Borrowing from the Rural to Help the Urban: Organic Farming Exemplars in Postsocialist China

This article examines an alternative food movement in China called exemplary agriculture. A key characteristic of the movement is its recuperation of legacies of state socialism including exemplary morality (leadership by example and the emulation of role models) and the pervasive urban/rural dichotomy (a dichotomy that privileges the urban over the rural economically, politically and culturally). Adopting practices derived from rural culture and putting a positive spin on them, movement protagonists promote alternative urban lifestyles they believe will improve the experience of city living and the malice of modernity. Drawing on ethnographic research across organic farms and farmers’ markets, this article examines some of the tensions revealed when these legacies of socialism interact with processes of globalisation such as consumer culture. It offers insights into the changing nature of activism in postsocialist China and how new economic classes are attempting to reconfigure the cultural and moral landscape of the city.     

探讨城市经营,促进城市可持续发展

城市经营的目标是城市可持续发展。为了实现可持续发展的目标 ,城市经营机制应体现自组织与他组织的统一 ,在经营过程中应注意协调好城市经营与城市经济、社会、环境几种关系     

试论社区新型生育文化建设

根据社区和亚文化的基本观点与原理,阐述了社区新型生育文化建设的内涵、外延和历史意义,并对在城市社区中如何创建新型生育文化进行了探讨。     

广州市最低生活保障制度微观运行状态调查——对老城区低保居民的个案访谈及反思

本文试图通过对低保居民的访谈了解广州最低生活保障制度微观运行状态,并发现问题。从访谈结果来看,受访低保户普遍享受分类救助,对低保政策满意度较高,但也存在一些特殊问题,例如特困户经济缺口仍然较大,部分低保户精神需求无法满足,低保边缘户尚待关注等。笔者吁请包括社会工作专业人员在内的社会力量介入进来,为城市贫困群体提供更多的经济及专业援助。     

城市品性与文化格调——论中国第一部城市小说《风月梦》

尽管中国古代的城市文学一直未能摆脱乡村化的底色,延至晚清,还是在扬州出现了中国最早的城市小说<风月梦>,它符合城市小说的三个基本特征:小说场景的城市性,故事人物的城市属性,而最重要的是体现了当时的城市心态,表达出对城市生活的独特反思.本文从题材内容、叙述方式、文化格调三方面加以论析.     

南京城区公众人文社会科学素养状况的调查与分析

为探明南京城区公众人文社会科学素养的基本状况以及不同群体差异所在,给解决相关问题寻求准确的切入点,以随机抽样的方式进行了问卷调查。结果显示,南京城区公众人文社会科学素养总达标率为47.3%,近一半人具备基本的人文社会科学素养。被调查者对人文社会科学基本的知识掌握得最好,对略具专业性或需要注入一定学习行为方可得知答案的问题回答的准确率则不尽如人意。被调查者对人文社会科学的认同程度低于对自然科学的认同程度。城区公众获取人文社会科学知识的渠道主要是电视和报纸,其次为杂志、网络、广播、与亲朋交谈、参观展览和听讲座。     

上海城市发展战略与长三角一体化关系研究

该文章为国家软科学课题《上海城市发展战略与长江三角洲关系研究》总报告部分主要内容。文章认为,上海城市发展战略是实现长三角一体化的关键因素。上海制定发展战略的主要思路为:强化上海的现代服务功能,完成由生产功能向服务功能转变,实现人的需要结构与城市产业结构及城市空间结构协调发展。对上海的城市定位需从世界、全国和长三角三个层面考察。除进一步强化上海市原定的“四个中心”功能外,还应突出对长三角和全国的现代服务中心的功能,强调上海今后应着重发挥其在知识、信息、人才方面的比较优势,以确保上海在国际分工中的有利地位。上海与长三角实现一体化不能一步到位,其演进过程为“分工合作———互补整合——融为一体”,目前上海与长三角正在由分工合作向互补整合阶段过渡。     

Conservation of Bangkok old town

Conservation of urban heritage contributes to the quality of life of people. Unfortunately, the urban heritage tends to be set aside from city development. The growing importance of locality in recent years invokes the public participation in planning and conservation processes. The paper aims to address the issue in urban conservation through the case of Bangkok old town. The site has been designated as a conservation area with the master plan and a specific advisory board for around three decades. Though a number of palaces and religious buildings have been protected, there is still a need for recognizing the local heritage and the enhancement of public participation. The issues regarding heritage identification, standard used in conservation practices and excessive tourism development in Bangkok old town would be resolved by revisiting the master plan and improving the cooperation among stakeholders. Moreover, urban heritage should be considered as a basis for urban planning and projects.     

Managing urban growth and development in the Riyadh metropolitan area, Saudi Arabia

The paper examines public sector management of urban growth and development in the Riyadh Metropolitan Area, Saudi Arabia. The focus of the paper is on institutional capacity building and development intervention. The paper traces changes in public sector management structures and development activities over the history of the city with the aim of assessing development impact and identifying forces that have shaped the evolving state of urban management. The paper notes that urban management has significantly improved with time but the persistence of urban problems coupled with projections of future growth point to the need for further improvements. The paper, in conclusion, while acknowledging the utility of the metropolitan development strategy (MEDSTAR) being formulated for the city, points to the need for broader administrative reform to improve the ability to cope with long-term challenges of growth in the city. Some issues that reform could address are suggested.