Multidisciplinary Research Project Research Articles

Environmentally sustainable health and social care – A proposal for goals and steering for Finland

Abstract Issue Health and social services cause significant environmental impacts. In Finland, national steering towards environmentally sustainable health and social care has been lacking. Description of the problem A multidisciplinary research project (EKO SOTE 2022-2023) was designed to investigate aims and steering mechanisms for environmentally sustainable social and health care in Finland. The project aimed to propose national steering and monitoring mechanisms for stronger environmental sustainability within the sector. Data for the proposal was collected from literature, review of national legislation, interviews, surveys, and co-development events. The project also aimed to calculate the carbon footprint of Finnish health and social care with the EEIO model ENVIMAT. Results It was estimated that health and social care contributed to 6.5% of Finland’s national carbon footprint in 2019, of which the share of health care was 4.2%. The new goal ‘Social and health care is carbon neutral and minimizes the environmental burden by 2035’ was proposed to be incorporated in the national strategic steering. Wellbeing service counties (WSC) as public care providers were suggested to be included as responsible actors in the Finnish Climate Act. National networks and targeted project funding for WSCs were found important. Three sets of indicators were designed for monitoring environmental sustainability: minimum indicators for all WSCs for national monitoring, voluntary indicators for regional monitoring, and indicators for advanced regions to pioneer best practices. Lessons According to the informants, national steering for environmentally sustainable health and social care is urgently needed. The national goal should be ambitious, wide-ranging, and feasible, and cover environmental aspects broadly. The steering requires multiple mechanisms: normative, strategic, informational, and economic. WSCs should be empowered to develop suitable means to achieve the national goal. Key messages • The project provided an ambitious, feasible, and comprehensive national goal and steering model for reducing the environmental impact of health and social care in Finland. • Collaborative efforts and joint steering model could advance environmental sustainability in health and social care.

5.X.2. Improving indoor air quality: a public health challenge

Abstract Indoor air quality (IAQ) may have a profound effect on a person’s physical and mental health and well-being. The Knowledge for Indoor Air Quality and Health (K-HEALTHinAIR) project (grant no 101057693) is an interdisciplinary European research project that brings together 15 partners across 8 countries to study the sources, determinants and health outcomes related to IAQ. We aim to increase knowledge and provide input for more accurate monitoring and interventions, promoting healthy indoor air quality across several public health settings. The main aim of this workshop is to engage the public health community in the relevance of IAQ as a public health concern. We will share the innovative and new methodologies applied in the K-HEALTHinAIR project to study IAQ and health and discuss opportunities as well as challenges in this field of research to support shared learning. This workshop highlights IAQ pollutant sources and determinants, seasonal variation in IAQ, older people’s IAQ and health, and presents the project’s open access platform that is developed to share knowledge. We will zoom in on the evidence available for the sources and determinants of exposure to indoor air pollutants. This activity, a systematic review, was fundamental to identify the gaps of knowledge and guide the preparation of data collection tools. It also depicts the main pollutants present in indoor settings and the respective sources and determinants of exposure. Then, one of the 9 public health scenarios studied in the project is presented. We will focus on the first results regarding (determinants of) IAQ variation in primary schools at several locations in Poland. Next, the pilot study in older people living in senior homes in the Netherlands presents first findings of IAQ and health data in this vulnerable population. Finally, the project will deliver an open-access platform aiming to be the one-stop-shop for IAQ Knowledge. The user-profiles identified are presented. At the end, the workshop participants will be up to date on the project’s activities, its relevance for public health and the open access platform via which all output will be shared. Participants will leave with increased understanding of public health research needed to further study IAQ and its impact on health and well-being. Key messages • Indoor air quality is a public health concern impacting health and well-being, especially in vulnerable populations such as children and older people. • The K-HEALTHinAIR project is a multidisciplinary research project in which innovative methodologies are applied to increase knowledge on indoor air quality and health.

MUDA: dynamic geophysical and geochemical MUltiparametric DAtabase

Abstract. In this paper, the new dynamic geophysical and geochemical MUltiparametric DAtabase (MUDA) is presented. MUDA is a new infrastructure of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), published online in December 2023, with the aim of archiving and disseminating multiparametric data collected by multidisciplinary monitoring networks. MUDA is a MySQL relational database with a web interface developed in PHP, aimed at investigating possible correlations between seismic phenomena and variations in endogenous and environmental parameters in quasi real time. At present, MUDA collects data from different types of sensors such as hydrogeochemical probes for physical–chemical parameters in waters, meteorological stations, detectors of air radon concentration, diffusive flux of carbon dioxide (CO2) and seismometers belonging both to the National Seismic Network of INGV and to temporary networks installed in the framework of multidisciplinary research projects. MUDA publishes data daily, updated to the previous day, and offers the chance to view and download multiparametric time series selected for different time periods. The resultant dataset provides broad perspectives in the framework of future high-frequency and continuous multiparametric monitoring as a starting point to identify possible seismic precursors for short-term earthquake forecasting. MUDA can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.13127/muda (Massa et al., 2023).

Jeopardizing Biomedical Creative Abduction Through Impoverished Epistemic Niches

In this article the problem of discoverability and abductive creativity in scientific cognition will be characterized by the analysis of current difficulties that affect various aspects of the scientific enterprise such as in the case of the organization of Research and Development in biopharmaceutical companies. I will contend that this case symbolizes a paradigmatic example of what I have called “impoverished epistemic niches” in which it seems that some of the fundamental aspects that qualify modern science are jeopardized. To refer to some recent challenges to the crucial role played in scientific abductive cognition by the so-called “maximization of eco-cognitive openness” and “optimization of eco-cognitive situatedness”, I will propose the new concept of “epistemic irresponsibility”. I will emphasize the importance of the so-called knowledge in motion – in multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary scientific research: the concept of knowledge in motion is also the necessary conceptual premise of the analysis of various kinds of epistemic irresponsibility. I indeed will illustrate the current increasing expansion of commodification and commercialization of science, marketing of technoscientific products, impoverishment of the epistemic niches, showing that a consequence is and could further be an attack to the possibility of a further flourishing of human fecund and successful abductive creative cognition in science, and so at the same time human creativity severely compromised.

Collaborating with non-radiological clinical colleagues.

Paediatric radiology is a challenging and intriguing subspecialty, dealing with children, guardians and non-radiological clinical colleagues. Paediatric radiologists are routinely in contact with numerous paediatric and surgical subspecialties, all having different needs, perceptions, prioritisations and expectations. Moreover, the radiologist is part of the team of radiographers, sonographers, nurses and secretaries, assisted by appropriate equipment and electronic tools. The framework of good collaboration to ensure safety and effectiveness for the imaged child is a shared responsibility among all medical practitioners involved. Communication in routine practice has many forms and includes appropriately filled radiology requests in accordance to the patient's medical records, routine and timely production of structured, problem-solving radiology reports, face-to-face or electronic-assisted communications and discussions on a pre-defined framework, mutually-agreed and evidence-based protocols adjusted to local availability, skills and national and international guidelines. Mutual understanding of advantages and limitations of imaging is paramount. Well-meant discussions, professionalism and empathy should promote soft skills, bidirectional communication and good collaboration for the benefit of added-value paediatric radiology. International societies, health authorities, medical directors and senior consultants have the responsibility to suggest and safeguard frameworks and recommendations. Regular multidisciplinary meetings and multidisciplinary research projects under openness, honesty and transparency are pathways favouring good collaboration.

Last interglacial in western Europe: 20 years of multidisciplinary research on the Eemian (MIS 5e) calcareous tufa sequence at Caours (Somme basin, France) – a review

The calcareous tufa sequence and associated Palaeolithic site of Caours were discovered in 2002 during a test‐pit campaign aimed at identifying last interglacial (MIS 5e) archives in the fluvial terrace system of the Somme basin, northern France. The presence of an outstanding stratigraphical succession with four in situ Palaeolithic layers within the tufa sequence has motivated archaeological excavations of the site since 2005. The first malacological studies and U‐series ages quickly showed that the sequence was mainly deposited during the Eemian interglacial (MIS 5e). After 20 years of investigations, we propose here a summary of this multidisciplinary research project including stratigraphy, sedimentology, geochronology, geochemistry, malacology, mammals, palaeovegetation and archaeology. By combining 25 dates obtained by U‐series, ESR/U‐series, TL and OSL methods, the Caours calcareous tufa sequence is securely dated to the Eemian (123.1±2.8 ka). Based on the summary of the whole information, we propose a robust and detailed reconstruction of the modification of the valley environments between the Late Saalian and the Early Weichselian. At the scale of northwestern Europe, Caours provides a reference terrestrial molluscs record for the Eemian interglacial, including the climatic optimum, that is also described in the same layers by δ18O and δ13C analyses on calcite and by mammal remains. Moreover, the 300‐m‐long transect crossing the fluvial terrace covered by the tufa sequence and the bottom valley formation, combined with the chronology established from U‐series and OSL ages, shows that the incision of the present‐day valley, leading to the setting of the Very Low Terrace, was achieved during the first stages of the Early Weichselian (MIS 5d–5c). From an archaeological point of view, the configuration of the Caours site is unique at the scale of western Europe and demonstrates the adaptation of Neandertals to a forested environment and to fully temperate conditions during the Eemian.

Research capacity building, networks, define research strategy, and funding opportunities in RECOOP HST Association

I built research capacity and networks for the first ten years in the RECOOP Research Consortium from 2002 to 2012. The RECOOP HST Consortium, with the financial support of Cedars–Sinai Medical Center­ (CSMC), applied for the International Visegrad Fund (IVF) grants. We applied for 20 Standard Grants and won 14 Standard Grants to support forming and managing research networks and multinational–multidisciplinary research projects. The IVF grants won by CSMC – RECOOP helped move toward the 21st Century and broaden the scope of activities in RECOOP. Also, the IVF grants helped to build support networks for biosafety and biosecurity, animal use in research, clinical research management, and research and Innovation management training. RECOOP HST Association implemented the Common Mechanism of Diseases (CMD) research program for innovative life science research in member countries. The objectives were to increase the number of young scientists participating in creative research. Knowledge sharing is the most essential element of collaborative research. Within the context of RECOOP, my final endeavor will focus on investigating the diagnosis and management of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Ukraine. As of January 2024, an estimated 6.3 million people have been forced to flee Ukraine, with 94 percent of them hosted in European countries, representing 5.9 million refugees. In Ukraine, an estimated 7.8 million people need health assistance, and 11.5 million need protection assistance and services. Studies of PTSD report volume abnormalities in multiple regions of the cerebral cortex. However, findings for many regions, particularly regions outside commonly studied emotion-related prefrontal, insular, and limbic regions, are inconsistent and tentative. We, as researchers, must continually share our research findings and diligently replicate established methods and protocols. These tasks can often feel akin to the labor of Sisyphus. Moreover, within the scientific community, integrity is paramount; dishonesty is swiftly met with consequences akin to the justice administered by Zeus. Therefore, we researchers must roll a boulder up a hill again and again, and after we have proved that the published scientific work is sound, the “boulder” and the scientist will stay on top of the hill. Keywords: burden of Sisyphus, define research stra­tegy, funding opportunities, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Ukraine, RECOOP HST Association, research capacity building and networks, sciences and arts

Bogdan N. Kotiv — surgeon, professor, general of medicine (on the 60th anniversary of his birth)

March 14, 2024, marked the 60th anniversary of Bogdan N. Kotiv, the Deputy Head of the Military Medical Academy named after S.M. Kirov for clinical work, abnormal chief surgeon of the Academy, Honorary Doctor of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, and Major General of the Medical Service. After graduating from the academy, B.N. Kotiv served in the Transcaucasian Military District as a leading surgeon in a separate medical battalion. In 1988, a young military surgeon participated in the provision of assistance to victims of the earthquake in the city of Spitak (Armenia) and received the first experience in providing medical care in military field conditions. In 1990, B.N. Kotiv entered the adjunct school at the Department of General Surgery, and in 1993, he successfully defended his dissertations for the degree of candidate of medical sciences. In 1998, the dissertation for the Doctor of Medical Sciences degree was brilliantly defended. In 2006, Bogdan N. Kotiv headed the Department of Hospital Surgery. When it was going through difficult times, a reorganization of the educational process occurred. Bogdan N. carefully preserved the traditions of teaching thoracic surgery and actively introduced the experience of modern complex surgical interventions into the educational process, including on the abdominal organs. The surgical school of the Department of Hospital Surgery rapidly took a leading position. In 2013, B.N. Kotiv was appointed the Deputy Head of the Academy for Academic and Scientific Work. Since 2021, Bogdan N. Kotiv has been the Deputy Head of the Academy for Clinical Work. He controlled and coordinated the clinical base of the academy, organized interactions with military hospitals throughout the country, and often went on business trips. At the beginning of a special military operation, a colossal responsibility fell on his shoulders. There was a need to quickly solve the permanently emerging problems of organizing the provision of medical care to the wounded in the conditions of the Academy clinics. With his direct participation, the clinical base was redesigned, its bed capacity was expanded, and new technologies for providing specialized medical care to the wounded, sick, and injured were introduced. For several generations of surgeons, Bogdan N. has been a wise mentor and role model. Under the leadership of Bogdan N. Kotiv, the range of scientific research conducted at the academy has significantly expanded. The fundamental directions of medicine for the study of the molecular and cellular foundations of combat lesions and cellular and tissue engineering technologies have received new development, and multidisciplinary scientific research is being conducted regarding the regenerative abilities of the liver.

Life course studies – conceptual and methodological approaches and solution

Studies of the life course address the fundamental issue of social sciences – understanding the social change, its directions, reasons and perspectives, the interaction of micro- and macro levels of social reality. Studies of life course developed independently in different social sciences and scientific traditions cover a broad range of topics, issues and methodological approaches. These variety of studies were grouped into few major research frameworks: psychological within the studies of personality development; longitudinal sociological focused on life course of different cohorts and comparative studies of generations, social groups, countries and regions; domain-based – studies of trajectories in different life domains; demographic studying the timing of life events; studies of stability and transformation of values and biographical research. The multiple methodological approaches to study the life course are suggested to group in two main categories – concurrent and retrospective which differ by the time distance between the occurrence of an event and the reporting about the event. Concurrent approach is characterized by relatively high reliability of the measurement, but low flexibility in selecting research indicators, long time for the organization of data collection and large financial investments. Retrospective approach provides high flexibility in organization and design of the survey, allows free selection of indicators to test research hypotheses, but the reliability of the data is hampered by the memory errors and context effect. None of these approaches alone can satisfy the needs and requirements of studying the life course and collecting dynamic multi-level data. The possible solution is to design and test the multimodal approach combining the advantages of different research methods and mitigating their drawbacks. The new long-term longitudinal project “Life course, values and expectations of the generation of 1990s” (G90) included the test of an autobiographical method of data collection for random samples of the general population in quantitative design. The testing revealed high sensitivity of the method to the format (handwritten, printed or oral), high differentiation between respondents in completeness of information and the selection of events included in the autobiography. Supplementing autobiographies by in-depth interviews increased the data standardization, completeness and comparability. The drawbacks of this method found during the survey are high demand for resources for data analysis, individual approach to each autobiography, low respondents’ cooperation in highly demanding tasks, and ethical issues. The future of the life course studies can be found in the convergence of different research frameworks, multidisciplinary research projects, and the application of mixed-model integrated methodology.

New-materialist bricolage: presenting an ontological position for qualitative internet-based research

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to make a novel contribution to new-materialist approaches, toward advancing existing ontological debates. We present a new-materialist bricolage method that was developed from an existing interpretive Community of Practice (CofP) known as the Pivot Project research consortium. This interpretative community was used to theorise the ontological implications of research in the COVID-19 global pandemic. The specific focus was on digitalisation of five qualitative multidisciplinary research projects because of the impacts of an unexpected pandemic. We were able to formulate a bespoke new-materialist bricolage that successfully allowed us to overcome existing impasses of our multidisciplinary ontological differences, whilst enabling us to remain attentive to both abstract and material considerations. We conclude by reflecting on what new-materialist ontology can tell us about what internet-based qualitative research is, could be and perhaps should be, in an ever-changing world.

A New Study in Bosnian Onomastics. Review of the book: Turbić-Hadžagić A., Musić E., Haverić Đ., Muratović A. Bosanskohercegovačka prezimena (Vols. 1–3). Zagreb: Bošnjačka nacionalna zajednica za Grad Zagreb i Zagrebačku županiju, 2018–2023

This paper provides a review of a comprehensive study of Bosnian-Herzegovinian surnames. It is a multidisciplinary research project that lasted from 2018 to 2023, involving several authors and publishers, resulting in three volumes. The results of the study under review are based on Bosnian-Herzegovinian and foreign archival material, birth registers, medieval and early modern inscriptions, charters, and contemporary population censuses. The reviewed volumes employ an adequate methodology which allows for systematic presentation of the results. Some shortcomings of the technical arrangement of the first volume were successfully eliminated in the following parts of the edition. Due to the abundance of material and insight into the chronological development of surnames as a category of anthroponyms, these books are of an immense importance for Bosnian linguistics. Additionally, beyond their onomastic value, these three volumes provide insight into the broader historical, religious, and cultural contexts, shedding new light on the complex ethnolinguistic contacts in that part of the Balkans, both in the past and today.

How to Manage International Multidisciplinary Research Projects

How to Manage International Multidisciplinary Research Projects

Inclusive cultural heritage in Europe: co-designing an accessible user experience for digital architectural conservation

ABSTRACT The lack of accessibility to the information associated with European built heritage is a significant factor of exclusion that precludes many European citizens from appropriating a shared cultural heritage. Nowadays, three-dimensional scanning, modelling, and rendering technologies provide many highly effective tools to virtually access the available digital heritage of many European buildings in different historical periods through images, videos, texts, libraries, or specific databases of information associated with historical-scientific knowledge. However, several factors, such as the availability of human, economic, and technical resources, the heterogeneity of the standards and the lack of regulations, still hinder the possibility of translating data into usable content for a wider audience and the chances of creating collaboration between professional experts and scholars. Considering that, the paper focuses on defining the User Experience (UX) of INCEPTION’s web platform, a European-funded multidisciplinary research project that has adopted new web technologies to develop open-source three-dimensional models of cultural heritage buildings for digital architectural conservation. The paper evaluates the importance of adopting a User-Centred Design (UCD) approach and involving stakeholders and end-users throughout the design development process, as they actively contributed to fostering more accessibility and inclusiveness for the final INCEPTION’s web configuration.

INCONSISTENT AND UNPREPARED: HOW FAMILY CAREGIVERS AND OLDER ADULTS EXPERIENCE HOSPITAL DISCHARGE

Abstract Family caregivers and older adult patients report confusion, inconsistency, and a lack of preparation for post-discharge activities after a hospital stay, leading to hospital readmissions. This multi-disciplinary research project investigated how family caregivers, older adult patients, and hospital clinical and administrative staff experienced the hospital discharge process at a midwestern hospital system. The research team brought together expertise in community-engaged research and bridged multiple specializations, including personal family caregiver experience, community service expertise, community engaged research leadership, and instruction of medical students and social work students. Together, we conducted semi-structured interviews with family caregiver, older adult patients, and hospital personnel via video conference and telephone. We analyzed the data using open coding strategies and principles of thematic analysis. Themes included the importance of the timing of discharge planning, communication between all systems and individuals included in the discharge process, a lack of clarity regarding the roles in the process, inconsistent identification of the family caregiver, conflicting priorities, and the impact of medication errors. Implications are (1) each organization within the older adult/family caregiver system must determine their role in the post discharge process including the type of services and resources that support older adults and family caregivers and (2) the current system of healthcare, public sector, and community must determine how to adapt and change to support older adults and their family caregivers during the post-discharge period.

Jeopardizing Biomedical Epistemic Niches

This article explores the issue of discoverability and abductive creativity in scientific cognition, focusing on the challenges faced by biopharmaceutical companies in their R&D organization. The author argues that these companies are generating “impoverished epistemic niches”, which threaten fundamental aspects of modern science. The author proposes the concept of epistemic irresponsibility, emphasizing the importance of “knowledge in motion” in multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary scientific research. The increasing expansion of commodification and commercialization of science, marketing of technoscientific products, and the impoverishment of epistemic niches seem to already threaten the flourishing of human creativity and successful abductive creative cognition in science.

BATTLEDRESS: USING IMMERSIVE DOCUMENTARY METHODS TO AERATE WORKING CLASS WOMEN’S ORAL HISTORY

This case study reflects on a multi-disciplinary research project BATTLEDRESS that investigates how methodologies of oral history and archive can be entwined with immersive techniques to create alternative ‘encountered’ histories of marginalised working-class women’s experiences. The text reflects on a two-screen immersive film that draws on two oral testimonies with working class women writers reflecting on their teenage motivations for fighting and fashion choices and the little-explored themes of: Place and Belonging, Plenitude, Scarcity, Vulnerability, Invincibility, Femininity, Performance and Stepping Out that emerged from these. It discusses how working-class stories can be aerated through a layered two screen immersive approach where archive, audio/still and moving image sit in conversation with each other. These multiple iterations elicited unexpected findings and contradictions, encouraging the viewer/listener to delve into the underlying themes in the testimony, —prompting original insights into the confusion around gender roles and class uncertainty that can be at the heart of teenage female violence. It posits that experimenting with framing and eschewing a straightforward narrative can disrupt commonplace representations of grit, madness and despair whilst acknowledging the vulnerability, fragility, — but also ambitions and dreams of— the working-class teenage girl.

Mapping and Understanding Changes in Tree Cover in Nepal: 1992 to 2016

Since the 1980s, Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world, has gained worldwide recognition for its successful community forestry program. Researchers, however, have not previously documented the spatially explicit impacts of this forest transition because of the topographic effects, e.g., shading, clouds, snow, and ice, hindered remote-sensing imagery analysis. This multi-disciplinary research project used United States Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat 5, 7, and 8 surface reflected-correct imagery from 1988 to 2016 that were available in Google Earth Engine to map forest cover change across the country. We then used a RandomForest (machine learning method) and multilevel regression analyses to assess associations between changes in forest cover and physiographic and socio-economic variables. We found that between 1992 and 2016, forest cover in Nepal almost doubled. Among other variables, being a member of a community-forestry user group, and receiving remittance income from children who had migrated elsewhere to work had a positive impact on forest cover.

Ethnographer as honest broker: the role of ethnography in promoting deliberation in local climate policies

ABSTRACT In this paper, we are interested in how ethnographic research can contribute to the promotion of public deliberation. We do not use ethnography only to study deliberative processes but rather we intend to interpret ethnographic research as a social practice, and we research conditions under which ethnographic research might have deliberative consequences. The paper summarizes the results of the multidisciplinary research project Stories of Drought, which combines natural and social sciences in its approach. The project aims to understand how people in Czech rural areas respond to localized effects of climate change, especially drought. Following a systemic approach to deliberative democracy, we study how ethnography contributes to fulfilling three deliberative functions: (1) the epistemic function; (2) the ethical function and (3) the democratic function. In the context of irrigation disputes in South Moravia, we map the arguments of main actors and critical tensions in local discourses. We conclude that ethnographic research, due to its hybrid position between different sources of knowledge, its institutionally recognized expertise and its ability to establish an ethnographer as a trustworthy actor, can outweigh local critical power imbalances blocking deliberative capacity in local policy systems.

The Complex Architecture of the Vault System of an Early Medieval Church

The present work focuses on the solid modeling of the church of Santa Sofia in Benevento, Italy, and is related to a multidisciplinary research project that involved methods typical to both the humanities and mathematical engineering. Starting from the history of the church and its current configuration, a twofold objective is pursued: to give a brief account of the methodology used to analyze and virtualize the main phases of Santa Sofia and to report on the problem of modeling the church vault complex. Indeed, the 3D modeling of the church presented different levels of difficulty with some parts very easy to draw and others calling for specific geometrical analysis. In particular, to reconstruct the complex system of vaults of the church, a home-made code based on remapping Coons patches was written. The resulting 3D models of the different archeological and architectural phases of Santa Sofia are an example of virtual heritage and, being a digital content, allow for immediate sharing both to the scientific community and to a general and nonexpert audience, keeping in mind that knowledge is the means used to ensure the enhancement and preservation of cultural heritage.

The Chinese “Streetscape” Investigations on the performative destiny of a social and linguistic space


 
 
 In Europe the street is traditionally the place of self-representation: the “Strada Nuova” in Genova has been designed in 1550 to allow noble families to build their own palaces in a competition of beauty, richness and power. In the American tradition the street became overall a place dominated by its market role (Venturi on Las Vegas, 1972). In China streets are the real public space for people’s daily life and its essential activities (trading, eating, playing, discussing): their role in urban life is so strong that sometime a street can appear even where the planning didn’t establish that.
 The western main urban public/social space is the square, but for the eastern countries - especially China- the streets represent the most representative urban public space that can be used together without the class differences.However, from the ancient cities to today’s high-density cities, the Chinese streets, because of their social role, have experienced also a very important connection with shop signs, posters, notices of all kinds, flags and signs, luminous writings. All these objects are a kind of ornament of daily-life as well as a real interesting documentary material, useful to understand permanencies and variations in the use of the cities during their transition from the former order to the new one.
 The paper introduces the framework and the contents of a multidisciplinary research project at work, between urban morphology and Chinese language and culture. (max. 1500 characters, spaces included)