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As cities continue to expand and climate change exacerbates flooding, development within flood risk zones becomes an increasingly pressing concern. Engineered solutions alone cannot fully address the risks to individuals and communities, especially when local officials and residents have conflicting understanding of the risk. Participatory GIS (PGIS) offers a unique opportunity to bridge this gap by engaging with communities to better understand their perceptions of flood risk. While PGIS has traditionally been used in developing nations as an alternative to numerical flood models, its potential for use in developed nations is largely unexplored. This paper presents a case study of survey-based PGIS conducted in Reading, a large town in Berkshire, UK. Findings suggest that local residents possess a surprisingly accurate understanding of flood risk zones, but discrepancies with modelled flood risk were also identified. These discrepancies may be due to issues with cartographic representation, but also raise concerns about the accuracy of numerical flood models. By examining local perceptions of flood risk, this study highlights the importance of considering community perspectives in flood risk management and offers valuable insights for practitioners seeking to bridge the gap between modelled and perceived flood risk zones. • Participants show remarkably robust local knowledge of flood risk in a UK city. • Findings highlight the value of stakeholder engagement in FRM. • Participatory GIS can help bridge the gap between modelled and perceived flood risk. • Approach could help address conflicts between flood managers and stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the increasing recognition of household food insecurity as a policy issue, there is currently no routine measurement of food insecurity in the UK. There is nothing to suggest that Government will address this in the near future for all parts of the UK. In which case, policy makers and campaigners might instead seek out consistent and robust measures of the population-level factors which are known to contribute to food insecurity. However, no systematic measures exist, meaning that resources may not be targeted at those areas most in need. This paper presents the first objective estimate of high population-level risk of household food insecurity in English neighbourhoods (4.09% of the population, 95%CI 4.08–4.10) using public data. Estimated geographic distribution of factors contributing to household food insecurity is customisable to local pressures and is adaptable to settings outside of England. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose Terrorism is a real and present danger. The build-up to an attack includes planning, travel, and reconnaissance which necessarily require the offender to move through their environment. Whilst research has examined patterns of terrorist attack locations, with a few exceptions (e.g. Rossmo & Harries, 2011), it has not examined the spatial behavior of the terrorists themselves. In this paper, we investigate whether the spatial mobility patterns of terrorists resemble those of criminals (and the wider population) and if these change in the run up to their attacks. Method Using mobile phone data records for the ringleaders of four different UK-based terrorist plots in the months leading up to their attacks, we examine the frequency with which terrorists visit different locations, how far they travel from key anchor points such as their home, the distance between sequential cell-site hits and how their range of movement varies as the planned time to attack approaches. Conclusions Like the wider population (and criminals), the sample of terrorists examined exhibited predictable patterns of spatial behavior. Most movements were close to their home location or safe house, and they visited a relatively small number of locations most of the time. Disaggregating these patterns over time provided mixed evidence regarding the way in which their spatial activity changed as the time to the planned attack approached. The findings are interpreted in terms of how they inform criminological understanding of the spatial behavior of terrorists, and the implications for law enforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The First Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain (LUSGB), coordinated in the 1930s and 1940s by Professor L. Dudley Stamp, is regarded as one of the most pre-eminent surveys of land utilisation in Britain. This paper considers techniques and methodological challenges in converting the wealth of information within the survey into digital vector format. The first steps of this process involve high resolution scanning of the map types of the LUSGB, followed by georeferencing. Supervised classification image processing techniques are then used in order to create a set of signatures from which, following clean up processes, subsequent vectorisation can take place. The paper then explores the resulting digital data from this semi-automated procedure for consistency in order to assess both the proposed method’s accuracy for digitalisation of historic land change, as well as the respective accuracy of each map type of the original LUSGB. In particular, this paper examines the data produced from the one and ten-inch map series and also examines individual colour layer maps produced as part of the printing process. The paper concludes by reflecting on the potential of the semi-automated approach experimented with as well, as the avenues for future research in this area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper examines the emergence of market-orientated approaches to public participation in environmental issues through an exploration of recent empirical research into ‘sustainable lifestyles’ as a practical tool for encouraging pro-environmental behaviour. Using the notion of ‘sustainable lifestyles’, current social marketing policies seek to encourage behaviour change amongst citizens by identifying population segments with similar commitments to environmental practices as the basis for behaviour change initiatives. However, the use of static ‘lifestyle groups’ implies that that citizens replicate sustainable practices across different consumption contexts and this paper explores this line of argument through the use of data collected as part of a recent UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) funded research project on sustainable lifestyles and climate change. Through a series of focus group discussions, participants explored notions of sustainable practices using the home and leisure contexts as framing devices to explore issues of environmental responsibility and climate change. The emphasis placed on practices and context reveal that the comfortable notions of environmental responsibility and sustainable consumption in the home are often in conflict with the discourses of consumption reduction associated with climate change in leisure and tourism contexts. In many cases, these ‘paradoxes’ are explicitly referred to, reflected-upon and discussed by participants who demonstrate that notions of sustainable practice are mediated by practice and spaces of consumption. Accordingly, the paper argues that in conceptualising market-based approaches to behaviour change around the notion of ‘sustainable lifestyles’, researchers and policy makers need to address the role of context and recognise the importance of consumption spaces and the conflicts that may arise between these. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There has been a growing emphasis in housing policy and its impacts on sub-regional economies. Yet the arguments linking housing and economic competitiveness are typically described in very general terms. First of all, this paper is based on research providing a spatial picture of house prices utilising housing data from the UK government''s Land Registry and presenting key findings from analysis of 1996–2006 house price trends at three spatial scales: within the policy area (Transform South Yorkshire (TSY) Pathfinder, within the South Yorkshire sub-region (SY) and within the wider region of Yorkshire and the Humber (YH)). Secondly, a quantitative analysis is applied in this paper to examine the relationship between economic competitiveness and housing in four sub-regional local authority districts (LADs) of South Yorkshire, UK. It demonstrates that housing prices in local authority districts affect some form of economic competitiveness. Overall, although evidences suggest that the UK government''s housing market renewal program has resulted in some success in reinvigorating the local housing market, the objective of reducing or eradicating spatial differentiation in house prices will require a long-term commitment and a radical reappraisal of sustainable housing and planning policy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The effectiveness of institutional arrangements and policies for governance has become a key question within the sustainability paradigm, not least in coastal areas which have unique issues and jurisdictions across the land–sea interface. In the UK, approximately 60 non-statutory coastal management initiatives have been established at the local/regional level since the 1990s, based on a variety of programmes and projects. Proposals for a UK Marine Bill have raised questions about the role of non-statutory initiatives in the system of governance. The traditional sectoral approach to management and planning is being modified due to the pressure of increased human activities, but doubts exist about what effective contribution local and regional partnerships can make. The paper reports extensive examples of Integrated Coastal Management initiatives engaging institutions and society to produce outputs which have transformed management, promoting long-term, collaborative, participatory and ecologically sustainable approaches. The paper concludes that there are demonstrable benefits in taking a partnership approach to coastal management at a local level, yet these forms of planning and management are not widely accepted or embedded within the current system of governance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The study of sustainable development relies upon an understanding of the linkages and interactions between the physical, social and economic environments. One of the problems confronting investigations of sustainable development has been the apparent incompatibility of spatial data collected by different academic disciplines, due to the differing scale and nature of data collection. This paper discusses techniques for reconciling such data in the development of a spatial data set designed to characterise rural England in terms of what is there, what it is like, the living and working conditions, and the political and economic context. The methodological considerations of combining data from different sampling regimes, scales and themes to a consistent unit of analysis are described. They suggest that the origin of the data, be it social, economic or physical, need not in itself be a barrier to integration. While recognising certain constraints imposed by different disciplinary cultures, the paper argues that an understanding of data form and distribution is far more critical for the creation of a spatial dataset describing the variety of conditions prevailing in rural England. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the European context, medium sized cities play a key role in organizing the territory at the regional level. Studies on commuting and travel behaviour often refer to large metropolitan areas, but results are not directly transferable because of differences in resources and processes. In addition, data availability is typically reduced to national datasets, thus most studies cannot be replicated. This paper analyses spatial commuting trends in two English medium sized cities with different spatial patterns. Locally disaggregated nationwide available census data and registry of planning applications were analysed with multiple linkage analysis and complementary indices. Results indicate that commuting trips to the city centre dominate in both monocentric and dispersed urban areas regardless of the presence of motorways. However, differences were found in the distance and number of trips as well as in the relationship between mode of transport and type of accommodation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Plant diseases can impact on crop yields and disrupt food supply chains. It is surprising, therefore, that a detailed analysis of key actor responses to disease risk has not been undertaken. This paper examines grower and agronomist perceptions, and their relationships, in the management of plant disease in two UK arable sectors: wheat and potatoes. Applying social science concepts of risk, trust and agricultural knowledges, interviews were conducted with 30 growers and 10 agronomists in Lincolnshire (Eastern England) and Herefordshire (West Midlands). A majority of growers had a broad fungicide spray programme for their crops, rather than a formal plan, and this was guided by their previous experiences and advice from agronomists. For agronomists, flexible spray programmes were also seen as essential, based on knowledge of the local area, disease pressure and prevailing weather patterns. Neither growers nor agronomists rely solely on scientific knowledge (risk as analysis) in their decision-making and intuitive responses (risk as feeling) also play an important role in plant disease management. The influence of agronomists varies from almost complete grower dependence to occasional use and verification. However, the knowledge exchange encounters between growers and agronomists are increasingly interactive and reflect personality and the accumulation of trust between them rather than factors such as farm size, farm type, area and the age of the farmer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There is huge geographical variation in the extent to which excrement represents a threat to human and environmental health. In the UK, we tend to think little of such risks. By contrast, 52% of all people in Asia have no access to basic sanitation and 95% of sewage in developing world cities is discharged untreated into rivers, lakes and coastal areas where it destroys aquatic life, reduces the potential of these ecosystems to support food security, facilitates the transmission of diseases and has a significant economic impact in terms of working days and earnings lost due to ill health. At the same time human excrement represents a resource that could be better utilized to promote human livelihoods and improve environmental quality through use as manure and as a source of biogas energy. This paper seeks to provide an overview of the importance of human waste (as both a threat and an opportunity) in different spatial, historical and cultural contexts and to highlight potential areas of interest for applied geographical research in future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper assesses the suitability of data from the 1930s First Land Utilisation Survey maps to be used as a baseline against which to consider agricultural land use change over time in a small area of East Sussex, England. The working field sheets are compared with the corrected and published 1:63,360 maps for the same area and differences of around 15 per cent of the total area are identified. The categories of Heath and Rough Grazing, and Meadow and Grassland seem to have caused particular difficulties for the original surveyors, as it is these which have most often been reclassified between the field sheets and one inch maps. Comparison of the Heath and Rough Grazing figures with data from the agricultural census suggests that the field sheets may in fact be the more correct representation of land use at the time, and this throws into question the use of the 1:63,360 maps as the definitive version of the survey. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Geographical modelling methods offer opportunities for enhancing the resolution in time and space of agro-meteorological data. Given the number of emerging agricultural decision support initiatives in Britain, together with the growing use of weather-driven environmental models, exploring this potential is a matter of current importance. The paper discusses a geographical framework that focuses particularly on the spatial and temporal resolution of the information required, suggesting methods for enhancing the underlying real-time network of meteorological data observations to meet these challenges. Finally, we advance internet delivery as a means by which seamless data collation and distribution may be achieved through multi-agency collaboration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

National small area classifications in Britain were first produced over 40 years ago using statistics from 1971 Population Census and have now become a regular feature of governmental, academic and commercial analysis of census information. These classifications aim to encapsulate the aggregate demographic and socio-economic character of small areas by means of a simple thumbnail description. However, these pen portraits often also refer to the environmental nature of the different types of area where people live, employing terms such as 'leafy suburb', 'industrial hinterland' or 'agricultural heartland'. This paper reports on research that aims to determine whether a set of environmental (land use) indicators are capable of discriminating between areas in a way that matches a 'standard' area classification derived from multivariate analysis of demographic and socio-economic statistics. The research assesses the impact of adding a set of environmental (land use) variables to a collection of Census variables on area classification using k-means clustering in two contrasting case study local authorities. The results reveal that clustering with and without the addition of land use variables produce partially overlapping (coincident) classifications of the small areas and certain of the land use variables are aligned with some area types. • Assesses the effect of adding land cover variables into area-based geodemographic classifications in case study areas. • Achieved by connecting directly with the methods and data used in a previous national UK geodemographic classification. • Examines contrasting and complementary case study local authorities. • Provides a starting point for exploring the impact of incorporating landscape metrics into geodemographic classifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To manage the potential conflict between outdoor recreation and nature conservation, managers of nature areas need information to select effective interventions. For large nature areas information on visitor use is often lacking and managers often make decisions based on expert judgement. In this paper we use monitoring data gathered with GPS devices to develop a tool and derive rules of thumb managers can use to estimate the impact of management actions on visitor densities. Using a dataset of 1563 tracks from the New Forest, UK, we developed a random forest model and identified which landscape and environmental features account for the spatial variation in visitor densities. The random forest model shows that distance to car park, distance to roads and openness are the most important factors for predicting visitor densities. The model was used as a tool to assess the impact of potential management interventions on the population of Nightjar. As developing this type of tool requires a lot of data we also derived rules of thumb and a simple algorithm that managers of other nature areas can use to estimate the impact of their interventions on visitor densities. The derived rules of thumb show that changing the location of car parks in relation to tarmac roads can help managers to reduce local visitor densities by 80%. Further research in other nature areas should verify the feasibility of these rules of thumb and the simple algorithm. • GPS data provides information to understand what drives visitor densities. • Random forest models can be used as tool to assess the impact of interventions. • Current recreational use lowers the Nightjar population by 38% in the New Forest, UK. • Changing the location of car parks in relation to roads is an effective intervention. • Managers might use a simple algorithm for a first estimation of visitor densities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]