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We report preliminary results of the derived stellar population metallicities and ages along the bars of a sample of 20 barred galaxies. We find that some galaxies show a positive radial bar metallicity gradient, implying that there has been a chemical enrichment and so that the star formation has lasted for a long time. This fact indicates that some bars are long lived. The radial negative metallicity gradient found along the bar of some of the galaxies possibly reflects the original disk gradient. The metallicity gradient seems to be correlated with the central stellar velocity dispersion, with positive metallicity gradient being found in galaxies with higher central velocity dispersion.

We discuss SAURON integral field observations of a sample of 42 spirals, ranging in type from Sa to Sd. Using 2D maps of the stellar velocity, velocity dispersion, and absorption line strength, it is now much easier to understand the nature of nearby galactic bulges and inner disks. Here we briefly present some of our results.

The radial and vertical exponential scale parameters of the stellar thin disks in 34 edge-on spiral galaxies were obtained by applying a two dimensional decomposition technique to I-band photometry. The results show that the disk scale height correlates well with the maximum rotational velocity. The contribution of the stellar disk to the maximum rotation is estimated from the disk flatness and is on average V-max(disk)/V-max = 0.50 +/- 0.18.

We have made a detailed study of the kinematics of the ionized gas in the nearly face-on spiral galaxy NGC 5668 by means of Fabry-Perot spectroscopy using the TAURUS II interferometer at the WHT. We have found in this galaxy several regions with important vertical motions which are clearly associated with star forming regions. This finding can provide a link between other phenomena observed in this galaxy (namely the high velocity clouds found by Schulman et al. 1996) and the star formation processes in the disk, as predicted by the chimney model by Norman & Ikeuchi (1989).

High resolution observations of the H I in galaxies provide important additional information for obtaining a proper view on galaxy evolution. This paper focuses on the effects of the environment and describes what we can learn from H I in interacting and/or merging systems.