Socio-spatial Interaction Research Articles

The Mechanism of Socio-Spatial Evolution in Rural Areas Driven by the Development of the Planting Industry—A Case Study of Yuezhuang Village in Shandong Province, China

Rural industrialisation in China, which has historically been restricted by urban–rural dual development policies, has been largely encouraged since the Rural Revitalisation Strategy released in 2018. Industrialisation has deeply influenced socio-spatial evolution by providing job opportunities and promoting the construction of infrastructure and public services, accelerating the two-way flow of urban–rural factors in rural areas. However, this may lead to social and spatial issues, such as social inequalities and unsuitable living conditions, to some extent. This research aims to investigate how the socio-spatial evolution of rural areas was influenced by rural industrialisation and the two-way flow of urban–rural factors. The cherry planting industry and an active “industrial centre”, Yuezhuang Village, in Linqu County, Shandong Province, China, were selected for the empirical study. This research analysed the evolution of the cherry planting industry, the formulation of rural social networks, and the spatial adaptation of the two using mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, followed by a discussion on the current rural planning policies in China. The results show that the cherry industrial chain largely extended the planting areas, and the categories of land use generally increased in Yuezhuang Village over the 30 years studied. The average output value per mu (mu is unit of area measurement used in China, where it is officially standardised. It corresponds to 1/15 of a hectare, or about 666.67 m2). In 2021 was 25 times larger than that in 1996. The population involved in industrial activities increased to over 5000 people countrywide from the initial 17 households. The results also show that urban–rural factors, such as capital, population, techniques, and information, rapidly accelerated in the annual peak season of the cherry industry. This research indicates that small-scale, characteristic, and traditional agriculture could become one of the main driving forces in urban–rural integration and may contribute to sustainable and inclusive rural communities and urban–rural partnerships. This provides the theoretical mechanism of socio-spatial interaction in rural industrialisation in China based on the empirical case study.

Socio-spatial interactions of a cluster-house concept apartment in mehr als wohnen project in Zurich, Switzerland

This article explores the socio-spatial interactions of a micro-community in a cluster-house concept apartment. The apartment has been designed for retreat and co-living by mehr als wohnen housing cooperative in Zurich, Switzerland. The methodology of investigation is a qualitative case study, through which housing narratives of three residents as representatives of this communal household are analyzed. In addition, on-site visits and observations, document analyses, and desktop studies are conducted. The originality of the research is in its approach of examining a micro-society through the residential community's authentic stories, which are in the context of normal times and the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings reveal that the social bonds of the studied cluster cohousing community are significantly maintained through the intermediate zones of the cluster-house arrangement. This socio-spatial interaction has activated the potentials of social innovation and housing resilience in an urban context. The research also highlights points of conflicts and insights for future cluster-concept apartment developments.

A territorial embeddedness analysis based on transport flows: Classifying the intra-urban space of the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area

The way we think about cities is conditioned by the way they have been historically structured: a central business district (CBD) surrounded by suburban housing. Nevertheless, deep urban transformations took place in many cities from the mid-twentieth century onwards, including activity decentralisation and a growing detachment between form and function. Hence, while there still are substantial travel dynamics between core and periphery, socio-spatial interaction patterns within large cities complexify and become more explicit. That is, localities outside the CBD develop ties such as cooperation, complementarity, and mutual influence. Proper identification of those interaction patterns is paramount to identify emergent subcentres and latent synergies that might be fomented, thus aiding better-targeted transport policies. In that context, we proposed a territorial embeddedness analysis (TEA), which consists of two steps implemented in the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Area (RJMA). Firstly, we applied graph theory to flow data from the 2013 Household Travel Survey (HTS) to detect the main centralities, which then serve as the basis for calculating the TEA relational indices. Secondly, the k-means algorithm was applied to these indices to organise the HTS traffic zones into seven groups. Our findings allow us to place localities into two opposing categories. The first is that of places that need longer trips to access resources, while in the second category, there are places most associated with shorter trips. Three further situations can be distinguished within this second category: (a) areas near first-order centralities; (b) classical peripheries that access resources either in closer subcentres or on scattered areas nearby; and (c) highly segregated places that are unable to properly access the city’s resources. Overall, we believe this classification allows planners to better understand the complex relations taking place in metropolitan areas, which have evolved far beyond the core-periphery model. It can also foster the implementation of place-specific policies, such as restructuring the transit network based on local specificities and regional goals.

Behavioral Link Analytics on Heterogeneous Human Interaction Networks

For designing and modeling Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems in the area of human-machine interaction, suitable approaches for user modeling are important in order to both capture user characteristics. Using multimodal data, this can be performed from various perspectives. Specifically, for modeling user interactions in human interaction networks, appropriate approaches for capturing those interactions, as well as to analyze them in order to extract meaningful patterns are important. Specifically, for modeling user behavior for the respective AI systems, we can make use of diverse heterogeneous data sources. This paper investigates face-to-face as well as socio-spatial interaction networks for modeling user interactions from three perspectives: We analyze preferences and perceptions of human social interactions in relation to the interactions observed using wearable sensors, i. e., face-to-face as well as socio-spatial interactions fo the respective actors. For that, we investigate the correspondence of according networks, in order to identify conformance, exceptions, and anomalies. The analysis is performed on a real-world dataset capturing networks of proximity interactions coupled with self-report questionnaires about preferences and perception of those interactions. The different networks, and according perspectives then provide different options for user modeling and integration into AI systems modeling such user behavior.

Socio-Spatial Interaction and Governance in Border Regions: The Case of Turkey

Ulus devlet sınırlarının geçirgenliklerinin artması ile sınır bölgeleri eskiye kıyasla daha yoğun mal ve insan akışına ev sahipliği yapmakta ve çeperde kalan dışlanmış mekânlar olmak yerine, daha merkezi ve önemli aktivitelerin mekânlarına dönüşmektedir. Hacimsel olarak artan etkileşimler, sınırın çok boyutlu ve analitik olarak değerlendirilmesini ve bu çerçevede ortak yönetişim arayışlarını gündeme getirmiştir. Bu kapsamda Türkiye’nin ulusal sınırlarındaki, sınır ötesi ekonomik, sosyal, idari ve mekânsal etkileşim seviyelerinin, merkezi düzeyde elde edilebilen nesnel göstergeler yardımıyla ölçülmesi, etkileşimin görece yüksek seviyede olduğu sınır bölgelerinde sosyo-mekânsal etkileşim biçimlerinin ağ analiz yöntemleri ile tanımlanması ve sınır bölgelerinin özgün nitelikleri bağlamında ortak yönetişim çerçevesi geliştirilmiştir. Bu çalışma ile; sınır bölgeleri için ulusal düzeyde Çok Değişkenli Sınır Geçirgenlik Endeksi (ÇDSGE) geliştirilmiştir. Yapılan ağ analizleri, sınır bölgelerindeki merkezi yerleşimlerinin ağ karakterlerine bağlı olarak farklılaştığını, sınır bölgelerinin etki alanının literatürde ve uygulamadaki mesafelerin ötesine geçebildiğini, sınırın mekânsal etki alanı dışında bulunan ulusal düzeyde merkezi özellik taşıyan yerleşmelerin de sınır ötesi ile önemli derecelerde ilişkilerinin olduğunu ortaya çıkarmıştır. Yönetişim boyutunda ise, kırılganlık ve komşu devletler arasındaki hassas dengelerin sınır bölgeleri için kuvvetli bir yönetişim çerçevesinin sürdürülmesine olanak sağlayamadığı ve bu çerçevede sınır bölgeleri için “ortak yönetişim aralığı” kavramının önemi vurgulanmıştır.

Creative Street Regeneration in the Context of Socio-Spatial Sustainability: A Case Study of a Traditional City Centre in Podgorica, Montenegro

The physical structure of Podgorica was predominantly developed with a traditional planning concept, whereby public open spaces of the city are as important as the city’s architectural objects. The focus of this paper is the perception of a traditional street in the context of sustainable urban regeneration. The aim of this study is to submit a proposal, through the Urban Design course at the Faculty of Architecture in Podgorica, for the physical regeneration of twelve traditional streets (eight street directions) that define the central core of Podgorica, known as Mirkova Varoš. These streets are the sites of social processes, interpreters of cultural and identity values of the society, and primary keepers of collective memory. It was detected that the attractiveness of the case study streets is weakening due to inadequate social and professional engagement in the processes of preservation and regeneration over time and also due to new users’ needs. Global requirements reflect the weakened role of public open spaces as places of social interaction, in favour of primarily closed shopping centres that are the new urban artefacts of the 21st century city. The first phase of this study is related to the theoretical interpretation of regeneration and the role of public space in the context of socio-spatial sustainability. The second phase of the study is directed toward estimating the perception of the current state of the street area in Mirova Varoš, as seen by the case study area users and architecture students, using (1) visual, (2) tactile, and (3) auditory criteria. The obtained results serve as a platform for concrete urban design proposals for sustainable street regeneration that will reflect a stronger socio-spatial interaction between (1) user–place, (2) the place–city system, and (3) local processes–global flows.

El potencial territorial como factor del desarrollo. Modelo para la gestión rural.

Ante los problemas que enfrenta el medio rural en la última década se han promovido instrumentos encaminados a su solución; sin embargo, los aportes institucionales han sido limitados y poco favorables para el mejor desenvolvimiento de los territorios. No obstante, se reconocen estos esfuerzos como referentes para la reorientación de la política pública dirigida al sector rural. El objetivo del trabajo es mostrar que los potenciales de desarrollo y los programas públicos con posible impacto requieren de propuestas metodológicas que sean sensibles a los componentes de la estructura productiva y social, y a los problemas que impiden mejorar las condiciones de vida de la población rural y promover el desarrollo territorial. Para ello se emplea un modelo de interacción socio-espacial que muestra las características de las actividades y recursos locales, así como del papel de la acción pública, social y privada como factores integradores de desarrollo de los territorios seleccionados.

Uberficación y movilidad urbana en el Área Metropolitana de Guadalajara: nuevas configuraciones en el acceso al transporte motorizado

The most practical thing for the urban cybernaut is to access the transport service using the latest mobile devices. However, the a priori absence of a regulatory framework for buying and selling operations in cyberspace has generated complex scenarios between traditional service providers and new bidders. Above all, because the latter has received the approval of a good part of the virtual society. This paper reviews through the netnographic practice the experience of the service offered by the company Uber in the Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara. The results suggest the appearance of new complexities in the socio-spatial interaction manifested in hybridizations with significant contribution of entropy to the city-system.

Synthesizing spatial interaction data for social science research: Validation and an investigation of spatial mismatch in Wichita, Kansas

Rising economic segregation suggests a need to examine constraints to job access by race/ethnicity and economic inequality simultaneously. This often requires detailed socio-spatial interaction data to make progress on theoretical and modeling development, empirical studies and policy insights. Commuting data are commonly used because of its wide availability. Despite excellent work trip datasets from the U.S. Census such as the Census Transportation Planning Package and the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) data, there are often gaps between the data that are available and ideal detailed commuting data suited to models and data analysis. This is because commuting data are available for a limited set of socio-economic dimensions and this coarseness limits researchers in their ability to uncover nuances of place-based generalizations about commuting, either socially or spatially. In one promising approach, an information minimizing technique was proposed as a workable practical method to synthesize disaggregated work trip flows. Because the strength of fit between predicted and observed trips is unknown, this paper validates this method using real commutes disaggregated by income and then synthesizes race–income work trips using LEHD data for the Wichita, Kansas metropolitan statistical area. We find that low-income Whites travel longer distances and have more dispersed travel patterns than all African-American and Asian income groups and that both low- and middle-income groups of all race groups have spatially constrained flows.

Remaking the Image: The Changing Legibility and Visibility of Derby's City Center, UK

It was in 1960 when the concept of imageability was coined by Lynch, who also emphasized the importance of meaning, legibility, and visibility in the physical environment. Similarly, this study will explore the value of a memorable image within the city center's quarters, by analyzing socio-spatial interaction, pedestrian flow, and users' perception. This study will focus on the relationship between two retailing quarters of a city center and will analyze impacts of a hugely-scaled urban shopping mall on the whole image and memory of a city center. A case study of two main quarters in the City Center of Derby, UK will be analyzed to give analytical suggestions for planning and design in the future and possibly similar developments.

A mobilidade pendular na Macrometrópole Paulista: diferenciação e complementaridade socioespacial

O presente estudo tem como principal objetivo realizar um diagnóstico sobre as tendências e características da mobilidade pendular na chamada Macrometrópole Paulista, utilizando as informações disponíveis nos Censo de 2000 e 2010. O conhecimento da situação atual e da evolução desse fenômeno pode contribuir significativamente para a avaliação do processo de interação e complementariedade socioespacial que se desenvolve entre as aglomerações urbanas, onde já são claras as novas formas de localização tanto da atividade econômica quando da população em geral. O estudo desse fenômeno, portanto, contribui para o diagnóstico do processo de estruturação desses espaços e, sobretudo, para mitigar deficiências existentes em termos de política habitacional, de transportes, de saúde, educação, etc

Using supplemental aircraft noise information to assist airport neighbours understand aircraft noise

This paper deals with the value of supplemental aircraft noise information in the form of combining aircraft movement numbers and noise levels to assist airport neighbours in understanding airport noise. To analyse the socio-spatial interaction of annoyance with, and interference by, aircraft noise, an alternative is recommended, namely the number of noise events above selected noise levels so that laypeople can better understand the extent of noise. The research is based on a questionnaire survey of households affected by aircraft noise around OR Tambo International Airport near Johannesburg. The results indicate that levels of annoyance and disturbance across a number of normal household activities are positively related to the number of noise events recorded, irrespective of noise levels above 60dB.

RURAL AND URBAN LIVELIHOODS: A TRANSLOCAL PERSPECTIVE IN A SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT

ABSTRACT The concept of the rural and the urban as separate spheres in development studies is increasingly losing analytical value. A growing proportion of the population in developing countries are organising their livelihoods in the context of informal social networks spanning the rural-urban divide. In order to analyse the socio-spatial interaction and the complexity of specific developmental issues an alternative view is to be developed—a translocal perspective. Conventional development approaches arising from thinking in rural-urban dualisms, run the risk of being without effect or even counterproductive, because they do not consider the central aspect of translocality of livelihood-systems and therefore often disregard the socio-spatial structure of interdependency. As a result an alternative perception to the boundaries drawn between the rural and the urban is needed as well as a spatially integrated view on the problem of social vulnerability and livelihood security.