Michael Pacione

Urban environmental quality and human wellbeing—a social geographical perspective

Concern over the quality of modern life is a characteristic of contemporary society. This paper explains the social geographical approach to research into quality of life and urban environmental quality. A five-dimensional model for quality of life research is presented, and a number of key conceptual and methodological issues examined. Two exemplar case studies are employed to illustrate the application of the five-dimensional social geographical perspective in a real world context. Finally, the potential usefulness of quality of life research is assessed, and several conclusions advanced for future research.

Urban Liveability: A Review.

The development of a problem-oriented, socially concerned applied urban geography has focused research attention on the quinjessential geographical problem-viz., the nature of the relationship between city dwellers and their urban environments. Most geographical research into this question has been based on objective measures of environmental quality. A complementary perspective focuses on the concept of urban liveability. This paper adopts an international, interdisciplinary perspective to identify the major issues in urban liveability research and to highlight those areas where urban geographers can make a particular contribution.

A novel software visualisation model to support software comprehension

Current software visualisation tools do not address the full range of software comprehension requirements. This paper proposes a novel software visualisation model for supporting object-oriented software comprehension that is intended to address the shortcomings of existing tools. We discuss the previous work that prompted us to develop this model. An initial model is then presented, based on multiple levels of abstraction, multiple perspectives of the software system, and the integration of statically and dynamically extracted information. We review the evaluation tasks used in our previous work and those from the software visualisation and comprehension literature to produce a refined set of evaluation tasks. We then use these tasks to perform an initial assessment of the proposed model. The refined model is then defined more formally. Finally, a concrete example of the use of the model to generate abstraction hierarchies is discussed. We conclude that a visualisation model incorporating a hierarchy of interrelated abstraction levels, combined with structural and behavioural perspectives of the software, will provide effective support for software comprehension.

Access to urban services — the case of secondary schools in Glasgow

Abstract Physical access to urban services and facilities is a major component of quality of life and a key ingredient of peoples real income. In light of the current debate over school closures this paper employs a modified version of the basic gravity model to examine accessibility to secondary schools in Glasgow. It is concluded that while numerical indices of accessibility provide planners and decision‐makers with valuable information on the location of public services, those seeking to promote an equitable distribution of urban services must also consider the socio‐political processes which constrain the quantity and quality of resources available.

A comparative evaluation of dynamic visualisation tools

Despite their potential applications in softwarecomprehension, it appears that dynamic visualisationtools are seldom used outside the research laboratory.This paper presents an empirical evaluation of fivedynamic visualisation tools - AVID, Jinsight, jRMTool,Together ControlCenter diagrams and TogetherControlCenter debugger. The tools were evaluated on anumber of general software comprehension and specificreverse engineering tasks using the HotDraw object-orientedframework. The tasks considered typicalcomprehension issues, including identification of softwarestructure and behaviour, design pattern extraction,extensibility potential, maintenance issues, functionalitylocation, and runtime load. The results revealed that thelevel of abstraction employed by a tool affects its successin different tasks, and that tools were more successful inaddressing specific reverse engineering tasks thangeneral software comprehension activities. It was foundthat no one tool performs well in all tasks, and some taskswere beyond the capabilities of all five tools. This paperconcludes with suggestions for improving the efficacy ofsuch tools.

Local exchange trading systems—a rural response to the globalization of capitalism?

Abstract The local exchange trading system represents a possible community-level response to the globalization of capitalism. However, few studies have examined the potential of the LETS concept in rural areas, and no studies are available of LETS in rural Scotland. The present research employs empirical evidence from the Isle of Skye to investigate the potential of LETS for relocalising social and economic relations in remoter rural areas. This particular socio-cultural milieu presents both obstacles and opportunities for the development of LETS. It is suggested that further expansion of the Skye system could be stimulated by a focus on local food production. A LETS-based food co-operative can promote direct links between producers and consumers, extend the membership base and thereby reduce the frictional effect of distance on trading and social contact. It is concluded that to achieve such an objective the efforts of LETS members would be facilitated by the support of a sympathetic local authority.

The relevance of religion for a relevant human geography

Abstract The euphoria which accompanied the rise of socially-relevant research in human geography in the early 1970s was dissipated by the failure to achieve a significant social policy impact. Since then ‘relevant’ human geography has occupied a social policy backwater. This paper revisits the question of relevance in human geography and examines the potential contribution of a religious perspective for a reinvigorated human geography.

Applied geography: in pursuit of useful knowledge

Abstract Applied geography is concerned with the application of geographical knowledge and skills to the resolution of real-world social, economic and environmental problems, yet the approach has been the subject of criticism from Marxist and, more recently, postmodern theorists. This paper examines the substance of this critique and employs the concept of useful knowledge to illustrate the principles, practice and potential of an applied geographical approach to the challenge of enhancing the quality of present and future living conditions and environments on the planet Earth.

The geography of multiple deprivation in Scotland

Abstract The present research employs data drawn from the small area statistics of the 1991 census to provide the first published descriptive analysis of the distribution of multiple deprivation in Scotland. The empirical findings represent an essential foundation for detailed analysis of specific problem areas and provide a basis for critical evaluation of past policies aimed at alleviating conditions of multiple deprivation, as well as a guide to future policy formulation.

The urban crisis: Poverty and deprivation in the Scottish city

Abstract Poverty and deprivation remain the daily experience of large numbers of urban dwellers in Scotland. The size and concentration of the disadvantaged population represents a contemporary urban crisis. This paper identifies the nature and incidence of poverty and deprivation in the Scottish city, evaluates recent policy initiatives, and assesses the prospects for an improved quality of life for the poor in urban Scotland. It is concluded that to approach this objective will require a complementary programme of structural‐level “people policies” and local‐level “place‐policies”.