Regional Growth Patterns Research Articles

Monitoring the trajectory of urban nighttime light hotspots using a Gaussian volume model

Urban nighttime light hotspot is an ideal representation of the spatial heterogeneity of human activities within a city, which is sensitive to regional urban expansion pattern. However, most of previous studies related to nighttime light imageries focused on extracting urban extent, leaving the spatial variation of radiance intensity insufficiently explored. With the help of global radiance calibrated DMSP-OLS datasets (NTLgrc), we proposed an innovative framework to explore the spatio-temporal trajectory of polycentric urban nighttime light hotspots. Firstly, NTLgrc was inter-annually calibrated to improve the consistency. Secondly, multi-resolution segmentation and region-growing SVM classification were employed to remove blooming effect and to extract potential clusters. At last, the urban hotspots were identified by a Gaussian volume model, and the resulting parameters were used to quantitatively depict hotspot features (i.e., intensity, morphology and centroid dynamics). The result shows that our framework successfully captures hotspots in polycentric urban area, whose Ra2 are over 0.9. Meanwhile, the spatio-temporal dynamics of the hotspot features intuitively reveal the impact of the regional urban growth pattern and planning strategies on human activities. Compared to previous studies, our framework is more robust and offers an effective way to describe hotspot pattern. Also, it provides a more comprehensive and spatial-explicit understanding regarding the interaction between urbanization pattern and human activities. Our findings are expected to be beneficial to governors in term of sustainable urban planning and decision making.

Warming induced growth decline of Himalayan birch at its lower range edge in a semi-arid region of Trans-Himalaya, central Nepal

Changes in the position of altitudinal treelines and timberlines are considered useful indicators of climatic changes on tree growth and forest dynamics. We sought to determine if recent warming is driving contrasting growth responses of Himalayan birch, at moist treeline (Lete Lekh) and semi-arid timberline (Chimang Lekh) sites in the Trans-Himalayan zone of central Nepal. We used dendrochronological techniques to measure tree ring width (TRW) and basal area increment (BAI) of birch trees from climatically contrasting but nearby sites. The TRW series were correlated with climate records from nearby meteorological stations, and BAI was compared between populations to explore growth trends over recent decades. We found contrasting precipitation trends between nearby sites such that the wet site (Lete) is getting warmer and wetter, and the dry site (Chimang) is getting warmer and drier in recent decades. The radial growth of birch in both moist and semi-arid sites are positively correlated to spring (March-May) rainfall, and negatively correlated to mean and maximum temperature for the same period. The growth climate analysis indicated that moisture availability in early growing season is crucial for birch growth at these locations. The BAI of birch is declining more rapidly at the dry timberline than at the moist treelines in the recent decades, indicating that climatic warming might negatively impact birch radial growth where warming interacts with increasing spring drought in the region. Our work highlights contrasting growth response of birch to climate change at moist and semi-arid forests indicating that local climatic variation must be accounted for when assessing and forecasting regional patterns of tree growth in topographically complex regions like Trans-Himalaya, in order to make accurate predictions of vegetation responses to climate change.

Influence of droughts on Nothofagus pumilio forest decline across northern Patagonia, Argentina

AbstractUnderstanding the influence of climatic variations on forest decline is a major challenge for scientists investigating global changes. Although reductions in tree growth have previously been associated with forest decline, comprehensive efforts to understand these relationships are rare. Based on ring‐width variations, we determine the influence of climatic fluctuations on the onset and temporal evolution of Nothofagus pumilio forest decline in the Patagonian Andes. Basal area increment (BAI) data from 294 Nothofagus trees at 11 stands in a 500‐km latitudinal transect along the forest–steppe ecotone were used to identify the dominant patterns of regional growth. Three Regional dominant patterns, showing common variations in BAI, were derived. Two BAI patterns show high rates of growth from early to mid‐20th century, followed by sustained negative trends over the last 3–6 decades, whereas the third pattern is characterized by a positive trend since the 1960s. Tipping points in growth trends of the first two patterns are associated with two extreme dry–warm climate events in spring–summer of 1942–1943/1943–1944/1944–1945 and 1978–1979. Both severe droughts were preceded by up to 10 yr of wet periods that promoted above‐average tree growth. We concluded that severe droughts occurring after wet periods trigger the decline of large, dominant N. pumilio trees with high rates of growth. The coincidence between major changes in regional growth with two of the most severe droughts in the instrumental records shows that climatic variations over northern Patagonia synchronize the beginning of forest decline at a regional scale. As these dry–mesic N. pumilio sites will face more severe droughts in the 21st century, as suggested by future climate scenarios, the areas affected by forest decline would increase substantially.

Maternal vitamin C deficiency does not reduce hippocampal volume and β-tubulin III intensity in prenatal Guinea pigs

Marginal vitamin C (vitC) deficiency affects 5% to 10% of adults including subpopulations such as pregnant women and newborns. Animal studies link vitC deficiency to deleterious effects on the developing brain, but exactly how the brain adapts to vitC deficiency and the mechanisms behind the observed deficits remain largely unknown. We hypothesized that vitC deficiency in utero may lead to a decreased neuronal maturation and increased cellular death giving rise to alterations of the hippocampal morphology in a guinea pig model. Brains from prenatal guinea pig pups (n=9-10 in each group) subjected to either a sufficient (918mg vitC/kg feed) or deficient (100mg vitC/kg feed) maternal dietary regimen were assessed with regards to hippocampal volume and β-tubulin isotype III staining intensity at 2 gestational time points (45 and 56). We found a distinct differential regional growth pattern of the hippocampus with a clear effect of gestational age, whereas vitC status did not affect either investigated parameters. Within hippocampal subdivisions, the overall expansion of the hippocampus from gestational day 45 to 56 was found to reside in the dentate gyrus. In conclusion, the present study found that hippocampal volume and β-tubulin isotype III intensity in the prenatal guinea pig were influenced by gestational day but not by maternal vitC intake.

Climatic forcing of xylem formation in Qilian juniper on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Cambial activity of ~100-year-old Qilian juniper trees initiated before the middle of May at an elevation of 3200 m a.s.l.; June and July were the main stem radial increment period. Around the middle of August, all xylem cell differentiation periods are completed. Precipitation or relative humidity is the main limiting factor for tree radial growth on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Previous studies have found that annual tree-ring width series of Qilian juniper (Sabina przewalskii Kom.) in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau (TP) are mostly moisture controlled, irrespective of site elevation. Knowing precisely the cambial growth dynamics during a vegetation period can lead to a better understanding of the climatic factors driving regional tree growth patterns. We observed wood formation with micro-cores taken at weekly intervals from late April to early October 2013, and monitored daily stem radial changes with high-resolution electronic point dendrometers in 30-min intervals. Dormant cambium contained 5–6 cell layers in the cambium zone. Cambial activity initiated before the middle of May in all the monitored trees. About three quarters of the total cell production or radial growth formed during June and July. Lignification of secondary walls of new xylem cells continued from end of May to middle of August. After the middle of August, the cambium entered into the inactive period. Dendrometer measurements confirmed that June and July were the main stem radial increment period. Nonparametric Kendall’s Tau correlations indicate that daily relative humidity and precipitation significantly influence stem growth in May. No obvious relationships were detected in June. In July, significant negative influences of maximum temperature and positive effects of relative humidity prevailed. Overall, growing season precipitation or associated relative humidity is the limiting factor for tree stem radial increments on the intra-annual scale. Our results present a thorough understanding of Qilian juniper xylogenesis and its climate forcing within the whole growing season on the northeastern TP.

Does academic research affect local growth? Empirical evidence based on Swedish data

ABSTRACTDoes academic research affect local growth? Empirical evidence based on Swedish data. Regional Studies. The hypothesis that research activities do not merely affect the growth rate within the municipality hosting the university or university college but spill over to neighbouring municipalities is tested using data covering the Swedish municipalities between 1990 and 2010. Research activities are measured as the number of dissertations and the number of papers published in academic journals with peer-review system. The results suggest academic institutions by their presence and ‘production’ of human capital and new knowledge through research affect the regional growth pattern in both the municipality where the academic institution is located and the growth pattern of neighbouring municipalities.

The Application of Resilience Concept in the Regional Development Context

Economies have always been prone to different kinds of shocks: economic downturn, industry shocks, currency crises, which can destabilize the path and pattern of regional economic growth. Regional economies are suffered from this disturbance, which consequences could be continued for a long time. The question why one region is more vulnerable to economic shock than other, impelled to analyze resilience notion in regional development context. Often used in engineering and ecological sciences, the notion of resilience is rapidly becoming part of the conceptual and analytical lexicon of regional economic studies. There is no universally agreed definition of regional resilience, as well as there is yet no theory of regional resilience as such. In this paper the multidimensional aspects of regional resilience notion will be revealed as well as proved the resilience is a dynamic feature insured regional uninterrupted development or fast enough recovery after economic shock occurred. The main purpose of the paper is to identify the specific aspects of resilience notion used in the regional development context. Based on systematic and comparative analysis of scientific literature comprehensive analysis of regional resilience is performed; regional resilience process and outcome framework is developed, structural dimensions of regional resilience is identified; regional resilience capacity building factors are presented.

Differential expression of mitotic regulators and tumor microenvironment influences the regional growth pattern of solid sarcoma along the cranio-caudal axis

Soft tissue sarcomas are relatively rare, unusual, anatomically diverse group of malignancies. According to the recent literature and medical bulletins, tumor growth and aggressiveness immensely relies on its anatomical locations. However, it is unclear whether the cranio-caudal anatomical axis of the mammalian body can influence sarcoma development and the underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet deciphered. Here, we investigated the growth pattern of solid sarcoma implanted into the murine cranial and caudal anatomical locations and tried to explore the location specific expression pattern of crucial mammalian mitotic regulators such as Aurora kinase A, Histone H3 and c-Myc in the cranio-caudally originated solid tumors. In addition, the influence of local tumor microenvironment on regional sarcoma growth was also taken into consideration. We found that solid sarcoma developed differentially when implanted into two different anatomical locations and most notably, enhanced tumor growth was observed in case of cranially implanted sarcoma than the caudal sarcoma. Interestingly, Aurora kinase A and c-Myc expression and histone H3 phosphorylation level were comparatively higher in the cranial tumor than the caudal. In addition, variation of tumor stroma in a location specific manner also facilitated tumor growth. Cranial sarcoma microenvironment was well vascularized than the caudal one and consequently, a significantly higher microvessel density count was observed which was parallel with low hypoxic response with sign of local tumor inflammation in this region. Taken together, our findings suggest that differential gradient of mitotic regulators together with varied angiogenic response and local tumor microenvironment largely controls solid sarcoma growth along the cranio-caudal anatomical axis.

Greenbelts in Germany's regional plans—An effective growth management policy?

Greenbelts are the best-known growth management policies in Germany. As part of its regional plans, they attempt to keep undeveloped areas permanently open, thus avoiding sprawling, i.e., land consumptive forms of urban development. However, the effectiveness of such land use designations in terms of guiding and limiting urban growth has rarely been the subject of in-depth research. This is the first study to present a GIS-based analysis of the restrictiveness of greenbelt designations in Germany and their impact on urban spatial structure and land use. The key question is to what extent greenbelts actually limit urban growth, both individually and in combination with other policy instruments of open space conservation. Key indicators are the tightness of greenbelts around urban areas and their effect on the regional patterns of urban growth, measured by the increase of built-up areas in contained (the inbound area) and uncontained (outside the greenbelt) communities. Our empirical results for four case study regions suggest that greenbelts are an effective means of open space preservation. The impact of greenbelts on spatial urban structure, however, seems to be limited due to a relatively low degree of tightness.

US regional population growth 2000–2010: Natural amenities or urban agglomeration?

AbstractUsing a spatial hedonic growth model, this paper empirically assesses the roles of natural amenities and urban agglomeration economies in US regional growth patterns from 2000 to 2010. Natural amenities and urban agglomeration are measured using the USDA Economic Research Service county classification codes. The general finding is that natural amenities and urban agglomeration both influenced regional growth. Yet, the natural amenity ranking is estimated to be positively related to increased productivity over the period rather than increased attractiveness to households. Urban agglomeration is positively related to increased amenity attractiveness to households. Within census regions, household natural amenity demand played a stronger role in non‐metropolitan areas.

A scenario-based approach to integrating flow-ecology research with watershed development planning

The ability to anticipate urbanization impacts on streamflow regimes is critical to developing proactive strategies that protect aquatic ecosystems. We developed an interdisciplinary modeling framework to evaluate the effectiveness of integrated stormwater management (i.e., integration of strategic land-use organization with site-scale stormwater BMPs) or its absence, and two regional growth patterns for maintaining streamflow regimes. We applied a three-step sequence to three urbanizing catchment basins in Oregon, to: (1) simulate landscape change under four future development scenarios with the agent-based model Envision; (2) model resultant hydrological change using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT); and (3) assess scenario impacts on streamflow regimes using 10 flow metrics that encompass all major flow components. Our results projected significant flow regime changes in all three basins. Urbanization impacts aligned closely with increases in flow regime flashiness and severity of extreme flow events. Most changes were associated with negative impacts on native aquatic organisms in the Pacific Northwest. Scenario comparisons highlighted the importance of integrated stormwater management for reducing flow alterations, and secondarily, compact growth. Based on a flow metric sensitivity typology, six flow metrics were insensitive to development in multiple basins, and four were sensitive to development and manageable with mitigation in multiple basins. Only three metrics were ever sensitive to development and resistant to mitigation, and only in one basin each. Our findings call for regional flow-ecology research that identifies the ecological significance of each flow metric, explores potential remedies for resistant ones and develops specific targets for manageable ones.

Emissions and their drivers: sensitivity to economic growth and fossil fuel availability across world regions

This paper investigates the extent to which uncertainty on regional patterns of economic growth and fossil fuel availability impacts regional emission patterns, emission drivers, and regional mitigation potentials and strategies, through an analysis across five key world regions in different stages of their economic development (Africa, India, China, Europe and the USA) using a set of scenarios simulated with the REMIND model. Important differences are identified in emission trajectories of developed, emerging and developing regions, in both the baseline and the climate policy scenarios, due to differences in economic growth rates, energy and carbon intensity developments, and mitigation potentials. In the baseline, energy intensity developments vary strongly with economic growth assumptions, while fossil fuel availability has a particularly strong effect on carbon intensity developments which result in more region-specific sensitivity than do economic growth variations. On the other hand, the core findings associated to climate policy and regional mitigation strategies remain unaffected by this uncertainty. In all baseline scenarios China, the USA and India are the greatest emitters in terms of cumulated 21st century emissions, comprising almost 50 % of the global total. Differences in terms of per capita emissions between developed and developing countries persist under either baseline assumption, but are contracted under climate policy. Long-term per capita emissions remain above world average in China, India and Europe, reflecting their relatively smaller renewable resource potentials. The core regional technological implications of climate change mitigation are insensitive to economic growth and fossil fuel availability assumptions.

The Local Dynamics of Innovation - With Reference to Clusters Initiative in India

‘The Local Dynamics of Innovation in India’, is highly relevant in the regional growth patterns of India influenced by local actors and their interactions. They are unique and reflect the characteristics of each nation’s land, people and culture. These local dynamics is essential because it can provide valuable insight into ways that successful models of innovation have taken shape in different conditions for success.Transforming Indian Industrial clusters for inclusive growth and global competition is a unique approach that transforms the existing and established local industry associations. Each MSME industry cluster to catalyse, drive and sustain innovation activities to benefit the cluster. The article highlights about innovation clusters approach in India through MSMEs. Some of the sources for innovations in select states of India and types of innovation with some examples of rural entrepreneurs are highlighted in this article.

Regional Growth Patterns in the European Union

Abstract This paper assesses regional economic growth patterns in the European Union at NUTS2 level using changes in the GDP ranking. Choropleth maps are used to illustrate the changes in the ranking and the GDP growth rates in the period 2000-2011. In accordance with the neoclassical growth theory, the highest growth rates were recorded in the least developed regions of the newest EU member states suggesting a convergence process took place. Results show that the top five performers are regions containing the capital cities of Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria, which had not only a high growth rate but also a much higher starting position than the rest. In the same time, the economic relative performance of these regions was much higher than any other region in the respective country suggesting that they acted as regional poles where agglomeration economies take place.

Modeling the Sociospatial Constraints on Land-Use Change: The Case of Periurban Sprawl in the Greater Boston Region

Land-use-change drivers related to institutional dynamics, including historical path dependencies and political dynamics associated with urban land transformation, are difficult to relate to specific spatial locations and thus are not easily included in spatial models of urban land-use change. In this paper we describe a land-use model with variables representing such institutional dynamics in the Greater Boston region, a metropolitan area characterized by periurban sprawl, for the period 1985–99. An aggregate land-use model is developed at the municipal level, based on a narrative analysis drawn from in-depth interviews with town planners, state officials, and land developers, to explain land-development patterns documented over that study period using aerial photography. Explanatory variables, including town financial variables, school quality measures, and spatial variables associated with access and location, are linked to land-change outcomes through the selection environment framework, a framework borrowed from economic geography to describe how regional growth patterns are shaped by locally specific institutional, market, and spatial contexts that constrain individual land-use decision makers. Results of the analysis suggest that institutional dynamics associated with housing values and associated tax revenues, educational expenditures, and exclusive zoning practices significantly explain municipal land-use change in the suburban or periurban context.

Recessions, recoveries and regional resilience: evidence on Italy

This paper analyses regional resilience and local economic growth patterns in Italy over the past four decades. Place-specific transient and permanent effects of aggregate employment shocks are studied. Geographical asymmetries in engineering and ecological resilience are found, providing auxiliary insights on the rooted Italian regional inequalities. The territorial impact of different crises is investigated and a direct comparison with the UK case is offered. The importance of manufacturing activities for explaining economic resilience is assessed, finding out a positive relation between the resilience of the industrial sector and the overall local economic development. Some policy implications are conclusively discussed.

Overview of global, regional, and national routine vaccination coverage trends and growth patterns from 1980 to 2009: implications for vaccine-preventable disease eradication and elimination initiatives.

Review of the historical growth in annual vaccination coverage across countries and regions can better inform decision makers' development of future goals and strategies to improve routine vaccination services. Using the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund estimates of annual national third dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-containing vaccine (DTP3) and third dose of polio vaccine (POL3) coverage for 1980-2009, we calculated the mean absolute annual rate of change in national DTP3 coverage among all countries (globally) and among countries within each WHO region, as well as the number of years taken by each region to reach specific regional coverage levels. Last, we assessed differences in mean absolute annual rate of change in DTP3 coverage, stratified by baseline level of DTP3 coverage. During the 1980s, global DTP3 coverage increased a mean of 5.3 percentage points/year. Annual rate of change decreased to 0.5 percentage points/year in the 1990s and then increased to 0.9 percentage points/year during the 2000s. Mean annual rate of change in coverage across all countries was highest (9.2 percentage points) when national coverage levels were 26%-30% and lowest (-0.9 percentage points) when national coverage levels were 96%-100%. Regional differences existed as both WHO South-East Asia Region and WHO African Region countries experienced mean negative DTP3 coverage growth at lower coverage levels (81%-85%) than other regions. The regions that have achieved 95% DTP3 coverage (Americas, Western Pacific, and European) took 25-29 years to reach that level from a level of 50% DTP3 coverage. POL3 coverage change trends were similar to described DTP3 coverage change trends. Mean national coverage growth patterns across all regions are nonlinear as coverage levels increase. Saturation points of mean 0 percentage-point growth in annual coverage varies by region and require further investigation. The achievement of >90% routine coverage is observed to take decades, which has implications for disease eradication and elimination initiatives.

Assessing the Impact of Metropolitan-Level, County-Level, and Local-Level Built Environment on Travel Behavior: Evidence from 19 U.S. Urban Areas

Research on land use and travel behavior has been mostly focused on the effects of local land use as opposed to the overall form of metropolitan area, regional employment accessibility and growth pattern, and job-housing balance in the whole metro area. The present work attempts to shed some light on the overlooked impacts of metropolitan-level built environment on travel behavior. It presents results from structural equations modeling (SEM) analysis on the basis of data from 19 metropolitan areas across the United States to construct a systematic cause-effect relationship among macrolevel land use, regional mobility, and travel behavior. The results provide evidence on the direction and magnitude of these impacts and confirm the hypothesis that changing land use policies at the neighborhood/local level alone is not followed by a significant change in people’s travel behavior towards less driving. Effective land use policies are those which consider the overall form of urban areas and the composition of jobs and services in the entire region.

On the notion of regional economic resilience: conceptualization and explanation

Over the past few years a new buzzword has entered academic, political and public discourse: the notion of resilience, a term invoked to describe how an entity or system responds to shocks and disturbances. Although the concept has been used for some time in ecology and psychology, it is now invoked in diverse contexts, both as a perceived (and typically positive) attribute of an object, entity or system and, more normatively, as a desired feature that should somehow be promoted or fostered. As part of this development, the notion of resilience is rapidly becoming part of the conceptual and analytical lexicon of regional and local economic studies: there is increasing interest in the resilience of regional, local and urban economies. Further, resilience is rapidly emerging as an idea ‘whose time has come’ in policy debates: a new imperative of ‘constructing’ or ‘building’ regional and urban economic resilience is gaining currency. However, this rush to use the idea of regional and local economic resilience in policy circles has arguably run somewhat ahead of our understanding of the concept. There is still considerable ambiguity about what, precisely, is meant by the notion of regional economic resilience, about how it should be conceptualized and measured, what its determinants are, and how it links to patterns of long-run regional growth. The aim of this article is to address these and related questions on the meaning and explanation of regional economic resilience and thereby to outline the directions of a research agenda.

Openness to Globalization and Regional Growth Patterns inCEECountries: From theEUAccession to the Economic Crisis

AbstractIn the last decades a deep process of institutional reforms and economic reorganization took place in central and easternEUcountries (CEE). These changes occurred in a context of general economic integration. On the one hand, theEuropeanUnion enlargement programme was launched and allCEEcountries applied to becomeEUmember between 1994 and 1996. On the other hand, the globalization of the world economy characterized this historical phase. This article explores to what extent openness to global markets mediated the impact ofEUintegration on the economic performance ofCEEregions in different periods. The periods examined are defined by the main institutional changes that occurred on the road towardsEUintegration. Results show that globally open regions performed better than the others, at least in the first two periods analyzed.