The Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis For Transport Accessibility In Selected Regions Of The European Union

The main purpose of this article is to assess and analyze the occurrence of spatial autocorrelation in connection with the transport accessibility (measured by density of a motorway network). The general hypothesis is: between European regions, there is a positive spatial autocorrelation in connection with the problems of transport accessibility. Research subjects are selected European regions at NUTS level 2. To evaluate the occurrence of spatial autocorrelation the classic Moran I statistic has been used

Building More Inclusive, Equitable, and Resilient Societies: Towards the World Social Summit 2025

The proposed World Social Summit 2025 provides an opportunity for a renewed global social contract. The relevance of the Summit will depend on the extent to which the process to agree on its core agenda includes relevant perspectives from around the globe. In this document, we propose some priorities for the Global South: Social protection should have a universal approach, independent of an individual’s labour status. Governments have to prioritise affirmative action policies. These can significantly increase women’s participation in the labour market, particularly in leadership positions. The global community must develop new ideas and incentives to encourage private investments in critical infrastructure for the Global South, particularly in Internet accessibility. States should give specific attention to enhancing their capacity to develop effective policies in all these priority areas. Young people bring new perspectives and new ideas. They need to be actively engaged in the Summit’s preparation.IDRC | CRD

Assessment of the potential for modal shift to non-motorised transport in a developing context: case of Lima, Peru

Under the logic of Avoid, Shift, Improve, fostered by donors and NGOs worldwide, cities in the global south are investing emphatically in non-motorised facilities and policies for low-carbon mobility aiming to reduce the adverse environmental impacts of urban mobility. Such is the case of Lima, Peru, our case study. Through the analysis of the potential for integration of non-motorised facilities with current and planned public transport networks, we seek to provide evidence on the planning considerations of non-motorised facilities in Lima with an emphasis on multi-modal travel and integration of non-motorised infrastructure. We develop spatial coverage, capacity and accessibility assessment of the ‘supply side’ of the transport network. In addition, the research studies the local transport system and travel patterns to identify trips with the potential to shift to non-motorised alternatives. Based on these analyses we estimate indicators of potential coverage, changes in mobility patterns and distributional effects of current investments. Our analysis suggests that coverage of high-capacity public transport can potentially increase by up to six times if integrated adequately with cycling facilities. The research provides methodological and empirical contributions to debates related to the capacity of cities in the global south to adopt low-carbon mobility in the foreseeable future

New Zealand contributions to the global earthquake model’s earthquake consequences database (GEMECD)

The Global Earthquake Model’s (GEM) Earthquake Consequences Database (GEMECD) aims to develop, for the first time, a standardised framework for collecting and collating geocoded consequence data induced by primary and secondary seismic hazards to different types of buildings, critical facilities, infrastructure and population, and relate this data to estimated ground motion intensity via the USGS ShakeMap Atlas. New Zealand is a partner of the GEMECD consortium and to-date has contributed with 7 events to the database, of which 4 are localised in the South Pacific area (Newcastle 1989; Luzon 1990; South of Java 2006 and Samoa Islands 2009) and 3 are NZ-specific events (Edgecumbe 1987; Darfield 2010 and Christchurch 2011). This contribution to GEMECD represented a unique opportunity for collating, comparing and reviewing existing damage datasets and harmonising them into a common, openly accessible and standardised database, from where the seismic performance of New Zealand buildings can be comparatively assessed. This paper firstly provides an overview of the GEMECD database structure, including taxonomies and guidelines to collect and report on earthquake-induced consequence data. Secondly, the paper presents a summary of the studies implemented for the 7 events, with particular focus on the Darfield (2010) and Christchurch (2011) earthquakes. Finally, examples of specific outcomes and potentials for NZ from using and processing GEMECD are presented, including: 1) the rationale for adopting the GEM taxonomy in NZ and any need for introducing NZ-specific attributes; 2) a complete overview of the building typological distribution in the Christchurch CBD prior to the Canterbury earthquakes and 3) some initial correlations between the level and extent of earthquake-induced physical damage to buildings, building safety/accessibility issues and the induced human casualtie

A structural model for sustainable growth of the south African business process outsourcing sector

he total size of the South African Business Process Outsourcing sector is not growing as quickly as other global BPO locations like the Philippines and India. The sector has been identified by the South African government as a key sector for economic growth and for reducing unemployment. Reviewed frameworks are not exhaustive in providing a framework that is suitable for countries with an apartheid history like South Africa, so, the main aim of this study has been, therefore, to develop a structural model for sustainable growth of the South African BPO sector. The research was two phased: Firstly, it interrogated existing theories and models on BPO growth to identify variables for BPO growth. The variables were identified as talent pool, infrastructure, accessibility, lower costs, and legislative framework. The relationships between variables were hypothesised. The reviewed literature discussed the global economy and traced the origins of outsourcing as rooted in the advent of Information Technology and computer-enabled production which enabled fragmented processes which could be in any part of the world. The literature showed that competition for markets, coupled with a glut of products on the market, forced creativity which resulted in companies seeking operations in low-cost locations. The first popular locations for BPO operations were India and the Philippines, with emerging locations, like South Africa, positioning themselves to tap into this global development. Secondly, a quantitative study was performed using a web-based questionnaire which was sent to a sample of BPO executives in the BPO value chain in South Africa to test relationships among between variables. The results of the study showed statistically significant relationships between talent pool, infrastructure, lower costs, accessibility and legislative framework with BPO growth, albeit with varying degrees of strength. Contrary to popular belief, lower costs are no longer the most important driver of BPO location choice. Accessibility and legislative framework have also been confirmed by data as variables affecting BPO growth. After the computation of the relationships, the research concluded that the model developed is a good fit for BPO growth.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 202

A structural model for sustainable growth of the south African business process outsourcing sector

he total size of the South African Business Process Outsourcing sector is not growing as quickly as other global BPO locations like the Philippines and India. The sector has been identified by the South African government as a key sector for economic growth and for reducing unemployment. Reviewed frameworks are not exhaustive in providing a framework that is suitable for countries with an apartheid history like South Africa, so, the main aim of this study has been, therefore, to develop a structural model for sustainable growth of the South African BPO sector. The research was two phased: Firstly, it interrogated existing theories and models on BPO growth to identify variables for BPO growth. The variables were identified as talent pool, infrastructure, accessibility, lower costs, and legislative framework. The relationships between variables were hypothesised. The reviewed literature discussed the global economy and traced the origins of outsourcing as rooted in the advent of Information Technology and computer-enabled production which enabled fragmented processes which could be in any part of the world. The literature showed that competition for markets, coupled with a glut of products on the market, forced creativity which resulted in companies seeking operations in low-cost locations. The first popular locations for BPO operations were India and the Philippines, with emerging locations, like South Africa, positioning themselves to tap into this global development. Secondly, a quantitative study was performed using a web-based questionnaire which was sent to a sample of BPO executives in the BPO value chain in South Africa to test relationships among between variables. The results of the study showed statistically significant relationships between talent pool, infrastructure, lower costs, accessibility and legislative framework with BPO growth, albeit with varying degrees of strength. Contrary to popular belief, lower costs are no longer the most important driver of BPO location choice. Accessibility and legislative framework have also been confirmed by data as variables affecting BPO growth. After the computation of the relationships, the research concluded that the model developed is a good fit for BPO growth.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 202

No. 08: Climate Change and Food Security in Southern African Cities

The current urban transition in the Global South is at the heart of discussions about the relationship between climate change and food security. This paper explores the links between climate change and food security within the context of the urban transition taking place in Southern Africa. Climate change is expected to negatively accentuate existing levels of urban food insecurity and these adverse impacts are likely to fall disproportionately on the poor. Researchers, planners and policymakers in Southern African cities are starting to explore how changes in weather associated with climate change are likely to affect urban lifestyles and systems. In order to do this, it is important to understand how climate science knowledge is used at the level of the city and how the impacts of climate change might affect city functioning at the metropolitan and household scales. One of the critical areas that has not been addressed in any detail is the extent to which climate change will affect the food security of the city and its inhabitants, especially within the context of high levels of poverty and widespread food and nutrition insecurity. This paper argues that it is important to understand the linkages between climate change and food security in Southern African cities to begin to design and implement pro-poor planning and programming

The Worth of Water: A Look at the Water Scarcity Crisis and the Perceptions of the Basic Need of Water in South Africa

Not every South African has access to the same amount of water, quality of water, or infrastructure for water. A core question for me during this research was if and how attitudes towards water and daily water consumption vary along with different levels of water accessibility. Considering both the emerging global water scarcity crisis and the legacy of Apartheid, evident by the institutional inequalities in South Africa, I unravel the current system of water allocation. First, I discuss the definition of water scarcity, the politics surrounding water allocation, and South Africa’s Constitutional right to water as well as the Free Basic Water Policy of 2001, which illustrates how the South African government understands its responsibility to provide water to all SA citizens. Second, I analyze the role of water as both a commodity and a human necessity, and discuss the economic perspective, humanitarian perspective, and an alternative perspective about water allocation. Lastly, I present my research in Mowbray and Lwandle, which are two areas in Cape Town that differ substantially in terms of family income, race and access to water. Based on a total of 37 interviews, participant observation, and considering the local discourse, I argue that a person’s level of water accessibility influences how he/she understands the value of water and his/her willingness to save water. I found that people who currently consume the least amount of water reported that they are willing to save the most, which goes against a core economic principle of the law of diminishing marginal utility. In addition, I discuss the boundaries of ethnography and the efficacy of my research methods

Prioritization of Road Network Construction in Bacan Island of North Maluku Province

Bacan Island, located in South Halmahera, North Maluku Province, is a potential region with a variety of important sectors, such as plantations, fisheries, mining, tourism, industry and trade. Until recently, this potential has not been exploited fully due to lack of transportation infrastructure systems. The government has prepared the plan to construct the road network systems, which consist of five road segments connecting the potential regions. With limited funding available, it would be impossible to build the road in the same time. Therefore, an optimum and carefully planned prioritization program should be applied. The purpose of this study was to determine the priority of road construction on the island of Bacan using Important Performance Analysis and Analytical Hierarchy Process methods. The result shows that the criteria considered important in determining the prioritization of road construction are as follows: (a) accessibility, (b) linkage, (c) land use, (d) cost, (e) technical aspects, (f) economic, and (g) environment. It is recommended that the construction phases of the road network in Bacan Island are Labuha-Babang, Babang-Songa, Songa-Wayaua, Labuha-Sawadai, Sawadai-Kubung, Babang-Yaba, Labuha-Belang-belang, Belang-belang-Yaba, Songa-Wayatim, and Wayatim-Wayaua, consecutively

An Overview of South Africa's Metropolitan Areas - Dualistic, Dynamic and under Threat…

The article explores the threats posed to metropolitan viability and resilience in South Africa which is faced by continued spatial and economic concentration and duality - a trend also evident in a number of Central European countries. Examples are provided of trends and challenges impacting the resilience of South Africa's metropolitan regions, as identified in recent empirical studies conducted by the authors.1 The paper argues that the agglomeration challenges facing South Africa's metropolitan regions and complications brought about by intra-metropolitan inequality are key aspects underlying the resilience of these regions. The article also suggests that there might be value in greater collaboration in research and knowledge-production and sharing in metropolitan planning, development and governance, between South African metropolitan regions and those in Central European countries