Human Geography Commons^™

No. 02: Impacts Of Covid-19 Policy Measures On Migration And Food Security In Ecuador, Mercedes Eguiguren, Cheryl Martens

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The COVID-19 pandemic had profound effects on Ecuador, exacerbated by pre-existing weaknesses in the public health system, economic austerity policies, and social inequalities. The reliance on containment measures, combined with insufficient social support, resulted in severe economic and social decline. Migrants, already a vulnerable group, were further marginalized during the pandemic, facing exclusion from social protection programs and increased food insecurity. This report examines the impacts of COVID-19 policy measures on migration and food security in Ecuador, focusing on urban contexts, particularly the capital city of Quito. The findings underscore the need for more integrated research and policy approaches that …

Climate Hazards And Human Migration: Literature Review, Anna Ivanova, Deepti Singh, Pronoy Rai, Claire Richards, Hugo Vasconcelos, Michael Goldsby

International & Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Human populations are migrating as a result of climate change. We conducted a systematic literature review examining the relationship between several climate hazards and migration flows. We reviewed 58 empirical studies between 2010 and 2023 that examined current and future migration related to acute and long-term climate hazards. The results indicate that the relationship between climate hazards and migration is diverse and depends on a range of socio-economic factors. Droughts and rising temperatures have a major impact on both international and domestic migration. Our review also reveals that multiple climate hazards collectively tend to intensify domestic migration toward urban areas, …

No. 05: Pandemic Precarity And Food Insecurity Among Zimbabwean Migrants In South Africa, Godfrey Tawodzera, Jonathan Crush

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This policy brief highlights the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Zimbabwean migrants living in South Africa, with a particular focus on food insecurity and economic precarity. The pandemic exacerbated existing vulnerabilities within the migrant community, many of whom rely on informal, low-wage labour sectors for their livelihoods. The survey conducted in 2021 among Zimbabwean migrants revealed widespread unemployment, drastic income reductions, and severe food insecurity, primarily driven by pandemic-related restrictions and the resultant economic contraction. Zimbabwean migrants, a significant proportion of whom work in South Africa’s informal economy, were disproportionately affected by the lockdowns and mobility restrictions. The …

No. 04: Canadian Support For Women In The Informal Food Sector In The Global South, Heba Hamzeh, Laeba Khan, Adwoa Konadu-Yiadom

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the vulnerabilities faced by women in the informal food sector in the Global South, deepening existing gender inequalities and economic inequities. Women informal food vendors play a critical role in ensuring food security in urban areas, yet their contributions are often undervalued and unsupported by formal policy frameworks. This policy brief presents two case studies from Mexico City and Maputo, Mozambique, highlighting the challenges women face in this sector, including lack of legal security, financial instability, and limited access to social protection. In response to these challenges, there is a pressing need for targeted interventions …

No. 27: Invisible Work, Visible Impacts: Gender, Migrants, And Informal Food Trade Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic In The Global South, Laeba Khan

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This paper examines the abrupt and far-reaching consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on women engaged in the informal food sector within the Global South. It highlights the deepening effects of the pandemic on food insecurity, gender inequality, and economic disparities. Based on a case study of three groups of women – internal migrants, international migrants, and cross-border traders – engaged in informal food work within and across countries and regions of the Global South, the paper investigates the compounded challenges they face, as well as their exacerbated risks and vulnerabilities. The analysis exposes the complex interplay between gender, migration, and …

No. 03: Addressing Urban Food Security Challenges For South-South Migrants, Abel Chikanda, Jonathan Crush, Godfrey Tawodzera

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This policy brief examines the growing phenomenon of South-South migration, with a focus on the challenges of urban food security faced by migrants moving from one Global South country to urban areas in another. South-South migration has become increasingly significant, yet it remains under-researched, especially regarding the food insecurity that many migrants face in their host cities. The brief highlights the unique vulnerabilities of these migrants, who often find themselves in precarious employment, facing xenophobia, and excluded from formal social protection mechanisms, all of which exacerbate their food insecurity. The case study of Cape Town, South Africa, underscores the severity …

No. 02: Leveraging Food Remittances For Enhanced Food Security In Urban Africa, Jonathan Crush

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This policy brief highlights the critical yet underexplored role of food remittances in enhancing food security across Africa. While global attention has predominantly focused on cash remittances and their economic impacts, food remittances – defined as the transfer of foodstuffs by migrants to their home regions – play a vital role in ensuring the availability, accessibility, and stability of food supplies for both rural and urban households. These remittances help bridge the food security gap between urban and rural areas, with food produced in rural regions supporting the nutritional needs of family members in cities. The reciprocal flow of resources, …

No. 01: Mitigating The Impacts Of Covid-19 On Migrants And Food Security In The Global South, Sujata Ramachandran, Jonathan Crush

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing vulnerabilities among migrants, particularly those involved in South-South migration, leading to heightened risks of poverty, food insecurity, and marginalization. The pandemic disrupted global migration patterns, hindered access to essential services, and severely impacted the livelihoods of millions of migrants. Governments in the Global South faced the dual challenge of mitigating these impacts while fostering inclusive recovery strategies. This policy brief provides recommendations for governments to address the immediate and long-term challenges posed by the pandemic on migration and food security, as well as planning for future pandemics. Key areas include enhancing social protection, ensuring healthcare …

Understanding Climate Change Adaptation And Gentrification Through The Framework Of Uneven Coastal Development In Keansburg, New Jersey, Zachary Paganini

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examines the rapid acceleration of coastal development in the United States despite projections of climate change-induced sea level rise. Like no other developed country, the U.S. has transformed its fragile coastline into sites for leisure, consumption, and retirement. These spaces now face the prospect of more frequent and severe storms, as well as land loss and inundation, due to climate change. This dilemma has sparked debates around coastal resilience, adaptation, retreat, and climate gentrification.

While many studies seek to measure perceptions of climate change risk and vulnerability, this dissertation reverses the question by positioning risk perceptions as an …

The Film, The Stadium And The Jail: The Post-Industrial Transformation Of Downtown Durham, Seth Rose

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

By the late 1980s, Durham, North Carolina’s downtown-based industrial economy had been replaced by a powerful knowledge economy in the city’s peripheries. Downtown Durham’s vast array of tobacco and textiles manufacturing buildings stood empty, along with most of its commercial spaces, offices and sidewalks. This thesis argues that the local development of two major public works, a baseball stadium (the Durham Bulls Athletic Park) and a jail (the Durham County Detention Center), conceived and constructed on similar timelines in close physical proximity, was indicative of how—and for whom—city and county officials envisioned a revitalized downtown. The first chapter examines the …

The Sacred Dimensions Of The Bri's Infrastructural Commons, Orlando Woods, David A. Palmer

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Whilst the idea of infrastructure has animated scholarship for the past twenty years at least, there remains a need for more expansive understandings of what infrastructure is, and what it can be. The speed, scale and material disruptiveness with which many of the infrastructural megaprojects that constitute China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have been developed both underpin and validate this need. Whilst the effects of the BRI are both manifold and diffuse, all of them expose situations of infrastructural complexity. Rather than considering the BRI simply as the imposition of new material infrastructures on a landscape, we posit the …

Analyzing Racial Disparities In The United States Homeownership: A Socio-Demographic Study Using Machine Learning, Arya Farahi, Junfeng Jiao

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

While increasing homeownership has been a focal point for policymakers in the United States, the distribution of access to homeownership opportunities across all families within the country has not been equitable. The complex relation between social factors and economic conditions has significantly shaped the journey toward homeownership. Of particular concern is the persistent disparity in homeownership rates among Black households in the United States. Effectively addressing these disparities within urban communities necessitates comprehensive policy interventions and social initiatives. However, the success of such endeavors hinges upon a comprehensive grasp of the underlying causes of these inequalities. Drawing upon machine learning …

No. 01: South Africa At War: Food Insecurity, Migrant Exclusion And Covid-19 Policies, Jonathan Crush, Sean Sithole

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The policy audit critically examines the South African government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly focusing on the militaristic enforcement of lockdowns and the resulting food insecurity and exclusion of migrant populations. The report aims to inform policy-makers about the impacts of these policies and provide recommendations for crisis management.

On 27 March 2020, South Africa imposed a nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of COVID-19. This lockdown, enforced by the police and the military, was characterized by stringent measures including curfews, bans on inter-provincial travel, and the closure of non-essential businesses. These measures, while necessary to control the pandemic, …

‘Brain Drain’: Net Gains And Losses Of College- Educated Residents In The Mountain West, 2023, Dre Boyd-Weatherly, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet examines the number of college-educated individuals who moved to Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah) and to selected metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the Mountain West in 2023. The “2024 Study: ‘Brain Drain’? The States With the Largest Net Gains and Losses of College-Educated Americans” report contains data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau. The study includes data on where college-educated residents move and which areas experienced ‘brain drain,’ where college-educated residents move to other places.

Waterhouses : Landscapes, Housing, And The Making Of Modern Lagos, Mark Duerksen

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

Waterhouses is about the places the people of Lagos have inhabited, imagined, and made home for the past two centuries. It asks what a house in Lagos is and explores how the answer to that question has been historically constructed and reconstructed in turn with the city’s changing landscapes. Written for historians of African and Atlantic history, scholars and practitioners of urbanism, and anyone looking to make sense of Africa’s most populous metropolis today, the book is an approachable history of how houses and water have formed modern Lagos.

The book argues that in the coastlands from which Lagos rose, …

How Short-Term Rentals Impact Summit County, Colorado, Spatially And Economically: A Gis Analysis, Hanna Gilhooley

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

Summit County, Colorado, is experiencing a housing crisis influenced by the rise of short-term rentals (STRs). This project investigates how STRs spatially and economically impact the county. STRs are regarded as a reason for the housing crisis as they take away long-term housing from locals and increase housing market prices. Locals are forced to look for housing in neighboring counties such as Clear Creek, Eagle, Grand, Lake, and Park. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be used to analyze the spatial and economic impact of STRs in Summit County. Total population, median household income and STR locations are analyzed in ArcGIS …

A Comparative Gis Analysis Of United And Southwest Airlines Route Networks, Robert Brown

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

This GIS project explores the relationship between airline route networks and flight delays for two U.S. Airlines. Using data obtained from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), route networks were created for United and Southwest Airlines showing all flights that each carrier reported in 2023. The airlines of interest were selected due to their opposing route network types; commonly referred to as a hub-and-spoke (HS) and a point-to-point (PTP) route network, respectively. Link charts were created to calculate centrality metrics quantifying these networks, and flight delay data were manipulated and summarized to develop an ArcGIS Dashboard with which any ArcGIS …

Unaccompanied Migrant Children In The Mountain West, 2015-2023, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet examines data on the number of unaccompanied migrant children who obtained sponsors and relocated to 22 cities in five Mountain West states from 2015 to 2023. Data from Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah are included from a New York Times report which includes U.S. Department of Human Health and Services data on unaccompanied migrant children in all 50 states and Washington D.C.

Global Portraits From A Changing Climate: The Influence Of Environmental Storytelling On The Climate Narrative, Alexandra Welch

Capstone Collection

Environmental Storytelling can influence the climate narrative and serve as a catalyst to structurally alter how individuals think about the environment. The medium of the “Eco-film” allows viewers to create intimate connections with the natural world, and in turn alter how individuals engage and perceive issues like climate change. To combat climate denialism this project showcases different hopeful stories in a deliverable video collection, called “Global Portraits from a Changing Climate”. Two of these videos will be filmed in Germany, featuring the Waldrapp Team Research and Conservation project. One of the videos from Waldrapp Team will touch on the social …

Fibersheds: Textiles As The Basis For A New World, Rebecca John

Theses and Dissertations

The Fibershed movement seeks to develop bioregional fiber systems to cultivate natural fibers through regenerative agriculture. Through this, it seeks to revive domestic textile production as an alternative to the global textile industry. This thesis investigates the Fibershed movement at national and regional scales, and assesses how they position themselves as an alternative economy.

No. 25: Responses To Covid-19 By Internal Migrants In South African Cities, Jonathan Crush, Godfrey Tawodzera, Maria Salamone, Zack Ahmed

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This paper explores the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on internal migrants in the urban centres of Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa. Focusing on the socio-economic and livelihood challenges faced by this population, the research utilizes a survey conducted in 2023 to investigate how the pandemic exacerbated existing vulnerabilities. Results highlight significant disruptions in employment, increased economic hardship, and heightened health risks among migrants, particularly those living in low-income neighbourhoods. Despite the hardships, very few migrants intended to permanently return to their rural origins, indicating a complex interplay between economic necessity and pandemic-induced constraints. The findings underscore the unique challenges …

No. 24: Food And Health Security Among Burmese Migrant Domestic Workers In Singapore Amid Myanmar’S ‘Triple Crisis’, Brenda Yeoh, Franchesca Morais, Theodora Lam, Kristel Acedera, Bittiandra Chand Somaiah

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

Migrating overseas to work as domestic workers is an increasingly important livelihood strategy for capital-poor women in Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar. However, the recent COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest in Myanmar has highlighted the entrenched precarities and uncertainties attached to this migration strategy. The health crisis has further heightened the importance of remittances and food security for migrants and their sending households. Food production, food systems and access to food supplies in the country have been especially hit by political instability, the energy crisis and inflation. This paper explores issues concerning the food and health security of female …

No. 26: Pandemic Precarities And Remittance Narratives In The Global South, Jonathan Crush, Sujata Ramachandran

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The COVID-19 pandemic has been referred to as a great disruptor of global migration leading to a crisis of immobility caused by public health lockdowns, closed borders, and the suspension of visa processing. Layoffs and retrenchments of migrant workers led to widespread hardship and an intensification of pre-pandemic precarity, as well as disrupted remittance channels and flows. Against this backdrop, the paper provides an overview of current debates about the relationship between COVID-19 and international migration in the context of South-South migration. We assess how pre-pandemic South-South migration flows were disrupted by the pandemic and the evidence for a crisis …

Is This Home Truly? Reflections On Singapore As It Turns 59, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In a commentary, SMU President Professor Lily Kong shared her reflections on Singapore as it turns 59. She discussed Singapore's nation-building process and offered her views on how the country can strengthen its social compact to make Singapore a home for Singaporeans.

Social Capital, Institutional Change, And Rural Development In Transmigration Area, West Muna Regency, Indonesia, Ahmad Imron Rozuli, La Ode Machdani Afala, Muhtar Haboddin, Anif Fatma Chawa

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

This study examines the development process in transmigration areas, utilizing the social capital concept in the study of three transmigration villages: Mekar Jaya, Wapae, and Suka Damai. We interviewed stakeholders, made observations, and analysed documents to collect data. Our findings highlight the important role of social capital and institutional change in supporting village development. Three critical factors emerged: First, village development involves the transfer of skills from the area of origin to the area of migration endowed with strong work ethics (etos kerja), particularly in agricultural and business sectors. Second, strong networks formed through ethnic and religious ties facilitate …

Assessment In The Potential Of Sustainable Community Development, Syifa Hanifa, Djati Mardiatno, Dina Ruslanjari

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Global warming causes extreme weather and seawater levels to rise. Long-term climate change prediction has been done in various fields, including disaster management. It forced people to adapt to the consequences of climate change in coastal areas. Mitigation and adaptation are complementing each other in addressing climate change risks. Climate change mitigation supports essential aspects of sustainable development, specifically related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals on climate action (SDG13) and disaster risk reduction (SDG11). Making the community sustainable in a disaster is one of the ways to do this. Community sustainable development can be used to mitigate and adapt …

Same-Sex Coupled Households In The Mountain West, 2020 Census, Zachary Billot, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet examines same-sex partnership household data from the 2020 United States Decennial Census. This fact sheet analyzes married and unmarried same-sex households in relation to all partnered households in the five Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

Critical Geospatial Data Science: Principles For Curating, Analyzing, And Sharing Geospatial Data, Daniel Beene

Geography ETDs

Critical geospatial data science (CGDS) offers principles for engaging with geospatial data, methods, and translation by pulling from critical epistemologies in geography. CGDS interrogates objective “truths” in science by actively engaging in critique of geospatial data and methodologies. Specifically, CGDS contends with the political context and motivations behind geospatial data science (GDS) while using GDS methods to understand how social-spatial arrangements manifest and are reinforced through data. CGDS explicitly aims to inform practices for criticality from within GDS and provides opportunities for multidisciplinary research that incorporates social theories, contextualizes geospatial data, and critically evaluates the effects and ethics of (under)representation …

Spatial Pattern Of Tropical Cyclone In South Indonesia During 1990-2023, Agus Salim Nur, Adi Wibowo, Supriatna Supriatna Department Of Geography, Faculty Of Mathematics And Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Stefanus Binoto Tampubolon

Jurnal Geografi Lingkungan Tropik (Journal of Geography of Tropical Environments)

Tropical cyclones are one of the most destructive weather phenomena because they pose three main dangers: heavy rainfall, strong winds, and storm surge. The occurrence of tropical cyclones is expected to increase both in terms of intensity and geographical spread due to climate change. Indonesia, located around the equator with a low Coriolis force, was previously considered safe from tropical cyclones. This study aims to examine the spatial pattern of tropical cyclones in the southern part of Indonesia during the period from 1990 to 2023 to understand the extent to which tropical cyclones can occur near the equator. The analysis …

Security Or Vulnerability? The Optics Of Data In The Humanitarian Sphere, Nicole M. Bennett, Hamid Ekbia

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Governments, humanitarian agencies, and non-government organizations increasingly resort to data-driven techniques to meet the challenges they face in dealing with growing mobile populations such as refugees. Such techniques originate in bureaucratic administrations of the 19th century and, even earlier, in slave trade and plantation accounting methods. They were then perfected in logistics and global supply chain management of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, especially with the advent of information technology. We examine the application of these techniques in humanitarian cases, seeking to contextualize them within the framework of logistic security. To understand the drivers of this trend, we introduce the …