European Journal of Geography - EJG

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European Journal of Geography - EJG

The European Journal of Geography (EJG) (ISSN: 1792-1341) has been the academic e-journal of the European Association of Geographers (EUROGEO).

It publishes papers and commentaries from across the discipline of geography and beyond, serving as a space for critical engagement. The journal is based on EUROGEO's goal to make European Geography a worldwide reference and standard. In addition to serving as a source reference and archive of advancements in geographical research, EJG aims to provide a platform for communication between researche

rs and professionals concerned with the following topics:

Urban Geography, Transport Geography, Economic Geography, Environmental Geography, Cultural & Historical Geography, Health Geography, Teaching Geography, Spatial Analysis, Geographical information systems (GIS), Geo-spatial Information Science, Cartography, Regional Science, Tourism, Cities, Spatial Planning, Sustainability, and Resilience. The journal particularly encourages papers on innovative applications and theories in the fields above, or of an interdisciplinary nature. Submissions, however, are encouraged to have a European dimension. EJG is a Scopus-indexed Journal that operates a single-blind peer-review policy. All authors can submit and publish their work free of charge. All articles are made freely and permanently available online through open-access publication. CiteScore 2021: 1.2 - Speed/Acceptance: 56 days avg. from submission to first post-review decision - Acceptance Rate: 46%

23/10/2025

🔔📣📢📖 EJG PAPER ALERT! [Vol.16(2)]
▶️The R-G Differential: A Policy Instrument for German Federal States to Explore Fiscal Policy Potentials?
▶️ by Christopher Meyer, Hans-Eggert Reimers & Laima Gerlitz (Hochschule Wismar, University of Applied Sciences: Technology, Business Design, Philipp-Müller-Str. 14, 23966 Wismar, Germany)
▶️ https://www.eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/article/view/913

📗📖✏️ Abstract: This paper examines the role of the R–G Differential—the gap between interest rates (R) and economic growth (G)—as a fiscal policy instrument for Germany’s Federal States. While widely studied at the national level, its implications for subnational fiscal sustainability remain underexplored. Building on Domar’s debt dynamics framework, the study calculates state-level R–G Differentials using official budget data from 2013–2023 and classifies states into three distinct fiscal groups. Results show that most Federal States (Länder) experienced periods of r < g, indicating favourable conditions for debt sustainability, yet this potential has not been systematically integrated into fiscal planning. The findings suggest that the R–G Differential could serve as a complementary benchmark to existing fiscal rules, enhancing medium-term planning and resilience under the constraints of Germany’s debt brake and EU fiscal framework. The paper concludes that incorporating R–G monitoring into Federal State-level reporting would not only improve transparency and comparability but also support a more nuanced, forward-looking approach to fiscal policy.

📣 Keywords: Fiscal Policy,Sustainable Debt,Stability Council,Primary Balances,Domar-Model,German Federalism

📣 Research Highlights:
▶️ Demonstrates that favourable R–G conditions allow higher expenditures, including for growth-oriented policies, without necessarily conflicting with debt brakes or fiscal sustainability.
▶️ Positions the R–G Differential as a practical monitoring tool, offering early warnings on the sustainability of fiscal paths and the justification for debt-financed investments.
▶️ Highlights the value of embedding rolling R–G projections into annual budgets to anticipate fiscal pressures and seize policy opportunities.
▶️ Proposes forecast-based integration of r and g estimates into ex-ante budget planning, enabling a probabilistic and adaptive fiscal framework towards sustainable public households.

18/10/2025

❓Are you working on a research paper about geography education, digital learning, or teaching controversial topics?

📣 The European Journal of Geography is inviting submissions for its new Special Issue [SI_TGEO]:
🌍 Teaching Geography for a World in Transition: Powerful Teaching in Uncertain Times

We are looking for work that shows how geography teaching helps students think critically, understand global change, and engage with complex issues.
🔹 Topics include (but not limited to):
✔️ Controversial topics in geography (e.g. migration, climate justice, war)
✔️ Decolonising curricula
✔️ Pedagogies for complexity & digital education
✔️ Spatial thinking, AI & epistemic uncertainty
✔️ Geography’s role in critical citizenship

🗓 Submission deadline: 31 December 2025
🔗 More details: https://eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/announcement/view/22
🔗 Submit here: https://eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/about/submissions

🖊️ Guest Editors:
▪️ Dr. Neli Heidari (University of Bremen, Germany)
▪️ Dr. Uwe Krause (Fontys University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands)
▪️ Dr. Dr Susan Caldis (Macquarie University, Australia)
▪️ Prof. dr. Tine Beneker (Utrecht University, The Netherlands)
📘 EJG Editor:
▪️ Dr. Alexandros Bartzokas-Tsiompras (EUROGEO & National Technical University of Athens, Belgium & Greece)

04/10/2025

🔔📣📢📖 EJG PAPER ALERT! [Vol.16(2)]
▶️Promoting Transdisciplinarity and Competency-based Learning Using Web GIS in the Spanish Secondary School Classroom
▶️ by Miguel-Ángel Puertas-Aguilar, Javier Álvarez-Otero & María-Luisa de Lázaro-Torres (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Spain | Universidad a Distancia de Madrid (UDIMA), Spain)
▶️ https://www.eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/article/view/837

📗📖✏️ Abstract: In today´s world, education systems must adapt to stay connected with the real world. Three key elements meet these demands: the interaction between disciplines and their varying levels of complexity, the competency-based approach of the Spanish education system, and the use of web-based GIS tools for teaching and learning with a transdisciplinary approach. In this context, Spain offers a promising context to explore the integration of these elements, given its educational reforms and digital strategy. However, there are no studies in secondary schools in Spain integrating these elements. The objective of this research is to demonstrate that web GIS serves as a valuable resource for engagement in the real world, representing information on maps for teaching and learning within a transdisciplinary competency-based framework. The methodology applied follows the action-research model mainly based on classroom observations and students’ satisfaction surveys. Several stages have been considered: a) planning: identifying a relevant problem or topic to improve learning outcomes; b) action: class intervention by collecting necessary information, categorizing information, analysing the problem, formulating hypotheses and creating a layer for a collaborative map; c) results and interventions assessments. Following this methodology, three interventions are presented. The sample is a convenience sample with 187 students aged 15 to 18 (ISCED 3: 4th-year Compulsory Secondary Education -K-10, ages 15–16- and ISCED 4: 2nd-year Baccalaureate -K-12, ages 17–18-), from a Spanish educational institution. It can be stated that the collaborative use of web-based GIS in secondary education enhances engagement, representation of information, and increases interaction. All these actions improve sustainability, digital, learning to learn and citizenship competencies and promote transdisciplinarity.

📣 Keywords: web-based GIS learning, citizenship, transdiciplinarity, competency, education for sustainability

📣 Research Highlights:
▶️ Collaborative use of web GIS improves the engagement of students in Secondary School.
▶️ Cartography based on the use of web GIS drives the transdisciplinary approach.
▶️ Interventions evaluate sustainability, digital, learn to learn and citizenship competencies.

07/09/2025

🔔📣📢📖 EJG PAPER ALERT! [Vol.16(2)]
▶️Exploring the Effectiveness of Urban Regeneration: The Comparative Study of the Industrial Heritage Sites of Łódź (Poland) and Yazd (Iran)
▶️ by Mohammadhossein Dehghan Pour Farashah,
Zdzisława Elżbieta Niemczewska &
Pedro Porfírio Coutinho Guimarães (University of Lodz, Poland | Poznań University of Economics and Business, Poland | University of Lisbon, Portugal)
▶️ https://eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/article/view/889

📗📖✏️ Abstract: To establish appropriate strategies for the urban regeneration of districts with industrial heritage, it is essential to consider the factors that may influence the effectiveness of any regeneration. This study compares the revitalisation of industrial heritage sites in Łódź, Poland, as a European regeneration model, and Yazd, Iran, as an Asian counterpart—two cities that share similar textile manufacturing histories but possess distinct political, cultural, and socio-economic factors. The study examines the challenges associated with achieving effective urban regeneration in the setting of industrial heritage sites. The study employed semi-structured interviews with experts and professionals, complemented by fieldwork and observational analyses of textile manufacturing heritage sites, with a particular emphasis on revitalisation projects. The originality of this paper lies in the application of a synthetic approach to the analysis of qualitative data for comparing typologies of urban regeneration strategies within the contexts of two socio-culturally and economically distinct countries. The results indicate that for effective urban regeneration within industrial heritage sites it necessitates the attainment of socio-economic outcomes through a balanced approach to public-private financing, while mitigating the undue influence of private investments. Furthermore, projects that enhance accessibility and infrastructure, as well as promote the adaptive reuse of historical resources, should be prioritised. Such initiatives not only generate financial income but also yield social benefits and contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage values. The paper provides valuable insights for urban planners regarding the effectiveness of urban regeneration processes in districts characterised by industrial heritage.

📣 Keywords: Effective urban regeneration,industrial heritage,sustainability,revitalization,Poland,Iran,adaptive reuse

📣 Research Highlights:
▶️ The revitalisation project must be designed to align with both material and non-material values.
▶️ Shifts from private investments to collaboration highlight the industrial heritage in Łódź.
▶️ Substantial evidence underscores the impact of religious values on urban management in Yazd.

02/09/2025

🔔📣📢📖 EJG PAPER ALERT! [Vol.16(2)]
▶️From Indicators to Insights: Measuring Urban Quality of Life in Medium-Sized Greek Cities with the DPRD-20 Urban Indicator System
▶️ by Eva Psatha (University of Thessaly, Greece)
▶️ https://eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/article/view/912

📗📖✏️ Abstract: Urban Quality of Life (UQoL) is a critical concept in urban studies, capturing the well-being of city residents through environmental, social, and economic conditions. This study refines the existing DPRD-50 system—originally developed to assess UQoL in Greek cities—by applying Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to the indicator dataset from its first application ten years ago. This process resulted in the DPRD-20 system, a more concise and flexible tool for comparative urban analysis. Beyond improving usability, the new system enables a longitudinal comparison of UQoL across time, revealing how selected Greek cities have evolved over the past decade. The findings highlight significant differences: cities like Ioannina, Volos, and Heraklion perform well due to strengths in healthcare, cultural amenities, or sustainable mobility. In contrast, cities like Kavala and Kalamata face infrastructure challenges despite strong environmental assets. The research underscores the importance of benchmarking as a means for cities to learn from each other, while supporting data-driven governance through an open-source monitoring framework with broader relevance to the European urban context.

📣 Research Highlights:
▶️ Development of a new urban indicator system, through PCA, based on the existing DPRD-50 framework.
▶️ Use of open-source data to assess Urban Quality of Life in Greek medium-sized cities.
▶️ Benchmarking tool for supporting evidence-based urban policies and cross-city comparisons.

04/08/2025

🔔📣📢📖 EJG PAPER ALERT! [Vol.16(2)]
▶️Geospatial Technologies in Crisis Response: Analyzing the 2024 Floods in Valencia, Spain

▶️ by Iván Franch-Pardo, Pau A. Fuster Puig & Artemia Cerdà (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico | Universitat de València, Spain | El Tossal cartografies, Spain)

▶️ https://eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/article/view/897

📗📖✏️ Abstract: On October 29, 2024, a cut-off low (DANA) caused the most catastrophic flooding in recent history in Spain and the Mediterranean region, in Valencia, resulting in 228 deaths, more than €13 billion in damages, and the disabling of more than 140,000 vehicles. In the days following the disaster, a lack of information and a limited institutional response created a climate of uncertainty. In this context, satellite imagery became the only reliable source of information. This study adopts a systematic review methodology to reconstruct and critically analyze how geospatial technologies were used for forecasting, documenting, and managing the disaster. It draws on a compilation of meteorological datasets, satellite imagery (e.g., Sentinel, Landsat), GIS outputs, institutional maps, and academic research. The research identifies four chronological phases: First, meteorological data were employed to sound the alarm; second, satellite imagery products were used when the disaster already occurred; third, development of web platforms with geographic information and other institutional servers for data download; and four, new lines of research with the inputs generated in the previous points. The intervention of international coordination platforms—the Copernicus EMS rapid mapping service and the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters—allowed, in record time, the processing of the first satellite images and the expedited mapping of flooded areas. The findings demonstrate that spatial analysis tools are one of the most important inputs when dealing with a natural disaster, especially in the first hours and days following the event. However, prior territorial planning and the prompt intervention of decision-makers when such an event occurs are the most decisive factors in minimizing damage. The study also contrasts climate change-based explanations with historical-geographic interpretations of the disaster, underscoring the need for a comprehensive, geographically grounded approach to future risk management.

📣 Research Highlights:
▶️ Geospatial analysis and geography play a crucial role at the onset of global emergencies.
▶️ At the onset of the event, international remote sensing platforms were the only valid source.
▶️ Climate change and historical geography are the two approaches that explain these floods.
▶️ After DANA, new flood models, hydrometeorological explanations, planning proposals and social vulnerability approaches were developed.

27/07/2025

📣 Call for Papers – New Special Issue [SI_TGEO]
🌍 Teaching Geography for a World in Transition: Powerful Teaching in Uncertain Times

🔍 This new Special Issue of the European Journal of Geography (EJG), inspired by the 2026 EUROGEO Conference in Tilburg, The Netherlands (21–22 May 2026), explores how geography educators can empower students to navigate complex societal changes by engaging with powerful geographical knowledge, spatial thinking, and critical, future-oriented pedagogies. It invites contributions that examine how geography education can respond to the challenges of deglobalisation, multipolarity, postcolonial critique, controversial topics, and the rise of AI in educational contexts.

🔗 Full details here: https://www.eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/announcement/view/22

We welcome conceptual, empirical & practice-based work on topics including (but not limited to):

✔️ Controversial topics in geography (e.g. migration, climate justice, war)
✔️ Decolonising curricula
✔️ Pedagogies for complexity & digital education
✔️ Spatial thinking, AI & epistemic uncertainty
✔️ Geography’s role in critical citizenship

🗓 Deadline for full submissions: 31 December 2025

📍 Selected authors will be invited to present at a dedicated session at EUROGEO 2026.

🔗 Submit via the EJG portal → https://www.eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/about/submissions

🖊️ Guest Editors:
▪️Dr. Neli Heidari (University of Bremen, Germany)
▪️Dr. Uwe Krause (Fontys University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands)
▪️Dr. Susan Caldis (Macquarie University, Australia)
▪️Prof. Tine Beneker (Utrecht University, The Netherlands)

📘 EJG Editor:
▪️Dr. Alexandros Bartzokas-Tsiompras (EUROGEO & National Technical University of Athens, Belgium & Greece)

23/07/2025

🔔📣📢📖 EJG PAPER ALERT! [Vol.16(2)]
▶️Statistical Reliability of the Modified Areal Weighted by Control Zones Method to Spatially Downscale Individual Social Data
▶️ by Najla Touati, Wilda Jean Baptiste & Julia Hidalgo (Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Solidarités, Sociétés, Territoires - Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès, France)
▶️ https://www.eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/article/view/824

📗📖✏️ Abstract: This study evaluates the modified areal weighting by control zones method (MAW-CZ) often involved in downscaling social data from a large spatial mesh, to a smaller mesh. This method has been extensively used in literature but the impossibil-ity, until recently, of accessing individual data makes it so that it has not been evaluated. In this study it is applied to two case studies, Toulouse and Grenoble-Alpes Metropoles, using the census INSEE data at the IRIS scale and the building islet or topographical reference units (RSU) scale. The study found that 27.2% of RSUs in the Toulouse metropolis and 21.9% in the Grenoble-Alpes metropolis are inhabited, with mean populations of 122 and 116 residents, and maximum populations of 2,429 and 6,451 residents, respectively in 2018. The chosen downscaling approach introduces small errors for small and medium-sizedRSUs. For example, 94%, 78%, and 72% of RSUs of

06/07/2025

🔔📣📢📖 EJG PAPER ALERT! [Vol.16(2)]
▶️Position, Transportation, and Resources: Japan's Potential and Strategic Choices Under Analytical Geopolitics
▶️ by PNuno Morgado & Takashi Hosoda (Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary | University of Defense, Brno, Czech Republic)
▶️ https://www.eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/article/view/812

📗📖✏️ Abstract: Japan is a very poor country in terms of natural and mineral resources. Consequently, it remains heavily dependent on maritime transportation. Japan’s proximity to a competing China, the ever-strengthening Sino-Russian partnership, and an aggressive North Korea constitute a hostile regional environment. This article offers an in-depth analysis of Japan’s capabilities (i.e., potential), predominantly demonstrating the weaknesses of the country. We argue that the flaws associated with Japan’s potential can be explained by both (i) geomisguided Japanese geopolitical agents, and (ii) the Japanese pacifist strategic culture. We deductively apply the model of analytical geopolitics. Our findings are that Japanese geopolitical agents are “geomisguided” as they have pursued policies of insufficient stockpiling and disregarded Japan’s dependence on the sea lanes of communication. Furthermore, Japanese public opinion does not sufficiently grasp the current threats Japan faces, and this fact limits the capacities of Japanese geopolitical agents. The paper addresses a gap in the literature by applying an innovative methodological analytical approach.
📣 Research Highlights:
▶️ Japan is heavily dependent on maritime transportation, and the number of Japanese-flagged vessels is insufficient.
▶️ Japanese maritime currents have a military impact concerning floating mines.
▶️ Postwar Japanese pacifism clashes with security imperatives and encourages weaknesses in Japan’s potential.

04/07/2025

🔔📣📢📖 EJG PAPER ALERT! [Vol.16(2)]
▶️ Identification of Potential Paleoislands in the Mediterranean Sea During the Last Glacial Cycle
▶️ by Pablo Fraile Jurado & Juan Carlos Mejías-García (Universidad de Sevilla, Spain)
▶️ https://www.eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/article/view/872

📗📖✏️ Abstract: The Last Glacial Period (LGP) significantly altered sea levels and landscapes across the globe, with the Mediterranean Sea being no exception. During this period, fluctuating sea levels exposed numerous landmasses, some of which may have served as critical habitats for plants, animals, and even human populations. This study aims to identify and analyze the potential paleo-islands that were emerged in the Mediterranean Sea during the LGP (115,000 – 6,500 BP). Using high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) and bathymetric data, we reconstruct the Mediterranean’s paleogeography, focusing on the periods of maximum sea-level regression. A novel methodological approach was applied to determine the duration and extent of these paleo-islands, while filtering out uncertainties related to their size and elevation. Results show the existence of hundreds of potential paleo-islands, including larger landmasses that significantly expanded during this period. This research highlights the critical role these islands played in biogeographical processes, such as species migration and dispersal, and possibly in the migration patterns of early humans. Future work will focus on refining the data with localized sea-level curves and incorporating sedimentary and erosion processes into the analysis, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the Mediterranean’s geomorphological evolution

📣 Research Highlights:
▶️Sea-level fluctuations during the LGP significantly altered Mediterranean landmasses.
▶️Identification of paleo-islands in the Mediterranean during the Last Glacial Period.

11/06/2025

📣 EJG: 2024 CiteScore Announced!

We're thrilled to share that the European Journal of Geography has achieved its highest CiteScore in a decade! 🌍

📈 2024 CiteScore: 1.8 (up from 1.4 in 2023 and 1.2 in 2022)
📆 2025 Temporal CiteScore (June): 2.4 – and steadily rising!
🔗 https://www.scopus.com/sourceid/21100301417?origin=resultslist

This continued growth reflects the increasing recognition of EJG as a hub for high-quality, open-access research across geographic disciplines.

🏅 Current Scopus Rankings:
🔹 Q1 – Cultural Studies
🔹 Q2 – Urban Studies & Demography
🔹 Q3 – Geography, Planning & Development – one of the most competitive fields in the social sciences

This progress is made possible by our brilliant authors, dedicated reviewers, committed editorial team, engaged readers, and our publisher, the European Association of Geographers (EUROGEO).

🙏 Thank you for helping EJG grow as a leading platform for European and global geographical research.

✍️ Interested in contributing to our success?
Submit your work today ➡️ https://www.eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/index

10/06/2025

🔔📣📢📖 EJG PAPER ALERT! [Vol.16(2)]
▶️ Determining Factors Affecting Acceptance of Autonomous Vehicles using Statistical and Machine Learning Models
▶️ by Uneb Gazder & Eman Algherbal (University of Bahrain, Bahrain | King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Saudi Arabia)
▶️ https://www.eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/article/view/800

📗📖✏️ Abstract: The aim of this study was to find out the risks and perceptions related to the acceptance of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) with regards to different aspects of society. An online survey was used for collection of stated preference data. The data of 465 respondents was deemed suitable for the analysis of this study. Comparison with traditional vehicles and willingness to use had the highest ratings while being tech-savvy had the lowest ratings. Parametric analysis and prediction model were used to analyze the relationships between the willingness to use and participants’ characteristics and opinions. The model was developed using artificial neural network. The results show that gender, age, affinity for technology and comparison with traditional vehicles seem to have a significant impact on the perception of participants. This was shown by the parametric analysis performed at a significance level of 5% and later confirmed by the model. The model showed the highest importance of being tech-savvy with 0.76 index followed by comparison with an index of 0.74. A comparison with a similar study from Saudi Arabia shows that drivers in these countries have a significantly different perception related to AVs.

📣 Research Highlights:
▶️Determination of acceptance of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) using various factors.
▶️Statistical analysis and artificial neural networks used.
▶️Results compared with a neighboring country and previous studies.
▶️Providing recommendations to promote AVs and realize their full potential.

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