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

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

This article focuses on free fare public transport policy (FFPT) as an example of the sustainable mobility paradigm FFPT is one of a number of instruments through which a balance between the economic costs and efficiency in the public transport system can be reached. Even though the strategic approach of FFPT systems is used worldwide, their implementation is somewhat sporadic. By investigating examples of currently or formerly existing free fare public transport schemes, this study analyses the overall ability of FFPT to reach the strategic targets required. The study identifies four key areas that the municipalities are trying to target (reducing car use externalities, social justice/benefits provision, increasing the efficiency of public transport, and promoting sustainable means of transportation). As the specific conditions of each locality generate particular issues, the strategy of each transport system authority differs from one to another. It is, therefore, necessary for the transport planning authorities to implement various tools (both supportive and repressive) whose synergies will target the main objectives. A systematic and conceptual approach is what underpins the successful development of the urban transport system in the long-term.

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

This article provides a sociological analysis of the disadvantaged African Canadian migrants’ experiences and challenges of the integration process in the province of Ontario. In this qualitative study, migrants discussed the challenges of resettlement, livelihood, health, and social well-being from their perspectives. They shared their personal experiences with housing, health services, lack of work, and access to social support services. Data used in this research come from transcribed stories gathered through intensive one-on-one interviews with 26 African Canadian migrants, each lasting 1−2 hours, and three focus groups with 30 others. The 56 participants in the study were recruited from three Ontario cities of Ottawa, Toronto, and Kitchener. The survey covered the period from March 2013 to October 2017. Using the grounded theory (GT) method, interviews were transcribed, coded, categorised, and analysed using NVivo 10. In this study, participants have shared their experiences with racism and discrimination, and most have cited lack of access to adequate social programs, employment support, and resettlement services as the most significant barriers to meaningful social and economic integration. They reiterated the importance of employment support and social services programs tailored toward migrants’ needs with an emphasis on socio-political, cultural, and economic integration.

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

Ethnic groups involved in separatist movements have often been engaged in violence, rather than electoral politics, in order to fulfil their demands. The present paper analyses the dynamics of the sovereignty movements of the Koch-Rajbanshi community of north-eastern India, an indigenous group that has used active and suppressed violence for accomplishing their demands along with electoral contests. Nuanced analyses of literature, electoral information, schedule-based surveys and personal interviews of Koch-Rajbanshi respondents were used for this purpose. Results indicated that most elected Koch-Rajbanshi representatives belonged to mainstream political parties and failed to bring about practical solutions for the sovereignty issue. The pro-sovereignty outfits were unable to gain electoral success and further hindered the movement. Fear of backlash from the ruling party also stopped many Koch-Rajbanshi commons from being involved in the electoral process. Accordingly, adequate electoral representation of Koch-Rajbanshi political groups was identified as the only democratic solution to this escalating conflict.

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By Posted on Posted in Volume 12, Issue 2, 2018 Tagged with , , , , ,

Airports, as nodes in world transport networks, have been studied mostly in their role as hubs in the spatial strategies of airlines. This paper examines the role of airports as engines of growth in their local surroundings and the complexity of the spatial system of the airport at the local and regional scale. It studies how to ensure an efficient movement of planes of the airside and an efficient access point to airports on the landside while taking into account the interests of people living next to airports, who are heavily impacted the noise generated by aircraft, as well as considering where should new airports be built.

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By Posted on Posted in Volume 12, Issue 2, 2018 Tagged with , , , ,

This paper puts a special accent on the Roma female reproductive population and its behaviour concerning the formation and size of the family. A survey was conducted in the area of Shuto Orizari, the only Roma governed community in Europe, on respondents from the female reproductive population divided into three age groups. For the analysis of the variance of the means of the three chosen groups were used the standard statistical tests and the one-way ANOVA test was used for testing the eight hypotheses for the equality of the means of the three independent specimens. A chi-squared test of independence between the two variables was made on the whole sample. The research and the gained results about the factors that determine the demographic behaviour of the Roma female reproductive population are expected to find a way to improve the overall situation and to use it in creating demographic policies.

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By Posted on Posted in Volume 12, Issue 2, 2018 Tagged with , , ,

[wptabs style] [wptabtitle]Abstract[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent] This paper emphasises the attraction power of the literary landscape and how it can help destinations to respond to challenges posed by over-tourism. To illustrate that, we focus on Barcelona’s case, carrying out a comparison between …

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By Posted on Posted in Volume 12, Issue 2, 2018 Tagged with , , ,

This paper analyses the interface between policy and practice in housing Jakarta’s urban poor and revitalising the Kampung Pulo neighbourhood along the Ciliwung riverbank. The paper discusses issues faced by policymakers in securing land and housing for Jakarta’s poor, in relocating the majority of Kampung Pulo’s residents into housing flats in Central Jakarta and in revitalising the remaining slum areas into semi-permanent settlements with basic facilities. The paper combines top-down policy analysis and bottom-up ethno-methodology to illustrate best practices and contribute to the body of knowledge relating to sustainable urban governance.

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By Posted on Posted in Volume 12, Issue 2, 2018 Tagged with , , , , ,

This study examined the pedestrians’ safe and unsafe behaviour before and during street crossing in three cities in South Western Nigeria. 1,214 pedestrians were observed at crossing sites using direct observation approach. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and logistic regression. In all, 730 (60.1%) of the observed pedestrians were male, and 484 (39.9%) were female. The analysis of the data showed that safe crossing practices were generally high, as over 50% of pedestrians at different stages of the crossing process were categorized as exhibiting safe observation behaviour. In terms of crossing tempo, Chi-square test revealed significant difference between male (65.1%) than female (56.0%) pedestrians (χ2=10.12, d=1, p=0.000). While ANOVA showed significant variation in the risky crossing behaviour among the cities (F (2, 1211) =71.93, P< 0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that adult pedestrians are 0.79 times more likely to exhibit safe crossing behaviour than younger pedestrians and pedestrians are 0.42 times more likely to exhibit safe crossing when vehicles are moving on one side of the road than when there is no vehicular movement. The study suggests measures to enhance safe street crossing behaviour in the sampled cities and other cities in Nigeria.

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By Posted on Posted in Volume 12, Issue 2, 2018 Tagged with , , , ,

This paper aims to provide a model for the assessment of the religious-tourism potential in Romania. The religious practice has been in a continuous change over the past 20 years, making the pilgrimage phenomenon to have an upward trend. In the same time, many religious edifices are becoming more attractive to visitors, as they are included in package tours, and visited by large numbers of tourists. In Romania, there are many religious places visited both, by tourists or pilgrims; it is difficult to assess their numbers and also to distinguish between religious practices and touristic visits as no studies have been conducted in this direction. They are centres of religious (spiritual) power, in which people regularly spend money and time while around them it has been developed a real infrastructure, from roads or construction of facilities to more complex services that include accommodation, stores or commercial stalls, selling souvenirs or items more or less related to religious practice. Therefore, the objectives of this paper aimed at evaluating the tourist valences of religious edifices in Romania as well as the degree of their valorisation; in order to meet these objectives, three dimensions were considered and assessed: the historical-cultural dimension, the religious dimension, and the economic dimension. Many relevant elements for these dimensions have been quantified, giving them scores based on unitary criteria. The results help to see better the differentiation/association between the tourist value and the religious value of religious edifices in Romania, highlighting particularities at the national level, which will be the subject of further analysis.

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