Western Regional Science Association Newsletter
Fall 2000
40th Anniversary Bash in the Works for Palm Springs
October 15th Paper Submission Deadline Approaches!!!!
WRSA’s 40th Anniversary meeting is now just months way, with the traditional October 15 paper submission deadline quickly approaching.
The conference will be held in the lovely conference center of the Palm Springs Riviera Resort and Racquet Club (which was also the site of WRSA’s 14th Annual Meeting in 1975). It will begin with registration and an opening plenary session on Sunday afternoon, February 25. Paper sessions will be held all day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, February 26, 27, and 28.
Get working on a paper for submittal by our deadline. Remember, abstracts are not accepted. Papers on any regional science topic are welcome. As per longstanding WRSA custom, all offers will be screened by the Program Committee prior to invitations being issued for presentation. Abstracts are not accepted, but at the time of the October 15 submittal deadline papers may be in draft form. Those wishing to organize a special session are encouraged to contact Dave Plane as soon as possible.
This year for the first time electronic submissions of papers are being encouraged! We hope to facilitate distribution of papers to discussants and chairs by having most papers centrally available at the Association office in electronic form. Manuscripts in either Word or Word Perfect format may be e-mailed as attachments to plane@u.arizona.edu. Alternatively hard copies (three, please) may be mailed or expressed. For multiple-authored papers, please be sure to indicate which author(s) plan to attend the meeting and give your e-mail address(es).
For information on hotel reservations, car rentals and travel arrangement, see related articles in this Newsletter or check the WRSA website, http://geog.arizona.edu/wrsa, for complete details. Pictures of the Riviera Resort, links to their and a Palm Springs tourist information web site, travel and rental car information, and the hotel reservation and conference preregistration forms are now on the site.
Plan now to come bask in the midwinter Southern California sun, recharge your intellectual batteries, and see once again all your WRSA friends – old and new – as the Association celebrates its 40th anniversary!
Palm Springs Travel Information
Palm Springs is located 107 miles east / southeast of Los Angeles in the desert country of the Coachela Valley. It has an excellent airport located less than a 5-minute drive or taxi ride from the Riviera Resort and Racquet Club. We strongly suggest that participants who are not driving to the conference look into flying into Palm Springs Regional Airport, since the city is serviced by a large number of airlines.
International participants will likely book flights into Los Angeles International, but they should consider taking the short connecting flight from LAX to avoid 131 miles of Southern California freeway driving! If you should opt for a scenic California freeway drive, full directions are available on the WRSA web site.
Participants who would like help in making their travel plans may contact WRSA’s Official 2000 travel agency, Bon Voyage Travel in Tucson. Our Bon Voyage agent is Ms. Clarissa Taiafi. You may phone her at 1-520-795-8991 or e-mail her at: ctaiafi@bvtravel.com and she will get immediately back in touch with you regarding your needs. She can also set you up with a rental car from Alamo for use during your stay in Palm Springs.
Great Conference Rates on Alamo Rental Cars in Palm Springs!
Alamo Rent A Car has been chosen as the official car rental company for WRSA’s 40th Annual Meeting. Although the Riviera Resort and Racquet Club is only a short taxi drive from the Palm Springs airport and eating opportunities exist within walking distance, we suggest that you consider renting a car to maximize your enjoyment of your stay in the area.
Alamo is offering WRSA participants extremely attractive special conference rates on all sizes of vehicles with free unlimited mileage and frequent flyer credits with most major airline programs. Conference rates will be effective from February 18 through March 6.
To reserve your rental car you may use WRSA’s Official 2000 travel agency, Bon Voyage Travel in Tucson, or book your car through your own agent or directly with Alamo. Our Bon Voyage contact is Ms. Clarissa Taiafi. You may phone her at 1-520-795-8991 or e-mail her (you can click on her address right here!) at: ctaiafi@bvtravel.com and she will get immediately back in touch with you regarding your needs.
If you wish to contact Alamo directly or have your own travel agent do so, from the U.S. call 1-800-732-3232 and request Group I.D. Number 69420, Rate Code: GR.
International attendees may fax their reservations directly to Alamo at 1-561-912-2601.
Reservation Information for the Palm Springs Riviera Resort and Racquet Club
The Palm Springs Riviera Resort and Racquet Club is now accepting reservations for WRSA’s 40th Annual Meeting, scheduled for February 25 – 26, 2001. Reservations can be made by calling 800-444-8311 from within the U.S., or 760-327-8311 from outside the country. If phoning in your reservation, be sure to mention that you are coming for the Western Regional Science Association meeting in order to get the conference room rate.
A hotel reservation form is also available on the WRSA web site at http://geog.arizona.edu/wrsa. This form can be printed out and faxed to 760-327-4323 or mailed to Palm Springs Riviera Resort and Racquet Club, Attn: Reservations, 1600 North Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262-4602 USA. Reservations must be made by February 5, 2001. However, we highly recommend making necessary reservations early, as our room block tends to fill quickly.
Announcing the WRSA Turnbull Cup Golf Tournament
The 2001 WRSA Turnbull Cup Golf Tournament will be held on Saturday February 24th at the Mesquite Country Club in Palm Springs. Tee times will begin at 12:00 noon. The $105 entry fee includes green fees, cart, range balls, lunch, and prizes. Mesquite’s gently rolling fairways, large greens – some multi-tiered – and beautiful mountain views promise an exciting and fun round of golf with colleagues and friends. The Mesquite Country Club is rated as the best public facility in Palm Springs, so get your team together or let us pair you up with other WRSA golf enthusiasts.
The tournament format will be 4-person teams. Team and individual scores will be handicapped (28 is the highest handicap permitted for any individual player). Each player will play her/his own ball and record all strokes. The aggregate handicap for each team will be subtracted from their aggregate score. If you do not know your handicap, make your best estimate from the scores of your last 10 rounds. There will be prizes for team and individual achievement including longest drive and closest to the pin competitions. In addition, the individual player with the lowest net score will get her/his name placed on the coveted Turnbull Cup.
Please register for the tournament by sending a check for the full entry fee to Terry Clower, Center for Economic Development, P.O. Box 310469, Denton, Texas 76203 by January 15th. One half of the entry fee becomes non-refundable after January 24th. Include a note listing your team members or if you wish us to match you up with other players. Also, if you are not planning on renting a car, let us know if you will need a ride to the golf course. If you have any questions about the tournament, please e-mail Terry Clower at tclower@scs.cmm.unt.edu or call (940) 565-4049.
2000 – 2001 Membership Directory
All 2000 members have been sent, with the paper copy of this newsletter, the 2000 – 2001 WRSA Membership Directory. The Directory is a membership benefit and is not available on-line. The directory includes everyone who had paid 2000 dues by September 1, 2000.
After a stellar meeting in Kauai, Hawaii, this year’s membership boasts a total of 322 members from around the world. A total of 19 countries are represented in WRSA’s membership, including individuals from Turkey, Finland, and Korea. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, which contributed over two thirds of the total membership, Australia, Sweden, The Netherlands, Japan, and Spain contributed a number of members.
Dues renewals are now being accepted for 2001 – $50 if paid before February 1, 2001 ($55 thereafter). Membership fees may also be included with the Annual Meeting registration form, which will be mailed out with the next newsletter and is now available on our web site.
The WRSA Membership Directory is provided for members’ private, non-commercial use.
Please send any corrections and address changes to the Association office in Tucson so that we can maintain an accurate database and provide timely mailings of the Annals, the Newsletter, and information about forthcoming meetings.
Site of 17th Pacific Conference of the RSAI Wins Award!
The Embassy Suites Hotel in Portland, Oregon, the site of the upcoming PRSCO meetings, has won Embassy’s Pinnacle Award as the chain’s top performing hotel. According to the Daily Journal of Commerce in Portland, the Portland Embassy Suites Hotel is “considered crème de la crème when it comes to the 150-plus hotel chain.” The Daily Journal also reported that the conference hotel is “considered one of Embassy’s most unique properties,” and that it “features more than the customary services and amenities – a fact playing a role in the high marks it’s gotten from guests.”
The Embassy Suites Hotel in Downtown Portland is located in the historic Multnomah Hotel. Here, the grace and charm of a historic hotel are accompanied by all of the services expected of a first class hotel. Set in Portland’s old town district, the hotel is steps away from shopping, art galleries, museums, restaurants and nightclubs.
The 17th Pacific Conference of the RSAI is scheduled to be held in Portland, Oregon from June 30 – July 4, 2001. The abstract submittal deadline is February 28, 2001, so plenty of time remains to get that abstract sent in! Abstracts should be submitted to David Plane, PRSCO 2001 Organizing Committee Chair, Department of Geography and Regional Development, University of Arizona, Harvill Building, Box 2, Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA. Any questions regarding the conference may also be directed to Dr. Plane at plane@u.arizona.edu.
Be sure to check the WRSA website (http://geog.arizona.edu/wrsa) in the months to come as more conference information becomes available.
WRSA Loses Long-time Member
Rena Sivitanidou, Associate Professor of the University of Southern California School of Policy, Planning, and Development, passed away June 30, 2000, after a short illness. She was an outstanding teacher, researcher, and colleague. Professor Sivitanidou holds the distinction of having won the Planning and Development Outstanding Teacher Award for every one of the eight years she taught at USC. Her contributions to the Master of Real Estate Development program centered on the magnificent way in which she taught market analysis. She also took pride in teaching students of planning and development at all levels.
Professor Sivitanidou was passionate about helping us understand better the nature and dynamics of land rents. She authored and published numerous papers on this topic, and her publications appeared in the top journals in the field. Her research is well known as being creative, rigorous, and applicable to real estate development. She was a leading scholar in USC’s Lusk Center for Real Estate. Dr. Sivitanidou was a highly respected colleague and, most of all, a good friend and mentor to large numbers of students. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
Southern Regional Science Association to Hold 2001 Meeting in Austin, Texas
The 40th Annual Meeting of the Southern Regional Science Association will be held in beautiful Austin, Texas, April 5 – 7, 2001 at the Driskill Hotel.
The SRSA is also pleased to announce the Barry Moriarty Graduate Student Paper Competition, which will be held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting. The deadline for submitting a paper to the competition is February 1, 2001.
The deadline for submitting abstracts is December 15, 2000. Abstracts should be no longer than 100 – 200 words and electronic submission is encouraged. Please be sure to include your address, phone number, fax, and e-mail address when submitting the abstract. Submissions should be sent to Frank Hefner at hefnerf@cofc.edu.
Further information on the SRSA and its annual meeting can be found at www.srsa.org.
Regional Science Meeting Calendar
First International Conference on Geographic Information Science, October 28 – 31, 2000 Savannah, Georgia
The National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA), the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS), and the Association of American Geographers have teamed up to organize the First International Conference on Geographic Information Science. The Conference is scheduled for October 28 – 31, 2000 in Savannah, GA. For further information, contact Angie Jackson of The Association of American Geographers at ajackson@aag.org. Details are also available at http://www.giscience.org.
47th North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International, November 9 – 12, 2000, Chicago, Illinois
The 47th North American Meetings of the RSAI will be held November 9 – 12, 2000 at the Midland Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. Electronic submission of abstracts can be done through September 1, 2000. For further information, contact the Program Chair, Andrew J. Krmenec, at krmenec@geog.niu.edu or check the Meeting’s web site at http://www.niu.edu/depts/ext_prog/RSAI/site.html.
32nd Annual Meeting and Conference of Regional Science Association, India, November 17 – 18, 2000, Calcutta, India
The 32nd Annual Meeting of the Regional Science Association of India will be held November 17 – 18, 2000 in Calcutta, India. The main theme is “Urban and Regional Information Systems for Planning.” For information contact: Dr. C.R. Pathak, Organising Secretary, CK-134, SaltLakeCity, Sector II, Calcutta 700091. Phone: 91-33-3583927.
14th Annual Applied Regional Science Conference, December 2 – 3, 2000, Tsukuba City, Japan
The Applied Regional Science Conference (ARSC) will be holding its 14th annual meeting from December 2 – 3, 2000, at Tsukuba International Congress Center, Tsukuba City, Japan. For more information, please contact: Professor Masayuki Doi, Chairman of the ARSC Tsukuba Meeting, Institute of Policy and Planning Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8573, Japan, Tel/fax: +81-298-53-5546.
24th ANZRSAI Annual Conference, December 3 – 6, 2000, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
The 24th ANZRSAI Annual Conference will be held December 3 – 6, 2000, in Hobart, Tasmania at the Hotel Grand Chancellor. For further information, contact: Kaye Fenton, Centre for Regional Economic Analysis, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252-90, Hobart Tas 7001, Australia; E-mail: Kaye.Fenton@utas.edu.au, or phone: 61 3 6226 2269 Fax: 61 3 6223 8053.
40th Anniversary Meeting of the Western Regional Science Association, February 25 – 28, 2001, Palm Springs, California
See articles, above, this Newsletter.
40th Annual Meeting of the Southern Regional Science Association, April 5 – 7, 2001, Austin, Texas
The 40th Annual Meeting of the Southern Regional Science Association will be held April 5 – 7, 2001 at the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas. For further information, contact the 2001 Program Chair, Frank Hefner, Department of Economics and Finance, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 29424-0001. He can also be reached via e-mail at hefnerf@cofc.edu or by phone at 843-953-8111.
17th Pacific Conference of the Regional Science Association International, June 30 – July 4, 2001, Portland, Oregon
See article, above, this Newsletter.