Greenland’s Ice Sheet is estimated to represent around 11% of the world’s total volume of glacial ice. The central, interior part of the ice sheet is relative ‘smooth’, while the ice sheet at the periphery of Greenland is much more rugged, due to the coastal mountain ranges of Greenland. The southern tip of Greenland also contains …
Islands and Heritage of Japan’s Nagasaki Prefecture
In this series of articles several aspects of heritage, conservation, design, cultural tourism and sustainable development on the tranquil and rural islands of the Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan are being explored. These are places steeped in history but less known amongst visitors to Japan. The character of these islands is less urbanized than some of …
Lines on the Shore: Olive Bay Hotel on Oshima Island, Japan
In our series of articles about the islands in the Nagasaki Prefecture, this article looks at a recent example of contemporary architecture on Oshima Island (Ōshima), Saikai City district, Japan. The Olive Bay Hotel with architectural design by Kengo Kuma blends the remote and tranquil island environments of the region’s volcanic coast and the industrial context, with a luxurious retreat atmosphere. …
Contaminating India’s Largest Freshwater Lake: Garbage Dumping and Landfilling at Wular Lake, Kashmir
In May 2017 an article was published in Kashmir by Owais Farooqi to raise the problem of landfilling and contamination through garbage dumping at Wular Lake, Kashmir. Wular Lake is India’s largest freshwater lake. I personally see this, and the wider issue of garbage dumping in Kashmir, as incomprehensible and decided to republish the link to Farooqi’s …
The Sea and the Mountain in a Sacred Dance: Itsukushima and Mount Misen, Japan
The Island of Itsukushima is located in the Seto Inland Sea (Setonaikai), in the Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. It is one of about 3,000 islands that are part of the Setonaikai National Park (瀬戸内海国立公園), which was designated in 1934 (Setonaikai National Park, 2017). Miyajima (宮島町, Miyajima-chō) is the historic town located on the island of Itsukushima. …
Mount Auburn Cemetery in Spring
Mount Auburn Cemetery in Watertown and Cambridge, Massachusetts, was founded in 1831 and became a model for the American ‘rural’ cemetery movement. It was listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and received National Historic Landmark designation in 2003. In an earlier article on ‘A Landscape of Memory: Mount Auburn Cemetery‘, some …
The Absence of Equality and Seeking the Change: The New National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), Washington, D.C.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) opened on September 24, 2016, in Washington, D.C., in a ceremony led by U.S. President Barack Obama. It is a Smithsonian Institution museum and has over 36,000 objects in its collection. It is a tour de force in covering extremely important, tough, and still often ignored subject areas within public …