Symbols of the New Districts in Ukraine: Chervonohrad Raion as an Example

The article examines the beginning of the creation of symbols for the new raions (districts). In 2020, Ukraine underwent an administrative reform to merge most of the existing 490 districts, resulting in the creation of 136 new raions. We have proposed three options for solving the problems with the coats of arms and flags of the new districts. The practical implementation of these methodological developments is considered in the example of the Chervonohrad raion (the Lviv region). The symbols of this district were developed and approved in the summer of 2021. They managed to combine the symbols of the ancient historical land, and the current administrative center, and the old districts.

Analysis of the Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity of Various Landscape Processes and Their Driving Factors Based on the OPGD Model for the Jiaozhou Bay Coast Zone, China

To date, various studies have analyzed changes in the landscape but there are few studies which have explored landscape processes and the corresponding driving factors. This study makes up for this deficiency in the systematic theoretical exposition and the spatiotemporal analysis of landscape processes. The results show that the amount of arable land outflow and built-up land inflow have resulted in an increase of 92,311.11 ha of built-up land that is mostly distributed around the administrative center and along the coast of Jiaozhou Bay. The outflow of ecological land is a major resource for replenishing arable land, by 37,016.19 ha, especially in terms of the grassland that is distributed in the hilly areas west of Jiaozhou Bay. The outflow of the salt-field, fish-farm and ecological land outflow have good connectivity, a large patch size, and an irregular shape. The ecological type, elevation, slope, and vegetation coverage are the four factors that have a great influence on all landscape processes. A gentler slope and lower elevation, and proximity to cities and towns land will produce more arable land outflow and built-up land inflow. However, arable land inflow and ecological land outflow are the opposite. This research will guide natural resource management for a rapidly developing coastal zone.

Associations between the quality of street space and the attributes of the built environment using large volumes of street view pictures

In this study, we focus on the quality of street space which has attracted high attentions. We discover associations between the quality of street space and built environment attributes through an ordered logistic model using massive street view pictures (SVPs) and data on street location, form, function and attributes. Before ascertain which built environment factors influence the quality of street space, we checked the concordance of the experts’ scores, as well as correlations between different dimensions through Kappa analysis and drew the distribution map of street space quality. We found that the value of intersection over union is 85.61% for scoring the street space quality by different people. The spatial quality of more than 75% streets are in the middle level with no obvious polarisation observed in the central area of Qingdao. In addition, for street quality index, all variables are statistically significant. The sequence is as follows: near-line rate > D/H ratio > slope > length of street > distance to administrative center > POIs diversity. The D/H ratio, near-line rate, slope length of street, distance to administrative center and POIs diversity have various associations on every dimension of street quality. They can prove useful for drafting more appropriate policy measures aimed at improving street quality.

Report on the vakuf property of mosques, mesjids and mektebs of the city of Bakhchisarai (From the inventory of the former Mufti Efendi)

To readers attention is offered a small fragment from the message of the Mufti of Crimea Musallaf Efendi, which provides brief data of the state of vakuf property of Muslim religious sites for 1785–1786 , prepared by the Qadies (Judges) of 5 kaymakans of the Crimean Khanate: Bakhchisarai, Kezlev, Kefe, Akmesjit and Or-Kapu. The message of Mufti Efendi is presented in Arabic script in the Crimean Tatar language. Part of the message, translated from the Arabic script into Cyrilic alphabet, includes a list of recorded vakuf property belonging at that time to Bakhchisarai: the political and administrative center of the Crimean Khanate. The given information makes it possible to establish the number and names of administrative units of the city–mahalla, the variety and location of the vakuf property, recorded not only within the city limits, but also outside it. The message also contains data on the funds, allocated to the minister of the city`s Muslim religious buildings.

TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC FRAME OF THE REPUBLIC OF BASHKORTOSTAN

The author has analyzed the transformation of industrial, agricultural, tourist and recreational frameworks and the framework of settlement of the Republic of Bashkortostan over the past 10 years. The analysis showed that the major urban districts the core of the region's agglomerations are the supporting framework of the region. Agglomerations concentrate the bulk of industrial production, investments, and jobs in the region. At the same time, the formation of agglomerations is an objective trend in the transformation of the settlement system of the Republic of Bashkortostan, associated with intraregional and interregional flows of the population “village administrative center - city”. In four agglomerations of the republic (Ufa, South Bashkortostan, OktyabrskoTuimazinskaya and Neftekamskaya), almost 2/3 of the region's population lives in 2019 (62.1% (in 2006 - 57.9%)), including The Ufa agglomeration is 36.5% (in 2006 - 32.7%). In addition, agglomeration processes led to a change in the volume of construction in three municipal districts, on the territories of which the four largest urban districts of the region are located: Ufa, Sterlitamak, Salavat, Oktyabrsky. In total, the share of these three districts in the total volume of housing commissioned in the municipal districts of the region has grown from 20% to 30% over the past 10 years. The agricultural framework of the region is also moving towards agglomerations, forming an agricultural zone around them. Peripheral and depressive zones, despite the implementation of development programs in them, do not get out of the crisis, but gradually use additional development opportunities (for example, the activation of the tourism potential of the Trans-Urals republic). At the same time, in any case, these territories remain areas of special risk as a result of the pulling together of human and other resources both to the center of the region and to neighboring subjects of the federation.

A NEO-ASSYRIAN PROVINCIAL PALACE AT TELL BILLA

The Neo-Assyrian site Šibaniba (modern Tell Billa) served as a provincial center at the very edge of what is traditionally known as the “Assyrian Heartland”. Excavations in the early 1900s under Dr. Speiser of the University of Pennsylvania uncovered architecture in the southwestern portion of the mound, but a loss of records and lack of publication have prevented any comprehensive publications or analysis of the archaeological material. The architecture from Level I in the southwest corner is the remains of a palace from the latter half of the Neo-Assyrian period – comprised of an inner, paved courtyard and surrounding rooms. The analysis of this palace complex is carried out herein, with a discussion of its positioning and importance, especially during Nineveh's tenure as imperial capital. Overall, Šibaniba, despite being located so close to the Heartland, was an important administrative center in its own right – illustrated by a restructuring of the citadel's organization in the later Neo-Assyrian period and its inclusion in Sennacherib's irrigation program.

The Animated Temple and Its Agency in the Urban Life of the City in Ancient Mesopotamia Beate Pongratz-Leisten, NYU, ISAW

In ancient Mesopotamia, the functions of the temple were manifold. It could operate as an administrative center, as a center of learning, as a place of jurisdiction, as a center for healing, and as an economic institution, as indicated in both textual and archaeological sources. All these functions involved numerous and diverse personnel and generated interaction with the surrounding world, thereby turning the temple into the center of urban life. Because the temple fulfilled all these functions in addition to housing the divinity, it acquired agency in its own right. Thus, temple, city, and divinity could merge into concerted action. It is this aspect of the temple that lies at the center of the following considerations.