Urban form in Canada at a small-area level: Quantifying “compactness” and “sprawl” with bayesian multivariate spatial factor analysis

Quantifying urban forms to explore urban compactness or sprawl has become increasingly popular in multiple fields in the past decades. However, previous studies predominantly analyze the multidimensional phenomenon at large-area levels such as metropolitan areas, concealing variations that probably occur at small-area levels. Canadian studies measuring urban forms are usually conducted at the regional level with inconsistent indicators and approaches, hindering meaningful comparisons of compactness or sprawling between different regions. This study bridges a previous gap by applying Bayesian multivariate spatial factor analysis to construct a new composite urban compactness index for all Census Tracts (CT) in Canada. Nine urban form indictors representing four dimensions, density, centering, land use, and street connectivity are used in developing the index. Posterior probability is used to detect CTs that are most compact or sprawling. Results indicate that gross population and employment densities best characterize urban compactness at the CT level while land-use mix is the least central indictor to define the multi-faceted concept. Notable differences of urban compactness are detected across Canada and among different Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA). The most compact CTs usually locate in downtown or city center areas of a CMA. Larger and more populous CMAs, which also capture a larger extent of periphery areas, are not necessarily more compact and vice versa, suggesting the need to measure local variations of urban compactness. The constructed composite index allows direct urban compactness comparisons across different Canadian regions. Findings from this study can be used to guide smart and sustainable urban development in Canada.

Static Perfect Fluid Space-Time on Almost Kenmotsu Manifolds

In this work, we intend to investigate the characteristics of static perfect fluid space-time metrics on almost Kenmotsu manifolds. At first we prove that if a Kenmotsu manifold $M$ is the spatial factor of static perfect fluid space-time then it is $\eta$-Einstein. Moreover, if the Reeb vector field $\xi$ leaves the scalar curvature invariant, then $M$ is Einstein. Next we consider static perfect fluid space-time on almost Kenmotsu $(\kappa,\mu)'$-manifolds and give some characteristics under certain conditions.

The New Economic Policy: Dimensions of the Study

In September 2021 Novosibirsk hosted The All-Russian Scientific Conference «Russian Economic Reforms in Regional Terms», which was organized with financial support from the fund «Istoria Otechestva» («History of Motherland»). The conference resulted in setting the objective to study the stages of economic reforms, which took place in the territory of Russia and its regions in the late 19th and early 20th century. Another task of the conference was to observe the general and specific influence of spatial factor on the intensions, implementations and results of the reforms. Researchers from different Russian cities presented their findings on agrarian colonization and development of the regions, economic policy and reforming strategies, as well as on changes in the economic governance systems. Since the conference was dedicated to the 100-th anniversary of the NEP, it paid special attention to scientific understanding of general patterns and specific features of the NEP implementation. The review provides information on the main reports and papers, related to the NEP topic. It also presented a summary of the debates, which took place at the round table «The NEP: Results and Research Perspectives».

Assessing the Impact of a Distance-Based Spatial Factor on Retention in the U.S. Colleges

Student retention is a wide-reaching issue that causes a concern to postsecondary institutions and policy-makers. This research aimed to examine the impact of a geo-spatial factor—distance to the closest metropolitan area—on student retention from a multi-institutional perspective, through the data collected from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (2017) of the U.S. Department of Education. Using the K-means clustering technique, 329 geographically dispersed higher education institutions with similar characteristics were identified. A spatial lag model was adopted to account for spatial autocorrelation detected within the dataset. A series of hierarchical regression was then conducted to measure how well the spatial variable explained student retention rate after accounting for institutional level attributes. The student retention rate was found to decrease as a university is located away from the closest metropolitan area. This finding has crucial policy and administrative implications if analyzed within the context of rural–urban discrepancies in higher education. Extending the spatial scope of retention analysis is an important step in accurately determining the set of factors that provides a better understanding of this complex problem.

Land Use and Land Cover Pattern as a Measure of Tourism Impact on a Lakeshore Zone

Lakes provide different ecosystem services, including those related to tourism and recreation. Sustainable development principles should be respected in lake tourism planning. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of tourism on the lakeshore zone in a typical post-glacial Lakeland in Northern Poland (Central Europe). An explanatory analysis of the distribution of individual spatial factor values was performed using the SHapley Additive exPlanations algorithm (SHAP). In a first step, the aim was to select a Machine Learning model for modelling based on Shapley values. The greater or lesser influence of a given factor on the tourism function was measured for individual lakes. The final results of ensemble modelling and SHAP were obtained by averaging the results of five random repetitions of the execution of these models. The impact of tourism on the lakeshore zone can be much more accurately determined using an indirect method, by analysing the tourism and recreational infrastructure constantly present there. The values of the indices proposed in the study provide indirect information on the number of tourists using the tourist and recreational facilities and are a measure of the impact of tourism on the lakeshore zone. The developed methodology can be applied to the majority of post-glacial lakes in Europe and other regions of the world in order to monitor the threats resulting from shore zone exploitation. Such studies can be an appropriate tool for management and planning by the relevant authorities.

Methodological Assessment Tools of Spatial Interactions

At present, the effective and rational use of the spatial factor is one of the conditions for economic growth and development of territories. The article is devoted to the assessment of spatial interactions and systematization of the existing methodological tools for this purpose. In the course of the study, it is determined that spatial interactions are a process of movement between the “source” and the “receiver” of various objects (goods, people, transport, information, etc.). The conditions for the emergence and development of interactions in the economic space are highlighted. Based on foreign and domestic works on the problems of the research, two groups of methods for assessing spatial interactions (heuristic and economic-mathematical) are identified and characterized. The basic directions and mandatory stages of spatial interaction assessment, despite the chosen tools, are highlighted. It is determined that the coordinated use of modern tools of spatial econometrics, coupled with heuristic methods, will contribute to obtaining the most adequate and objective results. The results obtained contribute to the development of ideas about the spatial economy and can be used in the implementation of government policies in the field of spatial and regional development, as well as by researchers and other stakeholders in the assessment of spatial interactions. In the next stages of the work, it is planned to analyze the spatial interactions of Russian regions using the tools of modern spatial econometrics.

Labour market policies on a sub-national level

For most of the twentieth century, the welfare state was predominantly understood as a national project. In recent years, however, it has been recognized that other political levels — both sub- and supranational — have a profound impact on the design and delivery of social- and labour market policies and programmes. This article looks more closely at labour market policies on the sub-national level. In this domain, political bodies, such as municipalities and regions, have become key actors in developing and delivering programmes on local levels. The underlying assumption is that local actors are better suited to adapt services to the needs of residents in comparison with the national level. This assumption is contested, among other reasons because it leads to increased within-state inequalities. This article analyses Swedish municipalities. They have come to be central stakeholders in the area of active labour market policies. The article looks at data on municipal actions to reduce unemployment. Government data on geography, local political rule and economy of municipalities are used as potential factors that predicts reach of policies. The article also investigates potential neighbourhood effects by utilizing spatial analysis. The findings indicate that there are such effects, and that economic situation is the most influential non-spatial factor in explaining differences in reach of policies. Less well-off municipalities had more extensive reach. Geographic and political factors did also affect the outcomes but was less influential.

Historical Dynamics of Socialization in the Context of Managed and Spontaneous Beginnings

Introduction, problem setting: the relevance to study the dynamics of controlled and spontaneous socialization processes is associated with rapidly changing living conditions of society and the constant search for its place in the world and in the society. The purpose of the article is to analyze the controlled and spontaneous principles in socialization in historical dynamics as a process of constant redefinition of oneself, society and one’s place in it. Review of scientific literature on the problem: socialization has become the subject of study of many humanitarian sciences: pedagogy (P. L. Lavrov, N. K. Mikhailovsky, V. Mudrik), psychology I. Kon, M. A. Andreeva) sociology T. Parson, J. Mead, E. Giddens and others). Research methodology and methods: The article is based on the environmental approach in pedagogics, architecture and sociology, that makes it possible to trace the connection between place and forms of social organization, and the corresponding functionality; J. Mead’s theory of symbolic interactionism with his acceptance of the role of the “other” that is a result of the interaction and serves as an indicator of its success and effectiveness; the concept of managing impressions by I. Hoffman, who analyzes the foreground and background of interactions to indicate success of mastering a set of social roles. The results of the study, discussion: the historical dynamics of the process of socialization are directly related to the type of society and its ways of dealing with nature, the types of social relations that find expression in the ways of translating social experience and the forms of settlement. The dynamics of human history demonstrates the interaction of two components of the process of socialization: a controlled, more characteristic of mythological cultures, the Middle Ages and the new time, until the end of the XVII - the first half of the XIX century and spontaneous, associated with the destruction of traditional foundations, the reduction of the role of the spatial factor and the development of information technologies. Conclusion: As a result of the study, here are some conclusions: 1) the history of the mankind development is the history of defining and drawing boundaries between our own and others; 2) historical process combines elements of controlled and spontaneous entry into society; 3) the complication of socialization processes and the growth of unconscious processes are associated with changes in historical conditions and the destruction of the social structure of society.