Divided City Research Articles

Border function and tourism relations in the divided cities on the Polish-German border.

The paper concerns the issue of impact the state border function on cross-border tourist relations in the divided cities on the Polish-German border (i.e. Zgorzelec (Pl)-Goerlitz (G), Gubin (Pl)-Guben (G); Słubice (Pl)-Frankfurt (Oder)(G)). Divided cities have always been a kind of laboratory of cross-border relations, due to their history and functional proximity. The main purpose of the study is to identify stages in the cross-border tourism relation process, taking exogenus (political factors) and endogenous (cross-border cooperation) factors into account and investigate whether these stages refer to theoretical concepts applied in the study (Martinez (1994) and the concept of the bordering- debordering- rebordering process). The analysis concerns the period 1945-2021. The research methods used in the study are analysis of the literature on the subject and direct observations carried out at border crossings in the divided cities during the period 1-4 June 2021. Conclusions: The most important external factor shaping cross-border tourist relations is the political factor and the permeability of the border as its consequence. On this basis, it is possible to distinguish periods for the formation of cross-border tourist relations that relate to Martinez's (1994) types of borderland interaction. However, the conditions for intensification of tourism relations between the parties emerge in the intedependent borderlands and integrated borderlands types of regions, when there is an opportunity to create cross-border tourism relations and cross-border tourism destinations. In the process-oriented terms, all elements of the bordering- debordering- rebordering concept and their reference and consequences to cross-border tourism relations can be described. Using the example of divided cities, it is shown that this is a continuous process, variable over time and highly sensitive to the political factor. Practical implications for local and regional authorities and DMO (Destination Management Organisations) have been formulated regarding the creation of cross-border tourist attractions using the state border as a distinguishing element (e.g. the rich and sometimes difficult German-Polish history, the culture of a Lusatian minority, border smuggling phenomena). The research conducted is regarded as a preliminary stage for further in-depth quantitative research, operationalisation of the model and its empirical confirmation.

Students’ Perception of Reciprocal Reading Strategies and Their Reading Performance

Appropriate reading strategies improve the reading comprehension of Grade 7 students. The study aimed to attain the following objectives: To know the students perception of their teachers level of practice on Reciprocal Reading Strategies (RRS) in terms of Predicting, Questioning, Clarifying, and Summarizing To identify the students level of Reading Performance and To find if there is a significant relationship between the students perception of their teachers level of practice on RRS and their reading performance. The study employed Stratified Quota Sampling because only two sections of Grade 7 from the three big schools in South District, Cagayan de Oro City Division were recommended as the respondents of this study. Descriptive correlational methods of research was used on which a researcher-made questionnaire was utilized as the main instrument. It was validity and reliability tested. Mean and Standard Deviation were used to determine the students perception of teachers level of practice on Reciprocal Reading Strategies. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was utilized to find the significant relationship between the students perception of their teachers level of practice on Reciprocal Reading Strategies. Results revealed that the English teachers are using the Reciprocal Reading Strategies. However, Clarifying is difficult for the students that needs to be addressed by all teachers to improve the reading comprehension. This can also be a good material for further study for future researchers.

Establishing an Effective Peer Support Program for Reading Remediation

A study was conducted on the second grade non-readers in Toledo City's division. Eight pupils comprised up the cases. Three of them were Pantawid Pampamilyang Pilipino (4Ps) participants and they all came from low-income homes. The standard Philippine Informal Reading Inventory, a technique for evaluating the students' reading ability, was used to identify the extent of their reading difficulties. Pronunciation, omission, identification, mispronunciation, substitution, recognition, and non-readers were among the reading difficulties. Peer mentoring as a reading remediation and instruction eliminates non-readers and other reading problems in the school, according to a theory that the researcher developed as a result of the improvements made by the mentees. A peer mentoring plan was also developed by the researchers as assistance to the reading remediation program of the elementary school. In order to thoroughly examine the disability, look for correlations of the disability, and discover the underlying reasons of the reading handicap, it is imperative that all students from Grade Two up to Grade Six be diagnosed through a complete analysis of causality.

Transformational Leadership and Educational Innovation

This study explores the relationship between transformational leadership and educational innovation in primary and secondary schools. The study used a qualitative phenomenological research design and conducted in-depth interviews with six school heads in Toledo City Division. The results of the study show that transformational leadership plays a critical role in promoting and supporting educational innovation in schools. Transformational leaders empower teachers and other stakeholders to participate in the implementation of educational innovation initiatives and create a positive and supportive learning environment that fosters growth and development. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for educational leaders, policy makers, and practitioners on the importance of transformational leadership in promoting and supporting educational innovation in schools.

Influence and effect of industrial agglomeration on urban green total factor productivity—On the regulatory role of innovation agglomeration and institutional distance

Under the background of China’s high-quality economic growth with total factor productivity (abbreviated as TFP) growth as a key driver, this study attempts to integrate heterogeneous industrial agglomeration, innovation agglomeration, and institutional distance into the theoretical analysis framework of urban green total factor productivity (abbreviated as GTFP). The impact and effect of industrial agglomeration on urban GTFP growth, and the moderating role of innovation agglomeration and institutional distance in the above effects are examined empirically. The findings indicate a significant inverted “U” relationship between the three types of industrial agglomeration and urban GTFP growth. From the critical values, the three types of industrial agglomeration do not cross the critical value on the whole, showing the promoting effect on the growth of urban GTFP. Under the different types of city divisions (small, medium and large cities, east-central-west cities, and north-south cities), the effect of the three types of industrial agglomeration on GTFP growth in different types of cities has typical heterogeneity. Innovation agglomeration and institutional distance play a positive regulatory role in the impact of industrial agglomeration on the growth of urban GTFP. It is further found that innovation agglomeration plays a threshold role in the impact of industrial agglomeration on urban GTFP, i.e., the positive contribution effect of three types of industrial agglomeration on urban GTFP growth gradually increases with the increase of urban innovation agglomeration. This paper introduces the research results of industrial agglomeration on urban GTFP and provides policy implications for improving GTFP.

Teachers’ Financial Literacy and Capability

This study aimed to determine the level of financial literacy and capability of teachers in terms of budgeting, saving, investing, and spending to find the significant relationship between the financial literacy and capability of the teachers and to identify which of the moderating variables influenced singly or in combination the financial capability. The study utilized the descriptive correlational research design and used an adopted questionnaire of Paceno and Laganhon (2022) to gather the necessary data to answer the specific questions of the study. Purposive universal sampling was employed to determine the teachers as respondents from North 1 District of Gingoog City Division, School Year 2022-2023. Mean and SD were used to determine the level of financial literacy and capability. Pearson Products Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to find the significant relationship and multiple linear regression was used to determine the moderating variables influenced singly and in combination with the financial capability of teachers. Results revealed that the level of Financial Literacy in terms of Spending is Very Highly Observed, in terms of Budgeting, Saving, Investing, and Spending were Highly Observed. Moreover, the teachers Financial Literacy and Capability level in terms of Budgeting, Saving, and Investing show a Strong Positive Correlation. A Moderate Positive Correlation in terms of Financial Literacy on Spending. It can be concluded that the teachers of North 1 District are Financially Literate and Capable. It can be recommended that having a family structure and a spouse having a career or work, teachers will have better financial capability.

Spatial Imbalance, Dynamic Evolution and Convergence of the Digital Economy: Analysis Based on Panel Data of 278 Cities in China

Accelerating the development of the digital economy is the way to build a modern industrial system and promote sustainable development. In order to accurately analyze the development status of China’s digital economy, this study introduced a text analysis method to construct an index of the digital economy and surveyed the digital economy based on the panel data of 278 Chinese cities from 2011 to 2019. Moran’s I index, the Dagum Gini coefficient, the kernel density and a Markov chain were used to reveal the space-time difference and dynamic change characteristics. Considering the impact of the spatial correlation and regional division on convergence, we compared the σ values and spatial σ values to study the convergence characteristics after grouping with the decision tree method. The research showed that the digital economy had greatly improved, but it showed a significant imbalance. The research on the regional division of cities according to their geographical distribution and grade showed that the development status of the digital economy was increasingly different, and there was no convergence feature. We chose continuous classification variables and used the decision tree method to divide cities into 10 groups to investigate the convergence. The results showed that the σ values and spatial σ values decreased significantly and showed convergence characteristics. The development of the digital economy showed convergence, indicating that the convergence was greatly affected by the geographical location and grouping basis. Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of the development status of the digital economy, and targeted policy recommendations were proposed to improve the level of digital economy development.

Bridging Learning Opportunity Gaps (BLOG) Project: A Pandemic Remedial Intervention in Junior High School Science

This study focused on the perceptions of teachers and students on the Bridging Learning Opportunity Gaps (BLOG) Project as a pandemic remedial intervention in the Junior High School (JHS) Science implemented in the Schools Calbayog City Division, Department of Education, Philippines during the school year 2021-2022. This was in the attempt to provide insights into the state of remedial education in the Philippines. The study used the descriptive-correlational research design and handed out survey questionnaires to 38 teacher and 70 student-respondent across seven public schools in Calbayog City. The findings reveal that although both the teacher and student-respondents manifested highly positive perceptions on the BLOG Project in Science in all parameter set, the teachers, as implementers were more positive in their assessment while the students as the subjects were slightly more critical. It also has been noted thar despite the positive evaluation, both the student and the teacher-respondents reported experiencing various problems in the implementation of Project BLOG. For the teachers, their biggest dilemma was the fact that they attend to the specific needs of each learner due to the limitations of the current educational set-up. For the students, it was the changing community quarantine classifications and policies that may hinder the continuity of the Project BLOG in Science. Overall, the study concludes that the Project BLOG was satisfactorily implemented and further supports the literature on the efficacy of remedial instruction

Optimizing Urban Stock Space through District Boundary Reorganization: Hangzhou’s Administrative Adjustment

Since China is the largest developing country in the world, its urban reconstruction has significance for countries undergoing rapid urbanization. The recent development of its central cities has gradually changed from large-scale incremental expansion to stock optimization. District boundary reorganization has become a new trend in reforming China’s administrative division of central cities. From the perspective of scalar reorganization and regional reconstruction, the adjustment of urban administrative divisions can be regarded as a regional construction strategy initiated by city governments to reshape the spatial structure, improve the governance relationship, and enhance the cities’ competitiveness. This study takes Hangzhou, an important central city in eastern China, as a case study to illustrate two ways in which a central city can optimize its urban spaces through district boundary recombination: scale recombination and regional recombination. The findings demonstrate two advantages of district boundary reorganization for China’s central cities: it eases the integration of new city districts and urban areas and promotes balanced development within the city. In the future, more Chinese cities will likely choose to reorganize their district boundaries.

Least Mastered Competencies of Grade 11 Students in Oral Communica-tion: Basis for Development and Evaluation of Contextualized E-Learning

This study aimed to develop based on the students' least mastered competencies for the academic year 2021–2022, this study sought to develop and evaluate contextualized e-learning enhancement activities in Oral Communication in Context for Grade 11 Senior High School of San Isidro National High School District I–C in the City Division of Antipolo. Descriptive research was the method of inquiry used in this study. The study involves the evaluation of the created contextualized E-learning enhancement activities in Oral Communication in Context for Grade 11 among students, teachers, and experts. To assess the suitability of the created learning materials in terms of appropriateness, authenticity, and clarity, the researcher created a tool in the form of a questionnaire that was evaluated by a panel of experts in the field of English.

Ethnography, cacophony, and Lebanon as a zone of prestige in the anthropology of the Middle East

Ethnography, cacophony, and Lebanon as a zone of prestige in the anthropology of the Middle East

Mühlen, Gärten, Ochsen und „Lustbarkeit”

The relationship between the walled city and the suburbs was difficult and complex. Sometimes the suburbs were included in the division of the core city into city districts, sometimes the suburbs were districts in their own right. Thus, the suburbs were both a connecting and a dividing element. Based on the naming of the suburbs, the article also attempts to draw conclusions about the functions of these districts for the city as a whole: city gates, trade relations, trading orientation, but also confessional criteria were important for the naming. The suburbs were used multifunctionally by various actors, the city itself, but also the sovereign or monasteries appear as actors: Leprosoriums and hospitals were found there, the multifunctional fairground, but also monasteries were settled there. The suburb was also important for military defence - the former “glacis” later often turned into a city park or was densely built up. But the suburb was also a place of leisure culture, fireworks and inns, but also increased crime had their place there.

Addressing Housing Inequalities in Post-Conflict Belfast A Transformative Justice Approach

Belfast is a deeply divided and fragmented city not just politically, socially, and economically but physically. It is a city shaped by its history, its experiences of violent conflict and its post-conflict transition. A collage of so-called peace walls and interface areas segregate neighbourhoods across the city creating some of the most socially and economically deprived areas where inequalities are significantly exacerbated by the tension and sectarianism that segregation reinforces. Despite the peace process, historical and new inequalities in the provision and allocation of social housing affect many vulnerable individuals and communities resulting in unequal access to adequate housing; overcrowding; housing stress; homelessness; higher waiting lists and longer waiting times. The challenge of navigating housing in a politically and physically divided city has resulted in failed opportunities to shape policies and procedures to address existing, persistent, and new housing inequalities.
 Addressing the legacy of violence and human rights violations is central to building sustainable peace in transitioning societies. If we acknowledge that socio-economic inequalities are not only a consequence of violent conflict but also a root cause, then we must also acknowledge that correcting these inequalities is an essential component of post-conflict policy. Transitional justice often overlooks violations of socio-economic rights and the impact of these on victims and wider society. A growing body of literature suggests transformative justice expands the traditional ‘toolkit’ to include measures, not typically employed in transitional justice, to confront violations of socio-economic rights, address the needs of victims and assist in societal transformation more effectively. Under a transformative justice approach, my research explores how affirmative action and the role of social movements, such as the Right to the City, could be used to address housing inequalities in post-conflict Belfast. In doing so we could look to the future as well as deal with the past.

VERTICAL GEOGRAPHIES, POLYVOCALITY AND THE EVERYDAY IN A DIVIDED CITY

AbstractThe vertical turn in urban scholarship is a critique of the overly horizontal perspectives used in studying cities in academic research. This article broadens this scholarship by engaging with the ways that horizontal perspectives on urban conditions dominate not only scholarly perspectives but also professional responses to urban change. By drawing on research in the divided city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it argues for a ‘polyvocal’ approach to studying professional responses to urban conditions, one that facilitates a productive juxtaposition of those responses with city dwellers’ everyday engagements with the vertical qualities of the built environment. It also seeks to understand how vertical geographies—here, tall landmarks—in divided cities are seen as part of the complex urban realities of city dwellers in strategies of urban planning and heritage‐making related to postwar reconciliation. These findings are compared with ethnographic data about how people make sense of tall landmarks in divided cities and how they experience and interpret them in relation to senses of togetherness and belonging to divided cities. By putting these two lines of research in a dialogue, the ‘polyvocal' approach offers a way to rethink conventional strategies of urban reconciliation and taken‐for‐granted ways of conceptualizing cities.

Modeling Linkages among Urban Agglomeration, Construction Industry, Non-Renewable Energy, and Zero-Carbon Future

On the one hand, the twin perspectives of the construction industry and urban agglomeration proliferate economic prosperity. However, on the other hand, construction activities and increased population density give rise to environmental challenges. This study is an initial attempt to explore links between the construction industry, urban agglomeration, non-renewable energy utilization, carbon dioxide emissions (CO2e), and economic output within a system of simultaneous equation modeling. This study develops modeling specifications to include the construction industry as a shifting factor and CO2e as a determinant of technical efficiency. A heterogeneous fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) technique, capable of providing concrete empirical outcomes even in the presence of modern panel-data econometric issues, is utilized for the data of China’s 30 provincial/ city divisions during the 2003–2019 period. It has been revealed that: (i) the influence of urban agglomeration on the economic output was heterogeneous, with an adverse link for China’s western part, neutrality connection for the central part, and favorable for China’s eastern part; and (ii) shifting from China’s western to eastern parts, the expansion of the construction industry has a significant impact on economic output, and, hence, has been described as “the Economic Effects of Urban agglomeration” for the Chinese economy. The policies of this study have crucial lessons for global economies.

Spatially explicit mixed-use indicators to measure life quality across the city — A conceptual framework and case study: Piaseczno — A medium sized city in the peri-urban zone of Warsaw, Poland

The challenges of the modern world, such as urban population growth and climate change, have necessitated a change in cities. Current trends related to the design of cities have highlight the essence of mixed-use urban areas. Determining mixed-use at a fine-grained level is challenging. Our new approach uses the ‘floating window’ method to determine the fine-grained local values of mixed-use indicators based on data from multiple sources. This method captures a continuous picture of changes in the values of indicators across the city. To test the developed analysis methodology, we performed a case study for the city of Piaseczno, located 18 km from Warsaw, the capital city of Poland. We have shown that mixed-use indicators defined in various ways can lead to varying assessments across the city. To solve this problem, we proposed a combined mixed-use indicator. This method is an innovative approach to analyzing a data set, because it is independent of imposed administrative boundaries or other city divisions into smaller areas. The developed methodology allows for a diagnosis of cities and, by introducing measurable indicators, selecting areas for improving the quality of life is improved over methods based only on the available statistical data.

Citizen Service Quality Standard: Its Levels of Implementation and Satisfaction as Perceived by Clients, Deped-Tagbilaran City

Service Quality Standards (SQSs) mean the level of management and organization service unit requirements. The study investigated the Department of Education (DepEd) Tagbilaran City Division frontline services. The study is descriptive-comparative in gathering data through modified tools to measure the levels of implementation, satisfaction, and problems encountered by internal and external DepEd stakeholders in its service transactions. With the overall number of 956, a sample size of 536 was randomly selected (2.81% margin of error at 95% confidence interval). It used Spearman Rank Chi-Square, Mann Whitney Test, and Kruskal Wallis. The Chi-Square test results revealed that an association exists between the position of respondents (X2 (14) =24.396, p<0.05) and the classification of respondents (X2 (2) = 10.568, p<0.05) with their level of satisfaction. The Spearman Rank test showed a significant positive correlation between implementation and satisfaction (rs (534) =0.657, p<0.05). The Mann-Whitney test results revealed that internal stakeholders (Mdn = 3.25) have higher satisfaction as compared to external stakeholders (Mdn = 3.00), U (267,269) = 31380.500, z = -2.532, p<0.05. Although it fully implemented its service quality standard, it falls short in some service domains in that clients were moderately satisfied with their frontline services.

Agents of change or collaborators? The first Palestinian students from Eastern Jerusalem studying to become Hebrew teachers in an Israeli university

ABSTRACT The research aimed to identify pull and push factors motivating the applications of Palestinian-Jerusalemite students (hereafter: PJS) to study a training program for Hebrew teaching in an Israeli university. Semi-structured interviews and an open questionnaire elicited the students’ motivations and learning experiences, to reveal how they coped with political and academic challenges. The findings show that the students’ choice of this program has become a preferred, prestigious option assuming that it serves as a tool for personal and professional empowerment. Additionally, some students saw their decision as enabling them, as Hebrew teachers in the Palestinian education system in Jerusalem (hereafter: PESJ), to act as agents of change for the future economic and academic benefit of their society. Moreover, studying in the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (hereafter: HU), the divided city constitutes a sort of temporary ‘migration’ or ‘exile’ to acquire an education. The Israeli academia (hereafter: IA) space creates an opportunity for them to redesign their personal and professional identities. ‘Hybrid identity’, characterised by cultural flexibility, appears to facilitate PJS wandering between different cultural contexts for educational purposes, while maintaining their culture and national identity. The research contributes to previous literature concerning the integration of minorities in higher education (hereafter: HE).

Architecture as a tool for unifying divided cities; A case study of Nicosia

Globally the world witnesses several efforts towards uniting cities. Majorcities are almost heterogeneous in terms of culture and ethnicity; this implies thatevery city is divided to certain extent. Many reasons may cause city division, wheredivision occurs due to less negotiable aspects as nationality, sovereignty, ethnicity,or religion. Although these affecting aspects may be few, but they allow greatinsight into how division can ruin a city. Many people around the world may besuffering of living in divided cities, where sometimes there are no and in other timesthe borders may exist in a line, a buffer, or even mentally. Segregation will alwayslead to a dead city at the end, while urbanists and architects are seeking sustainablecities. Yet, there is neglection for the architecture solutions although that it couldbe a tool for gathering the divisions socially, economically, religiously, orculturally. Hence, when they are gathered, they may generate one revival city.Accordingly, this study focuses on a case study that suffers from the concept of“Divided Cities”, and highlight how social aspect, through the architecturalsolutions, could directly help on solving economical, touristic, and even politicalissues to achieve a unified convivial city. Moreover, the study is acknowledging theimportance of governments and politicians believes towards architecture as a toolfor unifying divided cities.

Instructional Supervision and Technical Assistance of Master Teachers in the Division of Taguig City and Pateros

Abstract: The study is entitled “INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OF MASTER TEACHERS IN THE DIVISION OF TAGUIG CITY AND PATEROS” The study aimed to identify the level of instructional supervision of master teachers and the level of technical assistance they are providing to teachers 1-3. The study used the descriptive correlational research designs. The study was conducted in selected public elementary schools in the Division of Taguig City and Pateros during the school year 2021-2022.