Author: Human Geographies - Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography

By Posted on Posted in Volume 14, Issue 1, 2020 Tagged with , , ,

In 2014, the Indonesian government passed Law No. 6/2014 with the intention of reconstructing village financial and asset management arrangements to accelerate inclusive and sustainable rural development. Pandeglang Regency in Banten Province as one of the underdeveloped district is a very interesting study because 96% of villages are still underdeveloped. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a village typology model and develop a village development strategy in Pandeglang Regency. The strategy to improve the status of the Village Development Index is to reallocate village financial management based on the status of the village typology and its supporting composite index.

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By Posted on Posted in Volume 14, Issue 1, 2020 Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Romania has a large number of churches, monasteries or places of worship as well as a great diversity of spiritual and religious destinations, thus explaining the development of forms of tourism such as religious tourism and pilgrimage. Previous researches confirm that in Romania religious tourism and pilgrimage has been on an ascending trend, Prislop Monastery being one of the most visited religious sites. A delimitation between the two types is difficult to make because of the different valences they have. This study starts from personal field observations, aiming to explore, based on qualitative methods, the motivations, perception or religious practices in the area, trying to differentiate distinct categories of visitors. The context of visits, the frequency, motivations and practices related to religious tourism or pilgrimage represented the basis of the analysis, relied on semi-structured interviews. The results showed that the motivations were mixed, starting from religious practices rigorously performed, to simple visits that were made out of curiosity and aroused by mass-media.

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By Posted on Posted in Volume 13, Issue 2, 2019 Tagged with , , , ,

Using data from the 2014 Vietnam Household Living Standard Survey, this study employs cluster analysis techniques to provide the first classification of five livelihood strategies pursued by rural households. The methodology also included a comparison between the per capita household income across livelihood strategies using the Bonferroni pairwise tests. The authors found that households with non-farming or wage-earning livelihoods achieved the highest income levels, while those depending on farm-related incomes or a mix of wage-earning and farm-related incomes had the lowest income levels. Furthermore, factors associated with the choice of livelihoods were investigated using a multinomial logit model. The findings reveal that farmland is negatively associated with the choice of high return livelihood strategies. This suggests that access to farmland is not a potential barrier to the pursuit of lucrative strategies. In addition, the education level of household heads proved to have a positive effect on the pursuit of remunerative strategies. The authors also found that households living in communes with minimal infrastructure and non-farming job opportunities have a more significant chance to adopt high-return livelihoods.

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By Posted on Posted in Volume 13, Issue 2, 2019 Tagged with , , , , ,

This article explores the role of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in furthering bilateral attempts by Somali regimes and the international community in restoring peace and functional social institutions in Somalia. It highlights how an inclusive reconciliation process that covers social actors and stakeholders can repair the eroded trust and fosters peaceful coexistence. The core discourse focuses on the roles played by CSOs in the negotiation and bridging gaps between communities and the government through a fair and equitable non-partisan framework for restoring peace in Somalia. The emphasis will be placed on the sociocultural dynamics CSOs can bring within the context of the process to bridge social and political gaps created by decades of civil strife. The article concluded that a quest for sustainable peace, institutional development, and effective governance requires equitable contributions and representation of the CSOs and local communities’ stakeholders. Most efforts put forth by political elites in the government and the international community have faced lot of resistance because of competing interests. Therefore, it is of vital importance that political elites, community leaders, and regional bodies encourage the participation of Somali CSOs and stakeholders in all aspects of the post-conflict socio-economic and political reconstruction. The article suggests a new approach to redefine CSO roles in the reconciliation process and rehabilitation of sociopolitical and economic challenges posed by decades of the ongoing political and civil unrest in the country.

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By Posted on Posted in Volume 13, Issue 2, 2019 Tagged with , , , ,

The notion of mobility within the geographical space was founded on the decisions and activities of humans, whether in their daily life or certain specific professions (railway stations, airports, hospitals). The state of the transport structure networks and the efficiency and quality of their functioning create a spatial heterogeneity which results in more or less uncomfortable access conditions for the movement between two locations, thus affecting travel time. Measurements obtained through complete microscopic simulations determine any increase in value in travel time, which in turn makes it possible to predict network performance within congestion situation (functional vulnerability). In this paper, the authors suggest a GIS method in under to evaluate the intrinsic degrees of vulnerability based on travel time in the road network of Tlemcen city (Algeria) as well as on the structural and functional state of the road network and the way length in order to optimize the travel time required for a hospital emergency service. This may reduce casualities, all too often caused by choosing an inappropriate route.

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By Posted on Posted in Volume 13, Issue 2, 2019 Tagged with , , , , , , ,

In a natural park, tourism is seen as an economic activity that can easily bring many benefits. Apuseni Natural Park (ANP)was chosen as a case study because it impacts communities (and especially moți) which have preserved their culture and traditions, coming from ancient times, in an area with remarkable natural and anthropogenic tourist resources. The aim of the study is to analyse the perception of local communities (endogenous), and visitors (exogenous), in order to highlight the heritage, economic advantages, and constraints in the natural park. The research is based on survey method and a number of spatial analysis tools, GIS, bibliographic sources, cartographic data mining, and field observations. The results show that local communities perceive in a high ratio the advantages of heritage preservation, linking them to the improvement of their life and less the disadvantages on the local economy. A more significant contrast in perception is revealed by tourists, who think that a national park has many advantages and constraints, the last ones accounting for the possible loss of functioning of the destination. In the frame of the recognised attractiveness of the ANP, the study suggests the need for a continuous monitoring process and the adoption of a receptive administration for each area and every actor involved.

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By Posted on Posted in Volume 13, Issue 2, 2019 Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Warung Tegals or wartegs are food stalls which sell food and beverages along Jakarta’s streets, catering to the city’s middle and low-income population. Consumers, both locals and blue and white-collar office workers choose wartegs for their convenience, location and affordability. Government extension agents from the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) have incorporated warteg owners in their business development programs, with the ministry’s centre actively coaching and mentoring owners and managers to improve their food quality, hygiene and service. Moreover, the country’s MSME are also actively involved with warteg associations to mentor their micro-financing and revolving fund schemes. Prerequisites for advancing small and medium enterprises include psychological empowerment and the emergence of leaders from within the working-class community. Active citizenship, when coupled with integrity and psychological empowerment, leads to the endurance of social capital for protecting collective interests such as the local economy, the nation’s food security and the neighbourhood safety and social welfare. This can propel Jakarta’s working class as active citizens and agents of social inclusion and economic transformations.

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By Posted on Posted in Volume 13, Issue 2, 2019 Tagged with , , ,

Smart City is currently becoming a global issue in the context of better city management. This paper discusses the implementation of Smart City and its effect on better city management. The discussion is based on a literature study comprising best and empirical practices related to the implementation of the idea of Smart City in Indonesia. The discussion focuses on the elements of Smart City, support from structural aspects, infrastructure, supra-structure and its relationship with city management as well. This paper can be the description of the best practices of the implementation of Smart City toward better city management with the Program of Toward 100 Smart Cities in Indonesia and the issue of moving the capital of Indonesia in relation with the need for better City management and the implementation of Smart City.

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By Posted on Posted in Volume 13, Issue 1, 2019 Tagged with , , , , , ,

Previous studies on urban land use/cover change emphasised the role of economic forces in producing population growth and its attendant land use/cover changes, almost to the exclusion of other important factors. In spite of a swelling literature on land use/land cover changes, studies comparing these changes before and after changes in the administrative status of cities are rare. This study therefore investigates the effect of change in the administrative status of a medium-size city on the urban expansion and land use/cover change with specific interest in assessing the trends and spatial patterns of land use/cover changes in pre-capital city period (1972-1991) and post-capital city period (1996-2016) of Osogbo, Nigeria. Landsat MSS, TM and ETM+ imageries (1972, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2006, and 2016) and population data were used in this study. Maximum Likelihood Classification was employed to categorise the images into built-up areas, vegetation cover, and water bodies. The study revealed that the city expanded axially along major lines of communication in the pre-capital years while some were filling up and intensification of urban land use was noticed in the post-capital years. While the built-up area grew at an annual rate of 2.8% in pre-capital status years (1972 to 1991), the growth accelerated in post-capital status periods (1996 to 2016) 4.7% annually. This study has shown that change in the administrative status of the city contributes to the city’s land use/cover changes through accelerated expansion in areal coverage and densification of the urban land use with attendant loss of vegetation and water bodies. City managers, therefore, should consider future changes in cities’ administrative role in their urban land use planning.

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By Posted on Posted in Volume 13, Issue 1, 2019 Tagged with , , , ,

Tourism has gradually become one of the major interests of the European Union, as its potential for promoting a balanced development of the regions became more and more acknowledged. In Romania, the growth of tourism after 2000 and, in particular, the preference towards rural tourism in that period, set a fertile background for the European policies regarding tourism. The aim of the study is to analyse territorial dynamics of tourism in Romania, focusing on the evolution particularities of different types of territories according to their economic status, but also according to their specific type of tourism. The results of the study provide a detailed image of the spatial evolution of Romanian tourism and highlight that the tendencies of tourism dispersion appear to be insufficient for preventing a clustered pattern. The results of the study can have high relevance for properly directing investments in tourism and creating differentiated policies depending on a territory’s particularities.

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