Spatial Science Commons^™

From Disaster To Resilience: Developing Smart Settlements In The Himalayas, Keshav Bhattarai, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

Nepal’s catastrophic 26 August 2026 Bhote Koshi–Trishuli flood should be understood not only as a humanitarian tragedy but also as a potentially major turning point in updating national settlement and reconstruction policy. Engineers and scientists have described the floods as a glacier–bedrock collapse that triggered an ice-rock avalanche and debris flow. As per the live updates on September 7, 2026, the total death toll was 1,355, and 4,996 people were missing (The Hindu, 2026). Indian and Nepali rescuers worked urgently to locate and rescue people buried under hydropower tunnels, buildings, mud, and landslide debris.

UN News reported on September 3, …

Mountain Development In Nepal: Settlements, Infrastructure, And Economic Transformation, Keshav Bhattarai, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

As Nepal urbanizes, expands infrastructure, strengthens local governments, and explores deeper connectivity with India and China, climate change is increasing floods, landslides, heat, and water insecurity. Rapid internal migration, rising disaster risks, youth outmigration, and dependence on remittances are also revealing the limits of conventional urban development, especially in the mountainous region. The central challenge for Nepal is no longer just to accommodate growing towns and cities, but to build settlements that are safe, productive, environmentally resilient, and capable of sustaining long-term prosperity.

This paper argues that Nepal's urban future must be guided by a new development paradigm centered on …

Understanding The Long-Run Effect Of Historical Redlining Practices, Yujian Lu

Geography ETDs

Historical redlining practices initiated by Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) in the 1930s have produced enduring persistent socioeconomic and environmental disparities in U.S. cities. This dissertation examines their long-term impacts on social vulnerability, urban flood risk, along with public discourse about redlining practices. Results indicate that neighborhoods with HOLC grade A (greenlined) exhibit the lowest overall social vulnerability, while those graded D (redlined) face the highest across U.S. cities. In Chicago, associations between redlining practices and flood risk disparities are stronger than in Los Angeles, reflecting place-specific characteristics among environmental, socioeconomic, and demographic factors shaping flood risk disparities in long …

Scraping The Earth: Testing Ndvi As An Indicator Of Military Ground Maneuver Within The Israeli Invasion Of The Gaza Strip, Thomas A. Bergeron

LSU Master's Theses

The advancement of open-source (OSINT) and geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) has allowed independent researchers to study human conflict in new ways, with tools that were previously reserved only for state intelligence agencies. In order to advance methodologies, researchers must continue to evaluate new tools to study war.  Valued for its accessibility and moderate spatial resolution, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is one such tool that has not been widely systematically tested for its use in an open-source GEOINT investigation of modern conflict. This study tests NDVI as an indicator of military maneuver by leveraging a mixed-method approach against open-source kinetic …

Transit Infrastructure And Neighborhood Change: The Impact Of The Q Train Expansion On Commercial Space Use In New York City's Upper East Side, Lily E. Levick

Quantitative Social Science Undergraduate Senior Theses

This paper examines the impact of the 2017 Second Avenue Subway expansion on commercial land uses on New York City’s Upper East Side. The research leverages quantitative models alongside qualitative personal experiences and literature to understand the relationship between infrastructure, space, and neighborhood change from a nuanced perspective. The results show that the studied area experienced a broad trend of de-commercialization between 2003 and 2025, and a simultaneous shift toward commercial zoning in areas closest to new subway stations. These findings encourage us to consider how mobility access is an important driver for change within neighborhoods and urban space, and …

Automation, Migration, And Development: Geography Of Job Precarity In South Asia And North Africa, Keshav Bhattarai, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

This article examines how accelerating automation and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in advanced economies reshape labor markets across the Global South through interconnected channels of production, migration, and remittances. Drawing on the theories and practices of economic geography, labor economics, and development studies, the analysis conceptualizes automation as a transnational shock that contracts demand for migrant labor while simultaneously amplifying employment precarity in labor-surplus economies. The article advances a geographically grounded framework linking technology adoption in core industries with labor displacement, youth unemployment, and urban labor saturation in South Asia and North Africa. It further highlights the macroeconomic …

The Geography Of Race: A Spatial Analysis Of Free People Of Color In The City Of Charleston (1790-1861), Alexandra Ullman

All Theses

In Charleston, South Carolina, for all but one year from 1790 to 1860, the enslaved and free Black population outnumbered that of the white. Through manumission, the process of an enslaved person gaining their freedom, the free Black population grew substantially and reached a peak in South Carolina during the nineteenth century. This large community of free people of color (FPOC), shifted the social climate by upsetting the balance of white power, thus increasing racial conflict, tension, and legislation that aimed to control the movement of FPOC.

Despite FPOC comprising a significant portion of the total population of Charleston, there …

Beyond Discrete Indicators: Modeling Intersectional Flood Vulnerability, Sina Razzaghi Asl, Eric Tate, Christopher T. Emrich, Md Asif Rahman, Kaeleb Royster

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Social vulnerability to flooding is shaped by intersectional social marginalization, yet most quantitative assessments employ indicators of single populations. This study applies spatial machine learning to examine how the intersectional social vulnerability indicators of poverty-race, poverty-housing tenure, and race-housing tenure compare with traditional discrete indicators of single populations in predicting flood exposure in California. Using geographically weighted random forests and partial dependence plots, we model spatial heterogeneity and non-linear relationships between social vulnerability and exposure. We quantified flood exposure using a population-adjusted measure derived from building footprints and modeled 500-year fluvial and pluvial flood hazard. The results reveal distinct explanatory …

A Sustainable & Universal Redesign Of Hickory Hill Park In Richmond, Virginia, Ren Hollis, Cynthia Lin, Kira Miller, Jackson Nivera, Patrick O’Shea, Corinne Tsou, Hayston Wines

Undergraduate Research Posters

Urban green spaces provide essential environmental, psychological, and physical benefits, yet access to these resources is often inequitable. Cities are increasingly vulnerable to climate change, highlighting the need for adaptive design. This study focuses on the redesign of Hickory Hill Park in Southside Richmond, selected through a combination of site suitability analysis and qualitative survey. The guiding research question is: How can a park in Richmond be designed to optimize environmental resilience, accessibility, and community benefits?

The selection of a research location and scope used a mixed-methods approach integrating spatial analysis, environmental assessment, and community engagement. A site suitability analysis …

Marooned: A Western Frontier Dismal Swamp Narrative, Professor Meya E. Hargett

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

Marooned: A Western Frontier Dismal Swamp Narrative centers the erased figure of Samuel Mars, a lost Black station master whose movements through the Great Dismal Swamp have been excluded from dominant Underground Railroad cartographies. Here, the term “Marooned” refers not to abandonment, but to the maroon geographies of Black and Indigenous resistance encoded in land, lineage, and fugitive infrastructure.

Guided by Diasporic Maroon Memory Theory, Lineage as Method, and the Maroon Geographies Framework, this research reconstructs Mars’s trajectory through oral testimony, spatial patterning, and ancestral land memory. Rather than casting the Dismal Swamp merely as a site of refuge, this …

Remotely-Sensed Urbanization And Local Perceptions Of Change From 1985-2024 In Southern Indiana., Marlea Ferber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is focused on the land cover change of non-built land cover being transformed into built land cover in two counties in Southern Indiana using mixed methods. Remote sensing was used to identify and quantify land cover change, and interviews were used to understand local perceptions of the physical land cover changes. The study area is situated along the rural-urban continuum with Louisville, Kentucky across the Ohio River. It is important to quantify the amount of land change conversion to built settlement as patterns and rate of urbanization help us to better manage transitions along the rural-urban continuum, but …

Analysis Of The Impact And Adaptation Of Tidal Floods From Coastal Landscape Area Communities In Poasia District, Kendari City, Indonesia, La Ode Hadini, La Aba, Noor Husna Khairisa, Nikita Jasmine Almira

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

Poasia District is located in the coastal area of the southern part of Kendari City, which is highly susceptible to tidal flooding. However, the extent of the community's exposure to these events and their subsequent adaptation measures remain to be fully delineated. This study examines the impacts of tidal flooding and the adaptation patterns of the Poasia Coastal Community to the tidal flood disaster. This research employed a descriptive qualitative method, which was carried out through document review, interviews involving 34 respondents, and field observations. The results of this study indicate that tidal flooding exerts a negative impact on the …

Toxicological And Environmental Assessment Of Trace And Heavy Metals In Harnoi Coal Deposits, Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Muhammad Sajid, Shaukat Khan, Muhammad Kashif, Khan Amir Khan, Muhammad Junaid

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

Mining and burning of coal release various toxic substances that can contaminate both surface and groundwater, thereby posing significant risks to human health, especially for households located near mines, coal deposits, or coal-fired power stations. This research examines the environmental effects of coal mining in the Harnoi Region of Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Four mining sites were randomly selected within the study area, and eight coal samples were collected and analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry to determine the concentrations of trace and heavy metals. The findings indicate that Harnoi coal contains elevated concentrations of arsenic, zinc, lead, cadmium, nickel, cobalt, …

Analysis Of The Development Potential And Strategy Of The Kauman Batik Village In Surakarta Using Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (Qspm) Approach, Fauzi Syani Prananto, Edi Kurniawan, Satya Budi Nugraha

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

The increasing development of other leading destinations in Surakarta City, there are many challenges that must be faced by Kauman Surakarta Batik Village. The activation of tourism potential that has not been fully managed optimally shows that the existence of the village is starting to be threatened. The purpose of this research is to identify tourism potential that needs to be developed and to analyze the development strategy of Kampung Batik Kauman Surakarta tourist attraction by looking at the potential it has. The method used in this research is quantitative with data collection techniques, namely observation, interviews and questionnaires. Data …

A Spatial Analysis Of Residential Photovoltaic Adoption In New Jersey: Focusing On 2020 With Trends Through 2025, Brandon Mcalister

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

This capstone project seeks to find the relationship between socioeconomic and demographic variables and their relationship to residential photovoltaic installations across New Jersey. The study consists of Geographic Weighted Regression Analyses to construct and socioeconomic index indicating the likelihood of photovoltaic adoption in New Jersey zip codes. Then using the index to predict future photovoltaic adoption across the state. The study found that socioeconomic and demographic variables can predict photovoltaic adoption within one year, but when placed in an index and used to predict future adoption trends, the model under predicts and extremely over predicts. While socioeconomic status is a …

Analyzing Land Cover And Use In Bichi, Kano, Nigeria With Google Earth Data, Kabiru Abdullahi Abdulhamid, Adi Wibowo, Muhammad Junaid

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

The research investigates land cover and land use change trends in Bichi, Kano State, Nigeria, between 2003 and 2023, with a focus on the impacts of agricultural expansion and urbanization. Google Earth Pro's high-resolution satellite imagery was used to assess trends in agricultural land, forest cover, and settlement areas. The findings reveal a drastic reduction in agricultural land from 60 hectares in 2003 to 40 hectares in 2023 and the decline of forest cover from 30 hectares to 20 hectares. On the other hand, built-up settlement areas increased from 10 hectares to 40 hectares. All these processes have resulted in …

Heartache In The Heartland: Unraveling The Social Roots Of Deaths Of Despair In Kentucky, Lyndsey K. Blair, Madeline M. Tomlinson, Michele Abee-Biskis, Jessica Hume, Gabri Warren

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Deaths of despair (DoD), encompassing suicides, drug overdoses, and alcohol-related liver diseases, have emerged as a critical public health crisis in the United States, with their rise particularly pronounced from 1995 to 2013 and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kentucky, grappling with high rates of substance use disorder, poor mental health, and economic hardship, is at the forefront of this issue, particularly in its rural and Appalachian regions.

Purpose: This study explores the social determinants contributing to DoD in Kentucky, focusing on economic and social factors that influence rising rates of suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol-related liver disease. The …

Territorio Anfibio Y Agroalimentario. La Ruralidad Cenagosa, Cristan Abad Restrepo

Educación

Las comunidades que habitan los ecosistemas cenagosos gestionan su vida en conjunto con el agua. Existe un espacio relacional donde todo es interacción, de allí que el bienestar de las poblaciones depende de la calidad del agua de las ciénagas, de la producción del pescado y de la biodiversidad. Sin estas condiciones, los territorios anfibios no pueden reproducir la vida. Cuando el río, el caño y la ciénaga no realiza el intercambio hídrico, las comunidades entran en crisis, porque materialmente depende de esta para sobrevivir. Gestionar esta relación es fundamental para garantizar la vida local. Esta cartografía social del corregimiento …

An Analysis Of Green Water Footprint In Java Island Using The Cropwat Model, Emilya Nurjani, Anggun Nur Zahwa, Husnul Khotimah Setiacahyandari, Rofiana Budi Ayumi Sita Dewi, Isna Pujiastuti

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

Every human activity requires water, so if the water needs cannot be met from the natural availability of the region itself, then the water needs must be met from other regions. This concept is the basis for calculating virtual water flow and water footprint. Inequality or imbalance between the availability and demand for water in an area will make water a scarce commodity. From an economic point of view, it will become an economic good. This study aims to analyze agricultural water needs and the green water footprint in each region of Java Island. Calculate crop water requirements for the …

Gis-Based Student Geographic Data Mapping: Islamic University Strategy For Incoming Students, Hasna Tuddar Putri, Laiyina Ukhti, Mahdi Mahdi, Yuli Damayanti

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

IAIN Lhokseumawe is one of the Islamic universities in Aceh that is situated in a location conducive to attracting more students. Nevertheless, this has kept the number of students enrolling at IAIN Lhokseumawe. Over the past five years, the number of students at IAIN Lhokseumawe has fluctuated. The data indicate a need for more linearity in the fan and subscriber trends. Following the implementation of the promotional strategy, the outcome remained unchanged. Consequently, IAIN Lhokseumawe must re-examine the rationale behind student decision-making processes when selecting educational institutions. This approach will allow IAIN Lhokseumawe to develop innovative strategies to increase student …

Analysis Of Knowledge, Utilization, And Technology Adoption Of Digital Learning Resource By Geography Teachers In Sragen And Karanganyar, Indonesia, Wahyu Widiyatmoko, Ratih Puspita Dewi, Siti Azizah Susilawati, Muhammad Musiyam, Devi Nurhalimah, Muslihah Juwita Hapsari, Dias Aziz Pramudita

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

Digital competence is essential for all teachers, including geography teachers. This research aims to analyze the knowledge, utilization, and level of technology adoption of digital learning resources among geography teachers in Sragen and Karanganyar. This study is quantitative research with a survey design. The population of this study consists of all geography teachers in Sragen and Karanganyar, totaling 65 teachers, and this population is used as the sample. The variables used in this research are the level of knowledge, utilisation, and adoption of digital learning resources for teaching GIS material. Data collection was carried out using questionnaires completed by respondents …

Student’S Disaster Preparedness Of Merapi Volcano, Indonesia Using Learning Simulation Virtual Reality (Lsvr) Model, Andi Irwan Benardi, Sumarmi Sumarmi, Syamsul Bachri, Erni Suharini, Atta Ur Rahman, Sriyono Sriyono, Saiful Amin, Joshua Vincent Gerar Yametis

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Learning Simulation Virtual Reality (LSVR) model in enhancing disaster preparedness for Merapi Volcano and examines the relationship between disaster preparedness and student learning outcomes. Conducted with 120 students from two senior high schools located in disaster-prone areas near Merapi Volcano in Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia, the research employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group setup. Essay-based assessments measured learning outcomes, while surveys gauged disaster preparedness levels. The analysis utilized an independent sample t-test and descriptive statistics, revealing the LSVR model’s strengths in delivering innovative and effective content, appealing design, and …

Analysis Of Erosion Rates In North Jakarta For Predicting The Ages Of North Sunter And Pluit Reservoirs, Listyo Yudha Irawan, Ghairandi Al Abrar, Mohammad Tahir B Mapa, Adi Jafar, Shafi Noor Islam, Siti Nur Farihah, Febrian Eka Ardiansyah

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

The Pluit and North Sunter Reservoirs play a critical role in the city’s hydrological infrastructure, particularly in meeting the increasing water demands driven by population growth. However, continuous population shifts, deforestation, and changes in land use have led to sediment accumulation, affecting both water quality and the reservoirs’ operational lifespan. This study aims to evaluate the erosion rate and predict the potential lifespans of the Sunter Utara and Pluit Reservoirs. This research was conducted by integrating Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing using Sentinel-2 datasets and the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) method to calculate sediment accumulation. The findings indicate …

The Role Of Visual Analytics In Remote Sensing Spatial Data Interpretation, Iswari Nur Hidayati, R Suharyadi, Andhika Wisnu Pratama, Herdiansyah Herdiansyah

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

In remote sensing spatial data analysis, various methods are used to understand and evaluate the information obtained. The approach used so far is remote sensing visual analysis which offers various advantages compared to other methods. Visual analysis utilizes visualization techniques to facilitate the identification and interpolation of highly complex patterns of presented spatial data. The main advantage of this analysis is that it presents information that is easy to understand with an approach to spatial data interpretation elements. Another advantage of visual analysis is that it presents intuitive data that allows it to be analyzed quickly, observing relationships and changes …

Suburbanization As A Post-Industrial Essentiality: Revisiting Sweden's Miljonprogrammet, Colin Wood

Swarthmore Undergraduate History Journal

Definitively speaking, suburbanization does not equate to post-industrialism in the same limelight as would urbanization and industrialism. However, anomalous cases, such as the one being discussed in this paper, tangentially interlink on a socioeconomic basis. In 1965, Sweden began construction of the Miljonprogrammet (Million Programme), where over the next ten years, over one million domiciles were built in a suburban setting leading to a mass diaspora of ‘slum living’ Swedish industrial workers. The nation’s renowned welfare state, built on a collaborative system between public and private sectors as well as federal and municipal actors, overlooked housing in its social …

Assessing High-Speed Rail (Hsr) Policy And Politics In Washington State: Avoiding The Mistakes Of The Past, Landen K. Hashimura

All Master's Theses

While international standard high-speed rail (HSR) has yet to be successfully completed in the US, there is a national interest in the topic, as evidenced by recent federal initiatives to research HSR across various corridors. The Cascadia Corridor has been identified as a region with high potential for HSR, leading to an ongoing study in the State of Washington. Given the tumultuous history of American HSR development, the Cascadia HSR initiative needs to avoid the mistakes of the past. Two major contributing factors to this failure to build HSR are uneven political support for HSR and poor policy frameworks. Despite …

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 …

Understanding The Nuances Of Transit Accessibility: Temporal And Spatial Resolution, And Neoliberalism, Joe Chestnut

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores accessibility via public transit through several lenses. In doing so, some of the lesser known nuances of accessibility are better understood. These nuances are explored in several ways. First, various demographic variables and their relationship to accessibility to jobs via public transit are modeled at a fine spatial resolution in an exploratory analysis across several cities in the United States. Next, temporal and spatial resolution and their impacts on accessibility to jobs via public transit are analyzed and quantified in several cities across the United States. Finally, the relationship between neoliberalism and public transit accessibility is explored …

Spatial Behavior Of Hospital Visits By Hand, Foot, And Mouth Disease Patients In Nanchang, China, Zeliu Zheng

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Hand foot mouth disease (HFMD) is one of the widespread transmissible diseases that target preschool children, especially in urban regions in East Asia. Understanding the travel patterns of the HFMD patients helps us understand how the spatial behaviors of patients vary across space and what are the underlying forces. It is essential for understanding the healthcare market and planning for resource allocation. Foremost, health behavior and outcome change significantly across geographic regions of various urbanicities (i.e., degrees of urbanization) due to the uneven distribution of healthcare resource. In addition, health studies in the U.S. often use hospital service areas (HSAs) …

The Ghanaian War Against Malaria: A Geospatial Approach To Malaria And Healthcare Access In Ghana, Emmanuel Aklie

Theses

This geospatial research project aims to analyze the complex factors influencing malaria incidence in Ghana, including healthcare access, cultural beliefs, and preventive measures. Using GIS mapping and spatial analysis, the study examines malaria distribution and healthcare facility locations to identify hotspots and access inequalities. Combining quantitative data from sources like Demographic and Health Surveys with qualitative methods like surveys and interviews, the project analyzes the relationship between malaria prevalence and vaccination rates, bed net usage, and cultural views on treatment. By taking a comprehensive approach focused on evidence-based insights, the research seeks to inform targeted interventions by the Ghanaian government …