Transient mode of local exchange

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2012.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 76-77).This thesis presents the idea of a networked, transient mode of local food exchange and proposes a responsive infrastructure for integrating dynamic markets within the urban fabric. Focusing on market typologies as an area for critical intervention, I propose a design strategy whereby vendors are liberated from regulated market schedules and retail locations, and mobilized to operate as independent distributors informed by real-time supply and demand fluctuations. A research study is presented on early European traders, modern location theories, and contemporary supply chain logistics in order to contextualize the proposition within a historically evolving spatial relationship between producers and consumers. Using social, environmental, and economic lenses, I assess the benefits of a transient food market for South Tyrol, Italy, a region with a long tradition of agricultural production but where modern advances in technology provide significant advantages for exporting products rather than selling locally. The design research and proposal is presented as four distinct ideas that articulate the emerging role of the 1) producer, 2) products, 3) people, and 4) places within a digitally connected and socially networked environment. The convergence of these ideas establishes the critical design project, which is formalized and tested through a series of future projections that speculate on the spatial evolution of cities as people become increasingly connected and guided within an urban operating system. Topics discussed within this thesis include responsive "plug in" infrastructures, networked people and products, real-time data mining and analysis, and urban operating systems inspired by theories and applications of architectural cybernetics.by Jennifer Dunnam.M.Arch

A SURVEY OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN THE WORLD IN COMPARISON WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION AND TURKEY PRACTICES

As public became more aware of the possible hazardous effects of the conventional farming products, organic agriculture practices have been increasingly spreading all over the world. Since the 1980’s, organic agriculture has been an important topic in the research agenda of the scientists active in various fields from science to biology or even economics. Economic Unions have been increasingly important in the last decade, in which one of them is the European Union (EU) being the most integrated of all. It is an enlarging body that has achieved considerable degree of economic integration. The EU is considered to be important for Turkey. The EU has a supporting role in agricultural policy. Organical agriculture, which is considered to have an important role in EU economics, became more important issue between Turkey and EU relations, due to Turkey’s agriculture potential. Organic agriculture started in Turkey through the demand from foreign countries in 1990’s. Due to the lack of information sharing on organic agriculture, organic agriculture sector in Turkey was not aware of its potential. It is one of the factors that affects organic farming sector negatively. By creating the body which enables data sharing system by more number of people and significant support by organic agriculture sides would lead the sector to benefit from the existing potential. Organic agriculture market in Turkey will have a chance to compete with other world organic agriculture markets. Organic agriculture’s products are healthy for consumers. On the other hand what is also argued within this thesis is organic agriculture’s beneficial effects on the nature

The Co-operative Model in Practice : International Perspectives

Published with the support of the Scottish Government and the Economic & Social Research CouncilPublisher PD