How can light positively influence and encourage pedestrians’ engagement and interaction with the urban environments at night? In this Master Thesis, I questioned how to develop nighttime urban planning from a socially-oriented approach. In order to answer this question, I studied different evidence such as two publications, three lighting designers’ and a lighting studio’ approach; three case studies analyses, two of them located in Colombia (Cartagena and Medellín) and one in Sweden (Stockholm);and my own qualitative observation and quantitative measurements studied between April and May at Norrmalmstorg and Biblioteksgatan in Stockholm, Sweden. From that review, I propose a Guideline consisted of three sections: (1) Main dimensions, (2) lighting attributes, and (3) lighting systems in urban planning. In general, this guideline is a framework to develop the analytical tools for various design stages in nighttime urban planning.

На фоне сохранения тенденции старения населения в Российской Федерации произошли стремительные изменения пенсионного законодательства. Основное изменение направлено на повышение возраста назначения страховой по старости. Данные изменения привели к появлению в российском правовом поле такой категории граждан, как «граждане предпенсионного возраста». Для безболезненного перехода к новому режиму жизни, распределения своих ресурсов и возможностей таких граждан, для них устанавливается новый правовой статус. Подтверждение наличия статуса предпенсионера входит в компетенцию органов Пенсионного фонда Российской Федерации. Поскольку данная государственная услуга функционирует меньше года, она несовершенна и требует регулярных доработок со стороны органов, оказывающих государственные услуги лицам, наделенным данным статусом. В процессе исследований был проанализирован текущий формат оказания государственных услуг предоставляемых Пенсионным фондом Российской Федерации гражданам пожилого возраста; выявлены основные проблемы, связанные с несовершенством оказываемых услуг, установлены причины этих проблем; определены способы совершенствования государственных услуг, предоставляемых лицам предпенсионного возраста. Результатом работы стала разработка ряда рекомендаций и мероприятий для совершенствования механизма оказания государственных услуг, предоставляемых Пенсионным фондом Российской Федерации, с учетом потребностей пожилых граждан. / Against the backdrop of the continuing trend of population aging in the Russian Federation, rapid changes in pension legislation have occurred. The main change is aimed at increasing the age of prescribing old-age insurance. These changes have led to the emergence in the Russian legal field of such a category of citizens as «citizens of pre-retirement age». For a painless transition to a new mode of life, the distribution of their resources and the capabilities of such citizens, a new legal status is established for them. Confirmation of the status of a pre-pensioner is the responsibility of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation. Since this public service has been functioning for less than a year, it is imperfect and requires regular revisions by the authorities that provide public services to people with this status. In the process of research, the current format for the provision of public services provided by the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation to elderly citizens was analyzed; The main problems associated with the imperfection of the services provided are identified, the causes of these problems are established; ways of improving public services provided to persons of pre-retirement age are identified. The result of the work was the development of a number of recommendations and measures to improve the mechanism for the provision of public services provided by the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, taking into account the needs of senior citizens.

The ongoing rise in the number of young, educated individuals emigrating from Turkey, particularly those expressing dissident views, signals a critical reaction to the country's increasing tilt towards authoritarianism. This study delves into this phenomenon, seeking to comprehend the intricate relationship between growing authoritarianism and the escalating emigration trend. By conducting in-depth, episodic interviews with Turkish emigrants, the study unravels the personal narratives that have been shaped by the changing political climate in Turkey. These narratives underscore the critical role that the perception and experience of increasing authoritarianism play in their decision to emigrate. The narratives not only shed light on the individual motives and experiences of emigrants but also offer a window into the broader socio-political transformations unfolding in Turkey.

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Den konventionella maten har stor påverkan på miljön, vilket har medfört att allt fler konsumenter väljer ekologisk mat. Detta är ett noggrant undersökt fält. Kunskap saknas dock om pensionärer väljer ekologiska matvaror. Föreliggande studies syfte har varit att undersöka svenska pensionärers konsumtion av ekologiska matvaror, något som undersökts genom metodtriangulering av enkäter och semistrukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer. Resultatet tyder på att pensionärer konsumerar ekologisk mat av samma anledningar och hindras av samma orsaker som yngre konsumenter. Enda skillnaderna som uppvisats jämtemot yngre konsumenter är att pensionärers ekologiska konsumtion sker oberoende av könstillhörighet och familjestruktur. / Conventional food has a major environmental impact, which has caused more and more consumers to choose organic food. This is a thoroughly researched field. However, there is insufficient knowledge regarding whether senior citizens choose to buy organic food or not. The aim of the present study has been to examine the consumption of organic food among senior Swedish citizens. The study was conducted through surveys and semi-structured qualitative interviews. The results suggest that senior consumers have the same motives as younger consumers. They are also hindered by the same reasons as their younger counterparts. The only difference between the two groups is that senior citizen´s gender and family structure influence their organic food consumption less.

Recent years were marked by a major transformation in human and social communication, owing to the advances in ICT and thus social media technologies. Social media have introduced new communication practices, provided newfound interaction patterns, created new forms of expressions, stimulated a wide civic participation, and so forth. They are rapidly evolving and their significance is increasing while their role is changing in social and political processes. Moreover, they are increasingly becoming an instrumental approach to, and power for, social change due to their potential in bringing new dynamics to its underlying processes such as public mobilization. Indeed, more recently, they played an important role in what has come to be known as the Arab Spring. Particularly, in the recent Egyptian revolt, social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, have been transformed into effective means to fuel revolt and bring about political transformation. This marked a victory for social media and corroborates that they are an enduring resource for the successful mobilization of bottom-up, grassroots movements and leaderless collective actions. This, in turn, has stimulated discussions about their impact on political change, giving rise to a new discourse, what might be identified as ‘social media for social change’. This discourse is gaining an increased attention in the media and the academia: many journalists and authors talk and write about it. Particularly, research and publications by journalists emphasize the fundamental role the online media play in the reproduction of the role of social media in the Egyptian revolution and political change. The aim of this study is to establish, by means of a discourse analysis, how and with what purpose in mind, the online media report on – represent – the relationship between social media and the Egyptian uprising and political transformation, a social relationship that seems to be overstated and constructed in various ways by different journalists. This critical reading reveals what is undervalued, overvalued and excluded, as well as the intersection between the media discourse, subjects and ideology. To achieve this aim, the discourse analysis approach was used to examine the set of selected media texts. The media representation is deterministic as to the role of social media in the Egyptian revolution and political transformation, i.e. it exaggeratedly depicts the power of social media by describing the Egyptian revolution as a Facebook revolution. It also tends to be rhetorical and exclusionary. The event of the revolution and the reality of political change in Egypt are far more complicated than how it is reconstructed by most journalists. Further, it plays a role in constructing a positive image of different corporate players, namely Facebook, Twitter and media companies, as well as in constituting their identities. A great highlight is given to represent these actors. In addition, the media representation does ideological work. It sustains and serves corporate power as well as advances ideological claims. This discursive research enhances the current understanding of the phenomenon of social media in relation to revolution and political change, although the findings may not be generalizable.

Ambient Intelligence (AmI) refers to a vision of the information society where everyday human environments will be permeated by intelligent technology: people will be surrounded and accompanied by intelligent interfaces supported by computing and wireless networking technology that is ubiquitous, embedded in virtually all kinds of everyday objects. These computationally augmented, smart environments - composed of a myriad of invisible, distributed, networked, connected, interactive, and always-on computing devices - are aware of human context; sensitive to people's needs; adaptive to, and anticipatory of, their behavior; personalized to their requirements; and responsive to their emotion and presence, thereby intelligently supporting their daily and social lives by providing limitless services in a seamless and unobtrusive way. The vision of AmI assumes a paradigmatic shift in both computing and society – far-reaching societal implications. The challenge lies in developing AmI forms that acclimatise to societal change and the diversity of European socio-cultural life. Indeed, one of the most fundamental views in the prevailing AmI vision is a radical and technology-driven change to social environments and people’s lives. Research emphasizes the fundamental role the ISTAG, a group of scholars and ICT industry experts, plays in the reproduction of AmI as a positive force for societal change. Therefore, the objective of this study is to carry out a critical reading of the scholarly and ICT industry’s construction of AmI in relation to societal transformation. To achieve this objective, a discourse analytical approach was employed to examine the selected empirical material: three reports published by the ISTAG in 2001, 2003 and 2006. The approach consists of seven stages: (1) surface elements and organizational structure, (2) discursive constructions, (3) social actors, (4) language and rhetoric, (5) framing as power and operation, (6) positioning and legitimation, and (7) ideological viewpoints.The AmI discourse (vision) construction tends to be deterministic, i.e. it assumes that the ‘amization’ of society will lead to radical social transformations, and has an unsophisticated account of how social change occurs. It is also inclined to be rhetorical - it promises revolutionary social changes without really having a holistic strategy for achieving the goal. Moreover, topicalization is accomplished in correspondence with the preferred mental models and social representations. Furthermore, the discourse is exclusionary: many issues (pertaining to trust, social sustainability, human-centred design, healthcare, and community life) are left out with the intention to advance the idea of the eventual societal acceptance of AmI. It additionally plays a role in wider processes of legitimation of social agents and structures on the basis of normative and political reasons, and it offers different subject positions: between ISTAG and Europe and European citizens, and between citizens and ICT designers and producers. Likewise, it plays a major role in constructing the image of social actors – ISTAG, ICT industry, research community and EU – as well as in defining their relations and identities in ways that reallocate roles and reflect new attributes. A great highlight and space is awarded to represent these actors, and their views dominate the reports. They are the prime definer of the represented reality. As to ideological reproduction, the discourse perpetuates power relations, serves the interest of certain stakeholders in European society, and reconstructs ideological claims. This discursive endeavor provides a valuable reference for social researchers or scientists in related research communities. Until now, there has been, to the best of one’s knowledge, no comprehensive discursive research of AmI in relation to societal transformation, more specifically the potential of AmI in modernizing the European social model and in shaping Europe’s future.

Since the early 2000s, the city of Paris has launched several greening initiatives with the scope of, among many, strengthening its green infrastructure (henceforth, GI). With the support of the municipality, citizens actively participate in this transformation, for instance by reactivating and managing former wasteland sites, making the streets blossom, covering walls and roofs with plants and creating new micro-ecosystems. But what is their impact? Citizens engaged in selected participatory initiatives along the local GI have been questioned and interviewed to find out more about their projects. Citizens - either alone, in small groups, organised in local associations, start-ups or companies - act for different reasons and do not always know the concept of GI. Questionnaire respondents value their project first of all because it improves their living environment, but also because it facilitates reconnecting with nature and promotes biodiversity. However, their actions are not coordinated as to effectively reinforce GI. In other words, people’s projects spread everywhere and not particularly where they are most needed. Through the revision of local planning and policy documents, as well as interviews with key actors, this work also highlights contradictions between definition, strategies, maps and meanings of the GI in Paris. Some recommendations are provided to expand the ecological and public GI of today into a veritable multifunctional GI through multidisciplinary and participatory approaches. / Sedan början av 2000-talet har staden Paris startat flera grönskande initiativ med syfte attbland annat återinföra naturen i staden och stärka dess gröna infrastruktur (GI). Med kommunens stöd deltar medborgarna aktivt i denna omvandling, till exempel genom att återaktivera och gemensamt sköta tidigare ödemarker, få gatorna att blomma, täcka väggar och tak med växter och skapa nya mikroekosystem. Men vad är deras inverkan? Medborgare som deltar i utvalda deltagande initiativ längs den lokala GI har utfrågats och intervjuats för att ta reda på mer om sina projekt. Medborgare - antingen ensamma, i små grupper, organiserade i lokala föreningar, nystartade företag eller företag - agerar av olika skäl och känner inte alltid till begreppet grön infrastruktur. De som svarar på frågeformuläret värderar först sitt projekt eftersom det förbättrar deras livsmiljö, men också för att det underlättar återanslutning med naturen och främjar biologisk mångfald. Men deras handlingar samordnas inte för att effektivt stärka GI, eller delar av det. Med andra ord, människor som grönar projekt sprids överallt och inte särskilt där de behövs mest. Genom översynen av lokala planerings- och policydokument, samt intervjuer med nyckelaktörer, belyser detta arbete också motsägelser mellan GI-definition, strategier, kartor och betydelser. Vissa rekommendationer tillhandahålls för att utöka dagens ekologiska och offentliga GI till en verifierbar multifunktionell GI genom multidisciplinära och deltagande strategier. / Depuis le début des années 2000, la ville de Paris a lancé plusieurs initiatives de végétalisation pour réintroduire la nature dans la ville et renforcer ses trames vertes et bleues (TVB). Avec le soutien de la municipalité, les citoyens participent activement à cette transformation, par exemple en réactivant et en gérant d’anciennes friches, en faisant fleurir les rues, en recouvrant les murs et les toits de végétaux et en créant de nouveaux microécosystèmes. Mais quel est leur impact ? Les citoyens engagés dans des initiatives participatives sélectionnées le long de la TVB locale ont été interrogés et interviewés pour en savoir plus sur leurs projets. Les citoyens - seuls, en petits groupes, organisés en associations locales, start-up ou entreprises - agissent pour des raisons différentes et ne connaissent pas toujours le concept de TVB. Les répondants au questionnaire valorisent d’abord leur projet parce qu’il améliore leur cadre de vie, mais aussi parce qu’il facilite la reconnexion avec la nature et favorise la biodiversité. Cependant, leurs actions ne sont pas coordonnées pour renforcer efficacement les TVB. En d’autres termes, les projets de végétalisation des citoyens se répandent partout et pas particulièrement là où ils sont les plus nécessaires. À travers l’analyse des documents de planification locaux, ainsi que des entretiens avec des acteurs clés, ce travail met également en évidence les contradictions entre la définition, les stratégies, les cartes et les significations des TVB. Quelques recommandations sont formulées pour faire de la TVB écologique et publique d’aujourd’hui une véritable TVB multifonctionnelle à travers des approches multidisciplinaires et participatives.

Two key themes of this special issue are: how violence challenges democracy and how democratic politics might, over time, diminish violence. This paper explores how violence(s) embedded in Latin America's state formation process are multiplied rather than diminished through democratization, generating a securitizing logic which fundamentally distorts democratic principles. Known for its high levels of historic violence(s), Latin America today is second only to Southern Africa in levels of homicide in the world. Some see contemporary violence in the region as a rupture from the past: ‘new violence’ characterized by its urban and social nature in contrast to the rural and political nature of the past. Violence, however, has a reproductive quality, by which it is transmitted through space as well as time. This article argues that rather than reflecting a rupture with the past, violence in Latin America has merely accelerated its complex reproduction in many forms across (gendered) spaces of socialization. The paradox is that the proliferation of this violence has occurred alongside democratic transitions. Although the state is not directly responsible for all the violence which is taking place, this article argues that in many countries it is the very trajectory of the state-formation process which has facilitated this rapid reproduction of violence. I call this process ‘perverse’. Democracy is increasingly subject to the fears and insecurities of the population, enabling the state to build its authority not on the protection of citizens' rights, but on its armed encounters and insidious collusions with violent actors in the name of ‘security provision’. Categories of people become non-citizens, subjected to abuse by state, para-state and non-state violent actors. If this process continues, democracy will ultimately be securitized.