Fringe explosions: risk and vulnerability in Canada's new in‐between urban landscape

This article argues that a new landscape of urbanization takes shape in Canadian cities. In‐between the old downtowns and the new suburbs of urban Canada, a hitherto underexposed and under‐researched mix of residential, commercial, industrial, educational, agricultural and ecologically protected areas and land uses has become the home and workplace, and increasingly also the playspace of most people in Canada. The article examines this new landscape through the lens of the specific risks and vulnerabilities experienced by its inhabitants and users. Using a propane gas explosion in Toronto in the summer of 2008 as an example, we demonstrate that the ‘in‐between city’ is a space of great complexity, which has grown haphazardly and in a contradictory fashion, where, in contrast to the archetype of inner city and suburb, no clear spatial imaginary has been guiding urban development. This leads to always uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous proximities between various and competing uses and social practices. This is nowhere as clear as it is in the splintered urban infrastructures that service this landscape or use the in‐between city's space to service other adjacent or distant purposes.     

NEW APPROACHES ON THE ARCHAIC TRADE IN THE NORTH‐EASTERN IBERIAN PENINSULA: EXPLOITATION AND CIRCULATION OF LEAD AND SILVER

A wide‐ranging study based on compositional and isotopic analyses of minerals and manufactured objects from the north‐eastern Iberian Peninsula and their respective archaeological and cultural contexts demonstrates significant lead mineral exploitation in the El Priorat area (Tarragona province) linked to Phoenician trade (seventh–sixth centuries BC). This exploitation continued, despite losing intensity, until the Romanization of the territory. Our project also aims to determine the nature and origin of the lead and silver supply in the northern Iberian territory surrounding the Phocaean enclave of Emporion, especially with regard to the demands of the colonial mint. The behaviour pattern of the circulation of lead, silver and copper in Catalonia in the period studied indicates a plurality of contemporary supply sources, although, at least from the fifth century BC onward, minerals and metals from the south‐eastern Iberian Peninsula take on considerable importance.     

THE FAMILY LIFE CYCLE, LEISURE ACTIVITIES, AND RESIDENTIAL AREA EVALUATION

Life cycle effects on the importance assigned to residential area attributes are examined empirically. The family life cycle is hypothesized to affect residential area aspirations through changes in the frequency and location of leisure activities. The results indicate that the importance of eight residential area attributes varies significantly with life cycle status. The family life cycle also affects participation in leisure activities. However, the initial hypothesis is not supported.
La relation entre le cycle familial et l'importance donnée aux caractéristiques du voisinage est examinée empiriquement. On suggère que le cycle familial affecte les désirs pour des caractéristiques du voisinage en changeant la fréquence et la localité des loisirs. On a trouvé que le cycle familial affecte l'importance des huit caractéristiques aussi bien que les loisirs. Les résultats ne soutiennent pas l'hypothèse de base.     

PROPERTY VALUES AND MENTAL HEALTH FACILITIES IN METROPOLITAN TORONTO

Property value data reveal that markets in the vicinity of five mental health facilities in Toronto are essentially identical to those in control areas. The volume of sales activity and the sale price of transactions are generally comparable. The most important influences on sale price are the characteristics of the property itself. Controlling for these characteristics, the presence of a facility has a weak effect on sale price. Distance from facility, facility type, and the number offacilities had no significant effect on price.
La vente de la proprieté fait voir que les marchés à proximité de cinq centres de la santé mentale à Toronto sont essentiellement identiques aux ceux-làà proximité des cas temoins. Le nombre des ventes et le cours du marché sont comparables. Les plus importantes influences sur le cours du marché sont les traites de la propriété elle-même. Si l'on tient en équilibre ces traites, donc on découvre que la présence d'un centre de la santé mentale n'a qu'un effet faible sur le cours du marché. De plus les trois autres éléments (la distance d'un centre, le type du centre, et le nombre des centres) n'ont aucuns effets importants sur le cours du marché.     

Attitudes Towards Divided Government and Ticket-splitting in Australia and the United States

Divided party government has become a frequent occurrence in both the United States and Australia in recent years. In the United States, Morris Fiorina has argued that this result is intentional on the part of the voters, who do not fully trust either party to govern by itself. We test this theory in both the United States and Australia by comparing the voting patterns of those who prefer divided versus united party government. It is hypothesised that Fiorina's theory will actually work better in Australia than in the United States, due to the presence of a strong party system as well as a voting system for the Australian Senate that facilitates strategic voting on behalf of small parties. Indeed, near-identical logistic regression models demonstrate that Australians' attitudes about divided government are a very significant predictor of straight-ticket voting even when a host of other factors is controlled for, whereas in the United States such attitudes are insignificant.