Search

Copyright of Polemos is the property of Croatian Sociological Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The pursuit of happiness as an issue in planning for towns in trans-Appalachian America was a prime requisite. It is the intent of this paper to illustrate that, while many of the towns were paper towns that were never actualised, they acted as a catalyst for immigrants seeking to escape the oppression of Europe. Visualised as a new Eden, and promising land ownership with liberty, they were an opiate so strong that even with numerous instances of fraud and deceit the settlers came. Their belief that they had indeed arrived at Eden was so strong that it transcended any and all difficulties. This belief has influenced the planning and development of towns in America up to and including modern times. As long as people believe that their living situation is what is meant for them, their pursuit of happiness is satisfied. They have found their Eden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper considers the appearance and meaning of city walls on ducal and municipal seals in 13th-century Poland. Despite the great popularity of the motif, actual stone or brick fortifications, both of towns and castles, were rare in Poland at the time. It is especially striking that in the area of Kuyavia, where local dukes introduced the motif onto their seals at an early stage, such architectonic structures were almost entirely absent. Several towns also employed images of stone walls on their seals before they gained the real fortifications. The motif of fortification is examined here as a symbol of civilization in a wider sense, and particularly that of the communal town. The final section the paper explores ways in which Polish society might have come to understand this symbolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Underlines the importance of place quality for innovation districts. • Presents conceptual frameworks of innovation district place quality. • Brings clarity to the conceptual frameworks of innovation district. Innovation districts are the nexus of knowledge-based development in cities, where public and private actors work towards fostering, attracting and retaining investment and talent, e.g., creative class of knowledge workers, entrepreneurs, start-ups, business incubators, with an aim of revitalising urban areas, and boosting knowledge and innovation economy activities. Place quality has been an important factor in the success of these districts, and there is a growing literature on the topic. This opinion paper brings further clarity to the previously developed conceptual frameworks of innovation district place quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore the social construction of place through a close analysis of the language used in online reviews to describe migrant-owned or -serving restaurants and their neighborhoods in Charlotte, NC. Through analysis of more than 2,000 online reviews of 16 restaurants across multiple platforms, we found that online restaurant reviews are key sites in which discourse about particular social groups and spaces is brought forth. In particular, through racialized narratives that rely on descriptions of lack, depictions of danger, and stereotypes, urban imaginaries are constructed that enable remaking Latin American neighborhoods. We further argue that reproducing such urban imaginaries serves to devalue migrant neighborhoods through presenting them as places that do not match modern city aspirations. This paper contributes to literature in food studies, urban geography, and rhetoric by examining the ways that digital food grammars pave the way for remaking migrant neighborhoods in emerging migrant gateway cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Development of a framework to assess the sustainability of waste management systems • The eco-efficiency index of the systems is assessed using data envelopment analysis • Single MSW management system shows higher efficiency compared to hybrid systems • The amount of food and paper wastes plays an important role in the sustainability • Cogeneration of heat and power system increases sustainability in most scenarios Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management has become a pressing global issue due to population growth, urbanization, and changing consumption patterns, especially in developing countries. This study develops a comprehensive framework to evaluate the sustainability of MSW management systems. Also, the sustainability of Anaerobic Digestion (AD) and landfill systems with/without various Cogeneration of Heat and Power (CHP) technologies in different conditions using the framework in the municipalities of Iran. The eco-efficiency index, which considers environmental and economic aspects, is used to assess the systems sustainability. The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method is applied to assess and rank the performance of the systems based on their eco-efficiency indices considering parameters such as energy production, costs, emissions, land occupation, water consumption, and employment. The results indicate that the landfill and AD systems with/without CHP have the highest priority for all provinces when the food, paper, and cardboard wastes entering the systems are at their maximum and minimum amounts. However, the systems without CHP have the lowest efficiency when the share of the wastes is 50%. Although the findings can help decision-makers in improving MSW management, there may be limitations to the research, such as data availability and assumptions made during the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades, accounts and speculations on the emergence of digitally-augmented environments have suggested utopian, and dystopian, visions of increased spatial fluidities - doing anything from anywhere - in which the role of specific places could become redundant. The emergence of smart urbanism, through technocratic visions of central, algorithmic control, could materialize such centrifugal detachment from place and local context, as it operates a shift of agency from space and community to code. Are, therefore, the hyper-local scale, and neighbourhoods, relevant entities in our increasingly digital urban environments? This paper makes a case for the smart neighbourhood not as a plain, pre-determined, functional sub-unit of a centrally controlled and automated smart metropolis, but as a radically divergent - yet necessarily complementary - dimension of it. The discussion looks at the scales of the locale - and of the hyper-local - as the enablers of a re-combined and re-energized spatial and digital agency. It discusses the importance of local appropriation and contextualization of technology - as opposed to the 'off-the-shelf' adoption of civic infrastructural systems and management software, and of enabling significant social innovation and community involvement and participation. However, once the importance of re-combining space, community and technology at the local scale has been explored, the paper discusses how the point is not opposing the smart neighbourhood to the smart city through a simplistic bott om-up vs top-down dualist vision, but rather reflecting on how these dimensions should work together. Design and development strategies that aim to conjugate the very bespoke and pilot with the scalable, and the qualitative with the quantitative, while enabling local innovation and experimentation, are needed to envisage a grounded, sustainable, and effective smart city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a normative definition of what a neighbourhood should be. Normatively defined, a neighbourhood has identity, a place that functions as its centre, everyday facilities and services, internal and external connectivity, social diversity within it or an openness to its enabling, and a means by which residents can be involved in its affairs and speak with a collective voice. This paper argues that there are four reasons why this normative definition is a worthy goal. First, neighbourhoods that meet this normative definition do exist and are in high demand, which is evidence that more are needed. Meeting demand has become a significant problem over the last few decades, and cities struggle to find ways to sustain whatever supply they are fortunate to have. Second, normative neighbourhoods are able to foster a sense of ownership and caring. Neighbourhood tangibility forms the basis of self-governance, evident in the historical record and a century of discourse. In the absence of an explicit definition, neighbourhood is an abstraction, weakening residents' ability to control or change it. Third, normative neighbourhoods cultivate social and economic connection because they root connectivity in daily experience. From small business success to neighbourhood-based surveillance, to efforts to combat social isolation among the elderly, to increasing success among high-risk children in school, neighbourhood-based engagement is regularly cited as a factor in addressing social challenges. Fourth, the normative neighbourhood substitutes place for homogeneity as the basis of neighbourhood definition. Place, instead of class or race, forms neighbourhood consciousness and is the basis of collective identity, one capable of transcending the desire for social sameness, the fear of others, and the distrust of institutions. Social identity based solely on class, race or ethnicity has been harmful because of its exclusionary effects, so an alternative identity basis is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large number of people from villages in the India–Bangladesh borderlands are migrants to Indian cities, particularly to the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi. Migration from Cooch Behar, an industrially backward district in the northern part of the state of West Bengal in India sharing border with Bangladesh and the Indian state of Assam, has been a regular practice as subsistence agriculture fail to provide the landless agricultural labourers continuous employment and competitive wages. This paper is based on ethnographic study in Delhi NCR and the former 'Chhit Mahals' (as the former border enclaves of Bangladesh and India were called in Bengali) in Cooch Behar district, in the period immediately following their exchange, of historically marginal migrant households whose members work in the construction industry. With the implementation of the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh and the finalisation of the India-Bangladesh land boundary, the former Chhit Mahals, that is border enclaves of Bangladesh and India, were exchanged between the two states in August 2015. The former Bangladeshi Chhit Mahals in Cooch Behar are now Indian villages, whose residents had opted for Indian citizenship. This paper explores migration from these former Chhit Mahals with a relational political economy perspective. It analyses both broader socio-cultural, economic, and political processes and interests and the migrants' own feelings which interact with migration to demonstrate how the migrant's labour value is determined at the intersection of identity, affect and the international border, with marginalisation of the migrants from the India–Bangladesh borderlands emerging as a product of layered struggles and a dynamic of continuous cultural reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate prediction of bus arrival times can greatly benefit public transport users, allowing them to better plan their journeys in cities. The usual Expected Time of Arrival (ETA) estimators provided to citizens use all the information available to the bus service provider (vehicle position, traffic, etc.); in this paper we propose a procedure to improve these estimators that relies solely on historical ETA records provided by public transport councils through application programming interfaces (APIs). This improvement is achieved by means of a machine learning scheme that predicts and corrects the systematic errors of the available ETA estimators. Significant improvements in terms of error mean and standard deviation are achieved for the Madrid and Paris bus fleets. These robust results and the fact that the proposed scheme uses only historical and online information provided by APIs, without requiring the cooperation of the service provider, support the suitability of the proposed method for general public benefit applications toward the sustainability of cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper coordinates archaeological information on the changing urban landscape of Egypt's first Islamic-era capital, Fustat, with topographical, social, and economic insights from the Geniza archive and other sources. A focus on the organization of the city's pottery industry provides new insights into the multiple "abandonments" and reoccupations familiar from historical sources, showing how diverse residential areas were turned to industrial use (and back) via adaptable transitional processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shared micromobility - or short-term access to shared bikes and scooters - provides a flexible alternative for households living in urban areas, individuals seeking first- and last-mile connections to public transportation, and those without access to a private vehicle trying to reach jobs and essential services. In this paper, the authors discuss the history, growth, and evolution of bike and scooter sharing in North America; summarize the demographics and impacts of shared micromobility; and explore shared micromobility policies and practices for managing devices and operations such as: device caps, service area limitations, designated parking areas, fees, equipment/operational requirements, and enforcement. In the future, enhancements in device automation, battery range, charging times, and weight are likely to contribute to the evolution and development of additional devices and service models, which could allow improved range and e-hail for shared micromobility devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vigorous public transport policies pursued in Swiss cities have become a matter of some controversy. They have revitalized central urban areas and, at the same time, pushed up property prices. Underprivileged categories have therefore found themselves expelled to the outskirts, thus widening the social divide with respect to access to the centre. Yet some argue that access has improved, including for the poor, both from the spatial point of view and in terms of time: more frequent night services, etc. This paper reports on both sides of the debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Orientalist ideologies have been strongly criticized in the last 30 years, a negative vision of the 'Islamic City' is still shared by travellers and scholars. This paper demonstrates that by using new, more sophisticated, instruments for reading cities in the Islamic Mediterranean they will not appear chaotic at all. It shows, on the contrary, fragments of a regular geometry under the appearance of an irregular plan layout. A number of case studies show that these fragments are either testimony of planned phases of the city's growth, or its previous classic fabric, systematically absorbed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental governance approaches are critical for carbon reduction and energy security. Using the data from government work reports and public search, this paper investigates the impact of government policies and public awareness on carbon emissions. The 'top-down' administrative regulation is found to have more effective in promoting carbon reduction in cities than 'bottom-up' public awareness, and this carbon reduction effect is more pronounced in central, western and lower levels of economic development cities. The findings suggest that regions with higher economic development tend to exhibit greater dependency on carbon, posing challenges in achieving prompt reductions in carbon emissions through governmental policies and public awareness. Additional discoveries indicate that 'top-down' administrative regulation exhibits a certain sustainability, mainly through industrial structure adjustments. This aspect proves beneficial for enhancing the city's developmental path and quality in the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural tourism, which includes the values of cultural heritage, aims to contribute by focusing on the values of cultural heritage, its promotion and protection. Kosovo as a tourist region in terms of cultural heritage is divided into seven cultural heritage regions: Prishtina Region, consisting of 118 heritage cities, Prizren Region, consisting of 500 heritage monuments, Peja Region, consisting of 856 monuments of cultural and natural heritage; Mitrovica region, consisting of 64 assets; The region of Gjakova, consisting of 148 monuments of all categories; The region of Gjilan, consisting of 174 monuments placed under temporary protection; and the Ferizaj region consists of 130 assets on the list of Cultural Heritage for temporary protection. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of cultural heritage in the development of tourism as an economical asset in Kosovo. Kosovo has many attractions and natural beauty, presents special cultural values from different periods and a favorable climate, which contribute and have potential in the development of different types of selective tourism. In order to determine if and to what extent cultural heritage in Kosovo is a factor in attracting foreign tourists, this research includes 300 foreign tourists, as well as the coefficient of determination and correlation between the attractiveness of cultural heritage and the motivation of foreign tourists to visit Kosovo. The coefficient of determination of 0.687 and the correlation coefficient of 0.829 between the attractiveness of cultural heritage and the motivation of foreign tourists to visit Kosovo indicate a very strong direct relationship between these two variables. All of this represents a very significant factor for the development of an alternative type of tourism, i.e. cultural tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European Capital of Culture (ECoC), as a long-term cultural initiative of the European Union, has inevitably become intertwined with tourism development in designated cities. For almost four decades, mediumsized and small cities across Europe have been allowed to shift their local economies towards creativity and cultural tourism, driven by the ECoC title, with different cities achieving different levels of success. Since the 1990s, the ECoC initiative has followed the EU's trends, resolutions, and recommendations. The mid2000s, 2010s, and early 2020s have given the trend a new drive with a more procedural approach in the ECoC bidding process. Sustainable development is one of the EU’s main strategic goals in the new era, and sustainable tourism has also influenced the ECoC initiative, making it one of the key priorities. This paper analyses the concepts of modern cultural tourism and the phenomena of over-tourism and sustainable tourism, especially in the ECoC context. Research methodology is based on secondary sources, including scientific papers, bid books and other official documents drawn up by ECoC cities and ECoC reports. The paper seeks to recognise and systematise the changes in cultural tourism trends in the ECoC context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to investigate the factors influencing citizens' willingness to participate in the development of smart cities. Design/methodology/approach: Citizens drawn from 30 second-tier cities in China were chosen as the research object for this empirical research. Based on citizenship behavior theory, research hypotheses were tested and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings: The results indicated that information publicity has a direct and positive effect on residents' participation behavior. Perceived benefits, personal responsibility and subjective norms are positively associated with residents' citizenship. Additionally, citizenship was found to affect residents' participation intention positively. Finally, the moderating effect of information credibility in this context was also verified. Originality/value: As one of the first empirical studies on this topic, this paper offers important guidance for future research regarding residents' participation in the development of smart cities. On this basis, the implications of this research with respect to policies that aim to encourage residents to participate in the construction of smart cities are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the response of a university psychology department to the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye on 6 February 2023, resulting in significant loss of life and widespread destruction. This paper focuses on the narrative practices undertaken by a university psychology department in the affected region, particularly the establishment of a psychological support telephone line staffed by volunteer psychologists. Beyond the initial establishment of the support line, the university extended its outreach to address the immediate needs of affected individuals in five cities, and subsequently, within the university premises. A “Tent of Hope” was established within a “container city” of displaced families to continue psychosocial support. This involved the volunteer efforts of psychology students to offer assistance to both children and adults. Initiatives also included the dissemination of a culturally sensitive booklet for the public and the development of a comprehensive booklet for therapists, aiming to empower individuals and communities in the aftermath of trauma. This paper includes reflections from people who contributed to these initiatives, sharing learning and insights relevant to others responding to natural disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Croatian Journal of Ethnology & Folklore Research / Narodna Umjetnost is the property of Institute of Ethnology & Folklore Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper seeks to look at the impact and effect of corruption in the local municipalities in South Africa by indicating that corruption is rampant and being perpetrated with impunity despite anti-corruption laws for holding corrupt people accountable. It highlights the severe impact of corruption on the basic municipal services, the socio-economic conditions of the people, and the society at large. The literature review method was employed to systematically examined and tackled the issues at hand. The findings of the study highlighted that widespread corruption across various sectors hindered the provision of essential services to those in need, including the poor and vulnerable individuals who should have been the primary beneficiaries. The paper showed that due to corruption and maladministration, most of the local municipalities have been rendered bankrupt. The paper strongly stressed the need for consequences and holding perpetrators accountable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the forms of discrimination against male forced migrants and their coping tactics in Duzce City, Türkiye. Located between the large metropolitan cities of Ankara and Istanbul, Duzce offers informal jobs to migrants in economic sectors where labor shortage exists, such as agriculture, construction and services. Based on in-depth interviews with 39 Iraqi, Afghan and Syrian migrant men in Duzce conducted between 2021 and 2022, this paper focuses on male forced migrants' experiences. The research found that male forced migrants, especially the single ones, are often stigmatized; they are subjected to exploitation as unskilled workers in labor-intensive, low-paid jobs and marginalized in various aspects of daily life. To cope with difficulties and discrimination, they adopt different tactics, such as keeping silent, speaking Turkish in public spaces, concealing their identity, avoiding encountering locals and showing a humble attitude towards local people. Findings from the study can contribute to the development of programs that enhance cohesion between asylum seekers and local people. In addition, policies should aim to prevent asylum seekers from being marginalized and discriminated against in different areas of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper explores the significance of historic urban landscapes (HUL) in the context of Indian heritage management policies. It investigates the challenges faced in preserving and managing historic urban areas and provides recommendations to enhance the integration of HUL approaches within the existing policy framework. The study draws upon a comprehensive review of scholarly articles, reports, and policy documents related to heritage management in India. The findings emphasise the need for a holistic and inclusive approach that recognises the multifaceted nature of urban heritage and fosters sustainable development while preserving historical significance. The paper offers practical recommendations for policymakers and urban planners to incorporate HUL principles into Indian heritage management policies effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy synergy is a unique way for the government to establish a policy network and a crucial way for cities to expand their carbon reduction channels. Using urban data from China, this paper empirically investigates how environmental governance policy synergy (EGPS) affects carbon emissions. In comparison to non-pilot cities, the environmental information disclosure (EID) policy and low-carbon city (LC) policy play an inhibitory role in carbon emissions. Furthermore, EGPS has a stronger effect and is heterogeneous by region. Through the use of technical advancement and industrial structure optimisation, EGPS lowers carbon emissions, and this effect of EGPS grows over time in tandem with the level of environmental pollution in the cities. Our paper proposes policy implications in order to improve the overall effect of environmental governance policy and help achieve the dual carbon targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, food is recognized as an issue in urban areas regarding diet-related diseases, unhealthy food environments, disconnection from culture and social relations, and environmental unsustainability. Concurrently, food also has a critical role in addressing the complex challenges cities are facing. Food pedagogies has emerged as a key element in tackling these food-related issues. However, pedagogical aspects of food are yet to be broadly explored and no known conceptual pedagogical framework has been developed. This paper aims to inform development of a conceptual framework for the enactment of food pedagogies, based on community food leaders' perspectives and experiences. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 39 experienced leaders from diverse food-related fields in Australia. Interviews were analyzed thematically. Four key themes emerged from participants' reflections on the current state of food-related activities: 'Awareness of food and food systems'; 'Enjoyment and social connections'; 'Experiential practices in everyday life': and 'Action for change.' These four themes are discussed both as aims of pedagogical practices and as essential pedagogical content for conceptualizing food pedagogies. A draft conceptual framework is developed to inform actions by policy makers, and public and private sector food practitioners to create healthy and sustainable societies through the medium of food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beijing is a typical traditional city in China, originating from the uniform and conventional grid plan, but transformed diversely, either on purpose or spontaneously. This research took the diversification process of grid blocks as an angle to understand the transformation process of Beijing's urban morphology. It took 194 grid blocks within the 3rd Ring Road of Beijing as research objects. First, the paper proposed a whole view of Beijing's grid blocks by 1) visualizing their construction process, 2) classifying 5 morphological clusters by 7 indicators (Block size, Block shape regularity, Intensity, Coverage, Network density, Plot shape regularity, Standard deviation of plot size), and 3) investigating their distribution. Second, the diversification process of grid blocks was clarified from two layers: the block-boundary layer and the inner-space layer. Finally, the mechanism of block form diversification was clarified by exploring the connections between elements in each layer, and the influence of urban development on block form transformation. The study re-defined the diversification process in a more quantitative way from both time and spatial dimension. It concluded that the diversification is influenced by changes in urban planning principles and locations, and emerged thorough the long-term transformation and re-subdivision. The interaction between the boundary and the inner space stimulates the diversification. And based on these, it concluded with a discussion of limitations and potentials on grid blocks' construction and renovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal planning and management of Electric Vehicle Parking Lots (EVPLs) can be an effective approach for improving the operation of both the distribution system and traffic networks. However, the limited land areas of cities can be an obstacle for constructing a large number of Parking Lots (PLs). This paper proposed a model for optimal siting and sizing of EVPLs as well as their charging schedule to maximize the total profit of their owners, while maximum parking demand of Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs) can be satisfied. In the proposed model, the purpose of trips, number of PEVs, plus their arrival and departure time in different urban areas are considered. Distribution network constraints are also taken into account using linearized load flow equations. The proposed model is implemented in a 37-bus distribution system coupled with a 25-node transportation network which includes four different areas in terms of PEV travel type. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed model to cover the parking demand of PEVs with a limited number of PLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This examine introduces a novel personalised recommendation technique for cultural and innovative merchandise in traveler cities, leveraging the superior abilities of BERT4Rec along designated user photos to noticeably enhance the advice machine's precision and customization. with the aid of undertaking an in-intensity evaluation of users' historical conduct, the studies harnesses the state-of-the-art deep mastering and self-attention mechanisms intrinsic to BERT4Rec. This technique adeptly captures the nuanced long-range dependencies in user activities, imparting a profound perception into the styles and selections that define user behavior. The innovation extends to integrating these dynamic behavioral insights with the static demographic statistics of users—such as age, gender, and occupation—to forge a extra nuanced and whole user profile. This holistic view not solely mirrors the users' beyond interactions however also weaves in fundamental demographic information, paving the way for tailored and nuanced suggestions. The deployment of BERT4Rec stands as a testomony to its prowess in decoding complex consumer engagement tendencies and tendencies, whilst the fusion with consumer pix extensively bolsters the system's potential to cater to the various and specific desires of users.Empirical proof underscores the prevalence of this technique over modern tourism product advice algorithms, marking a giant stride in the realm of cultural innovative product recommendations inside traveler cities. furthermore, this paper's insights and methodologies provide treasured implications for reinforcing advice structures across severa domain names. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the issue of gender (im)balance in street and roundabout names in Poland's three largest cities: Warsaw, Kraków, and Łódź. The focus of this research falls within the area of urbanonymy, a field that has recently gained in international popularity. However, so far, Poland has received scant attention in urbanonymy, especially in the context of gender imbalance and feminist geography. As the current statistical analysis shows, Polish urbanonyms derived from male names considerably outnumber those derived from female names in Warsaw, Kraków, and Łódź. This paper provides a detailed data onomastic analysis of each of these cities, broken down by borough.1 This data presentation is preceded by a description of the public debate on urbanonyms and the role of women's names in public spaces in Poland. This debate is becoming increasingly frequent in Polish media and public discourse; this topicality has resulted in campaigns to have the gender imbalance in Polish eponymous urbanonyms redressed. In Kraków, one in three streets is named after a man, and urbanonyms named after males outnumber those named after females by 12.2:1. In Warsaw and Łódź, 1 in 5 eponymous urbanonyms is named after a man, and those named after a male outnumber those named after a female by 9.4:1 and 7.4:1 respectively. As this research shows, many of the reasons for this disproportion are to be found in the histories and contemporary socio-political profiles of Poland's individual regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of significant environmental changes, the urgency of adopting green innovation has become increasingly apparent as a central mechanism for adjusting industrial structures in China. This transition serves not only as a crucial way to address pressing environmental challenges, but also as a fundamental strategy to improve the ecological efficiency of urban areas. Existing research mainly keeps a close eye on the unidirectional relationship between variables such as technological innovation and environmental protection. There is less relevant literature that has researched the cointegration relationship among green innovation, industrial structure, and eco-efficiency of cities. The essential role of green innovation and industrial structure in reaching a higher eco-efficiency of city are discussed in this research and the relationship among these three variables are analyzed by the evidence from cities in China from 2011 to 2019. The fact that the variables are cointegrated in the long run is evidenced by the results for the full sample. The sub-sample results report that in the eastern region, green innovation, industrial structure upgrading, and industrial structure rationalization could improve urban eco-efficiency. However, in Midwest regions where economic development is relatively backward, green innovation's effect on urban eco-efficiency is not in a significant positive way. The results obtained in this paper have implications for different cities in China to formulate corresponding policies on green innovation, industrial structure, and urban eco-efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to improve carbon emission efficiency (CEE) to achieve sustainable economic development has triggered contemplation among society and policy-makers. Previous studies have confirmed that e-commerce development can reduce local carbon emissions, but the impact of e-commerce development on CEE is unclear. This paper investigates the impact of e-commerce development on CEE and its spatial spillover effect using Chinese city-level panel data, taking the National E-commerce Demonstration City (NEDC) policy as a quasi-natural experiment. Results show that the NEDC policy significantly improves local CEE by promoting industrial structure upgrading, green technology innovation, and improving energy efficiency. The influence is more pronounced in regions with inadequate information infrastructure, unfavorable business environment, and limited marketization. However, the NEDC policy has a negative spatial spillover effect, reducing surrounding cities' CEE. The findings unveil the complicated impact of e-commerce development on CEE and offer policy implications for improving inter-regional carbon reduction synergy and low-carbon economic transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The federal Housing Act of 1949 funded ‘urban renewal’, a programme to clear urban areas that White-run local governments deemed ‘slums’. From the 1950s to the 1980s, Roanoke joined hundreds of other American cities in levelling old neighbourhoods, usually home to Black citizens and other minorities. In this paper I recount my reporting in the early 1990s on the displacement of residents from neighbourhoods such as Northeast and adjacent Gainsboro. The city destroyed some 1,600 homes, twenty-four churches, Roanoke’s first post office, historic schools and around 200 small businesses. All were in one of the only sections where authorities allowed Black people to live. In scores of interviews people spoke longingly of life in their destroyed neighbourhoods and detailed an enduring distrust of their government and the local media that supported the clearances without reporting the consequences. After reading a copy of my 1995 report on how urban renewal uprooted Black Roanoke, Dr Mindy Fullilove visited the city, which would become a central case in Root Shock: How Tearing Up City Neighborhoods Hurts America and What Can We Do About It. Today, Roanoke is still recovering from the devastation of urban renewal. Residents repeatedly evoke this history as they scrutinize contemporary redevelopment plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) have become prominent in the past few years for the transportation sector. Vehicular mobility poses a significant challenge for establishing private communications in VANETs. The classical Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing protocol used in VANET assumes that all nodes are non-malicious. To address this matter, this paper proposes making AODV routing protocols more secure by using a privacy scheme in AODV for vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The AODV privacy scheme tries to keep the automobile network connected reliably and stably during communication with the secured transmission of messages and minimize the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive information from eavesdropper attacks. The proposed privacy secure AODV routing named PSAODV used pseudonym changes in vehicle communication to hide the target vehicle's location. A VANET simulator based on OMNET++ and SUMO are used for evaluating the PSAODV routing protocol. A simulation study was conducted that compared the PSAODV with SE-AOMDV, ECC-AODV, and AODV in fundamentals of efficiency and confidentiality. The analysis results showed that PSAODV routing demonstrates routing efficiency with privacy by diminishing the effect of eavesdropping of vehicles information based on various scenarios in urban cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This commentary revisits two contrasting papers published eighteen years apart which reveal how thinking about the role of the car and public transport in cities has changed, the first focusing on public transport policies, the second on micromobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olympic Games are repeatedly brought into the context of cost overruns. While various causes for cost overruns in major projects have been widely discussed, no systematic investigation of the reasons for cost overruns at Olympic Games have been conducted, to date. This paper provides a social science model that considers the current state of research on cost overruns in mega projects and at Olympic Games. This makes the complexity of cost overruns more manageable and the identification of causes for cost overruns in large projects much easier. Finally, recommendations to avoid cost overruns at Olympic Games are made. This paper sheds light on the fact that it is necessary to carry out a better review of potential host cities in order to provide greater support to the IOC in the organisation of Olympic Games and to establish an independent commission that would review all processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Urban planning in the Global South is insufficiently discussed in research. In addition to the global lack of utilization of research in practice, this lack of discussion resulted in an apparent gap between research, practice, governmental policies and education particularly in the Global South. The paper explores the inconsistency of interest between policymakers, practitioners and researchers by reviewing their themes of interest comparatively. The paper investigates the case study of Egypt, which recently faces a new regime with optimistic urban agendas and examines the research publication that coincided with it. Design/methodology/approach: A scientometric analysis is conducted on all urban planning publications in Egypt between 2016 and 2022 using the software 'CiteSpace'. The analysis illustrates the dominating research interests using the publications keyword. Findings: The analysis revealed a distinct interest between researchers, who were more invested in themes like 'planning policies', 'informal settings', 'urban expansion and growth' and 'urban governance and management', while policymakers were more devoted to themes related 'satellite cities or new cities', 'public transit and transit networks', 'informal settings' and 'urban expansion and growth'. The themes of interest are displayed in network analysis for a comparative analysis with other aspects like practices, governmental policies and education. Originality/value: The research utilizes all research publications in the field (in a selected period) to develop a study of the research interest in the field of urban planning in Egypt during the recent years. In addition, it uses novel scientometric software to assist in analysing existing publications to produce new findings and trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Española de Sociología is the property of Federacion Espanola de Sociologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

It is crucial to explore the impact of digital financial inclusion on tourism for national economic development. This paper utilizes panel data from 256 prefecture-level cities in China between 2011 and 2019 to examine the influence of digital financial inclusion on tourism. The findings demonstrate that digital financial inclusion significantly contributes to the development of the tourism industry. Notably, its coverage breadth, depth of use, and level of digitalization also have positive effects. Mechanism analysis reveals that digital financial inclusion facilitates the growth of tourism by supporting the development of tourism enterprises and enhancing consumer spending. Heterogeneity analysis further reveals regional and urban disparities in the promotion of digital financial inclusion, with the effect being more pronounced in the eastern region and larger cities. In comparison to existing studies, this paper delves into the mechanisms through which digital financial inclusion impacts tourism, as well as investigates regional and city size discrepancies. Consequently, governments should strive to foster the development of digital financial inclusion to attract market players and promote the advancement of residents' consumption, thereby bolstering tourism development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote work in cities is growing in popularity, fuelled by ongoing technological advances, the globalized knowledge economy, changing lifestyle preferences, the need to empower individuals, and - more recently - the effects of COVID-19. Social distancing measures introduced during the pandemic have inadvertently shown that a substantial proportion of work can be done from home or from third spaces such as co-working spaces. This paper offers a critical appraisal of the implications of this trend for neighbourhood planning and workplace design. The appraisal is in three parts. First, to set the scene, we review recent scholarship on changing work practices in the post-pandemic city. Second, we offer a summative account based on empirical data from a survey conducted by the City of Gold Coast in Australia. This survey explored the spatial distribution of remote, nomadic, and home-based workers in cities in order to discover certain socio-economic, design and built environment features that relate to this distribution. This illustrates the impact that an uptake of home-based work has for urban planning and community design. Third, we look at some of the working from home implications for career progression and productivity, as well as physical and mental health. Based on perspectives from architectural science, environmental psychology and design, this part of the paper employs human-building interaction design scholarship to argue for the design of healthy work environments - both at home and in neighbourhoods - that increase productivity, reduce sick days, and yield bett er health outcomes for the home-based workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The redesign of Eleftheria Square was imagined to be the spearhead of a new era in Nicosia's urban identity. However, the capital of Cyprus is still struggling with a complex decision-making process and a weak planning system. Rapid urban change, coupled with urban sprawl, are raising questions about the future of Nicosia, and other Cypriot cities. The aim of this paper is to position the redesign of Eleftheria Square within Nicosia's urban historical context. The paper explores the Ottoman and British approaches to the city's development, exposing how their legacies manifest in current ideologies and values about urban space. The redesign of Eleftheria Square is presented as an example of a third 'glocalised' approach, exacerbating the existing dichotomy between the Ottoman and British approaches. The article concludes by questioning Eleftheria Square's legacy and advocating for a wider discussion about what constitutes, influences and drives urban change in Nicosia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on Angoulême, a town in Bordeaux and the Atlantic coast in France. The town was the center of the French paper industry during the 17th century. Festival de la Bande Dessinée or the Festival of Cartoons is being held in the town during January. The highlight of the celebration is the Centre National de la Bande Dessinée ed de I'Image.

The security of the Earth system has been extensively discussed through the concept of planetary boundaries, which hypothesizes the Anthropocene as the crisis for pushing environmental variables beyond safe limits. Cities, as burgeoning population centers, warrant heightened attention to issues surrounding planetary boundaries and ecological security. While groundwork has been laid for environmental change detection, the acoustic or soundscape perspective is rarely considered. This paper presents abundant empirical evidence supporting the feasibility of leveraging the soundscape as a valuable lens for exploring ecosystem structures, functions, and their contribution to human well-being. Particularly, it proposes spatialized soundscape maps as practical tools to implement this innovative perspective. We elaborate on two key aspects: (i) soundscape as a reflection of ecosystem evolution, enabling evaluation of ecosystem structures, interactions, and the ecosystem's functions; (ii) soundscape has the attribution of providing cultural services, allowing assessment of its impact on human health. Consequently, we propose two paradigms: (i) "security in soundscape" and (ii) "security of soundscape", thereby initiated the concept of "soundscape for security". Furthermore, we outline two generalized pathways: (i) soundscape monitoring, encompassing long-term strategies for real-time tracking of ecosystem evolution, and (ii) soundscape perception, involving detailed surveys to investigate perception and public participatory sensing for large-scale evaluation of ecosystem cultural services. We argue that integrating soundscape considerations holds promise in urban ecological security initiatives and the pursuit of sustainable cities. Moving forward, collective efforts among academics are crucial to establish widely accepted protocols to maximize the value of soundscape for urban ecological security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our objective in this paper is to evaluate the benefits of bus transit. To obtain the more accurate and highly discrimination results, this study establishes an evaluation indicator system from a stakeholder perspective and proposes a novel combined method consisting of dynamic network data envelopment analysis, cross-efficiency evaluation, and Shannon entropy aggregation method. An empirical study of bus transit systems in 33 key Chinese cities from 2016 to 2019 is provided. The results show that the benefit of bus transit in most key cities was ineffective. In contrast to production efficiency, focusing on improving service effectiveness is more conducive to improving the benefits of bus transit. Small cities have higher benefits than large cities. Meanwhile, the benefits of bus transit vary geographically. This evaluation outcome provides a more appropriate basis for decision-making related to the benefits of public transit services, as well as for operational and management studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multitude of factors contribute to quality service in restaurants, classified into dimensions such as tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. Gratifying guests is crucial for retaining current patrons and enticing new ones, resulting in benefits like heightened loyalty and positive word-of-mouth promotion. This, in turn, influences profitability and the restaurant's long-term presence in the market. This paper seeks to analyze the factors impacting guest satisfaction in Kosovo's restaurants, including assessing the quantifiable impact of these factors on overall guest contentment. A structured questionnaire on Five point Licker scale was used to collect the data. The survey covers 200 guests in classic restaurants in different cities in Kosovo. A cross-tabulation of the survey variables was performed, applying the correlation method and multiple regression analysis to determine the direction and strength of each group of factors on guest satisfaction in Kosovo. The study reveals a positive impact of all service quality dimensions on guest satisfaction, including tangible elements (correlation 0.859, determination 0.738), reliability (correlation 0.870, determination 0.758), responsiveness (correlation 0.948, determination 0.889), assurance (correlation 0.876, determination 0.768), and empathy (correlation 0.804, determination 0.646). This underscores the importance for restaurants to focus on these dimensions to retain existing and attract new guests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using and connecting different technologies to improve the quality of urban life is a significant challenge for smart cities. The interconnection of transport, energy, water, public lighting, and other urban infrastructure systems is critical to providing quality services to citizens and reducing environmental impact. However, data interoperability from these systems is a significant challenge, as data is mainly stored in different formats and locations from various sources. This paper examines the challenges of integrating existing datasets in intelligent cities and proposes solutions to create secure and interoperable data-sharing environments. To this end, an approach called data federation is discussed by implementing a federated platform for integrating such data. However, it is essential to note that there may be challenges in terms of cybersecurity and interoperability. This is where context brokers play a crucial role, regulating access to data by enforcing rules and providing security standards. In this way, these challenges can be managed appropriately, ensuring data protection and the system's proper functioning. Finally, it is essential to mention that this work is linked to a smart cities project, which aims to promote innovation in smart cities by implementing several innovative solutions. The study presented in this research contributes to understanding the challenges in smart cities. It proposes solutions for creating secure and interoperable data-sharing environments, which are essential both for the project's success and for the development of smart cities worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Szociológiai Szemle is the property of Hungarian Sociological Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Over the past five decades, a vast literature on gentrification has developed. Evidence of gentrification in South African cities has been recorded in historically White neighbourhoods or city districts. The presence of gentrification in peripheral, poor, traditionally Black townships has had very little (if any) consideration in the literature, and this investigation aims to address aspects of this scholarly oversight. The paper is set in the iconic South African township of Soweto. It is argued that the Vilakazi precinct in Orlando West is an example of tourism-led gentrification. The investigation unpacks the development and gentrification of the precinct and the range of tourism roles therein. The study found that residents’ experiences were mixed; some aspects of expanded leisure and services were seen positively, while forms of economic and social exclusion were also recorded following the literature on township tourism. This unique case study connects the Global North and South experience of tourism-led gentrification, arguing that much common ground between these regions is to be found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]