震灾保险研究中的软科学问题

震灾保险研究融会着自然科学与社会科学的紧密结合和相互渗透,基于这一认识,本文联系震灾保险的社会属性,分析并指出这一险种的非强制性质;保护应用的权益与责任;对社会不规范投保行为的制约;正确理解“与国际惯例接轨”、地震系统的协作模式、政府部门的政策导向等等带有根本性的问题,以启示人们把握研究的大方向,从而加快我国该项研究的实用化进程。     

Geography (or geographers) and earth system science

A response to Pitman’s recent arguments regarding a perceived invasion of geographers’ territory within the academic division of labour by earth system science. Geography is not the grand synthesiser, the only discipline which can explain the big picture, and arrogant claims that it is are counter-productive, both within and outwith the discipline. Geographers should just get on with what they are doing—well.     

The impact of residential desegregation on social integration: Evidence from a South African neighbourhood

This paper analyses the potential for social integration in post-apartheid urban South Africa by examining the lives of those already living in desegregated spaces. The case study is a low-cost state-assisted housing project situated in the wealthy southern suburbs of Cape Town. In this social housing project, named Westlake village, coloured and Black African (alongside a handful of white and Indian) residents were awarded state housing in 1999 as replacement for their previous homes (informal and formal), which were demolished to make way for a mixed land-use development, of which their new homes form a small component. Westlake’s desegregation is found to extend beyond mere residential abode, affecting resident’s everyday lives to the extent that apartheid’s history and geography are superseded by other factors (such as proximity and affordability) in decision-making. Furthermore, integration at the everyday level of informal neighbourly mixing is prevalent. Although more formal cross-race friendships are rare, discussion reveals this as a consequence of Westlake’s specific socio-historic identity rather than racial divisions per se. Empirical evidence is used to propose a continuum of social integration experience. This continuum addresses the form of integration, for example greeting in the street, visiting homes, inter-marriage; and also the spaces of integration, for example physical space (shared neighbourhood), economic space (common employment-type), social space (cross-race friendship), political space (common involvement in civic organisations) and cultural space (shared sense of belonging).     

Tackling social exclusion in European neighbourhoods: experiences and lessons from the NEHOM project

Disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods with their complex social, economic and physical situations have increasingly become the focus of governmental policies in the EU. The emphasis has shifted from improving physical qualities to building opportunities for social groups in these areas. While physical upgrade is easier to achieve, at least in the short run, initiatives often fail in outcomes on communities and local participation. This paper aims to improve understanding on how to tackle area-based social exclusion and create socially coherent communities. Building on the results of the NEHOM project, the focus is on examining how various interventions have impacted local communities and their opportunities for better inclusion. A comparison between neighbourhoods shows that mixing social groups to a certain degree is likely to be a necessary step towards opening long-term opportunities for a disadvantaged neighbourhood. The planned initiatives should at the same time directly benefit local communities, and the involvement of local groups in the planning and implementation process helps to guarantee that the overall changes are accepted by the local community. However, the proposed guidelines do not provide a universal recipe for a successful renewal suiting each neighbourhood—the contextual matters should always be a starting point when planning an initiative.     

论信息时代的城市发展

城市信息化是中国城市发展的新主题与新动力,是解决目前我国城市发展中诸多难题的重要途径。本文首先对比了数字城市和信息城市,然后指出了建设信息城市的迫切性和重要性,最后提出了城市信息科学的学科范畴。     

Practical Research of IKONOS-2 Geopositioning and Its Accuracy in Tibet of China

This paper presents the studies of the refining of IKONOS-2 RPC, the transform of the datum, the mode of the control point distribution and the method of IKONOS stereo triangulation, so that IKONOS imagery can be used to collect the precise geospatial data and produce the large scale map. The transform between the IKONOS-2 image space and the national coordinate system based on the RPC have been developed, and the results of block adjustment with various control schemes in a practical project near Himalayas have been examined and analysed. The encouraging results of high positioning accuracy have been obtained.     

时域反射技术在地学研究中的应用

综合介绍了时域反射技术在地学研究中的应用。包括时域反射仪的工作原理、测量参数(特征阻抗、介电常数、土壤含水量、土壤电导率)、时域反射探针技术以及时域反射技术在农业地质、水文地质、灾害地质等研究中的应用与进展。     

为我国土壤科学的发展奋斗终生的李连捷院士

文章简述了李连捷先生为中国的土壤科学和为生产服务而奋斗的一生。20世纪40年代,他在去美国深造之前,就在国内到贵州、广西和华南的许多省区进行了大面积的土壤调查工作。新中国成立后,他欣然接受先后到黑龙江、青海和内蒙古等省区进行荒地资源垦殖的调查任务,并于50～60年代,先后参与和组织了对西藏、新疆等地多专业的大型综合考察。通过这些考察,为西部大开发摸清和积累了大批可贵的自然资源资料,为我国土壤的发生和分类、土地资源的合理利用以及国民经济的发展做出了积极贡献。李先生在他近半个世纪的教学工作中,为我国培养了大批土壤科学人才。他一生刚正不阿、高风亮节,为我们树立了学习的榜样。在李连捷先生逝世10周年之际,仅以此文表达对他的深切怀念。     

浅议学科交叉与地球系统科学

以整体系统的观念认识地球 ,强化学科间的交叉与渗透 ,是 2 1世纪初地球科学发展的主题。各国都十分重视推动学科交叉研究 ,并将学科交叉分为Modidisciplinary、Interdisciplinary、Transdiscipli nary三个层次。地球系统科学的两大前沿为“地球系统的联系”和“地球系统的演化” ,2 1世纪地球科学的突破在于地球系统变化理论的形成。笔者指出 :目前 ,我们的观念还跟不上地球科学的发展 ,尤其是“学科交叉”的理念不强 ,缺乏地球系统科学的思维 ,但我们有开展地球系统科学研究的有利条件     

A safer city centre for all? Senses of `community safety' in Newcastle upon Tyne

In recent years, many city authorities in Europe and North America have sought to attract people back to city centres for leisure, shopping, business and residence. The planning measures commonly adopted take explicit account of issues of crime and safety. The concept of `community safety' as applied to the city centre is problematic, however, as users have diverse lifestyles, interests and values which impact on their own and others' safety. This paper reports on a study of the experiences and perceptions of safety of different groups of city centre users in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. While social identities and roles shaped the extent of concern and subsequent impacts on people's use of the city centre space, the research suggested that many concerns are genuinely shared. The paper investigates the congruence of a range of planning strategies with city centre users' safety concerns. Situational measures were viewed with scepticism, as fear centres on the presence and behaviour of others.