Can medium-sized cities become Creative Cities? Discussing the cases of three Central and Western European cities

This paper aims to explore the concept of Creative City from the points of view of three medium-sized cities in Central and Western Europe: Birmingham (UK), Leipzig (Germany) and Poznań (Poland). The concept of Creative City has risen in popularity in the last 15 years but its meanings and its policy application display important variations. In an attempt to clarify conceptual issues and policy approaches around the term of Creative City, Scott (2006) states that policy makers should focus on specific key variables when attempting to build viable Creative Cities: the presence of inter-firm networks of producers combined with a flexible local labour market. Infrastructural facilities and social capital are also crucial in this process. Even though these variables may be mostly found in largescale metropolitan areas such as New York, Los Angeles etc., Scott (2006, p. 9) argues that “there are also many small and specialised creative agglomerations all over the world” due to the process of increased differentiation. In addition, Hall (2004) argues that building a truly Creative City is possible but is a long-term process, and historical favourable preconditions are important

Constructing the crisis : the impact of subsidies on the Berlin office market, 1989-2002

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2002.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-78).Following the reunification of Germany and prior to the much debated and twice postponed decision to relocate its capital to Berlin, events were set in motion that resulted in a roller coaster ride for investors in real estate and in particular for those interested in office space. Demand was expected to increase exponentially. Investors, both domestic and foreign, believed the transfer of government would create excessive needs both for the various ministries and political parties but also for national and international businesses thought likely to move to Berlin along with the government. This paper traces the history of events putting a special focus on the various governmental incentives designed to encourage investment and influencing real estate investment decisions on the part of the several different investment groups. Differentiating between incentives necessary for the private market to operate (planning legislation) and others promising concrete financial rewards (tax laws), the paper describes the causes and effects of the city's resulting real estate crisis, including the political and financial scandal of the Berlin Bank Association. The comparison of real estate cycles in different German cities between 1989 and 2002 demonstrates the fatal consequences of too generous and too long-lasting governmental subsidies for the Berlin real estate market. The evolution of the Berlin office market is a classic case of market-based decision making being overcome by tax-driven decisions and producing a crisis that in all probability could have been avoided had market conditions alone been allowed to determine the outcomes.by Caroline Lange.S.M

Observability of Sudden Aerosol Injections by Ensemble-Based Four-Dimensional Assimilation of Remote Sensing Data

For sudden aerosol injections, uncertainties of emission source parameters impose the characterizing impediment for skillful numerical simulations. Large amounts of accidentally emitted aerosols can infer serious impacts on health, climate, environment, and economy. This highlights the societal need for reliable forecasts of released particles. Spatiotemporal assimilation techniques combine atmospheric dynamics as knowledge provided by the model with observations and induce constraints with potentially advantageous effects on the simulations. Ensemble-based analyses provide valuable information about the skill of forecast results. However, predictions remain uncertain in regions, where observational information is restricted. Observability investigates the impact of utilized observations, thus focusing on observation network optimization and information quantity specification. Taking volcanic eruptions as prototype for sudden aerosol injections, the research described in this thesis develops new methodologies to assess the impact of observations on the analysis. The emphasis is placed on assimilation-based analyses applying initial value and emission factor optimization for volcanic ash dispersion predictions of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in April 2010. As observational input, two satellite-borne remote sensing principles are exploited: SEVIRI volcanic ash column mass loadings and CALIOP particle extinction coefficient profiles. For the assimilation within EURAD-IM, appropriate observation operators and their adjoints are constructed. The theoretical principles of observability in case of volcanic ash column mass loading observations are deduced from the viewpoint of the Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy. Ensemble versions of the 4D-var data assimilation technique and the particle smoother approach are implemented and processed, able to identify regions of high and low uncertainty in the dispersion simulation results. The analyses reveal a considerable constraining impact of SEVIRI retrievals to the ash dispersion, while CALIOP retrievals append information only on a very local scale. The variable degree of reliability is shown as a consequence of cloud cover dependent observability from space for both quasi-continuous SEVIRI data and sparse CALIOP overpasses

Exploitation (et limites) de la notion de symétrie pour la quantification du transfert de pesticides dans les vignobles badois et alsaciens

Le fossé Rhénan est bordé par une zone de piémont viticole en Allemagne et en France. Ces deux territoires se donnent la réplique géographiquement tout en résultant, de part et d’autre de la plaine d’Alsace, de la gestion technique et légale propre à chaque pays. Ce travail vise à représenter ces deux zones selon une méthodologie commune afin de supporter à terme une modélisation hydrologique spatialisée par un enrichissement réciproque. Spécificités et caractéristiques propres sont déterminées sur chaque milieu. L’unité d’étude est le bassin versant qui est décomposé en objets élémentaires contributifs à la génération des débits. Ces objets sont qualifiés comme zone d’apport et de transfert de pollution diffuse au sein d’un système d’information géographique couplé à une base de données objets/paramètres renseignant l’algorithme de calcul hydrologique. La question de la transposition d’un modèle élaboré sur un site à un autre est alors posée à travers l’exploitation du concept de symétrie confronté aux pratiques de comparaisons quantitatives.Both in France and Germany wine-growing zones form the boundary of the Upper Rhine Valle. Land management is different in both countries which may result in a different behaviour in terms of hydrology and mobility of pesticides. This work aims at representing these zones according to a common methodology in order to facilitate spatially distributed modelling. A specific catchment is separated into contributing elements. These elements are characterized according to their role in water and pesticide transfer. Each element is rated as zone of contribution or transfer using a geographical information system coupled to a data base. The question of the transposition of modelling from one site to another deals then with the concept of symmetry confronted with the practices of quantitative comparisons.Sowohl in Frankreich als auch in Deutschland grenzen Weinbaugebiete direkt an den Oberrheingraben. Allerdings unterscheiden sich die Bewirtschaftungsformen in beiden Ländern erheblich, wodurch es zu Unterschieden in der Hydrologie und im Verhalten von Pestiziden kommen kann. Aus diesem Grund wird in der vorliegenden Studie eine Methode entwickelt, um Weinbaugebiete zu beiden Seiten des Oberrheingrabens einheitlich in flächendetaillierte Modelle einzugliedern. Ein Einzugsgebiet wird hierbei in beitragende Flächen unterteilt, welche anhand ihrer Rolle beim Wasser- und Pestizidtransport charakterisiert werden. In einem geographischen Informationssystem, das an eine Datenbank gekoppelt ist, wird jede einzelne Fläche als Zone der Quelle oder des Transports von Pestiziden eingestuft. Die Übertragung von Modellansätzen von einem Untersuchungsgebiet auf ein anderes geschieht mit Hilfe des Symmetriekonzepts. Dessen Erfolg wird anhand von quantitativen Vergleichen beurteilt

Exploitation (et limites) de la notion de symétrie pour la quantification du transfert de pesticides dans les vignobles badois et alsaciens

Le fossé Rhénan est bordé par une zone de piémont viticole en Allemagne et en France. Ces deux territoires se donnent la réplique géographiquement tout en résultant, de part et d’autre de la plaine d’Alsace, de la gestion technique et légale propre à chaque pays. Ce travail vise à représenter ces deux zones selon une méthodologie commune afin de supporter à terme une modélisation hydrologique spatialisée par un enrichissement réciproque. Spécificités et caractéristiques propres sont déterminées sur chaque milieu. L’unité d’étude est le bassin versant qui est décomposé en objets élémentaires contributifs à la génération des débits. Ces objets sont qualifiés comme zone d’apport et de transfert de pollution diffuse au sein d’un système d’information géographique couplé à une base de données objets/paramètres renseignant l’algorithme de calcul hydrologique. La question de la transposition d’un modèle élaboré sur un site à un autre est alors posée à travers l’exploitation du concept de symétrie confronté aux pratiques de comparaisons quantitatives.Both in France and Germany wine-growing zones form the boundary of the Upper Rhine Valle. Land management is different in both countries which may result in a different behaviour in terms of hydrology and mobility of pesticides. This work aims at representing these zones according to a common methodology in order to facilitate spatially distributed modelling. A specific catchment is separated into contributing elements. These elements are characterized according to their role in water and pesticide transfer. Each element is rated as zone of contribution or transfer using a geographical information system coupled to a data base. The question of the transposition of modelling from one site to another deals then with the concept of symmetry confronted with the practices of quantitative comparisons.Sowohl in Frankreich als auch in Deutschland grenzen Weinbaugebiete direkt an den Oberrheingraben. Allerdings unterscheiden sich die Bewirtschaftungsformen in beiden Ländern erheblich, wodurch es zu Unterschieden in der Hydrologie und im Verhalten von Pestiziden kommen kann. Aus diesem Grund wird in der vorliegenden Studie eine Methode entwickelt, um Weinbaugebiete zu beiden Seiten des Oberrheingrabens einheitlich in flächendetaillierte Modelle einzugliedern. Ein Einzugsgebiet wird hierbei in beitragende Flächen unterteilt, welche anhand ihrer Rolle beim Wasser- und Pestizidtransport charakterisiert werden. In einem geographischen Informationssystem, das an eine Datenbank gekoppelt ist, wird jede einzelne Fläche als Zone der Quelle oder des Transports von Pestiziden eingestuft. Die Übertragung von Modellansätzen von einem Untersuchungsgebiet auf ein anderes geschieht mit Hilfe des Symmetriekonzepts. Dessen Erfolg wird anhand von quantitativen Vergleichen beurteilt

Prison or paradise? Perceptions of communication between cohabitating couples during COVID-19 restrictions

Purpose: Due to the immediacy of the COVID-19 phenomenon, researchers recognized a need to examine the effects of restrictions on communication patterns between committed, cohabiting partners. Prior literature investigated factors contributing to communication satisfaction; however, a substantial gap remains within the occupational therapy (OT) literature. The study explored perceived satisfaction of quantity and quality of communication before and during COVID-19 restrictions between cohabitating, committed partners and its relation to occupation. Methods: A questionnaire sent via e-mail recruited subjects from an occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) program who self-identified as having quarantined with a committed partner during COVID-19 restrictions. A mixed-methods design consisted of two phases: a questionnaire which measured perceptions of quantity and quality of communication before and during COVID-19 restrictions and a virtual focus group which gathered information on lived experiences regarding communication during the same time periods. Results: The questionnaire provided quantitative data (n=12) on demographics, communication satisfaction, communication frequency, and frequency of media use. Paired sample t-tests did not show a significant difference in means before or during COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Four themes emerged from the focus group (n= 6) including change in routines, personal reflections, and quantity and quality of communication. Conclusion: Findings suggested that quarantining with a committed partner during COVID-19 restrictions had mixed effects on quality and quantity of communication, however, satisfaction remained consistently high. Participants reported adapting to challenges created by COVID-19 restrictions by altering habits and routines specific to communication with their committed partner. The study presents information on the patterns of communication in intimate partner relationships vital to the profession of OT

Soil to Sail - Asteroid Landers on Near-Term Sailcraft as an Evolution of the GOSSAMER Small Spacecraft Solar Sail Concept for In-Situ Characterization

Any effort which intends to physically interact with specific asteroids requires understanding at least of the composition and multi-scale structure of the surface layers, sometimes also of the interior. Therefore, it is necessary first to characterize each target object sufficiently by a precursor mission to design the mission which then interacts with the object. In small solar system body (SSSB) science missions, this trend towards landing and sample-return missions is most apparent. It also has led to much interest in MASCOT-like landing modules and instrument carriers. They integrate at the instrument level to their mothership and by their size are compatible even with small interplanetary missions. The DLR-ESTEC GOSSAMER Roadmap NEA Science Working Groups‘ studies identified Multiple NEA Rendezvous (MNR) as one of the space science missions only feasible with solar sail propulsion. The parallel Solar Polar Orbiter (SPO) study showed the ability to access any inclination and a wide range of heliocentric distances. It used a separable payload module conducting the SPO mission after delivery by sail to the proper orbit. The Displaced L1 (DL1), spaceweather early warning mission study, outlined a very lightweight sailcraft operating close to Earth, where all objects of interest to planetary defence must pass. These and many other studies outline the unique capability of solar sails to provide access to all SSSB, at least within the orbit of Jupiter. Since the original MNR study, significant progress has been made to explore the performance envelope of near-term solar sails for multiple NEA rendezvous. However, although it is comparatively easy for solar sails to reach and rendezvous with objects in any inclination and in the complete range of semi-major axis and eccentricity relevant to NEOs and PHOs, it remains notoriously difficult for sailcraft to interact physically with a SSSB target object as e.g. the HAYABUSA missions do. The German Aerospace Center, DLR, recently brought the GOSSAMER solar sail deployment technology to qualification status in the GOSSAMER-1 project and continues the development of closely related technologies for very large deployable membrane-based photovoltaic arrays in the GOSOLAR project, on which we report separately. We expand the philosophy of the GOSSAMER solar sail concept of efficient multiple sub-spacecraft integration to also include landers for one-way in-situ investigations and sample-return missions. These are equally useful for planetary defence scenarios, SSSB science and NEO utilization. We outline the technological concept used to complete such missions and the synergetic integration and operation of sail and lander. We similarly extend the philosophy of MASCOT and use its characteristic features as well as the concept of Constraints-Driven Engineering for a wider range of operations. For example, the MASCOT Mobility hopping mechanism has already been adapted to the specific needs of MASCOT2. Utilizing sensors as well as predictions, those actuators could in a further development be used to implement anti-bouncing control schemes, by counteracting with the lander‘s rotation. Furthermore by introducing sudden jerk into the lander by utilization of the mobility, layers of loose regolith can be swirled up for sampling

Effects of Age on Acute Appetite-Related Responses to Whey-Protein Drinks, Including Energy Intake, Gastric Emptying, Blood Glucose, and Plasma Gut Hormone Concentrations—A Randomized Controlled Trial.

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