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Water poverty is a multidimensional concept open to a variety of definitions. In this paper, we focus on the affordability component of water poverty which emerges as the most relevant dimension of water poverty in the developed world where an increasing number of households are unable to afford the price of water. As in energy poverty, this degrades the metabolic flows of an essential resource in households threatening the livelihoods of members. We examine water affordability in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona combining quantitative and qualitative information. Using data from Metropolitan Surveys as well as from specific studies, we depart from quantitative assessments of the impact of water affordability for the subgroup of households defined as "at risk of poverty". We complement the quantitative analysis with data on arrears, accumulated debt, and water disconnections, among other variables. Qualitative analyses are drawn from interviews with affected people attending meetings of a social platform, APE, created to fight energy and water poverty, offer a more precise assessment of the impacts of water poverty in vulnerable households and of the coping strategies by the affected and by APE. While some important achievements must be noticed, especially the Catalan law prohibiting disconnections of essential services to vulnerable households as well as the provision of financial help to pay the bills, important problems remain, above all the accumulated debt and the special case of the growing number of families occupying empty flats with no water connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a life-history grid to collect narrative data on the labor market transitions of young people aged 20–34 (n = 98) in order to analyze the support provided by relatives in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. Drawing on social capital theory, we explore these mechanisms by analysing the flow of resources within family networks (one-step social capital) and how relatives mediate with other agents in the labor market (two-step social capital). Hence, we address the diversity of material, symbolic and informational resources provided by relatives during labor transitions in order to understand the mechanisms involved in the intergenerational reproduction of occupation inequalities. Although the 'strength of weak ties' thesis usually associates the use of family networks among disadvantaged groups, our results show that the mobilization of relatives is equally important in upper-class background, in which mechanisms such as nepotism and influence on third-party employers are activated. Among the working classes, family ties help job seekers to reach non-redundant connections in the secondary segment of the labor market. The article contributes by providing a detailed map of the roles played by relatives in a southern European context characterized by precariousness and unemployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a framework for performing automatic analysis of Land Use Zones based on Location-Based Social Networks (LBSNs). We model city areas using a hierarchical structure of POIs extracted from foursquare. We encode such structures in kernel machines, e.g., Support Vector Machines, using a new Tree Kernel, i.e., the Hierarchical POI Kernel (HPK), which can take the importance of the individual POIs into account during the substructure matching. This way, HPK projects structures in the space of all their possible substructures such that each dimension corresponds to a semantic structural feature, weighted according to the discriminative power of POIs. We generated four different datasets for the following cities: Barcelona, Lisbon, Amsterdam and Milan, where we trained and tested our models. The results show that our approach largely outperforms previous work and standard baseline built on simple features, such as counts of different POIs. Finally, we apply a mining algorithm to extract the most relevant features (tree fragments) from the implicit TK space according to the weights the kernel machine assigned to them. Our approach can produce an explicit set of representative features that can be used to classify and characterize urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Nowadays, the popular 2.4‐GHz band is used in different systems, such as Wi‐Fi, Bluetooth, wireless sensor systems, and wireless cameras. Instead of the over‐crowded 2.4‐GHz Wi‐Fi band, this research offers the experience of using the 5‐GHz Wi‐Fi band, which provides more spectrum availability, more channels, larger bandwidth, faster data transmission, higher data rates, higher speed, and better quality of service compared to those of the 2.4‐GHz band. In this paper, practical implementation and testing of a cooperative spectrum sensing system are presented. The spectrum utilization in the 5‐GHz Wi‐Fi licensed band at six different locations is investigated to allow the transition of secondary users (SUs) to free bands. The spectrum measurement is performed on a centralized cooperative spectrum sensing system, which consists of a master cognitive radio node and five cognitive radio stations. The measurement and simulation results for the practical system are compared with the previous related measurements obtained in Singapore, Barcelona, North Dakota (USA), and Germany. They all agree that the spectrum is underutilized, and it needs to be better utilized for increasing the spectrum efficiency. The practical results show that the newly implemented system in the 5‐GHz range fulfills the requirements of users with high efficiency and high quality of service compared to those of the 2.4‐GHz system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fifteenth century witnessed the birth of the first European public banks, amongst them, the Taula de Canvi of Barcelona, founded in 1401. Its almost immediate success is undeniable: the Taula soon had many and powerful clients, and the deposits made in it grew steadily. But some decades later, Barcelona was shattered by the outbreak of the Catalan Civil War (1462–1472), which had a great impact on the Taula. This paper focuses on the analysis of this crisis, as well as on how the city council of Barcelona dealt with the problems of its bank during this period of unrest, which ultimately led to the strengthening of the Taula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There exist two known types of ultrafilter extensions of first-order models, both in a certain sense canonical. One of them (Goranko in Filter and ultrafilter extensions of structures: universal-algebraic aspects, preprint, 2007) comes from modal logic and universal algebra, and in fact goes back to Jónsson and Tarski (Am J Math 73(4):891–939, 1951; 74(1):127–162, 1952). Another one (Saveliev in Lect Notes Comput Sci 6521:162–177, 2011; Saveliev in: Friedman, Koerwien, Müller (eds) The infinity project proceeding, Barcelona, 2012) comes from model theory and algebra of ultrafilters, with ultrafilter extensions of semigroups (Hindman and Strauss in Algebra in the Stone–Čech Compactification, W. de Gruyter, Berlin, 2012) as its main precursor. By a classical fact of general topology, the space of ultrafilters over a discrete space is its largest compactification. The main result of Saveliev (Lect Notes Comput Sci 6521:162–177, 2011; in: Friedman, Koerwien, Müller (eds) The infinity project proceeding, Barcelona, 2012), which confirms a canonicity of this extension, generalizes this fact to discrete spaces endowed with an arbitrary first-order structure. An analogous result for the former type of ultrafilter extensions was obtained in Saveliev (in On two types of ultrafilter extensions of binary relations. arXiv:2001.02456). Results of such kind are referred to as extension theorems. After a brief introduction, we offer a uniform approach to both types of extensions based on the idea to extend the extension procedure itself. We propose a generalization of the standard concept of first-order interpretations in which functional and relational symbols are interpreted rather by ultrafilters over sets of functions and relations than by functions and relations themselves, and define ultrafilter models with an appropriate semantics for them. We provide two specific operations which turn ultrafilter models into ordinary models, establish necessary and sufficient conditions under which the latter are the two canonical ultrafilter extensions of some ordinary models, and obtain a topological characterization of ultrafilter models. We generalize a restricted version of the extension theorem to ultrafilter models. To formulate the full version, we propose a wider concept of ultrafilter models with their semantics based on limits of ultrafilters, and show that the former concept can be identified, in a certain way, with a particular case of the latter; moreover, the new concept absorbs the ordinary concept of models. We provide two more specific operations which turn ultrafilter models in the narrow sense into ones in the wide sense, and establish necessary and sufficient conditions under which ultrafilter models in the wide sense are the images of ones in the narrow sense under these operations, and also are two canonical ultrafilter extensions of some ordinary models. Finally, we establish three full versions of the extension theorem for ultrafilter models in the wide sense. The results of the first three sections of this paper were partially announced in Poliakov and Saveliev (in: Kennedy, de Queiroz (eds) On two concepts of ultrafilter extensions of first-order models and their generalizations, Springer, Berlin, 2017). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2019 the climate movement experienced an unprecedented growth in its mobilization capacity and its political and media impact. This success is closely linked to the rise of Greta Thunberg and her global impact, as well as to the organization effort of "Fridays for Future" in hundreds of local groups around the globe. This paper studies the connection between these two elements based on the movement frame analysis and its dissemination on social media. Through an analysis of the activists' speeches and social media messages, Greta's key role in the establishment and evolution of a new frame for the climate movement can be seen. This is reinforced and legitimized with her own personal story told through the hero's journey or monomyth. Then, the inclusion and adaptation of Greta's frame in the local group of "Fridays for Future" in Barcelona based on the content analysis of its publications on Twitter and Instagram will be analyzed. The results show how, despite the reluctance regarding personified leadership, Greta's frame has a significant influence on the discourse of the local movement and on the "Fridays for Future" Barcelona's social media followers. The analysis also provides empirical evidence of the relevance of glocal dynamics in online social movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism is one of the activities most urgently in need of innovation and creativity to keep the boom going. This paper seeks to understand how mature destinations and tourism managers devise innovative and sustainable solutions in everyday practice. Current trends in demand call for active experiences that generate emotions, stir up feelings, present content, and provide a dose of pleasure. The case study presented here is an innovative street art project called Pinacoteca a Cel Obert (Open-Air Art Gallery), a clear example of reactivation, recovery and urban development that involves the local population and associations as part of the local government's drive to encourage community participation and empower change with regard to urban issues. The viability and sustainability of this commendable example are analysed through in-depth interviews with the respective project managers, the guides who run the tours and the visitors who have participated in the tour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few years, the Federal Institute for material research (BAM, Berlin) together with the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC, University of Hamburg) have initiated a systematic material investigation of black inks produced from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages (ca. fourth century CE–fourteenth/fifteenth centuries CE), aimed primarily at extending and complementing findings from previous sporadic studies. Part of this systematic investigation has focused on Egyptian Coptic manuscripts, and the present preliminary study is one of its outputs. It centres on a corpus of 45 Coptic manuscripts—43 papyri and 2 ostraca—preserved at the Palau-Ribes and Roca-Puig collections in Barcelona. The manuscripts come from the Monastery of Apa Apollo at Bawit, one of the largest monastic settlements in Egypt between the Late Antiquity and the Early Islamic Period (sixth–eighth centuries CE). The composition of their black inks was investigated in situ using near-infrared reflectography (NIRR) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The analyses determined that the manuscripts were written using different types of ink: pure carbon ink; carbon ink containing iron; mixed inks containing carbon, polyphenols and metallic elements; and iron-gall ink. The variety of inks used for the documentary texts seems to reflect the articulate administrative system of the monastery of Bawit. This study reveals that, in contrast to the documents, written mostly with carbon-based inks, literary biblical texts were written with iron-gall ink. The frequent reuse of papyrus paper for certain categories of documents may suggest that carbon-based inks were used for ephemeral manuscripts, since they were easy to erase by abrasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geophysical surveys have been one of the most useful tools for non‐invasive archaeological field assessment. Whereas they have been regularly put into practice at the archaeological site of Santa Margarida (Martorell, Barcelona, Spain), the particular features of the site required a more specific strategy to identify the contact interface between anthropogenic and natural deposits and, therefore, to conclude the archaeological excavation. As the archaeological site is settled on Quaternary alluvia at the confluence of two rivers, and in the absence of built structures in some areas, it was extremely difficult to distinguish between anthropic layers and those silty or sandy natural deposits during fieldwork. Extensive soil survey by means of borehole logging, full‐coring, and Dynamic Penetrometer Super Heavy testing within this site has proved to be a useful strategy to identify the geological horizon and to map the original relief of past landscape before excavation tasks. This enabled us to plan our fieldwork better and to interpret particular features of the site. This paper aims at summarising the results of recent surveys and discussing the potential of this approach for the study of rural settlements and agrarian landscapes in the Middle Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the evolvement of the 'movement of the squares' following the end of the more visible cycles of mobilization of the squares´ occupations. We argue that a crucial aspect of this evolution lies in the creation of a social infrastructure of alternative (re)productive projects in the form of commons. We call this type of outcomes 'social' in order to distinguish them from the cultural, political and biographical outcomes underlined in typologies on the consequences of social movements. Bridging social movement studies with the literature on the commons, we build a conceptual framework of their relationship. Through a comparative analysis of the movements in Athens and Barcelona, we show how the commoning practices of the square encampments gave rise to more endurable commons disseminated across cities´ social fabrics. We identify both direct and indirect mechanisms of movements´ transmutation into commons, and distinguish the former into transplantation, ideation, and breeding processes. Our second aim is to scrutinize the political dimension of these commons in relation to what has been framed as the 'post-political condition'. We maintain that the post-square commons constitute political and politicizing actions for activists and users for their effects on everyday life, for their capacity to link their practices with broader, structural dynamics of injustice, inequality and exclusion, and for their selective engagement with counter-austerity politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of protons and heavy ions for the treatment of tumors is increasing since it provides a better relative biological effectiveness (RBE) than traditional radiotherapy. Accurate knowledge of the energy deposition at submicrometric scales is paramount for RBE characterization. This paper shows the latest version of the silicon cylindrical microdosimeter array developed by the Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona, Centro Nacional de Microelectrónica (IMB-CNM, Spain). The detector consists of a matrix of $11 \times 11$ cylindrical sensitive unit cells with individual readout etched within the silicon substrate available in different diameters and pitches between detectors. The detector employed in this paper had a diameter of $15~\mu \text{m}$ , a pitch of $200~\mu \text{m}$ , and a thickness of $5.5~\mu \text{m}$. The detectors were tested in the clinical facilities of Fondazione Centro Nazionale di Adronterapia Oncologica (CNAO) (Pavia, Italy) employing a 12C pencil beam at a therapeutic beam fluence rate. Microdosimetric spectra of lineal energy were measured in different depths of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) up to the Bragg peak. Results were then compared with Monte Carlo simulations using the FLUKA particle transport code, showing an excellent agreement between experimental and simulated microdosimetric distributions even at the high fluence rates associated with clinical beams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we analyse the intensity and extent of agglomeration and co‐agglomeration of creative industries (CIs) in the metropolitan area of Barcelona (MAB). To do so, we use firm‐level geo‐located data to calculate distance‐based M and m functions of agglomeration and co‐agglomeration. Our results show that CIs are relatively more agglomerated than non‐CIs at short distances, and that each individual CI sector displays high levels of agglomeration (especially symbolic‐based sectors). Also, the co‐agglomeration of CIs and Non‐CIs is only observed for micro‐firms and that there is significant co‐agglomeration among symbolic‐based CI sectors. Finally, we confirm the role of the city‐centre of Barcelona as a magnet for CIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Worst flash flood in Spain in 1962 caused more than 800 deaths. • Mostly grey literature on the catastrophe is raised to international audience. • Example of highest vulnerability and role of sediment on water levels. Abstract The 1962 Rubí flood was a severe flash flood, the worst to ever take place in Spain, claiming the lives of more than 800 people following 200 mm of rainfall in 2 h. Such a high number of casualties can be explained by the very high vulnerability of people who lived in the floodplains of a wandering, ephemeral stream (a wadi) prone to flash floods. Many publications to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the flood have been used as proxy data for the event, especially in terms of social aspects. The meteorological and pluviometric information is reviewed, while other information is only found in grey literature. Recently, the event has been considered an outlier in the panorama of European flash floods. Because of the above, this paper aims to convey all the information to readers and show that it deserves to be raised to an international level as an example of an extreme flash flood. After addressing some misunderstandings, it can be concluded that the event was not an outlier, nor was it extreme, in terms of total rainfall, return period, discharge, discharge per unit basin area, unit stream power and flow velocity. It may be extraordinary because the flood reached very high levels by transporting large amounts of both fine and coarse sediment particles. The stream is steep, ephemeral, lacking an armour layer, and prone to torrential events, in which the large sediment transport played a role in how high the flood levels rose. The use of flooding marks to compute discharges is also discussed. In addition, the paper presents a torrential calculation based on the momentum principle in a control volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a methodology based on Python libraries and machine learning k-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) algorithms to create an interactive 3D HTML model (3D_Vertical_Sections_Faults_LRD.html) that combines 2D grain-size KNN-prediction vertical maps (vertical sections) from which syn-sedimentary faults and other features in sedimentary porous media can be delineated. The model can be visualized and handled with conventional web browsers. The grain-size physical parameter is measurable, constant over instrumental time, handleable mathematically, and its range can be associated to lithological classes. Grain-size input data comes from a public database of 433 boreholes in the Llobregat River Delta (LRD) in NE Spain. Four lithological classes were defined: Pre-Quaternary basement, and Quaternary gravel, sand, and clay–silt. Using a new KNN-prediction algorithm, seven NW–SE (transversal) and three SW–NE (longitudinal) vertical sections were created following the orientation of faults identified in surface and detected in reflection seismic geophysical surveys. For exploratory K values in the 1–75 range were used. K around 25 provides the general and smoothy shape of the basement top surface, whereas K = 1 is a optimal value to represent the heterogeneity of the LRD at short distance. Using a new KNN-prediction confidence algorithm inspired in the Similarity Ratio algorithm for machine-learning KNN, the vertical sections overall confidence was evaluated as satisfactory. A general decreasing confidence trend according to the decreasing data density with depth and from inland to seaward was found. The vertical sections created with K = 1 show horizontal interruptions (displacements or vertical steps) in the basement continuity and in the Quaternary coarse bodies (gravel and sand) attributable to the action of Quaternary active faults. These faults have been linked or correlated with well-known active faults in the area related in much cases with the Valencia Trough opening. Moreover, several faults detected in surface and other identified in this paper by the first time have been revealed as fault zones made of fault branches with different steps in an echelon-like arrangement. Faulting seems to be more evident in the Pleistocene Lower Detrital Complex and much less active or inactive in the Holocene Upper Detrital Complex. Syn-tectonic gravel channels faulty controlled, progradation of gravel lobes, and lateral migration of channel bars were also observed. At its current development stage, this methodology could also be applied to other geological environments, making the due minor modifications of the code, and is especially suitable to reduce the high (usually unmeasurable) uncertainty associated to the qualitative geological data used in more complex numerical tools aimed at modelling a lot of geological resources (groundwater, minerals, geothermal, petroleum) or different Earth phenomena. • Llobregat River Delta (Barcelona, NE Spain). • Python Libraries. • K-Nearest Neighbors algorithm. • D HTML models. • Syn-sedimentary faults and gravel channels migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the study of the flood's dynamics with the use of new formulations based on how rivers change landscapes through incision as modelled by Daniel Garcia-Castellanos and his colleagues in Barcelona, Spain. It mentions the influence of the underlying tectonic process that keeps water in place. It highlights the land bridge between Europe and Africa and the Mediterranean Sea.

The need to answer to some of the challenges generated by the dynamics of Land Use Land Cover Change (LULCC) in a territory characterized by its dispersed urban structure is the origin of this work. LULCC can be generators of risk spaces and costs associated with urban sprawl, among which the fires in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and the unsustainable mobility of a dispersed population stand out. The general objective of this paper is to analyze, on one hand, the territorial and landscape dynamics in a municipality of the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona, Matadepera, that have generated vulnerable spaces using a quantitative methodology, to determine the evolution of the LULCC using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). On the other hand, the use of qualitative methodology, allows knowing the voice of the resident population from semi-structured interviews. The diagnosis allows us to propose alternatives to moderate or even overcome the consequences of these challenges. Each territory has local development opportunities that allow a more sustainable relationship with the environment. Understanding the dynamics of LULCC allows us to find opportunities and alternatives for improvement in territorial management and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article recovers the historiographic and critical-textual discussion about the beginning of the Usatges de Barcelona. This literature review includes an examination about the dating hypotheses, interpretations on the code compilations, in addition to exploring the relationships of codes sources, with some notes on its typology, and the historical context of its formation and diffusion between the 12th-13th Centuries. It also aims to consider the role played by Usatges as the foundation (be it true or idealized) of a publicist tradition that started in medieval Catalonia. With this approach it is possible to link all these elements assuming that many of the interpretative matrices found in its historiography are going beyond to the mere description of the sources. Finally, the paper it also deals with the institutionalist narratives that emphasize the formation of public power and the modern State. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the nationalist conflict in Catalonia and how it is lived and experienced by actors within it. It focuses on the people mobilised against independence who see themselves primarily as defenders of the Spanish Constitution and not of Spanish nationalism. Critics of civic nationalism in political theory and Nationalism Studies argue that anti‐nationalist rhetoric tends to be the expression of structural or hegemonic nationalism. Drawing on fieldwork carried out in Barcelona, I look at how the conflict has influenced discourse and language used in everyday life, how participants negotiate their identity, why people do (and do not) get involved in organisations that defend their political ideas, how they see themselves within the conflict and their perceptions of public space and its significance in relation to the constitution. An ethnographic approach explores these issues and discovers that although anti‐independence actors base their mobilisation in nationalism, civic nationalism cannot be reduced to just another form of nationalism. I aim to go beyond critics of civic nationalism to explore how my interlocutors act within and against nationalism, reproducing nationalist discourse in some aspect (boundaries of the nation) in order to challenge it in others (content and relevance of nationalism in everyday life). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the divergent economic trajectories of Barcelona and Madrid since Spain's transition to democracy. It highlights how Barcelona, the city that was better positioned four decades ago to emerge as the main Spanish economic hub, has lost out to Madrid. We argue that the contrasting trajectories of the two cities have less to do with the pull of Madrid as the capital of Spain, with the development of new infrastructure in the country, or with agglomeration economies, and more with institutional factors. A growing societal divide in Barcelona along economic, social, and identity lines has led to a greater breakdown of trust and to the development of strong groups with limited capacity to bridge with one another than in Madrid. This has entailed the emergence of negative externalities that have limited the economic potential for growth in Barcelona and facilitated the rise of Madrid as the main economic hub within Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metropolitan planning is a fairly new practice that refers, amongst other topics, to open spaces. The objective of this research is to determine the changing role and treatment given to open spaces in successive metropolitan plans through an evolutionary analysis of Barcelona. The paper begins by providing the conceptual foundations of open space planning in metropolitan contexts and by briefly contextualising the study-area. The methodology is based on a guided analysis of 26 supra-municipal plans. In addition, other research methods are also used to obtain the results, consisting of the systematic overview of the analysed plans. The discussion examines the trajectory of the Barcelona case study with regard to international developments, showing that there is an overall consistency between them. The text concludes by recommending improvements for guaranteeing proper metropolitan open space planning, such as the need to go beyond zoning procedures and to take into account civil society and local political circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing concern over air pollution and community health, demands a comprehensive understanding of the political nature of transport-related emissions. This paper approaches how structures of power influence travel behaviour and, consequently, how they shape emissions from mobility in Barcelona. To comprehend how the intersection of gender, age, and migration background influences air pollution, we use a travel survey to build a set of models that are known to theoretically engage with intersectionality studies. Results show that identities tied to structures of power promote a greater contribution to air pollution than other mechanisms. That is, middle-aged European-born men have the most NO x -intensive mobility practices. In contrast, people that embody intersectional experiences of oppression such as misogyny, racism, or ageism, have lower emission levels. Considering these results, we argue that policies which acknowledge the unequal distribution of responsibilities present an opportunity to reduce emissions from transportation, while guaranteeing fairness and advancing environmental justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to classical sources Barcelona was known as an oyster (Ostrea edulis Linnaeus 1758) harvesting point from Roman times onwards. Still, as of this writing, archaeomalacological studies from historical periods in the city are nearly absent. In this paper we present the analysis of archaeomalacological remains recovered from different rescue excavations on the outer side of the Roman walls of Barcelona, in particular between towers 27 and 28, along present day Sotstinent Navarro Street. The excavated area essentially corresponds with a space that in medieval times was occupied by buildings that were attached to the defensive wall, where domestic remains were found. Our results suggest that consumption was primarily focused on the edible oyster, showing a continuation of the ancient tradition into later phases. A few thorny oysters (Spondylus gaederopus Linnaeus 1758) and other bivalves (Glycymeris spp.) which might not have been necessarily consumed, were also trieved. Marine gastropods are scarce, with the exception of some murex snails. This is the first time that an archaeomalacological study addresses marine mollusc consumption in Barcelona during historical times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to contribute to the investigation of urban management models considering the sharing economy. Adding an integrative perspective that evaluates the real impact on the territory of regulated and unregulated accommodation in cities in order to guarantee the sustainability of the long-term destinations, the tourist experience and the quality of life of the residents. The data of the hotels and tourist apartments are analyzed together with those of Airbnb. The data of the distribution of holiday dwellings offered by Airbnb were mapped out as new indicators capable of reflecting the real situation that demand and housing supply are experiencing in Madrid and Barcelona. It is understood that thanks to these indicators, tourist destinations are able to direct exchanges between collaborative economy and smart economy toward achieving the purpose of the model: making destinations sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: this paper analyzes the renovation that took place in Barcelona, Spain, between the 1980s and 1990s, when significant transformations were made to host the 1992 Olympics, and takes this urbanism of the "Barcelona Model" as a reference to reflect on the process of contemporary urban regeneration from the implementation of policies of image and refunctionalization of tourism. Objective: after recovering the historical process of such interventions that initially sought to correct the problems inherited from Francoism, such as densities and scarcity of public spaces, equipment, services and housing, we seek to present the strategies of urban planning to introduce the city to the global market, making it one of the main tourist destinations in Europe, with strong socio-spatial contradictions between tourist uses and the uses of the city by local residents. Methods: the results of this research were based on literature review, documents analysis and fieldwork with the conduction of in-depth interviews with important agents representing the analysed process. Results: the demystification of the "Barcelona Model", based on its presentation and critical analysis, confirms that urban "models" can only serve as inspiration, review and criticism, but cannot be replicated as recipes in cities with different influences. Conclusion: the uncontrolled excess of tourists in the city revealed the need for new instruments to regulate the sector regarding the concentration in tourist spots and the quality of life of the local residents, mainly in relation to real estate speculation, the cost of living, and the cultural impacts of the so-called 'overtourism'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are complex systems in constant evolution, whose planning faces increasingly unpredictable futures. Understanding the city as a complex selforganizing system, and based on information theory and thermodynamic theory of non-equilibrium and irreversibility, it is possible to establish the exchange of information that occurs between the urban system and the surrounding environment. This paper shows that facing an abrupt rise in uncertainty, the city can increase its complexity [1], its ability to anticipate the environment [2], its control over the environment [3], can adequately combine the previous strategies [4] or change its identity [5]. The methodology used in this article juxtaposes these predetermined conceptual premises five case studies of cities affected by social conflicts, natural disasters, and wars. The research results show the applicability of the coupling between the urban system and its environment and exemplify how the five strategies have intensely transformed the urban morphology and topology of cities such as Amsterdam, Nicosia, Barcelona, and Beirut. The overall conclusion of the article points out that memory is a critical factor in defining new urban futures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the making of urban sustainable food provisioning through the case of Barcelona. Barcelona is seeking to develop a more sustainable food system. It aims to green its municipal food markets by reducing the distances from which the food is sourced from. This has been labelled by the city of Barcelona as "proximity food". We shed light on how, and to what extent, proximity food contributes to making the city more sustainable. To frame our analysis, we employ concepts from networks and flows as developed in sociology by Manuel Castells. We examine the provisioning processes that proximity food goes through before they enter retail markets. This includes an analysis of connections with urban energy and water flows. This so-called water, energy and food Urban Nexus, which we argue to be a key factor in the greening of urban food systems. This means that sustainability of food is not just determined by physical distances between its provisioning processes per se but by the specific ways in which food flows relate to connections (both physical and social) with energy and water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pay what you want (PWYW) is an increasingly popular sales strategy in which consumers voluntarily decide how much to pay for a product or service. PWYW has often been described as an exercise in the "empathy economy," where consumers' payment choices might be seen as empowered expressions of their tastes and preferences, and sellers have a stronger incentive for empathizing with them. Beyond their economic interest, PWYW experiences also deserve significant attention in the social sciences given that they challenge several key assumptions of rational choice and neoclassical economic theory, as well as conventional consumer behavior and pricing theories. This paper analyzes three plays performed at the Beckett Theater in Barcelona using PWYW with very profitable outcomes. Our analysis shows that socio‐psychological factors, such as payments attributed to others and satisfaction with the play, are the best predictors of customer payments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve neighbourhood liveability and urban sustainability, Barcelona is seeking to re-organize its urban structure into superblocks, designed to discourage cut-through traffic and promote multiple uses of street space. Despite its potential, this approach is not without its limits, that should be properly taken into account. The implementation of the Supermanzana model in the Poblenou neighbourhood is explored in this paper to analyse its potentialities and constraints. Temporal synchronization between the urban level and the neighbourhood level turns out to be particularly important to reduce conflicts and criticalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on participant observation and interviews conducted in Barcelona during 2017 and 2018, this article presents the case of the citizen participation process «Rethink the 22@» as an inspiring public policy for civic deliberation. While there are several studies which explore citizen participation as a complement to governance in representative democracies, there is still very little research looking at the implementation of the deliberative processes and even less focussed on urban planning. This paper seeks to contribute to this vacuum. In the decade of the 90’, the emergence of «global cities» restricted urban governance to the interests of capital investment. In the 2010s’ a factual combination of the collapse of the real estate market and the emergence of the 15M provided a fertile ground for the implementation of direct democracy activities. In 2017, the Barcelona City Council approved a new Regulation for Citizen Participation which promotes the deployment of participatory processes. Within this regulation «Rethink the 22@» is the only participatory process dedicated to urban planning. This article considers this process to be a relevant reference due to its quantity and plurality of participation, for its deliberative methodology, and for its urban extension and multiplicity interests involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can present day grassroots direct actions be considered revolutionary? In this paper, I argue that seemingly 'reformist' demands can be considered revolutionary in today's neoliberal capitalism. At the turn of the twenty-first century, working class Ecuadorian migrants in Barcelona were trying to join the global middle classes via subprime mortgage loans and despite their precarious jobs. Following the collapse of Spain's housing bubble, unemployed, defaulting on their mortgages, and risking home eviction, they turned to housing activism. They joined the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages (PAH) and became daily protestors for the right to housing and against indebtedness. Looking at PAH approaches that encouraged debt default among low-income families, strategies to reconvert repossessed homes by rescued banks into social housing units, or the effective occupation of buildings that belonged to these banks by the PAH to house evicted families, I claim that these moments represent revolutionary instances of a broader fight against indebtedness taking place globally which can be considered-as many did at the PAH-a fight against capitalism at large. In this paper I illustrate how people who had seldom participated in social mobilization became part of a small Barcelonan movement for the right to housing that grew exponentially throughout Spain succeeding in canceling thousands of mortgage debts and stopping equally as many evictions. PAH's spaces of encounter and action made possible a cross-class alliance upheld by weekly assemblies and near daily direct actions against financial institutions and a pro-austerity central government. These moments demonstrate the ability of everyday people to reclaim housing, redefine the narrative of indebtedness, and-in the case of Barcelona-it even made possible taking control of City Hall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practice of busking and street music performance is becoming key to the identity of cities. However, although the spatial configuration and acoustics of historic city centres are interrelated, few rigorous studies have been undertaken on this area. The paper presents the results of a quantitative and comparative analysis of the space syntax configuration and on-site sound recordings in four main open environments within the inner core of Barcelona. The aim of this work is to highlight the conflict points between outdoor acoustics and movement flows in order to inform future designs and management of those public spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standardized heavy rainfall profiles may contribute to a best knowledge concerning flash floods, ground erosion and runoff. Taking advantage of the rain rate gauges network of Barcelona city and applying a short integration time of 5 min, the heavy rainfall records with amounts above 25 mm and longer than 60 min have been selected along 15 years, being detected 499 records corresponding to 67 episodes. The amount distribution of these records are analysed at time deciles. By grouping these standardized rainfall profiles according to their similarity by means of the average linkage clustering algorithm, 10 clusters are derived, each one of them characterized by different time evolution of rainfall. The representative standardized rainfall profiles for every one of the clusters, together with maximum 5-min rain amounts and rainfall amounts characterizing them, permit to distinguish rainfall patterns. In addition, the extreme heavy rainfalls which may lead to flash floods are identified, as also their respective synoptic situations. In short, this analysis offers a description of heavy rainfall patterns in Barcelona city, complementing previous papers on the normalized intensity curves and 5-min intensity return periods. These heavy rainfall analyses would be very useful when designing drainage and sewerage systems in urban areas as Barcelona, where flash floods may be expected due to episodes of notable rainfall amount and intensity. The imperviousness density of the soil and an appropriate sewerage structure should be adapted to mitigate the effects of these copious and intense episodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is focused on the study of the quality of experience lived by tourists when visiting a cultural heritage destination by using a tourist product based on a virtual tour. The research is justified by the increased demand by tourists to have a memorable experience in a destination as well as the growing offer on virtual reality and augmented reality technologies applied to the tourism sector. The database consists of online comments extracted from those who visited two well-known tourism destinations in Spain, Seville and Barcelona, where the immersive virtual reality technology named Past View is currently used. A total of 119 online comments on the tourists' experience after the use of the Past View smart glasses and posted in the e-WOM community Trip Advisor were valid for the analysis. Using a correspondence analysis of textual data, the results shed light about how virtual reality technologies influence on tourists' quality of experience. The findings drawn from the empirical analysis provide destination marketing organizations suitable and useful information to promote the destination and therefore encouraging entrepreneurs to innovate in tourism sector to attend the desire of tourists to have a memorable tourist experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding citizen participation as an act in which the community is taking part in the decision-making process of a territory, sharing its role in it with other individuals, is licit to mention its importance in the destination management, no matter the degree of maturity the territory has. This participation is an essential factor in the social dimension of a Smart Destination, a territory composed of three more dimensions besides the social one: economic, governance, and mobility; growing up from sustainability and technology pillars, as the main axes of the smart model applied to the territory. This paper aims to explore the local community role in the decision-making process of a tourist territory, focusing on the study of the El Raval neighborhood, of the Barcelona city, as an example of urban territory with a high concentration of tourist hot spots, and thereby, with a large volume of tourist inflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the following paper, from my position as a politically and socially committed anthropologist I will reflect on the different ways I have been articulating my research and activism. Starting from the questions about the purpose of knowledge production and more specifically who we do ethnography for, I have involved myself in a research project that was born with a dual goal. On the one hand, democratizing the production of knowledge and, on the other hand, politicizing its contents. I have used my experience in the Platform of Affected by the Mortgage of Barcelona to visualize, through a retrospective analysis, the disagreements and the difficulties I have gone through while combining research with my participation and involvement within the collective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Individuals are more sensitive to changes in quality than in prices. • Subsidies have a moderate progressive effect explained by the higher use of public transport by low-income groups. • Changing the fare structure has a relatively small effect on modal-split, while the effect on revenue can be higher. • The distributional profiles of alternative pricing strategies are very similar. • Suppressing the integrated fare system has a regressive effect but of limited magnitude. This paper assesses the ability of alternative fare system designs to change the modal-share of public transport use, as well as their corresponding impact on company revenues. Specifically, we provide evidence for how switching from flat to distance fares or from integrated to non-integrated tickets affects both the ridership and the financial situation of public transport companies. Secondly, because distributional concerns are at the heart of the policy debate, we evaluate the impact of the alternative fare schemes on equity. We distinguish between commuting and personal travel purposes. Focusing on the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona, our analysis shows that different pricing structures have only a moderate effect on ridership, while the potential for revenue changes is higher. Regarding equity, our results reveal that the distributional profiles of alternative pricing strategies are quite homogeneous. However, there appears to be a mild regressive effect when an integrated fare system is removed. Our results may help to guide policy decisions related to public transport pricing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the use of surface flow image velocimetry (SFIV) to analyse flow velocity fields near grated inlets. This will help to understand the flow-capture process of grated inlets and improve their design. The technique allows approximation of the surface flow velocity field where other techniques can fail. Especially in cases when the flow near the inlet is supercritical, and with small depths, the introduction of other devices to measure velocity fields can dramatically modify the flow pattern around the gauge and lead to unreliable measurements. SFIV provides a non-intrusive way of estimating flow velocities in the area covered by the images. Full-scale experiments were carried out using a high-resolution camera and commercial codes to characterise the flow patterns approaching grated inlets commonly used in Barcelona, Spain. The results from image processing algorithms were used to differentiate frontal and lateral flows reaching the inlets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses differentiation processes between non-native groups in a stigmatized peripheral neighbourhood of Barcelona. Its more established dwellers – internal migrants from the South of Spain – have set in place differentiation processes between them and the more recently arrived international migrants. To substantivize differentiation processes, in a context where race has been largely silent, they appropriate the "civic terminology" that has become popular in the city in the last decade. In the global context of hyper-regulation and increasing privatization of urban public spaces, this group's discursive strategies, based on the civic/non-civic divide, aim to ensure control over accessible open public space, a resource that is locally scarce. Using the ethnographic example of the tensions around "proper behaviour" in the area's main square, the article explores processes of identification and differentiation in a context where autochthony cannot be unproblematically called upon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of satellite direct reception and terrestrial 5G infrastructure is essential to guarantee coverage in satellite based-Internet of Things, mainly in smart cities where buildings can cause high power losses. In this paper, we propose an accurate and fast graphical method for predicting the satellite coverage in urban areas and SatCom on-the-move scenarios. The aim is to provide information that could be useful in the IoT network planning process, e.g., in the decision of how many terrestrial repeaters are really needed and where they should be placed. Experiments show that the shadowed areas predicted by the method correspond almost perfectly with experimental data measured from an Eutelsat satellite in the urban area of Barcelona. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies how a group of delivery workers in Barcelona were able to organize a successful traditional and a social media strategy in order to claim for their rights as waged workers. They created a union, RidersxDerechos, and they also decided to create a worker's cooperative, Mensakas, with their own application and algorithm. We will study how they were able to re-appropriate technology and to use digital communities to spread alternative discourses. We have used different methodologies: traditional content analysis in Media, debate analysis in Social Media, qualitative ethnography. We noticed that RidersxDerechos access to media was very successful (300 piece of news analyzed) thanks to strikes and court trials, facilitating a change of perspective in the treatment of platform economy in Media. Media were following up the digital entrepreneurship rhetoric until then. Along with the traditional media strategy they developed a diversified communicative pathway in social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Goteo) that helped them to establish alliances with riders from other cities and countries. We focused on more than 25.000 tweets. Finally, they proposed a new way to use technology by creating their own app and algorithms for their working cooperative, Mensakas. Crowdfunding was also used to fund it and to spread an alternative working storytelling from Silicon Valley's. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the passing of Spanish laws that promoted the creation of urban cartography and the need to redevelop an overcrowded city, the Barcelona City Council commissioned the architect Miquel Garriga i Roca in 1856 to create a municipal plan. During the following six years he compiled what is known as the Plan of Barcelona, a collection of cartographical documents that depicts with unprecedented levels of detail how Barcelona appeared right after the demolition of the city walls. This paper explains how and why the maps were commissioned, how they were made, and the resultant cartographical output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the technical, environmental, and economic evaluation of integrating various combinations of renewable energy sources-based systems in the expansion of a district heating and cooling network of a Technology Park near Barcelona in Spain. At present, a combined heat and power plant running on fossil fuels serves the heating, cooling, and electricity demand of the Park. However, this energy demand is expected to increase substantially in the coming years. EnergyPRO software was used to model the energy demand growth till 2030. Validation of the software application was done by making a base model using real plant data from the year 2014. The software was then used to project the energy supply based on three 15-year scenarios, having different combinations of renewable energy technologies, from 2016 until 2030. Primary energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and the net present value obtained in each scenario were used to decide the best combinations of renewable energy sources. The results of the study showed that presently, biomass boilers combined with absorption chillers and supported with solar thermal cooling are the most competitive technologies in comparison to ground source heat pumps for large DHC networks. This is mainly because of the lower primary energy consumption (624,380 MWh/year in 2030 vs. 665,367 MWh/year), higher net present value (NPV) (222 million € vs. 178 million €), and lower CO2 emissions (107,753 tons/year in 2030 vs. 111,166 tons/year) obtained as a result of the simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Spanish liberal period in the city of Barcelona the emergency of a new style of culture which came as a result of a complex society with historical features that set it apart. This cultural style could be seen in industrial, urban and economic growth, but also in the arts, recreational activities and also in ideology and politics. Given these circumstances and with an eye on social change and advances in production, and European policies, in Barcelona the first hygienic gymnasiums began to appear. The localisation and study of these gymnasiums is the main objective of this paper, which provides a space to be able to better interpret the emergence of physical and sports practices and their systemic and ideological relationship with other historical events. A review of the historical press deposited in the Library of Catalonia offers the possibility of more in-depth analysis and links the hermeneutic discourse to the support of other background and contextual studies. It is therefore concluded that the appearance of these gymnasiums was never associated with nationalising and patriotic ends, but with the modern, urban development of a liberal and private social framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé: Le congrès européen 2018 de l'ISPOR Europe (International society for pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research) s'est tenu à Barcelone du 10 au 14 novembre 2018. Lors de ce congrès, ont été débattus les sujets d'actualités qui agitent le monde de la santé et bien au-delà : la santé numérique. Un groupe de pharmaciens, médecins et économistes en santé présents à Barcelone, a choisi de vous en restituer les messages forts. Dans cet article, les auteurs évoquent les questions issues des différentes sessions et/ou posters : après la libre circulation des personnes, des biens et services, l'Europe et le reste du monde sont confrontés à un nouveau mouvement : la « libre circulation des données », ce changement est-il une opportunité ou une menace pour la vie privée des patients ? La santé numérique peut-elle être source d'inégalités sociales ? Les métiers de la santé sont-ils menacés par l'intelligence artificielle (IA) notamment les économistes en santé ? Quelle sécurité dans l'utilisation des applications mobiles (Apps) et objets connectés (OC) ? Autant de questions discutées dans cet article pour l'enthousiasme ou le scepticisme qu'elles suscitent. The 2018 european congress of the ISPOR Europe (International society for pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research) was held in Barcelona from 10 to 14 November 2018. During the congress, the news topics that are stirring the world of health and far beyond were discussed: digital health. A group of pharmacists, physicians and health economists attended the conference and reported some of the highlights. In this paper, the authors discussed the following questions from the different sessions and/or posters. After the free movement of people, goods and services, Europe and the rest of the world should deal with a new trends: the "free flow of data". Is this change an opportunity or a threat to the privacy of patients? Can digital health be a source of social inequality? Are health professions threatened by artificial intelligence (AI) especially health economists? What security in the use of mobile applications (Apps) and connected objects (OC)? These are issues of both enthusiasm and concern that will be discussed according to the following plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2014 a Palo Monte initiation rite taking place in Barcelona challenged a fundamental premise of Afro-Cuban religions: the exclusion of menstruating women from this form of worship. The will to break this rule led five women to attend a ritual falling during their menstruation period. In light of this normative rupture, our article analyses the structural creativity ingrained in the followers of Afro-Cuban religions in Barcelona that allows them to generate new configurations of their practices that bring them closer to new cultural imaginaries, especially in relation to the feminine role in Afro-Cuban religions. Additionally, it looks into how these new meanings align with heritagisation logics, in which the search for authenticity becomes key to the consolidation of such religions in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global production network approach constitutes a relational theorising of production processes, incorporating firm and non-firm actors, including the state, civil society and labour. Despite renewed attention to labour, global production network analysis focuses predominantly on formal waged work, giving insufficient attention to growing numbers of precarious workers, including self-employed and own-account workers, who are often the most vulnerable and exploited. This is symptomatic of a persistent, unhelpful dichotomy between formal and informal production practices. Consequently, the ability of precarious workers to navigate and challenge the terms of their engagement with global production networks remains little understood. This paper addresses this by examining the everyday practices of migrant street peddlers – 'manteros' – and their interaction with clothing and footwear global production networks as they source, produce, brand and retail products on the streets of Barcelona. We develop recent insights from labour agency and dis/articulation perspectives to conceptualise simultaneous processes of inclusion and exclusion taking place at the margins of global production networks. We reveal multiple, agentive strategies adopted by precarious, informal workers and demonstrate how, through their engagements with global production networks, they are able to re-articulate their social, economic and political marginalization. Such insights, we suggest, advance critical understandings of labour in global production network analysis and economic geography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speckle noise and decorrelation can hamper the application and interpretation of PolSAR images. In this paper, a new adaptive multitemporal Pol(DIn)SAR filtering and phase optimization algorithm is proposed to address these limitations. This algorithm first categorizes and adaptively filters permanent scatterer (PS) and distributed scatterer (DS) pixels according to their polarimetric scattering mechanisms [i.e., the scattering-mechanism-based filtering (SMF)]. Then, two different polarimetric DInSAR (POLDInSAR) phase OPTimization methods are applied separately on the filtered PS and DS pixels (i.e., POLOPT). Finally, an inclusive pixel selection approach is used to identify high-quality pixels for ground deformation estimation. Thirty-one full-polarization Radarsat-2 SAR images over Barcelona (Spain) and 31 dual-polarization TerraSAR-X images over Murcia (Spain) have been used to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm. The PolSAR filtering results show that the speckle of PolSAR images has been well reduced with the preservation of details by the proposed SMF. The obtained ground deformation monitoring results have shown significant improvements, about $\times 7.2$ (the full-polarization case) and $\times 3.8$ (the dual-polarization case) with respect to the classical full-resolution single-pol amplitude dispersion method, on the valid pixels’ densities. The excellent PolSAR filtering and ground deformation monitoring results achieved by the adaptive Pol(DIn)SAR filtering and phase optimization algorithm (i.e., the SMF-POLOPT) have validated the effectiveness of this proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to provide insights of a Workshop entitled 'Inner Processes of Creation' w hich was held at the Global Conference on Cleaner Production and Sustainable Consumption, in Barcelona, Spain, in November 2015, with further perceptions on a presentation of the topic at ARTEM Conference on Creativity and Sustainability, in Nancy, France, in Septemper 2017. The Workshop was designed to catalyze the development of perceptions and consciousness of the inner wisdom, as it emerges in self-expression, by focusing upon the processes of awakening the wisdom from within, which can help all of us achieve better understanding of our reponsibility in helping societies to live sustainably, within planetary boundaries. The Workshop included four movements, with the themes: a) creation, b) definition, c) a specific way, and d) achievement with self realization. The research envolved the interdisciplinary, autopoïetic, and complex thinking view of the subject. During the Workshop, an environment of trust was created by regarding the participants with reverence and respect to their individual rhythms. The participants experienced and catalyzed new versions and plans for creative and sustainable organizational approaches of learning and development, in an environment of trust. Participants consciousness was enlarged towards envisioning sustainable proposals, in which we need to become more actively engaged. It was concluded, that the inner knowledge can be experienced through creative, meditative, visioning processes. When effectively facilitated, this process can bring deep understanding of meaning about different issues and can support the effective decision-making towards a constructive change-making, through sustainable proposals made individually and collectivelly. The blossoming of a flower in the golden ratio representing Poïesis. Poïesis is a Greek word that indicates making, creating, producing, and the unfolding of Life. This research shows the poïetic, dialogic and interdisciplinary dimensions, where development of living beings is recognized as continuous, like a spiral in movement and fluidity. The integration of all living beings is connected to the web of life in constant self-organization, which is dependent and autonomous, at the same time, establishing a dialogic relation. This meaning can be awakened in a variety of ways, by each individual who experiences the Workshop on the Inner Processes of Creation. Image 10022628 • The Workshop entitled 'Inner Processes of Creation' aimed at the awakening the inner worth. • The systemic approach of awakening the inner worth, can lead to sustainable proposals in decision-making. • Participants experienced the inner wisdom emerging in an experience of self-expression and introspection. • Introspection can play an important role in specific societal processes of sustainability. • New kind of participation in the cosmos can be gained via the awareness of nature to the divine in the mind and soul. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As WUI fires have become a global concern, there is a growing need for engineering methodologies that lead to proactive fire management not only at the landscape level, but at all WUI scales. This paper presents a quantitative methodology for structural vulnerability assessment at the WUI settlement level that is based on 10 indicators, established for the different fire exposure phases a WUI area experiences (pre-impact, impact and fire transfer) as well as on other factors that can escalate vulnerability. As output, a Structural Vulnerability Index (SVI) for the entire analyzed area can be obtained. The methodology can not only assess vulnerability of WUI settlements in a quantitative way, but it can also quantify the effect of measures employed for the reduction of this vulnerability. Additionally, the methodology is suitable for comparison between different settlements or neighborhoods of the same area. A case study for the city of Barcelona, Spain, is presented, in which 9 WUI neighborhoods are analyzed and vulnerability reduction measures are prioritized. • Development of a quantitative vulnerability assessment method for the WUI mesoscale. • Identification of 10 indicators that contribute to vulnerability of WUI settlements. • Structural vulnerability index. • Application of the methodology to a case study of the WUI area of Barcelona, Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]