Local Development Policies Research Articles

Public Policy and Local Development : An Analysis with Nepalese Perspective

The intricate and significant relationship between local development and public policy is fundamental to understanding their interplay. Local development involves enhancing economic, social, and environmental conditions within specific geographic areas like cities, towns, or regions. In contrast, public policy encompasses the decisions, actions, and guidelines formulated by governments to address societal issues and achieve specific goals. Public policies essentially provide the framework and boundaries within which local development occurs. When well-crafted and effectively executed, public policies have the potential to catalyze positive outcomes in local development, fostering economic growth, improving quality of life, and enhancing overall community well-being. However, in Nepal, the execution of unsystematic policies for national development, along with local governments struggling to define their priorities and neglecting sustainable development based on local resources and job creation, presents a stark contrast to the ideal of local development as the foundation of democracy, reflecting the challenges and obstacles from the central to local government levels. Nepal should focus on sustainable development through the development policies for a self-reliant economy. This article tries to analyze the problems of public policies and local development.

Local Green Marketing Business Environmental Regulatory Framework for Bataan MSME Food Processing: Consultative Development Process

The overarching goal of this exploratory sequential mixed methods design is to evaluate the environmental practices of specific small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Bataan, Philippines, with a focus on green marketing aspects such as raw material usage, energy consumption, water conservation, waste management, air emissions, and wastewater treatment. Additionally, the study investigates the degree of public involvement in formulating regulations related to green marketing. Respondents, comprising business owners and local government officials, were chosen through a two-step cluster sampling method for quantitative analysis and purposeful sampling for qualitative insights. More so, it revealed a consistent implementation of environmentally friendly practices and green marketing management among SMEs. Interviews with business owners and local government officials yielded positive responses regarding the development of local green marketing policies, particularly for businesses in the food processing sector. Through the analysis and interpretation of collected data, the study provided valuable insights guiding the formulation of a regulatory framework for green marketing. Keywords: green marketing, environmental performance, environmental management, food processing, micro small medium enterprises, eco-labeling policy.

European Cities of Sport as a Strategic Policy for Local Development of Sports: A Perspective from Sports Management in the Last Decade

Abstract European sports policies have focused on the implementation of public instruments and policy measures, aiming to encourage EU member states to promote and improve sports habits, while simultaneously tackling high levels of sedentary lifestyle among Europeans. Despite these efforts, data concerning the various measures is quite limited, making it impossible to assess the real impact on the population, particularly in the case of the European Cities of Sport. This award has been held since 2007 and has already distinguished 193 cities; however, current knowledge does not allow researchers to theorise about its multiple impacts as a strategic policy instrument for the local development of sport in Europe, thus constituting a gap within sports management research. In order to further this knowledge, we explored European reality over a decade (2013–2022), analysing nine awards of Portuguese cities. We employed qualitative methods for documentary analysis of public information and descriptive statistics for data analysis. The results show that over 2 600 multidisciplinary events were organised, among which 402 had an international character (15%), an average of 50 sports disciplines per edition, 359 events related to culture and education, and involved over 1 000 000 participants, with an overall investment of over €39 million. This research now allows a theoretical-scientific and operational referential pattern of key indicators to be established for future European ECS applications, while demonstrating an encouraging relationship, from a sports perspective and economically, between public investment made and estimated return, thus contributing to better political decisions and to the positive implications of increasing public investment in sport.

STRATEGIES FOR INVOLVING OLDER ADULTS AND INFORMAL CAREGIVERS IN HEALTH POLICY DEVELOPMENT: A SCOPING REVIEW

Abstract Encouraging the active involvement of older adults and informal caregivers in policymaking can lead to cost-effective health and long-term care interventions and enhance the creation of responsive policies. As part of the European Union TRANS-SENIOR program, a scoping review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute’s methodology. Published and grey literature was searched. Studies were included if they described the use/evaluation of methods for engaging older adults (65 years and above) and informal caregivers in local, national, or regional health policy development. Analysis was guided by the Multidimensional Framework For Patient And Family Engagement In Health And Health Care. Thirteen engagement strategies were identified from 11 publications meeting the inclusion criteria. Adopting the World Bank’s categorization of citizen engagement methods, strategies were categorized as traditional, deliberative, and others. Older adults and informal caregivers are often consulted to elicit opinions for agenda/priority setting. However, their involvement in other stages of the policy cycle: health policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation, was unclear from the literature. The described engagement methods suggested that older adults and their informal caregivers do not often have shared equal power and shared responsibility in policymaking. Findings will guide policymakers in identifying and incorporating engagement strategies to support evidence-informed policymaking processes that can improve health outcomes for older adults/informal caregivers. Future research is needed on the evaluation of involvement methods.

RESEARCH ON READINESS FOR BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS FROM UZBEKISTAN FOR COOPERATION WITH LOCAL AUTHORITIES DURING THE FORMATION OF LOCAL ECONOMIC POLICY

Changes are taking place in Uzbekistan, which are characteristic of countries in transition from a centralized to a market economy. The country is entering a new era of development, which has an impact on the overall economic picture. After the presidential elections in 2016, a policy of reform and openness began to be implemented in Uzbekistan, which has a great impact on the political situation in the entire Central Asian region. According to many observers, the scale of political changes is unprecedented in the development of Central Asian countries since their independence. Unlike Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, reforms in Uzbekistan were not carried out under external pressure, but were voluntary and spontaneous with strong internal motivation. Due to the fact that the country realized that the centralized development model was unable to respond effectively to numerous internal and external challenges, it began to accelerate internal reforms, making successive changes to adapt to new realities. The positions of Uzbekistan in the international rating rankings are improving.Despite the successes achieved, the country’s highly centralized governance model does not allow local communities to be effectively involved in the planning and implementation of local policies for economic development. They are not active enough in identifying their infrastructure needs, in preparing community development plans, in implementing projects to modernize or build drinking water, gas and electricity systems, roads, schools and other basic infrastructure and public services. Underestimating the role of local communities in influencing the economic development of their regions is a restraining factor for economic development. Conversely, realizing the role of business organizations in shaping regional policy for local economic development is a great potential that has not yet been fully exploited.To prove this thesis, the authors conducted a survey of the attitude of business organizations in Uzbekistan to cooperation with local authorities. The results show that business representatives do not particularly rely on local authorities to stimulate the economic development of their cities and regions and, for this reason, do not show a particular desire to cooperate with them. This is a challenge, the overcoming of which can give the country a new impetus in terms of the economic development of the regions and settlements.

Nurses Knowledge and Performance Toward Physical Restraint at Critical Care Units

Abstract:
 Objective: The study was done to evaluate nurses’ knowledge and practices toward physical restraint at critical care unit
 Methodology: Fifty nurses, who were selected by a non-probability (convenient) sampling method, participated in this descriptive study. The instrument of the study was knowledge parts of the questionnaire were initially developed in the U.S.A for nursing homes; in 2006 they were adopted for all hospital units by the original developers. The knowledge section of the questionnaire consisted of 20 items, which were used to measure knowledge of nurses towards the definition, indications and contraindications, proper application and legal and ethical considerations of physical restraint use. A three- point ordinal scale (Agree, Uncertain and Disagree) was applied to determine nurses’ responses to the items; it contained negative and positive sentences. Positive items, if answered with “agree,” were considered correct; if answered with “disagree,” items were considered incorrect. To evaluate the nurse's practices with respect to physical restraint, the researcher observes and checks for correct or incorrect performance. The practices checklist for nurses is composed of (94) items divided into six content domains.
 Results: The result of this research showed that 90% of nurses had low knowledge about physical restraint, and 80 % of the participants had unsatisfactory performance.
 Recommendation: The study recommended development of local policies for physical restraint use including detailed descriptions of conditions requiring its use is mandatory.
 Key words- Knowledge, Performance, Physical Restraint, Critical Care Units

The Influence of Urban Processes on the Community Spirit in the Municipality of Craiova

"The present article results from the data processing of a study carried out in July 2023 in the Municipality of Craiova, the largest city in the Oltenia region. The study was scheduled as a stage in the preparation of a new General Urban Plan where the population consultation stage has the role of providing the local mayors with a set of information necessary for prioritizing the city's problems from the point of view of the population's expectations. The most appropriate research method was the sociological survey, through which opinions were collected by questioning 732 inhabitants on topics related to the degree of coverage of urban functions specific to a modern urban community, how they appreciate modern urban processes and comparative influences. The main problem that is at the basis of such a study is that of harmonizing technical approaches, originating from fields of activity that assume knowledge from the field of exact sciences (architecture, engineering) and approaches that assume a background from the field of social sciences (sociology, anthropology, psychology). To a large extent, Romanian urban and rural communities have benefited from development programs segmented according to financing flows, prioritizing investments in favor of material ones, against the background of indifference to the preferences and expectations of the population. The aim of this research was to mitigate the distance between institutional and community strategies with the aim of integrating community spirit into local development policies. The analysis carried out proved that investments in the development of the city increased the degree of appreciation of the population and fueled value principles that lead to the overvaluation of some areas and the disinvestment of other areas, ignoring some synthetic indicators that contribute to the formation of realistic opinions."

Place-based policies for the periphery? Policies for local development in sparsely populated areas in northern Sweden

Place-based policies for the periphery? Policies for local development in sparsely populated areas in northern Sweden

Can “The City Break” Movement be an Effective Public Policy for Local Development? Isparta Province Example

Öz
 Amaç: Çalışmanın amacı, City Break hareketinin yerel kalkınmanın sağlanmasında kamu politikası örneği olarak etkin bir turizm politikası olup olmadığının tespit edilmesidir.
 Tasarım/Yöntem: Araştırma konusunun derinlemesine incelenebilmesi için amaçlı örnekleme yöntemi tercih edilmiştir. Bu çerçevede araştırmanın örneklemini, Isparta bölgesindeki 13 turizm paydaşı oluşturmaktadır. Araştırma için yarı yapılandırılmış soru formu kullanılmış, veri toplama yöntemi olarak görüşme tekniği tercih edilmiştir. Elde edilen verilen Maxqda programı kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir.
 Bulgular: Analiz sonuçları City Break dahilindeki ziyaretçilerin Isparta’nın doğal ve kültürel yapısından etkilendiğini, ulaşım açısından avantajlı bir konumda olduğunu düşündüklerini; fakat City Break ziyaretçileri için yeterli düzeyde politika bulunmadığını göstermektedir. Aynı zamanda bilgiye ulaşım konusunda çevrimiçi bilgi ve iletişim sistemlerinin sıklıkla tercih edildiği ve gerçekleştirilen geziler sonrasında görüş ve düşüncelerin değerlendirildiği gözlenmektedir. Diğer sonuçlar ise kurumlar arası iş birliklerinin prosedür tabanlı olduğunu bununla birlikte kurumların sıklıkla yerel politika ve aktivitelere yöneldiğini göstermektedir. Elde edilen bulgular değerlendirildiğinde Isparta’nın City Break için zengin bir bölge olduğu ve kalkınma sürecinde City Break hareketlerinin etkin bir politika olarak tercih edilebileceği öngörülmektedir. Fakat cevaplar neticesinde Isparta’da City Break için yeterli çalışma ve aktivite yapılmadığı, kalkınmaya fayda sağlaması amacıyla bu alana yönelik kamu politikaları geliştirilmesi gerektiği düşünülmektedir.
 Sınırlılıklar: Araştırma örneklemini, Isparta'daki turizm paydaşları oluşturmaktadır. Bu unsur araştırmanın temel sınırlılığını oluşturmaktadır.
 Özgünlük/Değer: Çalışma, yerel kalınma ile City Break Hareketi arasında ilişki kurması bakımından özgün bir niteliğe sahiptir.
 Anahtar Kelimeler: City Break Hareketi, Yerel Kalkınma, Kamu Politikası, Turizm Politikası

Landscape management and planning as a spatial organization method connecting CES supply-demand assessment and sustainable tourism development

Evaluating the balance between the supply and demand of Cultural Ecosystem Service (CES) in space is the key to linking ecosystem services to human well-being. However, due to its invisibility, it is difficult to quantify and is often ignored in ecosystem service evaluation. Based on social media photos, by integrating multisource data and using a clustering algorithm and the MaxEnt model, this paper maps and evaluates the supply-demand balance of three CES of aesthetic, historical and cultural, and leisure services in Suzhou, China. The result shows a widespread imbalance between supply and demand in Suzhou, among which the cultural heritage CES imbalance area as high as 48.1% accounts for the largest proportion, and the aesthetic imbalance area accounts for 38.4%, while the recreation imbalance area accounts for 37%. Building upon the assessment of supply and demand balance at the urban scale, we further identified the supply-demand imbalance at the scenic area scale by integrating local tourism development policies in Suzhou and selecting a typical scenic area, Xishan Island. Based on the urban and scenic area supply-demand assessment results, this paper proposes a multiscale CES supply-demand allocation strategy. This comprehensive approach not only furnishes valuable guidance for local decision-making and management within the realm of sustainable tourism but also holds potential for wider applicability to diverse urban areas worldwide that share analogous contextual backgrounds. Management implicationsCES supply and demand assessment can help identify the CES supply-demand imbalance areas of tourist destinations. Landscape management and planning is a spatial organization method to balance CES supply-demand mismatches in tourist destinations. Optimizing landscape structure at multiple scales will be of instructional significance for the protection and development of tourist destinations. A ‘CES assessment and mapping – landscape management and planning – tourism protection and development’ system is beneficial to achieve the sustainable development of tourism.

Why so far ahead? Climbing the participation ladder in public health foresight

Abstract Issue In the Netherlands, the National Public Health Foresight Study (PHF) is published every 4 years, as starting point for national and local public health policy development. As these policies impact citizens’ health and lives, it is important to include their voices. We piloted an approach to strengthen this engagement to learn and to inspire PHF in other (country) settings. Problem description PHF is usually expert-based. Citizen engagement, beyond consultation, is not yet common practice. In the Dutch PHF-2024, we engage citizens both as advisors (citizen council, N = 30 and panel, N = 500) and as target group (focusgroups N = 40). Intentionally the scope is diffuse, allowing for unexpected input. What can we learn from this approach, and how do the citizens contribute to the PHF? Results - Citizens of all ages, backgrounds and education types are well able to discuss health (determinants), data and indicators; - They have intrinsic motivation to contribute to better knowledge, feel responsible for effective engagement and are eager to engage across different backgrounds and population groups; - Integration of outcome into the PHF process is valuable, enriching scientific with experiential knowledge and facilitating results communication; - Fundamental questions, e.g., about foresight time frames (“why look so far ahead as the world is in crisis right now!”) are raised by the citizens, showing that these need to be better addressed in order to make PHF relevant for a broader public. Lessons - More permanent engagement of the citizens is needed to enable learning and development; - earlier engagement in the PHF process may enable joint development of core questions and issues to be addressed; - The results are highly encouraging; piloting this approach in other foresight types and in various contexts is therefore needed to refine and further develop it. Key messages • Citizen engagement can and should be strengthened to include citizen voices in the PHF process, informing policies that impact on their lives. • Citizens of all backgrounds, with their experiential knowledge, can be valuable partners in PHF, that provide important input.

A theoretical framework for developing a health impact assessment implementation model in Ireland

Abstract Background A Health Research Board (HRB) four-year research study, which commenced in January 2023, seeks to explore the process of carrying out Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) with a view embedding the approach as normal practice in local and national policy development in Ireland. Methods A theoretical framework has been constructed to develop an HIA implementation model. The framework is based on the all-island Institute of Public Health Ireland's HIA guidance. The theoretical framework will examine factors affecting HIA implementation, using both the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and Normalisation Process Theory (NPT). An action research methodological approach will be used to gather data on the experiences that participants will reflect on while doing the HIA. Participants included in the study will be the members of the two HIA Steering Groups created for each HIA (12 participants in each HIA) and policy end-users of the HIA evidence from the city council and government ministries (20 participants for each HIA). Results The theoretical framework will be applied to two HIAs, in order to generate data in creating the HIA implementation model. HIA 1, commencing October 2023, will be conducted on the local government Cork City Development Plan. HIA 2, commencing January 2025, will be carried out on the Irish Government's Climate Action Plan. Preliminary results on the application of the theoretical framework to HIA 1 will be presented, as well as reflections for the planned HIA 2. Conclusions For the first time in Ireland and beyond, a theoretical framework has been developed employing innovative methodological approaches to building a contextualised HIA implementation model. Using action research in assessing the implementation of HIA, with a view to analysing the lived experience of Steering Group members as they conduct the HIAs, and policy end-users, will ensure an enhanced HIA implementation model. Key messages • The development of an innovative theoretical framework for the study of HIA. • The building of HIA capacity in Ireland using the newly revised Institute of Public Health guidance.

Impacts of climate change and environmental pollution: a public health foresight study

Abstract Background In the Netherlands, the National Public Health Foresight Study (PHF) is published every 4 years, as starting point for national and local public health policy development. A priority topic in the PHF2024 is climate change and living environment. The important transitions (energy, food, mobility, housing) that are required all require space and thus pose a societal challenge for the future quality of the living environment. Approach We use a mixed method approach to identify main trends and impacts on public health: - analysis of Demographic, Economic, Socio-cultural, Technological, Ecological and Political developments (DESTEP) based on a literature review and expert consultation; -organization of focus group discussions with young people (N = 41); -analysis of mortality data in relation to temperature; -evaluation of trend-scenarios. Results Direct and indirect health impacts of climate change will become more visible in the next 30 years. These need not all be negative. For example, an earlier edition of the PHF already showed that the increase in temperature may lead to less deaths in winter but more deaths in summer. In the PHF we will focus not only on adverse health consequences, but also identify opportunities for health improvement through climate mitigation and adaptation. Similarly we will look into related developments like energy and mobility transitions, that may (partly) result in health gains, depending on how they will be implemented and who will be affected. For example, we will look into possible improvement of air quality and its impact on health. The preliminary findings of our focus group study suggest, however, that young people are mostly pessimistic regarding developments in our living environment. This is particularly the case for climate change; young people fear that this may cause severe events. Nevertheless, they have high expectations regarding technological advancement in the energy sector. Key messages • Foresight studies should not focus on risk alone but also identify possible health promoting developments in the living environment. • Expert views and views of lay people, in particular youth, may not necessarily be identical. Both need to be addressed in foresight studies.

Contemporary concepts of small town development

Motivation: The paradigms of sustainable development and knowledge and innovation-based economy (smart growth) are among the most important signposts for the development of contemporary towns, cities and regions. The growing competitiveness of cities and the high variation and complexity of the urban environment necessitate the search for such a model of a city that will enable its dynamic development in the economic, social and spatial spheres. The implemented development model determines the town’s ability to face the current challenges, such as population changes, increasing and diverse needs of the city’s users, limited natural resources which therefore require protection, a shift in the paradigm of local economy towards circular economy, thereby improving the town’s ability to deal with crisis (urban resilience). As a consequence, there is a growing number of smart cities as well as cities which have adopted another dominant development concept, such as green cities, slow cities.Aim: Purpose of the article is to discuss and compare some of these concepts, namely smart city, slow city, green city (and selected hybrid models), which can be applied in designing a policy for the development of small towns in Poland.Results: The diverse and increasingly varied conditions underlying the development of small towns mean that a local development policy should have a more reactive and scenario-like character. The process of evolution of the existing approaches can be observed, resulting in the hybridization of the development models, where new concepts arise by combining the assumptions of several approaches, for example a smart green city, etc. This process can be seen as the manifestation of improving the level of urban resilience to crises, which increases the chance of small towns to adapt to new conditions.

Decarbonising at scale: Extracting strategic thinking from EPC and deprivation data

Decarbonising the built environment is at the heart of many nations' route to net zero. This leads to policies that target specific technologies. Within such policies, there is a natural instinct to combine the need to reduce carbon emissions with solving other issues, such as fuel poverty. Here, we examine for the first time if, from a carbon perspective, this is optimal. By assembling energy performance certificates and household economic deprivation data, we use fuzzy matching techniques to produce a single statistically robust dataset of 44,300 households. Then, through secondary data analysis, we closely examine the carbon impact and cost of energy retrofits. Overall, upgrading to band C is the most viable strategy. However, the results demonstrate that households belonging to the least deprived 20% present more than double the carbon saving potential compared to those in the most deprived 20% (2.7 and 1.2tCO2/yr, respectively), and offer the best return in CO2 savings on money spent. This highlights the need for retrofitting policy to be cognisant of both building stock and deprivation and the disproportionate role in climate change played by the more affluent. The results offer important new insights for governments and suggest a rethinking of retrofit initiatives. Practical Application: This study is the first to employ such data to identify retrofit strategies for governments and offers three key practical applications. (i) It shows how by combining such data one can start to develop policy that is tuned to the demographics and stock, and that by disaggregating the data a lot can be learnt prior to the development of local or national policy. (ii) It clearly puts to bed the idea that attacking fuel poverty is the most effective way towards carbon reductions. (iii) It suggests a new way of thinking about targeted interventions that optimise carbon reduction in a cost-effective way.

Evaluation of Territorial Capacity for Development: Population and Employment

Rural depopulation and its consequences is a critical social, economic, labour and environmental issue. Based on diagnoses carried out five years ago in two rural territories of the Valencian Community (Spain) in a situation of demographic desertification, this paper aims to analyse if the evolution of employment and population has become a driving force for local development in both territories. To this end, triangulated analysis has been conducted using statistical sources, a survey of the respective Local Development and Employment Officers (AEDLs) and application of the new READI© methodology—based on a matrix with indicators evaluating the level of convergence of the resources, actors and dynamics available to the territory. The survey and READI© methodology have allowed us to complete sociodemographic analysis of population and employment to identify the causes that explain the similarities and differences between both territories in their capacity to generate local development processes. As a result of this study, some positive trends can be observed in the period encompassing 2017–2022, changing the preceding negative tendency and allowing us to generate a hopeful approach for such territories if local development policies correct the detected imbalances.

RECOVERY PROSPECTS OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE TERRITORIES

The main goal of state and local development policies should be the creation of an economic system able to generate a sufficient amount of resources in the long term. The war lead to the destruction of critical infrastructure in many regions, material losses, millions of forced displacements, and demographic shifts. Traditional challenges of local governance and development in Ukraine have been augmented by new complications. In the course of the study, modern challenges for localities were analyzed and summarized. The concept of "affected territories" is proposed to be introduced into the normative regulation meaning territories or their parts that suffered from the conduct of hostilities or missile-bomb/artillery attacks. In order to make effective management decisions regarding the possibility of restoring such territories, it is necessary to develop a certain classification based on the degree of destruction and population loss (including due to evacuation/migration) and create a map of such territories. The restoration of Ukraine is the restoration of fully-fledged life in cities and villages and the formation of a new economy while taking into account new realities. The local private sector is the engine of economic activity and growth of the territory. Therefore, supporting entrepreneurship and smart investment in the development of small and medium-sized businesses must be a vital component of any recovery strategy. The article examines groups of enterprises that continued to work and develop during the war. Additional threats and risks of enterprise operation are summarized, and losses are grouped. “Losses from war” are understood as the value expression of the result of a change in the condition of objects due to a violation of their integrity or deterioration of their properties, and an increase in actual or possible socio-economic and other losses that occur during the war. It is substantiated in the research that the immediate factors in the process of restoration of territories should be working with investors, creating a favorable business environment and supporting entrepreneurial initiatives. Prospective areas of investment are summarized, taking into account modern changes in market needs. Keywords: economic recovery of the territories, relocation of enterprises, recovery plan, prospective directions of investment.

Cultural Space as Sustainability Indicator for Development Planning (Case Study in Jakarta Coastal Area)

Few assessments through cultural sustainability indicators have been applied to national and local development policies in Indonesia. Said policies have had the notion of space solely defined through its physical aspect. This study aims to establish the cultural aspect of space as a workable indicator for sustainability in development planning. The study grounds itself in the coastal area of Kalibaru Subdistrict, North Jakarta, a region characterized by dense and culturally diverse residential areas located in between heavy industrial development. Primary data were gathered from 10 informants of varying occupations with residence in the area for more than 20 years. In-depth interviews and spatial mental mapping were conducted to articulate the cultural spaces of their everyday activities. Prevalent themes of spatial practice were identified and described in 3 categories of 1. core cultural spaces, 2. tactical cultural spaces, and 3. spaces of cultural conflict. The participatory procedures to identify cultural spaces as described in the study were concluded to be operable within existing indicator or index frameworks for sustainability policy. The availability of cultural spaces and their enumeration may be incorporated into national surveys for effective data collection and use.

Spatial transition dynamics of urbanization and Rohingya refugees’ settlements in Bangladesh

Urbanization needs to conceptualize land use policy beyond the city boundaries. It might be explained by exploring complex and interconnected interdependencies in regional key driving factors that can have tele-coupling effects during sudden shocks. Over one million Rohingya have settled in the rural/forest area in Cox’s Bazar for locational proximity and comparatively easy escape from Myanmar after domestic conflicts. This study aims to explore the spatial dimension of urbanization in a regional transition context focusing on the newly built refugee settlements in the south-eastern coastal area of Bangladesh. Additional, we also identify further research scopes and gaps in the context of the case study. Analysis of openly available global data products from historical built-up expansion from 1975 to 2021 suggests that refugee settlements impact spatial development intensity (annual rate ⁓2.55 ha/year) and population density (annual rate ⁓9431 person/year) dimensions, which have a transition (rural-to-urban) of a greater regional scale than local urbanization. Our results from the expert-based key informant interviews have a broad agreement with the quantitative findings; however, the environmental: deforestation, economic: increasing business and employment opportunities and daily living expenses; and socio-cultural impacts: increasing conflict between host and refugee communities due to prostitution, drug dealing, and insecurity, are more local than findings from the geospatial analysis. Therefore, the local development policies need an urgent adjustment to comply with the local and regional balances in the above factors, along with that international development actors may also need attentive measures in the policy formulation. Further investigations in scenario-based urbanization dynamics are required to avoid an urban desert initiated in the absence or relocation of refugee settlement. Similar kinds of studies may also be replicated even in prosperous global North countries in order to conceptualize the spatial transformative process of rapid migration influx on urbanization with innovative open data in the absence of up-to-date official datasets and adoptions of mixed methods approaches with related actors including policymakers.

Characterizing restrictions on commercial advertising and sponsorship of harmful commodities in local government policies: a nationwide study in England.

Commercial advertising and sponsorship drive the consumption of harmful commodities. Local authorities (LAs) have considerable powers to reduce such exposures. This study aimed to characterize local commercial policies across all English LAs. We conducted a census of all English LAs (n=333) to identify local commercial policies concerning advertising and sponsorship of tobacco, alcohol, less healthy foods and gambling, through online searches and Freedom of Information requests. We explored policy presence, commodity frequency and type, and associations with LA characteristics (region, urban/rural and deprivation). Only a third (106) of LAs in England had a relevant policy (32%). These included restrictions on tobacco (91%), gambling (79%), alcohol (74%) and/or less healthy foods (24%). Policy prevalence was lowest in the East of England (22%), North East (25%) and North West (27%), higher in urban areas (36%) than rural areas (28%) and lower in the least (27%) compared with the most (38%) deprived areas. Definitions in policies varied, particularly for alcohol and less healthy foods. English LAs currently underutilize their levers to reduce the negative impacts of harmful commodity industry marketing, particularly concerning less healthy foods. Standardized guidance, including clarity on definitions and application, could inform local policy development.