Social Change and Residential Differentiation: Perth 1971-81

Despite the continuing interest in urban residential patterns in Australia, few studies have dealt with changes over time. Using a variety of social indicators, this paper examines spatial differentiation in Perth between 1971 and 1981, focussing in particular on the proposition that, over time, social inequality within an urban area has a tendency to increase (Stilwell and Hardwick, 1973). However, although the results provide only limited evidence of this, structural changes in the workforce are clearly reflected in changing patterns of residential differentiation. The findings also illustrate the effects of social change in inner city areas and have important theoretical implications.     

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll in Hyde Park: Fear,Media and the Conduct of an Emancipatory Geography

This paper recounts the transformation of a student study on fear of violence and the use of urban space into a public instrument of oppression. Although the students' survey was conducted with emancipatory intent, media handling of the study's results is likely to have heightened levels of fear in the local population and to have caused some members of the public to imprison themselves in their own homes.     

Mormon History,Text, Colour,and Rites

Mormonism's growth from its 1830 inception to its 2005 near twelve million world membership, has not only initiated a debate over whether, perhaps, it is likely to become the next world‐religion after Islam, ¹ 1 Stark, Rodney , “The Rise of a New World Faith,” Review of Religious Research 26 (1984 ): 18 – 27 .
but has, in recent decades, also witnessed the publication of numerous books that help foster an interest in what is already becoming a distinctive field of study. Though none of the four books reviewed here constitutes an introductory overview, ² 2 For which see, Thomas O'Dea, The Mormons (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957); Jan Shipps, The Story of a New Religious Tradition (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1985); Douglas J. Davies, Introduction to Mormonism (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003).
each introduces a set of major issues within contemporary Mormon studies and engages, respectively, with faith‐related attitudes to historical material, the Book of Mormon, the changing status of black males in the church, and Freemasonry's impact on Mormonism's origin.     

The Local Drivers of Land Degradation in South‐East Asia

Economic globalisation has led to a huge increase in demand for food, goods and services by expanding urban middle class populations. These demands cause environmental changes that in turn feed back upon the urban environment and human population. While the global changes are well researched, the cumulative significance of local environmental changes is less well known. Yet, the local changes may have greater impact on the decisions which individuals make that affect soil erosion and land degradation. People respond to family circumstances and to local economic opportunities in ways that most suit the needs of their families and households. Several demonstration projects that were not adopted offer lessons in understanding how people make their land‐use decisions. An understanding of people's past experiences, present needs and views of the future helps those seeking to improve environmental management to promote policies and actions that are likely to succeed by being acceptable to those involved.     

Erosion and Nutrient Loss on Sloping Land under Intense Cultivation in Southern Vietnam

To help improve the well‐being of the local people, a joint Vietnamese‐UK team set out to establish a way of estimating soil and nutrient losses under different land management scenarios, using field data extrapolated through remote sensing and GIS, to obtain catchment‐wide estimates of the impact of land cover change. Immigration from remote provinces to the Dong Phu District of Binh Phuóc Province, about 120 km north of Ho Chi Minh City, has led to disruption of soil surface stability on easily eroded clayey sandstones, creating rapid nutrient depletion that affects crop yields and siltation in the channel of the Rach Rat river downstream. The poor farmers of the areas see crop yields drop dramatically after two or three years of cultivation due to the fertility decline. Soil loss varies dramatically between wet season and dry season and with ground cover. Erosion bridge measurements showed a mean loss of 85.2 t ha^?1 y^?1 under cassava saplings with cashew nuts, 43.3 t ha^?1 y^?1 on uncultivated land and 41.7 t ha^?1 y^?1 under mature cassava. The rates of erosion were higher than those reported in many other parts of Vietnam, reflecting the high erodibility of the friable sandy soils on the steep side‐slopes of the Rach Rat catchment. However, although the actual measurements provide better soil loss data than estimates based on the parameters of soil loss equations, a large number of measurement sites is needed to provide adequate coverage of the crop and slope combinations in this dissected terrain for good prediction using GIS and remote sensing.     

NOTE ON THE INCLUSION OF SITE CLASSIFICATION INFORMATION IN EQUATIONS TO ESTIMATE STRONG GROUND MOTIONS

Two main regression methods have been proposed for using site category information within ground motion prediction equations, these are: (a) joint estimation of the site category coefficients and the magnitude and distance coefficients; or (b) estimation of site category coefficients by using the residuals from the equation derived without considering soil conditions. Method (a) requires each record be assigned a site category whereas for method (b), because it relies on residuals, site information can be missing for some records. This short note finds that if the mean of the transformed distances within each site category is the same then the two methods give the same site coefficients. If, however, these means are significantly different then method (b) can yield incorrect site coefficients.