Sectoral structure of Slovak industry: A widening of the backwardness or a chance for the future

A main goal of my paper is to give a perspective of a future position of the Slovak industry in the coming information-age society. Disadvantageous sectoral structure is a main problem but there is also a chance for a better future development in the human potential (knowledge as well as cheap labour), established infrastructure and other developmental possibilities. In the paper I deal some theoretical (global world-economy, long waves of the world economy, product life cycles) as well as experiential (new international division of labour, Slovak cultural preconditions, experiences of similar newly industrialized countries...) preconditions inevitable for the optimal (sectoral) structure of Slovakian economy in a coming information age.

High-rise in trouble? Learning from Europe

Purpose All over the world, millions of people live in buildings and neighbourhoods that follow the principles of Congrès International d’Architecture Moderne (CIAM) and Le Corbusier: high-rise “residential machines” in parks reminiscent of green seas. Some of these have become very successful living environments, but in Europe and the USA, several neighbourhoods featuring this architectural design dream have become a social nightmare. Residents who were able to moved to more desirable neighbourhoods. This led to a high level of vacancy and crime and fear of crime have flourished, resulting in a stigma that is often long-lasting and difficult to repair. The pupose of this study is to learn from these experiences. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, two high-rise neighbourhoods, built in a Corbusier-like fashion and situated on the outskirts of major cities, are put under the evaluation spotlight: Bijlmermeer: located in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, with an abundance of landscaping, shrubbery, green fields and one high-density neighbourhood; and Bellvitge: located in Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain, looking less like a park and more like a city with open-air parking on ground level, and many small shops, bars and restaurants. Findings Both neighbourhoods faced enormous problems from crime, incivilities, disorder and drug abuse. Fear of crime and feelings of insecurity were high. Both governments reacted by investing huge sums of money. In Bellvitge, the investment was mainly in public transport, the public domain and new approaches in policing while keeping the high-rise buildings intact. In Bijlmermeer, a large regeneration project supported the demolition of two-thirds of all apartments and the neighbourhood was rebuilt in a low-rise fashion. Research limitations/implications This paper outlines the history of both neighbourhoods and describes the solutions that were implemented. Important lessons can be learned regarding current high-rise neighbourhoods and about the learning capacity of urban designers and planners regarding urban management. Practical implications The paper suggests that urban planners, designers and managers are slow in learning from earlier mistakes. The hypothesis is that there is no clear method available to evaluate new urban planning designs by incorporating lessons from the success or failure of previous cases. This paper focuses on density, ownership and design to identify possible approaches to evaluate new high-rise estate plans. Originality/value The Western high-rise “wave” has faded away but nowadays has become a high-rise “tsunami” in Asia. Learning from European experience may be beneficial.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Building Innovative Communities: Lessons from Japan's Science City Projects

Japan's Science City projects are examined in this paper to find the extent that they promote catalytic mechanisms within their communities. It is arguable that the concept of a Science City is little more than a theme for funneling public funds into infrastructural development in support of select high-technology industries. Is this the situation in Japan? Attention focuses on cumulative causation, resource sharing and the shifting mix of private sector initiative and public policy in the evolving cases of Tsukuba and Kansai Science Cities. Regional technopolis projects are also discussed. Can we expect any of these areas to fulfill the promise, detailed in the Kansai Science City Second Stage Plan Report, of being a "pilot model city" deploying "innovative and experimental community development"?technopolis; regional planning; development; cumulative causation; catalytic mechanisms

Identification of the regional and economic contexts of sustainable urban logistics policies

Urban logistics policies have become instrumental in achieving sustainable transport systems. Developing and emerging countries still lag far behind in the implementation of such policies when compared with developed countries. This exposure gap provides an opportunity for policy transfer, but this is a complex process requiring knowledge of many contextual factors and involving multiple steps. A good understanding of those contextual factors of measures by cities may be critical for a successful transfer. Our study aimed to identify the different contexts of urban logistics measures or policies worldwide and to assess their significance for policy transferability. In this study, urban logistics measures discussed in the literature were retrieved with a systematic literature review method and then the contexts were recorded, distinguishing between economic development levels and geographical regions. The analysis revealed that the economic level and geographical location of cities both have a strong association with the type of measure implemented. Barriers and drivers were identified by assessing policy transfer between developed and developing countries. Institutional and physical barriers appeared to be highly pertinent for a range of measures, while drivers or facilitators were identified from specific problems in developing countries and the respective measures in developed countries. Thus, the analysis of contextual factors can provide a first response to the key challenges and opportunities of sustainable urban logistics policies transfer to developing countries

Business Plan for Launching a Luxury Adventure Tour Operator Based in Canada

MOT Elite Travel Experiences (METE) is a tour operator and online travel agent start-up company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. METE is faced with the challenge of establishing itself as a business in the travel industry. However, recent advances in technology such as an increase in the number of broadband Internet users, search engine optimization, and the advent of smartphones have created an opportunity to capitalize on the growing popularity of online travel booking services. This trend towards online travel sales is stimulating new growth in the tourism industry and providing exciting opportunities for new entrants like METE. Analysis of current statistics and penetration rates for broadband internet and smartphone for countries travelling to Canada in the 25-44 year old age segment indicates that the United States, the United Kingdom (UK), Germany and France are the primary target markets for METE. Luxury travel has recovered from the recession of 2008-2009, and a growing, younger upper middle class and large proportion of High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI) in the under 45 year old segment in China are supporting a market for unique travel experience that METE plans to offer. The travel cycle introduces the inspiration, research, booking, experience, and sharing phases that comprise a framework to understand the relationship between travel and technology. METE plans to develop into competitive business as an on-line travel agent and tour operator that is able to deliver a comprehensive on-line and offline experience throughout the travel cycle

Tourism as heritage: uncovering Hubert Bebb’s tourist vernacular in Gatlinburg.

According to Park visitor statistics Gatlinburg, Tennessee rates as the most heavily visited national park in the United States; as a gateway community and the official entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, its downtown landscape remains cemented in the minds of many across the nation. Through a context based visual analysis utilizing Maxwell’s two-way stretch theory, the researcher traced the origins and defining characteristics of this Gatlinburg aesthetic – the Tourist Vernacular – that evolved primarily through the work of one architect: Hubert Bebb. Through visual analysis, Bebb emerged as the key architect who, over the course of fifty years, not only created hybrids informed by the existing built environment of Gatlinburg, but inserted a new prototype and subsequent hybrids that came to define much of the downtown landscape. Bebb’s early work sits as a response to the buildings of the settlement school era, established in 1912. With precedents from this development, he augmented materials and forms to buildings in a time when government officials conceptualized and developed the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, authorized in 1926 and formally dedicated in 1940, an era characterized by a boom in construction as a result of increased tourism. His work is most particularly influential in the third quarter of the twentieth century when businesses and community leaders, including Bebb himself, shaped a place image consistent with visitor expectations. Utilizing Bebb’s Tourist Vernacular, designers and business leaders have transformed the built environment in the last several decades. Correspondingly, the aesthetic forms serve as the basis for such visionary changes as “The Greening of Gatlinburg” and the Gatlinburg Vision Statement, alongside the completion of studies and guidelines that affect the physical characteristics and visual aspects of the downtown, calling for authenticity in the evolved Tourist Vernacular. Touching on historical influences, this analysis speaks to a series of stylistic genre in Gatlinburg’s mid-twentieth century commercial buildings, while also linking to work that continues the aesthetics and philosophies of Bebb’s architectural endeavors. The study shows readers glimpses of one community’s evolving architectural lexicon shaped largely by tourist needs and expectations, thus providing a useful approach to other recreational landscapes throughout the nation