Zoekresultaten

State of the art of cultural tourism interventions. Deliverable D3.1 of the Horizon 2020 project SmartCulTour (GA number 870708).

New scripts for old buildings

The ambition of a transition to a sustainable society brings forth the dual challenge to preserve historical buildings and simultaneously improve the energy performance of our built environment. While engineers claim that a dramatic reduction of energy use in the built environment is feasible, it has proven to be a difficult and twisting road.In this paper we focus on historical buildings, where difficulties of energy reduction are paramount, as such buildings provide local identity and a connection to our past. It is a EU policy objective to conserve and redesign heritage buildings like prisons, military barracks, factories, stations, and schools. Such redesign should also ensure reduction of energy use without compromising historical identity. In this paper we conceptually and empirically investigate how the two conflicting aspirations unfold. In particular we elaborate the obduracy and scripts of buildings, to clarify how they resist change and invite a specific use. We analyse the tensions between identity and energy conservation in a case study of a restoration project in Franeker. This buildinghas recently undergone a restoration, with energy efficiency as one of its goals.Scripts and networks are traced by a combination of methods, such as studyinglayout, materials and building history, and qualitative interviews with restoration architects and users. We identified three types of strategies to conserve identity and energy: design strategies; identity strategies and network strategies. Such strategies are also relevant for other efforts where conservation and innovation have to be reconciled.

Alternative walking tours generating social and cultural capital for local communities.

An application of Bourdieu's theory of capitals to the analysis of interventions' impact on the resilience of local communities.

Mapping imaginaries of Amsterdam Southeast

The potential impact of urban (re)development on the well-being of residents has been recognized in literature (Butcher & Dickens, 2016; Brummet and Reed, 2019), underscoring the need to critically examine one’s approach to studying the so called ‘urban peripheries’. This paper proposes the practice of mapping alternative city imaginaries, together with local partners, to promote inclusive and 'a more diverse and sustainable perspective on [city] prosperity' (Arbonés Aran, Petkova and Moodey, 2023).We present a case study of the living lab ‘Cities and Visitors’ (Amsterdam School of International Business) based in Amsterdam Southeast (Zuidoost). The study employs a mixed methods to capture and map 'alternative imaginaries' of 'urban peripheries' together with local partners, students, and inter-city collaborators. As urban developments continue to comply with technocratic systems and strategies (Pries, 2022), it becomes important to deepen our understanding, engagement, exploration, and preservation of city spaces, particularly in the so called urban ‘peripheries’ that are often subjected to the dynamics of de/reconstruction and rejuvenation brought by external actors.The paper also advocates for a reflective and ethical research methodology, as the participants engage in thoughtful and (self) reflective research practices. We see this as an intervention in the business curriculum, often criticized for producing 'neoliberal agents' (Orta, 2019), whereas students must also cultivate competences in 'sustainability' (UNESCO 2014, 2017). Embracing the perspectives of affect (Thrift, 2008) and standpoint theory (Harding, 2008), as well as critical counter-mapping with digital methods (Rogers, 2013), we intend to nurture the emotional intelligence and literacy in students, facilitating transformative pedagogies (Mezirov 1990; Maiese 2017).

Forest bathing as a mindful tourism practice.

In the troubled times in which we currently live, the tourism industry has called into question a need for more responsible social practices and more mindful utilisation of natural environments. The Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, has not only become a new wellness trend, but also a great potential for deeply immersive tourist experiences. While there is a wealth of studies examining the positive effects of forest bathing focussing principally on its medical benefits, this qualitative study extends these debates through documenting lived experiences of forest bathers. In so doing forest bathing suggests its latent potential to offer a profoundly mindful experience, and aims to situate this practice more prominently within the tourism discourse.

Trust in a viable real estate economy with disruption and blockchain

Does real estate still have the value that it once had, or will the valuation of real estate change due to surprising products and services, innovative business models, different market strategies, innovative ways of organizing and managing in the (real estate) markets? Innovation revolves around good facilities in an attractive and stimulating environment. Take disruptive real estate. The driving force behind these developments are new technology, viability, organizing differently and managing, and these have a big impact on the valuation of real estate. Established names like Nokia, Kodak, Blockbuster, Oad, Free Record Shop, Hyves and V&D collapse, and others, like Hema, Shell, hotel chains and healthcare institutions are the least bothered by it. However, disruptive organizations like Amazon, Zalando, Uber, Tesla and its competitor Faraday Future, who wants to exceed Tesla in everything, clearly respond to viability in the environment, and this is determinative for competitive strength and thus impacts the current and future valuation of real estate. Blockchain – a distributed database that contains a growing list of data items and that is hardened against manipulation and counterfeiting - plays an important role in that. The notaries and brokers have already experienced this in the recent period, and it will continue to have an effect on real estate owners, financiers, users, builders, brokers, notaries and the cadastre. The real estate world finds itself at a tipping point of a transition: a dramatic and irreversible shift in (real estate) systems in society.