Pub Date : 2025-10-31DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103829
Weijuan Zhao , Jing Li , Boyan Li , Yida Wang , Zixiang Zhou , Yi Su , Jiaxin Ren
Ecological compensation in river basins serves as an important means to mitigate the deterioration of water quality and safeguard ecological flows, playing a crucial role in integrated basin management. Taking the Wuding River Basin as the study area, this research, from the perspective of an internal symbiotic system, constructs an integrated management framework encompassing both water quantity and water quality compensation. Shadow project method and game theory are employed to determine compensation standards and compensation models, thereby exploring pathways for integrated basin governance. The results show that Yuyang District bears 35 % of the economic responsibility for water quantity compensation expenditures. In terms of water quality compensation, both pollution control efforts and regional economic benefits under the ecological compensation scenario are significantly higher than those under the no-compensation scenario. Moreover, central intervention is not always the optimal strategy; when , the master-slave game cooperation model proves more effective in maximizing overall benefits. A cooperative relationship based on dual ecological compensation provides an effective solution for promoting the high-quality development of the entire basin. These findings provide scientific reference for the formulation of ecological compensation policies and integrated water resources management.
{"title":"Integrated watershed management under dual ecological compensation for water quantity and water quality","authors":"Weijuan Zhao , Jing Li , Boyan Li , Yida Wang , Zixiang Zhou , Yi Su , Jiaxin Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103829","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103829","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ecological compensation in river basins serves as an important means to mitigate the deterioration of water quality and safeguard ecological flows, playing a crucial role in integrated basin management. Taking the Wuding River Basin as the study area, this research, from the perspective of an internal symbiotic system, constructs an integrated management framework encompassing both water quantity and water quality compensation. Shadow project method and game theory are employed to determine compensation standards and compensation models, thereby exploring pathways for integrated basin governance. The results show that Yuyang District bears 35 % of the economic responsibility for water quantity compensation expenditures. In terms of water quality compensation, both pollution control efforts and regional economic benefits under the ecological compensation scenario are significantly higher than those under the no-compensation scenario. Moreover, central intervention is not always the optimal strategy; when <span><math><mrow><msub><mi>γ</mi><mrow><mi>d</mi><mi>o</mi><mi>w</mi><mi>n</mi></mrow></msub><mo>></mo><mn>3</mn><msub><mi>γ</mi><mrow><mi>u</mi><mi>p</mi></mrow></msub></mrow></math></span>, the master-slave game cooperation model proves more effective in maximizing overall benefits. A cooperative relationship based on dual ecological compensation provides an effective solution for promoting the high-quality development of the entire basin. These findings provide scientific reference for the formulation of ecological compensation policies and integrated water resources management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"186 ","pages":"Article 103829"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145419169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-31DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103835
Yuling Yang , Mingzhi Zhou , Jiangping Zhou
Accessibility, as a manifestation of the right to the city, plays a pivotal role in assessing social equity and spatial justice. Accurate accessibility measurements are critical for guiding equitable urban planning. Conventional accessibility metrics focus on physical environmental characteristics, while recent advancements increasingly incorporate perceptions of the built environment. However, existing advancements mainly adopt an outcome-based approach, neglecting the underlying mechanism through which physical environmental characteristics translate into perceptions. Decoding this perceptual process is vital for refining accessibility measurements and achieving more comprehensive, accurate results. This study re-understands accessibility by proposing a conceptual framework incorporating perception mechanisms rooted in cognitive process theories. The framework delineates how individuals gather spatial information to identify opportunities at origins, destinations, and during travel, which are then filtered through constraints, attitudes, and habits. We empirically validate this framework using social sensing data to evaluate restaurant accessibility in Shenzhen, China. Our case study reveals that conventional accessibility metrics tend to overestimate individuals' access to potential opportunities. The proposed framework is quantifiable, interpretable, and scalable across diverse contexts. By bridging the gap between the physical environment and perceptual outcomes, it advances a new understanding of accessibility that integrates perception into measurement, offering valuable insights for equitable planning and policy-making.
{"title":"Re-understanding accessibility through a cognitive process: a conceptual framework and quantification","authors":"Yuling Yang , Mingzhi Zhou , Jiangping Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103835","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103835","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accessibility, as a manifestation of the right to the city, plays a pivotal role in assessing social equity and spatial justice. Accurate accessibility measurements are critical for guiding equitable urban planning. Conventional accessibility metrics focus on physical environmental characteristics, while recent advancements increasingly incorporate perceptions of the built environment. However, existing advancements mainly adopt an outcome-based approach, neglecting the underlying mechanism through which physical environmental characteristics translate into perceptions. Decoding this perceptual process is vital for refining accessibility measurements and achieving more comprehensive, accurate results. This study re-understands accessibility by proposing a conceptual framework incorporating perception mechanisms rooted in cognitive process theories. The framework delineates how individuals gather spatial information to identify opportunities at origins, destinations, and during travel, which are then filtered through constraints, attitudes, and habits. We empirically validate this framework using social sensing data to evaluate restaurant accessibility in Shenzhen, China. Our case study reveals that conventional accessibility metrics tend to overestimate individuals' access to potential opportunities. The proposed framework is quantifiable, interpretable, and scalable across diverse contexts. By bridging the gap between the physical environment and perceptual outcomes, it advances a new understanding of accessibility that integrates perception into measurement, offering valuable insights for equitable planning and policy-making.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"186 ","pages":"Article 103835"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145419309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-30DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103830
Yizhong Huan , Xiaoyun Li , Pengfei Li , Xin Li , Yang Lan , Linjiang Ji , Yifei Lei , Yiming Su , Mingyuan Wang , Siyuan Tao , Xinming Xia , Riqi Zhang , Lingqing Wang , Tao Liang , Guangjin Zhou
Understanding the varying degrees of synergies and trade-offs among Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the influential goals within these interactions, is crucial for identifying transformative governance actions. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics of SDG interactions and priorities remain unclear. Here, we analyzed global and regional variations in SDG interactions, synergistic performance, and key contributing goals from 2000 to 2022 using network methodology, index analysis, and machine learning. Europe exhibited high SDG synergies, low synergy-network modularity, and strong synergistic performance, while Western Asia showed the opposite pattern. Despite overall improvement in SDG synergy proportions and synergistic performance, global progress was constrained by declining synergies related to SDG 5 (gender equality) and increasing fragmentation of the SDG synergy network. We also observed substantial spatio-temporal changes in the impact of each SDG within the interaction network and in its contribution to overall synergistic performance. Furthermore, we applied an ensemble random forest model to assess SDG mentions and co-occurrences in 1944 SDG interaction studies. SDGs 13 (climate action) and 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) emerged as the most and least frequently discussed goals, respectively. Interactions among seven SDGs (2, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 15) formed a typical SDG nexus, reflecting a critical human-nature relationship chain. Overall, to advance global SDG attainment, we emphasize the importance of accelerating progress on SDG 3 (good health and well-being). Our study enhances understanding of global development patterns and priorities and supports efforts to rescue the 2030 Agenda.
{"title":"Capturing spatio-temporal variations in SDG interactions and prioritizations","authors":"Yizhong Huan , Xiaoyun Li , Pengfei Li , Xin Li , Yang Lan , Linjiang Ji , Yifei Lei , Yiming Su , Mingyuan Wang , Siyuan Tao , Xinming Xia , Riqi Zhang , Lingqing Wang , Tao Liang , Guangjin Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103830","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103830","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the varying degrees of synergies and trade-offs among Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the influential goals within these interactions, is crucial for identifying transformative governance actions. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics of SDG interactions and priorities remain unclear. Here, we analyzed global and regional variations in SDG interactions, synergistic performance, and key contributing goals from 2000 to 2022 using network methodology, index analysis, and machine learning. Europe exhibited high SDG synergies, low synergy-network modularity, and strong synergistic performance, while Western Asia showed the opposite pattern. Despite overall improvement in SDG synergy proportions and synergistic performance, global progress was constrained by declining synergies related to SDG 5 (gender equality) and increasing fragmentation of the SDG synergy network. We also observed substantial spatio-temporal changes in the impact of each SDG within the interaction network and in its contribution to overall synergistic performance. Furthermore, we applied an ensemble random forest model to assess SDG mentions and co-occurrences in 1944 SDG interaction studies. SDGs 13 (climate action) and 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) emerged as the most and least frequently discussed goals, respectively. Interactions among seven SDGs (2, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 15) formed a typical SDG nexus, reflecting a critical human-nature relationship chain. Overall, to advance global SDG attainment, we emphasize the importance of accelerating progress on SDG 3 (good health and well-being). Our study enhances understanding of global development patterns and priorities and supports efforts to rescue the 2030 Agenda.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"186 ","pages":"Article 103830"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145419168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-30DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103823
Yuan Xu , Mei Lei , Tienan Ju , Rongliang Qiu , Shaobin Wang , Xiaowen Zeng , Liang Kang
Understanding the spatial non-stationarity of industrial pollution's impact on cancer prevalence is crucial for targeted surveillance. This study examines the spatial non-stationarity of localized industrial point source emissions on regional colorectal cancer (CRC) patterns, utilizing a novel spatial coupling framework that integrates an exposure population-weighted assessment model (EPAM) with multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR). The key findings are as follows: First, we demonstrate that the association between metal surface treatment industry (MSTI) emissions and CRC is most accurately captured at a fine, localized scale of population exposure, a dimension obscured by conventional regional-aggregate or proximity-based exposure proxies. Further, our analysis reveals significant spatial non-stationarity, wherein the influence of MSTI emissions on CRC is concentrated in specific high-risk clusters, which primarily industrialized cities along China's southeastern coast. This spatial non-stationarity arises from the convergence of large-scale industrial pollution emissions, terrain favorable to pollutant dispersion, and high population density. Crucially, this EPAM-MGWR coupled framework quantifies localized exposure with a small-scale bandwidth, outperforming conventional medium-to-large-scale exposure proxies by enhancing the explained variance in CRC spatial patterns by 22 %–83 % compared to traditional Geographically Weighted Regression. In sum, these findings indicate that the carcinogenic impact of industrial pollution is a localized process, whose accurate detection at the regional level requires an analytical framework that reconciles the fine-grained emission dispersion with the multiscale health determinants. The coupling framework developed in this study offers a broadly applicable technical approach for examining the spatial associations between industrial point source pollution and various cancer types.
{"title":"Modeling spatial non-stationarity of multiple industrial point source pollution emissions impact on regional cancer prevalence in China","authors":"Yuan Xu , Mei Lei , Tienan Ju , Rongliang Qiu , Shaobin Wang , Xiaowen Zeng , Liang Kang","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103823","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103823","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the spatial non-stationarity of industrial pollution's impact on cancer prevalence is crucial for targeted surveillance. This study examines the spatial non-stationarity of localized industrial point source emissions on regional colorectal cancer (CRC) patterns, utilizing a novel spatial coupling framework that integrates an exposure population-weighted assessment model (EPAM) with multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR). The key findings are as follows: First, we demonstrate that the association between metal surface treatment industry (MSTI) emissions and CRC is most accurately captured at a fine, localized scale of population exposure, a dimension obscured by conventional regional-aggregate or proximity-based exposure proxies. Further, our analysis reveals significant spatial non-stationarity, wherein the influence of MSTI emissions on CRC is concentrated in specific high-risk clusters, which primarily industrialized cities along China's southeastern coast. This spatial non-stationarity arises from the convergence of large-scale industrial pollution emissions, terrain favorable to pollutant dispersion, and high population density. Crucially, this EPAM-MGWR coupled framework quantifies localized exposure with a small-scale bandwidth, outperforming conventional medium-to-large-scale exposure proxies by enhancing the explained variance in CRC spatial patterns by 22 %–83 % compared to traditional Geographically Weighted Regression. In sum, these findings indicate that the carcinogenic impact of industrial pollution is a localized process, whose accurate detection at the regional level requires an analytical framework that reconciles the fine-grained emission dispersion with the multiscale health determinants. The coupling framework developed in this study offers a broadly applicable technical approach for examining the spatial associations between industrial point source pollution and various cancer types.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"186 ","pages":"Article 103823"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145419313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-29DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103828
Felipe Irarrazaval , Camila Albornoz , Francisca Bogolasky
The transition to clean energy and more sustainable production is reconfiguring labor markets. However, jobs associated with this process—broadly categorized as green jobs—do not always align with the existing capabilities of diverse labor markets. This study critically examines the development of the green hydrogen industry in Chile, focusing on its introduction in the Magallanes region and the accompanying promises of job creation. Employing a geographical political economy lens, the analysis explores the tensions between narratives and projections of job creation for the region and their alignment with the local labor market, as well as how these tensions intersect with the multi-scalar uncertainties surrounding the industry. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from the private and public sectors, alongside job creation data projections, the study interrogates the concept of “green jobs” within the framework of Chile's national green hydrogen policy. Uncertainties surrounding the industry's development and potential scale in Magallanes amplify expectations and controversies about its contribution to the regional economy. Key controversies include the alignment of the regional labor market with the industry's labor demands, the quality and stability of the jobs promised, and the potential impacts of technologies enabling remote work and long-distance commuting on the regional economy. This critique challenges the promises of green industrialization by situating them within broader trajectories of inequality and dependency.
{"title":"The troubled geography of green jobs: Examining the estimations and expectations of green hydrogen development in regional labor markets in Chile","authors":"Felipe Irarrazaval , Camila Albornoz , Francisca Bogolasky","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103828","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103828","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The transition to clean energy and more sustainable production is reconfiguring labor markets. However, jobs associated with this process—broadly categorized as green jobs—do not always align with the existing capabilities of diverse labor markets. This study critically examines the development of the green hydrogen industry in Chile, focusing on its introduction in the Magallanes region and the accompanying promises of job creation. Employing a geographical political economy lens, the analysis explores the tensions between narratives and projections of job creation for the region and their alignment with the local labor market, as well as how these tensions intersect with the multi-scalar uncertainties surrounding the industry. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from the private and public sectors, alongside job creation data projections, the study interrogates the concept of “green jobs” within the framework of Chile's national green hydrogen policy. Uncertainties surrounding the industry's development and potential scale in Magallanes amplify expectations and controversies about its contribution to the regional economy. Key controversies include the alignment of the regional labor market with the industry's labor demands, the quality and stability of the jobs promised, and the potential impacts of technologies enabling remote work and long-distance commuting on the regional economy. This critique challenges the promises of green industrialization by situating them within broader trajectories of inequality and dependency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"186 ","pages":"Article 103828"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145419307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-29DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103831
Duo Yin , Jie He , Mingjie Meng
Effective conservation in protected areas (PAs) heavily depends on public participation. Generation Z exhibits heightened ecological concern and a greater willingness to engage in environmental protection. From the perspective of geography and sociology, this study investigates the spillover of environmental protection from PAs to daily life among Generation Z. A survey of 396 undergraduate and graduate students demonstrates this positive behavioral spillover, which is attenuated by environmental knowledge. The study further identifies the dual mediating roles of environmental self-identity and group identity in the relationship between PA-based and daily environmental protection. These findings highlight the importance of fostering consistent environmental practices across different spatial contexts, providing theoretical insights and practical implications for enhancing the sustainability of Generation Z's engagement in environmental protection.
{"title":"The spillover effect of environmental protection in protected areas on daily behavior: A study focused on generation Z","authors":"Duo Yin , Jie He , Mingjie Meng","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103831","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103831","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Effective conservation in protected areas (PAs) heavily depends on public participation. Generation Z exhibits heightened ecological concern and a greater willingness to engage in environmental protection. From the perspective of geography and sociology, this study investigates the spillover of environmental protection from PAs to daily life among Generation Z. A survey of 396 undergraduate and graduate students demonstrates this positive behavioral spillover, which is attenuated by environmental knowledge. The study further identifies the dual mediating roles of environmental self-identity and group identity in the relationship between PA-based and daily environmental protection. These findings highlight the importance of fostering consistent environmental practices across different spatial contexts, providing theoretical insights and practical implications for enhancing the sustainability of Generation Z's engagement in environmental protection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"186 ","pages":"Article 103831"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145419308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-29DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103824
Oleg Golubchikov , Sina Shahab , Wolfgang Haupt
Research on local climate governance is dominated by the epistemologies of large cities and affluent areas, casting less urbanised, structurally disadvantaged, and peripheral localities as ‘laggards’. This mirrors economic-geography narratives that depict ‘left-behind’ areas as politically regressive and institutionally deficient. This article problematises that narrative by theorising peripheral climate leadership and demonstrating its empirical prevalence. It introduces a research strategy for systematically detecting and examining climate strategies and governance leaders in ‘left-behind’ settings. Empirically, analysis of 323 UK local authorities outside Greater London identifies 110 economically disadvantaged non-metropolitan councils, 26 of which rank in the national top decile in at least one climate-policy domain. These results suggest a more variegated geography of climate leadership, shaped by a contingent interplay of economic legacy, political agency, and governance innovation. Recognising these ‘unlikely’ climate pioneers reorients local governance scholarship and positions peripheral areas as pivotal actors in accelerating net-zero transitions.
{"title":"Unlikely climate pioneers? Net-zero governance and innovation in ‘left behind’ places","authors":"Oleg Golubchikov , Sina Shahab , Wolfgang Haupt","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103824","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103824","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Research on local climate governance is dominated by the epistemologies of large cities and affluent areas, casting less urbanised, structurally disadvantaged, and peripheral localities as ‘laggards’. This mirrors economic-geography narratives that depict ‘left-behind’ areas as politically regressive and institutionally deficient. This article problematises that narrative by theorising peripheral climate leadership and demonstrating its empirical prevalence. It introduces a research strategy for systematically detecting and examining climate strategies and governance leaders in ‘left-behind’ settings. Empirically, analysis of 323 UK local authorities outside Greater London identifies 110 economically disadvantaged non-metropolitan councils, 26 of which rank in the national top decile in at least one climate-policy domain. These results suggest a more variegated geography of climate leadership, shaped by a contingent interplay of economic legacy, political agency, and governance innovation. Recognising these ‘unlikely’ climate pioneers reorients local governance scholarship and positions peripheral areas as pivotal actors in accelerating net-zero transitions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"186 ","pages":"Article 103824"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145419306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-28DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103821
Kingsley Kanjin , Minxuan Lan , Kevin Czajkowski , Patrick L. Lawrence
Despite significant global progress toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal Six, which aims to ensure universal and equitable access to improved water sources (those that are protected from outside contamination, and from fecal matter in particular) by 2030, access to improved water sources remains a persistent challenge, especially in rural African communities. In Sibi, Ghana, a rural area characterized by diverse physical and infrastructural constraints, access to improved water sources is particularly limited during the dry season. This study evaluates the level of spatial access to improved water sources in Sibi and explores relevant policy implications. Spatial analysis techniques, including Kernel Density Estimation and the Generalized Two-Step Floating Catchment Area (G2SFCA) methods, are used to assess the distribution and accessibility of improved water sources across the community. Although originally developed for evaluating healthcare accessibility, the G2SFCA method proves well-suited for analyzing access to improved water sources in this context. The results reveal an uneven spatial distribution of water sources, with a higher concentration in communities’ central areas and limited availability in peripheral zones. This ratio-based disparity results in significant variation in spatial accessibility among households. The study concludes that access to improved water sources in Sibi is spatially unequal, with central households enjoying better access than those on the periphery, particularly during the dry season. These findings confirm the applicability of the G2SFCA method for spatial accessibility to improved water source assessments and highlight the need for targeted interventions. The study recommends that local authorities in the Nkwanta North District prioritize expanding improved water infrastructure in Sibi.
{"title":"Measuring spatial accessibility to improved water sources among the households in Sibi, Ghana","authors":"Kingsley Kanjin , Minxuan Lan , Kevin Czajkowski , Patrick L. Lawrence","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103821","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103821","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite significant global progress toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal Six, which aims to ensure universal and equitable access to improved water sources (those that are protected from outside contamination, and from fecal matter in particular) by 2030, access to improved water sources remains a persistent challenge, especially in rural African communities. In Sibi, Ghana, a rural area characterized by diverse physical and infrastructural constraints, access to improved water sources is particularly limited during the dry season. This study evaluates the level of spatial access to improved water sources in Sibi and explores relevant policy implications. Spatial analysis techniques, including Kernel Density Estimation and the Generalized Two-Step Floating Catchment Area (G2SFCA) methods, are used to assess the distribution and accessibility of improved water sources across the community. Although originally developed for evaluating healthcare accessibility, the G2SFCA method proves well-suited for analyzing access to improved water sources in this context. The results reveal an uneven spatial distribution of water sources, with a higher concentration in communities’ central areas and limited availability in peripheral zones. This ratio-based disparity results in significant variation in spatial accessibility among households. The study concludes that access to improved water sources in Sibi is spatially unequal, with central households enjoying better access than those on the periphery, particularly during the dry season. These findings confirm the applicability of the G2SFCA method for spatial accessibility to improved water source assessments and highlight the need for targeted interventions. The study recommends that local authorities in the Nkwanta North District prioritize expanding improved water infrastructure in Sibi.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"186 ","pages":"Article 103821"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145419305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-25DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103827
Werenfrid Michael Tarimo , Malumbo Chipofya , Jaap Zevenbergen
Pastoral and non-pastoral land use coexistence across time and space has implications for the capacity of communities to sustain themselves. This study employed a mixed-methods approach to characterise the trends of land tenure and land use land cover (LULC) in relation to land use coexistence between pastoralists and non-pastoralists. The study was conducted in the Mvomero district of Tanzania, among the districts with high land use conflicts between pastoralists and non-pastoralists. Results indicate that land tenure transformation occurred mainly from village land tenure to state land tenure, followed by state tenure to private tenure. Village tenure was irreversibly converted to state and private tenures. LULC trend showed agriculture and bushland increased at the expense of forest, which decreased consistently from 1994 to 2024. Many respondents indicated that land use coexistence is happening informally, and arrangements are organised mainly by individuals and village leaders. In conclusion, the district's land tenure and land use transformations prioritize biodiversity conservation and agriculture expansion, and overlook pastoral land use. Also, the transformations promote the separation of land uses and undermine land use coexistence. These perpetuate land use conflicts and impede the progress toward zero hunger, a sustainable development goal. A framework that harmonizes the arrangements to accommodate land use coexistence is necessary.
{"title":"Land tenure and land use dynamics in the context of pastoral and non-pastoral land use coexistence in Mvomero district, Tanzania","authors":"Werenfrid Michael Tarimo , Malumbo Chipofya , Jaap Zevenbergen","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103827","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103827","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pastoral and non-pastoral land use coexistence across time and space has implications for the capacity of communities to sustain themselves. This study employed a mixed-methods approach to characterise the trends of land tenure and land use land cover (LULC) in relation to land use coexistence between pastoralists and non-pastoralists. The study was conducted in the Mvomero district of Tanzania, among the districts with high land use conflicts between pastoralists and non-pastoralists. Results indicate that land tenure transformation occurred mainly from village land tenure to state land tenure, followed by state tenure to private tenure. Village tenure was irreversibly converted to state and private tenures. LULC trend showed agriculture and bushland increased at the expense of forest, which decreased consistently from 1994 to 2024. Many respondents indicated that land use coexistence is happening informally, and arrangements are organised mainly by individuals and village leaders. In conclusion, the district's land tenure and land use transformations prioritize biodiversity conservation and agriculture expansion, and overlook pastoral land use. Also, the transformations promote the separation of land uses and undermine land use coexistence. These perpetuate land use conflicts and impede the progress toward zero hunger, a sustainable development goal. A framework that harmonizes the arrangements to accommodate land use coexistence is necessary.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"186 ","pages":"Article 103827"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145365413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-24DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103825
Barry D. Solomon , Martin J. Pasqualetti , Elizabeth Nelson
Concerns about global climate change are driving renewable energy development across many countries, although with uneven progress. This paper aims to identify these geographic disparities, explain why they exist, explore future trajectories and suggest how to reduce them. Countries poised for rapid solar and wind energy development are primarily in Europe along with China and Uruguay. Rapid development is also occurring in the Middle East, though starting from a lower baseline. In contrast, the lowest rates are found in Russia, Central Asia, North and Southern Africa. We review recent changes in these patterns by examining national wind and solar energy usage growth rates in the last decade, percentage point growth in renewable energy share over two decades, and considering an energy transition index. We provide case studies of five laggard countries and emerging leaders, Russia, South Africa, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, as examples of divergent approaches to renewable energy. Causes for slower paces of renewable energy development include geopolitics and contextual factors such as social and cultural attitudes towards renewable energy, and the degree to which these factors hinder the adoption and deployment of renewable technologies. Drawing on these case studies, we propose context-specific solutions to address these challenges. The paper concludes with policy options for closing the gap between the renewable energy haves and have-nots.
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