scholarly journals Changes in the hierarchy of settlements and attitude of the local population: Evidence from a developing region

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-240
Author(s):  
Smiljana Djukicin-Vuckovic ◽  
Jelena Milankovic-Jovanov ◽  
Ljubica Ivanovic-Bibic ◽  
Jasmina Djordjevic ◽  
Tijana Djordjevic ◽  
...  

In post-socialist European countries, smaller cities were most vulnerable to economic restructuring during the transition years, as a result of which they suffered political and economic changes. These changes significantly influenced the hierarchy of these settlements in the settlement system. The phenomenon of urban hierarchy and changes in the hierarchy of settlements are rare research topics in Serbia. In this research, Kolubara District (in Western Serbia) is used as a case study because it has a good traffic position, as well as good potential for industrial development, but despite this, its inhabitants migrate to larger cities. This paper tests Schmook?s method for the centrality of settlements. A survey was used to examine the attitude of the local population in regard to the centrality and hierarchy of settlements. A closed type questionnaire was used. The results show that the local population has a positive attitude toward the functional development of the cities in the Kolubara District.

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-50
Author(s):  
Krystyna Magda-Żabińska

Abstract For decades the Silesian voivodeship has played a key role in the development of the economy of Poland. Its central area is occupied by an old industrial region which has been developed since the 19th century on the basis of coal mining and the processing of iron, zinc and lead ores. As a result of the political transformation of the country, after 1989, the region was faced with a difficult economic situation – a significant reduction in production was recorded and numerous unprofitable obsolete mines and steelworks were decommissioned. Since then, the economy of the Silesian region has been subject to restructuring and revitalization. This article presents this process as illustrated by a representative city – Żory. This is one of the oldest cities in the region which was established in the Middle Ages (1272). For centuries, its inhabitants were engaged in agriculture, fish breeding and trade. Its industrial development started with the construction of the ironworks at the beginning of the 19th century, but the investments after the Second World War were of greatest importance to the city. At that time the “Fadom” factory, two hard coal mines – “Żory” and “Krupiński” – and a plant known as Zakład Tworzyw Sztucznych ERG (Synthetic Fibres Works “ERG”) were constructed. After the political and economic changes of 1989 the economy of the city required urgent restructuring. The change of the function of the city of Żory proceeded gradually, but the creation of economic areas and zones, especially the establishment of the Jastrzębie Zdrój and Żory Subzone of the Katowice Special Economic Zone (1996) and Żory Industrial Park (2004), were of crucial importance to the development of the city. Over the past 20 years the city of Żory has changed from a city dependent on the extractive industries, without signs of a developed urban infrastructure, to a centre of a varied structure of production. Employment in industry and construction decreased from 65.5% to 36.3%, and doubled in the case of services. The private sector currently comprises 75% of all economic entities – most of the companies are small or medium-sized enterprises up to 250 employees.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 39-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. N. Gavrilyeva ◽  
E. A. Kolomak ◽  
A. I. Zakharov ◽  
K. V. Khorunova

The article assesses the intensity of transformation of settlement pattern in Yakutia, the largest northern region of Russia, based on an analysis of 1939-2010 censuses and contemporary statistics. Scope of the work includes the following: to assess key socio-economic results of rural and urban settlement pattern transformation in the 20th century, to determine the most persistent primary units of settlement pattern, and to identify current trends in the settlement pattern of Yakutia. The research database was built based on digitization of Federal State Statistics Service in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) population censuses archives. The period under review shows a trend toward larger size of settlements due to two parallel processes: urbanization as a result of industrial development, and compression of rural settlement system due to amalgamation of rural settlements. From 1939 to the present time, Yakutia’s settlement system has been evolving from dispersed type to large settlement type. There were two major waves in the structuring of space in Yakutia. During the first one, caused by industrialization and complete collectivization, shrinking of rural settlement system was accompanied by setup of rural and urban settlements; it started in the 1930s and lasted until late 1950s. The second wave, concurrent with controlled compression of rural settlement pattern as part of elimination of unpromising sovkhoz state farms, was associated with a full-scale development of urban settlement pattern under planned Soviet deployment. Starting from 2002, market mechanisms have changed the direction of development of settlement system and spatial structure of economic activity. Despite several constraints, which include high transportation costs, focal development, key role of mining and resource sector, distinctive features of traditional economies and agriculture, agglomeration processes have gained momentum in the region. Spatial concentration of population is taking place at relatively high rates, primarily in the core of the system - Yakutsk agglomeration. Compression capacity of settlement system in the region is far from being exhausted, as evidenced by behavior of Theil and Herfindahl-Hirschman indices, as well as by average population density of settlements.


Author(s):  
Susan E. Whyman

Hutton’s business success and social mobility are viewed in the context of Birmingham’s industrial development, a booming land market, the lack of government regulation, and the diversity of religious practice. This chapter reveals the economic framework that allowed Hutton to amass wealth. Once he settled in Birmingham, he found new ways to develop business skills and make money. Early failure stiffened his resolve, taught him lessons, and led him to focus on selling paper, instead of books. Convinced of the future value of land, he made risky speculations and accumulated large debts. A case study compares Hutton’s response to the Industrial Revolution with that of his sister, Catherine Perkins. Hutton devoted all his energies to making money and buying estates. His sister found greater happiness in her religious faith and charity. Their opposing views about land, trade, money, and religion reveal a spectrum of personal responses to rapid economic change.


Author(s):  
Daniel Blackie

A common claim in disability studies is that industrialization has marginalized disabled people by limiting their access to paid employment. This claim is empirically weak and rests on simplified accounts of industrialization. Use of the British coal industry during the period 1780–1880 as a case study shows that reassessment of the effect of the Industrial Revolution is in order. The Industrial Revolution was not as detrimental to the lives of disabled people as has often been assumed. While utopian workplaces for disabled people hardly existed, industrial sites of work did accommodate quite a large number of workers with impairments. More attention therefore needs to be paid to neglected or marginalized features of industrial development in the theorization of disability. Drawing on historical research on disability in the industrial workplace will help scholars better understand the significance of industrialization to the lives of disabled people, both in the past and the present.


Author(s):  
Andrew Bednarski ◽  
Gemma Tully

Epigraphers and archaeologists working in Egypt must navigate a host of complex relationships both on and off site. This chapter explores the multifaceted nature of local Egyptian peoples’ relationships with nearby monuments through the lens of a single case study: the site of Sheikh Abd al-Qurna and its local population, the Qurnawi. Egyptologists have not traditionally sought to incorporate formally the stories and histories of local populations in their studies of pharaonic sites. An increasing blend of social awareness and the desire for social action on the part of both foreign professionals and local activists, however, is pushing Egyptologists to re-evaluate their practices, which, in turn, is moving the discipline in new and positive directions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 304-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manfred Elsig

This article asks why the dispute settlement provisions of the multilateral trading system underwent significant reforms during the negotiations that led to the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995. Why did the leading trading powers accept a highly legalized system that departed from established political–diplomatic forms of settling disputes? The contribution of this article is threefold. First, it complements existing accounts that exclusively focus on the United States with a novel explanation that takes account of contextual factors. Second, it offers an in-depth empirical case study based on interviews with negotiators who were involved and novel archival evidence on the creation of the new WTO dispute settlement system. Third, by unpacking the long-standing puzzle of why states designed a highly legalized system, it addresses selected blind spots of the legalization and the rational design literatures with the aim of providing a better understanding about potential paths leading toward significant changes in legalization.


Author(s):  
Emma Marinie Ahmad Zawawi ◽  
◽  
Wan Hasmirah Wan Ibrahim ◽  

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is compulsory in all types of new development. EIA is important to ensure that biological diversity is maintained and that development will not have any affect on the people and other species in that area. The aim of this study is to investigate the environmental impact on human wellbeing in the vicinity of quarrying. It will increase the awareness of the local population of the important factors that might affect the quality of their lives. A set of questionnaires was distributed to the community at Bandar Saujana Putra and Taman Kajang Perdana, in Selangor. A total of 60 residents were involved in the study. The results reveal that the community was concerned about health conditions and safety. However, there is still a lack of strategies to mitigate the problem. This study provides suggestions for mitigation that could be considered by the residents to reduce the effect of poor air quality caused by incorrect control and monitoring of activities in the area. It is anticipated that this study could assist both residents and authorities in improving the quality of the air as well as the residents’ quality of life.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mads Peter Klindt

This article investigates how unions can strengthen their role in settings that are highly affected by globalisation and liberalisation through engagement in local partnerships for skill formation. We identify a number of capacities possessed by unions that can be complementary to firms and other actors in the local arena and thus be formative for such partnerships. We build our argument by drawing on concepts from the literature on trade union revitalisation, on governance and on political economy. The article’s claims are substantiated by a multiple-case study from Denmark that illustrates how union-based partnerships have successfully facilitated retraining and labour market inclusion for workers who were made redundant during economic restructuring and, due to neoliberal reforms, were cut off from adequate assistance from the public employment system.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document