Volume 30 (2022): Issue 1 (March 2022)

Ukraine, like some other Eastern European post-communist countries, faced a military-political crisis during its subsequent development that led to a ‘new’ category of migrants: internally displaced persons (IDPs). This paper aims to deepen the understanding of the hidden urban geographies of internal displacement and the consequences of armed conflicts in large cities, in the context of the Russo-Ukrainian armed conflicts with a focus on major Ukrainian cities as primary recipients of Ukrainian IDPs. The difficulties faced by Ukrainian urban IDPs in adapting to new geopolitical and life realities and integrating into host communities are examined, as well as an elaboration of the spatial intra-urban patterns of IDP distributions. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to achieve the goals of the research. The data set consisted of official data, generalised survey results, and materials from in-depth interviews with urban IDPs from Donbas/Crimea. The empirical results of the study of urban IDPs in Ukraine shed light on patterns of the adaptation and integration of IDPs in large Ukrainian cities and help to understand more deeply the hidden urban geographies of internal displacement in large cities, in particular an understanding of the nature of intra-urban patterns of Ukrainian IDP distributions.

The imperative of decarbonisation represents a great challenge for the tourist accommodation sector. This article examines the adoption of renewable energy innovations in the tourist accommodation sector of Portugal. The analysis focuses on one of the most known tourist accommodation products in the Portuguese countryside: Tourism in Rural Areas (TER). Drawing from two complementary e-mail-based surveys conducted with TER owners/managers, the results of the study show that there is a substantial gap between their positive perceptions of renewables and levels of renewable energy innovations adoption. The reasons pinpointed relate to unfavourable market factors and to institutional, legal, regulatory, or administrative hurdles. In addition, except for geographical location, the characteristics of the units and respondents had no significant influence on adoption.

Valorisation of land is an important tool for countries around the world to help regulate land use planning and ensure sustainable development. Cemeteries are multifaceted spaces, providing a keystone community infrastructure. Poorly located cemeteries can generate adverse environmental, landscape and community outcomes. Identifying optimal sites for cemeteries will become an increasing concern for land use planners as population numbers and consequent death rates increase while the amount of available land decreases. This study was conducted with the aim of proposing multi-criteria analysis for identifying some optimal sites for cemeteries. This analysis was implemented in Białystok (297,585 inhabitants, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland), where 11 potential areas for the location of a new cemetery were assessed. Through a comprehensive process of investigation, engagement, and analysis, four options in different locations were identified as suitable for further consideration. Two sites (options 7 and 11) had fatal flaws – high risk and effects associated with development and were not recommended to be taken forward.

Behavioural factors of risk perception and time perception influencing the mode choice on the Prague-Munich route in relation to railway as a reference mode, are subject to evaluation in this article. Semi-structured interviews are qualitatively analysed using the Grounded Theory method and ATLAS.ti software, giving specific sets of meanings and understandings of selected factors, which in turn affect the travel behaviours and the mode choice. Defining these factors creates space for estimating and proposing perspectives for the development of expected travel behaviours in the context of the planned high-speed rail (HSR) system on the Prague-Munich route. The significance of this research lies in creating new meaning fields of selected factors in the specific transport infrastructure with four existing transport modes between Prague and Munich. The results based on the formulated concepts show two different meaning fields of risk – the concept of perceived risk of an accident and the concept of personal safety. Empirical results of time perception show four different meaning fields of time perception based on a preferred transport mode. Finally, the results are used for creating contextual perspectives for HSR planning across Czech – German borders.