Search results

The study deploys Anthias' intersectional framework of social spaces and her concept of translocational positionality to explore the barriers to entrepreneurship for refugee entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom (UK). In particular, the study aims to assess how migrant identities require a specific form of business support.

A total of 32 semi-structured interviews with 14 refugee entrepreneurs and 18 business support agents were conducted between April and October 2022 and, together with field notes, were combined for thematic analysis in NVivo 12.

Organisational, representational, intersubjective and experiential barriers combined to create practical and psychological deterrents to entrepreneurship for refugees. However, an explicitly humanistic and de-centred approach to business support was (partially) able to counter such barriers.

Policymakers and business support agencies should consider intersectional characteristics and the importance of a compassionate and individual approach when designing business support programmes for refugee entrepreneurs.

Two intersectional concepts of social spaces and translocational positionality are brought into conversation with each other, creating a novel approach to framing the barriers to entrepreneurship for refugees.

This study reviews research applying Space Syntax, in conjunction with other methodologies, to explore walkability and socio-spatial relations in urban environments, with a particular emphasis on moderate- and low-density city centers.

A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, reviewing English-language studies published from 2013 to 2023, involving introduction to research context, information sources and search strategy, screening process and application of eligibility and inclusion criteria to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of relevant papers.

This research highlights that the predominant focus in the literature has been on high-density city centers in existing Space Syntax studies, revealing a significant gap in understanding socio-spatial dynamics, particularly in moderate- and low-density city centers. Furthermore, this research found that technology-based tools were the most frequently used in past studies, with 454 instances, compared to participatory tools (191 instances) and observational tools (57 instances), when using Space Syntax as an integrated approach to explore socio-spatial relations in urban environments. Moreover, emerging technology-based tools remain the least used technological tools in the literature. Combining these approaches represents a recent trend that could offer valuable insights into pedestrian socio-spatial experiences in both broader urban contexts and smaller-scale city centers.

Unlike previous literature reviews on Space Syntax that neglected its use as an integrated approach, this study uniquely explores the correlation between spatial configurations and human experiences through a review of studies that combine space syntax with other methods, including observational, participatory and technology-based tools to pinpoint the gaps. The research recommends further exploration of pedestrians’ socio-spatial needs by integrating Space Syntax with trends and less-explored technology-based tools.