Medium-sized Town Research Articles

Green infrastructure as understood by stakeholders in small and medium-sized towns in Poland

Motives: In urban governance processes involving local communities, green infrastructure (GI) is an important proxy for the local quality of life. In this paper, the authors focus on GI in small and medium-sized Polish towns, which attracts much less research interest than that in large cities. The study covered 97 towns, and it included desk research and a questionnaire survey of local authorities and NGOs.Aim: The aim of the study was to determine whether residents are involved in the management of urban GI, whether local authorities and communities have identified the need to develop new GI, and whether they are taking appropriate measures to maintain and preserve the existing GI resources. Another objective was to examine the priority of existing GI resources in governance policies.Results: The levels of citizen participation and GI management in small and medium-sized towns were ranked. The general observation is that green spaces are not an effective participation tool in small towns. The situation has gradually improved in medium-sized cities and towns within metropolitan regions, but this does not seem to be a determining factor.

Spatio-temporal variations of energy carbon emissions in Xinjiang based on DMSP-OLS and NPP-VIIRS nighttime light remote sensing data.

With the rapid economic development of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang), energy consumption became the primary source of carbon emissions. The growth trend in energy consumption and coal-dominated energy structure are unlikely to change significantly in the short term, meaning that carbon emissions are expected to continue rising. To clarify the changes in energy-related carbon emissions in Xinjiang over the past 15 years, this paper integrates DMSP/OLS and NPP/VIIRS data to generate long-term nighttime light remote sensing data from 2005 to 2020. The data is used to analyze the distribution characteristics of carbon emissions, spatial autocorrelation, frequency of changes, and the standard deviation ellipse. The results show that: (1) From 2005 to 2020, the total carbon emissions in Xinjiang continued to grow, with noticeable urban additions although the growth rate fluctuated. In spatial distribution, non-carbon emission areas were mainly located in the northwest; low-carbon emission areas mostly small and medium-sized towns; and high-carbon emission areas were concentrated around the provincial capital and urban agglomerations. (2) There were significant regional differences in carbon emissions, with clear spatial clustering of energy consumption. The clustering stabilized, showing distinct "high-high" and "low-low" patterns. (3) Carbon emissions in central urban areas remained stable, while higher frequencies of change were seen in the peripheral areas of provincial capitals and key cities. The center of carbon emissions shifted towards southeast but later showed a trend of moving northwest. (4) Temporal and spatial variations in carbon emissions were closely linked to energy consumption intensity, population size, and economic growth. These findings provided a basis for formulating differentiated carbon emission targets and strategies, optimizing energy structures, and promoting industrial transformation to achieve low-carbon economic development in Xinjiang.

Small localities, large conflicts: radical right parties and the politics of integration policymaking in two European medium-sized towns

ABSTRACT Integration policies emerged as a critical focus of local policymaking in smaller towns, driven not only by migration trends in these areas, but also by the growing political influence of local radical right parties (RRPs). This trend occurred across various European countries, including Belgium and Italy, raising new questions about the impact on policy formation of locally embedded RRPs and the social and political polarisation dynamics which foster their growth. Despite growing scholarly attention to the role of local actors in shaping integration policies, these dynamics have mostly been studied in large cities. Therefore, this article aims to explore the effects of RRPs’ rise on integration policies in Ninove (Belgium) and Fermo (Italy), two diversifying and deindustrialising medium-sized towns governed by liberal coalitions, but with a strong opposition presence of RRPs. Adopting a comparative perspective, it utilises document analysis of national and local integration policymaking, complemented by 34 interviews with local actors. The results show that RRPs shape local agenda setting and local governing parties respond by creating policy ambiguity around policies targeting migrants. Specifically, they invest in policies that aim to support integration, but make sustained attempts to disguise that migrants are the target population for these policies.

“Culture-touristification” of colonial towns in the interior of Brazil

The link between cultural heritage, touristification, and urban development has been extensively researched in larger cities with a strong appeal to international tourists. However, there is limited information on the relationship between these factors in smaller cultural heritage towns that rely only on regional or national tourism. This is also the case for small and medium-sized colonial towns in the Brazilian interior, which are the focus of this paper. We introduce the concept of “culture-touristification” as a form of touristification that is co-constituted by several interacting, culture-led sub-processes, such as patrimonialization, culturalization, festivalization, adventuring of landscapes, telenovelaization, and counter-culturalization. Based on this concept, we argue that culture-touristification drives the touristic transformation of small and medium-sized colonial towns in the interior of Brazil. However, the effects and the interplay of these sub-processes are different in these towns. Some of them may be more pronounced than others, and some may only be partially articulated, depending, for example, on their societal significance, the strategic orientation of responsible stakeholders, the resistance of local populations, or the geographical location of the towns. To illustrate this argument, we draw on case studies conducted in Cidade de Goiás and Pirenópolis, two small colonial towns in the state of Goiás, Brazil. Methods include in-depth and semi-structured interviews with residents and critical actors, mappings of building use in the town centers, participant observation, analysis of telenovelas and Instagram hashtags representing these cities, and document and data research.

Contribution and challenges of private investment in the revitalization of Jijel's Colonial Center (Algeria)

The rapid urbanization in Algeria, driven by substantial demographic growth and rural migration, has resulted in the neglect of historic city centers in favor of suburban areas. However, since the 2000s, a growing awareness has prompted urban revitalization and building renovation initiatives, primarily in major cities like Algiers, Oran, and Constantine. Meanwhile, older districts in small and medium-sized towns have been left to deteriorate, lacking appropriate renovation projects. Urban management authorities tend to enforce regulations without adopting a holistic approach to urban planning. In Jijel, a town located in northeastern Algeria, a specific colonial center has experienced rapid deterioration, despite its relatively young age, due to unique circumstances. The limited involvement of the public sector has paved the way for private investment. Property developers have played a pivotal role in the renovation, focusing on collective housing projects complemented by ground-floor commercial spaces. This study aims to analyze the role and impact of private investment on the colonial center, with a specific focus on the exclusivity of this investment and its effects on attractiveness and revitalization.

The State of Post-Industriality: The “Power of Factories”

Post-industrial and industrial today are present in both small and medium-sized Russian towns. In some of them, they continue to operate, but can no longer provide employment for all citizens due to automation and other processes. In some others, businesses have ceased to exist, but abandoned factory spaces are viewed by residents as places where a new factory should appear, that is, exclusively in the context of industrialism. The post-industrial is manifested in the increasing demands of the population for a variety of places of work and leisure, for job security, for the environmental situation, for the comfort of life, and for access to a wide variety of resources. As a result, urban space acquires marginal characteristics: new factories do not appear, plots of land remain abandoned, tourism and creative projects are present, but are not yet decisive for such settlements.We use the theoretical frame of space production by A. Lefebvre and the approach of marginal space characteristics. For ten years we have been researching small Russian cities; the article uses materials from 2018 — 2023, obtained through semi-formalized mobile and stationary interviews, group discussions, observation and photo mapping, mental maps, as well as the “time capsule” technique. The purpose of the article is to present observations about the combination of the following phenomena, such as the continuing “power of factories” and the sprouts of creativity and tourism appearing here and there as signs of post-industriality.

The Forecasting Model of the Impact of Shopping Centres in Urban Areas on the Generation of Traffic Demand

The increase in traffic caused by new development affects the change in traffic conditions on the surrounding roads, and shopping centres are significant traffic generators. The development of local travel generation rates and their characteristics for individual land uses from the aspect of traffic demand is a reliable way to plan traffic in order to come up with preventive solutions to traffic problems, that is, prevention of possible negative consequences on traffic conditions in the street network occurring due to the construction of shopping centres. One of the main aims of this paper is to develop a model for objective assessment of the generated traffic demand for significant changes in land use, such as the construction of shopping centres in medium-sized towns. All these would be steps in the right direction for the promotion of reliable traffic planning and adoption of TIA for every new development before a decision regarding the change in land purpose has been made. This kind of process still has not been established systematically in either Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Serbia, or in surrounding countries. This paper focuses on the formulation of a model for determining the volume of traffic generated by shopping centres in medium-sized towns in two countries of the Southeast Europe region. The survey was conducted in eight different locations (cities) where there are shopping centres with common facilities. The analysis showed that the number of visitors and vehicles attracted by the shopping centre zone can be determined by a model based on a linear regression analysis. The analysis included exploring several different factors of trip generation in shopping centres, including the relationship between trip generation and combinations of several independent variables. The verification of the model was conducted in real conditions of the traffic flow generated by a shopping centre which was not the analysis subject when forming the forecasting model. In this way, the validity of the proposed model is credibly assessed. The developed model can be applied in the procedures of planning the construction of shopping centres in medium-sized cities in the Republic of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and wider, in the region of Southeast Europe, in order to estimate the volume of generated traffic demand, that is, its impact on the conditions of traffic on the surrounding traffic network.

Trans-Local Climate Politics in Ordinary Cities: From Local Agenda 21 to Transition Towns to Climate Emergency Declarations

This article addresses the question of how ordinary cities, conceptualized here in a simplified way as peripheralized small and medium-sized cities, navigate (the complexities of) climate policy and planning. To do so, we elaborate on three temporal waves of trans-municipal environmental politics that have simultaneously shaped municipal climate politics in many places globally: (a) the Local Agenda 21, between 1992–2002; (b) the Transition Towns movement, between 2006 and 2015; and (c) recent climate emergency declarations, in place since 2016. Interestingly, the thousands of participating municipalities include not only the well-known frontrunners but also many small and medium-sized cities. Some have come into contact with climate and transformation issues for the first time, others have even been pioneers for much larger cities. However, the three waves also each have different characteristics in terms of underlying governance models, theory of change and scope of transition, role of planning and civil society, or output orientation. Through the combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, an overview of interlinkages between the three climate policy waves in German ordinary cities is compiled from publicly accessible databases. In addition, qualitative impressions allow for statements on the actors of this transformation processes, including municipal governments and councils, civil society organizations and social movements, various bridging agents, and trans-national municipal networks. This perspective on (referential and institutional) continuities is deepened in a case study on the medium-sized town of Marburg, Hesse. As participating cities in all three waves are predominantly located in the Global North, the article aims to also contribute to the application of the “ordinary city model” to regionally peripheralized cities in globally non-peripheral regions.

Integration Policy Networks and the Potential for Local Integration Policy Diffusion in European Small- and Medium-Sized Towns and Rural Areas: A Comparative Analysis

This article aims to open a debate about the diffusion of local integration policies in European small- and medium-sized towns and rural areas (SMsTRAs), shedding light on local policymakers’ relational environment and key features of policy networks that influence policy diffusion. Elaborating on data collected through 343 interviews across 34 SMsTRAs, analysed through social network analysis and qualitative content analysis, it concludes that the relational environment in SMsTRAs is unfavourable for integration policy diffusion due to specific characteristics of integration policy networks and the growing politicisation of local integration policymaking. Nonetheless, relevant variation is identified across different types of SMsTRAs.

Local identity and residents' attitudes towards innovation in sustainable tourism - the example of generation Z

The aim of this article is to identify the attitudes of tourism region residents from generation Z presenting local identity and relate them to innovation, which shapes the product in the sustainable tourism context. A qualitative empirical study was carried out using the focus group interview method, divided into residents representing large centres, medium-sized towns and villages. The research yielded new information stating that young people have a sense of local identity and are attached to their place of residence with no relation to the type (and size) of residence. The research also showed respondents generally expect innovations to be introduced in tourism services and infrastructure, as they see the importance of innovations for building tourism attractiveness and improving the economic situation, which is in line with the idea of sustainable tourism. It, therefore, becomes important for authorities and managers to understand the local identity in the attitude of residents towards tourism innovation.

Occurrence and Risk Assessment of N-nitrosamines and Their Precursors in Qingjiang River Basin

N-nitrosamines are a type of nitrogen-containing organic pollutant with high carcinogenicity and mutagenicity. In the main drinking water sources of small and medium-sized towns in China, the contamination levels of N-nitrosamines remain unclear. In addition, there is still lack of research on the concentration of N-nitrosamines and their precursors in tributary rivers. In this study, eight N-nitrosamines and their formation potentials （FPs） were investigated in the Qingjiang River, which is a primary tributary of the Yangtze River. The sewage discharge sites were also monitored, and the environmental influencing factors, carcinogenic and ecological risks caused by N-nitrosamines, and their precursors were evaluated. The results showed that six N-nitrosamines were detected in water samples of the Qingjiang River, among which NDMA [（10 ±15） ng·L-1], NDEA [（9.3 ±9.3） ng·L-1], and NDBA [（14 ±7.8） ng·L-1] were the dominant N-nitrosamines, whereas seven N-nitrosamines were detected in chloraminated water samples, among which NDMA-FP [（46 ±21） ng·L-1], NDEA-FP [（26 ±8.3） ng·L-1], and NDBA-FP [（22 ±13） ng·L-1] were the dominant N-nitrosamine FPs. The concentrations of N-nitrosamines in the middle reaches of the Qingjiang River were higher than those in the upper and lower reaches. Furthermore, the concentrations of N-nitrosamines in the sample sites of sewage discharge and tributaries were significantly higher than those in other sampling sites. The monitoring results at the direct sewage discharge points indicated that the main source of N-nitrosamines in river water was the sewage carrying N-nitrosamines and their precursors. In addition, the concentrations of the three dominant N-nitrosamines including NDMA, NDBA, and NDEA were positively correlated with each other, mainly because of their similar sewage sources. The average carcinogenic risk to residents due to N-nitrosamine in drinking water sources was 2.4×10-5, indicating a potential carcinogenic risk. Moreover, due to the high concentrations of N-nitrosamine formation potentials in the Qingjiang River, the carcinogenic risk of drinking water may be even higher. The ecological risk assessment showed that the ecological risk quotient values of N-nitrosamines in the Qingjiang River watershed were lower than 0.002, which was negligible.

Refining Long-Time Series of Urban Built-Up-Area Extraction Based on Night-Time Light—A Case Study of the Dongting Lake Area in China

By studying the development law of urbanization, the problems of disorderly expansion and resource wastage in urban built-up areas can be effectively avoided, which is crucial for the long-term sustainable development of cities. This study proposes a high-precision urban built-up-area extraction method for county-level cities for small and medium-sized towns in county-level regions. Our process is based on the Defense Meteorological Satellite/Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) and the NASA/NOAA Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), which develops long-term series of coordinated night-time light (NTL) datasets. We then combined this with the Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI) to calculate the Vegetation-Adjusted NTL Urban Index (VANUI). We combine land use data and a support vector machine (SVM) for semi-supervised classification learning to propose a high-precision urban built-up-area extraction method for county-level cities. We achieved the following results: (1) we fit binary polynomials to the DMSP/OLS and VIIRS NTL datasets based on the correspondence of the mean values to construct a consistent time series of NTL data. (2) Our method effectively improves the accuracy of urban built-up-area extraction, especially for county-level cities, with an overall accuracy of 91.84% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.83. (3) Our method can perform a long-time series of urban built-up-area extraction, and, by studying the spatial and temporal changes in urban built-up areas, it can provide valuable information for sustainable urban development and urban planning.

Co-incineration of medical waste in municipal solid waste incineration increased emission of chlorine/brominated organic pollutants

Co-incineration of medical waste (MW) in municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs) is a crucial disposal method for emergency disposal of MW and the management of MW in small and medium-sized towns. This study aims to analyze and compare the levels and distribution patterns of chlorine/brominated dioxins and their precursors in fly ash from MSWIs and medical waste incinerators (MWIs) while also focusing on identifying the new pollution concerns that may arise from the co-incineration of municipal solid waste (MSW) mixed with MW (MSW/MW). The concentration of chlorobenzene (CBzs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in fly ash from co-incineration of MSW/MW are 887.4, 134.4 and 27.6 μg/kg, respectively, which are 5.1, 2.0 and 2.9 times higher than that from MSWIs. The levels of polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PBDD/Fs) are about three orders of magnitude lower than that of PCDD/Fs. For the fly ash from MSWIs, the predominant PCDD/Fs congener is OCDD, which prefers synthesis and adsorption on fine-grained fly ash. For fly ash from MWIs, the major PCDD/Fs congeners are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6,7, 8-HpCDF, and OCDF, which prefer synthesis and adsorption on coarse-grained fly ash. Correlation analysis exhibited that both 1,2,3-TriCBz and 1,2,4-TriCBz in fly ash have a markedly linear correlation with PCDD/Fs and PCBs, but PBDD/Fs shows a poor negative correlation with PCDD/Fs.

Vpliv gradnje južne železnice na demografski razvoj Laškega

At the beginning of the 19th century, Laško was a medium-sized market town with poor transport links, inhabited by artisans. Together with the road from Celje to Zidani Most, the railway connection that reached Laško in 1849 represented the first modern transport connection. The town’s improved transport connectivity stimulated its economic development. The present research, primarily based on the church registers of the Laško parish, focuses on the demographic analysis of the Laško population during the period when the southern railway was being constructed (1845–1848). The large number of construction workers building the southern railway brought plenty of unrest, new opportunities for the local population, and an epidemic of spotted typhus to the town. The latter broke out among the construction workers and spread among the local population.

Geographical distribution of COVID-19 infection across Saudi Arabia

Background. Saudi Arabia, a large country in terms of population size and geographical area, is divided into administrative areas and governorates. It has metropolises, cities (large, medium sized, and small), towns, villages and rural neighborhoods, classifiable into well equipped, rapidly expanding, and others. The COVID-19 epidemics spread all over the country with differentials in infection rates, percentages, and affected persons, alongside daily increases. This analysis, focused on administrative areas, aimed to comprehend the spread and escalation of the epidemic, in addition to highlighting the distribution of the infected population with a special emphasis on geographical spread and seasonal variations. Materials and methods. This analysis of data compiled from COVID-19 daily reports published by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health considers into account administrative areas and localities (neighborhoods) to demonstrate the distribution of spread, increase in infection, and the proportion of population infected between March 21, 2020 and May 4, 2023. Results. A large majority of the infected cases were reported in three major administrative areas including Riyadh, Makkah, and the Eastern Region. Other regions had a smaller number of infected cases. However, some locations, especially medium-sized upcoming towns and neighborhoods experienced greater number of people seriously affected at a rapid pace, with seasonal differentials, in medium sized upcoming cities — the governorate headquarters and promising future cities, apart from the major cities. Conclusions. COVID-19 spread in the country followed a certain regional pattern. Beyond the populous administrative areas, upcoming cities in fast changing areas had a high impact. Thus, having a categorization of major, medium or low spread is necessary. Such detailing of COVID-19 infection would be useful not only to develop combating strategies but also to create epidemic and emergency preparedness.

Size does matter: A maturity model for the special needs of small and medium-sized smart cities

A significant amount of people live in small and medium-sized cities. In the context of smart cities and their further development, these are still often neglected in scientific considerations. We present a maturity model developed by a design science approach on the basis of theory and practice, specifically for the needs of small and medium-sized cities, in order to support them in their development into a fully comprehensive smart city. We derived requirements from the literature on the one hand and on the basis of expert interviews on the other hand. We evaluated our model using the example of the medium-sized town of Bad Hersfeld. Our maturity model can be easily applied by those responsible in small and medium-sized cities and provides a means of comparison with other cities of a similar size. It can further help city leaders to plan the next step in their smart city.

The Perspectives Of The Cities Evolution In Poland

Urban development is determined not only by geographical and demographic factors, but also by economic, social, systemic, and legal ones. The process of granting town statutes and privileges in the Middle Ages and implementation of the Magdeburg rights were crucial for the foundation of cities in Poland. Cities were distinguished from settlement units by having borough rights. The modern age was a period of decline in the political importance of cities and then their destruction, especially during the Swedish Deluge. The restoration, which began in the mid-18th century, was interrupted by the partitions of Poland. During the partitions period, Polish cities were only provincial city centres of other foreign countries, but in Lodz, for example, industry flourished. Interwar Poland is a period when new ties developed between existing urban units, but after the Second World War the borders were moved westward. The socialist system did not enable establishing strong functional links between regions, but it was a period of industrialisation and urbanisation. The administrative reform of 1975 created a unique polycentric arrangement of 49 cities as capitals of voivodeships (provinces). The political transformation after 1989 and the economic and social changes led to a crisis in small and medium-sized cities. The costly reform of 1999 exacerbated this problem by favouring metropolitan areas and the capital city of Warsaw. Currently, it is estimated that 122 small and medium-sized towns and cities in Poland are at risk of depopulation. The solution to this structural collapse could be extensive deglomeration.

고교학점제 관련 학교 요인이 핵심역량 분류에 미치는 영향: 일반고 -직업계고 비교를 중심으로

This study investigates the impact of school factors on students’ categorisation of core competencies
 in general and vocational high schools, leading up to the full implementation of the high school
 credit system. The study’s conclusions are summarised based on the main findings. The results of the
 latent profile classification showed that both general and vocational upper secondary schools could be
 classified into three types of core competence profiles, namely ‘top core competence’, ‘upper core
 competence’ and ‘middle core competence’, and that the levels of the four sub-competences in each
 profile were similar. According to the results of the multinomial logistic regression analysis, the
 variables that showed statistical significance for the top group in both general and vocational upper
 secondary schools based on the middle group of core competences were ‘relevance of elective courses
 to careers’, ‘teaching method (interaction)’, ‘degree of reflection of students’ opinions’ and ‘city and
 region’, and the most influential variable in both groups was ‘teaching method (interaction)’. For the
 variables ‘teaching method (individualised)’, ‘no experience with optional courses’, ‘small and
 medium-sized town’ and ‘private school’, only general secondary schools showed statistically significant
 effects on group classification, while ‘large town’ showed a statistically significant negative regression
 value only for vocational schools.

„Diena be nuotykių“: kasdienybės laiko tvarkymas vidutiniame Lietuvos miestelyje

The article discusses the peculiarities of daily time management of people living in medium-sized Lithuanian towns. The prevailing concepts of everyday life are examined, focusing on the meanings of everyday life and time that emerge from the emic perspective of the respondents. Aspects of respondents’ daily routine rhythm, coordination of social time and planning of agendas are revealed. It shows how a resident of an average Lithuanian town organises their time in everyday life. The article analyses the data of the field survey conducted in the towns of Josvainiai and Ramygala from January 2020 to October 2020.

Going Local, Going Mainstream? Ethnographic Study of Two French Cities Governed by the Rassemblement National

Abstract The government actions of populist radical right (PRR) parties have predominantly been scrutinized at the national level, leaving a critical aspect – their territorial foothold – largely unexplored. Through a comparative ethnographic study of two medium-sized French towns governed by the Rassemblement National since 2014, this article delves into how seizing municipal power has influenced the party's efforts towards mainstreaming. We examine the party's strategy, aimed at institutionalization, which relies on a blend of rhetoric emphasizing proximity, pragmatism, and non-partisan administration while preserving fundamental ideological elements of the radical right. This amalgamation of mainstreaming and radicalism, adaptive to different contexts and audiences, is termed ‘adaptable ideology’. Our study makes significant contributions to two pivotal aspects of the literature: understanding the mainstreaming trajectory of PRR parties and exploring the recent, localist turn in the study of this political realm.