Creative destruction in urban planning procedures: the language of ‘renewal’ and ‘exploitation’21

This paper examines the language and phraseology of ‘creative destruction‘ (‘renewal‘ and ‘exploitation’) expressed in urban planning procedures concerning one particular house in West Jerusalem: 28 Radak Street. Through a forensic examination of the planning-related communications about this address, the work analyzes the various stages of the ’destruction’ and ’renewal’ of the property. It demonstrates how each of the various actors involved (Municipality, planning committees, legal courts, private entrepreneur and local residents) uses different language and phraseology to present their argument, while the voice of the original Palestinian owners of the house is entirely absent from the planning battle.     

Reconstruction of ‘technological pasts’: an appraisal of the ‘work history method’

To use the ‘work history method’ which is described in this article implies systematic collection and statistical treatment of information on technological change based on oral tradition. Important changes in the respondents' careers arc registered and, based on this information, a picture of the technological development at village level is constructed. The method, as applied in the two case studies of technological change in Sri Lankan and Malaysian fisheries, is described step by step. Finally, the limitations of the method and the possibility of gaining new knowledge through its use are described.     

Macassan/Indigenous Australian ‘sites of memory’ in the National Museum of Australia and Australian National Maritime Museum

For over two centuries people from Makassar on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi came to northern Australia with the onset of the northeast monsoon winds. They came in search of trepang that, with the help of Indigenous Australians, they collected and traded on to China. Their impact on the Indigenous communities in Arnhem Land was considerable. Along with sharing language, technology and culture, they built relationships, many ongoing, that are celebrated in Yolngu art, song and stories. These stories of contact are well known to many archaeologists and anthropologists but for many Australians the only place where they come into contact with these stories is in a museum display. In this paper I examine the ways in which these stories are disseminated by two national museums, the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney and the National Museum of Australia in Canberra. As important ‘lieux de mémoire’ or ‘sites of memory’, they tell of Macassan visits to northern Australia as part of Australian history. In both cases not only are the stories situated in the past but both Macassan and Indigenous Australian voices are largely absent.     

Reconsidering neoliberal urban planning in times of crisis: urban regeneration policy in a “dense” space in Lisbon

In this article, I contribute to recent debates about the concept of neoliberalism and its use as an explanatory concept, through the analysis of urban planning and regeneration policy in Lisbon amidst crisis and austerity. Suggesting a look at neoliberalization from a threefold perspective—the project, governmentalities, and policymaking—I analyze how current austerity-policy responses to the European economic crisis can be understood as a renewed and coherent deployment of neoliberal stances. The article presents implications for urban planning in Lisbon and thus suggests an exploration of the negotiations and clashes of hegemonic neoliberal governmentalities and policies with the local social and spatial fabric. For this exploration, I select a “deviant” case—the Mouraria neighborhood, a “dense” space in which the consequences of policies diverge sharply from expectations. In conclusion, I suggest that neoliberalization (in times of crisis) should be understood as a coherent project compromised by a set of highly ambiguous governmentalities, which bring about contradictory policymaking at the local level.     

Natural capital accounting in Xi’an City of western China during 1995–2011

As one of the most important metropolitan areas in China, Xi＇an City plays a leading role in the development of the western regions. To impede the decision and policy prefer- ences for environmental and ecological factors, this paper took account of the natural capital depletion of Xi＇an City during 1995-2011, considered in terms of constant 1990 price levels. The results are as follows. （1） Natural capital depletion in Xi＇an City consistently increased from1995 to 2011, increasing from 14.31x108 yuan to 42.28x108 yuan, with an average an- nual growth rate of 12.22%. The primary component of natural capital depletion in Xi＇an City was the cost associated with fossil fuel resource depletion, while the cost associated with ecological services contributed the least to the total cost. （2） During 1995-2011, the proportion of natural capital depletion to Xi＇an City in Yanta and Lianhu districts dropped, whereas in counties such as Gaoling County, Chang＇an District and Lintong District, it increased. In 2011, the proportion of natural capital depletion varied between the different counties： Yanta District （15.75%）, Weiyang District and Lianhu District （10%-15%）, Huxian County, Xincheng District, Beiling District, Chang＇an District, Baqiao District, and Gaoling County （5%-10%）, and in Lintong District, Lantian County, Zhouzhi County and Yanliang District, it was 〈5%. （3） The spatial pattern of natural capital depletion varied with different perspectives, for example, from a total value perspective, a nuclear pattern around the administrative center of Xi＇an City was evident, whereas from a density per capita of natural capital depletion perspective, a bi-nuclear spatial distribution visible in 1995 had become a poly-nuclear distribution by 2011. Conversely, from a density per hectare perspective, a ＂core-edge＂ pattern characterized by three circles was observed. （4） The natural capital depletion relative to GDP curve was in accordance with the environmental Kuznets curve, while the proportion of natural capital de- pletion to GDP was the highest in circle III and the lowest in circle I.     

The application of very high resolution satellite image in urban vegetation cover investigation： a case study of Xiamen City

With the technological improvements of satellite sensors, we will acquire more information about the earth so that we have reached a new application epoch of observation on earth environmental change and cartography. But with the enhancement of spatial resolution, some questions have arisen in the application of using traditional image processing and classification methods. Aiming for such questions, we studied the application of IKONOS very high resolution image (1 m) in Xiamen City on Urban Vegetation Cover Investigation and discussed the difference between the very high resolution image and traditional low spatial resolution image at classification,information abstraction etc. It is an advantageous test for the large-scale application of very high resolution data in the future.     

Maximising efficiency,marginalising equity: a genealogy of Australian wheat export market deregulation and ‘the good farmer’

ABSTRACT

The Australian government deregulated the wheat export market in 2008, ending 60 years of statutory wheat marketing by the Australian Wheat Board (AWB). In this article, I explore the discursive shifts which contributed to this change. I adopt a genealogical approach to this research, by collecting and analysing policy documents produced between 1983 and 2012, to understand how truths—such as efficiency, competition and the ‘good farmer’—were constructed and reproduced to facilitate wheat export market deregulation in Australia. Through analysing the case of wheat export market deregulation, and the process by which this shift was made possible, this article contributes more broadly to research examining the neoliberalisation of Australian rural industries, and the discursive construction of norms, values and identities to facilitate these changes.     

The role of money in China’s urban production: the local property industry in Qujing,a fourth-tier city

What has made the urbanization of capital possible in China since the late 1990s? A major strand of literature in urban geography has pointed out land as the main trigger of urbanization. Scholars have highlighted the empowerment of local governments and their subsequent role in implementing China’s national urbanization objectives because of substantial revenues from the commodification of land. Other scholars have looked beyond the supply side, emphasizing the role of demand in stimulating urban development in China. In terms of demand, the speculative rationale of urban households aided land and property development during the 2000s, when property became a main alternative financial asset. However, this still raises the question of how urban production is financed. Based on a case study of the fourth-tier city of Qujing, in Yunnan province, this article investigates the financing of urban production from the perspective of the development industry. For the time being, little is known about how these companies finance their operations.     

Elite discourses of regional identity in a new regionalism development scheme: The case of the ‘Mountain Region’ in Norway

Norway's regional structure is under debate as questions about territorial boundaries, scale, scope of tasks and responsibilities, and decision-making structures have become an issue in Norwegian politics. This tendency of changing the scale of public action with regard to governmental structures, economic politics, welfare, and civic society has been termed ‘new regionalism’. New regionalism often comes under criticism of being too neo-liberalistic or too economically orientated, leaving in its wake debates of democratic accountability and the neglect of ‘soft factors’ (i.e. socio-culture, identity, consciousness, and participation). In this article the authors investigate whether new democratic or semi-democratic regional organisations as advocated by new regionalist schemes require identification amongst the local population in order to be successful and enduring governmental structures. Further, it is shown how too simplistic understandings of the social processes, and their inherent power aspects, involved in the implementation of the new regionalist development scheme ‘Mountain Region’ distort the undertaking. The authors find that a more complex relational and contextual understanding is in demand, one in which regionalisation is not only recognised as a process which diffuses across time-space, but also takes an asymmetrical place across society's social fabric, and one where ‘soft factors’ such as ‘regional identity’ are not sidestepped.     

Environmental history of an urban lake: a palaeolimnological study of Lake Jyväsjärvi, Finland

Sedimentary diatom frustules and chironomid remains, in addition to the chemical stratigraphy of 32 elements and organic pollutants such as resin acids, PCB, DDT and its metabolites, were studied from core samples taken from Lake Jyväsjärvi in Central Finland (64° 14 N, 25° 47 E). The sediment profile covered over 200 years, with the oldest samples representing a period of very low human interference. The town of Jyväskylä was established on the lake shore in 1837, and the lake received untreated municipal wastewater from the town up until, 1977. A paper mill started operations in 1872 and began discharging effluent into Lake Jyväsjärvi. In recent years this effluent loading has been reduced. Based on the biological and chemical properties of the sediment strata, five developmental phases were distinguished and named as follows: (1) a pre-industrial phase (approximately up until the 1860s); (2) a phase of early changes in the lake ecosystem (from the 1870s to ca. 1940s); (3) a phase of increasing eutrophication (from ca. 1950 to ca. 1965); (4) a phase of severe pollution (from ca. 1966 to the early-1990s); and (5) a phase of recovery, which proceeded more quickly during the late-1990s following long-term hypolimnetic aeration. It was estimated that the ecological status of the lake changed from good to moderate during the second phase. Due to the poor chemical status of the lake (including increased concentrations of harmful substances) and the pronounced changes in diatom and chironomid communities, the ecological status from 1950 to the early-1990s was classified as bad. The present ecological status, after a slow recovery of about 20 years, can be classified as moderate/poor. Chemical analysis of the sediment revealed that some elements (C, N, P, S, Ba, Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, Ni and Zn) followed the known history of municipal waste water discharge into the lake, but Hg, Cr and persistent organic pollutants had different stratigraphies, and therefore mainly originated from other sources. Pronounced changes in profundal benthic communities (chironomids) started about 80 years later than those in diatoms, but later changes in chironomid assemblages were greater than those in diatoms.     

Spatial-temporal change in urban agricultural land use efficiency from the perspective of agricultural multi-functionality: A case study of the Xi’an metropolitan zone

The excessive expansion of urbanized areas has resulted in haphazard land utilization, immoderate consumption of superior agricultural land and water resources, significant fragmentation of agricultural landscape, and gradual deterioration of the agro-ecological environment. Combined, these factors cause poor land use efficiency. Under these circumstances, comprehensively assessing land use efficiency for urban agriculture is a key issue in land use research. Currently, evaluation methods for agricultural land use efficiency narrowly concentrate on aspects of economic input and output. However, urban agro-ecosystems can provide diverse economic, social, and ecological services and functions. In particular, the social and ecological services and functions originating from agricultural land, which have a higher value than economic services, play a significant role in ensuring regional social, ecological, and environmental security. However, recent research has rarely taken these benefits into consideration. Therefore, land use value has been greatly underestimated, which has resulted in mishandled and poor land use policies. In this study, we apply Landsat imagery and social and economic statistical data for the Xi’an metropolitan zone (XMZ) to investigate agricultural multi-functionality. We develop an evaluation framework for urban agricultural land use efficiency and identify agro-ecosystem services and functions as important outputs from agricultural land. The land use efficiency of urban agriculture is then evaluated using ecosystem services models, providing a mechanism for assessing spatial-temporal changes in land use efficiency in the XMZ from 1999 to 2015. Four important conclusions are reached from this analysis. First, the rapid urbanization and agricultural transformation from traditional cereal cultivation to modern urban agriculture has resulted in steadily increasing costs, outputs, and land use efficiency of urban agriculture. The total output value increased 41% and land use efficiency per hectare increased by 33.13% on average. Second, the spatial patterns of comprehensive output and land use efficiency were dominated by economic outputs from agricultural land. Areas near cities, which are dominated by orchard and arable land, provide more economic functions. These areas support and regulate services due to the transformation from extensive cereal production to intensive modern urban agriculture; therefore, they have higher output value and land use efficiency. In contrast, areas distant from cities, towns, and high traffic roads, namely, remote rural areas, provide more support and regulating services, but have relatively lower economic function due to inaccessibility to urban markets and slow agricultural transformation. Therefore, these areas have lower output value and land use efficiency. The spatial change in agricultural output and land use efficiency in urban areas is strongly dependent on the degree of urbanization and agricultural transformation. Third, the total output value and land use efficiency of urban agriculture measured with our approach are much higher than evaluations using traditional methods. However, the spatial patterns measured using the two approaches are in agreement. The evaluation framework integrates ecological services and economic and social functions into a comprehensive output from agricultural land. This approach is more methodical and accurate for evaluating the comprehensive efficiency of land use based on quantities and spatial scale because they are at the pixel scale. Finally, the evaluation results have important implications for enhancing current agricultural subsidies and even implementing ecological payment policies in China. Most importantly, they can be directly applied to agricultural transformation regulations, decision- making, and guidance for rational land utilization.     

The trials of China’s technoburbia: the case of the Future Sci-tech City Corridor in Hangzhou

ABSTRACT

Set against the wider background of global suburbanization, this paper contributes to the emerging literature on the formation of technoburbia in China, and more importantly, the potential “urban contradictions” accompanying this process. Through a bottom-up empirical exploration of the Future Sci-tech City Corridor in Hangzhou and its embedded Featured Town initiative in particular, we observe how the future of technoburbia in China is by no means free from similar challenges in housing affordability and labor stratification. However, these contradictions are managed entirely differently in China. Nevertheless, the highly planned nature of China’s technoburbia also rubs up against political decentralization, demographic change and economic upgrading, implying significant trials and tribulations along the way.     

Spatial heterogeneity and scale effect of factors influencing cultural and entertainment experience: A case study of bars in Xi’an City北大核心CSCD

随着社会经济转型发展,文娱体验逐渐成为衡量城市居民生活质量和实际需求的重要指标。科学认知文娱体验影响因素的空间异质性和尺度效应,是提高消费者文娱体验质量和促进文化娱乐业优化布局的迫切需求。论文基于美团评论数据和POI(point of interest)数据,以西安市酒吧为例,将体验分为物理体验和情感体验,运用多尺度地理加权回归模型(multiscale geographically weighted regression,MGWR)探究不同尺度上文娱体验影响因素的空间异质性和尺度效应。结果表明：(1)西安市高体验水平的酒吧主要分布在莲湖区和碑林区;雁塔区的酒吧分布数量多,但其体验水平较低。(2)商户属性、交通条件、商业环境和区位优势共同影响文娱体验的空间分布,但在不同尺度上,其影响强度和作用范围具有差异性。(3)市域尺度上,消费单价对城市北部地区物理体验和情感体验的负向影响最显著;格网尺度上,店铺评分、评论人数和到酒店的距离对城市西南地区物理体验和情感体验的正向影响最强。(4)文娱体验的影响因素存在尺度效应,评论人数、到商业区的距离以及到城市中心的距离对体验的作用尺度较小。研究结果可为城市文化娱乐业空间布局优化和消费者决策提供参考。     

Doing NGO Work: the politics of being ‘civil society’ and promoting ‘good governance’ in Cambodia

Two fundamental pillars of what it is to be a contemporary NGO and ‘do’ development work are being a part of and promoting civil society, and extending ‘good governance’. This article will provide insights into how supposedly universally applicable concepts and models for NGOs to ‘improve’ post-conflict ‘developing countries’ are incorporated into different social and cultural landscapes. Ethnographic fieldwork highlights some of the particularities of governance, as well as everyday challenges of doing NGO work in a remote province of north-eastern Cambodia. In the context of an authoritarian government, where kinship relations cross-cut all aspects of society, NGOs can be understood as embedded in neo-patrimonial networks rather than as a separate and autonomous realm of society as classic liberal theory understands ‘civil society’. Fear also plays a significant role in configuring peoples’ attitude towards authority and is rarely acknowledged in the project of ‘good governance’ which simplistically tends to see post-colonial governments situated on a linear trajectory which will eventually, with significant NGO interventions, reach advanced liberal democracy status.     

‘Borehole Race’ and the Dilemma of Governing the ‘Ungoverned’: Understanding the Urban Political Ecology of Groundwater Exploitation in Nigeria

Groundwater exploitation is an essential aspect of the numerous processes of transforming the urban natural environment for human gains. We use the political ecology of borehole exploitation in Nigeria’s urban environment to understand the micro-and macro-level processes mediating the transformation and changes in urban “groundwater scape”. The fieldwork processes depend on field counting of borehole distribution, in-depth and semi-structured interviews, and a review of secondary literatures. We argue that the social and environmental changes arising from the exploitation of groundwater bespeak the active and continual manifestation of the interplay of combustible interests and power friction among institutional agents within the permissible range of the natural environment. Such dynamic power relations engender a pattern of socio-natural transformation consistent with Swyngedouw’s notion of urban metabolism- “a series of interconnected heterogeneous and dynamic but contested and contestable processes of continuous quantitative and qualitative transformations that re-arranges humans and non-humans in new and often unexpected ways”.     

‘We are at the mercy of the floods!’ : Extreme weather events,disrupted mobilities,and everyday navigation in urban Ghana

This paper examines how extreme weather events affect the mobility of low-income urban residents in Ghana. Bringing together scholarship on extreme weather and mobilities, it explores the differential impact of flooding on their everyday lives as they navigate the cities of Accra and Tamale. A range of qualitative methods were drawn on, including semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and follow-along-participant observations in selected communities of both cities. Three key themes emerged: disrupted road and transport infrastructure, everyday mobility challenges, and coping/adaptive strategies. In flooding conditions, residents experienced difficulties leaving/returning home, engaging in income-generating activities, and accessing transport services and other key urban infrastructure. Conceptually, the paper reveals how disruption to urban residents’ daily movements and activities (re)produces new forms of mobilities and immobilities, which have three relational elements: postponed, improvised and assisted. Throughout the analysis, we show how these mobilities/immobilities vary by age and gender: all urban residents, (though women in particular), experience postponed mobility; young people especially engage in improvised mobility; and children and the elderly are in greatest need of assisted mobility. The paper thus contributes to scholarship on extreme weather events and mobility by providing a more spatially nuanced understanding of the multi-faceted domains in which flooding, socio-economic conditions and adaptive strategies intersect to influence urban mobility in resource poor settings.