Journal Archives

Change in administrative status, urban growth, and land use/cover in a medium-sized African city

Author: and

Previous studies on urban land use/cover change emphasised the role of economic forces in producing population growth and its attendant land use/cover changes, almost to the exclusion of other important factors. In spite of a swelling literature on land use/land cover changes, studies comparing these changes before and after changes in the administrative status of cities are rare. This study therefore investigates the effect of change in the administrative status of a medium-size city on the urban expansion and land use/cover change with specific interest in assessing the trends and spatial patterns of land use/cover changes in pre-capital city period (1972-1991) and post-capital city period (1996-2016) of Osogbo, Nigeria. Landsat MSS, TM and ETM+ imageries (1972, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2006, and 2016) and population data were used in this study. Maximum Likelihood Classification was employed to categorise the images into built-up areas, vegetation cover, and water bodies. The study revealed that the city expanded axially along major lines of communication in the pre-capital years while some were filling up and intensification of urban land use was noticed in the post-capital years. While the built-up area grew at an annual rate of 2.8% in pre-capital status years (1972 to 1991), the growth accelerated in post-capital status periods (1996 to 2016) 4.7% annually. This study has shown that change in the administrative status of the city contributes to the city’s land use/cover changes through accelerated expansion in areal coverage and densification of the urban land use with attendant loss of vegetation and water bodies. City managers, therefore, should consider future changes in cities’ administrative role in their urban land use planning.

Keywords: , , , , , ,
Issue: Volume 13, Issue 1, 2019

Territorial dynamics of tourism in Romania: a long-term perspective (1990 – 2016)

Author: , , , and

Tourism has gradually become one of the major interests of the European Union, as its potential for promoting a balanced development of the regions became more and more acknowledged. In Romania, the growth of tourism after 2000 and, in particular, the preference towards rural tourism in that period, set a fertile background for the European policies regarding tourism. The aim of the study is to analyse territorial dynamics of tourism in Romania, focusing on the evolution particularities of different types of territories according to their economic status, but also according to their specific type of tourism. The results of the study provide a detailed image of the spatial evolution of Romanian tourism and highlight that the tendencies of tourism dispersion appear to be insufficient for preventing a clustered pattern. The results of the study can have high relevance for properly directing investments in tourism and creating differentiated policies depending on a territory’s particularities.

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Issue: Volume 13, Issue 1, 2019

Free fare policy as a tool for sustainable development of public transport services

Author:

This article focuses on free fare public transport policy (FFPT) as an example of the sustainable mobility paradigm FFPT is one of a number of instruments through which a balance between the economic costs and efficiency in the public transport system can be reached. Even though the strategic approach of FFPT systems is used worldwide, their implementation is somewhat sporadic. By investigating examples of currently or formerly existing free fare public transport schemes, this study analyses the overall ability of FFPT to reach the strategic targets required. The study identifies four key areas that the municipalities are trying to target (reducing car use externalities, social justice/benefits provision, increasing the efficiency of public transport, and promoting sustainable means of transportation). As the specific conditions of each locality generate particular issues, the strategy of each transport system authority differs from one to another. It is, therefore, necessary for the transport planning authorities to implement various tools (both supportive and repressive) whose synergies will target the main objectives. A systematic and conceptual approach is what underpins the successful development of the urban transport system in the long-term.

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Issue: Volume 13, Issue 1, 2019

Experiences of disadvantaged African-Canadian migrants in Ontario, Canada

Author:

This article provides a sociological analysis of the disadvantaged African Canadian migrants’ experiences and challenges of the integration process in the province of Ontario. In this qualitative study, migrants discussed the challenges of resettlement, livelihood, health, and social well-being from their perspectives. They shared their personal experiences with housing, health services, lack of work, and access to social support services. Data used in this research come from transcribed stories gathered through intensive one-on-one interviews with 26 African Canadian migrants, each lasting 1−2 hours, and three focus groups with 30 others. The 56 participants in the study were recruited from three Ontario cities of Ottawa, Toronto, and Kitchener. The survey covered the period from March 2013 to October 2017. Using the grounded theory (GT) method, interviews were transcribed, coded, categorised, and analysed using NVivo 10. In this study, participants have shared their experiences with racism and discrimination, and most have cited lack of access to adequate social programs, employment support, and resettlement services as the most significant barriers to meaningful social and economic integration. They reiterated the importance of employment support and social services programs tailored toward migrants’ needs with an emphasis on socio-political, cultural, and economic integration.

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Issue: Volume 13, Issue 1, 2019

Quest for identity: linking ethnicity, electoral politics and violence in Koch-Rajbanshi sovereignty movements of India

Author:

Ethnic groups involved in separatist movements have often been engaged in violence, rather than electoral politics, in order to fulfil their demands. The present paper analyses the dynamics of the sovereignty movements of the Koch-Rajbanshi community of north-eastern India, an indigenous group that has used active and suppressed violence for accomplishing their demands along with electoral contests. Nuanced analyses of literature, electoral information, schedule-based surveys and personal interviews of Koch-Rajbanshi respondents were used for this purpose. Results indicated that most elected Koch-Rajbanshi representatives belonged to mainstream political parties and failed to bring about practical solutions for the sovereignty issue. The pro-sovereignty outfits were unable to gain electoral success and further hindered the movement. Fear of backlash from the ruling party also stopped many Koch-Rajbanshi commons from being involved in the electoral process. Accordingly, adequate electoral representation of Koch-Rajbanshi political groups was identified as the only democratic solution to this escalating conflict.

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Issue: Volume 13, Issue 1, 2019
About journal

Title: Human Geographies - Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography
ISSN online: 2067-2284
ISSN print: 1843-6587
Imprint: University of Bucharest
Frequency: Biannual (May&November)
First volume: 1/2007
Current volume: 18/2024
Language: English
Indexed in: SCOPUS, ERIH PLUS, EBSCO (SocINDEX), ProQuest (Social Science Journals, SciTech Journals, Natural Science Journals), Index Copernicus, National Technical Information Service (NTiS), Bodleian Libraries, ExLibris SFX, DOAJ, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Library, Google Scholar, Ulrich
Creative Commons License


EDITORS


Prof. dr. Liliana Dumitrache
University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography- Human and Economic Geography Department, 1 Nicolae Balcescu Av., 010041, Bucharest, Romania

Dr. Daniela Dumbrăveanu
University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography- Human and Economic Geography Department, 1 Nicolae Balcescu Av., 010041, Bucharest, Romania

Dr. Mariana Nae
University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography- Human and Economic Geography Department, 1 Nicolae Balcescu Av., 010041, Bucharest, Romania

Dr. Gabriel Simion
University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography- Human and Economic Geography Department, 1 Nicolae Balcescu Av., 010041, Bucharest, Romania

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