The Optimal Location of Economic Activities in a Hierarchical Settlement System in a Rural Region

This paper is intended as a contribution to the research program being carried out by the Regional Development Task at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. The program is concerned with the development of a model system for application in regional development planning. Although work on the model system is already at an advanced stage, several models have yet to be developed, among which is a settlement-system model for a rural region. The settlement network is a hierarchical system, hence its activities should be considered within hierarchical framework. So far, such an approach to the location of economic activities is at an initial stage. In this paper several models of the optimal location of economic activities are reviewed. The models are distinguished by their concern for location problems in hierarchical settlement systems in rural regions. They have been selected from the existing literature on the basis of their potential for further research

Rural Settlement Patterns

This paper identifies the forces that shape the settlement system in rural regions, describes the process of restructuring of the system, and presents a model simulating this process. It synthesizes concepts from many sources and forms a basic framework for further research. Rural settlement problems require more attention from researchers and research institutions. In the majority of countries in the world a considerable share of the population still lives in rural areas. This creates serious economic, social, cultural, and institutional problems. At present, there is very little literature that throws light upon such problems, and suggests programs for developing the rural settlement to suit modern conditions

A Simulation Model for Developing Service Centers in a Rural Settlement Network

The work of the Regional Development Task at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) focuses on problems of medium- and long-term regional development. In this context the restructuring of settlement networks forms an important part of the development of regions. A critical aspect of this restructuring is the development of service centers. This paper presents a dynamic simulation model for developing service centers in a rural settlement network, together with the results obtained from running the model. These results are interpreted in terms of human settlement theories. The paper has been prepared in collaboration with the System and Decision Sciences Area at IIASA

Characterisation of Hybrid Pixel Detectors with capacitive charge division

In order to fully exploit the physics potential of the future high energy e+ e- linear collider, a Vertex Tracker providing high resolution track reconstruction is required. Hybrid pixel sensors are an attractive technology due to their fast read-out capabilities and radiation hardness. A novel pixel detector layout with interleaved cells between the readout nodes has been developed to improve the single point resolution. The results of the characterisation of the first processed prototypes are reported.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, presented at LCWS2000, Linear Collider Workshop, October 24-28 2000, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, Illinois, U.S.A. Proceedings to be published by the American Institute of Physic