Tolerance zones: a pragmatic approach to respond to problems related to open alcohol and drug scenes in Bremen/Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna Prepeliczay ◽  
Henning Schmidt-Semisch
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Related Disorder ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Tolerance Zones ◽  
Drug And Alcohol ◽  
The City

Purpose This study aims to describe and analyse an approach in the city of Bremen (Germany) to establish streetwork-supported tolerance zones for local open drug and alcohol scenes to reduce related disorder and nuisance in public spaces. Design/methodology/approach The qualitative methodology included systematic participant observations at public sites of drug and alcohol use, and problem-centred interviews with different groups of respondents (residents, passers-by, trades people, drug users, experts from addiction help and police). Findings In residential districts, tolerance zones were well accepted by their target group and found to reduce perceived disorder and nuisance in public space. However, their success depends on the social and spatial conditions of the chosen location, its surrounding urban infrastructure, cooperation among local actors and characteristics of drug using groups. Originality/value Usually, policing of open drug scenes focuses on repression and law enforcement. The example of Bremen suggests that streetwork-supported tolerance zones dedicated to the drug scene can substantially reduce disorder and nuisance in public space.

Mapping “drug places” from below. The lived cities of marginalized drug users

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-212
Author(s):  
Mélina Germes ◽  
Luise Klaus ◽  
Svea Steckhan
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Production Of Space ◽  
Public Places ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Perspective ◽  
Drug Policies ◽  
Situated Perspective ◽  
German Cities ◽  
The City

Purpose On top of their legal, economic, social and institutional marginalization, marginalized drug users (MDUs) also experience political marginalization: drug policies shape their lives without their political participation. From a scientific as well as a political perspective, the inclusion of their various viewpoints and situated knowledge is a major challenge, and one to which this paper aims to contribute in light of the experiences and imaginaries of MDUs urban spaces in several German cities. Design/methodology/approach Following a socio-geographical approach, this paper interrogates how MDUs appropriate and imagine the city, drawing on Lefebvre’s Production of Space and mixing critical cartographic with grounded theory, in the attempt to both understand and reconstruct the world from the situated perspective of MDUs based on their own words, drawings and emotions. Findings The narratives and drawings of participants show another cityscape, radically different from the hegemonic discourses and mappings antagonizing MDUs and making their existence a social problem. Space appears as a means of marginalization: there are barely any places that MDUs can legitimately appropriate-least of all so-called “public space.” By contrast, MDUs’ imaginaries of an ideal city would accommodate their existence and address further social justice issues. Originality/value The notion of “public places” appears unable to express MDU’s experiences. Instead of focusing on the problem of public spaces, policymakers should tackle the question of placemaking for MDUs beyond the level of solely drug-related places.

COVID-19 pandemic and the poor in the urban spaces of India with special reference to Mumbai

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sujayita Bhattacharjee ◽  
Sanjukta Sattar
Keyword(s):  
Special Reference ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Right To The City ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Social ◽  
Socioeconomic Crisis ◽  
The City

PurposeThe lives of the poor in the urban spaces of India are filled with hardships. They live amidst poverty and struggle to survive within other problems such as insecure jobs, lack of proper housing, unsanitary conditions and low levels of health immunity. This vulnerable section of the population has been rendered furthermore vulnerable by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in ways that were never imagined before. Taking this into consideration, the purpose of this article is to examine the vulnerability of the poor in the urban settings of India with special reference to Mumbai in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology adopted in the study is based on the analysis of secondary data and content analysis of the existing literature. In addition to this, the study also makes use of certain narratives of the urban poor in Mumbai that have been captured by various articles, reports and blogs.FindingsThe findings of the study reveal how the urban poor of India, with special reference to Mumbai, the financial capital of India, has emerged as the worst sufferers of the socioeconomic crisis caused by the social distancing and lockdown measures imposed for combating the pandemic.Originality/valueThe study tries to explore the reality of the urban poor's right to the city in the wake of the pandemic.

scholarly journals Free or paid: the uses of Roses Citadel (Catalonia)

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-120
Author(s):  
Josep Burch ◽  
Modest Fluvià ◽  
Ricard Rigall ◽  
Albert Saló ◽  
Gabriel Alcalde
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Economic Analyses ◽  
Social Use ◽  
The Town

Purpose The Roses Citadel is a bastioned fortification that has archaeological remains from the Greek, Roman and medieval periods in its interior. Currently, the area inside the Citadel is used for a wide range of activities; some directly related with the heritage item, others associated with its use as a public space for the town. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the economic interest of charging an entrance fee vs the alternative of free access and offers a framework to address this issue. Design/methodology/approach The proposal is to consider the marginal cost of increasing the number of users and to carry out a travel cost analysis. It is vital to take into account the results of specifically economic analyses, but the evaluations of social policies should also be considered, and should have a considerable weight in decision making. Findings It is proposed that free entry would bring about an increase in the number of visitors and users of Roses Citadel. In turn, this increase would lead to a greater social use of this heritage asset, and a chance for the least privileged sectors of society to use the site more. Financial resources for the maintenance of the asset would not be raised through entry fees, but through contributions relating to the increase in the social consideration of the site. Originality/value In the context of a discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of paying an entry fee for heritage assets, the example of Roses Citadel provides several factors for consideration. It shows that payment of an entry fee affects use of the site by society, and particularly by the local community, whereas free access leads to a wide range of opportunities for use.

scholarly journals Poetic Examination of Spatial Experience: Suprematist Composition No. 1, Black on Grey by Kristina Leko

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-176
Author(s):  
Katarina Rukavina
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Contemporary Art ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Spatial Experience ◽  
The Public ◽  
Social Sphere ◽  
The Social ◽  
Material Goods ◽  
Art Intervention ◽  
The City

The paper analyses the concept of space in contemporary art on the example of Suprematist Composition No. 1, Black on Grey by Kristina Leko from 2008. Referring to Malevich’s suprematism, in December 2008 Leko initiated a project of art intervention in Ban Jelačić Square in Zagreb, where she intended to cover in black all commercials, advertisements, signs and names of various companies. This poetic intervention, as the artist calls it, was intended to prompt people to relativise material goods in the pre-Christmas period. However, despite the authorisation obtained from the city authorities, the companies concerned refused to remove their respective advertisements, be it for only for 24 hours, so this project has never been realised. The project, however, does exist in the virtual space, which is also public, and continues to act in the form of documentation. The non-feasibility of the intervention, or rather its invisibility on Jelačić Square, makes visible or directly indicates the ordering of the powers and the constellation of values in the social sphere, thus raising new questions. Indeed, in this way it actually enters the public space, sensitising and expanding it at the same time.

scholarly journals La noción de cultura popular: Interés de los debates entre los 80 y 90 del siglo XX para reflexionar sobre la contemporaneidad

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 112
Author(s):  
Manuel Kingman
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Collective Work ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Social ◽  
Cultura Popular ◽  
The Status ◽  
Siglo Xx ◽  
The City ◽  
Arte Contemporáneo

ResumenEl presente artículo referencia teorías sobre la cultura popular ubicadas en las décadas del 80 y el 90 del siglo pasado, un período de reflexión pertinente y profunda en torno al término. Se visibiliza la complejidad de la noción de cultura popular, así como las distintas significaciones y sentidos que ha tenido el concepto. También se estudian ciertas entradas teóricas que son útiles para analizar la cultura popular. Se piensa en estos insumos teóricos como herramientas para reflexionar sobre las representaciones, diálogos y tensiones entre el arte contemporáneo y las manifestaciones estéticas populares.Palabras clavesCultura popular; arte contemporáneo; teoría cultural; antropologíaWork, Dialogue, Occupation and Cooperativism at Casa TomadaVictoria Rodríguez do CampoAbstractThe interdisciplinary art project Casa Tomada operates as a trigger for addressing issues of the social and artistic contemporary juncture. The fiction created by the National House of the Bicentennial, cultural space of the City of Buenos Aires, opens the way to consider alternative forms of creation in which the status of the artist's work is put in check and renewed interstices are glimpsed through the action of the multiple actors that surround the project. With illegal political action as a starting point – the forced occupation of a public space, Casa Tomada is committed to showing a multiplicity of conflicts, tensions, questions as well as possible answers, which are always contingent and applicable both to the social and the artistic spheres.KeywordsContemporary art; occupation, politics; collective work; interdisciplinarity La noción de lectura popular  interés debatekunape entre 80 y 90 siglo XX iuiarengapa contemporaniedadmandaManuel kiingman Maillallachiska:Kai articulok referenciame teoriakuna cultura kaska decadape posagchunga y  iskun chunga ialiska siglomanda, sug suma iuiarei entorno  terminomanda. Kauarenme complejidad nocionpe cultura popularpe chasallata sug rigcha significación y sentido iukarka chi concepto. Chasallata analizare sug entradakuna  teóricas valenkuna analizangapa cultura popular. Iuairenme  kai insumo teóricos herramientasina iuiarengapa representacionkunamanda, rimai tensiones arte contemporaneanope y manifestación estéticas populares. Rimangapa Ministidukuna:Cultura popular; arte contemporáneo; teoría cultural; antropologíaLa notion de culture populaire : intérêts des débats entre les années 80 et 90 du XXe siècle pour réfléchir sur la contemporanéitéManuel KingmanRésuméCet article se réfère à des théories sur la culture populaire dans les années 80 et 90 du siècle dernier, une période de réflexion pertinente et profonde sur le terme. Il présente la complexité de la notion de culture populaire, ainsi que les différentes significations et usage du concept. Il étudie également certains éléments théoriques utiles à l'analyse de la culture populaire. Nous pensons à ces apports théoriques comme outils pour réfléchir sur les représentations, les dialogues et les tensions entre l'art contemporain et les manifestations esthétiques populaires.Mots clésCulture populaire; art contemporain; théorie culturelle; anthropologie

scholarly journals Wpływ kapitału społecznego mieszkańców na kształtowanie przestrzeni wspólnych w środowisku mieszkaniowym

2020 ◽  
pp. 42-54
Author(s):  
Anna Cudny
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
Urban Space ◽  
National Development ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Aesthetic Quality ◽  
The Social ◽  
The City

Influence of social capital of inhabitants on shaping common spaces in a housing environment The last two decades of the century have brought unusually many changes in the built environment. These include not only changes directly related to the emergence of a new urban fabric, but also changes in social attitudes towards common spaces located in residential areas. The built environment has never been evaluated so strongly. This assessment translates not only into the everyday outdoor activities of residents (necessary, optional and social activities), but also to economic projects (purchase, sale and rental of real estate). At the same time, the city ceases to be, as it has been so far, mainly subjected to criticism, and the residents are gradually changing their demanding attitude concerning the development of space to participate in the process of its creation. Society wants to have a real impact on urban space, especially on the space closest to them. Thus, the right to the city is no longer a privilege or a duty, but it becomes a need. Trying to meet this need results in a phenomenon which we can increasingly observe in Poland, and which we have been witnessing abroad for many years: activities in public space are changing into activities for public space. They include the transformation of common spaces related to the place of residence—improving their aesthetic quality, functional changes, modernization of development elements. Observing numerous examples of public participation in shaping public spaces, it was noticed that the initiation, course and effects of activities largely depend on the social capital of the group undertaking said activity. Accordingly, there is a need for research on the mutual relation between the level of social capital and the issue of shaping and managing public space with the participation of local communities, which will be the main topic of the paper. To investigate the above-mentioned issue, qualitative research methods were used in relation to the relationship: site visit, non-participant observation and focus interviews. This contributed to a comparative study of three selected Warsaw case studies. They were analysed in terms of meeting the qualitative criteria selected for the study. These criteria have been indicated on the basis of the Social Capital Development Strategy 2020, which is one of the parts of the Medium-Term National Development Strategy. The result of the analyses is an indication of derived factors from within the group of space users and external factors that have a positive and negative impact on initiating, carrying out and maintaining the effects of changes in common spaces developed with the participation of local communities in Polish conditions. The conclusions can be used to improve future participation processes related to urban space - both by non-professionals participating in them, as well as experts - architects and town planners.

scholarly journals CDMX Resilient Code: Water Commons in Mexico City

ZARCH ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 138-153
Author(s):  
Lorena Bello Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Mexico City ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
Common Goal ◽  
The Social ◽  
Strategic Program ◽  
The Government ◽  
The City

Using Mexico City (CDMX) as a paradigmatic example of seriously unbalanced water regimes, our project Resilient Code helps strengthen and communicate CDMX’s government efforts toward risk reduction and water resilience in marginal communities. Our project does so by bridging otherwise separate agents in the government towards a common goal: equitable resilience. Resilient Code provides design solutions that link the social infrastructure of PILARES (a network of 300 vocational schools distributed throughout the city) to CDMX’s environmental and risk reduction initiatives, including their Risk Atlas. This strategic program of design-based solutions began with “water resilience” as a Pilot to repurpose public space throughout underserviced barrios as a network of “water-commons”. Resilient Code helps partners in CDMX implement projects to reduce environmental risks and complement socio-economic programs, fostering growth of the “water-commons”. Resilient Code is socialized through a participatory game-based workshop, and through an online Atlas of Risk Reduction.

Tourist scams in the city: challenges for domestic travellers in urban China

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 294-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Li ◽  
Philip Pearce
Keyword(s):  
Social Situation ◽  
Urban China ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tourist Attractions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Quality Of Products ◽  
The City ◽  
Directing Attention

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify dominant scams against domestic tourists in popular tourism cities in China. There are two questions of concern: what types of scams do domestic tourists experience and are the patterns of scams different between the capital and regional cities? The social situation framework was employed to interpret the outcomes. Design/methodology/approach A content analysis facilitated by Leximancer software was applied to 102 Chinese travel blogs reporting experiences of being scammed in Beijing, Hangzhou, Xi’an, Sanya and Guilin. Clear themes and concepts emerged from the analysis of these travel reviews and differences in scamming patterns between Beijing and regional cities were identified. Findings The most frequently reported scams in the capital Beijing were linked to the chaotic environment at tourist attractions and the misbehaviours of tour agents. By way of contrast scams involving manipulating the weight and quality of products purchased were more common in regional cities. The differences between Beijing and other locations may lie in the greater monitoring of fraudulent practices in the capital. Additionally, the role of shills (confederates of the scammer) was highlighted in many of the scams studied. Originality/value Scams include a slightly less serious but still troublesome set of problems accompanying major crimes and assaults. Rare research specifically focussed on tourist scams despite substantive work discussing crimes against tourists as general. Implications of the present study lie in enriching the literature on scams against tourists. The analysis of scams as a special type of social situation proved to be insightful in directing attention to facets of the interaction thus providing connections to previous work and directions for further study. It is also promising to be developed to inform strategic approaches to creating a safer tourism environment in cities.

Epistemology, social inquiry and quantum theory

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 228-242
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Monk-Turner
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Popular Culture ◽  
Quantum Theory ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Social World ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Social ◽  
Modern Physics

PurposeThis work examines assumptions of positivism and the traditional scientific method.Design/methodology/approachInsights from quantum mechanics are explored especially as they relate to method, measurement and what is knowable. An argument is made that how social scientists, particularly sociologists, understand the nature of “reality out there” and describe the social world may be challenged by quantum ideas. The benefits of utilized mixed methods, considering quantum insights, cannot be overstated.FindingsIt is the proposition of this work that insights from modern physics alter the understanding of the world “out there.” Wheeler suggested that the most profound implication from modern physics is that “there is no out there” (1982; see also Baggott, 1992). Grappling with how modern physics may alter understanding in the social sciences will be difficult; however, that does not mean the task should not be undertaken (see Goswami, 1993). A starting point for the social sciences may be relinquishing an old mechanistic science that depends on the establishment of an objective, empirically based, verifiable reality. Mechanistic science demands “one true reality – a clear-cut reality on which everyone can agree…. Mechanistic science is by definition reductionistic…it has had to try to reduce complexity to oversimplification and process to statis. This creates an illusionary world…that has little or nothing to do with the complexity of the process of the reality of creation as we know, experience, and participate in it” (Goswami, 1993, pp. 64, 66).Research limitations/implicationsMany physicists have popularized quantum ideas for others interested in contemplating the implications of modern physics. Because of the difficulty in conceiving of quantum ideas, the meaning of the quantum in popular culture is far removed from the parent discipline. Thus, the culture has been shaped by the rhetoric and ideas surrounding the basic quantum mathematical formulas. And, over time, as quantum ideas have come to be part of the popular culture, even the link to the popularized literature in physics is lost. Rather, quantum ideas may be viewed as cultural formations that take on a life of their own.Practical implicationsThe work allows a critique of positivist method and provides insight on how to frame qualitative methodology in a new way.Social implicationsThe work utilizes popularized ideas in quantum theory: the preeminent theory that describes all matter. Little work in sociology utilizes this perspective in understanding research methods.Originality/valueQuantum insights have rarely been explored in highlighting limitations in positivism. The current work aims to build on quantum insights and how these may help us better understand the social world around us.

The effects of network hospitality on women empowerment

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Ern Yi Lim ◽  
Frederic Bouchon
Keyword(s):  
Developing Economies ◽  
Housing Markets ◽  
Women Empowerment ◽  
Kuala Lumpur ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Expectations ◽  
The Social ◽  
Worldwide Network ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

Purpose This concept paper aims to discuss the effects of network hospitality on women empowerment in the city of Kuala Lumpur. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a qualitative approach to analyse women engaged in Airbnb activity as hosts or guests. Findings Findings show new types of entrepreneurs, hospitality services, and socio-cultural expectations under this change. Originality/value The recent growth of Network Hospitality platforms such as Airbnb around the world has generated multiple impacts on urban destinations worldwide. Network hospitality is transforming the way tourism is produced and consumed. Several studies have analysed the impact of network hospitality on destinations’ accommodation and housing markets, the gentrification effects and users’ experience. However, studies on the social impacts of Airbnb in developing economies remain scarce. Network hospitality is creating entrepreneurship and mobility opportunities for women. In the case of Malaysia, there is a noticeable empowerment trend of women through network hospitality.

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