Why do architectural schools bother to teach theory?

Ponencia presentada a Session 1: Educación y arquitectura: fundamentos teóricos / Education and architecture: theoretical foundation

The Great american Ugliness

Ponència presentada a: Session 9: Diseño e Historia (modernidad y tradición) / Design and History (modernity and tradition

Social Memory and Geographical Memory of Natural Disasters

The article offers a geographical perception of the relationship between social (anthropogenic) and geographical processes including their effects that becomes clearly evident in the case of natural disasters. In modern times, geographical processes are often overlooked as participants in the formation of landscapes. The article considers them from the viewpoint of their visibility in the social sphere, that is, from the viewpoint of the social memory of natural disasters as preserved in oral, written, and architectural accounts as well as other results of human actions in nature. We compare the social memory of natural disasters with the so-called “geographical memory” reflected in the impacts of geographical processes that are visible in the landscape, for example, in features of the relief. The geographical perception of the social and natural elements of the landscape or the imprint of social and geographical processes on the landscape, which can be viewed as a palimpsest, depends on the place and time of observation and on the size and frequency of events. Using selected examples we showed that a quantitative definition is possible of the impact of individual factors on the development of the landscape, which is important for the assessment of geographical processes and for decision-making related to the extent, rationality, and necessity of human interventions in nature. In this framework we also confirmed the importance of the geographical information systems for geography

Probability modelling of landslide hazard

In this journal, the authors (Zorn, Komac 2004) previously described the use of two deterministic methods for establishing the possibility of landsliding. This time, they take a step forward and using the example of the flysch Goriška Brda hills present the probability modelling of landslide hazard. In probability methods, the intensity and distribution of the processes are established by comparing indirectly determined landscape elements and the actual situation, while in deterministic methods, subjective decisions have an impact on the result. We have elaborated a probability map for landslides with a fixed return period using the Dempster-Shafer method on the basis of the data on 800 landslides that occurred with intensive precipitation in the fall of 1998

Soil erosion on agricultural land in Slovenia – measurements of rill erosion in the Besnica valley

The article describes soil erosion in Slovenia. There is little concrete data on soil erosion due to the lack of awareness of this process and the fragmentation of farmland. Long-term measurements of soil erosion have only been done at one location; elsewhere, there have only been short observations and calculations and modeling on the basis of empirical equations. To increase our knowledge of this phenomenon, we took measurements of soil erosion on a field in the Besnica Valley northwest of Kranj.With the decrease of agricultural land use in Slovenia due to natural, social, and economic factors, the amount of material lost to erosion has decreased in the last few decades.For protection from erosion, various preventive methods such as terracing, mulching, and contour plowing are employed. The awareness that protection against erosion is a demanding and long-term task is gradually increasing, but nothing can replace the soil that has been lost due to erosion

Agriculture in modern landscapes: A factor hindering or facilitating development?

Agriculture plays an important role in both protecting and developing farmland. In Slovenia, the main reasons for this loss are urbanization and the implementation of large development projects that require the destruction of fertile farmland. About 3000 ha of farmland has been lost each year since Slovenia’s independence. The importance of agriculture and farmland is touched upon in this special issue of Acta geographica Slovenica. The authors focus on management of farmland, analyse the development potential for agriculture, observe the changes in the landscape by remote sensing, soil quality and its pollution, and land cover as an element of biodiversity. They draw attention to the lack of participation in spatial planning procedures and the question of the importance of agriculture and jobs in this sector in national economy. This introductory paper brings a short analysis of how the issue of farms’ spatial constraints and moving farm structures to new locations is perceived by municipal offices, nature parks, and the Slovenian Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry and its regional offices

Gastronomy tourism: A brief introduction

The aim of this paper is to provide a theoretical and conceptual introduction for the special issue on the interactions between food and territory manifested in gastronomy tourism. We focus on four perspectives: sustainability, the role of heritage, the potential for rural development and the networking of stakeholders. The contributions critically examine the development potentials but also the weaknesses of the growing gastronomy tourism. The case study approach and qualitative methods provide a detailed and concrete insight into the emerging challenges of host communities, tourism businesses and farmers, public policy makers and visitors. The special issue also provides applicable results for stakeholders involved in the strategic development, creation and consumption of tourism offerings

Loss of natural heritage from the geomorphological perspective – Do geomorphic processes shape or destroy the natural heritage?

This study deals with geomorphological natural features (geomorphosites) relative to the natural processes that create, shape, or destroy such features. As a rule, geomorphologic processes are geographical constants in the landscape although some, due to their high magnitude or low frequency of occurrence, can be seen as an exception (e.g., natural disasters). The importance of geomorphosites is relative to their size, rarity (spatial distribution), and duration (existence in time), which depend on both the frequency and magnitude of geomorphological processes and on the standards of the observer. Human influence and perception of geomorphosites is also important in this regard

Exonyms and other geographical names

Geographical names are proper names of geographical features. They are characterized by different meanings, contexts, and history. Local names of geographical features (endonyms) may differ from the foreign names (exonyms) for the same feature. If a specific geographical name has been codified or in any other way established by an authority of the area where this name is located, this name is a standardized geographical name. In order to establish solid common ground, geographical names have been coordinated at a global level by the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) since 1959. It is assisted by twenty-four regional linguistic/geographical divisions. Among these is the East Central and South-East Europe Division, with seventeen member states. Currently, the division is chaired by Slovenia. Some of the participants in the last session prepared four research articles for this special thematic issue of Acta geographica Slovenica. All of them are also briefly presented in the end of this article