The creativity of Kazakh architects has varied from seeking innovation during the Soviet era to the identification of national and regional characteristics during the years of independence. Among Kazakhstan’s many talented architects, masters such as Bek Ibrayev and Saken Narynov occupy a special niche, acted as both builders and conceptual thinkers and philosophers. They embodied in their projects a deep synthesis of form, image, meaning and cultural context. Architects with developed cultural reflection, as carriers of local identity, used architectural space as a philosophical statement, expressing ideas about time, memory and human experience. The aim of the research is to analyze and identify the distinctive features of the architectural heritage of B. Ibrayev and S. Narynov, revealing the approaches and conceptual depth of their work, which determined their role as architect-philosophers in shaping the regional architectural identity. The methodology is based on a comprehensive approach that includes field research, architectural and compositional analysis, and semantic interpretation of completed projects by B. Ibrayev and S. Narynov. The material and spatial characteristics of architectural objects were taken into account, as well as their intellectual and symbolic content, reflecting the authors’ ideas and their correlation with regional identity. The comparative study was conducted to identify ways of interpreting traditional forms, images and archetypes in contemporary architectural practice. As a result, the key techniques of form creation and semantic transformation of each architect were identified, contributing to the formation of a new architectural language that combines cultural memory and local identity. For contemporary practice in Kazakhstan, the significance of this research lies in the fact that, using the examples of projects by B. Ibrayev and S. Narynov, the Kazakh architectural context is learning to perceive regionalism not as stylistic adaptation, but as a unique philosophical and cultural strategy. This strategy is based on the deep archetypes of nomadic civilization, the mythopoetic of space, and the sacred geography of the steppe.
This paper examines power structures, asymmetries in civic participation, and the public legitimization of politicians through tourism and religious practices, as well as whether religious festivals and brotherhoods are linked to power transfers via tourism in the region of Nombre de Dios in Durango, México. Since the 16th century, power relations have been shaped by cultural syncretism between Spaniards and indigenous peoples through festivals, with modes of domination based on religious structures known as brotherhoods and sisterhoods. The study’s methodology is qualitative and consists of a review of historical archives, direct observation, and open interviews with key stakeholders during the 2023 Holy Week festivities, which were organized by municipal political authorities and led by the brotherhoods and sisterhoods. An analysis is presented along three lines: 1) the origins and power structures of the festival in the 16th century, 2) the brotherhoods and sisterhoods and the transfer of power from the 16th century to the 21st century, and 3) the public legitimization of politicians through tourism. According to the results, religious festivals play a substantial role in shaping the power structures of Nombre de Dios by serving as tourist attractions and validating authoritarian political regimes.
The primary contribution of active facades to the walkability of cities is generating street movement throughout the day by promoting a diversity of uses and attractiveness for pedestrians on the ground floors of buildings. This movement, supported by street observers, sidewalk guardians, storefronts and counters, contributes to making public spaces safer. The "eyes on the street", advocated by Jane Jacobs in 1961, reappear in the debates of urbanists, architects and thinkers of urban space, even when discussing "smart cities" with a focus on people. It's worth noting, however, that a mix of land uses and active facades alone is insufficient to make cities more walkable and safer. Sidewalks need to be wider, well-paved, well-signposted, unobstructed, and shaded, especially in hot cities like Salvador. To deepen the understanding of the possible contributions of active facades, without ignoring such caveats, the methodology used was the post-occupancy evaluation (POE) of Fonte do Boi Street in the Brazilian city of Salvador, Bahia. For the systematization and application of this methodology, ways to measure walkability and its relationship with active facades were researched, selecting the ITDP Brazil’s iCam tool. Before that, the foundation of the main concepts was established, seeking relevant authors in the literature review, as well as the need to update and contextualize their arguments. The POE results met the objectives of this article, keeping in mind research limitations and confirming existing relationships between active facades and walkability on the street under observation.
Despite the geographical and ideological proximity between the dictatorships of António Oliveira Salazar (1889-1970) and Francisco Franco (1892-1975), their exchange of knowledge concerning housing and urban development in the 1940s and 1950s has received little scholarly attention. This article examines the extent to which Spanish technicians and policymakers – particularly the minority who guided the country’s urban development – were aware of and evaluated the urban planning and housing policies of Portugal’s Estado Novo. The analysis focuses on the Alvalade Neighbourhood in Lisbon, built according to an Urbanisation Plan of acknowledged success, by João Guilherme Faria da Costa (1906-1971), and integrated into the municipal plan by Étienne de Gröer (1882-1974), developed with the impulse of Minister Duarte Pacheco (1900-1943). The research is based on a bibliographical and documentary review, complemented by direct experience of the Alvalade Neighbourhood. The study reveals that the initiative was both known and appreciated in Spain, contributes to the knowledge of the international dissemination of the Alvalade experience and, by suggesting some key differences between the two national contexts, lays the groundwork for a further comparison of the urban planning and housing achievements under both Iberian regimes.
The relations between the city and nature in socially produced space are full of contradictions and conflicts intrinsic to the capitalist mode of production. The distribution, consumption, and appreciation, as well as the uses and appropriations of elements associated with nature, are different and unequal among the different inhabitants of cities depending on income, age, race, ethnicity, class, and place of residence. In Lisbon, the material nature (green spaces and the Tagus River); the presentation and preparation as a green city; the discourse and several sustainability actions; the local and metropolitan greening plans (from the public authorities to the real estate agents) have been generating a favorable environment for the incorporation of these elements in real estate products, which are highly valued. Through a qualitative study involving bibliographical research, data analysis on real estate dynamics, and fieldwork in a study area located in Braço de Prata/Matinha, on the riverfront of the Marvila district, it was possible to identify a process of green gentrification. Green gentrification excludes current residents of the locality from the possibilities of a life close to the greenery (Parque Ribeirinho do Oriente/ Eastern Riverfront Park) and the Tagus, following the increase of housing prices in the area due to the valorization of environmental amenities.
