Ricerc@Sapienza

This chapter introduces a novel method of communication, based on an analytical and analogical factfinding
journey, aimed at comprehending an architectural design for a more extended and inclusive
usership, in particular for visually impaired and blind people. The study focuses on the communication
aspects of architecture and the methodology considered effective in architectural criticism, with the
aim of attaining deep and real understanding of those principles that represent its tangible expression.

For several decades now, the Italian legislation has been responsible for the delicate issue relevant to the possibility for all categories of users to access and use buildings, historicalarchitectural heritage and urban locations. Today, some fundamental concepts have been acquired, and, in general, in the new building design accessibility is considered as a fundamental requirement, and therefore an intrinsic part of the criteria to be adopted in this area, directing the choices from the idea phase to the total enjoyment by all.

This paper presents a novel strategy to implement a CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart). The aim of these tests is to easily and reliably distinguish between real human users and (malicious) bots. The approach underlying FATCHA is to exploit real time capture of human actions instead of human ability to recognize visual or auditory items. The latter approach explicitly requires proposing a challenge difficult for an automatic responder but easy for a human.

First visited by westerners in the mid-nineteenth century, Saharan rock art has since received a great deal of attention. The richness and diversity of this region is recognised by the inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list of three properties: Tassili-n-Ajjer in Algeria, Tadrart Acacus in Libya, and Ennedi in Chad.

Observability and detectability on one hand as well as accessibility and controllability on the other, are related properties and have not been closely investigated for nonlinear–time delay systems until these recent years. Currently accessibility or nonlinear time delay systems is defined as the absence of autonomous functions on the extended state space. Such a property is expressed in terms of the Accessibility matrix rank, extending to the nonlinear context the well known Kalman Criterion.

Walking and transit are the pillars of sustainable cities and bus stops are often the seam between them. The issue is usually addressed from the “transit side” (attractiveness, comfort, safety of the bus stop) or from the passengers’, especially when dealing with accessibility. Less investigated are the effects of the built environment on the passengers’ assessment of bus stops accessibility.

Walking and transit are the backbone of sustainable mobility. Bus stops not only represent the connection between the two, but are also central in dictating the attractiveness of the latter. Accessibility of bus stops becomes, then, pivotal in increasing both attractiveness and sustainability of public transport. The paper describes a multi-step methodology to evaluate bus stops’ accessibility starting from a cluster of seven indicators describing objective and subjective features influencing passengers’ choice toward a given bus stop.