Category: Overall

Konrad Czapiewski died on August 25, 2022, during his trip to Mexico. This is shocking and devastating news for the whole community of the SPOT project. We send our deepest condolences to the family and friends for your loss.

Konrad Czapiewski led the SPOT project’s team of the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organisation Polish Academy of Sciences. He was a human geographer, an associate professor at the Department of Rural Geography and Local Development. Konrad was one of the most active members of the Polish Geographical Society, national representative of the Association of Geographical Societies in Europe EUGEO, known and extremely liked in the international geographic community. His interests focused on the subject of rural development.

Konrad was a very-best friend for many of us. He was always cheerful and optimistic about life. He talked a lot and beautifully about travelling, which was his greatest passion. Nothing was impossible for him, so he willingly offered advice on many spheres of everyday life and work. We will all remember his brilliant comments in ongoing scientific discussions during our meetings. Konrad was a person with an extraordinary geographical sensitivity to the surrounding world, which he was able to observe closely.

There are common dreams, ideas, already started publications, projects and initiatives that we will have to implement and develop, unfortunately, without his participation.

Rest in peace our dearest Friend!

Stanisław Leszczycki Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences was founded in 1953 (initially as the Institute of Geography PAS). The Institute is an important research centre in Poland in the fields of socio-economic geography, physical geography as well as spatial organization. Within the framework of the Institute, the Central Library of Geography and Environmental Protection is operating, this being one of the largest library centres of the kind in the world. The Institute’s special asset is an active involvement in international scientific collaboration that, in recent years, have resulted in participation in more than 100 scientific and practical programmes and projects. In addition, in the last decade there have been ca. 200 national research and practical projects, expert evaluations, etc., which have been carried out by the Institute. Annual publishing output of Institute’s academicians comes to a total of 200 published items (e.g. peer-reviewed articles, monographs, notes, etc.), including Institutes’ journals (e.g. Geographia Polonica, Europa XXI) and publication series.

Konrad Czapiewski leads the SPOT project’s team of Institute of Geography and Spatial Organisation Polish Academy of Sciences. He is an Associate Professor at the Department of Rural Geography and Local Development. His broad research interest is human geography and particularly rural geography. He obtained the doctoral academic degree in 2010 and habilitation academic degree in 2021. Since 2003 he is an active member of the Main Board of Polish Geographical Society (six terms) and its Commission for Rural Areas. Since 2019 he is a member of the Main Board of Committee for Spatial Economy and Regional Planning, Polish Academy of Sciences. Since 2013 he holds the position of the editor-in-chief of the journal Studia Obszarów Wiejskich (Rural Studies). He authored or co-authored 114 publications, participated in 57 projects (granted by e.g. H2020, FP7, ESPON, World Bank, NCN, Erasmus+, Polish ministries and regions) and gave 120 conferences’ presentations (including 25 as a guest or keynote speaker).

Denis Cerić is a research assistant at the Department of Urban and Population Studies, Institute of Geography and Spatial Organisation Polish Academy of Sciences. His broad research interest is tourism geography, international cooperation and cross-border studies. For several years, he managed a production department in Atlas, the largest tour operator company in Croatia. For seven years, he was working as a lecturer at the Alcide de Gasperi University of Euroregional Economy in Józefów-Warsaw on several tourism-related subjects such as “Tourism destination – management and planning”, “Introduction to Tourism”, “Tourism Markets” and “Tourism Economics”. In the SPOT project he holds the position of Dissemination Manager.

Marcin Mazur is a member of SPOT project’s team and employee of Institute of Geography and Spatial Organisation Polish Academy of Sciences. He is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Rural Geography and Local Development. His research interest is quantitative methods in human geography (particularly in rural geography) and cartography. He obtained the doctoral academic degree in 2017, dissertation title: Cartographic method and the perception of the statistical map’s content. Since 2009 he is an active member of the Main Board of Polish Geographical Society and its Commission on Rural Areas. He holds the position of the cartographic editor of two journals: Studia Obszarów Wiejskich (Rural Studies) and Przegląd Geograficzny (Geographical Review). He authored or co-authored more than 70 publications, and participated in numerous projects (granted by e.g. H2020, FP7, ESPON, World Bank, NCN, Erasmus+, Polish ministries and regions).

Mersin University was established on 3 July 1992 and initiated its activities on 10 November 1992. In the academic year of 1993-1994, Mersin University started its education by admitting students to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Faculty of Fine Arts, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, School of Tourism and Hotel Management, Mersin Vocational School, Gülnar Vocational School, Mut Vocational School, Tarsus Vocational School and Institute of Science and Social Sciences which carries out postgraduate programs. Since its establishment, Mersin University has increased the number of its faculties to 16, the number of its colleges to 7, the number of its vocational schools to 11, the number of its institutes to 5, and the number of its research centres to 34. Today, with around 50,000 students, Mersin University is one of the largest Universities in Turkey with well-established ties with national and international institutions and has a very strong education and research base that continue to grow in education, research and social grounds.

Kemal Birdir leads the team of Mersin University. He is a tourism academician. He earned his bachelor degree in Tourism Management in 1989 from Cukurova University, Mersin School of Tourism and Hotel Management. The same year he was assigned as a research assistant in the same school and awarded a scholarship to complete his graduate degrees abroad. In 1994, he earned his MBA degree in Tourism Management from Hawaii Pacific University and in 1998, PhD at Purdue University’s Restaurant, Hotel, Institutional and Tourism (RHIT) program. He had researcher and consultant positions in different European Union projects. Since 1998, he was working at Mersin University School of Tourism and Hotel Management (now Tourism Faculty) and currently is a Professor at Hotel Management program at the same Faculty. He served as the dean of the Faculty between 2015 and 2020. His main fields of research are tourism management, human resources management and tourism planning. He is a member of Association of Tourism Academicians (TUADER).

Sevda Sahilli Birdir is a tourism academician. She earned a BS degree from School of Tourism and Hotel Management at Mersin University in 1998 and received her Master’s degree in 2001 again from School of Tourism and Hotel Management at Mersin University. She worked as a lecturer between 2001 and 2006 in Nevsehir Vocational School of Erciyes University. She earned her PhD degree in 2009 in Erciyes University, Department of Production Management and Marketing. Between 2006 and 2012, she was a lecturer in Social Science Vocational School of Mersin University. She received her title of associate professor at the Science of Tourism field in 2017. Currently, she is working as an associate professor in the Department of Tourism Guidance in Tourism Faculty of Mersin University. She had researcher positions in different European Union projects. Her main fields of work are tourism marketing and tourism management.

Tolga Levent is an urban planner and works at the Faculty of Architecture in the Department of City and Regional Planning. His scientific interest is mainly focused on the spatial organization of service activities, with a special emphasis on urban centres. He is also interested in regional innovation strategies, urban regeneration, migration, and urban resilience. He has taken active roles in educational partnerships at both national and international levels.

Yasemin Sarıkaya Levent is an urban planner. She has been working as assistant professor at the Department of City and Regional Planning, Mersin University since 2009. She had researcher and consultant positions in different projects. Her main interests are urban conservation, cultural heritage management, and urbanisation history. She is a member of Turkish Union of Chamber of City Planners since 2009, ICOMOS Turkey since 2017, and ICLAFI since 2018.

Politecnico di Torino (POLITO) is a leading institution in Italy and in Europe in the field of technical-scientific research. Currently it is among the top Engineering and Technology universities in the world, and its international education network features about 460 bilateral agreements and 129 double-degree agreements with EU and non-EU universities, active participation in university networks and the establishment of international campuses. Within POLITO, the Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST) is the result of a joint venture between Politecnico and the other main Turin public university (the University of Turin). The core mission of DIST focuses on educational and research activities in the field of urban studies, spatial planning and the built environment, including the management of historical, cultural, economic, technological, environmental, natural and built heritages. Thanks to its unique inter-university structure, DIST joins the scientific and cultural approaches of the Polytechnic (architecture, engineering and management) and of the University (political, economic and social sciences).

Giancarlo Cotella is the coordinator of the Politecnico di Torino team. He is an associate professor in urban and regional planning at DIST – Politecnico di Torino. He has over fifteen years of international research experience on the comparative analysis of territorial governance and spatial planning systems in Europe and beyond with particular reference to the impact of EU policies on domestic contexts. His work focused extensively on the potentials for transferability of good practices and policy recommendations within the European space. He has been working in close cooperation with a number of regional and local stakeholders, supporting them in the development of territorial development strategies.

Sara Bonini Baraldi is an associate professor in management at DIST – University of Turin, and professor at the Master in “World Heritage and Cultural Projects for Development”, organized by University of Torino, the International Training Centre of the ILO, and UNESCO World Heritage Centre. She has also been visiting professor at Universitè Paris 8, Sain-Denis (France) and the Wroclaw University of Economics (Poland). In 2015 and 2016 she has been consultant for the Organization for the Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Italian Cultural Ministry. Her research interests concern the reform of public administration in the heritage field and the relationship between art, culture and the territory.

Marta Bottero is full professor in Planning Evaluation and Project Appraisal at DIST – Politecnico di Torino. She teaches Urban Management, Multicriteria Analysis and Environmental Assessment. She holds a degree in Environmental and Land Engineering and a PhD degree in Geo-Environmental Engineering. Her scientific interests mainly focus on methodologies, techniques and tools for supporting sustainability assessment of urban and territorial transformations. She has been acting as consultant and advisor on the matter for several public authorities.

Claudia Cassatella is an associate professor in urban and landscape Planning at DIST – Politecnico di Torino. She serves as chair of the M.Sc. in Regional, Urban, Environmental and Landscape Planning. Her theoretical and applied research mainly deals with landscape planning and landscape heritage. She took part to numerous applied research projects commissioned by public authorities, including the Italian Ministry for cultural heritage, various regional administrations, park authorities and Unesco World Heritage Sites. She conducted collaborative research and didactical activities together with TU Delft, The Tokyo University, and is member of the Executive Board of UNISCAPE.

Vanessa Assumma is a postdoctoral researcher in Planning Evaluation and Project Appraisal at DIST – Politecnico di Torino. She holds a master’s degree in Territorial, Urban, Environmental and Lanscape Planning and a Ph.D. degree in Urban and Regional Development. She is adjunct professor of the course Tools for Environmental Sustainability Assessment at Politecnico di Milano (Italy). She currently works in the VALIUM research group (Valuation for Integrated Urban Management) and is involved in research activities on the resilience of socio-ecological systems, planning evaluation and strategic assessment. She has also been a visiting researcher at Information Systems, Supply Chain and Decision making Department (SISCAD) of NEOMA Business School, Rouen (France) and at Centre of Mathematics (CMAT) of the University of Minho, Guimarães (Portugal). Her scientific interests are focused on the assessment of complex spatial problems characterised by uncertainty and interdependences, strategic environmental impact assessment procedures and mathematical models in the context of environmental and spatial planning.