We are comfortably familiar with our towns and cities and villages, and the land in which they si... more We are comfortably familiar with our towns and cities and villages, and the land in which they sit and on which they depend, but that casual acquaintance can blind us to the complexity of such places. The policymaker charged with steering the evolution of such places is thus in the unenviable position of having to use relatively blunt instruments (policies) to steer and mediate the enormously complex and interconnected issues that distinguish these human-geographical systems. They have received plenty of help to do this, but it seems that where those efforts to assist have involved creating models of land use, they have not always been successful. As Couclelis put it three decades after Lee's famously despondent prognosis for large-scale models (Lee Jr 1973):
Polycentricity is often used descriptively with regard to a regional system of settlements, usual... more Polycentricity is often used descriptively with regard to a regional system of settlements, usually referred to as a polycentric urban region (PUR). Although presented in much of the literature as in essence a morphological concept, polycentricity possesses a functional element that receives less attention. Polycentricity is also seen as a normative concept. However, it has not been rigorously defined using formal techniques. This paper argues that defining polycentricity in terms of both morphology and function is possible by drawing on techniques originating in social network analysis. The paper sets out a formal definition and derivation of functional polycentricity based on these techniques, which is then extended to a derivation of an index of regional functional polycentricity. The paper sets out worked examples to show how the techniques described might be utilised. The paper closes with a discussion of issues that may arise when putting these definitions into practice.
This article explores some of the ways in which England has been portrayed in the genre of folk, ... more This article explores some of the ways in which England has been portrayed in the genre of folk, rock and punk music between 1965 and 1977. The article argues that changes in both the music and lyrics reflect the shift in England from what Eric Hobsbawm calls a post war 'Golden Age' to 'Crisis Decades'. These musical transitions are evident in increasingly strident instrumentation and lyrical content that becomes progressively more cynical. The article argues that in this way, English folk, rock and punk music has played a role in both reflecting and recreating the spirit of the age.
We are comfortably familiar with our towns and cities and villages, and the land in which they si... more We are comfortably familiar with our towns and cities and villages, and the land in which they sit and on which they depend, but that casual acquaintance can blind us to the complexity of such places. The policymaker charged with steering the evolution of such places is thus in the unenviable position of having to use relatively blunt instruments (policies) to steer and mediate the enormously complex and interconnected issues that distinguish these human-geographical systems. They have received plenty of help to do this, but it seems that where those efforts to assist have involved creating models of land use, they have not always been successful. As Couclelis put it three decades after Lee's famously despondent prognosis for large-scale models (Lee Jr 1973):
Polycentricity is often used descriptively with regard to a regional system of settlements, usual... more Polycentricity is often used descriptively with regard to a regional system of settlements, usually referred to as a polycentric urban region (PUR). Although presented in much of the literature as in essence a morphological concept, polycentricity possesses a functional element that receives less attention. Polycentricity is also seen as a normative concept. However, it has not been rigorously defined using formal techniques. This paper argues that defining polycentricity in terms of both morphology and function is possible by drawing on techniques originating in social network analysis. The paper sets out a formal definition and derivation of functional polycentricity based on these techniques, which is then extended to a derivation of an index of regional functional polycentricity. The paper sets out worked examples to show how the techniques described might be utilised. The paper closes with a discussion of issues that may arise when putting these definitions into practice.
This article explores some of the ways in which England has been portrayed in the genre of folk, ... more This article explores some of the ways in which England has been portrayed in the genre of folk, rock and punk music between 1965 and 1977. The article argues that changes in both the music and lyrics reflect the shift in England from what Eric Hobsbawm calls a post war 'Golden Age' to 'Crisis Decades'. These musical transitions are evident in increasingly strident instrumentation and lyrical content that becomes progressively more cynical. The article argues that in this way, English folk, rock and punk music has played a role in both reflecting and recreating the spirit of the age.
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