After the financial global crisis in 2008, there has been a growing interest in studying financialisation in economic geography mainly in Anglo-American societies. Most attempts in understanding finance in Geography focus on macro level finance culture i.e. examining financial structures and institutions. With financial iberalisation, financial institutions play a significant role in influencing the financial markets in Anglo-America while government interference has been declining. Social scientists such as Langley (2008) and Lee et al. (2009) identified a dearth of literature in economic geography that focuses on everyday personal finances of consumers and relate consumers’ borrowing culture to their consumption patterns which are shaped by social intermediaries including governments, family and traditions. This thesis fills this gap in contemporary areas in economic geography. The aim of the thesis is to examine the development of personal finances and consumption in Brunei Darussalam. Brunei makes a relevant case study due to its distinctive evolving personal finance and consumption culture where the government plays a significant role through the monitoring and regulating of financial institutions. Regulating Brunei’s financial structure was a pro-active action taken by the government to address problems of Bruneians’ dependency on borrowing to consume rather than as a reaction to the global financial crisis. Moreover, this study shows how individual choices and actions as well as traditional cultural intermediaries (du Gay et al., 1997) particularly the family and traditions shape Bruneians’ financial access and consumption culture. My thesis demonstrates that financialisation and consumption culture are not homogenised across different geographies, thus stresses the importance of acknowledging and need to consider social and cultural practices of consumers and governments in order to understand the financial and consumption culture and development of different societies.By employing mixed methods in particular qualitative research methods, this thesis also presents empirical evidence of the transformation in financial culture and identifies functions and motivators of consumption that affect consumers’ everyday finances in Brunei which are different from other geographies including Anglo- America

Large wood and its accumulations are poorly understood despite being an important feature in the functioning of forested river channels and floodplains. Large wood has previously been removed from rivers in order to reduce flow resistance and increase channel conveyance. However, recently there has been an appreciation of the role of large wood accumulations in creating important aquatic habitat, increasing geomorphic diversity, re-connecting river channels to their floodplains and in the development of multi-channel anastomosed river patterns. This thesis examines the role that large wood plays at a range of scales in a low-order forested stream in the New Forest, Southern England. The study river was subject to restoration measures, involving the addition of large wood to the river channel, as part of an EU LIFE III project. An empirical and Froude-scaled flume approach is taken to determine the role of large wood accumulations upon the reach-scale flow resistance values. Large wood accumulations from a variety of environments are assessed to determine the hydraulic effects of accumulations of different architecture in different environments. Field data from the study catchment is used to show the role of large wood in increasing the frequency and duration of reach-scale, floodplain inundation. Hydrological data shows the impact the restoration has upon both flood peak magnitude and flood peak travel time highlighting the potential benefits of large wood to downstream flood risk. A 2-Dimensional model is produced which simulates the effect of a range of large wood accumulations upon the inundation extent. An approach using spatial diversity metrics, widely used in ecological sciences, is conducted in an attempt to quantify the flow depth and flow velocity diversity, which can influence flow habitat diversity. Results show that large wood can initiate an anastomosing flow pattern which allows increases flow depth diversity by up to 49% and flow velocity diversity by up to 48%

This thesis investigates the minor and field-names of twenty-two parishes in Thurgarton Wapentake, a historic division of Nottinghamshire. It investigates the agricultural history of the region, and explores the usage of Old English and Old Norse-derived place-name elements in the late medieval period. The parishes studied are Averham, Bleasby (with Gibsmere and Goverton), Bulcote and Burton Joyce, Carlton on Trent, Colwick, Cromwell, Fiskerton and Morton, Fledborough, Gedling with Carlton and Stoke Bardolph, Gonalston, Grassthorpe, Lowdham with Caythorpe and Gunthorpe, Hoveringham, Kelham, Marnham, Normanton on Trent, North Muskham (with Bathley and Holme), Norwell (with Norwell Woodhouse and Willoughby), Rolleston, South Muskham (with Little Carlton), Staythorpe, Sutton on Trent and Ossington, and Thurgarton. The thesis presents a new collection of minor names for this area, collated from both unpublished and published documentary sources, supplementing the English Place-Name Society’s survey for Nottinghamshire. The collection is presented as a survey, and forms a significant part of the thesis. The data collected are selectively analysed in two case studies of place-name elements, and in an examination of the names from a single parish. It is shown that place-name elements have precise technical meanings, and that loan words form a significant part of the onomasticon, selected for a particular semantic purpose. The development and longevity of microtoponyms is also explored, and it is shown that field-names in Nottinghamshire frequently survive across a number of centuries. The thesis contributes significantly to the available corpus of English minor and field-names, and demonstrates the ability of this material to address questions of land use, language contact, and agricultural and economic change.

In recent years, the UK has positioned itself to become a global leader in addressing climate change. Alongside this positioning, there has been an increasing emphasis on the role of communities to facilitate and sustain carbon reduction practices. Community-based carbon reduction strategies are one example of action towards achieving sustainability and addressing climate change. Previous research into community-based sustainability projects has highlighted the difficulty of engaging the public with community initiatives and sustaining pro-environmental behaviours. The importance placed on major environmental issues such as climate change necessitates an understanding of how individuals respond to, and engage with, (or even ignore) the issue(s) of addressing climate change. This study explores public engagements with addressing climate change and community-based carbon reduction strategies, utilising a mixed methodological approach and underpinned by a pragmatic paradigm. The findings in this study demonstrate that there is a shift in public attitudes from whether climate change is occurring and if humans are the cause, to views considering whether and how climate change should be addressed. Whilst few identified formal community projects, collective action and community initiatives are identified as key components of sustainable living. The findings suggest that participants accept the concepts of community projects aiming to facilitate low-carbon living, and are prepared to engage with them on a number of cognitive, affective and behavioural levels, demonstrating intentions to (proactively) participate in such projects. Alongside this, participants suggested that other people’s (non)participation and the ability of community-based projects to effectively and meaningfully engage residents would contribute towards sustaining interest and enthusiasm to sustain participation, in ways that residents identify as what works for them. Consequently, projects should continuously engage the public through tailored information and feedback; social events and activities; and create as many opportunities for community members to participate as possible, in ways that they want to become involved.

Community food organisations are part of a growing interest in local and alternative forms of food, which have widely been understood as a response to the failings of the dominant food system. Despite significant academic interest, few studies have sought to understand these alternatives from the perspective of well-being, although they are grounded in claims for a better food system. In this thesis I address this gap. In order to do so I draw on Marx’s concept of alienation as the basis for understanding how well-being is constituted in four community food organisations in the East of England. In using a Marxist approach to well-being I seek to overcome the limitations of narrow, individualised conceptions of well-being that have predominated a resurgent discourse around well-being. Renewed interest in well-being and alternative food systems can be seen as reactions to the dominant logic of capital, which has prioritised economic growth and profit at the expense of human and planetary well-being. However, these potentially critical discourses have proved vulnerable to re-absorption by capital. I use Marx’s concept of alienation to bring together critique of capitalism with an understanding of community food organisations as alternative spaces of production, which enhance well-being. Both classical and recent Marxian approaches have tended to emphasize critique, with little attention to the subjective experience of capitalism or alternatives to it. Drawing on alienation to inform a Marxian approach to well-being I unite structural critique with subjective experience. I use ethnographic and qualitative methods to document participation in community food organisations as an alternative, de-alienated experience. The data generated points to the important role these spaces can play in supporting well-being. It underlines how they facilitate social interaction, an active relationship with nature, and provide an opportunity for participants to realise a sense of agency and engage in meaningful work.

In the context of research highlighting the mixed performance of coastal climate change adaptation elsewhere, this thesis developed a modified Analysis-Awareness-Action (AAA) framework to evaluate local climate change adaptation in four coastal townships along the vulnerable southwest coast of Taiwan in order to derive recommendations for local adaptation framework development. This mixed-method research included an assessment of socioeconomic vulnerability through the development of a socioeconomic vulnerability indicator framework (SVIF) (‘Analysis’). This included a face-to-face questionnaire survey with the public to evaluate public awareness of climate change (‘Awareness’), public participation and community engagement in adaptation actions; and an expert workshop and follow-up survey to identify the challenges in local adaptation framework (‘Action’). Results of the study show that the AAA framework is not only a useful and relevant approach to contribute to local adaption in Taiwan, but can also serve as a reference for other threatened countries and people in Asia and non-member countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to respond to climate change. Results of the SVIF demonstrated that the SVIF was capable of judging location-specific susceptibility and resilience to climate change between different coastal communities. Results of the questionnaire revealed high levels of public concern about climate change, but generally public understanding is insufficient. Further scientific evidence and explanation is necessary to increase public understanding and knowledge of climate change. Many findings are consistent with the wider literature. For example, respondents favoured an emphasis on mitigation over adaptation; preventive and protection actions were seen as the most effective adaptation approaches and the immediate priority; potential cost and influence of specific govermental actions on communities may constrain participation. Additionally, cognitive, affective, and behavioural factors, which may influence local adaptation engagement, were identified. These suggest that a constructive dialogue and participatory process is needed with the public in order to increase community engagement in local adaptation. Finally, specific challenges for local adaptation framework development, related to political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental (PESTLE) perspectives were identified. As a result, it was recommended that there is a need for a range of improvements to the current system, including engaging other local organisations and private actors, developing specialist organisations, legislative acts, and considering multiple objectives in formulation of adaptation actions to eliminate the potential conflict of interest.

There is a growing global urban appetite for fresh fruit and vegetables, particularly fruit. There is a further recognised need for agri-food systems that support human health, ecological integrity and social justice (Morgan and Sonnino 2010). This thesis explores the current possibilities and challenges of regenerative agri-food systems through the case of the urban apple. With the lens of political ecology, the thesis presents a relational interpretation of the spaces, natures and relations of the urban apple through considering the practices and the guiding logic of the corporate and agro-ecological urban apple in Hackney, London. The methodological framework, informed by relational geographies, supports a situated and place-based understanding of the corporate and agro-ecological logics through attending to practices in place. The thesis draws upon a number of semi-structured interviews and participant-observation with representatives involved in the production, distribution and trading of the urban apple. As the case of Growing Communities demonstrates, citizens can be supported in practicing more healthy, ecological and just ways of growing, trading and consuming food through agro-ecological communities of practice. Currently, such communities remain politically marginalised, particularly at national government levels. A political framework that fosters physical, economic and political space for regenerative agri-food practices and systems is considered key. The city-region is recognised as a ‘space of possibility’ and ‘space of action’ (Gibson-Graham and Roelvink 2011) in the scaling-out regenerative agri-food practices and systems. This needs to be supported by multi-scalar, cross-sectoral, participatory and co-productive processes (Jennings et al. 2015; Moragues-Faus and Morgan 2015; Jégou and Bonneau 2014), prioritising space for community-led, place-based practice.

Climate change will exacerbate challenges facing food security in the UK. Increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events will further impact upon farm systems. At the heart of the impending challenges to UK agricultural production, farmers’ resilience will be tested to new limits. Research into farmers’ resilience to climate change in the UK is distinctly underdeveloped when compared to research in developing and other developed nations. This research gap is addressed through exploration of farmers’ resilience in the Welsh Marches, establishing the role of risk perceptions, local knowledge and adaptive capacity in farmers’ decision-making to limit climate shocks. Further contributions to agricultural geography are made through experimentation of a ‘cultural-behavioural approach’, seeking to revisit the behavioural approach in view of the cultural-turn. The Welsh Marches, situated on the English-Welsh border, has been selected as a focal point due to its agricultural diversity, and known experiences of extreme weather events. A phased mixed methodological approach is adopted. Phase one explores recorded and reported experiences of past extreme weather events in local meteorological records and local newspaper articles. Phase two consists of 115 survey-questionnaires, 15 in-depth semi-structured interviews, and a scenario based focus group with selected farmers from the Welsh Marches. This allows farmers’ resilience to climate change in the past, present and future to be explored. Original contributions to knowledge are made through demonstrating the value of focusing upon the culture of a specific farm community, applying a ‘bottom-up’ approach. The priority given to the weather in farmers’ decision-making is identified to be determined by individual relationships that farmers’ develop with the weather. Yet, a consensus of farmers’ observations has established recognition of considerable changes in the weather over the last 30 years, acknowledging more extremes and seasonal variations. In contrast, perceptions of future climate change are largely varied. Farmers are found to be disengaged with the communication of climate change science, as the global impacts portrayed are distant in time and place from probable impacts that may be experienced locally. Current communication of climate change information has been identified to alienate farmers from the local reality of probable future impacts. Adaptation options and responses to extreme weather and climate change are identified from measures found to be already implemented and considered for the future. A greater need to explore local knowledge and risk perception in relation to farmers’ understanding of future climate challenges is clear. There is a need to conduct comparable research in different farm communities across the UK. Progression into establishing the role of farmers’ resilience in responding effectively to future climate challenges has only just begun.

Air pollution is an emotive and complex issue, affecting materials, vegetation growth and human health. Given that over half the world's population live within urban areas and that those areas are often highly polluted, the ability to understand the patterns and magnitude of pollution at the small area (urban environment) level is increasingly important. Recent research has highlighted, in particular, the apparent relationship between traffic-related pollution and respiratory health, while the increasing prevalence of asthma, especially amongst children, has been widely attributed to exposure to traffic-related air pollution. The UK government has reacted to this growing concern by publishing the UK National Air Quality Strategy (DOE 1996) which forces all Local Authorities in England and Wales to review air quality in their area and designate any areas not expected to meet the 2005 air quality standards as Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs), though what constitutes AQMAs and how to define them remains vague. Against this background, there is a growing need to understand the patterns and magnitude of urban air pollution and for improvements in pollution mapping methods. This thesis aims to contribute to this knowledge. The background to air pollution and related research has been examined within the first section of this report. A review of sampling methods was conducted, a sampling strategy devised and a number of surveys conducted to investigate both the spatial nature of air pollution and, more specifically, the dispersion of pollution with varying characteristics (distance to road, vehicle volume, height above ground level etc). The resultant data was analysed and a number of patterns identified. The ability of linear dispersion models to accurately predict air pollution was also considered. A variety of models were examined, ranging from the simplistic (e.g. DMRB) to the more complex (e.g. CALINE4) model. The model best able to predict pollution at specific sites was then used to predict concentrations over the entire urban area which were then compared to actual monitored data. The resultant analysis, indicated that the dispersion model is not a good method for predicting pollution concentrations at the small area level, and therefore an alternative method of mapping was investigated. Using the ARC/INFO geographical information system (GIS) a regression analysis approach was applied to the study area. A number of variables including altitude, landuse type, traffic volume and composition etc, were examined and their ability to predict air pollution tested using data on nitrogen dioxide from intensive field surveys. The study area was then transformed into a grid of 10m2, regression analysis was performed on each individual square and the results mapped. The monitored data was then intersected with the resultant map and monitored and modeled concentrations compared. Results of the analysis indicated that the regression analysis could explain up to 61 per cent of the variation in nitrogen dioxide concentrations and thus performed significantly better than the dispersion model method. The ease of application and transferability of the regression method means it has a wide range of applied and academic uses that are discussed in the final section.

This thesis explores speleogenesis within the Dartry Limestone Formation of Cuilcagh Mountain by considering the hydrogeology of the aquifer in the modern setting but also by considering its evolution since it was deposited during Asbian (Dinantian) times. Due to the synclinal structure of the region, which gently plunges northwestwards, the aquifer remains buried beneath the upland and is not exposed to the south. However, the formation outcrops along its northern and eastern upland margins where resurgences drain the aquifer via an extensive network of cave systems, which include Marble Arch Cave. In the west, the aquifer lies near surface but a significant artesian resurgence, Shannon Pot Rising, emerges from the aquifer via c. 20m of overlying sandstones and shales. Water tracing experiments undertaken during this research project have added significant clarity to the hydrological regime that operates within this karst aquifer. These tests have shown that whilst extensive conduit systems are present at the eastern and northern margins of the uplands, Shannon Pot Rising in the west is the outlet for a regional conduit system that operates beneath Cuilcagh Mountain where the aquifer remains buried and in places confined. Water tracing has also identified that the boundary between the regional and marginal systems correlates to an igneous intrusion, the Cuilcagh Dyke. Hydrochemical data from Shannon Pot Rising indicates that the regional system has both shallow and deep flow components. This and hydrogeological evidence indicates that Shannon Pot developed as an overflow and that it's conduits formed at depth and unrelated to surface processes. Study of the cave systems at the eastern and northern margins have identified a number of lithological discontinuities within the sequence that have guided conduit inception within the aquifer. These early systems were later modified when the aquifer became unconfined and surface karst landforms developed.