La vivienda ha estado presente como un elemento revelador de las diferentes evoluciones sociales. Como laboratorio de experimentación, ya sea en términos técnicos, espaciales o sociales, podemos constatar que la arquitectura doméstica evoluciona para adaptarse a los modos de vida. Sin embargo, hoy en día, algunos investigadores han comprobado que los proyectos de vivienda se encuentran frente a la ausencia de innovación y no son adaptados a los modos de vida de los habitantes, salvo algunas excepciones. Aunque los actores que participan en la producción de la vivienda, los arquitectos y los habitantes parecen ser insensibles al conocimiento de la evolución del habitat, las mutaciones sociales que transforman la vida en la ciudad indican que la vivienda no puede quedarse rezagada. Esta tesis propone un análisis de la evolución en los estilos de vida, como el motor de la innovación arquitectónica y urbana en la vivienda colectiva. El análisis de los mecanismos de innovación en la vivienda colectiva está construido en dos partes. El objetivo de la primera parte, es el de presentar las diferentes mutaciones sociales que tienen una incidencia en el habitat y los “dispositivos espaciales” correspondientes. La propuesta de esta tesis, plantea una atención particular en la vivienda colectiva como tipología residencial ubicada en el corazón de los desafíos de la evolución de los modos de vida. La segunda parte está consagrada al estudio de dos casos en una de las operaciones urbanas más importantes en Paris: Paris Rive Gauche. El tratamiento del contexto de la operación, el papel de los actores, los factores comunes y diferentes de los dos proyectos que condicionaron el éxito respectivo son presentados. De esta manera, gracias al análisis de las realizaciones efectivas de los “dispositivos espaciales”, las hipótesis de las mutaciones sociales evocadas en la primera parte son comprobadas. En fin, un tercer punto propone el análisis del proceso de innovación: el management del proyecto, la adhesión de los actores a este proceso, el desarrollo de las operaciones, las fuentes de la innovación. Para que la innovación en la vivienda colectiva se acerque más a la realidad que a una utopia, la tesis propone la declaración de algunas pistas de reflexión.

This thesis develops arguments relevant to scientific writing, the understanding of genres in scientific writing, and the construction of scientific fields. It is concerned with how review articles construct the fields of study which they describe. Using constructivist and relativist perspectives from the sociology of scientific knowledge, the research is based on a textual or discourse analysis, emphasizing the contingency of collective phenomena, such as scientific fields. In the first part, the co-formation of the genres of research and review writing is addressed; the focus is on how review writing has been portrayed by historians and rhetorical analysts, bibliographers and information analysts, compilers of guidelines on scientific writing and by scientists, editors, and reviewers. Other central questions include who is expected or authorized to write reviews, as well as to what extent reviews are considered to be a discrete genre in the production of scientific knowledge; it is argued that in practical circumstances (i.e., when classifying research articles and reviews, producing guidelines on reviewing, or awarding scientific reviewing) the straightforward differentiation of two distinct forms of writing becomes blurry. In the second part, the construction of the field of Darwin Studies is examined, through the analysis of various reviews proclaiming the constitution of the field and aiming to put it in order. This ordering is produced through the establishing of boundaries with other fields; mapping it in a comprehensive manner, that is, providing criteria of inclusion and exclusion; building a biography for the field, thus identifying its origins and development through time; and through defining the “state of the art”, which includes introducing its central figures, research problems, and ongoing controversies. The production of each construction of the field as an inter-subjective definition of a given entity, and not as a prejudiced or idiosyncratic representation, requires the careful management of the identity, authority, and credibility of the reviewer. The successful negotiation of a relatively stable constitution of a field is produced through inter-textual reiteration and reinterpretation.

Real Estate Industry is a strategic element in urban competitiveness, economic growth and development, as it facilitates the articulation between economic activities, local assets and flows of capital. Furthermore, even tough the perception is that it is a local business, with the globalization many of the largest developers and consumers of corporate real estate have become global (Bardhan & Kroll 2007). The foregoing has made the industry acquire a cross-border dynamic and makes the attraction of foreign investment into real estate development a key approach for improving the position of countries and cities in the global economic network. This work aims to explore the geographical structure and trends of the international Real Estate cluster, and then recognize the correlation of the Foreign Real Estate Investments –FREI– inward flows with competitiveness and real estate market factors of host countries and cities. The analysis shows that despite the globalization influence, FREI holds the concept of real estate as “local” business in a broader scale: 62% of the links happen within countries of the same region, evidencing that there are opportunities of complement with the surrounding economies. Likewise, the research demonstrates that the cluster involves primarily economies in second and third stage of development, exposing that the market is still reliant on low-risk assets in a stable environment and that there has not been established an active industry in developing countries. Additionally, the instability experienced over the last seven years in the sector is evidenced. The 2007 international financial crisis had a deep impact on Foreign Real Estate Investments, corroborating the interdependence between financial market and real estate.  This study demonstrates that location factors related to market size, labor market, financial market and connectivity are essential for attracting inward investments. The results of the model show that a variety of forces rule FREI, evidencing the need of having a comprehensive approach that surpasses the notion of real estate as property and involves other clusters. To conclude, the country and city analyses showed the diverse drivers for MNC at different territorial scales. Without neglecting the usual national purview of the policy framework for attracting FDI, it is important to acknowledge the relevance of local and urban scale in the broader picture of globalization. Beyond the macroeconomic and institutional determinants, the position of the urban nodes in the global networks matters for captivating FREI.

Biological parameters and spatial variation of H. arguinensis were estimated inside the Ria Formosa, Portugal. Data collected during visual census (November 2012 to March 2014) and random samplings (February to March 2014) were analyzed. The average sizes were estimated in six localities with a total range between 4 and 48 cm. Three sites showed significant diferences in the average size: Armona, showing the highest mean and Barinha and PFE with the smallest mean (27.4, 17.5 and 21.7 cm respectively, p < 2.2e-16)  Asymptotic population length L?=70 cm and growth coeficient k=0.87 were estimated. The growth pattern showed seasonality using Hoenig’s function. The coverage of mud and sea grass (Z. Noltii, and C. nodosa) were the variables explaining better the diferences in abundance of H. arguinensis among sampled sites, demonstrating the importance of these sea grass species in the persistence of the species in the Ria Formosa.

This investigation seeks to compare the legal frameworks developed in the 1990-2010 period in Colombia, Peru and Mexico to prevent and tackle informal artisanal/small scale mining. It does so by assessing the impact on the levels of informality of: (i) the incentives provided to miners to operate within legality; and (ii) the mechanisms devised to compensate such miners’ disadvantageous position vis-à-vis large scale mining companies. For such assessment a thorough examination of the countries’ mining codes is carried out. Concurrently, information extracted from semi-structured interviews with experts and triangulated with secondary sources is used to evaluate the codes’ impact on informality. The analysis supports the hypothesis that simple inexpensive mine title acquisition procedures, granting long lasting property rights, as well as guaranteeing technical and financial assistance, are key drivers of formalization. The impact of such incentives is, however, more complex: firstly, as the Mexican case illustrates, the absence of incentives combined with strong police persecution, can reduce informal mining by rendering it an unattractive activity with no prospective of future formalization. Secondly, the Colombian and Peruvian case exemplify how entry barriers also encourage miners to create associations which, in turn, are able to better access information, can comply with formal requirements more easily and can play an important role in influencing policy design. Furthermore, considering the incentives of large scale companies also proved crucial to reduce informality, given that a significant share of mining areas are already under concession. This means that the number of mine titles informal miners could potentially obtain is limited. Therefore, as the Colombian and Peruvian case exemplify, formalizing is to a large degree dependent on the willingness of these companies to voluntarily engage in associative contracts with informal miners. However, so far none of the observed countries has managed to prompt strong alliances between small and large scale miners to fruitfully implement such collaborative models. With regard to the compensation mechanisms, this study supports the hypothesis that granting political voice to small scale miners is of utmost importance to guarantee that differentiated costs, procedures and requirements are contemplated in the law. All in all, such policies have been innocuous and even counterproductive when not accompanied by measures that enhance access to information as well as local bureaucratic competences. In a context of scarce local bureaucratic resources, promissory formalization schemes generate a demand for mine titles that surpasses mining authorities’ capacity and, thereby, potentially incites more informality and social unrest. As observed in Peru, in such cases formalization processes can, paradoxically, induce higher levels of informal mining. In light of these findings, the study recommends the partner institution -Transparency International- to: (i) support the implementation of informational campaigns that explain the benefits of operating in formality and of doing so by means of associating; (ii) encourage policy dialogue spaces in order to prompt mutual monitoring and align the different stakeholders’ incentives; (iii) support capacity building programs targeting local mining authorities; (iv) support monitoring mechanisms in the mine title distribution and contracting processes.

In this master thesis were characterized two highly porous media and a conduit in sandstone with special focus in the transition region between the laminar and turbulent states. As porous media were used glass beads and coarse sand of similar size, 2 and 1.9 mm respectively; for the laboratory work was used a setup where was possible to control the discharge and was measured the hydraulic head. Laminar flow ceases at Reynolds number of 0.25 in glass beads and 0.21 in coarse sand. The flow follows the same pathway between laminar and transitional, without regard if the velocity was increasing or decreasing. A conduit of 5 mm diameter was drilled in a fragment of sandstone for the experiments. The discharge and head losses through the conduit were measured. It was possible to establish two critical Reynolds values, 365 and 3060, for the state change between laminar to transitional and transitional to turbulent. A hysteretic behavior was observed when the flow switches between laminar and transitional. All the results were modeled using the Conduit Flow Process Mode 2 and compared with the experimental data. For porous media there is not a good agreement between the outputs of the model and the measured data.

Although it has been in the center of political debates for years, the growing Social Housing deficit in Colombia, particularly Bogotá, has not yet found a permanent and sustainable long term solution. The internal conflict has forced millions of people to migrate into larger cities and, while the center of Bogotá presents a low population density, the less accessible and less service-supplied outskirts are overcrowding with newcomers. This research strives to understand the dynamics that have shaped the city profile allocating low income households on the peripheries while lowering the population in the city center. It will propose architectural tools to be applied within the Bogota’s current Mayor’s plan for the city center re-densification trough social housing. The research will be supported on the description of urban phenomena such as the city growth towards the periphery, internal forced migrations and social housing allocations dynamics. It will also explore case studies for contemporary Social Housing in urban centralities,as well as the social principles described in the Mayor’s Plan.The research identifies key tools to propose affordable and sustainable quality Social Housing that would become a platform for social interaction and sets the bases to invert a negative process and reduce the gap of housing inequality in Bogotá.

This study is about the experiences of teachers and students in the production of memory about past violence, and how they struggle to articulate these memories with present concerns and their expectations about the future. In doing this, they rely on some social discourses such as learning lessons from the past which has the potential to offer a better future free from violence and other social problems, an idea commonly attributed to the philosopher George Santayana (1095). To find information about this I conducted research where the voices of the participants are highlighted, and their ‘framings’ of the past related to dominant ideas and a range of literature about collective remembering. The goal is both to explore experiences, and to reflect on theorizing about the role of the past and of memory construction in the lives of educative actors. One of the key findings is that when they refer to aspects of the past, these actors do so to relate this to their present politics of everyday life. In consequence, it is shown that memory interrelates with the past, the present and the future and can be described as walking a thin line between these three temporal dimensions. Those interviewed also considered that their work could contribute to sustainable peace, but also insisted that structural violence required reforms beyond a peace agreement, to tackle root causes of social injustice, by reducing poverty and exclusion. The contribution of this research brings the voices of these relevant social actors to the forefront with the understanding of the contradictions, which impose an unusual context where the production of memory has to coexist with different forms of mutually reinforced violence.

Este estudio comparativo explica como en Colombia se desarrollan actividades culturales, específicamente en relación con la guitarra clásica, al seno de instituciones como el banco central (Banco de la República de Colombia) y una caja de compensación familiar (Compensar). En Francia estas instituciones similares no tienen relación directa con la formulación de estas actividades, mientras que en Colombia son asumidas directamente por la institución. Este trabajo muestra los modelos de gestión utilizados por cada una de estas instituciones para el desarrollo de los encuentros, concursos y festivales de guitarra clásica partiendo desde el contexto socio político Colombiano. Utiliza para la descripción comparativa elementos como, el modelo de gestión utilizado, las características de la programación, el impacto, el modelo de financiamiento, las estrategias de comunicación y los públicos.

This paper looks at the impact of railroads on Bogota, Colombia, between 1880 and 1920. I use the journals of foreign travellers that visited the city at different moments during those 40 years to document the economic transformation that the city underwent, and to relate that transformation to the completion of a railroad network that linked the city to its hinterland and to the international markets. The main conclusion is that the railroads transformed the city economically and socially by allowing its residents to import large and heavy capital goods, thereby making modern industries possible. The railroads also had a role in the city’s physical expansion and in the development of its public transportation system.