Construction Of Territory Research Articles

The statistical politics of exceptional territories

The so-called Rotterdam Act enables municipal governments in the Netherlands to bar poor households with no or limited residential history in the metropolitan area from moving into certain neighborhoods. Although evidently at odds with principles of equality enshrined in law, the Act has emerged as a standard part of the policy tool kit. This article seeks to explain how the Rotterdam Act came to pass. Asking this question sets us on the path of reconstructing how specific urban areas suffering from extraordinary problems were identified and how using exceptional measures to exclude specific groups were instituted. In a word, we are interested in the construction of exceptionality. We show that the construction of exceptional territories is based on the interplay of discretionary power and statistical calculation. We discuss the wider relevance of our analysis to the emerging field of critical data studies and for understanding the links between sovereignty, territory and statistics in constitutional democracies.

Public action and the construction of new urban territoriality in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

The article discusses innovative mechanisms of democratic participation arising from Brazilian public policy that articulate relations between government, the private sector, and civil society on questions of territorial development. It focuses on the possibilities and limitations for democratic rearrangements of public spaces and the creation of new participatory tools and languages of public action for the promotion of public policy. The discussion is based on the experience of the city of Belo Horizonte’s regionalization led by the municipal government in 2011, in which, the city was divided into 40 areas called “Shared Management Territories.” The process, guidelines, and methods are described, and the different cases of dispute, conflict, and cooperation are analyzed to understand the languages of social action and the effects of territorial logic; these work in the construction of spaces and tools, enabling actors to enlarge their political participation, demand, and propose adjustments to public policy.

Political and territorial construction of regional and national identities in Spain since 1978

Cette étude porte sur les débats parlementaires concernant le Statut des régions autonomes de Catalogne et Valence, et propose en même temps une analyse des conceptions des communautés politiques défendues par les partis politiques, à la fois de l’Espagne, de la communauté valencienne et de la Catalogne, ainsi que de leur relation. L’objectif est d’analyser les différences des modèles d’identification dans le temps et entre les idéologies, ainsi que les préférences en matière d’organisation territoriale de l’État espagnol, et les arguments utilisés pour légitimer ces positions. Sans surprise, l’enquête montre que la crise sécessionniste en Catalogne se reflète à bien des égards, mais elle montre aussi des signes de conflit ou des zones très sensibles avec un potentiel de conflit dès 1979. En outre, il existe des différences importantes dans la façon dont les partis politiques agissent en communauté valencienne et en Catalogne, respectivement. Les résultats suggèrent que la décentralisation de l’État n’a pas diminué le potentiel de conflit autour de l’organisation territoriale de l’Espagne.

Food Heritage and the Construction of Territory

In the Western academic tradition, tangible cultural heritage (monuments, buildings, sites and material objects) has generally been considered as a privileged means of constructing places and territory, whereas intangible cultural heritage (oral traditions, arts, crafts, feasts, rituals, song, music, dance) have been associated with the identification of ethnic groups. This article aims to demonstrate that intangible cultural heritage can also be a powerful means of the construction of place, through a case study that shows how the consumption of home-grown agricultural products in Quebec transforms territories into places of heritage. This transformative process is accomplished, first, by the symbolic production and consumption of place. By clearly identifying the place of origin of the product on the label, in writing as well as in image, the act of eating homegrown products entails a displacement of territory from their place of production to their place of incorporation. The distant and the faraway are brought home and made familiar. To further reinforce the domestication of place, the consumer is invited to come and purchase the homegrown product at the place of production and to bring it back home with him. Second, these places are heritagitized through the social production and consumption of time. Homegrown products are expressions of the continuity of place through the material conservation of food (dehydration, salting, freezing, etc.), the process of ageing itself and, more importantly, the transmission of their intangible qualities (traditional knowledge, transmission of receipts, preservation of taste). These practices become specific to a place to the point that they give the product a distinctive taste that is passed on from generation to generation. It is through taste that the memory of people and place is reactivated. The author of the article further suggests that it is these intangible elements which most efficiently and forcefully express the heritage of place.

La estación meteorológica, el agricultor y la planeación urbana: una reflexión para abordar estudios interdisciplinarios del clima

En esta contribución, proponemos un diálogo entre diferentes disciplinas para abordar el estudio del clima y su impacto sobre la disponibilidad hídrica. Nuestra investigación se sitúa en Cartagena de Indias, una de las ciudades costeras más importantes de Colombia. Proponemos el concepto de interacción entre escalas como eje estructurador del diálogo. Este eje nos permite encontrar puntos de convergencia y divergencia que enriquecen la comprensión de nuestro caso de estudio entendido como un sistema hidrosocial. En esta búsqueda, la crítica a la noción de “cambio climático” aparece como un lugar de encuentro entre las ciencias sociales y naturales, ya que se considera el clima como un objeto de realidad material, social y discursiva. La integración de la dinámica del clima con la evolución de los procesos sociales que tienen lugar en el territorio, conduce a cada investigador a tener una postura crítica frente a su propia práctica científica puesto que su objeto de estudio adquiere nuevos significados y dimensiones cuando se confronta con otras disciplinas. Esta interacción permite reconocer características del sistema que emergen cuando se incorporan componentes dinámicos derivados de la visión del problema desde otras disciplinas. La reflexión colectiva concluye que resulta urgente tener en cuenta la constante interacción entre la sociedad, el territorio y el agua ya que la dimensión material puede imponer límites a la construcción social y territorial de la naturaleza y estos límites son continuamente sobrepasados y recreados socialmente.

Wine Routes in Quebec: Between Marketing and Development of Networks

Wine routes are increasing in different wine regions of the Old World and the New World. In Quebec, the wine sector is young, but there is a great development of wine routes. This is mainly explained by the nature of the distribution of wine in Quebec, where the sale of alcoholic beverages is controlled by a state monopoly: the SAQ. Faced with the difficulties of entry into the SAQ, on-site sales are the main outlet for the Quebec wine makers, especially for smaller wineries. This environment is conducive to the development of wine routes. Wine routes in Quebec are important for the marketing of wine. At the same time, they participate in the construction of wine territories, acting as regional networks and regional development engines. Thus, the main hypothesis of this article postulates that the wine route is a mechanism that can lead to the creation of wine-growing areas, creating relationships between winemakers or strengthening existing relationships. The wine route helps stakeholders to transform geographic proximity into relational proximity. The objective of this article is first to present the characteristics of wine routes in Quebec and then to analyze their roles in the establishment of regional networks and the development of territories.

EVALUATION OF THE STATE AND DEVELOPMENT OF TERRITORIES OF SAMARA REGION USED AS LANDFILL FACILITIES

There are numerous methods of development of landfills: recreational, forestry-based, landscape and others. However, it is difficult to create forest plantations and park belts on the territories of landfills because of the specific ecological character of landfills. The construction and economic trend of landfills development is an alternative to popular methods. This paper introduces some fundamental principles proving the possibility of construction and economic development of landfill territories. It also presents groups of measures necessary for complex assessment of the bulk of solid municipal waste and their condition.

The construction of a territory in the Alps. Infrastructure for mass tourism

La ricerca si interessa alle stazioni sciistiche realizzate sulle Alpi Italo-Francesi tra la fine degli anni Cinquanta e la meta degli anni Settanta. Insediamenti d’alta quota, rappresentano un modello urbanistico concentrato nello spazio e pensato per essere autosufficiente. In seguito a uno studio dello stato dell’arte e ad una presa coscienza dei problemi del patrimonio esistente, si propone di rileggere la storia della costruzione di centri turistici attraverso l’evoluzione del loro rapporto con il contesto. Da uno studio dell’oggetto architettonico si passa all’analisi di infrastrutture a scala locale e sovra-locale. L’ipotesi che muove la ricerca vede la connessione al territorio come elemento strategico per riflettere a un superamento delle criticita attuali.

Uma visão crítico discursiva do relato de descendentes de imigrantes alemães em Teófilo Otoni/MG: construindo novas territorialidades

This essay has the objective to discursively analyze the report of German immigrants descendants in Teofilo Otoni, by highlighting the methodological theoretical framework from Chouliaraki and Fairclough (1999), as well as Fairclough’s reflections that emphasizes conjectures of how the speech fits into social life. To analyze the reports from the mentioned framework also calls for the remission to all socio-historical context in which the language as social practice also implies in a social moment that others represent themselves and their actions by bringing re-meanings. Thus, we present the German immigration in Brazil, in the Vale do Mucuri, especially in Teofilo Otoni-MG. Then, we discuss the social relationships that involve the dispossession of the immigrant territory and the construction of new territoriality. Finally, we present a critical discourse analysis, heading both the meanings proposed by Fairclough (2003). In the ational meaning, we focused on the gender report and on the inter-textual category, that allowed the identification of the voices articulated in the speech. In the representational meaning, we focused on the inter-speech category when we could see cooperation and/or competition speeches. In the identificational meaning, we highlighted the category as well as the evaluation, from when we could see representations of legitimized identities and resistance. Also, we identified traits that gift the language values held by the German immigrants descendants, when related to work and above all, to religion.

Theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the process of mineral resources oriented technological transformation of the Arctic

Technological development is a key factor in determining the long-term level of socio-economic development of the Arctic. To raise the level it is necessary to carry out the technological transformation of the economy that is to introduce innovations changing the technology. The article considers the basic concepts and approaches to the study of the process of mineral resources oriented technological transformation of the Arctic. Special attention is paid to the theory of long waves, the concept of technological way and concept of multilevel economy development. Defined are distinctive features of the technological development of economy of mineral resources oriented territories of the Arctic. It is demonstrated that in shaping the technology policy the natural-climatic and socio-economic characteristics of the regions of the North and the Arctic, as well as the existing type and technological structure of the economy and settlement structure must be considered. It is shown that for the successful development of the Arctic mineral resources oriented territories it is crucial to technologically transform the economy. It requires a transition to a new technological way of infrastructure construction and habitation of territories, as required by current economic conditions. It is determined that the Arctic resource projects have to be established considering to meet the requirements of sustainable development, environmental and the traditional territories of indigenous peoples protection.

La Perspectiva Interdisciplinaria Aplicada al Estudio de las Transformaciones Ambientales. Los casos de estudio de las cuencas hidrográficas en la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, entre 1776 y 2006

El territorio es el resultado de un complejo y dinámico proceso de construcción histórica, en el cual intervienen dimensiones espacio- temporales, factores físicos identificados por el clima, la geomorfología y la hidrografía y las variables socio económicas y políticas que le otorgan su característica fundamental y que lo diferencia de otros. Los casos de estudio que se analizaron en la tesis de doctorado en la cual basamos esta presentación (Miraglia 2013) son las cuencas hidrográficas de las Lagunas Encadenadas del oeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires, en un ámbito rural y la cuenca del río Reconquista del noroeste de la Región Metropolitana de Buenos Aires en un ámbito urbano. El estudio de los procesos de construcción territorial histórica se realizó a partir de los aportes teóricos de la Eco-Geografía y la Climatología Histórica, las interrelaciones, desde los Sistemas Complejos y los procesos histórico geográficos desde la Geografía Histórica y la Historia Económica.Palabras clave: Transformaciones ambientales; Perspectivas interdisciplinarias; Cuencas hidrográficas.

Constructing images and territories: thinking on the visuality and materiality of remote sensing

This article offers a reflection on the question of the image in science, thinking about how visual practices contribute towards the construction of knowledge and territories. The growing centrality of the visual in current scientific practices shows the need for reflection that goes beyond the image. The object of discussion will be the scientific images used in the monitoring and visualization of territory. The article looks into the relations between visuality and a number of other factors: the researchers that construct it; the infrastructure involved in the construction; and the institutions and policies that monitor the territory. It is argued that such image-relations do not just visualize but help to construct the territory based on specific forms. Exploring this process makes it possible to develop a more complex understanding of the forms through which sciences and technology help to construct realities.

The Concept of Greater Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok: Problems and Perspectives

The following article deals with the formation and perspectives of the concept of Greater Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok, and the difficulties in the way of its realization. The author speaks about close historical and cultural ties connecting Russia and Europe, outward and mental resemblance of the peoples of Europe, including Russians.For the first time the theory of Greater Europe was considered in the works of geopoliticians of the beginning and the middle of the twentieth century. It is reflected in the plans to form a pan-European union, drawn by Charles De Gaulle and Michail Gorbachev. Analyzing the statements of modern Russian and European politicians one may come to the conclusion that both parties are mutually interested in the realization of the concept of Greater Europe. However, according to actual evidence, neither Russia, nor the European Union takes any decisive steps in getting closer. The article focuses on serious contradictions between Russia and the European Union on the basic principles underlying Greater Europe. The opposing views refer to the problems of equality in the sphere of strategic partnership, the energy dialogue and the construction of the post-Soviet territory. The author lays stress on the phenomenon of «integrations collision». The article also deals with the destabilizing role of the USA and some European states which actively promote the initiative of the «Eastern partnership». The Ukrainian crisis has become a major strength test in the relations between Russia and the European Union, which resulted in a vast credibility gap, the «war of sanctions», the disruption of business and political ties. Notwithstanding the complexity of the situation, calls for tightening up the connections between the European and Eurasian integration projects are becoming louder. This gives us hope that both parties will not only be able to keep historical ties, but also take steps in creating a common area from Lisbon to Vladivostok.

Private video monitoring of public spaces: The construction of new invisible territories

The idea of smart cities is to a great extent based on the belief of planners and city managers that substantial (and instrumental) use of information and communication technologies in the management of urban functions can make cities work better. This is also part of the coordinated discourse adopted by planners, managers and politicians around the world in an attempt to position their cities in the fierce competition for revenue, jobs and people. In this paper we will concentrate on gaining an understanding of informational territories built to support surveillance and control of public spaces. We seek to question this relation by making reference to several specific uses of information and communication technologies for surveillance purposes and to discuss it from the point of view of definitions of territory. Our goal is to discuss the fact that, under the ‘mantra’ of smarter cities and on the grounds of public security, there is a scattering of micro and macro informational territorial elements that overlap to undermine the meaningfulness of urban public spaces.

Creative Regions on a European Cross-Border Scale: Policy Issues and Development Perspectives

This article discusses the creative and cultural policies that are developed on a European cross-border scale. It provides a comparative case study of the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion, located on the French–Spanish eastern border and the Greater Region between Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium and France. The analysis is based on the concept of cultural development, which is related to Euroregions to emphasize the uses of culture, identity and creative resources in strategies of territorial attractiveness and institutional capacity-building. The analysis then shows how the dynamics of cultural development concretely impact Euroregional policies: implications, or even strengthening, of arts and creativity in cross-cutting policies—tourism and sustainable development, promotion of cultural diversity and the human dimension of development. Furthermore, these dynamics underline the contribution of cultural policy to the construction of territoriality, and subsequently the contribution of Euroregions to the territorial and cultural construction of Europe.

Negotiating subcontract conditions in the Australian construction industry

Strategic negotiation of subcontracts appears to contain many benefits regarding cost savings, quality improvement, better project time management, and project value enhancement. The primary purpose of the study presented in this paper is to investigate the current and prospective concepts of negotiable subcontract conditions in the Australian construction industry that can alleviate elongated negotiations and attain a win/win result for both contractor and subcontractor. The study first discussed legislative regulations and opinions concerning subcontract negotiation through extensive review on academic literature and Australian Standards including AS 4903 General conditions of subcontract for design and construct and AS 4300 General conditions of contract for design and construct. The study was further developed in the form of a survey, collecting data from 71 respondents (i.e., contractors and subcontractors) from the Queensland, New South Wales and Northern Territory construction industries in Australia. Cronbach's alpha assessed the reliability of survey responses. The research then statistically analyzed not only critical negotiation factors contributing to project performance based on Fisher's exact test but also significant differences between contractors' and subcontractors' viewpoints to subcontract negotiation by ANOVA testing. The survey results revealed that contractors and subcontractors attain different opinions regarding the fairness of subcontract conditions; however, both parties believed that there were genuine opportunities to improve project performance and value via the negotiation of subcontract conditions using an integrative approach.

Estructura territorial, relaciones vecinales y gobierno de las comunidades en el norte de La Península Ibérica en la Edad del Hierro

Neighborhood relationships are one of the most important variables of solidarity and reciprocity relationships in human societies. They are essential to understand phenomena as significant as the construction of territory, or social and political structure of human groups. Through Ethnoarchaeology, it is possible to establish models of this kind of relationships, applicable to Iron Age, and to use them to explain sociopolitical evolution in north of Spain societies of this period, in every territory of this geographical framework.

The peasants in turmoil: Khmer Rouge, state formation and the control of land in northwest Cambodia

Over the past 15 years, northwest Cambodia has seen dramatic agrarian expansion away from the central rice plain into the peripheral uplands fuelled by peasant in-migration. Against this background, we examine the nature of relations between the peasantry and the state. We first show the historical continuities of land control processes and how the use of violence in a post-conflict neoliberal context has legitimised ex-Khmer Rouge in controlling land distribution. Three case studies show the heterogeneity of local level sovereignties, which engage the peasants in different relations with authority. We examine how these processes result in the construction of different rural territories along the agricultural frontier and argue that, in this region of Cambodia, the struggles between Khmer Rouge and neoliberal modes of land control are central to state formation processes.

Organizing Sovereign Provinces in Independent America: The Republic of Córdoba, 1776–1827

Abstract This article considers the different political forms that emerged after the former viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (which would eventually become Argentina) became independent. Based on the case of the Republic of Córdoba in the 1820s, it analyzes the territorial and institutional construction of an original political entity, the sovereign province. At the end of the eighteenth century, the reforms put in place under the Spanish Monarchy reinforced and politicized the territorial bodies that made up its empire, a process that continued after the revolution of independence. This created a tension between the sovereignty of these territorial bodies and the sovereignty of the “nation,” which operated according to different territorial constructions and brought different conceptions of sovereignty into play. While the Republic of Córdoba consolidated its internal sovereignty, it was also working toward integration into a larger political entity, envisaged as a confederation.

Herramientas participativas en el desarrollo socioeconómico de la zona: una reflexión para los proyectos de construcciones rurales

<p align="left">El objetivo de esta investigación fue ilustrar sobre la posibilidad de aplicación de variables participativas en la evaluación de proyectos relacionados con edificaciones rurales como herramienta de desarrollo socioeconómico en la región de la Mata del sur (PE). La metodología adoptada en este trabajo consistió en investigación bibliográfica en artículos científicos, libros e internet sobre los territorios rurales, desarrollo y / o análisis de proyectos de edificaciones a partir de variables socioeconómicas. Los resultados demostraron que aún son poco utilizadas herramientas que permiten participación de los actores involucrados en la construcción de territorio y en los proyectos de edificaciones rurales, a diferencia de otras áreas agrarias como el desarrollo rural que ya las incorporan. Aun así es importante la inclusión de este tipo de variables para desarrollar proyectos en el marco de desarrollo local, la sustentabilidad y justicia social. Por lo tanto se concluye que los proyectos de edificaciones rurales deben incentivar reflexiones académicas sobre herramientas que permitan conciliar diversos intereses de los actores, lo cual es clave en la variabilidad socioeconómica de los proyectos</p>