• Heritage Science

[ES] La villa de Allariz es una pequeña joya patrimonial del pueblo gallego. Al contrario de lo que pasó con otras villas gallegas, su casco histórico, bañado por las aguas del río Arnoia, permaneció inalterado a lo largo del tiempo. En él se pueden apreciar huellas de su pasado medieval como residencia real, su esplendor señorial o su reconversión en ciudad protoindustrial, con múltiples curtidurías en los márgenes del río. A pesar de su declaración como Conjunto Histórico-Artístico en 1971, la villa y su entorno se encontraban a finales de los años ochenta del siglo pasado en un estado de total abandono. En la década siguiente, después de una enorme presión vecinal, el gobierno municipal aprobó el Plan Especial del Casco Histórico. La creación de una oficina de rehabilitación y una escuela-taller, permitió la recuperación de equipamientos y espacios públicos, lo que le valió el Premio Europeo de Urbanismo en 1994. El objetivo de mi ponencia será analizar los distintos planes llevados a cabo en las últimas décadas que permitieron recuperar su aspecto histórico y su perímetro natural, de forma que en la actualidad la ciudad emplea su patrimonio como motor económico. [EN] The village of Allariz is a small heritage jewel of the Galician territory. Unlike what has happened to other Galician villages, its historic centre, crossed by the river Arnoia, has remained unchanged throughout history. We can see traces of its medieval past as a royal residence, its stately magnificence or its transformation in a protoindustrial city, with multiple tanneries on the bank of the river. Despite its declaration as a Historic-Artistic Site in 1971, the village and its surroundings were being abandoned at the end of the last century. In the following decade, after an enormous neighbours demands, the local government approved the Special Plan for the Historic District. The creation of a Restoration Department and a workshop, allowed for the recovery of equipment and public spaces, which was the key for win the European urban and regional planning Award. The objective of this paper will be to analyze the different plans carried out over the last years that have permitted the recovery of its historical aspect and its natural perimeter, so that at present, the town’s heritage has become its economic engine.

Despite reduced resistance to wheel rim wear, after every grinding, only geometrical parameters of wheels are restored at maintenance depots. A tendency towards a decrease in the exploitation of wheel rim working edge induces the acquisition of new wheels, is related to a considerable increase in axle load and train speed as well as linked to the ineffective methods of repairing wheel rim working edge. A solution to the problem of restoring the surface of wheelset rolling, as a wider problem of rolling stock durability, is determined by the fact that the breakdown of the rolling wheelset and the loss of its efficiency shortens the service time of the wheelset. The cost of pointless and inefficient renovations of geometrical wheelset parameters increases and is of a very high rate. The problem of efficient renovations to rims and steel used for wheels within the maintenance of wheelsets becomes a burning issue today. First Published Online: 05 Oct 2011

AbstractDistinct bankline patterns appeared after the removal of protection works along a navigable reach of the Meuse River. A series of oblique embayments now dominate the riverine landscape after ten years of bank erosion, but their location and asymmetry cannot be explained yet. This work analyses and integrates field measurements of flow, ship waves, bank composition, bed topography and historical maps to explain the observed patterns along two reaches of the river. An extraordinary low‐water‐level event generated by a ship accident provided the unique opportunity to also analyse the subaqueous bank topography.The results indicate that the formation of oblique embayments arises from the combination of floodplain heterogeneity, structured by scroll‐bar deposits, and the regulation of water levels, resulting in ship‐wave attack at a narrow range of bank elevation for 70% of the time. Substrate erodibility acts on the effectiveness of trees to slow down local bank erosion rates, which is possibly enhanced by a positive feedback between woody roots and cohesive soil. The strong regulation of water levels and the waves generated by the intense ship traffic produce an increasingly long mildly‐sloping terrace at the bank toe and progressively dominate the bank erosion process. This study demonstrates the important role of floodplain and scroll bar formation in shaping later bank erosion, which has implications for predictive numerical models, restoration strategies, and understanding the role of vegetation in bank erosion processes. © 2019 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Recruitment of non-planted mangrove species into Rhizophora mucronata, Sonneratia alba and Avicennia marina reforested stands (all of them 5 years old) was investigated to assess possibilities for natural colonization. Corresponding bare (denuded or open without mangroves) and natural (relatively undisturbed) sites were used as controls. Interstitial water salinity and temperature (measured at low tide) were lower, whereas sediment organic matter content was higher in the areas with mangrove cover. Also, the bare sites were more sandy, whereas those with mangrove cover had more clay and silt. There was no apparent recruitment of non-planted mangrove species into the bare areas, but the reforested stands of S. alba, A. marina, and R. mucronata had 5400, 4000 and 700 recruits ha-1, respectively of different mangrove species. The results therefore suggest that mangrove reforestation has facilitated natural colonization of sites, most likely by altering local hydrodynamics.

[ES] La Cruz de Cerrajería es un elemento urbano de culto elaborado con hierro forjado en 1692 por el maestro Sebastián Conde. Su exposición a los agentes ambientales, sus características estructurales y la inadecuada superposición de capas pictóricas han dado lugar a un importante proceso degradativo por corrosión. Técnicas de análisis instrumental (potenciometría, microscopía óptica y electrónica) han permitido identificar con exactitud las causas de deterioro, caracterizar el metal y evaluar su comportamiento ante los tratamientos de pasivación y estabilización. Se han podido de este modo argumentar experimentalmente las decisiones más adecuadas de cara a las actuaciones de restauración y protección frente a la corrosión, considerando las posibilidades de aplicación por la tipología y forma de las numerosas piezas que forman la Cruz de Cerrajería. El tratamiento objeto de estudio garantiza una protección adecuada, la evacuación del agua y previene los pares galvánicos. [EN] The Cruz de Cerrajería is a wrought-iron cross forged in 1692 by the master locksmith Sebastián Conde. Its exposure to environmental elements, its structural characteristics and the inappropriate application of superimposed coats of paint have given rise to severe degradation due to corrosion. By means of instrumental analysis techniques, we were able to accurately identify the causes of the deterioration, determine the characteristics of the metal and evaluate its response to the application of passivation and stabilization treatments. Through an experimental approach we were able to determine the most appropriate solutions regarding the restoration and protection measures adopted to combat corrosion, considering the application possibilities according to the typology and shape of the numerous pieces that form the Cruz de Cerrajería. The treatment studied here guarantees the adequate protection of the cross, water evacuation and prevents galvanic couples.

Understanding local community perceptions is an important first step in seeking ways to revitalize degraded urban streams. This research sought to understand community perceptions of the highly modified Parnamirim stream in the city of Recife, Brazil and to solicit perspectives on potential for revitalization of the stream before and after discussion of such possibilities using a photo-elicitation-based approach. Structured interviews were conducted with 167 residents situated close to the stream using three photographs of urban streams in various stages of modification and revitalization to prompt responses regarding preferences and opportunities for stream revitalization. While a majority of respondents overall indicated that the Parnamirim stream currently looks like a degraded stream (asdepicted in one photograph), these perceptions generally matched the characteristics of the stream in their particular area of residence, indicating that people’s perceptions are influenced by the quality of their immediate environment. However, after the brief discussion of urban stream revitalization practices, there was overall positive response for Parnamirim stream to become like the photograph of the revitalized stream shown to participants. Our findings point to the power and utility of the photo-elicitation method in terms of provoking emotional and cognitive responses to local environmental conditions and in promoting changed community perceptions of possible Parnamirim stream revitalization and its future potential. The potential for social desirability bias to influence community perceptions is acknowledged regarding the post-discussion preferences and comments regarding the potential for revitalization of Parnamirim stream. Nevertheless, the research demonstrates the value of engagement in discussion and ideas sharing with community members through the use of photo-elicitation and such approaches may represent an important first step in realizing urban stream revitalization.

Sustained human disturbances cause trajectory shifts in wetland plant communities and allow invasive species to colonize. Understanding long term impacts of these disturbances is necessary for better management practices and environmental restoration. In this study we evaluated species composition in a fen type wetland for 10 consecutive years subjected to intentional fires and cattle grazing. We found that fires alter spatial distribution and relative abundance of wetland species but, at least in this wetland, no species loss was recorded for the 10-year period. We did document an increment over time in the proportion of facultative hydrophytes and a decrease in the number of obligate species. Cattle browsing damaged wetland plants, but its removal allows the introduced species Festuca arundinacea to dominate areas formerly occupied by Schoenoplectus americanus . These results show the interplay of disturbances and how elimination of a single disturbance can degrade the plant community. The changing trends suggest that current species composition might not revert naturally and that active management for restoration is needed.