Social Spatial Structure Research Articles

Hybrid game model for electricity trading and pricing among multiple microgrids and consumers based on demand-side complex networks

Local energy markets (LEMs) are pivotal for enhancing renewable energy consumption and facilitating green electricity by linking multiple microgrids (MMGs) and consumers. Existing studies often overlook the evolution of consumer purchasing strategies influenced by social spatial structures and social learning dynamics. This paper addresses this gap by introducing a hybrid game model for LEMs electricity trading and dynamic pricing, integrating demand-side complex network structures. This model encompasses dynamic interactions between MMGs and electricity and carbon markets, employing non-cooperative games among MMGs, complex network evolutionary game among consumers, and Stackelberg games between MMGs and consumers. It promotes efficient transactions and adaptive pricing through distributed algorithms optimizing equilibrium solutions. Key findings include: (1) Compared to Power-to-Grid and Peer-to-Peer models, our model increased MMGs' revenues by 44.10 % and 10.60 %, reduced consumers’ costs by 8.76 % and 1.15 %, and cut carbon emissions by 93.32 % and 77.30 %, significantly boosting economic and environmental benefits. (2) Complex network analysis underscores the importance of social learning in adjusting power consumption strategies and pricing mechanisms. (3) Multidimensional consumer decision-making enhances renewable energy valuation, fosters price competition among MMGs, and accelerates low-carbon transitions in LEMs, providing crucial theoretical support for LEM structure design and policy to enhance renewable energy use.

Comparative Study on Socio-Spatial Structures of the Typical Plain Cities of Chengdu and Beijing in Transitional China

China’s socioeconomic transformation and rapid urbanization since the end of the 20th Century have had an important impact on the social spatial structure of large cities. Social differentiation within cities is becoming increasingly prominent. Using detailed data gathered by the Fifth National Population Census of 2000, this study compares the social spatial structure and dynamic mechanisms of the core areas of the cities of Beijing and Chengdu. Factorial ecology analysis is used at the mesoscale to explore the following research questions: ‘How did factors shape the social spaces of two cities with similar topography but at different stages of development during China’s transition from a planned to a market economy?’; and ‘Are the traditional Western theories of socio-spatial interpretation equally applicable to China?’. The results show that Chengdu exhibits a combination of a concentric circle, fan-shaped, and multi-core socio-spatial structure, while Beijing shows a fan-shaped structure. In 2000, influenced by its overall level and stage of socioeconomic development, Beijing was experiencing a faster socio-spatial transformation than Chengdu, and the driving effect of capital on social differentiation and spatial competition was more obvious. The main dynamic mechanisms driving the formation of socio-spatial structures in Beijing and Chengdu include the natural environmental foundation, historical inheritance, urban planning, housing policies, and international influence. The three major variables in the study of traditional Western social spaces, namely economy, family, and ethnic status, were confirmed as applicable to our two case study cities with socioeconomic status as measured by occupation and housing conditions exerting the strongest effect. This perspective of comparing different cities in the same transitional period offers unique insights in identifying the key drivers of socio-spatial differentiation and polarization and their relative magnitude of effect, while enriching the catalog of empirical urban social space research both in China and in the rest of the world.

Geographical structure of the local segregation of migrants in (sub)urban China

Unprecedented urbanisation in China has profoundly reshaped the country’s social-spatial structure. Owing to economic suburbanisation and urban redevelopment processes, migrants coming from rural areas are increasingly concentrated in suburbs rather than city centres. Against this backdrop, this paper focuses on residential segregation between migrants and locals, and on geographical (re)structuring between the city centre and suburb. Theil’s H Index is used to disaggregate the migrant segregation of each municipality into a within-suburb, a within-centre and a between-centre-suburb component. We use Census data for 258 municipalities in 2000 and 2010; we find that migrant segregation increased in this period. We ascribe this to the increasing segregation of migrants in suburban areas, which offsets the increasingly balanced distribution of migrants between the city centre and suburb. Segregation in city centres also increased slightly in this period. Unexpectedly, less economically developed municipalities, defined by their per capita GDP, tend to be more segregated than their more developed counterparts. Less developed municipalities also have a higher level of suburban employment and housing opportunities in the whole municipality, but feature more segregated suburban spaces and a polarised distribution of migrants between the centre and suburb.

Evidence of the Relationship between Social Vulnerability and the Spread of COVID-19 in Urban Spaces.

Modeling the social-spatial structure of urban spaces can facilitate the development of guidelines aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic while also acting as an instrument that helps decision-making concerning mitigation policies. The modeling process starts with categorization of urban spaces based on the concept of social vulnerability. A model is created based on this concept and the theory of analysis of social areas. Statistical techniques of factor analysis and geostatistics are applied. This generates a map of social differentiation that, when related to data on the evolution of the contagion, generates a multidimensional model of social vulnerability. The application of this model towards people (social structure) and the environment where they live (spatial structure) is specified. Our model assumes the uniqueness of cities, and it is intended to be a broadly applicable model that can be extrapolated to other urban areas if pertinent revisions are made. Our work demonstrates that aspects of the social and urban structures may be validly used to analyze and explain the spatial spread of COVID-19.

Social-spatial network structures and community ties of egocentric sex and confidant networks: A Chicago case study

Exploring how sexual and confidant networks overlap spatially and socially could facilitate a better understanding of sexually transmitted infection risk, as well as help identify areas for interventions. This study aims to examine how a sexual and peer-affiliate network is impacted or shaped by interconnected social relationships and spatial patterns. We used data collected from a sample of 618 young black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) and transgender women in Chicago (2013–2014) that includes partner and confidant links, geolocations, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) awareness. We spatialize different types of social networks and examine joint social-spatial community ties to both identify and differentiate social-spatial behavioral patterns. We explore the spatial structures of the social network by comparing ego-alter network residence patterns, visualizing ego-alter community ties in aggregate, and grouping different types of dyad relationships based on their spatial structure. Findings showed overlapping social and sexual networks. Egos with partners residing in more resourced communities furthest away, with wider alter-ego power differentials, also tended to be at greatest risk. Identifying the social-spatial structures of community ties is critical to enhance our understanding of the spatial context of social relationships, and further distill risk heterogeneity in vulnerable populations within an equitable health framework.

Evolution of Clustering Quantified by a Stochastic Method—Case Studies on Natural and Human Social Structures

Clustering structures appearing from small to large scales are ubiquitous in the physical world. Interestingly, clustering structures are omnipresent in human history too, ranging from the mere organization of life in societies (e.g., urbanization) to the development of large-scale infrastructure and policies for meeting organizational needs. Indeed, in its struggle for survival and progress, mankind has perpetually sought the benefits of unions. At the same time, it is acknowledged that as the scale of the projects grows, the cost of the delivered products is reduced while their quantities are maximized. Thus, large-scale infrastructures and policies are considered advantageous and are constantly being pursued at even great scales. This work develops a general method to quantify the temporal evolution of clustering, using a stochastic computational tool called 2D-C, which is applicable for the study of both natural and human social spatial structures. As case studies, the evolution of the structure of the universe, of ecosystems and of human clustering structures such as urbanization, are investigated using novel sources of spatial information. Results suggest the clear existence both of periods of clustering and declustering in the natural world and in the human social structures; yet clustering is the general trend. In view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, societal challenges arising from large-scale clustering structures are discussed.

On the Path of Community Social Capital Cultivation Based on Social Work Project

At present, with the social transformation and system transformation in our country, the urban social spatial structure has changed dramatically. Community is the most basic element of social organism, and also one of the most concentrated social regional spaces of various social conflicts and contradictions. The paradigm of community social capital is highly consistent with the current situation of community development in China. The cultivation of community social capital is not only from the practical difficulties and policy guidance in community governance, but also from the needs of public service function transfer. This paper interprets the social capital of the community from the three elements of network, norm and trust, defines the structure of social capital and the construction of specific indicators in the community level, and analyzes the current situation and reasons for the lack of social capital in the community. From the perspective of social work, this paper discusses the cultivation path of community social capital based on community service projects by using the intervention strategy of asset-based model, multi-party linkage subject and cross-border cooperation mode.

Transition from factor-driven to innovation-driven urbanization in China: A study of manufacturing industry automation in Dongguan City

Following the reform and opening up of China, the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region became a center of foreign investment due to its comparative advantages of cheap labor costs and low land use prices. The tide of migrant workers, comprising a large surplus rural labor force that flooded into the PRD region, caused a rapid increase in the urban population. From the 1980s to the 2000s, migrant workers were a key force that drove urbanization in China. The utilization of automation technology in production since the 2010s has increased the number of unemployed laborers and shifted the dynamics of urbanization. This study investigated how automation is applied in production processes and its effects on different industries, namely, those related to textiles, electronic information, and home electrical appliance manufacturing; specifically we sought to examine the complex relationship among automation, the labor forces, and urbanization by illustrating the implementation of automation in production processes and its influence on labor forces and urbanization. This study revealed that companies in different industries implement automation to differing degrees and through varied upgrading paths. All industries can ultimately achieve technological transformation and cross-industry development. For labor forces, automation exerts two simultaneous folded effects, namely, the direct replacement of low- to middle-skilled workers and the creation of new jobs. The penetration of automation into manufacturing industries has changed the dynamics of urbanization and the social spatial structure of cities, leading to a polarization of the labor forces and the emergence of “dual cities”.

An assessment of urban park access in Shanghai – Implications for the social equity in urban China

The question whether urban green resources are equitably distributed across different social groups is a major concern of social equity and environmental justice for both governments and scholars. This topic is particularly relevant for rapidly developing countries such as China where inequality is growing. This paper examines whether and to what extent the distribution of urban park services is equitable for marginalised population in China. We choose Shanghai as the case study and took into account three dimensions of group delineation, namely demographic characteristics, social economic status and social spatial structure. We employ the spatial clustering method to assess the similarities and differences of the association between the spatial patterns of accessibility to urban parks among different social groups. Interestingly, we found that vulnerable groups are favoured over more affluent citizens. Local municipal endeavours have ensured that the access to Shanghai’s parks remains socially equitable. Additionally, we attributed it to the path dependence of China’s socialism legacy before the market-oriented reforms.

The Relationship of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Differences and Racial Residential Segregation to Childhood Blood Lead Levels in Metropolitan Detroit.

This study uses a new approach to assess the impact of different neighborhood characteristics on blood lead levels (BLLs) of black versus white children in metropolitan Detroit. Data were obtained from the Michigan Department of Community Health and the US Bureau of the Census American Community Survey. The Modified Darden-Kamel Composite Socioeconomic Index, bivariate regression, and the index of dissimilarity were used to compute neighborhood BLL unevenness by neighborhood characteristics. Neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic characteristics and high racial residential segregation predicted higher average childhood BLLs. This reveals a social spatial structure that will aid researchers/policymakers in better understanding disparities in childhood BLLs.

Európa modern egységesülése és tagozódása

Even from the beginning of Gyula Horvath’s research career, European regional processes and policies played a central role for him. With this study, the authors salute his memory. This paper studies the continent’s most important geographic, economic, social and political dimensions, and its changing territorial structure after World War II. It describes the social-spatial structure’s permanent and variable elements and the changes in regional development inequalities on different territorial levels. Furthermore, it analyzes in detail the geographic dimensions determining macro-regional divisions and the factors producing differentiations along the cardinal directions and center-periphery relations. The paper cites generalized graphical spatial structure models of the continent which are often used in scientific and political papers to illustrate and highlight spatial differences. The paper looks through the in-country territorial levels and spatial subdivisions, the differences between the roles of the regional units, and the changes of spatial differentiation. Besides presenting the main periods, objectives and tools of EU regional policy, it also analyzes the financial transfers within the Community during the 2004–2014 period. We think that in some countries the social and political evaluation of this theme is too much one-sided. Furthermore, in many cases, other important parts of social management (e.g. the idea and the institutions of territorial decentralization) or the evaluation of the market’s determining role and territorial effects took a back seat. As these mechanisms’ combined effects, there is a negative correlation between the countries’ development level and their degree of inter-regional development inequality. In the more developed central countries the regional inequalities are lower than in the peripheral ones, and in most of the latter countries, the dominant trend is an increase of territorial (and social) differentiations. This paper disputes the newly modified European and Hungarian regional policies’ onesided focus on cities because it threatens its another often cited objective of territorial cohesion. The study highlights the importance of the continent’s global and the national legislation’s still dominant role in territorial governance. According to the paper, the changing role of the borders is a significant problem area in the continent's modern history and actual situation.

The determinants of the commuting burden of low-income workers: evidence from Beijing

The commuting burdens of disadvantaged groups have recently become a renewed topic of concern with social inequities and just city. It is widely believed that social restrictions and individual’s self-etermined actions become more important determinants of low-income workers’ commuting costs than spatial constraints. However, it is doubtable to recognise the belief as a ‘universal’ truth since the evidences for this are still fragmented and particularly are dominated by cases from the Western-developed countries. This paper reports on an initial investigation into low-income workers’ commuting burden and its determinants in a rapidly developing city, looking at the case of Beijing. Spatial constraints caused by uncontrolled urban sprawl, an insufficiency of affordable housing and lower levels of public transport services are still major factors leading to additional commuting time for low-income workers, in particular, for those who travel by public transit. Individuals’ preferences for housing have effects on low-income workers’ commuting times. For the car users, the effects are greater than that spatial constraints have. However, a preference for greater proximity to the workplace rather than a better quality living environment in a community has a significant influence on low-income workers’ commuting times. It suggests the basic need for housing and jobs explains the greater commuting burden on low-income workers. Thus, today’s commuting burden in China for low-income workers could be generally understood by social–spatial structure rather than social–cultural forces. But it seems that the impacts of individual’s self-determined actions on commuting burden will increase in the context of individualisation of the society in China.

Friendship, reciprocation, and interchange in an individual-based model

Reciprocation and interchange of grooming and support may emerge as a consequence of the socio-spatial structure of the group through which individuals interact with certain partners more frequently than with others. This is shown in a computational model of grouping, fighting, and grooming, called Groofiworld. In this case, no specific mechanism of exchange is needed, such as described in calculated reciprocity or emotional bookkeeping. One of the drawbacks of this model, GroofiWorld, however, is that it lacks social bonding, a factor that may play an important role in real societies of primates. To investigate the effect of social bonding on exchange relations, in the present study, we add ‘social bonding’ to the model ‘GrooFiWorld.’ In the new model, called ‘FriendsWorld,’ social bonds or ‘friends’ are defined as the top 25 % grooming partners and individuals are given a tendency to follow their friends. Note that they do not intend to reciprocate or interchange social services with friends. Results show that this mechanism of ‘follow-your-friends,’ not only increases social interactions among top grooming partners, but also strengthens the patterns of reciprocation and interchange. Our findings suggest that, in real primates, reciprocation and interchange may emerge as a side-effect of the social–spatial structure of the group and subsequently be strengthened by social bonding as represented in FriendsWorld. We give predictions that distinguish between the mechanism of ‘follow-your-friends’ and emotional bookkeeping.

Social-spatial structure of Beijing: a spatial-temporal analysis

In the past couple of post-reform decades of rapid urban growth of Chinese cities, Beijing experienced dramatic spatial and socio-economic transformation. This study aims to examine the evolution of Beijing’s social-spatial structure in the transforming process over the past 20 years. We first collect and process Beijing’s socio-demographic variables at the level of sub-district in three years between 1990 and 2009. Then a two-step spatial clustering approach is taken for spatial data mining of the spatial structures of social areas in the three time periods. Results are visualised in GIS. Finally, the interpretation of the analysis result is provided, followed by a discussion of policy implications for the development of a socially sustainable municipality.

European post-socialist cities and their near hinterland in intra-urban geography literature

AbstractOver 180 articles concerning urban geography aspects of European post-socialist cities and their near hinterland, published between 1990-2012 in international journals, were selected for the analysis in this paper. Statistics of articles by journals, analysed cities (and their countries) and authors proves the preponderance of research on post-socialist Central European capitals, especially Berlin, Prague and Budapest, followed by Leipzig and Łodź, as well as Moscow and Tallinn. It also proves that the number of domestic authors and those who moved from post-socialist Europe to Western universities gradually increased, while the number of authors from the West decreased. The analysis of representations of article topics, their explanations and justifications were carried out in the second part of the paper. The most frequent article topics include ‘social spatial structure of the city and its transformation’, followed by ‘urban planning and management in the city’ and ’suburbanisation and urban sprawl in the near hinterland of the city’. A smaller number of articles refers to ‘physical spatial structure of the city and its transformation’, ‘housing structure in urban neighbourhoods in connection with changes in housing policy and market’ and ‘functional spatial structure of the city and its transformation’. Indexes of the articles are part of this paper

Cultural heritage, sustainable forest management and property in inland Spain

Corporation woodlands are a cultural and natural heritage of traditional rural collectivism and of the land use system that prevailed in central Spain during the Middle Ages. Corporation woodlands have survived due to the permanence of traditional cultures in a depressed rural society, where social relationships at the local level have remained important. The collective private woodlands have substantial problems adapting to the current legal framework and the socio-political context. Nevertheless, as social-spatial structures where traditional knowledge and social participation endure, they are a very valuable asset for rural development in central Spain through sustainable forest management. The aim of this paper is to provide a territorial viewpoint and assessment of corporative woodlands in the province of Soria, which is one of the most extensively forested provinces in Spain and has a strong collective private forest heritage. Corporative woodlands now exist in a great variety of forms resulting from the origin of land tenure, land ownership and land use rights, as well as social conflicts linked to difficulties with their legal status and how they are organised. How these factors have conditioned current woodland heritage will be analysed.

Sozialräumlicher Wandel in der Agglomeration Zürich

Abstract Segregation within the metropolitan area of Zurich follows two main dimensions: status and lifestyle. Low-status living areas are clearly segregated from high-status residential areas located mainly along the Lake of Zurich. The regional distribution of immigrants does mirror this pattern almost perfectly, i. e., high- and low-status immigrants typically share the neighborhood with their Swiss counterparts. Lifestyle and standards of living create another important division between different groups of people. Within the conurbation of Zurich, an almost continuous concentric transition from individualistic styles of living in its center, towards a more family-oriented lifestyle at its periphery can be observed. Between 1990 and 2000, the social spatial structure of the metropolitan area changed considerably. Above all, the status of the core city districts increased distinctly compared with the suburban areas.

Microhabitat use and social structure in Linnet Carduelis cannabina and Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra at a winter roost in central Spain

Capsule Both species selected particular patches for roosting, and Linnets but not Corn Buntings showed a social structure with males occupying the preferred roosting positions. Aims To evaluate microhabitat preferences of Linnet and Corn Bunting within a winter communal roost, and to examine roost structure according to sex, age and body size. Methods We captured Linnets and Corn Buntings along a habitat gradient in a reed-bed in central Spain when they were coming to roost. Each bird was sexed, aged, and several body traits were measured. We also characterized the habitat patches where the birds were trapped and grouped patches according to their similarity. Results Three groups of patches were defined according to reed structure. Linnets preferred patches with low density of high and thick shoots, while Corn Buntings preferably used patches with intermediate values for these variables. Interspecific competition for preferred positions was not evident. Male Linnets were proportionately more abundant in the preferred patches, and individuals in lower body condition, independent of sex, age or body size, occupied the non-preferred patches. Male Corn Buntings were less abundant, bigger in size, and showed better condition than females, although differences in body size and condition were not apparent among patches within the roost. Conclusion Our results suggest that among-patch differences in structure and location within a reed-bed generate microhabitats that differ in quality for roosting passerines. This habitat heterogeneity in turn seems to be responsible for the social spatial structure observed in Linnets, in which females and individuals in poor physiological condition were displaced, possibly through competition, towards non-preferred positions. The relatively small body size of Linnets compared to Corn Buntings might explain Linnets' preference for patches that seem to provide more protection against harsh weather conditions.

The Structure of Social Space in Beijing in 1998: A Socialist City in Transition

The 1984 urban reforms in China introduced an urban land market and a housing market to Chinese cities and had profound impacts on urban structures. Using data from a 1998 survey and other sources in Beijing at the subdistrict (jiedao) level, this research found that differentiations of social areas were taking place in Beijing after over a decade of urban reforms. Unlike western cities with socioeconomic status and family status as dominant forces in forming social areas, Beijing began to experience the impact of differentiation of socioeconomic status (e.g., income gaps), and the family structure factor was ineffective in Beijing because of decades of family planning. Factor analysis revealed four factors that underlay the social-spatial structure in Beijing: (1) land-use intensity as the dominant factor displaying a concentric zonal pattern, (2) neighborhood dynamics, mainly composed of the floating population ratio, featuring a sectoral pattern, (3) socioeconomic status exhibiting a combination of sectoral and zonal patterns, and (4) ethnicity resembling a multiple nuclei pattern. Superimposing the four factors generated a complex urban mosaic in Beijing. Cluster analysis was used to classify the subdistricts into nine different social areas.

Espacios y movilidad de la gente negra en el Pacífico Sur colombiano: ¿hacia la construcción de una "sociedad regional"?

En Colombia, la Constitución de 1991 y la Ley 70 de 1993 reconocen derechos territoriales a las poblaciones negras ribereñas del Pacífico, al atribuirles títulos colectivos sobre territorios ancestralmente ocupados y explotados, previa organización de los campesinos en "Consejos comunitarios" encargados de manejar los territorios en el futuro. El artículo explora las transformaciones que esto implica en la organización regional, basándose en un análisis espacial que recalca tres modelos de estructura socio-espacial. Se puede así combinar tiempos y espacios, y analizar el papel que los distintos actores sociales, económicos y políticos juegan en estas transformaciones.