Robert Rogerson

Environmental and health-related quality of life: Conceptual and methodological similarities

The recent revival of interest in the concept of quality of life by academics in both the social and medical sciences, and amongst politicians has focused attention on the continuing debate about the definition, measurement and utilisation of quality of life. In particular, the need amongst regulatory and financial authorities--both in the health sector and in local government--to know about the potential impact of intervention has encouraged further interest in the use of quality of life measures to assist resource allocation and assessing the impact of policy decisions. In this paper it is argued that whilst such measures may be the ultimate goal of research, this can only be constructed on a fuller understanding of quality of life measures of current conditions and the relationship between components of life quality. A conceptual framework is developed to show the relationship between the way that quality of life, in both environmental and health-related studies, has been conceived and measured. The strong similarities in both respects are discussed, pointing to the need for heightened interdisciplinary dissemination of research methods and assessments.

The fauna, flora and palaeoenvironmental significance of deposits beneath the low terrace of the River Great Ouse at Radwell, Bedfordshire, England

Pits in the lowest terrace of the Great Ouse near the village of the Radwell, Bedfordshire exposed sections in sand and gravel together with channel fills of organic mud. This fill contains remains of molluscs, ostracods, insects and plant macro-fossils. Interpretation of the remains suggest environmental change under interstadial conditions, probably in the Mid-Devensian sub-stage. Problems of interpreting local and regional environments from faunal and fossil indicators contained within fluviatile deposits are discussed.

Gaelic cultural revival or language decline

Abstract The late 1980s and early 1990s have appeared to signal a revival in interest in the Gaelic culture. New television programmes, education opportunities and attendance at arts and music events suggest that Gaelic is once again seen as important to a significant minority of the Scottish population. The 1991 Census however paints a very different picture: the continued decline in the number of people who are able to speak, read or write the Gaelic language. The paper considers this apparent paradox and argues that the continuing predominance of language as the indicator of cultural identity should be open to question. It is suggested that population geographers in analysing minority populations need to be more aware of the debates about alternative cultural measures used elsewhere in geography.

Re-defining temporal notions of event legacy: lessons from Glasgow's Commonwealth Games

ABSTRACT Recent research into legacies derived from major sporting and cultural events has highlighted the need to explore more critically the ways in which such legacy is defined and assessed in specific contexts and how different approaches to production of legacy are being created. This paper examines how, associated with the XX Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow in the summer of 2014, there has been an attempt to redefine temporal notions of event legacy. In particular, the focus is on the creation of measurable and visible legacies in advance of the event. Using two illustrations associated with increasing participation in sport and physical activity and community regeneration, the paper considers how such re-framing has helped to generate early legacies but also created challenges in terms of event management and legacy sustainability. The paper concludes by discussing some of the wider implications in terms of alternative framing of legacy research arising from this alternative temporal timeframe.

Making sense of places : "Moral geographies" of sensory urbanism

This paper explores the connections between whose representation of space, and whose modalities are “desirable” as part of the design of public spaces. Drawing on the theoretical framework of Henri Lefebvre, we reiterate the importance of “spatial practice” as a key tenet running right through the urban “design control” process. Second, we examine the ways in which subsequent multi-modal representations of urban space might act as a rejoinder to questions raised by the “moral geographies” literature, concluding that a consideration of “moral geographies” offers one way to unlock the multi-modal qualities associated with a progressive sensory urbanism.

Glasgow's reluctant mavericks and inward investment strategy: Local dependence and its applications

Abstract Recent work on local governance has identified at least two differences between British and North American cities: the lack of formation of business coalitions in Britain; and the role of central government agencies in incorporating the private sector, in British cities. Whilst literature has developed these points of difference in isolation, we advocate a synthesis. Central to this synthesis must be the concept of local dependence. In this paper we develop a framework through which this concept can be operationalised. We explore these issues in the context of one particular public‐private partnership in Glasgow — the Glasgow Operatives Club.

Places Rated Almanacs and roll out neoliberalism

An automated crustacean processing apparatus provides a scrubbing of crustacean leg portions at high speed and volume and additionally maximizes the amount of leg processable. A cutting arrangement is provided to sever the legs from the body portions with minimum wastage of usable leg material. Asymmetric scrubbing of the upper and lower leg surfaces means that the upper surfaces, which are less debris-laden and feature a commercially significant layer of red colouring receive a less vigorous scrubbing then the leg undersides, which are more debris-laden and do not feature a red layer.

A comparison between the cost effectiveness of CCTV and improved street lighting as a means of crime reduction

Abstract The effectiveness of CCTV and improved street lighting has been studied extensively in terms of their potential for reducing the number of crimes in a certain area. However, this does not take into account the cost of the interventions or the savings due to crime reduction. This paper presents a model, which takes the form of a cellular automaton to simulate the implementation of improved street lighting and CCTV cameras using a range of strategies. This permits an exploration of simulated options to find which is most cost effective and what the best strategy for implementation is. The results indicate that there are few situations where CCTV is more cost effective than improved street lighting as a way of reducing street crime. In addition, it is shown that the strategy of targeting locations with the highest crime rates, “hot spots”, has the greatest potential for maximising the cost effectiveness of interventions.