Arrangement Plan of Inner Mongolia Buddhist Temple

Since BC, the construction of cities has been started in the Mongolian Plateau with the establishment of dynasties, but many were turned into ruins. However, the Tibetan Buddhist temples built after the 16th century, which are an indispensable element in the process of settling the Mongolians from nomadic life, have been relatively well preserved in Inner Mongolia. These temples have been thought to be the epitome of the Mongolian economy, culture, art, and construction technology. Therefore, it has a great significance to research them systematically. Interestingly, these temples in Mongolia were originated from Inner Mongolia, which is located on the south side of Mongolia. The architectural design of these temples has been primarily influenced by Chinese and Tibetan temple architecture, suggesting that the temples appear to be considered a vital sample for studying temple architecture in Mongolia or East Asia. So far, there is still no study systematically on temple architecture in Inner Mongolia. Therefore, this research aims to study the arrangement plan of Inner Mongolian Tibetan Buddhist temples, which is the most important factor to consider in the first stage of temple construction.

Pedestrian-Level Wind Environment Assessment of Shenyang’s Residential Areas through Numerical Simulations

In recent decades, increasing urbanization has increased construction land shortages, which has made people pay more attention to the utilization of vertical space. The emergence of more and more high-rise buildings has affected the wind environment at the pedestrian level, especially in residential areas. In this research, the typical patterns of the layouts of residential buildings in Shenyang were investigated and summarized, and the wind environment of the residential areas of different architecture layouts was simulated according to the climatic conditions in Shenyang. After analyzing the simulation results, a typical layout mode for the residential areas in Shenyang was developed to facilitate the establishment of a favorable wind environment. In comparison with different building layouts, a staggered layout of slab buildings, half-enclosed layout of point buildings with openings on the south side, slab-point combined buildings with slab buildings on the north side, and point buildings on the south side were found to be the most suitable layouts for Shenyang’s climate. Thus, this study can provide guidance to designers and urban planners in addition to practical suggestions for residential planning.

Melodramatic Mayhew: J.B. Johnstone’s How We Live in the World of London

The British stage of the1850s produced a flurry of dramas influenced by Henry Mayhew’s work on urban poverty, many of which were written for the “minor” theatres of London’s East End and the south side of the Thames. Often dismissed as literary “hacks,” the writers for these theatres and their works have been largely undervalued and understudied. This article shines a spotlight on one such writer, John Beer Johnstone, whose How We Live in the World of London; Or, London Labour and the London Poor premiered at the Surrey Theatre on 24 March 1856. Taking a positive view of literary “piracy,” I argue that Johnstone’s play cleverly re-imagines Mayhew’s social journalism and subverts prevalent stereotypes of the urban poor for the Surrey’s mixed audiences.

Partnering With African American Faith-Based Communities to Support Dementia Caregivers

African Americans (AA) are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s Disease as Caucasians. Historically, houses of faith have been a center of the AA community and a trusted source of information and support. Based on these facts, as well as community needs, the SHARE Network (a Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program on the South Side of Chicago) in partnership with faith-based community leaders, created an opportunity for community members to train to become resource experts on Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias (ADRD) and create sustainable caregiver support groups (CSGs). The resulting initiative, Dementia Resource Champions, is a train-the-trainer style health education initiative piloted in 2018, and subsequently expanded and modified due to COVID. Participants receive instruction on stress reduction, ADRD, and community resources. They discuss how to structure CSGs to meet community needs. Results of this initiative include development of five brand-new CSGs with faith communities on Chicago’s South Side.