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1167 | 757 | National History Museum – analysis of the relationship between its spatial location and the impact of the institution on Bulgarian society and the surrounding urban environment | Stefan Genchev, Velimira Stoyanova

Officially established in 1973, for almost 5 decades the National History Museum in the city of Sofia, with its over 650,000 exhibits, plays an important role in the preservation of the historical and cultural heritage in the Bulgarian society. Defined quite rightly as the largest museum in the country, its location and the building in which it is housed are of particular importance both for its role as a pivot in the preservation of the national historical and cultural heritage, and for its direct impact on the surrounding urban environment. With this publication, the authors aim to review the positive and negative effects on the main functions of the National History Museum, related to its current location – on the outskirts of the capital city. An analysis and comparison between his previous and current locations will be made, comparing the advantages and disadvantages of each case. For the needs of the future development of the museum and its role in the preservation and presentation of the historical eras of the Bulgarian lands, the potential relocation possibilities of the permanent expositions to more suitable spaces in an existing building in the central urban part of the capital or in a completely new one (building or complex), fully adapted to the functions of such institution, on the outskirts of the city of Sofia, will be examined and analyzed. The analysis of the potential effects on the functions of the National History Museum and its role in Bulgarian society in relation to its location on the territory of the capital city, as well as the impact of such an institution on its immediate surrounding urban environment, will be carried out entirely on the basis of opinions and research of specialists in the fields of history, architecture, urban planning, art studies, etc.

Stefan Genchev, Velimira Stoyanova
National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy, and Geography – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
757

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1167 | 155 | Museums’ International Collaboration with Case studies of Cross-border Exhibitions in China and Japan in the 21st-century | Jinghao Tong

This thesis aims to analyse the processes of museums’ international collaboration through cross-border exhibitions displayed in China and Japan, to understand the mechanisms of collaboration between museums, cultural diplomacy, and their functionality. After theoretically analysing the phenomenon of international exhibitions and the characteristics of the museum systems in China and Japan, four case studies of exhibitions opened to the public from 2015 to 2021 have been examined. These chosen case studies mainly focus on the 21st century, when vast museums and exhibitions become essential to their national cultural policies. In the past decades, cross-border exhibitions have attracted millions of visitors’ attention in these societies and provided valuable opportunities for museums to reach wider audiences through exhibitions and improve their global reputation. _x000D_
Fieldwork in these four museums in China and Japan was conducted as an essential part of the methodology of this thesis, which combined face-to-face interviews with curators and official email answers to the researcher’s questionnaire from the public relations sector of museums. The museum library in Japan kept the catalogue book published after the exhibition finished, which allowed the analysis of the touring exhibition in the past. By combining the details of the process and results of these four cross-border exhibitions, this thesis wants to contribute to the understanding of museums’ international cooperation. In addition, exploring more possibilities of global heritage management by creating new narratives for more comprehensive visitors.

Jinghao Tong
University of Barcelona
155

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1167 | 392 | The role of culture in the development of a post-mining town. The case of Katowice in Poland. | Elżbieta Zuzańska-Żyśko

Cultural heritage tends to enhance development. Appropriate transformation of post-industrial objects can help discover the cultural landscape and add economic value. Research assumpts two goals. The first is to present the origins of the development of a new symbolic function, the effect by culture in a post-mining town in southern Poland. The second objective is to prove that culture is a new impetus for the city’s development, strengthening the processes of metropolization. The research area is Katowice, a city of 300 thousand of people in southern Poland._x000D_
On the one hand, it is the center of a tremendous functional region with a significant regional function; on the other hand, it is a small node in the network of global connections according to the classification of globalization and world cities. The research focuses on three issues. The first approximates the industrial origins of the city against the backdrop of a polycentric region of the conurbation type. The second approach is the problem of politics and management and the implementation of metropolitan projects with cultural functions. The third point describes business tourism and a new cultural product – the UNESCO Creative City of Music. It is concluded that Katowice has built a new symbolic function based on the culture. Heritage has become a carrier of development impulse for business tourism and events of international importance. Measurable metropolitan benefits are an essential multiplier element. The example of Katowice shows that the strategy and urban policy based on culture sets a new development trajectory._x000D_

Elżbieta Zuzańska-Żyśko
University of Silesia in Katowice Institute of Social and Economic Geography and Spatial Management Faculty of Natural Sciences
392

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1162 | 859 | “Parenting on the Move: A Mixed Methods Study on Parents’ Travel Behavior and Mobility Preferences in Warsaw” | Jakub Zawieska, Joanna Jaczewska, Katarzyna Archanowicz-Kudelska

Travel behaviour and the decisions behind individual mobility are highly complex and contextual processes. Traditional measures of travel behaviour based solely on quantitative and relatively simple tools are not enough to truly understand all the motivations and determinants of mobility. The life course approach and mobility biographies are examples of novel approaches to mobility analysis. These new approaches focus on the evolution of daily transport habits over time and try to identify the potential impact of elements such as stability and change over the life course on mobility practices. _x000D_
Our study focuses on the application of the mixed methods approach to better understand the travel behaviour and mobility preferences of parents of school-aged children. As previous studies have shown, this group of society generally travels more for various reasons and has a unique perspective on some important aspects of mobility choices. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, we investigated the determinants and preferences of parents’ everyday mobility choices in Warsaw, Poland. Our qualitative study was based on eight two-hour focus group interviews (FGIs) conducted in October 2021. In 2022, additionally, a series of quantitative surveys were conducted, both among parents of school-aged children (two surveys in three different primary schools, total n= 1 438) and Warsaw citizens (n=1170), analysing their travel behaviour and mobility preferences. Our study shows how parenthood affects various aspects of travel behaviour, such as car ownership, car use, perceptions of car safety, as well as time (ir)rationality and economic valuation of their everyday journeys. It also shows how children’s own preferences influence parents’ mobility choices and explains why we see this as an opportunity for positive change. It also provides interesting insights into different aspects of travel behaviour in the Central European context._x000D_

Jakub Zawieska, Joanna Jaczewska, Katarzyna Archanowicz-Kudelska
Jakub Zawieska, Katarzyna Archanowicz-Kudelska: SGH, Warsaw School of Economics Institute of Infrastructure, Transport, and Mobility ; Joanna Jaczewska: University of Gdansk, Institute of Geography
859

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1138 | 954 | Avaluació espacial i morfològica en relació amb la toponímia: el cas dels estanys pirinencs. | Òscar Alemán Milán / Jordi Suïls Subirà

Avaluem la relació entre (1) el significat de topònims que identifiquen característiques espacials o morfològiques dels estanys i (2) el que ens diu l’anàlisi espacial mitjançant sistemes d’informació geogràfica. Es tracta de comprendre millor les relacions del lloc i el seu entorn amb els mecanismes i condicionants de la percepció humana. _x000D_

Òscar Alemán Milán / Jordi Suïls Subirà
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona / Universitat de Lleida
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