Territorial Changes Research Articles

Axiosphere of sister cities: Is it possible to transmit cultural memory?

The article is devoted to understanding the institution of sister cities in the context of the developing international crisis, when urban diplomacy, successful practices of interstate civil cooperation, perceived for decades as unshakable and value-oriented, were subjected to “suspension” or “cancellation”. On the other hand, the territorial changes in 2022, the entry of new territories into Russia and the establishment of twinning relations between Russian cities and the cities of Donbass give the institution of sister cities a new meaning and important political and cultural significance. The formation and development of the axiosphere of twin cities is seen as an important factor in the development of interregional cooperation and the “binding” of Russian territories. The interdisciplinary of this study is expressed in addressing not only issues of public policy, social philosophy, cultural studies, ethics, economics, but also in the desire to take into account the specifics of the developing digital society, while the authors consider regional governance issues from the position of an axiological approach. The working with cultural memory today can act as a resource for building an effective cultural policy in the region, but the construction of new meanings and relationships, images and priorities for future development is no less significant. The authors note the importance of civil initiatives and movements, social media, whose activities are aimed at maintaining the social sphere and creating a digital environment of trust, at intensifying urban, civil cooperation in the network as a counterbalance to the aggressive anti-Russian, Russophobic network practices used today.

Change of the urbanized and agricultural landscape in the Nemunas loops regional park

Protected areas are established to protect areas that are valuable from a natural or cultural point of view. Landscape change is inseparable from human activity, as humans rapidly change the landscape by urbanizing it or expanding the areas of cultivated land. In recent years, the areas of anthropogenic landscape in the natural landscape are increasing more and more, the urbanized landscape is expanding as cities expand, and the agricultural landscape is expanding as a person constantly expands the areas of arable land and intensifies agriculture. These areas are also increasing in protected areas. This work examines how and why the land cover changed in the Nemunas Loop Regional Park and its buffer zone during the period 1995-2018. CORINE land cover data were used to assess land cover change. Various research methods were used to determine the changes – analysis of scientific literature, online sources and information publications, cartographic analysis and comparative analysis. After analyzing the data, it was found that changes took place both in the regional park and outside of it, but more of them are observed in the buffer protection zone, and not in the regional park itself. This is because the park is divided into zones of functional priority, and they determine what and where human economic activity is allowed, so there have been a little fewer changes in the park territory because the territory of the regional park has more conservation-type territories, where human economic activity is strictly limited. In the buffer protection zone, human activity is not so strongly restricted, so more changes have taken place there, and there are more cities in this zone, so more intensive urbanization is observed here. Changes in the Nemunas loop regional park were determined by economic, social, and political reasons. The territory of the regional park changed during the global economic crisis, agricultural areas decreased, but forests and other natural areas increased, which indicates that the land cover could have been influenced by economic changes in the country. After changing the boundaries in the protected area, changes in the land cover are also evident, currently, the nature reserve of Punia šilo has been expanded, as a result of which the areas of cut forests in Punia šilo should decrease.

Logiques économiques, logiques juridiques : une remise en cause?

Questioning the economic and legal future of cities in the post-covid era can be done through the prism of four milestone issues : population density, the reshaping of economic systems, the search for alternative economic models, and ecological and digital transitions. Against a backdrop of far-reaching territorial change, did the new city turn its back on the old one or is it part of a continuum ?

대러시아 관계에 있어 우크라이나의 지정학적 분열에 대한 다중스케일적 접근

Ukraine has been geopolitically divided along the Dnieper: the pro-European Union west region versus the pro-Russia east. Such a geopolitical division has played a critical role in recent Russia-Ukraine relations and conflicts, including the 2014 Crimean Crisis, the Donbas War, and the Russo-Ukrainian War. This study casts a question as to why Ukraine shows a noticeable geopolitical division. Geographical distances or proximities do not provide a proper answer to that question; for example, eastern Ukraine was the spatial background of the spread of Ukrainian nationalism in the 19th century. In this respect, this study adopted the multiscalar approach to analyze various scalar factors and actors and their relations that influence the geographical division of Ukraine. The results of this study suggest that multiscalar factors and actors, including the change of Ukrainian territories and the scalar differences in the influence of Russia caused by the territorial change, the geographical scale of Ukrainian industry and economy, the state-building of Ukraine in the post-Soviet era, and neighboring states’ influences and diplomatic strata and their interrelations, The results of this study may provide significant contributions to an in-depth understanding of the geopolitical characteristics of Ukraine and international and geopolitical issues related to the country.

김정일의 『영화예술론』과 북한영화

The history of North Korean cinema is divided into before and after Kim Jong-il led the film territory. Kim Jong-il was in charge of propaganda and agitation in the mid-1960s. In addition, he led the qualitative change in the literary territory with a focus on the film territory. In the process, he took the lead in the liquidation of person in the North Korean film industry and took the lead in creating so-called revolutionary films such as “Sea of Blood” with detailed guidance in all areas of production, from writing a scenario to directing, filming, acting, and making stage.Kim Jong-il’s achievements in the film territory are concentrated in his “On the Art of the Cinema”. This book is a problematic work that encompasses the development and limitations of film art during the Kim Jong-il era. This article focuses on the theory of film art and examines its system, form, and content. Also in this article, I reveal that starting with the theory of film art, the literary center of the Kim Jong-il era began to expand into fields other than film. It relates to achievements in the fields of play, literature, art, architecture, music, etc., completed from the late 1980s to the early 1990s.

MONITORING OF LAND TRANSFORMATION IN BORDER TERRITORIES USING MATERIALS OF REMOTE SENSING DATA

The article presents the results of the analysis of changes in territories that are bordering to the boundaries of ad-ministrative-territorial units. Conclusions are drawn about the need to timely take into account the ongoing changes in the elements of the natural and ecological framework, as well as types of land that are actively transforming under the influ-ence of anthropogenic factors. The automation of land contour recognition in border areas by means of geographic in-formation systems is proposed. A quantitative assessment of changes in the natural environment objects of border areas is proposed, on the basis of which conclusions are drawn about the need to reduce the interval for adjusting the spatial position of the boundaries of administrative-territorial units.

Features of climate change in the European territory of the Union State of Russia and Belarus

The article is devoted to the assessment of changes in the thermal regime the Republic of Belarus and the European territory of Russia. The relevance of the topic is due to the need to study regional climatic changes in the context of modern global warming. As a result of the study, it was revealed that in the region in the period 1900–2019 in all months of the year the air temperature rises at different rates. Warming occurs more intensely during the December – March period. The dependence of the thermal regime on the type of circulation modes has been established. The fire hazard on the territory of Belarus, the dynamics of dangerous meteorological phenomena depending on the navigation period and the distribution of stratospheric ozone as one of the most important climatic factors are considered.

Photogrammetry and GIS to investigate modern landscape change in an early Roman colonial territory in Molise (Italy)

Legacy data in the form of historical aerial imagery can be used to investigate geomorphological change over time. This data can be used to improve research about the preservation and visibility of the archaeological record, and it can also aid heritage management. This paper presents a composite Image-Based Modelling workflow to generate 3D models, historical orthophotos, and historical digital elevation models from images from the 1970s. This was done to improve the interpretation of survey data from the early Roman colony of Aesernia. The main challenge was the lack of high-resolution recent digital elevation models and ground control points, and a general lack of metadata. Therefore, spatial data from various sources had to be combined. To assess the accuracy of the final 3D model, the RMSE was calculated. While the workflow appears effective, the low accuracy of the initial data limits the usefulness of the model for the study of geomorphological change. However, it can be implemented to aid sample area selection when preparing archaeological fieldwork. Additionally, when working with existing survey datasets, areas with a high bias risk resulting from post-depositional processes can be indicated.

Oasis extension trajectories in Kebili territory, southern Tunisia: drivers of development and actors’ discourse

Since the 1970s, the Kebili region southern Tunisia has undergone significant territorial changes due to the expansion of date palm plantations based on illicit boreholes tapping the underlying deep aquifers. These private initiatives, called “extensions”, have developed on collective unfarmed areas, outside historical oases and have raised sustainability concerns. To address the groundwater sustainability, local actors need to build a joint vision of on-going dynamics. The objective of this study is: (i) to analyse the trajectories of the oasis extensions, (ii) to give an overview of the socio-economic and the environmental drivers and (iii) to assess how local actors assess these extensions. The study builds on spatial analysis, on surveys and participatory workshops with actors of the region. The development of extensions was triggered by economic factors and based on innovative ways of accessing water, land, and energy. Extensions, that were first created on lands in proximity of ancient oases then spread further-out to other areas, can be described as spontaneous. Other were developed on lands located far from ancient oases, with the support of local councils in charge of land management. Actors have identified the overexploitation of groundwater as the main threat to the sustainability of the region, but no discussion has been initiated yet on how to deal with this threat. Results derived from this study could support discussions about the future of these areas.

Land-Use Changes in Insular Urban Territories: A Retrospective Analysis from 1990 to 2018. The Case of Madeira Island—Ribeira Brava

As the main island of the Madeira Archipelago, Madeira is faced with a clear demand for more precise and specific planning policies, in order to respond to regional requests. Bearing in mind the urgency of this issue linked to the concept of sustainability, planning strategies must be based on and strengthened by several studies, with the most varied themes, as a way of incisively understanding the problem at hand. Based on tools such as GIS (geographic information systems), this study allows the analysis of variations and patterns of land use and occupancy in the municipality of Ribeira Brava, located on Madeira Island. In a comprehensive manner, the study allows us to highlight the stagnation of the urban fabric of the region and, on the other hand, the change in the dynamics of agricultural cultivation present in the county. In addition, this study highlights the change in the predominant native vegetation in the municipality between the years 1990 and 2018. It is still necessary to emphasize the worrying scenario with the loss of native vegetation due to human activity, which requires more emphatic monitoring by regional government actors to protect, preserve and conserve these landscapes, environments and ecosystems.

Competition and festival movement in Ukraine during the Russian-Ukrainian war

The article analyzes the peculiarities of conducting contests and festivals in Ukraine in the conditions of a full-scale invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine. Significant security risks, which are still present in many regions of the country, led to the search for new formats of events. It was found that the key tasks of artistic events were: support of the moral spirit of society, accumulation of aid for the Armed Forces, promotion of Ukrainian culture both in Ukraine and abroad. The change in the format of the event itself is due to the specified tasks: the theme of war has become an important part of the theme of the festivals, and the charitable focus of the events has acquired key importance. Territorial changes are associated both with a threatening situation in some regions and with cooperation and support from other events located in safer places. The purpose of the article is to create a comprehensive archive of materials that will allow analyzing the functioning of the competition-festival movement of Ukraine during the time of Russian military aggression, understanding the cultural strategies determined by the tasks of the military today. Methodology of work. The article uses the following general scientific approaches, principles and methods that made it possible to consider the peculiarities of the functioning of the competition and festival movement of Ukraine during the war from different vector positions, thus, with the help of the comparative method, the formats for the task of events are compared, the phenomenological method is applied at the stage of revealing the essence of the phenomenon of competition festival movement of Ukraine and its transformation during the military invasion of Russia.

Rural settlement as a factor of administrative and territorial changes (on the example of Zakarpattia and Chernivtsi regions)

Purpose: to analyze the features of rural settlement in Zakarpattia and Chernivtsi regions and to identify its influence on the formation and functioning of territorial communities and districts of these regions. Methods. comparative-geographical, statistical, analytical method, structural-functional approach Results: the rural settlement network of the Zakarpattia and Chernivtsi regions was analyzed from a socio-geographic point of view, taking into account the similarity of natural and geographical conditions, historical, ethno-geographical aspects of the formation of settlements and modern socio-spatial processes in the regions. It is noted that the regions have a number of common features of rural settlement, in particular, high density and average population of settlements in the plain part and zones of dispersed settlement in mountainous areas, which must be taken into account in the process of formation of territorial communities. It is noted that according to the results of the ATU reform in the regions, rural communities absolutely prevail. This will contribute to the preservation of the demographic and socio-economic potential of rural settlements - community centers, however, in remote peripheral and depressed areas, rural communities may not be able to cope financially and administratively given the limitations of their own resources. Possible positive and negative consequences of the impact of the reform on changes in inter-settlement relations, functions of settlements, and their further development are identified and summarized. Conclusions: Intra-regional differences in rural settlement are an important factor in administrative-territorial changes and were taken into account in the process of formation of territorial communities and new districts. Most communities in both regions are rural; the settlements that became their centers received broad powers and prospects for development. In today's conditions, most rural communities cannot take advantage of the opportunities of decentralization due to the limited socio-economic potential of settlements. According to indicators of economic activity, these communities are mostly subsidized and require significant investment income. The development of rural areas will contribute to the strengthening of the grassroots link of the administrative-territorial system.

Conflict settlement and identity in territorial claims

AbstractTerritorial claims with an ethnic or identity component have been recognized as one of the most enduring and intractable sources of international conflict. Building on previous research which recognized the role of issue indivisibility in making compromise more difficult, this article focuses on the management of territorial claims with an identity or ethnic component. Utilizing the latest Issue Correlates of War (ICOW) dataset, the frequency, success, and qualitative content of negotiations over territorial claims are analyzed. The newest version of the ICOW dataset expands the spatial domain of Hensel and Mitchell's previous work that included the Americas and Western Europe, expanding this domain to include the entire world, and more closely examines the role of concessions in the negotiations process. The results support the contention that issue indivisibility hampers compromise behavior and negotiation success in identity‐based territorial claims. Negotiations are less likely to occur, but surprisingly, more likely to succeed. Successful agreements are also more likely to see major concessions and territorial change. Identity‐based claims are also less likely to end through compromise outcomes like negotiations, and more likely to terminate through unilateral action and violence. The results suggest that identity claims are punctuated by rare bouts of significant negotiations—much of which is driven by conquest, violence, and unilateral action.Related ArticlesAyelet, Harel‐Shalev. 2009. “Lingual and Educational Policy toward ‘Homeland Minorities’ in Deeply Divided Societies: India and Israel as Case Studies.” Politics & Policy 37(5): 951–70. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2009.00206.x.Hae, Kim. 2009. “The Complexities of Internal Conflict in the Third World: Beyond Ethnic and Religious Conflict.” Politics & Policy 37(2): 395–414. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2009.00177.x.Tusalem, Rollin F. 2015. “Ethnic Minority Governments, Democracy, and Human Rights.” Politics & Policy 43(4): 502–37. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12125.

Якби не було війни: прогноз демографічних показників для громад Вишгородського району Київської області

Demographic processes have been disturbed on those Ukrainian territories which have undergone occupation as a result of Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine. However, in order to rebuild such territories, local authorities need information on the prospects of demographic situation. Therefore, determining possible information sources and choosing models to forecast demographic indicators for local communities is relevant. The purpose of this work is identifying possible information sources and choosing models to predict demographic indicators for local communities; forecasting of population numbers, birth rate and mortality via splines for Vyshgorodsky district, Kyiv oblast communities. Novelty: forecasting of demographic indicators for local communities via spline functions. It has been shown that retrospective demographic research at local communities level is possible, if the communities’ contemporary borders correspond to the past administrative and territorial division. However, there are certain limitations regarding the indicators set. The analysis of 1979-2020 data on population numbers, birth rate and mortality for Ivankivsky and Polisky local communities has shown that the 1986-1988 data cannot be used for forecasting, since it varies considerably. This has been caused by the evacuation of residents from Chornobyl Exclusion Zone and administrative and territorial changes. The usage of spline functions in forecasting has shown that splines which have 5-7 knots are optimal. The most adequate forecasts of population numbers can be obtained via cubic splines, whereas the most trustworthy forecasts of birth rate and mortality – via linear continuous splines. It has been determined that the last years’ trends in population numbers, birth rate and mortality would continue in Vyshgorodsky district, Kyiv oblast local communities during 2021-2024. Due to hostilities on the territory of the district, there is no true data on demographic situation, and actual data may turn out to be far from the forecasted because of families with children emigration and mortality growth. Further research to improve the methodology of demographic forecasting by taking into account accidents that cause unfavorable demographic consequences is necessary.

Analysis and Reflections on Case Concerning Sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge

The judgment of the International Court of Justice over the dispute between Malaysia and Singapore concerning Pedra Branca offers quite different insights into general aspects of the rules governing the acquisition of territorial sovereignty in international law. The Court concluded in the case that at a typical time Johor understood that it did not have sovereignty over Pedra Branca and that the authorities in Singapore had no reason to doubt that the United Kingdom had sovereignty over the island, and the conduct of Singapore and its predecessors à titre de souverain afterwards, taken together with the conduct of Malaysia and its predecessors including their failure to respond to the conduct of Singapore and its predecessors reflects the pass of sovereignty. In this case, instead of weighing which is the stronger title, the Court emphasized the importance of consent in the field of territorial change and for the notions of abandonment and acquiescence as the legal foundations of this transfer of sovereignty. Based on the analysis on this case, some countries which face similar territorial disputes could acquire inspiration.

The Problem Space of Nature in Chongqing: A Conjunctural Analysis of Environmental Crisis Discourses and Local Housing Practices

Over the past decade, China’s centralized politics have explored new resources to tame the sustainability question and hinder the possibility for narratives of crisis to institutionalize foci of social and territorial malaise. The party-state rhetoric has focused its attention on inverse discourses of future environmental civilization whereas the current conjuncture shapes the local greenspace as a problem space. The analysis of environmental crisis discourses in Chongqing reveals the conundrum of redefining the commons in transitional times characterized by practices of redenomination of nature reserves and green objectifying high-end real estate advertisement. It points out how the crisis is turned into an opportunity for further uneven development through a process of emplacement on the basis of individualized forms of environmental protection. On the other hand, the digital makes space for alternative narratives of awareness which evoke a sense of social responsibility to understand the territorial changes and avoid a complete de-politicization of local communities on the governance of commons. The essay reveals how the state of tension within the eco-commodity production and circulation is linked to discourses of emotional proximity to the landscape.

Hungarian Language as a Factor of Identity Preservation in Transylvania Nowadays in Comparison with Russian Identity in Moldova

The language is one of the main factors of nation-building and culture preservation. Among other factors, language is perhaps the most important one in creating national identity − it shapes the personality, the mentality, the worldview, the behavior, the lifestyle, the value system and the national character. The relationship between language and identity played an important role in national revival in the XIX century in Europe and is extremely topical in our days. This fact can be explained by intensified migration, political processes and second language acquisition. Especially it is valid for countries that went through consequential territorial changes and where natural bilingualism is present. In such countries, national or linguistic minorities are faced with the growing necessity to learn and use two or even more languages and, at the same time, to preserve their language and, thus, the national identity. Examples of such territories can be Transcarpathia, Vojvodina and Transylvania. The latter with a major percent of Hungarian population, was a part of Romania in the interwar period and since 1947 as a result of Trianon and Paris peace treaties. Another example is the multinational Republic of Moldova, which gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Nowadays more and more people in Transylvania and in the Republic of Moldova claim to be bilingual. This leads to identifying themselves with more than one ethnicity. What would this mean and how would it influence the cultural diversity in these regions? In this study we will present a short theory on the topic as well historical background and the results of sociolinguistic questionnaires conducted in Transylvania and in the Republic of Moldova in February-September 2021. The aim of this research is to examine how mother tongue usage can be a key-factor of national identity and what are the possibilities of its preservation in a multilingual environment in Transylvania and in the Republic of Moldova. To accomplish the goals, we will compare the results of the questionnaires to sociolinguistic theories on language and identity. In the future, the study will developed, interviews on language attitudes will be conducted in the above-mention regions. The results will be included into a bigger sociolinguistic study “Russian Language in Moldova vs. Hungarian Language in Transylvania”, where a more detailed description of the linguistic situation in Transylvania and Moldova will be provided.

Territorial phantom pains: Third-generation postmemories of territorial changes

Forced border changes and population transfers have affected many nation-states. However, memories of these events are usually described as part of a “unique” national memory of cartographic violence, “lost” territories, and victimhood. In popular representations, often reinforced by the personal memories of the wartime resettled, the territories ceded from Poland (Kresy) and Finland (Karelia) to the Soviet Union after World War II are remembered and imagined as “timeless” places which preserve and encapsulate “Polishness” and “Finnishness.” “Territorial phantom pains” is a central framing idea for us. We understand phantom pains as a social emotion related to memories and postmemories that tells members of a community that the body of their nation is not complete without the detached territories. Phantom pains are nostalgic, romanticizing, but also exclusive keeping memories of the territorial loss as not (only) memories of personal loss of home and heimat, but of a national loss.

Institutional paradigm shift: transitions in stormwater management principles.

In most cities, stormwater systems are part of the invisible and expensive urban infrastructure that plays a vital role in the urban environment but depends on weak institutional and organizational structures. Based on the evidence that solving the issues only from a technological point of view is not sufficient for the provision of stormwater services, in several countries, sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) structures are being implemented, but a new paradigm shift involving a new socio-institutional mentality that meets not only the old but also the new demands of climate and territorial changes, migratory issues, and participatory management is required.

МИГРАЦИОННЫЕ ПРОЦЕССЫ И ИЗМЕНЕНИЕ ТЕРРИТОРИАЛЬНЫХ ГРАНИЦ ВОЙСКА ДОНСКОГО В СЕВЕРО-ВОСТОЧНОМ ПРИАЗОВЬЕ В XVII – НАЧАЛЕ XX ВЕКА

The article is devoted to the historical and legal analysis of the influence of migration flows in the North-Eastern Azov region on the relationship between the Troops of the Don and the Moscow state, and subsequently the Russian Empire for more than three centuries. The article examines the use by the central government of the resettlement processes stimulated by the liberation movement in Ukraine to establish supremacy over the authorities of the Don Army and the resulting changes in the composition of its territory, as well as further territorial changes that took place in the late XVIII – early XX century.