ALBERT

Description: Present geological and geomorphological objects are non-living features that can enhance curiosity and increase the knowledge of Earth's history, through the development of geotourism. The municipality of Durrës, located in western Albania represents an active tectonic area with numerous landforms, an evidence of geodiversity and geoheritage. In this paper, the most typical geosites are identified mainly based on their scientific values as well as their geotourism potential. After the defining of 5 geosites, through geological and topographical map, we applied the Geosite assessment model (GAM). GAM is widely used in Europe on different areas and has given good results in the evaluation of geosites. The GAM method involves only experts’ opinions, which are essential for the preliminary development of geotourism in Albania. This method produce different main values (MV) and additional values (AV) score, which are very useful results in preservation, conservation and promotion of the area.

Description: The article discusses municipal boundary changes in Central and Eastern Europe, concentrating on the heavily under-researched phenomenon of municipal splits. The first part describes the basic facts of municipal secessions in the region analysed. The second part presents a model explaining the national and municipal level factors behind the variation in the occurrence of successful split initiatives. It distinguishes between national institutional settings, economic, identity (cultural) and local political factors.

Description: There has been a spectacular growth in the escape game sector over the past decade. The extraordinary global impact of escape rooms, their implications for tourism, and the limited literature provide grounds for this research. This paper examines such phenomena using an empirical methodology based on a geographic analysis of business repositories and a global survey. Tourism plays a significant role in the escape room industry: approximately one of every three customers is a tourist. Escape roomer-tourists have even been detected: people who essentially plan their trips with the sole intention of playing these games. A significant contrast exists between business-owners and countries, however, as to the role given to foreign customers and the opportunities that all the above implies. Indeed, the connection between escape room narratives and the local culture has been shown to be weak in a majority of cases. Thus, this contribution seeks to feed into an emerging and increasingly relevant debate that has been little addressed in tourism geography: linking experiences, creative economies, authenticity and cultural heritage, etc. – through escape rooms.

Description: The borders of voivodships in Poland today are not consistent with those of historical regions. The current administrative division is largely based upon imposed boundaries, dividing initial regions. This research topic arises from the dichotomy between the toponymy applied to voivodships because of the administrative reform of 1999 – and the names of historical regions. Implementing such a toponomy, although detached from historical and cultural contexts, has contributed to establishing attachments with current administrative regions, which surpasses identification with historical units. This paper presents the results of empirical research employing a questionnaire survey of the inhabitants of 71 communes (LAU 2 units) in north-eastern Poland. The main objective was to examine the impact of recent administrative reform on territorial identity, with particular emphasis placed on the region of Podlasie. The surveyed communities are to the highest extent attached to national and local levels than to the region, which was only ranked third in the hierarchy of identification with a given area. The regional identity of the population living in north-east Poland is related primarily to the contemporary administrative borders. There are, however, explicit differences in perceptions of the region of Podlasie depending upon respondents’ place of residence, which is an indication that relict borders persist in the residents’ social consciousness.

Description: The academic debate on methodological approaches to the measurement of urban sprawl, particularly its most cited dimension, the density of residential settlement, is discussed in this article. The methodology of point pattern analysis, and its benefits in comparison to land-use data analysis, especially for researching the morphology of residential development, is examined. This empirical study was conducted in the hinterland of Prague and is based on point data from 2007, 2010 and 2016. The paper contributes to the scholarly discussion of suburbanisation in Central and Eastern European countries, including the morphology of suburban development. The role of scale is also emphasised, given our observation of two ambiguous means of development, namely spatial dispersion at the regional scale and increasing density at the local scale. The findings support claims regarding the crucial role of micro-scale research in understanding suburban form. The largest Czech suburb of Jesenice serves as a case study, where the morphology of built-up areas is analysed in the local context.

Description: Various types of manufacturing firms located in rural municipalities are identified in this paper, and we determine the intensity of their economic linkages at the local and regional levels. We also examine the factors affecting the intensity of local/regional sourcing and purchasing. Due to the unavailability of detailed economic data at the municipal level, our research draws on a case study of 26 rural manufacturing small/medium-sized enterprises located in the Zlín Region in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. As a highly industrialised region, Zlín should theoretically provide a very favourable environment for the development of local/regional productive linkages of rural manufacturing firms. Several non-parametric tests have been employed to test the effects of firm size, age, industry and location, on the intensity of local and regional purchasing/sourcing. We found the most common firms are those that purchase and sell mostly on a regional (NUTS3) level rather than on the local level. Small firms source and sell more locally than larger firms. Effects of the firm age, industry and location, on the intensity of local/regional sourcing and purchasing were not confirmed.

Description: The spatial differences in public transport accessibility to upper secondary schools are examined in this article, using the potential accessibility model, and based on the example of the city of Kraków. In order to achieve this goal, the potential quotient index has been used, taking into account both the demand for educational services operationalised with the population aged 15–19, and the supply of services depicted by the supply of places for pupils in different types of upper secondary school. A supplementary objective is to present recommendations for transport and educational policy implemented in the city in the context of potential locations of new upper secondary schools based on, among other parameters, the mean centre of the potential accessibility distribution and the potential accessibility dispersion index. We conclude that to better balance access to different types of schools throughout the city in the future, a new location for a general upper secondary school could be considered in the southern or eastern parts of Kraków.

Description: Analyses of the changes in the presence of persons in different central and residential parts of urban areas are subject to evaluation in this paper. Case studies of the cities of Brno, Ostrava and Zlín during the day and night are highlighted. Data from a provider of mobile phone services were used for the analyses. It appears that the data can be important for the comparison of different urban structures. The results demonstrate that the organisation of urban structure affects the number of visitors and thus the area attractiveness. It was confirmed that the number of mobile phone users in the city cores is higher than the number of permanent residents. The greatest differences between the day and night in the city cores were found in Brno, a concentric city with the most important central functions among the cities studied. Differences between the day and night in residential areas were not as large as expected. City neighbourhoods in Brno showed some specific rhythmicity.

Description: The indices of housing serve as an important tool in planning for housing, in that they allow the parameters affecting housing to be recognised and any planning process to be facilitated. The purpose of the study is to investigate and to evaluate the housing situation in cities of Isfahan province. The study is applied and descriptive-analytic in terms of method. Thirty-nine indices were collected in the housing sector. Then the rate of prosperity and ranking of the cities were evaluated by TOPSIS method. Prosperity is defined here as an important index of housing that reflects the welfare of residents. The cities were then categorised into six levels of prosperity: Very important, Important, Partially important, Moderate, Poor and Very poor. The results from the study indicate an imbalance in the studied indices between the cities, and a clear disparity between the levels of prosperity in the cities, and the only city in the very prosperous group is Isfahan, with a rate of 0.813.

Description: The development of national innovative systems is intended to solve a number of issues: from decreasing socio-economic inequality in countries and regions to creating environments favourable to new high-tech production and diversification of industrial composition. Determination of the possibilities for expanding the set of innovative types of economic activity must be scientifically substantiated, since significant financial, material and human resources may be consumed in creating and supporting new economic sectors within the framework of state policy. This article contains an attempt to create a mechanism for revealing promising trends in the development of an innovative economic sphere, taking into account comparative advantages in the commodity composition of exports by determining technological proximity indicators. The article aims to substantiate the possibility of using the concept of technological proximity in developing national innovative systems. The study employs technological proximity indicators based on the revealed comparative advantages (RCA) of countries by commodity groups of export. A matrix of technological proximity in the industrial fields (at a six-unit level) for 28 countries of the European Union in 2007–18 was made. The results revealed comparative advantages by groups of high-tech products in EU countries in real time. The analysis of technological proximity in the industrial sector has shown the types of economic activity connected with the innovative sector, which was used to determine the countries’ degree of participation in the manufacture of high-tech products. The proposed mechanism can be used in the development and implementation of national and regional policy in the sphere of innovative systems, since it allows promising areas for creation and support of new high-tech productions to be determined.

Description: Shaping the administrative division of the country is influenced by various factors. Based on the analysis of 22 municipal divorces in Poland between 1995 and 2019 the article attempts to identify the determinant factors of these splits. The article examines environmental (economic or cultural) and political factors which may stimulate the fragmentation initiatives. The results indicate that in Poland cultural factors appear to be at least as important as economic ones. An argument of great significance in the process of a new municipality creation (both in the case of successful and unsuccessful splits) was the memory of the inhabitants about the time when they were operating as a separate municipality. In case of rural municipalities the existence of a second almost equally important population centre in the municipality was an important factor contributing to the municipal splits.

Description: The engagement of young people is already considered essential for preservation and promotion of culture heritage. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the European Commission, national governments and numerous organisations have undertaken a series of initiatives and projects that are aimed at engaging young people in the preservation and promotion of cultural values from the international level to the local ones. The aim of this study is to identify and analyse the role of youth in cultural heritage preservation and promotion in a local area, after considering the importance of their engagement. The research has been conducted on the basis of quantitative and qualitative data, which has been collected from primary and secondary sources. A survey is conducted in a local urban area (the city of Korça) that is rich in cultural heritage. This city is located in the south-eastern part of Albania. The data gathered through the questionnaire was later coded and analysed using SPSS v. 20 software. Based on the results of the research, the engagement of youth, especially students, in maintenance of archaeological sites, museums and libraries, training culture programs, guide walk tourist itineraries and participation in local heritage projects, enhance not only their awareness concerning heritage values, but also contributes towards their preservation and promotion. It is observed from the survey that the level of awareness of young people interviewed is higher among those who have been engaged in projects and cultural activities for preservation and promotion of heritage values. In terms of willingness expressed by young people, it is important to emphasise the role that education system, youth and heritage organisations and national and local government ought to play in encouraging the initiatives that involve more young people in heritage activities and projects.

Description: Accurately estimating the volume of earthworks is very important in mining engineering and construction. This estimation can be difficult because of the morphological condition of the stockpiles, hence, devising simpler, yet accurate methods of stockpile volume estimation is still a research problem in mining. Two non-invasive survey methods were compared in this research: the conventional ground-based and UAV-approach, for the survey of a twin-stockpile of gravel using Leica TS06 Total Station and DJI Mavic Air UAV, respectively. About 128 images of the area were acquired at 50 m flying height and 75% overlap during the flight mission. The images were processed using Agisoft Metashape Pro; a digital photogrammetric software, and the DEM obtained was used for the volume estimation. The total station data was also processed in ArcGIS to generate a TIN-model from which the volume was also estimated. The volume estimated from the TIN-model was compared with the volume estimated from the UAV-based DEM, using the volume obtained from the mill-machine as the standard. The obtained result shows that while 2750 m3 was obtained as the cumulative volume from the mill machine, the UAV approach yielded 2686.252 m3 and the ground survey approach gave 2830.713 m3. The percentage difference between the two methods compared to the actual volume is 2.94% and −2.31%, respectively. These results, and the result of the processing time analysis show that UAV approach is both accurate and time economical, which attests to the potentials of low-cost UAVs to provide robust alternative to the time-consuming and rigorous ground survey approach.

Description: The study of internal and external factors in the formation of an urban geosystem is determined by its complex structure and multiple connections. Based on geoinformation modelling, an analysis of the landscape structure of the city territory is carried out, which can be a basis for further geoecological research. Morphometric indicators, which make it possible to determine the elementary geochemical landscapes, are indicated according to the data of the digital elevation model. A standardised topographic position index (TPI) is used to determine locations. Spatial zoning according to the type of land use reflects the qualitative features of the external load and technogenic impact. The data on the composition of the lithogenic base show the properties of the depositing medium and determine the natural background. Number of categories of landscapes identified are 58, characterised by a homogeneous geological composition, technogenic load and conditions for the migration of matter. The ratios of various landscape zones have been calculated. The study area as a whole is characterised by the predominance of migration processes over accumulation.

Description: The paper presents the results of classifying public administration employees in terms of level of occupational burnout, taking into account their place of residence, gender and age. One of the methods of multidimensional statistical analysis – classification trees – was used as a research tool. Two dependent variables are defined. The first has only two variants, defined as “no occupational burnout” and “occupational burnout”, which characterise all respondents. The second dependent variable was limited to those respondents diagnosed with occupational burnout and has four variants corresponding to intensity of burnout. The obtained results indicate the differentiation of voivodeships (first-order administrative regions) in terms of the level of the studied phenomenon.

Description: This article assesses the motivations for participation in the informal economy in general and street vending in particular and explores vendors’ livelihood dynamics in Dire Dawa city, Eastern Ethiopia. Data were collected from fixed and itinerant vendors who were found vending a variety of goods and services in the city during data collection. A descriptive survey design was employed in this study. Time location sampling procedure – a new method of two-stage sampling that has been widely used to select the hard-to-reach segment of society – was employed to select 198 street vendors. Data were collected using a questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews and observation during 2016/17. The study revealed that the majority of vendors report that they engaged in street vending for survival. But some consider it is an opportunity for income, employment and growth, and livelihood improvement in the city. The majority of vendors indicated that there have been improvements in their lives since they started vending. Thus, this study points to the need to employ multiple perspectives to capture the reality underneath livelihoods in the informal economy. Policy approaches that recognise the vitality of public spaces for street vending activities, the integrality of vendors to the socio-economic fabric of the city, and their modest contributions to the socio-economic development of the city are necessary.

Description: The socio-economic situation in Ukraine suggests that there is insufficient research into the applicability of the model of economic development in forecasting the economic environment in which trade enterprises function. Researchers into issues relating to the efficiency of enterprises’ functioning focus their interest on comprehensively describing efficiency indicators and determining the factors influencing it. There continues to be insufficient work on measuring efficiency and the extent to which it is limited by types of economic growth (development), based on the theory of marginal product of George Clark and the results of multiple models of production and trade functions (P. Douglas, R. Solow, E. Denison, Harrod, Samuelson-Hicks, Domar and others). Therefore, this study focuses on the process of assessing the effectiveness of trading enterprises in the trade sector in 2010–18 in conditions of economic growth and an economic downturn. This article aims to examine the models of efficient functioning of trading enterprises in conditions of economic growth. It is evidenced that the criterion for measuring efficiency is the evaluation of static and dynamic efficiency of trade activities, which allows changes in the used assets to be taken into account and testifies to the integration of diminishing returns and economic fluctuations in macro and microsystems. The article shows that in order to qualitatively and completely evaluate the efficiency of the functioning of trading enterprises, it is necessary to consider all possible factors. According to Clark's law, the authors substantiate an approach to evaluating performance based on simple one-factor models; the approach evidences that future studies seeking ways to improve efficiency, but that focus on changes in resources, will be erroneous, unjustified, and will most likely reduce the effectiveness of the resource under study. This model will help: determine and forecast the efficiency of enterprises at any point in the economic cycle; provide the necessary information on the required amount of investment, on depreciation rates, and on the optimal amount of labour potential of an enterprise; and define the volume of expected income during economic crisis or recovery. Some applied recommendations in terms of managing the efficiency of trading enterprises are aimed at solving the methodological problem of constructing isoquant maps for a particular product line group and at selecting the optimal predictor for forecasting trade processes. The practical value of the proposed model also lies in improving the parameters of positioning of the enterprise's goods in target market segments, reducing operating costs, accelerating the turnover of inventories and withdrawing illiquid current assets, and increasing the efficiency of retail areas.

Description: For revitalisation programmes to be effective, territorial governments have to introduce consolidated measures that support the planning, organisation and implementation of revitalisation measures to benefit local communities and economies, and to alleviate crisis situations in degraded areas. Such measures require unlimited access to data that accurately describe social, economic and environmental conditions. In view of the above, the main aim of this study was to propose a conceptual database model for the identification of degraded areas and areas proposed for planned revitalisation under revitalisation programmes implemented in urbanised rural areas. The detailed objectives of the presented research were to describe the components of the proposed database and the sources of data for developing municipal revitalisation programmes. A diagram of the database model supporting the initial stages of revitalisation was also presented. The research methodology involved analyses, inference and deduction. A questionnaire survey conducted among geography, spatial planning, urban development and environmental experts was used as a research tool in the study. The results of the questionnaire confirmed the validity of the components of the proposed database model.

Description: The continuous monitoring of the relationship between land surface temperature (LST) and land cover change is imperative for an inquiry into the potential impact of LST on human well-being, including urban outdoor thermal comfort in Lagos State, Nigeria. Using Landsat imagery, this study assessed land cover and LST changes from 1984 to 2019. Land cover was extracted, LST was determined from Landsat imageries and the land cover changes were linked to LST using the contribution index (CI). Afterwards, the universal thermal climate index (UTCI) was calculated to determine the heat stress levels. Findings confirm the presence of urban sprawl and new growth areas in previously rural Local Government Areas (LGAs) eastward, northward and westward of Lagos metropolis and in regions which lie on the fringe of the state's border with Ogun State. Also, a very strong link between high LST intensities and increasing concentration of urban areas in rapidly growing LGAs has been observed. This link further confirms the increased warming of the state, with an increase in mean LST of 2.16°C during 1984–2019. The UTCI which was used to gauge the influence of LST on outdoor thermal comfort ranged from moderate to strong heat stress levels. This study helps to strengthen the case for definite policies and actions which should be aimed at achieving moderate urban development through increased urban tree canopy/green infrastructure provision and carbon sequestration activities in urban design/landscape design, in Lagos State.

Description: The efficiency-driven trend towards amalgamation characterising local government reforms in Europe seems to have escaped Romania, which displays a significant increase in the number of local governments post-1989. This is the result of rural first-tier local governments splitting into smaller units. The paper examines objective factors and subjective motivations that have shaped the behaviour of both national and local actors in dealing with territorial reform. First, it explores the rationale and rationality of a central government initiative to facilitate municipal splits against a set of criteria derived from the literature. Second, it examines the municipal splits occurring between 1991 and 2018 against alternative or concurring explanations developed in the literature based on economic, socio-cultural and political elements. The paper argues that in the highly charged political context of the post-communist countries it is reasonable to expect a dominance of subjective rather than objective factors in decision-making on territorial reform.

Description: Building competitiveness of the economies of the countries with the most advanced population-ageing processes is becoming a significant economic and social challenge in contemporary society. In this paper, focus turns to entrepreneurship among the older generation. The following matters will be discussed: the essence of the phenomenon of the olderpreneur; the nature of entrepreneurship of older people in the global and European scale, with special emphasis on Poland; and the challenges for the future labour market arising out of the demographic processes taking place. The content of this paper is in line with economic and social analysis, using sociological and economic achievements, and is based on existing sources and the results of original research. Desk research and descriptive and comparative analysis are used in presenting the issues addressed. A study of the relevant literature critical review was carried out and secondary sources were used.

Description: In this study, contamination of potentially toxic elements (Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Hg and Pb) and species dominant in the fish community of Lake Kenon – Carassius auratus gibelio (Bloch 1782) and Perca fluviatilis (Linnaeus 1758) – were investigated. Chemical elements in samples were determined by atomic emission spectrometry (iCAP-6500, Thermo Scientific, USA) and mass spectrometry (X-7, Thermo Elemental, USA). It was reported that water in Lake Kenon contained low concentrations of the studied metals. The bottom sediments are enriched with Mn, Zn, Hg and Pb. Bioaccumulation factors of chemical elements accumulated from the surrounding water for P. fluviatus and C. auratus gibelio in descending order are as follows: Zn 〉 Pb 〉 Hg 〉 Cu. P. fluviatus accumulates Hg in equal measure from both water and bottom sediments. Manganese and mercury are accumulated in the muscles of C. auratus gibelio from bottom sediments. The high accumulation ratio of Zn and Hg in C. auratus gibelio was obtained from Chara sp. (24 times) and Chironomus spp. (38 times), respectively. High accumulation ratio of Zn (26 times) and Hg (29 times) in P. fluviatus was obtained from amphipods. At the same time, Hg in P. fluviatus muscles was accumulated at high level from Chironomus spp. (67 times). In this way, management decisions for mitigation practices in Lake Kenon should be focussed on for the disposal of wastewater from the ash dump contaminated with chemical elements.

Description: Due to the increased tendency to use private transport in urban areas of Manizales and Villamaría municipalities, it is intended to include alternative modes of transport that are more time-efficient and environmentally sustainable to improve the inhabitants’ quality of life. This article aims to analyse the inclusion impact of a sustainable public transport system, such as a new cableway line in the city connecting the Central Business District (CBD) with Ciudadela del Norte district, measuring overall average accessibility for the current and future scenario. This establishes the average travel time and the savings in terms of time shown as a percentage that these modes of transport would create in the population displacement and also which inhabitants are the most likely to benefit.

Description: We checked the spatial pattern of debris stranding at Praia de Santos (Brazil) in the first hour after the peak of high and low tide in summer and winter. We recorded and counted 20 types of debris (natural and anthropogenic) in 6 transects arranged in 3 zones along the beach (deposition, transport, and erosion). Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) showed that buoyancy was an essential property in distinguishing debris stranding behaviours. The erosion zone, closer to the estuary showed that many mollusk shells, ropes and rocks, while plastics, styrofoam and fiber nylon were in the deposition zone. Throughout the estuary, we inspected the beach, identifying sections of origin and accumulation associated with the circulation system and currents. We propose the removal and recycling of debris from accumulation sites near highways and urban systems.

Description: A change in livelihood and folk architecture is an indicator of cultural landscape transformation, which is often the result of changes occurring in the natural and socio-political realms. The diversity of architectural types of buildings as an element of landscape diversity distinguishes our research region. The presented study deals with a long-term change of housing and architectural types of settlements. Our goal was to identify, geolocalise, and classify the vernacular architecture of Samtskhe-Javakheti within the different types of natural landscapes. For this purpose, we used the HGIS (Historical Geoinformation System) approach, which comprises the application of both historic sources and GIS technologies. We identified seven types of buildings in the study area, the characteristics of which depended on the natural landscape features. The following factors had been determining the geography of the construction: geology, seismicity, terrain, climate, access to building materials and defence. Dominant architectural types of buildings in the study region were as follows: fortress Rabat with stone houses, stone houses, semi-underground houses mixed with stone houses, semi-underground houses, terraced semi-underground houses, cave dwellings and wooden log houses. In modern times, it is quite rare to come across these kinds of architectural buildings, and there is a tendency of their disappearance.

Description: The currently-observed increase in human activity in the Arctic accelerates the negative impact on the environment as well as increases the risk of threats to mankind itself. This paper reviews and summarises a selection of studies on the interaction between humans and the environment in the Arctic coastal zone, which is impacted by a warming climate and associated geohazards. The paper presents a general description of human presence in the Arctic, identifies and describes the processes that are threatening the infrastructure, and the anthropogenic processes that have a negative impact on the Arctic. It considers the possible future economic opportunities, and presents the sustainable requirements for modern human activity in the Arctic. The paper demonstrates the urgent need to develop a common, Arctic-wide strategy based on sustainable development. The time has come to change human perception of the Arctic because, in the near future, it may be considered as a refuge for climate change refugees.

Description: The research on territorial reforms on the local level has so far focused on municipal amalgamations. However, less is known about municipal splits – a phenomenon that is less frequent, but that occurred in several European countries in recent decades. This paper deals with municipal splits in Slovakia after 1989, and it examines a set of factors that supported municipalities in their effort to obtain independence. The findings show that the massive wave of splits that began shortly after 1989 was primarily motivated by the aim of reversing the consequences of the amalgamation that had been conducted by the Communist regime. Hence, the question of identity was the main trigger leading to municipal splits. On the other hand, the analysis found that economic factors had only a limited role in the establishing of new municipalities in Slovakia.

Description: Zagros forests have the greatest impact on soil and water protection in western Iran. Despite this, a significant part of these forests, especially in Ilam province, have suffered a lot due to the phenomenon of oak decline. The first and most fundamental thing a person must know when combating this issue is the distribution of these areas in forests. Therefore, using the parameters affecting the decline in the forests of Ilam province and based on fuzzy logic, a map of susceptible to oak decline areas was prepared. In this study, the parameters of temperature and precipitation, slope, aspect, altitude, distance from farmlands, roads and forest density were selected as effective parameters and fuzzy gamma overlap method was used. The results showed that more than 77% of the oak forests in the province are highly and extremely susceptible to the decline. This confirms the need for rapid action to plan and protect these forests. In addition, the fuzzy method is proposed, which is considered as a fast and efficient method in preparing such maps for other areas.

Description: The research aims to classify the level of sustainability of 63 provinces in Vietnam upon 24 indicators reflecting three main dimensions of sustainable development by using multivariate classification method for the year 2014–2016. First of all, the principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to group quantitative variables that reflect important aspects of each component of sustainable development of localities in Vietnam into a number of limited dimensions (factors). The results of PCA illustrate 8 principal components in which 3 main components of economic and social pillar, and 2 main components for environmental pillar. After that, the second method was applied by using the hierarchical methods of cluster analysis for the set of 8 principal components conducted by PCA. With the candidate solution divided all of the provinces into 6 clusters, the analysis shows that the higher level of sustainable development belongs to South East, Red River Delta, and North Central, in which 4 provinces of South East (Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Ba Ria – Vung Tau) form a group with the highest level of sustainability. The regions such as South Central Coastal, Highland area, and Mekong River Delta have the medium level; the North midland and mountain areas are regions at the low level of sustainability.

Description: The purpose of the study is to analyze the dynamics of regional disparities on NUTS 2 level in Poland for the period 1990–2017 within the framework of sigma convergence. We focus in particular on comparing the patterns of regional convergence before and after EU accession, introducing the methodology of parallel sigma convergence. The results show that the Mazowieckie voivodeship grew much above the average in both the pre- and post-accession periods, while eastern regions lagged behind. EU accession did not have a significant impact on the pattern of internal sigma convergence in Poland. Disparities between regions were increasing at the same pace before and after 2004, despite significant resources having been allocated to cohesion-focused undertakings after EU accession, especially in lagging eastern regions.

Description: River floods are distinct because not all of them are destructive and typically affect the people who are living in riverine areas. Therefore, people often refuse to evacuate even when they face imminent danger. River floods are a recurrent phenomenon in Bangladesh. This research aims to analyse the flood evacuation behaviour of riverine people in Bangladesh. A total of 377 households were selected for the questionnaire survey and were interviewed from April 2019 to May 2019. Bivariate and multivariate statistics were employed to analyse riverine people's evacuation behaviour based on their socio-demographic and economic characteristics. This study found that although 82% of the households had received flood warning messages, only 40% had evacuated. Results from multivariate analysis suggested that the age of household heads, their education, whether they are disabled/chronically ill members, their income, the height of floodwater inside the house, and the type of warning messages they receive appear to be key determinants that influenced their decisions regarding evacuation. Elderly household heads had a lower likelihood to evacuate. The results showed a negative association between early warning messages and evacuation. Household with disabled/chronically ill member(s) was associated with a higher likelihood of evacuation. Similarly, higher water depth in the home was associated with evacuation. These findings will be helpful for policymakers to enhance awareness of riverine households.

Description: The prioritisation of catchments, particularly in the context of catchment plans and management programmes, is part of water resources development. In fact, morphometric analysis assisted by geospatial technology is carried out by prioritising sub-catchments according to their natural resource availability characteristics. Information on the geomorphology and erosion factors of the study area is used in the area in the preparation of local models of ungauged sub-catchments, which otherwise lack an adequate hydrological database. The objective of this paper is to use geographic information systems (GISs) in morphometric analysis to prioritise sub-catchments of the Soungrougrou (a tributary of the Casamance River). In this respect, the integrated methodology involving morphometric aspects from geospatial technology is used. To carry out the geospatial research, basic mathematical equations used in a GIS environment were used to measure a series of aspects of hydrology such as flow length, flow length ratio, bifurcation ratio, drainage density, drainage texture, flow frequency, elongation rate, circularity ratio, form factor, relief and relief ratio. The results divided the whole catchment into three priority areas, namely high, medium and low. The results are relevant for establishing soil and water conservation plans in the Soungrougrou basin, as well as adequate groundwater production and management. The high category (sub-basins 6, 8, 14, 17 and 18) is subject to maximum soil erosion, which requires immediate intervention to avoid possible natural hazards.

Description: The paper presents nearly 150 years of history of ice research conducted on Polish lakes. In the first stage, these were observations and expedition studies that had an exploratory purpose. It was not until the 1920s that stationary measurements on several lakes were introduced. Unfortunately, the outbreak of World War II interrupted these observations. After the war, they were resumed in 1946, but the real beginning of investigations of ice phenomena on lakes is taken to be 1960. At present, stationary measurements of ice phenomena are conducted on about 70 lakes located mainly in northern Poland. Besides the purely explorative purpose, experimental research on ice phenomena on lakes has also contributed to the development of a measurement methodology. The author of this paper took part in numerous experimental studies conducted on over 30 lakes for which the ice results are partially presented below.

Description: The following study identifies areas where adverse conditions related to benzene pollution are concurrent with leukaemia incidence and mortality (C91–C95). Moreover, it determines the similarities between benzene and leukaemia levels, as well and rules defining their co-occurrence. The analysis covered the period of 2015–2017. Data were obtained from Dane.gov.pl (number of leukaemia cases), the Polish National Cancer Registry website (number of deaths), the Local Data Bank of the Central Statistical Office (population data) and the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection and the Air Quality Portal (data on air quality). Based on the conducted analysis, it was concluded that the following poviat towns have an unfavourable epidemic situation related to leukaemia: Kielce (incidence), Rzeszów (incidence), Elbląg (mortality); meanwhile, high leukaemia incidence and mortality co-occurred with high average benzene concentration in 2015–2017 in the following poviat towns: Kielce, Rybnik, Płock and Rzeszów. It was found that leukaemias belonging to the three-character ICD-10 categories C94, C95 and C92 show the highest rate of co-occurrence with benzene concentration. In addition, two main rules for the co-occurrence of benzene pollution and leukaemia were identified. It was also noted that it is necessary to continue the research for a longer time period, especially in the poviat towns of Kielce and Rzeszów.

Description: The model was constructed based on GIS spatial analyses, combined with Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Multi-Criterion Analysis method (MCA). The data gathered for the study were mainly from remote-sensing images, statistical data and surveys. Field experiments were conducted in Trinh Tuong Commune, Bat Xat District, Lao Cai province. This is a typical remote mountainous region of Vietnam in which flash floods often occur. The study analyzes and evaluates six primary factors that incite flash flood, namely: geomorphological characteristics, soil properties, forest and fractional vegetation cover types, local drainage basin slopes, maximum average rainfall of various years, and the river/stream density of the region. The zoning map showing flash flood potentials has determined that 19.91% of the area had an extremely high risk of flash flood occurrence, 64.92% of the area had a medium risk, and 15.17% had a low or very low risk. Based on the employment of daily maximum rainfalls as the primary factor, an online flash flood warning model was constructed for areas with a “high” or “very high” risk of flash flood occurrence.

Description: Riverbank erosion is one of the most hazardous disaster types for Bangladesh. It has both a direct and a negative impact on people and their livelihoods. This study aims to explore the impacts of Meghna riverbank erosion and the coping strategies that have been adopted by the affected people to combat this calamity, considering four unions under Matlab Uttar of Chadpur District. The findings reveal that the occupational status, income and expenditure of the affected people have changed due to erosion. Ninety-one percent of the respondents’ houses were fully damaged and 48% of them are living in shelter houses. The results also show that a large portion of the affected populace lost their assets and most of them are suffering from psychological distress. Around 87% of people borrowed money to cope with this hazard, and a strict law against sand dredging is recommended as one of the effective strategies to prevent Meghna river bank erosion.

Description: The presence of foreigners in the province of Málaga is highly noticeable, especially in specific municipalities such as the city of Málaga, coastal areas, or villages in the Axarquia region. But from a geographical point of view, there are comparatively few investigations dedicated to the definition of the space in which foreign immigrants reside. The aim of this research is to provide a description of the habitats where people who were born abroad tend to concentrate in the province of Málaga. The main novelty of the research is the scale of analysis we have used being intramunicipal, based on Nomenclator statistics. This is especially relevant when we are dealing with small municipalities in some of which the proportion of foreigners is quite high, because it is the only one that allows us to characterise the habitat of the foreigners.

Description: This article deals with the difficulties that arise at the intersection of three areas: the application of law, the need to ensure water environment sustainability, and the need to take into account social interest. The reason behind such a situation is the imprecise lake classification criteria adopted in Polish law. The legal division of lakes has an artificial character and reflects the Polish water management policy, according to which every lake is classified as stagnant or flowing water. This study aims to determine the hydrological type of Lake Wysokie and its legal status, in order to allow proper application of water policy. The methodology included, among others: field hydrological investigations, geodetic measurements, calculation of evaporation and study of historical cartographic documentation. According to the research results, all the features of the lake and its catchment area clearly indicate the standing nature of the waters.

Description: Marine and ocean coasts traditionally act as natural growth poles for humankind. Recent studies conducted by scholars from both natural and social sciences suggest that coastal zones accumulate population, agglomerate industries, attract entrepreneurs, and pull investments. The coastalisation effect remains one of the defining factors of regional development around the globe and is projected to strengthen over the next quarter century. Deepening socio-economic inequality and polarisation between countries and regions despite efforts taken with convergence policies put the “marine factor” on the research agenda. The study contains a comparative evaluation of coastalisation processes across the regions of Europe using remote-sensing technology and statistical multivariate analysis for testing the correlation level of results. The research is based on a dataset for 413 regions of Europe featuring indicators for population density and Gross Regional Product (GRP) in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) per sq. km. The regions are grouped into clusters depending on their socio-economic indicators and the intensity of nocturnal illumination. The results suggest that coastal and inland region types evenly distribute between clusters, with an average of 40% coastal. Observations of nocturnal illumination clearly indicate an extensive anthropogenic impact on European coasts, both northern and southern. However, their overall luminosity is inferior to inland territories. The study concludes with four patterns derived from a combined methodology of socio-economic indicators and remote-sensing of night-time lighting.

Description: Historical research is undeveloped concerning tourism in sub-Saharan Africa. This research contributes to scholarship about the history of tourism for climate and health. In South Africa the beginnings of international tourism are associated with its emergence as a health resort and to climate therapy. Using archival sources an analysis is undertaken of the factors that influenced the emergence of South Africa as a health destination during the 19th century. Climate therapy was of particular interest for the treatment of consumption or tuberculosis. Arguably, the perceived therapeutic regenerative qualities of South Africa's climate became a driver for the development of a form of international tourism that pre-dated the country's emergence as a leisure tourism destination.

Description: The article addresses the smart city concept in reference to two neigh-bouring countries – Poland and Ukraine. The paper also analyses various research trends in the scope of the smart city concept, as well as the process and conditions of the concept's implementation in the studied countries. The detailed analysis covered the implementation of the smart city concept in two cities in Poland and Ukraine belonging to neighbouring second-order administrative units, namely Lublin and Lviv. It was determined that both in Poland and Ukraine, the smart city concept is at its initial stage of implementation. This results from a number of different conditions, primarily including the socio-economic transformation of the countries, and inconsistency in reforming different spheres of socio-economic life in Ukraine. Local initiatives (analysed in detail based on the example of the cities of Lublin and Lviv) were determined to be of key importance in the implementation process.

Description: Functional Urban Areas (FUAs) leads to a better knowledge of urban spatial organisation, which may play a significant role in regional policy making and may be helpful in understanding the connection between urbanisation and demographic development. An explanation of population change in urban regions can be associated the second demographic transition comprising fertility decline below replacement level and postponement of births. The aim of this paper is to focus on establishing similarity patterns and anomalous values of selected demographic variables in the cores and peripheral areas of Functional Urban Areas. At the background of this study lies an assumption that population development of FUA's is shaped by different factors connected with second demographic transition and migrations. To achieve the aims the following demographic characteristics were used: population growth rate, dependency ratio, rate of natural increase, the net migration rate, and the dynamic economic ageing index, Spatial methods play an increasingly important role in contemporary socio-demographic research. In order to identify spatial systems Global Moran Statistics and the Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) including Local Moran statistics as well as Getis-Ord Gi* statistics were used. The research showed global and local autocorrelation of demographic processes in Functional Urban Areas in Poland, namely population growth, natural increase, net migration and population ageing. The use of local Moran's I statistic and the Getis-Ord Gi* method has led to identification of spatial clusters and dispersions representing different demographic variables. Spatial autocorrelation methods can be useful in an analysis of demographic variables including changes in time. The main contribution of this study to the research on demographic processes in urban areas was an application of spatial groupings techniques not only to find out similarity and dissimilarity patterns of demographic indicators but also to apply this findings for the needs of spatial planning.

Description: The article deals with special economic zones as a tool of state policy of countries seeking to attract foreign investment and ensure economic growth. The aim of the article is to substantiate the new concept of special economic zones of Ukraine as stimulating regulatory regimes aimed at attracting innovative investments and developing new industries based on the smart specialisation of regions and trends in the world economy. The regime is presented as a system of incentives and benefits, mandatory conditions and restrictions, and seeks to increase the investment attractiveness and technological diversification of the economy of the regions and the country as a whole. Each component of the regime has been classified, taking into account best practices of other countries and the strategic goals of Ukraine regarding the need to ensure sustainable and innovative development and to enter the world markets as a manufacturer of high-tech innovative products.

Description: The aim of the study is to determine the scale and patterns of the social segregation of Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis and Marseille, in the light of the socio-spatial processes it is currently undergoing and its influence on social sustainability. In the study, quantitative measures of segregation are confronted with a qualitative interpretation of existing facts gathered during literature analysis and field observations. Population groups most subject to residential segregation are revealed, together with the areas of the greatest concentration of particular population categories. Changes of concentration pattern in the decade 2007–2017 are indicated and the role of gentrification and privatiszation of land, which are all conditioned in Marseille by the city's economic restructuring, liberal housing policy and historical role of the port-industrial system.

Description: Land Use Land Cover (LULC) changes represent human influences on the natural ecosystem. This study aims to analyse such changes in the eastern part of East Java, a region of ± 3320.3 km2. The changes are analysed by comparing two editions of maps (the National Digital Map and Landsat-8). Five subsets are explored to understand the LULC changes caused by the development of: transportation infrastructure; industrial sites; the agricultural sector; tourism; urbanisation; and sub-urbanisation. Regional development from 2000 to 2018 has increased built-up areas by 40.55% (122.5 km2), while paddy fields have increased by 71.08%, and forest plantation areas by 16.03%. Conversely, the development has reduced rural areas by 61.06% (860.1 km2) and water bodies by 54.02% (44.52 km2). The LULC has significantly changed the natural landscape to a human-dominated landscape, which is potentially fragile in the face of the disasters to which the region is prone.

Description: In the course of analysing the annual air temperature in Wrocław (TWr), a rapid change of the thermal regime was found between 1987 and 1989. TWr increased by 〉1°C, a strong, statistically significant positive trend emerged. The analysis of processes showed that strong warming in the cold season of the year (December–March) occurred as a result of an increase in the NAO intensity and warming in the warm season because of increased sunshine duration in Wrocław (ShWr). Multiple regression analysis has shown that the winter NAO Hurrell's index explains 15% of TWr variance, and the ShWr of the long-day (April–August) period 49%, whereas radiative forcing 5.9%. This indicates that the factors incidental to the internal variability of the climate system explain 64% of the TWr variability and the effect of increased CO2 concentration only ~6%. The reason for this rapid change of the thermal regime was a radical change in macro-circulation conditions in the Atlantic-European circular sector, which took place between 1988 and 1989. The heat, which is the cause of warming in Wrocław, comes from an increase in solar energy inflow (April–August) and also is transported to Europe from the North Atlantic surface by atmospheric circulation (NAO). These results indicate that the role of CO2 in shaping the contemporary temperature increase is overestimated, whereas the internal variability of the climate system is underestimated.

Description: Multivariate mapping is a technique in which multivariate data are encoded into a single map. A variety of design solutions for multivariate mapping refers to the number of phenomena mapped, the map type, and the visual variables applied. Unlike other authors who have mainly evaluated bivariate maps, in our empirical study we compared three solutions when mapping four variables: two types of multivariate maps (intrinsic and extrinsic) and a simple univariate alternative (serving as a baseline). We analysed usability performance metrics (answer time, answer accuracy, subjective rating of task difficulty) and eye-tracking data. The results suggested that experts used all the tested maps with similar results for answer time and accuracy, even when using four-variable intrinsic maps, which is considered to be a challenging solution. However, eye-tracking data provided more nuances in relation to the difference in cognitive effort evoked by the tested maps across task types.

Description: An attempt has been made in this paper to analyse the spatio-temporal variations of cropping intensity and irrigation intensity, and their relationship, in North Twenty Four Parganas district in West Bengal, India from 1996/97 to 2015/16. The relationship between cropping intensity and irrigation intensity has been assessed using partial correlation, residual mapping and hierarchical cluster analysis. One-way ANOVA has been conducted for testing the equality of cluster means. Temporal analysis from 1996/97 to 2015/16 has shown a low positive correlation between cropping intensity and irrigation intensity for the entire district. Analysis at Agricultural Block level has revealed that cropping intensity decreased in many cases even after an increase in irrigation intensity. In general, cropping intensity has increased with the increase in irrigation intensity in the Coastal Saline Region and the Ichhamati Basin, whereas cropping intensity has increased even after a decrease in irrigation intensity in the Gangetic Plains Region in the district.

Description: This paper studies the ex-post trade effects of China's multilateral, regional and bilateral trade liberalization using augmented gravity and panel data estimation methods for the period 1995–2016. China's accession to the WTO was revealed to have had a significant impact on the volume of trade as well as on bilateral exports and imports. Regional trade agreements and the majority of bilateral trade agreements were found not to be effective in increasing China's foreign trade. Only the agreements with Chile, Costa Rica and Switzerland were effective in increasing China's trade volume. Moreover, the results for Chile were driven by increases in both exports and imports, while for Costa Rica and Switzerland only by increased imports from these countries.

Description: This study aims to develop practice guidelines for the preparation of local regulations promoting sustainable tourism planning for the area located at the entrance to the Tatra National Park, Poland. Included in the study was a set of tourism activities put forward by the local community. These activities were divided into two priorities: sustainable tourist activities (hiking and walking, cycling, horseback riding) and investments that would have an environmental impact (downhill skiing, recreational infrastructure, commerce, catering). The analysis criteria covered the tourist attractiveness of the area and its suitability for a given activity (benefit), as well as requirements concerning the protection of nature, topographical relief, landscape, and traditional land use (cost). These criteria were evaluated using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and summarized using the Weighted Linear Combination (WLC). The results showed the high attractiveness of the area for both priorities. However, due to the area's unique nature, investments having an environmental impact must be limited to the vicinity of the existing built-up areas. The use of MCDA supports decision-making at the local scale, significantly enhances the transparency of the results, and facilitates communication with local communities. The comparison with the current local law provisions showed the shortcomings of the methods used to date when preparing planning instruments.

Description: Gullies and other forms of erosion have been the greatest environmental problem and catastrophe in most high- and low-income countries. The challenge posed by soil erosion has compromised agricultural productivity, environmental biodiversity and food safety for the world's population. It is important to identify vulnerable areas to soil erosion in each region to initiate remedial measures. This study demonstrates the use of watershed morphometry coupled with weighted sum analysis (WSA) to estimate the soil erosion susceptibility of the Imo River Basin sub-watersheds (SWs) in South-Eastern Nigeria using satellite remote-sensing data and geographic information system (GIS) analysis. To this end, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with 30 m spatial resolution was used to extract and analyse 18 morphometric parameters including basic, linear, shape and relief. The method of receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves was used to validate the model's prediction accuracy. This morphometry-based analysis resulted in the SWs being classified into zones of low, medium, high and very high erosion susceptibility. With regard to erosion susceptibility, 41.51% of the basin (2494.68 km2) is in the very high priority zone; while 10.50%, 44.33% and 3.66% of the basin are in the high, medium and low priority zones respectively. Validation of the final erosion susceptibility map showed a prediction accuracy of 81%. The use of satellite imagery and morphometric analysis in this study was cost- and time-effective for identifying areas susceptible to soil erosion.

Description: The authors discuss the Boers (2021) view on the nature of the circulation of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).

Description: Since new towns are to meet the needs of the metropolitan population, it is required to acquaint the populations with the new scientific-technical methods and take one more step towards civilisation. Given that the New Town seeks to provide the latest facilities for citizens, a human-oriented approach can be proposed. New Urbanism with a humanistic approach requires coherent and dynamic planning. New structures and the various needs of the New Towns require comprehensive and integrated planning to utilise recent facilities to lead New Towns toward a human-centred attitude. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to analyse the key factors affecting the planning of New Towns with a humanistic approach. The method in this research is a descriptive-analytical survey. In the first step of the research, a list of primary factors involved in planning new cities was identified as research variables, using documentary sources and previous research. Then the research variables were analysed based on the Delphi method. Accordingly, 34 variables were provided in five domains for 50 experts in urban planning issues in the form of questionnaires to be analysed in matrices. The findings of the study are demonstrated in five aspects: cultural-social, physical-spatial, economic, environmental, and governance topics, with 34 components. The results show that citizenship rights, social capital, transparency, accountability, law, participation, consensus, quality of performance and managerial effectiveness, efficiency, economic welfare, sustainable active economy, meeting economic needs, quality of texture, and spirituality have the highest impact and the lowest affectedness on the realisation of human-centred New Urbanism. The results can be useful and effective by establishing integrity and fundamental theoretical principles in planning, implementation and strategic control of New Towns.

Description: We analysed the current state of greening of small towns in the Kyiv region; small towns constitute 80% of all towns and cities in the region. A difference is shown to exist between the classification of green plantings that is used in Ukraine and the world-wide approach of green infrastructure. This makes it incorrect to compare the indicators of landscaping of towns in Ukraine against those of other countries. Based on the data of Master Plans of towns, the generally accepted indicators of landscaping of urban areas were calculated: provision of greenery per capita and level of landscaping. These indicators of landscaping for small towns were analysed according to different approaches. It is found that, according to the traditional calculation, the provision of green plantations exceeds 300 m2 per capita for only 5% of small towns of the region, but for 70% according to the approach of green infrastructure. The provision of green areas for public use meets the established state standards (8–11 m2 per capita) for only 35% of small towns in the region. Small towns are grouped into four clusters according to the similarity of landscaping indicators, where only the difference in the availability of green plantings of public use was unreliable among the clusters.

Description: Among the most urgent topics within waste management policy is the gradual transition of the economy from a linear model towards a circular economy with a more sustainable way of using resources. The European Union has responded to these changes by passing new legislation and ambitious targets so that all member states can quickly work towards achieving a greener and more sustainable Europe. However, the starting position for achieving the desired goals differs significantly from one country to another. In this paper, we therefore looked at the position of Slovakia in relation to selected waste management indicators, and at the measures taken so far. Moreover, since waste management falls under one of the many public benefit services provided under the remit of local governments, we also monitored the specific contribution of Slovak cities to the newly established trend of waste management in the country.

Description: The study examines factors influencing the number of rail passengers in Poland. The subjects of observation were 62 cities with poviat rights. The main factors influencing demand are the number of connections and the speed of trains. Therefore, we developed an original indicator – weighted number of connections, which takes into account the number of rail connections and the speed of trains. The article can be divided into two main parts: an assessment of the diversification of transport offer and transport demand in spatial terms, and an evaluation of the relationship between the variables. Poland has a large spatial diversity in terms of public rail transport offer and passenger traffic. There are three levels of city hierarchy according to the passenger number indicator: [1] Warsaw, [2] the largest agglomerations [3] other regional cities. Transport offer was found to have a statistically significant impact on transport demand.

Description: The study quantifies important theoretical tendencies in the geography of innovation in a historical view based on a novel big-data approach. It shows that the field was “born” only in the nineteen eighties after long periods (i.e. the first half of the 20th century) of analysing economic growth and regional development without endogenising the production process of innovation. The paper presents important shifts in the basic assumptions of models with the increasing use of the terms “economic instability” or “asymmetric information” instead of “economic equilibrium” and “perfect information”. These mean a deviation from traditional neoclassical regional economics, which is reflected in the fact that “geography of innovation” gained the same level of popularity in the 2000s as “industrial geography”. The paper shows that although the decline of the Marshallian term “industrial district” stopped in parallel with the work of Becattini, a new innovation systems theory took over the relative frequency of mention of the industrial district by the turn of the new millennium.

Description: The phenomenon of agricultural land shrinkage is widespread in the world. This phenomenon has many causes, of which industrialisation is one. The industrialisation process is supported in most countries by the use of land acquisition as a tool to convert land use from agricultural to non-agricultural. This research surveyed 100 land-lost households to examine the impact of farmland shrinkage on their livelihoods in Vietnam. The study focuses on three factors: employment and income, how compensation money is used, and quality of life after land loss. The results show that revenue increased by USD 1,500 per household compared to before. The rate of employment depends on age and gender. There is a drop in employment among women over 35 years old and men over 40. The use of compensation money focuses on non-farm goals, with the bright spot being an investment in education for future generations. The environment and society tend to be worse according to the subjective assessment of households, but their ultimate choice is still to enjoy life after land acquisition.

Description: One of the main features of today’s information society is the availability of data of various kinds provided by various companies and organisations. In the following paper, we focus on evaluating the dynamics of development and the current state of existence of websites of communes in Slovakia, which represent a database of their activities and serve as the main communication channel between citizens and self-government representatives. Another important channel is social networks, which are still enjoying huge popularity among Internet users. On the basis of the results of an online questionnaire that involved almost 60% of the addressed self-governments, we will point out the adaptation of self-governments to the use of social networks. One of the important tasks of such research is the distribution of the obtained results to end users. This is achieved through an example of a description of basic technical and functional specifications by using the website created by the authors. This website has the ambition of becoming a sort of central access point for all those interested in information about communes in Slovakia. By means of standard tabular, but also interactive graphic and map outputs, it gives an idea of selected indicators of self-governments in a user-friendly form, thus helping to increase client awareness of this specific issue.

Description: There have been many studies on rainfall erosivity and erosivity density (ED). However, it was not widely developed in Indonesia as a tropical country and has unique precipitation patterns. They are indicators for assessing the potential risk of soil erosion. The Air Bengkulu Watershed is undergoing severe land degradation due to soil erosion. This study aimed to analyze spatial-temporal in rainfall erosivity and ED based on monthly rainfall data (mm). The data used consisted of 19 weather stations during the period 2006–2020 and which are sparsely distributed over the watershed. The analysis was done by using Arnold's equation. Then, the trend was tested using parametric and non-parametric statistics, and analysed with linear regression equation, and Spearman's Rho and Mann Kendall's tests. The spatial distribution of both algorithms was analysed using the inverse distance weighted (IDW) method based on the geographic information system (GIS). Unlike previous research findings, The long-term average monthly rainfall erosivity and ED revealed a general increase and decreasing trend, whereas it was found to be non-significant when both indices were observed. However, these results indicate a range from 840.94 MJ · mm−1 · ha−1 · h−1 · a−1, 552.42 MJ · mm−1 · ha−1 · h−1 · a−1 to 472.09 MJ · mm−1 · ha−1 · h−1 · a−1 in that November month followed by December and April are the most susceptible months for soil erosion. Therefore, The upstream area of the region shows that various anthropogenic activities must be managed properly by taking into account the rainfall erosivity on the environment and that more stringent measures should be followed in soil and water conservation activities.

Description: Nowadays, enterprises that are looking to achieve market success and maximise profits must not only offer good products or provide superior quality services, but also pay close attention to the environment in which they operate. One of the manifestations of concern for the broadly understood environment (society, environment) is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). For a good number of years, we have been observing changes in CSR trends, but the situation today demands that organisations update the existing lines of action and meet a whole new level of challenges. This article aims to present the results of case studies of company activities in CSR, as well as a social perception of CSR activities. It also seeks to draw attention to the transformation of ideas during the socio-economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In order to reach the objective of the study, we used the Computer Assisted (Aided) Web Interviews (CAWI) method. This choice was dictated by the pandemic situation in the country. The research shows that there is a noticeable transformation of the focus of socially responsible activities from a global to a local approach centred around smart development. The study also concludes that the society expects that activities under this approach will be continued in the future. The outcomes also indicate that the pandemic situation has necessitated the introduction of entirely new solutions (among others, remote working) that were not previously perceived as feasible but now have a chance to develop further.

Description: The paper aims at presentation of a methodology where the classical linear regression model is modified to guarantee more realistic estimations and lower parameter oscillations for a specific urban system. That can be achieved by means of the weighted regression model which is based on weights ascribed to individual cities. The major shortcoming of the methods used so far – especially the classical simple linear regression – is the treatment of individual cities as points carrying the same weight, in consequence of which the linear regression poorly matches the empirical distribution of cities. The aim is reached in a several-stage process: demonstration of the drawbacks of the linear parameter estimation methods traditionally used for the purposes of urban system analyses; introduction of the weighted regression which to a large extent diminishes specific drawbacks; and empirical verification of the method with the use of the input data for the USA and Poland

Description: Transforming cities towards eco-cities constitutes a significant effort in mitigating and adapting to climate change. The implementation of legal acts and diverse environmentally oriented sectoral policies plays an important role in that process. The objective of this paper is to determine the antecedences and effects of the transformation of cities in accordance with the eco-city concept in Poland in the context of implemented policies, legislation and initiatives. The study reviews the normative acts and programme-strategic documents that provide the framework for the shift towards eco-city at the international and EU level, as well as identifying changes in legislation and policy initiatives resulting from their implementation at national and local level. A set of 24 original indices referring to six aspects of the eco-city (waste management, water and wastewater management, transport and urban mobility, application of RES in energy engineering, air quality, and urban green areas) were applied in multi-criterion analyses in selected case studies. This permitted us to identify the key factors that power the transition towards eco-city. The legal and policy measures are implemented in a top-down approach. Actions are usually initiated at national level and implemented by local authorities, who operate according to their assigned tasks and using dedicated tools (e.g. LEPs, SUMPs). Significant effect of the implementation of eco-city solutions were identified in waste management, sustainable transport, urban mobility, and air quality improvement. Recommendations for future measures include implementing plans and demonstrative projects of eco-cities or eco-districts, conducting complex pro-ecological measures, and increasing the role of bottom-up actions.

Description: The main objective of this research was to determine the synoptic and thermodynamic conditions accompanying the development of two severe thunderstorms that caused significant damage in Warsaw. The storm events of 17 June and 4 September 2016 were analysed. Materials used in the research included meteorological, aerological and radar data, as well as the Fire Service interventions database. These data allowed the conditions for the formation of the storms and their spatial variations in terms of intensity to be determined. It was shown that damage in Warsaw was caused by phenomena associated with supercell storms that developed in a moderate CAPE environment and a strong shear. It was confirmed that the geometry of the city increased the wind speed and modified its direction locally. In addition, it was found that the data on the number of Fire Service interventions clearly reflected the spatial variations in storm intensity by corresponding radar signatures to the high intensity of meteorological phenomena.

Description: KurzfassungDieser Beitrag behandelt das Thema der urbanen Neubaugebiete aus zwei spezifischen Perspektiven: Zum einen geht es nicht primär um das Wohnen, sondern um Wissenschaft und Forschung als Rahmenthema der Stadterweiterung, insbesondere Hochschulstandorte und Wissenschaftsparks. Zum anderen geht es um die Analyse städtischer Management- und Governance-Praktiken, vor allem die Herauslösung großer Vorhaben aus dem üblichen Kontext der Stadtplanung. Zentral ist hier die Definition dieser Vorhaben als „Projekt“ und ihre Unterordnung unter einen spezifischen Steuerungsansatz. Im Kontext der Diskussion von Großprojekten und urbaner Governance ist die These dieses Beitrags, dass sich Projekte umso mehr als Fremdkörper in der Stadtplanung entfalten können (und damit das Ziel auf urbane Integration unterlaufen), umso weniger sie Gegenstand bewährter Planungsprozesse und regulatorischer Praktiken sind. Zur empirischen Illustration dieses Arguments dient die Wissenschaftsstadt Belval im Süden Luxemburgs, die seit 2003 realisiert wird und deren Entwicklung hier kritisch analysiert wird. Als generelle Schlussfolgerungen werden planerische Anforderungen an den Umgang mit großen Neubauvorhaben formuliert.

Description: KurzfassungNeuartige Sanitärsysteme zielen auf eine ressourcenorientierte Verwertung von Abwasser ab. Erreicht werden soll dies durch die separate Erfassung von Abwasserteilströmen. In den Fachöffentlichkeiten der Wasserwirtschaft und Raumplanung werden neuartige Sanitärsysteme als ein geeigneter Ansatz für die zukünftige Sicherung der Abwasserentsorgung in ländlichen Räumen betrachtet. Die Praxistauglichkeit dieser Systeme wurde zwar in Forschungsprojekten nachgewiesen, bisher erschweren jedoch für Abwasserentsorger vielfältige Risiken die Einführung einer ressourcenorientierten Abwasserbewirtschaftung. Ausgehend von einer Untersuchung der Kontexte bei der Umsetzung eines neuartigen Sanitärsystems im ländlichen Raum Thüringens wird in diesem Beitrag der Frage nachgegangen, wie auf Landesebene mit dem abwasserwirtschaftlichen Instrumentarium die Einführung von ressourcenorientierten Systemansätzen unterstützt werden kann. Zentrale Elemente des Beitrags sind die Darstellung der wesentlichen Transformationsrisiken in Bezug auf die Einführung innovativer Lösungsansätze, eine Erläuterung der spezifischen abwasserwirtschaftlichen Instrumente sowie die Darlegung von Steuerungsansätzen, mit denen die Einführung von neuartigen Sanitärsystemen gefördert werden kann. Im Ergebnis wird die Realisierbarkeit von neuartigen Sanitärsystemen durch den strategischen Einsatz des Instrumentariums deutlich, gleichwohl die Wasserwirtschaft durch die Erweiterung der bisherigen Systemgrenzen auf die Kooperation mit anderen Bereichen der Daseinsvorsorge angewiesen ist.

Description: KurzfassungEine Steuerung der Siedlungsentwicklung, die dem Flächensparziel verpflichtet ist, erfordert ein genaues Monitoring. Dieser Beitrag beschreibt, wie die Flächenneuinanspruchnahme für Siedlungs- und Verkehrszwecke mit verschiedenen Planverfahren in Deutschland zusammenhängt. Am Beispiel 30 repräsentativ ausgewählter Gemeinden wurde empirisch ermittelt, in welchem Maße Bund, Länder und Gemeinden zur Flächeninanspruchnahme beitragen. Das Ergebnis dieser Untersuchungen zeigt, dass rund zwei Drittel der Flächenneuinanspruchnahme durch Gemeinden im Rahmen ihrer kommunalen Planungen verursacht werden. Sonstige Entwicklungen, die zum Beispiel aus Planfeststellungsverfahren resultieren und von Bund und Ländern getrieben sind, tragen zu einem Drittel der Flächeninanspruchnahme bei. Der relativ hohe Anteil nicht kommunal veranlasster Flächenneuinanspruchnahmen war so nicht erwartet worden. Das Ergebnis zeigt, dass Flächensparbemühungen auf allen Raum- und Planungsebenen erforderlich sind, um die Nachhaltigkeitsziele zu erreichen. Derartige Untersuchungen benötigen flächendeckende und laufend aktualisierte Geometriegrundlagen zur tatsächlichen Flächennutzung. Nur so sind Veränderungen der Flächennutzung realistisch und zeitnah messbar und eine Überprüfung der Wirkungen der Flächensteuerung möglich. Die laufenden methodisch bedingten Veränderungen in der Flächenerfassung (Geodatenmodellierung, Flächennutzungsnomenklatur) und deren zeitversetzte und unterschiedliche Umsetzung in den Bundesländern beeinträchtigen allerdings das Flächennutzungsmonitoring.

Description: KurzfassungIn Deutschland setzt sich der Trend zu steigendem Pro-Kopf-Wohnflächenkonsum fort. Das Erreichen der Reduktionsziele hinsichtlich des Energieverbrauchs von Wohngebäuden wird damit konterkariert. Während die strukturellen Treiber hinter dieser Entwicklung – beispielsweise Präferenzverschiebungen, zunehmender Wohlstand und der demographische Wandel – im Einzelnen deskriptiv gut erforscht sind, herrscht über deren quantitative Einflusskraft Unklarheit. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird anhand von Daten der Einkommens- und Verbrauchsstichprobe (EVS) für Deutschland zwischen 1978 und 2013 untersucht, inwiefern die Entwicklung des Wohnflächenkonsums durch sozioökonomische und soziodemographische Veränderungen im Zeitverlauf erklärt werden kann. Die Ergebnisse einer Dekompositionsanalyse zeigen, dass demographische Veränderungen, insbesondere die Verkleinerung der mittleren Haushaltsgröße durch Remanenzeffekt und Singularisierung, hauptsächlich für den Anstieg des Pro-Kopf-Wohnflächenkonsums verantwortlich sind. Diese Entwicklung geht mit steigenden Wohnkosten einher, welche alle Einkommensgruppen, jedoch überproportional ärmere Haushalte, zunehmend belasten. Die Wohnkostenbelastung dämpfte eine weitere Ausweitung des Wohnflächenkonsums in den vergangenen Jahren. Regional lässt sich zudem ein Ungleichgewicht zwischen Wohnungsangebot und Wohnungsnachfrage identifizieren. Dieses könnte verringert werden, indem kleinere Wohnungen und Häuser gebaut, bestehende Gebäude umgebaut und ältere Bewohnerinnen und Bewohner mit übergroßen Wohnflächen zu einem Umzug motiviert würden. Steuernd müssten dazu regulatorische Maßnahmen und/oder Anreizmechanismen implementiert werden.

Description: KurzfassungAusgangspunkt des Beitrages ist die Annahme, dass nachhaltige Raumentwicklung in substanzieller Hinsicht an ein relationales Raumverständnis und prozedural an die Auseinandersetzung mit Konflikten gebunden ist. Diese Anforderungen werden auf einen konkreten Gegenstand der räumlichen Planung bezogen: landschaftsbezogene Identitäten. Deren Konzeptualisierung erfolgt als individuelle Deutungen landschaftlicher Spezifik, die sich der Materialität ebenso wie gesellschaftlicher Deutungsmuster bedienen. Für die empirische Erfassung werden landschaftsbezogene Identitäten als Zuspitzung der ‚angeeigneten physischen Landschaft‘ konkretisiert. Im Zentrum des Interesses stehen also solche Merkmale, die zur individuellen Konstruktion spezifischer Landschaft ‚zusammengeschaut‘ werden und auf die sich Zugehörigkeits- bzw. Zusammengehörigkeitsvorstellungen sowie emotionale Zuwendungen beziehen. An diesen als Referenzpunkte bezeichneten Merkmalen kommen auch identitätsrelevante Konflikte zum Ausdruck, also gegensätzliche Deutungen landschaftlicher Spezifik. In einer ländlichen Fallstudienregion werden so verstandene landschaftsbezogene Identitäten mit qualitativ-rekonstruktiven Methoden sichtbar gemacht. Die Ergebnisse von 28 leitfadengestützten Interviews belegen ein vielfältiges Spektrum an Referenzpunkten, die zwar individuell unterschiedlich besetzt sind, aber dennoch wiederholt auftreten. Zudem zeigen sich gegensätzliche Deutungsmuster: Dieselben Merkmale gelten den einen als identitätsstiftend, den anderen nicht. Die Diskussion resümiert die theoretisch-konzeptionellen und methodologischen Überlegungen vor dem Hintergrund der empirischen Ergebnisse und leitet Implikationen für die räumliche Planung ab. Ein besonderer Fokus liegt dabei auf Handlungsempfehlungen zur Bearbeitung konfliktär verfasster Lesarten landschaftsbezogener Identität.

Description: KurzfassungDieser Beitrag knüpft an aktuelle Diskurse zu Digitalisierungsprozessen und Raumentwicklung an. Es wird untersucht, inwiefern durch digitalisierte Fertigungsmethoden (wie Industrie-4.0-Anwendungen) neue Formen urbaner Produktion entstehen können. Aufbauend auf theoretisch-konzeptionellen Überlegungen wurden empirische Erkenntnisse durch 41 Experteninterviews in acht industriell geprägten Städten Nordrhein-Westfalens gewonnen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass durch die gewerbliche Anwendung neuer digitaler Fertigungsverfahren neuartige Formen hybrider digitaler urbaner Produktion entstehen, die spezifischen problemzentrierten Wertschöpfungslogiken unterliegen. Der Beitrag entwickelt ein präziseres Verständnis dieser Wertschöpfungsprozesse und der Standorteinbettung hybrider digitaler urbaner Produktion.

Description: Universities are important economic actors and make a considerable impact on the demand and supply side of their local economies. The aim of this paper is to quantify, compare and classify the different economic demand-and supply-side contributions of the university locations within Lower Saxony (Germany) using a combination of multiplier analysis and spatial econometrics on a NUTS 3 level. In comparison to numerous other studies, this paper does not focus on the economic impact of individual cases or a selected university location but gives a complete picture of the importance and significance of all university locations within Lower Saxony. The income-induced direct and indirect demand effects are estimated using a rich data set of higher education statistics in combination with an income and employment multiplier derived from a regional input-output table. The supply-side effects, i.e. the impact of the education and research outcomes, are estimated with the help of spatial panel regressions, a model derived from human capital theory and knowledge spillover theory. The estimation results give a complete and reproducible impression of the importance and significance of the different university locations, offering the opportunity for comparisons and classifications.

Description: ZusammenfassungDie Mobilität von Kindern hat sich in den vergangenen Jahren zu einem kaum noch überschaubaren Forschungsfeld entwickelt, in dem Deutschland jedoch bemerkenswert still bleibt. Die Motivationen für die Forschungen liegen vor allem in der Zunahme des Mitfahrens im Pkw auf Kosten der nichtmotorisierten und/oder selbstständigen Mobilität der Kinder. Dies hat negative Folgen für die Gesundheit und Entwicklung der Kinder und ist unter anderem mit Problemen der Verkehrssicherheit und des Umweltschutzes verbunden. Der Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über das Forschungsfeld. Er diskutiert Schwerpunkte der Forschung, Methoden und Einflussfaktoren der Mobilität von Kindern. Darüber hinaus diskutiert er die – eher spärliche – praxisorientierte Literatur und zeigt Wege auf, wie die nichtmotorisierte und selbstständige Mobilität von Kindern gefördert werden kann.

Description: The principles of sustainability are currently applied in Germany and many other countries as important guidelines for urban development. However, different forms of understanding regarding sustainable development and different approaches concerning its implementation can be found in various spatial contexts. This paper focuses on Freiburg, Heidelberg and Tübingen, three cities in southwestern Germany. These cities produce different images due to ambitious urban development plans which are based on the three pillars of ecological, economic and social sustainability in different ways. Numerous similarities between these three cities notwithstanding, they highlight different aspects of sustainable urban development and emphasise them via particularly widespread awareness of ‘showcase projects’. For Freiburg, this includes Vauban and Rieselfeld, for Heidelberg Bahnstadt, and for Tübingen Französisches Viertel and Loretto. The central questions in this paper are therefore: How do images and the implementation of sustainability differ with regard to the three pillars of sustainability? How can differences and similarities with regard to the three pillars of sustainability be explained and what consequences can be drawn for future studies in sustainable urban development? Following a classification of research perspectives on sustainable urban development, distinguishing between more practically oriented aspects, on the one hand, and theory-based critical considerations, on the other, this article examines showcase projects from the three selected cities on the basis of planning documents, websites, local newspapers and academic literature. Moreover, further projects are taken into consideration. The paper concludes with general observations and discussions concerning the image and implementation of sustainable urban development.

Description: KurzfassungZivilgesellschaftliches Engagement steht gerade in Städten, die von Bevölkerungsrückgang betroffen sind, vor großen Herausforderungen, da soziale Netzwerke ausgedünnt und kommunale Dienstleistungen im freiwilligen Pflichtaufgabenbereich reduziert worden sind. Gleichzeitig nimmt in solchen Städten das zivilgesellschaftliche Engagement einen besonderen Stellenwert ein, um Engpässe bei der Daseinsvorsorge auszugleichen. Der Artikel untersucht die lebensweltlichen Umstände von zivilgesellschaftlich Engagierten und will damit einen Beitrag zum Verständnis für den unterschiedlichen Umfang des Engagements bestimmter Personengruppen in bestimmten Lebensphasen leisten. Anhand von Projektverläufen im zivilgesellschaftlichen Engagement, initiiert von jüngeren Personengruppen, werden Hemmnisse und Bedarfe aufgezeigt, die die Engagierten erfahren haben. Die Befunde zeigen, dass bürokratische und hierarchische Hürden, geringe Wertschätzung freiwilliger Arbeit und Interessenkonflikte zwischen Fördergebern und Engagierten von Letzteren als wesentliche Hemmnisse wahrgenommen werden. Dem gegenüber stehen Einzelfaktoren zivilgesellschaftlichen Engagements, die im Einklang mit den lebensweltlichen Umständen der Engagierten stehen, wie gemeinsames Arbeiten, ein offener, flexibler Rahmen für das individuelle Handeln wie auch dessen flexible Einteilung und Organisation. Dem Beitrag liegen empirische Daten zugrunde, die durch Einzelfallanalysen in der ostdeutschen Kleinstadt Weißwasser erhoben worden sind.

Description: KurzfassungDie Wiener Stadtregion+ zählt zu den dynamischsten Wachstumsregionen Europas. Das Management des Bevölkerungswachstums stellt Stadt und Umland vor umfangreiche planungspolitische Herausforderungen, die eine gemeinsame und abgestimmte Vorgehensweise erforderlich machen. Die diesbezüglichen stadtregionalen Kooperationsstrukturen sind gegenwärtig inhaltlich und institutionell jedoch nur schwach ausgeprägt. Ziel des Beitrags ist es, vor diesem Hintergrund auf analytische und instrumenteller Ebene Vorschläge zur Weiterentwicklung von informell-kooperativen Raumentwicklungsprozessen in Stadtregionen auszuarbeiten. Die theoretische Einbettung erfolgt über das Konzept der strategischen Planung in Kombination mit dem Ansatz der soft spaces. Anhand des „Verflechtungs-Kooperations-Paradoxons“ werden dabei auf analytischer Ebene die sehr unterschiedlichen Strukturen funktionaler Verflechtungen und interkommunaler Kooperationen in der Stadtregion+ aufgezeigt. Auf instrumenteller Ebene wird das Planungsprinzip der „flexiblen Regionalisierungen“ vorgestellt, das die Idee räumlicher und zeitlicher Flexibilität in der strategischen Planung aufgreift und weiterdenkt. Ein wesentlicher Bestandteil davon ist die Identifizierung von „Fokusräumen“ als spezifische Teilbereiche innerhalb einer Stadtregion. Dabei handelt es sich um ‚weiche Planungsräume‘, in denen interkommunal, kooperativ und umsetzungsorientiert an gemeinsamen Planungs- und Entwicklungsherausforderungen gearbeitet wird. Die gewählte Methodik sowie die daraus resultierenden Ergebnisse werden kritisch reflektiert und diskutiert, bevor abschließend wienspezifische und allgemeine Handlungsempfehlungen abgeleitet werden.

Description: With large eddy simulations (LES) and/or cloud-resolving models (CRMs), it is now possible to simultaneously simulate shallow and deep convection. However, using traditional methods, the computational expense is typically very large, due to the small grid spacings needed to resolve shallow clouds. Here, the main purpose is to present a method that is computationally less expensive by a factor of roughly 10 to 50. Unlike traditional grid stretching of only the vertical z grid spacing, the present method involves expansion of the grid spacing in all coordinate directions (x,y,z) and time t. A ˝ne grid spacing of O(10)-O(100) m can be used near the surface to resolve boundary layer turbulence, and the grid spacing expands to be O(1000) m at higher altitudes, which reduces computational cost while still resolving deep convection. Example simulations are conducted with a simpli˝ed LES/CRM in 2D to verify the theoretical cost savings.

Description: KurzfassungAm Beispiel des politisch-planerischen Diskurses zu ehemaligen Planungen für ein großflächiges Einkaufszentrum in der Mainzer Innenstadt wird der potenzielle Mehrwert diskurs- und gouvernementalitätstheoretischer Zugänge zu raumbezogenen Fragestellungen erörtert. Insbesondere werden die diskursiven Mechanismen der Einschreibung einer unternehmerischen und depolitisierten Konzeption urbaner Räume in scheinbar neutrale und objektive Techniken raumbezogener Wirkungsanalysen herausgearbeitet. Die damit verbundene Sichtweise auf städtische Räume als Wettbewerbseinheiten, die durch raumwirtschaftliche Gesetzmäßigkeiten determiniert sind, wird jedoch gleichzeitig durch Gegendiskurse aufgebrochen, die das Bewahren ortsspezifisch gewachsener baulicher Strukturen zum Maßstab von Stadtentwicklungspolitik machen. Die Fallstudie verdeutlicht damit, wie mithilfe diskursanalytischer Zugänge die raumbezogenen Wissensordnungen freigelegt werden können, die die politischplanerische Steuerung gegenwärtiger Stadtentwicklungsprozesse anleiten.

Description: Slovenian communities were eager to re-establish autonomous local governments after the introduction of democracy. These newly established municipalities corresponded territorially to the previous regime’s local communities; however, only 194 municipalities were formed from over 1,200 communities. Some municipalities comprised a cluster of communities, some of which later became proponents of splits, due to the sense that they were being neglected by the rest of the municipality and in the hope of receiving more funds as separate municipalities. Although stricter criteria for establishing municipalities were imposed and the scope of formal initiators was narrowed to limit the splits, the proponents found loopholes in the form of political patrons (deputies) and, as a last resort, sought justice from the constitutional court. The splits occurred in both underdeveloped and developed municipalities. The breakaway municipalities were not more developed than the mother municipality; about a third were less developed. There were no clear financial advantages in creating separate municipalities.

Description: This paper studies the protected cultural property strategic management conducted by UNESCO, the World Heritage Sites (WHS). Its purpose is to explore the measure to which the system of such cultural property management is developed, since its meaning goes beyond the touristic purpose and indicates the world’s cultural property. Two Croatian tourist destinations are examined – Dubrovnik and Poreč. At the end of the paper, a comparative analysis of the two investigated cases is presented with the aim of presenting the research results and designing a personal model and conceptual frame of action to create a more efficient management system for protected heritage at all levels

Description: Businesses today face great competition in their operations, making it necessary for them to adopt a “customer-oriented” approach. In this competitive environment, where customers are more valuable, enterprises accrue great advantages from an understanding of the characteristics of the target audience in all dimensions. This is where the importance of geo-marketing and demographic segmentation for enterprises emerges. This study performed a geo-demographic segmentation of the urban neighbourhoods of Eskişehir province and sought to determine the characteristics of the people living in these neighbourhoods at the household level. The Groups created using the SPSS package program as well as Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Clustering Analysis were then mapped on the GIS platform as urban neighbourhoods.

Description: This article introduces a step-by-step methodology for evaluating an enterprise’s investment attractiveness in the context of economic development, using appropriate valuation parameters at macro, meso and micro levels. A system of indicators of macro-level investment attractiveness has been formed based on the criteria of socio-economic and legal attractiveness and investment risks. The indicators for assessing investment attractiveness of the industry have been grouped by the criteria of: prospects of the industry, positioning of the enterprise in the industry market, and sectoral investment risks. The indicators of investment attractiveness have been systematised with the use of three-dimensional current and operational analysis, as well as the method of risk assessment, which helped to determine the area of reaction to risk zones of the enterprise’s investment potential. The research allowed us to assess the position of a company in the market and to predict the risks of investing in the chemical industry.

Description: The focus on urban planning continues to flood the global literature. However, there is continued silence and neglect with regard to rural planning. The study examined the state of rural planning in Oyo State, Nigeria. Primary data was sourced using structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Questionnaires were administered to two hundred and fifty (250) rural households in six (6) rural local government areas (LGAs) of Oyo State. It was revealed that rural areas remain neglected and behind in planning activities. A majority of respondents believe that no planning takes place in the rural communities in which they reside. The study concludes that improved communication on planning issues between the tiers of the bureau of physical planning and urban development offices remains the route to effective planning. Improved capacity building (expertise) and training are suggested for rural planners. It is also suggested that understanding the local culture is important in contributing towards effective and responsive rural planning.

Description: This article aims to show how changes in the model for financing basic sanitation affect social inequality and urban segregation, and to discuss alternatives that minimise the impact these changes have on low-income populations. The investigation focuses on mediations between sanitation policy and general urban policies in the more ample process of valorising capital, involving different scales of geography and forms of state action. Widespread privatisation and public–private partnerships have altered the role that rates charged to users play in financing sanitation systems. This, in turn, has an impact on low-income populations’ access to these systems. The study concludes that new models of financing tend to privilege spaces in the city that are attractive to private capital, and that investments in sanitation are supported by financial innovations that depend on the collective force of remunerating shareholders and maintaining investors’ expectations. Finally, the article approaches solutions that ensure low-income families’ access to public services, with special emphasis on subsidised rate systems based on the stratification of urban areas adopted in Colombia. The article concludes that this experiment presents both positive and negative aspects that may serve as starting points toward potential solutions for Brazil.

Description: A comparative study of pre- and post-flood households’ food security statuses in South-Eastern Nigeria was performed to answer the question “Do floods affect food security?” Data were generated via a survey of 400 households in eight communities using stratified and random sampling methods. Households’ food security statuses were assessed using the Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) and computed using a Rasch analysis, where households were divided into four categories, namely: food secure, food insecure without hunger, moderately food insecure with hunger and severely food insecure with hunger. The results show that flooding affects food security negatively by increasing the number of food insecure households to 92.8%, and the regression coefficient of −0.798 indicates a very strong negative effect of flooding on household food security. An odds ratio of 2.221 implies that households that have experienced flooding are 2.221 times more probable to be food insecure than households that have not. The implication of the findings is that flooding is capable of turning communities into food insecurity hotspots that would need long-term assistance to cope, and flooding is capable of hampering the achievement of Goal 2 of the SDGs.

Description: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the key economic and geographical characteristics of the investment development of Belarus and how these characteristics could evolve in the future. The evaluation of the investment development of Belarus is based on comparative economic analysis, spatial analysis research methods and the cartographic method. Our results indicate a stable, predictable and enabling investment policy as the main determinant for attracting investment. This is confirmed by changes in the spatial distribution of foreign investment inflows in the real economy of Belarus by countries for 2010 and 2018. The characteristics of Belarusian investment development are identified because of the need to intensify innovative performance in the strategic dimensions of sustainable development. Particular attention is paid to the development of special economic zones with preferential regimes in the Republic of Belarus. This paper provides important new insights into the future prospects for Belarusian investment development on the basis of identified specifics.

Description: Tourism development can be a vital component of place-based development initiatives in the global South. The nexus of tourism and place-based development thinking in the global South and of the role of local governments is only beginning to be investigated by tourism scholars. This article explores the record of using tourism assets in one South African local municipality for leveraging local economic development. Evidence is drawn from the experience of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in South Africa's Eastern Cape province. The research results point to an unimpressive record on the part of local government in directing the use of local assets for assisting tourism development. Several challenges are revealed to explain the underperformance of potentially valuable local assets in this municipality. Institutional and governance shortcomings, including widespread corruption, underpin the observed weaknesses both in the everyday workings of local government in relation to service delivery and infrastructure support as well as its inability to implement plans for local economic development. Well-meaning policies proposed for tourism development are not implemented variously for reasons of funding, lack of local support, lack of entrepreneurialism by the municipality and lack of ability to implement because of capacity issues. Potential state assets which could bolster tourism and local development outcomes are not being realized and in many cases the assets themselves are in a state of deterioration because of neglect.

Description: In this paper, the stability of sulphur (II) compounds determined as the sum of hydrogen sul-phide, hydrosulphides and sulphides was evaluated in groundwater sourced from the B-8b Michał intake. Sulphide waters are a valuable raw material used as a basis for spa treatment in Busko-Zdrój. Based on the chemical composition analyses conducted in the years 1946–2018, a general analysis of random variability and statistical analysis of data was performed using PS IMAGO 5.0.1 software. Stability assessment was carried out on the data set for the 2009–2018 period on the basis of individual measurement control charts. Trend analysis was also performed using the GWSDAT software.