860 research outputs found
Sustainable Water Management in Ciudad Juarez
No full textabstract: ABSTRACT Water resources in many parts of the world are subject to increasing stress because of (a) the growth in demand caused by population increase and economic development, (b) threats to supply caused by climate and land cover change, and (c) a heightened awareness of the importance of maintaining water supplies to other parts of the ecosystem. An additional factor is the quality of water management. The United States-Mexican border provides an example of poor water management combined with increasing demand for water resources that are both scarce and uncertain. This dissertation focuses on the problem of water management in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. The city has attracted foreign investment during the last few decades, largely due to relatively low environmental and labor costs, and to a range of tax incentives and concessions. This has led to economic and population growth, but also to higher demand for public services such as water which leads to congestion and scarcity. In particular, as water resources have become scarce, the cost of water supply has increased. The dissertation analyzes the conditions that allow for the efficient use of water resources at sustainable levels of economic activity--i.e., employment and investment. In particular, it analyzes the water management strategies that lead to an efficient and sustainable use of water when the source of water is either an aquifer, or there is conjunctive use of ground and imported water. The first part of the dissertation constructs a model of the interactive effects of water supply, wage rates, inward migration of labor and inward investment of capital. It shows how growing water scarcity affects population growth through the impact it has on real wage rates, and how this erodes the comparative advantage of Ciudad Juarez--low wages--to the point where foreign investment stops. This reveals the very close connection between water management and the level of economic activity in Ciudad Juarez. The second part of the dissertation examines the effect of sustainable and efficient water management strategies on population and economic activity levels under two different settings. In the first Ciudad Juarez relies exclusively on ground water to meet demand--this reflects the current situation of Ciudad Juarez. In the second Ciudad Juarez is able both to import water and to draw on aquifers to meet demand. This situation is motivated by the fact that Ciudad Juarez is considering importing water from elsewhere to maintain its economic growth and mitigate the overdraft of the Bolson del Hueco aquifer. Both models were calibrated on data for Ciudad Juarez, and then used to run experiments with respect to different environmental and economic conditions, and different water management options. It is shown that for a given set of technological, institutional and environmental conditions, the way water is managed in a desert environment determines the long run equilibrium levels of employment, investment and output. It is also shown that the efficiency of water management is consistent with the sustainability of water use and economic activity. Importing water could allow the economy to operate at higher levels of activity than where it relies solely on local aquifers. However, at some scale, water availability will limit the level of economic activity, and the disposable income of the residents of Ciudad Juarez.Dissertation/ThesisPh.D. Sustainability 201
Peri-Urban Farming: Occupying Voids in Ciudad Juarez
No full textThe main problématique of the site -Ciudad Juarez and the graduation studio was to investigate into the various issues contributing to the emerging phenomenon of abandoned housing in Mexico. In addition to poor urban planning, there is a fundamentally flawed system in the manner in which social housing is conceived, designed, produced, inhabited and devalued in Mexico. These factors create a cycle of decay and dysfunction of which abandoned housing becomes one of the many spatial consequences. The goal of the thesis project was to come up with a strategic proposal and interventions which can provide counter or alternative proposals to the current situation of decay and allow for a socio-economic platform to develop from within the community. The project investigates into how urban agriculture or in this case peri-urban (peripheral urban) agriculture and other related programs serve as a ‘bottom-up’ strategy to tackle the ‘top-down’ issues in Juarez. A matrix with a toolbox for production and an inventory of open space explores the possibility of creating continuous productive landscapes and new urban infills from voids and forms the first step towards orgainizing the city towards the creation of productive landscapes. This not only provides food for the community but also allows for transforming the current urban landscape in Riberas Del Bravo by transforming the ‘terrain vague’ – the abandoned houses, fallow land, unused urban spaces into productive, green spaces through urban farms, community gardens, community kitchens and greenhouses. Architectural expression of the primarily utilitarian buildings which develop during the phase-wise development of the strategy take into consideration local, easily available materials and passive climate concepts. The project also investigates into the role of various stakeholders and urban actors involved in the various stages of the institutionalization of urban agriculture in Ciudad Juarez to develop a multi-stakeholder platform for implementation of urban agriculture.Delft School of Design, DSDArchitectureArchitectur
Sposoby funkcjonowania odniesień intertekstualnych oraz konsekwencje remediacji formuły gatunkowej westernu w grze Call of Juarez
No full textThe author tries to examine the reasons for the popularity of the Western film convention manifested by the game Call of Juarez. It seems surprising because Western – once a popular genre – currently seems to be almost extinct. The key to the investigation of Call of Juarez appears to be the analysis of the intertextual references and the remediation of the Western convention. In order to explain the popularity of Western themed games, the author argues that the reasons responsible for the death of Western were mainly economic and not as it was previously considered – sociological.The author tries to examine the reasons for the popularity of the Western film convention manifested by the game Call of Juarez. It seems surprising because Western – once a popular genre – currently seems to be almost extinct. The key to the investigation of Call of Juarez appears to be the analysis of the intertextual references and the remediation of the Western convention. In order to explain the popularity of Western themed games, the author argues that the reasons responsible for the death of Western were mainly economic and not as it was previously considered – sociological
News in a tumultuous border region: how journalists at the El Paso Times report on their Juarez neighbors
No full text2011 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.This ethnographic study examines the complexity of reporting the news in a tumultuous border region. Using observation and in-depth interviews, it reveals how reporters and editors at the El Paso Times define their roles and responsibilities as they cover both the violence and the daily life on both sides of the United States/Mexico border. It investigates the way journalists attempt to meet the needs of the community, which in this case encompasses two major cities, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas. Ciudad Juarez, where thousands of men, women and children have been murdered in recent years, is one of the most dangerous cities in the world. The El Paso Times newsroom is seven blocks from Juarez. This study was conducted in the El Paso Times newsroom during October and November of 2009. It documents journalists at the El Paso Times as they attempt to accurately cover Juarez, despite the danger
The Border: El Paso (U.S.A.), Juarez (Mexico)
No full textThe borderlands between the U.S.A. and Mexico are usually associated with problems of immigration, violence and illegal trades. As a reaction, the architecture of the border and its crossings is one of aggression, control and exposure creating an identity and spatial experience that undermines and damages the binational communities, socially, politically and culturally. The binational border, by its nature, is the place where differences in culture, language and politics meet. A balance between its resistance and permeability potentially creates an environment that attracts and stimulates authenticity and diversity. At the heart of the twin-cities of El Paso, U.S.A. and Juarez, Mexico, lies the second busiest crossing along the U.S.-Mexican border for which I made a new design. The design has to deal with over 50.000 people crossing every day both on foot and by car. In the design I enlarged the space between the border check points creating a political free zone in which I tried to oppose the current architectural trend by focussing on, freedom and ambiguity in movement and use and on spaces that offer shelter and privacy. The border is materialized as a 25 meter tall wall that encloses a contextual vacuum in which the people, the current border and the existing crossing can be seen in a new light, and can act free from contextual connotations and expectations.Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Complex Project
The functioning of intertextual references and the consequences of remediation of the Western genre in "Call of Juarez"
No full textThe author tries to examine the reasons for the popularity of the Western film convention manifested by the game "Call of Juarez". It seems surprising because Western – once a popular genre – currently seems to be almost extinct. The key to the investigation of "Call of Juarez" appears to be the analysis of the intertextual references and the remediation of the Western convention. In order to explain the popularity of Western themed games, the author argues that the reasons responsible for the death of Western were mainly economic and not as it was previously considered – sociological
Health care clinic Riveras del Bravo, Ciudad Juarez
No full textThe problem statement concerns the emerging phenomenon of abandoned housing. It is estimated that more than 5 million houses are standing empty throughout the country. Ciudad Juarez is an ideal case study with one of the highest levels of abandonment estimated between 25 and 30%. The reasons for this are multiple and point towards a complex mesh of forces that transgress the scope of the built environment. They encompass entangled dimensions of political economy and socio-economic developments, which only touch the built structure of actual housing at the very last stage. Major issues on the basis of abandoned housing are the drug trafficking and the resulting violence. Inhabitants experience insecurity, extortion and human rights violations due to the ongoing drug war. The government has proven to be inadequate to solve the problems, and even worsened the situation. The ongoing problematic social and economic situation is only increasing the existing poverty. Site research in Juarez furthermore revealed a city that is struggling with lack of urban planning, municipal infrastructure and an economy that is heavily dependent on global investments in the maquilla production industry, which is at present in a state of decline. In addition to poor urban planning, there is a fundamentally flawed system in the manner in which social housing is conceived, designed, produced inhabited and devaluated in Mexico. These factors create a cycle of decay and dysfunction, from which abandoned housing becomes one of many spatial consequences. The studio developed architectural counter-proposals that seek to break these cycles of urban blight and decay. The site which is used as an example expressing the issue of abandoned housing is ‘Riveras del Bravo’. The issues mentioned above all account for Riveras as well, furthermore, Riveras is experiencing more site-specific problems. Due to its isolated location, lack of civil amenities, the municipality not taking responsibility, flooding problems, open sewerage, mono-functionality resulting in lack of employment opportunities, lack of public transport and the small size of the houses. The demographic problems concern a concentration of population with low income and low education. A group strategy has been developed that seeks to reconfigure the area spatially, socially and economically in a way that disrupts the mono-functional planning and urban isolation. More specific to my research question is the need for access to health care and education. The research question concerns how a health care clinic department with educational facilities can architecturally contribute to the needs for civic amenities, which in turn might decrease the issue of abandoned housing.Urban AsymmetriesDSDArchitectur
A sinfonia pastoral do Nordeste
No full textThe work A Sinfonia Pastoral do Nordeste, written by Juarez da Gama Batista, is a book that deserves to be highlighted in the literature of Paraíba. Published in 1967 by the Federal University, the work presents a critical and engaging narrative, exploring themes related to the culture and life in the Brazilian Northeast. The plot unfolds amidst the arid and poetic landscapes of the Northeast backlands, where the author weaves a literary symphony that combines elements of nature, popular culture and local traditions. Through remarkable characters and everyday situations, Juarez da Gama Batista takes us on a journey that reveals the nuances of life in the Northeast. The pastoral symphony, as its title suggests, is a literary composition that harmonizes the contrasts of the region: drought and hope, simplicity and complexity, joy and melancholy. The author uses poetic and sensitive language to portray the lives of the inhabitants, their beliefs, celebrations, struggles and dreams. In this context, the book also addresses social, political and economic issues, offering a critical and reflective view of the reality of the Northeast. Through characters such as the solitary cowboy, the talented lacemaker and the singer of verses, Juarez da Gama Batista constructs a literary symphony that echoes the voices and desires of the people of the Northeast. In short, The Pastoral Symphony of the Northeast is a work that transcends regionalism and becomes universal, touching the hearts of readers with its unique and profound melody. It is an invitation to delve into the cultural and human richness of this unique and inspiring region.A obra A Sinfonia Pastoral do Nordeste, escrita por Juarez da Gama Batista, é um livro
que merece destaque na literatura paraibana. Publicada em 1967 pela Universidade
Federal, a obra apresenta uma narrativa crítica e envolvente, explorando temas
relacionados à cultura e à vida no Nordeste brasileiro.
O enredo se desenrola em meio às paisagens áridas e poéticas do sertão nordestino,
onde o autor tece uma sinfonia literária que combina elementos da natureza, da cultura
popular e das tradições locais. Através de personagens marcantes e situações cotidianas,
Juarez da Gama Batista nos conduz por uma jornada que revela as nuances da vida no
Nordeste.
A sinfonia pastoral, como o próprio título sugere, é uma composição literária que
harmoniza os contrastes da região: a seca e a esperança, a simplicidade e a
complexidade, a alegria e a melancolia. O autor utiliza uma linguagem poética e
sensível para retratar a vida dos habitantes, suas crenças, festas, lutas e sonhos.
Nesse contexto, o livro também aborda questões sociais, políticas e econômicas,
oferecendo uma visão crítica e reflexiva sobre a realidade nordestina. Através de
personagens como o vaqueiro solitário, a rendeira talentosa e o cantador de versos,
Juarez da Gama Batista constrói uma sinfonia literária que ecoa as vozes e os anseios do
povo do Nordeste.
Em suma, A Sinfonia Pastoral do Nordeste é uma obra que transcende o regionalismo e
se torna universal, tocando o coração dos leitores com sua melodia única e profunda. É
um convite para mergulhar na riqueza cultural e humana dessa região tão singular e
inspiradora
Développement capitaliste et structure agraire au Brésil
No full textAgrarian structures are usually modified by capitalist development which rapidly imposes them a purely capitalist form. The author demonstrates however that in Brazil this movement only took place in some areas and that, in other regions, on the contrary it is this same capitalist system which is maintaining and perpetuating the primitive types of agrarian structures. The author points out the paradox of these two patterns of development which are heteregeneous but however interconnected. .Le développement capitaliste modifie la structure agraire et lui impose rapidement une forme purement capitaliste. L'auteur montre pourtant que ce mouvement ne s'est produit au Brésil que dans certaines régions, dans d'autres régions au contraire c'est ce même système capitaliste qui maintient et entretient des structures agraires de type primitif. Paradoxe de deux modèles de développement hétérogènes mais cependant connexes.Lopes Juarez Rubens Brandão. Développement capitaliste et structure agraire au Brésil. In: Sociologie du travail, 19ᵉ année n°1, Janvier-mars 1977. pp. 59-71
The Diffusion of Bt Cotton and the Economic Impact on Producers
No full textThe objective is to present the economic impact of producers adopting Bt cotton and the rapid diffusion on the main producing countries: USA, China and India. The existing literature about this type of transgenic crop has been revised and the results of different research are presented. Bt cotton varieties have been quickly adopted by the countries in this study. Data show that this technology helps reduce production losses and significantly decrease the use of pesticides, thus saving their cost and the associated labour cost. But the total cost reduction is weak due to the high prices of the seeds incorporating this technology.Innovation diffusion, Bt cotton, Crop Production/Industries,
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