Resource development alternatives: An evaluation strategy

This study makes use of factors known to influence the expected worth of non-measurable values associated with amenities and wilderness recreation to provide guidance for choosing between preservation and development of a site. An area in British Columbia with commercially valuable timber potential, and unique and important aesthetic and wilderness qualities is used to illustrate the problems and method. The approach should provide a reasonable degree of discrimination of choice over a wide range of such resource use conflicts and offers a basis for meaningful environmental impact assessment.The study on which this paper is in part based was supported by the British Columbia Department of Economic Development. Estimates of forestry values were made from data and analyses provided by Hartley Lewis.     

On the development of international financial centers

This paper was prepared for the Festschrift volume honoring the seventieth birthday of Michael K. Mischaikow. The outstanding research assistance of Doug McLean and the financial support of the British Columbia Ministry of Finance and Corporate Relations are gratefully acknowledged. The authors are solely responsible for all views expressed and for any errors that remain.     

Illusory regional income differentials

This paper is divided into two main sections: the first deals with the theoretical and practical interpretation of statistical data concerning a given region of a larger economy. We argue that much of the raw data are inherently faulty without more sophisticated statistical manipulation. Policy recommendations based upon such data can be no better than the data.The second section is devoted to illustration of the problems faced in using regional statistics. These illustrations are drawn primarily from the Canadian economy.The Associates Workshop in Business at the University of Western Ontario supported his studies with financial and research asssistance. Their support made this study possible. The author is indebted to Dale Orr of the University of British Columbia and Jeffrey Williamson of the University of Wisconsin for their suggestions and ideas that are incorporated in this paper; he is especially grateful to Moheb Ghali of the University of Hawaii for hours of conversation and debate which greatly clarified his thinking and improved the analysis considerably. All remaining errors should be attributed to the author.     

Seismic risk assessment of high-voltage transformers using Bayesian belief networks

Large-magnitude earthquakes can damage high-voltage transformers, trigger power flow disruption and impact the economy and society. However, methods that enable large transformer vulnerability assessment in a practical and rigorous way are scarce. This paper proposes a probabilistic framework using Bayesian belief networks (BBNs) to predict the damage of high-voltage transformers subjected to seismic events. This framework incorporates major causes of transformer vulnerability at once, such as liquefaction, rocking response of the transformer, and interactions with interconnected equipment, which are otherwise commonly studied in isolation. To demonstrate the application of the framework, the paper elaborates on each step of the BBN framework, which is then validated with historical empirical data. Furthermore, the value of the proposed method is illustrated with high-voltage transformers in substations of the electric value BC Hydro in British Columbia, Canada. The paper also offers a sensitivity analysis that evaluates the effects of input variables on transformer damage. The proposed framework is simple to perform in practice, and the results are expected to support decisions on mitigation measures, seismic risk management, and to provide a step towards modelling the vulnerability of entire electrical substations.     

Putting a price on your neighbour

Neighbourhood population composition affects the willingness to pay for housing units. This paper utilises a large and rich data set and hedonic regression techniques to disentangle the effect that neighbourhood affluence and presence of inhabitants with an immigrant background have on home prices. Furthermore, we specify an empirical model in a way that also enable us to test for the effect of diversity, both in terms of income levels and of the composition of the immigrant population of a neighbourhood. The hedonic model can be viewed as a variety of an amenity interpretation of the population composition of a neighbourhood. Estimation of effects of population composition is not straightforward as there is good reason to believe that population composition is both endogenously determined together with house prices and that area level omitted variables could bias estimates. This is addressed by lagging the composition measures and by formulating two different models that address these difficulties in different ways. We estimated one random effects model that instruments within neighbourhood variation in population composition and one fixed effects model that control for omitted variables. We find that coefficient estimates are robust across these specifications.     

An empirical examination of the distributional impacts of water pricing reforms

Water pricing reforms may promote conservation and economic efficiency. However, it is possible for water pricing reforms to be regressive. We estimate Stone-Geary and double-log residential water demand functions using data from the Capital Region District of British Columbia, Canada. Two price reforms are simulated: an across-the-board price increase and an increasing block rate structure. The distributional impacts depend on the specification of water demands. For the across-the-board price increase, the double-log model shows no change in the distribution of water expenditures while the Stone-Geary specification indicates a worsening of the inequality of water expenditures.     

Spatial externalities, neighbourhood rules and CA land-use modelling

This paper investigates which, how and to what extent land-use related neighbourhood effects play a role in urban dynamics. To justify the use of cellular automata land-use models for spatial policy support, existing neighbourhood rules need to be better founded. This research eliminates a number of uncertainties in the land-use model outcomes by introducing improved empirically founded and regional-specific neighbourhood rules. This allows for a better evaluation and justification of spatial policy scenarios and their effects on future land-use dynamics.     

Spatial mobility and social outcomes

This paper examines the nature and extent of socio-spatial mobility in Great Britain. In contrast with previous studies, we investigate the entire spectrum of moves within and across the hierarchical structure of neighbourhoods. We use data from the British Household Panel Survey to trace moves between neighbourhoods defined using the Indices of Multiple Deprivation. We define upward socio-spatial mobility as moving to neighbourhoods with greater levels of advantage (lower levels of deprivation), and downward socio-spatial mobility as the shift to less advantaged neighbourhoods. As expected, the results show that there are strong associations between origin and destination neighbourhood types. We find that education and income play critical roles in the ability of individuals to make neighbourhood gains when they move. An important finding of the research is the way in which the housing market structurally conditions socio-spatial mobility. In the UK and probably more broadly, the opportunity to move to socially advantaged places is highly stratified by housing tenure.     

探索国际化高水平人才培养的新思路——以重庆大学国际联合办学本科生全英文课程为例

培养具有国际视野和国际竞争力的高水平人才是高校“双一流”建设的基础目标,也是高校一流学科发展的重要支撑。传统全英文教学课程设置通常照搬国外专业课程体系,专业教材更新缓慢,教学“深度”不够;国内专业课通常聚焦专业领域知识,课程难度较大,教学“广度”不足,学生实践应用能力弱。因此,以重庆大学全英文课程工程材料为例,积极探索改革方案,寻求中外课程平衡,调动学生学习兴趣,摆脱语言转换思维,分析讨论培养具有国际视野和竞争力的高水平人才新思路。该课程面向“重庆大学-加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚大学”联合培养本科生,已开设6学期。目前,联合培养学生中共计23人进入加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚大学进行联合培养,其中21人已毕业,成绩优异,90%以上毕业生进入QS排名前50世界名校深造。     

Spatial competition and regulatory change in the grain handling and transportation system in western Canada

The grain handling and transportation system (GHTS) has been a defining component of the western Canadian economy since the early part of the last century. Only two major railways serve the grain handling industry, so the potential for the exercise of market power in transportation appears to be significant. In fact, spatially oriented regulations applicable to railways exist in Canada to mitigate this, but to date they have not often been used by shippers. While the reasons for this are not completely clear, we suggest that the regulations are now inadequate for the current state of the GHTS. Using a unique data set from the year 2000, we assess the effect on the grain handling industry of modifications to these regulations, and find that significant gains for shippers from these modifications are possible. These gains are computed to be on the order of C$10–15 million per year for grain shippers alone. We would like to thank conference and presentation participants (Transportation Research Board, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society, University of British Columbia, University of Leeds and California State University, Long Beach) as well as the anonymous reviewers who commented on the earlier versions of this paper. We would also like to acknowledge support from the Saskatchewan Department of Highways.     

Conflicts among recreational resource users-the case of non-Canadian participation in the regional sport fisheries of British Columbia and the Yukon

There has been a great deal of controversy recently in British Columbia over the non-Canadian use of the province's recreational resources. Tourism is British Columbia's third largest industry, yet tourist facilities, especially publicly provided facilities, have been experiencing crowding problems, which many believe result in deterioration in the quality of the recreational experience. In July, 1973, British Columbia's Minister of Highways responded to this situation by advocating a ban on all United States' recreational vehicles.In the present paper the problems of recreational resource development are subjected to economic analysis. One group of non-Canadian users, namely, sport fishermen, is singled out for attention. The consequences of various relevant recreation policies are discussed on a regional basis, drawing on a selection of studies undertaken by the Northern Economics Unit, Federal Fisheries Service, in Vancouver.The conclusions of the paper are as follows. It is evident that public attitudes towards non-resident use of locally identified recreational resources vary significantly from one region to another.Overcrowded conditions prevailing in some areas are not evident in others and policies must be flexible enough to take account of regional variation. Furthermore, excess demand is often a reflection of inconsistent government policies which produce a gap between the planned utilisation and the planned provision of facilities. Under such conditions discrimination on the basis of residential status is likely to be carried to lengths beyond those justified by economic analysis. In particular, in the case of British Columbia, to focus attention on restricting non-Canadian use is to divert attention away from the real problem. In the final analysis, if governments are concerned with providing an optimal amount of good quality recreational opportunities and maximising the real net benefits accruing to residents under their jurisdictions, then a policy package more finely attuned to these objectives is necessary.The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Fisheries & Marine Service or of the Department of the Environment, Canada, with which the authors are associated.     

Empowering the community through participation and action in historic neighbourhood conservation planning

This paper presents an attempt to initiate community empowerment within the participatory neighbourhood upgrading context of the Şengül Hammam Neighbourhood (İstiklal). We adopted the Participatory Action Research methodology, which aims to generate knowledge meaningful for the community towards upgrading and revitalizing the neighbourhood. Respectively, a series of workshops, focus groups, and community activities were implemented in parallel processes with different neighbourhood groups. In order to change the situation in the neighbourhood, the inquiry began by mobilizing neighbourhood stakeholders and planning the future with primary school children. Later, this gained the active support of parents, women, the municipality, local leaders, and civil associations, and led them to take collective action over garbage collection, cleaning up the neighbourhood and building a playground-park. The mayor at the time of the research showed interest in İstiklal but did not or could not give any financial or political support to upgrade the physical setting as a whole. The lack of support from the municipality in that regard and the neighbourhood being left to its own destiny caused a gradual dilapidation and loss of historic and cultural values.     

Investigating behavioural impacts of poor neighbourhoods: towards new data and analytic strategies

Three challenges confront statistical researchers of neighbourhood impacts on individual behaviours: (1) operationalising ‘neighbourhood processes’; (2) potentially non-linear relationships between neighbourhood characteristics and outcomes; and (3) the selection bias problem. To better comprehend these challenges and overcome them, the paper proposes an overarching conceptual framework wherein outcomes of interest are affected by neighbourhood interacting in a mutually causal fashion with housing tenure, housing wealth, household socio-economic status, and mobility behaviour. It advances a five-equation, simultaneous system for home ownership, mobility expectations, housing wealth, household socio-economic status and neighbourhood character. Although current US census data do not provide perfect proxies for neighbourhood processes, there is evidence that a battery of them could represent reasonable operationalisations. Tests for non-linearity could be conducted in this framework. This model could use a sufficiently robust set of instrumental variables to overcome the issue of neighbourhood selection bias, and thereby produce considerably more precise estimates of neighbourhood impacts on individual outcomes of interest. Implications for qualitative research approaches also are drawn.     

Rethinking the Long-Term Consequences of Growing Up in a Disadvantaged Neighbourhood: Lessons from Sweden

Using extensive longitudinal register data for more than 80 000 young metropolitan Swedes, this study addresses the effect of a disadvantaged neighbourhood social context on groupings of outcomes that are important for the living conditions of young adults. The overall results show that growing up in a disadvantaged neighbourhood increases the risk of experiencing comparably more unemployment, having less education and receiving more social assistance than similar young people from more affluent neighbourhoods. However, when the estimated effects of neighbourhood are assessed by means of an epidemiological impact measure that takes the prevalence of the risk factor at population level into account; these effects prove to be minimal. We discuss possible drawbacks of placing too much emphasis on policies targeting disadvantaged neighbourhoods versus universal social policy measures.     

Ethnic differences in realising desires to leave urban neighbourhoods

Selective mobility into and out of urban neighbourhoods is one of the main driving forces of segregation. Earlier research has found group differences in who wants to leave or who leaves certain types of neighbourhoods. A factor that has received little attention so far is that some residents will have a desire to leave their neighbourhood, but are unable to do so. If there are differences between population groups in the realisation of desires to leave the neighbourhood, this might lead to involuntary segregation. This paper uses a unique combination of register data and survey data. We combine data from a large housing survey in the Netherlands (WoON) with longitudinal register data from the Netherlands (SSD) which contains individual-level information on residential mobility histories. This allows us to study whether households with a desire to leave their neighbourhood do realise this desire and which households are successful in leaving which neighbourhoods. A more thorough insight in who wants to leave which neighbourhoods but is unable to do so will contribute to a better understanding of selective mobility and segregation. We find that ethnic minorities and low-income households are less likely to realise a desire to leave their neighbourhood. We expected that ethnic minorities would be especially unsuccessful in realising desires to leave minority concentration neighbourhoods; however, for none of the ethnic groups we found an effect of neighbourhood ethnic composition on the realisation of desires to leave.     

The neighbourhood unit adequacy: An analysis of the case of Gaza,Palestine

Urban planning in the Gaza Strip faces several challenges as a result of rapid population growth and limited available resources. Planning for housing development in Gaza is based on the neighbourhood unit concept. However, it is not clear to what extent this trend is responsive to local housing needs, and what should be done to improve it. This paper presents the results of a survey of local housing specialists followed by a real-time case study of neighbourhood planning. The study concludes that the use of neighbourhood unit concept as a planning base is appropriate for the Gaza Strip, considering the social context and the limited size of the local housing projects, which requires an incremental development policy. However, several challenges remain, including the absence of a national housing policy and unified legislation, fund shortages, and land limitations. The study recommends to policy makers that adequacy of this social-oriented planning model should be investigated considering the principle of localisation instead of standardisation. This is essential in avoiding the absolute rejection or adoption of this model on the one hand, and in ensuring a subjective process of reinventing rather than mere borrowing on the other one.     

Whites' neighbourhood racial preferences and neighbourhood racial composition in the United States: evidence from the multi‐city study of urban inequality

Within the housing segregation literature major disagreements have developed over two fundamental issues: (1) the role that whites' aversion to racially mixed neighbourhoods plays in causing modern segregation in the US; and (2) the factors that underlie this aversion, including the effects of inter‐racial contact on whites' neighbourhood racial preferences and whether these preferences reflect neighbourhood stereotyping as opposed to pure racial prejudice. Extant evidence on these issues is either old or indirect. This paper provides direct evidence on these issues using new data from the Multi‐City Study of Urban Inequality. The results suggest that (1) whites' neighbourhood racial preferences play an important role in explaining the racial composition of their neighbourhoods; (2) inter‐racial contact in neighbourhoods and workplaces leads to a greater willingness among whites to live with blacks; and (3) although younger and more educated whites express a stronger taste for integration than other whites, the magnitude of these differences leads to only a small increase in the black percentage of the neighbourhood. In addition, the results provide no evidence in support of the hypothesis that whites stereotype black neighbourhoods rather than blacks per se.     

The place of neighbourhood in social cohesion: insights from massey,West Auckland

Within public health discourse there is growing recognition that the social structures and ecology of neighbourhoods impact on health and wellbeing. A clearer understanding of the pathways through which this influence occurs will inform locality-based interventions to tackle inequalities. In this paper we report on an interview based study with parents of young children living in Massey, a suburban neighbourhood of metropolitan Auckland. Locational access to community resources is comparatively poor in Massey as measured by a community resource accessibility index. The findings provide insights into the impact of such access to services and amenities on neighbourhood social cohesion. We conclude by suggesting planning strategies for strengthening neighbourhood identification and attachment for this population group.