Local sustainable development: a knowledge base for adaptation planning

Towards the end of the century, Serbia will face a dramatic increase in annual temperature between 2°C and 6°C and decrease in annual accumulated precipitation up to 12%. Recent 2014 floods in Serbia, with more than 30 victims, and more than 30,000 displaced people, with overall damage close to €1.5 billion, reflected those trends and the likely risks that region will face due the changing climate. Those risks may influence the development process at the local level. This paper assesses the existing priority measures in local sustainable development strategies and re-interprets their characteristics using a methodological framework for the definition of adaptation measures. It offers a new understanding of the ongoing local sustainable development approach in the potentially most vulnerable municipalities in Serbia. The study focused on following properties of developmental measures: cost-effectiveness, structural characteristics, target realm, spatial determination, time frame, climate responsiveness, and sector and budget allocation of development measures at the local level. The results of the analysis suggest that the initiation of adaptation planning should consider the improvement of the methodological framework – the introduction of inter-sectoral and cross-sectoral planning practice, cost–benefit analysis, the involvement of individual actors in planning and dynamic planning approaches.     

Contribution of Local Agenda 21 to Practical Implementation of Sustainable Development: The Case of the Czech Republic

Local Agenda 21 (LA21), a voluntary tool for implementing sustainable development (SD) in local level, is one way of implementing sustainability principles in practice. Twenty years after the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development Conference in Rio de Janeiro, which made the first reference of LA21 (intended as a framework for the twenty-first century respecting SD principles), this article deals with evaluating the real contribution of this initiative to the implementation of SD in practice on the example of selected municipalities in the Czech Republic. This contribution is examined by a comparative analysis of the indices of change in selected indicators (three to four indicators for each pillar of SD) for municipalities involved in the LA21 initiative in comparison with reference municipalities, which have not been involved in LA21 so far. The analysis results indicate that different trends in some of the indicators can be observed in municipalities implementing LA21 and in the others. This applies, in particular, to the environmental indicators (such as the degree of waste separation, indicating in part the degree of environmental awareness), but also to some of the economic ones (municipal capital expenditures indicating investment activity).     

The role of negotiated developer obligations in financing large public infrastructure after the economic crisis in the Netherlands

The economic crisis that started in 2009 has negatively impacted in the Netherlands the available financial resources for urban development. Dutch municipalities struggle since then with falling local financial sources, especially since active public land policy, traditionally an important additional financial source, became not so profitable anymore. One supposed effect is the limited degree to which municipalities can nowadays finance public infrastructure that serves wider areas, thus more than one specific development site (i.e. ‘large’ public infrastructure). Until now, however, there are no data available that support this claim. In this paper, we explore this and the role that developer obligations can play as an alternative, compensating financial source. Developer obligations are in many countries a growing popular public value capturing instrument, but in the Netherlands, a relative new phenomenon. On the basis of surveys, interviews and policy analysis, we conclude that at least a quarter of Dutch municipalities use developer obligations to obtain financial sources for large infrastructure. This seems, however, so far not to compensate for the diminishing of other municipal financial sources. The paper ends with some speculation about the future evolvement of developer obligations in the Netherlands.     

Connecting Municipal and Regional Level Planning: Analysis and Visualization of Sustainability Indicators in Bergslagen,Sweden

Sustainable development as a process towards sustainability requires collaboration among societal actors and stakeholders at multiple levels. A key issue is to provide them with that they have comprehensive and transparent knowledge base representing the state and trends of different dimensions of sustainability. This study addresses the need to analyse and present data of sustainability as a foundation for the sustainable development process within municipalities, and among them. As a case study, we focus on 18 municipalities in the crisis-struck Bergslagen region in Sweden and compare them with 101 surrounding municipalities. Data from 2001 and 2006 on 15 indicators representing ecological, economic and social sustainability criteria were transformed to a common scale through normalization around the median, and summarized. Bergslagen region municipalities performed poorer than the surrounding ones for all dimensions in 2006. The change from 2001 to 2006 was positive for economic and social criteria, while the ecological dimension developed negatively in all municipalities. We stress the need for municipalities to collaborate with each other and other actors both at municipal and regional levels, and to use sustainability indicators as a base for informed planning processes. We propose visualization of indicators using maps to support decision-making and social learning.     

Structural and Geographic Shifts in the Economy of the European People's Democracies,Members of CEMA,in the Period of Completion of the Construction of Socialism

The authors analyze structural shifts in the industry of Eastern Europe, resulting from priority development of heavy industry, particularly machinery and chemicals. They describe new trends in economic location such as industrialization of once underdeveloped areas and the increasing tendency to locate new industrial projects in international boundary zones on the basis of an international division of labor.     

Borders,planning and policy transfer: historical transformation of development discourses in the Finnish Torne Valley

European Union spatial policies have become a key institutional context in which to study policy transfer processes in European border areas. These policies are, however, only the most recent part of these transformation processes which raises a need for more historically sensitive approaches. An historical perspective is important, since border regions are historical processes with particular path-dependent development trajectories and power structures. This paper aims to contribute to the discussion concerning the transformation of European border regions by looking at the policy transfer of regional development discourses in the Finnish Torne Valley. The study material consists of strategic development documents produced by the Finnish border municipalities and the municipal-based co-operation organizations from the 1930s to 2013. The examination, based on critical discourse analysis, shows that the transformation process is driven by national trends and the dominant planning discourse. Nevertheless, the particular border setting and local discourse on ‘united Torne Valley’ have also intertwined with political and economic processes during different time periods.     

Concentrated Urban Poverty: The Case of Izmir Inner Area,Turkey

In Turkey, poverty has been a main subject of debates since 1960s. It used to be a serious problem for both rural areas and the big cities that gained migration. In Turkey and world-wide since the 1980s, however, there have been more research interests in the concentrated urban poverty, especially along with the increase in levels of impoverishment around the world. With the help of a case study in Izmir (Turkey), this paper aims to examine the process of concentrated urban poverty from different points of view in the literature. This is a case study developed at the peripheries of the traditional city centre—or inner areas—of the city of Izmir, Turkey. The paper, first, discusses the parameters of concentrated poverty according to the literature. Then it introduces the study findings of the author, which point out the macro-scale, micro-scale and ecological dynamics that are important in the development of concentrated urban poverty. The macro-scale dynamics suggest that poverty in inner areas of the city are related to the unbalanced development trends within the country, such as the overgrowth of metropolitan cities, economic restructuring processes, migration trends and the development of informal economy. The ecological dynamics address to the housing and job location preferences and invasion-succession processes in the city, which emphasize that socio-economic characteristics of inner areas of the city are different from those of other city parts. Micro-scale dynamics are related to poors' ability of developing solidarity relations among themselves, which is also related to the spatial characteristics of inner areas of the city, according to this study's findings.     

西南军政委员会的建立与运作

新中国成立初期,在中央与省之间曾设立大行政区一级地方政府,代表中央人民政府具体管理和处理所辖省、市的民主政权建设、医治战争创伤、恢复正常的社会秩序和经济生活秩序等工作。大行政区政府既是比所辖省市高一级的地方政权机关,又是中央人民政府政务院领导地方政府工作的代表机关。在当时各地区革命发展极不平衡、中央政府直接管理省以及省以下地方政府的条件尚不具备的背景下,实行过渡性的大行政区建制,因地制宜地制定政策和实行管理是符合当时政治经济形势要求的,有利于新生政权的巩固和国民经济的恢复。     

Post-Socialist Transition in Serbia and Its Unsustainable Path

Since the beginning of its post-socialist transition, Serbia has been going through a major political and economic crisis, thus isolated from the mainstream trends of the European integration and convergence. The country's comparative advantages and competitiveness have worsened in terms of two key aspects, that is, its structural qualities and its territorial capital. The economic recovery after the year 2000 assumed a form of “growth without development”, mostly based on poorly legitimized transition reforms, whereby Serbia's inherent unsustainable spatial development patterns have been perpetuated. Today, Serbia finds itself in the position of an economic, ecological and financial semi-colony of a few powerful international political, economic and financial actors, paralleled by the collapse of its strategic thinking, research and governance. Rather bleak development prospects for Serbia call for prompt further research on predictable development scenarios. Therefore, we have discussed the key issues in the current planning system and practice and analysed the basic elements of the prospective future using the scenario approach.     

Territorially unequal rural development: the cases of the LEADER Initiative and the PRODER Programme in Andalusia (Spain)

This paper studies the territorial effects of the LEADER approach in Southern Europe, by analysing the region of Andalusia (Spain). Our research has revealed that, in many cases, projects were concentrated in the most dynamic, most populated areas, with a well-established business network with the financial and organizational capacity required to access European funding. In these areas, the economic leadership of the most dynamic municipalities has been reinforced at the expense of more depressed areas with little social capital and few businesses. These programmes have not, therefore, helped to mitigate territorial imbalances. In a minority of rural areas, however, this trend was not observed, which shows that although territorial inequality is a widespread problem in the practice of neo-endogenous rural development, it does not affect all areas to the same degree.     

高速铁路的社会经济影响与空间效应的研究进展——基于国际SCI和SSCI期刊论文的分析

高速铁路正在重塑区域空间格局,并对社会经济发展产生深刻影响。本文以检索获得的347篇高速铁路社会经济影响与空间效应研究相关的国际SCI和SSCI期刊论文为研究对象,从文献来源、发文量年际变化、作者和机构、载文期刊、研究主题等方面对全球高速铁路社会经济效益研究的趋势和特征进行了系统分析;并从高速铁路的空间效益、经济影响以及社会影响等三个方面对研究内容和主题开展了系统综述;最后从研究趋势和研究内容等方面归纳了主要结论,提出未来研究的趋势与方向。结果表明,在高速铁路快速发展推动下,全球高速铁路效应研究呈现快速增长的态势,并在高速铁路的空间效应、社会经济效应等方面取得了较为丰硕的成果。中国大陆学者在高速铁路效应研究上异军突起,成为近年来国际发表论文最多的国家,但在研究深度和广度以及研究成果影响力上与西班牙等欧美国家仍有较大的差距。     

The Chalcolithic Period of the Southern Levant: A Synthetic Review

In the southern Levant, the late fifth millennium to mid-fourth millennium BC—traditionally known as the Chalcolithic period—witnessed major cultural transformations in virtually all areas of society, most notably craft production, mortuary and ritual practices, settlement patterns, and iconographic and symbolic expression. A degree of regionalism is evident in material culture, but continuity in ceramic styles, iconographic motifs, and mortuary practices suggests a similar cultural outlook linking these sub-regions. Luxury items found in group mortuary caves provide good evidence for at least some inequality in access to exotic materials. The level of complexity in social organization, however, is still debated. Divergent interpretations of Chalcolithic socio-economic organization suggest that, with the large amount of new information now available, a reevaluation of the debate is due. In this article we synthesize the more recent evidence and weigh interpretations of processes that led to the widespread fundamental changes witnessed during the late fifth to early fourth millennium BC.     

Radicalizing electoral system effects on support for nationalist hardliners in Serbia

This paper investigates electoral outcomes produced by the two‐round majority system in ethnically divided societies. Earlier studies, focused mainly on the Southern American states, have revealed that in ethnically mixed environments, competitors with radical positions on ethnic issues perform particularly well. This paper extends this idea to municipal elections in Serbia, showing how radical majority nationalist parties exhibit particularly strong performances in ethnically mixed municipalities. While this effect is also apparent under proportional representation, we argue that it is much stronger when a two‐round majority vote system is employed.     

陕西省县域综合发展水平空间分异及对策研究

以陕西省83个县域为研究单元,采用BP神经网络模型、GIS技术以及ID分异指数等对陕西省县域综合发展水平,空间分异格局做了定量化评价与测度。结果表明:县域综合评价水平在数值上呈现强者偏强,弱者偏弱,中等、中低水平相对集中分布;空间上呈南-北方向递增,东-西方向"U型"的总体分布;陕北、关中、陕南三大地域县域综合发展水平空间分异明显。研究认为加强三大地域间的分工与合作、推行差异化的县域发展战略是陕西省全面实现县域社会经济可持续发展的必由选择。     

西北地区县域数字金融发展的空间扩散规律与内在机制研究

本文基于2014—2018年数字普惠金融指数,从金融地理学视角考察西北县域数字金融空间扩散规律及其内在机制。研究发现：第一,西北县域数字金融发展呈现从低低集聚向高高集聚区间集中的趋势,扩散现象明显。第二,信息技术的运用是数字金融发展与扩散的内生动力,但其有效发挥受传统金融地理结构影响。其会率先在传统金融机构分布较密集的地区发展,并显著体现在覆盖广度和使用深度两个维度。第三,基础设施水平和教育水平是有效的推动力,有助于数字金融向欠发达县域扩散。第四,从细分维度看,基础设施的作用仅体现在覆盖广度上,教育水平的推动作用则表现在覆盖广度与使用深度两个层面,但目前还无法有效促进数字化程度的扩散。     

Understanding Population Decline Trajectories in Spain using Sequence Analysis

Population decline is a key contemporary demographic challenge. Previous work has measured the national extent of population decline, and we know that it is more acute in Japan and Eastern Europe and is set to accelerate across many industrialized countries. Yet, little is known about the population trajectories leading to current trends of depopulation and their underpinning demographic and contextual factors. To address this gap, we aim to identify and characterize the different trajectories of depopulation in Spain from 2000 to 2020 at the small area level using sequence analysis, spatial autocorrelation analysis, decomposition techniques, and multinomial logistic modeling. We show that while Spain recorded an overall 17.2% national population growth between 2000 and 2020, 63% of municipalities experienced depopulation. We identify six trajectories of population decline, with a well-defined northwest-south divide. These trajectories include mostly rural municipalities, but also certain small- and medium-sized cities. Natural decline comprises the main demographic component underpinning differences in the extent of depopulation across trajectories, and international migration plays an important role in explaining transitions to decline since the financial crisis of 2008. Small and old populations, and, to a lesser extent, remoteness from cities are key features characterizing areas of high decline.     

Land-Use Planning in Norwegian Mountain Areas: Local Development or Nature Protection?

This article discusses how land-use planning and management can combine the aim of local development with the protection of mountain areas. The basis for this double approach comprises protected areas and the land-use element of the Municipal Master Plan according to the Nature Diversity Act and the Planning and Building Act (PBA), respectively. Case studies performed in six mountain municipalities show that the planning processes in general are performed by a combination of rationalistic and communicative rationality based on consensus and with little awareness of power structures. Today's two-part system is dominated by the interests backing protection, not only in the protected areas, but also in the buffer-zones. Though the conflicts are rather few, they nevertheless often seem deep-set and rooted in national–local power relations. We argue that a more agonistic and decentralized approach where the protection-area management is transferred to the PBA will, to a larger extent, be able to combine both use and protection and to stimulate local development in mountain municipalities.     

旅游招商引资中的制度性机会主义行为解析——西部A地旅游招商引资个案研究

旅游是促进发展中国家或地区资源资本化的有效途径之一。利用丰富的旅游资源吸引发达地区的资本,实现资源向资本的转化,就成为现阶段中西部地区地方政府重要的经济发展政策。本文通过对西部A地旅游招商引资的案例分析,指出在我国旅游业招商引资过程中,由于东道地区与投资者的权力关系不平等,信息不对称以及地方官员绩效考核制度不合理等因素的存在,投资者的投资行为往往会演变为一种制度性机会主义行为。不但使地方政府引进外部资本发展旅游的努力达不到预期的效果,反而将为此支付高额的社会成本,加剧不发达地区的资源和财富向发达地区回流和集中。文章对于招商引资中投资者与地方之间不平等的权力关系结构进行了深入剖析,指出有必要变更当前旅游景区开发中普遍存在的租赁经营制度为股份制制度,或对投资者征收财产税,以遏制这种投资机会主义的蔓延。     

Ethnic Dimensions of Regional Development in Macedonia: A Research Report

An American geographer analyzes patterns and trends relating to the distribution of ethnic group populations at the level of Macedonia's 123 municipalities (major civil divisions), utilizing data reflecting the two most recent census enumerations in 1994 and 2002 and interviews in Skopje in 2002 and 2004. Geographic concentrations of ethnicity correlate with economic and political indicators that have a significant bearing on the country's development potential and underlie current tensions in the country. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: I00, J10, O15. 3 figures, 3 tables, 21 references.     

“四个发展”的内涵与特征

跨跃发展、绿色发展、和谐发展和统筹发展是中共青海省委十一届六次全会上提出的,具有青海特点的科学发展模式。本文在科学表述“四个发展”之内涵与特征的基础上指出,“四个发展”的提出,对于探索欠发达地区实践发展观的成功之路,建设富裕文明和谐新青海均具有重要意义。