Planning Culture—A Concept to Explain the Evolution of Planning Policies and Processes in Europe?

Abstract

This article examines the complex relations between spatial planning and its cultural context (including the specific socio-economic patterns and related cultural norms, values, traditions and attitudes). To be able to analyze the extent to which spatial planning adapts to external pressures such as Europeanization, a “culturized planning model” with the three dimensions “planning artefacts”, “planning environment” and “societal environment” is used. It can be observed that the “harmonization” of spatial planning practices can result from external pressures such as EU regulations as well as (horizontal) collective learning processes. However, “harmonization” does not necessarily result in convergence. Adaptational pressures such as Europeanization often result in the customization of existing structures, frames and policies (“planning artefacts” and “planning environment”) but do not fundamentally change the underlying core cultural traits (“societal environment”). These cultural traits are quite resistant to change and help maintain a diversity of planning cultures and policies in Europe.     

Constitutional change: an explanation

This paper first distinguishes the explicit changes that have been made in the text of the Italian constitution from others that have affected how constitutional balances work (e.g. new electoral laws), before considering both together. The turning point in both cases was 1989 and the transition from the first to the second Italian political party system. Down to that time the first system that originated in the Cold War fractures in Italian politics remained in force with only marginal and incremental changes. After 1989, however, both Italy's highly centralized structure and its system of proportional representation were called into question, resulting in the constitutional reform of 2001 that increased the powers of the regions and the electoral law reforms (which were not changes to the constitution). In both cases the consequences of these changes have proved to be contradictory, which is why reform of the Senate is now being contemplated to make the project for increasing the powers of regional and local government more coherent, as well as the form of government and the electoral laws in ways that will produce the majorities needed to make governments more cohesive and stable.     

Local autonomies and economic development in Italy's incomplete transition

Since the 1990s Italy's autonomous local governing bodies have experienced important changes in their powers and functions in ways that have been shaped by national and international developments. The two decades of Italy's ‘transition’ have seen structural changes in the system that enabled the country in the second half of the twentieth century to take a place at the centre of the world economic system. But the evidence of the last two decades indicates that the changes that have taken place do not constitute a transition, but reveal instead a country that in terms of its politics and the economy is living an extremely diversified and complex phase of its history. This essay explores these processes at the level of the provinces and local government, showing how their capacity to contribute, locally and nationally, to growth through increasing territorial competiveness has been hampered by uncertainties resulting from the reforms that have been introduced and by growing financial restrictions.     

出入“经”“史”:“古史三系说”之本意及蒙文通学术旨趣

蒙文通的古史研究在民国学界破旧立新的古史运动中有意无意地起到推波助澜之功效,《古史甄微》中打破上古一元的古史三系说,也暗合了当时"新史学"所高举的"古史多元观",蒙文通由此而日益受到民国学界的重视。但若回到蒙文通自身的学术脉络,不难发现,《古史甄微》旨在"羽翼经学":通过追溯三皇五帝说的起源,以地理、民族、文化的视角创立古史三系说,重建上古国史,澄清经史关系,以史证经,申明儒学在中国文化中的地位。     

东西部区域协调发展与构建和谐社会调查分析

调查数据显示,我国区域发展政策、战略实施所产生的效应是明显的,它培育了经济发展的重点区域,促进了欠发达地区的发展。区域发展增速差距趋于缩小,和谐社会建设取得了不小的成绩,但也存在不少影响社会和谐的矛盾和问题,如何将社会资源在空间上进行有效的配置,合理组织东西部区域协调发展,是构建和谐社会的重大战略任务。     

中日学术交流与汉语训诂学研究

日本学者在汉语训诂学研究领域取得了许多重要成果,在不少方面甚至超过了中国学者,非常值得我们关注和借鉴。本文结合作者在日本大学中文专业任教三年的体会,从五个方面论述了中日学术交流对汉语训诂学研究的积极作用。     

清前期"安南之役"略论

“安南之役”是清乾隆年间中、安之间发生的一场战争。文章从“安南之役”发生的背景、“安南之役”前期进军顺利和后期失败的原因、“安南之役”的性质和影响等三个方面对“安南之役”进行了较为全面的探讨,认为“安南之役”是清朝为维护中、安宗藩关系发动的战争,并非清朝对安南的侵略,它也未从根本上影响以后中、安关系的的正常发展。     

边境区位、边境区经济合作的理论与实践--以辽宁省-朝鲜边境地区经济合作为例

欧洲和北美的实践表明,边境地区经济合作具有推动经济全球化和区域经济一体化的作用,同时,经济全球化和区域经济一体化又促进了边境地区经济合作的发展。本文从边境区位的理论分析入手,探讨了边境区位再创造问题,并分析边境区位再创造与边境区经济合作的内在联系。最后,对辽宁省和朝鲜之间边境区经济合作做了实证研究。     

地缘政治关系简析

本文从地缘政治学分析国际政治大国与全球地理环境之间的关系实质,即地理位置、综合国力和战略利益在地域政治体系中的相互联系、制约和影响,及变化规律.