The paper explains the role of countryside in modern social processes and the importance of its intertwining with cities. We emphasize the overview of modern trends in settlement development and land use and point out the processes that do not correspond with planned goals. Through simulating developmental consequences in several typical areas of different developmental possibilities and by referring to spontaneous processes, we are discussing the overgrowth of agricultural land and its transformation into built up space. At the end we offer a possible direction for future countryside development with the help of a simulation model.

economic geography --- retail --- settlement geography --- urban geography --- shopping centres --- Slovenia

The article provides a critical evaluation of progress in the fi eld of the use of sustainable development indicators over the last decade. It presents also some methodological and theoretical starting-points of their use, different indicator models and the criteria that should be met by individual indicators as well as by their sets. Considering the current practice, the main purpose of the paper is to evaluate the advantages and limitations of sustainable development indicators and to highlight some open questions about their future role in measuring progress towards sustainability.

environmental protection --- sustainable development --- methods --- Slovenia

The article discusses formation and transformation processes of collapse dolines in the hinterland of Ljubljanica river springs near Vrhnika. The characteristics and mechanisms of fl at loamy sediment fl oors in collapse dolines have been studied in detail. Loamy sediment fi lls in the collapse dolines are the result of suspended material sedimentation from fl oodwaters that inundated lower parts of collapse dolines. The method of ground electrical resistance established that the thickness of loamy sediment fi lls might reach more than 30 meters.

karstology --- collapse dolines --- sediments --- Slovenia

Tourism is strongly connected with the weather, the climate and its changes. In this research we used data on the daily number of visitors of selected different types of tourist points in Slovenia to fi nd out what the connection between the weather and the number of visitors is actually like. Furthermore, their responses give us an insight into the possible infl uences that climate changes, through changed weather patterns, might have on the variation of the number of tourists and daily visitors.

physical geography --- climatogeography --- climate changes --- geography of tourism --- tourist resorts --- recreation --- Slovenia

Critical geopolitics understands geopolitics as a set of discursive practices by which different actors spatialize international politics. Wast changes in geopolitical settings after the end of Cold war have forced European Union in constant shaping and reshaping of new spatializations of European continent. In the forefront of this new representations are eastern “enlargement of Europe” and shaping of new borders of “Europe”.

political geography --- geopolitics --- Europe --- European Union --- Central Europe --- Eastern Europe

A distinctly negative attitude towards Luka Koper lately developed among a certain part of the Koper residents. This is due to the fact that Luka Koper, the owner of the only Slovenian port, intends to expand its port and logistic services and start intensive construction at Pier III. With the help of our survey we have shown what the general attitude towards Luka Koper is like on the level of the whole community in Koper, as well as explained the reasons for this growing dissatisfaction among the people. We have also defined the resident groups that oppose the expansion of the port and presented the effects of the port which residents detect in different areas of their community.

geography of transport --- sea transport --- sea ports --- environmental protection --- Slovenia