Social mobility has acquired expansive interest from the academic literature. Nevertheless, there are numerous components of social mobility and methodologies that have not received the same level...Show moreSocial mobility has acquired expansive interest from the academic literature. Nevertheless, there are numerous components of social mobility and methodologies that have not received the same level of attention. This research paper combines various poorly researched aspects of social mobility to establish an introductory and exploratory foundation for novel research studies. In so doing, it aims to examine the applicability of social mobility theories and models to a non-Western setting: Nairobi, Kenya and open up new opportunities and directions for social mobility research. Using spatial analysis research, this paper shows that indeed there are patterns and variations that differ in significance for social mobility in Nairobi compared to the suggestions of the existing literature. It, therefore, indicates the need for additional research of social mobility using new lenses and methods.Show less
Xinjiang is a region that functions as the heart of the ancient Silk Roads, but it finds itself in a state of in-betweenness. Judging from historical research and archaeological evidence, many...Show moreXinjiang is a region that functions as the heart of the ancient Silk Roads, but it finds itself in a state of in-betweenness. Judging from historical research and archaeological evidence, many outside influences and different peoples have affected Xinjiang from the second century B.C.E. to the thirteenth century C.E., and evidence of the presence of three relatively lesser-known religions appears in a spatial pattern along the different Silk Road routes. This thesis discusses these influences, the three religions, and the concepts of spatiality and in- betweenness, and through this lens, approaches the functioning of this turbulent region in the ancient Silk Roads era.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Liberal Arts and Sciences: Global Challenges (LUC) (BA/BSc)
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Over the next century, effects of climate change are expected to increase. Especially in cities, with high population densities, these effects can be magnified. Two of the most pressing issues in...Show moreOver the next century, effects of climate change are expected to increase. Especially in cities, with high population densities, these effects can be magnified. Two of the most pressing issues in cities are: 1) increasing temperatures and the urban heat island effect, resulting in thermal discomfort for citizens and thermal stress on the environment and 2) biodiversity loss, due to urbanisation, which fragments natural habitat and disrupts ecosystems. Key to mitigating these issue in cities are greenspaces, which can cool temperatures and support biodiversity. This paper examines how spatial characteristics of tree-based greenspaces affect cooling, and relates this to ecological connectivity, using The Hague as a case study. A preliminary spatial data analysis of the greenspace cooling effect was done using remote sensing based on Landsat satellite imagery using a Geographic Information System, and further analysed with multivariate regression. The analysis of connectivity was done using Fragstats software. The results indicated that the Greenspace Cooling Island effect does occur in The Hague and that the area of the greenspace, area-perimeter ratio of the nearest neighbouring greenspace and the distance to the nearest neighbouring greenspace can explain the temperature reduction (TA). The cooling range (GR) could not be explained by any of the spatial characteristics. Regarding connectivity, street trees exhibited a higher degree of connectivity, whereas forest was more aggregated. Together, this suggests that smaller, closer tree-based greenspaces can lead to more temperature reduction in a city, but that enlarging greenspaces can also have a similar same effect. The findings of this research form a first step for the assessment of GCI in Dutch cities and can be build upon for further research that can be applied to urban planning to develop greenspaces in cities in the face of climate change.Show less
The rural settlements of the Roman Somme (Northern France) are poorly understood in terms of site location. Although the physical landscape of the area is rather smooth, local variations influence...Show moreThe rural settlements of the Roman Somme (Northern France) are poorly understood in terms of site location. Although the physical landscape of the area is rather smooth, local variations influence the distribution of sites. Furthermore, the socio-economic context around Roman farms plays an important part in human behaviours of settlement creation. Predictive modelling constitutes an effective tool for dissecting settlement patterns and understanding their locational parameters through the quantification and evaluation of formal hypotheses. A specific methodology was tailored for the subject and inspired by theory-driven and cognitive predictive modelling approaches. It involves the creation of multivariate models through weighted map algebra, which are then confronted with the distribution of archaeological settlements in four micro-regions along the Somme River. The correlation of the variables with archaeological location indicates that slopes, landforms and the relative distance to rivers are the main influential factors of the physical environment. Socio-economic parameters such as the relative distance to cities, secondary agglomerations and Roman roads are even more influential. Notwithstanding the lack of representation of settlements in the Late Roman period, site location follows similar trends from the 1st century AD to the end of the 4th century AD. Villas prefer economically well connected locations, as do stone-built and post-built settlements. Nevertheless, no parameter can be considered as deterministic in site location. This demonstrates the diversity of choices and influences which favoured the creation of Roman sites in the landscape.Show less
