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Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment
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Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability in Geographic Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 38763

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Giuseppe T. Cirella

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Economics, University of Gdansk, ul. Armii Krajowej 119/121, 81-824 Sopot, Poland
Interests: geography; sustainability; environmental management; urban studies; social impact; economic development; green infrastructure
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

People and the environment, the physical and the human, are at the core of Sustainability. The overarching scope of this Special Issue (SI) on “Human Geography” brings together all of its subdisciplines by exploring “interrelationships between people, place, and [the] environment, and how these vary spatially and temporally across and between locations” [1]. The five main divisions of human geographical study—economic, cultural, social, political, and historical—reflect the central disciplines with which human geographers interconnect [1–7]. All five remain fundamentally focalized on specific areas of concentration, notably—for example—urban. Human geography refers to the study of people as well as “geographical interpretations of economies, cultural identities, political territories, and societies” [8]. Human beings and their expansiveness to create settlements interplay to innovate and develop a nature-based relationship. This relationship is a balancing act of ethos and science and multidisciplinary as it pertains to the vast array of issues, perspectives, and challenges human beings face [9, 10]. This SI in “Human Geography” is an expansive thematic call to all its subdisciplines. Fundamental geographical concepts that explore space, place, scale, landscape, mobility, and nature in union with appropriate methods (i.e., quantitative and qualitative as well as newer methods in spatial analysis, spatial statistics, and GIS) are welcome. “These concepts foreground the notion that the world operates spatially and temporally, and that social relations do not operate independently of place and environment, but are thoroughly grounded in and through them” [1]. The context of this SI invites, under the umbrella of human geography-based study, open-ended exploration to real-world principles, theories, models, techniques, hypotheses, theorems, and concepts by way of—novel, reviewed, or tested—experimentation and thought. Submissions will exemplify novelty, technical depth, elegance, practical or theoretic impact, and presentation.

References

  1. Hall, L.M. Human Geography Research Guides Available online: https://researchguides.dartmouth.edu/human_geography (accessed on Dec 12, 2019).
  2. Aitken, S.C.; Valentine, G.; Clarke, D.B. Approaches to Human Geography Approaches to Human Geography: Philosophies, Theories, People and Practices; Sage Publications: Los Angeles, 2014; ISBN 9781446276020.
  3. Cresswell, T. Place: A Short Introduction; Wiley: Malden, MA, 2004; ISBN 1405106727.
  4. De Blij, H.J. The power of place: Geography, destiny, and globalization’s rough landscape; Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2009; ISBN 0195367707.
  5. Johnston, R.; Sidaway, J.D. Geography and geographers, Anglo- American human geography since 1945; Arnold: London, 2015; ISBN 9780340985106.
  6. Adey, P. Aerial life: Spaces, mobilities, affects; Wiley-Blackwell: Chichester, 2010; ISBN 9781405182614.
  7. Phillips, M. Contested worlds: An introduction to human geography; Ashgate: New York, 2005; ISBN 0754641120.
  8. Gibson, C. Human Geography. In International Encyclopedia of Human Geography; Elsevier Inc., 2009; pp. 218–231 ISBN 9780080449104.
  9. Cirella, G.T.; Mwangi, S.W.; Paczoski, A.; Abebe, S.T. Chapter 1. Human-nature relations: The unwanted filibuster. In Sustainable human-nature relations: Environmental scholarship, economic evaluation, urban strategies; Cirella, G.T., Ed.; Springer Singapore: Singapore, 2020 ISBN 9789811530487.
  10. UN (2019) World Urbanization Prospects: The 2018 Revision. New York: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Prof. Dr. Giuseppe T. Cirella
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Human Geography and all its subdisciplines

  • Cultural geography
  • Development geography
  • Economic geography
  • Health or medical geography
  • Historical geography
  • Industrial geography
  • Political geography
  • Population geography or demography
  • Regional development and planning
  • Rural geography
  • Social geography
  • Transport geography
  • Urban geography

Published Papers (20 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1996 KiB  
Article
Unraveling Power Relations: An Analytical Matrix for Territorial Brands
by Giovana Goretti Feijó Almeida
Sustainability 2024, 16(7), 2795; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16072795 - 27 Mar 2024
Viewed by 523
Abstract
Cities are complex entities, reflecting an intricate system of relationships intertwined over time, development processes, and territorial planning, sustainability and management. Within this network of interactions among people and territories, the presence of territorial brands stands out. The central research question focuses on [...] Read more.
Cities are complex entities, reflecting an intricate system of relationships intertwined over time, development processes, and territorial planning, sustainability and management. Within this network of interactions among people and territories, the presence of territorial brands stands out. The central research question focuses on how the construction of an analytical framework can reveal intertwined power relations in a territory represented by territorial brands. The aim of this study is to develop and apply a unique analytical matrix, designed to highlight, and analyze the intricate power relations in a territory defined by territorial brands. Urban-geography and cultural studies approaches were incorporated into the case study methodology. Findings from the study revealed multiple layers of intertwined power relations in the territory, where territorial brands play the role of legitimizing mechanisms for the discourses of social actors in the produced territory. The conclusion emphasizes the effectiveness of the “territorial brand in regional development” matrix (TBRD) in highlighting the layers of power relations, as well as highlighting the contradictions between the local and the global in the space produced and represented by territorial brands. This study not only contributes to more effective territorial management but also enhances the understanding of the interaction between brand and territory, emphasizing the influence of these dynamics on the configuration and representation of urban space, including sustainability issues and their associated challenges. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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16 pages, 7984 KiB  
Article
Modeling the Interactive Patterns of International Migration Network through a Reverse Gravity Approach
by Xuesong Yu, Kun Qin, Tao Jia, Yang Zhou and Xieqing Gao
Sustainability 2024, 16(6), 2502; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062502 - 18 Mar 2024
Viewed by 494
Abstract
The international migration network, comprising the movements of people between countries, is one of the most important global systems of interaction, which can reflect the complex international relations of economics, cultures, and politics and has huge impacts on global sustainability. However, the conventional [...] Read more.
The international migration network, comprising the movements of people between countries, is one of the most important global systems of interaction, which can reflect the complex international relations of economics, cultures, and politics and has huge impacts on global sustainability. However, the conventional gravity model cannot model its complicated interactions accurately. In this article, we propose a novel reverse gravity model using genetic algorithm to reconstruct the complicated interaction patterns with high accuracy. To verify the feasibility of our method, it was applied to a series of international migration networks. We found that the derived node attractions were highly correlated with socioeconomic factors and network metrics, and the calculated node positions outperformed the geometric centers from the perspective of human migration that related to economy and demography. Our approach could be a preferred choice to investigate the spatial–temporal interactive patterns in geographical space, facilitating comprehension of the mechanisms underlying their generation and evolution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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26 pages, 1437 KiB  
Article
A Neopragmatic Perspective on the Processual Nature of Landscape—Coastal Land Loss in Louisiana in the Context of Scientific Findings, Social Patterns of Interpretation, and Individual Experience
by Lena Hinz, Anna-Maria Weber, Lara Koegst and Olaf Kühne
Sustainability 2024, 16(5), 2078; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16052078 - 01 Mar 2024
Viewed by 612
Abstract
The changes on the Louisiana coast due to land loss can be understood as a process, and the social construction of these processes is highly complex. Due to this complexity, we will examine these social patterns of interpretation as well as individual experiences [...] Read more.
The changes on the Louisiana coast due to land loss can be understood as a process, and the social construction of these processes is highly complex. Due to this complexity, we will examine these social patterns of interpretation as well as individual experiences of coastal land loss in Louisiana within a neopragmatic meta-theoretical framework using several methods, data, researcher perspectives, forms of representation, and theories, with a special focus on the construction of coastal land loss by the media. For this purpose, comments below a YouTube video on a hurricane event on Grand Isle, Louisiana, as well as on-site interviews with people affected by coastal land loss, were qualitatively analyzed. The results were interpreted with the help of various theories such as the theory of three landscapes, Dahrendorf’s conflict theory, Bourdieu’s theory of social capital, and Luhmann’s autopoietic systems theory. The research reveals patterns of interpretation, categorization, and evaluation of processes from an internal and external perspective that are highly morally charged. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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14 pages, 286 KiB  
Article
The Treacherous Road to Sustainable Agriculture: Lessons from Israeli Farmers and the Need to Upscale the Debate
by Nimrod Luz
Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12388; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612388 - 15 Aug 2023
Viewed by 736
Abstract
The current global agrifood system is increasingly fragile and despite a plethora of scientific research, progress in national and global policies setting commendable goals towards more sustainable agriculture is still sluggish. This paper argues that if the efforts continue to concentrate on farmers [...] Read more.
The current global agrifood system is increasingly fragile and despite a plethora of scientific research, progress in national and global policies setting commendable goals towards more sustainable agriculture is still sluggish. This paper argues that if the efforts continue to concentrate on farmers and rest solely on “fixing” modes of production at the farm level, the chances of arriving at significant changes are meagre. By conjugating Lefebvre’s triad of spaces and geographic explorations on politics of scale with data harvested over three years of qualitative research in farms, this paper explores Israeli farmers’ conduct in the field as they face many challenges at various scales. The paper presents their vulnerability against forces on a multiscalar level which present numerous obstacles in operating their farms. Addressing these challenges to allow them to integrate more sustainable modes of operation would require upscaling the debate and the taking of responsibility from all stakeholders concerned, from the farm level to global players. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
21 pages, 3328 KiB  
Article
Does Intra-Urban Residential Relocation Affect the Elderly’s Health and Well-Being? An Empirical Study of Nanjing, China
by Yang Cao, Yu Wang, Hao Wu, Chao Zhang, Shuwen Shen, Yawei Qu and Shuqi Yan
Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12125; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612125 - 08 Aug 2023
Viewed by 851
Abstract
There are few existing studies from a spatial perspective that explore the mechanism of the living environment, relocated direction and relocated distance on the elderly’s physical and mental health. Based on the 2019 household survey questionnaire data, this study utilizes a binomial logistic [...] Read more.
There are few existing studies from a spatial perspective that explore the mechanism of the living environment, relocated direction and relocated distance on the elderly’s physical and mental health. Based on the 2019 household survey questionnaire data, this study utilizes a binomial logistic regression model and residents’ in-depth interviews to study relocated behavior in Nanjing. We analyzed the spatial–temporal characteristics of relocated behaviors, the accumulation effect at different stages and the influence of relocated intention on physical and mental health among the elderly. The findings are as follows: (1) The mode of relocation among the elderly includes long-term cumulative effects and short-term effects. Frequent relocation has a cumulative negative impact on the physical and mental health of the elderly. (2) The elderly relocated in the short-term had a great negative impact on their mental health but had no significant impact on their physical health. (3) In the last relocation, active relocation had a significantly positive impact on physical health. The “centrifugal relocation” from the main urban area to the surrounding new cities has a significant positive impact on mental health. Moreover, long-distance relocations adversely affected mental health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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25 pages, 4337 KiB  
Article
Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Population Migration under Different Population Agglomeration Patterns—A Case Study of Urban Agglomeration in China
by Yongwang Cao, Xiong He and Chunshan Zhou
Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6909; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086909 - 19 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1251
Abstract
China’s urban agglomerations (UAs) are striving to build a new development pattern oriented towards the new era and new stage, and the population distribution is facing new problems of synergy with the layout of labor factor productivity and regional coordinated development. Therefore, this [...] Read more.
China’s urban agglomerations (UAs) are striving to build a new development pattern oriented towards the new era and new stage, and the population distribution is facing new problems of synergy with the layout of labor factor productivity and regional coordinated development. Therefore, this study couples UAs with population distribution, using data from three population censuses and nighttime light data in 2000, 2010, and 2020, to measure the population agglomeration patterns of Chinese UAs using population agglomeration indicators and to explore the influencing factors and spatial stratification heterogeneity characteristics by constructing an econometric model. The results show that: (1) the population agglomeration patterns of Chinese UAs can be classified into four major categories: weakly polycentric, weakly monocentric, strongly monocentric, and strongly polycentric UAs, and China’s UAs are in a low-level stage dominated by weakly polycentric UAs at present. (2) In terms of influencing factors, 15 indicators, such as economic development and social conditions, are important factors affecting the population agglomeration patterns of the four UAs, but their effects vary greatly due to specific patterns. (3) For specific agglomeration models, the total passenger volume has always been the strongest positive influencing factor for weakly polycentric UAs; the industry location entropy index, scale of fiscal expenditure, and total passenger volume in municipal districts are relatively strong positive effects to weakly monocentric UAs, the per capita GDP and urbanization rate are relatively strong positive effects to strongly monocentric UAs, and the urbanization rate is always the strongest positive effect to strongly polycentric UAs. The refined analysis of population migration in Chinese UAs in this study enriches the theoretical results related to population migration in Chinese UAs to a certain extent and provides a feasible basis for the development of new development patterns in Chinese UAs and the formulation of regional population policies in the new stage. Meanwhile, this study divided the polycentric attributes of different UAs, which provide a reference for the theoretical development of polycentric spatial structure of UAs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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18 pages, 2041 KiB  
Article
Maturity Analysis of Stock Exchanges in Africa: Prepandemic Sustainability Perspective
by Joanna Próchniak, Renata Płoska, Anna Zamojska, Błażej Lepczyński and Giuseppe T. Cirella
Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6820; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086820 - 18 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1415
Abstract
This paper focuses on the economic dimension of sustainability by examining the stock exchange interface of financial markets, the influence of capital market stakeholders, and the instruments that contribute to a supportive fiscal framework. Only mature stock exchanges are present in sustainability indices; [...] Read more.
This paper focuses on the economic dimension of sustainability by examining the stock exchange interface of financial markets, the influence of capital market stakeholders, and the instruments that contribute to a supportive fiscal framework. Only mature stock exchanges are present in sustainability indices; hence, comparative assessment of stock exchanges is limited and contributes to the complexity of conducting such a study. Utilizing multivariate analysis, this study investigates the potential for African stock exchanges to support sustainability. An empirical study was conducted on a selected sample of 15 African stock exchanges at the end of 2020 using collected 5-year interval data from Q1 of 2021. A total of 22 variables were selected based on their legitimacy to support sustainability. Using exploratory factor analysis, two key sustainability drivers of differentiation and classified exchanges were identified, i.e., hard and soft. K-means classification method verified the results and found that of the four identified homogeneous groups, one—the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Nigerian Stock Exchange, and the Egyptian Exchange—emerged on top. Two smaller groups had the potential to be strengthened, and the majority group lagged behind. The research demonstrated the importance of identifying key sustainability drivers and examined the materiality of the drivers within an African context. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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23 pages, 10474 KiB  
Article
Do Social Aspects Affect Built-in Car Navigation Habits? A Stereotype Study
by Fanni Vörös, Georg Gartner, Michael P. Peterson and Béla Kovács
Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5203; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065203 - 15 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1148
Abstract
We encounter prejudices and stereotypes in all areas of life, including human navigation. This study seeks to answer whether there is a basis for navigation stereotypes such as: does our age, gender, place of residence or country affect our car navigation habits? An [...] Read more.
We encounter prejudices and stereotypes in all areas of life, including human navigation. This study seeks to answer whether there is a basis for navigation stereotypes such as: does our age, gender, place of residence or country affect our car navigation habits? An online questionnaire was distributed in three Central European countries (Hungary, Romania and Austria) and 1556 respondents were reached. In addition to habitancy (settlement type), it was noted that half of the examined concerns are influenced by stereotypes. A significant difference can be shown in questions that are directly or indirectly related to the financial situation of the driver (e.g., the existence and quality of the built-in GPS depends on whether someone has enough money to buy it). However, it seems that other stereotypes we have about driving and navigation are mostly false. The results suggest that it may be possible to personalize built-in navigation systems. By incorporating various “extra” services (e.g., personalized interface, placement), driving and navigation can be made safer and more comfortable for particular segments of society—the driver does not need to use other devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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24 pages, 7036 KiB  
Article
A Study on Temporal and Spatial Differences in Women’s Well-Being in an Ecologically Vulnerable Area in Northwest China
by Jinjing Ma, Min Lei, Huan Yu and Rui Li
Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2324; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032324 - 27 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1267
Abstract
As an important driving force for economic development and social progress, women have become an important subject of well-being research. Human well-being is the state of physical and mental health as well as material affluence and includes a variety of factors, such as [...] Read more.
As an important driving force for economic development and social progress, women have become an important subject of well-being research. Human well-being is the state of physical and mental health as well as material affluence and includes a variety of factors, such as wealth, education, health, safety, amenities, way of life, and happiness. Based on the established research framework of the Women’s Development Index (WDI) in Northwest China, this paper first measured the objective well-being level of women in Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang from 2003 to 2020 under the influence of ecological factors. In addition, spatial disaggregation and comparative analyses of the spatial imbalance of women’s well-being in Northwest China were carried out using the Theil index and Dagum Gini coefficient. The results show that (1) the WDI in ecologically vulnerable areas in Northwest China increased from 0.525 in 2003 to 0.690 in 2020, indicating an overall increase in well-being. (2) The WDI in the five provinces gradually increased with fluctuations. Among them, Shaanxi always remained in first place in terms of the WDI. (3) From 2003 to 2020, the spatial imbalance of women’s well-being as measured according to the WDI in Northwest China first increased and then decreased. However, the gap in women’s well-being in Northwest China was smaller than the economic gap. (4) From 2003 to 2020, the well-being gap measured by the WDI among the 10 groups of provinces in Northwest China gradually decreased, and the development gap between the provinces and Shaanxi was the largest. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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21 pages, 753 KiB  
Article
Small Towns’ Functions as a Determinant of the Standard of Living in Rural Areas—An Example from Poland
by Marcin Bogdański and Marcin Janusz
Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13254; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013254 - 15 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1195
Abstract
Rural areas, due to their importance for the economy and society, have always been a subject of efforts to understand and model the growth drivers in these areas as well as to improve the standard of living (SoL) of rural populations. One of [...] Read more.
Rural areas, due to their importance for the economy and society, have always been a subject of efforts to understand and model the growth drivers in these areas as well as to improve the standard of living (SoL) of rural populations. One of the most important factors shaping the functioning of rural areas is the presence of small towns and the number of functions they provide for surrounding areas. The significance of this factor is especially high in peripheral regions, such as the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodship in Poland. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to analyze how the number and structure of functions performed by small towns in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie region affected the standard of living of rural residents in the years 2008–2020. The first part of the analysis was concerned with calculating the number and structure of functions performed by small towns in the region, using methods developed in the framework of urban economic base theory. The TOPSIS method was then used to quantify living standards in rural areas. Finally, the results of the two analyses were compared against each other. The results of the studies show that the standard of living in rural areas usually improved with an increase in the number of functions performed by the small towns. Additionally, the structure of these functions influenced the living conditions of the rural population. However, considering the relative rigidness of the urban network within the regional socio-economic system, it leads to the conclusion that existing disparities in the standard of living will be difficult to reduce in the near future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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17 pages, 7121 KiB  
Article
Spatial–Temporal Characteristics and Driving Factors of the Coupling Coordination between Population Health and Economic Development in China
by Hui Tang, Yun Chen, Rongjun Ao, Xue Shen and Guoning Shi
Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10513; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710513 - 23 Aug 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1575
Abstract
Promoting the coordinated development of population health and the economy is an important part of building a “Healthy China” and promoting high-quality economic development. Based on the systematic construction of the population health and economic development evaluation index system, this paper uses the [...] Read more.
Promoting the coordinated development of population health and the economy is an important part of building a “Healthy China” and promoting high-quality economic development. Based on the systematic construction of the population health and economic development evaluation index system, this paper uses the coupled coordination model, geodetector, and geographically weighted regression (GWR) to comprehensively measure the population health level and economic development level at the provincial scale in China in 2000 and 2015, and reveals the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of the coupled coordination relationship between the population health level and economic development level at the provincial scale in China from 2000 to 2015 and its driving factors. The results show the following: (1) China’s population health and economic development are in a high-level coupling stage, and the coupling level increases slightly with time; spatially, two types of running-in coupling and high-level coupling coexist; the coupling degree in the eastern and central regions tends to increase, while the coupling degree in the western region tends to weaken. (2) China’s population health and economic development are in a good coupling coordination stage as a whole, and the coupling coordination degree has an increasing trend; spatially, the coupling coordination degree shows high spatial differentiation characteristics in the east and low in the west; the good and high-quality coupling coordination type area tends to expand to the west, while the moderate coupling coordination type area tends to shrink to the west; there is also positive spatial agglomeration of coupling coordination degree, and the spatial agglomeration is gradually enhanced. (3) The coupling coordination of China’s population health and economic development is driven by multiple factors such as natural conditions, health resources, culture quality, and urbanization level; the interaction between factors is stronger than that of a single factor, and the driving effect of each factor also shows significant spatial heterogeneity. This study is intended to provide a scientific basis for promoting harmonious population health and economic development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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21 pages, 3145 KiB  
Article
The Relationships between Urbanization, Altitude Variability and Disaster Risk Management, Evidence from Jordan
by Rania Qutieshat and Tasneem Al-Assaf
Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9241; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159241 - 28 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1098
Abstract
This study was conducted in Jordan to assess the relationships between built environment (population growth, green surfaces, and built-up land), altitude variability, and landslide events during the period 1994 to 2020 through the application of a multi-approach investigation using statistical analyses, GIS, and [...] Read more.
This study was conducted in Jordan to assess the relationships between built environment (population growth, green surfaces, and built-up land), altitude variability, and landslide events during the period 1994 to 2020 through the application of a multi-approach investigation using statistical analyses, GIS, and remote sensing techniques. The results showed that the population densities in the study area have substantially increased. The population in the northern parts is distributed along an east–west direction that moves anticlockwise toward the south, while the southern parts population distribution is along a north–south direction that moves clockwise and to the south. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) results showed that the green surfaces in the study area have decreased by 4.6%, while the built-up land density has increased. The landslide events increased from four events in 1994 to more than 20 events in 2020. There is a synchronous pattern in which the decrease in vegetation is associated with an increase in built-up land, population size, and landslide events at different altitudes, suggesting that a relationship between these factors might be present. If the current built environment practices persist, the population distribution and concentration will spread in a north-south direction along the same axis where landslide events are concentrated, posing serious future potential hazards on the population and on facilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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18 pages, 2421 KiB  
Article
Types, Modes and Influencing Factors of Urban Shrinkage: Evidence from the Yellow River Basin, China
by Xiaoming Ding, Shangkun Yu, Yi Miao, Chengxin Wang and Zhenxing Jin
Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9213; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159213 - 27 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1692
Abstract
Following the appearance of urban shrinkage in Western countries, scholars have taken note of increasing amounts of urban shrinkage with significant regional characteristics in China in recent years. Focusing on the Yellow River Basin, this study comprehensively measured prefecture-level and county-level city shrinkage [...] Read more.
Following the appearance of urban shrinkage in Western countries, scholars have taken note of increasing amounts of urban shrinkage with significant regional characteristics in China in recent years. Focusing on the Yellow River Basin, this study comprehensively measured prefecture-level and county-level city shrinkage based on China’s fifth, sixth and seventh national census data. Furthermore, the spatiotemporal patterns, types and modes of urban shrinkage were analyzed, and the factors influencing urban shrinkage were explored using a multiple linear regression model and a sorting model. The study results show that the number of shrinking cities and the shrinking degree significantly increased at the prefecture and county levels in the last 20 years. The identified shrinking cities are concentrated in the upper and middle reaches of the river basin, spatially configured around major cities and along the high-speed railway line. The regional pattern shows a typical “core–periphery” characteristic. Peripheral shrinkage is the main mode in which cities shrink. The strength and speed of economic development and industrial transformation positively affect urban shrinkage; the ageing degree, high-speed railway opening and other factors negatively affect urban shrinkage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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16 pages, 4478 KiB  
Article
Human Activity Intensity in China under Multi-Factor Interactions: Spatiotemporal Characteristics and Influencing Factors
by Teng Zhang, Yixuan Sun, Mei Guan, Jieming Kang and Baolei Zhang
Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 3113; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14053113 - 07 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2566
Abstract
Human activities involving nature have various environmental impacts. The assessment of the spatial and temporal evolution of human activity intensity (HAI) and its driving forces is significant for determining the effects of human activities on regional ecological environments and regulating such activities. This [...] Read more.
Human activities involving nature have various environmental impacts. The assessment of the spatial and temporal evolution of human activity intensity (HAI) and its driving forces is significant for determining the effects of human activities on regional ecological environments and regulating such activities. This research quantified the HAI of China, assessed its spatiotemporal characteristics, and analyzed its influencing factors based on the land use data and panel data of 31 provinces in mainland China. The results indicate that the HAI in China is increasing, with the average value increasing from 15.83% in 1980 to 20.04% in 2018, and the HAI was relatively serious in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta in this period. The spatial differences in the HAI in China show a pattern of being strong in the east and weak in the west, and the spatial center of gravity of China’s HAI has gradually moved west, changing from a central enhancement mode to a point-like “core” enhancement mode. The dominant factors affecting spatial differences in HAI are economic and industrial levels. Labor, population, and capital factors also strongly impact HAI, and energy consumption and pollution emissions have little impact. These results deepen the understanding of the underlying mechanism of the environmental impact of human activities and provide a scientific basis for land-use-related decision making and eco-environment construction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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15 pages, 942 KiB  
Article
Economic Drivers of Voluntary Return among Conflict-Induced Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria
by Paul O. Adekola, Dominic E. Azuh, Emmanuel O. Amoo, Gracie Brownell and Giuseppe T. Cirella
Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2060; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042060 - 11 Feb 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2421
Abstract
North-East Nigeria is recovering from a decade of terrorism by Boko Haram during which the region collapsed socioeconomically and millions were displaced. The displaced live in various camps in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe States, and serve as the primary source of data for [...] Read more.
North-East Nigeria is recovering from a decade of terrorism by Boko Haram during which the region collapsed socioeconomically and millions were displaced. The displaced live in various camps in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe States, and serve as the primary source of data for this research. The Nigerian government has expressed their desire for the displaced to return home following peace restoration to the region. Their unwillingness to return despite the perceived gains of reintegration prompted this research to examine economic determinants of willingness for reintegration. Logistics regression results show a strong positive influence of having an assurance of finding employment back home on the willingness for reintegration. The results further suggest that displaced persons are 14 times more willing to return home when the government guarantees employment. To encourage willingness for reintegration, the authors recommend that displaced persons be empowered economically through the provision of jobs upon their return to their various home communities. Recommendations for the Nigerian government and interested parties are presented with suggestions to expand social institutions and their collaboration with the government. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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20 pages, 725 KiB  
Article
Evaluating Labour Market Flexibility Using the TOPSIS Method: Sustainable Industrial Relations
by Anna Galik, Monika Bąk, Katarzyna Bałandynowicz-Panfil and Giuseppe T. Cirella
Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 526; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010526 - 04 Jan 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3122
Abstract
This study evaluates labour market flexibility using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method. TOPSIS is employed by comparing spatial (i.e., different countries) and temporal (i.e., long-time horizon) terms. Sustainable industrial relations [...] Read more.
This study evaluates labour market flexibility using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method. TOPSIS is employed by comparing spatial (i.e., different countries) and temporal (i.e., long-time horizon) terms. Sustainable industrial relations processes are considered in shaping the flexibility of the labour market in 15 European Union Member States from 2009 to 2018. Countries are grouped into classes to provide a basis for benchmarking results against social and employment policies implemented at the national level. A five-step quantitative MCDA method is formulated using published data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The results indicate that the TOPSIS method is an appropriate approach for measuring labour market flexibility internationally. Moreover, in relation to workforce phenomena, the findings show that the method offers the possibility of examining the impact of particular factors related to social and employment policies of a country in terms of sustainable development and socioeconomic growth. The lack of precision tools to forecast the development of national and transnational labour markets—particularly during the COVID-19 era—highlights the importance of such a method for workforce planners and policymakers. Developing sustainable industrial relations in terms of associated national externalities is the motivation of the research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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20 pages, 4404 KiB  
Article
Identification of Villages’ Development Types Using a Comprehensive Natural–Socioeconomic Framework
by Yaqiu Liu, Jian Liu, Can Guo, Tingting Zhang, Ailing Wang and Xinyang Yu
Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7294; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137294 - 29 Jun 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2229
Abstract
The establishment of a comprehensive framework to identify village development types is crucial to formulate plans for rural development and promote rural revitalization. This study proposed a natural–socioeconomic framework to identify the types of villages based on field survey, statistical data, and multi-source [...] Read more.
The establishment of a comprehensive framework to identify village development types is crucial to formulate plans for rural development and promote rural revitalization. This study proposed a natural–socioeconomic framework to identify the types of villages based on field survey, statistical data, and multi-source remote sensing images. The framework was constructed by combining the two-dimensional natural suitability/restriction evaluation and the four-dimensional socioeconomic development level evaluation. Then, the modified multiplication-weighted summation method and the coupling coordination degree algorithm were employed to identify the villages’ development types. A total of 774 villages of the Laiyang County, eastern China were used as the study areas to examine the framework. The results demonstrated the following. (1) There were 243,318 and 151 villages with high, moderate, low natural suitability, and 62 villages with natural restrictions; and 158,366 and 250 villages with high, moderate, and low economic development level, respectively. The distribution characteristic of natural evaluation was “high in the southwest and low in the northeast”, and the socioeconomic development level was generally centered on the urban area, which presented a “high–medium–low” circle-layer distribution structure. (2) There were 247 villages with high-level coupling coordination, 464 villages with intermediate coupling coordination, 1 village with low-level coupling coordination, and 62 villages with disordered coupling. (3) Based on the coupling coordination evaluation results, villages in the study area were grouped into five types: urbanization development (31%), construction development (16%), agglomeration linkage development (27%), decrease and improvement development (18%), and relocation and integration development (8%). The framework of villages’ development types identification established in this study can enrich the theory of rural geography, and the applied research results can provide a basis for rural revitalization and development planning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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28 pages, 14852 KiB  
Article
Territorial Effects of Shared-Living Heritage Regeneration
by Tiziano Cattaneo, Emanuele Giorgi, Mauricio Flores and Viviana Barquero
Sustainability 2020, 12(20), 8616; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208616 - 17 Oct 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3438
Abstract
The paper presents further steps of study started by authors in recent years, as part of the widest international research collaboration, which focuses on shared life and regeneration of abandonment of rural settlements as strategies for the development of sustainable territories. This research [...] Read more.
The paper presents further steps of study started by authors in recent years, as part of the widest international research collaboration, which focuses on shared life and regeneration of abandonment of rural settlements as strategies for the development of sustainable territories. This research aims to understand how the regeneration of ancient community buildings impacts on the sustainable development of the local context. To understand these effects, the research considered four traditional typologies of community buildings, from different cultures: Tulou (China), Cascina (Italy), Hacienda (Mexico), and Marae (New Zealand). Among the tens/hundreds of contemporary regeneration interventions, three contemporary projects per each of these typologies have been selected. To assess the territorial impact of the projects a new approach has been defined using Expert Interviews as the methodology, so as to be able to have an assessment directly by experts in the fields of regenerative projects and sustainable development. The Expert Interviews were held based on a questionnaire that assessed the effects of the projects. For the evaluation of the projects, two categories of indicators have been selected: (1) United Nations SDGs, (2) architectural regeneration indicators generated by the study “The Role of Cultural Heritage in Sustainable Development: Multidimensional Indicators as Decision-Making Tool”, by Francesca Nocca, published in Sustainability (2017, 9, 1882). The research outputs show how the urban-architectural regeneration of these historical typologies can be clearly associated with indications of sustainable development. The results also show that in all four cultures the regeneration of historic buildings provides many benefits to local communities by successfully mixing different income groups and the inclusion of marginalized or vulnerable groups. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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13 pages, 785 KiB  
Article
Research on Population Development in Ethnic Minority Areas in the Context of China’s Population Strategy Adjustment
by Jinwei Huo, Xinhuan Zhang, Zhiping Zhang and Yaning Chen
Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 8021; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12198021 - 28 Sep 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3080
Abstract
Against the background of China’s relaxation of family planning standards, this thesis analyzed the demographic trends in ethnic minority areas and their impacts on regional development under China’s adjustment of its population strategy. By setting up different fertility scenarios, the population forecasting software [...] Read more.
Against the background of China’s relaxation of family planning standards, this thesis analyzed the demographic trends in ethnic minority areas and their impacts on regional development under China’s adjustment of its population strategy. By setting up different fertility scenarios, the population forecasting software (PADIS-INT) was applied to forecast the population scale and structure of the Hotan region. This thesis analyzed the impacts of population growth on regional sustainable development from the perspectives of employment, economic development, and resource carrying capacity to provide references for the formulation and implementation of population and economic development policies in minority areas, to alleviate the contradiction between the human and environment. The results showed that the Hotan region would maintain a relatively fast population growth rate for a long period; by 2050, its population would skew younger when compared to China’s general statistics. However, due to the lagging economic development and the constraints to resources and the environment, unemployment would become the most severe problem hampering regional development. While developing its local economy, the Hotan region needs to better promote the interregional migration of the labor force. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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19 pages, 3259 KiB  
Article
Research on Network Patterns and Influencing Factors of Population Flow and Migration in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration, China
by Xuewei Wang, Shuangli Ding, Weidong Cao, Dalong Fan and Bin Tang
Sustainability 2020, 12(17), 6803; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12176803 - 21 Aug 2020
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3301
Abstract
Through the construction of a population flow and migration relationship matrix, this paper analyzes population flow and migration in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration during the Spring Festival travel rush and daily period. This paper also studies the urban network spatial structure [...] Read more.
Through the construction of a population flow and migration relationship matrix, this paper analyzes population flow and migration in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration during the Spring Festival travel rush and daily period. This paper also studies the urban network spatial structure characteristics and the influencing factors from the perspective of inter-provincial population flow and migration. The results show the following: (1) as a central city, Shanghai has a significant siphon effect, with Suzhou, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wuxi and Changzhou accumulating 86.95% of the incoming population. The Shanghai–Jiangsu cross-border floating population is active and accounts for 40.83% of the total mobility scale in the same period. The population flow and migration network in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration shows obvious hierarchical characteristics. The secondary network relationship during the Spring Festival travel rush is the main migration path, while the first-level network relationship in the daily period is the main flow path. (2) Three indicators, namely, the network density, mean centrality, and control force based on the population flow and migration, consistently show that the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration network presents a strong connection state with the formation of a local cluster structure, highlighting that the city tightness in terms of population flow and migration also has dual attributes, which refers to “the restriction of the geographic space effect” and “overcoming the friction of space”. (3) Economic scale, political resources, industrial structure, and the historical basis are important factors influencing the formation of population flows and migration networks. Employment opportunities and labor wages are key guiding factors of the population migration direction, and spatial distance is a conditional factor influencing the formation of population flows and migration networks. The inter-provincial boundary, temporal distance, and transboundary frequency are the decisive factors for the formation of network patterns of population flow and migration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography: Interrelationships between People, Place, and the Environment)
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