Examples of topics and questions

The following give some indication of the possible range of titles, research questions and approaches that can be considered, and are based on resources created by Christmas, P (2018).

Example

Title: The environmental and social impacts of a new leisure facility on a suburban area

Research question: To what extent are the costs and benefits of a new golf and housing development likely to be more concentrated in the locality of the complex.

• Approach:
  Spatial mapping of sphere of influence of clients

• Spatial mapping of sphere of influence of employment

• Spatial pattern of Traffic surveys moving away from the complex

• Spatial pattern of perception of costs and benefits

• Spatial pattern of environmental survey

Climate and Energy

• Survey of impact of thermal power station (oil and coal fired) on local microclimate, water air pollution levels, transport movements and employment

• Survey of social, environmental and economic impact of nuclear power station on designated area

• Survey of impact of energy efficiency measures on a named community, to include recycling, use of solar panels

• Survey of impact of coal mining on a former mining area, exploring image, culture, health issues and environment, socio-economic impact and measures to rebrand

• Survey of environmental impacts of alternative energy schemes, eg wind farms, solar energy farms

Population Change

• (Field) survey of the impact of migration on a particular community: provision of shops, services, schools, places of worship, distribution of groups, housing types, employment, official services (language), index of segregation

• (Field) survey of the distribution of ethnic food outlets and restaurants in a designated area

• (Field) survey of variations in ethnicity within urban areas

• Field survey of variations in levels of deprivation in an urban with a high proportion of immigrants: environmental quality, unemployment rates, crime levels, housing tenure, council tax bands, benefit uptake

Miscellaneous

• A spatial study of the impacts of globalisation within an urban environment

• An evaluation of the impacts of fair trade status on a settlement or province

• A field survey of congestion and impact on air quality in an urban environment

• A field survey of wellbeing along a transect in an urban environment

• A field survey of the characteristics of deprivation in contrasting places

• A field survey on the impacts of a new shopping complex, TNC or infrastructure

School Campus Opportunities

• A field survey of the impact of the school campus on local ecology

• A field survey of the spatial occurrence of micro climates on campus

• A field survey of the impacts of climate change on the learning environment

• A spatial study of social/ethnic segregation in school.

• A field study of the sphere of influence of school on the local area/region.

• A field survey into the impacts of school campus on local transport and congestion

• A field survey on the environmental impacts of school campus on the local area

• A field survey of the socio-economic impacts of the school on housing and or local business investment

• A spatial study of the impacts of students in the local area

• A spatial study of the social and environmental impacts of too many bicycles in your local town.