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This paper aims to analyze the trends in income inequality in large cities within a selected sample of OECD countries. Specifically, we consider a set of individual characteristics that account for changes in the income distribution and estimate their contribution to differences in inequality in large cities over the last two decades. We use a combination of reweighting techniques and recentered influence functions (RIF) to detect an upward trend in inequality within large cities. This result is mainly driven by changes in the returns to endowments rather than by changes in its distribution. Our findings suggest that these results are not of the same magnitude across the countries analyzed. A key finding is that the contribution to inequality of the skill premium is considerably higher in North American countries than in European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the characteristics of cold events affecting eastern China during November–March of 1979–2018 using station observations and the ERA5 reanalysis, focusing five major cities (Beijing, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Shanghai and Guangzhou) for their high vulnerability and distinct local thermal conditions than the broader climate regimes. For each city, cold day (CD) (one or more continuous days where the temperature falls below the local 5th percentiles) and cold surge (CS) (a period of 1–3 days with a total temperature decrease exceeding 8°C) were both examined in aspects of occurrence frequency, circulation characteristics and health impacts. Results show that the northern cities are relatively more/less exposed to CD/CS than the southern cities. At all five cities, the two types of events rarely coincide and exhibit distinct multiple‐year variations, as CD and CS are, respectively, dominated by continental‐ and regional‐scale circulations. However, both types of events are associated with the interplay of the East Asia trough at 300 hPa and the Siberian high, Aleutian low and subtropical high at 850 hPa. Results also show that during CDs in these cities, the effective temperatures (ET), which take into account of the near‐surface wind speed and humidity, are often about 5°C lower than the actual temperatures. The ET decreases are larger than the actual temperature drops in most CSs, yet in specific scenarios (primarily in Beijing and Zhengzhou when the temperature drop is relatively small), the ET drop can be less pronounced, as the possible decrease of wind speed and/or humidity can partially mitigate the ET decrease caused by dropping temperatures. These underline the complexity of health impacts of cold events, which vary regionally due to differences in covariations of temperature, wind speed and relative humidity. There aspects are worthy of further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geography of urban innovation in the United States has often been portrayed as dominated by a few large cities. However, emerging perspectives challenge this notion by highlighting the significance of secondary cities for innovation processes. Unfortunately, prevailing narratives and empirical evidence focus on technological invention only, measured by patents. This study aims to reevaluate the geography of urban innovation by considering various phases of the innovation process and incorporating a broader range of innovation types. In addition to conventional patent metrics, this research suggests incorporating trademarks and design rights as complementary data. The findings reveal that large cities still exhibit prominence when examining absolute counts of innovation. Instead, analysing intensities allows the identification of secondary cities that specialise in various innovation activities beyond technological invention only. Overall, the findings provide compelling evidence that urban innovation in the United States is not limited to a few large cities nor is it solely driven by technological invention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the dynamics of the population of the regions of the Far North and equivalent localities (North), including the Arctic zone, for the period between censuses (2010–2021). Calculations were carried out both for the entire territory of the specified macroregions, and for groups of settlements of different sizes and according to their position in the central-peripheral system, highlighting large cities and their suburbs. The large cities of the North and the Arctic did not have such steady population growth as in other parts of the country, but on the whole they "held" it. The population decline in the peripheral territories of the microregion occurred at a faster pace compared to the peripheral territories of other parts of the country. The most rapid population decline, as in the country as a whole, took place in small rural settlements. This ensured further concentration of the population in large cities and compression of the developed, inhabited space of the North and the Arctic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Short-term rental is one of the forms of rental that has become extremely popular in recent decades. Perceiving residential real estate also through the prism of possible benefits from renting has enabled real estate owners to compete with organized services provided by hotel facilities. The article aims to analyze the supply of the short-term rental market in selected large Polish cities about the offer of hotel services. Design/methodology/approach: The offer of short-term rental apartments was analyzed based on the data of active real estate properties published on the Airbnb portal over 12 months, i.e., from October 2021 to September 2022. Data from the Statistics Office and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports were used. Findings: The analysis showed that large Polish cities are similar in terms of the structure and quality of short-term rental supply and do not differ from the trends typical of large cities around the world. Large cities in Poland usually offered small, autonomous, and well-equipped facilities where you could stay for any number of days, and which were available at attractive prices - often lower than the prices of rooms in even the highest standard hotels. Research limitations/implications: Short-term rental offers should be monitored not only because of their competitiveness in the hotel industry but also because of the possibility of changes in the functional structure of large cities. Originality/value: In the face of changes in the world, alternative services that were not so popular until recently may become increasingly important for the global economy. The article may be of interest to entrepreneurs from the hotel industry, users, and providers of booking platforms, as well as researchers of the sharing economy phenomena. The originality of the publication lies in its approach to booking platforms as an alternative to classic hotel services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the forecasting skills of the meso-scale convective system (MCS) is one of the key scientific problems in the field of numerical weather prediction. The occurrence and development of severe convective weather are affected by multiple factors such as atmospheric thermodynamic and kinetic conditions, topography, and air pollution conditions. Due largely to the uncertainty in models and the inevitable errors of initial values, large uncertainties still exist for the accurate prediction of severe weather produced by the MCS. Therefore, to effectively improve the accuracy of severe convective weather forecasts in China, conducting targeted observation experiments in key areas of interest, which typically helps to reduce the uncertainty level of the model's initial meteorological field, may be one of the effective ways forward. It follows that the initiation and formation mechanisms of MCS can be revealed, and the forecast skills of severe convection will be improved. In this paper, we first propose the technology roadmap of targeted observation as follows. Based on the modern meteorological observational network over the Jing-Jin-Ji area, the typical MCS forecast sensitive regions are identified by using the Ensemble Transform Kalman filter, combined with the atmospheric sounding systems mounted on the mobile vehicle, where targeted observation experiments will be conducted. As such, convective initiation mechanisms are elucidated, and the novel methods expected to improve the forecast skill for MCS are explored. Secondly, in response to the challenge of "finding needles in a haystack" in the vertical observation of the lower atmosphere for short-term forecasting and warning of severe convective weather in large cities, the potential application value of a dynamic triangular observation mesonet in the study of triggering and development mechanisms of severe convective weather was explored through the construction of a Pyramid-shaped LOwer Tropospheric Observational System (PLOTOS) that consists of five stations with simultaneous vertical observation capabilities. Finally, it is suggested that the initiation and formation mechanisms of severe convective weather be unraveled using PLOTOS, and the mesoscale targeted observation technology be developed, which is crucial to the improvement of weather observational networks in large cities and provide new ideas and methods for improving the forecast of severe convective weather processes.

Purpose – Large cities are and will continue to become important tourism destinations in foreseeable future. Tourists' motives of the present is the prognosis for their future tourists' behavior. In respond to the longstanding critics in city tourism study, the present research aims to examine the underlying motives of tourists visiting large cities and offer insights into fashioning tourism future for visiting large cities. The identified motives inform three distinct implications fashioning tourism future of large cities. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative investigation was performed by surveying city tourists. Measurements on the survey form were derived from both scholarly and grey literature in relation to tourists' motivations. 326 valid questionnaires were netted to attain the study aim. Three-quarters of respondents were from Europe, Australia and Pacific. Descriptive analysis and exploratory factor analysis were conducted to achieve the research aims. Findings – Five underlying motives of tourists visiting large cities were revealed: shopping indulgence, urban commons, city icons, cultural and lifestyle and personal advancement. Mapping the findings with a conceptual scheme depicting tourism product in destination, the author revealed a new dimension, urbanity and offered critical reflection on three implications for the tourism future of large cities. Originality/value – Literature examining city tourists' motives neglect the context-specific measurements while administering the investigation. The research design embraces the urban-specific measurements in the data collection tool, contributing to deeper understanding on how tourism functions in cities. A new dimension, urbanity, which illustrates tourists' motives exclusive in large cities, was identified. Furthermore, three implications fashioning tourism future of large cities are revealed with the support of empirical evidence.

The paper analyzes the trends in the average monthly concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in the period from 2005 to 2021 in 18 large cities in different geographical areas: St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kyiv, Donetsk, Helsinki, Warsaw, Istanbul, Athens, Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, London, and Amsterdam. It was found that, in all cities, the concentration of this gas decreases, but at different rates. The highest rate of change was recorded in cities with the highest gas content at the time of the initial stage—2005. A linear dependence of the average nitrogen dioxide concentration on the population and anthropogenic emissions was revealed according to HTAPv3 data. Approximately every 1 million people of the population of large cities is responsible for the formation of a gas concentration of ∼200 × 1015 molecules/cm2, regardless of the geographical location of the city. Every ∼10 000 t/month of nitrogen dioxide emissions based on HTAPv3 generate gas concentrations of ∼500 × 1015 molecules/cm2. Using these dependences, it is possible to estimate anthropogenic emissions of NO2 sources throughout the country, based on remote sensing data. The results of the study also indicate the possibility of verifying and correcting inventory databases of gas emissions based on satellite observations of the nitrogen dioxide content in the atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to identify which resilience-oriented policies are being enacted and factors that influence policy adoption. We develop clusters of policies related to three types of resilience: ecological, engineering, and community. Among large U.S. cities, we find wide variation in the number and type of policies enacted. Through multivariate analysis, we identify factors that are associated with the adoption of these policies. Similar to earlier work on sustainability and climate change policy, our results show that larger cities are more likely to adopt all three types of resilience policies. Wealthier and liberal cities adopt more ecological resilience policies. Cities that are members of city networks also adopt more policies, but not all networks significantly influence policy adoption suggesting that network goals and connections are important. We also find that among these large cities, it is the smaller of them that appear to benefit most from membership in networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the results of measuring the oxygen content in Moscow in 2017–2021 at three Budgetary Environmental Protection Institution Mosecomonitoring automatic stations for monitoring atmospheric pollution. Seasonal variations in oxygen content in the city are considered, the issues of compliance of the values with the scale of comfort level for human breathing developed by medical specialists are discussed, and measurement data are compared with the results of calculating the oxygen concentration in the air by the magnitude of meteorological parameters. According to the measurements, diurnal variations of the O2 content in the surface urban air, more pronounced in the warm season, are revealed for the first time. The minimum O2 content is observed in summer in the early morning hours. The main natural and anthropogenic processes that determine the variability of oxygen content in the surface air of a megalopolis at different time scales are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial unit of urban agglomerations is extremely important for reducing negative externalities in large cities. Although there is a large body of literature on reducing negative externalities within a single city, few studies have focused on the important role of urban agglomerations. To offer a new method for reducing negative externalities in large cities and fill in this gap in the literature, our paper examines the effect of spatial functional division in urban agglomerations on negative externalities in large cities by applying the concept of spatial functional division to data on 19 urban agglomerations and data on negative externalities from 35 large cities in China. We first show that spatial functional division in urban agglomerations can significantly reduce negative externalities. The robustness of the results was confirmed using the instrumental variable approach, alternative indicators, and other robustness checks. Furthermore, we identified the productivity improvement mechanisms in large cities that generate the observed mitigatory effects of spatial functional division in urban agglomerations on negative externalities in large cities. The heterogeneous analyzes indicate that spatial functional division in urban agglomerations has a stronger mitigatory effect on negative externalities in large cities in the context of higher inter-city connectivity, greater polycentricity, and official approval regarding urban agglomerations’ regional planning. Our findings emphasize the importance of urban agglomerations for reducing negative externalities in large cities, particularly in China, where urban agglomerations have been rapidly developing and spatial functional division in urban agglomerations has been continuously improving.

• Effects of urbanization expansion and maturity on vegetation growth are investigated. • Looser urban expansion patterns help offset direct vegetation loss. • Laggard cities effectively offset direct vegetation loss. • Urban maturity level has a higher driving effect on urban ecological offset effect. • Indirect impact of urbanization can offset direct negative on vegetation. Rapid urbanization replaces vegetation with build-up land, which threatens green spaces and the well-being of residents. In this study, the urban expansion patterns (UEPs) of build-up land from 2000 to 2020 were identified for 40 typical large cities in China, and their urban maturity (UM) was quantified. The different UEPs and UM types were used to analyze the comprehensive impacts of different types of cities on vegetation growth at different urbanization expansion intensity gradients. Finally, the relationship between different driving forces and the urban ecological effects was explored. The results showed that mature cities and the infilling cities experienced vegetation loss while other UEPs and UM levels resulted in increased vegetation growth. In particular, laggard cities and looser UEPs were able to effectively offset the direct vegetation loss caused by urbanization. The UM level had a high driving effect on the urban ecological offset. In the future, the scale and speed of urbanization can be optimized to reasonable levels and the urban ecological restoration should be strengthened to meet the needs of ecological security. This study contributes to explore the effectiveness of the urbanization process and land management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract—This article analyzes the positions of largest (with a population from 250 000 to 1 000 000 people) and large (with a population from 100 000 to 250 000 people) cities in the economic space of the regions of Russia based on the case of the Urals. The spatial significance of these cities is evaluated by the specific shares in the population, fixed capital expenditures, manufacturing output, retail turnover, and housing delivery. Imbalances are detected over all of the parameters, which is indicative of violations in the normal spatial pattern and deformations in the economic environment. The specific share of the largest and large cities of the Urals in retail turnover and housing delivery is lower than their share in the demographic figures. Traditional industries are the sole anchor to support the established settlement pattern structure. By 2017 the spatial significance of the largest and large cities of the Urals was generally lower than in 2007. Largest and large cities cease to function as trade and service centers for dwellers of nearby territories. The preservation of the situation that is now in evidence is fraught with the risks of growing imbalances in the national economic space and requires the encouragement of advanced development of the largest and large cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiscal policy is one of the main tools for managing territorial development. An efficient fiscal policy encourages increased budget filling. As a result, a country's regions can increase their expenditures to boost their socioeconomic development. The goal of this study was to analyze the key areas of state policy in the domain of financial support to local government bodies of large cities and to studying the influence of fiscal policy on the development of million-plus cities. The article considers the main indices of the budgets of the largest Russian cities and assesses the structure of their fiscal revenues for determining the sufficiency degree of tax and nontax revenues accumulated in these cities and transferred to their budgets, the extent to which the budgets depend on the funds allocated to them on a nonreimbursable basis from the budgets of the respective regions, and makes a detailed analysis of the fiscal expenditures of the considered cities. Special attention is devoted to analyzing the budget of Novosibirsk as the largest municipal entity in Russia. The calculation of fiscal coefficients helps one study the stability of the city budget, identify the positions of Novosibirsk among both the largest cities of Russia and urban districts and municipal districts of Novosibirsk oblast. Particular emphasis is also made on analyzing the principal fiscal revenue items of the Russian million-plus cities from the standpoint of affluence with tax and nontax revenues and considering the nonreimbursable transfers to their budgets from the budgets of the respective regions. It is concluded that stable tax sources of revenue should be attached to the local budgets on the whole and the cities in particular to improve the tax potential of the local budgets. It is established that in 2011–2018 the Russian million-plus cities experienced a significant reduction in their fiscal capacity and autonomy. The principal expenditure items of the budgets of the largest Russian cities are studied to determine their focus on the socioeconomic development of the Russian million-plus cities. The Russian million-plus cities should be considered separately from the general totality of municipalities because these cities are drivers of the national economic development and have a decisive influence on the economy. The tax revenue sources sufficient for the stable functioning and formation of the development budgets of large Russian cities should be legally attached to them on a nationwide scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to present variability in the population of individual size classes of Polish cities in 1950-2018, its determinants and consequences for the formation of the settlement system. The application of quartiles as the basic statistical measure allowed identifying which parts of particular size classes of cities had the greatest impact (progressively or regressively) on changes in the settlement system. In this respect, strong dynamics of the upper quartile of Polish cities, lasting until the end of the 1970s, becomes apparent. In the 1980s, the dynamics of the upper quartile of large cities showed a shift during development waves in comparison to the culmination of these waves for medium-sized cities. However, since the end of the 1980s, there has been an increasing role of the lower quartile in determining the direction of changes in the size structure of cities, especially in medium and small cities.

The main objective of the work detailed here was to identify directions of population change characterising Poland's largest cities in the years 1980-2020. The temporal scope of the analysis involves the last decade of the country's communist era (1980-1989) and the subsequent period of transition. The cities involved were Warsaw, Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław, Poznań and Gdańsk. This paper is analytical and descriptive, with the index method and Webb's typology deployed. Population change was described in terms of the relative population index and growth rate, while reference was also made to rate of natural increase and migration balance. Webb's dynamic diagram was used to depict directions of population change, in a modification permitting that change over time to be indicated. Population structure was analysed by identifying "surpluses" in the shares of overall population accounted for by people in particular age groups. This method, approached separately for males and females, makes comparisons - and seeks divergences - with the average shares for population in different age groups noted for Poland as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of CienciAmérica is the property of Revista Cienciamerica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses the factors and conditions determining the population concentration and economic activity of the largest cities and agglomerations in the Russian Federation. It is shown that in addition to market volumes, labor quality, scaling effects, and higher innovative activity resulting from competition, budgetary structure and budgetary policy play an important role in the advanced development of large Russian cities. Using Novosibirsk as an example, the article analyzes the expenditures of the Russian budgetary system in a Russian city and shows that the expenditures of the city budget are less than one-third of the total expenditures of the budgetary system inside the city's territory. The Novosibirsk budget reveals the main trends in the dynamics of its budget indicators. The structure of the city's budget is evaluated in terms of both the revenue gathered directly on its territory and its dependence on funds transferred from the regional budget. By analyzing budgetary resources, the article identifies the main areas of spending inside the territory of Novosibirsk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the proliferation of digital technology, online shopping is burgeoning and reshaping shopping behaviors. Extant research on online shopping behaviors mainly focuses on developed countries and megacities in developing countries. However, large cities experiencing fast-evolving digital technology have rarely been examined. Using questionnaire data collected from online shoppers in Weifang, a large city in China, this study investigated the characteristics and further identified influencing factors of residents' online shopping behaviors. Generally, residents' online shopping behaviors were spatially and socially heterogeneous. Individuals residing in closer proximity to the urban center and those with higher socioeconomic status were more active in online shopping. This result supported the diffusion of innovation hypothesis, underscoring that the digital divide within large Chinese cities manifested as multiple confluences of spatial and social divides. Furthermore, residents' online shopping behaviors were substantially influenced by their socioeconomic attributes, living conditions, access to in-store shopping, and online shopping experience. A noteworthy bidirectional promotion of online and in-store shopping behaviors was observed among residents, indicating a tendency toward integrating online and offline shopping. This study enriches scholarly discussions on residents' shopping behaviors and provides references for improving the distribution of commercial resources in large cities during the digital economy era. • Residents' online shopping behaviors witnessed a decreasing trend from the center to suburban and further rural areas under the continuous impact of digital technology. • Digital divide manifested as the multiple confluence of spatial and social divides in Chinese large cities. • The development and application of digital technology promoted the integration of online and in-store shopping. • A bi-directional promotion of residents' online and in-store shopping behaviors was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of the study was to identify the process of territorial development of large cities in Central and Eastern Europe based on the example of Wrocław. The analysis of the administrative boundaries changes; population density and land development revealed specific features of the territorial growth of large cities, which due to their repeatability indicate the cyclical nature of the processes. The specific pattern of territorial development in large cities can be described as follows: each period of socioeconomic development of the city contributes to an increase in population density within urban boundaries, and then to the sprawl of the city into its nearest neighborhood. The suburban area is an extension of the city and over time is incorporated into administrative boundaries of the city. Extension of the city usually reduces the population density within its new boundaries. Each subsequent period of prosperity in the city initiates another cycle of spatial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The city of Rio de Janeiro has implemented, on a large scale, the model of Social Organizations (OSS) for the management of Primary Health Care (PHC). This option makes the understanding of the city's experience very relevant, especially since, until then, the OSS organizational model had been adopted predominantly in the SUS hospital management. Thus, the experience of PHC development at two conflicting moments of municipal management in relation to the OSS model is analyzed: the implementation and development of the PPPs (2009-2016); and their dismantling (2017-2020). Case Studies, Literature Review and analysis of public data from DATASUS/Ministry of Health were used. It was verified that: the adoption of outsourcing based on OSS can be directly associated with the rapid expansion of PHC in the city and PHC coverage improvement indicators; the diffusion of the OSS model is associated with the high priority given to health expenditures in the municipal budget; the sustainability of the adoption of the OSS model did not depend on the municipality's economic status, but on the government's political choice in the period of 2009 to 2016. The PPP arrangement resulted in important organizational advances, although it did not prevent the veto of the OSS model carried out during the 2017-2020 term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that globally 3.7 million deaths were attributable to ambient air pollution (AAP) in 2012. Traffic congestion is one of the significant sources of air pollutants Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are advanced technologies that have been used widely in large cities. They have a potential impact on reducing traffic congestion and then improving environmental quality. Many countries have targeted urban policy traffic enforcement strategies that are ITS-based on improving traffic emission and air quality. Because each strategy has a different impact level, the strategy that positively impacts location and traffic conditions might negatively impact under different conditions. Also, the authorities that take the decision which strategies could be implemented. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate the potential impact of traffic enforcement strategies on reducing traffic emissions and improving air quality. In our study, three typical traffic enforcement strategies were evaluated: a traffic management regulation for speed limit changes, route changing, and fleet composition changes. The impact of these strategies on air quality was evaluated through evaluating the traffic air quality changes brought by these strategies against a baseline (Base Case) scenario. The results indicate that the impact of these strategies on increasing environmental quality is not always positive. The reduction of CO was the highest in the speed restriction scenario (25.6%) than other scenarios. While reducing the reduction of PM10 was less in speed restriction scenario (25.6%) than other scenarios. The findings can help the decision makers implement the best strategy to reduce traffic emission under different situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studies in Law & Economics / Studia Prawno-Ekonomiczne is the property of Lodz Scientific Society / Lodzkie Towarzystwo Naukowe and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The study aims to present variability in the population of individual size classes of Polish cities in 1950-2018, its determinants and consequences for the formation of the settlement system. The application of quartiles as the basic statistical measure allowed identifying which parts of particular size classes of cities had the greatest impact (progressively or regressively) on changes in the settlement system. In this respect, strong dynamics of the upper quartile of Polish cities, lasting until the end of the 1970s, becomes apparent. In the 1980s, the dynamics of the upper quartile of large cities showed a shift during development waves in comparison to the culmination of these waves for medium-sized cities. However, since the end of the 1980s, there has been an increasing role of the lower quartile in determining the direction of changes in the size structure of cities, especially in medium and small cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Polish Statistician / Wiadomości Statystyczne is the property of State Treasury - Statistics Poland and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The primary aim of the study was to identify the process of territorial expansion and spatial development in large cities of Poland exemplified by Wrocław, Warsaw and Cracow. This denoted the gathering of information on changes in administrative boundaries as well as population in the cities referred to - from the 13th century all the way through to modern times. The research hypothesis adopted was that cities expand their territories gradually, with each extension of administrative boundaries following a specific pattern and reflecting social and economic growth. The territorial development of a city (territorial change) thus relates to growth (change) in the administrative area, often in the form of expansion in relation to a widening of administrative boundaries, but with narrowing also possible. The spatial development of the city in turn follows the development of urbanised (especially built-up) areas both within the boundaries - and in the immediate vicinity - of the given city (with the development of suburban areas taking place). The latter does not usually result in a change of administrative boundaries. The study was inspired by observations on the specific nature of territorial growth in Wrocław and other large cities in Poland, for which analysis revealed some regularities to the settlement processes during different historical periods. Firstly, changes in the administrative boundaries of large cities followed a pulsatile pattern, with consecutive modifications alternating with periods of stability of variable length. Secondly, the territorial expansion of a city usually came after a period of dynamic social and economic growth both within existing boundaries and in the surrounding zone connected closely with the city and transformed under its influence. In turn, most longer periods in which boundaries were stable corresponded to periods of social and economic stagnation in the given city. Thirdly, the boundaries of cities changed when a certain climax point of population density was exceeded, and the city could no longer grow within its existing boundaries. Each extension contributed to an increase in the administered area and to population growth, albeit with population density decreasing considerably - in statistical terms - given the incorporation of new, less-urbanised areas offering free (potential) land for further urban growth. Fourthly, the sequence of development processes and their specific repeatability are cyclical in nature, and consecutive cycles are seen to end successive stages involving the extension of cities' administrative boundaries. A single cycle of changes in the administrative boundaries of the city consists of five basic phases. Phase I is the initial phase, which takes place at the moment of foundation of a city, or in the case of subsequent cycles - when there is extension of the city limits. During phase II the number of residents and population density within the city borders increase as a result of socio-economic growth. During phase III population density within the city boundaries continues to increase, and after reaching the limit of its growth potential the city sprawls to the nearest neighbourhood. During phase IV the impact of the city on its neighbourhood stimulates further development of the suburbs. This process may also often encompass suburban villages or smaller towns strongly connected with the city. During phase V the functional link between the city and its neighbourhood (suburbs) is so strong that the administrative boundaries are extended to include suburban areas that represent a natural extension of the city. This contributes to an increase in area and population growth, as well as to a major decrease in population density within the new boundaries. This phase is at the same time the initial phase for the next cycle of a city's spatial and territorial development. The above described cyclical pattern of territorial growth concerns a specific group of cities - monocentric regional centres developing as a result of the influence of centripetal forces in the physicalism and functional approach. The presented research also reveals that the territorial development of a city is not always consistent with the actual directions of its spatial development. Significant extension of administrative boundaries was typical in the 20th c. in large cities of Poland and other CEECs, and particularly common in the era of their centrally-planned economies, with a focus on planned urbanisation and industrialisation. Currently, cities in this region have entered a phase of dynamic suburbanisation that contributes to the significant development of urban areas, especially around large cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the factors and conditions determining the population concentration and economic activity of the largest cities and agglomerations in the Russian Federation. It is shown that in addition to market volumes, labor quality, scaling effects, and higher innovative activity resulting from competition, budgetary structure and budgetary policy play an important role in the advanced development of large Russian cities. Using Novosibirsk as an example, the article analyzes the expenditures of the Russian budgetary system in a Russian city and shows that the expenditures of the city budget are less than one-third of the total expenditures of the budgetary system inside the city's territory. The Novosibirsk budget reveals the main trends in the dynamics of its budget indicators. The structure of the city's budget is evaluated in terms of both the revenue gathered directly on its territory and its dependence on funds transferred from the regional budget. By analyzing budgetary resources, the article identifies the main areas of spending inside the territory of Novosibirsk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The equalization of urban public service facilities is important to the daily lives of urban residents. Spatial quantification of the supply and demand of public service facilities can reveal relationships between supply and demand agents and provide a foundation for the planning of urban public service facilities. This study proposed a comprehensive framework to assess the current state of supply (accessibility of facilities) and demand (population carrying pressure) of various public services in cities and determine patterns between different public service facilities. This framework contains three elements: (a) multi-scale spatial quantification of the matching of supply and demand, (b) spatial matching of supply and demand, and (c) spatial clustering analysis of the supply and demand balance. This study analyzed 19 major cities in China from a supply and demand perspective and examined implications for matching the supply and demand of public service facilities. The results indicated that education service facilities had the most appropriate supply and demand relationship. Areas where public service facilities had a good matching of supply and demand demonstrated a strong pattern of clustering. There were significant differences in the level of matching of the supply and demand of public service facilities among various regions in China. The limitations of the framework and future directions are discussed.

The analysis of the median cost of accommodation in 4* and 5* hotels in the cities of Russia and the perceived (evaluated by the clients themselves) quality of their services has revealed a significant inconsistency of these parameters. The state should actively regulate the price policy of collective accommodation facilities and monitor the quality of their services.

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Resource and environmental carrying capacity (RECC) is an important foundation for the long-term development of cities. The accurate evaluation of the RECC of cities is of great significance to China, which is rapidly urbanizing. This paper constructs a support index and pressure index to calculate the level of support resources and the level of environmental pressure that human activities induce in 36 municipalities, provincial capitals and subprovincial cities in China from 2010 to 2016; in addition, this paper analyzes the factors affecting RECC. The results show that (1) the support index of most cities (32) is greater than the pressure index, demonstrating that the resource and environmental carrying capacity of most cities is stronger than the pressure of human social activities. (2) The RECC of first-line, super large cities is of concern; the RECCs of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have already been exceeded. (3) The resources, the environmental services and the pressure of human activities on those services in most cities are average, while the resource, the environmental services and the pressure of human activities on those services are greater in a few developed cities (such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, etc.). (4) The ability of resources and the environment to support human activities in China's large cities exhibited a downward trend. The pressure of human social activities on urban resources and the environment is increasing, but the growth rate of that pressure has slowed. (5) Area of land used for urban construction, the area of urban green space and length of city sewage pipes and other resource indicators are common obstacles to the improvement of most cities' pressure indexes. Water shortage is a common problem faced by first-tier cities in China. This study supports a comprehensive understanding of China's large-scale RECC status and provides a reference for the formulation of a scientific and pragmatic urban development strategy. Unlabelled Image • An evaluation system of RECC that includes both the support and pressure factors impacting carrying capacity is constructed. • The factors affecting RECC were analyzed. • The classification of RECC by coupling the support index and the pressure index were analyzed. • The RECC of 36 municipalities, provincial capitals and subprovincial cities in China were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Adults in urban areas had higher scores of Internet addiction (IA) in Japan. • Psychological distress and lack of social support partly explained the association. • However, living in urban areas was associated with IA independent of these factors. Abstract This study examines the relationship between urbanization and Internet addiction (IA) and association with other psychopathology and social support, in a nationally representative sample in Japan. Data from the World Mental Health Japan Second Survey were used. There were 2450 survey respondents, with an average response rate of 43.4%. Respondents' living areas were divided into three groups on the basis of urbanization (operationalized as city size). IA was measured using the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS). Three variables — psychological distress, past-12-month mental disorder, and social support — were measured using established instruments. A multilevel model was conducted to clarify the association between urbanization and IA (continuous scores and prevalence), before and after adjusting for possible individual-level and area-level variables and demographic variables. CIUS scores were significantly higher in large cities than in small municipalities before adjusting for psychological distress, social support, and past-12-month mental disorder. After adjustment, these associations attenuated substantially: urbanization was no longer significantly associated with odds of mild/severe IA, while the relationship held for continuous CIUS scores. Thus, residence in large cities is associated with higher odds of IA in Japan; psychological distress, social support, and past-12-month mental disorder partly explain this association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive planning has been a key activity of local governments in Japan. This paper discusses the history of the comprehensive planning concept and argues that the purpose of comprehensive planning in large Japanese cities (dai-toshi) differs from that in Western cities. Specifically, Japanese comprehensive plans reflect Japan's distinctive planning and political culture, such as the country's history of granting gradually increased local autonomy to its cities under the Local Government Act, and the implementation of top-down plans prepared and implemented by powerful mayors and bureaucracies. Since year 2000 comprehensive plans for Japanese large cities have begun to change due to lower rates of economic growth, population stability, and ageing, alongside the challenges of introducing more efficiency and effectiveness into the planning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Article is devoted to studying of ecological and economic development of the country and a state of health of the population of the Republic Vietnam. It is shown that growth of number of manufacturing enterprises of the different sizes and capacities has essential impact on an ecological condition of the country. It is noted that anthropogenous nature of economic activity in the different large industrial cities (Hanoi, Hayfong, Gue, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh) the countries causes damage of environment. As a result, growth of diseases of the population and child mortality is noted.

At the last decade the XX century socio-economic and institutional conditions for development of Russian cities changed dramatically, which inevitably increased their differentiation and intra-regional economic and social inequality considerably exceeds the interregional inequality. Most of the studies on spatial socio-economic differences in Russia, however, focus on interregional inequality. City inequality is scrutinized to a far lesser extent; and little attention is paid at all to researching the factors that underlie such inequality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dynamics of socioeconomic disparities between large and major cities of the Russian Federation for the period 20012013 in the context of factors that determined these processes. We consider both objective factors (size of the city, its specialization, administrative status, geographical location) and policies implemented by various levels of authorities. The paper presents a central-peripheral aspect of the analysis; which is more adequate to the reality of non-uniform pattern of development of the Russian cities. The study found strengthening of leading position of cities of Moscow agglomeration, oil and gas towns of the Tyumen region, the largest cities in the South of Russia in terms of socio-economic development and the increasing concentration of factors of development in regional centers, which is reinforced by the policy of federal and regional authorities. As a result, a set of cities decomposes into two groups - the regional capitals and non-capital cities. Homogeneity of each group become larger and the difference between them increases. The study expands knowledge about the dynamics and factors of development of large and major cities of the Russian Federation for the period 2001-2013.

This article offers a ‘first step’ toward understanding the consequences of intranational political violence on the growth of a nation’s largest cities. Theory and research from studies on forced migration and internal displacement are used to construct several hypotheses that assess the impact that various forms of intranational political violence have on the growth of major urban areas within the developing world. Hypotheses are tested using a cross-national time-series sample of 85 developing nations from 1974 to 2005. The results provide strong empirical evidence that various forms of intranational political violence are significantly related to population growth amongst a nation’s largest cities. Specifically, attacks on government personnel are associated with an increase in population growth among a nation’s largest cities. Violence targeting civilians are associated with decelerated growth in a nation’s largest city but increased growth in major secondary cities. Finally, increases in the intensity and duration of civil wars are associated with decreases in population among secondary cities but exhibit a curvilinear growth pattern in a nation’s largest city (i.e. an increase then decrease). It is argued that the findings are at least partially explained by the ‘spatial logics’ that arise from a given form of political violence. It is concluded that more attention should be given to studying the consequences of political violence on the urbanisation process for rapidly urbanising nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid population growth and scarcity of developable space, especially in large cities, there is a need for increased density in both commercial and residential housing, and hence a strong demand to maximise floor space by constructing not only tall, but also slender buildings. This study considers different structural systems available for constructing slender high-rise buildings and evaluates their feasibility in terms of the lateral deformation being one of the key governing design criteria for very tall buildings. To examine the performance of different structural systems in buildings of varying height and floor plan, this study applies finite element analyses in a parametric study to compare nine different building configurations under static loading with heights varying from 80 to 460 m. The study shows that buildings with square footprints can achieve greater heights over rectangular footprints with the same area and that multiple towers when connected structurally at one or more levels can achieve even greater heights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 90s, the ideas on territorial strategic planning have been progressively disseminated in Russia. A growing number of cities, regions and macroregions recognized the urgency of finding their individual path of development which would ensure the successful implementation of strategic plans. The author of the article distinguishes four stages of formation and development of territorial strategic planning in modern Russia on the basis of retrospective analysis. The special attention is paid to the contemporary period which started after the adoption of the Federal Law of June 28, 2014 no. 172 “On strategic planning in the Russian Federation” regulating the activity of federal, regional and municipal authorities in the field of strategic planning and management. For the first time in more than 20 years the common requirements to the system of strategic planning were established in Russia at the level of the legislative act. The strategic planning is officially recognized as the most important element in the system of strategic management contributing to the creation of conditions for sustainable territorial development. The author grounds the expediency and proves the necessity of legislative adoption of norms and principles of the strategic planning. The municipal level as an equal member of the strategic planning process is included in the system of strategic planning. In accordance with the adopted law, the strategies for socioeconomic development of the territory of the RF subject can be worked out in the region (for example, for several municipalities). It is necessary to develop specific goals, objectives and directions of development for each territory. This creates the conditions for planning the development of metropolitan areas as the territories of advanced development, as well as large intermunicipal investment projects and programs. On the basis of experience of strategic planning in Volgograd, the author makes constructive suggestions for improvement and revision of current law, including the adoption of additional regulatory legal acts of methodological character.

The aim of this paper is an attempt of explanation basic factors of depopulation in case of cities in Poland in the 20st and in the beginning of 21st century. Author takes into consideration only large urban centers with population more than 50 thousands inhabitants. Population changes are described according to historical periods: 1900-1946 (including World War II), postwar period (1946-1989) and period socio-economic and political changes in Poland (1990-2010). A key question is basic thesis that different determinants of depopulation have two sources: internal as well as external ones. Some of them arise only in defined periods and social-economic conditions. The most important have been underlined in this paper. It has been highlighted that is visible different between simply depopulation of cities as consequence of military operations, for example and contemporary urban shrinkage as an effect of compound social-economic background. Paper gives some reflections on different possibilities for defense of cities not only against consequences of the second demographic transition but also functional changes, especially in case of larger post-industrial centers. Important question that have been underlined in paper is problem of urban shrinkage as contemporary dimension of depopulation. Presented information clearly shows that in demographic terms process of contemporary shrinkage is comparable with urban demographic decline of the WW2 period.