Transitional Space Research Articles

Analyzing the Influence of Residents’ Sociocultural Reflections on the Spatial Configuration of Historical Persian Residential Architecture

This research investigates the relationship between socio-cultural reflections of residents and spatial diversity in historic Persian residential architecture. Despite the rich architectural heritage of Persian houses, there is limited understanding of how residents’ socio-cultural background influences their spatial arrangements. To address this gap, this study employs space syntax analysis, including axial, visibility graph analysis (VGA), agent-based analysis, and isovist approaches, to explore the genotype of 15 recognized Persian historic residential architectures. The findings reveal that the spatial configurations of these houses are deeply rooted in socio-cultural values, reflecting the diverse societal roles of residents. Variations in spatial arrangements highlight the adaptability of Persian historical houses in balancing privacy and sociability, influenced by the socio-cultural attributes of their occupants. The study also emphasizes the significance of transitional spaces in controlling social interactions with strangers to support cultural practices. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by providing a syntactic analysis of the socio-cultural underpinnings of Persian architectural typologies, offering insights that extend beyond Shiraz to the broader central Iranian context. The study concludes by advocating for practical policy implications and culturally rooted architectural design guidelines for Iranian construction engineering organizations to implement in their housing design projects. These insights can ultimately inform the development of contemporary housing in Iran, fostering a new wave of housing that is both culturally resonant and functionally innovative, while supporting socially sustainable living environments.

Navigating from industry to higher education: Practitioner transitions to academic life

AbstractIn this paper, we entwine sympathetic concepts of liminality and workplace identity to capture processual, agential and emotional elements of transition for established professionals from other sectors taking up academic careers in a digitised UK business school. We undertake interpretative analysis of explicit and latent responses through three core themes exploring processes of transition, agencies of transition and emotions of transition through anonymised interviews conducted with 15 participants coming in from a variety of industrial and service roles. With a rationale of better understanding barriers and ambiguities experienced during times of transition, the paper considers perceptions of ambiguity and flux experienced by those undertaking second careers in the context of marketised higher education, arguing that coming in from a profession is complex and unsettling. The paper argues for greater institutional focus on improving perceptions of belonging, valorisation and recognition for those negotiating the ritual and contested space of transition, particularly in light of increasing collaboration between academia and practice and growing student numbers in this space. It concludes that in the light of continued policy decisions embracing rapid growth in apprenticeship and other practice‐based degree programmes, university managers need active strategies to retain and develop those from industry and other professional backgrounds.

BUFFER FRINGE PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL:CREATING AND CURATING BEYOND THE LIMINAL FRAGILITYOF BUFFER ZONES IN CYPRUS

The Buffer Fringe Performing Arts Festival was born out of the contested and fragile space in between border lines, the buffer zone in Nicosia, Cyprus. This paper will address the Festival’s enactment of a new understanding of affective space that can enable resistance and co-creation beyond the liminality of a post-conflict buffer zone (in Nicosia and beyond) through the pandemic in 2020–2021, and 2022. As we will explore the Festival’s role in creating dialogue between the space and narrative layers of melancholia and nostalgia beyond the rupture that the division has produced through collaborative and process-based approaches, we will unpack the role art and co-creation can play at a moment and a space of transition to produce alternative affective agency. Within an already contested geography, 2020 brought along the pandemic and the closure of crossing points in Cyprus which paused all planned activity and demonstrated the fragility of contact between communities and artists, whilst simultaneously producing new possibilities. Buffer Fringe 2020 was one of the few artistic platforms in Cyprus and globally to have adapted and materialized a hybrid festival, while also developing interdisciplinary and innovative methodologies. Encouraging a decolonizing agenda and embedding creativity into a social process, the paper also looks into the public space intervention in the recently opened part of Famagusta in 2021, consequently touching upon the collective curatorial approach of the Festival in 2022 as embodiments of a new understanding of space that can enable resistance and co-creation beyond liminal fragility.

Case study investigation of overheating in low-energy homes: insights from a post-occupancy evaluation in England

ABSTRACT This paper presents evidence of overheating in present-day low-energy homes and explores the causes of this phenomenon. The study involved in-depth research on four low-energy homes in England. Three of these were newly built, while the other was retrofitted. Over a period of 11 months, the homes underwent environmental monitoring, and user perspectives were gathered. Additionally, a retrospective analysis was conducted based on the Building Regulations 2010 Overheating: Approved Document O. Overheating was primarily attributed to design factors related to ventilation (linked to both mechanical ventilation and natural ventilation), solar control (inadequate G-values), and the unique architectural elements (roof pod and sunspace). While most occupants employed adaptive behaviours whenever possible to cope with the high indoor temperatures, these strategies proved insufficient in preventing overheating in three out of four cases. The study also compared different methods for assessing overheating in low-energy homes. CIBSE-TM59 was found to be effective in identifying overheating issues and aligning with occupant perceptions. England Building Regulations Part O simplified method failed to account for potential overheating from deep energy retrofits, as well as possible exacerbations from roof pods and from transition spaces. Moreover, all assessments failed to encompass the elevated risk for (permanent or transitory) vulnerable occupants.

Transient thermal comfort during summer in air-conditioned indoor and naturally ventilated transitional spaces − A field study in Zhengzhou, China

Naturally ventilated transitional spaces connect air-conditioned indoors with the natural outdoor environment, resulting in continuous temperature steps for individuals entering and exiting buildings. However, the relationship between transient thermal comfort characteristics and temperature step changes in the thermal environment is not well understood, and currently, there is no generally recommended range for transient thermal comfort. To address this gap, a field experiment was conducted to measure the thermal comfort of 16 healthy students as they moved separately between air-conditioned indoors, naturally ventilated transitional spaces, and outdoor spaces. The thermal environment parameters were recorded and thermal comfort questionnaires were collected. This study demonstrates that ASHRAE 55-2023 and the relevant Chinese standards cannot be directly applied to assess the range of comfort levels in indoor and transitional spaces in cold regions during summer. People tend to adapt to a much wider range of indoor environmental conditions. The comfort zones of indoor and transitional spaces in cold regions in summer are −2.5 < TSV (Thermal sensation vote) < 1.3 and −0.2 < TSV < 0.8, respectively. The corresponding temperature ranges are 11.6–32.9 °C and 17.1–24.5 °C respectively. The thermal unacceptability percentages, corresponding to the indoor thermal comfort zone, were as high as 26 % on the cold side and only 16 % on the hot side. The thermal unacceptability percentages corresponding to the two sides of the thermal comfort zone in the transitional space were 23 % and 33 %. This study provides insights for the development of future building regulations and retrofitting strategies in cold regions.

Threshold Spaces: The Transitional Spaces Between Outside and Inside in Traditional Indian Dwellings

This research paper examines threshold spaces in traditional housing within historic Indian cities, emphasizing how these transitional areas are shaped by cultural, social, and environmental influences. It underscores that thresholds function beyond mere physical divisions between interior and exterior; they are intricate spatial elements that engage the senses and perception. Key findings include the following: (a) Historical evolution: traditional dwellings display layers of history, shaped by cultural, economic, and climatic factors. (b) Character and morphology: this paper explores the qualities and structures of threshold spaces, analyzing features such as transparency, material choice, hierarchy, and enclosure. (c) Social significance: thresholds play essential roles, supporting a variety of activities, providing shelter, defining boundaries, enhancing community interaction and security, and contributing to residents’ identities. (d) Design implications: insights from this study suggest that a deeper understanding of these spaces can enhance design strategies for transitional areas in housing, highlighting their functional and socio-cultural value. The study adopts a structured comparative analysis of six case studies, evaluated at four scales—township, neighborhood, dwelling, and threshold—focusing on spatial parameters including design, function, definition, structure, and sequence. Overall, this paper highlights the critical role of threshold spaces in architecture and urban design, demonstrating their potential to enhance social interaction, define spatial relationships, and reflect cultural significance in contemporary design practices.

Enduring flows: The transit of drugs in contemporary Honduras

Since the 2000s, Honduras has expanded its role as a transit hub for international cocaine trafficking, with tonnes of cocaine passing through the country every year. Nevertheless, research on illicit drug flows in the country – and more generally across transit areas – remains limited. This resides in a tendency within both academic and institutional discourses to depict illicit flows as detached from societal structures, with little implications for the realities they touch. Drawing on the qualitative analysis of publicly available official US court documents on drug trafficking in Honduras and semi-structured interviews with experts on the country’s drug economy, this article addresses this gap by exploring the movement of US-bound cocaine shipments across Honduras. It explores whether, and how, transient activities such as illicit drug flows become embedded in the territories they traverse. The discussion shows the extent to which the drug trade has become embedded within Honduras’ political and territorial realities, concluding that drugs do not merely pass through transit spaces but become integrated into them. Drug traffickers rely on relationships they establish with both legal and extra-legal actors – including other drug traffickers and state officials – to receive and move drugs across the country. These relationships allow them to obtain access to ‘points of passage’ such as clandestine airstrips, security checkpoints and road networks – all of which are crucial infrastructures for facilitating the transit of drugs. Furthermore, the article reveals both legal and extra-legal actors’ role in exerting control over these logistics infrastructures and therefore in enabling the transnational flow of illicit goods. These insights contribute to broader debates on illicit flows, organised crime and the control of passage points along trade routes, while also shedding light on the often-overlooked role of transit countries like Honduras in the transnational cocaine trade.

Transition space: navigating dilemmas between mainstream and minority language classrooms

Abstract From policymaking to classroom practices, educational language policy implementation is a complex process filled with a cacophony of voices. This article examines policy implementation as it unfolds in micro-level transitions between mainstream classrooms and lessons in Sámi, Kven, or Finnish as a second language (SKF) in Norway. In such situations, SKF pupils need to leave their mainstream classes to receive their language instruction. To examine these transitions, I draw primarily from ethnographic data (e.g., classroom observations and semi-structured interviews) collected over several months in public schools in a town in Northern Norway. The findings suggest that organizational circumstances construct an in-between space, which I refer to as transition space, in which classroom actors can or need to negotiate and make choices about which of the theoretically co-available classes/activities will be chosen at which times. Such choices involve dilemmas and consequences on different scales. In this study, (1) I demonstrate how (non)movements between mainstream and SKF classes are made in time and space, and (2) I propose transition space as a new conceptualization for researching micro-level transitions in educational settings.

Caring wings of hospidarity: Creating safe transitional spaces through hospitality alliances

When people are treated as refugees, they feel like refugees, but when they are treated as tourists they feel like tourists. This study contributes to knowledge on solidarity tourism by introducing the concept of ‘hospidarity’ (merging the theoretical readings of hospitality and solidarity) and identifying it as a driving force in the creation of a caring environment. Safe transitional spaces facilitate individuals' role transition from that of refugee to a (formerly enjoyed) tourist role. Results from field research and interviews carried out in a spa-town close to a war-torn country, both with tourism stakeholders and refugees/guests, helped us to elaborate the concept of hospidarity. Tourism stakeholders are encouraged to adopt the hospidarity procedure as an action protocol in long-drawn-out crises.

Architecture of transit spaces

The problem of modern cities is considered - the need to ensure efficient and comfortable movement of people and goods. With the development of transport, the issue of maintaining an attractive pedestrian environment arises. The concept of “architecture of transit spaces” and the role of transit routes in the planning structure of the city are revealed, and their diversity is examined. These spaces include various elements of urban infrastructure, pedestrian streets, boulevards, squares, underground passages, passages that provide connections between different parts of the city. The study identified four main groups of transit spaces: streets, bridges, covered walkways and temporary structures. Using the example of real objects, factors influencing the formation of transit routes, their scale and geometry, functional content and, as a result, the architecture itself are studied.

A primer to new space business - Beyond “Business in space: The new frontier” (Goodrich, Kitmacher and Amtey, 1987)

The purpose of this article is to serve as a primer and gateway to contemporary developments around New Space as an entrepreneurial phenomenon. Despite its media-presence, commercial space activity in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has been mostly absent from the management literature. We use considerations that Goodrich et al. had voiced in Business Horizons in 1987 with their piece “Business in Space: The New Frontier” to pick up on earlier thinking around venturing into space, update highlighted themes, and go beyond those. Our article follows the structure set out in 1987 and covers the current state of space commercialization, obstacles to space commercialization, opportunities in space, marketing and managerial implications, and concludes with research avenues. We find that entrepreneurship in space is currently in a phase overcoming many of the previously voiced obstacles, embracing the opportunities that space offers beyond catering to government agencies as main clients. We call this contemporary period for space Transition Space, which is situated between Old government-driven and venture-driven New Space. We argue that space is a critical new context not only for entrepreneurial activity but for entrepreneurship research as well. Our article contributes to the nascent space management literature.

Bringing the community into the classroom: professional identity and practice of social workers who studied alongside at-risk adolescent girls

ABSTRACT This study explores the professional identity development of social workers who participated in an academic elective course alongside at-risk adolescent girls aged 16–18. The course, influenced by critical pedagogy, and community and feminist social work, emphasized three core principles: flattening power hierarchies, challenging socio-structural oppression, and mutual learning. In-depth interviews were conducted with course graduates, social workers with 1 to 4 years of experience. Phenomenological analysis uncovered that the course acted as a ‘transitional space’ between student and professional life. Three subthemes emerged: recognizing the vulnerability and strengths of adolescent girls, reflecting on personal life experiences, and learning about forming partnerships with clients. Forming partnerships with clients was enabled by three vehicles: daring to be equal, daring to be authentic, and learning from clients’ knowledge. This study highlights the creation of a ‘community of practice’ through innovative teaching methods and community involvement. It underscores the importance of hands-on experiences and engagement with real-life contexts to bridge the gap between theory and practice, enhancing understanding of concepts like partnership and nonhierarchical approaches in both community and general social work.

Assessing Eye Clinic Accessibility: A Study Validating and Applying the SiteWise Survey.

To validate the SiteWise survey as a reliable tool for assessing the accessibility of outpatient ophthalmology clinics for visually impaired patients and to compare accessibility between hospital-based and satellite clinics. This quality improvement study, conducted from January to December 2023, used the SiteWise survey to assess design features in seven satellite and two hospital-based clinics within the Wilmer Eye Institute network. Independent surveyors evaluated elements such as parking, sidewalks, entrances, and interior areas. Reliability was measured using Krippendorf's alpha, and accessibility scores were compared using generalized estimated equations, analyses of variance, and t tests. The SiteWise survey demonstrated high reliability with a Krippendorf's alpha of 0.99. Hospital-based clinics had higher accessibility scores (mean 78.9%) compared to satellite clinics (mean 71.3%, P < 0.05). Areas such as hallways (mean 89%) and waiting areas (mean 87%) scored highest, whereas parking lots/sidewalks (mean 61%) and stairways (mean 61%) scored lowest, indicating significant room for improvement in these areas. The SiteWise tool is reliable and effective in identifying accessibility deficiencies in outpatient ophthalmology clinics. Although indoor areas generally scored well, outdoor and transitional spaces require significant enhancements to improve accessibility for visually impaired patients. This study bridges the gap between basic research and clinical care by providing a validated tool to assess and improve the accessibility of eye care facilities, ensuring they meet the needs of visually impaired patients.

In and out of the city: Generational disaffiliation among evangelicals in the age of mobility and religious choice

The intergenerational transmission effect reveals an important trend behind the current growth of ‘nones’ in Canada, the fastest-growing religious identity in North America. On the other hand, ‘dones’, who distinguish themselves from ‘nones’ in terms of non-religion, reveal another important facet of this trend. These are people who have distanced themselves from their religious affiliation. This article highlights issues of generational succession and religious transmission in the disaffiliation process. Drawing from qualitative interviews with 12 formerly self-identifying evangelicals aged 25 to 36 in Quebec, it argues that evangelical disaffiliations are also influenced by the religious choices of one’s parents. Like their children, parents’ conversion often involved disaffiliation from the religion of their upbringing, which in Quebec is mostly Roman Catholic. In the contemporary context, high geographical mobility also plays an important role in the disaffiliation of these young evangelicals, creating the conditions for a gradual erosion of social ties. At the same time, the emergence of new urban churches, combined with a sense of generational unity, has created a space for transition outside the traditional evangelical milieu. Taken together, these factors suggest that, even in evangelicalism, a religious movement that resisted decline until very recently, certain features of modern religious transmission are implicated in the disaffiliation process.

Sex differences in physiological responses and thermal perception during repeated extremely cold exposure (−15 °C)

People working in cold regions often need to move frequently between indoor and outdoor environments. Due to sex differences in metabolic rates and thermal sensitivity, repeated exposure to large temperature differences may stress physiological and perceptual systems of males and females differently. This study aims to explore the physiological responses and thermal perception changes in males and females repeatedly exposed to −15 °C. The experiment involved 20 participants (gender balanced), who experienced two consecutive cycles of cold exposure. Each cycle included 30 min of cold exposure and 30 min of recovery. During the experiment, multiple physiological parameters as well as overall and local thermal perception were recorded. The experimental results indicate that repeated cold exposure can lead to thermal habituation in both males and females. Males exhibited higher skin temperatures in extremities such as the hands, fingers, face, and feet, while females reported lower thermal sensations in these areas during the recovery period. Furthermore, repeated cold exposure has a greater impact on the rate of recovery of extremity skin temperatures in females, requiring a longer recovery time compared to males. This article has reference value for considering sex differences in the design of temporary transition spaces in winter, which is beneficial to improving thermal comfort and energy efficiency.

Staging Flight. The Theater as a Transitory Space1

Starting from theater activities which intervene in the 2015 refugee crisis in Germany and elsewhere the article states a long lasting relationship between the stage of tragedy and asylum politics. Looking back to the dramaturgy of flight and asylum as it evolved in the Greek polis in the fifth century BCE it sketches the history of theater as a transitory space which from its beginning has been set up to negotiate asylum and grant temporary space, time and speech to those who are forced to flee und seek shelter. It outlines a dramaturgy of flight by comparing Aeschylos’ tragedy “The Suppliants” to Elfriede Jelinek’s “The Charges” in relation to the logics of asylum procedures which come into play. While Greek tragedy used structured procedural forms which defined the role of the incomers, the role of the host and the forms of dialogue und ritual they engage, in the postdramatic transcription by Jelinek the procedures and their addressees are uncertain, it blurs the line between refugees and hosts and decomposes the spatial and institutional frameworks in which they are supposed to encounter. The article thus discusses how the template of tragedy is transformed in negotiating an asylum policy which withholds the status of legal subjects to asylum seekers, forcing them into provisonary arrangements of indefinite temporality). It also discusses how the structure of theatrical space is responding to arrival and shipwreck situations (not only in the island of Lampedusa) which redefine our positions as spectators.

Inhabiting temporariness: the agency-in-waiting of Eritrean refugees in the city

Protracted displacement turns what should be a temporary protection status, asylum, into a long-term process that defines the existence of millions of people. The unresolved causes of displacement, a flawed asylum system and restrictive refugee policies all force refugees to inhabit a state of temporariness in cities. We discuss the unfulfilled potential of Eritrean refugees in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and show how urban migration becomes part of a waiting game on a journey towards the realization of this potential. Using Brun’s concept of agency-in-waiting, we illustrate how Eritrean refugees use their agency in cities, finding ways to remain hopeful, circumvent restrictions and prepare for unpredictable futures. Our findings challenge the dominant discourse on Addis Ababa as a transit space where Eritreans remain inactive and unproductive, idly waiting for resettlement. Rather, they work towards their ultimate goal – to establish a secure life with full rights, wherever this might be.

From Freud to Film: The Uncanny Psychology of Zombies in Popular Culture

This paper employs a multidisciplinary framework, integrating psychodynamic theory, film studies, and cultural analysis to explore the unsettling nature of zombies and the transitional space between life and death they occupy. It connects this unease to the uncanny valley theory, where entities that resemble humans but lack intrinsic features can provoke feelings of unease. Furthermore, the paper examines cognitive dissonance, particularly in the context of the familiar and unfamiliar, the living and the dead, and the human and the monster within the zombie narrative. It also explores how many characters within zombie stories grapple with cognitive dissonance through identification and disidentification with the zombie; to cling to the human version of the zombified creature, or to dissociate the then-human from the now-monster. Ultimately, this paper unveils the intricate psychology behind the fear of zombies, highlighting the creatures as reflections of our anxieties about «the other» and as unsettling mirrors of ourselves.

A lattice Boltzmann model with sharp interface tracking for the motion and growth of dendrites in non-equilibrium solidification of alloys

A lattice Boltzmann model (LBM) with sharp interface tracking is developed to simulate the motion and growth of dendrites in non-equilibrium solidification of alloys. The model is validated through comparative analysis with the drafting-kissing-tumbling (DKT) phenomena of two and three particles and the continuous growth model (CGM), and demonstrates its computational efficiency advantage without compromising accuracy by comparison with the multi-phase field (MPF) model. Subsequently, the model is utilized to investigate the dendrite morphology transition and primary dendritic arm spacing (PDAS). It is found that the velocity dependent solute partition and the resulting changes in constitutional undercooling strongly influence the estimated morphology region and PDAS. Moreover, the segregation and microstructure evolution during the rapid solidification were studied. And the results revealed that free dendrites lead to significant changes in microstructure and segregation under the influence of non-equilibrium effects. This work illustrates the great potential of the proposed model in simulating dendrites and microstructure evolution under a wide range of solidification conditions. Its suitability for extreme conditions and non-equilibrium solidification can contribute to the understanding of microstructure formation patterns and solute segregation in rapid solidification.

Urban green space in transition: A cross-continental perspective from eight Global North and South cities

Urban green space (UGS) plays a vital role in enhancing the resilience and livability of cities. However, the distribution and accessibility of these spaces often vary significantly within and between cities, raising concerns about environmental justice and social equity. This study aims to analyze the spatiotemporal dynamics of UGS and assess population exposure and equality implications across eight diverse cities from the Global North (GN) and Global South (GS) over the past three decades. Employing a multimethod approach combining geospatial analysis, remote sensing, and statistical techniques, this study reveals an alarming global trend of decreasing UGS, with GS cities experiencing more rapid decline than GN cities. The analysis of UGS exposure uncovers distinct trends and variations across cities, with GN cities generally having higher exposure but showing a concerning decline over time, while GS cities display mixed patterns. Arid-climate cities Phoenix and Riyadh have managed to maintain low but stable UGS levels despite their unique climatic challenges. Urbanization emerges as a dominant force driving the decline in UGS, with GS cities facing significantly higher pressures than GN cities. The findings highlight the urgent need for comprehensive urban greening strategies that prioritize UGS protection and expansion, innovative policies, community engagement, and data-driven decision-making to promote equitable and sustainable urban environments. This study contributes to the growing research on urban greening by providing a comparative analysis of UGS trajectories and exposure equality implications across diverse cities, underscoring the importance of context-specific approaches and inclusive planning processes.