Siiri Silm

Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of the New Residential Areas around Tallinn

New housing construction is the most visible manifestation of the rapid suburbanization process taking place in the former centrally planned countries of Central Eastern Europe. This paper analyses residential housing construction around Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, in the period 1991–2005. Our data comes from the New Residential Area Survey that was carried out in 2006. The main results of the study reveal that housing construction was modest in the 1990s, but grew rapidly in the 2000s. In comparison with the Soviet period, private interest led new housing construction to take place in areas closer to Tallinn that were earlier reserved for other functions; that is former agricultural and coastal (often military) areas. Instead of the sprawl of detached housing further away from the capital city seen over time, we find increasing in-fills and multifamily housing construction in the 2000s around Tallinn. This leads to changes both in the internal structure (small but merging settlements close to Tallinn are different from the Soviet time compact settlements located all over the rural areas) and functioning (increase in daily commuting) of the metropolitan area. We argue that the transition period ends in the housing market when a new and better balance between public and private interests emerges in Estonia like in Western Europe.

Ethnic Differences in Activity Spaces: A Study of Out-of-Home Nonemployment Activities with Mobile Phone Data

The need to examine the entire scope of everyday activities of individuals in segregation studies has recently been recognized by social scientists and policy makers. To bring forth new insights into ethnic segregation through investigating the activities and movement undertaken by different population groups, we used mobile phone positioning data to compare the activity spaces of out-of-home nonemployment activities over a one-year period in Estonia and abroad. The results show that ethnicity has a significant influence on the activity spaces of individuals. The biggest differences between the two population groups occur in Estonia outside the respondents’ home city of Tallinn, where the Russian-speaking minority was found to visit 45 percent fewer districts than Estonians. Moreover, they exhibit a preference for districts that are more heavily populated by a Russian-speaking population. With respect to international travel, the Russian-speaking minority visits fewer countries and are 3.6 times more likely to visit former Soviet Union countries than Estonians. The activity spaces of out-of-home nonemployment activities have fewer differences between the two groups in the respondents’ home city of Tallinn. Overall, our results show that ethnic differences have less effect on the everyday activity space and a greater influence on the choices made regarding long-distance travel.

The seasonal variability of population in Estonian municipalities

The authors study the seasonal variability of population in Estonia, and develop a methodology for the monitoring of the short-term mobility of population with mobile-positioning data. The locations of calculated home anchor points of telephone users were analysed by use of the dataset of EMT, Estonias biggest mobile operator, over a period of 2 years. The results showed that approximately 5% of the population of Estonia change their place of residence seasonally. The number of residents rises during the summer months in coastal areas, the surroundings of cities, and in specific ‘dacha’ areas. Most of these seasonal migrants originated from cities and towns. The timing and geography of the seasonal migration patterns studied showed the different directions and causes of seasonal moves. The methodology developed for the monitoring of short-term migration is suitable for the monitoring of movements over more extensive territory. In order to determine the causes and composition of these migrations, however, one must use additional survey studies or observations.

Mobile Positioning in Space–Time Behaviour Studies: Social Positioning Method Experiments in Estonia

The paper introduces methods and applications of the mobile positioning-based social positioning method in geography. The social positioning method (SPM) studies space–time behavior by analyzing the location coordinates of mobile phones and the social characteristics of the people carrying them. We describe the experience gained from the SPM pilot studies carried out in Estonia from 2003 to 2006. The results demonstrate that mobile positioning-based tracing is applicable in different geographical studies, as an analysis of temporal movement patterns and activity spaces. The biggest advantage of mobile positioning-based methods is that mobile phones are widespread, positioning works inside buildings, and collection of movement data is done by a third party at regular intervals. The disadvantage of mobile positioning today is relatively low spatial accuracy and surveillance fears. The boom in the generation of phones with A-GPS will improve positioning accuracy in networks.

The temporal variation of ethnic segregation in a city: evidence from a mobile phone use dataset.

The aim of this study is to determine the temporal variation of ethnic segregation in the city of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. We employ data on mobile-phone use to compare variations in segregation indices during the day, the week, and the year. The results indicate that the locations of people are more segregated at night, with considerably less segregation during the daytime. The segregation is significantly lower on workdays compared to weekends. Segregation is also lower during summer holidays compared to the winter working period. The results show that although places of residence are segregated, different ethnic groups use the city together during the day, which increases the potential for interethnic contacts. The results demonstrate also that temporal segregation indices based on mobile-phone use are considerably lower than segregation indices of places of residence that are derived from the census.

Mobile Positioning Data in Tourism Studies and Monitoring: Case Study in Tartu, Estonia

We introduce mobile positioning based data sources in tourism studies using the case study of tourism in Tartu, Estonia. Mobile positioning data is a promising source for tourism geography as it is one easiest and most cost effective sources for investigating the flows of tourists with relatively good spatial and temporal coverage. Mobile positioning data allows one to link the digital track of visitors with visited events and locations retrospectively. The data also has potential for the development of real-time monitoring tools for tourism planning and management, as it has been tested in Estonia with “Positium Tourism Barometer”. The biggest problem with positioning data is privacy and surveillance, and those issues needs to be addressed and discussed very carefully.

Application of mobile phone location data in mapping of commuting patterns and functional regionalization: a pilot study of Estonia

The paper presents initial steps into the research of commuting patterns and functional regions using mobile phone location data. The main aim is to introduce and discuss the potential of mobile phone location data as an alternative data sources to censuses for mapping commuting flows and subsequent functional regionalization. A set of analytical maps covering various aspects of regular daily movements of population and functional regionalization is provided. Estonia is serving as a pilot laboratory for analyses based on commuting flows derived from mobile phone location data. The maps give to reader a synthetic overview of contemporary settlement system in Estonia and introduce the potential of mobile phone location data for research in this field.

Seasonal Indicators and Seasons of Estonian Landscapes

Seasonality and seasons of Estonian landscapes are analysed using selected natural and social indicators of urban and rural landscapes. Seasonality has a great influence on the ecological and visual features of landscapes; seasonal variability is especially great in temperate climate zones where relatively cold winters alternate with warm summers. The indicators that are suitable for describing the seasonality of landscapes are natural parameters such as air temperature, radiation regime, climatic seasons and snow cover, and social parameters of birthdays, alcohol consumption and state budget allocations. Because of the great seasonal differences in natural and socio-economic conditions, the differences between urban and rural landscapes having different seasonal rhythms are focused upon. One of the main differences is the change in lifestyle which is detected in the change in the seasonal variability of births. Seasonal differences between urban and rural landscapes are also confirmed by parameters of changing climate and some social indicators. The developing information society creates new jobs and a lifestyle that has its own seasonal rhythm. Periods of active work and social activity accumulate towards the deadlines preceding the Christmas and the summer period of vacations. A project-oriented information society has more flexibility to enjoy nature in rural landscapes during different seasons.

Evaluating the Travel Distances of Events Visitors and Regular Visitors Using Mobile Positioning Data: The Case of Estonia

Abstract Event tourism has become an important economic component of modern tourism, given the growing numbers of visitors and the development of local communities that it entails. This study examines whether the distances traveled by foreign visitors to events differ from those traveled by non-event (i.e., regular) visitors, and which factors influence such distances. We use passive mobile positioning data obtained from visitors to 145 events in Estonia (119,288 visits) and from a comparison group of regular visitors (199,859 visits) between 2006 and 2009. The results show that events visitors come from nearer locations than regular visitors; similarly to regular visitors, the distance decay principle applies in case of events visitors; and that events bring more visitors from more distant countries in the off-season (winter).

Emergent properties of HIV risk among injection drug users in Tallinn, Estonia: synthesis of individual and neighbourhood-level factors

Objectives HIV/AIDS risk is embodied within multiple levels including structural and social levels. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of neighbourhood characteristics on HIV prevalence among injection drug users (IDU) residing in the area of Tallinn, Estonia in 2007. Methods A cross-sectional, multilevel design collecting individual-level data—a behaviour survey including data on self-reported residency and HIV antibody testing among 350 IDU and neighbourhood-level data—aggregate measures on socio-demo-economic residential characteristics from the 2000 Estonian census. Geocoding and multilevel modelling analysis was employed. Results Among the 350 IDU recruited, earlier age at first injection, fentanyl as the main injection drug, receptive syringe sharing, main income source other than legal employment and ever attended a syringe exchange programme remained significantly associated with increased odds of anti-HIV positivity in the multivariable analysis involving individual effects with no predictors at the neighbourhood level. In the multilevel model, individual (earlier at IDU initiation AOR 1.86, 95% CI 1.01 to 3.44; injecting opioids AOR 4.43, 95% CI 2.74 to 7.18; receptive syringe sharing AOR 2.51, 95% CI 1.86 to 3.37; main income source other than work AOR 2.04, 95% CI 1.32 to 3.14; ever attended a syringe exchange programme AOR 2.58, 95% CI 1.83 to 3.61) and neighbourhood level (higher unemployment rate AOR 5.95, 95% CI 2.47 to 14.31; greater residential change AOR 1.89, 95% CI 1.09 to 3.26) emerged as significant predictors of individual HIV-positive status. Conclusions Our results indicate that both individual-level and emergent neighbourhood-level factors contribute to HIV risk among IDU and are amenable for preventive interventions.