Simulating bodily movement as an agent for the reactivation of forgotten open air spaces in the city

This paper presents experimental work that uses immersive technologies for engaging users and local communities in the design process of architectural interventions on historic, fragmented environments in an effort to re-activate the place under study. In addition to the use of cutting-edge methods of capturing and analysing on-site information, this research framework, implemented in the on-going study of Paphos Gate area of historic Nicosia which lies on the infamous Green Line that still divides the city, explores the potential of narrative-led visualization to enable personal interpretations of space and its history. This virtual environment hosts reconstructions of the Paphos Gate neighbourhood which were produced based on archival material and via 3D data acquisition (LiDAR, UAV and terrain Structure-from-Motion techniques), in order to explore the associations between the transformation of the monument through the years – from its construction to present day – and the bodily experience of the visitors sojourning in its surrounding part of the city. The vision of this research is to develop a digital platform which through immersion, cinematic language and storytelling will enable the evaluation of alternative scenarios and design interventions in the context of the management plan of forgotten open air spaces that used to be popular within their urban fabric.Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union.peer-reviewe

Divided and Contested Cities in Modern European History. The Example of Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

This article discusses the nature and problems of the divided and contested multi-ethnic cities in modern Europe, especially in Central-Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. The plural city of Mostar, through its history as a Bosnian-Herzegovinian and as a Yugoslav town, in peace and war and post-war times, is used as an emblematic case of unity, conflict, division, segregation and contention

Impacts of biological globalization in the Mediterranean: Unveiling the deep history of human-mediated gamebird dispersal

Humans have a long history of moving wildlife that over time has resulted in unprecedented biotic homogenization. It is, as a result, often unclear whether certain taxa are native to a region or naturalized, and how the history of human involvement in species dispersal has shaped present-day biodiversity. Although currently an eastern Palaearctic galliform, the black francolin (Francolinus francolinus) was known to occur in the western Mediterranean from at least the time of Pliny the Elder, if not earlier. During Medieval times and the Renaissance, the black francolin was a courtly gamebird prized not only for its flavor, but also its curative, and even aphrodisiac qualities. There is uncertainty, however, whether this important gamebird was native or introduced to the region and, if the latter, what the source of introduction into the western Mediterranean was. Here we combine historical documentation with a DNA investigation of modern birds and archival (13th–20th century) specimens from across the species’ current and historically documented range. Our study proves the black francolin was nonnative to the western Mediterranean, and we document its introduction from the east via several trade routes, some reaching as far as South Asia. This finding provides insight into the reach and scope of long-distance trade routes that serviced the demand of European aristocracy for exotic species as symbols of wealth and prestige, and helps to demonstrate the lasting impact of human-mediated long-distance species dispersal on current day biodiversity

HISTORY URBANISM RESILIENCE VOLUME 01:

The 17th conference (2016, Delft) of the International Planning History Society (IPHS) and its proceedings place presentations from different continents and on varied topics side by side, providing insight into state-of-the art research in the field of planning history and offering a glimpse of new approaches, themes, papers and books to come. VOLUME 01: Ideas on the Move and Modernisatio

University Authors, 2018

https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/univ-authors/1005/thumbnail.jp

Review : Best Practices In Educating Sustainability and Heritage

This result has been produced as a part of O1 INTELECTUAL OUTPUT "01: Review of the Best Practices on Educating Sustainability and Heritage" within HERSUS project, Erasmus + Strategic Partnerships for higher education