If Alonso was Right: Residual Land Price, Accessibility and Urban Attraction

This study investigates whether accessibility shapes the attractiveness of residential land as predicted by theory. A spatial hedonic analysis is conducted for the metropolitan area of Berlin, Germany, using a large set of georeferenced property transactions and micro-level data. We find that the nuclei of residential land price and employment density gradients are separated by approx. 10 km, which essentially contradicts theoretical implications. Also, environmental externalities arising from the residential composition or the building structure and density in the neighborhood are more important determinants than access to the city center, which, if at all, impacts negatively on residential land prices. Moreover, a new gravity-based accessibility indicator is employed that incorporates the effective distribution of employment as well as the rapid transit network architecture in order to disentangle the effects of proximity to employment opportunities from a more general urban attraction effect. After controlling for accessibility, we find a negative effect of urban attraction, respectively an effect of urban repulsion, indicating a relatively higher attractiveness of peripheral locations. This effect is partially counterbalanced by the benefits arising from access to employment opportunities that are, although relatively dispersed, more concentrated within downtown areas. In the tension between both forces, the land price gradient tends to be, if at all significant, positive. After all, we conclude that if transport costs are very low, commuting costs lose their role as the most striking determinant of land price. These results are robust to spatial dependency.Accessibility, gradient inversion, land price, urban attraction, Berlin

Prosodic description: An introduction for fieldworkers

This article provides an introductory tutorial on prosodic features such as tone and accent for researchers working on little-known languages. It specifically addresses the needs of non-specialists and thus does not presuppose knowledge of the phonetics and phonology of prosodic features. Instead, it intends to introduce the uninitiated reader to a field often shied away from because of its (in part real, but in part also just imagined) complexities. It consists of a concise overview of the basic phonetic phenomena (section 2) and the major categories and problems of their functional and phonological analysis (sections 3 and 4). Section 5 gives practical advice for documenting and analyzing prosodic features in the field.National Foreign Language Resource Cente

Linnade laienemine Eestis: seire, analüüs ja modelleerimine

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneLinnade laienemine, mida iseloomustab vähese tihedusega, ruumiliselt ebaühtlane ja hajutatud areng linna piiridest välja. Kuna linnade laienemine muudab põllumajandus- ja metsamaid ning väikesed muutused linnapiirkondades võivad pikaajaliselt mõjutada elurikkust ja maastikku, on hädavajalik seirata linnade ruumilist laienemist ning modelleerida tulevikku, saamaks ülevaadet suundumustest ja tagajärgedest pikemas perspektiivis. Eestis võeti pärast taasiseseisvumist 1991. aastal vastu maareformi seadus ning algas “maa” üleandmine riigilt eraomandisse. Sellest ajast peale on Eestis toimunud elamupiirkondade detsentraliseerimine, mis on mõjutanud Tallinna ümbruse põllumajandus- ja tööstuspiirkondade muutumist, inimeste elustiili muutusi ning jõukate inimeste elama asumist ühepereelamutesse Tallinna, Tartu ja Pärnu lähiümbruse. Selle aja jooksul on Eesti rahvaarv vähenenud 15,31%. Käesoleva doktoritöö eesmärgiks on "jälgida, analüüsida ja modelleerida Eesti linnade laienemist viimase 30 aasta jooksul ning modelleerida selle tulevikku", kasutades paljusid modelleerimismeetodeid, sealhulgas logistilist regressiooni, mitmekihilisi pertseptronnärvivõrke, rakkautomaate, Markovi ahelate analüüsi, mitme kriteeriumi. hindamist ja analüütilise hierarhia protsesse. Töö põhineb neljal originaalartiklil, milles uuriti linnade laienemist Eestis. Tegu on esimese põhjaliku uuringuga Eesti linnade laienemise modelleerimisel, kasutades erinevaid kaugseireandmeid, mõjutegureid, parameetreid ning modelleerimismeetodeid. Kokkuvõtteks võib öelda, et uusehitiste hajumismustrid laienevad jätkuvalt suuremate linnade ja olemasolevate elamupiirkondade läheduses ning põhimaanteede ümber.Urban expansion is characterized by the low–density, spatially discontinued, and scattered development of urban-related constructions beyond the city boundaries. Since urban expansion changes the agricultural and forest lands, and slight changes in urban areas can affect biodiversity and landscape on a regional scale in the long-term, spatiotemporal monitoring of urban expansion and modeling of the future are essential to provide insights into the long-term trends and consequences. In Estonia, after the regaining independence in 1991, the Land Reform Act was passed, and the transfer of “land” from the state to private ownership began. Since then, Estonia has experienced the decentralization of residential areas affecting the transformation of agricultural and industrial regions around Tallinn, changes in people's lifestyles, and the settling of wealthy people in single-family houses in the suburbs of Tallinn, Tartu, and Pärnu. During this period, Estonia's population has declined dramatically by 15.31%. Therefore, this dissertation aims to "monitor, analyze and model Estonian urban expansion over the last 30 years and simulate its future" using many modeling approaches including logistic regression, multi-layer perceptron neural networks, cellular automata, Markov chain Analysis, multi-criteria evaluation, and analytic hierarchy process. The thesis comprises four original research articles that studied urban expansion in Estonia. So far, this is the first comprehensive study of modeling Estonian urban expansion utilizing various sets of remotely sensed data, driving forces and predictors, and modeling approaches. The scattering patterns of new constructions are expected to continue as the infilling form, proximate to main cities and existing residential areas and taking advantage of main roads in future.https://www.ester.ee/record=b550782

Identifying spatial and seasonal patterns of river water quality in a semiarid irrigated agricultural Mediterranean basin

A detailed understanding of the study area is essential to achieve key information and optimize the monitoring, analysis, and evaluation of water quality of natural ecosystems that have been highly transformed into agricultural areas. Using classification techniques like the hierarchical cluster analysis (CA) and partial triadic analysis (PTA), we assessed the sources of water pollution and the seasonal influence of human activities in water composition in a river basin from northeastern Spain. The results suggested that a strong connection existed between water quality and the seasonality of the human activities. The CA showed the spatial relationship between water chemistry and the adjacent land uses. The PTA associated the analyzed variables to their pollutant source. Electrical conductivity (EC), Cl−, SO4 2−–S, Na+, and Mg2+ ions were related with agricultural sources, whereas NH4 +–N, PT, and PO4 3−–P were linked with urban polluted sites. Concentration of NO3ˉ–N was associated with urban land use. Differences in water composition according to the irrigation intensity were also found during the irrigation season. The statistical tools used in this work, especially the PTA, allowed us to jointly analyze the spatial and seasonal components of water pollutant trends. We obtained a more comprehensive knowledge of water quality patterns in the study area, which will be essential when taking measures to minimize the effects of water pollution.This work is part of the AGUAFLASH project funded by the Program of Territorial Cooperation “Interreg IVB-SUDOE” (SOE1/P2/F146) which is funded by EU FEDER. Thanks are given to Comarca de Los Monegros for its consistent cooperation in the development of this project. We thank C. Pedrocchi, J. Cervantes, S. G. Eisman, M. García, S. Pérez and A. Barcos for their comments and their crucial assistance in the field and laboratory work. A. Calvo at CHE contributed with key formal cooperation to this work. We also wish to thank the AEMET (Spanish Meteorological Agency) for access to meteorological data. This work was also developed as Research Group E61 Aragon Goverment.Peer reviewe

The Catalyst Effect of Historic Preservation: A Spatial Analysis of the Impact of Historic District Designation on Housing Renovations in New York City

The constraints on property use along with the economic merits of historic districts are critical points in the debate over preservation policies. Improving the existing housing stock is a substantial economic activity and a significant part of the nation’s overall construction industry. The purpose of this study is to present an empirical analysis of the relationship between historic district designation and renovation decisions. The results of the analysis found that historic preservation does not inhibit the renovation activity of single-family homeowners. However, contrary to the claims made by proponents, it does not give a powerful incentive for owners in undesignated neighborhoods

Towards sustainable urban development: the social acceptability of high-rise buildings in a Ghanaian city

Over the years, many city managers, policy makers and academics alike have turned to high-rise buildings as pathway to sustainable urban development. However, the sustainability of such types of development in various geographical contexts, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, is a subject less explored. Amidst the promotion of high-rise development in a rapidly urbanizing metropolis in Ghana, Kumasi, the research empirically examined the social acceptability of high-rise residential facilities and the institutional capacity for their effective management. By conducting face-to-face interviews with sampled households, and critical public service providers in the metropolis, the study uncovered that, contrary to the evidence from many Asian cities, there is generally low social acceptability of high-rise developments, and a weak institutional capacity for effective service delivery. The research concludes that, whilst it is tempting to embrace high-rise buildings as sustainable development pathway, it is crucial they are pursued with much circumspection. In addition to their design being tailored to the local needs of the people for whom they are built, the promotion of high-rise development should recognize the importance of effective service delivery, and general social acceptability