Socio-spatial Factors Research Articles

Socio-Spatial Aspects of Shrinking Municipalities: A Case Study of the Post-Communist Region of North-East Poland

Urban shrinkage has become a common feature for a growing number of European cities and urban regions. Cities in Europe have lost populations during the previous few decades, many of them in the post-communist countries. A similar phenomenon has been observed in smaller units: municipalities and villages. Shrinking towns/municipalities/villages grapple with insufficiently used housing infrastructure, a decrease in labor force, investment and in the number of jobs. This analysis examines the socio-spatial factors present in municipalities in the north-east of Poland, which are expected to experience the greatest population decrease by 2030. The study focused mainly on determinants with the greatest impact on the good life standards. It also sought to answer why the population growth forecasts for these units are so unpromising. The findings have shown that the majority of determinants adopted in the conceptual model describing the good life standards are below the reference values. The applied taxonomic measure of good life standards (TMGL) method allowed for identifying five municipality clusters representing “different speeds” at which these forecasts are fulfilled. Two clusters have dominant determinants in five criteria and three clusters, in two criteria adopted in the conceptual model. The findings indicate that approx. 35% of the municipalities under analysis have a chance for stabilization of the population size, provided local stakeholders take some targeted actions.

‘Everyone’s just like, they’re fine, and when in reality, are we?’ Stories about recess from children experiencing disability

ABSTRACT Recess can be a valuable and significant experience in children’s lives, providing opportunities for outdoor free play and engagement with peers; however, children experiencing disability often withdraw or are excluded during recess. The recess context has received little attention from an inclusion perspective and the voices of children experiencing disability remain marginalized in the literature. Guided by relational ethics, the purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of children experiencing disability regarding inclusion during recess using qualitative multiple-case study informed by narrative approaches. Three children experiencing disability, ages 8, 9 and 11, attending integrated primary schools, participated. Data were generated through one-on-one semi-structured interviews, drawings, photo elicitation, mind-mapping, field notes and reflexive journaling. The discussion focuses on the following questions: (1) What is recess really about and who is it for?, (2) How do peers and teachers come into play? and (3) What remains inaccessible? The findings encourage critical reflection on the socio-spatial factors that contribute to feelings of inclusion at recess for children experiencing disability. This work adds knowledge to developing supportive environments and practices in recess and free play that resonate with the desires and needs of children experiencing disability.

Measuring accessibility to hospitals by public transport: An assessment of eight Canadian metropolitan regions

IntroductionThe ability to access healthcare services has long been considered a ‘right’ by Canadian citizens and is protected as such under the Canada Health Act. However, socio-spatial factors can limit access to healthcare services, especially for vulnerable populations. This paper aims to quantify the spatial accessibility to healthcare services by public transport across eight major Canadian metropolitan areas and compare accessibility to healthcare across vulnerable population groups. This is the first study, to the authors’ knowledge, to conduct an assessment of accessibility to hospitals by public transport across multiple metropolitan regions in Canada, thereby allowing to identify common trends, challenges, as well as knowledge gaps. MethodsSpatial accessibility to general medical and surgical hospitals by public transport was measured through a two-step floating catchment area method, considering both service-to-population ratios and travel time to these health services. For each metropolitan area, the average accessibility of all census tracts and the average accessibility of the 20% most vulnerable census tracts were calculated. To quantify vertical equity, an indicator was subsequently developed using the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient between accessibility and vulnerability. Main findingsWithin metropolitan areas (except for Vancouver), residents of vulnerable census tracts generally have greater access to hospitals by public transport. Yet, larger metropolitan areas (Calgary, Toronto-Hamilton, and Vancouver) tend to underperform in terms of vertical equity and average accessibility. In line with this, vulnerable census tracts in these metropolitan areas are characterized by the lowest levels of accessibility compared to vulnerable census tracts in the other metropolitan areas. ConclusionThis research highlights the challenges associated with the suburbanization of poverty in large Canadian metropolitan regions and the need to provide efficient public transport services to reach hospitals located in the periphery. It also shed lights on the necessity to conduct more empirical research to inform the implementation of guidelines in terms of accessibility to healthcare in Canada. This study is of relevance to researchers, planners and policy-makers wishing to improve accessibility to healthcare, especially for vulnerable populations.

Anyone Can Do YouTube, but Not Everyone Can Do Public Access: Urban Politics, Production Tools, and a Communications Infrastructure to Call Home

Scholars have recognized how new information and communication technologies (ICTs) have reduced and transformed barriers to producing and circulating community-based media. Yet community media projects tend to apply these technologies within established communities whose histories have been shaped by broader socio-spatial factors. This article draws from critical geography and studies of technology and infrastructure to reconceptualize the problem of media accessibility. Rather than programs for addressing disparities in technology or training, community media projects would benefit from recognizing how significantly their media production activities rely on local communication infrastructures and a collective sense of home. This article uses a case study of public access television in San Francisco to demonstrate how cable and telecommunications policy, urban redevelopment, and community-based media groups co-constitutively determine a scale of political extensibility by providing broader access to decision-making arenas beyond local TV programming.

Production and Marketing of Agricultural Crops in Rural Areas of Madhya Pradesh

The production and marketing of agricultural crops play an important role of developing countries. It is also accelerating the pace of economic development. It is not only an economic link between the producers and consumers; it maintains a balance between demand and supply. The study examined the production and marketing of agricultural crops through rural markets and the price structure of different crops in rural markets of the Hoshangaabad District. It also highlighted the composition and structure of sellers and traders engaged in the marketing process. Local rural markets are the best option for the marginal and small farmers to dispose of their perishable surplus to get quick returns. Due to the lack of good infrastructural facilities in the study area, most of the farmers prefer local rural markets instead of going to the specialized markets or near-by town area. The average price of the individual crops also varies from market to market due to the various socio-spatial factors. The average participation of crop producer sellers have been recorded high due to the main Mandi is well connected to rural areas, private warehouse available, selling in Madhya Pradesh co-operative society where every 20 km radius in the study area. Keywords: Production, Marketing, Agricultural crops, Rural markets DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/68-03 Publication date: May 31 st 2020

The Socio-Spatial Contexts of HIV Risk for People Who Inject Drugs in Public Spaces in Nigeria

This article explores the socio-spatial factors shaping HIV risk for people who inject in public settings in Nigeria. It draws on thematic coding and analysis of qualitative interview accounts of people who inject drugs (PWID) in public spaces ( n = 29) recruited via snowball sampling. Drug injecting took place in diverse spaces (“bunks,” uncompleted buildings, motor parks, and night life environments) that enabled PWID to conceal illicit drug use in public settings. Public injecting resulted from intersecting socio-structural factors, including housing instability, resource constraints, and marginalized forms of drug use. Conversely, the practice was preferred as a beneficial and socially meaningful experience. Although PWID recognized the risks associated with public injecting and enacted risk reduction practices (e.g., using sterile syringes, rinsing syringes), risk reduction was undermined by socio-spatial factors including social discrimination, lack of essential amenities to enable safe injecting, poor access to sterile injecting equipment, and fear of disclosure and police arrests. These factors reproduced an environment of pervasive risk that compromised risk reduction and fostered risky practices such as rushing injection and sharing injecting equipment. There exists a need to create enabling environments for health by enabling access to secure accommodation, implementing safe injecting environment interventions, and exercising discretion in policing to enable access to essential harm reduction services for PWID.

Razões da ausência de associação entre sucesso escolar e capital social na Escola Judith Bezerra de Melo - Natal/RN

A literatura registra uma associação positiva entre o sucesso escolar e o capital social de alunos da educação básica. Causa estranheza a inferência, lastreada em parte dos achados empíricos resultantes de pesquisa realizada na Escola Estadual Professora Judith Bezerra de Melo – Natal/RN, de que não haveria associação entre o bom desempenho em língua portuguesa dos alunos da 2ª série do ensino médio dessa escola e o capital social existente na rede pessoal deles. Para realizar uma espécie de crítica interna aos inusitados achados empíricos dessa pesquisa, o arcabouço teórico e metodológico da análise de redes sociais mostrou-se o mais apropriado. As repostas mais prováveis para essa ausência de associação entre sucesso escolar e capital social admitem a seguinte discriminação: i) o sucesso escolar depende da natureza da relação que o aluno mantém com o saber; ii) as métricas de capital social podem ser insuficientes para captar, em sua plenitude, a associação entre as duas variáveis; iii) a singularidade, a diversidade, a incerteza, as trajetórias inesperadas que afloram do campo das possibilidades individualizantes, tecido pelas conexões entre espaço e redes pessoais, sinalizam certos fatores de ordem socioespacial que condicionam e singularizam as distintas formas de sociabilidade; e iv) as pesquisas referentes à aplicação dos princípios educativos da nova pedagogia em alguns países europeus revelam como principais fatores do sucesso escolar a pedagogia do esforço e a qualidade do professor.

So near and yet so far - socio-spatial factors affecting service accessibility

ABSTRACTConventionally, social service planners conduct statistical analyses on service data for future planning. However, the limitations are their neglect of the spatial characteristics of these social data and their effects. All human activities have social and spatial dimensions. Social service provision is no exception. In this study, the authors suggest a socio-spatial framework in term of understanding service accessibility. A questionnaire survey was conducted and 491 participants, users and non-users, were interviewed. The results show that both spatial and social capital factors affect service accessibility. The study can help better service planning in densely-populated Asian metropolis like Hong Kong.

Interindividual spacing affects the finder’s share in ring-tailed coatis (Nasua nasua)

Abstract Social foraging models are often used to explain how group size can affect an individual’s food intake rate and foraging strategies. The proportion of food eaten before the arrival of conspecifics, the finder’s share, is hypothesized to play a major role in shaping group geometry, foraging strategy, and feeding competition. The variables that affect the finder’s share in ring-tailed coatis were tested using a series of food trials. The number of grapes in the food trials had a strong negative effect on the finder’s share and the probability that the finder was joined. The effect of group size on the finder’s share and foraging success was not straightforward and was mediated by sociospatial factors. The finder’s share increased when the time to arrival of the next individual was longer, the group was more spread out, and the finder was in the back of the group. Similarly, the total amount of food eaten at a trial was higher when more grapes were placed, arrival time was longer, and the number of joiners was smaller. Individuals at the front edge of the group found far more food trials, but foraging success was higher at the back of the group where there were fewer conspecifics to join them. This study highlights the importance of social spacing strategies and group geometry on animal foraging tactics and the costs and benefits of sociality.

UrbanSocialRadar: A place-aware social matching model for estimating serendipitous interaction willingness in Korean cultural context

Abstract In the era of perpetual digital connectedness, information and communication technology has significantly altered the way people communicate and interact with each other. Nonetheless, the computer-mediated communication should only complement offline communication rather than substituting it, as the resultant online ties are not as strong as face-to-face ties. In an effort to understand the motives in making offline social interactions real and ultimately to predict willingness to engage in serendipitous interactions with people encountered in a public place, we propose a place-aware social matching model driven by interpersonal factors (i.e., similarity, complementarity, and intimacy) and socio-spatial factors (i.e., place sociability, information acquisition expectancy, and perceived personal space in a place). Through a web-based social matching survey experiment (N = 1139 matches from 99 participants in Korea) based on a bogus stranger paradigm, we examine the interrelationship between those factors and the interaction willingness using a series of multiple regression analyses and build a prediction model by devising predictive features based on several machine learning models. From this, we find that both factors have statistically significant influence on interaction willingness, yet interpersonal factors have a higher relative importance than the socio-spatial factors. The interesting point is that the predictive power of these factors varies according to the place characteristics and the level of interaction willingness. We also empirically test the predictability of the model built from the controlled lab experiment through real-world experiments. The results reveal that the proposed model predicts interaction willingness in a real world with under 21% error rate within the Korean cultural context. Findings have implications for the design of mobile social networking systems that endeavor to facilitate serendipitous interactions.

A socio-spatial perspective of multi-dimensional poverty in Delta state, Nigeria

This paper examined the socio-spatial factors influencing the severity of multi-dimensional poverty at the household level with a view to untangle the variations over space. Studies of multi-dimensional poverty at the household level rarely focus on multiple deprivations, poverty severity and variation in the distribution of multi-dimensional poverty. Stratified sampling technique was adopted while 2521 households were randomly selected for the survey. Geographical information system (GIS), principal component analysis (PCA) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine urban poverty variations experienced. Multi-dimensional poverty was measured based on deprivations in more than 50% of multi-dimensional indicators adopted. The most deprived households were found in delta south senatorial district with a severity index of 1729. The severity index of deprived households varies from 0.1729 in Delta South Senatorial District to 0.1463 in Delta North to 0.1418 in Delta Central along education, health and living standard dimensions. The result of the ANOVA based on further analysis of the extracted components in the PCA is statistically significant at p ≤ 0.001 with F value of (F = 527.305). Identification of different poverty categories and inclusion of the multi-dimensionally poor in poverty reduction policies is vital to the eradication of poverty in Delta state.

Micro-epidemiology of mixed-species malaria infections in a rural population living in the Colombian Amazon region

Malaria outbreaks have been reported in recent years in the Colombian Amazon region, malaria has been re-emerging in areas where it was previously controlled. Information from malaria transmission networks and knowledge about the population characteristics influencing the dispersal of parasite species is limited. This study aimed to determine the distribution patterns of Plasmodium vivax, P. malariae and P. falciparum single and mixed infections, as well as the significant socio-spatial groupings relating to the appearance of such infections. An active search in 57 localities resulted in 2,106 symptomatic patients being enrolled. Parasitaemia levels were assessed by optical microscopy, and parasites were detected by PCR. The association between mixed infections (in 43.2% of the population) and socio-spatial factors was modelled using logistic regression and multiple correspondence analyses. P. vivax occurred most frequently (71.0%), followed by P. malariae (43.2%), in all localities. The results suggest that a parasite density-dependent regulation model (with fever playing a central role) was appropriate for modelling the frequency of mixed species infections in this population. This study highlights the under-reporting of Plasmodium spp. mixed infections in the malaria-endemic area of the Colombian Amazon region and the association between causative and environmental factors in such areas.

Socio-Spatial Factors Affecting Household Recycling in Townhouses in Pretoria, South Africa

Although social factors affecting recycling have been widely researched, the effect of spatial and physical factors posed by medium-density housing, such as townhouses, is less understood. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the relative effect of three sets of factors on household recycling in townhouses are examined, including ‘attitude’ (about recycling), ‘subjective norm’ (social pressure), and ‘perceived behaviour control’ (ability to recycle). A questionnaire survey of 300 households was conducted in Equestria, an enclosed middle-income residential estate consisting of several townhouse complexes. Confirmatory factor analysis verified the three factor measurement model for recycling participation. Both recyclers and non-recyclers showed positive attitudes toward recycling and felt social pressure to recycle. Non-recyclers, however, felt significantly less able to recycle. Most recyclers as well as non-recyclers indicated that certain proposals for increasing recycling may cause them to recycle more, in particular a system through which the management agency arranges access for a recycling company to collect recyclables from strategically located collection points inside the complex. Urban planning and design recommendations for facilitating recycling in townhouses are discussed.

Introduction history overrides social factors in explaining genetic structure of females in Mediterranean mouflon.

Fine‐scale spatial genetic structure of populations results from social and spatial behaviors of individuals such as sex‐biased dispersal and philopatry. However, the demographic history of a given population can override such socio‐spatial factors in shaping genetic variability when bottlenecks or founder events occurred in the population. Here, we investigated whether socio‐spatial organization determines the fine‐scale genetic structure for both sexes in a Mediterranean mouflon (Ovis gmelini musimon × Ovis sp.) population in southern France 60 years after its introduction. Based on multilocus genotypes at 16 loci of microsatellite DNA (n = 230 individuals), we identified three genetic groups for females and two for males, and concurrently defined the same number of socio‐spatial units using both GPS‐collared individuals (n = 121) and visual resightings of marked individuals (n = 378). The socio‐spatial and genetic structures did not match, indicating that the former was not the main driver of the latter for both sexes. Beyond this structural mismatch, we found significant, yet low, genetic differentiation among female socio‐spatial groups, and no genetic differentiation in males, with this suggesting female philopatry and male‐biased gene flow, respectively. Despite spatial disconnection, females from the north of the study area were genetically closer to females from the south, as indicated by the spatial analysis of the genetic variability, and this pattern was in accordance with the common genetic origin of their founders. To conclude, more than 14 generations later, genetic signatures of first introduction are not only still detectable among females, but they also represent the main factor shaping their present‐time genetic structure.

Spatial nature of urban well-being

ABSTRACTThe evidence for connections between subjective well-being and spatial factors remains inconclusive, especially with respect to the immediate living environment. To fill this gap, this paper explores the relationship between individual-level subjective well-being and spatial variables in urban areas. This resolution is achieved by utilizing finely divided geographical information system (GIS)-based neighbourhood data, and controlling for objective and subjective spatial characteristics, as well as socio-spatial factors. The results suggest that subjective well-being has some spatial nature, but the direction of these relationships is highly dependent on the subjective well-being measure used. For example, central pedestrian zones flourish in terms of quality of life, whereas the highest happiness is reported in car-oriented zones. Overall, subjective spatial characteristics are more important for well-being than objective ones.

Turnout in Local Elections: Evidence from Canadian Cities, 2004–2014

AbstractWe provide the first wide-scale analysis of the factors that influence voter turnout in Canadian local elections. Drawing on original data from 300 municipal elections conducted from 2004 to 2014, we use ordinary least squares regression with panel-corrected standard errors for time series cross-sections to test explanatory hypotheses related to differences in institutional design, the social-spatial context of these elections, and local competitiveness. Our results show that, although institutional and sociospatial factors influence local turnout, the competitiveness of elections exercises the greatest influence on local electoral participation.

Developing Talented Soccer Players: An Analysis of Socio-Spatial Factors as Possible Key Constraints

Most studies on the identification and development of soccer talent have been one-dimensional in nature. Although some multi-dimensional analyses have been conducted, few research studies have assessed in any depth the socio-spatial factors influencing talent development. The aim of this particular study was to analyse variations in the international representation of clubs (n = 821) and countries (n = 59) in the development of players who took part in the 2014 FIFA Soccer World Cup. Clubs and countries were ranked and divided into quartiles according to the number of players developed between the ages of 15 and 21 (clubs and countries that developed players for at least three years between these ages) and the number of official league matches played by these players up to the age of 23. Significant variations were observed between clubs in terms of the number of developed players who took part in the World Cup and the number of official league matches played by these players up to the age of 23 (p < .05), and also between countries (p < .05). The findings reveal the need to carry out more in-depth studies into the type of training and competition engaged in by elite players in the period of development between the ages of 15 and 21. It may be the case that these factors are potentially decisive socio-spatial constraints in the development of soccer talent.

Socio-spatial factors associated with ethnic inequalities in districts of England and Wales, 2001–2011

This paper explores the changing geography of ethnic inequality in England and Wales drawing on data from the 2001 and 2011 censuses. Specifically, we use the 2011 Office for National Statistics (ONS) area classification to examine how ethnic inequalities within local areas with different demographic and socio-economic characteristics have changed over time. Local ethnic inequalities are examined through a set of indicators which capture differences in housing, health, employment and education between ethnic minority groups and the White British in local authority districts in England and Wales. The results suggest that ethnic inequalities are widespread and persistent, and highlight the different ways in which inequalities manifest for particular ethnic groups in different localities. Ethnic inequality in housing and employment is severe for most ethnic minority groups, particularly in large urban areas that have been traditional settlement areas for ethnic minorities. However, inequalities increased most over the decade 2001–2011 in rural and coastal areas that have low ethnic diversity levels and small ethnic minority populations. The paper considers these findings in relation to theories of service provision and racism, ethnic density, and immigrant adaptation.

Motivations and Experiences of Teachers in a Northern Manitoba Community

This paper utilizes an exploratory case study method to examine the factors that attract and motivate teachers to stay in a remote, northern Canadian community. Bakan’s (1966) framework of agency and communion, provides a lens for exploring and understanding teachers’ experiences of working in the north where the term “the North” is understood not simply as one of two geographical poles, but also represents a consciousness of place. Subsequently, this study expands the conceptualization of Bakan’s notion of communion to include both the effects of emotion, which can be understood specifically as public, social, and in relation to others; as well as socio-spatial factors that illustrate the ways in which space is conceived, perceived and lived. Given the amount of human and financial capital required to recruit and retain teachers, as well as the negative implications that high levels of teacher attrition have on student success and emotional well-being, it is important to understand teachers’ perspectives on their experiences working in communities that are perceived as hard to staff.

Movements and Habitat Interactions of White-tailed Deer: Implications for Chronic Wasting Disease Management

Abstract We studied the seasonal home range of individual white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) as it related to landscape pattern (forest-edge density; the ratio of agriculture to forest), local deer density, and harvest intensity in a population managed for control of chronic wasting disease in south central Wisconsin. The ratio of agriculture to forest showed strong positive correlation to home range size for most age and sex classes, while forest edge density was inversely related to home range size for adult females. Individual home range size proved largely independent of density and harvest intensity. It is likely that socio-spatial factors (i.e., fidelity) and the availability of food and cover influence home range size more strongly than hunting pressures or density reductions. This suggests localized reductions may create areas of low density without changing the behavior patterns of the population. Our findings suggest a more spatially-targeted effort to reduce density, by removal of socia...