Historical Perspectives on U.S. Economic Geography

We review historical patterns of economic geography' for the United States from the colonial period to the present day. The analysis is framed in terms of two geographic scales: regions and cities. The compelling reason for studying geographic areas of different scales is that models that explain the location of economic activities at one scale many not apply to other scales. We consider the process of settling the frontier'; the development of national markets in goods and factors and, more generally, the convergence (and divergence) of regional economies; the growth of cities and the relationship between urbanization and trends in aggregate economic structure, such as industrialization; and changes in the internal spatial structure of cities.

Do measures matter? Comparing surface-density-derived and census-tract-derived measures of racial residential segregation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Racial residential segregation is hypothesized to affect population health by systematically patterning health-relevant exposures and opportunities according to individuals' race or income. Growing interest into the association between residential segregation and health disparities demands more rigorous appraisal of commonly used measures of segregation. Most current studies rely on census tracts as approximations of the local residential environment when calculating segregation indices of either neighborhoods or metropolitan areas. Because census tracts are arbitrary in size and shape, reliance on this geographic scale limits understanding of place-health associations. More flexible, explicitly spatial derivations of traditional segregation indices have been proposed but have not been compared with tract-derived measures in the context of health disparities studies common to social epidemiology, health demography, or medical geography. We compared segregation measured with tract-derived as well as GIS surface-density-derived indices. Measures were compared by region and population size, and segregation measures were linked to birth record to estimate the difference in association between segregation and very preterm birth. Separate analyses focus on metropolitan segregation and on neighborhood segregation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Across 231 metropolitan areas, tract-derived and surface-density-derived segregation measures are highly correlated. However overall correlation obscures important differences by region and metropolitan size. In general the discrepancy between measure types is greatest for small metropolitan areas, declining with increasing population size. Discrepancies in measures are greatest in the South, and smallest in Western metropolitan areas. Choice of segregation index changed the magnitude of the measured association between segregation and very preterm birth. For example among black women, the risk ratio for very preterm birth in metropolitan areas changed from 2.12 to 1.68 for the effect of high versus low segregation when using surface-density-derived versus tract-derived segregation indices. Variation in effect size was smaller but still present in analyses of neighborhood racial composition and very preterm birth in Atlanta neighborhoods.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Census tract-derived measures of segregation are highly correlated with recently introduced spatial segregation measures, but the residual differences among measures are not uniform for all areas. Use of surface-density-derived measures provides researchers with tools to further explore the spatial relationships between segregation and health disparities.</p

Green cities and health: a question of scale?

&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Background:&lt;/b&gt; Cities are expanding and accommodating an increasing proportion of the world's population. It is important to identify features of urban form that promote the health of city dwellers. Access to green space has been associated with health benefits at both individual and neighbourhood level. We investigated whether a relationship between green space coverage and selected mortality rates exists at the city level in the USA.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Methods:&lt;/b&gt; An ecological cross-sectional study. A detailed land use data set was used to quantify green space for the largest US cities (n=49, combined population of 43 million). Linear regression models were used to examine the association between city-level ‘greenness’ and city-level standardised rates of mortality from heart disease, diabetes, lung cancer, motor vehicle fatalities and all causes, after adjustment for confounders.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Results:&lt;/b&gt; There was no association between greenness and mortality from heart disease, diabetes, lung cancer or automobile accidents. Mortality from all causes was significantly higher in greener cities.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/b&gt; While considerable evidence suggests that access to green space yields health benefits, we found no such evidence at the scale of the American city. In the USA, greener cities tend also to be more sprawling and have higher levels of car dependency. Any benefits that the green space might offer seem easily eclipsed by these other conditions and the lifestyles that accompany them. The result merits further investigation as it has important implications for how we increase green space access in our cities.&lt;/p&gt

A Geographical Examination of Social, Behavioral, and Demographic Determinants Association with Hepatitis C Viral Infection in the State of Georgia

Background: Approximately 170 million persons are infected with the hepatitis C viral infection (HCV), globally. Of this number, 3.2 – 4 million persons in the U. S. are infected with HCV. Although previous research has indicated a decrease in the rates of Hepatitis C in the U.S. approximately 12,000 deaths occur annually from those who suffer from chronic liver disease, as a result of being chronic carriers of HCV. Being a recipient of blood transfusions prior to 1992, intravenous drug users (IDUs), or persons with multiple sex partners are associated with increased risk for HCV infection. IDUs constitute the largest cohort for those infected with HCV. Due to the few clinical manifestations HIV and HCV share and HIV patients living longer due to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART), Many individuals infected with HIV are discovering co-morbidities with HCV. Methods: Secondary Data from the State Electronic Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (SENDSS) were used to analyze all confirmed cases of hepatitis C in the state of Georgia for the year 2009. All subjects in this analysis were confirmed as Hepatitis C infected. Descriptive frequencies for all categorical data were tested and analyzed, which included: gender, race, geographic region, disease status, age distribution, risk factor data such as injection drug use, blood transfusion prior to 1992, long term hemodialysis, accidental needle stick, tattoo, sexual contacts, and incarceration. Binary logistic regression for univariate and multivariate analysis was used to test the associations between geographic region of all HCV cases and their demographic characteristics. Results: Descriptive analysis of the prevalence of HCV cases in Georgia in 2009 reveal higher rates of HCV in rural regions (GOA) of the state among White males of non-Hispanic origin. In this same region, these cases were more likely to report risk factors involving injection drug use, blood transfusions prior to 1992, incarceration, or tattoos. Prevalence of most cases of HCV in Georgia for the year 2009 are seen in those age 20 – 30 and those 40 – 60. A higher number of those reporting intravenous drug use in metropolitan Atlanta (MSA) are Black of non-Hispanic origin. Bivariate logistic regression reveals that White Non-Hispanics living in rural areas of Georgia (GOA) have a 3.48 higher odds of being infected with Hepatitis C than Black Non-Hispanics (OR = 3.48, p \u3c 0.001, CI 2.54 – 4.77). Conclusion: Resources for prevention of Hepatitis C should be directed to marginalized communities within Georgia regions outside of the Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area. The primary focus of prevention should also be tailored to new initiates of intravenous drug use and those 20 – 30 and 40 – 60 years of age. Further knowledge and understanding of behaviors that put individuals at risk for acquiring Hepatitis C, such as intravenous drug use, in rural Georgia may warrant interventions tailored to benefit these communities from acquiring or spreading Hepatitis C

The Mortality Response to Absolute and Relative Temperature Extremes

While the impact of absolute extreme temperatures on human health has been amply studied, far less attention has been given to relative temperature extremes, that is, events that are highly unusual for the time of year but not necessarily extreme relative to a location\u27s overall climate. In this research, we use a recently defined extreme temperature event metric to define absolute extreme heat events (EHE) and extreme cold events (ECE) using absolute thresholds, and relative extreme heat events (REHE) and relative extreme cold events (RECE) using relative thresholds. All-cause mortality outcomes using a distributed lag nonlinear model are evaluated for the largest 51 metropolitan areas in the US for the period 1975-2010. Both the immediate impacts and the cumulative 20-day impacts are assessed for each of the extreme temperature event types. The 51 metropolitan areas were then grouped into 8 regions for meta-analysis. For heat events, the greatest mortality increases occur with a 0-day lag, with the subsequent days showing below-expected mortality (harvesting) that decreases the overall cumulative impact. For EHE, increases in mortality are still statistically significant when examined over 20 days. For REHE, it appears as though the day-0 increase in mortality is short-term displacement. For cold events, both relative and absolute, there is little mortality increase on day 0, but the impacts increase on subsequent days. Cumulative impacts are statistically significant at more than half of the stations for both ECE and RECE. The response to absolute ECE is strongest, but is also significant when using RECE across several southern locations, suggesting that there may be a lack of acclimatization, increasing mortality in relative cold events both early and late in winter

Geographic Dimensions of Aging in Canada 1991-2001

Although population aging at the national level has received much attention, its geographical dimensions have not. Here we explore the demographic processes which underlie population aging at the provincial and metropolitan scale for the periods 1991-1996 and 1996-2001. A demographic accounting framework is proposed which differentiates between the effects of aging-in-place and net migration on population aging. We also examine the relationships between the various measures of aging and social and economic characteristics of metropolitan areas over the two periods. We demonstrate that the path of population aging is susceptible to social and economic context; in particular, the struggles of the British Columbian economy in the second half of the decade and the deteriorating economies of older resources based communities are associated with increases in population aging over and above the general aging taking place in Canadian society.population aging; geographic differences

Geographical location and stage of breast cancer diagnosis: A systematic review of the literature

Objective: To examine systematically the literature on the effect of geographical location variation on breast cancer stage at diagnosis, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Methods. Eight electronic databases were searched using combination of key words. Of the 312 articles retrieved from the search, 36 studies from 12 countries were considered eligible for inclusion. Results. This review identified 17 (47%) of 36 studies in which breast cancer patients residing in geographically remote/rural areas had more late-stage diagnosis than urban women. Ten (28%) studies reported higher proportions of women diagnosed with breast cancer resided in urban than rural counties. Nine (25%) studies reported no statistically significant association between place of residence and stage at diagnosis for breast cancer patients residing in rural and urban areas. Conclusions. Cancer patients residing in rural and disadvantaged areas were more likely to be diagnosed with distant breast metastasis. Efforts to reduce these inequalities and subsequent mortality are needed

Disparities in Cause-Specific Cancer Survival by Census Tract Poverty Level in Idaho, U.S.

Objective. This population-based study compared cause-specific cancer survival by socioeconomic status using methods to more accurately assign cancer deaths to primary site. Methods. The current study analyzed Idaho data used in the Accuracy of Cancer Mortality Statistics Based on Death Certificates (ACM) study supplemented with additional information to measure cause-specific cancer survival by census tract poverty level. Results. The distribution of cases by primary site group differed significantly by poverty level (chi-square = 265.3, 100 df, p In the life table analyses, for 8 of 24 primary site groups investigated, and all sites combined, there was a significant gradient relating higher poverty with poorer survival. For all sites combined, the absolute difference in 5-year cause-specific survival rate was 13.6% between the lowest and highest poverty levels. Conclusions. This study shows striking disparities in cause-specific cancer survival related to the poverty level of the area a person resides in at the time of diagnosis

Carbon Free Boston: Technical Summary

Part of a series of reports that includes: Carbon Free Boston: Summary Report; Carbon Free Boston: Social Equity Report; Carbon Free Boston: Buildings Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Transportation Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Waste Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Energy Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Offsets Technical Report; Available at http://sites.bu.edu/cfb/OVERVIEW: This technical summary is intended to argument the rest of the Carbon Free Boston technical reports that seek to achieve this goal of deep mitigation. This document provides below: a rationale for carbon neutrality, a high level description of Carbon Free Boston’s analytical approach; a summary of crosssector strategies; a high level analysis of air quality impacts; and, a brief analysis of off-road and street light emissions.Published versio