scholarly journals The Role of Substitute Industries for Revitalizing Shrinking Cities

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9250
Author(s):  
Jakob Schackmar ◽  
René Fleschurz ◽  
Karina Pallagst
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Shrinking Cities ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
New Development ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Development Paths ◽  
Changing Demographics ◽  
Post Industrial

In past decades, many cities and regions have underwent structural transformations—e.g., in old industrialized “rust belts” or in peripheral rural areas. Many of these shrinking cities have to face the challenges of long-term demographic and economic changes. While shrinkage is often related to post-industrial transformations in the USA, in other countries, such as Germany, for example, the causes are related to changing demographics with declining birth rates and the effects of the German reunification. Many cities have tried to combat shrinkage and have thus developed a variety of policies and strategies such as the establishing of substitute industries. To assess the sustainability of this approach, this paper investigates the cities of Cleveland, USA and Bochum, Germany in a comparative analysis following the most similar/most different research design. The paper shows that substitute industries might lead to new development paths for shrinking cities; however, whether these paths stimulate sustainable development is dependent on those who are benefiting from these developments and to what extent.

Shrinking cities: Implications for planning cultures?

Urban Studies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karina Pallagst ◽  
René Fleschurz ◽  
Svenja Nothof ◽  
Tetsuji Uemura
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Shrinking Cities ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Urban And Regional Planning ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Societal Changes ◽  
International Knowledge ◽  
New Research ◽  
Insight Into

Various institutional and cultural settings have shaped spatial planning systems with comparable features; however, such systems have been adapted to specific cultural, normative and spatial conditions. In line with the growing demand for international knowledge exchange in urban and regional planning, planning cultures have recently come into sharper focus. Moreover, it has become widely acknowledged that many cities in Europe and the USA have to deal with challenges posed by long-term demographic and economic changes. This also holds true for Japan. The objective of the research presented here is to comparatively investigate changes in planning cultures in view of shrinking cities in the USA, Germany and Japan. The findings will allow us to detect interdependencies between changes in planning cultures and societal changes in the wake of shrinkage, and finally to derive hypotheses for both the future-oriented development of shrinking cities, and the development of planning cultures based on the comparison of cultural settings. In this respect the paper concludes with the hypothesis that there might be planning cultures that are not framed by geographic entities (nations, regions, cities), but rather by topics along shrinking cities. This could offer insight into a new research sphere of ‘topical planning cultures’. While lasting effects and successes of policies and strategies applied in shrinking cities remain to be seen, their influence on a broader knowledge exchange, contextualisation and innovation in the sphere of planning cultures is evident.

Forty years of rural reform in China: retrospect and future prospects

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 460-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiwen Chen
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Agricultural Policies ◽  
Timely Manner ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural Reform ◽  
Fields Of Study ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Government

Purpose Bottlenecked by rural underdevelopment, China’s overall development is bound to be inadequate and unbalanced. Through a brief retrospect of the reform directed against the “equalitarianism (egalitarianism)” in China’s rural areas, as well as the Chinese Government’s conceptual transformation and systemic construction and improvement thereof, the purpose of this paper is to clarify the panoramic significance of rural reform; the necessity, priority, and long-term nature of the current rural development; and the important role of public policy in doing so. It also looks ahead to consider the prospects for future rural reform. Design/methodology/approach This paper first reviews the rural reforms that were carried out in 1978. Second, it introduces the government’s conceptual change regarding rural reform and the establishment and improvement of the system that underlies it. Finally, the future of rural reform is envisaged. Findings The initial rural reforms brought extensive and profound changes to China’s rural areas. The experience of rural reform has been referred to and escalated by other fields of study. Hence, rural reforms have become something of global significance. Moreover, since the government can undertake reforms well beyond the reach of farmers, its views must be modified in a timely manner, and only then may it reasonably construct and improve the system pertaining to the “three rural issues (agriculture, rural areas, and farmers).” Originality/value This paper reviews the rural reforms carried out in 1978. It introduces the government’s change of concept with respect to rural reforms and the establishment and improvement of the system based on the “three rural issues,” thus looking forward to the future of rural reforms. The findings of this paper are of significance to the formulation of future agricultural policies.

Cross-sectoral optimization and visualization of transformation processes in urban water infrastructures in rural areas

2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (10) ◽  
pp. 1730-1738 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Baron ◽  
I. Kaufmann Alves ◽  
T. G. Schmitt ◽  
S. Schöffel ◽  
J. Schwank
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Wastewater Disposal ◽  
Interdisciplinary Research Project ◽  
Transformation Processes

Predicted demographic, climatic and socio-economic changes will require adaptations of existing water supply and wastewater disposal systems. Especially in rural areas, these new challenges will affect the functionality of the present systems. This paper presents a joint interdisciplinary research project with the objective of developing an innovative software-based optimization and decision support system for the implementation of long-term transformations of existing infrastructures of water supply, wastewater and energy. The concept of the decision support and optimization tool is described and visualization methods for the presentation of results are illustrated. The model is tested in a rural case study region in the Southwest of Germany. A transformation strategy for a decentralized wastewater treatment concept and its visualization are presented for a model village.

scholarly journals The rise of prosociality in fiction preceded democratic revolutions in Early Modern Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (46) ◽  
pp. 28684-28691
Author(s):  
Mauricio de Jesus Dias Martins ◽  
Nicolas Baumard
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
French Revolution ◽  
Early Modern Period ◽  
English Civil War ◽  
Early Modern Europe ◽  
Capita Gross Domestic Product ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Modern Period

The English and French Revolutions represent a turning point in history, marking the beginning of the modern rise of democracy. Recent advances in cultural evolution have put forward the idea that the early modern revolutions may be the product of a long-term psychological shift, from hierarchical and dominance-based interactions to democratic and trust-based relationships. In this study, we tested this hypothesis by analyzing theater plays during the early modern period in England and France. We found an increase in cooperation-related words over time relative to dominance-related words in both countries. Furthermore, we found that the accelerated rise of cooperation-related words preceded both the English Civil War (1642) and the French Revolution (1789). Finally, we found that rising per capita gross domestic product (GDPpc) generally led to an increase in cooperation-related words. These results highlight the likely role of long-term psychological and economic changes in explaining the rise of early modern democracies.

scholarly journals INTERWENCJA FEDERACJI ROSYJSKIEJ W SYRII – STUDIUM PRZYPADKU ROSYJSKIEJ POLITYKI NA BLISKIM WSCHODZIE

2019 ◽  
pp. 51-64
Author(s):  
Dariusz Brążkiewicz
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
The West ◽  
International Environment ◽  
The World ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Russian Federation

Abstrakt: Współczesna polityka Federacji Rosyjskiej na Bliskim Wschodzie jest elementem szerokiej strategii ukierunkowanej na cele w środowisku międzynarodowym oraz na cele wewnątrzpaństwowe. Polityka ta jest konfrontacyjna na płaszczyźnie Rosja – Zachód i stanowi koło zamachowe w dążeniu kraju do odzyskania dominującej roli w świecie. Zaangażowanie Federacji Rosyjskiej w konflikt w Syrii jest konsekwencją jej mocarstwowej polityki w zmieniającym się środowisku międzynarodowym. Głównym celem było wyeliminowanie rozwiązań USA i innych państw Zachodu w zakresie interwencji humanitarnej w Syrii. Poza tym utrzymując reżim Baszara al-Asada Federacja Rosyjska podjęła realizację własnego ładu na Bliskim Wschodzie, gdzie chce odgrywać kluczową rolę. Pomagają jej w tym Iran – wieloletni oponent USA oraz Turcja – nowy koalicjant, które mają też swoje partykularne cele w regionie. W przypadku polityki wewnętrznej, rosyjskie elity polityczne chcą utrwalić władzę populistyczną, oferując narodowi drogę dokonań państwa, szczególnie w wymiarze międzynarodowym – wskazując siłę militarną i wyższość polityczną, jako podstawowe elementy odbudowy mocarstwowej roli Federacji Rosyjskiej w świecie. Te kierunki polityki zewnętrznej i wewnętrznej dają obraz konsekwentnych, a jednocześnie zaskakujących działań Federacji Rosyjskiej na Bliskim Wschodzie. Abstract: Contemporary policy of the Russian Federation in the Middle East is an element of a broad strategy focused on international and internal purposes. This policy is confrontational at the level of Russia - the West and constitutes a flywheel in the pursuit of the country to regain its dominant role in the world. The involvement of the Russian Federation in the conflict in Syria is a consequence of its superpower policy in the changing international environment. The main goal was to eliminate the solutions of the USA and other Western countries in the field of humanitarian intervention in Syria. What is more, maintaining the regime of Bashar al-Assad, the Russian Federation has embarked on the implementation of its own order in the Middle East, where it wants to play a key role. Iran, a long-term opponent of the USA, and Turkey, a new coalition partner that also has its particular goals in the region, are the countries which help Russia in this area. In the case of domestic policy, Russia’s power elites want to consolidate populist power by presenting the nation country’s accomplishments, especially in the international dimension, indicating military strength and political superiority as the basic elements of rebuilding the superpower role of the Russian Federation in the world. These external and internal policies give a picture of the consistent and also surprising actions of the Russian Federation in the Middle East

Ergonomics and Design: Projections for the Future

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (38) ◽  
pp. 791-794
Author(s):  
Cigdem Erbug
Keyword(s):  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Industrial Society ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Comprehensive Strategy ◽  
Ethical Attitude ◽  
New Strategy ◽  
Post Industrial ◽  
Near Future

Discussions on the role of design in the post-industrial society, creates new definitions for design. In order to avoid placing a burden on the environment, designing is faced with a new context. In this context design supports long-term use, shared use, reuse, optimisation of useability and many other concepts related with environmental concerns and ethical attitude. It is evident that all these concepts require a new strategy for design where creating value and more human-centred products gain importance. This approach brings new organisations in product life cycle, because believing in these values most of the designers and manufacturers may agree on the new motto for design “less but better”. Therefore a comprehensive strategy is necessary for the communication of ergonomics experts and designers in the near future.

Farm, food and resource issues: politics and dryland salinity

2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 1471 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Pannell
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Catchment Management ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Dryland Salinity ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Specific Investments ◽  
Political Forces ◽  
Salinity Management

Political forces make it difficult to develop effective and efficient policies for dryland salinity. The politics of the day have had major influences on salinity and salinity-related policy, beginning with the clearing of land for agricultural development. Tensions affecting salinity policy include urban political power v. rural salinity; short-term politics v. long-term salinity; crisis-driven politics v. slow and inexorable salinity; simplistic and uniform political solutions v. complex and diverse salinity problems; the need for winners in politics v. the reality of losers from effective salinity policy; east v. west; and national v. state governments. These tensions will interact with our improving scientific knowledge of salinity and ongoing social and economic changes in rural areas to shape future salinity policies. Prospects for changes in salinity policy and outcomes over the next 10 years are suggested, including the following possibilities: more carefully targeted and site-specific investments in salinity prevention; the beginnings of success of current research and development efforts to develop profitable new plant-based systems for salinity management; ongoing debate about the appropriate role for catchment management bodies for in salinity management; greater attention to the problem of salinity impacts on biodiversity and infrastructure; reduced attention to market-based instruments for salinity; and ongoing changes in the economics of agriculture, timber and energy influencing salinity outcomes and, potentially, salinity policy.

PROBLEMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF PEASANT FARMS

2021 ◽  
pp. 19-25
Author(s):  
Elvira G. Kuznetsova
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Family Farms ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
Foreign Countries ◽  
The Social

The article considers the trends taking place in modern conditions in the agrarian sphere – peasant farms. Concepts and definitions characterizing the essence of functioning new agrarian forms of economy are analyzed. The place and role of the state and farming as equal partners in the social arrangement of rural areas and in the preservation of the traditional way of life in the countryside is emphasized. The author considers some of the concepts and definitions to be generally accepted, the other ones are of a search and research nature, which gives the article originality. Contradictions and problems impeding the development of new agrarian forms of economy are revealed. The relevance of the theme consists in the need to develop family farms as a priority form of individual entrepreneurship and as an important source of sustainable growth in food production. The long-term domestic experience of development of peasant farms and private holdings using achievements in foreign countries is studied and on this basis, practical recommendations on accelerated development of individual forms of agricultural production are offered. In general, the agricultural economy should be diversified in order to provide social protection, the opportunity to generate employment and increase the profitability of farmers.

scholarly journals The Specificity of Family Firms Providing Accommodation Services—The Experience of a Post-Socialist Country 30 Years after the Economic Transformation

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10404
Author(s):  
Hanna Górska-Warsewicz ◽  
Maciej Dębski ◽  
Krystyna Rejman ◽  
Wacław Laskowski
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Private Property ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Socialist Economy ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Two Stages

This study aimed to analyze the conditions and specificity of family firms (FFs) providing accommodation services in Poland 30 years after the beginning of economic changes. The research was carried out between 2017 and 2018 using the Computer-Assisted Website Interview (CAWI) method. In two stages of research, a total of 1300 questionnaires were sent to FFs providing accommodation services, and we received 83 fully completed questionnaires. This response rate indicates that there is still a lack of trust among FFs as a result of the activities of the socialist economy, which was negative towards private property. The respondents were generally business owners, but several questionnaires were completed by other members of the families running an accommodation service business. All companies participating in the survey provided their services in small towns or rural areas. In the structure of the surveyed FFs by type, guesthouses and lodgings had the largest share, and, in terms of location, FFs from the southern part of the country dominated. We found out that familiarity is an important feature of the Polish FFs providing accommodation services. The majority of FF representatives agreed that focusing on the specifics of family business allows them to compete with companies providing accommodation services. They also pointed out the long-term perspective of business and development and the provision of high-quality services. Such an approach is now possible because the period of a centrally planned economy had to be followed by a change in the way of thinking related to business activity in Poland.

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