The water management of cities and villages faces many challenges. Aging infrastructure systems operate for many years after their theoretical lifetime (operation) with a very high need for reconstruction and repair. The solution is proper rainwater management. The investigated area is part of the cadastral area of the Nitra city. This article is based on the use of geographic information systems (GIS) as tools in proposing water retention measures that are needed to improve the microenvironment of the city.

This paper is engaged with the critical perspective that highlights the role of the state in the production of urban informality by examining the dynamics of informal land-use practices in Dongguan, China since 1978. Based on in-depth interviews and archival analysis, the relationship between informal land development, the state, and land institution change has been revealed. Our findings show that informal land development is practiced by village collectives from below in Dongguan as a response to the absence and limitation of the national land law.

The paper analyzes the state and dynamics of key actors and institutions that regulate the use of resources within the protected areas of the North Caucasus, using the examples of the Teberda Biosphere Reserve and the Elbrus National Park. The network of protected areas created in the North Caucasus during the Soviet period relied on government support, and the participation of the local population in nature conservation was very limited. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the demonopolization of state land laws, new actors emerged, such as the local population and business.