Urban development in Germany — perspectives for the future

The essay portrays urban development in Germany at the end of the 20th century in the transition from Industrial Modernity to the New Modernity. The city of the Industrial Modernity is described as a traditionally closed and mixed city. It corresponds to the classical European model of the compact city with a clearly defined centre and a surrounding area which is unambiguously oriented towards this centre. This urban model is disintegrating in Germany. The essay explains this lingering but fundamental process of change. The inner cities are decreasing in importance in favour of the urban fringe, traditional relationships and connections with our cities are lost, new regional activity areas are emerging in the environs of cities. Although the urban impacts of new communication technologies have not been completely clarified, they are changing previous local relationships in the cities. This is not without consequences for urban neighbourhood relationships. The increasing polarisation in German society also affects urban structure. The social mixture in cities disappears on a small scale, public spaces are losing their functions, undesirable population groups are excluded from participation in urban life in new shopping, leisure and transport facilities. The interaction between private and public agents who influence and determine urban development has changed in recent years, and the civic sense of responsibility for the city must be newly defined. Hopes are put into the debates on the Local Agenda and - in spite of its dangers - into a project-oriented planning approach.     

Neogene basin development around Söke-Kuşadası (western Anatolia) and its bearing on tectonic development of the Aegean region

There is a N–S lying narrow strip of Neogene outcrop between the towns of Kuşadası and Söke in western Anatolia. It contains remnants of successive Neogene graben basins. The first graben began to form under the control of a N40–70°E-trending oblique fault system during the Early Miocene. At the initial phase of the opening coarse clastic rocks were deposited in front of the fault-elevated blocks as scree deposits and fanglomerates. Later the graben advanced into a large lake basin. Towards the end of the Middle Miocene the lacustrine sediments of the Early–Middle Miocene age underwent an approximately N–S compressional deformation and elevated above the lake level, and were partly eroded. During the Late Miocene a new graben basin began to form as a consequence of the development of E–W-trending normal faults, formed under the N–S extensional regime. This graben also turned later into a lake environment. The lake extended far beyond the limits of the fault zones, and covered the entire regions stretching from the south of Bafa Lake in the south to Kuşadası and beyond in the north. Micritic clayey limestones were predominantly deposited in the lake. A severe erosional phase followed the termination of the lake basin. This corresponds to the cessation of the N–S extension. When the N–S extension regenerated during the Pliocene(?)–Pleistocene, the Büyük Menderes graben system began to form. In the western part of the graben, a conjugated pair of oblique faults, the Priene–Sazlı fault and the Kuşadası fault, have formed. The faults having important strike-slip components, bounded a tectonic wedge, which began to move westward into the Aegean Sea region. Major morphological features of the region were formed under the effective control of these fault zones.     

Neogene basin development around Söke-Kuşadası (western Anatolia) and its bearing on tectonic development of the Aegean region

The AMS study has been performed on various types of the basement – Variscan granitic and surrounding – Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in the Velká Fatra Mountains, Tatric Superunit of the Central Western Carpathians. The Velká Fatra Mts. provides good opportunity for AMS study because of composite S-type and I-type granite character of pluton and clear relations to Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in the cover and nappe positions. The granitic massif consists of the three types of weakly magnetic peraluminous granites (350 – 340 Ma in age), ranging from two-mica granites to biotite granodiorites in composition and carrying accessory monazite and ilmenite; whereby they resemble common S-type and/or Ilmenite Series granite. This pre-existing granitic body was intruded by relatively young (304 Ma old) metaluminous to subaluminous, strongly magnetic (due to magnetite) tonalitic intrusion of the I-type and/or Magnetite Series granite. In all S-types investigated as well as in the I-type tonalite body, the magnetic fabrics are not uniform, but slightly variable within a body and differing from body to body. The magnetic fabrics in all granitic rocks can be classified as mostly magmatic in origin, only subordinately affected by ductile deformation. The Alpine overprint of the magnetic fabric of the Variscan granite frequent in the central areas of the Central Western Carpathians was only weak in the Velká Fatra Mts. and the magnetic fabrics of these granites thus mostly comprise the original Variscan magmatic fabrics. On the other hand, in the marginal parts of the Velká Fatra Mts. the magnetic fabrics in granites are locally conformable to the deformational magnetic fabrics in surrounding sedimentary rocks (Mesozoic in age) thus indicating at least local effects of the Alpine deformation. The magnetic fabrics in Mesozoic sedimentary rocks covering the crystalline basement are partially (Cover Formation) to entirely (Nappe Units) deformational in origin.     

New global environment programmes and sustainable development —a geographical perspective

After an outline of some developments leading to the present wave of globality, the two new programmes: IGBP (International Geosphere-Programme) and HDGC (Human Dimension of Global Change-Programme) are briefly introduced.The significance of both approaches to geographical science is commented upon, Special reference is made to the important concept of sustainable development.Paper presented to the IGU-Commission: History of Geographical Thought, Hamburg, August 1990.     

The eastern industrial zone in Ethiopia: Catalyst for development?

In 2000, China agreed to share with African countries its experience in the field of investment promotion relating to the establishment and management of special economic zones. The Eastern Industry Zone was subsequently established. Of the various zones being built in Africa, Ethiopia's perhaps represents one of the biggest challenges to both the Chinese developers and the host government alike. Utilising insights from evolutionary economic geography and the work of Albert Hirschman, this article seeks to analyse the progress thus far in the Ethiopian SEZ. Spatially discrete, unfocused in terms of clustering and with few linkages to the wider economy, what impact, if any, the development of this zone will have on Ethiopia's structural transformation is discussed. The implications for Ethiopia's wider investment in industrial parks as part of its developmental state project is also drawn out.     

A vision for Iran’s fuel cell and hydrogen development

Hydrogen combined with fuel cell (FC) technology has been widely discussed as a long-term fuel option to address environmental and energy security concerns. Iran, despite outlining a long-term plan to develop its renewable energies’ (REs) infrastructures, is faced with difficulties in deploying fuel cell hydrogen (FCH). These obstacles—led by lack of adequate funding—have caused a slowdown in the government-driven initiatives in recent years, thus resulting in projects delays and suspensions. This paper focuses on current status of Iran’s FCH within and among leading and neighboring countries. Barriers and challenges of the three main actors (government, university, and industry) on Iran’s FCH development are analyzed and then supported with a policy perspective. It is shown that the government obligations play a significant role to overcome these obstacles and also act as the main driving force to perform the required actions. The paper also proposes strategic measures in a short-, medium-, and long-term framework to promote the technology in Iran in hopes of a clear national policy and a proper vision. It is shown that the responsibility for the short- and medium-term actions lies predominantly upon the government while it will be fully devolved to the private sector in the long term.     

Geosynclinal folded belts and systems – stages of development and igneous activity

Even the beginnings of the late Proterozoic (Baykalian)geosynclinal process which lasted for about one billion years, i. e. the growth of the base of geosynclinal folded areas, are younger than the skeletons of the ancient platforms. All of the post-Proterozoic folded systems had arisen and grown on the same base the relics of which, not involved in the younger folding are the Baykalids, in the general sense of the term. Every one of the geosynclinal systems evolved in two stages: “the main” and “the orogenic,” genetically an organic whole, but each with its own magmatic and other characteristics. Magrnatism of the main stage is connected with abyssal processes, accessions of magma from the mantle, magmatic differentiation, development and expansion of acidic-magmatic hearths. Magmatism of the orogenic stage is connected with plutons at shallow depths, hearths of secondary magmas, their differentiations, redistribution of magmatic bodies, as a direct (and logical) continuation of the main stage. It is an error therefore to contrast the two parts of the whole, i. e. geosynclinal and the orogenic stages or to draw excessively sharp lines between the geosynclinal- orogenic stage and the platformal evolutions. -- V. P. Sokoloff.     

Texture development and slip systems in bridgmanite and bridgmanite + ferropericlase aggregates

Bridgmanite (Mg,Fe)SiO₃ and ferropericlase (Mg,Fe)O are the most abundant phases in the lower mantle and localized regions of the D″ layer just above the core mantle boundary. Seismic anisotropy is observed near subduction zones at the top of the lower mantle and in the D″ region. One source of anisotropy is dislocation glide and associated texture (crystallographic preferred orientation) development. Thus, in order to interpret seismic anisotropy, it is important to understand texture development and slip system activities in bridgmanite and bridgmanite + ferropericlase aggregates. Here we report on in situ texture development in bridgmanite and bridgmanite + ferropericlase aggregates deformed in the diamond anvil cell up to 61 GPa. When bridgmanite is synthesized from enstatite, it exhibits a strong (4.2 m.r.d.) 001 transformation texture due to a structural relationship with the precursor enstatite phase. When bridgmanite + ferropericlase are synthesized from olivine or ringwoodite, bridgmanite exhibits a relatively weak 100 transformation texture (1.2 and 1.6 m.r.d., respectively). This is likely due to minimization of elastic strain energy as a result of Young’s modulus anisotropy. In bridgmanite, 001 deformation textures are observed at pressures <55 GPa. The 001 texture is likely due to slip on (001) planes in the [100], [010] and \(\left\langle {110} \right\rangle\) directions. Stress relaxation by laser annealing to 1500–1600 K does not result in a change in this texture type. However, at pressures >55 GPa a change in texture to a 100 maximum is observed, consistent with slip on the (100) plane. Ferropericlase, when deformed with bridgmanite, does not develop a coherent texture. This is likely due to strain heterogeneity within the softer ferropericlase grains. Thus, it is plausible that ferropericlase is not a significant source of anisotropy in the lower mantle.     

Urban development in East Germany — specific features of urban transformation processes

The aim of this paper is to analyse the main characteristics of post-socialist urban development in East Germany, especially the differences compared to urban development in other East and Central European countries. In spite of the many similar problems and processes in urban development, specific features of East Germany are characterised by the rapid growth of suburbia, especially in the first phase of transition, by the proceeding activities of urban renewal and revitalisation, and by a lower level of social polarisation and socio-spatial segregation as compared to other post-socialist countries. Important conditions for urban development in East Germany exist in special support programmes, high subsidies and other financial transfers as well as in engaged planning conceptions of the local authorities. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Integrating sustainable development and economic restructuring: a role for regulation theory?

Despite the growing importance of environmental issues within international and national economic policies, little attention has been paid to these issues in work on economic restructuring. However, the increasing adoption of the concept of sustainable development as a means to resolve conflict between the economy and the environment has major implications for the form and direction of economic restructuring. In this paper it is therefore argued that the growing adoption of sustainable development as a central guiding principle for economic development necessitates the incorporation of environmental issues into work on economic restructuring. The limited amount of existing work linking the environment with economic restructuring is criticized and it is suggested that there is considerable potential to use regulation theory to combine debates on economic restructuring and sustainable development.     

Subsidence development with time — experiences from longwall operations in the Appalachian coalfield

Summary The development of mining subsidence, from the immediate roof to the surface, has a dynamic character and it is related to the progress of underground mining and time. Subsidence prediction methods which can pre-calculate the final and intermediate stages of this process are important in mine design. In this paper a prediction method proposed by Knothe (1953), and based on Gauss distribution of influences and Mitsherlich's law of limited increase, is presented and applied to determine the subsidence development over time in the Appalachian coalfield. The method has yielded very promising results and it was verified for a number of longwall case studies.     

Is pure groundwater safe to drink?: natural "contamination' of groundwater in Norway

The title of this article is designed to provoke. Naturally occurring parameters are, by definition, not contamination. Nevertheless, nature is not necessarily nice, and naturally occurring trace toxins can be every bit as undesirable as their counterparts derived from human pollution.     

Geoparks---geological attractions： A tool for public education, recreation and sustainable economic development

Within the framework of an international meeting, held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on 13 February 2004, the “Operational Guidelines for National Geoparks seeking UNESCO‘s assistance” and recommendations were presented in their final version.     

Late Permian–early Middle Triassic back-arc basin development in West Qinling,China

The Late Permian–early Middle Triassic strata of the northern West Qinling area, northeastern Tibetan Plateau, are composed of sediment gravity flow deposits. Detailed sedimentary facies analysis indicates these strata were deposited in three successive deep-marine environments. The Late Permian–early Early Triassic strata of the Maomaolong Formation and the lowest part of the Longwuhe Formation define a NW–SE trending proximal slope environment. Facies of the Early Triassic strata composing the middle and upper Longwuhe Formation are consistent with deposition in a base-of-slope apron environment, whereas facies of the Middle Triassic Anisian age Gulangdi Formation are more closely associated with a base-of-slope fan depositional environment. The lithofacies and the spatial–temporal changes in paleocurrent data from these strata suggest the opening of a continental margin back-arc basin system during Late Permian to early Middle Triassic time in the northern West Qinling. U–Pb zircon ages for geochemically varied igneous rocks with diabasic through granitic compositions intruded into these deep-marine strata range from 250 to 234 Ma. These observations are consistent with extensional back-arc basin development and rifting between the Permian–Triassic Eastern Kunlun arc and North China block during the continent–continent collision and underthrusting of the South China block northward beneath the Qinling terrane of the North China block. Deep-marine sedimentation ended in the northern West Qinling by the Middle Triassic Ladinian age, but started in the southern West Qinling and Songpan-Ganzi to the south. We attribute these observations to southward directed rollback of Paleo-Tethys oceanic lithosphere, continued attenuation of the West Qinling on the upper plate, local post-rift isostatic compensation in the northern West Qinling area, and continued opening of a back-arc basin in the southern West Qinling and Songpan-Ganzi. Rollback and back-arc basin development during Late Permian to early Middle Triassic time in the West Qinling area explains: the truncated map pattern of the Eastern Kunlun arc, the age difference of deep-marine sediment gravity flow deposits between the Late Permian–early Middle Triassic northern West Qinling and the late Middle Triassic–Late Triassic southern West Qinling and Songpan-Ganzi, and the discontinuous trace of ophiolitic rocks associated with the Anyemaqen-Kunlun suture.     

Simulation of fabric development in recrystallizing aggregates—I. Description of the model

A new computer simulation of the development of grain shape and crystallographic preferred orientations in dynamically recrystallizing aggregates is presented. This model is based on a uniform array of points, each of which represents a small area of crystal. This model combines homogeneous strains, simplified versions of the lattice rotations predicted by Taylor-Bishop-Hill theory, mobile grain boundaries and the nucleation of subgrains. It allows the progressive development of the fabrics and microstructures to be followed. The limitations of the simplifying assumptions used in this model are discussed.     

Holocene sedimentary and environmental development of Aarhus Bay,Denmark – a multi-proxy study

Holocene sedimentation patterns and environmental development in Aarhus Bay, Denmark, were reconstructed based on proxy analyses of two sediment cores (M1 and M5). Together, the two cores offer an opportunity to examine the history of the area during the past c. 10 000 years. The investigation consisted of acoustic mapping and multi-proxy analyses of the sediment cores including macrofossils, sediment physical properties, sediment accumulation rates, grain size, and X-ray fluorescence elemental counts. Radiocarbon dating of the two sediment successions revealed that they cover the periods c. 10 000–3700 cal. a BP (M1) and c. 4400 cal. a BP to the present (M5). The data from the M1 site indicate the presence of a near-shore lake environment between c. 10 000 and 9000 cal. a BP. The first intrusion of marine water into the area is dated to c. 9000 cal. a BP. In the following c. 1300 years, brackish-water conditions prevailed in the area characterized by a mixture of taxa from marine, limnic and terrestrial habitats, reflecting a shallow estuarine environment. Around 7700 cal. a BP full marine conditions were established, accompanied by a marked increase in sedimentation rates. The changes to full marine conditions and higher sedimentation rates are probably due to a significant sea-level rise leading to flooding of former land areas and intensified erosion. A subsequent distinct decrease in sedimentation rates around 6350 cal. a BP is presumably linked to a previously documented sea-level drop about this time. Continuous sedimentation ceased around 3700 cal. a BP in the central part of the bay, most probably due to a major sea-level lowering involving widespread erosion. In the eastern and deeper part of the bay, sedimentation continued until today. Fully marine conditions prevailed there for at least the last 4400 years.