparatively the spatio-temporal evolution trends of cultivation activity before and after CGGP implementation. These results provide evidence for managers to evaluate the implementation effectiveness of governmental policy and the influence of cultivation activity on the ecological environment of the MUSL region.     

Perceptions of climate change in China: The research and policy connection

Global climate change has evolved from a scientific problem into an economic and political problem oI worlOwloe rater- est. National perspectives play a crucial role in addressing climate change. Mutual understanding of perspectives is nec- essary to result in rational policies and a consensus among stakeholders with divergent interests. Conceptual frameworks for understanding the problem of climate change in China, the largest developing country and the largest greenhouse gas emitter, are of great significance to national and international efforts to address the problems of climate change. Chinese perceptions of climate change as a sustainable development problem have recently been in tension with an emerging Western perspective that frames climate change as a security issue. This paper explores Chinese perceptions of climate change as expressed in recent governmental policy statements, public opinion surveys, and academic scholarship with a focus on publications in Chinese-language journals, often unfamiliar in the West. It looks at the relationship between Chinese research and policy and finds that the Chinese policy frame of climate change as a sustainable development problem draws from the body of domestic research and is reflective of the perspectives and multidisciplinary approach of Chinese researchers in areas of climate change.     

英国乡村发展政策演变及启示

诸多成功案例表明,全球化有助于加快经济发展知识与实践的国际转移,将国际知识转移至地区经济发展实践中,为地区发展战略问题提供国际上相关解决方案。英国在其乡村发展历程中也曾经历过与目前中国相类似的发展阶段并遇到相似的发展问题,涉及乡村经济的多样化转型、对新技术和市场扩张的适应和基础设施改善等方面。因此,借鉴英国解决这些问题的经验和教训有助于解决目前中国乡村发展过程中遇到的诸多问题。本文分析了英国乡村发展政策的演变及其阶段性特征,其政策变化的特点主要体现在政策制订由自上而下转向自下而上、强调政策的综合性、注重乡村发展计划的长远性和可持续性、重视运用法律和市场手段等方面,最后从政策制订、乡村发展计划的实施以及发展项目选择等方面探讨了其对我国乡村发展的政策启示。并指出,考虑到国际乡村发展政策的趋同与差异,任何国际乡村发展政策和模式的采纳均需要根据我国特殊的文化、经济、政治传统和环境予以调整。     

The geography of large-scale land acquisitions: Analysing socio-ecological patterns of target contexts in the global South

This paper analyses local geographical contexts targeted by transnational large-scale land acquisitions (>200 ha per deal) in order to understand how emerging patterns of socio-ecological characteristics can be related to processes of large-scale foreign investment in land. Using a sample of 139 land deals georeferenced with high spatial accuracy, we first analyse their target contexts in terms of land cover, population density, accessibility, and indicators for agricultural potential. Three distinct patterns emerge from the analysis: densely populated and easily accessible croplands (35% of land deals); remote forestlands with lower population densities (34% of land deals); and moderately populated and moderately accessible shrub- or grasslands (26% of land deals). These patterns are consistent with processes described in the relevant case study literature, and they each involve distinct types of stakeholders and associated competition over land. We then repeat the often-cited analysis that postulates a link between land investments and target countries with abundant so-called “idle” or “marginal” lands as measured by yield gap and available suitable but uncultivated land; our methods differ from the earlier approach, however, in that we examine local context (10-km radius) rather than countries as a whole. The results show that earlier findings are disputable in terms of concepts, methods, and contents. Further, we reflect on methodologies for exploring linkages between socio-ecological patterns and land investment processes. Improving and enhancing large datasets of georeferenced land deals is an important next step; at the same time, careful choice of the spatial scale of analysis is crucial for ensuring compatibility between the spatial accuracy of land deal locations and the resolution of available geospatial data layers. Finally, we argue that new approaches and methods must be developed to empirically link socio-ecological patterns in target contexts to key determinants of land investment processes. This would help to improve the validity and the reach of our findings as an input for evidence-informed policy debates.     

The impact of Hurricane Katrina on urban growth in Louisiana: an analysis using data mining and simulation approaches

ABSTRACT

Understanding human dynamics after a major disaster is important to the region’s sustainable development. This study utilized land cover data to examine how Hurricane Katrina has affected the urban growth pattern in the Mississippi Delta in Louisiana. The study analyzed land cover changes from non-urban to urban in three metropolitan areas, Baton Rouge, New Orleans-Metairie, and Hammond, for two time periods, pre-Katrina (2001–2006) and post-Katrina (2006–2010). The study first applied a focal filter to extract continuous urban areas from the scattered urban pixels in the original remote sensing images. Statistical analyses were applied to develop initial functions between urban growth probability and several driving factors. A genetic algorithm was then used to calibrate the transition function, and cellular automata simulation based on the transition function was conducted to evaluate future urban growth patterns with and without the impact of Hurricane Katrina. The results show that elevation has become a much more important factor after Hurricane Katrina, and urban growth has shifted to higher elevation regions. The elevation most probable for new urban growth increased from 10.84 to 11.90 meters. Moreover, simulated future urban growth in this region indicates a decentralized trend, with more growth occurring in more distant regions with higher elevation. In the New Orleans metropolitan area, urban growth will continue to spill across Lake Pontchartrain to the satellite towns that are more than 50 minutes away by driving from the city center.     

Closing the Gap Between Researchers and Policymakers: Lessons from the History of Fisheries Management in the United States

Increases in sea surface temperature have led to distributional changes in many commercially exploited fish species. These changes have already led to conflict over mackerel fisheries, arising from demand for fair resource apportionment and desire to manage the fishery sustainably. In order to develop adaptable management strategies for complex ocean fishery systems, policymakers and researchers must move beyond a reactive producer–consumer relationship to develop proactive, supportive collaborations. The history of U.S. national fisheries management is presented as an example of this transition. Building cooperative capacity over the last two centuries has lead to a more systematic understanding of the oceans, and has led to success in reducing the number of overfished stocks. Similar development of cooperation between policymakers and researchers on an international scale may be the surest way to develop management strategies adaptable enough to withstand challenges posed by future climate change.     

The role of governance in community adaptation to climate change

The capacity to adapt to challenges such as climate change can be seen as largely determined by socioeconomic context or social vulnerability. This article examines the adaptive capacity of local actors in response to globalization and climate change, asking: how much of the desirable adaptation can be undertaken at a local level, and how much is determined by actors at other levels, for instance, when resource conflicts occur? Drawing on case studies of fishing in northern Norway and north-west Russia, the paper shows that adaptive capacity beyond the immediate economic adaptations available to local actors is, to a considerable extent, politically determined within larger governance networks.     

Incorporating geographies of health into public policy debates: The GeoHealth Laboratory

Abstract:  The restricted influence of geographers in the policy arena has been the source of some angst. This paper reports on a new initiative at the University of Canterbury, which aims to strengthen geography's contribution to health policy debates in New Zealand. The GeoHealth Laboratory is a joint initiative between the Department of Geography and Public Health Intelligence group at the Ministry of Health that seeks to provide a pathway for the integration of health geography research into policy development. This new facility aligns the expertise in health geography, GIS and other spatial analytical methods with policy-relevant research priorities. An overview of the strategic aims of the GeoHealth Laboratory is provided along with some examples of recent research activities that are contributing to understandings of the health landscape in New Zealand. It is argued that such partnerships provide important opportunities for geographers to engage with policy-relevant issues.     

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.     

Geomorphic studies of landslides in the Tully Valley, New York: implications for public policy and planning

On April 27, 1993, a large landslide in the Tully Valley, Onondaga County, NY, destroyed three houses and resulted in the evacuation of four others; it also triggered a loss of potable drinking water for about 15 homes north of the slide area and affected a total of 20 ha of land. In the 7 years following this slide, several studies have been conducted by federal and state environmental agencies and by local universities. The goal of these investigations has been to determine what caused this slide, document the history of past landslides in the region, and establish whether future slides are likely to occur. This paper reports on the results of these investigations and examines their effect on the Tully Valley community.     

豫北沙地果树适宜树种及高产优质高效开发技术研究

通过品种引进、试验和鉴评,筛选出适宜于豫北沙地栽培的优良果树品种28个;栽培实践表明,高接换优技术和控冠促果措施以及生长调节剂的结合使用,是提高果树成花率、坐果率及产量的有效途径。通过丰产园栽培试验,提出矮化无病毒苹果丰产栽培,和梨"矮、密、早、丰"的配套栽培技术,及和土肥管理与病虫害防治等一整套科学的管理措施。     

贵州乌蒙山区资源相对承载力的时空动态变化

贵州乌蒙山区是国家划定的18片贫困区之一,随着人口增长和社会经济发展的加速,山区人地资源矛盾日趋突出,已严重阻碍了乌蒙山区社会经济的可持续发展。运用并改进了相对资源承载力的研究思路和计算方法,研究了1995~2006年贵州乌蒙山区自然资源、经济资源、生活水平的相对承载力和综合承载力的时空动态变化过程。对于认清和把握乌蒙山区资源承载力变化规律,完善山区资源环境承载力研究成果具有重要指导意义。研究表明:贵州乌蒙山区人口严重超载,而承载人口的主要资源为土地资源,经济资源和生活水平承载力偏低;相对资源承载力空间差异显著,绝大多数县域综合承载力均处于超载状态。     

Loose threads: The translocal making of public space policy in Hanoi

This paper analyses the recent developments in public space policy in the city of Hanoi, Vietnam. It has three aims. The first is to look at a potentially progressive urban policy in contrast to most work on ‘policies in motion’ that has primarily been concerned with neoliberal policies. The second is to put the process of public space policymaking in Hanoi in historical and cultural perspective. We therefore describe public space in Hanoi as historically constituted by different layers of meaning and physical urban patterns. The paper's third aim is to analyse the translocal connections involved in a policy that is still in the making, and therefore characterized by a series of ‘loose threads’. We show how different types of connections – policy mobility, topological relations and inter‐referencing – relate Hanoi to multiple locales elsewhere. The conclusion reflects on the ‘politics of reception’ showing how analysing a policy in the making develops a critical analysis of policies in motion.     

南方水稻复种指数变化对国家粮食产能的影响及其政策启示

中国南方地区水稻生产的变化对国家粮食安全具有重要影响。本文利用Landsat数据提取1990-2015年南方地区水稻种植制度分布及变化,并分析其对粮食产能的影响。结果表明：① 1990-2015年,水稻复种指数从148.3%下降到129.3%,双季稻改种单季稻（“双改单”）损失的播种面积为253.16万hm²,区域上以长江中下游地区变化最为突出。南方地区水稻种植制度整体呈现由北向南“双退单进”的变化格局;② 1990-2015年,“双改单”导致全国水稻产量减少6.1%,粮食产量减少2.6%。水稻主产区湖南省和江西省以及经济发展较好的浙江省因“双改单”水稻减产幅度较大,均超过13%;③ 充分利用“双改单”稻田的粮食产能相当于新增耕地223.3万hm²,为2001-2015年通过土地整治项目新增耕地总量的54%,是2016-2020年全国新增耕地规划目标的1.7倍,可节省约1674.4亿元新增耕地开垦费用。因此,与其追求低质量的“新”耕地,不如充分利用已有的高质量“旧”耕地,政府应转变耕地占补平衡的考核方式,将因提高复种指数增加的播种面积纳入补充指标。     

全新世湖泊沉积物TOC、C/N和δ^13Corg对千年尺度气候变化的响应

湖泊沉积物有机地化指标在古气候解释中具有复杂性和多解性。TOC、C/N和δ^13Corg作为3种常用的有机地化指标,现已广泛运用于东、中亚全新世气候变化研究中。以这3种指标为例综述了东、中亚全新世湖泊沉积有机地化指标的变化机制及影响因素。根据数据的综合分析与对比,大部分湖泊全新世沉积物TOC百分含量较高时,C／N比值也较高。这与沉积物有机质的来源有关,因两者TOC和C／N作用机制不同,也存在少数湖泊,其两者对应关系不明显;同一湖泊δ^13Corg与TOC及δ^13Corg与C／N对应关系相似;由于不同区域影响有机地化指标的因素不同,TOC、C／N和δ1^3Corg间的关系存在区域差异,据此可将研究区分为中纬度地区、青藏高原区和低纬度季风区。上述区域规律存在于研究中所选的大部分湖泊,由于有机地化指标作用机理的复杂性,也存在不符合这种规律的湖泊,因而上述结论有待于进一步讨论。     

中国西北部新疆地区沙漠的形成与演化——Ⅱ.古环境重建(英文)

Based on the palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental evidences of geological history and human history periods, this paper reviews the researches and progresses on the development of the sandy deserts in Xinjiang. It pointed out that the features of tectonic structure in Xinjiang had made both the Tarim Basin and the Junggar Basin being influenced greatly by the foehn effects originated from the planetary wind system of westerly, the East Asian ocean-continental monsoon and the topographical mountain-valley winds. The regional patterns of climate and environment since the Quaternary were characterized by the overall persistent drought accompanied by fluctuations in the secondary scale. Formations of aeolian sediments in the basins and at the margins are a potential response to global climate change, particularly the aridification of the Asian hinterland deduced by the uprising of the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding highlands. For the question about the formation time of the Taklamakan Desert, because the research methods, objects and information carriers used in previous studies are different, there are many disputes in the academic circles at present. Evidences from aeolian deposits/rocks at the edge and in the hinterland of these sandy deserts and their chronological data indicate that an arid climate and land surface aeolian processes have occurred at the edge of the Tarim Basin and its hinterland areas since the Tertiary period. However, the duration time of these processes at mass scale should have begun after the middle Pleistocene and lasted to the Holocene. Occurrence of dune fields in recent 2000 years in the oasis areas should be greatly influenced by human factors.     

基于产业视角的中国西北五省(区)地级市对“一带一路”倡议的政策响应研究

“一带一路”倡议对于引领经济全球化进程、深化改革开放、实现全面转型有重大意义。西部地区及其城市政府据此制定了相关的政策,不同程度地推动了地方经济转型及其开放度。以西北五省51个地级市（含自治州、地区）为研究对象,运用城市职能分类法等方法,对其响应“一带一路”倡议的地方政策进行分析。研究表明：1）2013~2017年,城市政府的平均政策响应累计得分持续增加,应答率由3.92%增加至100%。进行政策响应的产业种类逐年增多,且产业政策重心有多极化趋势。2）2017年,综合性、过渡性、单一性产业政策地级市分别为38个、6个、7个。突出产业政策主要分布在陕、甘两省,以第二、第三产业为主。产业政策类型可详细划分为6类,具有突出产业政策的综合性地级市数目最多,为25个,占比49.02%。     

区位和管理政策对海岸带土地利用变化的影响--以昌黎黄金海岸地区为例

本文在RS和GIS支持下研究了河北昌黎黄金海岸地区1985年至2000年的土地利用变化格局及其影响因子。该区域的海岸区位对海岸带土地利用变化具有重要影响作用,近岸带变化较剧烈,远岸带变化较小,且具有不同的变化特点。海岸带管理政策对土地利用变化的程度和特征存在重要影响,开发区土地利用变化较剧烈,其变化类型受开发方式及其目标影响;保护区主要是大片沙丘转变为林地和草地。     

The fiscal-geographic nexus: An overview of fiscal impact assessment in local policy development

Fiscal impact assessments exist to provide decision makers with the tools to make informed decisions regarding local government finances. Every type of change in a community will have a unique impact on the local economy. This impact cannot be evaluated without careful attention to the particular geographic setting of the study. Unfortunately, geography is currently underutilized in the practice of fiscal impact analysis. This paper argues that the increased application of geographic tools is a key to improving the accuracy of fiscal impact reports.