Forum: Cultural Geography and Cultural Studies

This forum discusses linkages between cultural geography and allied ‘cultural’ disciplines. A symposium on this topic – held at the 2005 conference of the Institute of Australian Geographers in Armidale – was triggered by the targeted inclusion of geography in a cross‐disciplinary network funded by the Australian Research Council. Although non‐geographers in the network have articulated strong interest in and an enthusiasm for geography, their knowledge of, and everyday participation in its disciplinary travails have been limited. Given this, the papers in the forum review geography's long and dynamic consideration of the relations between place and culture, and raise a set of key issues for geographers to consider: how we might interact with other disciplinary debates about the ‘cultural’, retain distinctiveness as the home of intellectual inquiry around issues of space and place, and leverage opportunities to forge more permanent connections to geographers working not in our traditional institutional settings, but in a range of research centres, schools and disciplinary homes.     

Natural Frequency of Single Pier Bridges Considering Soil-Structure Interaction

Because of the crucial role of free vibration frequency of a structure (e.g., a bridge) in design procedure, more realistic estimation of the frequency ends up in safer and more optimized design. As obtaining the free vibration frequencies of a bridge, considering soil-pile group-structure interaction, provide more realistic values, development of an analytical model to obtain such free vibration frequencies is studied in this research work. Most researchers have studied models with a single pile foundation. The purpose of this study is to assess soil-structure interaction (SSI) effects on dynamic performance of pile group supported bridges. A new analytical model is proposed to predict seismic analysis of these bridges. Applying the dynamic equations of motion for the system, SSI effects have been estimated. Based on the suggested analytical model, a new approximate equation is proposed for calculating natural frequency of pile group supported bridges. Equation accuracy has been investigated by comparing the results with those achieved by previous studies. Most periods calculated by the approximate equation are similar to those given for other case studies, indicating that the model could be applicable to other projects. Since the proposed model is very similar to real soil-pile-pier systems, this approximate equation can be used in preliminary seismic design of bridges.     

Social capital determinants and labor market networks

We explore the links between determinants of social capital and labor market networks at the neighborhood level. We harness rich data taken from multiple sources, including matched employer–employee data with which we measure the strength of labor market networks, data on neighborhood homogeneity that has previously been tied to social capital, and new data—not previously used in the study of social capital—on the number and location of nonprofit sector establishments at the neighborhood level. We use a machine learning algorithm to identify the potential determinants of social capital that best predict neighborhood‐level variation in labor market networks. We find evidence suggesting that smaller and less centralized schools, and schools with fewer poor students, foster social capital that builds local labor market networks, as does a larger Republican vote share. The presence of establishments in a number of nonprofit‐oriented industries are identified as predictive of strong labor market networks, likely because they either provide public goods or facilitate social contacts. These industries include, for example, churches and other religious institutions, fire and rescue services including volunteer fire departments, country clubs and golf courses, labor unions, chamber music groups, hobby clubs, and schools.     

The Limits of Public Policy Intervention in Urban Logistics: Lessons from Vicenza (Italy)

For over 15 years, the subject of urban logistics has preoccupied many stakeholders, including both private and public decision-makers. The purpose of this paper is to present a study of the limits of public policy regulations restricting vehicle access to limited traffic zones to promote the use of urban consolidation centres (UCCs). After examining the main technical and economic aspects of implementing an UCC, we present the case of Vicenza (Italy), which has implemented very restrictive regulations. We study the municipal regulations and their legal consequences, by analysing court rulings issued between 2006 and 2009, following a lawsuit brought by an association of freight transport carriers due to these restrictions. Although this case seems applicable to a specific context, we identify several lessons that can be extrapolated to other cities. Therefore, the lessons drawn for other urban areas in Europe are presented, and their advantages and possible transferability studied.     

THE CHANGING GEOGRAPHY OF HIGHER MEDICAL EDUCATION IN THE USSR, 1917-1985

During the Soviet period the network of medical schools expanded from one essentially limited to the European part of the country to a widely dispersed system covering the entire territory except for the far north. Analysis of the locational factors of Soviet medical school establishment shows that, like other higher education institutions, these medical schools were located primarily by city population size. Many peripheral regions received schools, despite having only lower-order population centers, and those places where schools were established fared much better in retaining physicians than those where they were not.     

基于交通网络中心性的长春市大型综合医院空间可达性研究

交通网络中心性是测度交通网络及社会经济活动可达性的有效手段。从交通网络中心性视角,结合可达时间研究长春市中心城区大型综合医院空间可达性。大型综合医院邻近度和中间性与距离(到人民广场路网距离)均呈负相关,在距人民广场最近处二者大致相等且最高,随着距离的增加,邻近度超过中间性。距人民广场4740-5799米处中间性超过邻近度并形成高值分布区,7862-8400米处二者均降到最低。约33.3%的大型综合医院空间可达性最好,其集中分布于以人民广场为中心的城市中心。空间可达性最差的大型综合医院约占总数的24.1%,多分布于城市边缘。空间可达性较差的大型综合医院为数不多,且多分布于城市周边。但高邻近度、高中间性、可达时间较长的大型综合医院主要分布于安达街沿线。高邻近度、低中间性,可达时间较短的大型综合医院则多分布于火车站前与新民大街沿线等城市中心位置。     

Seismic Displacement Demands on Skewed Bridge Decks Supported on Elastomeric Bearings

The unseating of decks is one of the most prevalent failure modes of bridges after earthquake events, as observed in the 2010 Chile Earthquake. Damaged bridges in Chile often had skew angles and were supported on elastomeric bearings. Similar bridge construction practices with decks supported on elastomeric bearings are also common in the central and eastern U.S. (CEUS). The seismic displacement demands on skewed bridges are more complicated than those on bridges without skew angles due to the coupling of translational modes with the rotational mode of vibration. The study presented in this article seeks to understand the seismic response of skewed bridge decks supported on elastomeric bearings. The scope of the study is limited to one- and two-span bridges, which constitute a large portion of bridge inventory in the CEUS. The vibration modes of skewed bridge decks are derived in closed form and the modes are compared when the gaps between the bridge deck and the abutment are open and when one of the gaps is closed due to seismic excitation. Nonlinear response history analyses are carried out to understand the effects of vertical ground motion, skew angles, aspect ratios, and different ground motion types on the seismic displacement demand in these cases. Amplification factors that approximate the increase in the displacement demand due to the skew angle are proposed.     

Contested archaeological approaches to mass grave exhumations in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT

Within the last 50 years, present day Zimbabwe, (Figure 1), formerly Rhodesia, a Southern African country, has gone through various pogroms resulting in the death of over 50,000 people in total both within and outside the country. The massacres consist of the Liberation War (1966–1979); political violence characterized by every election since 1980; the Matabeleland Democide (1982–1987); and the diamond conflict in Marange, Eastern Zimbabwe (2006–2018). These various episodes of violence have produced a myriad of human body depositional sites which include mine shafts, mass graves at schools and hospitals, burials at detention centres, pit latrines, and caves. This paper will analyse the disagreements and antagonism between professional archaeologists and vernacular exhumers that emerged during various limited exhumation of mass graves within the country. The paper will conclude by offering avenues of approaches to mass graves exhumation as the material evidence might in future, subject to judicial inquiries, contribute towards truth telling and peace and reconciliation.     

Bayesian Updating of Seismic Demand Models and Fragility Estimates for Reinforced Concrete Bridges with Two-Column Bents

Probabilistic models have been developed in a previous study by the authors to estimate the seismic deformation demands on structural components of reinforced concrete (RC) bridges with two-column bents. However, such models should be updated to reflect the latest laboratory of field data. Using a Bayesian approach, this article updates a currently available probabilistic model for the deformation demands of columns in bridges with two-column RC bents. The updated model incorporates information from newly available experimental data from shake table tests conducted based on a record of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake for a structural system with three bents with two columns per bent. The updated model is more accurate than the previous one in predicting the deformation demand of bridges with two-column RC bents and reduces the statistical uncertainty due to the addition of new data. As an application, fragility estimates for an example bridge are computed using the updated model both at the component (column) and system (bridge) levels.     

SEISMIC RESPONSE CONTROL OF A CABLE-STAYED BRIDGE BY VARIABLE DAMPERS

Cable-stayed bridges exhibit unique responses under a strong motion. It is partly due to the complexity in their damping mechanism. Recently, the benchmark problem of a cable-stayed bridge was developed to clarify the effectiveness of various seismic control strategies. Due to the new development of magnetorheological dampers, the application of variable dampers in bridges becomes possible. In this study, the effectiveness of the nonlinear viscous damping force scheme and the two-step friction damping force scheme are investigated. It is found that the nonlinear viscous damping force scheme is effective to control the response of the cable-stayed bridge with less demand for the damping force capacity of a damper. In addition, the two-step friction damping force scheme shows the improvement over conventional friction damping because the energy dissipation of a damper can be increased.     

Hospital restructuring in smaller urban Ontario settings: unwritten rules and uncertain relations

Important changes are underway in the management and provision of welfare service activities in advanced capitalist societies as governments scale back their responsibilities and commitments to social security and health care. In order to understand the processes by which the reform imperatives of the central state are implemented at the local level, it is necessary to account for particular organizational and place-based contingencies which influence decision making and strategic response. This paper presents a framework for understanding the context of executive decision making in the human services sector and uses the framework to illustrate issues of locally designed hospital restructuring in smaller urban centres in the province of Ontario, Canada. Specific experiences of the Chief Executive Officers of two non-metropolitan hospital settings are examined to explore the unwritten rules of hospital conduct and the relations of uncertainty that characterize efforts to restructure hospital services through formal arrangements with other independently governed hospitals and health care delivery organizations.     

Seismic Performance to Emergency Centers,Communication and Hospital Facilities Subjected to Nepal Earthquakes, 2015

Emergency centers, communication systems, and hospitals are essential infrastructures for emergency rescue and subsequent reconstruction activities. An investigation into the Nepal 2015 earthquake sequences found that the visited government offices were functioning normally 40 days after the main shock; that the local media failed to coordinate with the entire society at the beginning, but mobile phone-based communication recovered quickly; and that the hospitals in high-intensity areas were badly damaged as a result of improper design and adverse site configuration. Recommendations are proposed to enhance the aseismic capacity of structural and non-structural components using earthquake early warning and base isolation.     

北京城市保障性住房居民的就医可达性研究——基于GIS网络分析方法

本文以北京市为例,采用GIS 网络分析方法,分析具有中低收入群体特征、居住在保障性住房居民通过公共交通和私家车方式,到达各类医疗设施的就医可达性。分析结果显示：从出行方式来看,采取私家车出行的就医可达性高于公共交通。从就医可达性的医院等级来看,三级医院的可达性明显低于社区医院。从就医可达性的空间分布来看,位于城市中心、北部和东部地区的保障性住房居民,其可达性相对较好;位于城市高速路沿线的保障性住房汽车出行可达性较高、但公共交通可达性相对较差。从就医可达性的时间上看,建设年代偏后的保障性住房就医可达性差。通过这些分析发现,居住在保障性住房、选择公共交通的保障性住房居民的就医出行更加不方便。     

Sustainability of Highway Bridge Networks Under Seismic Hazard

In order to evaluate the seismic risk of transportation networks, it is necessary to develop a methodology that integrates the probabilities of occurrence of seismic events in a region, the vulnerability of the civil infrastructure, and the consequences of the seismic hazard to the society, environment, and economy. In this article, a framework for the time-variant seismic sustainability and risk assessment of highway bridge networks is presented. The sustainability of the network is quantified in terms of its social, environmental, and economic metrics. These include the expected downtime, expected energy waste and carbon dioxide emissions, and the expected loss. The methodology considers the probability of occurrence of a set of seismic scenarios that reflect the seismic activity of the region. The performance of network links is quantified based on individual bridge performance evaluated through fragility analyses. The sustainability and risk depend on the damage states of both the links and the bridges within the network following an earthquake scenario. The time-variation of the sustainability metrics and risk due to structural deterioration is identified. The approach is illustrated on a transportation network located in Alameda County, California.     

A world geography of global media cities

This is an empirical study that analyses the geography of 33 global media firms through their locations in 284 cities across the world. The analyses are set within the world cities literature and a methodology is used that searches out city networks from data on firms to define ‘global media cities’. Resulting definitions of network connectivities allow comparisons to be made with more familiar world city network results on global service centres. The relative importance of media industries in European cities is highlighted. The main analysis uses a principal components model to discover global media fields centred upon specific articulator cities, notably New York, Los Angeles, Munich, Berlin, London and Paris. It is concluded that there is a geographical logic to the growth of large media companies.     

General Social Capital,Education‐Related Social Capital,and Choosing Charter Schools

Proponents of charter schools credit them with many advantages over traditional schools. One claim is that school choice yields increased parental participation in voluntary school activities—which we shall call education‐related social capital. In this article we test for the independent effect of school choice on education‐related social capital, controlling for general social capital and other potentially confounding variables. Studies of school choice invariably show that choosing parents have a greater level of general social capital than non‐choosing parents. Consequently, any increase in education‐related social capital could be spurious—due to the fact that choice parents start with atypically high levels of general social capital. We find under controlled conditions that school choice has a small but statistically significant effect on education‐related social capital. However, its effect is considerably smaller than for general social capital, as well as for other traditional predictors such as parental education and the school‐related home resources that parents may provide.     

Embodying the Colonial Encounter: Explaining New Zealand's ‘Grace Darling’, Huria Matenga

Focusing on the heroine of an 1863 New Zealand sea rescue, this article is concerned with gender, race and the colonial encounter. The rescue became an example of harmonious race relations, advocating Maori service as part of settler society governance. The article analyses Huria Matenga's place in the rescue as white settlers endorsed, rewarded and constructed her in relation to the imperial reference point of British heroine Grace Darling. It is argued that the gendered imperial narrative of Grace Darling combined with transcultural representations of women and the sea to accord Huria Matenga a central place in the rescue. While in the early twentieth century Grace Darling's memory was more entrenched in mainstream New Zealand society than Huria Matenga's, by the beginning of the twenty‐first century, Grace Darling as imperial signifier had disappeared, and the legend of Huria Matenga existed alone in a state of postcolonial irony. The article demonstrates that mythologies of and commemoration for heroines are constantly recast and operate across a complex network of local, national and transnational levels.     

移动信息技术影响下的城市空间结构研究进展

手机用户、手机网民规模的不断增大意味着移动信息技术的出现和应用带来了信息革命的第二阶段。移动信息技术开始赋予了空间以新的内涵,其影响下的空间结构成为地理学研究的主要内容之一。本文重点梳理西方学者近些年来关于移动信息技术及其影响下的城市研究范式、研究内容变化的最新成果,以期了解最近的学术动态,并为国内相关研究提供一定借鉴。     

WHEN SHOULD SEISMIC RETROFITTING OF EXISTING STRUCTURES BE IMPLEMENTED IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE EXPECTED LOSSES

The usual outcomes of the seismic safety analysis for an existing civil engineering structure axe the probability of exceedance of specified limit states and the increase in safety due to retrofitting interventions. This information can be used in several ways. For a single structure, one can compare it with desired target reliability values; for structures belonging to a network, e.g. highway bridges [Donferri et al., 1998], electric networks [Vanzi 1996, 2000) or strategic buildings [Nuti and Vanzi, 1998] they can also be used to assess the priority of interventions.

In this study, an alternative use of the reliability values for existing structures is proposed, which answers the following question: when, i.e. in which year from the date of construction, should seismic retrofitting be implemented so as to minimize the expected total cost? In the expected total cost, here, both the costs of retrofitting and possible disruption, due to delayed retrofitting, are accounted for.

The method proposed computes the expected costs by analysing the branches of the event tree for the problem built after strong but reasonable and highly simplifying assumptions on the problem. Although these assumptions limit the general applicability of the solutions obtained, they allow the building up of an extremely agile and effective solution scheme.

The results obtained from the study, i.e. the year in which it is economically best to implement retrofitting and what the expected annual equivalent cost is, are presented in diagrams and in analytical form, as a function of the most important variables. Finally, an example application on a real structure is presented, which shows all the steps to undertake with the proposed method.     

Crowdsourcing Model Research for the Identification of Post-Earthquake Rescue Objects

The quick and accurate identification of post-earthquake rescue objects can minimize the casualties and property loss caused by earthquakes. With the rapid development of remote sensing technology, rescue objects can be identified through high-resolution remote sensing images. There are two main categories of approaches to identify rescue object through high-resolution images: automatic extraction by a computer and visual judgment by professionals. Although results can be obtained quickly by using automatic extraction, the accuracy of the results is unacceptably low. For visual judgment, the large demands for time and professionals restrict its wide practical application. In this study, we introduce crowdsourcing into the identification of post-earthquake rescue objects. First, we integrate the advantages of the computer and crowdsourcing, which means that the computer takes advantage of the speed of information processing, while crowdsourcing makes full use of human recognition capabilities. Second, we take visual judgment tasks out of the hands of professionals and entrust the tasks to workers in a crowdsourcing platform. Not only are the human resources infinite, but we can also improve the efficiency of identifying rescue objects. Third, we propose a crowdsourcing model that improves the quality of the results and saves human resources. Finally, experimental results demonstrate that our solution is feasible.