The aim of the study is to assess the spatial differentiation and determinants of the functioning of the long-term care system in the Małopolskie Voivodeship. The analysis of statistical data and the RPWDL registry from 2024, covering social welfare homes (DPS) and healthcare institutions (ZOL and ZPO), revealed a strong concentration of facilities in large cities (Kraków, Tarnów, Nowy Sącz) and in the southern counties of the region, alongside a deficit of infrastructure in north-eastern Małopolska. A partial correspondence between the spatial distribution of institutions and the demographic structure was observed, although it is not complete. An important differentiating factor of the system is also its social structure – areas with a higher prevalence of social problems show greater demand for institutional care. The results confirm significant territorial inequalities in access to institutional care and a partial functional inconsistency of the system, resulting from the parallel but not fully coordinated development of the medical (ZOL/ZPO) and social (DPS) sectors.
This study examined the impact of street characteristics on terrorist attack incidences in Maiduguri, Nigeria. Terrorist attack data from the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) was analysed using network analysis and Axwoman 6.3. Regression models identified spatial predictors of attacks. Results indicated that global integration and connectivity significantly increased bomb and armed attacks by 933.66% and 3.32%, respectively. Armed assault mitigation was associated with a 6.97% increase in edge betweenness. Betweenness centrality increased bomb attacks by 6.42%, while straightness centrality reduced them by 9.47%. The study underscores the role of urban form in city safety and resilience.
The article analyses the relationship between local governance assessment, perceived transport accessibility, and place attachment among rural residents in Poland. Based on survey data from rural municipalities and rural areas of urban–rural municipalities (n = 700), results show that transport accessibility and place attachment are positively associated with governance evaluations. Transport is the strongest predictor, while place attachment has a weaker independent effect. Including place attachment reduces but does not eliminate the transport–governance link. No significant differences were found between residents of rural municipalities and rural areas of urban–rural municipalities.
The article focuses on the quaternary sector, that is, the part of the economy based on knowledge, expertise, innovation, and information technologies, and its importance for regional development and the formation of the knowledge economy. The aim of the paper is to verify whether the selected key factors underpin the growing significance of the quaternary sector, using the Czech Republic as a case study. Drawing on data from 2009–2022, selected indicators influencing the share of the quaternary sector in the 14 regions (NUTS3) of the Czech Republic were analysed, reflecting the concept of learning regions. To achieve the objective, a regression analysis was conducted and two hypotheses were established. The results show that the most significant predictor of the development of the quaternary sector as a source of the knowledge economy is the number of employees in science and research, whereas the number of research institutions or the level of expenditure on science and research may not directly support its growth. The findings provide a basis for further studies that could better explain the complex processes shaping a knowledge-oriented economy within the framework of the learning regions theory.
This study examines the relationship between climate resources and green tourism growth in Hue City in the context of climate change adaptation. Data were collected from 174 valid tourist questionnaires at Bach Ma, the Hue Imperial Citadel, and the Chuon Lagoon–Thuan An area from April 2024 to March 2025, and analyzed using SPSS version 27. The dataset included 29 climatic variables and five green tourism growth variables. The results show that the scales were reliable and suitable for exploratory factor analysis. The regression model explains 35.3% of the variance in green tourism growth. All five climatic factor groups have positive and statistically significant effects, ranked as follows: wind conditions, rainfall conditions, thermal conditions, extreme weather events, and humidity conditions. The findings highlight the need to integrate climate information, seasonal planning, weather-risk management, and adaptive tourism products into green tourism governance in Hue City.
The aim of this article is to assess the diversity in housing needs among European Union countries. This objective was operationalized by distinguishing different groups of countries, which include entities characterized by the greatest similarity in the level of accessibility of meeting housing needs, while at the same time differing significantly from other groups in this respect. The clustering of European Union countries was conducted using Ward’s agglomeration method. The research identified characteristics in which countries grouped in separate groups demonstrate similarity. As a result, different types were identified regarding the realization of housing needs in EU countries. The research was carried out taking into account the situation in 2014 and 2024. This made it possible to assess the changes taking place.
The aim of the study was to compare methods for estimating residential land capacity in two rural municipalities –one from the Lubelskie region and the other from the Mazowieckie region –in the context of preparing general plans. The scope of the analysis covered the years 2023–2024 and was based on planning documents, cadastral records, and spatial data. The research methodology relied on comparative analysis to integrate planning, cadastral, and environmental data, supported by the use of GIS tools. The analysis was based on planning, cadastral, and spatial data, using GIS tools. Three calculation variants were applied, differing primarily in the assumed plot sizes and development intensity indices. The results revealed significant discrepancies between planning assumptions and the actual spatial development patterns. The working hypothesis is that reliance on generalized assumptions in estimating development capacity risks considerable distortions when contrasted with analyses incorporating local spatial determinants. The study confirmed that there is no universal calculation model, and that the choice of indicators has a considerable impact on the outcomes. The findings highlight the importance of spatial data analysis as a foundation for developing reliable and locally appropriate general plans, which should be complemented by an assessment of the qualitative aspects of the built environment.
Street names have long been of scholarly interest, yet their regional variation remains surprisingly underexplored, despite several compelling reasons to expect its presence. This article presents findings from a study of the regional differentiation in the structure of street names across Poland’s administrative regions (voivodeships). Drawing on data from the TERYT register, the names were cleaned, coded, and subjected to quantitative analysis using similarity measures and hierarchical clustering methods. The results reveal that all voivodeships exhibit a similarly high degree of internal unevenness in their street name structures, and –except in the case of geographical and topographical names –demonstrate a generally high level of inter-regional similarity. For both the full set of street names and the subset of geographical-topographical names, the analysis identified spatially coherent groupings of voivodeships with comparable naming structures. These groupings closely reflect the patterns of historical (relict) boundaries and the configuration of major physiographic regions.
The study was conducted in ethnic minority and mountainous communes of Thua Thien Hue (A Luoi and Nam Dong), where fragmented terrain is prone to flash floods, landslides, and droughts. The population depends on agriculture and forestry but is highly affected by climate change. Using a research-based approach, the study assesses hazard, exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity to determine vulnerability and risk levels. Very high vulnerability covers 6.82% of the area, mainly in A Luoi (74.03%), 2.85 times higher than Nam Dong. High vulnerability accounts for 21.43%, with A Luoi (82.48%) exceeding Nam Dong (17.52%) by 4.71 times. Very high-risk areas make up 4.69%, with Nam Dong (56.35%) surpassing A Luoi (43.65%) by 1.29 times. High-risk areas (13%) are concentrated in A Luoi, 2.58 times higher than Nam Dong. To reduce impacts, key measures include forest conservation, infrastructure upgrades, disaster warnings, and sustainable livelihoods.
This study evaluates the effectiveness of Algeria’s Law No. 98-04 in protecting archaeological heritage through the case of the Tahouda site (ancient Thabudeos) in Biskra Province. Using legal analysis, historical contextualization, topographic survey, geophysical prospection, and field observation, the research identifies a persistent gap between the law’s provisions and their implementation. Results show advanced material degradation, outdated documentation, weak monitoring, and fragmented institutional responsibilities. The study concludes that effective protection requires updated GIS-based inventories, clearer conservation guidelines, decentralised management, improved interministerial coordination, and stronger involvement of universities and local communities.
The article deals with the issue of the relationship between the economic situation and support for the far-right in elections using the example of Slovakia since 2020, assessing the risk of its further growth at a spatially disaggregated level. The input variables are the unemployment rate based on data from the 2021 census and the election results of far-right parties in the parliamentary elections in 2020 and 2023. We monitor the relationship at three spatially hierarchical levels –regional, district and local. We classify regions into four categories, municipalities and districts into seven categories, considering the potential for growth in support for the far-right, in the context of current support and the recent economic situation. In individual regions, we identified groups of municipalities with the highest risk of growth in support for far-right parties. In order to assess this risk at the level of districts in Slovakia, an FRG coefficient was created, with seven levels of assessment of its severity. While the western part of the country is doing well, the risk of growing support for the far-right is particularly high in central and eastern Slovakia. Special attention should be paid to the Horné Považie and Kysuce regions, the south of central Slovakia and several districts in the north-east of the country. This information can be valuable for political and civic actors at the central, regional and local levels, when trying to implement spatially targeted policies in the field of prevention and education, in order to address the issue of political radicalization at the sub-state level.
The study examines geomorphological changes of forest roads created and used during timber extraction in wind-damaged and bark-beetle-affected areas of the northern Tatra Mountains. Mapping 27 km of roads and repeated cross-section measurements (2015–2024) allowed assessment of incision, accumulation, slope, lithology and usage intensity. Erosion was the dominant process, with average annual incision of 0.02 m and accumulation of 0.01 m. Road degradation was most strongly controlled by usage intensity, while the influence of slope, lithology and alignment was less consistent. Road density decreased markedly over the decade due to declining use and vegetation recovery. Results show that reducing road use is the most effective way to limit erosion, although many roads remain persistent landforms on mountain slopes.
This study aims to examine the use of Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) theory in tourism studies through bibliometric analysis. SOR theory, which provides an important theoretical framework for understanding tourist behavior, has been used to analyze how tourism experiences are shaped by environmental stimuli and the effects of these stimuli on tourists’ psychological processes. The study analyzed 125 articles in the Web of Science database to identify scientific collaborations in this field, the most contributing authors and institutions and the most frequently used keywords. The study reveals that new technologies, especially digitalization and virtual reality tourism, offer powerful analysis tools when considered in the context of SOR theory. The study also found that SOR theory has not been sufficiently examined in different destination types and geographical regions such as rural tourism, ecotourism and cultural heritage tourism and that these areas present important gaps for future research. These findings may contribute to the development of more targeted and personalized marketing strategies in strategic planning in the tourism sector.
The text reflects on the use of documentary sources in the study of the borderland, using Lemkiv-shchyna in the first half of the 20th century as a case study. It examines materials including records of state authorities and political organisations from 1900–1947, the critical analysis of which provides a deeper under-standing of the processes shaping the cultural and natio-nal identity of Lemkivshchyna. The sources concerning the Lemkos and their localities make it possible to investigate changes in religious differentiation, national structure, population distribution (including in the con-text of resettlement), as well as the political factors that influenced these transformations.
This article evaluates the financial situation of selected municipalities in the Silesian Region (2019–2023) and identifies key financial challenges for local government units (LGUs) in light of economic, demographic, and spatial changes. The study covers 20 municipalities, selected based on their share of own-source revenues, and applies both quantitative and qualitative methods. It includes analysis of financial autonomy indicators, revenue and expenditure trends, and correlations between own revenues and investment capacity. A review of strategic documents and a SWOT analysis were also conducted. Results show that urban and tourist LGUs have greater financial independence than peripheral ones, which are more reliant on government subsidies. The need to diversify revenue sources and optimize budgetary strategies is emphasized to strengthen fiscal stability.
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted tourism, reshaping its operations in rural and urban areas. New regulations, economic challenges, and tourist fears forced changes in practices. A noticeable trend was the shift from cities to the countryside, increasing interest in agritourism. This study focused on agritourism farms in Greater Poland region, analyzing their operations during the pandemic from the perspectives of managers. Interviews with 12 facility operators explored challenges, opportunities, and future prospects for their services. Conducted in early 2023, after the pandemic subsided, the research reflects on the consequences of adaptations and the outlook for rural tourism. Interestingly, many operators viewed the pandemic not only as a challenge but also as an opportunity, with some even experiencing periods of prosperity. These findings highlight the adaptability of agritourism and its ability to thrive despite global uncertainty.
The article deals with the perception of 32 development factors in 36 municipalities representing different dimensions of dualisms. It assumes the existence of six dualisms (12 dimensions) and hypothesis that the opinions of local activists on development factors vary according to the dimensions of dualisms. The results were collected as part of a survey and were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney nonparametric test. In fact, dimensions of dualisms show differences in the assessment of development factors, but not all developmental factors score statistically significantly differently in each of the six dualisms. There are also factors that are assessed in a similar way in all municipalities. Obtained results seem relevant from the point of view of the model for formulating development policy objectives.
The main objective of this study was to propose a set of indicators based on the buffering procedure and publicly available spatial data that could be used to determine the degree of compactness of development. The Database of Topographic Objects (BDOT 10k) provided by geoportal.gov.pl was used to perform the analyses, and the Buffer (Geoprocessing) tool available in ArcGIS was used to conduct the analyses. Three measures were used in morphology analyses using buffers: net population density, circularity index (compactness index) and proposed by authors the development compactness index, calculated as the ratio of the area of the consolidated buffer (the area of built-up areas) to the area of buffers around individual buildings (the non-consolidated buffer). The research was carried out on the example of three rural municipalities of the Lower Silesian province (Czernica, Udanin and Lewin Kłodzki) and towns of Kłodzko County. The study showed that the net population density calculated in relation to the built-up area and the development compactness index could be used in studies of the morphology of settlements, directly or indirectly indicating their compactness. In turn, the circularity index is negatively correlated with the other indices and population of settlements.
The paper reviews research on the relationships between landscape composition and configuration –quantified using landscape metrics – and surface water quality. Using the Scopus database and keywords such as “water,” “quality,” “landscape,” and “metrics,” studies from 2017 to May 2022 were analyzed for their study areas, methodologies, and findings. Most studies focused on geomorphologically diverse watersheds, with over half conducted in China. Researchers typically examined 2–5 water quality parameters, with nitrogen and phosphorus compounds included in nearly all studies. High-resolution spatial data, primarily covering entire catchments and/or buffer zones, were used to calculate 6–10 landscape metrics. Findings indicate that forested catchments with less fragmented forests and significant areas of aggregated meadows are less prone to water quality degradation. Conversely, an increase in the proportion, density, and aggregation of arable land, as well as the expansion of built-up areas, contributes to water quality deterioration.
