Excavation of a burnt mound at Meur, Sanday, Orkney

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
RONAN TOOLIS ◽  
RUBY CERÓN-CARRASCO ◽  
ROB ENGL ◽  
ALLAN HALL ◽  
FRASER HUNTER ◽  
...  

In early 2005 a cluster of orthostat stones was exposed by coastal erosion at Meur, Sanday, Orkney. The excavation revealed a stone trough within the centre of an open space defined by walls. It was associated with at least one compartment and a secondary corbelled cistern with an overflow drain and was surrounded by a mound of dark soil and burnt stones. This burnt mound structure, comparable with other burnt mounds in the Northern Isles, was occupied at some time between the late 2[Formula: see text] millennium and the mid 1[Formula: see text] millennium BC. The evidence from Meur and its comparison with evidence from elsewhere strongly indicates cooking as the primary function of this burnt mound. It is proposed that such cooking took the form of communal feasts that served to optimise the limited resources of the island's land holdings and so maintain social cohesion. This accords with evidence from elsewhere on Sanday for social and economic stability throughout this period.

2020 ◽  
Vol 170 ◽  
pp. 06019
Author(s):  
Rukhsana Badar ◽  
Sarika Bahadure

The global cities of the world are witnessing a visible disconnection of everyday life. In India the Smart City guidelines acknowledge the need to counter the growing social detachment and intolerance by encouraging interactions. They go further in identifying that preserving and creating of open spaces must be a key feature of comprehensive urban development. Most social relations are cemented within open spaces at the neighbourhood level. Previous studies examine the association between the attributes of neighbourhood open spaces and social activity but neglect to view the issue comprehensively. The present study turns to Lefebvre’s Unitary Theory which states that open space is a result of three forces; 1) perceived space which is the physical dimension and material quality identifiable by the senses; 2) conceived space created by planners and other agents as plans and documents; and 3) lived space which is shaped by the values attached and images generated through user experience. For open space conducive to social interactions these three aspects must work in tandem. With this consideration a framework of criteria and indicators is developed and used to measure and compare the open spaces in select neighbourhoods in Europe and India. The investigation thus reveals differences in all three aspects of neighbourhood spaces. It also reveals a discrepancy between the planning standards formulated and employed by the city authorities in providing the spaces and the actual needs of the community. The research aims to address this gap. The study of the Indian cases lays foundation for the use of the framework to measure open spaces in association with social cohesion and thereby contribute to the enhancement of the social infrastructure of the City.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 208-220
Author(s):  
Charlotte Räuchle

This article explores the potential of real-world labs (RWLs) and real-world experiments (RWEs) to be a fruitful addition to established approaches in urban planning in Germany. While transdisciplinary and transformative RWLs rooted in socio-ecological sustainability studies have become an important tool for experimenting with innovative solutions for environmental challenges in cities, RWLs aimed at improving social cohesion in neighbourhoods and fostering a communal life characterised by dialogue and solidarity are rare. To this latter aim, this article contributes with research experience from a transdisciplinary RWL on cooperative urban open space development seeking to foster social cohesion in super-diverse neighbourhoods in Germany. This article analyses the contradictory perceptions of the local stakeholders involved as regards the potentials of RWEs to be a meaningful addition to established planning practices. This article makes it clear that there is greater proximity between urban planning theory, practice, and RWEs than initially assumed. Nevertheless, RWEs have considerable potential as a positive complement to established approaches to urban planning and as a means of experimenting with open-ended encounter formats in neighbourhoods.


2016 ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Kamusella

Nations in the bubble of social reality: language and all that In the last century and a half scholars from different disciplines began to distinguish between material reality (the universe), the biosphere, and social reality (the semiosphere), as three important heuristic categories. In the latter half of the 20th century, the philosophers John L. Austin and John Searle proposed that language and its use enable humans to generate social reality. They also analyzed the mechanisms of the process. From another perspective, the evolutionary anthropologist Robin Dunbar offered an explanation of how language was selected in the process of human evolution, and argued that its primary function is group-building, that is, the generation of social cohesion. Drawing on these insights, the article proposes that the dilemma of whether nations exist objectively or are subjective entities can be resolved by analyzing this problem in the light of Searle’s distinction between ontological objectivity / subjectivity and epistemic objectivity / subjectivity. Narody w koronie rzeczywistości społecznej widziane z perspektywy językaOd półtora stulecia badacze z zakresu różnych dyscyplin zaczęli wyraźnie rozróżniać pomiędzy rzeczywistością materialną (tj. wszechświatem, ogółem bytów materialnych), biosferą oraz rzeczywistością społeczną (semiosferą), jako powiązanymi ze sobą trzema kategoriami analizy heurystycznej. W drugiej połowie XX stulecia filozofowie języka John L. Austin i John Searle dali tezę, iż to język oraz jego użycie pozwala ludziom generować rzeczywistość społeczną. Obydwaj również badali mechanizmy rządzące tym procesem generacji. Z kolei psycholog ewolucyjny Robin Dunbar przedstawił model wyjaśniający, jak język (tzn. biologiczna zdolność językowa) został wyselekcjonowany w procesie ewolucji. Na tej podstawie postawił on tezę, iż prymarną funkcją języka jest umożliwianie budowania grup ludzkich, czyli innymi słowy, generowanie potrzebnej ku temu spójności społecznej. Korzystając z powyżej wymienionych ustaleń, artykuł proponuje nowe podejście do szeroko dyskutowanej kwestii czy narody istnieją obiektywnie lub są subiektywnymi bytami, analizując to zagadnienie w świetle zaproponowanego przez J. Searle’a rozróżnienia pomiędzy ontyczną obiektywnością/subiektywnością a epistemiczną obiektywnością/subiektywnością.


Significance Peru’s main opposition party, Fuerza Popular (FP), will support the bid by left-wing parties to initiate impeachment proceedings. Kuczynski will argue that political and economic stability will suffer if he is toppled. Impacts Reform of the electoral system to limit corporate funding is unlikely to pass the present legislature. Suspension of major construction projects will stunt GDP growth this year. The sullied reputation of Peru’s political class will open space in the 2021 elections for those not yet accused of corruption.


Author(s):  
Shanta Pragyan Dash ◽  
N. Lakshmi Thilagam

Social cohesion in public open spaces has been recommended as one of the key elements for improving the wellbeing of the elderly. Social cohesion includes relational elements and individuals' feeling of association. Over the past few decades, increasing social interaction in the neighbourhood is part of larger urban areas and has been regarded as one of the social sustainability initiatives and plays an important role in megacities sustainability. Comprehending place attachment is necessary to enhance elderly people's interactions to make them self-reliant. The study aims to identify the characteristics of open spaces with their major influential factors for enhancing social cohesion for the well-being of the elderly in an urban residential environment through a systematic literature review. The study focuses on addressing three research questions and analysing its results from primary literature studies in the review process. Ten electronic databases were searched for relevant work from papers written in English between 2011 and 2021. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies were included. A narrative synthesis was carried out of published works to address the research questions after identifying the various characteristics.  The review, which includes 57 published papers, found that the Open spaces are ideally characterized by accessibility, walkability, reduced fear and security, built environment characteristics, landscape elements, climate, best practices, and New Urbanism principles. On the other hand, social cohesion is influenced by activities, safety and security, public places, accessibility, natural elements, noise levels, vehicular interruptions, dimensions and geometry, climate, and physical amenities. A conceptual framework relating to open space attributes and social cohesion is proposed as the finding of the research. Prioritizing the attributes based on the physical, behavioural, and psychological needs of the elderly to keep them active in their aging process could be the further scope of research in this direction.


Author(s):  
Fatih Bodzemir ◽  
Jennifer M. Martin

This chapter examines the correlation between environmental issues and wellbeing. A broad literature review illustrates that changing climate, increasing populations, and degrading natural environments have negative impacts on health and wellbeing. The focus of this chapter is on conflicts arising from the limited supply of natural resources and competing needs, interests, and demands. This can create high levels of tension and division within communities that erodes community spirit, support, and connectedness as people compete for limited resources. The conflict arising from such disputes has negative impacts on social cohesion and the high levels of stress experienced, without adequate supports, can trigger mental ill health. The example of basin level water conflict in Turkey is used to illustrate this.


Author(s):  
K. Fukushima ◽  
T. Kaneyama ◽  
F. Hosokawa ◽  
H. Tsuno ◽  
T. Honda ◽  
...  

Recently, in the materials science field, the ultrahigh resolution analytical electron microscope (UHRAEM) has become a very important instrument to study extremely fine areas of the specimen. The requirements related to the performance of the UHRAEM are becoming gradually severer. Some basic characteristic features required of an objective lens are as follows, and the practical performance of the UHRAEM should be judged by totally evaluating them.1) Ultrahigh resolution to resolve ultrafine structure by atomic-level observation.2) Nanometer probe analysis to analyse the constituent elements in nm-areas of the specimen.3) Better performance of x-ray detection for EDS analysis, that is, higher take-off angle and larger detection solid angle.4) Higher specimen tilting angle to adjust the specimen orientation.To attain these requirements simultaneously, the objective lens polepiece must have smaller spherical and chromatic aberration coefficients and must keep enough open space around the specimen holder in it.


Author(s):  
Elena Dukhovny ◽  
E. Betsy Kelly

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, over 20% of Americans speak a language other than English in the home, with Spanish, Chinese, and French being the languages most commonly spoken, aside from English. However, few augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems offer multilingual support for individuals with limited functional speech. There has been much discussion in the AAC community about best practices in AAC system design and intervention strategies, but limited resources exist to help us provide robust, flexible systems for users who speak languages other than English. We must provide services that take into consideration the unique needs of culturally and linguistically diverse users of AAC and help them reach their full communication potential. This article outlines basic guidelines for best practices in AAC design and selection, and presents practical applications of these best practices to multilingual/multicultural clients.


Author(s):  
Harald Klingemann ◽  
Justyna Klingemann

Abstract. Introduction: While alcohol treatment predominantly focuses on abstinence, drug treatment objectives include a variety of outcomes related to consumption and quality of life. Consequently harm reduction programs tackling psychoactive substances are well documented and accepted by practitioners, whereas harm reduction programs tackling alcohol are under-researched and met with resistance. Method: The paper is mainly based on key-person interviews with eight program providers conducted in Switzerland in 2009 and up-dated in 2015, and the analysis of reports and mission statements to establish an inventory and description of drinking under control programs (DUCPs). A recent twin program in Amsterdam and Essen was included to exemplify conditions impeding their implementation. Firstly, a typology based on the type of alcohol management, the provided support and admission criteria is developed, complemented by a detailed description of their functioning in practice. Secondly, the case studies are analyzed in terms of factors promoting and impeding the implementation of DUCPs and efforts of legitimize them and assess their success. Results: Residential and non-residential DUCPs show high diversity and pursue individualized approaches as the detailed case descriptions exemplify. Different modalities of proactively providing and including alcohol consumption are conceptualized in a wider framework of program objectives, including among others, quality of life and harm reduction. Typically DUCPs represent an effort to achieve public or institutional order. Their implementation and success are contingent upon their location, media response, type of alcohol management and the response of other substance-oriented stake holders in the treatment system. The legitimization of DUCPs is hampered by the lack of evaluation studies. DUCPs rely mostly – also because of limited resources – on rudimentary self-evaluations and attribute little importance to data collection exercises. Conclusions: Challenges for participants are underestimated and standard evaluation methodologies tend to be incompatible with the rationale and operational objectives of DUCPs. Program-sensitive multimethod approaches enabled by sufficient financing for monitoring and accompanying research is needed to improve the practice-oriented implementation of DUCPs. Barriers for these programs include assumptions that ‘alcohol-assisted’ help abandons hope for recovery and community response to DUCPs as locally unwanted institutions (‘not in my backyard’) fuelled by stigmatization.


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