Geographical Dimensions of Environmental Restructuring in New Zealand*

During the 1980s, New Zealand underwent a period of dramatic economic, social, and administrative restructuring. The reform extended to the administrative arrangements for environmental management. A geographic restructuring model is used in this paper to establish the context in which the reforms were carried out. A combination of economic, environmental, and social influences operating at different geographic scales can be identified. These influences are subsequently illustrated through reference to three aspects of the restructuring that have distinct geographical dimensions: the definition of human-environment relations, the spatial definition of planning regions, and the implications of spatial differentiation for resource management policy and practice.     

Recent crustal movements in The Central Sierra Nevada—Walker lane region of California—Nevada: Part iii, The Olinghouse fault zone

The Olinghouse fault zone is one of several NE—ENE-trending fault zones and lineaments, including the Midas Trench and the Carson—Carson Sink Lineament, which exhibit left-lateral transcurrent movement conjugate to the Walker Lane in western Nevada. The active portion of this fault zone extends for approximately 23 km, from 16 km east of Reno, Nevada, to the southern extent of Pyramid Lake. The fault can be traced for most of its length from its geomorphic expression in the hilly terrain, and it is hidden only where overlain by recent alluvial sediments. Numerous features characteristic of strike-slip faulting can be observed along the fault, including: scarps, vegetation lines, sidehill and shutter ridges, sag ponds, offset stream channels and stone stripes, enclosed rhombohedral and wedge-shaped depressions, and en-echelon fractures.A shear zone having a maximum observable width of 1.3 km is defined principally by Riedel shears and their symmetrical P-shears, with secondary definition by deformed conjugate Riedel shears. Several continuous horizontal shears, or principal displacement shears, occupy the axial portion of the shear zone. The existence of P-shears and principal displacement shears suggests evolution of movement along the fault zone analogous to the “Post-Peak” or “Pre-Residual Structure” stage.Historic activity (1869) has established the seismic potential of this zone. Maximum intensities and plots of the isoseismals indicate the 1869 Olinghouse earthquake had a magnitude of 6.7. Field study indicates the active length of the fault zone is at least 23 km and the maximum 1869 displacement was 3.65 m of left-slip. From maximum fault length and maximum fault displacement to earthquake magnitude relations, this corresponds to an earthquake of about magnitude 7.     

The rise of regional film production centers in North America, 1984–1997

During the later half of the 1980s through the mid 1990s the American film production industry experienced significant growth due to an increase in the production of television shows. Because of this growth, the economic geography of film production changed dramatically. I examine how the film production market has changed over the period 1984–1997, using a modified version of Storper and Christopherson's (1985) film market model of developed centers, second-order centers, edge-centers and occasional sites. I modify this model by including two new factors in the locational decision process: one, the effects of increased television production on the film market model; and two, the availability of different types of landscapes within regional film production centers.     

Earthquake‐induced interaction between adjacent reinforced concrete structures with non‐equal heights

The influence of the structural pounding on the ductility requirements and the seismic behaviour of reinforced concrete structures designed to EC2 and EC8 with non‐equal heights is investigated. Special purpose elements of distributed plasticity are employed for the study of the columns. Two distinct types of the problem are identified: Type A, where collisions may occur only between storey masses; and Type B, where the slabs of the first structure hit the columns of the other (72 Type A and 36 Type B pounding cases are examined). Type A cases yielded critical ductility requirements for the columns in the pounding area mainly for the cases where the structures were in contact from the beginning of the excitation. In both pounding types the ductility requirements of the columns of the taller building are substantially increased for the floors above the highest contact storey level probably due to a whiplash behaviour. The most important issue in the pounding type B is the local response of the column of the tall structure that suffers the hit of the upper floor slab of the adjacent shorter structure. In all the examined cases this column was in a critical condition due to shear action and in the cases where the structures were in contact from the beginning of the excitation, this column was also critical due to high ductility demands. It can be summarized that in situations of potential pounding, neglecting its possible effects leads to non‐conservative building design or evaluation that may become critical in some cases. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.