Small Urban Settlements Research Articles

Energy Advantages and Thermodynamic Performance of Scheffler Receivers as Thermal Sources for Solar Thermal Power Generation

This article examines the prospects of Scheffler solar receivers integrated into renewable energy power plants for civil applications. This kind of solar receiver can offer satisfactory energetic performance with acceptable energy conversion efficiency when compared to other technologies to harness solar energy since the high-quality focal receiver can reduce heat losses also supposing great levels of evaporation temperature. In this research, energetic optimization and a broad assessment of Scheffler-type solar receivers are thoroughly conducted for variable sun radiation and considering a broad range of working conditions. To achieve this goal, thermodynamic optimization of the chief factors was attained via a numerical model which calculated the energy efficiency of the Scheffler solar receiver at part-load working conditions by computing all energy losses negatively affecting the heat exchange phase in the cavity receiver. The results obtained in this study show that the solar collector efficiencies of Scheffler receivers appear more promising than that of usual parabolic trough collectors; moreover, Scheffler receivers persisted with less sensitivity to reductions in solar radiation intensity. For these reasons, solar power systems based on Scheffler-type systems can be used from tens to hundreds of kW to ensure the energetic supply of small urban settlements with acceptable efficiency, optimistic investments, simple construction and reduced overall sizes.

Exploring rural futures through spatial‐temporal migration balance changes in a North‐Caucasian rural basin

AbstractA better understanding of spatial‐temporal demographic changes in rural regions can contribute to envision potential rural futures and improve regional planning. This research aimed to analyse the migration balance and its spatial‐temporal changes in a rural basin in the Russian Federation's North Caucasus District. The basin was divided into water functional zones to examine the environmental conditions and relate them to possible future anthropogenic pressures and threats to population well‐being. Two migration balance indicators (on total population and working‐age sector) were calculated in settlements to classify them as attractors, expellers or stable population entities in two census data (2014 and 2020). The spatial‐temporal changes were assessed by testing two hypotheses: one related to population concentration and rural depopulation trends; the other focused on working‐age migration and workforce availability. Moreover, a foresight tool employed migration balance indicators in 2020 to explore population trends and possible trajectories. Findings revealed that in this rural basin, a small number of settlements served as attractors in the upper functional zone where two urban centres are found, potentially intensifying soil erosion and pollution. In the middle and lower functional zones, most rural and small urban settlements showed unfavored migration balances, leading to population and workforce decline. Negative environmental factors like declining water quality and increased wind erosion could worsen this trend. The migration challenges by functional zones highlight the growing regional disparities. The combination of spatial demography with the basin approach provided improved information to foster collaboration in a shared basin and effectively address undesirable rural outcomes at regional level.

Evaluating the Spatial Heterogeneity and Driving Factors of Sustainable Development Level in Chengdu with Point of Interest Data and Geographic Detector Model

Over the past few decades, China has undergone the largest and fastest urbanization process in world history. By 2023, Chengdu’s urbanization rate had reached 80.5%, significantly higher than the national average of 66.16%. Studying the urbanization experience of Chengdu is of great significance for optimizing urban planning policies in Chengdu and other cities in China. Although much literature has explored the urbanization process from macro and micro perspectives, studies using a top-down approach to examine urban fringe expansion are relatively scarce. This study first applies the entropy weight method to analyze the spatial-temporal evolution trends of urban development, identifying areas of imbalanced development and prominent issues. Secondly, the K-means machine learning algorithm and nightlight data are used to reconstruct and classify urban regions, and a comparative analysis is conducted with administrative divisions to further identify unreasonable areas in urban spatial distribution and structure. Finally, POI data and the geographical detector method are used to analyze the micro-driving forces in areas of imbalanced development, identifying major limiting factors and solutions. The study found that the gap between urban and rural development in Chengdu is narrowing during the urbanization process, but there is severe differentiation in the second circle of Chengdu, where economic development is accelerating but residents’ happiness is declining. Moreover, analysis based on urban nightlight data and land-use data reveals that the expansion areas on the urban-rural fringe are mainly concentrated in the second circle of Chengdu. Micro-level driving factor analysis found that the western region of the second circle has many but small urban settlements, with a dense road network but scattered functional areas. The eastern region has inefficient and extensive use of construction land. Additionally, the mismatch between student status and household registration has resulted in relatively lagging educational resource development, and high entry barriers have hindered the progress of urbanization, leading to low per capita welfare expenditure. These reasons are the main factors causing the decline in residents’ happiness, and this impact shows significant differences at different temporal and spatial scales. Encouraging innovation in research and development or education can serve as a long-term and effective driving force for promoting sustainable urbanization. This study provides valuable insights for scientifically planning sustainable urban development and promoting the urbanization process.

DEVELOPMENT OF COASTAL CITIESIN THE ARCTIC ZONE(EVIDENCE FROM THE KARELIAN ARCTICAND ARKHANGELSK REGION)

The economic development of the off-shore territories of the Arctic zone is characterized by certain advantages and risks associated with the geographical location. Territorial formations of the ASRF have unequal economic structure and different levels of economic development, harsh climatic conditions, preferential economic and legal regime, etc. Territories develop unevenly: some territories have steady economic growth, others are characterized by processes of stagnation, still others are characterized by degradation and devastation. The object of the research is the coastal territories of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, and the subject is the process of their economic development. The aim is to study the process of development of coastal cities in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, on the example of the Karelian Arctic and the Arkhangelsk region. The study is based on the use of hardware for comparative analysis and assessment of indicators of coastal territories' development. The novelty of the study is the use of the rank method and the calculation of σ-variance coefficient, which allow to determine the presence of regional heterogeneity in its dynamics in the context of coastal cities of the ASRF, on the example of the Karelian Arctic and the Arkhangelsk region. The results determined the presence of a gap between the urban settlements under consideration. The assessment of the inequality of some indicators demonstrates the trend of coastal cities to convergence, other indicators in the context of coastal cities steadily diverge. Large urban settlements break away from other cities of the European North. Small urban settlements of coastal location - Kem, Kandalaksha, Belomorsk - are characterized by a low level of development. The findings may serve as the basis to form the strategic and program documents, and can be also used as additional material, while analyzing the coastal cities of the AZRF and the dynamics of their development.

Towards leaving no one behind in North Macedonia: a mixed methods assessment of barriers to effective coverage with health services

BackgroundThe Government of North Macedonia’s Primary Health Care reform is committed to leaving no one behind on the path to Universal health Coverage (UHC). During mid-2022 to March 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) collaborated with the Government and other national stakeholders for an assessment of barriers to effective coverage with health services experienced by adult citizens, with a specific focus on rural areas and subpopulations in situations of vulnerability.MethodsThis study constituted the piloting of a draft forthcoming WHO handbook on assessing barriers for health services, grounded in the Tanahashi framework for effective coverage with health services. In North Macedonia, the convergent parallel mixed methods study involved four sources. These were: a nationally representative Computer Assisted Telephone Interview Survey (1,139 respondents); 24 key informant interviews with representatives from government, professional associations, non-governmental and civil society organizations, and development partners; 12 focus groups in four regions with adults from vulnerable/high risk groups in rural areas and small urban settlements and an additional focus group with persons with disabilities; and a literature review. Instrument design was underpinned by the Tanahashi framework, which also orientated data triangulation and deductive analysis. The research team synergistically incorporated emerging themes in an inductive way. A key component of the assessment was participatory design of the study protocol with inputs from national stakeholders as well as participatory deliberation of the results and the ways forward.ResultsDespite considerable progress towards UHC in North Macedonia, the assessment elucidated remaining challenges. These included: insufficient numbers of health workers, in general and particularly in the more disadvantaged regions of the country; inadequate number of outpatient medicines covered by health insurance; distance and transportation obstacles, including indirect travel costs, particularly in rural areas; adverse gender norms and relations for both women and men inhibiting timely treatment seeking; perceived discrimination by providers on multiple grounds; bottlenecks including waiting times to get appointments for specialist referrals; and lack of patient adherence, due several factors including costs of medicines and health products.ConclusionsThe outputs from this study of barriers to effective coverage with health services for adult citizens of North Macedonia are feeding into the ongoing Primary Health Care reform, and provide evidence for equity-related actions in the forthcoming National Development Strategy.

An Ecosystem Approach to Balanced Territorial Development

Relevance. The problems of sustainable development of rural areas are extremely relevant nowadays, especially in the context of deepening localization and the increasing role of territorial and natural resources. research objective. The purpose of the article is to develop theoretical and methodological aspects of sustainable development of territories, encompassing rural areas with small urban settlements, based on the ecosystem approach to form a unified multi-level strategy for the development thereof. Method and data. The paper substantiates an application of the ecosystem approach to the development of rural areas in increasing the efficiency of rural businesses, budgetary spending through prioritization of state support recipients, stimulating sustainable development of enterprises and the industry, and increasing the consistency of regional economic policy. The conceptual foundations of this approach are presented, and an algorithm to select participants in a rural ecosystem is proposed. results. The proposed approach allows operationalizing self-organization processes in an ecosystem, ensuring a balance of interaction processes of its participants. The research results have contributed to solving the problem of territorial socio-economic ecosystem formation by proposing an algorithm to select target indicators for achieving sustainable development goals, taking into account the specifics and development trends of territories. Conclusions. The conclusions arising from the conducted research provide scientists, government bodies with the necessary information for a better understanding of practical mechanisms to provide balanced territorial development, ensure the move from fragmentary unsystematic measures of state support to effective differentiated and targeted regional policy of rural areas.

Settlement location and school size as determinants of subjective well-being and behavioral attitudes among adolescents

BACKGROUND: Empirical data on the effect of infrastructural and geographical factors on the subjective well-being of residents of small urban and rural communities are scarce.
 AIM: To identify indicators of subjective well-being among adolescents, as well as their behavioral attitudes and subjective assessments of the school environment.
 MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed data collected from 1164 respondents residing in 25 rural and urban settlements across Siberia and the European part of Northern Russia between 2016 and 2018. The Cronbachs alpha values for the dependent variables ranged from 0.654 to 0.811. The variables used to differentiate the comparison groups included the school size, the distance of the settlement from the regional centers infrastructure, and its geographic location in relation to the Arctic zone.
 RESULTS: Various characteristics of the school environment demonstrated the effect of differentiating variables. These characteristics included the friendliness within the school environment, the attitudes of teachers, the preparedness for self-defense, and the attitudes towards the use of psychoactive substances and illegal behavior. The attitudes towards the use of psychoactive substances and the readiness for self-defense were particularly sensitive to differentiating variables.
 CONCLUSION: The results of this study can be used to develop solutions that effectively manage the risks associated with the social and personal development of adolescents residing in small urban and rural settlements within sparsely populated regions of the Russian Federation.

Tree cover and built-up area regulate the territory size in Eurasian Magpie Pica pica in Ladakh, India

Eurasian Magpie Pica pica is one of the well-studied corvids, but the majority of our understanding of this species is from Europe. In India, its distribution is restricted to some valleys of Ladakh such as the northwestern part of the Indus, Nubra, Zanskar, Drass, and Suru. The present study aimed at understanding the territorial behavior of this species in small urban settlements of Ladakh region. Twenty-five pairs were studied in March 2020–April 2021. Territories were outlined for each color-banded individual, and data on habitat variables (namely built-up, agriculture, and green cover) was extracted. Generalized linear mixed models were used to study the effect of the habitat structure on territory size. The territory size (Mean ± SD) was 0.042 ± 0.025 km2, with tree cover comprising the highest proportion (24.36 ± 15.41 %) of area within territories. Built-up area was a feature of all territories, highlighting the affinity of magpies towards human presence. Presence of tree cover and built-up area significantly (~ <0.002) reduced territory size. High adaptability, foraging, and nesting opportunities, and protection from predators have been recognized as the reasons for magpies’ affinity with human habitation. Foraging opportunities are minimal outside human settlements in this region, magpies’ territories are largely shaped by the fulfilment of foraging requirements.

SOVIET AND POST-SOVIET TRANSFORMATIONS OF URBAN SYSTEM: CASE OF KAZAKHSTAN FROM 1979 TO 2022

This study analyzes the transformation of the urban system in Kazakhstan from 1979 to 2022 by studying the interrelationship between population change in large cities and demographic trends in nearby towns and rural areas. The findings suggest that the collapse of the USSR triggered a large-scale spatial realignment of the population leading to dramatic changes in the population size of urban settlements. The estimations largely failed to confirm relationships between the growth of large cities vs population change in mid-size and small urban settlements that would hold throughout the entire sample period. However, the analysis of district-level data showed that remote and rural areas were more prone to depopulation while districts around rapidly growing large cities had significantly higher rates of population growth. The population in large cities and regional centers was found to be growing much faster than in periphery areas, which is very much in line with findings from studies done on other former Soviet states.

Kathryn Ciancia. On Civilization’s Edge: A Polish Borderland in the Interwar World.

Kathryn Ciancia. <i>On Civilization’s Edge: A Polish Borderland in the Interwar World.</i>

Illicit drug consumption estimated using wastewater analysis and compared by settlement size in New Zealand

Estimation of consumption of illicit drugs by wastewater-based epidemiology provides estimates of community drug-use patterns. This study describes monitoring data of three illicit drugs in New Zealand using wastewater-based epidemiology.Wastewater samples were collected at monthly intervals for larger (population ~ 50,000+) cities or in smaller towns where more data was required by authorities. In other smaller towns, samples were collected every 2 months. Samples were extracted and analysed for parent compounds and metabolites of methamphetamine, MDMA, cocaine, heroin and fentanyl consumption using solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) detection. Back calculations were performed to estimate the consumption of each drug in each catchment area.Methamphetamine was the drug measured with the highest estimated mean consumption rates (724 mg/1000 people per day) in New Zealand. North Island small urban settlements had the highest estimated mean methamphetamine consumption rates (1259 mg/1000 people/day).Cocaine had the lowest estimated consumption rates (9.4 mg/1000 people/day). The highest estimated mean cocaine consumption rate was in North Island major urban settlements (24.4 mg/1000 people/day).Major urban settlements had the highest estimated mean MDMA (420 mg/1000 people/day) and cocaine consumption rates (18.8 mg/1000 people/day). South Island medium urban settlements had unexpectedly high estimated mean consumption rates of MDMA (533 mg/1000 people/day) and cocaine (17.0 mg/1000 people/day). The higher-than-expected estimated cocaine consumption was from one medium urban settlement that is also a popular tourist destination in the South Island.Heroin biomarkers were not detected at any locations, and fentanyl was detected around or below the limit of reporting.This research provides information for appropriate responses for improved social and health investment to support social services associated with illicit drug consumption.

Ecological Integrity Impairment and Habitat Fragmentation for Neotropical Macroinvertebrate Communities in an Agricultural Stream.

The Volcán River watershed in the south Pacific of Costa Rica comprises forests, small urban settlements, cattle fields, and intensive agriculture (mostly pineapple and sugarcane). The ecological integrity and quality of its waters was assessed from 2011–2013 and 2018–2019 by means of physical–chemical parameters (pH, conductivity, temperature, DO, DBO, nitrate, total phosphorus, and pesticide residues) and benthic macroinvertebrate (MI) sampling in eight sites (Volcán, Cañas, and Ángel Rivers, and Peje and Maura streams), resulting in high ecological integrity in all sites except the Peje stream, which is polluted with nitrates and pesticides. Only in this stream was there a marked seasonal variation in the abundance of 16 MI families including Leptohyphidae, Leptophlebiidae, Philopotamidae, Glossossomatidae, and Corydalidae, among others, whose presence was limited exclusively to the dry season (December to April), disappearing from the stream in the rainy season, with corresponding peaks in nitrate (max 20.3 mg/L) and pesticides (mainly herbicides and organophosphate insecticides). The characteristics of the watershed, with large areas of forest and excellent water quality, allow for the re-colonization of organisms into the Peje stream; however, those organisms are incapable of development and growth, providing evidence of a contaminant-driven habitat fragmentation in this stream during the rainy season.

A Novel Approach for the Assessment of the Nocturnal Image of the Cultural Landscape

ABSTRACT Policies aimed at urban and territorial development stressed the importance of landscape as a significant resource for sustainable and economic development. In this perspective, research on landscape visual values and people preferences can support the enhancement of the global values of territories. Currently, the theoretical framework and approaches are mainly limited to the day images of sites, while nighttime landscape is not usually considered. In this study, we defined a methodological approach to address the analysis of the nocturnal image of cultural landscape contexts, in order to define indications and support the inclusion of visual values in the process of public lighting design. The approach was conceived for territorial contexts characterized by the presence of small urban settlements located in prominent positions and involved a subjective survey, an in-field measurement campaign, and statistical analysis to identify significant correlations between subjective judgments and quantitative parameters. The effectiveness of the approach was assessed through the application to a case study. The study allowed identifying subjective factors (overall impact, architecture and historicity, correspondence, alteration) and objective parameters (ratios of regions’ area, luminance values, and luminance contrasts) which describe the nightscape of cultural landscape. Results demonstrated the presence of significant correlation between subjective factors and objective parameters. The application of the method could provide designers and planners indications useful for the design of outdoor lighting system, in order to include perceptual aspects in a holistic design approach, which promotes environmental, energy, economic, and cultural sustainability.

Development Clusters for Small Places and Rural Development for Territorial Cohesion?

This article proposes an alternative policy development approach for territories encompassing rural areas with small urban settlements or ‘small places’, which normally suffer from lagging territorial development trends. The proposed ‘Development Clusters for Small Places’ approach draws on the potential of all places to further their development via municipal clustering, based on four analytic dimensions: (i) existing functional areas; (ii) similarities in economic circularity and specialisation; (iii) presence of ongoing territorial and governance cooperation processes; and (iv) spatial physical connectivity and accessibility. Besides a theoretical overview of this policy approach, the article analyses concrete examples of its potential implementation in two case studies: Alentejo in Portugal and Innlandet in Norway. The findings highlight the potential advantages of municipal clustering over current mainstream regional development rationales to implement endogenous rural development in a supra-municipal scale, thus increasing institutional thickness and policy influence towards a more territorial cohesive region.

Impact of anthropogenic pollution on soil properties in and around a town in Eastern India

Urbanization leads to substantial changes in the terrestrial ecosystems. Soils in urban and peri-urban areas are often subject to severe degradation and soil pollution can rise to levels warranting immediate attention. Along with heavy metal contamination and urban waste dumping, occurrence of microplastics in urban soils is a topic of increasing concern in recent years. The present study was conducted in the town of Cooch Behar and its periphery in Eastern India, with the aims to identify the effect of urbanization on soil properties and to quantify the extent of microplastic pollution in a small urban area. Surface soil samples were collected across the town and from its surroundings and analysed for selected soil quality parameters. Quantitative estimation of soil microplastics was performed along with microscopic observation of morphotypes. Assessment of land use-land cover (LULC) status indicated significant increase in urban settlements in 24 years timespan from 1995 to 2019, concurrent with a trend of agricultural intensification around the town during this period. Results showed high soil NO3̶N in some locations and high available P content in the majority of study areas. High Zn (x¯ 1.91 μg g−1), Cu (x¯ 3.36 μg g−1), Cr (x¯ 2.31 μg g−1) and Hg (x¯ 4.69 μg g−1) concentrations were observed while bio-available Cd was found above the critical limit in some places. Soils of some urban and peri-urban locations showed high presence of microplastics (0.2–0.5 or > 0.5 mg g−1). This is one of the first studies of soil contamination and microplastic pollution in small urban settlements (like municipal towns) in India and it indicated the extent of severity due to unmanaged human activities.

Малые и средние города в системе расселения российского Севера: 1939–2020 гг.

The article examines the settlement system of the Russian North, which was previously determined by decisions of ministries and departments, and now it is changing under the influence of resource corporations' activities. The focus is on small and medium-sized towns that are part of the supporting framework of settlement, ensuring connectivity of the northern territories. The authors analyze the dynamics of population, including urban one, and the population of small and medium-sized cities. The study identifies periods of upward and downward dynamics for each population group and settlements. If the country is drawing the population to the west, then in the North it is concentrated in the Asian part. The article shows that urban settlements were created multifunctional, with the monopoly of a city-forming enterprise, which, on the one hand, made them economically vulnerable, and on the other hand — more adaptable to external conditions. According to the author's methodology, small and medium towns are ranked according to the share of the population of these cities in the total population of the region. The authors have identified four groups of regions that have an insufficient, medium, high and excessive share of the population of small and medium towns; the optimal boundaries of this share are proposed. The authors have identified four groups of regions that have an insufficient, medium, high and excess share of the population of small and medium towns; the optimal boundaries of this share are proposed. The study revealed the similarity (concentration of the population in large cities) and the difference in the structure of settlements in the North (the share of the population living in small and medium urban settlements, is lower in the countryside). The research results will be applied in the development of strategic documents for the development of northern towns.

CHANGES IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND TERRITORIAL STRUCTURE OF UKRAINE IN THE CONTEXT OF INFLUENCE ON THE STATUS AND FUNCTIONS OF SETTLEMENTS

The purpose of the administrative and territorial reform in Ukraine is, first of all, to give broad powers to communities for their development, as well as to balance the quantitative parameters of administrative and territorial units of different sections. In the process of implementing the reform, the status and functions of most settlements are also changing, which will affect their social and economic development and change inter-settlement ties.&#x0D; The article analyzes the quantitative parameters of the modern administrative and territorial system in Ukraine. It is noted that it was not possible to eliminate significant disparities in the size and population of the newly created districts and territorial communities. It is also noted that the agglomeration will take place around district centers, other urban settlements, less often - around large villages. It is emphasized that only the villages that will become community centers have prospects for further preservation of their functional significance in the settlement system.&#x0D; In general, 47 cities and almost 440 settlements will not become community centers. There are also cases of classifying urban settlements as rural territorial communities. 354 urban settlements, which had the status of district centers before the reform, now have the status of centers of territorial communities. As a result, the powers of such cities extend to a much smaller number of settlements, and their functional significance will decrease. Service functions and a role in the resettlement system will also be lost to settlements that do not become community centers but are attached to urban ones.&#x0D; The article substantiates that the reform of the district level of administrative structure involves a change in the direction and intensity of inter-settlement ties. In conditions of prolonged social and economic stagnation, demographic crisis and unsatisfactory transport connections, this may lead to a deepening of polarization in the settlement system and an increase in peripheral areas. Some medium-sized cities that had the status of cities of regional significance (among them – Novovolyns’k, Horishni Plavni, Enerhodar, Smila, Irpin’) will not be district centers, because the limiting factors for granting them the status of district center are the asymmetric position or mono-function structure of the economy. For most small towns that have lost the authority of the district center, there is the alarming possibility of losing the status of the city. At the same time, in sparsely populated Polissya, steppe or mountainous areas, such small urban settlements will become the centers of enlarged districts, so their functional significance will increase. The condition for the effective performance of the cities-centers of their functions is the development of industrial and social infrastructure, transport connections with remote settlements.&#x0D; According to the results of the study, positive and negative aspects of the impact of the administrative and territorial reform and changes in the status and functional significance of settlements have been identified. Further research on this issue will include a detailed analysis of the functioning of territorial communities and new districts in the context of the impact on the settlement development.&#x0D; Key words: decentralization, territorial community, resettlement, administrative and territorial reform, functions of settlements.

THE SUCCESSION OF TRADITIONS: THE SNAKE IN THE BELIEFS AND CUSTOMS OF THE HUTSULS OF RAKHIV REGION (ACCORDING TO MATERIALS GATHERED IN THE FIELDS)

The article is based on the materials recorded by the author in Rakhiv district of the Zakarpattya region in 2017. It has been systematized and analyzes the beliefs and customs of residents regarding the actions against snakes. These records are compared with a regional, an all-Ukrainian, and an all-Slavic context. Observing an extreme prevalence of ancient beliefs and rituals associated with snakes, the author sees the reasons for the establishment of this tradition in the region first and foremost in connection to the people (even the residents of small urban settlements) who live here and in the previous centuries had been in constant contact with the local natural environment. At the same time, they used their natural resources for life (gardens, orchards, forests, mountains, meadows, etc.) and came across reptiles. Secondly, despite the modernization impacts in the Zakarpattya region, the traditional folk culture is preserved as a whole that is it is kept in the minds of the majority of the population (at least of middle-aged and older ages) calendar holidays stay relevant with their complex beliefs and rituals, archaic and pagan, but strictly adapted to Christian realities (a phenomenon of the so-called «folk Christianity»). The author draws attention to apotropaic magical actions and disallowance of specific actions during holidays (primarily Christmas, Annunciation, Exaltation holidays) aimed at avoiding contact with snakes and the use of purely physical factors (including the garlic smell) to scare away reptiles. The proper attention is also paid to the beliefs about the Queen of snakes (with a crown on her head) and the algorithm of actions of those who want to become rich. Folk conceptions of a «magic wand» that becomes as such if a person manages to save a frog from the jaws of a snake have also been analyzed. The article also throws light on a domestic adder snake – the «owner of a house» which in no case can be killed even if it sucks milk from a cow. The range of meanings of the image of a snake considering the folk dream interpretation tradition has also been given in the article.

Adaptation to climate change in small coastal cities: The influence of development status on adaptation response

In contrast to coastal towns and small urban settlements, small coastal cities (population of between 50,000 and 100,000) may exhibit comparable knowledge and planning infrastructure as larger cities or be similarly connected to research institutions. However, at a global level, there is little statistical data about small cities, and their numbers and locations are thus so far unknown.In this paper, five cases of small coastal cities, two of which are located in the USA - Miami Beach and Milford - and three, in Australia (Mandurah), Bangladesh (Sundarbans), and South Africa (Knysna) respectively, are presented and discussed in view of adaptation to climate change.All cases reported vulnerability to sea level rise, with impacts compounded by increasing storminess (and even hurricanes of increasing intensity), tides, inland flooding and loss of natural habitat. Changes in precipitation resulted in both reduced river flow, leading to sediment deficits and coastal erosion (from the sea) or increased river flow with similar damage (from the land). Adaptation response was most clearly delineated along lines of development status with wealthier, more highly developed cities pursuing more technologically advanced solutions, whilst the two cities of the Global South focused more on governance and capacity building solutions.Also, it was clear from the Knysna case that if a city or municipality lacks the capacity to effectively respond with adaptation measures, local private wealth may dominate and result in haphazard adaptation responses to the detriment of regional adaptation planning efforts.While this paper provides a first step in establishing a richer understanding, it is clear that more case studies across global regions and economic categories are required to deepen our understanding of climate change adaptation planning in small cities.

CITTASLOW HAREKETİNDEN İLHAM ALINARAK TEKSTİL VE MODA SEKTÖRÜNDE DE YAVAŞLAMA HAREKETİNİN YAYGINLAŞTIRILMASI

The Cittaslow Movement, which emerged as a response to the negative effects of globalization on small cities, was founded in 1999 with the initiative of the mayors of four small urban settlements in Italy and the founder of Slow Food. This movement, which aims to improve the quality of life by preserving and maintaining the local values of the settlements, has been adopted by 30 countries and more than 200 small-scale urban settlements in a short time. This movement is so important that it has to be implemented in all areas of human life. Because natural resources are consumed faster than they should be, and there is a slowdown in every field that is experienced as if it were unlimited. And of course the textile and fashion sector is one of them. Low-cost disposable products cause permanent damage to nature and create a consumption spree. In this study, the Cittaslow movement was inspired by the emergence of a deceleration movement in the fashion sector and we tried to draw attention to what we can do as consumers.