The cultural landscape of the Bhagirathi-Hooghly riverfront in Kolkata, India: studies on its built and natural heritage

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suchandra Bardhan ◽  
Souporni Paul
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Landscape ◽  
Heritage Management ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Natural Heritage ◽  
Regulatory Systems ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Indian City ◽  
Landscape Heritage

PurposeThe paper introduces a lesser-known cultural landscape along the sacred Bhagirathi-Hooghly river in the Indian city of Kolkata, with particular reference to its built and natural heritage. The narratives cover the cultural and ecological qualities of the unique “ghat-scape” (riverfront pavilions with steps descending into the river) and their contemporary urban challenges. It also explores the suitability of the Historic Cultural Landscape (HCL) tools, or their adapted versions, in managing this exceptional landscape.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is structured under six discrete sections covering the inventory and assessment, interpretation and evaluation and possible roadmap for the ecological restoration of the riverfront cultural landscape. Primary and secondary studies were conducted to understand the related challenges and opportunities. The authors then examined the application of the HCL tools based on a conceptual framework and identified the alternative approaches suitable for its restoration. Finally, a successfully restored ghat environ is taken as a model and reviewed against the most potent approach in addressing the eco-cultural criticalities.FindingsThe paper argues in favour of a paradigm shift from riverfront “development” to riverfront “restoration” with particular emphasis on the ghat-architecture. Three eco-cultural restoration alternatives were derived out of the HCL principles. A practical case study found that a community-led approach positively influences restorative actions, cultural heritage management and long-term sustainability.Originality/valueThe HCL tools comprising planning, regulatory systems, financial designs and community engagement have been explored for the first time in the context of the unique riverfront “ghatscape” of Kolkata. An under-discussed topic, it has been brought to the centre stage to gain new insights into the Indian cultural landscape heritage. An HCL-based new approach in their management came forth through a review of a successful case study.

Building insurance through an NGO

2016 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Christine Bélanger
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Crop Insurance ◽  
Specific Training ◽  
Close Collaboration ◽  
Agricultural Insurance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

Purpose – This paper is based on a crop insurance implementation currently undergoing in Haiti. The purpose of this paper is to present the development of a program tailored to rice production in the Artibonite Valley, the challenges and opportunities that are arising from the exercise as well as pitfalls and ways to avoid them. Design/methodology/approach – The Système de Financement et d’Assurances Agricoles en Haïti’s approach for the development of crop insurance is in accordance with 13 concepts considered essential in the implementation of agricultural insurance programs. The case study is presented through each of these 13 fundamental concepts. Findings – The paper provides an insight on challenges any organization will face when implementing crop insurance for smallholder farmers. It points out notably that close collaboration of executing agencies with local partners is essential from data collection through insurance development and delivery and that all participants should receive a specific training tailored to their level of education and understanding. Social implications – Haiti is one of the poorest countries on the planet. Smallholder farmers could benefit a lot from crop insurance. It could help them stabilize their income when facing crop losses due to natural hazards or uncontrollable natural events. Originality/value – This paper fulfills an identified need to share real case studies exposing challenges faced when implementing crop insurance for smallholder farmers.

The Snow-Capped Mountain and the Uranium Mine

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 234-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chip Colwell ◽  
T. J. Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Landscape ◽  
Heritage Management ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Uranium Mine ◽  
Sacred Landscape ◽  
Federal Mandate ◽  
Traditional Cultural Properties ◽  
Living Being ◽  
Descendant Communities

AbstractKnown in English as Mount Taylor, Dewankwin Kyaba:chu Yalanne (“in the east snow-capped mountain”) in northwestern New Mexico is a sacred landscape to the Zuni people. From an archaeological perspective, the mountain is dotted with hundreds of discrete archaeological sites that record 12,000 years of history. From a Zuni perspective, Mount Taylor is a rich cultural landscape—a tangible record of ancestral migrations, a living being, a pilgrimage site, a referent in religious prayers, a spiritual source of rain, and a collecting place for spring water, animals, minerals, and plants. For Zunis, all of these facets of the mountain combine to create a “total landscape” that is both a source and an instrument of Zuni culture. This article presents a case study of a compliance project to document the potential impacts of a proposed uranium mine at the base of Mount Taylor on Zuni traditional cultural properties. The project demonstrates how archaeologists can benefit from a landscape perspective that builds from the traditional knowledge of descendant communities. The Zuni standpoint further helps shape a CRM practice that is anthropologically informed and consistent with a developing federal mandate to use landscape-scale analysis in heritage management and mitigation practices.

Guided heritage walks as a tool for inclusive heritage education: case study of New Delhi

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekta Chauhan ◽  
Sanjana Anand
Keyword(s):  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Heritage Management ◽  
New Delhi ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Heritage Education

PurposeThis paper studies the role of heritage walks and tours in promoting inclusive education. It assesses if these walks are an effective method of exhibiting culture and facilitating inclusive heritage learning. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to establish that walks can play an imperative role in creating greater sensitivity towards heritage and conservation.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a case study approach using mixed methods. Participants for qualitative interviews were chosen using purposive sampling and six interview schedules were sent to walk leaders. Walk participant data were collected through participant observation and standardised survey with randomly selected participants of the case walks. Surveys were sent to participants electronically.FindingsHeritage walks play a crucial role in not only imparting knowledge about history and heritage but also as a tool for learning other crucial skills, competencies, values, attitudes, etc. This paper attempts to highlight that walks are an effective and inclusive way to shed light on the alternative and forgotten stories. As an educational tool these walks can not only encourage the development of historical knowledge and appreciation but also assist in the development of competency to “de-construct” mainstream “grand narratives”, questioning and learning about the forgotten.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper has limited itself to the study of select cases in New Delhi. Since the study has followed a case study design, it does not produce a largely generalizable result, but rather examines and understands the dynamics of particular walks and produces insights that may well be applicable in other contexts. Whilst this paper makes an attempt to understand the changes in perception and attitudes, it does not study behavioural changes.Social implicationsIn the long run, walks allow for meaningful citizen engagement with tangible heritage such as monuments as well as intangible heritage such as practices and festivals. This allows for appreciation for the value of heritage resources and leads to a demand for better conservation and preservation from the authorities. In a few cases, local citizens themselves lead heritage management and development activities in a bid to promote their local culture. This paper has shown that heritage walks can be helpful tools in giving “forgotten” voices and stories recognition in contemporary society.Originality/valueAs heritage walks have recently gained popularity, there has been very limited research in the field especially linking heritage walks to heritage education. This is especially true for India. Even a city like New Delhi, which boasts of a robust heritage and is one of the tourism hubs of the country, heritage walks have been a very recent phenomenon. This research aims to address this lacuna in academic research and contribute meaningfully to the field of heritage education and conservation by studying how heritage walks support and promote inclusive heritage education.

The use of an analytic hierarchy process to evaluate the flexibility and adaptability in architecture

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine De Paris ◽  
Carlos Nuno Lacerda Lopes ◽  
Alvaro Neuenfeldt Junior
Keyword(s):  
Multicriteria Analysis ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Cultural Issues ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Scientific Analysis ◽  
Criteria Importance ◽  
Hierarchy Process ◽  
Complex Subject

PurposeInvestigation of housing adaptability is related to understanding factors that influence project transformation. Factors may be associated with the design and project stage as also alternative uses to existing buildings. To structure methodology for criteria analysis of adaptability, the research aims to verify the importance level of factors related to adaptability and flexibility context in architecture.Design/methodology/approachEmploying a multicriteria analysis and a diagnosis performed with architecture professionals, criteria importance identified in a bibliographic survey is contacted.FindingsWith harmonious results, key elements highlighted in the diagnosis are discussed. Adaptability and flexibility are mainly related to balance in the design of spaces and their connections, so the user can have control administrating the organization of their habitat.Originality/valueAs a complex subject, involving legal, social and cultural issues, the multicriteria method supports the scientific analysis of data. The results can be used in a practical case study as assessment of housing adaptability and flexibility, as a useful tool to decision support in architectural project.

scholarly journals Challenges to urban cultural heritage conservation and management in the historic centre of Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan-Iraq

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanaw M. Taqi M. Amin ◽  
Emmanuel Akwasi Adu-Ampong
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Heritage Management ◽  
Heritage Conservation ◽  
Cultural Heritage Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Conservation Projects ◽  
Historic City ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges to urban cultural heritage management conservation in the historical city of Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan-Iraq. The paper focusses on the roles and interactions of stakeholders and the issues that confront the decision-making processes that underpin the management of historic city towns. Design/methodology/approach A case study methodology is utilised for this research. It involves documentary analysis and interviews with stakeholders who are part of the management of the historic city centre of Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan-Iraq. The findings from this case study are analysed in a systematic way before being discussed in the context of the literature on urban cultural heritage management. Findings The research shows that although there is a shared vision of the need to preserve and conserve urban cultural heritage, the management process is a contentious one. Stakeholders have different ideas as to how to achieve conservation goals which leads to increasing conflicts among stakeholders. This situation is compounded by the limited financial resources available to local government agencies, political interference in the work of implementation agencies and the lack of capacity in local government to enforce rules and carry out conservation projects. There are also significant power differentials among stakeholders in the decision-making process which often means that local residents are excluded from the process of conserving their built urban heritage. Practical implications This research can help practitioners who are in charge of urban cultural heritage management in dealing with stakeholder conflicts. The paper offers insight into a number of sources of stakeholder conflicts and on ways to overcome these in the planning process. Originality/value The originality of research lies in the novelty of the case study area. This research highlights the issues of built heritage conservation management and planning practices in an area – Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan-Iraq – that is geographically less represented in the extant literature. The research also identifies some of the key sources of conflict in urban heritage conservation projects and provides an insight into the roles of stakeholders in the management of smaller locally-dependent historic city centres.

Adoption and implementation of new technologies in hospitals: a network perspective

IMP Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 368-391
Author(s):  
Olga Mikhailova
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Advanced Medical Technology ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Danish Hospital ◽  
Innovation Processes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address challenges and opportunities that smaller hospitals with limited resources may face when they are adopting and implementing innovative technologies. Design/methodology/approach Based on a single case study with interviews and document analysis, this paper focuses on the recombination of resources, actors and activities during the process of technology adoption and implementation at a Danish hospital. Theoretically, it takes an interaction perspective for exploring the interplay between inner and outer networking during the innovation processes. Findings This study illustrates how the adoption and implementation of advanced medical technology requires significant investment, which is particularly burdensome for smaller hospitals. Constrained by limited resources, they have to develop creative combinations of resources through negotiation and embrace collaborative approaches to join and sustain themselves in the user-producer network. Originality/value This paper contributes to the innovation field by suggesting ways in which practitioners at smaller hospitals can align with technology providers’ strategies and succeed by positioning their hospitals in relation to extended user-producer networks. This study further emphasizes the necessity of a broader discussion regarding the importance of user-producer interactions during innovation processes in health care settings.

scholarly journals Public relations for peacebuilding: case study from Colombia

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-66
Author(s):  
Ivana Monnard ◽  
Krishnamurthy Sriramesh
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Peace Treaty ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Peace Agreement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Whole Process ◽  
Colombian Government ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to link public relations to peacebuilding. Although scholarship has discussed public relations as relationship management, the nexus between public relations and peace building has been understudied. To address this deficiency, this research studies the negotiations between the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP separatist group that lead to the landmark peace treaty between the two entities that had fought for over five decades with thousands of deaths. Three research questions addressed the communication factors that contributed to the two sworn enemies – FARC-EP and the Colombian Government – finally sealing a peace agreement; the specific public relations strategies and techniques that led to relationship building between the two sides leading to the landmark peace agreement; and the use of the indicators of relationship building proposed by scholarship in the negotiations between the Colombian Government and FARC-EP. Design/methodology/approach The case study method was used and a purposive sample of news reports from three national newspapers at specific key dates yielding a final sample consisted of 504 articles was analysed. A codebook with deductive and inductive categories was developed specially to study the existing communication factors (RQ1), public relations strategies and techniques (RQ2), as well as contributions by relationship indicators (RQ3). Given the sensitivity of the issues, only secondary data could be relied upon for this study. Findings The results of RQ1 fall within the scope of Grunig’s (2001), Sriramesh’s (1992) and Hung’s (2001) notion of the personal influence model where the leveraging of individuals’ network is important to facilitate communication. Indeed, the relations already existing and established with third parties are revealed to be fundamental to the success of the negotiation process. As for RQ2, findings demonstrate that the Colombian Government used third-party mediation, principled and distributive strategies, while FARC-EP mainly used contending strategies. But results showed that both used compromising during the whole process, and that both transitioned from one-way asymmetrical strategies, such as principled or contending towards compromising along the peace talks. Finally, findings demonstrate evidence of the four indicators of the relationship and their link with public relations techniques. The most evidenced indicators of the relationship were trust, commitment and control mutuality. Trust was the indicator of the relationship the most evidenced in the Colombian case. The dimension was built during the whole process and evolved continually. Distrust was the total between the two enemies at the beginning of the pre-negotiation. However, as parties entered into a relationship, confidence and trust increased. Research limitations/implications The inability to obtain primary data is the major limitation of this study. It was caused by the sensitivity of the topic. Practical implications This study links public relations to a very practical case that is also vastly understudied/underreported – peacemaking/peacebuilding – while also addressing communication by governments and civil society in Latin America – an area that is largely understudied. Originality/value This is the first study that links public relations with peacebuilding.

Enhancing student participation in information literacy course based on Rain Classroom: a case study

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 522-536
Author(s):  
Lifeng Han ◽  
Zhenbo Lu
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Student Participation ◽  
Teaching Tool ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Class Interaction

Purpose Student participation has been an important issue for information literacy (IL) teachings. The purpose of this paper is to promote active student participation in IL courses with Rain Classroom, an intelligent teaching tool. Design/methodology/approach Using mixed method research, the paper presents a practical case study of the author’s experiences with Rain Classroom to improve teaching and learning of IL. Findings The study shows that Rain Classroom helps implement problem-based learning, promote student participation in class interaction and optimize learning experience, which facilitates a shift of the IL course from passive to active learning. Research limitations/implications It is known that university public courses have large class sizes (more than 50 students per class), and, therefore, class interaction is difficult to organize. So this is a big issue for the researchers to study. Practical implications The proposed Rain Classroom is a free teaching tool and can be used in other academic libraries to enhance active student participation in IL lessons. Social implications The paper includes implications for improving interaction in large-size conference or trainings using Rain Classroom. Originality/value The existing literature has not traced the reports on using the Rain Classroom to enhance student participation in IL courses in academic libraries. This paper intends to fill this gap and share practical methods and experiences, deepening the application research of Rain Classroom.

Students at the center in emerging academic models: embedded information literacy and distance services in the University of Wisconsin System Flex degree

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 12-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin M. Woodward
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Competency Based Education ◽  
University Of Wisconsin ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Competency Based ◽  
The University

Purpose – As a model of competency-based education (CBE), the University of Wisconsin (UW) System Flex options present a unique case study of challenges and opportunities for embedding student-centered library services and information literacy. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, we describe strategies for engaging with the evolving Flex curriculum, the needs of an unknown student body and the role of new student support staff. The author notes the relevance of examining the library’s role in Flex at this time, given the potential for growth nationally in CBE. Findings – The challenges the author faced initially were closely tied with opportunities that once examined, formed the basis of the embedded library model for competency-based education. Further, the author found opportunities to articulate their role in Flex on their campus and share with other institutions. Originality/value – This case study is based on the author’s experiences embedding Information Literacy and Distance Services in the Flex option at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

“When we say ‘urgent’ it means now …”

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 143-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Griffith ◽  
Jon Glasby
Keyword(s):  
Social Care ◽  
Professional Culture ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Senior Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Structural Solutions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the perceptions which senior health and social care leaders have of their own organisations and of partner agencies, illustrating a possible method for beginning to think and talk about organisational and professional culture in settings. Design/methodology/approach – This is a practical case study, with a group of senior leaders from across the health and social care system. Findings – Different groups were often more critical of their own organisations than of others, but could still identify certain characteristics that they associated with partner agencies. While there is much that we admire about ourself and others, we seldom get chance to share this positive feedback. Equally, we rarely have the scope to give each other more challenging feedback and this – when carefully facilitated – can help build stronger relationships in the longer term. Research limitations/implications – Inter-agency working is often influenced by the implicit assumptions and stereotypes we hold about each other’s professional culture. Surfacing these in a safe, facilitated setting can help to explore and challenge such assumptions (where appropriate), reflect on how we see others and better understand how others see us. Originality/value – Policy debates about integrated care too often focus on structural “solutions” and arguably pay insufficient attention to the importance of culture. While work with front-line practitioners often tries to explore different perceptions of each other, it is less common for such an approach to be attempted with senior leaders.

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