Gated communities from the perspective of developers

Gated housing areas have increasingly become a profitable segment in the real estate market as well as a new marketing angle for developers to meet the demand for security, status/prestige, and lifestyle. The development patterns of gated communities in many countries show that developers recognize the opportunity to sell safety and security to a niche market. Against this background, the aim of this paper is to investigate the development process of gated communities in a metropolitan city, Istanbul, from the perspective of developers. The data and information used for evaluation are based on the extensive survey questionnaires filled out by developers of gated communities. A “logistic regression method” is deployed to identify the most important factors on approaches and behaviors of developers. Therefore, the motivating factors both in the decision-making and production-marketing process of developers are evaluated. This evaluation enables us to highlight the characteristics of the real estate market.

Strategy Training in Pre-writing Phases of EFL Classes

The aim of the current study is to find out whether strategy training with the use of visual aids in pre-writing section of EFL writing classes has any facilitative effect on L2 writing development. Even though a number of studies confirmed that strategy training has a positive impact on L2 writing skills (Kobayashi and Rinnert, 2008; Ong and Zahan, 2010; Shi; 1998; among many others) the role of visual aids as a supplementary tool has not been obscured yet. Hence, the current study targets to highlight whether a strategy training by employing four distinct visual aids in pre-writing phase influences L2 writing in a positive way. For the purposes of the current study, twenty participants (ten as experimental and ten as control group members) were recruited on a voluntary basis. Strategy training consisted of four one-hour sessions in which a different aspect of L2 writing such as generating ideas, outlining, extending the text, and reflection was practiced via visuals. Data collection tools were pre and post English writing exams and a questionnaire. Data were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The results revealed a significant difference between the control and experimental groups. This finding suggests that strategy trainings lead to observable progress in L2 writing scores. Moreover, visual that was related to text organization was also found to be the most effective tool while concept maps that were employed to generate ideas were favored less by the participants. Keywords: EFL Writing, English Language Teaching, Strategy Training, Visual Aids, L2 Writing Proficienc

Eurocities and Their "Sisters": How Are They Close to Each Other?

The globalization process has led to the emergence of network of cities in which the cities have become more integrated to the new world system. ‘Eurocities’ or ‘Sister Cities’ are among the well known examples of network of cities which provide interaction and cooperation of the cities at the regional and global level. The ‘sister city movement’ can be defined as a further step of international relationships of the cities at the municipality level which is based on understanding the cultures of each other and aims to create common values. Additionally, sister city relationship provides international trade and economic development between two countries at the local level. Empirical findings show that there are 3 phases of sister city movement: i) the associative phase, ii) the reciprocative phase, and iii) the commercial phase. In this process, municipalities or local authorities have become ‘entrepreneurs’ in order to contribute to the economic and social dynamisms of cities. The present study investigates the relationships of Eurocities with their sister cities from the perspective of the development level or the degree of the relationship. Which factors are important in improving the mutual relationship? Which factors determine the development phases of the relationship? Under which conditions the mutual relationship creates business opportunities and reaches to the level of economic cooperation? What are the success measures of city-to-city affiliation? The study aims to compare and evaluate the current sister cities relationships of Eurocities on the basis of the actual performance in cultural dialogue, benchmarking and commercial activities. The data and information used for comparison and evaluation are based on extensive survey questionnaires filled out by relevant departments or experts of municipalities in Eurocities. As a rather novel methodological contribution, a recently developed artificial intelligence method, i.e. rough set analysis, is deployed to assess and identify the most important factors that are responsible for successes and failures of the relationships between sister cities.

Turkey's Rurality: A Comparative Analysis At the EU Level

The future of Europe’s rural peripheries as well as the future of rural societies is one of the most important development and planning issues of the EU. Several typologies of rural areas and different rural development indicators have been developed by researchers and international organizations such as OECD and EU to better understand the dynamics of rural areas and to develop relevant policies for these areas. The typologies of rural areas are based on sub-national territories and administrative or statistical units (i.e. local, regional, NUTS3, NUTS5), whereas rural development indicators include a wide range of indicators from population and migration to economic structure and performance and from social well-being and equity to environment and sustainability. Against this background, the aim of this paper is to compare and evaluate Turkey’s rurality with the EU-25 countries on the basis of rural development indicators. The data and information used for comparison and evaluation are based on EUROSTAT data. A multicriteria analysis technique, factor analysis is deployed to define Turkey’s rurality in the European context. To map out the characteristics and dynamics of Turkey’s rurality may also help to develop relevant policies for rural development of the country.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder: A logistic regression analysis of sustainability and locality as competitive vehicles for human settlements

The present paper aims to investigate the role of creative practices for settlements, with a special focus on the 'Associations of the Most Beautiful Villages' in France and Italy. The paper focuses on the critical parameters of a locality related to the attractiveness of villages from the perspective of visitors and the role of the above-mentioned Associations from the perspective of the local population. Data and information used are derived from in-depth questionnaires filled out by relevant experts from 32 villages. In order to achieve this aim, a multivariate statistical technique, viz. logistic regression, is deployed. The study presents the preliminary results of the analysis on the roles of non-profit organisations in the marketing of settlements regarding their performance in terms of creativity, innovativeness and competitiveness. The results show that the Associations play a crucial role in sustainable development and create an attractive image for villages. Copyright © 2009 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd

Mürdümük +Tahıl Karışımlarının Silaj Verimi ve Kalitesinin Belirlenmesi

Bu çalışma mürdümük “M” (Lathyrus sativus L.) tahıl ikili karışımlarının silaj verimi ve kalitesini belirlenmek amacıyla yürütülmüştür. Tahıl olarak yulaf “Y” (Avena sativa L.) ve arpa “A” (Hordeum vulgare L.) kullanılmıştır. Karışımlar %80:20, 60:40 ve 40:60 tohum oranlarıyla ekilmiş, kontrol olarak mürdümük ve tahılların yalın ekimleri de kullanılmıştır. Hasat yalın tahıllar ve karışımlarda tahıllar süt olum, yalın mürdümükte ise tam çiçeklenme döneminde yapılmıştır. Silaj örneklerinde; fiziksel gözlemler (renk, koku, strüktür) ile kuru madde, ham protein, ham kül, laktik asit, asetik asit, bütirik asit, potasyum (K), fosfor (P), kalsiyum (Ca), magnezyum (Mg), demir (Fe), çinko (Zn), mangan (Mn), kobalt (Co), bakır (Cu), selenyum (Se) ve sodyum (Na) içerikleri belirlenmiştir. Karışımların silaj verimi 703,6 (%100M) – 1939,0 (%80M+%20A) kg/da arasında değişmiştir. En yüksek laktik asit içeriği %4,078 ile yalın arpada belirlenmiş ancak, %40M+%60Y (%3,198) ve %40M+%60A (%2,937) karışımları da yalın arpa ile aynı grupta yer almıştır. Karışımların asetik asit ve bütirik asit değerleri ise %0,001–0,187 ve %0,312–1,101 arasında değişim göstermiştir. Mineral içerik bakımından %100M ve %60M+%40Y silajları diğer karışımlardan daha yüksek değere sahip olmuştur. Sonuç olarak, yalın ekime oranla mürdümüğün tahıllarla ekilmesi verimi önemli ölçüde arttırmıştır. Arpa hem yalın olarak hem de karışımlarda yulaftan daha iyi performans göstermiştir. Bu itibarla mürdümüğün arpa ile 60:40 tohum oranında karışık ekilmesi silaj verimi ile kalitesi açısından daha uygun görülmüştür