Search Results (40)

Housing markets display geographical linkages that contravene conventional regression assumptions; yet, Central and Eastern European towns are markedly underrepresented in spatial econometric research. This study provides a systematic spatial econometric analysis of Zagreb’s housing market. It looks at both asking sale and rental prices throughout the city’s 17 administrative districts. There are five model specifications used in the analysis: Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Spatial Lag of X (SLX), Spatial Autoregressive Model (SAR), Spatial Error Model (SEM), and Spatial Durbin Model (SDM). The findings demonstrate significant positive spatial autocorrelation in both markets: Global Moran’s I = 0.29 (p = 0.007) for sales and 0.42 (p < 0.001) for rents. LISA analysis finds important groups of high-priced homes in the center districts and lower-priced homes on the edges. Spatial models significantly surpass OLS: SLX exhibits AIC enhancements of 9.90 (sales) and 20.20 (rentals), but SAR and SEM yield no enhancements, suggesting that local spillover effects from adjacent characteristics prevail over global spatial diffusion or correlated shocks. The higher Moran’s I and AIC gains in rental markets show that there are different spatial processes for different types of tenure. These results address a significant empirical deficiency in post-socialist housing research, illustrate that neglecting spatial dependencies may lead to biased estimates and reduced model performance, and furnish methodologically sound evidence that spatial econometric techniques are essential for accurate modeling for precise urban housing analysis in intermediate-sample scenarios. Policy implications stress the need to use spatial approaches in choices about property value, forecasting, and urban planning. Full article

This study investigates thermal stress and energy-related anxiety as lived, multidimensional manifestations of energy poverty in Western Macedonia, Greece, a coal phase-out region undergoing just transition. Using a 261-household survey, we construct a thermal stress index from four Likert-type items capturing seasonal thermal adequacy, energy anxiety, and restricted use of rooms. High thermal stress is defined as the upper quartile of the index. Descriptive results indicate that high thermal stress affects 27.2% of households, exceeding a 20% threshold, while energy-related anxiety and restricted room use are widespread. We then estimate logistic regression models to examine whether vulnerability characteristics (disability-related thermal/electric needs, single parenthood, dependent children, benefit receipt, elderly presence), financial stress indicators (arrears, energy debt, frequent forced reductions in consumption), and socio-economic controls (income, employment, tenure, age, gender) predict high thermal stress. Adjusted models show that vulnerability markers do not retain statistically independent associations once controls are included. In contrast, tenure and energy-related financial stress are significantly associated with the probability of high thermal stress. The findings highlight the importance of measurement choices and suggest that experiential indicators capture energy-poverty dynamics that are not reducible to income-based targeting, with implications for just-transition policy design and energy justice. Full article

Understanding why households choose particular urban neighborhoods requires bridging traditional rational-choice explanations with emerging evidence on cognitive, social, and informational influences. This study investigates how territorial intelligence (TI)—defined as the availability and use of spatial data, planning information, and participatory knowledge platforms—interacts with behavioral factors to shape residential relocation decisions. Employing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, we surveyed 356 recent movers in Casablanca, Morocco, and conducted 20 follow-up semi-structured interviews. Quantitative analysis shows that each additional consulted data source increased the odds of selecting a central, transit-rich location by 45 %, while prior awareness of development plans raised those odds by 60 %, controlling for income, tenure, affordability, dwelling attributes, and socio-demographics. Data use also predicted higher post-move satisfaction, particularly when individual housing preferences aligned with chosen locations. Qualitative findings reveal that residents view territorial data as a tool for “future-proofing” but also experience information overload, leading some to revert to heuristics or social advice. The interplay of rational cost–benefit logic, bounded cognitive processing, and TI-mediated knowledge underscores the need for planning strategies that combine economic fundamentals with behaviorally informed data provision. By integrating micro-level decision evidence with the territorial intelligence framework, the study offers practical guidance for urban planners aiming to nudge residential choices toward more sustainable, policy-consistent outcomes. Full article

Public electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure is crucial for accelerating EV adoption and reducing transportation emissions; however, disparities in infrastructure access have raised significant equity concerns. This review synthesizes existing knowledge and identifies gaps regarding equity in EV public charging research. Following structured review protocols, 91 peer-reviewed studies from Scopus and Google Scholar were analyzed, focusing explicitly on equity considerations. The findings indicate that current research on EV public charging equity mainly adopts geographic information systems (GIS), network optimization, behavioral modeling, and hybrid analytical frameworks, yet lacks consistent normative frameworks for assessing equity outcomes. Equity assessments highlight four key dimensions: spatial accessibility, cost burdens, reliability and usability, and user awareness and trust. Socio-economic disparities, particularly income, housing tenure, and ethnicity, frequently exacerbate inequitable access, disproportionately disadvantaging low-income, renter, and minority populations. Additionally, infrastructure-specific choices, including charger reliability, strategic location, and pricing strategies, significantly influence adoption patterns and equity outcomes. However, the existing literature primarily reflects the contexts of North America, Europe, and China, revealing substantial geographical and methodological limitations. This review suggests the need for more robust normative evaluations of equity, comprehensive demographic data integration, and advanced methodological frameworks, thereby guiding targeted, inclusive, and context-sensitive infrastructure planning and policy interventions. Full article

This study investigates shopping behaviors for essential services among Black middle-class homeowners in Ward 8, Washington, D.C., a historically underinvested neighborhood experiencing a rise in Black homeownership. The research examines how these residents manage limited local retail options, address safety concerns, and evaluate quality perceptions when choosing where to shop. Using survey data from 58 homeowners, we categorized shopping patterns into Inside-only, Mixed, and Outside-only. Exploratory factor analysis identified three main motivational factors: Service & Quality, Access & Convenience, and Economic. Multinomial logistic regression showed that higher scores on the Access & Convenience factor significantly increased the likelihood of Outside-only shopping (OR = 1.67, p = 0.02), while residential tenure showed a non-significant trend toward predicting Mixed shopping. To explain these findings, we introduce the concept of the “Small Spatial World^TM,” an adaptation of Chatman’s Small World theory, to describe how routine spatial behaviors, not social networks, shape resource gathering in limited urban settings. These behaviors reflect the ongoing impact of racial capitalism and spatial disinvestment, which limit consumer choice even among middle-class residents. This research advances urban studies by uniquely examining the consumption patterns of Black middle-class homeowners in a racially homogenous yet structurally disinvested community, linking race, space, and class in daily consumption, and advocating for targeted retail investments to foster equitable, community-focused development. Full article

Understanding agricultural production dynamics is vital for addressing global food security in the least developed countries. In Senegal, the issues of rural development and enhancing agricultural productivity are still less understood. Using survey data (n = 600) from the Thiès region, this study aims to explore factors that influence agricultural productivity in Senegal. The multinomial probit model is estimated using maximum simulated likelihood (MSL) methods. This approach is necessary due to the presence of multiple-choice categories. The results highlight that young farmers aged 18–30 are less likely to achieve high production (>10 tons) compared to their older counterparts (p < 0.01). In contrast, older farmers (31–60) report higher income stability (p < 0.05). Education levels also impact production, with farmers having lower or upper secondary education being less likely to attain high production than illiterate farmers (p < 0.05). Receiving subsidies reduces the likelihood of high production (p < 0.01). Larger landholdings (>1 ha) correlate with lower production odds (p < 0.01), suggesting diminishing returns. Gender disparities are evident, with male farmers being 45.6% more likely to report income declines (p < 0.1). Marginal effects show that acquiring land through rental or purchase significantly boosts income (p < 0.01), while traditional ploughing increases the sown area (p < 0.01). Policymakers should enhance training in agriculture, improve subsidies, secure land tenure, and promote certified seeds to boost productivity. This study highlights the need for targeted policies on training, subsidies, land tenure, and sustainable practices to enhance Senegal’s agricultural productivity. Full article

Background: Landscape approaches are recognized for their holistic view on development and conservation. However, they encounter sustainability and localization challenges due to short-term funding constraints and dependence on external experts. In this paper, we examine commoning as a means of land tenure interventions that enable mixed land use and community stewardship. Methods: Based on desk research and 20 interviews, an institutional analysis was performed on two landscape management cases to shed light on commoning processes and land tenure changes, as well as their impact on land use and community stewardship. Results: In the first case, a collaborative governance model was developed through policy interventions, which provided not only institutional frameworks but also financial resources to incentivize landowners to cooperate with nature conservation groups and share management rights over their land. In the second case, a community land trust model was used by self-organized civil society actors to develop ecovillage practices and ensure the balance of conservation and agricultural uses. In both cases, we found that land tenure innovations in terms of boundary rules, choice rules, aggregation rules, as well as rules for higher-level action situations, were key to enabling land rights sharing, mixed land use, and different levels of stewardship depending on the preferences and capacity of stakeholders. Conclusions: Commoning could address the sustainability and localization challenges faced by landscape approaches to mixed land use and long-term adaptive management. Full article

This study assesses the predictions of future mobility rates and tenure choice behaviors by characterizing older households by age and place, focusing on the role of intergenerational networks. This study employed mixed effects logistic regression along with longitudinal household data acquired from the 2008–2020 Korea Longitudinal Study of Aging. The findings are as follows. First, co-residence with children encouraged older people to remain in their current places of residence. In contrast, those within 30 min of a child’s house by public transportation tended to experience residential mobility and dissave their accumulated housing wealth. Second, the effects of intergenerational networks on housing behaviors—independent living, residential mobility, and tenure transition—seemed greater and statistically significant for the oldest cohort, aged 75 years and above, and in non-metropolitan areas. Finally, intergenerational networks might help vulnerable households—being single or having poor health—stay in their current independent living situations, but they did not appear to be major factors influencing housing decisions, such as residential mobility or housing adjustments, in older households. In conclusion, intergenerational networks seem to have a partial direct impact on aging in place (AIP) in Korea. Instead, older Koreans tend to relocate closer to their children and seem to age in those areas. Understanding the reasons why older households choose to stay or leave their current homes is crucial, as it relates to aging in place (AIP), a widely used term in aging-related matters and a goal of elderly housing policies. This study provides seminal insights into this issue. Full article

Sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) remain the panacea to addressing challenges relating to climate change, low rainfall, and low agricultural productivity in many rural parts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). These practices include but are not limited to crop rotation, intercropping, cover cropping, and conservation tillage. The aforementioned practices have been scientifically proven to enhance crop productivity while safeguarding environmental resources. This review assesses the trends, effectiveness, and challenges associated with the adoption and utilization of SAPs among smallholder farmers in the SSA region, analyzing the literature and reports from 2000 to 2024 sourced from databases such as Google Scholar and Scopus. The inclusion criteria focused on key concepts such as SAPs, adoption, and challenges. Findings indicate that crop rotation, intercropping, improved seed varieties, manure, and mulching are among the most adopted practices. In reality, practices such as conservation tillage, agroforestry, and water harvesting systems remain the least adopted practices in many rural parts of SSA. The review further reveals that challenges relating to land tenure insecurity, lack of knowledge, training, and limited access to financial institutions all have a direct or indirect influence on farmers’ choice of adoption. Overcoming the aforementioned challenges through policy interventions and capacity building is vital for improved crop productivity and rural livelihoods. Full article

This study investigated the perception of drought by cocoa farmers and explored the effectiveness of adaptive strategies (ASs) used in smallholding farms in the transboundary region between Ghana and Togo. Drought significantly threatens cocoa production in this region, affecting farmers’ livelihoods and cocoa supply chains. This study used a multistage sampling approach, which involved surveys with questionnaires administered to 330 cocoa farmers throughout the study area, along with on-site observations. Statistical analysis included binary logistic and Poisson regression models to explore the relationship between farmer socioeconomic characteristics and adaptation practices. The findings revealed that cocoa farmers in the region have a nuanced understanding of drought, attributed to changing climatic patterns and unsustainable land management practices such as deforestation. To mitigate its impacts, farmers employ a variety of ASs, including investment in farm management, soil management, and intercropping with crop diversification. Furthermore, socioeconomic factors, including age, formal education, household size, land tenure right, adaptation cost assessment, and an underestimation of self-efficacy, were shown to affect the choice in the AS. Among the ASs adopted, only farm management practices (weeding, pruning, fertilizer application, etc.) significantly improved the cocoa yield. This study contributes to understanding drought as a critical issue for cocoa farmers and the adaptation practices used by smallholder cocoa farmers. Given that among the strategies adopted, only farm management practices, also known as good agricultural practices (GAPs), significantly improves yield, this study recommends well-designed and innovative packages of sustainable farm management based on farm and owner characteristics. These include irrigation schemes, timely soil fertilizer monitoring and supply, and the provision of drought-resistant varieties along with technical itineraries. Additional interventions require drought emergency responses, with other factors such as education and financial support mechanisms expected to improve farmers’ timely decision-making to adapt and improve cocoa production resilience to drought episodes in international transboundary regions with complex governance structures. Full article

Amid rapid urbanization, shantytown redevelopment profoundly transforms urban environments and catalyzes substantial changes in social, economic, and family structures. Yet, most previous studies have focused narrowly on the outcomes of single residential mobility events, overlooking the complex dynamics that unfold across the pre-redevelopment, during-redevelopment, and post-redevelopment phases. This study investigates changes in family structure and their correlation with living space throughout all three phases of shantytown redevelopment in Heze City, Shandong Province, China, from 2016 to 2023. Collecting data through a community survey, we gathered 1035 valid responses to analyze family structure and residential characteristics. Our analysis, which included Sankey diagrams and cross-lagged panel models (CLPM), revealed a predominant trend of large families fragmenting into smaller nuclear units and demonstrated a significant positive correlation between family structure complexity (FSC) and living space. Notably, the FSC from a previous phase had a significant influence on the living space of the following phase, indicating lagged effects where housing choices are influenced by prior family structure. Further comparisons across different housing types and tenures during the temporary phase highlighted diverse structural changes among families. These insights are crucial for policymakers to refine urban redevelopment strategies, better meet residents’ needs, and enhance the efficacy of policies. Full article

Female mate choice may drive sexual selection, but discerning whether female behaviors reflect free expression of choice or responses to constraints can be difficult. We investigated the efficacy of female choice in wild blue monkeys using 10 years of behavior and paternity data (N = 178 male–female dyads). Although blue monkeys live modally in one-male polygynous groups, where male-biased intersexual power is expected, females can access multiple potential mates during seasonal male influxes and occasional intergroup encounters. Additionally, extra-group males sire offspring. We examined female resistance rates to male-initiated sexual interactions, and unsolicited proceptive behavior that females directed to males (corrected for male availability). Females seldom resisted male solicitation, but initiated sexual interactions more than males. Females generally preferred residents. Those who preferred non-residents tended to have residents with longer tenures, but neither female parity nor rank influenced the tendency to prefer non-residents vs. residents. The male most solicited by a particular female fathered that female’s infant 82% of the time; odds of siring were 26 times higher for most vs. nonpreferred males. Female preference predicted paternity even more strongly among non-resident males, with odds of siring 33 times higher for most vs. nonpreferred non-residents. Neither female rank nor parity influenced her likelihood of having her preferred partner as sire. Paternity by preferred males did not affect infant survival. While we cannot fully discount the effect of male–male competition on paternity, these results suggest that blue monkey females can exercise choice successfully, even in a polygynous mating system. Full article

Delirium, a multifactorial condition with an acute onset and diverse clinical manifestations, poses a significant challenge in the care of hospitalized individuals aged 65 years and older. This study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge among nursing healthcare personnel regarding the diagnosis, recognition of complications, and treatment of delirium. A paper questionnaire consisting of 18 multiple-choice questions was distributed to nurses in twelve operational units located in four facilities within a local hospital in a specific geographical region under the jurisdiction of the Romagna Local Health Authority in Italy. Out of 194 respondents, the overall acceptance rate was 64.2%. The findings revealed an insufficient understanding of delirium among the nursing staff, with more than 40% of respondents answering incorrectly to five out of nine questions related to delirium knowledge, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Notably, gender emerged as a significant determinant, with female participants exhibiting a substantial odds ratio (OR) of 3.50 (p = 0.011 and CI95% = 1.34–9.16) compared to their male counterparts, indicating a higher likelihood of receiving delirium training among females. Furthermore, prolonged tenure within the same work context was associated with a reduced likelihood of receiving delirium training compared to those with less than two years of experience (OR = 0.21, p = 0.034, and CI95% = 0.05–0.89 for 6–10 years of tenure; OR = 0.22, p = 0.038, and CI95% = 0.05–0.92 for over 10 years of tenure). This study underscores the urgent need for enhanced delirium education and improved strategies among nurses to effectively manage patients with delirium. The results advocate regular educational sessions utilizing diverse formats to comprehensively address knowledge gaps among nursing staff. This study was not registered. Full article

Australia’s tropical savannas are a vast landscape of grasslands with high biodiversity value. Effective biodiversity conservation in this landscape requires private contributions to complement the under-sized formal conservation estate. The landscape is dominated by rangelands, in particular extensive cattle grazing on pastoral stations which typically measure hundreds or thousands of square kilometers. The paper reports the results of a discrete–continuous (or “two-stage”) choice experiment conducted with savanna pastoralists. A discrete choice experiment explored the stated willingness to participate in two long-term conservation strategies: (i) total exclusion of cattle from designated parcels of land with management of that land for biodiversity, and (ii) the implementation of rotational grazing systems governed by the requirements of biodiversity, among other contractual attributes. An extension question asked about the area that respondents were willing to supply and a contract they were willing to accept. Double-hurdle (type II tobit) modelling was used for combined data analysis. The results show that potential participation in voluntary conservation contracts by pastoralists is primarily influenced by contract attributes, namely, the conservation action required, the stewardship payment received, contract length and whether the contract contains flexibility provisions. Land productivity is also significant. The level of stewardship payment required to incentivize participation in the conservation of grasslands is in line with opportunity costs, in particular option value. The amount of land that pastoralists are willing to supply is determined by the conservation payment as well as farm size and intrinsic motivation. This research illustrates strategies for integrating biodiversity conservation into cattle grazing operations in Australia’s tropical savannas, which are applicable to grasslands globally. It provides data of an economic nature to inform the development of multi-tenure biodiversity conservation strategies. Full article

Conservation easements (CEs) were introduced in the Chinese context to resolve the conflict between rural land use and area-based conservation measures. As conservation easements are usually set on private lands, little is known about their adaptation to the collective land tenure. We introduced a social-psychological aspect to sustainable livelihoods (SL) for an integrated decision-making mechanism to assess rural residents’ motivations for granting CEs. We surveyed farmers in the Qianjiangyuan National Park pilot area in order to explore how tangible factors, i.e., the livelihood assets, and intangible factors, i.e., farmers’ perceptions of the livelihood environment, affected their true feeling of conservation easements. Results suggested that CEs that were adapted to the collectively-owned forestland followed a well-established grassroots democracy but sacrificed the CE’s diversity in restricted uses tailored to specific landowners and properties. Institutional capital and perception of the economic environment appeared most important to affect farmers’ acceptance of CEs. Furthermore, the livelihood assets affected farmers’ perception of the livelihood environment, and their acceptance of CEs affected the perception of policy outcomes. Overall, our findings demonstrate the acceptance of conservation easements as a livelihood strategic choice and strengthen the importance of securing economic rights in the changing institutional environment. Full article