Property price effects of a national wildlife refuge: Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Massachusetts

The amenity value of proximity to a National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in central Middlesex County, Massachusetts is estimated and compared to the values of proximity to five other open space types, including agricultural land, cemeteries, conservation land, golf courses, and sport/recreation parks. A hedonic model is used to explore the relationships among residential property values and proximity to these distinct types of open space. Open space characteristics in the empirical model include measures of continuous distance from each property to the nearest open space of each type and an index describing the diversity of open space types within neighborhoods of 100 and 1000 meters around a home. Results reveal that a property located 100 meters closer to the NWR than a neighboring property has a price premium of $984. Further, proximity to the NWR is valued more than proximity to agricultural land, cemeteries, and conservation land. No significant differences are found among the values of proximity to the NWR, golf courses, and sport/recreation parks.     

Urban and tourist land use patterns and water consumption: Evidence from Mallorca,Balearic Islands

The island of Mallorca is the main Balearic resort and sustainable water management is a key challenge for the economic and ecological sustainability of tourism as the main economic activity. The critical water supply situation on the island is being exacerbated by the extension of the tourist base to so-called “quality tourism”. Since the mid 1990s, low-density residential tourist land uses associated with second homes and more affluent urban dwellers have spread around existing mass tourist urban centres. Increasing water consumption for outdoor uses (gardens, swimming pools) is a direct consequence of this development. Available water consumption data mask the impact of residential tourism on water consumption levels. The objective of the present paper is to compare per capita water consumption in quality tourist, mass tourist and residential urban areas, and to provide quantitative information on the magnitude of water consumption by gardens and swimming pools as water-related leisure structures. The analysis combines water consumption data with a land use geodatabase at the sub-parcel scale, a detailed population inventory, and an estimate of pool water use. The results show that quality tourism produces higher water consumption levels per capita than mass tourism. Garden irrigation is the single main cause of the high water consumption in quality tourist areas and accounts for more than 70% of these areas’ total consumption in summer. But even in mass tourist and residential areas, garden irrigation accounts for up to 30% and 20%, respectively, of total water consumption in summer. Individually owned swimming pools cause an additional average water consumption of 22 litres/person/day. The proliferation of swimming pools and lavish ‘Atlantic’ gardens may turn out as one of the biggest threats to sustainable water management on the island of Mallorca and in other tourist destinations adapting the quality tourist model.     

Implications of recent changes in Californian irrigation systems

This paper explains how, in view of competing demands for water in the western USA, the theme of water allocation and management has emerged as a vital political issue. In the Californian case, technical improvements in irrigation have extended the cultivated area and maintained productivity increases, and such developments have created the need for policy research. The author evaluates irrigation efficiency for both surface flow and sprinkler techniques, with particular reference to large-scale automated sprinkler systems, and concludes that a farmer's decision to apply developments in irrigation is strongly influenced by the requirements of energy conservation and efficient water management. The most significant issues likely to affect agricultural water demands over the next decade are identified.     

Alternative Demand for University Outreach Services from Georgia's Golf Industry

Recent technological advancements have influenced farmers' growing demand for private information suppliers, a service traditionally monopolized by public outreach programs of land grant educational institutions. This waning appeal for university extension services creates pressure for these institutions to explore other market segments to broaden their audience coverage. This study demonstrates a potential market niche in Georgia's golf industry for university outreach services. Binomial logistic regression results indicate that significant demand ( a ) is negatively influenced by golf facility size; ( b ) is directly related to the level of industry experience of the golf superintendents; and ( c ) could come from facilities that require assistance in growth-, pest-, and employment-related concerns.     

Parking policy: The politics and uneven use of residential parking space in Melbourne

Pressures on on-street residential parking in intensifying Australian cities are popularly ascribed to new higher density housing with insufficient off-street parking, underscoring calls to strengthen parking requirements in new developments. Despite the potential impacts of conventional minimum parking policies (on housing, land use, and transport patterns), there is no or little evidence of who uses residential on-street parking. Nor is there clear evidence of to what extent off-street parking, or requirements for it, actually offset on-street parking use. This study examines residential parking use in one Australian city, Melbourne, via two complementary sources: an existing travel survey of 8,994 households, and a custom online survey with 307 local responses. Although they have limitations, the two surveys provide new insight into where and by whom the use of on-street parking space around the home is more common.The study finds the majority (77–83%) of on-street residential parking use is by residents of detached housing. Most users of on-street parking have sufficient off-street parking, and half use garage space for storage or housing purposes. Residents of new flats and apartments account for disproportionately little on-street parking use, are excluded from on-street permits, and have closely controlled off-street parking spaces of which a third are unused. The paper argues uneven use of residential parking reflects household choices, and differing rights to space embedded by zoning traditions that privilege lower density housing. Critical analysis is given both of the capability of conventional ‘predict and provide’ parking policies to manage residential parking, and to cope with urban change.     

Irrigation production functions with water-capital substitution

The dynamics of biomass growth implies that the yield of irrigated crops depends, in addition to the total amount of water applied, on irrigation scheduling during the growing period. Advanced irrigation technologies relax constraints on irrigation rates and timing, allowing us to better adjust irrigation scheduling to the varying needs of the plants along the growing period. Irrigation production functions, then, should include capital (or expenditures on irrigation equipment) in addition to aggregate water. We derive such functions and study their water-capital substitution properties. Implications for water demand and adoption of irrigation technologies are investigated. A numerical example illustrates these properties.     

The changing United Kingdom residential real estate market

Summary

The residential property market is dependent upon the overall well‐being of the economy, with movements of the residential property prices following a cyclical movement over time. The macro‐economic factors that influence prices are studied for the United Kingdom and compared with results from other countries. In the United Kingdom's case interest rates, building costs, the number of new housing starts, disposable income, investment in other assets, inflation and expectations play important roles in the determination of residential price movements.

In addition, the numbers of new housing developments that are started are determined by interest rates, disposable income, building costs and expectations of property price rises. The building costs are also determined by wage rates, interest rates and the rate of inflation.     

The effects of housing preference for an apartment on residential location choice in Seoul: A random bidding land use simulation approach

This study evaluates the impact of medium- and high-income households’ preference for apartments on residential location choice by constructing a random utility-based land use simulation model of the Seoul metropolitan area. The simulation results imply that apartment preference of medium- and high-income groups would have contributed to providing more apartment units (about 14.2% of total apartment units supplied), more housing units in the suburbs (61,000 more housing units in the suburbs), and higher apartment rent premiums in wealthy communities than the assumed housing market under the counterfactual scenario in terms of housing type, location, and rents.     

DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYSIS OF INPUT-OUTPUT RELATIONS FOR IRRIGATION WATER

Recent developments in climatology mean that economists now have a highly acceptable physical theory which can underlie their analysis of the economic aspects of water as an input to the production process, as a source of production instability, and as a major component of error in their estimated crop production functions. This paper presents a model and a procedure for synthesising and analysing irrigation water crop input output relations based on this theory. The importance of time of application of water as well as quantity is shown. Different frequencies of irrigation are optimal at different times of the growing season.     

基于产权的宅基地退出机制研究

为扫除农村宅基地腾退和整理的主要障碍,挖掘农村宅基地的利用潜力,提高城乡建设用地的集约利用水平,推动城乡统筹发展,采用理论分析与实证分析相结合的方法对宅基地退出机制进行研究。分析得出,住房保障功能及宅基地资产价值的丧失,成为农民拒绝或不愿意退出宅基地的根源。因此,必须通过明晰宅基地产权、剥离宅基地的社会保障功能、建立宅基地经济补偿机制及其他利益导向机制等途径来推动宅基地退出。     

Towards a transformational hydraulic engineering project for the territory: A focus on the Working With People (WWP) model

Hydraulic engineering projects have traditionally been carried out from a predominantly technical point of view, which on occasions ignores the needs of the territory in which they are based and the possibilities that water resources provide as a development factor.The implementation of projects that were not adequately suited to the needs of the environment and its population has led to many issues that have directly had an effect on their implementation and operation. As a result, one of the objectives in recent years has been to resolve these issues; with many authors turning to participative models linked to social theory in order to achieve this. However, they have been unable to agree on a model or outline the objectives that the project should seek to achieve. This article explores how the use of a planning model based on social learning and the develop “by” people and not “for” people principle, Working with People, in a water supply hydraulic engineering project (PANIATS), implemented originally from a purely technical perspective, is able to strengthen it, facilitate understanding amongst the population and generate new projects associated with the original project such as the agricultural transformation of 2089ha of irrigable land. All of this leads to the creation of social capital and development that makes the project a transformational factor within the territory.     

Cost‐reflective pricing: empirical insights into irrigators’ preferences for water tariffs

Using prices to improve the efficiency with which water resources are allocated is now widely accepted in principle if somewhat difficult to achieve in practice. Whilst there are some technical difficulties associated with full‐cost recovery in irrigation, the lack of political will to tackle reform remains a significant impediment. This article reports the results of an empirical investigation into farmers’ preferences for changes to water prices and tariff structures. We conclude that some of the preferences of farmers are conducive to price reform. We also find evidence that public subsidy of infrastructure in irrigation is not always aligned with the preferences of farmers.     

不同经济梯度下农村居民点产住空间结构分异特征以东营市为例

目的 农村居民点是人类聚居的重要场所,农村居民点产住空间结构反映农户生产居住需求,是农村人居环境优化的基础。方法 文章借助夜间灯光数据划分经济梯度,分别从多样性指数、优势度指数、组合类型三方面,定量分析东营市1 473个农村居民点产住空间分异特征。结果 （1）不同经济梯度区的农村居民点产住空间多样性指数、优势度指数均存在显著分异,多样性指数由低经济梯度区向高经济梯度区递增,优势度指数由低经济梯度区向高经济梯度区递减。（2）各经济梯度区产住空间主导组合类型均为生活居住空间,非主导组合类型差异较大。随着经济梯度提高,工业生产、商旅服务空间的优势度逐渐提升,组合类型由单一到复杂。（3）农村居民点产住空间结构分异受到自然本底、地理区位、经济结构、行政政策等4类要素作用,不同经济梯度区的主导因素不同。结论 充分认识不同经济梯度下农村居民点产住空间结构的分异特征,可为村庄规划分类施策提供科学依据。     

The loss of land devoted to allotment gardening: The context of the contrasting pressures of urban planning,public and private interests in Prague,Czechia

Prague, the capital of Czechia, has a long history of allotment gardening, however, since 1989 allotment gardens are diminishing at a considerable rate. Allotments are being transformed into recreation sites, permanent residences, or used for the construction of residential projects, transportation infrastructure or commercial facilities. Often, they simply turn into vacant land. This paper critically assesses the decline of allotment gardens in Prague. The analysis is based on an extensive field survey. Land use changes of allotment gardens in Prague were monitored during three time periods and the main reasons and motives that have led to a diminution of gardening as a sustainable productive and recreational function during the nineties and the first decade of the new millennium are presented (construction of second homes, transformation to residential dwelling, destruction). The need for a much broader community and civic movement involvement in the planning decision-making processes is viewed as crucial to secure the continuity of the allotment gardens within the city. A successful case of negotiation with local government and further conversion of one of Prague´s threatened allotment garden colonies into public access garden is then presented as a suitable solution to the problems with allotment gardens´ extinction.     

Planning policy,housing density and consumer preferences

Due to a combination of government planning policies and market pressures in England in the period 2000–2008, there was an increase in the construction of flats and high-density developments and a decline in the construction of houses. In this paper, an analysis of the effects of these policy constraints is undertaken. Using hedonic pricing models, we test for a non-linear relationship between house prices and residential density in England. Consumers prefer houses over flats and detached properties over semi-detached and terraced (i.e. lower density suburban areas). However, both low-density, detached-dominant areas and high-density, flat-dominant areas attracted a premium over medium density areas and the relative size of these price differences vary between different housing market areas. In cities outside London, we consistently see a convex relationship between price and density, whereas a concave relationship between price and density is consistently observed in London. This suggests a different form of relationship between density and house prices in large urban conurbation areas, compared to more typical provincial cities. The conclusions we draw are that in the correct context, high density may be viewed positively but a single planning policy is not appropriate and it should be tailored to suit local market needs.     

基于智慧课堂混合式教学在应用微生物技术中的应用探究

结合应用微生物技术课程的特点,利用智慧课堂平台进行线上线下混合式教学,相比传统课堂更能够满足学生不同的需求,增强学生的参与感,提高学生的学习兴趣.同时还能实现分层次教学,引导学生进行深度学习,达到提高教学质量的目的.本文以"认识病毒"一节为例,探究了混合式教学的具体实施及教学效果.课后测试显示,混合式教学可有效帮助学生...     

Integrating soil survey,land use management and political ecology: A case study in a border area between Peru and Ecuador

In Latin America countries, competition for access to natural resources among different groups has been a major reason for the outburst of violence over the last decades. One of the main aims of the political ecology concerns the understanding of the environmental conditions that can underlies the social conflict among people. Such understanding needs to be based on a detailed investigation of the natural resources of the landscape, mainly the soils. Few years ago the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs financed a soil survey with a humanitarian purpose: the development of a peace plan between Peru and Ecuador by improving the socio-economic conditions of the rural populations living in the areas close to the border. To achieve such goal, the construction of an irrigation canal was planned to irrigate few hundred hectares in the province of Ayabaca, on the border between Peru and Ecuador. To be soundly planned and designed, the canal project was obviously based on a preliminary soil survey that is essential to assess the irrigation suitability of the land. In this work, the authors illustrate the soil characteristics within the study area, their suitability for irrigation and the key aspects for future land uses, highlighting the philosophy followed in applying the land evaluation system which took into consideration the social, cultural and humanitarian purposes of the soil survey. Results proved the feasibility of the financed project and the potential increase of the living conditions of the rural people.     

Understanding rural landscape for better resident-led management: Residents’ perceptions on rural landscape as everyday landscapes

The rural landscape is “the dwelling place” of rural residents who generate a unique landscape through their daily activities. In order to strengthen the resident-led landscape management in rural areas, this study intends to gauge how and to what extent such rural landscapes are unique, as these landscapes are not easily appraised by existing landscape assessments that rely mainly on visual criteria, and suggest residents’ perception should be consider in the landscape planning. To conduct this study, residents’ subjective perceptions, in contrast with experts’ perceptions, were collected via a survey method referred to as photo-elicitation with walking. The survey revealed various everyday landscape objects perceived by the residents as meaningful, as well as scenes where visual characteristics were prominent. The results of survey also demonstrated that the residents are relatively insensitive to the visual and physical characteristics of landscapes objects, while sensitive to the “relationship” with the landscapes formed through the residents’ experiences. This pattern of sensitivity appears to be linked to the residents’ consideration of the landscape as a kinetic “dwelling place” rather than a static image. This pattern can be regarded as the reason residents perceive meaning in everyday landscapes. The results of this study suggest that by interpreting rural landscapes as everyday landscapes, landscape planning and management could be adapted to fit the needs and perceptions of rural residents and could, therefore, provide a basis for sustainable resident-led landscape management methods in connection with the everyday lives of rural residents.