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Why isn't Google welcome in Kreuzberg? Social movement and the effects of Internet on urban space
Get PDFAdvances in information and communication technologies such as the Internet have driven a great transformation in the interactions between individuals and the urban environment. As the use of the Internet in cities becomes more intense and diverse, there is also a restructuring of urban space, which is experienced by groups in society in various ways, according to the specificity of each context. Accordingly, large Internet companies have emerged as new players in the processes of urbanization, either through partnerships with the public administration or through various services offered directly to urban residents. Once these corporations are key actors in the digitalization of urban services, their operations can affect the patterns of urban inequality and generate a series of new struggles over the production of space. Interested in analyzing this phenomena from the perspective of civil society, the present Master Thesis examined a social movement that prevented Google to settle a new startup campus in the district of Kreuzberg, in Berlin. By asking why Google was not welcome in that context, this study also sought to understand how internet, as well as its main operators, has affected everyday life in the city. Thus, besides analyzing the movement, I investigated the particularities of the urban context where it arose and the elements that distinguish the mobilization’s opponent. In pursuit of an interdisciplinary approach, I analyzed and discussed the results of empirical research in dialogue with critical theories in the fields of urban studies and the Internet, with emphasis on Castells' definitions of urban social movements and network society (1983, 2009, 2015), Couldry's and Mejias' (2019) idea of data colonialism, Lefèbvre's (1991, 1996) concepts of abstract space and the right to the city, as well as Zuboff's (2019) theory of surveillance capitalism. The case at hand has exposed that Google plays a prominent role in the way the Internet has been developed and deployed in cities. From the perspective accessed, the current appropriation of Internet technologies has been detrimental to individual autonomy and has contributed to intensifying existing inequalities in the city. The alternative vision to this relies mainly on the promotion of decentralized solidarity networks
Der perfekte Bankraub
No full textFinanzielle Unabhängigkeit, überleben können, Superheld*in oder Pop-Star sein, Adrenalin-Kick, lebenslange Kompliz*innenschaft und ewige romanti- sche Verbundenheit, Verschwörung, siegreiches Über- listen, Täuschungstechniken – die Fantasien, die sich um die Idee des Bankraubs ranken, sind so verschieden wie die Menschen, die sie haben. Ein Banküberfall ist wahrscheinlich der Traum Vieler, angesichts der zuneh- menden Prekarisierung persönlicher Ökonomien und
– gleichzeitig oder gerade deswegen – ein spektakulari- siertes, fast popkulturelles Ereignis, das in den Medien gut dokumentiert und in unzähligen Filmen illustriert und weitergesponnen wird
Präludium zur Öffnung von Denkräumen – Kritische Lehre / Künstlerisches Forschen
No full textSchreibwalzer GeradekanonischeTexteumgibteine Aura der Unantastbarkeit und es scheint, als bräuchte man eine gewisse Art der Legitimation, sich diesen auch kritisch anzunähern oder mit eigenen Gedanken auf eine Stufe zu stellen. Im Präludium tasten wir uns phy- sisch mit Schere, Bleistift, Klebestift an diese Schwer- gewichte heran und darüber hinaus; mit Respekt, doch ohne Einschüchterung
Transformation of the wastewater sector – The ability of state level controlling mechanisms to enhance the implementation of resource-oriented sanitation systems
No full textNeuartige Sanitärsysteme zielen auf eine ressourcenorientierte Verwertung von Abwasser ab. Erreicht werden soll dies durch die separate Erfassung von Abwasserteilströmen. In den Fachöffentlichkeiten der Wasserwirtschaft und Raumplanung werden neuartige Sanitärsysteme als ein geeigneter Ansatz für die zukünftige
Sicherung der Abwasserentsorgung in ländlichen Räumen betrachtet. Die Praxistauglichkeit dieser Systeme wurde zwar in Forschungsprojekten nachgewiesen, bisher erschweren jedoch für Abwasserentsorger vielfältige Risiken die Einführung einer ressourcenorientierten Abwasserbewirtschaftung. Ausgehend von einer Untersuchung der Kontexte bei der Umsetzung eines neuartigen Sanitärsystems im ländlichen Raum Thüringens wird in diesem Beitrag der Frage nachgegangen, wie auf Landesebene mit dem abwasserwirtschaftlichen Instrumentarium die Einführung von ressourcenorientierten Systemansätzen unterstützt werden kann. Zentrale Elemente des Beitrags sind die Darstellung der wesentlichen Transformationsrisiken in Bezug auf die Einführung innovativer Lösungsansätze, eine Erläuterung der spezifischen abwasserwirtschaftlichen Instrumente sowie die Darlegung von Steuerungsansätzen,mit denen die Einführung von neuartigen Sanitärsystemen gefördert werden kann. Im Ergebnis wird die Realisierbarkeit von neuartigen Sanitärsystemen durch den strategischen Einsatz des Instrumentariums deutlich, gleichwohl die Wasserwirtschaft durch die Erweiterung der bisherigen Systemgrenzen auf die Kooperation mit anderen Bereichen der Daseinsvorsorge angewiesen ist.New sanitary systems are an intelligent way to approach wastewater management in the face of demographic and climatic changes. It is also compatible with the emerging paradigm of a resource-oriented management of wastewater. While the general technical applicability of resource-oriented systems has been proven in various projects, the realisation is still on hold. The reasons can be found in several risks for wastewater disposal companies that are linked to the implementation process. Based on an analysis of the general context of an implementation of a new sanitary system in a typical rural area of Eastern Germany, this paper analyses to which extend the implementation of such innovative approaches can be facilitated by the regulation system and which steps need to be taken. According to this aim, risks that can hamper the transformation of the wastewater sector are identified, major administrative controlling mechanisms outlined and depicted in which strategic approach these could be used in order to foster the implementation of resource-oriented sanitary systems. As a result, the feasibility of the implementation of new alternative sanitary systems through the strategic application of the controlling mechanisms is generally proven. However, collaborations of the wastewater sectors with stakeholders of other sectors are required
Novel Ensemble Approach of Deep Learning Neural Network (DLNN) Model and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) Algorithm for Prediction of Gully Erosion Susceptibility
No full textThis study aims to evaluate a new approach in modeling gully erosion susceptibility (GES) based on a deep learning neural network (DLNN) model and an ensemble particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm with DLNN (PSO-DLNN), comparing these approaches with common artificial neural network (ANN) and support vector machine (SVM) models in Shirahan watershed, Iran. For this purpose, 13 independent variables affecting GES in the study area, namely, altitude, slope, aspect, plan curvature, profile curvature, drainage density, distance from a river, land use, soil, lithology, rainfall, stream power index (SPI), and topographic wetness index (TWI), were prepared. A total of 132 gully erosion locations were identified during field visits. To implement the proposed model, the dataset was divided into the two categories of training (70%) and testing (30%). The results indicate that the area under the curve (AUC) value from receiver operating characteristic (ROC) considering the testing datasets of PSO-DLNN is 0.89, which indicates superb accuracy. The rest of the models are associated with optimal accuracy and have similar results to the PSO-DLNN model; the AUC values from ROC of DLNN, SVM, and ANN for the testing datasets are 0.87, 0.85, and 0.84, respectively. The efficiency of the proposed model in terms of prediction of GES was increased. Therefore, it can be concluded that the DLNN model and its ensemble with the PSO algorithm can be used as a novel and practical method to predict gully erosion susceptibility, which can help planners and managers to manage and reduce the risk of this phenomenon
A Model for Locating Tall Buildings through a Visual Analysis Approach
No full textTall buildings have become an integral part of cities despite all their pros and cons. Some current tall buildings have several problems because of their unsuitable location; the problems include increasing density, imposing traffic on urban thoroughfares, blocking view corridors, etc. Some of these buildings have destroyed desirable views of the city. In this research, different criteria have been chosen, such as environment, access, social-economic, land-use, and physical context. These criteria and sub-criteria are prioritized and weighted by the analytic network process (ANP) based on experts’ opinions, using Super Decisions V2.8 software. On the other hand, layers corresponding to sub-criteria were made in ArcGIS 10.3 simultaneously, then via a weighted overlay (map algebra), a locating plan was created. In the next step seven hypothetical tall buildings (20 stories), in the best part of the locating plan, were considered to evaluate how much of theses hypothetical buildings would be visible (fuzzy visibility) from the street and open spaces throughout the city. These processes have been modeled by MATLAB software, and the final fuzzy visibility plan was created by ArcGIS. Fuzzy visibility results can help city managers and planners to choose which location is suitable for a tall building and how much visibility may be appropriate. The proposed model can locate tall buildings based on technical and visual criteria in the future development of the city and it can be widely used in any city as long as the criteria and weights are localized
Earthquake Safety Assessment of Buildings through Rapid Visual Screening
No full textEarthquake is among the most devastating natural disasters causing severe economical, environmental, and social destruction. Earthquake safety assessment and building hazard monitoring can highly contribute to urban sustainability through identification and insight into optimum materials and structures. While the vulnerability of structures mainly depends on the structural resistance, the safety assessment of buildings can be highly challenging. In this paper, we consider the Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) method, which is a qualitative procedure for estimating structural scores for buildings suitable for medium- to high-seismic cases. This paper presents an overview of the common RVS methods, i.e., FEMA P-154, IITK-GGSDMA, and EMPI. To examine the accuracy and validation, a practical comparison is performed between their assessment and observed damage of reinforced concrete buildings from a street survey in the Bingöl region, Turkey, after the 1 May 2003 earthquake. The results demonstrate that the application of RVS methods for preliminary damage estimation is a vital tool. Furthermore, the comparative analysis showed that FEMA P-154 creates an assessment that overestimates damage states and is not economically viable, while EMPI and IITK-GGSDMA provide more accurate and practical estimation, respectively
Improved Rapid Visual Earthquake Hazard Safety Evaluation of Existing Buildings Using a Type-2 Fuzzy Logic Model
No full textRapid Visual Screening (RVS) is a procedure that estimates structural scores for buildings and prioritizes their retrofit and upgrade requirements. Despite the speed and simplicity of RVS, many of the collected parameters are non-commensurable and include subjectivity due to visual observations. This might cause uncertainties in the evaluation, which emphasizes the use of a fuzzy-based method. This study aims to propose a novel RVS methodology based on the interval type-2 fuzzy logic system (IT2FLS) to set the priority of vulnerable building to undergo detailed assessment while covering uncertainties and minimizing their effects during evaluation. The proposed method estimates the vulnerability of a building, in terms of Damage Index, considering the number of stories, age of building, plan irregularity, vertical irregularity, building quality, and peak ground velocity, as inputs with a single output variable. Applicability of the proposed method has been investigated using a post-earthquake damage database of reinforced concrete buildings from the Bingöl and Düzce earthquakes in Turkey
Cultural Tourism and Social Resilience: Discourse of Historic Cities in East Germany, the Case of Gotha and Eisenach
No full textThis thesis explores how cultural heritage plays a role in the development of urban identity by engaging both actively and passively with memory, i.e. remembering and forgetting. I argue that architectural heritage is a medium where specific cultural and social decisions form its way of presentation, and it reflects the values and interests of the period. By the process of remembering and forgetting, the meanings between inhabitant and object in urban environment are practiced, and the meanings are created.
To enable the research in narrative observation, cultural tourism management is chosen as the main research object, which reflects the alteration of interaction between the architectural heritage and urban identity. Identifying the role of heritage management, the definition of social resilience and the prospects of cultural heritage as a means of social resilience are addressed. Case region of the research is East Ger- many, thereby, the study examines the distinct approaches and objectives regarding heritage management under the different political systems along the German reunification process.
The framework is based on various theoretical paradigms to investigate the broad research questions: 1) What is the role of historic urban quarters in the revitalisation of East German towns? 2) How was the transition processed by cultural heritage management? 3) How did policy affect residents’ lives?
The case study is applied to macro level (city level: Gotha and Eisenach) and micro level study (object level: specific heritage sites), to analyse the performance of selective remembering and making tourist destination through giving significance to specific heritage. By means of site observations, archival research, qualitative inter- views, photographs, and discourse analysis on printed tourism materials, the study demonstrates that certain sites and characteristics of the city enable creating and focusing messages, which aids the social resilience.
Combining theory and empirical studies this thesis attempts to widen the academic discussion regarding the practice of remembering and forgetting driven by cultural heritage. The thesis argues for cultural heritage tourism as an element of social resilience and one that embraces the historic and cultural identity of the inhabitants
Prediction of Thermo-Physical Properties of TiO2-Al2O3/Water Nanoparticles by Using Artificial Neural Network
Get PDFIn this paper, an artificial neural network is implemented for the sake of predicting the thermal conductivity ratio of TiO2-Al2O3/water nanofluid. TiO2-Al2O3/water in the role of an innovative type of nanofluid was synthesized by the sol–gel method. The results indicated that 1.5 vol.% of nanofluids enhanced the thermal conductivity by up to 25%. It was shown that the heat transfer coefficient was linearly augmented with increasing nanoparticle concentration, but its variation with temperature was nonlinear. It should be noted that the increase in concentration may cause the particles to agglomerate, and then the thermal conductivity is reduced. The increase in temperature also increases the thermal conductivity, due to an increase in the Brownian motion and collision of particles. In this research, for the sake of predicting the thermal conductivity of TiO2-Al2O3/water nanofluid based on volumetric concentration and temperature functions, an artificial neural network is implemented. In this way, for predicting thermal conductivity, SOM (self-organizing map) and BP-LM (Back Propagation-Levenberq-Marquardt) algorithms were used. Based on the results obtained, these algorithms can be considered as an exceptional tool for predicting thermal conductivity. Additionally, the correlation coefficient values were equal to 0.938 and 0.98 when implementing the SOM and BP-LM algorithms, respectively, which is highly acceptable. View Full-Tex