Human Geographies – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography
Human Geographies – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography was first published in 2007 to provide an international forum of social, economic and cultural contributions to the fields of human geography. It is a peer-reviewed journal, has both online and print versions and ISSNs. It represents the initiative and effort of the members of the Human Geography Department, Faculty of Geography from University of Bucharest. Human Geographies – is a biannual publication with a content solely in English which can be viewed at humangeographies.org.ro. Human Geographies is committed to publish scholarly research and informed commentaries on a wide category of human geography aspects (including urban and rural issues, demography, social, economic and cultural environment), place issues, and space issues. It welcomes contributions from the growing numbers of scholars and practitioners across geography, humanities and social and environmental sciences who are interested in human, economic and cultural geographies. The publication is particularly committed to the development of interpretative approaches to the above mentioned issues. It does not restrict its remit to any particular methodological or theoretical orientation, but publishes both scholarly papers and more speculative pieces designed to further understanding and debate. Contents include original articles, notes and comments. Regular contributions are drawn from the fields of human geography, economics and economic geography, planning, territorial development, infrastructure development, sociology, population studies and public administration, public policies.
Editura Universității din București - Bucharest University Press
Spatial distribution of human capital in Romania
Human capital reflects the knowledge, competencies, and health people invest in and accumulate throughout their lives. Therefore, investing in people's health, education, and skills is essential to developing human capital. The evaluation of human capital is very important for understanding the premises for future development at a territorial level and the impact that different development trajectories may have on economic performance and population wellbeing. Thus, identifying those areas with lower human capital is crucial for future economic and social prospects allowing authorities to elaborate targeted strategies to protect and invest in people in these areas. This paper aims to evaluate human capital at the national level, focusing on three main components: education, health and workforce. The research methodology is based on statistical analysis using available data on education, employment and health and spatial analysis using GIS. This study's findings show that areas with higher human capital overlap with the most important Romanian cities and their surroundings (Bucharest, Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, etc.), while lower human capital indices characterise extended rural areas located in the eastern part of the country and central, south and south-east, thus having different development premises. The present study contributes to a better evaluation and representation of human capital at the spatial level, pointing out the vulnerable areas from the point of view of education, workforce and health. Measures for uniformising and improving human capital will ensure the communities' sustained economic and social development.
Copyright (c) 2022 Human Geographies https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Criteria for Romanian geniuses’ selection as source for a new heritage tourism product
Cultural heritage constantly evolves, contributes fundamentally to human development, and increases collective life's quality. Cultural assets are considered a treasure that must be protected accordingly and passed on to future generations. Among tourism resources, material and immaterial assets belonging to famous people are essential for this industry and for promoting Romanian cultural values. In this framework, the purpose of the study is to identify criteria for selecting Romanian personalities of genius whose valuable works and achievements may augment the country's cultural tourist heritage. The research method is based on the survey, which targeted the Romanian Academy members (RAMs) and the resident population (RP). Data analysis has been performed through qualitativequantitative methods. The results show that identified definitions, criteria and nominalizations of Romanian genius personalities by the two groups of respondents have many similarities. For a specific tourism product built on the core of the Romanian personalities of genius, the study reveals four clusters: highly recognized people; averagely known people of genius, which includes contemporaries; remarkable people with landmarks developed in the last two centuries; and another, internationally visible, and known by specialists in a domain. These identified personalities may be reconsidered to expand the cultural heritage for tourism strategy, to develop a tourist package dedicated to the Romanian geniuses based on the capitalization of their achievements.
Relocations of the households affected by the development of the New Yogyakarta International Airport, Indonesia: problems and livelihood prospects
Land acquisition for infrastructure development in Indonesia, including Yogyakarta International Airport, has adopted a new principle of profitable compensation. Two options were created: voluntary self-relocation and government-assisted relocation. People whose farms were only partially appropriated by the project did not need to join the relocation. This paper compares problems faced by the three groups and their livelihood prospects, especially their employment four years after receiving financial compensation. Data available from 2018 would be referred to as a complement to our household survey data from 2021. Although by implementing profitable land compensation in land procurement, the YIA (Yogyakarta International Airport) project has been considered an example of successful land appropriation, many problems are reported by the affected population four years later. There are typical problems related to the early stage of settlement development, such as unemployment, environmental issues, dismissal of neighbourhoods and households, and conflictual events recorded between neighbours. On the other hand, the expenditure patterns indicate that the affected population have spent their compensation money more wisely. Thus, the prospect of their livelihood would be improved when measures in the original village and in cases of voluntary self-relocation areas but not in the government relocation areas. From various variables of financial management, there is a consistent pattern that the population from the original settlement and those who self-relocated would be able to maintain their financial resources and thus improve their future livelihood.
A Deleuzian reading of Hartshorne’s traditional concept of areal differentiation
Areal differentiation is one of the critical and traditional concepts in geographical studies, reconsidered through the philosophy of Deleuze in the present article. It has been argued that geographical areas should be conceptualised as virtual entities whose source of differentiation rises from their internal force. The paper argues that geographers have access to the virtual entities only in the public words and ideas, tending to naturalise one image while excluding others and advocating particular power relations between different human/non-human elements in an area. Finally, it has been discussed that one of the main tasks of human geographers is to uncover naturalised images about the process of areal differentiation. It entails considering human geography as an artistic practice instead of scientific activity. When geographers-artists select an image of areal differentiation, they should be open to replacing it with new alternative images.
Pillepallescapes – Journeys to the edges of socially shared landscape constructions
In this paper, the construction of landscape is contoured by its negation of non-landscape, making visible a space of meaning that we call pillepallescapes. Pillepallescapes is understood, among other things, as a secondary meaning that can often lead to disputes about its relevance, thus revealing ambiguous polyvalences in the quest to unify the world. We introduce pillepall to the context of landscape studies for elements which, from certain perspectives, appear to be insignificant to these landscape constructions. However, it is at these borderlines of meaningfulness – the pillepallescapes, the object of what oscillates between landscape and non-landscape – that conflicts over landscape interpretive sovereignty seem to spark. When framed neopragmatically, this contribution self-ironically opens up a relevant extension for landscape research, from which methodologicalanalytical, as well as cartographic innovation potentials, can be derived.
Cartographic imaginaries of the COVID-19 crisis in Mexico – a typology of disease maps
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the news reports on it have been accompanied by maps. Similarly to weather maps, they became part of our daily news feed. The newspapers' maps reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic often use the same or similar data to depict the current state of the spread within a national territory. However, the designs of the maps vary between different news outlets. These differences were analysed using the documentary method introduced by sociologist Ralf Bohnsack, using the case study of six COVID-19 maps published in Mexican national newspapers. The analysis resulted in a typology of maps, which proposed different readings of the infographic itself when it comes to the aspects of (1) the cognitive process it supposedly triggers, (2) the kind of information it contains, (3) the usefulness for the viewer/reader, and (4) whether the author or the reader has the authority over the reading/learning process.
Organising for thin places during the COVID-19 pandemic
This study aims to investigate some of the socio-spatial aspects of thickness and thinness in large Swedish organisations that arose from working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The questions that this study aimed to answer are 'How do representatives who manage their staff by allowing or restricting WFH in public and private organisations describe how aspects of thickness, in terms of physical proximity and social relations, changed when their staff worked from home during the pandemic? How can organisational thickness and thinness be further developed to understand the detachment of workers from their working places in terms of consequences for the location and size of offices, leadership, control, and management?'. The study shows that organisations have been able to adjust and develop strategies for coping with long periods of absence from offices and that thin places can be created with the help of technology. Finally, the study shows that the pandemic may have future consequences regarding how work is organised, for instance, in terms of how large office spaces are needed and where these offices should be located.
Access to credit and non-farm activities: A quantitative analysis of household surveys in rural Vietnam
The authors investigated the role of formal and informal credit in non-farm activities among Vietnamese rural households using pooled cross-sectional data from household surveys in 2016 and 2018. The econometric analysis confirms that households with more loans are more likely to engage in non-farm activities and increase the intensity of such activities. The probability and intensity of non-farm activities are also determined by the level of education and occupation of household heads. In addition, the presence of nonfarm opportunities and access to roads in a commune increase the chance of non-farm participation for households living in that commune. The study suggests that policy interventions for promoting rural non-farm economy should aim to improve rural households' access to formal credit, better education, and non-farming opportunities.
Electronically-based governance system for public services: implementation in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia
The Electronically-Based Governance System (Sistem Pemerintahan Berbasis Elektronik/SPBE) deals with public services for the internal regional government and the public. This research aims to identify public services and their implementation, analyse the success and constraints in implementing public services, and elaborate recommendations. Secondary data were obtained through the local government website. Primary data were obtained through questionnaires filled out by staff in charge of technical SPBE at the Communications and Information Office in the Special Region of Yogyakarta and cities and districts in the region. Meanwhile, in-depth interviews were conducted with the head of the agency as a policy-making official related to SPBE. The result shows that the regional government has provided public services in both SPBE and innovative regional services. The users have felt the benefits of the public services provided. However, there are constraints related to users' ability in digital literacy and the availability of networks. In the future, both will become a priority to overcome.
Exercising Time Geography in gender and disaster. Discourse through Women Headed Household experience during drought
Time Geography is a boundary-oriented approach to understanding human activity in space and time. In this study, this concept is implemented to identify the daily activities of Women Headed Household (WHH) and their survival strategies in drought disasters and to understand their root causes through analysing capability, coupling, and authority constraints. This research starts to fill the gap in knowledge of the Time Geography in "Gender and Disaster". The combination of Time Geography's daily diary technique with in-depth interviews is used to understand the constraining and enabling conditions in local contexts. The results show that the socio-economic characteristics of WHH in Gunung Butak Hamlet, Java, Indonesia, tended to be homogeneous and formed a pattern of daily activity with low variation. Likewise, their strategy in dealing with drought. The three geographical constraints faced by WHH in this hamlet are interrelated and do not stand alone.
Agritourism and local products in terms of protection and sustainable development of the Carpathians: a participatory discussion on key issues and challenges
The article addresses the development of agritourism and the popularisation of local products as activities that can support the traditional economic functions of the Carpathians (i.e. especially agriculture). The protection of these functions is conducive to combining the preservation of the biodiversity, landscape values, and cultural heritage of the Carpathians with these areas' social and economic development, fulfilling the objectives of the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians. Using a method of participatory discussion (i.e. the World Café), the key challenges of agritourism development and preservation of local products in the Carpathians were identified. Special attention was paid to groups of issues, such as: environmental and social dimensions, agriproducts and food, the development of local products, crafts and small-scale industrial products, cooperation, branding and marketing, and key trends and foresight.
Benefits of rural-urban interactions for sustainable food security in Iran
Cities and rural areas, as two human settlements, have long interacted with each other, and these interactions have many benefits for producing better products and food security. However, despite the importance of benefits in rural-urban interaction, identifying, improving, and investing them in rural areas of Iran has always been neglected. Therefore, in addition to identifying the benefits of interactions, this study investigates the causal relationship between them and sustainable food security in villages in the southeast Tehran province in Iran. Four hundred questionnaires were completed among farmers by simple random sampling. The findings, conducted in a descriptive-analytical and questionnaire based manner, show the positive effect of rural-urban interactions on sustainable food security. The product transport variable has the most significant impact, and agricultural services and production support have a negligible effect on sustainable food security. Villagers' access to roads (proximity to farms), suitable ways to deliver agricultural and non-agricultural products to the city, warehousing, refrigeration, and packaging services, widening roads between farms, and market access are the key factors influencing food security.
Grassroots solidarity structures in Greece as counterhegemonic practices contesting the dominant neoliberal hegemony
In crisis conditions, solidarity structures emerge as a social and political response to the crisis. This study introduces a new conceptualisation of solidarity structures as grassroots contestations to the neoliberal ‘there-is-no-alternative’ (TINA) discourse. It argues that their operation reflects counterhegemonic practices that can keep alive the hope that another world, based on principles of solidarity, is possible. Moreover, this paper, utilising Gramsci’s work, argues that welfare grassroots community solidarity structures (WGCSS) challenge hegemonic assumptions surrounding the TINA discourse, such as responsibilisation and individual failings, by reflecting arguments for collective provisioning, empowerment and community action, and systemic failings. The arguments made in this paper draw on rapid ethnographic activist research in Chania, Crete, Greece.
Exploring the interplay of socio-economic and demographic factors on dietary diversity among women of Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala: a comprehensive analysis
Nutrition is crucial for global health and development, with malnutrition presenting a substantial threat. India grapples with both undernutrition and overnutrition. Understanding the intricate relationship between socio-economic and demographic factors and dietary diversity is crucial for promoting public health and well-being. This comprehensive analysis delves into the impact of these factors on dietary habits. Socio-economic determinants such as income, education, and access to healthcare services, along with demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and household composition, are known to influence dietary choices significantly. Women of reproductive age are particularly at risk of inadequate nutrition, necessitating a focus on improving nutritional standards. Socio-economic and demographic factors significantly influence dietary diversity, highlighting the need for targeted interventions. Socio-economic and demographic characteristics notably influence a person's dietary diversity. There is a known concern regarding women's dietary patterns in their reproductive years. Still, a substantial push has not been made to tackle or enhance this matter through specific programmes or actions. This suggests a need for increased attention and measures to improve the dietary standards of women.
Copyright (c) 2024 Human Geographies – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography
Rural tourism in the framework of agricultural diversification in Aktobe Region, Republic of Kazakhstan
In foreign countries, rural tourism is developing with a high rhythm. Kazakhstan also has excellent opportunities for the development of this type of tourism. Currently, rural tourism in Kazakhstan is not fully developed. The article deals with the issues of organising rural tourism based on agriculture in the Aktobe Region. The study aims to improve methodological approaches to rural tourism development as an innovative activity type in the context of agricultural diversification. Three methodological stages have been identified: assessing the potential for rural tourism development, identifying priority types and subtypes of rural tourism, and identifying priority and promising areas for rural tourism development. The work assessed the possibilities of rural tourism development in the districts of the Aktobe Region using the ranking method.
Measuring regional inequality using nightlight satellite data and population density for Nigeria
Measuring the spatial differences in regional development was the main objective of this study. To meet this objective, spatial patterns & clusters of variables, viz. nightlight & population density, were identified at the LGA level. Secondly, regression analysis between the same variables was performed to find the spatial differences in the night light. VIIRS Day/Night Band (DNB) data was chosen as the dependent variable, and UN-Adjusted Population Density data was selected as an explanatory variable. Spatial patterns & clusters were identified using spatial statistics. Global Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) linear regression was chosen to model nightlight in terms of its relationships to population density. Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) regression was used to model spatially varying relationships between the same variables. The results show nightlight (z >97, p <0000) & population density (z >108, p <0000) are highly clustered. The R2 obtained from OLS & GWR are 0.75 & 0.85, respectively. Moreover, model variables & diagnostics results confirm the validity of both models.
Kindling change: shaping a New Fire Culture in Mediterranean socioenvironmental systems from the roots
In line with global trends, the Valencian Region (Spain) is experiencing increasingly extreme wildfires, exacerbated by entangled socioenvironmental factors like climate change, the human-nature dichotomy, and wildfires managed basically through technocratic approaches. Rural grassroots movements are emerging amid worsening wildfires, advocating for local agency to build socioenvironmental resilience in wildfire-prone territories. Inspired by these movements, we propose a transformative paradigm – a New Fire Culture – to elicit critical reflections on current wildfire management and build socioenvironmental just futures. By drawing on our experiences around the 2022 Vall d'Ebo and 2023 Villanueva de Viver wildfire events and resulting from an interdisciplinary deliberation process, we present a comprehensive analysis of the present wildfire context and suggest guiding principles for a New Fire Culture. Acknowledging its context-specificity, we call for transdisciplinary processes among local actors, academics, and practitioners to collectively explore and build a New Fire Culture within their socioenvironmental systems.
Technology-facilitated abuse within the context of intimate partner violence: Barriers to and recommendations for safety planning
Technology-facilitated abuse (TFA), a consequence of structured gendered disadvantage, poses increasing harm to women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) and their children. This paper presents a small explorative transdisciplinary (social work and geography) study which aims to assess the knowledge of women professionals from four European countries (Estonia, Finland, Greece, and Northern Ireland) working in the area of IPV about TFA in general and in particular safety planning. The focus on safety planning is what distinguishes this research. The research findings indicate that the risk assessment of TFA is not always included in safety planning. Barriers, such as lack of professional knowledge, are reported. The paper ends with feminist insights about the risks of engaging in a reductionist approach when the focus becomes just the lack of knowledge per se, without accounting for the wider structural inequalities that exist within the context of patriarchal surveillance capitalism and which are primarily responsible for TFA.
intimate partner violence/gender-based violence
Dynamics of territorial systems in the entrepreneurial process for a sustainable urban transition
The issue of ecosystems is attracting renewed interest from researchers. Recent studies have defined ecosystems in terms of their field of intervention and common objectives. This research aims to highlight that, in the context of sustainable urban transition, the involvement of territorial systems in the entrepreneurial process is not limited solely to their areas of intervention. The methodology used is based on the theory of innovative environments and the territorial approach. Interviews with stakeholders and activity reports were used to compile a list of the entrepreneurship systems. This work showed that cities or territories could support sustainable urban transition through entrepreneurship by providing resources for creating businesses that could, in turn, produce sustainable solutions to territorial challenges. The authors would emphasise the territorial entrepreneurial ecosystem of innovation, knowledge, and enterprise systems, as well as other systems that, through their interactions, create added value for the territory. Because each activity or project has its footprint, each system needs to be coordinated to provide a more sustainable solutions.