Research

15 pages, 1365 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Well-Being and Geography: Modelling Differences in Regional Well-Being Profiles in Case of Spatial Dependence—Evidence from Turkey

by Zeynep Elburz, Karima Kourtit and Peter Nijkamp

Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16370; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142416370 - 07 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1294

Abstract

The aim of this study is to provide a new quantitative perspective on the geography of well-being using an urban–rural typology and characteristic city size elements in order to detect where people are happier and to examine the determinants of well-being by considering [...] Read more.

The aim of this study is to provide a new quantitative perspective on the geography of well-being using an urban–rural typology and characteristic city size elements in order to detect where people are happier and to examine the determinants of well-being by considering spatial dependence effects. We use 81 NUTS 3 regions and the time period 2012–2019 to analyse the geography of well-being for Turkey with panel and spatial panel models. Our results show that living in an urban area, in general, makes people happy, but that density negatively affects well-being. In addition, city size matters for enhancing well-being. We also analyse the determinants of well-being by using several socio-economic well-being indicators. Next, the aspatial and spatial model results based on spatial econometric regressions show that education, health, employment, and income are all important for well-being, whereas indirect effects (spillovers) of these indicators also exist. Our results indicate that ignoring spatial effects causes a misinterpretation of the effects of critical determinants of well-being in geography. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Capital, Infrastructural Capital and Resilience Capacity in Urban Systems)

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14 pages, 2239 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Search of Social Resilience? Regeneration Strategies for Polish Cities

by Przemysław Ciesiółka and Barbara Maćkiewicz

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 11969; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141911969 - 22 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1284

Abstract

Following the fall of the socialist regime, Central and Eastern Europe’s cities underwent a systemic transformation that was greatly influenced by internationalization and globalization. Due to their EU membership, these cities could also access structural development funds, which had an important impact on [...] Read more.

Following the fall of the socialist regime, Central and Eastern Europe’s cities underwent a systemic transformation that was greatly influenced by internationalization and globalization. Due to their EU membership, these cities could also access structural development funds, which had an important impact on how urban restructuring has proceeded in recent years. In this article, we analyze both the data and the opinions of various actors concerning social resilience aspects in regeneration strategies employed in Polish cities related to the political shock of the systemic transformation and the consequences of this process. Particular emphasis is on linking these policies with the former character and changes in the social and physical and environmental structure of historic districts. The city of Poznań, which is considered a forerunner of regeneration in Poland, was chosen as a case study. Strategies related to improving the condition of buildings and land use have been successfully implemented, although they have sometimes attracted criticism from climate change activists, while those related to improving the living situation of people living in regenerated areas have failed. Urban regeneration resulted in the gentrification and few social benefits were obtained. Regeneration efforts have not achieved possible outcomes in terms of social resilience. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Capital, Infrastructural Capital and Resilience Capacity in Urban Systems)

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14 pages, 2397 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Deconcentration of Tourism Concentrations: A Visitors’ Galaxy Impact Model of the COVID-19 Crisis

by Jaewon Lim, Karima Kourtit, Peter Nijkamp and Christopher Stream

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3239; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14063239 - 10 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2141

Abstract

This paper analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on mass tourism concentrations, such as Las Vegas. It argues that health risks and perceptions may induce a more deconcentrated pattern of mass tourism, with more geographical dispersion to rural and natural areas. The analytical framework [...] Read more.

This paper analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on mass tourism concentrations, such as Las Vegas. It argues that health risks and perceptions may induce a more deconcentrated pattern of mass tourism, with more geographical dispersion to rural and natural areas. The analytical framework is modeled and applied to extensive data on Las Vegas tourism. The proposition on deconcentrated tourism concentrations is confirmed. Pre-pandemic outer-inner city complementary relations between “Outdoor Activities” in 11 surrounding national parks and the “Gaming Industry” in Las Vegas have transformed into outer-inner city substitution relations in the COVID-19 pandemic. This represents the evolving deconcentration of tourism concentration facing the growing uncertainty in an inner-city due to health risks in a pandemic. Availability of diversified tourism resources may dampen the shock to a concentrated tourism destination such as Las Vegas when effectively linked to the decentralized but easily accessible tourism resources in dispersed rural and natural areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Capital, Infrastructural Capital and Resilience Capacity in Urban Systems)

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24 pages, 3163 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Improvement of the Regional Regulatory Governance System for Radiation Risk Management: Spatial Analysis on Radiation Hazards in South Korea

by Sangwon Lee, Jaewon Lim and Chan-Goo Yi

Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 966; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14020966 - 15 Jan 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1361

Abstract

Since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, nuclear regulators have strengthened safety standards or decided to decommission the nuclear power plant. The vast majority of radiation is from nuclear power plants, so safety measures are also concentrated in nuclear power plants. Radioactive [...] Read more.

Since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, nuclear regulators have strengthened safety standards or decided to decommission the nuclear power plant. The vast majority of radiation is from nuclear power plants, so safety measures are also concentrated in nuclear power plants. Radioactive materials located much closer to the people are scattered around the nation. However, it is difficult for citizens to predict the radiation risk around them because regulatory agencies do not provide adequate information on radiation. The main goal of this study is to analyze the spatial distribution patterns of radioactive materials that serve as indicators for potential risk from a radiological hazard. The empirical findings in this study demonstrate the presence of spatial autocorrelation for the number of radiation licenses among 244 regions in the Republic of Korea. The policy implications are three-fold: (1) it is necessary to improve regulatory governance in consideration of permitted use; (2) the regional offices of regulatory agency can be established based on the identified spatial distribution of permitted use; (3) it is required to improve the information-disclosure system for materials. This study provides an opportunity to create a safer society by understanding the radiation around the public in general. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Capital, Infrastructural Capital and Resilience Capacity in Urban Systems)

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21 pages, 5702 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Place-Specific Corona Dashboards for Health Policy: Design and Application of a ‘Dutchboard’

by Peter Nijkamp and Karima Kourtit

Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 836; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14020836 - 12 Jan 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2326

Abstract

Since the outbreak of the corona virus in the end of 2019, many worldwide attempts have been made to monitor and control the COVID-19 pandemic. A wealth of empirical data has been collected and used by national health authorities to understand and mitigate [...] Read more.

Since the outbreak of the corona virus in the end of 2019, many worldwide attempts have been made to monitor and control the COVID-19 pandemic. A wealth of empirical data has been collected and used by national health authorities to understand and mitigate the spread and impacts of the corona virus. In various countries this serious health concern has led to the development of corona dashboards monitoring the COVID-19 evolution. The present study aims to design and test an extended corona dashboard, in which—beside up-to-date daily core data on infections, hospital and intensive care admissions, and numbers of deceased people—also the evolution of vaccinations in a country is mapped out. This dashboard system is next extended with time-dependent contextual information on lockdown and policy stringency measures, while disaggregate information on the geographic spread of the COVID-19 disease is provided by means of big data on contact intensity and mobility motives based on detailed Google Mobility data. Finally, this context-specific corona dashboard, named ‘Dutchboard’, is further extended towards the regional and local level so as to allow also for space-specific ‘health checks’ and assessments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Capital, Infrastructural Capital and Resilience Capacity in Urban Systems)

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29 pages, 1192 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Innovativeness, Work Flexibility, and Place Characteristics: A Spatial Econometric and Machine Learning Approach

by Mehmet Güney Celbiş, Pui-Hang Wong, Karima Kourtit and Peter Nijkamp

Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13426; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132313426 - 03 Dec 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2332

Abstract

This paper seeks to study work-related and geographical conditions under which innovativeness is stimulated through the analysis of individual and regional data dating from just prior to the smartphone age. As a result, by using the ISSP 2005 Work Orientations Survey, we are [...] Read more.

This paper seeks to study work-related and geographical conditions under which innovativeness is stimulated through the analysis of individual and regional data dating from just prior to the smartphone age. As a result, by using the ISSP 2005 Work Orientations Survey, we are able to examine the role of work flexibility, among other work-related conditions, in a relatively more traditional context that mostly excludes modern, smartphone-driven, remote-working practices. Our study confirms that individual freedom in the work place, flexible work hours, job security, living in suburban areas, low stress, private business activity, and the ability to take free time off work are important drivers of innovation. In particular, through a spatial econometric model, we identified an optimum level for weekly work time of about 36 h, which is supported by our findings from tree-based ensemble models. The originality of the present study is particularly due to its examination of innovative output rather than general productivity through the integration of person-level data on individual work conditions, in addition to its novel methodological approach which combines machine learning and spatial econometric findings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Capital, Infrastructural Capital and Resilience Capacity in Urban Systems)

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16 pages, 1425 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Resilience toward Volcanic Eruptions: Risk Perception and Disaster Microinsurance in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

by Aloysius Gunadi Brata, Henri L. F. de Groot, Piet Rietveld, Budy P. Resosudarmo and Wouter Zant

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 8912; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13168912 - 09 Aug 2021

Viewed by 1870

Abstract

Disaster microinsurance has been argued to enhance people’s resilience toward natural hazards. In developing countries, however, the uptake of this insurance scheme has been limited. This paper investigates the influence of the perception of disaster risks on the probability of local people participating [...] Read more.

Disaster microinsurance has been argued to enhance people’s resilience toward natural hazards. In developing countries, however, the uptake of this insurance scheme has been limited. This paper investigates the influence of the perception of disaster risks on the probability of local people participating in a hypothetical disaster microinsurance scheme. We use household data to assess a specific disaster risk, notably the risk of an eruption of the Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta. We find that this perception positively influences the interest to participate in disaster microinsurance. We also find that insurance literacy has a strong positive relationship with the respondent’s interest to participate in disaster microinsurance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Capital, Infrastructural Capital and Resilience Capacity in Urban Systems)

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12 pages, 2707 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Urban Structure in Troubled Times: The Evolution of Principal and Secondary Core/Periphery Gaps through the Prism of Residential Land Values

by Erez Buda, Dani Broitman and Daniel Czamanski

Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5722; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13105722 - 20 May 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2041

Abstract

The structure of modern cities is characterized by the uneven spatial distribution of people and activities. Contrary to economic theory, it is neither evenly distributed nor entirely monocentric. The observed reality is the result of various feedbacks in the context of the interactions [...] Read more.

The structure of modern cities is characterized by the uneven spatial distribution of people and activities. Contrary to economic theory, it is neither evenly distributed nor entirely monocentric. The observed reality is the result of various feedbacks in the context of the interactions of attraction and repulsion. Heretofore, there is no agreement concerning the means to measuring the dimensions of these interactions, nor the framework for explaining them. We propose a simple model and an associated method for testing the interactions using residential land values. We claim that land values reflect the attractiveness of each location, including its observable and unobservable characteristics. We extract land values from prices of residences by applying a dedicated hedonic model to extensive residential real estate transaction data at a detailed spatial level. The resulting land values reflect the attractiveness of each urban location and are an ideal candidate to measure the degree of centrality or peripherality of each location. Moreover, assessment of land values over time indicates ongoing centralization and peripheralization processes. Using the urban structure of a small and highly urbanized country as a test case, this paper illustrates how the dynamics of the gap between central and peripheral urban areas can be assessed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Capital, Infrastructural Capital and Resilience Capacity in Urban Systems)

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