Spatial Mobility Research Articles

In Pursuit of a Good Life: Understanding Spatial Mobility After Border Changes – the Cases of Crimea and the India-Bangladesh Enclaves

ABSTRACT This paper aims to theorize and illustrate the geographic movements after border changes in sensitive spaces. This research casts sensitive spaces and stresses the pursuit of a good life building on geographical imagination as the primary purpose of spatial mobility. This paper goes beyond the prevailing idea of geographical imagination that supposes a mental-material binary and offers a ternary approach to geographical imagination, arguing for a social-mental-material triad. This research states that following border changes in sensitive spaces, spatial mobility and immobility can be better understood through this geographical imagination ternary approach: to go or to stay are local people’s workable choices for an imagined good life. A cross-case analysis of Crimea and the India-Bangladesh enclaves confirms the validity of the good life perspective.

Understanding patients' mobility for treatment seeking in India

Healthcare systems worldwide are grappling with the challenge of providing high-quality healthcare in the face of evolving disease patterns. India, like many other countries, faces a significant treatment gap for various curable impairments, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). To address their healthcare needs, individuals often relocate in search of better treatment options. However, no studies were conducted to understand the spatial mobility. This paper explores the determinants of spatial mobility for treatment in India using data from NSS 75th round (2017–2018). A total of 64,779 individual medical cases of different diseases were taken into consideration for our analysis. Fixed effect and multinomial regression models were used to understand diseases specific mobility for treatment. It was found that those with CVDs, NCDs, and disabilities are more prone to travel outside their district for medical care. Rural and economically disadvantaged individuals also tend to travel further for treatment. The key factors impacting treatment-seeking mobility include insurance coverage, hospital quality, cost of medicine, and cost of X-rays/surgeries. The study highlights the need for improved policies to address the gap between healthcare needs and infrastructure in India, with a focus on prioritizing the development of local healthcare facilities for disabilities, NCDs, and CVDs.

Gender Identity Construction of Mother in A Woman’s Story Based on Social Identity Theory

Papers on A Woman’s Story are mainly about the novel’s narrative strategies and writing techniques, mostly onanalyzing the static features rather than the dynamic characteristics of the novel. According to the theory of social identity,identity construction is a spontaneous process driven by individual self-esteem, with social mobility as one of its commonidentity construction strategies. As spatial mobility is a metaphorical expression of social mobility, which also could beregarded as the active choice and practice of Mother’s identity determination, we explored the corresponding changes inMother’s clothing and cognitive information based on her space mobility through her life. We then analyzed the awakeningof her identity consciousness and the processes involved in her identity construction. The dilemma and breakthroughof identity construction, represented by Ernaux’s mother, in the spatial mobility of marginalized individuals living in20th-century French society, were expounded. Thus, we excavated the correlation between spatial mobility and identityconstruction.

Having a garden or being in the city? The trade-offs and strategies of young middle-class families in Prague

ABSTRACT In recent decades, evolving residential preferences among young middle-class families have diversified spatial mobility patterns, challenging the traditional suburban inclination with the emergence of reurbanization tendencies. Our study employs the concept of life course and explores the decision-making process of housing relocation in a post-socialist city and how housing needs and preferences are confronted with what is affordable for young middle-class families. Through semi-structured interviews in the Prague Metropolitan Area, our findings reveal heterogeneous mobility responses to family transitions and housing market dynamics. A significant trade-off is identified between having a garden and residing in the city without a commute, highlighting variations in parental perceptions of an ideal childhood. Our research underscores distinctions in residential preferences and housing choices in post-socialist cities compared to Western counterparts, driven by factors such as privatism, unique perceptions of suitable housing for young families, and historical development influencing intergenerational transmission of residential preferences.

Being a child in Morelia: child spatial mobility over the years

ABSTRACT The systemic crisis in Latin America, exacerbated by market-driven urban development, has led to heightened social segregation and diminished public spaces for mobility and recreation. In Mexico, childhood is particularly affected, with the last two decades witnessing a decline in children's autonomy within public areas due to escalating violence and militarization. Employing a childhood geography approach, this article examines the gradual reduction in children's spatial mobility across four generations in Morelia, Mexico. It explores key factors influencing mobility: play activities, perceived risks, and the impact of motility, all viewed through a gender lens. The study involves four cohorts of 10-year-olds from different decades, employing qualitative methods like interviews and mental maps. Results reveal the detrimental effects of rapid, fragmented urban growth and increased violence on creating spaces for children. Consequently, interactions have shifted indoors, leading to supervised play in semi-private spaces and a shift from collective, autonomous play to limited social interactions

The spatial mobility network and influencing factors of the higher education population in China

Abstract The scale and frequency of talent mobility in the world have increased sharply, and the competition for talent has intensified in various regions. This paper mainly studies the spatial mobility characteristics and influencing factors of China’s highly educated talents. It found that China’s higher education population mobility network has prominent uneven characteristics, the central and eastern regions of China, especially the eastern coastal regions, are the hotspots of the network. The higher education population flows frequently in large cities and regional central areas. The hierarchical structure follows a “north-south division,” which is dominated by Beijing and Shanghai, respectively. Geographical distance has a specific hindering effect in this context. Furthermore, the similarity of culture, institutions, customs, and dialect facilitates the mobility of the higher education population. Cities with high economic levels, centralized educational resources, sound infrastructure, and aesthetically appealing environments are also likely to attract more talents.

The situation and complexity of migration phenomena in the Republic of Serbia according to the 2022 census data

The increasing volume of migration worldwide, the emergence of new forms of mobility and the differentiation of the structural characteristics of migrants have increased the challenges in terms of the complexity, determinants and consequences of migration at local, regional and national levels. For this reason, it is of utmost importance to deepen and broaden research on spatial mobility at different territorial levels, requiring greater availability of relevant and reliable data and the observation of specific spatial bases and manifestations of this phenomenon. The paper provides an overview of the main global development documents dealing with migration issues, as well as an overview of the existing data sources for monitoring this phenomenon in Serbia. The central part of the paper focuses on analyzing the migration characteristics of the Serbian population according to the results of the 2022 census. The census data demonstrate that the autoch?thonous population predominates, the female population is more mobile and long-distance migration has increased. The largest migration centers are located in the north of the country in the gravitational zone of Belgrade and Novi Sad, while the lowest mobility is recorded in the south in the Pcinja and Jablanica counties. The city of Belgrade and the city of Novi Sad, together with the tourist resorts (Vrnjacka Banja, Cajetina), are the largest migration centers. The number of people born abroad (with the exception of the countries in the region) has increased significantly. It is clear that the census cannot be the only source of migration data due to methodological limitations and incomplete coverage, but it provides a good basis for further, more complex studies of migration systems and processes, which are essential for determining the directions of future development and finding mechanisms for migration management as elements of a strategy of sustainable demographic and spatial development.

Individual spatial mobility in the urban social environment: models and forecasts of socio-environmental scenarios

Individual spatial mobility in the urban social environment: models and forecasts of socio-environmental scenarios

Novel Insights on the Soil-Pile Dynamic Interaction Considering the Spatial Mobilization of Kinematic Effects

Novel Insights on the Soil-Pile Dynamic Interaction Considering the Spatial Mobilization of Kinematic Effects

Affordances of Home-School Journey in the Hinterland Area for Spatial Mobility Patterns

Affordances of Home-School Journey in the Hinterland Area for Spatial Mobility Patterns

Explaining Theft Using Offenders’ Activity Space Inferred from Residents’ Mobile Phone Data

Both an offender’s home area and their daily activity area can impact the spatial distribution of crime. However, existing studies are generally limited to the influence of the offender’s home area and its immediate surrounding areas, while ignoring other activity spaces. Recent studies have reported that the routine activities of an offender are similar to those of the residents living in the same vicinity. Based on this finding, our study proposed a flow-based method to measure how offenders are distributed in space according to the spatial mobility of the residents. The study area consists of 2643 communities in ZG City in southeast China; resident flows between every two communities were calculated based on mobile phone data. Offenders’ activity locations were inferred from the mobility flows of residents living in the same community. The estimated count of offenders in each community included both the offenders living there and offenders visiting there. Negative binomial regression models were constructed to test the explanatory power of this estimated offender count. Results showed that the flow-based offender count outperformed the home-based offender count. It also outperformed a spatial-lagged count that considers offenders from the immediate neighboring communities. This approach improved the estimation of the spatial distribution of offenders, which is helpful for crime analysis and police practice.

Restricted life-space mobility impacts physical but not mental quality of life in older cancer survivors.

Older cancer survivors often value quality of life (QOL) over survival. Life-space mobility (LSM), defined as the individual's spatial geographic mobility range, is an important QOL indicator in older adults with chronic illnesses; however, this relationship is unexplored in older cancer survivors. We examined the longitudinal associations and causal relationships between LSM and QOL in 153 older cancer survivors (≥65 years) from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Study of Aging. LSM was assessed using the UAB Life-Space Assessment-Composite score (LSA-C), and QOL was assessed by the SF-12 Mental Component Score (MCS12) and Physical Component Score (PCS12) at 0 (study entry), 6, 18, 36, 54, and 72 months. We examined the causal relationship between LSM and QOL using a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM). The cohort (n = 153) was 76 years old on average and predominantly White (58%), female (58%), and married (55%). Longitudinal analyses found LSM decreased over time (p < 0.0001), and this decrease was associated with decreased QOL (PCS12, p < 0.0001, MCS12, p < 0.0001). In the CLPM causal analysis, lower LSM resulted in worse PCS12 (p < 0.001), but not worse MSC12. Restricted LSM resulted in worse physical QOL over 72 months in a sample of 153 older cancer survivors. Developing and evaluating interventions to preserve greater LSM could be a promising approach to improving QOL.

USABILITY AND PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE MOBITEC-GP APP FOR REAL-LIFE MOBILITY ASSESSMENT

Abstract Modern technologies such as the Global Navigation Satellite System and accelerometers which are integrated in every smartphone enable tracking mobility patterns over time, which in turn enables early detection of mobility impairments. Aim of the MOBITEC-GP project was to develop a mobile app which measures walking speed and spatial mobility under everyday conditions. Reliability and validity of the application was tested first (Study 1). The applicability in everyday life and the acceptance by older adults (Study 2) was also investigated. In study 1, participants underwent several supervised walking speed assessments as well as a 1-week life-space assessment during two assessment sessions 9 days apart. Fifty-seven older adults (47.4% male, mean age= 75.3 years) were included in the study. The app showed moderate to excellent test-retest reliability and validity of walking speed measurements of 50 meters and above and of most 1-week life-space parameters, including life-space area, time spent out-of-home, and action range. Study 2 revealed a good usability of the app (mean System Usability Scale score=77.18) among older adults (N=60 with ≥2 chronic conditions) for a 1-week usage of the app including both, a 1-week life space assessment and at least one gait speed measurement in a 30-minute stroll. The MOBITEC-GP app is a reliable, valid and usable tool for the assessment of real-life walking speed (at distances of 50 metres and above) and life-space parameters of older adults. Future studies should look into technical issues more systematically in order to avoid invalid measurements.

Formation of the Future Tourism Specialists’ Cultural Experience in the Conditions of the Digital Society

Abstract. The integration of Ukraine into the international tourism space requires the training of future specialists in the field of tourism who are ready to work in the conditions of a digital society on the basis of intercultural dialogue. In this context, the problem of forming their cultural experience on the ground of intercultural communicative interaction with observance of network principles is actualized. The purpose of the article is to study new forms of culture of the electronic type, to analyse the possibilities of introducing digital technologies in the process of forming the cultural experience of future specialists in the sphere of tourism. Research methods were used to achieve the defined goal: system-structural method; abstract-logical; statistical methods; modelling method. Results. Deep structural transformations in the tourism industry are accelerating the pace of transformations of individual and collective cultural practices in which computer visualization is used. It is about the introduction of innovative forms of digital transformation, new Internet technologies, and the construction of cultural practices of spatial mobility into the process of forming the future tourism specialists` cultural experience. Cultural experience involves the creation of effective ways of interacting with the audience using digital means and the implementation of them in the process of professional training. As a result, the hierarchy of values of modern travel in virtual space is changing; new configurations of tourism with elements of digital culture are being formed. The personalization of tourist behaviour models for future specialists in the field of tourism is realized thanks to electronic resources, elements of remote technologies, multimedia equipment that function in the educational environment (MOODLE). Conclusions. The formation of the future tourism specialists` cultural experience in the conditions of the digital society takes place under the conditions of virtual reality of the 21st century, which changes the models of tourist behaviour, makes corrections in individual and collective cultural tourism practices.

Mobility, body and space: emigrant voyages to Australia, 1830s–1880s

This article uses nineteenth-century migration-themed texts and images as a starting point for investigating the production of various patterns of seaborne mobilities en route to colonial Australia from the 1830s to the 1880s. Within the mobility framework, the floating world of emigrant ships provides a major venue for truthful representations of passengers’ daily practices on board ship in general and maritime historiography in particular. It is argued that the interplay between body and space at different scales enables us to foreground the mobile, therapeutic, and affective dimensions of migration along the lines of class and gender. To this end, the article considers the production of seaborne mobilities within a larger context of maritime culture by engaging with four central thoughts: ship-based mobilities and mobile bodies, bodily motion and spatial mobilities, bodily health and therapeutic mobilities, as well as bodily senses and affective mobilities. These central thoughts, the article further asserts, direct us towards considering how the ship comes to be the prime site for evoking the imagery of mobile Britons, especially with regard to the various ways in which every-day mobilities are intrinsically embodied, practiced and performed through a body in transit.

Artist Collaboration and Unity in Times of Crisis: The Spirals Project

The pandemic crisis of COVID-19 that we have recently endured, and that to some extent we are still experiencing, abruptly changed the way in which we conceive of the interaction between inner and outer space. Specifically, during the most difficult times caused by the two severe lockdowns, this limitation came complete with a total lack of spatial mobility. This article will explore the impact that this had upon the creative process of writing and making performance work for the female subject and how the return to the domestic space as the only possibility, affected their writing and creativity. Using the concept of the “nomadic subject” developed by Rosi Braidotti in 1996 and revised in 2011 in her book Nomadic Subjects: Embodiment and Sexual Difference in Contemporary Feminist Theory, this article aims to explore these questions from the intersection of body and language through the symbol of the spiral as a source of creation.

Textor viator. Mobilność tkaczy Pogórza Karpackiego w epoce nowożytnej

Spatial mobility of communities living in the Carpathian Foothills in the early modern era is an interesting issue, primarily because of local ethnic diversity. In addition to representatives of Polish ethnic groups, Orthodox (later Greek Catholic) Wallachians and Ruthenians, Hungarians and Jews lived here. According to chronicle narratives (Kromer, Bielski, Stryjkowski, Piasecki, Starowolski) from the 16th–17th centuries, however, the region was characterized above all by a high degree of population of descendants of former German settlers (called Deaf Germans), brought in 14th–15th centuries, who still spoke a language similar to German and professionally engaged in weaving (especially nearby the towns of Biecz, Krosno and Łańcut). The aim of the article is to look at the issue of mobility of this professional group based on the entries from the Book of Admission to the Municipal Law of Biecz (1538–1690) and in the context of research on the Deaf Germans. The analysis of the data confirms that the key group arriving in the foothills town were weavers from various areas of the former German settlement. In addition to the issue of spatial mobility, attention will also be devoted to social mobility, because moving from the countryside to the city was an opportunity for social advancement at that time.

Nonmonotonic enhancement of diversity-induced resonance in systems of mobile oscillators.

Diversity is omnipresent in natural and synthetic extended systems, the phenomenon of diversity-induced resonance (DIR), wherein a moderate degree of the diversity can provoke an optimal collective response, provides researchers a brand-new strategy to amplify and utilize the weak signal. As yet the relevant advances focus mostly on the ideal situations where the interactions among elements are uncorrelated with the physical proximity of agents. Such a consideration overlooks interactions mediated by the motion of agents in space. Here, we investigate the signal response of an ensemble of spatial mobile heterogeneous bistable oscillators with two canonical interacting modes: dynamic and preset. The oscillators are considered as mass points and perform random walks in a two-dimensional square plane. Under the dynamic scheme, the oscillators can only interact with other oscillators within a fixed vision radius. For the preset circumstance, the interaction among oscillators occurs only when all of them are in a predefined region at the same moment. We find that the DIR can be obtained in both situations. Additionally, the strength of resonance nonmonotonically rises with respect to the increase of moving speed, and the optimal resonance is acquired by an intermediate magnitude of speed. Finally, we propose reduced equations to guarantee the occurrence of such mobility-optimized DIR on the basis of the fast switching approximation theory and also examine the robustness of such phenomenon through the excitable FitzHugh-Nagumo model and a different spatial motion mechanism. Our results reveal for the first time that the DIR can be optimized by the spatial mobility and thus has promising potential application in the communication of mobile agents.

Characteristics of spatial mobility layout

Spatial fluidity is an important form of spatial organization in architectural design, because it can affect the behavior of building users in the building. Therefore, spatial fluidity is also the most basic and core content in space design. Therefore, how to realize the communication and interaction between people and places through the fluidity of space has become an urgent problem to be solved in the construction of modern cities. This paper introduces the concepts of "mobility" and "layout" in architecture through the research method of theoretical analysis, so as to help explain the characteristics existing between them, and discuss the characteristics of spatial mobility layout. Excellent spatial fluidity design is extremely important for some special environments such as enterprises and libraries. It can provide a clear sense of direction and space, reduce unnecessary flow space, and thus improve work efficiency and use requirements.

Upward social mobility? The capital accumulation of Taiwanese talent in China

AbstractFrom a nation‐state and regional perspective, global talent flows have traditionally been South−North, and the discourse has focused on brain drain or brain gain. This research extends beyond the South−North spatial structure to investigate Taiwanese talent flows to China, examining why young Taiwanese talent is migrating to China for employment in the complex context of cross‐Strait relations, and how they accumulate capital through their own particular globalized situation and the relationship they construct between capital accumulation and spatial mobility. The fieldwork for the present research included in‐depth interviews conducted in 2018 with 35 young Taiwanese who had relocated to Beijing for work. Results found that Taiwanese talent does not always accumulate capital through spatial mobility, but rather they experience the offset of privilege and depreciation of embodied cultural capital in the place of immigration and continue to accumulate mixed forms of embodied cultural capital such as ‘Chinese experience’ which enable the constant mobility or stop in the future. This research describes the dynamics of spatial mobility of talents caused by the accumulation of embodied cultural capital in countering the globalized situation.