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This paper provides a clear insight into the quality of life on the level of housing estates in European countries. In doing so, the questions of housing and satisfaction with the housing situation in the estates as well as with surrounding areas and the neighbourhood, in general, is being considered as an important dimension of a complex research concept called the quality of life. In analysing the quality of housing, we inevitably encounter an interesting division into the so-called two different versions of Europe or two types of housing estates. In the phase of planning and constructing, they shared a common idea of designing modern and functional, mixed estates that would solve the housing question of most residents, i.e. of different social classes. However, the first type is marked by the socio-historical context of Western Europe, and the second by Eastern Europe, or as some authors like to frame it, the differences in housing quality between 'capitalist' and 'socialist' cities. From that perspective specifically, it seems useful to analyse the quality of life and the possibility of renewing both types of housing estates, by now deprived and decrepit, built after the Second World War in both types of cities. This applies equally to those in Western Europe, often marked by a significantly worse image and higher levels of socioeconomic problems (crime, segregation, deterioration and other), as well as the estates in post-socialist Europe, where large housing estates built during the socialist period remain a desirable housing option, but that are increasingly facing problems related to maintenance and upkeep of buildings and built environments (both public and communal spaces). In the last decades, in both types of estates there has been an increasing depopulation of middle and higher classes of residents, which progressively causes segregation but also deterioration in the social and physical sense. All the mentioned negative aspects of the housing quality require adopting national housing strategies and renewal programs which exist and are implemented in Western European countries, while they do not exist in most post-socialist countries, and Croatia is not an exception. Housing estates renewal should be an essential part of every country's housing policy, aimed at alleviating or preventing further degradation of the quality of life for housing estate residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Croatian Islands belong to the same macro-region of the Adriatic Croatia, they are characterized by a great heterogeneity of their geospatial reality at regional, micro regional, interinsular and local level, as well as by the complexity of the socio-economic structure and dynamic characteristics, as a result of physical-geographical and historical processes and contemporary development trends on them. The paper deals with sociogeographical classification of Croatian archipelago and provides an overview and systematization of scientific and professional considerations of its geospatial heterogeneity. It also includes an overview of Croatian Islands typification based on multi-criteria indicators. The author concluded the work by presenting a proposal of Croatian Islands clusterization concept as a contribution to the islands developmental policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dolines are considered to be among the most prominent karst formations, which is why they can serve as diagnostic forms of karst. Their spatial distribution and density are important indicators of an area's degree of karstification, as well as of an overall geomorphological development. The aim of this paper is to determine the spatial distribution and the density of dolines, and also to analyse the influence of geological structure and morphometric features of the terrain (hypsometry, slope inclination, relative relief) on the spatial distribution of dolines in the area of southeastern Velebit. Moreover, for the first time with regards to the Croatian karst, the spatial distribution of dolines was compared with the spatial distribution of entrances into caves in the southeastern Velebit's area of Crnopac. The data on the dolines' position were adopted from 1:25,000 scaled topographic maps. All data were digitalised and analysed with ArcGIS 10.1 software in the GIS laboratory of the Geographic Department of the Faculty of Science in Zagreb. The research showed a strong influence of morphometric parameters of the relief on dolines' density. The most prominent occurrence of dolines is linked with the areas ranging from 1000 to 1200 meters of altitude, slope inclination lower than 2° and the relative relief of 100 - 200 m per km². Furthermore, the highest density of dolines was recorded in the Jurassic carbonate layers, while it was determined that the zones of main faults do not have a significant influence on the increase of dolines' density. A high degree of correlation was determined by comparing spatial distributions and density of dolines and entrances into caves [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses changes in the radius of infuence of the most important Croatian cities in relation to the situation before 1992 and estimates how it could affect possible change of territorial organization. The decline of the population in most cities in the last twenty years and improvement of their transport accessibility are highlighted as particularly important processes that affect the growth or decline in their attractiveness. For the purpose of determination of the attractive power of cities, changes in the territorial organization of the judicial power, health care and education at university level were analysed, as well as some specifc indicators, such as spatial distribution of large shopping malls and multiplex cinemas. Based on research, it is concluded that the existing administrative-territorial structure of Croatia does not need a radical change in spite of certain shortcomings. Instead of that, it is necessary to establish economic and statistical regions without administrative authority, especially in areas around large urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community supported agriculture (CSA) refers to those agricultural activities that contrast with commercial agriculture. They consist of members who pay for fresh, untreated and locally grown food directly from farmers. In this way the risk is shared and the resellers are eliminated. This paper discusses the basic principles of CSA functioning and the historical circumstances of their development. Besides the economic dimension of the functioning of CSA groups, which is most important (ensuring of purchase), emphasis is also given to the social and cultural dimension of the groups activity. The basis of the work is the presentation of the functioning of CSA groups in Croatia and a comparison of social and economic characteristics of the group members and the farmers that collaborate to the groups with trends in the world. The results were collected by administering an online questionnaire among 46 group members and 5 famers. The survey has confirmed the starting hypothesis--that the group members are younger and highly educated persons who live in large cities or urbanized regions (Zagreb, Kvarner, Istria) and are driven by eco-social motives (ecological consciousness, healthy food, cooperation with group members). Farmers who cooperate with CSA groups are practicing ecological agriculture on farms that are smaller than an average Croatian farm. They collaborate with the groups because of easier selling of the products and they find that the groups have a positive effect on their income and involvement in the local community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]