scholarly journals Cities after pandemic: enabling social distancing as a new design standard to achieve urban immunity

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 345-360
Author(s):  
Nawras Motathud Mohammed Salih ◽  
Shaimaa Hameed Hussein

Motives: COVID-19 pandemic has caused worldwide implementation of unprecedented measures of physical distancing to decrease the potential of the COVID-19 infection. As cities respond to closure measures in order to flatten the infection curve, the challenges associated with the spread of the epidemic and the increasing numbers of infected and deaths that compel us to fundamentally rethink the formation of our cities, especially their streets, the research presents an urban review of the impact of the pandemic on cities and find solutions to recover, achieve a safe and sustainable healthy environment, and prepare better for any pandemic that may occur in the future, the research seeks to strengthen the theory of prevention, which the research proposes to call (urban immunity) by including social distancing as a design criterion in the city that has proven effective in flattening the curve. Aims: This paper focuses on the mechanisms related to sustainable mobility after COVID-19 in shaping urban mobility and initiating a green transformation in urban transportation rapidly by decarbonizing and promoting cycling and walking across all over the city. The research methodology depends on identifying the most important urban problems that Al-Dhubat Street suffers from and proposing solutions that reduce dependence on private transportation and move towards sustainable mobility as an important step in strengthening urban prevention against any epidemics that may occur in the future, and then testing indicators on the Al-Dhubat Street to identify effective indicators. Results: The research concluded that social distancing is the way back to active mobility by relying on walking and bicycles and works to restore the right of pedestrians in the streets and sidewalks instead of cars and thus achieve sustainable urban development, which enhances the urban immunity of the city against any other epidemics may occur in the future. With the proposed interventions on Al-Dhubat Street we can keep car use low and promote walking and cycling for a sustainable, equitable, habitable, and healthy community after the pandemic.

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 273-287

The article examines the impact of the discourses concerning idleness and food on the formation of “production art” in the socio-political context of revolutionary Petrograd. The author argues that the development of the theory and practice of this early productionism was closely related to the larger political, social and ideological processes in the city. The Futurists, who were in the epicenter of Petrograd politics during the Civil War (1918–1921), were well acquainted with both of the discourses mentioned, and they contrasted the idleness of the old art with the dedicated labor of the “artist-proletarians” whom they valued as highly as people in the “traditional” working professions. And the search for the “right to exist” became the most important goal in a starving city dominated by the ideology of radical communism. The author departs from the prevailing approach in the literature, which links the artistic thought of the Futurists to Soviet ideology in its abstract, generalized form, and instead elucidates ideological influences in order to consider the early production texts in their immediate social and political contexts. The article shows that the basic concepts of production art (“artist-proletarian,” “creative labor,” etc.) were part of the mainstream trends in the politics of “red Petrograd.” The Futurists borrowed the popular notion of the “commune” for the title of their main newspaper but also worked with the Committees of the Rural Poor and with the state institutions for procurement and distribution. They took an active part in the Fine Art Department of Narkompros (People’s Commissariat of Education). The theory of production art was created under these conditions. The individualistic protest and “aesthetic terror” of pre-revolutionary Futurism had to be reconsidered, and new state policy measures were based on them. The harsh socio-economic context of war communism prompted artists to rethink their own role in the “impending commune.” Further development of these ideas led to the Constructivist movement and strongly influenced the extremely diverse trends within the “left art” of the 1920s.


Belleten ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 76 (276) ◽  
pp. 385-402
Author(s):  
Murat Kılıç

The origins of the imperial cult in Smyrna date back to the Hellenistic period. It is a fact that political concerns were effective in the generation of such cults. Predicting the super power of the future and proving to be a loyal ally whilst acting in satisfactory behaviors were essential factors. The right preference made between two fighting or contending powers ensured that a city would benefit from various privileges in the future. For example, Symrna, which had established a cult in the city previously on behalf of Stratonice, the mother of Antiochus II of Seleucid dynasty, would do the same by building a temple in the name of the dty of Rome for the first time in Asia in 195 BC, after recognizing the rising power. Later on, while giving permission to the provinces that wanted to establish an imperial cult, the Roman emperors and the Senate would consider first, their relationships with Rome in the past and second, their origins. Smyrna, building its relationships with the Roman state on a solid basis, was granted the title of neokoros three times by the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Hadrianus and Caracalla, respectively. In this essay, the development of the Roman imperial cult in Smyrna is discussed within the historical process outlined above. An attempt has been made to put forth new opinions about the issue by discussing the academicians' evaluations on the imperial cult, which apparently was effectively executed in Smyrna between the first and third centuries AD, with the support of epigraphic and numismatic evidences.


Author(s):  
Agus Arwani

Accountants are the actors who contribute to the establishment and implementation of accounting as a structure. On the other hand the consequences of the application of modern accounting shows the impact of a less than satisfactory. Facts show the number of accounting manipulation scandal that hit the company's financial statements and the low awareness of their social responsibility and the environment implies that very large changes in accounting principals. Accounting reality is part of how accountants take on the role. Deviations reality always brings accountants as party central is how actors and structures form mutually met. Habitus actor '' greedy '' met with accounting (capitalism) as a structure that legitimize it. In reality accountant (agent) looks so lost in the shackles of capitalism, so the agency theory in the form of a conflict of interest, it seems to shift the basis of mutual symbiosis between the interests of management and accountants. Accountants must be returned khittah her as a sovereign profession, he is an ideologue as Rausyan Fikr. All forms of deep-an accountant in worship, glorify the '' number '' in the sense of making all tasks as tasks (treatises) '' prophetic '' to map the right stakeholders fairly and correctly. This can only take place within the frame sovereign  and raise awareness of the Godhead (fervently) to put God at the summit toward accountability. Readiness accountant sharia in entering the MEA in 2017 with preparing the capabilities and expertise of sharia-based accounting standards IFRS, Accounting Sharia must understand the risks of sharia, sharia accounting should be standardized SDI International, science and technology capabilities accountant sharia be reliable.


2021 ◽  
pp. 137-150
Author(s):  
Daniel-Joseph MacArthur-Seal

The sub-chapter traces major military and political developments in the eastern Mediterranean in 1918–1920, beginning with the arrival of British and Allied forces in Istanbul. It sketches out the political debate over the future of the city and wider Ottoman Empire through the series of Allied diplomatic meetings that set out the terms of what would become the Treaty of Sèvres. The chapter also summarises developments in Anatolia following the Greek occupation of Izmir in May 1919, the reaction to which crystalized the emerging nationalist movement in Anatolia, and in southern Russia and the Caucasus, where Bolshevik and White Russian forces competed for control with non-Russian national movements. Finally, it outlines the political debate over the future of Egypt and the impact of the revolution of 1919, one of a growing number of anti-colonial uprisings which Britain was forced to contend with in the period.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1049
Author(s):  
Yaqiong Wang ◽  
Guanghui Yuan ◽  
Ying Yan ◽  
Xueliang Zhang

Sustainable development is a long-term solution for urban development and a guideline for urban development. Only by better coordination around the population, resources, and environment can the city achieve sustained and steady development. In order to evaluate the efficiency of sustainable urban development under environmental constraints, this paper takes 13 prefecture-level cities in Jiangsu Province as an example. To address the infeasibility problem in the Malmquist-Luenberger (M-L) index, a modified M-L index analysis method based on the new directional distance function (DDF) is adopted. Combined with the consideration of desirable and undesirable outputs, a linear programming model for sustainable urban development evaluation is constructed to provide a scientific decision-making basis for sustainable development of the city. The results show that the growth of sustainable urban development efficiency is not only related to desirable outputs but also affected by undesirable outputs. Technical change is the main driver of most sustainable urban development efficiency growth. However, efficiency changes also affect the sustainable development potential of cities to a certain extent. Through the modified M-L index analysis, we analyze the characteristics of different regions of Jiangsu Province, the changes in efficiency and the impact of technological innovation on sustainable urban development, and give policy recommendations to promote sustainable urban development.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 679-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelos Alamanos ◽  
Stamatis Sfyris ◽  
Chrysostomos Fafoutis ◽  
Nikitas Mylopoulos

Abstract The relationship between water abstraction and water availability has turned into a major stress factor in the urban exploitation of water resources. The situation is expected to be sharpened in the future due to the intensity of extreme meteorological phenomena, and socio-economic changes affecting water demand. In the city of Volos, Greece, the number of water counters has been tripled during the last four decades. This study attempts to simulate the city's network, supply system and water demand through a forecasting model. The forecast was examined under several situations, based on climate change and socio-economic observations of the city, using meteorological, water pricing, users' income, level of education, family members, floor and residence size variables. The most interesting outputs are: (a) the impact of each variable in the water consumption and (b) water balance under four management scenarios, indicating the future water management conditions of the broader area, including demand and supply management. The results proved that rational water management can lead to remarkable water conservation. The simulation of real scenarios and future situations in the city's water demand and balance, is the innovative element of the study, making it capable of supporting the local water utility.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magda Mostafa

PurposeThe New Urban Agenda has catalyzed discussion across academia and practice on how to responsibly position ourselves as key players in the making of the future of our cities. With questions such as what is the right to the city? Who has those rights? What is a city? What is formal and who defines informal? These questions may prompt a need for departure from, or at least a reconsideration of the narrative surrounding formal and informal urbanism. This paper presents a pedagogical approach to addressing these and other questions within the framework of the new agenda. It reviews pedagogical approaches to understanding and learning to design within an informal context. It also foregrounds the process with the theoretical framing of Christopher Alexander's Pattern Language and Timeless way of Building as lenses through which to understand and identify common languages and intersections across the global spectrum of representations of informal urbanism. It then outlines the resultant process and products of a one-week intensive master-class and design charette of international scholars and students focusing on the Informal City.Design/methodology/approachIt reviews pedagogical approaches to understanding and learning to design within an informal context. It also foregrounds the process with the theoretical framing of Christopher Alexander's Pattern Language and Timeless way of Building as lenses through which to understand and identify common languages and intersections across the global spectrum of representations of informal urbanism. It then outlines the resultant process and products of a one-week intensive master-class and design charette of international scholars and students focusing on the Informal City.FindingsThe paper conclusively presents new nomenclature for informality that strives to shift the semantic lens from its current negative connotations to more productive, proactive and positive ones. It also presents an Informal City Manifesto, a call to arms of theoretical framing of how we think about the formal informal divide.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper, in part, outlines the results of a single studio with a small student number. Although diverse in its composition the student body is small.Originality/valueThis new framing could potentially allow us to best leverage lessons and mitigate challenges of the informal city condition, as our human settlements continue to urbanize.


Sociologija ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 475-491
Author(s):  
Miloje Grbin

This paper presents the impact of Henri Lefebvre?s thought in contemporary urban sociology. In the first chapter, the reader can find brief descriptions of two most relevant Lefebvre?s concepts linked to his comprehension of space: production of space, the right to the city and a couple of firmly related concepts. The second chapter presents several examples of their recent interpretations by the authors from different theoretical backgrounds. Simultaneously, it evaluates the relevance of Lefebvre?s theoretical assumptions in contemporary social context, as well as their theoretical and methodological relevance for further research and development of urban sociology. Conclusion emphasizes that Lefebvre?s ideas have a deep and long term influence in urban sociology.


Author(s):  
Irit Mevorach

This book interrogates the current cross-border insolvency regime and sets out a pattern to improve its future. In recent decades, and especially since the global financial crisis, a number of important initiatives have focused on developing effective solutions for managing the insolvency of multinational enterprises and financial institutions. This book takes stock of the varying success of previous policy, and identifies the gaps and biases that could be bridged by employing a range of strategies. The book first sets out the theoretical debates regarding cross-border insolvency and surveys the strengths and weaknesses of the prevailing method, ‘modified universalism’, synthesizing divergences into a rubric for both commercial entities and financial institutions. Adhering to these norms more robustly, the book argues, would enhance global welfare and produce the best outcomes for businesses and institutions. Drawing upon sources from international law as well as behavioural and economic theory, the book considers how to translate modified universalism into binding international law, how to choose the right instrument for cross-border insolvency, the impact instrument design has on decisions and choices, and the means to encourage compliance. In particular, the book proposes measures that could potentially overcome, or at least take into account, behavioural biases in decision-making in order to create a system that works for businesses, and offers a blueprint for the future of cross-border insolvency.


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