Peri-Urban Transformations in Agricultural Landscapes of Perugia, Italy

Urban fringes represent very complex landscapes because of their proximity and mutual dependency with cities and rural areas. These landscapes may be considered as transition entities characterized by fuzzy boundaries. An uncontrolled development of urban sprawl and land use changes in these areas may deter- mine negative impacts on all natural, economic and social components. Thus, urban fringes assume a key-role in modern landscape analysis, planning and management. Landscape analysis of these interfaces, as this study shows, can be effectively supported by GIS spatial modelling. The Settlement Density Index (SDI), developed through GIS spatial analysis techniques, expresses punctually the territorial gradients generated by the presence of settlements and allows the identification of the urban fringes in the two periods under invest-tigation. These areas are then characterized and analyzed quantitatively using detailed land use data. The comparison of the diachronic information highlights the transformations of peri-urban landscapes that appear mainly related to the modifications of spatial configuration of urban areas and to the changes of agricultural systems.

Effects of phytoplankton community and interaction between environmental variables on nitrogen uptake and transformations in an urban river

Phytoplankton are not only the main bearer of the nitrogen cycle,but also a key link driving nitrogen cycle.However,most phytoplankton cannot directly use N_(2),and they must uptake nitrogenous nutrients(ammonium,nitrate,and urea)to meet their photosynthesis needs.We examined the uptake characteristics of several nitrogenous substrates using stable isotope technique and identifi ed the potential nitrogen transformations in the Fenhe River.Results revealed that spring phytoplankton community composed of mainly Fragilaria,Ulothrix,Microcystis,and Synedra.Urea can meet the spring partial nitrogen requirement of phytoplankton.The large uptake rate of urea depended on urease,chlorophyll a,and nitrate concentrations as shown in random forest models.Cyanobacteria explained more than 42.8%of the total abundance at all sites in summer.Upstream was dominated by Actinastrum,and Chlorella was relevant in the downstream section.The uptake rates of ammonium were higher than those of nitrate and urea.In addition,the random forest model demonstrated that ammonium,urease,and dissolved oxygen(DO)were the major contributors to the ammonium uptake rates.Ammonium was taken up preferentially in autumn and phytoplankton(Cyclotella,Chlorella,and Pseudanabaena)appeared to be able to respond to changes in nitrogen forms by adjusting their community composition.Structural equation models demonstrated that temperature-induced changes in DO directly affected the transformations of different forms of nitrogen.At the same time,dissolved organic carbon can directly act on nutrients and then indirectly affect enzyme activity.There were great diff erences in the positive and negative effects of different paths in the process of nitrate reduction to nitrite and then reduction to ammonium in time and space.These findings provide a better understanding of the underlying mechanism of nitrogen uptake and the influences of interaction between environmental variables on nitrogen transformations in urban river ecosystems.

On the Process of Peasant Workers' Transformation to Urban Residents

The unique two-stage "Chinese path" of China’s ru-ral-urban migration, which cannot be fully explained by classical theories of economic development, makes us to give peasant workers’ transformation to urban residents a top priority. On the basis of fully explaining peasant workers’ transformation to urban residents, a method for measuring its process has been advanced and then confirmed with the data of March in 2005 from surveys to peasant workers in Wuhan. Finally, the suggestions of acceler-ating peasant workers’ transformation to urban residents to pro-mote the construction of a harmonious society have been drawn from the analysis.

Urban structure transformation of Lhasa City after the peaceful liberation and democratic reform of Tibet

In Tibet, Buddhism coupled with its theocratic history has given its cities and urban areas unique forms and structures. As the political, religious, and economic center of Tibet, Lhasa City has a special urban form and has experienced typical urban transformation processes for a thousand years. The city has been experiencing significant urban structure transformation that has accompanied the socio-economic development in recent decades since the peaceful liberation and democratic reform of Tibet during the 1950 s. Hence, this study presents the time-series of urban structure changes in Lhasa City for the purpose of understanding the characteristics and mechanisms of transformation under the republican political system. First, the study illustrates the urban socio-economic changes of Lhasa City beginning in the 1950 s via statistical data analysis. We then divide the urban development into several stages. Subsequently, we identify the transformation characteristics of urban structure by investigating urban growth, street structure, land-use, and religious facilities via maps of the city from every development stage. This paper ultimately discusses the regulation of city transformation. This study clarifies several probable issues facing Tibetan cities and proposes suggestions for future urban development of Tibetan cities.

A Summary of Research on Urban Village Transformation in China from the Perspective of Architectural Spaces

Based on the rational classification and screening of the literature related to the transformation of urban villages in China,this paper studied the research framework of the architectural space field in the study of urban village transformation,and analyzed the research status of architectural spaces and users in the process of urban village transformation,proposed four research contents of urban village transformation,namely,promoting space rights for all types of people to live on an equal footing,paying attention to the renewal and rejuvenation of urban areas,attaching importance to the technical methods of space construction,and ensuring flexible and diverse space construction methods,and summed up the necessity of carrying out research on urban village transformation in the field of architectural space construction.

Impact of Urban Land Transformation on Water Bodies in Srinagar City, India

Human actions rather than natural forces are the source of most contemporary changes in the state and flows of the biosphere. Understanding these actions and the social forces that drive them is crucial to understanding, modelling and predicting local, regional as well as global environmental change and also for managing and responding to such change. The present study investigates the patterns of urban land transformation in Srinagar City, which lies in fragile hill eco-system of Kashmir valley. The results points towards unplanned and haphazard urban expansion and transformation. These transformations have severely destroyed the water bodies both in terms of area as well as its quality.

Large Interactive Media Display and Its Influence on Transformation Urban Spaces from Neglecting to Action: The Case of Al-Thaqafa Street in Amman City

In 21st?century, media become the most important factor affecting the development of urban cities, including public places. As a result of the digital revolution, re-imaging and re-linkage public places by media are essential to create more interactions between public spaces and users, interaction media display, and urban screens, one of the most important defined media. This interaction can transform the urban space from being neglected to be more interactive space with users, specially the pedestrians. This paper aims to identify the effects of these new digital factors to transform public spaces, and the influences of large media display on the interaction between urban spaces and pedestrians. The paper focuses on Al-Thaqafa Street as one of the neglected spaces in Amman city, and attempts to analyse this street, explains its problems, and studies the influence of these new digital factors on its transformation, to be more active and vital by pedestrians.

Transformation of Industrial Heritage from the Perspective of Urban Memory:A Case Study of Taoxichuan Creative Square

Urban memory is the soul of a city. With the rapid development of the city, the phenomena of“large-scale demolition and construction” and “a thousand cities having the same pattern” are becoming more and more serious, and the urban characteristics containing rich historical information are gradually lost. As an important witness of the historical development of urban industry, industrial heritage contains precious historical and cultural values. Starting urban memory, and taking Taoxichuan Square as the example,through field research and memory interview, the continuation manner of urban memory in industrial heritage space is studied, and the transformation strategy of industrial heritage is put forward from the perspective of urban memory, making industrial heritage have a unique life cycle and cultural precipitation,inherit the urban context and promote the harmonious development of society.

Spatial Transformations and Urban Conservation of Religious-Historic Towns: A Case of Vrindavan, India

The spatial transformations can be observed at different religious-historic towns of India due to urbanization. Research is based upon fact that there is substantial change in the built environment because of spatial transformations at the religious-historic towns. The process of modernization in the functions and spatial layout is unavoidable at any historic town. The study attempts to focus on various urban historic conservation components, including the look of historic buildings, their earlier uses, and its immediate surroundings to improve the built environment of historic towns. A theoretical framework for the urban conservation of ancient towns is the main objective of study. How to modernize the historic conservation function while preserving the space’s texture and integrity. The research started with the investigation of the morphological growth of Mathura district, India through satellite images and in-depth study of the evolution process of street network in Vrindavan town, which is one of the main temple towns of Mathura district. There is a significant difference in the layout & architectural character of old part and the newly developed Vrindavan. Due to increased accessibility and movement, the spatial structure of traditional religious precincts, which were once local integration centres, has significantly changed. Increasing & changing mode of transportation and further increase in the religious tourism might be the cause or a big reason for the spatial transformations and correspondingly there is a challenge to conserve & preserve the religious precincts of historic towns. The study tries to analyze spatial transformations with the help of Historical GIS at different scales of urban form. Suggestive measures to conserve the environmental ambience of religious-historic towns are the outcome of the research.

Trends of the Transformation of Urban Form in Arab Cities with Specific Reference to AI-Khobar

The paper analyzes the current trends of urban transformation and delineates an underlying rationale which enables the comprehension of the current character of Arab city with particular reference to Al-Khobar. The city form is subjected to a re-reading arguments of which are based on critical interpretation of the mechaitisms of urban morphology in relation not only to the impacts of global economy and building boom but also to the means of perception of urban space by different strata of the urban realm. Thus, urban morphology of the city is studied as a medium which manifests a dissociation, and thus duality, between social structure and its physical container. The paper further argues that uncritical import of urban and architectural typologies seem to create a peculiar type of urban-architectural forgery that is usually reduced to skin-deep facade mimicry. Particularly, solo performances of shiny high-rise buildings and sharp contrasts of street fronts between main arteries and back streets depict impressions of fragmentation and segregation. The emerging urban-scape that can be associated with the cultural and economic leap in Arab regions today is critically evaluated. Thus, the paper proposes judicious and critical planning policy instead of direct import of global urban-architectural typologies.

Redefining/Reconstructing the ＂In-between＂： An Urban Transformation Scenario for the Haydarpasa Harbour, Istanbul

Istanbul as a ＂third world＂ metropolis is a dynamic open system, where complex and multiple economical, social and physical conditions are overlapped. Still the city is a focus point of social （economical, cultural, and ethnical） and spatial dualisms and their genuine contradictions--polarizations particularly in the last 30 years. Istanbul＇s natural characteristics such as geographical conditions （slope topography and the physical relationship with the sea）, and also the artificial urban properties that include the historical architectural monuments, the industrial heritage, the contemporary urban transformation applications, the harbours and docklands as borderlines or in-between zones also identify this fragmented, hybrid, and divided urban structure. The Haydarpasa Harbour as an artificial urban borderline between the ruined and peak zones lJskudar and Kadikoy on the Asian side of the city is a kind of representative in-between area, an isolate city in city, which triggers the social and physical collage and ＂deconstructs＂ the development process of lstanbul＇s morphology. This paper aims to analyze these social and spatial aspects, which endure urban polarization in Istanbul. The underlying reasons of these contradictions and eventual outcome of the peak and the ruined zones in lstanbul and their border districts typologies will be analyzed. This paper will also make a compared evaluation of Haydarpasa Harbour （intersection point of two adjacent districts in Istanbul） and the completed urban design transformation projects/scenarios on the harbor area regarding the creation of a sustainable urban development for the city by enabling a new productive public space in-between [Jskudar （＂ruined＂ zone） and Kadikoy （＂peak＂ zone） in Istanbul.

Landscape Upgrading and Transformation of Old Urban Parks from the Perspective of Place Attachment:A Case Study of Nanchang Bayi Park

On the basis of combing the relevant theories of place attachment, the planning framework of upgrading and reconstruction of old parks based on place attachment was put forward. Taking Nanchang Bayi Park as an example, the methods and key points of landscape improvement and transformation of old urban parks based on place attachment were explained to provide new ways and references for the renewal of old urban parks.

Confrontation and Integration:An Analyze the Mechanism of Rights Transformation in Urban Renewal from the Perspective of Space Theories

As one of the subjects under city-related discussions,locality carries significance in the dimensions of both political and economic space.Western researches have brought about various arguments based on theories of human geography,particularly in the area of urbanization.Taiwan adopts urban renewal as an important approach of revitalizing cities.In view of space theories,multiple political and economic confrontations have occurred during the process of spatial differentiation and reproduction.The analysis on the social phenomenon derived from the urban renewal in Taiwan,China from the perspective of political and economic space,taking into consideration of the correlation between capital and rights,suggests the ongoing development of a new growing pattern of cities under the contention or collaboration among industrial,governmental and academic communities.

The Transformation and Governance of Urban Villages with Historic Culture:A Case Study of Xiaxifang,Yongfeng County,Ji'an City,Jiangxi Province

The transformation and governance of urban villages with historic culture is faced with difficulties such as lack of attention and large-scale demolition and construction,which is not conducive to the continuation of urban characteristic culture.Taking Xiaxifang,Yongfeng County,Ji'an City,Jiangxi Province for example,this study explored the transformation and governance of urban villages with historic culture from the perspectives of spatial structure,urban function,infrastructure,ecological environment,and community governance,so as to provide a reference for the research and practice of urban villages with historic culture.

Tanzimat Reforms and Urban Transformations in Ottoman Port-Cities

The 19th century was a milestone for urban planning history of the Eastern Mediterranean region since the typology of the Ottoman city was reformed,more or less abruptly,by strong Western European influences as a consequence of broader political,economic,and social transformations.From the very beginning of the 19th century,the Ottoman state confronted significant administrative issues that raised in the importance to institutionalise reforms over a long period of time,representing the foundation of later urban“modernisation reforms”.These challenges of the Ottoman cities at that period coincided with one crucial reform framework known as“Tanzimat”,which reflected the social willingness to inherit elements of European culture,technological innovations,and lifestyle.According to that direction,urban space was considered as a workshop of planning regulations and reforms adopting principles of contemporary,at that time,European urban planning,mostly applied in England and France.These social and urban reforms established by the Ottoman state marked the first attempt to relate Ottoman cities with European planning,urban infrastructures,building regulations,and public administration.During the period of Tanzimat(1839-1876),the economic role and impact of cities was strengthened reflecting a rising urbanisation of population.This article highlights this“Europeanisation”of Ottoman cities at the period of Tanzimat by investigating five case-study cities:Smyrna,Beirut,Alexandria,Thessaloniki,and Constantinople.All these cities were important ports-hubs of the Eastern Mediterranean whose urban development since the 1840s was a direct consequence of the modernisation reforms and,in general,an increase of European influence.These urban reforms,like in many European cities,included new transport infrastructures and communication networks,public services(water,gas,tramways,etc.),health and education,and new industrial patterns.

Architecture as a Means of Developing Social Exchange:Learning from a Danish Case Study of Refurbishment and Urban Transformation in a Disadvantaged Housing Area

Disadvantaged housing areas from the postwar period typically consist of relatively monotonous and monofunctional multi-storey blocks and have a separate traffic system rendering the areas isolated enclaves in the urban fabric.It is argued that this spatial isolation contributes to social isolation,and current refurbishments are therefore aimed at linking the housing areas with the surrounding neighbourhoods to enable social exchange between the residents and people from the surrounding areas.Based on a case study in a Danish social housing area,this paper discusses to what extent architectural development and urban strategic transformations can contribute to enabling social exchange in disadvantaged housing areas.Do neighbours enter the disadvantaged housing area as intended?If so,how does this influence their perception of the housing area?The analysis shows that architectural development and urban transformations are interdependent in establishing a social mix in disadvantaged housing areas.It is argued that refurbishments can reduce the stigma surrounding the housing area and its residents.However,the applicability of such strategies is highly dependent on the local context of the housing area.

教育数字化转型进程中城乡教师协作教学的影响因素研究

明确哪些因素在教育数字化转型中支持了城乡教师之间的协作教学,研究活动采用田野工作观察、访谈与问卷调查相结合的方法,基于“四平衡”监控和学习型组织理论构建“三层级七要素模型”,并运用结构方程模型分析了问卷数据.研究发现:教师数字胜任力是核心影响要素,学校组织支持通过教师数字胜任力的中介作用间接影响协作教学;数字教学资源对协作教学有显著影响.针对这些发现,建议进一步落实组织支持,强化数字化领导场景,有效推进数字能力建设,确保数字化技术的优势能够转化为实际教学胜势;应促进数字教学资源创新应用,增强教育数字化转型的实效性和适应性.

INDUSTRIAL TRANSFORMATION OF SHENYANG CITY

Industrial transformation represents a unique economic phenomenon in China’s regional economy, and old industrial city reconstruction has long been a key problem that affects state security. As a typical old industrial city in China, Shenyang established its heavy industrial city position in the First Five-year Plan period(1953-1957), and this industrial structure has been consolidated for a long time. After 1978, Shenyang began its long lasting industrial reconstruction in an all-round way by 3 main initiatives including restructuring economic system, upgrading traditional industrial technology and developing high-tech industry. In the end of the 1990s, it could be identified that remarkable structural changes took place in city economy at large as well as individual industrial sector. According to the GDP proportion change, Shenyang is on the way to a high level industrial structure. The secondary industry also engendered significant shifting as smelting and textile industry declined sharply but IT industry increased largely. Although the ratio of the heavy industry to the light industry changed periodically, the heavy industrial output value most time kept a high proportion over 60% of the gross industrial output value in the past five decades. Shenyang has favorable conditions for developing equipment manufacturing industry, but it should carry out the program by establishing its leading role in urban economy plan, building "Theme Industrial Parks", improving Tiexi Industrial Zone, removing any kind of system barrier, enlarging private and other ownerships economy and improving technology, marketing and management by IT application. In response to economy globalization, Shenyang needs to expand the cooperation worldwide and improve the cohesion with surrounding cities.

Prediction-Adaptation-Resilience(PAR)approach-A new pathway towards future resilience and sustainable development of urban landscape

Urban land-use planning,especially in the peripheral region,has become an issue in contemporary urban stud-ies.Simultaneously,urban resilience is very indispensable for future urban land use planning and management.Therefore,consistent urban proliferation can be coped through Prediction-Adaptation-Resilience(PAR),to accom-plish future urban land use and sustainable development of any growing up urban areas worldwide.Therefore,different dynamic simulation models,e.g.Cellular automata-Markov model,artificial neural network,are used to project and predict any urban areas’spatial growth.Then,the adaptation strategies are taken to assess the urban land use transformation in the past and present context.Those strategies help to strengthen urban land use planning using an integrated supply and demand chain.Finally,this study checks the resilience of how much it will be threatened or saved for future sustainable urban developmental goals and urban resilience.Therefore,it is important to establish a conceptual framework to achieve Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)based on principles of the PAR approach.Advocating the on-going adaptation of sustainability,resilience,and rapid urban transformation in the developing cities requires clear and explicit definitions that are embedded with the recent and particular context.Thus,government and policy makers should draw their attention to make proper urban landscape planning and adaptation strategies for the future urban expansion in a holistic way by maintaining appropriate urban resilience.

Trophic Niche Shifts in Mountain Feirana Frogs under Human-mediated Habitat Transformations

Urbanization can induce environmental changes, disturbing habitat transformation process, and resulting in niche shift of species and local extinctions. Amphibians have experienced worldwide population declines, with ha bitat loss acting as one of the most disruptive causes. How amphibian species response to changing habitats could be reflected in their utilization and assimilation of resources. Using stable isotopes, we explored trophic niche variation between natural and transformed habitats for three closely related frog species in the genus Feirana(F. quadranus, F. taihangnica and F. kangxianensis). Our results indicated that the δ~(13)C value was negatively correlated with body size(snout-vent length) and the δ~(15)N value increased along with the ontogenetic process. The δ~(13)C values were significantly different among habitat types, and the variation of δ~(15)N values was relatively limited in different disturbed gradients. Urban groups displayed broader trophic niche width than both rural and natural groups. When species in sympatry, their resource utilization and trophic niche overlap probability were more similar in rural habitats than their natural counterparts. Our findings would be conducive to understand trophic niche and function variation in amphibians during the urbanization process, allowing for effective predictions of ecological consequences of habitat transformation. This study can also provide insight into conservation strategies for mountain amphibians in the Anthropocene.