Biting the Hand that Feeds: The Marginalisation of Tourism and Leisure Industry Providers in Times of Agricultural Crisis

The total closure of the countryside under the control regulations associated with the outbreak of the UK 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) had major impacts on the tourism and leisure industry. The English Regional Tourist Board estimated that there was a loss of tourism revenue of £5 billion, which cost 150,000 direct jobs. Cumbria experienced a fall in tourism expenditure of around £198 million; this was 31% of the value of receipts. This paper presents an evaluation of the impact of the countryside closure on tourism and leisure organisations in the area of Keswick, UK. The use of online quotes from interested or affected parties was also drawn upon in order to further illustrate the effects of the countryside closure. This geographical location was selected due to it being the epicentre of foot and mouth disease epidemic in 2001. The authors will consider the strategic management of the crisis and its resultant outcomes with particular reference to the value of the tourism and leisure industry in rural locations.     

The analysis and delimitation of Central Business District using network kernel density estimation

Central Business District (CBD) is the core area of urban planning and decision management. The cartographic definition and representation of CBD is of great significance in studying the urban development and its functions. In order to facilitate these processes, the Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) is a very efficient tool as it considers the decay impact of services and allows the enrichment of the information from a very simple input scatter plot to a smooth output density surface. However, most existing methods of density analysis consider geographic events in a homogeneous and isotropic space under Euclidean space representation. Considering the case that the physical movement in the urban environment is usually constrained by a street network, we propose a different method for the delimitation of CBD with network configurations. First, starting from the locations of central activities, a concentration index is presented to visualize the functional urban environment by means of a density surface, which is refined with network distances rather than Euclidean ones. Then considering the specialties of network distance computation problem, an efficient way supported by flow extension simulation is proposed. Taking Shenzhen and Guangzhou, two quite developed cities in China as two case studies, we demonstrate the easy implementation and practicability of our method in delineating CBD.     

New development: Local public audit—the changing landscape

This article considers the implications for local public audit of the abolition of the Audit Commission and its audit practice (District Audit). The audit regime of NHS foundation trusts, where the Audit Commission is not responsible for auditor appointments or their oversight, is investigated to provide insights for the future of local public audit.     

江苏省万顷良田建设工程实施效益评价——以镇江新区为例

以镇江新区为例,借鉴土地整理效益评价的原理及方法,从经济效益、社会效益和生态效益三个方面入手,用层次分析法(AHP)确定各评价指标权重,量化各评价指标,得出该区万顷良田建设工程综合效益评价值。评价结果表明:工程综合效益较好,但经济效益远高于社会效益及生态效益。在万顷良田建设工程实施过程中,应重视促进工程实施的社会效益和生态效益,达到经济效益、社会效益和生态效益协调共同发展。     

基于生态健康的重庆市南岸区城市土地集约利用综合评价

研究目的:构建基于生态健康的城市土地集约利用综合评价的指标体系,探索城市土地集约利用综合评价的新思路。研究方法:主成分分析法、层次分析法和综合指数法。研究结果:归纳了基于生态健康的城市土地集约利用的内涵,构建了一套包括7个项目层、32个次级指标的城市土地集约利用综合评价指标体系,对南岸区5大组团进行了综合评价和分析。研究结论:本文构建的综合评价指标体系能有效地对城市土地集约利用进行综合评价,是未来城市土地集约利用评价指标体系构建的新方向,能为城市发展提供科学依据。     

基于马尔柯夫模型的酒泉市肃州区LUCC趋势预测

甘肃省酒泉市近年来经济发展迅速,但生态环境也遭到一定程度的破坏;拟通过对其土地利用和覆盖变化的研究,为环境保护与经济协调发展提供决策支持;依据肃州区1988～2000年土地利用变更调查数据,对该区域LUCC进行分析,确定了土地利用类型的转移概率矩阵,并用马尔柯夫链模型预测了该区LUCC趋势。结果表明,肃州区土地利用将呈现耕地、水域和建设用地增加,林地、草地和未利用土地减少的发展趋势。     

重庆市渝北区城市空间扩展模式分析

城市化过程的城区形态变异是以建设用地的向外扩展为显著特征的,而空间扩展的规律、过程和特征是衡量城市化发展水平和模式的主要标准。研究基于近二十年来重庆市渝北建成区时空分布情况,应用遥感与地理信息系统技术,分析了渝北建成区空间扩展的面积、速率、方向、模式以及区内的道路建设扩展情况,揭示了渝北建成区以及道路建设空间扩展的规律、过程和特征,为该区域的城市规划、城市水土资源管理和宏观调控决策等提供了科学的依据。     

资源枯竭城市转型生态足迹分析--以徐州市贾汪区为例

研究目的：从生态学角度研究贾汪区煤炭资源枯竭城市转型发展的可持续性。研究方法：传统生态足迹法和三维生态足迹法。研究结果：11年来,贾汪区生态足迹和生态赤字呈现逐步增长状态;2000—2003年,生态足迹尺度在生态承载力范围内,2004—2010年,生态足迹尺度超出生态承载力。生态足迹高度从2004年开始超过1,即当年生产性土地生产量满足不了社会发展需求;2010年,生态足迹高度增长到9.89,即在当年生产性土地生产能力下,以2010年的生产方式和资源消费速度,自然系统需要经历9.89年时间生产才能满足当年城市发展的资源需求。研究结论：近年来贾汪区转型发展仍然延续粗放的经济发展方式,尚未摆脱资源约束,亟需制定可持续的转型发展战略。     

农业资源短缺下喀斯特山区都市农业发展区划探讨——以六盘水市钟山区为例

六盘水市钟山区是贵州西部的区域中心城市,区位优势及经济基础条件相对其它山区城市较好,但受喀斯特背景下的农业资源短缺限制,山区的传统农业已不能适应目前工业化、城镇化和信息化的发展。通过对研究区实地调研和查阅相关统计数据,对区域内农业资源背景、发展潜力及所面临的困难进行分析,并探索喀斯特山区都市农业发展思路框架,将都市农业划分为都市农业功能、农业产业体系建设和技术体系建设三大发展模块。然后,结合相关区划原则,运用GIS制图技术将研究区分为都市庭院经济、西南部生态屏障、东北部生态屏障、北部高效生态农业和西北部畜牧业五大功能区。以功能分区的发展思路作为喀斯特山区资源型城市经济转型及结构调整的基础,有效调动区域内各级行政单元的经济引导职能,实现由传统农业向现代农业的跨越,最终促进农业增收和农民收入提高,确保地区粮食安全和农产品有效供给,为喀斯特山区发展都市现代农业提供参考。     

北京市海淀区建设新型林业初探

论述了北京市海淀区建设新型林业的内涵、意义、总体布局和构想,总结了海淀区建设新型林业的初步实践。新型林业的内涵是生态型、景观型、科学型、文化型、服务型、安全型。其总体构想是东播绿、西改林、南建园、北织网;全区生态体系按照城区、新区和山区进行布局。城区重点是提升绿地水平,新区重点建设大面积近自然森林,山区建成生态保护区和旅游观光区。