Assessment of the Vulnerability to Potential Collapse of Buildings in the Old Medina of Beni-Mellal-MOROCCO

The application of specialized natural hazard mapping is an absolute necessity for the management and prevention of natural hazard events. This paper treats the description of all the procedures carried out in order to produce a map of vulnerability and susceptibility to cave-ins, calculated and evaluated by the multicriteria method (AHP) and by using the GIS tool in the old Medina of Beni Mellal, which is recognized from time to time by cave-ins. The objective of this study is to develop a new method for analyzing the vulnerability of cavities to collapse, which presents a real risk in the urban area of the old cities. The methodology, applied to the old city of Beni-Mellal, consists in identifying and quantifying the stakes linked to the collapse of a cavity using a geographic information system. The weight of each parameter and factor exposed in the vulnerability was estimated using the hierarchical multicriteria method (AHP). The result is presented in the form of a spatialized and synthetic vulnerability map. The detection, mapping and assessment of areas vulnerable to the collapse of these cavities, particularly for large areas of the city, offers the possibility of reducing damage by intervening upstream and introducing preventive and corrective measures against any risk of collapse in the areas deemed vulnerable by our study. The maps show three zones with different degrees of vulnerability. The low and medium vulnerability zones occupy respectively 30 and 20% of the total area of the old city, while the high and very high vulnerability zones occupy respectively 16% and 4%.

RESIDENTS’ PERCEPTION TOWARDS GEOHERITAGE CONSERVATION AND TOURISM DEVELOPMENT: EVIDENCE FROM JODHPUR, INDIA

The Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, India, located at the height of 150 meters above the surrounding sandy plains, is one of the city's most prominent monuments built over the Jodhpur group-Malani-Igneous Suite. The old city, which boasts numerous blue-painted houses, lies adjacent to the Mehrangarh Fort. The residents of the old city play a significant role in keeping the geoheritage and cultural heritage intact. The study investigates the moderating role of residents’ Perception towards support for Geoheritage Tourism and Conservation in and around Mehrangarh Fort. A combination of Weber’s theory of substantive and formal rationality (WTSFR) and Social Exchange Theory (SET) is used to investigate and infer the interposing and moderating role of residents’ perception on the relationship between influencing factors and support for geo-heritage conservation. A PLS evaluation of the SEM reveals a substantial capacity of the residents’ perception to predict support for conservation and tourism development.

Evolution of the Spatial-Temporal Pattern and Social Performance Evaluation of Community Sports and Fitness Venues in Shanghai

The study of the spatial-temporal pattern and social performance of urban public services is a basic task for achieving urban fairness and justice. Through spatial analysis and social performance evaluation, this study explores the evolution of spatial-temporal patterns and the social performance of community sports and fitness venues in Shanghai from 1982 to 2019. The results show that the construction of Shanghai’s community sports and fitness venues presents the evolution pattern of “urbanization-suburbanization-reurbanization”. The center of construction has always been in the urban area and first moved toward the south and then toward the north. Government investment was the main source of funds for the construction of venues, and social investment has been steadily growing. The number and area of multiple types of venues has increased significantly, including trails, gymnasiums, and courts. The overall service coverage radius of Shanghai’s community sports and fitness venues has been significantly increased, and the regional equality between the core and peripheral areas has been obviously improved. The overall per capita service location entropy has not been significantly improved. The old city center and the peripheral area have always been the low-value areas, and the old city center is surrounded by high-value areas. The “low-high-low” three-circle spatial structure continues to exist, but around the old city center, the scope of the high-value area has expanded markedly. There was a significant optimization of social performance from 1999 to 2009. The social performance of the community sports and fitness venues in urban areas is better than that in suburban areas, but the optimization of social performance in suburban areas is greater than that in urban areas. The above analysis is expected to provide references for rationally arranging urban sports and fitness spaces, enhancing the fairness of urban public services, improving the quality of residents’ lives, and assisting the implementation of the “Healthy China” national strategy.

Minusinsk architecture formation affected by local merchants in the 1920th centuries

Purpose: The aim of this work is to describe the architecture of Minusinsk, a small Siberian town, in line with the interests of the local merchants. The paper is relevant because of the low level of knowledge of the historical and cultural heritage of small towns in Siberia and the problems of preserving their cultural heritage.Methodology/approach: The related literature review, comparative analysis of the architecture and systems structural analysis of information. Theoretical works of scholars, historians and architects and the author’s literature and materials.Practical implications: The obtained results can be used for preparation of lectures and reports on the history of Siberian architecture. Preservation and efficient use of merchant buildings will contribute to the improvement of the city status and the development of its tourist attractiveness.Originality/value: The study of historical and cultural heritage of Minusinsk, a large merchant capital with mansion construction and industrial and commercial buildings.Findings: Minusinsk is of great interest as a historical merchant city. In the old city, there are numerous wooden and brick buildings of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They locate in central streets and squares of the old city and have specific appearance.

Petitioning the Waqf Cases: Conflict over the Abū Madyan Waqf, Old City of Jerusalem, at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century

This article analyzes twenty-two petitions, held at the Ottoman Imperial Archives (boa) in Istanbul, submitted to the Council of State Registers (Şūrā-yi Devlet) at the beginning of the twentieth century by the mutawallīs (supervisors) of the Abū Madyan waqf, as well as by residents and representatives of the Maghāriba neighborhood in Jerusalem. These petitions concern the alleged mismanagement of the waqf by the mutawallīs, including the embezzlement of funds and violation of the conditions stipulated in the waqf’s endowment deed (waqfiyya). Through this analysis, the study aims to show how the waqf’s supervisors and the representatives of local political and religious authorities contributed to the confiscation of property, allocated to a waqf, for personal gain or to serve common interests, and, thus to the gradual disintegration of the waqf system in early twentieth-century Jerusalem. It also sheds light on the networks between local citizens (Maghribīs), waqf mutawallīs, local qāḍīs, and the central Ottoman administration and the sultan.

Post-Syrian War Residential Heritage Transformations in the Old City of Aleppo: Socio-Cultural Sustainability Aspects

The rehabilitation and sustainable transformation of residential heritage of the Old City of Aleppo (Syria) is one of the most pressing issues to regain the livability of this city. This research paper aims to gain insight into the residents’ conditions and needs by studying/mapping/analyzing the status of the residential heritage and the interventions on it during the aftermath of the city’s devastation. It also intends to provide a better understanding of the residents’ attitude towards living in the Old City, their expectation for its reconstruction and transformation, and the difficulties they encountered in the process. In fact, in order to start a collective reconstruction and transformation process, it is important to understand the readiness of the inhabitants and their financial capabilities to engage in this process. A combination of research methods was used to explore the above-mentioned issues and their relation to the socio-cultural sustainability. These methods included: gathering data in the field (specifically, Al-Jalloum, Al-Farafra and Al-Aqaba, three neighborhoods in the Old City of Aleppo, were used as case studies), and setting up a questionnaire (Winter 2020) and conducting interviews (Summer 2021) with 39 returnees and their families. AutoCAD and Excel programs were used for data visualization. This research has highlighted the main problems and factors that have affected the interventions on courtyard houses in the Old City of Aleppo since 2012—the outbreak of the Syrian War in Aleppo City. Lack of funds and craftmanship, high costs and long bureaucratic procedures related to the enforcement of the regulations have been identified as the main causes that discouraged the residents to carry out repairs in a proper way.