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Organized by Bangladesh Regional Science Association (BRSA) and Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

INTRODUCTION: The First Annual Conference on Regional Science (ACRS1) was held on the 16 th and 17 th March, 2007 in three venues at the premise of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Dhaka. The conference was jointly organized by the Bangladesh Regional Science Association (BRSA) and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). A total of 111 participants attended the conference including 12 from USA, Japan, New Zealand and Malaysia. Prof. Geoffrey J. D. Hewings, past President of Regional Science Association International (RSAI), Prof. Yoshiro Higano, Executive Secretary Pacific Regional Science Conference Organization (PRSCO), Prof. Jacques Poot, Immediate Past President of PRSCO attended the conference to show their solidarity with BRSA and to guide and assess the intellectual competence and potentials in this new chapter of regional science.

INAUGURAL SESSION: The inaugural session was held at the Council Building of BUET at 9.00AM on the 16 th March, 2007. Dr. C.S. Karim, Honorable Advisor, Ministries of Agriculture; Environment & Forests; and Fisheries & Livestock of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh attended the conference as Chief Guest and declared the conference open. T he Vice Chancellor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Prof. Dr. A.M.M. Safiullah was also present as the special guest. The guests were highly optimistic of the conference (and association as well) for its multidisciplinary approach of functioning and bringing together people of diverse interests. Prof. Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, Convener of the Conference Organizing Committee and a faculty of the Department of Sociology of University of Dhaka, delivered the welcome speech and Prof. Roxana Hafiz, Head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, BUET assured of all out cooperation from the department and university for successful holding of the conference and for running the activities of BRSA in the days to come. Prof. Hewings and Prof. Higano forwarded message of the international community about their interest in and optimism about the Bangladesh chapter of the association. Lastly, Prof. Sarwar Jahan, President BRSA and Dean, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, BUET, thanked all the participants and international delegates for all the trouble faced and time spent in attending the conference.

TECHNICAL SESSIONS: A total number of 67 papers were presented in 17 technical sessions on Urban Studies, Housing Studies, Rural Studies, Economic Studies, Environment Studies, Transport Studies, Social Studies, Regional Planning, Disaster Studies and Agriculture Studies. A final session, for young researchers, attracted 60 young participants to interact with Prof. Hewings and Prof Poot on the prospect of graduate education in regional science and possibilities of cooperation from the global bodies in this regard. It was a lively session that could have continued but the onset of the closing session required attendance at that event, drawing to a close a very successful conference. The officers of the BRSA are as follows:

BRSA Ad Hoc Executive Committee
President : Prof. Sarwar Jahan, BUET
Vice-President I: Prof. M.I. Juberi, Rajshahi University
Vice-President II: Prof. Hafiza Khatun, University of Dhaka
Executive Secretary: Prof. K.M. Maniruzzaman, BUET
Joint Secretary I: Prof. Fakhrul Islam, Rajshahi University
Joint Secretary II: Md. Musleh Uddin Hasan, BUET
Joint Secretary III: Dr. Tofael Ahmed, Bangladesh Agricultural University
Treasurer: Dr. Akhteruzzaman, Bangladesh Bank

The annual conference of the Israeli section of the RSA was held on 21st June, 2005, hosted by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management at the University of Haifa. Twenty five papers were presented in parallel sessions with over 50 people attending. The umbrella theme of the meeting was 'Urban and Regional Development: Applications and Tools' and individual sessions covered Transportation and Spatial Activity, Spatial Development Policy, Urban Growth Processes, Economic Development, Regional Inequality and Spatial Morphological Models.The opening session was dedicated to the memory of Gabi Lipshitz who passed away three months earlier. At this session, Dani Shefer recalled his contribution to regional science in general and the Israeli section in particular. All presentations from the meeting are available on the Israeli section website: www.israelrsa.org.il

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is an independent research charity supporting research and development projects in the UK. They have just published a report about the role of information and communication technology in service delivery. One of the authors of this report, Professor Ronald McQuaid, suggested this report may be of interest to RSAI members. The report, entitled 'Wired for work?' is based on a study of unemployed job seekers in rural Scotland and considers the barriers and benefits associated with the delivery of job seekers in peri-urban and remote areas. It contains important insights for agencies dealing with job seekers and policy makers concerned with bridging the 'digital divide'. A free PDF version of this report is available at the following website.

The 2000 meetings were held at the University of Toronto during the period June 2-4. The meetings were expertly managed by CRSA Secretary-Treasurer Claude Francoise Marchand and her team from the University's Department of Geography.

The program was a strong one. There were 44 papers in 12 paper sessions. There were two special sessions too. First, there was a plenary debate on municipal amalgamation which was introduced by University of Toronto Dean Carl Amrhein and organized by Larry Bourne.

Second, there was a book launch for "The Social Sustainability of Cities: Diversity and the Management of Change" which was edited by Mario Polese and Richard Stren and published by the University of Toronto Press.

As might be expected there was a strong Ontario and Quebec presence on the program. But an international flavor was added by French colleagues Celine Boiteus, Jean-Marie Huriot, Nathalie Gaussier, Pierre-Yves Peguy, and Sandrine Berrios, and Lay Gibson, Arizona. As is typical of CRSA meetings, academics, consultants, policy makers, and government researchers were all well represented.

This year's Annual Meeting of the WRSA was a stellar success - productive, relaxing, and fun. The program was the longest ever, with four full days of sessions. Final registration for the conference was 260.

The program featured sessions organized by Lee Huskey and Mike Pretes of the Northern Development/Remote Regions group, as well as numerous other specially organized sessions and invited papers.

Lay Gibson presented the 14th Annual Tiebout Prize to Arno Van der Vlist. The 5th Annual Springer-Verlag prize was presented by Roger Stough, co-editor of the Annals of Regional Science, to Audrey Clarke, who presented a paper titled "The Role of the Innovative Milieu in the Locational Concentration of Computer Services: A Pilot Study of the Portland Metropolitan Area." As winner of the Springer-Verlag Prize, Dr. Clarke receives $500 worth of her choice of books from Springer's extensive regional science list.

The setting in Poipu, Kauai could not have been more beautiful, with perfect weather, gorgeous beaches, and stimulating entertainment. WRSA president, John Quigley, gave a memorable address, as did guest speaker Karl Kim. The social highlight of the meeting was an outdoor dinner banquet, which featured live Hawaiian music and abundant food and drink.

The Pacific Regional Science Conference Organization's Institute was held in conjunction with the Mexican Association's domestic meeting during the period June 12-16, 2000 in Mexico City, Mexico. The meetings were lively and well attended. There were five PRSCO paper sessions and 32 paper sessions associated with the Mexican association specifically. In all, there were 180 papers including 14 by non-Mexican scholars. There were also several excellent plenary type sessions including the PRSCO Institute's opening session and PRSCO sessions on globalization and on the future roles of Latin America in the Pacific Rim. During the Mexican association's program there were three more plenary sessions including one on trade liberalization organized by Buddy Weinstein, University of North Texas, another on urban development, and a joint PRSCO-AMECIDER closing session.

The PRSCO Council Meeting was held on June 13th. Council members attending included J. Poot (Australia and New Zealand Section), H. Kohno, RSAI President (representing council member Fukuchi), Professors Miyata and Shibusawa and Y. Higano, PRSCO Executive Secretary (Japan Section), S. Park, PRSCO President (Korean Regional Science Association), A. Corona and J. Serrano (AMECIDAR), and L. Gibson (Western Regional Science Association). The 2001 PRSCO Congress will be held in Portland, Oregon. WRSA Executive Secretary Dave Plane is managing this congress on behalf of WRSA, the host organization.

AMECIDAR, PRSCO's newest member organization did a terrific job of managing a large and excellent joint meeting. Credit goes to the AMECIDAR leadership and to the leadership of UNAM, the National University which served as the host institution. AMECIDAR's leadership includes Jose Luis Cecena, Honorary President, Salvador Rodriquez, President, and Vice Presidents Alfonso Corona and Jorge Serrano. Rodriguez with the help of Julio Rodriguez and Maria Sara Gonzalez managed the association's domestic affairs whereas Serrano coordinates international relations. The UNAM effort was accomplished through the leadership of Dean Olga Hansberg, Alicia Girón, Directora del Instituto de Investigaciones Economicas, Hector Hernandez, Director of the Multidisciplinary Studies Center, and local organizing committee chair Jorge Serrano.

Mexican colleagues have built a strong domestic section which is now emerging as a strong international player in the Pacific Region and in North America too. As noted above, the program was large and it was strong. The concurrent paper sessions were complimented by stimulating plenary sessions and by a special session convened to award Dr. Jorge Serrano the International Prize of Environmental Creation. Following the award ceremony which was conducted by Hokkardo university's Etsuo Yamamura, the 150 attendees were treated to a special program of Mexican folk music.

Additional information about Mexican Regional Science can be obtained from Jorge Serrano ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ). Executive Secretary Yoshiro Higano ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) can provide information on PRSCO and its activities.

This meeting was the third in a series of joint regional science workshops that the Israeli and British and Irish sections have been conducting over the years. Held on the Mount Scopus campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the meeting included over twenty papers presented in two intensive days of sessions and a third day dedicated to touring of the Dead Sea area. Topics addressed included public investment and regional economic development in areas such as industrial innovation, infrastructure and environment, human capital and employment creation. The workshop dinner featured a special presentation made by Dani Shefer and John Parr to Stan Czamanski in recognition of his contribution to the field of regional science.

Moss Madden's presence at the workshop was sorely missed. As one of the initiators of this series of meetings, he had intended to present a paper and had been very instrumental in putting together the British & Irish delegation. A volume of selected papers presented is to be published as a fitting tribute to his memory.

The 23rd Annual Conference of the Australia and New Zealand Section of the Regional Science Association International was held in New Castle during the period 19-22 September, 1999. Newcastle is a coastal city some two hours by car north of Sydney. It is only a short drive from Newcastle to the Hunter Valley wine country but of at least equal interest to regional scientists and regional development practitioners is the fact that Newcastle is undergoing change. It is a major coal producer and an enormous port for coal and other goods too. And until mid-September Newcastle had a huge steel mill owned by BHP. The closure of the steel mill presents the region with a major challenge. Given the conference theme, "Regenerating Regional Communities," Newcastle was clearly an inspired choice as a venue.

The ANZRSAI is a bit unusual in the world of regional science because it attracts both academics and large numbers of regional development practitioners to its ranks. This Section produces two journals (one academic and one aimed at practice) and it encourages active participation by both cohorts in its annual conferences.

The 1999 conference was a good one. There were 30 concurrent sessions featuring 63 papers and nine panel and workshop sessions. There were two plenary keynote sessions, both offered by Professor Rory O'Donnell, University College, Dublin and a plenary closing session. A total of 165 people registered for the conference. Only one-quarter of those registered were from universities; 75% were from state and local development agencies, consulting firms and similar practitioner organizations.

RSAI was well represented. Among those attending the conference were John Roy, Kevin O'Connor, Bob Stimson and past presidents Kingsley Haynes and Lay Gibson.

'Regional Competitiveness and Cohesion in 21st Century Europe'. The 39th European Congress took place at University College Dublin, Belfield, Ireland from August 23rd to 27th 1999. On Monday August 23rd, after the usual day-long, high-powered meetings of ERSA and the world council of RSAI, the delegates were welcomed by the Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Senator Joe Costello, to a Civic Reception held at the UCD Campus. Delegates quickly became quite adept at Irish style social functions and had to be reminded that the Congress hadn't officially started yet!

The real work of the Congress began in earnest the next morning. The Minister for Science, Technology and Commerce, Mr Noel Treacy T.D., along with the UCD President, Dr Art Cosgrove, ERSA President Juan Cuadrado-Roura, RSAI President Hirotada Kohno and RSAIBIS Chairperson John Dewhurst welcomed delegates to the Congress and wished them well in their deliberations. Over the four days of the Congress, 556 delegates were treated to 350 papers presented in 111 sessions. The British and Irish Section of RSAI are very appreciative of the hard work done by the 18 special theme convenors. The sessions were very well attended; discussion and debate was lively and the scientific programme was generally accepted to have been successful, stimulating, topical and quite broad in its coverage.

On Wednesday 25th August, the Irish Branch of the Regional Studies Association jointly convened a plenary session examining the Congress theme from an Irish perspective, with three distinguished guest speakers. The Regional Studies Association had also convened a special Congress session theme as part of their day-long conference. After the day's work, delegates were treated to a State Reception at historic and beautiful Dublin Castle, hosted by the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Mr Martin Cullen T.D., who congratulated the work of the members of the Regional Science Association for their broad-ranging research agenda on economic and social issues.

On Thursday 26th August, Professor Alan Wilson presented an excellent lecture on urban modelling in the morning plenary session. A staggering 147 papers were presented on this day alone. The Congress Gala Dinner followed that evening with much fun and frolics late into the night. The delegates were introduced to the incoming ERSA President, Professor Borje Johansson.

The Friday morning plenary roundtable discussion examined the 'business of regional science' and the Congress finished up at lunch time following 17 parallel sessions. The Congress was a great success and the British and Irish Section wish to thank their sponsors, session convenors and all of the delegates who contributed to the event. The Congress CD-ROM, which contains about 60% of the papers presented, is available for a nominal charge from the organisers. Conference report and some photos for 39th European Congress meetings.

Mexican regional scientists gathered in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico during the period 12-14 May 1999 for their annual conference. Even though the venue was far from the core region of Mexico City, the program was solid, attendance was strong, and the hospitality was warm. The theme of the 5th Encuentro Nacional Sobre Desarrollo Regional en Mexico was "Fronteras y Dinámicas Del Desarrollo Regional". Local hosts included the Universidad De Sonora and CIAD, the Centro De Investigacion en Alimentación y Desarrollo. CIADs Director De Desarrollo Regional, Pablo Wong Gonzalez provided strong local leadership. With the help of several Mexico City based organizations including the National Universitys Coordinacion De Humanidades and the Instituto De Investigaciones Economicas which is directed by Alicia Girón Gonzalez, the overall program was managed by the Mexican association AMECIDER, Asociación Mexicana De Ciencias para el Desarrollo Regional. As usual the dynamic leadership of President Salvador Rodriguez y Rodriguez and his team produced an excellent meeting. Unfortunately, well known Mexican regional scientist and AMECIDER Vice President Alfonso Corona could not attend this meeting but several other well known colleagues such as Honorary AMECIDER President José Luis Cenceña and Vice President Jorge R. Serrano and Jorge Bustamante did play a major role in the Hermasillo sessions.

Non-Mexican participants included Hirotado Kohno, RSAI President; Yoshiro Higano, PRSCO Executive Secretary; and Lay Gibson, past President of RSAI and PRSCO and currently President, WRSA. Kohno made a presentation at the Ceremonia de Inauguracion on behalf of RSAI and Gibson was invited to speak as both President of WRSA and as a long-time friend of Mexican regional science.

A highlight of the meeting was the special recognition given to well known Mexican geographer and regional scientist Angel Bassols to honor his long and distinguished career.

Although this was the 5th meeting of AMECIDER, regional science has been around since the late 1970's. As noted by Gibson in his address, Mexican regional science was born some 20 years ago. The emphasis was on Mexico-U.S. economic relations and on the initial development of scholarly networks. Mexican regional science has now grown and matured. Mexico has a dynamic organization which is active on three fronts:

1. It brings together Mexican scholars with a common interest in regional problems and regional analysis.
2. It brings together these same scholars and the consultants, planners, and development practitioners who inform policy and do "real-world" problem solving.
3. It provides a bridge between Mexican regional scientists and the world regional science community. Mexico is now a full member of PRSCO, the Pacific Regional Science Conference Organization. As such, it provides a direct link between the Mexican community of regional scientists and the regional science communities in Australia and New Zealand, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Canada, and the United States. Mexico has already hosted one PRSCO Institute and will host another next year.

The Hermasillo meeting featured 215 presentations. There were over 200 participants, not including an estimated 100 student participants. Participants came from the Federal District (Mexico City) and from 27 of 31 states. The meeting was truly a national affair.

Over one hundred regional scientists from all over the world as well as Pacific Rim countries gathered in Seoul for the 16th Pacific Regional Science Conference, July 12-16, hosted by Korea Section of the Regional Science Association. The organization of the Conference was managed by Sam Ock Park (Seoul National University), Chairperson of the organizing committee, Sungjae Choo (Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements), Secretary-General, and many other committee members.

The Conference began on Monday, July 12 with RSAI and PRSCO council meetings, registration, and a welcoming dinner. Tuesday morning, July 13 was wholly reserved for opening and plenary sessions. After an opening address by Sam Ock Park on future directions of regional science in the Pacific Rim, Jacques Poot (Victoria University of Wellington), President of PRSCO, and Hirotada Kohno (Tokiwa University), President of RSAI, delivered speeches on government influence and restructuring of regions, respectively.

From Tuesday afternoon, July 13 to Friday morning, July 16, 37 paper sessions continued on diverse fields of regional science, encompassing modelling, location theory, international trade and FDI, settlement systems, information, regional development policy, ESSD, industrial location and Asian crisis. Among these, 6 sessions were specifically prepared for a special topic, "Future of Northeast Asian Cities and the Strategic Role of Korean Cities." These sessions were composed of an opening speech by the Mayor of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, a keynote speech by Gilbert Rozman (Princeton University), and 17 papers by preeminent scholars including Peter Rimmer, Allen Scott, David Batten, Riccardo Cappellin, Terry McGee, and others.

There were three courses of excursion on Thursday afternoon, including old palaces in Seoul, a new town near Seoul, and an industrial site. At the closing ceremony on Friday, July 16, along with an all Korean-style meal, Arthur Getis and Jorge Serrano, hosts of the 17th PRSCO, 2001 and the 6th Summer Institute, 2000, respectively, spoke on the conferences to come.

Some statistics are as follows: 99 papers were presented in 37 sessions. There were 141 registrants including spouses from 17 countries. Especially conspicuous are Korea (59), including partially registered, Japan (37), U.S.A. (20), Australia(6), and Austria(3). The final program, participants and their e-mail lists, and abstracts of papers presented are available from the home page.

The 38th Annual Meeting of the Western Regional Science Association was held February 21-24 in lovely Ojai, California, at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa. The 185 participants, who came from 17 countries, enjoyed 4 action-packed days of good scholarship, social activities, and Southern California sunshine. The Final Program featured 32 invited paper sessions, three special panel sessions, and a workshop. Incoming WRSA President Arthur L. Getis presented his Presidential Address "WRSA: A Spatial Association" at the Annual Banquet Luncheon, which also featured the presentations of the 13th Charles M. Tiebout Prize and the 4th Springer-Verlag Prize (see articles elsewhere in this issue of the RSAI News.)

WRSA's 1998-99 Vice President, John Quigley of the University of California, Berkeley, becomes the Association's President-Elect for 1999-2000. Outgoing President Lay James Gibson of the University of Arizona will serve as Immediate Past President. The WRSA Board selected Brenda Moscove, California State University at Bakersfield as incoming Vice President, and voted to add Robert Stimson of the University of Queensland, Australia, and David Holland, Washington State University, as new Board members.

Charlie Leven, Washington University of St. Louis, was elected as the Association's 5th Fellow, joining Martin Beckmann, Michael Mischaikow, Robert Monahan, and Lay Gibson in being accorded such recognition for long-time dedication to WRSA and regional science.

Mexican regional scientists met in Oaxaca, Mexico during the period 3-5 June, 1998. The 4th national conference of AMECIDER, the Asociacion Mexicana De Ciencias Para El Desarrollo Regional was hosted by the Instituto de Technologico de Oxaca. The conference had some 280 participants. There were 180 papers in plenary sessions and in 36 regular paper sessions. Abstracts are available on disc.

"Europe Quo Vadis? Regional Questions At the Turn of the Century" was the theme of the Regional Science Association's 1998 European Congress held in Vienna, Austria during the period August 28-September 1. The Congress opened on Friday, August 28 with RSAI, European Organizing Committee (EOC), and Pacific Regional Science Conference Organization (PRSCO) governance meetings, registration, and a welcoming reception. It ended just before midnight on Tuesday, September 1 with the Congress dinner sponsored by the Mayor of Vienna in the Vienna City Hall. The days in between were filled with an exceptional scientific program, stimulating special sessions, and outstanding opportunities for networking.

A special feature of the formal Congress dinner was the award of the Epainos Prize. This prize is designed to stimulate young scholars and their work, encourage young scholars to publish in internationally referred journals, and to introduce them to the community and networks of regional scientists. The 1998 reading committee (Manfred Fischer, Angelo Rossi, and Raymond Florax, Chair) considered three nominees. Former RSAI President Lay Gibson made the presentations. The two finalists were Nazmiye Balta, currently a research assistant at the Bogazici University (Turkey) and Henk van Houtum, a post-doctorate at Nijmegen University (The Netherlands). The winner of the 1998 prize was Aki Kangasharju who is currently working as a researcher at the Pellervo Economic Research Institute (Finland). Although only 29 years of age, Dr. Kangasharju will publish six papers in internationally refereed journals this year! His Epainos paper is "Regional Variation in Firm Formation: Panel and Cross-Sectional Data Evidence from Finland". All three nominees are to be congratulated!

The Vienna meeting was huge! There were 431 papers in 109 sessions. Over five hundred scientists registered for the congress. Working under the direction of Chairman Manfred M. Fischer and Secretary Gunther Maier the Local Organizing Committee produced a program that was representative of the breadth and depth of contemporary regional science.

The five hundred plus registrants came from six continents and 37 countries. Especially conspicuous are Austria (88 registrants), Spain (59), USA (40), United Kingdom (40), Germany (35), Italy (34) and the Netherlands (33). These attendees participated in the 109 concurrent sessions and in a variety of special activities such as five keynote plenary sessions (including the Presidential Address), roundtables, and a panel discussion with six editors of regional science-type journals.

All registrants were provided with a comprehensive and well indexed program, a 225 page book of participants and abstracts, and a congress CD-ROM with 260 papers. The CD-ROM can be purchased for a nominal fee; contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for details.

Are ERSA congresses getting bigger and better? Apparently so! (They are always very good but they are certainly getting bigger!) The 1996 Zurich Congress had 230 presentations. The Rome Congress had 341 presentations. Vienna had 431 presentations. Given this we all look forward to the 1999 European Congress in Dublin which is sure to be an outstanding affair.

The 34th Colloque de l'ASRDLF (Association de Science Regionale de Langue Francaise) was held in Puebla, Mexico during the Period 3-5 September, 1998. The theme was "Regions, Villes et Development." The meeting was organized by Salvador Perez of the local host institution - Universidad Autonoma de Puebla and by Mario Polese, INRS - Urbanisation Montreal, Canada. Some 90 papers were offered in 24 sessions.

The French Speaking Regional Science community was represented by a strong cadre of scholars including Pierre - Henry Derycke, Alain Sallez, ASRDLF President Claude LaCour, Sylvette Puiissant, Peter Treuner, Denis Maillat, Jean Paelinck, Jean-Marie Huriot, Antoine Bailly, and of course, Mario Polese.

The meetings were organized in association with four partners - The Mexican Regional Science Community (AMECIDER), the Canadian RSA, the Western RSA, and the Groupe Interuniversitaire de Montreal Villes et Development. A special feature of this conference were two sessions organized by WRSA President Lay Gibson. They featured papers by Denis Maillot, Peter Batey and Moss Madden, Mustafa Dinc and Kingsley Haynes, Jorge Serrano, Art Silvers, Roger Stough, and Bud Weinstein.

The fact that the French Speaking association held its 1998 meeting in Mexico is not as unusual as one might expect. For years the ASRDLF has held its annual meeting outside of France every other year. Over the years they have selected venues in Europe, Africa, and North America. In 1999 the meeting will return to France.

In 1997 the Regional Science Association International's ANZ Section combined its "domestic meeting" with the Pacific Regional Science Conference in Wellington. In 1998 it was business as usual. The annual meeting was held in the Barossa Valley wine country of South Australia during the period 20-23 September 1998. The primary organizer was Alaric Maude, Flinders University. The meeting was co-hosted by the South Australian Regional Development Association and the Barossa Regional Economic Development Authority. The Business Center, South Australian Department of Industry and Trade was a "major sponsor".

Over 50 papers were given in 27 sessions - plenary sessions, paper sessions and workshop and panel session. There were 104 participants including one each from Israel, Spain, Wales, and the U.S.A., two from Japan, and three from New Zealand. The rest were from Australia. A slight majority of the participants came from the practitioner side as opposed to the academic side.

Alaric Maude and his team are to be congratulated for putting together a first-rate program. Paper sessions, panel presentations, and the field trips were all strong.

On October 14, 1998, a full-day Technical Workshop was held at the United Nations University in Tokyo. The Workshop was jointly organized by the Express Highway Research Foundation of Japan, the Foundation for Earth Environment and the Secretariat of PRSCO. The local organization of the Workshop was in the hands of the Executive Secretary of PRSCO, Yoshiro Higano (University of Tsukuba). The Workshop addressed two important issues. During the morning, participants discussed deregulation of the public transport sector. In the afternoon, the focus was on spatial and global aspects of the environment.

Besides a number of local RSAI members, RSAI was also represented by President Peter Batey and by Kingsley Haynes, Peter Nijkamp, Jacques Poot, John Quigley, Daniel Shefer and Roger Stough. After introductory remarks by RSAI President-Elect Hirotada Kohno, Peter Nijkamp (Free University, Amsterdam) presented the opening paper on social costs of transport and road pricing. The second paper of the morning session was presented by Dani Shefer (Technion-Israel Institute of Technology). Shefer provided an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of deregulation and privatization of public transport.

After lunch, three papers were presented on environmental problems. Ricardo Shirota (University of Sao Paulo) talked about the impact of soil erosion from agriculture on the cost of water treatment for urban consumption, with a specific application to the case of the Corumbatai River Basin in Brazil. Fakrul Islam (University of Tsukuba) discussed the conflict between India and Bangladesh regarding the flow and use of the Tista River water. In the third presentation, Peter Nijkamp (Free University Amsterdam) talked about the increasing mobility of persons and goods worldwide and about the implications of this trend for future sustainable development and policies. These presentations were followed by a panel discussion that emphasized the links between urban transportation issues on the one hand and global environmental problems on the other. The panelists were Katsuya Fukuoka (Rissho University), Jacques Poot (Victoria University of Wellington), Peter Batey (University of Liverpool) and John Quigley (University of California at Berkeley). Katsuya Fukuoka (Rissho University) made the closing remarks.

The 5th Summer Institute of PRSCO and The 10th International Symposium by the Secretariat of the PRSCO on Spatial and Environmental Issues was held on 15th October 1998 at Chukyo University. This Institute was originally planned to be held in Indonesia, but was shifted to the Japan Section based on the current economic difficulty in the Indonesian economy. The Institute was held after a relatively short notice, but there were more than 40 participants, and 22 papers were presented. Each paper was discussed by two discussants. Prof. Fukuchi (Asahi Univ.) made an opening address, and pointed out that the Asian economic crisis produced and amplified many issues and problems, and that regional scientists are expected to play an important role in interdisciplinary discussions and in policy formation.

In the Plenary session, Prof. J. Poot (President of PRSCO, New Zealand) spoke about "Reflections on Local and Economy-Wide Effects of Territorial Competition", and gave an extensive survey about that subject.

Other papers discussed a wide range of subjects such as local government system, municipality competition and urban development by Prof. Batey (U.K), and Prof. Friedrich (Germany), Prof. Stough (George Mason Univ., USA), grant policy by Prof. Fujioka (Keiai Univ.), micro-behavior-modeling by Prof. Morrison (New Zealand), Prof. Ishibashi (UNCRD) and Saito (Fukuoka Univ.), environmental protection issues by Prof. Corona (Mexico), Prof. Florax (Netherlands), Input-Output analysis by Prof. Fukuchi (Asahi Univ.), Prof. Guilhoto (Brazil), manufacturing activity by Prof. Haynes (U.S.A), Prof. Kohno (Tokiwa Univ.), Prof. Park (Korea), specific sectors and markets by Prof. Quigley (U.S.A), Delgado (Tsukuba Univ.), Prof. Choo (Korea), sustainable development by Prof. Nijkamp (Netherlands), Prof. Kagaya (Hokkaido Univ.). Asian economic crisis and counter policy by Prof. Kiminami (Ryukoku Univ.), Prof. Poot (New Zealand). All the intensive discussions in sessions proved that Institute was really a good opportunity to exchange views among PRSCO members and other international scholars.

In the welcoming party, Prof. S.O. Park (Seoul National Univ., Korea) explained about the intensive preparation of the next PRSCO Meeting scheduled in July 1999, and invited a wide and positive participation of scholars and spouses to Seoul to an intensive academic discussion and also to experience a wonderful opportunity of better knowing the Korean culture.

The International Symposium was offered to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of "Garden Cities" by Ebenezer Howard. The theme was "Symbiotical Town/Housing Planning - Retrospections, Introspection and Challenge". The symposium was held in Nagoya on October 16. Jointly organized by The Japan Association for Human and Environmental Symbiosis (JAHES), and the Pacific Regional Science Conference Organization (PRSCO), the Symposium was attended by around 200 persons.

Prof. E. Howard proposed the idea of a Garden City 100 years before as a solution to depressed housing condition and amenity level in London for poor people. He proposed to create many small towns with around 35,000 residents, and to locate them in a plural ring structure, and to connect them by a good public transport system, so that the whole Garden City can offer employment opportunities and also fresh air to every resident. The symbiosis of economic development and environmental protection has become widely recognized, especially after the Rio de Janeiro and Kyoto Conferences for all the people and governments concerned, so it was a timely idea to reconsider and reevaluate the Garden City with the current economic and social background.

The one-day session was led by Prof. Y. Kumata (Tokyo Inst. of Tech.). In the morning, Prof. T. Ito (President of JAHES) made the opening address, and Prof. P. Hall (UK) presented the Garden City plan, and Mr. H. Asano (Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition) explained about the careful preparation of the Expo, and Prof. S. Harashina (Tokyo Institute of Technology) emphasized the important role of strategic environmental assessment. In the afternoon, Prof. P. Nijkamp (Netherlands) chaired the panel with four panelists, Mr. J. Zetter (U.K), Mr. H. Suselo (UNCRD), Prof. S. Wakayama (Nagoya Inst. of Tech.), Prof. D. Shefer (Israel). After the panel and open discussion, Prof. T. Fukuchi (Asahi University) made a quick summary and closing address.

The challenging spirit of "Garden Cities" is still viable. But it was widely felt that some new elements must be taken into consideration in its practical application to other countries: cultural and idiosyncratic factors, rapid growth of giant cities, biased income distribution, depressed economic condition in the developing world, traffic congestion among others. The related discussion continued about the environmentally sustainable city (ESC), focusing on different influencing factors, and coordinating and adequate incentive schemes. There were divergent opinions as to the optimum or controllable city size from a mere 300,000 residents to any big number without physical limit. Finally, the self-governance and positive participation of residents were recognized as being most important to realize ESC.

There was a wonderful piano recital by Nanako Pohl-Tanaka at the luncheon break, which made the whole day session an excellent combination of intensive academic achievement and high cultural amenity.

The 35th Annual Meeting of the Japan Section of the RSAI (JSRSAI), held in Nagoya on October 17 and 18, was attended by approximately 220 members/guests and facilitated forty-eight paper presentations in sixteen sessions, mostly in the Japanese language but two in English. The meeting was under the general direction of the Japan Section's new Executive Secretary, Yoshiro Higano. An increasing number of younger generation participants is a phenomenon of JSRSAI. The topics covered in the meeting were benefit-cost analysis, transportation systems and commerce, decentralization and local government finance (which is currently one of the hot issues in Japan), multiregional analyses, information-space dimension of regional economy, environment protection, and international economics. A CO2 emission-absorption balance database for the Hokkaido region presented in the Environment II session attracted special attention as the first trial of this kind in the world for a locality. The conventional Symposium, characterized by the usual multi-disciplinary approach, tackled issues of the assessment of social capital development projects, with special attention to the planned Chubu International Airport development. Conceptual, technical, and institutional aspects of the feasibility study were intensively discussed by the panel comprised of a practitioner in charge of the airport construction, civil engineers, and economists. The General Business Meeting was honored by the greeting by Prof. P.W.J. Batey, the President of the RSAI. An award ceremony was held within the Meeting to honor Prof. T. Fukuchi, Past President of the JSRSA with a Special Contribution Award for his distinguished contribution to the Section. Also honored were Mr. Y. Kunimitsu and Mr. T. Wako each with a Premium Award.

The Department of Geography and Regional Development of the University of Arizona and the Western Regional Science Association (WRSA) co-hosted the largest ever North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, November 11 - 14. More than 400 regional science scholars from five continents participated in the three days of the 45th annual conference. Sessions were held in two hotels, the historic La Fonda and the lovely Hotel Loretto.

The program included a total of 84 paper sessions featuring 316 papers, along with a large number of panels and council and business meetings. Members of the NARSC Organizing committee organized forty-four sessions, including eleven sessions in memory of Ben Stevens, organized by Michael Lahr (Rutgers University) and David Boyce (University of Illinois-Chicago), and a session in memory of Barclay Jones, organized by S. Chang (University of Washington). The organized sessions covered a wide range of topics such as spatial analysis (Pasquale Pellegrini and Steven Reader, Arthur Getis), spatial econometrics (Luc Anselin and Raymond Florax), location modeling (Alan Murray), urban economics (Hesham Abdel-Rahman), post-cold war defense cuts and regional development (Ann Markusen), the rural economy (Peter Schaeffer and James Scott), learning, information, geography and simulation (Maureen Kilkenny), intersectoral connections (Maryann Feldman and Al Nucci), migration (Pasquale Pellegrini), transportation (John Fuller), and producer services (Barney Warf and Sharon Cobb).

Special events at the conference included WRSA Board member Geoffrey J. D. Hewings's Presidential Address; the Annual NARSC Awards Banquet Luncheon with a speech by Edward Glaeser, Harvard University, on the Future of Cities; a reception in honor of Geoffrey J. D. Hewings (sponsored by Ashgate Publishing) on Thursday night; and a high-spirited conference supper party in memory of Ben Stevens on Friday evening.

Conference participants took full advantage of the pleasures in the Land of Enchantment, enjoying the unique Santa Fe ambiance, its culinary and scenic charms. After snow and cold weather in the early and mid-part of the week, the skies cleared and the temperatures warmed up into the 60s on Friday and Saturday, providing a taste of the full spectrum of late Fall in northern New Mexico.

Program co-chairs Adrian X. Esparza and Brigitte Suzanna Waldorf from the University of Arizona handled the organization of the academic side of the Meetings. The conference logistics were handled by Arrangements Chair David A. Plane, University of Arizona, assisted by Linda Koski and a group of enthusiastic graduate students from Arizona's Department of Geography and Regional Development.

French-speaking regional scientists gathered in Les Diablerets, Switzerland on January 8-10, 1998, for their 5th regional science think tank. The theme this year was cities and growth. The focus was on methods and theories of regional science and their value for understanding urban issues and for solving urban problems. The 25 participants came mostly from France and Switzerland; the Netherlands, England and the USA supplied one participant each. Among those representing RSAI were Antoine Bailly, Jean Paelink, Denise Pumain, Pierre-Henri Derycke, and Lay Gibson. Antoine Bailly and Jean-Marie Heriot convened the seminar. The three days were organized around a dozen papers that followed five themes: 1) The history of urban growth, 2) Externalization, agglomeration and growth, 3) Analysis of urban dynamics, 4) Cities & local and global perspectives; 5) New forms of urban growth?

A round-table panel explored the role of large infrastructure projects on urban form and quality of life. The concluding session was chaired by Denise Pumain and featured summaries by Pierre-Henri Derycke and Alain Rallet. Les Diablerets is becoming a regional science center!

A meeting on "Analytical Economic Geography and Regional Change" was hosted by the Department of Geography at the University of Connecticut, March 23-24. Sponsored by United States National Science Foundation’s Geography and Regional Science Program (SBR 9724955), the meeting was organized by Gordon L. Mulligan of the University of Arizonas Department of Geography and Regional Development and Dean M. Hanink of the host department. More than 20 papers were presented during the two-day meeting. Paper abstracts, author e-mail addresses, and full texts of several of the papers are posted here.

The 37th Annual Meeting of the Western Regional Science Association was held at the Hyatt-Regency Hotel, Monterey, California, February 18-22, 1998. Because of El Niño there was less golf than expected (though the Annual Turnbull Cup Tournament went off as planned) but everything else exceeded expectations. The meeting was, as always, exceptional. There were 248 registrants (including 31 students) and 193 presentations. And the Monterey Peninsula with Pebble Beach and Carmel once again provided WRSA with a world-class venue.

WRSA meetings have become conspicuous as international gatherings. The 1998 meeting was no exception. Asia was represented by Taiwan, Korea, and especially Japan. Australia sent a high-powered team. The NAFTA connection was strong with Canada and Mexico joining the large U.S. delegation. And finally Europe! There were 13 European countries represented; Sweden, England, the Netherlands, and the Francophone realm (France, Switzerland, and Belgium) were especially conspicuous but Portugal, Austria, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Finland, and Norway were very much in evidence too!

The program was of high quality and featured a variety of special events including three receptions. The meeting opened with a plenary session titled "Regional Science Is Alive and Well In California" by David Lyon, President, Public Policy Institute of California; PPIC also hosted a reception the next day.

The Annual Luncheon featured Lay Gibson's excellent Presidential Address "Institutionalizing Regional Science", with Tony Pascal, Rand Corp. as Gibson's discussant. The luncheon also saw the presentation of the 12th Annual Charles M. Tiebout Prize to Alexander Vias of the University of Arizona and the Third Annual Springer-Verlag Prize which was award to Robin Lindsey of the University of Alberta.

The 37th meeting also accommodated a variety of specific activities including an RSAI Council Meeting, Annals of Regional Science Editorial Board Meeting, Remote Regions/Northern Development sessions, and of course the ASRDLF/WRSA sessions offered in partnership with French-speaking colleagues.