A tale of two trails: Lessons from a comparative account of the Trans Canada Trail and the Sendero de Chile

A new generation of greenways has emerged in recent years, the most ambitious of which are nationwide, interconnected networks of multi-use, multi-purpose greenways and trails, clustered under a single national vision. However, because these initiatives have been the focus of so few research studies, opportunities to glean lessons from their planning and implementation have been limited. This paper contributes to addressing this knowledge gap by presenting a comparative account of two networks, the Trans Canada Trail in Canada and Sendero de Chile in Chile. Using document analysis and interviews with officials closely involved in their development, the evolution of both networks is documented over time, emphasizing similarities and differences related to their planning and implementation. Both initiatives have faced significant challenges in reaching their connection goals and have availed themselves of a diverse range of opportunities and strategies to advance their agendas. A simple model of a virtuous cycle is proposed to highlight the positive feedback—between political and public support, sustained funding, partnership development, accessibility for urban residents, and connectivity of the network—generated by sustained network expansion over time. It is hoped that the insights offered from this analysis may offer guidance to inform the development of similar scale projects elsewhere.     

‘Lived bodies’ and the neoliberal city – a case study of vulnerability in London

This article explores the ‘more-than-work’ aspects of the lives of vulnerable women who street-sex work. Particularly, we are interested in the differences between the women’s experiences, within the broader context of power structures as manifested in neoliberal cities. Few studies have explored this aspect of street-sex workers’ lives and theorisations of the co-creation of environments tend to elide the experiences of the most vulnerable people. Specifically, we explore the relationships that these women have with two environments: the quotidian (where they undertake routine everyday activities), and the gentrified (relating to changes in the spaces in which they live and work). We find that their experiences are extremely local, and heavily contingent on the services made available to them (or not) by the statutory and third sectors, and the emotional contacts they make, particularly in third sector support services. This challenges some of the literature which suggests a separation of ‘home’ and ‘work’, and which finds close associations between women who street-sex work. While places designed by the third sector are more responsive to these women, they are also more vulnerable to closure through lack of funding. This contributes to a significant degree of ontological non-linearity and ontological insecurity in these women’s lives.     

Do Minorities Trust Less? Understanding Differences in Social Trust among Canada’s Major Ethno-Racial Groups

Using data from Canada’s General Social Survey, this article assesses ethno-racial differences in social trust. Bivariate findings reveal that the three most culturally distinctive minorities—visible minorities, the French, and Indigenous Peoples—exhibit the lowest trust of all groups. Multivariate analyses show that controls for “ethno-cultural markers” (religion, language, immigration status), socioeconomic influences (education, income), and social engagement indicators (voluntary association activity, ethnic diversity of friendships) explain the lower trust between the French and, less so, among visible minorities. Socioeconomic factors partly account for lower trust among Indigenous Peoples, but they still express comparatively low social trust even with controls. The article discusses how interpretations focusing on “social distance” and “social boundaries” processes help in understanding social trust differences across Canada’s major ethno-racial communities.     

Radon Predictions with Geographical Information System Covariates: From Spatial Sampling to Modeling

Radon (Rn) is a potentially toxic gas in soil which may affect human health. Assessing Rn levels in soil gas usually requires enormous efforts in terms of time and costs, since the sampling protocol is very complex. In most cases, the variable under study is sparsely sampled over the domain and this could affect the reliability of the spatial predictions. For this reason, it is useful to incorporate, into the estimation procedure, some auxiliary variables, correlated with the in soil gas Rn concentrations (primary variable) and more densely available over the domain. On the basis of this latter aspect, it is even better if the covariates are derived from a geographical information system (GIS). In this article, the Rn sampling protocol used during a measurement campaign planned over a risk area is described and the process of deriving GIS covariates considered as secondary information for predicting the primary variable is clarified. Then, multivariate modeling and prediction of the Rn concentrations over the domain of interest are discussed and a comparative study regarding the performance of the prediction procedures is presented. Rn prone areas are also analyzed with respect to urban and school density. All these aspects can clearly support decisions on environmental and human safeguard.     

Transformational design literacies: children as active place-makers

Innovative curriculum frameworks that support children as active researchers and designers in everyday learning contexts remain unprioritized in school settings. Design literacies challenge and expand existing curriculum structures at a time when state and national curriculum privilege literacy and numeracy testing. Drawing on a broader ethnographic study that examined children's inhabitation of school food gardens through pedagogies of food production, ecology and design in three Australian primary schools [Green, M. 2011 Green, M. 2011. “Place Matters: Pedagogies of Food, Ecology and Design.” Unpublished PhD, Monash University Churchill Victoria [Google Scholar]. “Place Matters: Pedagogies of Food, Ecology and Design.” Unpublished PhD, Monash University Churchill Victoria], this paper focuses on the design literacies or ‘design-centered pedagogy’ [McLaren, S. 2008 McLaren, S. 2008. “Learning for Engagement: Lose the Ring-Fencing.” Paper presented at the Technology Education Research Conference: Exploring Technology Education: Solutions to Issues in a Globalised World, Gold Coast, Queensland. [Google Scholar]. “Learning for Engagement: Lose the Ring-Fencing.” Paper presented at the Technology Education Research Conference: Exploring Technology Education: Solutions to Issues in a Globalised World, Gold Coast, Queensland] that supported children's engagement with everyday learning in one school community. Semi-structured and ‘walking interviews’ provide rich data for understanding the contributions of design and design processes in a garden-based curriculum. When linked to a framework of sustainability, design literacies can expand learning opportunities that deepen their connection to everyday places.     

The Cultural Contexts of International Capital Expansion: British Ranchers in Wyoming, 1879–1889

In the late-nineteenth century, open-range cattle ranching in the American West became popular among the British upper classes both as an investment and as a vocation. However, after a severe winter in 1886–1887, many of these enterprises failed and foreign investment in the American range cattle industry waned. This paper examines the experiences of British ranchers in Wyoming and in particular the career of Moreton Frewen (1857–1924) in order to explore the dialectical relationship between culturally constructed nature, shaped by discourses of class and gender, and material nature, itself transformed by capitalist production. Although from an élite family, Frewen lacked the financial resources necessary to sustain the kind of life to which he felt he was entitled. The great profits and excellent big-game hunting supposedly available to ranchers attracted him to the Powder River region of Wyoming, where he began a ranch that failed in the crisis of 1886–1887. British images of a bountiful American nature spurred investment, but also led to ranching practices that were ultimately harmful to the ranges upon which cattle depended. A detailed study of the élite British ranchers provides insight into the specific cultural, historical, environmental, and local contexts within which global capital expansion takes place.     

Spaces of the street: Socio-spatial mobility and exclusion of youth in Recife

The ‘street’ and ‘youth’ have long been issues of social concern and the subject of research both in Brazil and elsewhere. The perception and experiences of youth in relation to the street, however, and the corresponding gender and class relations which permeate these, remain an under-researched topic. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in low- and middle-income neighbourhoods in Recife, this paper shows how the street consists of different spaces and how the youth experience corresponding layers of socio-spatial exclusions and inclusions which vary over time.