Angela Hull

The Futures of the City Region

(Received in revised form October 2008) THE ASCENDANCE OF THE CITY REGION Urban space is so replete with descriptions that Pandora’s jar could not contain them. Like in the Greek myth of Pandora, the plethora of urban spatial descriptions is almost a curse on those who attempt comprehensive understanding. Today, the debates surrounding regional questions are more complex than ever in many dimensions. They are multidisciplinary and multi-scalar, and the phenomena under analysis are themselves more complex, as evidenced by an abundance of empirical and theoretical research in the last decades. National planners are anticipating the growth of connected networks of metropolitan areas or ‘megaregions’ in America 2050 (DEWAR and EPSTEIN, 2007) and in Europe the reach of urban areas is conceived as spreading from city centres to the remote countryside across ‘city-region’ territories (RAVETZ, 2000). Urbanization, in this sense, is both an empirical and an imagined/discursive question. The focus of this special issue is whether and how the ‘city region’ constitutes a new departure in urbanization, and if so what are the key elements of that difference. Contributors have been invited to situate and debate these questions through the analysis of social and economic conditions and/or the governance narratives in the spatial contexts

Editorial: Regional Studies: 40 Years and More …

At the 40th anniversary of Regional Studies, we seek to reflect on the establishment, evolution and progress of the journal over its first 40 years. The current context is especially timely and appropriate to consider the journal’s achievements given the unprecedented significance and growing diversity of interand multidisciplinary approaches to regional studies and the increased demand for high-quality theoretical and empirical analysis to support policy-making. We offer a brief review to mark the journal’s milestones, celebrate its achievements and provide a selection of significant contributions published in the journal in its first four decades. This paper complements the forward look provided in our special issue addressing the question ‘Whither regional studies?’ published in 2007. What follows, then, is not an attempt to articulate and document a disciplinary and institutional history in the manner of recent work in regional science (BARNES, 2004; BOYCE, 2004; ISSERMAN, 1993). This piece focuses specifically on the journal Regional Studies. It can only offer a contribution to the broader and as yet only partially told historiography of regional studies and the Regional Studies Association (WISE, 1989). We outline the origins and establishment of the journal, note key developments in its evolution, and comment on the selection process for the papers included in this supplement, before articulating some conclusions about the place of Regional Studies in the wider and shifting disciplinary context.

Predictive Habitat Modelling as a Tool to Assess the Change in Distribution and Extent of an OSPAR Priority Habitat under an Increased Ocean Temperature Scenario: Consequences for Marine Protected Area Networks and Management

The aims of this study were to determine the extent and distribution of an OSPAR priority habitat under current baseline ocean temperatures; to illustrate the prospect for habitat loss under a changing ocean temperature scenario; and to demonstrate the potential application of predictive habitat mapping in “future-proofing” conservation and biodiversity management. Maxent modelling and GIS environmental envelope analysis of the biogenic bed forming species, Modiolus modiolus was carried out. The Maxent model was tested and validated using 75%/25% training/test occurrence records and validated against two sampling biases (the whole study area and a 20km buffer). The model was compared to the envelope analysis and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (Area Under the curve; AUC) was evaluated. The performance of the Maxent model was rated as ‘good’ to ‘excellent’ on all replicated runs and low variation in the runs was recorded from the AUC values. The extent of “most suitable”, “less suitable” and “unsuitable” habitat was calculated for the baseline year (2009) and the projected increased ocean temperature scenarios (2030, 2050, 2080 and 2100). A loss of 100% of “most suitable” habitat was reported by 2080. Maintaining a suitable level of protection of marine habitats/species of conservation importance may require management of the decline and migration rather than maintenance of present extent. Methods applied in this study provide the initial application of a plausible “conservation management tool”.

Bicycle infrastructure: can good design encourage cycling?

This research posits the question that good design of the bicycle infrastructure in a city will encourage more people to cycle. Research is carried out to compare the cycle infrastructure in selected European cities against an adapted Level of Service concept using accompanied ride-alongs. The literature review on the factors that encourage/dissuade cycle use suggests that it is the potential rider’s perceptions on the safety of cycling in their neighbourhood that is the deciding feature. Moreover, the literature review showed that contextual factors such as whether the actual infrastructure meets the needs of different cyclists are relatively under-researched. Six case study cities were selected (Edinburgh, Cambridge, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht) and compared on a range of factors by the riders including the coherence, directness, attractiveness, safety and comfort of the network. A cycle infrastructure scoring system was derived from the cycling research literature and the research was carried out by the researcher, an experienced cyclist, accompanied by an inexperienced cyclist. Using this research, the article makes several recommendations for improving and enhancing existing cycle infrastructure provision.

Final Editorial for the Newcastle Editorial Team

As the editorial term of office for the Newcastle team draws to a close, we felt it appropriate to disclose something of the ways in which we have run Regional Studies and to reflect upon our performance. This endeavour aligns us with the journal traditions of closing editorials (for example, HALL, 1978; and MARTIN et al., 2005). But, having completed three years of editorial work, we depart from the more elaborate analyses provided by some of our predecessors (for example, TAYLOR and JOHNES, 1992; and DUNFORD et al., 2002). We leave the more detailed assessment of the journal’s performance for a more appropriately lengthy run of data in the capable hands of the new editorial team. That said, it is of interest to set within a longer perspective one of the key themes of our editorial term: the internationalization of the journal. We do not claim that this is a new departure for Regional Studies: Fig. 1 shows that throughout its history there has been a broadening of the geographical base of authors beyond the original UK heartland of the Regional Studies Association and a marked ‘Europeanization’ of contributions in the last decade. In what follows, then, we discuss some process and performance aspects of editing the journal.

Connectivity and Dispersal Patterns of Protected Biogenic Reefs: Implications for the Conservation of Modiolus modiolus (L.) in the Irish Sea

Biogenic reefs created by Modiolus modiolus (Linnaeus, 1758) (horse mussel reefs) are marine habitats which support high levels of species biodiversity and provide valuable ecosystem services. Currently, M. modiolus reefs are listed as a threatened and/or declining species and habitat in all OSPAR regions and thus are highlighted as a conservation priority under the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Determining patterns of larval dispersal and genetic connectivity of remaining horse mussel populations can inform management efforts and is a critical component of effective marine spatial planning (MSP). Larval dispersal patterns and genetic structure were determined for several M. modiolus bed populations in the Irish Sea including those in Wales (North Pen Llŷn), Isle of Man (Point of Ayre) and Northern Ireland (Ards Peninsula and Strangford Lough). Simulations of larval dispersal suggested extant connectivity between populations within the Irish Sea. Results from the genetic analysis carried out using newly developed microsatellite DNA markers were consistent with those of the biophysical model. Results indicated moderately significant differentiation between the Northern Ireland populations and those in the Isle of Man and Wales. Simulations of larval dispersal over a 30 day pelagic larval duration (PLD) suggest that connectivity over a spatial scale of 150km is possible between some source and sink populations. However, it appears unlikely that larvae from Northern Ireland will connect directly with sites on the Llŷn or Isle of Man. It also appears unlikely that larvae from the Llŷn connect directly to any of the other sites. Taken together the data establishes a baseline for underpinning management and conservation of these important and threatened marine habitats in the southern part of the known range.