Collective discussion ferocious architecture: Sovereign spaces/places by design

The authors in this collective discussion engage, disaggregate and unpack the triangulation of security, technology and architecture, across a range of contemporary spaces/places. Reflecting diverse interdisciplinary commitments and perspectives, the collective discussion considers security, technology and architecture in urban environments and global/local interfaces, borders, borderlands and ports of entry, and even the sensorium, from soundscapes of the airport to teargas laden environments. From quotidian to high-tech, these interventions tease out the increasing ferocity of architecture and/in its relationship with technology and security. © The Authors 2016

[61] Harmonica Alley

This exhibition explores Miyakobashi Yokocho in drawings, photographs and text. It reveals previously concealed glimpses into Japan’s changing urban culture. Constructed in 1964, just in time for Tokyo’s Summer Olympics, Miyakobashi Shopping Centre transformed a formerly cluttered black market area into an orderly urban marketplace. Over several decades, courageous women converted Miyakobashi into the vibrant entertainment block it is today. Miyakobashi Yokocho is now home to sixty-one lift-sized spaces: ‘ sunakku ’ (snack bars), frequented by business men, local residents and the occasional tourist alike

Children’s residential exposure to selected allergens and microbial indicators: endotoxins and (1→3)-β-D-glucans

Objectives: The study was aimed at assessment of exposure to endotoxins, (1→3)-β-D-glucans and mite, cockroach, cat, dog allergens present in settled dust in premises of children as agents which may be significantly correlated with the occurrence of allergic symptoms and diseases in children. Materials and Methods: The study covered 50 homes of one- or two-year-old children in Poland. Samples of settled dust were taken from the floor and the child's bed. The levels of (1→3)-β-D-glucans (floor), endotoxins (floor) and allergens of mite, cat, dog and cockroach (floor and bed) were analyzed. Results: Average geometric concentrations (geometric standard deviation) of endotoxins, (1→3)-β-D-glucans, Der p1, Fel d1, Can f1 and Bla g1 in children homes were on the floor 42 166.0 EU/g (3.2), 20 478.4 ng/g (2.38), 93.9 ng/g (6.58), 119.8 ng/g (13.0), 288.9 ng/g (3.4), 0.72 U/g (4.4) and in their beds (only allergens) 597.8 ng/g (14.2), 54.1 ng/g (4.4), 158.6 ng/g (3.1) 0.6 U/g (2.9), respectively. When the floor was covered with the carpet, higher concentrations of endotoxins, (1→3)-β-D-glucans and allergens (each type) were found in the settled dust (p < 0.05). The trend was opposite in case of allergens (except dog) analyzed from bed dust and significantly higher concentrations were found in the rooms with smooth floor (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Among the analyzed factors only the type of floor significantly modified both the level of biological indicators and allergens. The results of this study could be the base for verifying a hypothesis that carpeting may have a protective role against high levels of cockroach, dog and cat allergens

The role of open-air inhalatoria in the air quality improvement in spa towns

Objectives: The present study was aimed at evaluating microbiological contamination of air in Ciechocinek and Ino­wro­cław – Polish lowland spa towns. Additionally, the impact of open-air inhalatoria on the quality of air was evaluated. Material and Methods: Air samples were collected seasonally in the urban areas, in the recreation areas and in the vicinity of inhalatoria in both towns using impaction. The numbers of mesophilic bacteria, staphylococci, hemolytic bacteria and actinomycetes were determined on media according to the Polish Standard PN-86/Z-04111/02. The number of moulds was determined on media according to the Polish Standard PN-86/Z-04111/03. Results: While the highest numbers of microorganisms were noted at the sites located in the urban areas, the lowest numbers were noted in the vicinity of the open-air inhalatoria. In all the investigated air samples the values of bioaerosol concentrations were below the recommended TLVs (≤ 5000 CFU×m–3 for both bacteria and fungi in outdoor environments). Location of the sampling site was invariably a decisive factor in determining the number of microorganisms in the air. Conclusions: The aerosol which is formed in the open-air inhalatoria has a positive influence on microbiological air quality. Owing to a unique microclimate and low air contamination, Ciechocinek and Inowrocław comply with all necessary requirements set for health resorts specializing in treating upper respiratory tract infections

WP/39 identity and space on the borderland between old and new in Shanghai: a case study

China's urban geography has been dramatically altered over the past three decades. The co-presence of splinters in urban fabric—contrasting and continuously changing in terms of condition, use, and socio-cultural consistency—is symptomatic for the country's contemporary transition, suspending existing spatial and temporal disconnections particularly on the borderland in-between old and new, poor and rich, traditional and modern. Focusing on three urban groups (long-term urban residents, rural newcomers, and urban newcomers) in a district of sociospatial diversity in Shanghai, this paper examines trajectories of urban restructuring, aspects of sociospatial identification, and elements of the person-environment-relationship

Negotiating livelihoods in a city of difference: narratives of gentrification in Shanghai

During China‘s past thirty years of reform, the commodification of housing, urban redevelopment, the state-sponsored displacement of residents, and rural-to-urban migration created ―cities of difference‖ or cities, in which people from different socioeconomic backgrounds and with different privileges coexist in shared urban space. This paper explores the causes and effects of multiscalar gentrification in Shanghai based on the narratives of two residents who struggle with socio-spatial change in a fragmented neighborhood under redevelopment: one who was born in the neighborhood in 1960, and another who arrived there in 2002. This paper illustrates how the residents negotiate their livelihoods—that is, their rights to work, reside, and make a living in the city—while local planning mechanisms fail to accommodate their needs and instead, facilitate their exclusion from society and public space