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Degraded and restituted towns in Poland: Origins, development, problems : Miasta zdegradowane i restytuowane w Polsce. Geneza, rozwój, problemy
- 2015
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Samlingsverk (redaktörskap) (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- One of the less known problems in settlement geography is the issue of so-called degraded and restituted towns. This lack of reconnaissance, however, is perhaps less the result of the towns’ scarcity than their specificity of being ‘awarded’ or ‘deprived of’ an urban label by means of strictly socio-political actions. Degraded and restituted towns, hence, are spatial units made ‘urban’ or ‘rural’ instantaneously, irrespective of their de facto state along what is widely considered a gradual path of (de)urbanization. Instead, they become compartmentalized into two constructed spatial categories that have survived the onslaught of material transformations and philosophical repositioning through different whims of time. While ‘rural’ and ‘urban’ are conceptual binaries that certainly need to be treated with caution, their cultural salience may cause tangible consequences within national administrative systems that abide by a formalized rural-urban distinction. This issue becomes particularly important for settlements that clearly transcend any imagined rural-urban divide, i.e. those, whose material and immaterial characteristics seem counterfactual to their assigned category. It is also crucial in formal practices designed to avert such counterfactualities, but whose ran-domness of approach more creates confusion than helps straighten out a historical concoction. Both processes, nonetheless, lend ‘urbanity’ and ‘rurality’ a resonance of objectivity, justifying their use as guides for a host of developmental endeavors, despite subverting a much more intricate reality. Degraded and restituted towns are direct derivatives of this. Drawing on the above-mentioned irreconcilabilities, the aim of this book is to present and scrutinize degraded and restituted towns through the example of Poland, where these towns occupy a special niche. For one, Poland, due to its chequered and variegated history, is home to a conspicuously large number of degraded (831) and restituted (236) towns; for another, Poland’s relentlessness of formalizing ‘urbanity’ as a category of statistical, political and cultural guidance has a direct bearing on the lives of the towns’ residents. Realizing the intricacy of degraded and restituted towns in the face of commonplace ru-ral-urban ideations, the editors and the 17 contributing Authors of this book have made an effort to capture the towns’ complexity with special foci on their shrouded origins, developmental specificity and incurred problems. Owing to the involvement of researchers from different scientific disciplines and subdisciplines, the undertaken project has helped elucidate the problem from multiple perspectives: spatial, social, demographic, economic, environmental, historical, architectural, cultural, legal and philosophical. Allocated into 17 chapters, not only have the presented interpretations allowed for a first interdisciplinary synthesis on the topic, but they also helped outline some prospective directions for future research. Moreover, collecting materials of such diversity into an amalgamated whole has helped identify specific discourses that enwrap the concept of “urbanity” when seen through its oscillations within formal contexts, and to which degraded and restituted towns serve as expendable game pieces. By combining knowledge arrived at through ontologically and epistemologically different approaches, the incremental contribution of this book as a whole could be summarized in two attainments: a) extending theoretical frameworks used to study degraded and restituted towns in terms of definition, conceptualization and assessing predispositions for future de-velopment on account of their spatial, legal, socio-economic and historical charac-teristics; b) initiating an anticipated discussion on a number of important and current topics re-lated to the practices of degradation and restitution that have not received adequate attention, e.g., the urbanity-vs.-rurality paradox, the changeability of human settlement forms vs. the consequences of rigid spatial categorizations; the role of various actors in shaping the socio-economic reality under the guise of an ossified binary; or identifying spatio-conceptual conflicts as future challenges for local, regional and national policy.
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- Brodin, Alf, 1955
(författare)
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Ports in Transition in Countries in Transition - The changing situation for ports in Russia and the Baltic states in times of geopolitical and economical transition
- 2000
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Ports in Transition in Countries in Transition - The changing situation for ports in Russia and the Baltic states in times of geopolitical and economical transition. Edited by the Department of Human and Economic Geography, University of Göteborg. CHOROS 2000:1. 254 pages. The aim of this study is to describe how the changing geopolitical environment in the former Soviet Union (FSU) has created a new transport geography, and thereby resulted in new patterns of foreign trade routes, port competition and market economic adaptation in the Baltic Sea fringe. The geographical limitation is the western part of the FSU and the Baltic Sea. The time-span is the years from the beginning of the 1990´s until mid 1999. The role of, and situation in, the port sector is here used to describe the difficulties that have faced primarily Russia in the years of transition. In its current extension, Russia faces severe limitations in port capacity compared to the demand generated by domestic industry and raw material producers. Instead, the Baltic states possesses a port capacity that vastly exceeds local demand. A number of proposed Russian projects for new port capacity are described and the Russian North West is set in relation to the Baltic Sea region as a possible competitor. In addition, other changes and developments within the Russian transport- and port-sectors during the years of transition are described. The thesis show that any near future large-scale development of new Russian port capacity is unlikely, and economically hard to motivate, therefore the currant Russian dependence in the port-sector of the Baltic states will remain. The results of a five-year longitudinal Port Survey of Swedish foreign trade with the FSU countries 1993 - 1999, conducted by the author in Swedish ports, is also presented. The purpose has been to thoroughly study the actual flow of cargoes between Sweden and the FSU and at the same time evaluate the official trade statistics presented for this trade relation, which has uncovered substantial divergences. Keywords: Port, transition, Baltic Sea, transport geography, geopolitics, Russia, Baltic states, former Soviet Union, trade statistics,trade relations. ISBN 91-86472-99-2 ISSN 0347-8521 Distributed by: Department of Human and Economic Geography Alf Brodin School of Economics and Commercial Law Printed by Parajett AB Box 630 Landskrona 2000 S-405 30 GÖTEBORG, SWEDEN Sammanfattning Brodin, A. (2000) Ports in Transition in Countries in Transition - The changing situation for ports
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- Capitao Patrao, Charlotta, 1991
(författare)
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‘Station communities’ as a strategy for sustainable regional development: A case study of small towns with train stations in the Västra Götaland region, Sweden : ’Stationssamhällen’ som en strategi för hållbar regional utveckling: En fallstudie av små samhällen med en tågstation i Västra Götalandsregionen, Sverige
- 2021
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis concerns sustainable regional structures and takes its point of departure in regional development. It focuses on small towns along railway lines in sparse settlement structures, and on the interplay between land-use planning and transport planning. Rail transportation has come to be widely acknowledged as a strategy for sustainable regional enlargement, for example, through transit-oriented development (TOD) strategies. This has brought about an emphasis on densification and compact settlements around stations, following theories of energy-efficient structures and transportation. In Sweden, the concept of ‘station communities’ has come to be a common element of TOD thinking in the development of regional cores, strategies based on the idea of ‘station communities’ have been advocated. Consequently, in the Västra Götaland region, the promotion of station communities is seen as a strategy for creating sustainable growth. The main purpose of this licentiate thesis is to scrutinise the role of station communities as a means for sustainable regional development of sparsely populated areas. This was done as a multiple-case study of three settlements with a train station in Västra Götaland. The main method for collecting data was interviews and document studies. The thesis has a starting point in the recognition of regional development, and three partly overlapping tensions, namely, the tension between scales and between land-use and infrastructure planning, and the status of train stations as nodes or places. Previous research has emphasised the urban domination of regional planning, and that the strategy of station communities was developed for urban and metropolitan contexts. The results indicate that train stations, together with planning approaches inspired by TOD theory, are regarded as important in municipal planning when identifying future developments, although the prerequisites for TOD are absent and the demand for new housing and businesses is weak. One conclusion is that when advocating development of access to public transport outside urban areas, additional strategies are needed since current TOD theory does not work in the context of sparse settlement structures. Additionally, station communities are understood differently by actors at different levels. Collaboration between actors at different levels is seen as problematic in relation to development of station communities, as there are no clear regional priorities or agreements. There is also a lack of trust between actors and small municipalities have difficulties voicing their issues and concerns. This has implications for the opportunities for regional actors and municipalities to work with train stations and connecting structures as a strategy for sustainable regional enlargement and regional development in sparsely populated areas.
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- Essebo, Maja, 1980
(författare)
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The Story of Sustainable Mobility - the Role of Myths in Sustainable Mobility Transitions
- 2011
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This compilation licentiate contains a kappa followed by two papers with the common purpose of introducing the conceptual framework of myth theory to the study of sustainable mobility transitions. Myth is presented here as story that reflects ideology, alleviates anxiety and rationalises everyday practices. A myth holds the power of the obvious; that which goes unquestioned or is simply taken for granted. It is asserted that truth neither makes nor breaks myth, as myths are based on belief rather than factual support. The two papers discuss myth in the context of human geography in general and the research field of sustainable mobility in particular. The first paper – Sustainable Mobility as Make-Believe – reviews the concept of myth and discusses the two mobility myths of prosperity through mobility and sustainable mobility. Paper two – Contradictions of Mobility: The Illogic of Growth and the Logic of Myth – further develops the myth of sustainable mobility. It argues that this myth should be seen not as one, but two stories – development as quantitative growth and the discourse of sustainability – the combination of which circumvents the ecological unsustainability of perpetual mobility growth by making sustainability a type of rather than a limit to quantitative growth. The kappa builds on the foundations in the two papers with the aim of developing the concept of myth towards practical application in sustainable mobility research. The construction of myth is further developed and discussed in relation to the central concepts of language and truth and its conceptual relatives discourse and narrative. The multi-level perspective is presented as a potential heuristic tool for guiding the application of myth theory in transition studies. In a final section, the upcoming case-study set in a highly mobile region trying to achieve urban sustainable mobility is presented, emphasising the material aspect of myth.
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- Gil Sola, Ana, 1978
(författare)
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Vägar till jämställdhet inom kommuners transportplanering - från forskningsresultat till praktiska verktyg
- 2014
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- I Sverige finns sedan 2001 ett transportpolitiskt mål om jämställdhet som bl.a. säger att transportsystemet ska vara utformat efter både kvinnors och mäns transportbehov, liksom att deras värderingar ska tillmätas samma vikt i systemets utformning. Tidigare forskning visar dock på många svårigheter för planerare att implementera målet. Denna rapport belyser hur man kan förstå jämställdhet inom transportområdet. Inledningsvis beskrivs dels steg i (generell) jämställdhetsintegrering, dels vad genusanpassad samhällsplanering kan innebära, och dels olika processer som leder till att redan utsatta grupper, såsom kvinnor, ytterligare exkluderas genom transportsystemet. I en kunskapsöversikt sammanfattas forskning om kvinnors och mäns vardagliga resande. Denna lyfter fram hur grupperna reser idag, vilka förändringar som har skett över tid, liksom varför gruppernas rörlighet skiljer sig åt. Dessa inledande kapitel skapar underlag för en förståelse av skillnader i kvinnors och mäns rörlighet i ett planeringssammanhang. En grundläggande aspekt i tolkningen av resvanestatistik är att den kräver kunskap om sammanhanget för resan, t.ex. hur infrastrukturen är utformad. Rapporten visar ett flertal exempel på initiativ som olika svenska kommuner har tagit i syfte att öka jämställdheten inom transportområdet. Bland dessa ingår både arbetsmoment i processen att jämställdhetsintegrera berörd organisation, liksom konkreta åtgärder för att öka jämställdheten i verksamheten (dvs. åtgärder riktade mot invånarnas resande). Mängden påträffade exempel visar på en bredd av arbetssätt och på att det finns ett intresse för att arbeta med jämställdhetsfrågor inom området. Innehållet i arbetet tyder dock på att det ofta förs på en grundläggande nivå och på att kunskapen ur jämställdhetssynpunkt många gånger är låg, alternativt att man inte har kunnat driva de projekt som man har velat. En stor del av de påträffade initiativen avser att öka kunskapen inom organisationen, liksom att förändra organisationens arbetssätt. Påträffade (ofta fysiska) åtgärder med fokus på verksamheten riktar sig i hög omfattning på att öka tryggheten i transportrummet och på att i begränsad form förbättra förutsättningar för gång, cykel och kollektivtrafik. Att kvinnor generellt gör kortare, långsammare och mer komplexa resor, liksom oftare gör resor som relateras till hushållsansvar, är något som sällan hanteras i åtgärderna. I en analys av hur initiativen förhåller sig till föreslagna steg för jämställdhetsintegrering syns att moment som kräver en bred och djup förståelse för vad jämställdhet innebär för organisationens verksamhet, sällan tas tag i. Dessa analyser understryker sammantaget vikten av att i större omfattning diskutera vad jämställdhet inom transportområdet innebär, liksom av att sprida kunskap om olika sätt att ta sig an frågan. Utifrån intervjuer med tjänstemän från tre kommuner som på ett mer genomgripande sätt har försökt öka jämställdheten inom transportområdet beskrivs vidare vilka möjligheter och hinder som dessa har upplevt, liksom hur arbetsprocessen kan se ut. Några aspekter framgår som särskilt viktiga för att lyckas i arbetet: den politiska ledningens stöd, liksom att mål formuleras av ledningen och att medel tilldelas arbetet. Andra viktiga erfarenheter är att det finns stöd att få från många olika håll för den som ska påbörja arbetet med jämställdhetsintegrering, att man i hög omfattning lär sig hur man ska gå tillväga under arbetets gång, och att man kan fokusera på olika typer av åtgärder när man ska öka jämställdheten i verksamheten. Utifrån dessa erfarenheter kan fyra råd ges till kommuner som vill påbörja jämställdhetsintegrering i transportområdet: 1) att föreslå för politiker att avsätta pengar och formulera mål för arbetet, 2) att samla en mindre grupp medarbetare för att starta arbetet, 3) att börja med att skapa sig en förståelse för vad problemet är, och 4) att gärna inspireras av hur andra har gjort och ta tag i åtgärder som ligger nära tillhands, men framför allt att fundera över vilka åtgärder som gör skillnad när det gäller den egna organisationen och verksamheten.
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| 10. |
- Gil Sola, Ana, 1978
(författare)
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Vägen till jobbet : Om kvinnors och mäns arbetsresor i förändring
- 2009
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Equal access to work is a central dimension of welfare and the starting point for this study. From a geographical point of view this highlights issues of gender-related differences in distance and travel between home and work. Also, in Swedish regional planning and policy, the key concept of regional enlargement (i.e. geographically extended labor markets and associated longer commuting distances) is an explicit goal in order to stimulate economic growth and improve the matching of labor supply and demand. Since there has been no research conducted on changes over time with regard to similarities and differences of gender and work trips, the present study analyzes the Swedish case. The urban regions of Malmö and Göteborg are further analyzed, since they demonstrate both large (Göteborg) and small (Malmö) gender differences in commuting distance. The overriding aim of the research project is thus to improve current knowledge about work trips among women and men, such as changes over time, as well as how certain factors (e.g., income, education, family situation) interact with gender differences in commuting distance. Focus is set on a deeper knowledge of women’s and men's commuting due to the relevance of conditions related to work and labor market equality between the sexes, as well as the fact that the average commuting distance of women historically is shorter than that of men (measured in distance). Swedish national travel survey data (Riks RVU 94/95 and RES 05/06) covering the periods 1994/95 and 2005/06 are used for the empirical analysis. The results show that work trip changes have occurred over time, but gender differences have only decreased to a small extent. Women still commute shorter distances than men do, but have very similar commuting times. A major share of the increase in average commuting distance is matched by an increase in commuting time, suggesting that the observed increase in commuting distances should not primarily be ascribed to faster means of transportation. In an analysis of changes over time at the regional level a distinct pattern of convergence between the sexes is seen in the Malmö region, as well as a pattern of divergence in the Göteborg region. Both national and regional level results imply that it is more the increase in commuting distance by car than the increase in trip frequency by car that has contributed to the stretched labor markets. It is also shown that access to the car does not seem to be a primary explanation for the difference in commuting distance between women and men in the two regions. Changes in commuting patterns in the two regions may be explained by changes in the labor market structure (as regards the composition of industry) and localization patterns of places of work.
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