There have been changes in the shopping behavior and preferences of consumers in the post-communist countries caused by political changes after 1989. Slovakia is not an exception, and it has been observed a change not only at the consumers’ level but also in retail stores. A notable bearer of such changes was the construction of big shopping centers that were a new phenomenon in shopping. They quickly became popular and changed spatial and shopping patterns of consumers. The main aim of this study is to analyze and evaluate the shopping preferences of consumers based on the example of the capital city – Bratislava (at the level of urban districts). The database consists of results of a questionnaire survey carried out in 2011. Respondents were interviewed inside the shopping center. The partial aims focus on the analysis of consumers’ perceptions, the frequency of their shopping and the mode of transport used for shopping. One of the goals of this study is also to evaluate the perception of consumers in terms of the catchment areas of the chosen shopping center, as well as the perceptional classification of retail in the given area and the accessibility of stores.

The article presents the methodological assumptions in functional approach for exploring the economic impact of national parks on the local economy. The original model of systemic analysis proposed and discussed in the article allows the broad spectrum of direct and indirect economic relations of national parks with their immediate spatial surrounding to be analysed. The discussion on the economic aspects of national parks’ operation relates to the specic conditions of Poland’s transition economy. The factors determining the economic function of a national park in the local economy include legal regulations which specify the powers of the park’s managing body and regulate the park’s behaviour on the local market; the attractiveness of the park’s location as a tourist destination; the scale of growth and commercialisation of tourism. Also important is the local social and economic context in which the national parks are embedded. Endogenous and exogenous determinants of the operation of Polish national parks determine the dynamic nature of their local economic relations.

[wptabs style] [wptabtitle]Abstract[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent] Mass tourism facilities depend on repeat visitors as well as attracting new first time tourists. As these traditional sun and sand holiday destinations mature, tourism promoters are bundling opportunities to attract a different kind of tourist. …

Sea, Sun, Sand and …. Selecting Surgery: an Exploration of Health, Medical and Wellness Read more »

[wptabs style] [wptabtitle]Abstract[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent] Investigating individuals’ Hand-Drawn Residential Neighbourhood (HDRN) maps may help determine some of the basic geometrical properties found in cognitive maps of meaningful geographical spaces. The main objective was to empirically determine an optimal radius size for …

Using hand-draw maps of residential neighbourhood to compute level of circularity and investigate its predictors Read more »

[wptabs style] [wptabtitle]Abstract[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent] Providing the entire population with the same accessibility to services of general interest is among the priorities of EU policy. Among these services, those concerned with medical treatment occupy a special place due to their social …

Modelling spatial accessibility to medical care. Case study of the North-Eastern Region of Romania Read more »

[wptabs style] [wptabtitle]Abstract[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent] Tuberculosis (TB) is endemic in Karachi, Pakistan, and even with the discovery of other infectious diseases no significant change is evident in its epidemiological profile while analyzing the temporal incidence. There is significant evidence to support …

Geodemographic analysis of tuberculosis patients in Karachi, Pakistan Read more »

[wptabs style] [wptabtitle]Abstract[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent] This article explores how small cities use cycling for both residential transportation and active tourism. While cycling may be child’s play, and indeed a part of childhood socialization, the ‘pushbike’ has a role in regional development. …

The pushbike song: Rolling physical cultural studies through the landscape Read more »

[wptabs style] [wptabtitle]Abstract[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent] The dynamics of the housing stock is one of the indicators used to express the state of the economy. In post-Communist Romania, the dynamics of housing construction sector reflected the changing of the markets estate, economic …

Dynamics of housing stock in Romania – between politics and policies Read more »

[wptabs style] [wptabtitle]Abstract[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent] According to the tea at Inspire, health is an important measure of people’s well-being and has always been a major thrust area of geographical inquiry. Several geographers and scholars from other disciplines have made their best …

A methodology of measuring human health Read more »

[wptabs style] [wptabtitle]Abstract[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent] The rapid rise in the use of mobile (cell) phones, combined with their shortening lifespan, due to a high replacement frequency, are posing disposal management challenges at a time when mobile phones are the fastest growing …

“What do I do with my old mobile phones? I just put them in a drawer”: Attitudes and perspectives towards the disposal of mobile phones in Liverpool, UK Read more »