Mitteilungen der Österreichischen Geographischen Gesellschaft, Band 165

In diesem Beitrag wird am Beispiel Wiens ein differenzierter Blick auf Knappheit am Wohnungsmarkt entwickelt, der über eine allgemeine Betrachtung des Verhältnisses von Angebot und Nachfrage bzw. dessen Zuspitzung auf Fragen der Leistbarkeit oder der formalen Zugänglichkeit hinausgeht. Neben der Betrachtung des Wohnungsangebots und der Zugangsregelungen zu Teilen dieses Angebots wird durch die qualitative Analyse der Erfahrungen von Wohnungssuchenden, die in explorativen Fallstudien dargestellt werden, die Nachfrageseite in den Mittelpunkt gerückt und danach gefragt, für wen und aufgrund welcher Faktoren Wohnraum knapp wird. Dabei werden insbesondere soziokulturelle Ressourcen der Wohnungssuchenden wie Herkunft und Sprache, Wissen über den Wohnungsmarkt, Praktiken und Strategien der Wohnungssuche und Zeitinvestition als zusätzliche, bisher eher am Rande betrachtete Einflussfaktoren von Knappheit identifiziert. Zugleich zeigt der Beitrag, dass die Art und Weise, wie sich Wohnbedürfnisse durch das Handeln der Wohnungssuchenden als Nachfrage auf einem Wohnungsmarkt manifestieren, das Ergebnis komplexer Aushandlungen und Abwägungen ist, die vor dem Hintergrund subjektiver Einschätzungen der Knappheit und der Erfahrungen der eigenen Chancen in diesem Rahmen stattfinden.

Keywords: Wohnraumsuche, Wohnraumknappheit, Wohnungsmarkt, Wohnkrise, Wohnzugang, Wien

Retail, shopping and consumption are important determinants of the modern city, its society, way of life, spatial structure, and its economy. Over the past 20 years, Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, has been marked by changes in the retail sector in terms of the structure of retail facilities, shopping space, consumer behaviour and mobility. This research focuses on the shopping movements within the two distinctive consumer populations: the employed and the non-employed (unemployed, retirees, housewives), addressing the similarities and differences between them. It relies on the data from a survey on the daily mobility of residents in the territory covered by the Belgrade Master Plan, which included 15,006 respondents. The main research method is a spatial analysis that has allowed the identification of the spatial patterns of shopping mobility and the underlying rules. Our results have shown that the dispersion of shopping, attraction zones and loyalty to the neighbourhood influence and shape the patterns of shopping mobility in Belgrade.

Keywords: Shopping, spatial patterns, attraction zones, Dispersion, central places, Belgrade, Serbia

The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy was undoubtedly a complicated state formation whose foundation was influenced by many factors in the 1860s. The Compromise of 1867 established a unique governmental system that had many uncertain legal elements and details that could be interpreted in different ways. Therefore, Austrian and Hungarian politicians and scholars viewed the empire’s legal framework mostly through their individual (national) ideologies. This manifested even in the formulation of the Austrian and Hungarian laws which granted the basic administrative structure of the empire. Presumably, this phenomenon caused a long-time discrepancy in the scientific research of the empire. Although the empire’s unified customs area enabled the free movement of capital, labour, goods, and services, scholars from Austria and Hungary tended to study socioeconomic dynamics separately in the Austrian and Hungarian parts of the empire, even in recent studies. There is a paucity of comprehensive studies treating the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy as a singular entity, aiming to comprehend the interconnections among its diverse regions. This study aims to shed light on a research perspective centred on the legal framework of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy as a unified state space, granted by the customs union. First, the study takes a brief look at the discrepancies between the interpretations of the past studies on the empire and the legal facts of the customs union. Then, as a case study, the paper discovers the main migration patterns between Austria and Hungary, utilising data extracted from the Austrian and Hungarian censuses carried out throughout that era 1870–1910. Using three specific migration indicators, the study analyses the volume of migration and identifies the primary migration patterns between Austrian crownlands and Hungarian counties. The case study not only underscores the importance of this innovative research perspective on the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy but also unveils, for the first time, a seemingly fundamental yet previously undiscovered area of research.

Keywords: Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, Austria-Hungary, customs union, Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, historical geography, census, migration, migration patterns

In dieser historisch-geographischen Studie wird die Entwicklung ziviler nichtjüdischer Begräbnisstätten in Mittelböhmen (Bezirk Nimburg [Nymburk]) und Niederösterreich (Bezirk Tulln) als spezifische Phänomene der historischen Kulturlandschaft dargestellt. Der Zeitraum der Analyse reicht von den aufklärerischen Reformen des späten 18. Jahrhunderts bis in die Gegenwart. Die Feldforschung konzentrierte sich (unter anderem) auf die Analyse erhalten gebliebener natürlicher, städtebaulicher, architektonischer und historischer Werte von Friedhöfen unter Berücksichtigung ihrer Wirkung in der Landschaft und in Ortschaften. Anschließend wurde eine Analyse kartographischer und ikonographischer Quellen, hauptsächlich aus dem 19. und 20. Jahrhundert, durchgeführt, anhand derer die Veränderungen bei den Friedhöfen in Bezug auf einschlägige kirchliche und weltliche Vorschriften untersucht werden konnten. Die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse ermöglichten es, grundsätzliche Entwicklungstypen von Friedhöfen zu bestimmen und danach übereinstimmende und unterschiedliche Merkmale in den zwei Untersuchungsgebieten herauszuarbeiten und zu interpretieren. Es ist bezeichnend, dass sich einige der beobachteten, bis 1918 noch übereinstimmenden Merkmale und Erscheinungsformen der Friedhöfe nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg anders entwickelt haben und diese Tendenzen auch heute noch zu beobachten sind. Die Ergebnisse der vorliegenden Studie geben einen aktuellen Einblick in das bisher untersuchte Thema und bereichern das vorhandene Wissen, das auch von anderen Forschungsbereichen (insbesondere von der Siedlungsgeschichte, der Ethnographie und der Denkmalpflege) genutzt werden kann.

Keywords: Friedhof, Friedhofstypen, Landschaft, Kulturlandschaft, kartographische Quellen, Feldforschung, Bezirk Nimburg [Nymburk], Bezirk Tulln, Mittelböhmen, Böhmen, Niederösterreich

China´s city governments compete to achieve or maintain importance in today’s globalised economy. Corresponding governmental strategies seek to attract and retain high-skilled Chinese return migrants, a group that is expected to stimulate and carry forward economic upgrading. The cities’ competition for those high-skilled return migrants is closely related to the development of high-tech development zones. In addition to industrial activities in the development zones, local governments create urban amenities by constructing specially designed living spaces as well as facilities in the development zones. Considering the tense housing situation in China, efforts to provide appealing and affordable housing solutions are considered a promising strategy for attracting high-skilled return migrants. Against this background, the article analyses, using the example of the two cities of Guangzhou and Dongguan (Pearl River Delta, China), two research questions: (1) What strategies do the municipal governments use to attract high-skilled return migrants – with what spatial consequences? (2) What are the most important factors and reasons for high-skilled return migrants when choosing their place of residence for resettlement? The empirical study uses a mixed methods analysis of government and media reports, secondary data as well as qualitative interviews with experts and high-skilled return migrants. Results show that despite the fact that both cities apply similar strategies to attract high-skilled return migrants, Guangzhou as a first-tier city remains more attractive to settle down permanently. The case of Dongguan’s Songshan Lake Science and Technology Industry Park provides relevant insights into a prevalent municipal strategy for attracting high-skilled return migrants by providing indemnificatory housing solutions. The strategy of providing dedicated housing estates can lead to a tendency towards spatial segregation. Further, the authors raise awareness to the importance of underlying demands and preferences in resettlement behaviour when trying to attract high-skilled return migrants permanently.

Keywords: High-skilled return migration, returnees, high-tech development zones, city competition, urban development, choice of residential location, affordable housing, Pearl River Delta, Guangzhou, Dongguan, China

Thailand has emerged as a prominent destination for international retirement migration (IRM) in the Global South, prompting the need to explore IRM’s implications for the country’s economy and society. This article delves into the multifaceted nature of IRM in Thailand, focusing on the related real estate market. Following a brief introduction, this article first examines the global development of IRM, highlighting its connections to active ageing, lifestyle migration, and transnationalism. It unravels the intertwined nature of these concepts in the context of Thailand’s ageing society and then scrutinises the emerging trend of the transnational retirement industry (TRI) and its global growth, shedding light on its transformative potential in reshaping retirement patterns. The next part provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of IRM-related real estate in Thailand, highlighting the coexisting opportunities and challenges within its development. The conclusion part also offers recommendations for policymakers and suggests future research directions. By examining the multifaceted aspects of IRM-related real estate, this article not only provides valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and industry practitioners, but contributes to existing knowledge, and serves as a resource for those navigating this evolving landscape.

Keywords: International retirement migration, Thailand, demographic ageing, real estate, transnational retirement industry

This article aims to research the process of international migrants’ adaptation in terms of the interactive communication between migrants and their host society, using the concepts of “social cohesion” and “integrative communication theory” as communicative methodologies. This study intends to explore the new paths for global migrants’ adaptation through such an investigation through the case of a migrant community in Japan. The significant theoretical issue in the research on the adaptation of global migrants is the discussion of the “segmented assimilation theory” proposed by Portes and Zhou (1993). Assimilation theory is fundamentally a one-way approach, as its perspective is essentially placed on only the host society. Thus, the authors deem it necessary to research the adaptation of international migrants in different dimensions. This research employed an ethnographic approach to collect qualitative data at the research site in Tokyo, where the most significant migrant community in Japan is located. The data collection methods include fieldwork visits, interviews, and participant observation between 2020 and 2022. The study applied a communicative approach to the migrants’ adaptation, focusing on the interaction with the host society and on the experiences of individual migrants. Results particularly point to if there is a certain extent of ethnic strength in the host society, even if migrants experience rejection, it helps foster positive communication with locals and the host society. However, it was also found that for this to be the case, a certain degree of acceptance experience is necessary, and it is essential that the host society has an openness to strangers. Moreover, such a research framework allows us to examine the possibility of transcending the limitations of categorical views such as “adaptation/ non-adaptation” of migrants in host society.

Keywords: Adaptation of migrants, social cohesion, segmented assimilation theory, Japan, Tokyo

The main aim of this article is to examine the relatively new phenomenon of “dark tourism” based on two examples from Thailand. The focus is on the question of how, why and with what consequences certain places associated with death, war or crime have become “tourist commodities”, linking the important issue of (public) commemoration with questions of consumer history. The concept of “consumption” in this context is not limited to goods and/or services, but also encompasses the consumption of historical events such as visiting historical sites like the Thai-Burmese “Death Railway” built by prisoners of war in the central Thai province of Kanchanaburi during World War II, or the more subtle example of villages of the so-called Hill Tribe peoples of northern Thailand with their past as opium traders in the 19th and 20th centuries, exemplified by the Hmong village Doi Pui. To analyse how different tourist groups react to the commercialisation of these sites and how their perceptions differ from one another, both local and foreign tourists as well as local experts were interviewed. Based on the theoretical concepts of “dark tourism” and the “tourist gaze”, the connection between commercialisation, “touristification” and memory is discussed.

Keywords: Dark tourism, touristification, tourist gaze, tourist commodities, commercialisation, hill tribes, tourism, Thailand

Since 2019, Japan has implemented a strategic policy to address its labour shortage within the service sector, particularly in areas such as elderly long-term care. This policy also incentivises workers from Southeast Asia to work in Japan. The Japanese government released a new visa type, “Specified Skilled Worker” (SSW). A fundamental prerequisite for individuals seeking employment as care workers in Japan under this policy is the attainment of a minimum N4 level proficiency in Japanese. The study aims to determine how Thai females became caregivers in Japan through human capital training in the global care chain. Data was collected by conducting in-depth interviews with representatives of Thailand and Japan, two in public and four in the private sector, and ten caregivers, totalling sixteen people from 2021 to 2022. The result showed that most workers were female, had high graduation backgrounds, and did not relate to elderly care. However, they reskilled and upskilled in a highly demanding and stable caregiving career. They believed that work experience in Japan was their dream job with higher income and experience abroad, which will link to their future work investment and career. The skill training channel is a nursing care or Japanese language school connected with an elderly facilities agency from Japan. The schools are not only training elderly care programs for workers but also schooling them in the Japanese language, and finally, sending workers to Japan; care workers have to pay for facilities by themselves. Consequently, Thai care workers will become caregivers in Japan as a part of the global care chain. The private sector is the primary source of upskilling or reskilling to become human capital. However, there is no channel for care workers to go to Japan through a public program; the private sector provides it.

Keywords: Global care chain, human capital, caregivers, Thai caregivers, Japan, Thailand

The Critical Disability Theory was developed in the 2000s in response to the critiques of the Social Model of Disability. This study aims to make a theoretical contribution to the Critical Disability Theory as a field of disability studies in the Global South, with Thailand as the target region. The first objective is to use the Critical Disability Theory to understand the social and political aspects of disability, such as oppression and discrimination, through disabled people’s experiences. The second is to show that people with disabilities can be the main agents in changing the society to realise equal rights, using the Critical Disability Theory. This study consists of a literature review and field research. The literature review was conducted in Japan while the field research was conducted in seven provinces of Thailand – Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Bangkok, and Chonburi – from April 2022 to July 2023. All the interviews for qualitative research were in-depth, with 61 respondents – 33 disabled and 28 non-disabled. The interviews revealed the social constructions of impairment and disability. Furthermore, they showed that people with disabilities accept themselves positively, support each other, and try to change society with their peers. Buddhist meditation is useful for people with disabilities to understand their situation. Disabled people’s organisations are service providers for people with disabilities in the current public health system. People with disabilities expressed their political opinions and identities on social media platforms. In Thailand, people with disabilities alternate between gaining self-confidence and participating in society, thereby improving their capabilities for practical reasons and affiliations. In Thailand, empathy for the experiences and practices of people with disabilities is increasing as Thai society is facing rapid ageing, leading to a growing population of older adults with disabilities. In conclusion, changing the conceptual understanding of the disability of people will promote independent living and reform the discriminatory structure against people with disabilities.

Keywords: Critical Disability Theory, Thailand, people with disabilities

The main objective of this scientific study is the systematical arrangement of the average monthly streamflow in the Republic of North Macedonia by using adequate methodology. The river streamflow patterns in North Macedonia have yet to undergo comprehensive analysis, leaving a critical gap in our understanding of their dynamics and potential impact on water resource management. This study aims to address this knowledge deficit by conducting a thorough investigation of river streamflow patterns in the region, shedding light on their variability, trends, and implications for sustainable water resource planning. The prevailing pattern of the streamflow regime in North Macedonia was defined according to their monthly data, for the period 1961–2010, using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC), using Ward’s agglomerative method and Euclidean distance. In this paper, the analysis involved processing data collected from 30 hydrological gauging stations situated along 22 perennial streams. After the PCA analysis, the factor loadings classification was carried via AHC. It results with three different patterns and five sub-patterns. The first pattern (R1) covers the northwestern part of the country, located in the high mountains Šar Mountain, Korab-Deshat, Jakupica Mountain and the Ohrid-Prespa Region. It features strong a magnitude in late spring with 25 percent of the total annual streamflow in May and a minimum in late September. The first half of the summer is still relatively rich in water. The second pattern (R2) covers the largest north, northeastern and southern part of the country (Kriva Reka catchment, Middle Povardarie and Pelagonia Basin) with a not so extreme maximum during April (16 % of the total streamflow) and drier summers with the minimum during August. The third pattern (R3) covers a smaller area and is located in the southeastern part of the country (Strumitsa-Radovish Basin). It contains gauging stations with an earlier maximum during March to April (each around 15 %) and the minimum during August to September, where the annual streamflow amplitude is much lower compared to other regions. From the two main streamflow drivers, snowmelt influence is less significant going eastward, while the rainfall influence is much stronger going eastward.

Keywords: Streamflow patterns, streamflow regimes, main drivers, North Macedonia, Pardé coefficient, principal component analysis (PCA), agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC)

As urbanisation continues to expand globally, the demand for land for urban purposes is on the rise. Without proper management, valuable land that could be utilised for more profitable endeavours, such as agriculture, runs the risk of being underutilised. Additionally, certain urban developments have the potential to pose threats to both the environment and the well-being of local residents. Therefore, it is imperative to conduct land suitability analyses before progressing with urban planning initiatives. The primary objective of this paper is twofold. Firstly, it aims to propose scenarios for sustainable urban growth locations in Guelma, with a focus on minimising the consumption of agricultural land and preserving high-potential forested areas. Secondly, this research contributes to the existing literature by introducing a hybrid methodology that combines GIS (Geographic Information System), GeoTOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution), and AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) for the purpose of selecting suitable urban growth sites in the Guelma region. In this study, we employed a combination of AHP and TOPSIS methods to conduct the analysis. Ten criteria and constraints were established for the study, utilising spatial data acquired through GIS. These criteria include proximity to forests, soil fertility, land use and land cover (LU/LC), distance to rivers, a Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), distance to the urban centre, proximity to roads, population density, a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and slope. The analysis revealed that approximately 19.47 square kilometres of the Guelma region’s land area are most suitable for urban land use. The findings of this study hold significance in terms of mitigating potential urban instability and guiding the government’s decisions regarding sustainable urban development.

Keywords: urban growth, land suitability, Guelma, Algeria, AHP-GeoTOPSIS model, GIS, remote sensing

Die anthropogen geprägten Raumstrukturen sind mehr als nur gebaute Infrastrukturen, sondern materieller Ausdruck des menschlichen Umweltbezugs. In diesem Beitrag werden die verschiedenen Raumstrukturen, die sich in der menschlichen Geschichte herausgebildet haben, mit ihrem jeweiligen Umweltbezug dargestellt. Die Raumstrukturen der Gegenwart sind Ausdruck unserer heutigen gravierenden Umweltprobleme (Behandlung der Natur als Material, grenzenloses Wachstum von Wirtschaft und Bedürfnissen), und eine Lösung dieser Probleme ist nur möglich, wenn auch diese Raumstrukturen grundsätzlich verändert werden. Damit wird zugleich deutlich, dass einer geographisch- integrativen Raumanalyse auch heute eine große Bedeutung zukommt.

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In diesem Beitrag wird aus der persönlichen Sicht seines Mitarbeiters (ab 1977), späteren Stellvertreters und Nachfolgers die Persönlichkeit von Josef Breu geschildert, wobei dessen wissenschaftliche Haupttätigkeitsfelder und größte Verdienste hervorgehoben werden: die Redaktion und Herausgabe des „Atlas der Donauländer“ zwischen 1970 und 1989, einer Länderkunde des mittleren und unteren Donauraums in thematischen Karten, und die Toponomastik, in der Breu zu einer prägenden Persönlichkeit der Expertengruppe der Vereinten Nationen für Geographische Namen („United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names“, UNGEGN) wurde und die „Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Kartographische Ortsnamenkunde“ (AKO), das österreichische Expertengremium für geographische Namen, gegründet hat.

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In diesem Beitrag werden, nach einer kurzen Darstellung des Wirkens von Otto Back als akademischem Lehrer, seine Verdienste als Forscher und wissenschaftlicher Autor auf dem Gebiet der Toponomastik gewürdigt. Otto Backs Zugang zu diesem Forschungsfeld war geprägt von seiner umfassenden Kenntnis der Sprachenwelt Europas, seinem persönlichen Format als polyglotter „Homo universalis“ und seinem immensen Detailwissen in den für die Namenkunde relevanten Fächern, von Geographie und Geschichte über Politik und Soziologie bis hin zu juristischen und administrativen Aspekten. Die wichtigsten Publikationen werden kurz vorgestellt und im Kontext aktueller Forschungen besprochen.

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Dieser Bericht umfasst in chronologischer Abfolge die vier aus österreichischer Sicht wichtigsten geographischen Tagungen des Jahres 2023, wobei die Sitzung der Expertengruppe der Vereinten Nationen für Geographische Namen kein rein geographisches Ereignis war, sondern ein interdisziplinäres Themenfeld zum Gegenstand hatte. An ihm nahmen deshalb auch Vertreter mehrerer Wissenschaften teil, darunter aber viele Geographen und Kartographen. Der Internationalen Kartographischen Konferenz („International Cartographic Conference“, ICC) in Kapstadt [Cape Town], der alle zwei Jahre stattfindenden Weltkonferenz der Kartographie, ist ein eigener Beitrag gewidmet.

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