Statistical, morphological and functional approaches have long been used to delineate spatial boundaries of urban agglomerations. This research uses data from the Central Statistical Bureau and the State Revenue Service. The results indicate that morphological and functional approaches are essential when defining the agglomeration, however the outcomes are different. The most relevant consistency was observed in the territorial units adjoining the city of Riga due to the fact that they have a common labour market with Riga and share a strong functional linkage. However, the spatial extent based on the morphological approach confirms and highlights the effects of urban sprawl.

This paper aims to shed light on work-life balance in Latvia during the state of emergency. The Covid-19 outbreak has led many governments to introduce lockdowns. While imposed restrictions may help to contain the spread of the virus, they may also result in substantial damage to population well-being. The Covid-19 outbreak in Latvia demonstrates the extent and ways in which socio-demographics factors have determined different patterns of behaviour, attitudes, employment changes and harmonised work and life balance. The study describes the chronological development of Covid-19 in the country. It describes labour migration to and from Latvia before the COVID-19 outbreak. It provides geographical features of the distribution of confirmed Covid-19 cases. The extent of the Covid-19 threat at different levels is assessed focusing on the global, national, regional and intra-family level. Finally, work forms and work-life balance are analysed according to geography and age groups.

Commuting behaviour in times of the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative first an... Belgeo, 3 | 2022 10 The analysis was constructed around three main research questions: 1) What are the differences in daily commuting patterns during Latvia's first and second COVID-19 wave? 2) How do commuting patterns translate into regional differences? 3) What sociodemographic characteristics influence commuting habits?Ongoing emergency in Latvia: years 2020 and 202111 The Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is the controlling institution in Latvia that accounts for the statistical data and sets the mandatory restrictions to the whole society. This study substantiates the background information data from the Latvian

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Residential satisfaction is an important issue in any urban development policy. In order to ascertain the level of residential satisfaction in Jelgava in 2018 a population survey was conducted, in which 961 residents were questioned. Since the urban environment of Jelgava is not homogeneous, respondents were grouped according to the place of residence in two parts of the city-the inner city and the outer city. The results revealed that the overall satisfaction with life in Jelgava is relatively high, but this indicator is not influenced by the respondent's place of residence in the urban area. There were no statistically significant differences between respondent satisfaction in the inner city and/or the outskirts with life in general, household financial situation, educational facilities, air quality, noise level, cleanliness and/or job opportunities. By contrast the location of residence in one or another urban zone affects satisfaction with public transport, health-care services, sports facilities, cultural facilities, the state of the streets and buildings, public places, green areas and the availability of retail shops-respondents living in the inner city are more satisfied with all of these factors compared with those living on the city outskirts.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its waves of incidence have had a significant impact on our personal and professional lives. This has led to scholarly interest in various fields, including geography. A growing body of scholarly literature is trying to understand the reasons why some places were and still are more affected than others. The aim of this study was to shed light on the geography of the Covid-19 pandemic in Latvia and explain the geographical patterns of the pandemic during its first two waves. This was done, firstly, by mapping the number of cases per 10,000 in the municipalities of Latvia; secondly, the analysis also combined that same data with a total of eleven variables, by using bivariate correlation. The results show that during the first wave, Covid-19 incidence was relatively low. However, during the second wave, there were several large clusters of municipalities with a rather high number (over 500) confirmed Covid-19 cases per 10,000 inhabitants. Results of the correlation analysis suggest that geographical patterns of COVID-19 incidence were a result of a complex set of factors, varying throughout the country. Also, the presence of large clusters of municipalities with a rather high number of cases per capita (mostly) during the second wave points to the possible impact of proximity.

Over the course of several previous decades the post-socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe have experienced notable population disposition and composition changes in the vicinity of large cities. Despite this, age composition related studies have rarely paid attention to changes within these city regions. Thus, the aim of this paper is to shed light on age composition changes of Riga agglomeration ring. For this study official statistical data, along with population ageing index is utilized. Changes are studied for the entire ring and its structures of urban and rural areas for the years 2000, 2011 and 2020. Results indicated that, despite a decrease, the 25-44 year old age group remained the most populous. 15-24 year old group had the largest decrease. Pre-working age and the two oldest groups were the ones which had tended to increase the most in comparison to situation in 2000. However, ring and urban areas first saw a decrease of pre-working age population leading up to 2011, followed by a more notable growth. Population ageing index values showed that for all territory types population ageing had slowed after 2011. Also, urban areas of Riga agglomeration have been ageing more rapidly than rural ones. This study was supported by National Research Program Project grant number VPP-IZM-2018/1-0015.