Urban regeneration in the context of post-Soviet transformation: Lithuanian experience

Our research concentrates on the countries, which had emerged after the collapse of the Soviet bloc, and the possible distinctive influence of the social and institutional environment of these countries on the process and outcomes of city center regeneration. The theoretical section includes the definition of the main concepts used in our research. First of all the countries undergoing the post-Soviet transformation were defined and then the concept of “urban regeneration” was explained. Here we also distinguished the main features of societies and institutional environment of the post-Soviet countries including the collision of different sets of values and lack of conscious value orientations and value systems, lack of individual initiative and personal responsibility, low level of participation in public domain, tendency towards non-transparent decision making, culture of complaint, climate of mistrust, increasing uncertainty and pessimism. In the section of results we had elaborated and discussed the hypothesis that these features affect the image and treatment of the historic built environment and especially of historic urban centers. Further we distinguish three dimensions – features of urban space, governance structures, and social milieu – and, based on literature and Lithuanian experience, distinguish what features of these dimensions and how make it easier or inhibit the urban regeneration. In the concluding sections we outline the basic findings and further research proposals and present the summary matrix of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of urban regeneration in the context of post-Soviet transformation. The matrix could be useful both for the future research and for the decision making in practice of city center regeneration. From the preset outcomes of our research, we conclude that social and institutional context is crucial in the city center regeneration and in heritage preservation in general and the ideas and principles widespread in Western Europe and the United States cannot be directly and straightforwardly imported into the context of post-Soviet transformation.     

Non-destructive monitoring methods as indicators of damage cause on Cathedral of St. Lawrence in Trogir,Croatia

Durability is one of the most important engineering properties of cultural heritage monuments. For the purpose of the preservation of structures for future generations, the causes of damage should be determined for the proper choice of type and location of strengthening. The condition of the foundation is difficult to determine without an extensive investigation which is critical because most often the cause of damage is found in such foundations. Geotechnical investigation techniques require the damage and destruction of a building's surroundings or the damage of a foundation with a boring device. Non-destructive methods, such as geophysical methods, are less reliable and the results of such investigations must be combined with the results of subsurface exploration. This paper is a presentation of results achieved through the monitoring of the activity of a number of joints on the Cathedral of St. Lawrence in Trogir, Croatia, which is a cultural heritage monument protected by UNESCO. Excavations for the purpose of flagging replacement in the zone around the east frontage were made in 1979. A probe beneath the main apse uncovered a water cistern where the connection between the mid and north apses is located, and instead of a staggered foundation, a wall with a depth of more than 2.2 m beneath the flagging was discovered. With respect to the given that churches were built on existing ones, it is possible to assume that this is a wall of the late-antiquity church described by Constantin Porfirogenet in the 10th century, built on and later adapted to the foundation for the new structure. The displacement in time of the construction elements of the cathedral were measured and recorded using non-destructive methods. Fissure displacement behaviour, air temperature and air humidity were monitored. The monitoring of the air humidity did not lead to any useful conclusion, so it was quickly dismissed. Observations of data were performed during two periods with an interruption between the two caused by insufficient monetary resources. Data from almost 8 years of continuous measuring are available. The aim of this paper is to present the data of the measured fissure displacements which were correlated with air temperature changes and mathematical models which were based on statistical analysis. Correlation coefficients show that the analysed fissures react to the air temperature changes with different intensities. The obtained data lead to the conclusion that the causes of the structural damage are not found within a displacement or failure of the foundations. Instead, the causes of the damage were found in other parts of the structure.     

国际城市文化空间研究现状及思考

国际学术界对城市文化空间的研究自21世纪初才逐渐被学界所重视,相关研究成果较少.近年来,随着不同学科、不同视角的融入,城市文化空间的理论与实践研究内容日趋丰富.为探究国际城市文化空间的文献特征、趋势与研究热点,以1997—2020年"Web of Science核心合集"中4844篇与城市文化空间研究高度相关的论文为基...     

Historical coastal urban landscapes digital documentation and temporal study with 2D/3D modeling functionality: The case of Thessaloniki,Greece

The study refers to the visual representation of the coastal front of the historical center of Thessaloniki in northern Greece and its changes that have occurred through the years. Most of the old town was destroyed by fire on August 18, 1917. A few years later, the French architect and archeologist Ernest Hébrard proposed the reconstruction of the city centre, but his plans were never fully implemented. Since then, a series of interventions changed the form of the old town and consequently the coastal cityscape. The research was initially based on the photogrammetric processing of archive aerial images (1938) of Thessaloniki's city centre. Besides the vertical images, high oblique aerial images dated back to 1932, proved to be a significant source of information. A rich archive of old photographic material, sketches, drawings and gravures of the coastal forehead of the city was also used. Ortho-images of the coastal front, derived from laser scanning (2010), and a 3D model of the historical city center, derived from the stereo photogrammetric process of aerial images (1990), contributed decisively at the multi temporal study of the city front. The main outcomes of the present documentation study are the 3D representation (at scale of 1:200, accuracy 5 cm) of temporal changes of a part of the coastal front of the historical center of Thessaloniki and the 2D representation (at scale 1:100, accuracy 1–2 cm) of these changes with respect to variations on skyline, lacunas, interventions in old buildings, etc.     

Significance of studying the petrography and mineralogy of the geological environment of old rupestrian churches to prevent their deterioration. A case study from the South Carpathians

This paper provides new insights into understanding the causes of deterioration of the Corbii de Piatra rupestrian church and shows the significance of studying the geological environment of historical rock-cut settlements when undertaking preservation and restoration actions. The Corbii de Piatra church is one of the few rupestrian churches remaining in Romania and is an important part of the country's heritage. The church is carved in a stratum of polymictic sandstone of Oligocene age, which is part of the Getic Depression, located in the southern part of the South Carpathians. In the 14th century the interior walls of the church were decorated with mural paintings of a high artistic value. Over the centuries, the church's walls and mural paintings have been negatively affected by a series of physicochemical processes. These processes were studied through field investigations and laboratory analyses carried out between October 2007 and November 2010. The investigations revealed that tectonic fissuring and the structural anisotropy of the rock facilitate the infiltration of meteoric water through the walls into the interior of the church, from north to south, maintaining a high-level of humidity in the northern wall and in the interior of the church. The most harmful effects observed were: (i) the partial hydrolysis of the feldspars through reaction with water from the pores, producing a friable mass of phyllosilicates which led to a superficial disaggregation of the rock and to a diminished cohesion between the rock and the mortar of the fresco, (ii) the reprecipitation of the gypsum as efflorescences on the northern wall and ceiling, covering the mural painting in localized areas, as a result of the transportation of the gypsum by water from the upper strata, (iii) the alteration of the cinnabar pigment, as a result of water penetration by diffusion through the fresco from the wet rock to the pictorial layer (the secondary effect observed being the formation of sulfuric acid, which further reacted with the carbonate from the fresco to form gypsum), (iv) the development of biotic crusts, predominately algal, on the interior wet walls, which, facilitated by the permanent high humidity and the semi-obscurity of the interior of the church, have covered large surfaces of the fresco. Compared to the interior, the exterior vertical walls have been exposed to prolonged daily and seasonal variations of temperature and humidity. These variations have caused repeated variations in the volume of the sandstone, leading to contraction fissuring and peeling of the vertical walls. Any future procedures that might be used to conserve the church should strive to reduce the humidity of the sandstone in the interior walls.     

Competing Quality Conventions in the French Online Display Advertising Market

This paper builds upon an empirical study of suppliers of online advertising space in France in order to highlight the plurality of quality conventions that organize the activity of market intermediaries. We show that the market is organized around two different quality conventions, the ‘media’ convention and the ‘direct-response’ convention, each equipped with specific efficiency indicators, pricing methods and selling channels. Then we focus on the growing conflict of territory between the two conventions; we analyse the balance of power between the conventions and the arenas where they compete. We observe that the collective action of the defenders of the traditional world is not (yet) sufficient to contain the pervasiveness of the indicators and metrics from the world of direct-response.     

Willingness to Pay for Domestic Television Programming

The article describes the application of contingent valuation to estimate the value of the benefits that the Australian community derives from the mandatory transmission of Australian programs by television stations. This application of contingent valuation to estimate cultural benefits offers an insight on the potential for a wider application of the methodology to evaluate cultural policy instruments. The study found that a majority of Australians support regulation of the domestic content of television programs and considers the value of the related benefits to be commensurate with the cost of supplying domestic programming.     

Effectiveness of crystallization inhibitors in preventing salt damage in building materials

Salt crystallization in porous materials constitutes one of the most frequent causes of decay of buildings in a wide range of environments. Up to now no definitive solution exists to limit salt crystallization damage, unless of removing either the salt or the moisture. The possibility of making the process of salt crystallization less harmful by means of crystallization inhibitors has only recently been considered. Crystallization inhibitors are known to delay nucleation and to modify the growth rate of the crystals in bulk solution, but their possible application for the prevention of salt decay in porous material is still controversial.The present paper reports a series of systematic investigations performed on three different materials (a limestone, a sandstone and a brick) contaminated with two types of salt (sodium chloride and sodium sulphate) and two types of inhibitors (sodium-ferrocyanide and diethylenetriaminepentakis methylphosphonic acid). Drying experiments have been performed to study the effect of the inhibitors on the salt solution transport. Accelerated crystallization experiments have investigated the possible consequences of the application of the inhibitor on salt crystallization damage (quantified as material loss).Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) has been used to study how the presence of inhibitors affects the crystallization morphology of salt in the material.The results show that the effect of the inhibitor strongly depends on the type of substrate. NaFeC, when applied on NaCl contaminated limestone and brick was able to enhance the drying and to favour the appearance of efflorescences, whereas the effect on the sandstone was very limited. DTPMP enhanced the drying of Na₂SO₄ laden sandstone, but had no influence on the drying of both brick and limestone. These different have been attributed to the properties of the materials, in particular pore size distribution and composition.The effects of the inhibitor on salt crystallization damage were less evident: no differences in surface damage, quantified as material loss, were observed between specimens with and without inhibitor.     

Unusual differential erosion related to the presence of endolithic microorganisms (Martvili,Georgia)

The presence of a diffuse biodeterioration phenomena can be observed across large areas of the outer surface of the limestone walls of the Church of the Virgin in Martvili. A differential erosion phenomenon was detected, suggesting a possible association with biological colonization. The erosion phenomenon is characterized by a circular discoloration leading progressively to the detachment of flakes of limestone at its center. Since the aforementioned process has not been described in the literature until now, the present study was focused on the interpretation of its origin and evolution. Three sides of the Church are affected by a variety of occurrences of circular differential erosion which display different stages of the process, whereas the western side is affected by epilithic growths across its entire surface. Surveys of the petrographic, mineralogical and physical features of the stone were made, and parameters such as density and porosity were recorded. Samples were analyzed by optical microscopy and SEM analysis in order to detected the presence of microorganisms whose species were then identified by means of morphological and molecular examinations. The study of cross-sections stained using the PAS method has confirmed the causal connection between microorganisms and the deterioration phenomena, providing information about their spread of penetration into the substrate and their substantial potential for causing damage. Dryness appears to be the main ecological condition favoring endolithic rather than epilithic growth. The most common isolated microorganisms were cyanobacteria (Chroococcales) and, to a lesser extent, meristematic fungi. The characteristics of the stone, and especially some endogenous discontinuities related to the accumulation of sedimentary layers and to the action of stone carving tools, might explain why the same differential erosion phenomenon occurs in specific areas of the block stones. The development of the differential erosion phenomenon shows a variety of stages of biological colonization. The progressive evolution of the deterioration process has been observed in detail: (a) firstly, white circular discolorations appear on the stone, which darken over time eventually becoming almost black; (b) circular perforations appear around the perimeter; (c) and finally a flake detaches from the center, leaving a deep depression in the stone.     

大运河生态文化视野下的美丽中国建设研究

分析大运河生态文化与美丽中国建设的相互关系,理清古老的大运河文化蕴含的丰富生态文明成果,将大运河生态文化作为推动美丽中国建设的源动力.不仅从上下联动、生态补偿、流域性平衡、可持续发展4个方面提出传承运河生态文化、构建美丽运河建设机制的建议,而且就以运河生态文化引领打造美丽运河三条走廊,提出具体的方法和路径:修复河岸环境...     

Metrological definition and evaluation of some mechanical properties of post-medieval Neapolitan yellow tuff masonry

The knowledge of the morphological and mechanical properties of masonry walls is very important for the refurbishment of ancient buildings, particularly when the requirements of both structural safety and historical preservation must be fulfilled. The masonry is not of homogenous material: its mechanical properties depend on stones, mortar, and texture which are very variable due to their dependence on the historical periods and the geographical area of the erection. For this reason, a deep knowledge of masonries built in different sites and historical periods is essential in order to evaluate both the capacities of bearing vertical load and the seismic vulnerability of the masonry structure. Three fundamental typologies of tuff masonry have been defined: they are the characteristics of different historical periods from the XVI to the XX century. The models are in full-scale in order to reproduce the three defined chronotypes. Original tuff stones quarried in the corresponding historical period, mortars similar to the original ones, reproduced according to ancient documents and original constructive techniques have been used for the construction of the specimens. Compression tests performed in displacement control have been carried out on the masonry models in order to determine the maximum resistance of the material and the corresponding strain, the ultimate strain and corresponding residual strength. In this paper, the procedure used for making the specimens and for experimentally evaluating the mechanical properties of post-medieval Neapolitan yellow tuff masonry are illustrated and the obtained results, even in terms of plastic capacity of these kinds of masonry, are reported.     

The ‘Economy of Memory’: Publications, Citations, and the Paradox of Effective Research Governance

More recent advancements in digital technologies have significantly alleviated the dissemination of new scientific ideas as well as the storing, searching and retrieval of large amounts of published research findings. While not denying the benefits of this novel ‘economy of memory,’ this paper endeavors to shed light on the ways in which the use of digital technologies may be linked to a distortion of the system of formal publications that facilitates the effective dissemination and collaborative building of scientific knowledge. Through combining three different strands of discussion that are often left separate – those pertaining to the cognitive effects of new technological memory systems, those pertaining to citation and publishing practices, and those regarding the effects of formalizing modes of research governance – it is also shown that this distortion is not merely a consequence of technological developments alone. Rather, such a distortion is inseparable from and potentially aggravated by the spreading of increasingly dysfunctional, formalizing research governance mechanisms. It is argued that these mechanisms run the risk of fostering the proliferation of knowledge practices that are characterized by an increasing degree of superficiality as well as the strategic publication of research that is of a decreasing degree of originality. If left unaddressed, this may pose a serious threat to the efficiency and effectiveness of the formal record of scientific knowledge as a tool for the dissemination of original research. By extension, this may in the long run seriously undermine the capacity of the publicly funded research system more generally.     

From Van Gogh's museum to the temple at bassae: heidegger's truth of art and schapiro's art history

This essay revisits Meyer Schapiro's critique of Heidegger's interpretation of Van Gogh's painting of a pair of shoes in order to raise the question of the dispute between art history and philosophy as a contest increasingly ceded to the claim of the expert and the hegemony of the museum as culture and as cult or coded signifier. Following a discussion of museum culture, I offer a hermeneutic and phenomenological reading of Heidegger's ‘Origin of the Work of Art’ and conclude by taking Heidegger's discussion of the strife between earth and world to the site of the ancient temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae as an example of the insistent foreclosure of the ancient work of art and the conflicts of the pervasive efforts of modern conservation.     

Chemical analyses of ancient glass findings excavated in the Venetian lagoon

Although Venice is regarded as being one of the most important centres of glass manufacture and trade in Western Europe, little is known about the origins of the Venetian glassmaking. Some archaeologists suggest there is a continuity in the history of glass making, in its transplantation from the Roman centres of the mainland (Altino and Aquileia), first to some islands of the lagoon, and later to the town. Some others, instead, think that there was no continuity at all and that the art of glassmaking was imported in Venice from the Islamic glass factories of the Middle East. Of great help in answering this and other technological questions is the information about the composition of ancient glass from well-dated excavations that allows to conclude on the early technology, sources of raw materials and long-distance trade. Some significant glass findings, including fragments of pots used for glass melting, were found on the island of Torcello and, more recently, in two emergency excavations in the historic centre of Venice. In this paper, the chemical composition of a large set of glass findings (and related materials) from the Venetian lagoon dating from the 7th to the 13th centuries is determined by X-ray microanalysis in order to throw new light on the glassmaking technology in the early centuries of the Venetian tradition. The results show that in this period there occurred a gradual transition from the Roman technique (a two-ingredient formulation with silica-lime sand and natron as a fluxer), towards the use of silica sand and soda plant ash. There is evidence, therefore, for a production continuity with the Roman period (melting pots and glass scraps with a natron-based composition), yet restricted to transparent blown items. No evidence was found for a local production of glass tesserae for the mosaics of the church of St. Maria Assunta in Torcello.     

Financing the culture in Italy

The paper deals with financing the culture in Italy. The public expenses for the culture are shared as expenses of the government, of the regions, of the provinces and of the municipalities. The relationships of the cultural organisations with the public sector are very strong because they belong to the public sector, or they broadly depend on public funds.A specific attention is devoted to other forms of financing, about the role of the entrance fees and the entrances of the game “Lotto”, which subsidy the cultural goods and the Interministerial Committee for the Economic Planning (CIPE) allocations to the depressed areas. We will also be faced up to the examination of other sources of private financing as the sponsorships, the entrances of collateral services about museum visits (coffee and bookstore) and the supply of banking foundations. The fiscal incentives refer directly to the cultural institution or to the external financing of the nonprofit institutions by donations or sponsorships. Finally, the cultural institutions will have always to operate more and more by a strategic vision of financial and managerial field, on the basis of high qualitative standards. The activities and cultural projects will have to be able to attract additional sources of income in addition to the public one; the search of private financial resources is developed in a situation of increasing competition among the institutions, while tools of innovative finance have to be used to satisfy the increasing demand of culture. It is difficult nevertheless to define the possible best method of public–private financing, if you take consideration of the distinctive features of the different institutions and interests of the operators who are involved: artists, cultural institutions, public bureaucracy, besides the economic effects which follow alternative choices. The recent evolution of the institutional, financial and managerial models of the culture in Italy plans a larger integration between public and private sectors for a great involvement of individuals, enterprises and foundations about the financing of the cultural services offer.     

Assessment of the compatibility of new uses for heritage buildings: The example of Alexandria National Museum,Alexandria, Egypt

This article evaluates the compatibility of the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings in Egypt given that a growing number of projects featuring innovative building reuse are currently emerging nationwide. Accordingly, this research focuses on three objectives. The first objective is the evaluation of indicators drawn from literature, namely architectural integrity, public perception, form and new building function, with reference to the specific case of Alexandria National Museum. The second objective is the investigation of the sustainable adaptation of the Museum. The third objective is the assessment of the capacity of the heritage building to meet the criteria for reuse. The integration of the literature review and the case study is verified by examining research indicators. Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, including laypeople and professionals are utilised in the assessment of Alexandria National Museum adaptive reuse project. Research results show that interviewees agree that the process preserved the building's architectural integrity and that its new cultural function (i.e. as a museum) represents the optimal reuse of the building. In addition, the research highlights diversity amongst the stakeholders and the drawbacks of the sustainable adaptation indicator, including the absence of community participation.     

The Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna: Investigation on the current structural faults and their mid-term evolution

A finite element model was developed to analyze the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna (Italy), a Byzantine building which suffers diffused cracking and excessive deformation, mainly as a consequence of complex architectural vicissitudes (extensions, demolitions …) and ground settlements. In the structural analyses, account was taken of permanent loads (self-weight), boundary displacements increasing in time, and seasonal thermal changes. Thanks to previous topographical surveys of part of the building, to chemical and mechanical investigations, the geometry of the Basilica and the main physical properties of the materials are reasonably well defined. The geometric model does not virtually neglect any structural element and accounts for the lack of symmetries in the building. Because of the complexity of the geometric model, a simplified (linearly elastic, isotropic) constitutive law had to be assumed to keep the computing time within reasonable limits. Accordingly, the performed analyses constitute only a first step toward the understanding of the structural behavior of the Basilica, as the adopted constitutive law can only partially explain the surveyed crack pattern, which is influenced by the brittleness and the anisotropy of the constituent materials.     

商丘古城文化旅游战略研究

文化遗产是一个地区历史和文化的见证,是对历史的记录,对现代人而言是具有重要价值的历史文化资源。历史文化名城商丘,在国家相关政策引导下,积极进行有机更新。通过调研的方法,依托文化资源与旅游业相融合发展的政策背景,结合商丘的文化遗产状况分析商丘古城文化旅游建设过程的自身优势以及在发展文化旅游时存在的问题,提出发展文化旅游建设需要管理者积极转变思路,以游客需求为中心提供相关服务;进行部门合作,规范管理;政府给与产业政策倾斜,多产业融合的措施和建议,以期为商丘古城旅游建设添砖加瓦。     

文化旅游型特色小镇乡土景观价值及其整体保护策略探析--以云南大理沙溪古镇为例

文化旅游型特色小镇饱含丰富的乡土景观资源与深厚的历史文化内涵,对特色小镇乡土景观的保护有助于与之关联的自然生态保育、文化遗产保护以及社会、经济发展等多维价值的实现。在对乡土景观价值构成内容进行分析的基础上,选取文化旅游型特色小镇--沙溪古镇为研究对象,着重对沙溪古镇乡土景观价值及其对古镇旅游发展和特色小镇建设的重要意义展开分析,并对其保护策略进行了探讨。认为古镇乡土景观包含了自然生态、民居聚落等物质实体以及日常生活图景、民俗活动氛围等人文环境,并具有传统人居智慧体现、文化传承、社群关系塑造、生态保护以及产业发展等多元价值,同时认为对乡土景观的保护应从整体观的视角出发,实现其多元价值的呈现。     

大运河遗产廊道的保护传承与活态利用——以苏州段运河为例

中国大运河是流动着的活态廊道遗产,如何保护、传承和利用运河遗产资源已上升到国家战略的高度。通过实地考察与文献分析,客观归纳当前苏州段运河的发展瓶颈,并借鉴国内外典型线性遗产廊道的成功经验及发展模式,从完善基础设施、美化生态环境、统筹规划旅游产品谱系、创建运河文旅品牌、推动产业融合创新等方面,构建苏州段运河遗产廊道的核心竞争力,服务于地方生态文明建设与社会文化事业发展的同时,以期为中国大运河遗产资源的统筹保护、有效传承与活态利用提供有益参考。