Human and plant relationships are described within the rich tradition of multispecies ethnography, ethnobotany, and political ecology. In theorizing this relationship, the issues of functionalism, and interconnectivity are raised. This article aims to re-examine the position of plants in the context of contemporary urban spaces through the prism of environmental ethics. Despite conceptual plurality and socio-cultural complexity of human–plant relationships, social scientists fail to note how the perception of ‘greenery’ has objectified plants in urban environment. Without seriously considering bioethics, theories of human–plant relationship might fail to note exploitive anthropocentric relationship between humans and plants in urban spaces. The article is inspired by reflections of urban flora in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2013.01.007 https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/
MULTIFILE
Knowledge of child development influences parental expectations of, and interactions with, children. Studies have shown that maternal knowledge supports cognitive and social–emotional development of young children and can have long-lasting benefits. Level of developmental knowledge of parents and grandparents has seldom been investigated on a population level. Our aim was to compare Canadian and Dutch samples of urban parents and grandparents in terms of normative knowledge of children’s cognitive and social–emotional development. Urban parents (n = 379) and grandparents (n = 174) from the province of Alberta, Canada (N = 553) and parents (n = 634) and grandparents (n = 96) of the city of The Hague in the Netherlands (N = 730) answered questions related to knowledge of cognitive and social–emotional development of young children, including topics such as “do children have stronger bonds with parents who stay at home instead of working outside the home?” and “do children learn more from hearing someone in the same room talk than hearing someone on TV?” Overall, the Canadian respondents were more likely to answer these questions correctly. In both samples, women were more likely than men to answer correctly. No significant relationship between age or role (parent or grandparent) and knowledge was identified, but there was a positive correlation between knowledge and level of education. Little is known about international differences in caregivers’ knowledge about normative child development. This study suggests that differences exist. Understanding differences between countries in parental knowledge may provide insight into cross-cultural variability in child behavioral and developmental outcomes. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018777027
Across Western Europe, the emphasis has shifted from physical manufacturing to the development of ideas, new products and creative processes. This has become known as the knowledge economy. While much has been written about this concept, so far there has been little focus on the role of the city. Bringing together comparative case studies from Amsterdam, Dortmund, Eindhoven, Helsinki, Manchester, Munich, Münster, Rotterdam and Zaragoza, this volume examines the cities' roles, as well as how the knowledge economy affects urban management and policies. In doing so, it demonstrates that the knowledge economy is a trend that affects every city, but in different ways depending on the specific local situation. It describes a number of policy options that can be applied to improve cities' positions in this new environment.
De verstedelijking levert een grote bijdrage aan de afname van biodiversiteit, de uitstoot van broeikasgassen en de impact van klimaatverandering. Het vraagt om innovatie in gebruik van bouwmaterialen, toepassing van groen en nieuwe vormen van stedelijke samenwerking. Natuurinclusieve gebiedsontwikkeling biedt kansen om verschillende actuele opgaven van de stad integraal op te pakken zoals biodiversiteitsverlies, klimaatmitigatie via CO2-reductie, klimaatadaptatie en mobiliteitstransitie. Er is echter een sterk tekort aan kennis om ecologisch en biobased te bouwen en hoe dit op gebouw, kavel, gebied en ecosysteemniveau precies te organiseren en financieren. Van de vele recente innovaties in de natuurinclusieve bouw en gebiedsontwikkeling is nog nauwelijks bekend wat de verschillende waarden zijn voor de gebruiker en onderliggende ecosysteem. In dit project wordt onderzocht wat de knelpunten en kansen zijn voor een transitie naar natuurinclusiviteit bij gebiedsontwikkeling in management en uitvoering, en welke handvatten ontwikkeld kunnen worden om de transitie te versnellen. Op basis van de gesprekken met praktijkpartners, richten we ons op drie aspecten van natuurinclusieve gebiedsontwikkeling: biobased bouwmaterialen, natuurlijke vergroening en de governance aspecten. Deze onderdelen worden onderzocht in een verschillende case studies waarin diverse natuurinclusieve gebiedsopgaven liggen. Via vergelijkend onderzoek worden succes- en faalfactoren in kaart gebracht en handvatten voor natuurinclusieve gebiedsontwikkeling geïdentificeerd. Het onderzoek richt zich met de drie casussen op de drie schaalniveaus van gebiedsontwikkeling: Spoorzone Waarder voor gebouwniveau, Amsterdam Knowledge Mile Park voor straatniveau en Almere Centrum-Pampus voor gebiedsniveau. Het tweejarig onderzoek wordt uitgevoerd door een consortium van vier hogescholen en diverse innoverende werkveldpartijen waarbij de acht versnellingssessies resultaten “versnellen” en tussentijds delen met de praktijk. Door reflecties van het brede werkveld wordt de toepasbaarheid van de producten in de praktijk geborgd. Het project leidt onder andere tot uitgangspunten voor natuurinclusieve gebiedsontwikkeling, een vertaling in een programma van eisen en een daaraan gekoppeld puntensysteem voor aanbestedingen.
An efficient and sustainable logistics process is essential for logistics companies to remain competitive and to manage the dynamic demands and service requirements. Specifically, the first- and last-mile hub-to-hub (inter) logistics is one of the most difficult operations to manage due to low volumes, repetitive operation and short-distance transport, and relatively high waiting times. With the advancements in Industry 4.0 technologies (Internet of Things, Big Data, Cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence), the consortium partners expect that the intelligent and connected technology is a viable solution to improve operational efficiency, coordination, and sustainability of this inter-hub logistics. Despite the promising potential, the impact of technology on inter- and intra-hub (inside hub) logistics operations (such as transportation, communication, and planning) is not well-established. The focus of STEERS is to explore the real-life challenges associated with the logistics operation in a small-to-medium size logistics hub and investigate the potential of intelligent and connected technology to address such challenges. This project will investigate the requirements for the application of automated vehicles in inter-hub transportation and simultaneously explore the potential of intelligent inter-hub corridors. Additionally, inter-hub communications will also provide the opportunity to explore their potential impact on the planning and coordination of intra-hub activities, with an explicit focus on the changing role of human planners. It combines the knowledge of education and research institutes (Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen, The University of Twente and Hogeschool Rotterdam), logistics industry partners (Bolk Container Transport and Combi Terminal Twente) and public institutes (XL Business Park, Port of Twente and Regio Twente). The insights obtained in this exploratory study will serve as a foundation for the follow-up RAAK-PRO project, in which real-world demonstrators will be developed and tested inside XL Business Park.
