A small house now or a big one later? Choice of housing units in phased upgrading of informal settlements in South Africa
June 2012
The South African housing policy puts emphasis on broadening access to formal dwelling units for households living below a given monthly income as determined and approved by the government at any given time. The emphasis on a serviced dwelling unit within the housing policy assumes that the preference for a serviced dwelling unit is invariable and rigid among the intended beneficiaries of the upgrading...
Estimation of sediment production rate of the Umbaniun Micro-watershed, Meghalaya, India
June 2012
Conservation of soil and water is essential to sustain any developmental activity carried out on a watershed. Analyzing shape parameters and drainage pattern parameters is known to be very important in watershed management. The Umbaniun micro-watershed with an area of 3951.18 ha located at 25°27’29’’ to 25°32’34’’ North latitude and 91°47’10’’...
Towards sustainable financing of protected areas: A case study of the Swaziland National Trust Commission (SNTC)
June 2012
Conservation of biological diversity is one of the main elements of sustainable development, given that biodiversity is the basis of life on earth. The current and potential role of protected areas in biodiversity conservation cannot be overemphasized. The objective of the study was to provide protected area managers with new innovations in protecting area financing on how to improve and diversify funding...
Exploration and visualization of highway freight flow movements in the United States using Geographical Information System (GIS)
May 2012
This paper begins with a concise national overview of the transported goods, classified by Standard Classification of Transport Goods, and their movements on the highway networks in the United States using TransCAD, a geographical information system with strong transportation planning capabilities and the freight analysis framework database version 2.2 orFAF2.2. Then, the paper constructs more national views...
Green area mapping of Ahmadu Bello University Main Campus, Zaria, Nigeria using remote sensing (Rs) and geographic information system (GIS) techniques
May 2012
Provision of quality learning environment is crucial to staff and students of any university. One of the most important parameters in planning and design of a campus is appropriate selection of land surface to develop green areas. This study identified and mapped land use-land cover distribution with emphasis on green area network in Ahmadu Bello University main campus, Samaru, Zaria, Nigeria. Linkages are...
A review of remote sensing data change detection: Comparison of Faisalabad and Multan Districts, Punjab Province, Pakistan
May 2012
Vegetation is profoundly impacted by anthropogenic activities, particularly trampling. The ultimate effect of trampling is a reduction in amount of vegetation, often resulting in complete loss of vegetation cover. Satellite remote sensed data for land cover, landuse and its changes is a key to many diverse applications. Methods for monitoring vegetation change range from intensive field sampling with...
A regional analysis of food security in Bundelkhand region (Uttar Pradesh, India)
May 2012
In the present study the authors have attempted to analyse the condition of food security in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh at district level. Bundelkhand region has been chosen as a unit of study because it is one of the poorest regions in comparison with western, central and eastern regions of the state and even after being in close proximity to heartland of green revolution (Punjab, Haryana and...
An assessment of the contribution of marine insurance to the development of insurance markets in Nigeria
April 2012
This paper examines the contribution of marine insurance to the development of Nigerian insurance market in the period 1984 to 2006. It is not intended to extend the study to other countries of the world, but mainly to Nigeria where the public opinion has been that insurance is of no benefit to the economic well being of the people. Research was conducted in the Nigerian Insurance Market, Central Bank of...
Is trading in used computers creating a digital dump? Reflections from tertiary institutions in Ghana
April 2012
The proliferation of computers has made them more accessible, yet there are many more who cannot afford them, and this seems to have created a digital divide which touches economies and threatens to slow progress towards an all-inclusive information society. The divide in the developed world appears much less severe due partly to higher income levels. However, in developing countries the situation is more...
The changing rainfall pattern and the associated impacts on subsistence agriculture in Laikipia East District, Kenya
April 2012
Farmers in Laikipia East District of Kenya rely on subsistence agriculture as their livelihood source which in turn depends on the amount and distribution of rainfall. The main growing season occur during the peak rainfall season, that is, between March and May while the secondary growing season occurs between October and December. Annual rainfall trend between 1976 and 2005 showed that rainfall in Laikipia...
Influencing factors of community participation in tourism development: A case study of Xingwen world Geopark
April 2012
In order to find out the influencing factors of community participation in the tourism development process, several influencing factors are summed up through field survey, questionnaires of local residents and the logistic regression analysis of the investigation datum gained from Xingwen world Geopark. Results indicated there are several key influencing factors of community participation such as the...
Land-use/cover changes and their drivers on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
March 2012
This paper presents the findings of a study that analyzed land use and cover change, their driving forces and the socio-economic implications on the southern and eastern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. This study is based on data extracted from remote sensing techniques using 1973, 1984 and 1999/2000 satellite images and household interviews. The major change detected in the study area from satellite images was expansion...
Spectral vegetation indices performance evaluated for Cholistan Desert
March 2012
To enhance the vegetation signal in remotely sensed data and provide an approximate measure of live green vegetation, a number of spectral vegetation indices have been developed to estimate biophysical parameters of vegetation. The sensitivity of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to the soil background and atmospheric effects has generated an increasing interest in the development of new...
Geographical and longitudinal approach to rural livelihood security and crisis responses in Central Kenya: The case of crop variety and livestock breed selection
March 2012
The study took a geographical and longitudinal approach as opposed to cross-sectional approach in detecting dynamic changes in livelihood strategies of smallholder farmers at two sites in Kabendera and Kiambogo, Central Kenya. The aim was to enhance the understanding of the ways in which households cope and adapt under increasingly evident and significant economic changes and agro-climatic events using the...
An assessment of the National Fadama II project in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State
March 2012
This paper appraises the Fadama II project impact on it’s beneficiaries in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Primary data was collected from beneficiaries and farmers residing in the area using 783 copies of well structured questionnaire which were administered to the respondents. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive methods. The study result reveals that accessing agricultural...
A new approach for participative urban design: An urban design study of Cumhuriyet urban square in Yozgat Turkey
March 2012
The concept of participation has come into prominence in urban planning and urban design since the mid- 1970’s as consciousness of local identity increased. There is a significant body of research on participation related to urban design. Various participation methods, models, and processes have been proposed each based on specific experiences. This article presents a participation method and process...
Socio-environmental impact of higher institution on host communities
March 2012
The socio environmental impact of the higher institution on host community was assessed within the context of the regional development and sustainable development. Geographical information system (GIS) maps were used to obtain land use changes in Ijagun town, Ogun State, Nigeria and structured questionnaire to unravel the social implication between the indigenes and non indigenes in relation to the impact of...
Morphometric analysis of a highland microwatershed in East Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya, India: Using remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques
March 2012
Morphometric analysis of a highland microwatershed (Wah Umbah) area was carried out using remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. Detailed drainage map of the area was prepared from the high resolution satellite image and Survey of India (SOI) toposheets which was updated using IRS-1D PAN sharpened LISS-III analog data. Updated drainage maps were used for the drainage...
Concentrations of green house gases (GHGs) around tankfarms and petroleum tankers depots, Lagos, Nigeria
February 2012
Air pollution generated through combustion of fossil fuels presents difficult environmental challenge to societies as it could degrade the environment and affect human health and quality of life. Road transportation is a prominent pollutant contributor especially in urban areas. Smokes from exhausts of petroleum tankers generate harmful gases into the atmosphere. The paper is on the level of concentration of...
Spatial effects of localization and urbanization economies on urban employment growth in Iran
February 2012
The emergence and growth of cities is affected through different factors. Urban economists have a broad consensus about the role of agglomeration externalities in the emergence and growth of cities. Urbanization agglomeration that is named Jacobs externalities, refers to the role of economic diversification in urban growth and leads to knowledge spillovers among different types of firms. Localization...
Spatial security and quest of solutions to crime in neighbourhoods in Urban Zimbabwe: Case in Marlborough East, Harare
February 2012
This article focuses on issue of security in Marlborough East neighbourhood of Harare, Zimbabwe. Residents in the neighbourhood have suffered severe losses of property, life and valuables. The purpose of the study was to establish the relationship between neighbourhood security and the physical environment by establishing patterns of spatial insecurity through the lens of environmental design in order to...
Human resources: A new dimension of cooperation between India and the Philippines
February 2012
Undoubtedly, human resources are emerging as one of the major sources in contributing to the national gross domestic product (GDP) of any country and with special reference to a developing country like India. This phenomena is also creating another dimension of the economy called ‘knowledge economy’. Many developing countries from Asia have been recording their highest growth rates of their...
Investigation of the last Quaternary climate from the geomorphic evidence in Namak Lake basin, Central Iran
February 2012
Two important characteristics, alternate climatic oscillations and the appearance of human beings, distinguish the Quaternary from other geological periods. The climatic changes have shown increases and decreases of glacial scope in high latitudes, but there are different and opposing theories about the climatic situation in glacial periods of low latitudes such as Iran. In this study, the climate of...
The opencast bauxite mining in N.E. Ghiona: Eco-environmental impacts and geomorphological changes (Central Greece)
January 2012
It has been observed that certain anthropogenic interventions in the form of mining activities, such as opencast bauxite mining (large artificial cavities -pits-, voluminous piles of calcareous spoils -inert materials- derived from bauxite mining, dense road network constructed in order to get access to the mine location, etc), alter “critical” parameters of...
Education and women’s participation in Indian economy: A regional analysis
January 2012
The paper examines the work participation rate (WPR) of women in Indian states based on the census conducted in 2001. As per 2001 census, the WPR of women was 25.6% in India though they constituted 48.27% of the total population. It was well documented that the educational condition of women has improved in the past few decades but their WPR is still low. Here, the paper tried to see reasons behind this...
Migration consequences on marital behaviour in Kenya
January 2012
This paper analysed the relationship between migration process and marital behaviour in Kenya. Data for analysis came from the Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys (KDHS) of 1988/89 and 1993. The hypothesis was that, women who migrate comprise those that act rationally to maximise other lifetime aspirations at the expense of reproductive behaviours. That is, migrants are involved in behaviours that negatively...
Rainfall seasonality in the Niger Delta Belt, Nigeria
January 2012
This paper examined rainfall seasonality in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, using both monthly and annual rainfall data from 1931 to 1997. The data was retrieved from the archives of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency in Lagos. The data was collected on 9 synoptic stations in the region. The statistical tools employed for the study are the cumulative index analysis and the percentage of mean. The result indicated a...
The case against nuclear power development in Indonesia
January 2012
Despite the ongoing environmental and health dangers related to the Fukushima I nuclear meltdowns in Japan, some Asian nations are still entertaining the notion of developing nuclear power from scratch. Indonesia is one such example. It has been said that Indonesia needs more power for its growing industrial sectors. And the world as a whole needs eco-friendly power sources to stop climate change reaching...
Spatial assessment of fresh water supply in Southwest Nigeria
January 2012
Water is an essential commodity with an unparalleled value after air. This paper is designed to assess the spatial pattern and implications of inadequacy of fresh water supply in major cities and towns of Southwest Nigeria. Data were collected with the aid of questionnaires and oral interview from randomly sampled subjects within the study area. The permanent secretaries in the Ministries of Agriculture and...
The relevance of tourism on the economic development of Cross River State, Nigeria
January 2012
This study investigated the relevance of tourism on the economic growth of Cross River State, Nigeria. Special focus was on the difference in visitations over the years under investigation to the various tourists attractions within the state. Information for the study was basically from the questionnaire survey and participatory research method. The generated data were analyzed using descriptive statistics...
Climate change and implications for sustainable senior secondary school (SSS) geography curriculum in Nigeria
December 2011
Teaching and learning about the subject, Geography, need to take cognizance of global warming and climate change. The objective of this work is to look into the current syllabus of the SSS geography and identify for attention, modules, topics and other items that must change in the face of global warming. The SSS geography syllabuses were reviewed and so also the texts and other materials used for teaching...
The effects of location and neighbourhood attributes on housing values in metropolitan Lagos
December 2011
The aim of this paper is to analyse and determine the relative roles of location and neighbourhood characteristics in the determination of housing values/prices. In order to achieve this, attempts were made to evaluate the role of location and neighbourhood factors in the determination of house prices; study how house prices / values vary by area; show how spatial variation of the housing attributes leads to...
Distribution and spatial arrangement of rural population in Shaqlawa district, Kurdistan region-Iraq
December 2011
Rural population distribution has a very significant influence over socio-economic characteristics of world rural communities. It gives a reflection of the burden to the land resources of public services available in an area and also reflects the environmental implications of population to specific area. Regional distribution of rural population in Shaqlawa district reveals considerable inequality in an area...
Commercialisation of the incredible force of man-made thunder generated in the Northwest region of Cameroon
December 2011
This article serves as an eye opener to the world, explaining that there is a traditional technology of great useful force which can be exploited profitably to enhance world development. This technology called man-made thunder is currently being used for destructive purposes by villages in the Cameroon Northwest region. When properly developed, this traditional technology can be used for long distance...
Land use determination of arid regions using geographical information system
December 2011
Soil serves as one of the most important components of natural resource. The vast areas in the arid region with low rainfall in the world were affected by land degradation due to natural factors, anthropological activities (agricultural) and ultra-utilization of land, and they became vain and desert land. Meanwhile, the importance and vitality of land use is more than that of other factors due to the...
Towards a theoretical framework for the management of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in Swaziland: A review
December 2011
Sustainable forest management aims to maintain and enhance the economic, social and environmental value of all types of forests, for the benefit of present and future generations. In Swaziland, despite the existence of numerous local, national, regional and international policies and legislation, sustainable forest management is far fetched. The objective of this paper was to review previous studies on policy...
Micro-spatial human resource reallocation model for rural agrarian sector, based on classical theories of regional growth: A case study of Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal, India
December 2011
Human resource is one of the important fundamental requirements for designing developmental planning for economy and society at both regional and national scales. Present day’s social science does not confine itself within the consideration of the process of development as a cumulative process of enhancing the physical quality of life of inhabitants; rather it tries to chalk out the plans for possible...
Fuzzy logic and neural network approaches for land cover mapping of the Brazilian territory
December 2011
Land cover mapping is important for regional and urban plannings. Most of the digital remote sensing based mappings use conventional classification techniques which are limited in their ability to define a wide variety of the existing types of land cover. The objective of this paper is to analyze the potential of fuzzy logic and artificial neural network approaches to produce land cover maps of the Brazilian...
A study on factors related to urban growth of a municipal corporation and emerging challenges: A case of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, West Bengal, India
November 2011
Urbanization refers to the process of becoming urban or in other words urbanization is a cyclical process through which the nation passes as they evolve from agrarian to industrial societies. It is a spatial concomitant phenomenon involving population concentration, structural transformation and socio-psychological change affecting both people and place. Siliguri, the gate way to North East India is not...
Effects of climatic variables on crop production in Patigi L. G. A., Kwara State, Nigeria
November 2011
Agricultural production in Nigeria like other developing countries is highly vulnerable to climate variability. This study used regression and correlation analyses to examine the impacts of temperature, relative humidity, rainfall and number of rainy days on food production in the Patigi Local Government Area (LGA) of Kwara State of Nigeria. The results revealed that maize production correlated...
An analysis of the spatial pattern of activity transition in a traditional African city: A case study of Ilorin, Nigeria
November 2011
This paper analyses the spatial pattern of activity linkages of people in Ilorin especially the types, location and the spatial pattern of the linkages among the diverse activities. Data were collected from 500 residents of Ilorin, each of whom completed a time budget diary over one week. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data while probability transition analysis was used to analyse the...
Eco-tourism necessity to preserve and maintain endangered species: A case study of mugger crocodile
November 2011
The geographical study of Iran and the feasibility study of tourism attractions in the country indicated that "eco-tourism" is an apt and unique, but neglected economic resource. Protection of habitation areas is one of the main bases of eco-tourism. In the present research, we investigated the role of eco-tourism to preserve and maintain an animal on the verge of extinction [the mugger crocodile...
Impacts of climate change on Namibia, adaption strategies and future recommendations: A review
November 2011
In spite of the fact that Africa has the lowest greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, studies have shown that it is hit hardest by climate change. Furthermore, poorest people are most likely to be the most affected by climate change. Studies have shown that temperatures in Namibia have been increasing at a rate higher than the mean global rate. Namibia should continue working at the international and the national...
Implications of climate variability on water resources of Nigeria: A review
November 2011
The current water management practices in Nigeria may not be robust enough to cope with the impacts of climate variability on water supply reliability, flood risk, health, agriculture, energy and aquatic. As such, the impacts of climate variability on water resources utilities were evaluated. This paper, therefore, focused on climate variability effects on water and ecosystems services, particularly under...
Landfill development and current practices in Lagos metropolis, Nigeria
October 2011
The disposal of solid wastes to land is the ultimate end-point for any waste management system. However, waste landfills should be set up and operated properly in order to minimise the risks posed to health and the environment. This review provides an insight into landfill operations and management in Lagos, Nigeria. Secondary data and in-situ observations at the landfill sites were used....
Poverty spatial polarization in Senegal
October 2011
This paper aims at inquiring the impact of neighboring regions poverty rate on the poverty rate of a given region. This inquiry will help find out the best driving region in terms of poverty alleviation in Senegal. We applied basic spatial econometrics tools to Senegalese regions from 1994 to 2006. The results show that a decrease of 0.62% of the poverty rate in Dakar results from an increase of 1% of poverty...
Informal land market: Alternative approach to mass residential housing provision in South-Western Nigeria
October 2011
There has been continuous patronage of the informal land market by prospective real estate investors particularly in towns and cities within South-Western Nigeria over the years. This paper identifies reasons for the failure of earlier land policies from literature on one hand and why informal land markets continue to flourish by the day in Nigeria with the aid of two questionnaires distributed among fifteen...
The valuation of the role of the rural guiding plans in rural development: A case study of Bonab villages
October 2011
Rural guiding plans are the prevalent and common projects conducted in rural areas and mostly adopted from urban development projects. They are looked upon as an important tool in developing the villages whose development seems to be essential for improving the infrastructures of the other sectors of the country. It is largely understood that performing studies to improve the production method and taking them...
Land uses and human pressure indicators in the Plain of Târgovişte (Romania)
October 2011
Land uses are closely connected to the favorableness of the natural factors, to their productive potential and to the ameliorative works. In the Plain of TârgoviÅŸte, in time, the structure and geographic repartition of the land uses categories have changed, especially in the sense of the increase of the agricultural areas through the valorization of the weakly productive or non-productive areas, the...
Dynamics of urban land use changes with remote sensing: Case of Ibadan, Nigeria
October 2011
There are so many problems confronting most contemporary cities in the recent time particularly among the less developed countries around the world. These problems have been recognized to be the product of lack of urban planning by the authority in-charge as well as individual members of the society. However, the negative relationship between urban population and urban development has been identified using...
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