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The aim of this book is to contribute to a critical assessment of the literature on the creative city and to a clarification of some of the many questions that remain unanswered. It is a collection of essays which, in the first part, addresses concepts and theories of urban development, city marketing and branding, presented as a framework in which the discourse of the creative city is embedded. In the second part, four case studies of cities considered to be emblematic of cultural industries (Manchester, Berlin, Dublin, and a comparative study of Milan and London) serve to illustrate the social production of creativity in specific urban contexts.

In contemporary economics the social and relational dimension of innovation comes to predominate over the corporate aspect. Innovative processes mature not only within the confines of the enterprise, but increasingly through the formal and informal relations that the companies develop between them, and with the suppliers, the customers and the structures for education and research. This connotation of interaction and dialogue is accompanied by a new local embedding of the innovative activities: it is within the territory, through direct interaction often of an informal nature, that tacit knowledge is developed as a crucial resource for innovation. It is on this process of innovation that the essays in this volume focus, bringing to light the consequences that derive for the mapping of policies aimed at sustaining innovative initiatives.

Town planning entails the complex task of studying the habitat in its variegated aspects, with the objective of introducing functional transformations in response to the demands of the community. Since it is an experimental discipline, however, methods of approach and elaboration can be very different. This book represents the synthesis of the degree theses produced in the Department of Town and Territorial Planning of the University of Florence between 2000 and 2004, selected with a view to achieving a significant overview of the various issues and disciplinary areas. The volume thus addresses topical questions such as the protection of the historic identity, the rethinking of the modern city, obsolete areas and urban gaps, relational processes and spaces, sustainable development and planning, and the settlements of developing countries.

The volume collects the proceedings of the conference “Università e Territorio. Il decentramento dell'Ateneo nella Provincia di Firenze (“University and Territory. The decentralisation of the University in the Province of Florence”), which was held in Florence on January 23, 2004. The conference saw a wide participation of interventions and public debate, and dealt with the issues concerning the decentralisation of educational and scientific activities in the municipalities of the Province of Florence, with particular reference to the university settlements of Calenzano, Scandicci, Sesto Fiorentino, Vaglia, Figline Valdarno, San Casciano Val di Pesa and the district Circondario Empolese Valdelsa. The conference was conceived as an occasion of meeting and dialogue between Mayors of the Province, local administrators and deans of university degree courses. It highlighted the multiplicity and differentiation of the activities as well as the complexity of the problems related to the development of study courses in the different social-economical realities of the municipalities of the Province of Florence.

What are the cognitive and expressive choices involved in the concrete practices of creation of graphical representations of the territory? And what is the effectiveness of graphics in the government of the territory and its changes? These questions are the basis of the preparation of this work. The essay proposes and tests a hypothesis of representation of the "statute of places", that is, of an instrument regulating the transformations of the city and of the territory based on the recognition of common values, a little binding, but indicative for the determination of plans and projects.

The research is aimed at investigating the changes in the methods of "construction" of representations of the territory due to the communicative evolution of disciplinary statutes and to the increasingly stringent and widespread use of new information and communication technologies. It focuses its reflection on the field of representations intended to substantiate the local and territorial project dimension. The focus of the work is on the methodological value and possible process innovation, rather than on the simple description of an expert technical product. The emphasis is on the possible value of building knowledge of territorial representations (heritage elaborations or project scenarios) drawn up through collective action.

The volume presents a key to understanding the current distribution of arable lands in Italy (based on an analysis conducted on 1994-1997 data) in relation to community disciplines and future prospects. In Italy, on over 14 million hectares of UAA (Usable Agricultural Area), about 57% is characterised by arable land. The importance of these crops, in addition to this visible global figure, is also confirmed at the level of individual production structures. In the short-term future, however, it is the arable lands that will be fully affected by the need to reduce surpluses and by the issues related to the environmental sustainability of production systems.

The present book covers topics both on fluvial and lagoon morphodynamics. The first part is dedicated to tidal environments. Topics include an overview of main morphological features and mechanisms of estuaries and tidal channels and a model devoted to investigate flow field pattern and bed topography in tidal meandering channels and a comparison with recent observational evidence of meanders within different tidal environments. The general failure of Bagnold hypothesis when applied to equilibrium bedload transport at even relatively modest transverse slope is demonstrated. A new model is then proposed based on an empirical entrainment formulation of bed grains.

After the books on "La politica e gli spazi politici", "Metafore dello spazio", "Gli spazi immaginati", "Spazi e politica nella modernità tecnologica", this notebook continues the series devoted to illustrating the results of an interdisciplinary study group fostered by Lea Campos Boralevi, Vittore Collina and Bruna Consarelli, lecturers in the history of political theory, entitled "Figure dello spazio, politica e società", and aimed at exploring major political and social issues from the aspect of spaces and their production. Devoted to "Viaggio e politica" it seeks to probe the complex manner in which ideas, theories and models have been shaped over the history of political thought in relation to the journey in its spatial and physical, but also symbolic and imaginary, dimension. It is conceived as a moment of encounter and even clash with reality, problems, 'other' mentalities, and with formation, knowledge and transformation. Appendix: Tavole di Zwinger riprodotte nell'intervento di Lucia Felici, "La Methodus Apodemica di Theodor Zwinger: un osservatorio cinquecentesco della città come spazio politico"., Questo quaderno su Viaggio e politica continua la serie della Firenze University Press, nella quale sono finora usciti, a cura di Bruna Consarelli, "La politica e gli spazi" (2003), "Metafore dello spazio" (2004), "Gli spazi immaginati" (2005), "Spazi e politica nella modernità tecnologica" (2006). La serie è dedicata ad illustrare i risultati di un gruppo di studio interdisciplinare, promosso da Lea Campos Boralevi, Vittore Collina e Bruna Consarelli, docenti di Storia delle dottrine politiche, intitolato "Figure dello spazio, politica e società", con l'obiettivo di indagare i grandi temi politici e sociali dell'età moderna e contemporanea, dal punto di vista degli spazi e della loro produzione. "Viaggio e politica" presenta le complesse modalità con cui idee, dottrine, modelli si sono venuti configurando nella storia del pensiero politico rispetto al viaggio nella sua dimensione spaziale e fisica, ma anche simbolica e immaginaria, come momento di formazione, conoscenza e trasformazione nel confronto con realtà, problemi e mentalità 'altri'. Appendice: Tavole di Zwinger riprodotte nell'intervento di Lucia Felici, "La Methodus Apodemica di Theodor Zwinger: un osservatorio cinquecentesco della città come spazio politico"

This notebook is the fourth in the series designed to illustrate the results of an interdisciplinary study group, fostered by Lea Campos Boralevi, Vittore Collina and Bruna Consarelli, lecturers in the history of political theory, entitled Figure dello spazio, politica e società, and aimed at exploring the major political and social issues of the modern and contemporary age from the aspect of spaces and their production. The contributions presented in this book address issues connected with the role and impact of technology., Il quaderno è il quarto della Collana dedicata ad illustrare i risultati di un gruppo di studio interdisciplinare, promosso da Lea Campos Boralevi, Vittore Collina e Bruna Consarelli, docenti di Storia delle Dottrine Politiche, sul tema Figure dello spazio, politica e società, che mira ad indagare le problematiche politiche e sociali dell'età moderna e contemporanea, dal punto di vista degli spazi e della loro produzione. In questo volume gli interventi affrontano temi nodali legati al ruolo e al peso della tecnologia.

This book presents the proceedings of the conference held on 12 March 2004 at the "Il Momento" theatre in Empoli. The aim of the conference was to explore the significant aspects of the presence of the University of Florence in the Empoli-Valdelsa area, involving the Faculties of Agriculture, Architecture, Economics, Engineering, Medical Surgery and Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences. This presence is a response to the plan for a progressive consolidation of the University in the Florentine metropolitan vast area, in line with functional settlement logic and integrally connected with the specific economic and social demands of the territory., Il volume raccoglie gli atti del convegno tenutosi il 12 marzo 2004 presso la Sala Teatro "Il Momento" di Empoli. Il convegno ha inteso approfondire gli aspetti pregnanti della presenza dell'Università di Firenze nel territorio empolese-valdelsa che vede impegnate le Facoltà di Agraria, Architettura, Economia, Ingegneria, Medicina e Chirurgia e Scienze Matematiche Fisiche e Naturali. Tale presenza risponde a un disegno di progressivo consolidamento dell'Università nella vasta area metropolitana fiorentina secondo logiche di insediamento funzionali e connesse alle specifiche esigenze economiche e sociali del territorio.

This volume represents the third publication in the series devoted to the theme "Figures in space, politics and society", promoted by a specific interdisciplinary study group, and is the result of the study day held in Florence in December 2003. The objective here is to set up comparisons with the suggestions thrown up by historical and literary evidence pertinent to the numerous modes of imagining space with reference to the political and social spheres. A series of extracts from sources collateral to the classical political panorama highlights the fertility of the line of research and the efficacy of the interdisciplinary approach adopted., Questo quaderno su Gli spazi immaginati, che fa seguito ai due intitolati "La politica e gli spazi politici" e "Metafore dello spazio", fa parte della serie dedicata ad illustrare i risultati di un gruppo di studio interdisciplinare, promosso da Lea Campos Boralevi, Vittore Collina e Bruna Consarelli, docenti di Storia delle Dottrine Politiche, sul tema Figure dello spazio, politica e società, che mira ad indagare le problematiche politiche e sociali dell'età moderna e contemporanea, dal punto di vista degli spazi e della loro produzione.

This book on Metafore dello spazio, which follows the first dealing with La politica e gli spazi politici, is part of a series designed to illustrate the results of an interdisciplinary study group, fostered by Lea Campos Boralevi, Vittore Collina and Bruna Consarelli, lecturers in the history of political theory, entitled Figure dello spazio, politica e società, and aimed at exploring the major political and social issues of the modern and contemporary age from the aspect of spaces and their production., Questo volume su Metafore dello spazio, che fa seguito al primo dedicato a La politica e gli spazi, fa parte della serie dedicata ad illustrare i risultati di un gruppo di studio interdisciplinare, promosso da Lea Campos Boralevi, Vittore Collina e Bruna Consarelli, docenti di Storia delle Dottrine politiche, intitolato Figure dello spazio, politica e società, che mira ad indagare i grandi temi politici e sociali dell'età moderna e contemporanea dal punto di vista degli spazi e della loro produzione.

This notebook is the fourth in the series designed to illustrate the results of an interdisciplinary study group, fostered by Lea Campos Boralevi, Vittore Collina and Bruna Consarelli, lecturers in the history of political theory, entitled Figure dello spazio, politica e società, and aimed at exploring the major political and social issues of the modern and contemporary age from the aspect of spaces and their production. The contributions presented in this book address issues connected with the role and impact of technology., Il libro raccoglie gli interventi a una giornata di studio tenuta a Firenze nell'ottobre 2002. Si pone in tal senso come prima tappa di un percorso volto ad illustrare i risultati di un gruppo di studio interdisciplinare - promosso da L. Campos Boralevi, V. Collina e B. Consarelli - intitolato Figure dello spazio, politica e società. L'obiettivo del progetto è quello d'indagare, attraverso incontri e seminari, i grandi temi politici e sociali dell'età moderna e contemporanea dal punto di vista degli spazi e della loro produzione. Nel primo incontro vengono fissati i principali punti interpretativi e raccolti gli spunti critici per lo sviluppo del più ampio disegno complessivo.