Importance Of Social Spaces In Urban Spaces

Importance Of Social Spaces In Urban Spaces Since the early days people have lived in groups and survived through good and bad days. The communities form by humans has led to the development and enrichment of this world both technologically and habitually. It is the very human need the human interaction; this was the one most basic principal in development of architecture but the new age because of privacy needs and technology (internet) has grown people apart from each other rather than bring them together. The growing capitalist economy demands more of living space than of social space. This has led to poor quality of life standards and increase in crime and decrease in healthy life style. These days many professionals like architects, city planners and sociologist are researching how people live in more densely populated areas. How this has affected the social life of the residents and led the shrinking of social spaces. This paper will discuss the merits and demerits of the contemporary urban development, various effect of social space on communities. How this has led to increase in crime rates and decrease in productivity health and how this situation can be resolved. Key words :Social space , Public space, urban space, urban planning Outline: Introduction: sociology of human communities and their habitat Cause and effects of contemporary urban development The possible solutions and hypothesis of solutionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Introduction Growth is inevitable and desirable, but destruction of community character is not. The question is not whether your part of the world is going to change. The question is how. (Edward T. McMahon) Change Life! Change Society! These precepts mean nothing without the production of an appropriate space (Henri Lefebvre) By 2080 it is predicted that 80% of the human population will move to the cities and urban areas with highest concentrations in Asia and Africa. More people habitat now in urban spaces than in rural spaces ever before. This shows that the level of growth never has been this great and it is still growing. The comparative recent rise and progress of metropolises internationally has caused an increase of the significance of city planning. Urban developments are vibrant and diverse all over the globe. This necessitates an in-depth exploration and approaches to director expansions in the correct direction. New approaches and techniques to secure the extended sustainability of regions are being developed nowadays. Along with these swift expansions come numerous urban complications, like isolation, transportation congestion, contamination and deprivation of the atmosphere. In the international discussion about urban planning, approaches to develop metropolises in the future are expected to alterations. This is because a relatively new term has appeared among designers and planners: sustainable development. Various kinds of professions and practices go into generating public spaces that bring wellbeing and fortune to metropolises and societies. The skill of planning and designing for eminence and vitality in communal places rests in the equilibrium of societies, residence, essence and tradition. Public spaces must be more than safe and manageable; moreover they need to have sense and importance for people, to be used more fully and with better gratitude. Space, however is limited in this metropolitan where the topographical landscape limit possibilities to a definite range. Nevertheless, urban planners and designers have to find the best setting and try to discover a sustainable and long term solutions or ways which is best for the town and its present and prospect inhabitants. In some circumstances they come up with astonishing results and in some not that great. Urban renewal has been associated with urban expansion since the initial social settlement, and was given emphasis after the World War 2. Numerous periods knowledge and billions of moneys forced the judgment givers to comprehend the significance of urban appearance, value of life, and urban setting, which were accepted as fundamentals and facilitators for the economic advancement of metropolises, urban revival projects are created as symbol of the metropolitan and to offer space for occupants, and have been shown to be operational for cities rejuvenation by many countries. This paper examines this merits and demerits of urban development in general. With the growth and development of cities and metropolises around the world, urban planners and architects always keen on areas for impending advancements. Whether regeneration of old fragments of the city or emerging new areas out skirts of the current city limits, prospects are always open.. The study and material is largely based on literature. This paper adopts an extensive understanding of urban planning as the development of making better spaces for societies than would otherwise be created. How can urban planning contribute to the formation of miscellaneous public spaces that increase or improve value and quality to urban socio- economic life? What does a definition of diverse public spaces include? In what ways can public spaces enhance value and quality in urban life? How can urban planning make a positive contribution to creating public spaces? Does urban planning have a negative effect in some cases? Public /Social Spaces The measure of any great civilization is its cities and a measure of a citys greatness is to be found in the quality of its public spaces, its parks and squares. (John Ruskin) Public space is the juncture upon which the expression of public life develops. The paths, squares and gardens of a metropolitan give a form to the sanctuary and movement of social exchange. These vibrant spaces are a vital counterpart to the other established spaces and levies of work and family life, providing the networks for movement, nodes for communication and common grounds for play and relaxation (Carr, Francis, Rivlin, and Stone, 1992). There are number of definition on urban public place or space and its correlation (Wang, 2002). The description of public space and open space in the perspective of urban area provided by different institutes, is as the space which occurs among structures in urban space, which can be accessible freely by communal societies the space should be the room for urban inhabitants to meet and dialogue with other individuals, and for residence to stay in more natural atmosphere. It is also the representation of urban appearance the landscape, thus bei ng called as the breathing room or as the open window of the city. It is multifunctional place in urban space, which could be middle of governmental, monetary, or traditional events. Communal urban space is lively and all full of energy, which is vital for the ecological expansion of the city. Public spaces are shaped by at least two diverse processes; some have evolved naturally through assumption, by frequent use in a specific way, or by the concentration of societies because of an allure or an attraction say may be like a cafà © or very old tree where people wish for something etc. Both of these results in a space that accommodates societies for explicit reasons and it becomes a location that people depend on on as a place to encounter other people. These events might happen on a street junction, on some stairs in front of a structure, or on an undeveloped proportion in a area (Carr et al., 1992). Great communal places are the living area of the metropolitan the place where ind ividuals come together to appreciate the urban area and other individuals. Public spaces add value and increase the quality of life. Public spaces vary from plazas to squares, to small and big, local neighborhood parks or pounds. The combination of exquisite architecture with unique public spaces creates the most gorgeous places to live in places where one can express the joy and relish the nature and manmade structures Another way that public space gets created is by planning, which have diverse roots, though the purpose they serve may be parallel to unplanned or developing spaces. Planned spaces commonly transpire from the offices of urban planners, designers and landscape architects, who may be appointed by community or by private clienteles. Such public or open spaces may be the outcome of the arranging of an urban space the thoughtful or unplanned consequences of building accommodation, workplaces or communal structures. A district or neighborhood may be structured around a square, or the space around a monumental erection /structure may be intended as a public place with other edifices arranged around, or a space may be the surplus outcome of obstruction in a zoning regulation (Carr et al., 1993). The significance of social space has been recognized worldwide, primarily from the perception in refining quality of life through contented atmosphere and plentiful public life; improving urban appearance through urban vagueness; and compelling commercial development through investment which is appealed by the good appearance. The prominence of public space in building a pleasant atmosphere for human beings for work, resides, and relaxes. According to the Athens Charter in 1943 citys most noticeable public spaces are often illustrative of the metropolitan itself and imitate how its inhabitants relate to the town and to each other. Darin-Drabkin (1977) claimed that a decent living setting needs public spaces. Prominent designers and city planners have often reasoned that the quality of a metropoliss social spaces has much to do with how a district /town/ city prospers or fails as a place to habitat or do trade (Bacon, 1976). A numerous researchers and urban planners indicate that publ ic spaces can serve people to be content, to state and defend human rights and morals, and to express distinctive cultural values. Societies can learn new things and learn from others through public life (Carr and Lynch, 1968; Ward, 1978). No matter what technical innovations are taking place, human beings have not changed (Gehl 1980).They still need the casual contact with other human beings that used to be built into daily life. Public spaces can afford opportunities for such casual encounters in the course of daily life that can bind people together and give their lives meaning and power. Public spaces not only can serve daily needs but also can be places to gather for special occasions. City/Urban Planning Towns and cities are not God-given or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾naturalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸. They are the result of centuries of decision-making by individual owners and developers, and of government intervention. Whilst topography and geography do play a part, they do not absolutely determine development. The nature of towns and cities, to a considerable extent, is dependent on who shouts the loudest, and who has the greatest influence over policy. Clara Greed, 1996

Biology of Mangroves :: Research Essays Term Papers

Biology of Mangroves One of the most unique and least understood environments found in nature is that of the mangrove. This ecosystem is found at the junction between land and sea. Author, Loren Eiseley (1971) wrote vividly about his encounter with a mangrove forest in the book The Night Country: A world like that is not really natural. Parts of it are neither land nor sea and so everything is moving from one element to anotherÃâ€"Nothing stays put where it began because everything is constantly climbing in, or climbing out, of its unstable environment. The actual word à «mangroveà ­ can be used in two ways. It can refer to an individual species of plant or it can indicate a group or forest of plants that contains many species (Figure 1). To determine what constitutes a mangrove species many aspects are considered including: (1) air temperature within a certain range, (2) mud substrate, (3) protection, (4) salt water, (5) tidal range, (6) ocean currents and (7) shallow shores. To clarify, each of these aspects will be considered in turn. The best mangrove development has been found to occur only when the average air temperature of the coldest month is higher than 20 degrees Celsius and where the seasonal range does not exceed ten degrees. Most extensive mangroves are associated with muddy soils along deltaic coasts, in lagoons and along estuarine shorelines. In order for mangroves to survive a protected coastline is essential as mangrove communities cannot develop where high levels of wave action prevent the establishment of seedl ings. In terms of salt water, there is increasing evidence that most mangroves have their optimal growth in the presence of some additional sodium chloride. The tidal range plays an important role in mangrove development. The greater the tidal range, the greater the vertical range available for the community. Also for a given tidal range, steep shores tend to have narrower mangrove zones than do gently sloping ones. Another aspect of mangrove communities is ocean current. The currents are essential since they act to disperse the mangrove propagules and distribute them along the coasts. The need for a shallow shore is the last major aspect of mangrove forests. This is apparent when considering that seedlings cannot become anchored in deep water and that the mangrove requires a large proportion of its body to be above the water (Hutchings and Saenger, 1987). Mangrove forests are established in various regions of the world and one of the most prominent regions is the continent of Australia.

A history of American sexuality Essay

There is little to dispute the notion that rebellious movements only originate as a need, not as a result of human nature. It would indeed be appropriate to view the various cultures of resistance that have developed over the ages in light of this ideology; every era saw a different need and hence developed and shaped itself through their individual’s sexual meaning (D’emilio and Freedman 228). They embody a change in attitude of youngsters regarding suppressed sexual inclinations considered inappropriate by the general public or believed to be counterproductive. Stemming from as early as the 17th century, the progress of freedom of sexuality has mostly been a mosaic, finding roots in differences of race gender and class. However, recent times have allowed that progress to be catalogued in discernable text which can be reviewed to gain insight into the perception of sexuality as has been generally associated with the past; historians such as Jeffrey Weeks, D’emilio and Freedman provide some valuable control points to make those judgments. First era: 1600 to 1780 The institution of marriage, the historical perspective of which was recently been subjected to criticism, has been under scrutiny lately simply because historical data does not correspond with the stereotypes of a traditional marriage (Coontz 13). In simple words, people who believed that the sanctity of marriage centuries ago was protected because of love between partners have lately been disproven. From 1600 to 1780, marriage was vastly regarded as a tool designed squarely as a reproductive mechanism and for the promotion of labor sources, increasing the family ties and the creation of a new generation (D’emilio and Freedman 14). Since work was primarily agricultural back in those days, there was a need to increase labor within the family which was directly reflected in sexuality being confined to the institution of marriage, which in turn was designated for procreation (D’emilio and Freedman 16-17). Such was the kinship and family system. During this era, there was a distinct lack of the element of love and social stigma prohibited acts of premarital intercourse and even falling in love as a pretext for marriage. Amongst the general society though, there were mixed thoughts within Protestants and Native American Indians (D’emilio and Freedman 108). They formulated resistant sexualities to the norms. While the Protestants encouraged sexual pleasures within the marriage and allowed public, though limited, displays of affection, anything outside this institution was invalidated and scorned upon (D’emilio and Freedman 4). There are evidences of regulation in the many punishments awarded to those who breached these standardized concepts of sexualities, and acts of adultery, premarital intercourse, homosexuality, and fornication were considered crimes, commission of which not only resulted in penalties but drew contempt at the hands of the public at large. These were very evidently governed by legal implications, enforced not only by the church (D’emilio and Freedman 51) but also the state and society in unison. Such sexual criminals thus became outcast, leading to non-uniformity of sexualities. Amongst these, the prime suspects were Native American Indians, who allowed pre-marital intercourse and considered homosexuality acceptable. Moreover, marriage was not restricted to just one partner. Polygamy became just as common, suggesting that the sexual behavior was more a matter of the culture and social acceptance than human nature. As D’emilio and Freedman point out, the Chesapeake colonies where men outnumbered women due to the presence of a big number of migrants, men could choose to have sex with women simply to derive pleasure and not as instigation to marriage (D’emilio and Freedman 14-17). The political system in the middle of the 17th century harbored the use of slaves, and those created their own sexual regimes. The southern areas saw a rise in inter-racial sexual ordeals, giving presence to another distinct system of regulating sexualities. The forms of political control that dominated throughout the 17th century, namely the church, state and the local community began losing their footing by the middle of the 18th century to late 18th century. This was partly due to the rise in commercialization and trade, since community presence was losing ground to a larger form of individualism, which institutionalized marriage as an expression of romance. Thus, the original sexual meanings relating to family ties and procreation governed by the sexual politics of the church, state and the local community were being superseded by the culture of resistance that encouraged romance as the central focus of marriage (D’emilio and Freedman 95). Second era: 1870-1980 A new era of sexual preferences was emerging in the late 19th century. The prevailing mood was that of a heightened sense of pre-marital and within-marriage sexual intimacy, defined as â€Å"Victorian† (Peiss 206), with individuality as the central focus, allowing for sexual endeavors to extend beyond marriage and include previously scorned ideologies such as same sex sexualities. The aura was becoming increasingly liberal, as the presence of seemingly immoral exercises such as pornography, and brothel management undermined the societal values (Peiss 238). Attention was drawn towards them by a new breed of post 1880 conservatives. This movement concentrated squarely on declaring every form of seemingly impure sexuality such as adultery, commercialization of sex in terms of pornography, fornication and even eroticization within marriage as immoral and as plagues to society. Sexual meaning, while decidedly liberal in those days, employing extensive use of contraception and experimental living with partners, was met with sexual regulation tactics by the state, governed by the enforcement of legislations. The sexual politics included the passing of Anti-prostitution (D’emilio and Freedman 150, 209, 213) and anti-pornography laws facilitating the resistance that Protestants had also partnered in. This, while curbing public vulgarities to some extent, could not come in the way of the growing consumerism that the industrial wave brought with it. With concentration on individual choice, commercial sex grew, in sync with the empowerment of women both at the workplace and within the family, leading to even more equality amongst the sexes (Coontz 208). In the culture that ensued, the sexual meaning took a very liberal turn with empowerment of the individual being the centerpiece, thus enabling homosexual tendencies to thrive, along with the encouragement of romance and eroticism becoming increasingly desirable. The post 1920s was regarded as an era of sexual reform, post Victorian sexual era so to speak, a time when the concept of marriage was drifting from the originally conceived â€Å"traditional† meanings to those based on deriving sexual pleasures simultaneously with the need to reproduce. The sexual meaning, thus, in the context of D’emilio’s and Freedman’s philosophies (1997), combined those two to place emphasis on the fulfillment and satisfaction of one’s self with respect to the institution of marriage, rather than be forced to adhere to it in order to meet social demands of labor and reproduction. The freedom of choice was highlighted amongst the youth and non-heterosexual endeavors as well as pre-marital sexualities became gradually acceptable. The depiction of sex for commercial use picked up pace as well (D’emilio and Freedman 327), and liberalism both within marriage and outside it grew. The routine depiction of sexual images to the public became frequent, suggesting that sexual choice and independence was what the society wanted. It was in these times that strides were made for gender equality as well, as men slowly edged towards ceasing to become the dominant sexual partners and women began sharing high posts with men in the workplace. Third Era: Post 1980 to present day The major cultural resistance shift was next experienced in the 1970s, with the advent of the liberal homosexual regimes and the urge to pursue sexual freedom by the likes of Hugh Hefner, bringing to light demands to acknowledge premarital sexual endeavors as a right. This, of course, was contrary to the norm of the day, which was still largely heterosexual. More sexual politics brought Left-wing views to the forefront, arguing especially in favor of the gay liberation movement and feminism (D’emilio and Freedman 322-323). During the 70s and 80s, this phenomenon gripped the economically thriving youth of the day, affecting the counterculture in so much as shredding the traditional norms associated with marriage and family in favor of a single sexual life. The right-wings continued to advocate against the sexual deviancies of pre-marital intimacy, commercial utilities of sex, eroticism, etc and much of the debate in the 80s thus surrounded the use of contraceptives, illegitimacy, the spread of HIV and Herpes, rising divorce rates etc. This state of moral panic was superseded by the feminist culture of resistance, which in turn strengthened the position of women who placed emphasis on choice. Employing Margaret Sanger’s voice of reason (D’emilio and Freedman 243-244), the phenomena of birth control enabled women to pursue sexualities undisturbed, serving to ultimately enable gays and lesbians to exchange vows and raise children (Peiss 484). Conclusion To the present day, sexual meanings have been age dependant and cultures of resistance have shaped the way sexual regulations were governed by sexual politics. As stipulated by Weeks, D’emilio and Freedman, all three need to be considered in unison to understand the changing mechanisms of sexualities over a given period (D’emilio and Freedman 377), but it can easily be inferred that those cultures had a strong part to play in the liberation of sexualities and the deviation of the essence of the institution of marriage, from its traditional stance as a means of reproduction to one purely used to attain sexual fulfillment through love . Works Cited Coontz, Stephanie. Marriage, A history: How Love Conquered Marriage . Penguin Books, 2005. D’emilio, John and Estelle B. Freedman. Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America, 2nd Edition. University of Chicago Press , 1997. Peiss, Kathy. Major Problems in the History of American Sexuality: Documents and Essays . Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002.

Overcoming Speaking Anxiety When Speaking French

Shyness apart, if you feel nervous when speaking French, its probably due to a lack of confidence in your skills: you dont feel you have the grammar, vocabulary, and/or pronunciation needed in order to express yourself. The obvious solution is to improve your French, and this site is filled with resources to help you do just that. Beyond lessons and learning, however, there are other ways to increase your confidence and feel more comfortable speaking French. We All Make Mistakes First of all, you should know that most people are forgiving of mistakes in their native language.* Think about it - when a non-native speaker addresses you in English, are you really thinking what a dummy, his sentence is all out of order, and thats the wrong verb, and the less said about his pronunciation the better? Or do you try to meet him halfway, ignoring or perhaps mentally correcting mistakes in order to understand what he is working so hard to say? For most of us, its the latter, because we appreciate the effort people make to communicate. In my experience, the French much prefer that you speak to them in broken French, rather than being asked to speak to you in broken English - because theyre just as anxious about their English! So dont let fear of how you speak French stop you. Prepare Yourself If youre going to ask a question or buy a train ticket, think about what you want to say and how to say it before your turn comes. Try to anticipate what questions you might be asked and what additional information might be needed. Talk About Yourself Whether youre interested in current events, wine, or traveling around Alsace, read about those topics and make a list of the words and phrases that crop up repeatedly. And if you find that youre regularly getting pulled into discussions about tennis or movies, try to learn some of that vocabulary too. Practice Every Chance You Get Speaking French is like playing the piano or making bread - the more you do it, the more comfortable it feels and the easier it gets. Join the Alliance franà §aise, take a class, or place a classified ad to find someone to chat with regularly, even if s/he isnt fluent or native, but just another nervous French speaker like you. Even introverts can make friends - and have to if you are serious about improving your French. As you practice, youll gradually feel more comfortable and confident. Just Do It Finally, just try to relax, have fun, and remember why youre learning French in the first place. Its all about communication, so get out there and speak!