scholarly journals Assessment of Heatwave Vulnerability in Korea Considering Socio-economic Indices

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 39-47
Author(s):  
Dongwook Kim ◽  
Ji Eun Kim ◽  
Cho-Rok Jang ◽  
Moon-Yup Jang

The rising heatwave occurrences in recent times due to climate change have resulted in increased mortalities and socio-economic damage. Consequently, several studies have been conducted to examine heatwave vulnerability in Korea. However, most of these studies used the IPCC vulnerability framework and weighting techniques, such as the equal weight and AHP methods, which lacked objectivity in the process of calculating vulnerability. This study employed socio-economic data to measure the heatwave vulnerability index for individual local governments in Korea using the principal component analysis and entropy weighting methods. These techniques ensure that the aggregation of proxies and the weighting process remain objective, unlike previous studies. According to the obtained results, rural areas such as Jeollanam-do, Jeollabuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, and Gyeongsangbuk-do, and relatively decrepit urban areas demonstrated high vulnerability scores. In addition, a positive correlation was found between the calculated vulnerability index and mortalities from the recent heatwaves. The heatwave vulnerability index developed in this study can therefore be used to form effective heatwave response policies suited to the conditions of each local government.

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 715-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivy Drafor

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the spatial disparity between rural and urban areas in Ghana using the Ghana Living Standards Survey’s (GLSS) rounds 5 and 6 data to advance the assertion that an endowed rural sector is necessary to promote agricultural development in Ghana. This analysis helps us to know the factors that contribute to the depravity of the rural sectors to inform policy towards development targeting. Design/methodology/approach A multivariate principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis were applied to data from the GLSS-5 and GLSS-6 to determine the characteristics of the rural-urban divide in Ghana. Findings The findings reveal that the rural poor also spend 60.3 per cent of their income on food, while the urban dwellers spend 49 per cent, which is an indication of food production capacity. They have low access to information technology facilities, have larger household sizes and lower levels of education. Rural areas depend a lot on firewood for cooking and use solar/dry cell energies and kerosene for lighting which have implications for conserving the environment. Practical implications Developing the rural areas to strengthen agricultural growth and productivity is a necessary condition for eliminating spatial disparities and promoting overall economic development in Ghana. Addressing rural deprivation is important for conserving the environment due to its increased use of fuelwood for cooking. Absence of alternatives to the use of fuelwood weakens the efforts to reduce deforestation. Originality/value The application of PCA to show the factors that contribute to spatial inequality in Ghana using the GLSS-5 and GLSS-6 data is unique. The study provides insights into redefining the framework for national poverty reduction efforts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 8910
Author(s):  
Ana Nieto Masot ◽  
Gema Cárdenas Alonso ◽  
Ángela Engelmo Moriche

Currently, the demographic vacuum and poor development suffered by most areas of Spain are some of the most worrying issues from a territorial point of view, which is why this study is necessary. In this paper, the objective is to create a Development Index with which to study the different realities of rural and urban spaces through demographic and socioeconomic variables of the Spanish municipalities. Principal Component Analysis is carried out, with whose results the index has been prepared. This is then explored with a Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis. The results show that most developed Spanish municipalities and most of the population are concentrated in coastal areas and in the main cities of the country. In opposition, there are interior rural areas with less developed municipalities at risk of disappearance due to their increasing ages and levels of depopulation. Thus, in this paper, new variables and methods are used in the study of the social and economic diversity of rural and urban areas, verifying the inequality that still exists between both.


2007 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 165-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.E. de Graaf ◽  
N.C. van de Giesen ◽  
F.H.M. van de Ven

Urbanization, land subsidence and sea level rise will increase vulnerability to droughts in the urbanized low-lying areas in the western part of the Netherlands. In this paper a possibility is explored to decrease vulnerability of urban areas by implementing an alternative water supply option. A four component vulnerability framework is presented that includes threshold capacity, coping capacity, recovery capacity and adaptive capacity. By using the vulnerability framework it is elaborated that current water supply strategies in the Netherlands mainly focus on increasing threshold capacity by constructing improved water storage and delivery infrastructure. A complete vulnerability decreasing strategy requires measures that include all four components. Adaptive capacity can be developed by starting experiments with new modes of water supply. A concept which is symbolically called ‘the closed city’ uses local urban rainfall as the only source of water supply. The ‘closed city’ can decrease the water dependence of urban areas on (1) the surrounding rural areas that are diminishing in size and that are increasingly under strain and (2) river water resources that will probably be less constant and reliable as a result of climate change.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1056
Author(s):  
Damian C. Adams ◽  
José R. Soto ◽  
John Lai ◽  
Francisco J. Escobedo ◽  
Sergio Alvarez ◽  
...  

Invasive forest pests can cause environmental and economic damage amounting to billions of dollars (US) in lost revenues, restoration and response costs, and the loss of ecosystem services nationwide. Unfortunately, these forest pests do not stay confined to wildland forest areas and can spread into suburban and urban areas, imposing significant costs on local governments, homeowners, and management agencies. In this study, a contingent valuation experiment is used to estimate Florida residents’ willingness to pay (WTP) a monthly utility fee that would protect urban forests from invasive pests by implementing a monitoring and prevention program for their early detection and eradication. On average, the respondents are WTP US $5.44 per month to implement the surveillance program, revealing an aggregate WTP in the order of US $540 million per year. The results also reveal that respondents are sensitive to the scope of the program, with higher rates of participation and higher WTP for a program that is more effective at preventing forest pest invasions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 209
Author(s):  
Anselem C. Nweke

This paper examines the implication of rural- urban migration on Nigeria Society using Anambra state as focus of the study. Cities have been growing both through natural increase and through stampede from rural areas in Nigeria. People migrate to urban areas based on the prevailing conditions they fund themselves and the reasons for the migration vary from one individual to another depending on the situation that informs the decision to migrate. In most rural areas, the effect of rural-urban migration was a rapid deterioration of the rural economy leading to poverty and food scarcity. The cause of the phenomenon has been described as the push factors in the rural areas and the pull factors in the urban areas. The objective of this paper is to identify the implication of rural-urban migration on Nigeria society. It is a survey research. Thus, 1200 questionnaire were distributed among the selected local governments in Anambra State. The analysis was run using Runs test and mode analysis. The result of the analysis found the effect of people migrating from rural areas to urban centres on the society to include: increase in prostitution in the urban centres; increase in squalor settlement in the urban centres; and people are doing all sorts of odd jobs in order to survive in urban centres. The paper therefore recommends that the government should make and implement a policy on provision of functional social amenities such as electricity, pipe borne water etc. in the rural areas. Good schools and qualified teachers should be made available in the rural areas and establishment of industries in both rural and urban areas that will to an extent accommodate unemployed youths.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 478-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miodraga Stefanovska Petkovska ◽  
Marjan I. Bojadziev ◽  
Vesna Velikj Stefanovska

AIM: The aim of the study is to analyze the internal consistency; validity and factor structure of the twelve item General Health Questionnaire for the Macedonian general population.MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data came from nationally representative sample of 1603 randomly selected Macedonians all aged 18 years or older.RESULTS: The mean GHQ score in the general sample was found to be 7.9 (SD = 4.3). The results revealed a higher GHQ score among women (M = 8.91, SD = 4.5) compared to men (M = 6.89; SD = 4.2). The participants from the rural areas obtained a lower GHQ score (M = 7.55, SD = 3.8) compared to participants coming from the urban areas (M = 9.37, SD = 4.1). The principal component analysis with oblique rotation (direct oblimin) with maximum likelihood procedure solution was performed and the results yielded a three factor solution which jointly accounted for 57.17% of the total variance: Factor I named social management (items 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8); Factor II stress (items 2, 5 and 9) and Factor III named self-confidence (items 10, 11 and 12). Its factor structure is in line with representative research from other population groups.CONCLUSION: The GHQ-12 can be used effectively for assessment of the overall psychological well-being and detection of non-psychotic psychiatric problems among the Macedonian population.


Atmosphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryoichi Imasu ◽  
Yuka Tanabe

Site environments and instrumental characteristics of carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements operated by local governments in the Kanto Plain, the center of which is Tokyo, were summarized for this study. The observation sites were classified into environments of three types: urban, suburban, and woodland. Based on a few decades of accumulated hourly data, the diurnal and seasonal variations of CO2 concentrations were analyzed as a composite of anomalies from annual means recorded for each site. In urban areas, the highest concentrations appear before midnight in winter. The second peak corresponds to the morning rush hour and the strengthening of the inversion layer. Suburban areas can be characterized as having the highest concentration before dawn and the lowest concentration during the daytime in summer in association with the activation of respiration and photosynthesis of vegetation. In these areas, concentration peaks also appear during the morning rush hour. Woodland areas show background features, with the highest concentration in early spring, which are higher than the global background by about 5 ppmv.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1596
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Gajić ◽  
Nikola Krunić ◽  
Branko Protić

The classification of rural and urban areas presents an important topic both in scientific research and in the practice of spatial planning, regional policy making, and territorial governance. Taking into account the multidimensionality of these areas, this paper aims to provide a classification framework design for rural areas in Serbia. After selecting the relevant indicators, which were included to reflect the main demographic, economic, and physio-geographical characteristics of the Serbian rural areas, multivariate analysis (principal component method and factor analysis) was used to determine the main factors in the delimitation and classification of rural and urban areas. The last step of the conducted methodology used cluster analysis (CA) that identified six types of areas with similar characteristics. The results of this study and applied methodology can improve the existing rural–urban classifications and help planners and policy makers in the adaptation of strategic development documents.


Author(s):  
Hyang-Hee Hwang ◽  
Yu-Jin Lee ◽  
Bo-Ram Kim

Regional disparities in leisure facilities deprive residents of opportunities to participate in leisure. This study aimed to provide basic data for establishing public leisure welfare policies to reduce the leisure gap among different regions and to verify the effects of relative leisure deprivation (RLD) on the life satisfaction of Koreans, with a focus on the baby boomer generation. For this purpose, 7 items of demographic characteristics related to gender, age, marital status, job status, residence area, monthly income, and educational background, 18 items of relative leisure deprivation consisting of egoistical, resourceful, cognitive, and emotional leisure deprivation, and 5 items of life satisfaction were investigated. The questionnaire consisted of a total of 30 questions and a mobile survey was conducted in October 2020, and a total of 412 copies were used for the final analysis. The results showed that there were differences in RLD and life satisfaction depending on where the participants lived; RLD (M = 3.21, M = 2.95) was higher and life satisfaction (M = 3.36, M = 3.72) was lower in rural areas, as compared with urban areas. Second, baby boomers’ RLD had a negative effect (β = −0.5391, p < 0.001) on life satisfaction. Third, the place of residence moderated (β = 0.5240, p < 0.001) the relationship between RLD and life satisfaction; a higher RLD led to a lower level of life satisfaction for baby boomers living in rural areas (95% CI: −0.7369~−0.3413), whereas the RLD of those in urban areas did not affect their life satisfaction. Therefore, central or local governments must effectively narrow the regional gap through a balanced distribution of leisure resources to remote and underdeveloped environments, thereby minimizing the RLD of citizens and seeking improvement in life satisfaction. Finally, the part that the psychological aspect of the individual study was not considered due to the limitations of quantitative research suggests the direction of subsequent research.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 1239-1253
Author(s):  
Ivan D. Oparin ◽  
Aleksandr A. Iashin

One of the most important causes of partial or complete destruction of property is fire. Social and economic damage from fire substantially reduces the regional macroeconomic indicators. Thus, a complete and objective assessment of fire damage is a necessity. We hypothesise that a comprehensive assessment of fire damage significantly depends on the characteristics of areas and facilities, where the fire occurred. Such comprehensive assessment should necessarily include the ranking of urban areas and consider the characteristics of facilities located there. We noted that areas and facilities with heterogeneous functions are characterised by increased fire damage (partial or complete). We applied analytical research methods, as well as classification, typology and ranking methods. Based on a detailed analysis of domestic and foreign experience in the field of zoning and ranking of areas, we created a classification of facilities and areas for the comprehensive assessment of fir e damage . A s a result , we constructed a map of Ekaterinburg areas, taking into account the issues of the comprehensive assessment of fire damage. On the example of Ekaterinburg, we analysed atypical conjunctions of facilities and areas and proposed an index for adjusting complex fire damage. We suggested a simple and versatile approach to ranking areas that considers the heterogeneity of facilities and areas. Additionally, we analysed this phenomenon and its impact on the comprehensive assessment of fire damage. A promising direction for further research is the examination of the comprehensive assessment of fire damage in rural areas.


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