City Size and Permanent Settlement Intention: Evidence from Rural-Urban Migrants in China

The location choice and livelihoods of rural-urban migrants are critical to the sustainable development of cities. By using data from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS) in 2017, this paper extant the Rosen–Roback’s model by adding factors of urban social network and air pollution to the function of the individual utility of migrants. Both the Probit Model and IV estimates imply evidence of an inverse U-shaped pattern of city size and migrants’ permanent settlement in urban China. This view proves that Chinese migrants like to settle permanently in large cities, but not mega-cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai. The internal mechanism is explained by the agglomeration economies and the crowing effect brought by city size. In mega-cities, the attractiveness of the city caused by wage premium cannot offset the combined repulsive force caused by the high housing price, bad urban social network, air pollution, and health deterioration. It is worth noting that air pollution has a significant negative impact on the settlement intention of migrants, such as health conditions and precipitation. Besides, there is heterogeneity among high-skilled migrants and low-skilled migrants in different city sizes. Our findings enhance the understanding of “Escape from megacities” in China and have implications for the reform of the housing security system and the exploration of the urbanization path.

Kainar: A Late 18th to Early 20th Century Ritual and Housing Complex in the Northern Ustyurt

This is the fi rst description of a key Kazakh recent permanent settlement at Donyztau, in the northern Ustyurt. Such sites, evidencing major historical processes during the transition of nomadic pastoralists to a semi-sedentary lifestyle (mid-19th to early 20th century), are known as “ritual and housing complexes” (RHC). Kainar, a highly representative site, is viewed as a socio-cultural phenomenon and an integral architectural and landscape ensemble. The excavation history of RHCs in the Donyztau area and their evolution are discussed, and the role of ascetics such as Doszhan-Ishan Kashakuly is described. We highlight separate parts of the complex (the settlement and cemetery) and their elements. The architecture of the RHC is reconstructed with regard to structure, function, and continuity with the landscape. The layout of the site as a whole and of the madrasah with its typical elements are compared with those of similar sites in Central Asia and Kazakhstan. A reconstruction of the complex is proposed and the function of public halls is interpreted. The role of the cemetery and of its parts in the structure of the RHC is evaluated; the evolution of its spatial organization is traced. Types of memorial complexes are listed in terms of harmony with the landscape, archaic beliefs, architecture, and style, specifi cally stone carving. The historical and cultural signifi cance of Kainar as a source of knowledge about the transition to a semi-sedentary way of life and the Islamization of the steppe is discussed.

A supply-base (c. AD 43–52)

The archaeology of the first permanent settlement of London is described. New roads were laid out c. AD 48 leading to a site that may have served as a supply-base on the north bank of the Thames. This was set out following a grid-plan around a central area where the forum was later established. Various features illustrate the importance of the managed traffic of military supplies. The topographic, ritual, and political importance of the Thames crossing at London Bridge is stressed, and the evidence of foundation burials and deposits associated with the early layout of the settlement summarized.

The Approach of the Fiqh Council of North America towards Identity Problems of Contemporary Muslim Minorities

The status of being a Muslim minority in a non-Muslim country has obtained public and international attention with the consequence of globalization and immigration in the contemporary world. The increasing rate of immigration to the United States after the 1980s resulted in a new identity that mainly includes two main ingredients: Muslim identity and American identity. Especially, the following generation of the first immigrants has unexpectedly confronted the issue of an identity crisis ensuing from the simultaneous belonging to American and Muslim identities. With permanent settlement and acquiring American citizenship, Muslim Americans have shouldered dual responsibilities and duties. Occasionally, the dual identity of Muslim Americans has resulted in clashes between the religious and citizenship responsibilities. The Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA), a voluntarily established fatwā institution, tries to find Islamic legal solutions to that of American Muslims’ paradoxical predicaments. In the light of particular fatwās (legal opinion) issued by the FCNA, this paper will analyse how the identity crises of Muslim Americans are resolved; which Islamic legal methodologies are predominantly deployed to obliterate the mundane and religious paradoxes of those Muslim Americans; and whether the preponderance is given to American identity or Muslim identity by the FCNA.

Beyond the Tent - The application of a tool based approach to the exploration of aggregate building methodologies

<p>To the detriment of many, the act of building dwellings has become increasingly prohibitive. Materials costs and the cost of labour makes up a significant part of this expense. While this issue is becoming increasingly paramount in the western world where you have population increase (expected to be doubled by 2050), it is the genuinely vulnerable who are the most affected. This design research thesis explores the logic of aggregate assemblages as a potentially low cost, low skills base, rapid assembly (not construction) system that could assist in providing a solution to both post-disaster housing demands or refugee encampments where there is plentiful raw base clays or concreteous material. Aggregate assemblages require neither additives or fixings to bind together instead of relying solely and efficiently on their geometry to create connections. A 2004 internal UNHCR report suggested the average lifespan of a refugee camp was 17 years. Further, while providing little beyond basic shelter, the average lifecycle of a UN family tent is typically three months, hence requiring constant costly replacement. Additionally, political desires for non-permanent settlement solutions along with the potential for fluctuating landscapes induced by severe weather conditions suggest that space for an agile yet cohesive and robust rapid assembly methodology exists. Thus, this thesis proposes that interlocking aggregate assemblages could provide an alternative solution that would be a valuable addition to the status quo. The research argues for an interlocking aggregate creation, and assembly method that goes beyond the tent to offer a durable, robust internal environment with high degrees of flexibility and customisation with its human end users in mind – through the following criteria: allows the occupant to stand up and move freely inside; Accommodates the preparation and cooking of meals under shelter; Can respond to a variety of site conditions: Can adapt to reflect cultural customary notions of space; Can increase the sense of safety and security.</p>

Beyond the Tent - The application of a tool based approach to the exploration of aggregate building methodologies

<p>To the detriment of many, the act of building dwellings has become increasingly prohibitive. Materials costs and the cost of labour makes up a significant part of this expense. While this issue is becoming increasingly paramount in the western world where you have population increase (expected to be doubled by 2050), it is the genuinely vulnerable who are the most affected. This design research thesis explores the logic of aggregate assemblages as a potentially low cost, low skills base, rapid assembly (not construction) system that could assist in providing a solution to both post-disaster housing demands or refugee encampments where there is plentiful raw base clays or concreteous material. Aggregate assemblages require neither additives or fixings to bind together instead of relying solely and efficiently on their geometry to create connections. A 2004 internal UNHCR report suggested the average lifespan of a refugee camp was 17 years. Further, while providing little beyond basic shelter, the average lifecycle of a UN family tent is typically three months, hence requiring constant costly replacement. Additionally, political desires for non-permanent settlement solutions along with the potential for fluctuating landscapes induced by severe weather conditions suggest that space for an agile yet cohesive and robust rapid assembly methodology exists. Thus, this thesis proposes that interlocking aggregate assemblages could provide an alternative solution that would be a valuable addition to the status quo. The research argues for an interlocking aggregate creation, and assembly method that goes beyond the tent to offer a durable, robust internal environment with high degrees of flexibility and customisation with its human end users in mind – through the following criteria: allows the occupant to stand up and move freely inside; Accommodates the preparation and cooking of meals under shelter; Can respond to a variety of site conditions: Can adapt to reflect cultural customary notions of space; Can increase the sense of safety and security.</p>

Indian Agent Involvement in the Establishment of Permanent Settlement for the South Indian Labouring Community, 1923–1941

This article investigates a long-neglected aspect of Indian Malaysian history, namely the Indian Agents of the Government of India to British Malaya. The Indian Agents were representatives of the Indian Government who were appointed under the Indian Immigration Act of 1922 to investigate and report on the state of affairs of Indian communities in the British colonies. The official duties of the Indian Agents in British Malaya were formalised under Section 73 (III) of the Labour Code 1923. Between 1923 and 1941, six Indian Agents were appointed in British Malaya. Throughout their tenure, they focused on and reported extensively on the socioeconomic conditions of the Indian working-class community, particularly south Indian labourers. One problem that came to their attention was the underdevelopment of the community’s permanent settlement in the country. The Federated Malay States (FMS) government did not appear to be concerned about the situation. Similarly, private estate managers reacted indifferently to the issue. Both saw permanent settlement as simply an economic measure to keep the community as a labour force, rather than a way to alleviate their socioeconomic hardships. This article shows how the Indian Agents were able to uncover a range of issues that were impeding the establishment of permanent settlements for south Indian labourers in the FMS. Some of them demonstrated exceptional levels of direct involvement. The article’s primary goal is to assess the degree to which the Indian Agents influenced the overall development of permanent Indian labour settlement.

Nunavut Urban Futures: Vernaculars, Informality and Tactics (Research Note)

The Canadian Arctic, and Nunavut in particular, is one of the fastest-growing regions per capita in the country, raising the question as to what might constitute an emerging Arctic Indigenous urbanism. One of the cultural challenges of urbanizing Canadian North is that for most Indigenous peoples, permanent settlement, and its imposed spatial, temporal, economic, and institutional structures, has been antithetical to traditional ways of life and culture, which are deeply tied to the land and to seasons. For the past seventy-five years, architecture, infrastructure, and settlement form have been imported models serving as spatial tools of cultural colonization that have intentionally erased local culture and ignored geographic specificities. As communities in Nunavut continue to grow at a rapid rate, new planning frameworks are urgently needed. This paper outlines three approaches that could constitute the beginning of more culturally reflexive planning practices for Nunavut: (1) redefining the northern urban vernacular and its role in design; (2) challenging the current top-down masterplan by embracing strategies of informal urbanism; and (3) encouraging planning approaches that embrace territorial strategies and are more responsive to geography, landscape, and seasonality.

Critical Dynamic Stress and Accumulative Deformation Evolution of Embankment Silty Clay Subjected to Cyclic Freeze-Thaw

In cold regions, the permanent settlement of embankment is mainly caused by the repeated freeze-thaw process and long-term repeated train loads. Meanwhile, the critical dynamic stress (σdcr) is an important parameter index for determining embankment stability. Therefore, the accumulative permanent deformation evolution and critical dynamic stress of embankment soil subjected to cyclic freeze-thaw were studied using dynamic triaxial tests. Firstly, a numerical model for calculating critical dynamic stress considering the repeated freeze-thaw process was proposed, which shows that the critical dynamic stress of embankment soil rapidly decreases in the first two repeated freeze-thaw cycles, whereas it tends to be stable after the subsequent freeze-thaw process. Next, based on the normalization of the critical dynamic stress, an explicit model for predicting accumulative plastic strain (εp) of embankment soil was established. The above model considers freeze-thaw times, repeated dynamic stress amplitude (σd), and loading times, in which all material parameters of Qinghai-Tibet silty clay were presented. Thus, the critical dynamic stress and accumulative plastic strain models established in this paper can be applied to judge the embankment stability and predict the embankment settlement induced by train loads in cold regions.