European capital cities as political frontiers

The capital is the centre of the established order but it always had to accept a relatively uncontrollable world of individuals redefining urban space in their own way or pioneering new means of support. As their existence is both a political nuisance and a foreshadowing of institutional changes (sometimes revolutionary) of nation-wide importance, I call such ways of life political frontiers. One may wonder what will become of political frontiers in the information society (or postmodern society) that, apart from borderless, has been described as society without a centre as well. Actually information society is the prototype of a frontier society with self-responsible groups and individuals. However, capitals – even stripped of their governmental functions – may offer a symbolical environment (a condensation of space and time) that precisely satisfies the wants of those who wish to politicise a way of life. Niches for pioneering behaviour may get dispersed over a wider territory but new types of political activity will gravitate to the capital even if the capital's official political status has dwindled.     

The cityscapes of European capital cities

Capital cities are politico-administrative centers. They are command centers, they symbolize authority and also the unit that is governed. Primarily they are capitals of states, but other governance systems may also have capitals. In the European context there are now regional capital cities and at least the concept of a European capital. Particularly on account of their symbolic function but also for the uses made of its appearance in political life, the cityscape of capital cities is an interesting topic for research. There are different types of capital cities in Europe that give rise to different cityscapes. Existing urban networks and types of political regime are important in this respect. Although cityscapes are pretty stable, they are differently perceived over time and uses made of them also change. A research agenda for this intersection of historical, cultural and political geography should concentrate on the evolution of these cityscapes, their perception and the uses made of them in the acting out of politics.     

Moscow and St. Petersburg, a sequence of capitals, a tale of two cities

From early modern times until the present, Russia (temporarily extended to the USSR) had two capital cities: Moscow and Petersburg. Moscow was the original capital, it was succeeded by Petersburg from the beginning of the 18th century. From the early 20th century onward Moscow again became the capital, but it became a different kind of capital at the end of the 20th century. The paper describes the evolution of the representation of the state function in the appearance of the capital cities by way of the state buildings, the monuments, the street names. In addition it analyses the fate of the former capitals (first Moscow, then Petersburg) in terms of their symbolic functions. Petersburg originated as a capital turned to the outside emphasizing Russia's European vocation, while Moscow was at first the inward looking capital city representing the distinctive spiritual values of Russia. Changes had to do with the changes in the nature of the successive political regimes and with the changing roles of the two cities within those regimes.     

The potential and prospect for global cities in China: in the context of the world system

Over the last two decades, accompanying their rapid economic development, many `mega-cities' in China have devoted themselves to changing their relationships to the global economy and some have aimed at attaining global (world) city status as a key future development goal. This paper examines the relationship between global (world) city status and the emerging world economic system, and discusses the intense competition between `mega-cities' in the Asia-Pacific region that Chinese cities will face in the 21st century, especially after the Asia financial crisis. It also explores the potential and possibility of achieving global or world city status in China. The main arguments are that only Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing have the possibility to attain leading positions in the global urban system in the future. Post-1997, it has been very important for the Chinese government to find a way to coordinate the functions of Hong Kong and the other major cities which allows them to operate smoothly together under quite different political systems. Finally, the authors analyse the relationships between these three metropolises and suggests some possibilities for coordinating their roles in the global urban system.     

Facing the challenge of shrinking cities in East Germany: The case of Leipzig

In the early 20^th century, the East German city of Leipzig seemed well on its way to become a metropolis of international importance. The city was expected to grow towards over one million inhabitants in 2000. Seventy years later, Leipzigs population has shrunk to less than 500,000 inhabitants instead. The German partition after World War II took away most of its national administrative and economic functions and much of its hinterland. The socialist GDR regime worsened the long-term development perspectives and living circumstances of the city. The German reunification brought new development chances, but like most East German cities, Leipzigs hopes soon became disappointed. The local politicians faced a difficult redevelopment task: apart from the question how to revive the local and regional economy, they also had to deal with a housing vacancy rate of 20%, a huge need for renovation in the older neighbourhoods as well as in the socialist high-rise areas, the negative effects of urban sprawl on the city core, and various environmental pollution problems. After briefly describing the development path of Leipzig until the 1990s, the paper will discuss the current attempts of the city government to give Leipzig a more positive post-industrial future. On the one hand, Leipzig is developing a strategy to downsize the citys built environment and infrastructure to adapt to a probably lastingly smaller population. On the other hand, many growth instruments well known from the international scientific and political debate are tried to put Leipzig back on the (inter)national map. The paper will discuss these development strategies in the light of the international debate on the question how to fight the shrinking city, with specific attention for post-socialist cities.     

生计资本对农户参与耕地保护意愿的影响——以成都市永安镇、金桥镇, 崇州市江源镇为例

耕地效益比较低下导致兼业农户数量增多, 生计资本发生转变. 农户作为耕地的直接使用者, 生计资本转变不仅带动农村社会经济的发展, 更影响农户参与耕地保护的意愿. 以最早实行耕地保护政策的四川省成都市永安镇、金桥镇和崇州市江源镇为例, 构建农户生计资本与耕地保护参与意愿的结构方程模型, 定量刻画生计资本对于农户参与耕地保护意愿的影响. 结果表明: 生计资本对于农户参与耕地保护的意愿具有显著影响, 其中, 自然资本对耕地保护意愿的正向影响最显著, 高于社会资本; 物质资本对耕地保护意愿的负向影响最显著, 高于金融资本和人力资本. 生计资本中自然资本和社会资本每增加一个单位, 农户耕地保护意愿将提高0.071和0.011个单位; 物质资本、金融资本和人力资本每增加一个单位, 农户耕地保护意愿对应减少1.231个单位、1.030个单位和0.232个单位. 所以, 生计资本差异会直接影响农户参与耕地保护的意愿. 政府应从不同生计资本农户的诉求出发, 寻找农户经济利益与参与耕地保护政策的切合点, 根据农户不同生计资本情况制定相应的补偿政策和扶持策略, 从根本上激发农户参与耕地保护的积极性, 确保耕地保护政策实施的持续性和有效性.     

塔里木盆地西北缘乌什西次凹的地层系统和构造特征

乌什西次凹位于塔里木盆地西北缘,隶属于库车坳陷的乌什凹陷。它位于南天山主山脉（哈尔克山）和塔里木盆地柯坪—温宿凸起之间。区域构造格局上,这里是塔里木克拉通向西北自然延伸的部分。次凹北缘的阿合奇断裂是南天山造山带和塔里木克拉通的分界。乌什西次凹内发育与柯坪—温宿凸起相似的晚前寒武纪—古生代地层系统,包括寒武系、奥陶系和石炭系的烃源岩。新近系—第四系碎屑岩建造直接不整合于变形的古生代被动大陆边缘碎屑岩—碳酸盐岩沉积建造之上;剖面上,向南天山方向加厚,向塔里木克拉通方向减薄,呈现典型的前陆盆地剖面结构特征。这是一个晚新生代陆内前陆盆地,叠加在晚海西期—燕山期古隆起之上。这里的构造变形主要有3期,分别是中海西期、晚海西期—印支期和晚喜山期。变形以厚皮冲断构造及其相关褶皱为主,薄皮构造不发育。平面上,主构造线走向NE-SW。剖面上,以南天山向塔里木冲断为主。