Historical Notices of ISLIP,Oxfordshire1

Reginald Taylor and Lord Fletcher Essay Prize Winner

One of the most architecturally stimulating features of the Old Town Bridge Tower in Prague is the net vault over the ground level, designed by Peter Parler. Often assumed to have been built after the net vault of Prague Cathedral’s choir, this article looks more closely at the masonry, the heraldry and the sculptures of the Tower to suggest that the Bridge Tower vault predates the choir vault. After setting this vault as the first net vault in Bohemia, the article examines how this particular formt fits within the evolution of Parlerian vault designs in Prague. In addition, the article explores the larger implications of a design process where smaller spaces are used to experiment and develop new designs before utilising those designs on a larger scale.     

Residential property disparities in city districts in Prague,Czech Republic

City districts are often classified as ‘rich’ or ‘poor,’ a phenomenon that occurs within cities all over the world. While income inequality, wealth inequality, and other kinds of social inequality are frequently tracked, there is a surprising lack of research concentrating on how social inequality manifests as differences between parts of cities, especially outside of the U.S. That is mostly due to insufficient available data. In this paper, we propose a methodology for measuring the relative inequality between city districts by using the average prices of residential properties in various parts of the city, and assessing their relative difference. This approach has several advantages, as property listings are often readily available even in cities where income data is not. This methodology has potential for measuring developments in inequality in a much wider range of cities. As a proof of concept, we apply this methodology to property prices in Prague during the period 2003–2012 to identify a trend of either growing or decreasing inequality among individual parts of the city. We have found that during this period the disparity has grown only 5.97%, which means the overall growth of disparity between the city districts was negligible.     

明清长江中游市镇的管理机制

本文所言之市镇 ,是指明清时期介于县城与村落之间的具有相对独立性的商业实体。本文所讨论的长江中游 ,是指明清时期的湖北、湖南及江西三个区域。明清时期 ,长江中游市镇经济获得了一定程度的发展 ,与此同时 ,亦形成相应的管理机制。明清长江中游市镇的管理机制由三部分构成 :官方进驻机构及文武要员、兵士 ,乡村基层组织 ,介于官商之间的牙行及牙人     

Governing Post Apartheid Spatiality: Implementing City Improvement Districts in Cape Town

Abstract: To achieve a world‐class city capable of attracting business in a competitive global market, the municipal government of Cape Town, South Africa, like many cities of the global North, has adopted a model of urban revitalization popularized by New York City: business or city improvement districts (BIDs or CIDs). By examining CIDs in city center Cape Town, the paper casts light on the socio‐spatial relationship facilitating the neoliberal post‐apartheid regime and its governance. Analyzing discursive and spatial practices of Cape Town Partnership, the managing body of downtown CIDs, from 2000 to 2006, the paper reveals its difficulties in stabilizing the socio‐spatial relations of a transnationalizing urban revitalization strategy and rejects the view of CIDS as simply a global roll‐out of neoliberal urban policies. It highlights how CIDs are challenged from both within and outside of their managing structures by contentious local issues, and in particular by vast social inequalities and citizens' historical struggle for inclusive citizenship and the right to the city. Whether and how CIDs' inherent limitations can be overcome to address socio‐spatial inequalities is an open question.     

Structural Integrity of Stone Blocks From Charles Bridge in Prague

The Charles Bridge is the oldest, still-standing gothic bridge that crosses the Vltava River in Prague and up to now has belonged among the most sought-after historical monuments in the Czech Republic. The bridge has been repeatedly damaged due to floods and has been repaired several times. In the reconstructions, damaged sandstone blocks were substituted in facing. This experimental study focused on nonlinear ultrasonic spectroscopy for testing stone blocks that were extracted from the historical bridge structure. The objective of these experiments was verifying whether the methods can be applied to evaluating the internal structure of blocks, which are built-in in the structure in situ. Intact-structure blocks, blocks that had been repaired in the past, and damaged-structure blocks were measured. Two methods of nonlinear ultrasonic spectroscopy were applied—the method with single harmonic ultrasonic signal and with two harmonic ultrasonic signals. Measurement results of both applied methods proved resulting parameters correlation with block structure integrity quality.     

The role of heritage conservation districts in achieving community economic development goals

Most jurisdictions have some kind of measures to protect physical fabric and manage change within historic neighbourhoods. In Ontario, Canada’s largest province, these are called Heritage Conservation Districts. While much has been written about such aspects as identifying such districts, the designation process and their role in the urban landscape, less exploration has been devoted to understanding their potential role in economic development. This study examined two heritage districts in the Town of Markham, a fast-growing exurban municipality north-east of Toronto. Both of these neighbourhoods and both designated heritage areas have in place an economic development mechanism called a Business Improvement Area. The research involved interviews, household questionnaires, observation and statistical analysis. It was found that overall the data indicated that the management of the heritage resources supported and enhanced economic development. It was also found that there were considerable differences between the two areas in spite of their close proximity. The reasons for those differences are outlined.     

A CITY IN MOTION: TIME-SPACE ACTIVITY AND MOBILITY PATTERNS OF SUBURBAN INHABITANTS AND THE STRUCTURATION OF THE SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE PRAGUE METROPOLITAN AREA

This contribution attempts to reveal the relations between new suburban areas and other parts of the Prague metropolitan area by investigating the time‐space activity and mobility patterns of the inhabitants of newly built suburban districts. The focus on some aspects of the everyday life of people in new suburbs helps us to identify the impact of suburbanization on the changing geography of the metropolitan region and to better understand how the spatial organization of the Prague metropolitan area is produced, reproduced and transformed. We use several interrelated concepts, which serve the theoretical foundation of our work, namely time geography, structuration theory and the post‐communist city. The empirical data utilized are primarily based on 262 diaries completed by eighty‐eight individuals from thirty‐eight households, accompanied by household questionnaires and interviews with the heads of households. The research confirmed the implicit, generally unspoken view that new suburbs in the Prague metropolitan region are heavily dependent on the core of the metropolitan area for the provision of jobs and services. However, newly built suburban shopping facilities to some extent disrupt this pattern, keeping some daily activities of inhabitants within the suburban zone. In addition to empirical observations, the key purpose of this contribution has been to discuss and apply time geography concepts and methods to the research of urban restructuring, and to understand the structuration of metropolitan spatial organization.     

Decentralised Institutions and Electoral Authoritarianism: The Case of Town Councils in Singapore

Singapore’s electoral autocracy is well known for its innovative use of political institutions such as Parliament and elections to enhance its durability, but relatively little attention has been paid to decentralised subnational institutions such as Town Councils, which require elected Members of Parliament to manage public housing estates in their constituencies. This paper focuses on Town Councils by examining the motives behind their formation and exploring how they serve as institutions to support authoritarianism. Based on analysis of a range of primary and secondary sources such as parliamentary Hansard, government documents and newspaper articles, this paper argues that the formation of Town Councils was politically motivated and specifically designed to thwart opposition growth. It also argues that Town Councils support authoritarianism in three ways. First, they create extra hurdles and disadvantages for the opposition. Second, they give the ruling party an additional election issue on which to attack the weaknesses of the opposition and allow it to shift the focus of elections in its favour. Lastly, they facilitate more effective and targeted material distribution and create more opportunities for elite co-optation. The implications of the study for Singapore politics and the role of decentralisation in electoral autocracies are discussed.     

乡镇地域多功能性评价与主导功能定位——以金湖县为例

地方乡镇发展正面临着主体功能区规划要求下的功能再定位,客观评价乡镇地域多功能性是科学确定乡镇主导功能的关键。从县域视角,乡镇地域具有农业生产、非农业生产、社会保障、文化传承和生态保护等多种功能,选取表征各功能强弱的"态"指标和反应功能发展变化趋势的"势"指标,构建了县域乡镇地域多功能性评价指标体系以及单项功能位评价模型、多功能综合多维评价模型和主导功能判定的四象限分析模型。以金湖县为例对各乡镇的多功能性进行评价,并基于评价结果确定了各镇的主导功能。     

The archaeological study of neighborhoods and districts in ancient cities

The spatial division of cities into residential zones is a universal feature of urban life from the earliest cities to the present. I propose a two-level classification of such zones that archaeologists can use to analyze preindustrial cities. Neighborhoods are small areas of intensive face-to-face social interaction, whereas districts are larger areas that serve as administrative units within cities. I review comparative historical data on neighborhoods and districts and outline archaeological methods for their identification and analysis. Illustrative cases are drawn from Mesopotamia and Mesoamerica, and I conclude with a review of the major top-down and bottom-up social forces that generate and shape neighborhoods and districts in preindustrial cities.     

清代集镇名实初探

《清国史·地理志》、《清史稿·地理志》每县下均有某某镇的记录。经考察,认为这种记录并没有严格的学术标准,有一定的任意性。实际上,清代的镇,并非县以下一级管理地方或征收商税的机构。凡是有一定集中的人口,商业比较繁荣的聚落(集市),往往被人们称为镇。其中有的置有县以下管理地方治安的机构,如巡检司,有的什么设置也没有,仍被称镇;也有既设了巡检司等管理或纳税机构,然仍不称镇。可见清代文献中镇的记录并无严格标准。至于文献上记载镇的四至范围,实际上指的是所设机构管理(如巡检司)的地域范围,与镇并无关系。     

City with or without God? Features of post-secularism in religious landscape of post-communist Prague

The religious climate caused significant changes over the last few decades which led to intense debates about post-secularism in Western Europe. However, there is particularly a distinct lack of analyses of the features of post-secularism in post-communist cities. The paper draws on the case study of Prague where the religious landscape is in many ways unique in a European context because of its highly secularized society. Nevertheless, Prague also experienced a revival of religious life, which has found expression in the religious landscape (not only) through the emergence of new sacral structures, pluralization of religion and post-secular rapprochement in religious institutions. The paper examines the convergent and contradictory processes shaping the religious and non-religious landscape in Prague and therefore opens the discussion about post-secularism in post-communist context. The results point to the importance of historical, social, and urban development for the new geographies of religion. New areas of research should also draw attention on the new religious movements and alternative spirituality which helps to explain the relationship between sacred and secular phenomena in current European society and space and the re-definition of the minority role of religion in the secular society.     

农村居民点用地整治潜力测算研究——以广东省五华县为例

以广东省五华县为例,以行政村为单元,在政策指标测算法的基础上,从自然环境状况、经济保障能力和社会因素等3方面构建理论潜力修正模型,将理论潜力修正为可实现潜力,并根据土地适宜性评价估算增加耕地潜力,以期为科学编制农村土地整治规划提供依据。研究表明,五华县农村居民点用地布局分散、规模小、空间差异显著,呈现出沿河谷、沿交通线路分布的典型特征。到2020年,农村居民点整治理论潜力为5683.91 hm²,北部村庄的整治潜力较大;可实现潜力修正系数为0.54,与理论潜力相差较大,各行政村之间差异明显;新增耕地潜力系数介于0.32-0.94,预计新增耕地1943.41 hm²,琴江、五华河沿线村庄的新增耕地潜力较大。建议实施差别化的农村居民点整治对策,推进五华县农村土地整治。     

Henry Head in Ewald Hering's laboratory in Prague 1884-1886: an early study on the nervous control of breathing

Henry Head, the English neurologist, received the main parts of his academic education in Cambridge and in London. In addition, he spent two years in Prague where he worked in the physiology department of the German university under the guidance of Ewald Hering. He was interested in the nervous control of breathing and worked out a new method of recording the tension and the contractions of the diaphragm in anaesthetised animals. His results substantiated the experimental basis of the Hering-Breuer reflexes and included the discovery of a new reflex now named Head's paradoxical reflex. Head not only wrote an extensive paper about his scientific work, the recollections of his time in Prague also formed a considerable part of his autobiographical notes. These were written some forty years later and still expressed a deep affection for his teacher and mentor.     

《中国历史地图集》北宋秦凤路图正误三则

《中国历史地图集》北宋秦凤路图中,有两地可进一步讨论,一处缺失可增补。来远寨在今天水市武山县洛门镇裴家庄西南东旱坪,而非马力镇袁河村;大洛门寨在四门镇北之大南河沿岸。威远寨亦非滩歌镇镇兴堡,而在洛门镇蓼阳村与湾儿村附近。来远、大洛门、威远三寨控驭洛门谷,协同防御秦州西部的渭河河谷。     

龙华旅游区深度开发的原则和设想

在都市旅游开发中必须充分注意“传承”与“开新”的完美结合,都市的“昨天”、“今天”和“明天”的纹理必须要延续、衔接。本文以龙华旅游区开发为实例,将城市旅游学理论寓于实践之中,围绕龙华旅游区深度开发的“原则”和“设想”展开论述,指出了在开发中要处理好的8种关系,并据此提出了12点具体的规划设想。     

DIFFERENTIAL SUBURBAN DEVELOPMENT IN THE PRAGUE URBAN REGION

Numerous authors have asserted that suburbanization contributes to many problems in both suburban and inner city localities. Research of suburban development demonstrates variations in spatial patterns, the intensity of spatial processes, and the social and economic status of new suburbanites. While some forms of suburban development could cause serious problems throughout the urban region, other forms could be perceived as processes improving the quality of life in suburbia. This paper seeks to investigate different types of suburban development in the Prague urban region over the past fifteen years of transformation. The focus of my interest is residential suburbanization, which is one of the most significant spatial processes today in the settlement systems of post‐socialist countries. The theoretical part of the contribution deals with the differentiation of spatial processes changing the suburban zone. Here I discuss the concepts of several processes of suburban development and their distinctive impact on both suburban and inner city localities. The empirical part of the contribution is based on an analysis of migration flows in the various localities of the Prague urban region in the period 1995 to 2003. I attempt to describe the magnitude and spatial patterns of suburbanization and the composition of migrants to suburbia. The paper concludes with a discussion about the possible future development of suburbanization in the Prague urban region.     

Following the Ancestors: Six Moments in a Genealogy of Urban Design and Heritage in the City of Cape Town

In 2014, Cape Town is celebrating its design in all its forms, having been voted the World Design Capital (WDC). The hopeful rhetoric of the city as ultimate holiday destination, African creative metropolis, prime global-events location or city of freedom indicates powerful cultural discourses at work. In this paper, I will give a series of insights into the links between colonial modernity, on the one hand, and the origins of contemporary discourses of urban design and heritage in Cape Town, on the other. I intend to discuss the function of official discourse concerning the design of the city as well as the sudden eruptions that disturb these constructs. I point to the recurrent patterns and moments in which design is made plain and unspoken. I will trace the genealogy of official or top-down design and heritage discourses as well as the moments or movements that are at odds with or embarrass this official discourse.     

Agrarian Change and Gender Relations in South-east Iran

This article looks at some of the recent cross-disciplinary debates on the nature of the household, and in particular the need to juxtapose intrahousehold gender relations against the wider socio-economic context within which households are embedded. It places particular emphasis on the development of market forces, seen as a neglected theme in research on gender relations in rural Iran. Drawing on village-level fieldwork, the ‘conjugal contracts' in two neighbouring districts of the Iranian province of Kerman are located within the wider network of socio-economic relations in which both men and women are involved, taking into account the varied development of commercial agriculture, as well as the impact of state policies and the changing balance of social forces. Although these developments account for some of the observed differences in conjugal relations between the two districts, shared notions of ‘household unity’ and ‘wifely duty’ are also highlighted as critical factors shaping the conduct of husband and wife in ways that are comparable across the two districts. The pressures that are brought upon men and women with the development of market forces in one of the districts, while making women relatively more vulnerable in certain respects, have enhanced their assertive-ness within marriage — often in defiance of deeply-embedded ideologies that subsume their interests to those of their households.