A publication called Aging in the Social Space is a compilation of studies, which deal with theoretical understanding and empirical solutions, learning about problem spheres, specifying content parallels of social, legal, economic, moral and ethical views on senior issues in society, which are closely related to each other and are interconnected. This publication focus on the case study of Poland. It is supposed to provide a multidimensional view of old age issues and issues related to aging and care for old people in society. We believe that it is natural also to name individual spheres, in which society has some eff ect, either direct or indirect, within issues concerning seniors. Learning about these spheres is the primary prerequisite for successful use of social help to seniors in society. "The work elaborates a very important topic of our time, this is of an aging population, which many countries with their established social, political, legislative, health and other systems are not prepared for. The authors compared the global data on the aging of the population with information relating to the aging of the population in Poland. This publication consists of two large chapters with subheadings. In the first part the authors describe the elderly in social area and in the second part of a social policy relating to older people. The first part explains the different concepts and presents a new paradigm, which refers to the phenomenon of active aging. The second part presents the analysis of the aging population in selected major cities and presents documents and strategies necessary for further development of the quality of life of elderly people. The case studies technique enables the authors the identification of a number of factors and in-depth analysis of researched topics for each city. Theoretical bases complement to the research findings of other authors and adds their findings." Doc. dr Bojana Filej, the Alma Mater Europaea – European Center, Maribor, Slovenia "The publication, in my humble opinion, can be dedicated primarily to researchers of social gerontology topics, primarily students from the humanities and social sciences. Given the systematic increase in the number of people from abroad studying in Poland (including the Erasmus program) this book can also be used as teaching material to courses on subjects such as: geragogics, social gerontology, social pedagogy and sociology ." Prof. dr hab. Jan Maciejewski, the University of Wrocław, Poland

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This book presents the changing roles of urban governments and how local governments struggle to gain administrative, fiscal, and political power to combat current urban challenges in Kazakhstan. Focusing on the cities and regions selected by the national government of Kazakhstan to be the drivers of national economic development, the author analyses the impact of decentralization on the role of local governments. The book examines the practical experiences of city and regional governments with an emphasis on urban planning, public investment in national projects, and management of urban transport. Due to the complexity and irregular distribution of political reforms at different levels of local government in Kazakhstan, three separate studies are presented, each looking at a specific aspect of decentralization reform and local government function related to physical urban development and distribution of public investment. The author argues that, if the national government of Kazakhstan wants to concentrate economic resources in urban agglomerations, it is not enough to assume that local governments are ready to play the role of efficient planners and managers of urban development. A useful analysis illustrating cities and urban conglomerations as engines of growth in economic development, this book will be of interest to academics studying Central Asian Studies, in particular political and economic development, Development Studies, and Urban Studies. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license

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Landscapes and cultural heritage have faced many challenges over time, including modifications and degradation that appear with time, overlaps with other challenges not previously observed, and the influence of cities and management. One of the most visible and globally discussed challenges is climate change. Therefore, there is an urgent need to launch initiatives to tackle climate change and other current challenges from the perspective of landscape and cultural heritage protection. This Special Issue presents selected papers of studies conducted in relation to the 28th Conference on the Series of Garden Art and Historical Dendrology entitled “Climate Change and Current Challenges for Landscapes and Cultural Heritage” that was held on 28 and 29 October 2021. This collection serves as a platform for the exchange of experiences among researchers from different scientific domains.

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Tourists are travelling the world in greater numbers than ever before, seeking immersive cultural experiences. This massive rise of tourism has raised issues of social and cultural sustainability in the world’s global cities. At the same time, smaller cities and rural communities struggling with increasing urbanization and the loss of traditional industries could benefit from increased tourism. Smaller cities and communities are uniquely well-suited to hosting tourists seeking authentic connection with local cultures. Locally led, collaborative efforts to build creative tourism industries have the possibility to reinvigorate struggling communities. Creative tourism offers the opportunity to build socially and culturally sustainable channels for growth that benefit locals and visitors alike. Creative Tourism in Smaller Communities examines the processes, policies, and methodologies of creative tourism, paying special attention to the ways creative and place-based tourism can aid sustainable cultural development. With topics ranging from placemaking through food to the cultural impacts of cruise travel, and from catalyzing creative tourism to creating resiliency, this collection offers a wide range of theoretical and practical perspectives from a variety of experts. Creative Tourism in Smaller Communities offers a bold vision for the future of tourism worldwide.

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Enabling the City is a collaborative book that focuses on how interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary processes of knowledge production may contribute to urban transformation at a local level in the 21st century, striking a balance between enthusiastic support for such transformational potential and a cautious note regarding the persistent challenges to the ethos as well as the practice of inter and transdisciplinarity. The rich stories reflect different research and local practice cultures, exploring issues such as ageing, community, health and dementia, public space, energy, mobility cultures, heritage, housing, re-use, and renewal, as well as more universal questions about urban sustainability and climate change, and perhaps most importantly, education. Against this backdrop, aspirations for the 21st century are related to the international, national, and local agendas expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in the New Urban Agenda (NUA), raising fundamental questions of how to enable development. We highlight aspects of transformative learning and ways of knowing, critical to any collaborative and participatory process.

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Providing the security of a broad-based energy and slowing the speed of climate change are the main challenges today of the basic of legal framework to stimulate the development of alternative energy sources. Energy from renewable sources is one part of the system, which not only enables to provide energy self-sufficiency, but also contributes to the reduction heating of the Earth’s atmosphere. International climate agreements indicate the need to intensify the prevention of global warming and accelerate the reduction in CO2 emissions. The implementation of such challenging plans as outlined in the European Green Deal or "Fit for 55," among others, entails the almost complete elimination of GHG emissions in the energy sector, which can be very challenging for some member states. In the EU, the preferred direction of development of RES use is distributed generation and increasing the share of the use of by-products and organic waste for the production biofuels. This creates great opportunities for rural areas, which until the last century were identified with agriculture and the production of food or raw materials. While the role of agriculture will not diminish, as incomes are rising in relatively poor countries with a high elasticity of demand for food, these areas will increasingly perform a number of other important functions as well. The production of energy raw materials and energy, which is no longer a mere idea, but is becoming, thanks to the development of new technologies, a mainstream energy sector that can make contribution to improving energy security and achieving climate neutrality.

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This Special Issue reprint entitled “Geoheritage and Geotourism Resources: Education, Recreation, Sustainability”, aims to highlight, review and evaluate the usefulness of geo-cultural features in didactics in terms of geoparks and other geotouristic attractions. Innovative methods of geo-education in geoparks are presented, as well as the development of research combining the geosciences with the social science and humanities. The essential role of geoheritage in the popularization of knowledge is emphasized.

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This book collects a series of interdisciplinary contributions about Historical Ecology, Archeology and Biocultural Landscapes focused on the analysis of landscape dynamics during the Long Anthropocene. Through case studies across Europe, the Mediterranean, Asia and America, the volume offers a series of examples of approaches and applications to combine and stimulate an interdisciplinary debate between Natural Science and Humanities for understanding long-term human–environment interaction and historical sustainability.

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This book aims to contribute to the renewal of geographic education and the teaching of geography. Traditional methods of teaching geography are becoming increasingly obsolete. Hence the need to take new paths in search of alternatives to convey the ideas of which geography is the bearer. The Italian Association of Geography Teachers (AIIG) is committed to a continuous effort aimed at reiterating the importance of geography in school curricula and more generally in the education of citizens aware of their role in the world and responsible in their actions on it.

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This Special Issue focuses on the articulation of the 2030 Agenda at the domestic level, with policies addressing social exclusion in rural and urban contexts, both in countries from the Global North and the Global South. In such contexts, a complex multiactor governance mechanism is required to guarantee the participation of all relevant stakeholders in the policy cycle. This democratic governance is especially relevant to effectively address the problems faced by the most vulnerable people and groups in rural and urban areas, to guarantee that no one is left behind. Many elements defining the situation of vulnerability and deprivation that people face occur in relation to and caused by the characteristics of the place where they live, be it a city or a rural area. Rural and urban vulnerabilities should not be studied as two separate realities, not only because they share common features, but also because those most deprived in cities are likely to have migrated from the rural milieu in search of a better life. Thus, they can be regarded as two stages in time and space of a continuum of underdevelopment. This Special Issue gathered the works of scholars that explore how the 2030 Agenda is influencing the design of domestic policies with a multilevel (transnational and domestic) approach, methodological models for studying the articulation of global policies such as the 2030 Agenda in the design of national and local policies, or potentially replicable diffusion and transference models for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

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"Kapitał społeczny ludzi starych na przykładzie mieszkańców miasta Białystok" to książka oparta na analizach teoretycznych i empirycznych, która przedstawia problem diagnozowania i używania kapitału społecznego ludzi starych w procesach rozwoju lokalnego i regionalnego. Kwestia ta jest istotna ze względu na zagrożenia i wyzwania związane z procesem szybkiego starzenia się społeczeństwa polskiego na początku XXI wieku. Opracowanie stanowi próbę sformułowania odpowiedzi na pytania: jaki jest stan kapitału społecznego ludzi starych mieszkających w Białymstoku, jakim ulega przemianom i jakie jest jego zróżnicowanie? Ludzie starzy są tu postrzegani jako kategoria społeczna, czyli zbiór osób podobnych do siebie pod względem społecznie istotnych cech (takich jak wiek, posiadane role społeczne i świadomość korzystania ze świadczeń społecznych), którzy są świadomi tego podobieństwa i swojej odrębności od innych. Przyjmuje się ponadto, iż osoby takie przekroczyły 60. rok życia. Zakłada się też, że w zasobach ludzkich skumulowany jest kapitał ludzki, społeczny i kulturowy. Kapitał społeczny jest tu ujmowany szeroko jako potencjał współdziałania osadzony w powiązaniach międzyludzkich i normach społecznych, który może przynosić korzyści osobom, grupom i społeczeństwom. W części teoretycznej przedstawiono informacje o starości jako etapie w życiu jednostki, wyjaśniono pojęcie ludzi starych, omówiono społeczne teorie starzenia się, historyczne czynniki oddziaływające na położenie kategorii społecznej ludzi starych, zmiany ich miejsca w społeczeństwie polskim w trakcie transformacji ustrojowej i na początku XXI wieku, możliwe konsekwencje wzrostu długości życia w warunkach demokracji i kapitalizmu oraz charakterystykę problemu starzenia się ludności Białegostoku jako miasta pogranicza. Zaprezentowano też różnorodne koncepcje kapitału społecznego, sfery jego oddziaływania na rozwój społeczno-gospodarczy, jego stan w Polsce oraz wytyczne do strategicznego budowania jego zasobów. Przybliżono również wybrane informacje o aktywności ludzi starych w życiu publicznym, społecznym i gospodarczym jako kluczowych cechach ich kapitału społecznego. Porządkując różne stanowiska teoretyczne, wyniki badań i dane statystyczne, dążono do powiązania wielu rozproszonych źródeł w przekonaniu, iż jest to istotne w celu określenia i zagospodarowania zasobów kapitału społecznego seniorów, jak również niwelacji opóźnienia polskiej socjologii w zakresie badań nad ludźmi starymi. Pomimo, iż za podstawową perspektywę teoretyczną publikacji uznana została koncepcja kapitału P. Bourdieu, autor bierze również pod uwagę propozycje badawcze J.S. Colemana, R.D. Putnama, F. Fukuyamy, A. Giddensa, P. Sztompki i A. Sadowskiego. Drugi rozdział zawiera określenie ram metodologicznych badań przeprowadzonych na potrzeby tej publikacji. Omówiono przyjęte założenia badawcze oraz przybliżono sposób i przebieg realizacji badań. Przede wszystkim zdecydowano się na korzystanie z metody jakościowej i zastosowanie techniki wywiadu swobodnego ukierunkowanego. Uznano, iż podmiotowy kontakt z ludźmi starymi umożliwi dokładniejsze rozpoznanie kontekstu, w którym znajdują się zasoby ich kapitału społecznego. Jest to ważne, gdyż przenoszenie na rodzimy grunt opracowanych za granicą interpretacji działań ludzi starych i rozwiązań aktywizujących, może okazać się nieskuteczne lub wywołać negatywne efekty zewnętrzne. Ponadto w literaturze przedmiotu zwraca się uwagę na niedostatek badań gerontologicznych zgodnych z paradygmatem interpretatywnym. Badaniu poddano 26 respondentów w wieku od 60 do 89 lat żyjących w mieście Białystok związanych z jedną z dwóch różnych instytucji: Domem Pomocy Społecznej i Uniwersytetem Trzeciego Wieku. Poprzez porównywanie osób znajdujących się na dwóch biegunach aktywności społecznej możliwe było dostrzeżenie podobieństw i różnic w ich wyposażeniu kapitałowym, a zarazem w osiągniętych w ciągu życia pozycjach w strukturze klasowej i zasobach służących pomyślnej starości6. W trzecim rozdziale przedstawiona została część wyników analiz empirycznych. Przybliżono tu sposób, w jaki ludzie starzy myślą o podobnych sobie przodkach i osobach współczesnych, a także czynniki, w zależności od których zmienia się ich pozycja społeczna w mieście oraz problemy społeczne, jakie uznają za najważniejsze dla ludzi starych. Analizie poddano opinie o ich czasie wolnym, szansach i barierach aktywności ekonomicznej. Wyróżniono typy kapitału społecznego ludzi starych w zależności od instytucji, z którymi są związani oraz podejścia do postrzegania i wykorzystywania zróżnicowania wewnętrznego seniorów. Omówiono wizerunek seniorów w środkach masowego przekazu. Publikacja nie zawiera ścisłego zakończenia. W ostatnim rozdziale wskazano jedynie na główne wnioski płynące z badań oraz na potencjalne dalsze kierunki analiz. Uzupełnienie tego podejścia stanowią zamieszczone w aneksie zestawienia oddolnych technik budowania kapitału społecznego oraz podstawowych cech Miast Przyjaznych Starszemu Wiekowi. Z opracowania tego z pewnością będą mogli skorzystać nie tylko naukowcy zajmujący się tematyką ludzi starych, ale i pracownicy socjalni, politycy, pracodawcy, przedstawiciele mediów i organizacji pozarządowych oraz obywatele Białegostoku i innych miast. ** "Social Capital of Old People on the Example of Bialystok Residents" is a book based on theoretical and empirical study, which presents an issue of diagnosing and using of old people social capital in the local and regional development processes. This issue is significant because of the threats and challenges associated with process of rapid ageing of Polish society at the beginning of 21st century. Publication, in particular, is an attempt to give answers to the following questions: what is the state of old people social capital in Bialystok, what transformations it undergoes and how is it differentiated? In this study old people are viewed as a social category, which is a set of people similar to each other in terms of socially significant features (such as age, possessed social roles and awareness of received social benefits), who are aware of these similarities and differences between each other. Moreover, it is assumed, that such persons exceeded the 60 years of age. It is also assumed that human, social and cultural capital is accumulated in the human resources. Social capital is recognized here broadly as a potential for collaboration embedded in interpersonal relationships and social norms that may benefit individuals, groups and societies. The book consists of three chapters. The first, which is the theoretical part of work, includes information about: old age as a stage of individual life and explanation of the old people notion. It discusses social theories of ageing, historical factors affecting on the social position of old people category, changes in their place in Polish society during the system transformation and in the early 21st century. It describes the possible consequences of increased life expectancy for democracy and capitalism - including the concepts of society for all ages, silver economy. It also features ageing population issue, as well as social policy towards the elderly and old age in Bialystok as the borderland city. A variety of social capital concepts were presented; the spheres of its influence on socio-economic development, its status in Poland and guidelines for strategic building of its resources. Selected information on the activity of old people in public, social and economic life as key features of their social capital was brought closer. Putting various theoretical positions, results of research and statistical data in order was aimed to link many dispersed sources considering that it is relevant to identify and develop seniors' social capital resources, as well as leveling the delay of Polish sociology research on the elderly. Fundamental theoretical perspective of publication is the concept of capital according to P. Bourdieu. However, the proposals of J.S. Coleman, R.D. Putnam, F. Fukuyama, A. Giddens, P. Sztompka and A. Sadowski were also used. The second chapter contains a methodological framework for the purposes of study. Research assumptions, method and course of implementation of studies were discussed. The study is based on the qualitative method and the application of in-depth interview techniques. It was considered that the personal contact with old people will be more accurate than other research techniques to identify the context in which they social capital resources can be found. It is important because the transfer of developed abroad activating solutions and interpretations of old people actions may be ineffective or have negative external effects in the Polish context. Moreover, in the Polish science literature attention is paid to scarcity of gerontological research in accordance with the interpretive paradigm. Study involved 26 respondents aged 60 to 89 years living in Bialystok associated with one of two different institutions: nursing home for the elderly and University of the Third Age. By comparing the persons on two extremes of social activity it was possible to see similarities and differences in their capital equipment, and also in achievements of the life positions in the class structure and resources aimed at successful ageing. The third chapter presents the empirical analysis of the research results. This part outlines the way in which old people think about their ancestors and contemporary people. It also shows factors according to changes in their social position in the city, social issues which they consider most important for old people, their opinions about leisure time, opportunities and barriers of economic activity and types of old people social capital depending on the institution with which they are associated. Approach to the perception and use of internal disparities of seniors were also discussed. The analysis additionally contains the evaluation of senior citizens image in the polish mass media. This publication does not contain a strict ending. It only identifies the main conclusions of the research and potential directions of future analysis. Above all, older people could improve their position not by demanding increases in social benefits from which major parts are often taken away by their family members, but by highlighting their human, social and cultural capital. It is necessary to create favorable conditions for social and professional life of old people and their cooperation with members of local communities. Important role in this regard is played by institutions implementing three tasks: stimulating senior citizens' desire to satisfy previously unrealized needs; creating relationships between them so that they can solve their own problems and work for the others; and providing legal, social and vocational guidance. Stimulating cooperation between existing public, commercial and non-governmental sector organizations may serve to achieve these goals. The dissemination of bottom-up techniques of social capital building and checklist of essential features of Age-friendly Cities may also be important.

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This book, inspired by the thought of Giacomo Becattini, reflects on why local communities continue to exist and spread. Why does the planet not become one place without borders? Why instead do we humans preferentially group ourselves into communities that are neither 'too wide' nor 'too narrow'? What characterizes today's form of community? Why are these communities rooted in places? What is peculiarly 'local' about places? Together with Becattini, we answer that the foundation of local communities is social culture. In its material and symbolic dimensions, social culture animates various forms of proximity between people and between groups: in addition to territorial proximity, social proximity (also online) and institutional proximity matter a lot. This implies that today a local community is not only a place where social culture makes us physically close, but where at least some of the major forms of proximity intersect.

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Landscape is central to tourism. It is key to the development, marketing/promotion, and consumption of tourism destinations, to triggering and sustaining tourism markets, and to enticing tourist dreams, fantasies, and behaviors. From ‘sight-seeing’ practices—at the basis of all tourism activities—landscape figures prominently all the way to the overall spatial planning and management of a destination for tourism development. The intertwined relationship between tourism and landscape comes with a series of costs and benefits, in the context of tourism landscapes. Landscapes of tourism reflect and stage recreational trends, multifunctional livelihood systems, conflicts and opportunities for employment and income generation, as well as human, cultural, and natural resource management and use. This Special Issue aims to enhance the interdisciplinary scientific dialogue on these issues and challenges, while highlighting their range and significance for tourism and the landscape, in terms of theory, empirical practice, approach, policy, ethics, and future prospects. Some of the questions posed for consideration here are: What are landscapes of tourism, for whom and how/why? What is the role of the landscape in tourism promotion, attraction, and experience? How does tourism affect the landscape? What lessons do the history and geography of tourism have to offer to tourism landscape stewardship? How may we best plan for and manage the landscape in the context of various forms of tourism growth and spread, at various scales? Scholarly advances in the past few decades have steadily built on a diverse—but spread-out and not adequately connected—bibliographical basis for future research. Much remains to be understood and exchanged as landscape and tourism—two highly complex and multifaceted scientific areas—come together in the scope of this Special Issue in a variety of ways across time, space, and culture.

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The world has seen a shift in socio-economic relations, in the patterns and processes of industrialization and regional development. The social regulation of the economic order, flexible production organization and industrial district formation have brought periods, places and pathways to the heart of economic debate. Pathways to Industrialization and Regional Development provides a platform from which to address a new economic order. All the major schools of thought are represented. Focussing upon the interactions between economic logic and political institutions at both the local and global levels, the authors set the agenda for the 1990s.

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The notion of smart and sustainable cities offers an integrated and holistic approach to urbanism by aiming to achieve the long-term goals of urban sustainability and resilience. In essence, a smart and sustainable city is an urban locality that functions as a robust system of systems with sustainable practices to generate desired outcomes and futures for all humans and non-humans. This book contributes to improving research and practice in smart and sustainable metropolitan as well as regional cities and urbanism by bringing together literature reviews and scholarly perspective pieces, forming an open access knowledge warehouse. It contains contributions that offer insights into research and practice in smart and sustainable metropolitan and regional cities by producing in-depth conceptual debates and perspectives, insights from the literature and best practice, and thoroughly identified research themes and development trends. This book serves as a repository of relevant information, material, and knowledge to support research, policymaking, practice, and the transferability of experiences to address challenges in establishing smart and sustainable metropolitan as well as regional cities and urbanism in the era of climate change, biodiversity collapse, natural disasters, pandemics, and socioeconomic inequalities.

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Many people live in rural areas in tropical regions. Rural development is not merely a contribution to the growth of individual countries. It can be a way to reduce poverty and to increase access to water, health care, and education. Sustainable rural development can also help stop deforestation and reduce livestock, which generate most of the greenhouse gas emissions. However, efforts to achieve a sustainable rural development are often thwarted by floods, drought, heat waves, and hurricanes, which local communities are not very prepared to tackle. Agricultural practices and local planning are still not very risk-informed. These deficiencies are particularly acute in tropical regions, where many Least Developed Countries are located and where there is, however, great potential for rural development. This Special Issue contains 22 studies on best practices for risk awareness; on local risk reduction; on several cases of soil depletion, water pollution, and sustainable access to safe water; and on agronomy, earth sciences, ecology, economy, environmental engineering, geomatics, materials science, and spatial and regional planning in 12 tropical countries.

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This Special Issue explores the cross-disciplinary approaches, methodologies, and applications of socio-environmental vulnerability assessment that can be incorporated into sustainable management. The volume comprises 20 different points of view, which cover environmental protection and development, urban planning, geography, public policymaking, participation processes, and other cross-disciplinary fields. The articles collected in this volume come from all over the world and present the current state of the world’s environmental and social systems at a local, regional, and national level. New approaches and analytical tools for the assessment of environmental and social systems are studied. The practical implementation of sustainable development as well as progressive environmental and development policymaking are discussed. Finally, the authors deliberate about the perspectives of social–environmental systems in a rapidly changing world.

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Place-based strategies are widely discussed as powerful instruments of economic and community development. In terms of the European debate, the local level – cities, towns and neighbourhoods – has recently come under increased scrutiny as a potentially decisive actor in Cohesion Policy. As understandings of socio-spatial and economic cohesion evolve, the idea that spatial justice requires a concerted policy response has gained currency. Given the political, social and economic salience of locale, this book explores the potential contribution of place-based initiative to more balanced and equitable socio-economic development, as well as growth in a more general sense. The overall architecture of the book and the individual chapters address place-based perspectives from a number of vantage points, including the potential of achieving greater effectiveness in EU and national level development policies, through a greater local level and citizens' role and concrete actions for achieving this; enhancing decision-making autonomy by pooling local capacities for action; linking relative local autonomy to development outcomes and viewing spatial justice as a concept and policy goal. The book highlights, through the use of case studies, how practicable and actionable knowledge can be gained from local development experiences. This book targets researchers, practitioners and students who seek to learn more about place-based based development and its potentials. Its cross-cutting focus on spatial justice and place will ensure that the book is of wider international interest. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. Funded by The University of Eastern Finland.

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This Special Issue contains articles include, but not limited to, empirical, analytical, or design-oriented approaches to the following topics: Monitoring of carrying capacity and mechanisms for managing tourist flows in rural areas; Systems and tools to measure the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of rural tourism; Integration between public tourism policies and private strategies in the promotion and implementation of sustainable practices; Policies for promoting public participation in the planning and development of sustainable rural tourism; The impacts of tourism on traditional agricultural activities; Identity enhancement of the territory and its productions; "Good practices" in the implementation of rural tourism sustainability.

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The process of globalization has had profound, often destabilizing, effects on space, at all levels (i.e. local, regional, national, international). This revealing book analyzes, both theoretically and empirically, the effects of globalization over space. It considers, through a dialogue among different paradigms, the ways in which space has become more important in the global economy. Globalization has been advocated as a way of shrinking time and space which will lead to a homogenized global market; a suggestion challenged in differing ways and with a variety of approaches by all the contributors to this volume. Leading authorities from a range of disciplines are represented amongst this impressive list of contributors, including Eric Sheppard, Bjørn Asheim, Richard Walker and Peter Swann. The chapters demonstrate persuasively the continuing, and even increasing, role of space in the global economy, and throughout, the book covers viewpoints from the fields of: international political economy economic geography regional and local economics. This impressive volume, which contains a selection of the best in contemporary scholarship, will be of interest to the international arena of academicians, policy makers and professionals in these or related fields.

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The book aims to explore the legal and administrative aspects of spatial governance and the challenges that their interaction entails. It does this through a number of chapters focusing on case studies located in different geographical areas of Europe and beyond. By doing this, the editors shed light on a set of challenges that emerge around the world at the intersection between the legal and administrative spheres during the governance and planning of territorial phenomena. The issues addressed in the various chapters highlight how spatial planning activities continue to face serious challenges that have not yet been satisfactorily addressed. In more detail, a correlation emerges between the legal regulations that allow and shape spatial-planning activities and the socio-economic and territorial challenges that those activities should tackle. This is often a consequence of the path-dependent influence of the traditional administrative and spatial planning configuration, which presents an inertial resistance to change that is hard to overcome. A similar situation arises concerning the mismatch between the boundaries of the existing administrative units and the extent of territorial phenomena, with a system of judicial–territorial administration that does not always coincide with the boundaries of the fundamental administrative division of a country, leading to an overall deterioration of the conditions in which all actors involved in spatial development operate.

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Most recent research seeks to explain contemporary changes in Russia by analysing the decisions of Russian leaders, oligarchs and politicians based in Moscow. This book examines another Russia, one of ordinary people changing their environment and taking opportunities to provoke societal changes in small towns and the countryside. Russia is a resource-rich society and the country’s strategy and institutional structure are built on the most valuable of these resources: oil and gas. Analysing the implications of this situation at the local level, this book offers chapters on resource use, local authorities, enterprises, poverty and types of individual, as well as a final chapter which places local societies within the framework of the Russian politicised economy. Based on extensive empirical data gathered through more than 400 semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs, teachers, social workers and those working for the local authorities, this book sheds light on the role of local activity in the development of Russian society and is essential reading for students and scholars interested in Russia and its politics.

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Food systems are under increasing pressure. They must meet the food requirements of a growing world population, and socio-economic changes also influence the type of foods which are under demand. At the same time, food systems are a major contributor to global environmental change, and environmental changes adversely impact agricultural productivity. This Special Issue explores opportunities and challenges towards achieving more sustainable food systems. Essential changes required in food systems are highlighted, such as more effective food distribution, the avoidance or valorisation of food waste, and less meat consumption. How to actually achieve these required changes across food value chains is also presented. This Special Issue supports solution-oriented approaches towards addressing one of most complex challenges of this century. The reader is invited to study the publications included in this Special Issue in detail.

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Part of the popular Networked Cities series, Urban and Regional Technology Planning focuses on the practice of relational planning and the stimulation of local city-regional scale development planning in the context of the global knowledge economy and network society. Designed to offer scholars, practitioners, and decision makers studies on the ways of cities, technologies, and multiple forms of urban movement intersect and create the contemporary urban environment, Kenneth Corey and Mark Wilson explore the dynamics of technology-induced change that is taking place within the context of the global knowledge economy and network society. Examining first the knowledge economy itself, Wilson and Corey go on to discuss its implications before proposing ways to strategize for future intelligent development, with particular emphasis on the ALERT model for regional and local planning. An important read for those practicing or studying planning in this network society.

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W metropolii i poza metropolią. Społeczny potencjał odrodzenia i rozwoju społeczności lokalnych to monografia naukowa, na którą złożyły się teksty znakomitych polskich socjologów. Ukazuje się w charakterze Księgi Jubileuszowej dedykowanej Profesorowi Pawłowi Staroście z okazji pięćdziesięciolecia Jego pracy zawodowej w Uniwersytecie Łódzkim.. Jej tytuł nawiązuje do tytułów najbardziej znanych dzieł Profesora- habilitacyjnej rozprawy Poza metropolią. Wiejskie i małomiasteczkowe zbiorowości lokalne a wzory porządku makrospołecznego oraz książki profesorskiej Społeczny potencjał odrodzenia miast poprzemysłowych- a zarazem określa ramy tematyczne publikacji.Zebrane teksty odwołują się do zainteresowań naukowych dostojnego Jubilata i dotyczą problemów poruszanych na gruncie socjologii miasta i socjologii wsi. Odnoszą się do kwestii rozwoju lokalnego, przemian miejskich i wiejskich społeczności lokalnych, teorii i badań kapitału społecznego, partycypacji i integracji społecznej oraz problemów społecznych. W monografii czytelnik odnajdzie socjologiczną refleksję na temat mechanizmów, szans i zagrożeń rozwoju współczesnych miast, miejskiej rezyliencji, wspólnotowości oraz obywatelstwa. Rozważania socjologów wsi oscylują wokół znaczenia prowincji, cech i postaw mieszkańców wsi, dotykających ich problemów społecznych, kryteriów podziału na „swoich” i „obcych” oraz specyfiki rozwoju zrównoważonego.

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