URBAN PLANNING PROJECTS AND REGENERATION STUDIES: AN EXAMPLE OF A GREEK CITY: LARISSA (1974-2008)

The city of Larissa in Greece has an important role in national and regional level. For the past 3 decades, the image of the city has considerably altered. A series of proposals concerning the regulation of urban space and the realisation of their objectives contributed to this. These proposals are made either through studies on urban level or through specialised studies with special arrangements during 1974 – 2002. The Master Plan of Larissa (1972-74), the General Development Plan (1982-86), the Study on the regeneration of the historic centre of the city and the wider region of the river Pinios (1988-91), the Traffic and Transportation Study (1989-91) are considered to be the most significant studies that have taken place. Specifically the study on the reformation of the historic centre has led to the creation of an extensive pedestrian network in the centre of the city and as a result came a particular function of the centre, concerning the mode of transportation and the configuration of land uses in the city centre. The presentation is about the main spots of these studies and their relationship. Through bibliographical research and discussions with leaders of the studies and people who have contributed to or affected by their implementation it is concluded that there were conflicting views but the need for urban planning with a social character and the completion of the objectives through sustainable development seemed urgent. The implementation of the proposals has upgraded the quality of life of residents. Several needs and problems aroused trying to reverse this progress. The road to the future creates different data, which must be addressed with proper planning and proper implementation of the proposals. Larissa is a typical Greek city through which are projected the main stages of urban planning in the Greek state after the dictactorship (1970s), outlining deficiencies and breakthroughs when the need for alteration is urgent.

Labor and Urban Crisis in Buffalo, New York: Building a High Road Infrastructure

With inequality growing and competitive market forces on the march, can unions play a constructive role in solving the problems of capitalist economic development? Should they try? In this study of coalition building in Buffalo, New York we find that regular procedures of problem solving involving multiple coalition partners – what we call a high-road social infrastructure – have developed in the city. We discuss the progression of union approaches to economic development, including in-plant and regional labor-management partnership, community coalitions and the creation of labor-led nonprofit organizations. In response to long-term economic and social crisis, a group of union leaders has begun carrying out projects to help attract investment from outside the region and improve the quality of jobs in the region. Coalition-building, however, is hampered by uncertainty about the best union strategy, enmity from some business and political elites, and the scale of the region’s long-term structural problems

Integrated territorial investments and the improvement of transport mobility and accessibility of urban functional areas – the example of the Białystok Functional Area

Purpose – The aim of the paper is to identify the activities implemented as part of the Integrated Territorial Investments (ITI) in order to improve transport accessibility and mobility using the example of the investments undertaken in the Białystok Functional Area (BFA). The formulated hypothesis implies that in the Bialystok Functional Area support is available for various projects financed from ITI in order to improve transport mobility and accessibility. Research method – The analysis was based both on a literature review of the subject and using the Author’s own research conducted in October 2019 on the Bialystok Functional Area Association (BFAA), including the data from the IT system – SL 2014. The analysis was based on the case studies of the projects implemented within ITI funds within the frame of improving the mobility and transport accessibility in the BFA. The analysis was supplemented with statistical research and a survey which was conducted among the employees of ten BFA municipalities responsible for the implementation of transport investments. Results – The analysis demonstrated that the projects aimed at improving the mobility and transport accessibility are undertaken by the majority of BFA municipalities. These activities are varied and adjusted to the needs of specific local government units, with a high share of funding for this type of undertakings. The undertaken investments focus, specifically on the development of the bicycle paths network and the road infrastructure. The implemented projects will not solve all the transport problems of the BFA, however they constitute an important element that ensures mainly the increase of the availability of Park & Ride and Bike & Ride infrastructure and municipal public transport services. Originality /value – The integrated territorial investment is a new instrument of the European Union cohesion policy. It is specifically dedicated for the functional urban areas. Hence it is a new research topic, the study of which will be important to determine the pros and cons of the new ITI instrument and its assessment in the development of cities and their functional [email protected] of Economics and Finance, University of BialystokBiałostocki Obszar Funkcjonalny w latach 2014-2016, 2018, Urząd Statystyczny w Białymstoku, Białystok.Ekonomiczne i organizacyjne aspekty transportu, 2013, Urbanyi-Popiołek I. (red.), Wydawnictwo Uczelniane Wyższej Szkoły Gospodarki w Bydgoszczy, Bydgoszcz.Ewaluacja systemu realizacji instrumentu ZIT w perspektywie finansowej UE na lata 2014-2020. Raport końcowy, 2018, Wolański M.. (red.), EGO – Evaluation for Government Organizations S.C., Warszawa.Gałązka A., 2017, Teoretyczne podstawy rozwoju regionalnego – wybrane teorie, czynniki i bariery rozwoju regionalnego, „Studia BAS”, nr 1(49), s. 9-61.GUS, https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/BDL/start [date of entry: 01.10.2019].Hernandez D., 2017, Uneven mobilities, uneven opportunities: Social distribution of public transport accessibility to jobs and education in Montevideo, „Journal of Transport Geography”, no. 67(C), pp. 119-125, DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2017.08.017.Ingram D.R., 1970, The concept of accessibility: a search for an operational form, “Regional Studies”, no. 5, pp. 101-107, DOI: 10.1080/09595237100185131.Kalisiak-Mędelska M., 2017, Transport i mobilność miejska w świetle krajowej polityki miejskiej 2023 – ujęcie logistyczne, „Prace naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wrocławiu”, nr 467, s. 33-46, DOI: 10.15611/pn.2017.467.03.Komornicki T., Rosik P., Stępniak M., Śleszyński P., Goliszek S., Pomianowski W., Kowalczyk K., 2018, Ewaluacja i monitoring zmian dostępności transportowej w Polsce z wykorzystaniem wskaźnika WMDT, Ministerstwo Inwestycji i Rozwoju, Warszawa.Koncepcja przestrzennego zagospodarowania kraju 2030, 2012, Monitor Polski, poz. 252.Krajowa Polityka Miejska 2023, 2015, Ministerstwo Rozwoju, Warszawa.Kryteria delimitacji obszarów funkcjonalnych ośrodków wojewódzkich, 2013, Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego, Warszawa.Kwarciński T., 2012, Dostępność transportowa jako paradygmat kształtujący wielkość przewozów w publicznym transporcie pasażerskim, „Logistyka”, nr 2, s. 169-173.Mendyk E., 2009, Ekonomika transportu, Wyższa Szkoła Logistyki, Poznań.Programowanie perspektywy finansowej 2014-2020 – Umowa Partnerstwa, 2017, Ministerstwo Infrastruktury i Rozwoju, Warszawa.Rosik P., Pomianowski W., Goliszek, Stępniak M., Kowalczyk K., Guzik R., Kołoś A., Komornicki T., 2017, Multimodalna dostępność transportem publicznym gmin w Polsce (Multimodacc), „Prace Geograficzne”, nr 258.Rydzkowski W., Wojewódzka-Król K., 2010, Transport, PWN, Warszawa.SBOF, 2019, Dokumenty wewnętrzne SBOF. System SL 2014 [date of entry: 31.10.2019].Spiekermann K., Neubauer J., 2002, European Accessibility and Peripherality: Concepts, Models and Indicators, Nordregio, Stockholm.Strategia Zintegrowanych Inwestycji Terytorialnych Białostockiego Obszaru Funkcjonalnego na lata 2014-2020 (wersja 5), 2019, Białostocki Obszar Funkcjonalny, Białystok.Szołtysek J., 2009, Podstawy logistyki miejskiej, Wydawnictwo Akademii Ekonomicznej w Katowicach, Katowice.Szołtysek J., 2016, Logistyka miasta, PWE, Warszawa.Ustawa z dnia 11 lipca 2014 r. o zasadach realizacji programów w zakresie polityki spójności finansowanych w perspektywie finansowej 2014-2020, Dz. U. z 2017 r. poz. 1460, 1475 z późn. zm.Ustawa z dnia 27 marca 2003 r. o planowaniu i zagospodarowaniu przestrzennym, Dz.U. 2003 nr 80 poz. 717 z późń. zm.Wojewódzka-Król K., Załoga E., 2016, Transport – nowe wyzwania, PWN, Warszawa.Wojewódzka-Król K., Rolbiecki R., 2018, Infrastruktura transportu: Europa, Polska – teoria i praktyka, PWN, Warszawa.1(99)14415

Tensor network and (pp-adic) AdS/CFT

We use the tensor network living on the Bruhat-Tits tree to give a concrete realization of the recently proposed $p$-adic AdS/CFT correspondence (a holographic duality based on the $p$-adic number field $\mathbb{Q}_p$). Instead of assuming the $p$-adic AdS/CFT correspondence, we show how important features of AdS/CFT such as the bulk operator reconstruction and the holographic computation of boundary correlators are automatically implemented in this tensor network.Comment: 59 pages, 18 figures; v3: improved presentation, added figures and reference

Local Agenda 21 and ecological urban restructuring: An European model project in Leipzig

AGENDA 21 as one of the final resolutions of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro stresses in chapter 28 the important role of cities, towns and communities in globally sustainable development. One of the most important European model projects in this respect was carried out in Leipzig from 1993 to 1997. The Leipzig Ostraum Project was supported through the LIFE support program of the European Union with the largest subsidy awarded till that time (4,3 mill. DM, with a total project budget of about 20 mill. DM). The central goal of this project is the use, testing and further development of present knowledge with regard to sustainable urban restructuring in combination with innovative strategies of economic and employment policies. The scope of traditional urban ecology is extended to comprise adjacent rural areas and to revitalize regional material flows. In the meantime, affiliated projects have won support by the THERMIE program of the European Union and the EXWOST-program of the German Federal Ministry of Construction. This paper reports on the most important results of the Leipzig Project to date. In particular, the authors show that the concept of ecological urban restructuring and the Local Agenda 21 are in harmony with one another and can play a decisive role in stimulating consensus on future urban development. All urban actors can be winners in this process. Difficulties arose, however, through dishonest use of financial support by the project agency. -- Die AGENDA 21, Abschlußdokument der UN-Konferenz über Umwelt und Entwicklung im Juni 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, betont in ihrem Kapitel 28 die Rolle der Kommunen, Städte und Gemeinden bei einer global zukunftsfähigen Entwickung (sustainable development). Eines der wichtigsten europäischen Modellprojekte zu diesem Thema wurde in den Jahren 1993 bis 1997 in Leipzig durchgeführt. Zentrale Zielstellung des mit der bisher höchsten Fördersumme aus dem LIFEProgramm der Europäischen Kommission (4,3 Mio DM bei einem Projektvolumen von knapp 20 Mio DM) geförderten Leipziger Ostraum-Projektes ist die Anwendung und Weiterentwicklung des Erkenntnisstandes zum Thema des zukunftsfähigen Städtebaus in Kombination mit innovativen Strategien einer ökologischen Wirtschafts- und Beschäftigungspolitik. Die traditionelle Stadtökologie wird erweitert durch die Einbeziehung der Umlandgemeinden und die Revitalisierung regionaler Stoffkreisläufe. Inzwischen sind ergänzende Tochterprojekte mit Förderung aus dem THERMIE-Programm der Europäischen Kommission und dem EXWOST-Programm des Bundesbauministeriums eingeworben werden. In dem Paper wird über die wichtigsten bisherigen Ergebnisse des Projektes berichtet. Insbesondere wird gezeigt, daß die Konzepte des Ökologischen Stadtumbaus und der Lokalen Agenda 21 miteinander harmonieren und eine konsensstiftende Funktion in der zukünftigen Stadtentwicklung übernehmen können. Alle städtischen Akteure können Winner in diesem Prozeß sein. Durch unredlichen Umgang des Projektträgers mit den Fördergeldern war das Leipziger Projekt in jüngster Zeit allerdings in Schwierigkeiten geraten.

Deep Reinforcement Learning-based Project Prioritization for Rapid Post-Disaster Recovery of Transportation Infrastructure Systems

Among various natural hazards that threaten transportation infrastructure, flooding represents a major hazard in Region 6\u27s states to roadways as it challenges their design, operation, efficiency, and safety. The catastrophic flooding disaster event generally leads to massive obstruction of traffic, direct damage to highway/bridge structures/pavement, and indirect damages to economic activities and regional communities that may cause loss of many lives. After disasters strike, reconstruction and maintenance of an enormous number of damaged transportation infrastructure systems require each DOT to take extremely expensive and long-term processes. In addition, planning and organizing post-disaster reconstruction and maintenance projects of transportation infrastructures are extremely challenging for each DOT because they entail a massive number and the broad areas of the projects with various considerable factors and multi-objective issues including social, economic, political, and technical factors. Yet, amazingly, a comprehensive, integrated, data-driven approach for organizing and prioritizing post-disaster transportation reconstruction projects remains elusive. In addition, DOTs in Region 6 still need to improve the current practice and systems to robustly identify and accurately predict the detailed factors and their impacts affecting post-disaster transportation recovery. The main objective of this proposed research is to develop a deep reinforcement learning-based project prioritization system for rapid post-disaster reconstruction and recovery of damaged transportation infrastructure systems. This project also aims to provide a means to facilitate the systematic optimization and prioritization of the post-disaster reconstruction and maintenance plan of transportation infrastructure by focusing on social, economic, and technical aspects. The outcomes from this project would help engineers and decision-makers in Region 6\u27s State DOTs optimize and sequence transportation recovery processes at a regional network level with necessary recovery factors and evaluating its long-term impacts after disasters

Evaluating indoor positioning systems in a shopping mall : the lessons learned from the IPIN 2018 competition

The Indoor Positioning and Indoor Navigation (IPIN) conference holds an annual competition in which indoor localization systems from different research groups worldwide are evaluated empirically. The objective of this competition is to establish a systematic evaluation methodology with rigorous metrics both for real-time (on-site) and post-processing (off-site) situations, in a realistic environment unfamiliar to the prototype developers. For the IPIN 2018 conference, this competition was held on September 22nd, 2018, in Atlantis, a large shopping mall in Nantes (France). Four competition tracks (two on-site and two off-site) were designed. They consisted of several 1 km routes traversing several floors of the mall. Along these paths, 180 points were topographically surveyed with a 10 cm accuracy, to serve as ground truth landmarks, combining theodolite measurements, differential global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and 3D scanner systems. 34 teams effectively competed. The accuracy score corresponds to the third quartile (75th percentile) of an error metric that combines the horizontal positioning error and the floor detection. The best results for the on-site tracks showed an accuracy score of 11.70 m (Track 1) and 5.50 m (Track 2), while the best results for the off-site tracks showed an accuracy score of 0.90 m (Track 3) and 1.30 m (Track 4). These results showed that it is possible to obtain high accuracy indoor positioning solutions in large, realistic environments using wearable light-weight sensors without deploying any beacon. This paper describes the organization work of the tracks, analyzes the methodology used to quantify the results, reviews the lessons learned from the competition and discusses its future