Projects / Programmes
Sustainable regional development of Slovenia
January 1, 2022
- December 31, 2027
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.12.00 |
Humanities |
Geography |
|
| 1.08.00 |
Natural sciences and mathematics |
Control and care of the environment |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 5.07 |
Social Sciences |
Social and economic geography |
| 1.05 |
Natural Sciences |
Earth and related Environmental sciences |
regional resources, sustainable development, environmental and social changes, socio-environmental resilience, conflict as a catalyst, sustinable spatial planning, development policy, sustainbale and inovative solution, education for sustainable develop., knowledge transfer Slovene regions, Slovenia
Data for the last 5 years (citations for the last 10 years) on
April 24, 2024;
A3 for period
2018-2022
| Database |
Linked records |
Citations |
Pure citations |
Average pure citations |
| WoS |
85 |
444 |
362 |
4.26 |
| Scopus |
355 |
1,341 |
1,015 |
2.86 |
Researchers (15)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
In the coming programming period, the Sustainable Regional Development of Slovenia programme will remain primarily focused on research on Slovenia's regional resources (environmental, human and social) (extent, availability, quality, needs, governance ...) and research whose results will support Slovenia's sustainable (regional) development. The need for horizontal integration of the sustainable aspect in research on regional resources was included in the basis of the programme as early as 2009, and the timeliness of our approaches has only increased in recent years. Our geographic research remains within the framework of co-dependence of social and environmental dynamics - but the main focus (and challenge) is to find environmental and social harmony with sustainable solutions. Unlike the previous programme period, where we focused research on different aspects of the ability to respond/adapt flexibly, our guiding principle in this programme period is tied to three areas: a) Identifying, assessing, measuring, analysing and resolving conflicts (conflict management) or disagreements - at different levels; e.g. rural / urban / ...; between different activities; different uses of space ...; different groups ...; b) Recognizing, evaluating, measuring, analysing ... of devaluations (reduced values). Different regional resources, their condition, stocks, uses. c) Finding answers with sustainable solutions: new approaches, newcomers, exploration of new areas. In the third part of our research we will look for new sustainable (innovative solutions) - to support the social-ecological consensus. We will explore several areas, here are just a few: - Monitoring, measurement of sustainable development of Slovenian regions; - Climatogeography (climate of mountainous areas, urban heat island) - Environmental pollution (air quality, identification of polluted areas of Slovenia and priority remediation, water, soils); - Regional and spatial development, tourism ...; - Quality of living environment; - Coordination of interests between different social groups in rural areas; - Education for sustainable development - ... Through the publication of the scientific journal DELA and the book collection GeograFF (e-GeograFF), we ensure the dissemination of results, and we also take care of the training of young professionals (numerous mentorships) and the timely transfer of the latest findings directly into studies. We enter the new programme period with the awareness that research in many areas will have to consider and incorporate completely new factors, processes, effects and adaptations that are directly or indirectly related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Already, applied studies in 2020/21 show that in certain segments, previous processes will be disrupted or significantly altered. Our previous assumptions that flexibility and adaptability are crucial for sustainable regional development are also confirmed in the current situation.
Significance for science
In the coming programming period, we will remain primarily focused on research into Slovenia's regional resources (extent, availability, quality, needs, management ... of environmental, human and economic resources) and on research, the results of which will support the sustainable (regional) development of Slovenia at all levels. Although the programme combines physical and human geographic knowledge and methodological approaches of the group, the programme environment ensures better communication, networking, knowledge transfer, etc., which also leads to good project networking and more successful acquisition of various national and European projects. The programme is the basis of research and enables more efficient research within projects. In certain circumstances, current project content that cannot be developed and researched during the project can be investigated within the programme. We expect innovations and contributions to the development of science in the following areas in the coming funding period: a) New research fields in terms of content - Research into the behaviour of tourists with regard to sustainable values and social and environmental responsibility; - Developing an alternative approach to defining and understanding the development role of green infrastructure; - Identify the impact of Covid-19 on mobility (transport) flows (international comparative study); - Explore alternatives for agricultural and rural development - Explore the role of new entrants; - Identify, research, communicate and resolve conflict situations (in rural areas, other environments); - Research on the operation, representation, role and development opportunities of social enterprises in rural areas; - Research on technogenic soils in urban areas (transitory developed areas). b) Development of new theoretical and methodological areas - Development of new indicators (e.g. land recycling index as an indicator for monitoring land renewal; design of new indicators for monitoring green transition, for the needs of assessing adaptation of Slovenian regions to green development policy) and improvement of existing indicators (for monitoring regional sustainable development); - Development of a typology of devalued areas; - Development of a model(s) to identify the possibility of revitalization of devalued areas (according to the type of areas (previous use), according to the needs of the new activity, according to the constraints in the environment ...); - Develop (and verify) a method to measure an urban heat island - using a combination of field, stationary and remote data; - Develop new useful field methods for effective identification of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) using modern approaches, tools and instruments (remote sensing); - Development of the principle of a new classification system for technogenic soils and field mapping methods. The rapid and continuous transfer of new knowledge in the study process keeps the study of geography relevant - we educate students to face concrete challenges as they enter the job market. The Department of Geography in the Faculty of Arts is the largest, most recognized and established geographical higher education unit at the state level. Its quality is reflected in the results of enrolled students, in the number of completed master's theses and doctorates, in the number of ERASMUS foreign students ... The leading and widely recognized fields of study that are preferentially developed within the research programme (and in which we train future research and professional staff) are physical geography (geomorphology, pedogeography, climatogeography and hydrogeography), environmental geography (in conjunction with physical geography), rural geography and ICT. In the new programme period we are adding four younger staff members (assistants and research assistants) who prepare doctoral dissertations under the supervision of programme staff and pursue in-depth scientific research areas in the programme: (a) development of a method for calculating the ecological footprint (at a regional level); (b) the area of sustainable spatial planning - revitalization and possibilities of reuse of devalued / derelict areas; (c) development of approaches to evaluate the role of new entrants / newcomers in agriculture and the effects on rural areas; (d) interpretation of current environmental changes through palaeoecological interpretation of cave systems. Their research will extend the work of the programme in terms of content and theoretical/methodological level. The education and development of younger academic staff and their gradual involvement in the research of the programme group represents the strategic direction of the Department of Geography in the Faculty of Arts, with the aim of creating a high quality research and pedagogical environment for the further development of geography.
Significance for the country
The potential impact of the programme lies in the development, dissemination and possibility of using the expected results to directly support the development of society. Considering the orientation and achievements of the programme so far (e.g. the implementation of our results in Development Strategy of Slovenia 2030), we continue to see our important role as a communicator between the business community and the state. The results of the research and operation of the programme will be directly useful for: - further development of related disciplines dealing with research of individual components of the environment (hydrology, agronomy, forestry ...), in spatial planning and regional development planning. The essence of the research is also related to related sciences that we already carry out during the project work; - sectoral policies - needs of professional and development institutions (in planning the development of agriculture, spatial revitalization, remediation of contaminated sites, settlement management, tourism, infrastructural development ...); - local communities / municipalities: when planning the preparation and implementation of measures to improve local air quality or measures to reduce the impact of an urban heat island, revitalization of brownfields/derelict areas etc; - kindergartens / schools and local communities in planning schemes to ensure road safety and strengthen sustainable forms of mobility; The focus of our activities to date, and those we plan to undertake, will continue to be education in sustainable development. We will promote the development of low-carbon strategies for all types of areas, especially urban areas, including the promotion of sustainable multimodal urban mobility and appropriate mitigation adaptation measures. Through future activities, we will gradually achieve improvements in urban air quality by educating and changing the travel habits of new generations. With our knowledge, research approaches and available software that includes statistical and geoinformation tools, we will expand and develop the implementation of more complex analysis, visualization and geo-dissemination tasks. We will also involve students in tool development. We will continue to develop and produce our web and mobile applications to meet the needs of individual research, business, and more effective communication with professional and lay audiences. The strategic advantage of the programme group is its established collaboration and knowledge of the needs of geography teachers. We will continue activities related to the development of geoinformation tools and other ICT tools and their implementation in education and beyond (business, social activities). Our long experience and a critical view of the role of ICT in educational strategies will be able to contribute to the development of appropriate strategies for the further development and use of ICT, which is one of the key areas in the current time of the pandemic. We will continue to actively engage in the international research space: through cooperation with foreign universities (lectures abroad, project cooperation, organization of international events), institutes (longer study exchanges, project cooperation) and international organizations.
