The Share of Composition in the Attractiveness of the Urban Environment, by Miloslav Konvička
Purposeful application of classic compositional procedures − as historic and even some contemporary examples show – can highly enhance the emotional effect of the urban environment. Nevertheless, the maximum effect can only by achieved through synergy, combining inventive street furniture, natural components (terrain, water, greenery) and emotional elements (works of art). In order to create both functional and aesthetic urban environment, the specifics of human perception must be taken into account. Subjective elements in the visualization of the urban environment bring a lot of creative themes and challenges to future generations of architects and urban planners.
Urban Planning Precautions Against Floods; info of the AESOP international congress in Grenoble, France, 30 June to 4 July 2004, by Maxmilián Wittmann
The contribution Urban Planning Precautions Against Floods was presented at the 2004 AESOP conference, commenting on the varying volumes of rainfall and the currently deepening difficulties to foretell the weather. The knowledge of the impact of the functional usage of space on floods is relatively well categorized but not consequently applied in practice. This has a lot to do with the legislation and the limited options of actual application of urban planning precautions. The article sums up the current knowledge in how spatial development is related to the damages caused by floods.
The Characteristics of Urban Zones and the Inhabitants' Lifestyles and Attitudes, by Jiří Vaníček
The writer has recently performed some sociological and marketing surveys among the inhabitants of the town of Tábor. From the viewpoint of urban zones, he divides the town into four characteristic areas. The article is a summary of demographic data and the attitudes to various issues, investigating in how the character of urban zones influences the behaviour and the lifestyles of people.
Housing as a Part of the Quality of Life, its Function and Changes, by Vítězslav Kuta & František Kuda
A research programme called The Metamorphoses of Housing, to be performed in 2005 to 2007, has been started at the Technical University of Ostrava. Naturally, not all the aspects of the changes in housing can be explored, but a very differentiated approach to some topics is supposed. The opening stage of the programme, scheduled for the first half of 2005, deals with its technical, financial, and organizational issues. The article classifies and formulates the starting points of the project.