Attractive Place Research Articles

MEGALITHIC STONE HERITAGE TRAIL MAPPING FOR RURAL TOURISM USING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS) IN TAMBUNAN, SABAH

Heritage trail is an important part of rural tourism especially for community development, community participation, for discovering community heritage, and for involvement by community in developing trails to promote the history, natural and the cultural heritage of the area. One of the cultural heritages that are increasingly extinct is the megalithic stoneritual which was a daily practice in the lives of the people in the past. Megalithic stone can be found scattered in rural area of Sabah such as Penampang, Keningau, Kota Belud, Tuaran, Papar, Tenom and Tambunan. The megalithic stone or Menhir was usually used for worshipping the ancestral spirit. The megalithic stone is unique as it has many shapes such as flat, horn, triangle and round. However, this was not practice anymore and the stone is disappearing or broken one by one. Since the numbers of megalithic stones in Sabah are many, it is not feasible for all location of the stones to be gazetted for the preservation of the stones. Therefore, heritage trails is the best solutions that can be used to protect the stones and at the same time get the local community involved. However, in order to make it as one of the rural tourism in the area, several criteria need to be met to attract tourists to participate the heritage trails. These criteria include; accessiability to the megalithic site, near to accommodation, closer to other side attraction, transportation availability andsupport services around the area. Thus, GIS mapping is needed to assists this as it can show the suitability of the heritage trails location by identifying whether all the criteria can be found near the area. The purpose of this study is to show the effectiveness of GIS in analyse the suitability of the heritage trail route and its location for the tourists. In this case,the area of Tobilung village in Tambunan was used as a study area in this paper. Having known all the location for each criteria in the study area using google map, the proximity analysis was then conducted to identify the suitability of the heritage trail location. Based on the result, the heritage trail that features the megalithic stone in Tobilung, Tambunan issuitable for rural tourism as it has most of the criteria required for a tourist especially in terms of accommodation, transportation, places of attraction and services such as food and beverages, accessibility and utilities. This paper presents the significant role that GIS can play in rural tourism development in Tobilung, Tambunan and subsequently enhance the local economy of the village.

The shopping centers architecture features in the largest southern city of Russia

The article researches the role of shopping and multifunctional shopping centers, which are considered to be the largest places of attraction for the population and influential employers in the city, the most profitable type of commercial real estate. The information technology development, global logistics and the widespread introduction of the consumer society ideology as well as the population high motorization contribute to the increasing social importance of shopping centers in the modern world. Currently, shopping centers are becoming the most important architectural and social sites of the largest city. The article reveals the issue status today. The attractiveness and the need to introduce multifunctional shopping centers as places of attraction of the population in cities. Examples of world and domestic practice are given. The multifunctional shopping centers of the largest city in Russia, Rostov-on-Don, are analyzed in detail. Three concepts of a multifunctional shopping center are identified.

The Changing Shape of Scotland’s Digital Divide

Abstract The challenges of reaching rural areas with the latest digital technologies are well documented, resulting in a longstanding urban–rural digital divide in many countries. In 2016, Scotland embarked on one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in Europe when it committed to bringing superfast broadband to all of its citizens by 2021. In this paper, we take stock of recent progress towards this goal by applying the framework of the “Sparsely Populated Area”. While previous work has highlighted that Scotland’s digital divide is shrinking, application of this new framework reveals inequalities that traditional urban–rural classifications mask. We show that, while the number of digital “not spots” has fallen in recent years, many of those remaining are concentrated in a region that faces particular vulnerabilities in terms of service delivery and population decline. Digital inequalities introduce a further challenge to this region in addressing its potential as a viable and attractive place to live and work.

Do dairy cattle use a woodchip bedded area to rest on when managed on pasture in summer?

Previous studies have demonstrated that dairy cattle prefer pasture over indoor conditions especially at nighttime, which suggests they perceive pasture as an attractive place to rest. Indeed, cows avoid and spend less time lying on hard surfaces, such as concrete or mattresses, compared to softer surfaces. This study aimed to investigate how much time cows spend lying on pasture at the end of summer when the ground can be hard, compared to a softer surface. Four groups of lactating dairy cattle (5 cows/group) had access to either pasture alone or a pasture containing two deep bedded woodchip areas for 9 consecutive days in a cross-over design. Woodchip usage and posture (upright or lying) were recorded using data loggers and video cameras. We also recorded weather conditions, surface characteristics (hardness, dry matter content, temperature) and milk production. There were no consistent significant differences in lying times of cows with or without woodchip bedded areas. Average lying times for groups with access to pasture only and the woodchip were 8.9 h/24 h (range: 7.8–10.1 h) and 8.5 h/24 h (range: 7.6–9.7 h), respectively, excluding milking times. Average number of hours per day on the woodchip was 2.1 h (range: 0–5.9 h), however, there was considerable animal variation in the use of the woodchip bedded areas. When cows were on the woodchip, they spent on average 51 % of their time lying (SEM: 7 %) and when they were on pasture they spent 36 % of the time lying (SEM: 1 %). Most of the lying, however, was on the grass. Both surfaces likely provided cows with a comfortable lying surface despite pasture being harder than the woodchip. Rainfall prior to data collection may have contributed to pasture being unusually soft for the time of year. Overall, lying times decreased with increasing heat load (air temperature, temperature-humidity index, heat load index, P < 0.001) and rainfall (P = 0.002). Cows spent less time on the grass and more time on the woodchip as the daily average air temperature increased; for each 1 °C increase in air temperature, the time spent on grass decreased by 1.0 ± 0.46 (SE) percentage points per day (P = 0.047). We speculate that this was due to woodchip being a cooler surface or attracting fewer flies than the grass. In conclusion, cows varied in their use of deep bedded woodchip areas when provided in the pasture, however, most of the time spent lying was on the grass.

Tributo y mita urbana. Movilización y migración indígena hacia Quito en el siglo XVII

El amplio número de naturales que habitaban la ciudad de Quito para mediados del siglo XVII plantea numerosas cuestiones. A fin de cuentas, al tratarse de una urbe de origen colonial esta población de indígenas migrantes había acudido a la capital de la Audiencia por varios motivos. El objetivo de este estudio es, por un lado, mostrar la extensión de la tributación indígena y del servicio de la mita en la ciudad de Quito, cuya evasión ha sido punto central en numerosos análisis de movilidad indígena. Y por otro, presentar la conjunción de diversos factores que hicieron del núcleo urbano quiteño un foco de atracción poblacional indígena masivo desde mediados del siglo XVI hasta finales del siglo XVII.

Diet selection and habitat use by the mountain vizcacha (Lagidium viscacia) in the Southern Andean Precordillera (Argentina)

Abstract Lagidium viscacia is considered as a fragile species with patchy distribution, a strict habitat specialist and an obligatory diet specialist. The Southern Andean Precordillera constitutes an interesting environment to analyze the species’ presence across the altitudinal gradient. Diet selection and habitat use were studied in the summit plateau, characterized by rigorous conditions and vegetation representative of the Southern Puna. Pellet groups were counted in transects perpendicular to rock formations, and diet and vegetation were seasonally analyzed using microhistological analysis and point-quadrat transects. Vizcachas were strictly associated with rock formations at middle and high altitudes, with higher occurrence on the mountain summit where grasslands surrounded the rock formations. Vizcachas avoided shrubs associated with rock formations and preferred grasses on sandy soils. Phenological changes slightly affected the selective diet that involves a considerable search effort and risky feeding activity. Puna grasslands constituted attractive feeding places where L. viscacia’s activity decreased with distance from rock shelters as expected for a central-place forager. Habitat partitioning allows coexistence with Ctenomys mendocinus, despite the high dietary overlap between these central-place species. The high mobility and broad diet of Lama guanicoe reduce the competition risk. Lepus europaeus preferred shrubs and forbs, determining a discrete dietary overlap with vizcachas.

Стан зелених насаджень міста Умань

Досліджено вплив діяльності людини на рекреаційно-оздоровчі, захисні і природоохоронні деревостани Умані. З'ясовано ступінь, діагностичні і просторові особливості їх порушення залежно від їх функціонального призначення, лісівничо-таксаційної характеристики, розміщення у ландшафті, відносно об'єктів комунікації та атрактивних центрів скупчення і відпочинку людей. Встановлено, що в районах найпривабливіших об'єктів дендропарку "Софіївка" дерева механічно пошкоджені, витоптується травостій і ґрунт, що на крутих схилах призводить до площинної і вертикальної ерозії ґрунту. Більше деградовані ґрунтозахисні та водоохоронні насадження міста у захисних смугах річок. Поблизу кладовища з могилою духовного наставника хасидів насадження дуба звичайного інтенсивно засмічені, витоптані, дерева мають механічні рани, пошкоджені вогнем. Біля заплави річки Уманки деревостани починають всихати. Це може активізувати розвинену у минулому на схилах систему ярів. У передмісті Мішанка захисні насадження середньо та інтенсивно пошкоджені лише біля річки Олександрівки, що спричинило активізацію розмивів ґрунту. Необхідне удосконалення організації зон відпочинку і регулювання їх відвідування з урахуванням ландшафтно-екологічних, урбоекологічних та природоохоронних норм. Актуальним є збереження пріоритетних захисних функцій досліджуваних насаджень.

Orta Çağ’da Şam Diyarının Stratejik Bir Kalesi: Aclûn Kalesi

Orta Çağ’da Şam diyarında Filistin’in doğusu ile Amman’ın kuzeyinde yer alan Aclûn şehrinde bulunan Aclûn Kale’sinin, ilk inşasından itibaren dönemi boyunca önemini sürdürmüş stratejik bir merkez olduğu görülmektedir. Kalenin de içerisinde yer aldığı Aclûn şehrinin, bölgedeki önemli yerleşim alanlarından birisi olduğu bilinmektedir. Hiç kuşkusuz şehri önemli ve cazip bir yer konumuna getiren özelliklerin başında, şehrin bölgede merkezi bir yerde bulunması ve savunma için güçlü bir kaleye sahip olması gelmektedir. Aclûn Kalesi’nin Türk ve İslâm tarihi açısından önemli bir yeri bulunmaktadır. Örneğin; Aclûn Kalesi, Haçlı saldırılarına karşı korunmak maksadıyla 1184 yılında Selâhaddin Eyyûbî’nin komutanı İzzeddin Üsâme tarafından inşa ettirilmiştir. Ayrıca daha sonraki süreçte Moğollara karşı Mısır diyarını müdafaa edecek savunma hattının, Memlûkler tarafından Aclûn’da teşekkül ettirilmiş olduğu görülmektedir. Gerek Haçlılara karşı korunma amaçlı kalenin inşa edilmesinin gerekse Moğollara karşı savunma hattının burada oluşturulmasında Aclûn şehrinin, merkezi konumda bir yer olmasının yanı sıra güçlü bir kaleye sahip olmasının da etkili olduğu görülmektedir. Eyyûbîler ve Memlûkler döneminde altın çağını yaşayan Aclûn Kalesi, Osmanlılar Dönemi’nde seleflerine nazaran önemini yitirmiş ve nihayetinde son asırlardaysa eski stratejik önemini kaybetmiştir. Bu çalışmamızda Orta Çağ’da Aclûn Kalesi’nin hususiyle Eyyûbîler ve Memlûkler zamanında üstlenmiş olduğu fonksiyonlarına ve önemine işaret edeceğiz. Bunlara ilaveten bizatihi müşahede edip inceleme fırsatı bulduğumuz Aclûn Kalesi’nin çekmiş olduğumuz bazı fotoğraflarına da çalışmamızda yer vereceğiz.

Entanglements of Difference as Community Togetherness: Faith, Art and Feminism

Using a feminist, new materialist frame to activate ethico-political research exploring religion and gender at a community level both on Instagram and in arts workshops, we show how sharing ethnic backgrounds, religious beliefs, gender identities and sexualities through art practice entangles a diffraction of differences as ‘togetherness’. Such entanglement creates cross-cultural interfaith understandings and gender diverse acceptance and inclusion online. We use diffraction, intra-action and entanglement as a way of framing our understanding of this ‘togetherness’ and show that human feelings rely on more-than-human assemblages; they rely on homelands, countries, wars, places of worship, orientations, attractions, aesthetics, art and objects of attachment. The feelings of ‘community’ and ‘belonging’ that we discuss are therefore direct products of human and non-human interactions, which we explore through arts-based research. In this article, we apply Karen Barad’s feminist new materialist theories of ‘diffraction’, ‘intra-action’ and ‘entanglement’ to ways of thinking about human experience as intra-acting with aspects of the world that we classify as non-human. We use these new materialist frames to reconceptualize the human feelings of ‘community’, ‘belonging’ and ‘what really matters’ in feminist and intra-religious collaborative art practices and Instagram-based art communities. To better understand and encourage communities of difference, we argue that the feelings of ‘community’ and ‘belonging’, which are central to human subjectivity and experience, are produced by more-than-human assemblages and are central to identity. The methodologies we present are community focused, intra-active, arts-based research strategies for interrogating and understanding expressions of ‘community’ and ‘belonging’. We identify how creative methods are a significant and useful way of knowing about communities and argue that they are important because they are grounded in being with communities, showing that the specificity of their materiality needs to be considered.

Visitors Perception about the Entertainment Parks in Dhaka City of Bangladesh

Nowadays, entertainment parks are one of the paramount segments of the tourism industry of any country. Bangladesh is also a country with a full of attractive places for the visitors and tourists. Some of the entertainment parks are also made by the private sector entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. Due to rapid growth of urbanization, people are divested of enjoying natural attractive places, due to their time constraints. Therefore, the concept of entertainment park is becoming vital in developing countries like Bangladesh. Along with natural tourist spots, there are four main private sector entertainment parks that are located in Dhaka and Chittagong, the main cities of Bangladesh. They are: Fantasy kingdom, Nandan Park, Sishu Park, and Foyez Lake. The tourism sector’s contribution to the economy is also increasing day by day. In 2017, it was 4.2 percent of the GDP, increasing to 4.4 percent in 20181 .To develop this sector, a diversified approach with the concentration on theme-based entertainment parks might be more attractive to the urban people of Bangladesh.

‘Walk softly and carry no stick’: Culture, opportunity and irresponsible risk-taking in the Irish banking sector

This article examines the generative conditions giving rise to the commission of irresponsible risk-taking in the Irish banking sector using differential association and opportunity theories. This framework is used as a lens to demonstrate how, at both an individual and a group level, ideas, beliefs, expectations, rewards and punishments had a causal impact on banking culture, where competitive and aggressive risk-taking was prioritised, networked and routinised. Though differential association theory and opportunity theory are usually treated as separate (and somewhat opposing) perspectives, this article offers a framework that integrates them both. It employs differential association only as a partial explanation, explaining that wrongdoing does not occur only where there is an excess of ‘definitions’ favouring it; it occurs when capable guardians are removed or undercut. The opportunity perspective is adopted to examine how the absence of credible supervision and enforcement in the financial services sector created situational conditions that facilitated wrongdoing. Moreover, opportunity theory is valuable in this context because it explains that the extent to which protection is offered often depends on political processes to create a structure and culture of enforcement and prosecution of offenders. Prior to the crisis, Ireland was championing light-touch regulation, advertising itself as an attractive place to do business, in which there was insufficient political support for tough sanctions to address financial wrongdoing.

Conceptualización de la plataforma de e-marketing para la promoción del turismo comunitario en la Provincia del Guayas

Ecuador ha experimentado un crecimiento turístico que ha generado bienestar económico, mejorando la calidad de vida de los ciudadanos y promoviendo atractivos lugares dentro del país. Aun así, no ha logrado explotar completamente la biodiversidad de sus recursos naturales, culturales, ambientales y sociales en forma sostenible y sustentable. El turismo comunitario busca solucionar estos vacíos, así como promover el desarrollo es las zonas rurales; para ello, necesita mecanismos de promoción y difusión de los cantones que conforman las provincias, siendo las Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación (TIC) un potente canal de mercadeo. El objetivo de este artículo es exponer los resultados iniciales de la investigación denominada: Plataforma de e-marketing para potenciar el turismo comunitario en la Provincia del Guayas, en las zonas de bajo desarrollo. Se estructuraron tres segmentos: en primer lugar, se aborda el turismo comunitario en el Ecuador, como segundo aspecto la relación entre el turismo comunitario y TIC, para terminar explicando la conceptualización de la plataforma a desarrollar. La cual promete ser una herramienta efectiva para la promoción del turismo comunitario en el Ecuador.

The Politics of Accusation amidst Conditions of Precarity in the Nakivale Resettlement Camp

Nakivale, the oldest refugee camp in Uganda, hosts refugees fleeing various forms of political unrest from several African countries. Uganda’s humanitarian framework makes it an attractive place for refugees. Little is known about the role that humanitarian policies play in shaping interactions between different actors or the politics of accusation that emerges within this settlement. In a context in which the status of a refugee can confer preferential access to scarce resources, different refugee communities struggle to define themselves, their neighbours and kin in terms of the camp’s humanitarian language. Describing the everyday anxieties that define life in the camp, this article shows how accusations become powerful resources that refugees draw upon to meet the criteria for resettlement to a third country, but also how these forms of humanitarian assistance rely on processes of exclusion that create endemic accusations of corruption, criminality and even witchcraft.

Gentrification, transnational gentrification and touristification in Seville, Spain

Increased international tourism in large European cities has been a growing social and political issue over the last few years. As the number of urban tourists has rapidly grown, studies have often focused on its socio-spatial consequences, commonly referred to as touristification, and have linked this to gentrification. This connection makes sense within the framework of planetary gentrification theories because the social injustices it generates in cities have a global pattern. However, gentrification is a complex process that must be analytically differentiated from tourism strategies and their effects. Whereas gentrification means a lower income population replaced by one of a higher status, touristification consists of an increase in tourist activity that generally implies the loss of residents. Strategies to appropriate and marketise culture to sustain tourism-led economies can also shape more attractive places for foreign wealthy newcomers, whose arrival has been theorised as transnational gentrification. Discussions on the relationship between gentrification, transnational gentrification and touristification are essential, especially regarding how they work in transforming an urban area’s social fabric, for which Seville, Spain’s fourth largest city with an economy specialised in cultural tourism, provides a starting point. The focus is set on the processes’ timelines and similar patterns, which are tested on three consecutive scales of analysis: the city, the historic district and the Alameda neighbourhood. Through the examination of these transformations, the article concludes that transnational gentrification and touristification are new urban strategies and practices to revalorise real estate and appropriate urban surplus in unique urban areas.

Effect of built environment on shared bicycle reallocation: A case study on Nanjing, China

Shared bicycles provide a convenient mobility option to commuters especially for short-distance trips. Nevertheless, it also presents a challenge to bicycle-sharing operators as they have to deal with reallocation issues, i.e. removing bicycles from parking facilities which are at or near capacity and refilling parking facilities that are in need of bicycles. Few studies in the literature have actually tried understanding why certain docking stations are prone to excessive demand or suffer from a lack of parking supply. This paper attempts to identify the demographic, built-environment and transport-infrastructure indicators that can potentially aid policy-makers and operators in identifying parking facilities prone to bicycle reallocation. In particular, we have adopted the bicycle sharing operations in Nanjing, China as a case study to understand how such indicators can be identified for appropriate parking infrastructural enhancements. To achieve this goal, this study has established zero-inflated negative binomial models using multi-source data including point-of-interest (POI), daily weather, transit stop location, demographic data and bike-share smart card data. The model results obtained from this study suggest that built environment correlates significantly to shared bicycle reallocation count. In general, bicycle docking stations with large reallocation counts are more likely to be found near residences, bus stops, metro stations, employment areas, restaurants, amenities, parks, sports facilities, and clinics/hospitals; while stations near entertainment facilities, places of attraction, hotels, shopping malls, and educational institution tend to have balanced demand and supply. Analysis on the elasticity values revealed that mean temperature and station capacity are the most influential factors in bicycle reallocation. Among all POIs, presence of restaurants and areas with high employment tend to exhibit strongly a need for morning bicycle removal and evening bicycle refilling at docked stations. Policy makers can provide actual guidelines in the planning of shared bicycle parking facilities using the findings and methodologies presented in this study.

VR system for spatio-temporal visualization of tweet data and support of map exploration

Social media analysis is helpful to understand the behavior of people. Human behavior in social media is related to time and location, which is often difficult to find the characteristics appropriately and quickly. We chose to apply virtual reality (VR) technologies to present the spatio-temporal social media data. This makes us easier to develop interactive and intuitive user interfaces and explore the data as we want. This paper proposes a VR system featuring two visualization techniques. One of the techniques is a three-dimensional temporal visualization of tweets of microblogs with location information. It consists of the two-dimensional map and a time axis. In particular, we aggregate the number of tweets of each coordinate and time step and depict them as piled cubes. We highlight only specific cubes so that users can understand the overall tendency of datasets. The other technique provides a route recommendation based on tweets of microblogs. Our technique supports users to explore attractive events and places by selecting effective tweets and suggesting routes. We also developed user interfaces for operating these objects in a VR space which indicate details of tweets.

The Role of the Polish Private Equity Sector in the CEE Region

The aim of the article is to analyse the position of the Polish private equity sector as a leading player in the CEE region and to assess the impact of these funds on economic development. It has been pointed out that the fund sector is operating in an increasingly unpredictable environment (which could be seen during the financial crisis) and operates based on demanding regulations and growing risk. The paper presents the role of private equity funds in the CEE region, which by 2004 had seen a noticeably faster growth than in Western Europe, due to the transition to a market economy. The Polish private equity market in the CEE region was further analysed, which as the largest economy in the CEE region is a very attractive place for investors. The conclusions and directions of the role of private equity funds were presented, and it was emphasised that Poland and the whole CEE region are at an early stage of their market development, but their distance to Western Europe decreases from year to year. Currently, the CEE private equity market in the most developed countries offers great opportunities to its investors thanks to high competition, high growth potential and comprehensive solutions.

Living Labs for Rural Areas: Contextualization of Living Lab Frameworks, Concepts and Practices

Living Labs are spaces for innovative and participative research, development and activities that use multidisciplinary approaches and promote the co-creation paradigm. Our specific interest lies in exploring the value of the Living Lab concept for creating environments that enable equal opportunities for people living in rural and urban areas, and for making rural areas attractive places to live. Moreover, through the existing practices and research results available, Living Labs are seen as one of the important building blocks of smart rural development and an important step towards establishing a Smart Village environment. Living Labs are a valuable player in enhancing circular economy, digital transformation, local self-sufficiency and other elements of sustainable living. The main aim of this paper is therefore to put Living Labs in the context of rural areas and evaluate their possible contributions for sustainable rural development. This paper argues that the element of community and social change should be considered as a key element in enabling sustainable living.

Peran Komunitas Red Batik Dalam Mendukung Kota Solo Sebagai Kota Kreatif

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Solo City has so many communities with different aspects of value from one another. The Red Batik community is chosen based on its credibility and is one of the most productive communities in Solo City. This study aims to determine the establishment of the Red Batik Community, as well as identify and explain the role of the Red Batik Community in supporting the City of Solo as a Creative City.&#x0D; The research methodology used in this study is research with in-depth interview techniques, observation, literature study and documentation. In addition to using the concept of community-based tourism, role concepts and creative city concepts to review existing problems.&#x0D; The Red Batik community becomes a space for informal education by providing a forum for people who want to get involved or engage in industry and creative activities, especially costumes and carnivals, preserve traditional markets that are characteristic of Solo City, and hold interesting shows for tourists. As a city full of cultural values, Solo City is an attractive place for tourists to visit.&#x0D; Keywords: Creative City, Roles, Community Based Tourism, Red Batik Solo.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

"I WILL HIRE HIS MAJESTY'S DRIVER". A STORY ABOUT THE SEARCH FOR AN EMPLOYEE, I.E. NARRATOLOGY IN PRACTICE

Job advertisements are a very important element of the recruitment process. Among other things, it depends on them whether the company will appear as an attractive place for specialists. Atypical job advertisements, based on narratology, i.e. the art of telling stories, have three goals: interest, building a brand and finding suitable candidates. The article is an attempt to analyze several job advertisements in the context of narratology and to answer the question about their value.