Richard L. Morrill

Transport Expansion in Underdeveloped Countries: A Comparative Analysis

In the economic growth of underdeveloped countries a critical factor has been the improvement of internal accessibility through the expansion of a transportation network. This expansion is from its inception at once a continuous process of spatial diffusion and an irregular or sporadic process influenced by many specific economic, social, or political forces. This paper examines both processes as they have been evident in the growth of modern transport facilities in several underdeveloped areas. Certain broad regularities underlying the spatial diffusion process are brought to light, which permits a descriptive generalization of an ideal-typical sequence of transportation development. The relationship between transport and population is discussed and is used as the basis for examination of such additional factors as physical environment, rail competition, intermediate location, and commercialization. Ghana and Nigeria serve as examples.

Metropolitan, Urban, and Rural Commuting Areas: Toward a Better Depiction of the United States Settlement System.

Discontent with the current definition of metropolitan areas and the lack of differentiation within nonmetropolitan territory provided the incentive for the research presented here. Census tracts rather than counties were used as the building blocks for assignment of tracts, not just to metropolitan areas, but also to larger towns (10,000 to 49,999) and to smaller urban places (2,500 to 9,999). The analysis used 1990 census-defined urbanized areas and tract-to-tract commuter flows. Results include a modest shift of population from metropolitan to nonmetropolitan, as well as a significant reduction in the areal size of metropolitan areas, disaggregation of many areas, and frequent reconfiguration to a more realistic settlement form. [Key words: metropolitan, urban-rural, commuting.]

Factors Influencing Distances Traveled to Hospitals

Movement beyond intervening hospitals occurs for institutional, social, and other reasons. Of course, one obvious reason may be that hospitals cannot provide needed specialized care. In the first section we explore the travel impact of the fact that in most cases the patients physician, not the patient, chooses the hospital. In the second section we discuss the effect of racial, religious, and income variations on the hospital trip. Our analyses are based on 1965 hospital discharge data for Chicago.1

Studies of highway development and geographic change

RESEARCH STUDIES ARE CONDUCTED ON HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENTS AS A PART OF THE SETTING WITHIN THE BROAD CONTEXT OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL STRUCTURE OF OUR SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND ECONOMIC SYSTEM. THE STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO GUIDE TAXATION POLICIES AND PROGRAMS. ASPECTS OF EMERGING PATTERNS OF URBANIZATION, RESOURCE UTILIZATION, AND LAND USES ARE EVALUATED. SAMPLE STUDIES ARE CONDUCTED ON THE FUNDAMENTAL ASPECTS OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL ORGANIZATION OF OUR ECONOMIC LIFE, THE PLACE OF HIGHWAYS WITHIN THIS ORGANIZATION AND THE INFLUENCES OF HIGHWAY CHANGE. THE PLACE OF TRANSPORTATION IN THE STRUCTURE OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES IS DISCUSSED AS WELL AS THE BENEFITS OF HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT. THE SENSITIVITY OF BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS TO MAJOR HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS IS ANALYZED. A REVIEW OF IMFORMATION IS PRESENTED ON MOVEMENT TO OBTAIN GOODS AND SERVICES AND ON ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS IN RESPONSE TO DEMANDS FOR MULTIPLE-SHOPPING OPPORTUNITIES. THE ARRANGEMENTS OF SUPPLYING CENTERS AND TRIBUTARY AREAS AND THE SENSITIVITY OF THESE AREAS TO CHANGES IN TRANSPORTATION ARE ANALYZED. MEDICAL SERVICES WERE CHOSEN FOR SPECIFIC ANALYSIS BECAUSE OF THE AVAILABILITY OF DATA. THE ANALYSIS PERMITS CONCLUSIONS REGARDING CHANGES IN SERVICE AREAS AND SUPPLYING POINTS AND BENEFITS TO SUPPLIERS AND CONSUMERS OF MEDICAL SERVICES.

THE STRUCTURE OF SHOPPING IN A METROPOLIS

A rich data source on retail and service establishments permitted a comprehensive description and analysis of the structure of business districts of the Seattle metropolitan area. Particular attention is paid to the hierarchy of centers and to functional specialization in relation to theories of urban structure. A simple hierarchical central place structure proved dominant, but within this structure, planned and unplanned centers, as well as arterial strips all exhibited successful specialization and market adaptability. However, comparison with similarly good 1954 data revealed the fundamental restructuring from city to suburb that has occurred.

Redistricting, region and representation

Abstract A quarter century after Baker v. Carr , a new chapter in the ‘reapportionment revolution’ has opened now that Davis v. Bandemer has ruled that partisan political gerrymandering is justiciable. This article reviews the various criteria that have been used or proposed for redistricting or its evaluation, and in particular develops theoretical arguments for the criterion of respect for community of interest, on grounds of the nature of representation in America. Characteristics of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ districting are presented, as are tests or measures and possible standards for evaluating the quality of districting.

Classic Map Revisited: The Growth of Megalopolis

Abstract Brownings classic 1974 map of Megalopolis, covering the growth of Megalopolis from 1950 to 1970, is updated through 2000. The color map depicts the extent and expansion of Megalopolis for three time periods, 1950–1970, 1970–1990, and 1990–2000. Discussion relates the growth of Megalopolis to social and economic forces influencing urbanization in the United States in the latter half of the twentieth century.

Inequalities of power, costs and benefits across geographic scales: the future uses of the Hanford reservation

Abstract Although the United States has a federal system of government, and there are many constituencies which extol and defend local autonomy, there appear to be yet stronger forces and more powerful interests which lead to a pronounced tendency for higher levels of government and wider interests to prevail in conflicts across geographic scales. Reasons for the supremacy of higher levels are discussed theoretically, and then illustrated through an examination of controversies surrounding the future uses of the Hanford nulcear reservation in Washington state.

Prospectively Surveying Health-Related Quality of Life and Symptom Relief in a Lot- Based Sample of Medical Cannabis-Using Patients in Urban Washington State Reveals Managed Chronic Illness and Debility

Objectives: To characterize health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in medical cannabis patients. Methods: Short Form 36 (SF-36) Physical Health Component Score and Mental Health Component Score (MCS) surveys as well has CDC (Centers for Disease Control) HRQoL-14 surveys were completed by 37 qualified patients. Results: Mean SF-36 PCS and MCS, normalized at 50, were 37.4 and 44.2, respectively. Eighty percent of participants reported activity/functional limitations secondary to impairments or health problems. Patients reported using medical cannabis to treat a wide array of symptoms across multiple body systems with relief ratings consistently in the 7-10/10 range. Conclusion: The HRQoL results in this sample of medical cannabis-using patients are comparable with published norms in other chronically ill populations. Data presented provide insight into medical cannabis-using patients’ self-rated health, HRQoL, disease incidences, and cannabis-related symptom relief.

Aging in place age specific migration and natural decrease.

This analysis of regional demographic change evaluates the roles of “aging in place” and of age-specific migration on the geographic pattern of the advent of natural decrease in the United States. The spread of natural decrease is projected on the basis of recent births and deaths, in the absence of migration. Age-specific migration data for Oregon and Washington are used to develop a typology of counties that can be used in turn to modify the probable timing of natural decrease.