We construct a reflexive Banach space $X_{\mathcal {D}}$ with an unconditional basis such that all spreading models admitted by normalized block sequences in $X_{\mathcal {D}}$ are uniformly equivalent to the unit vector basis of $\ell _1$, yet every infinite-dimensional closed subspace of $X_{\mathcal {D}}$ fails the Lebesgue property. This is a new result in a program initiated by Odell in 2002 concerning the strong separation of asymptotic properties in Banach spaces.

Motivated by Altshuler’s famous characterization of the unit vector basis of $c_0$ or $\ell _p$ among symmetric bases (Altshuler [1976, Israel Journal of Mathematics, 24, 39–44]), we obtain similar characterizations among democratic bases and among bidemocratic bases. We also prove a separate characterization of the unit vector basis of $\ell _1$.

For $1\le p <\infty $, we present a reflexive Banach space $\mathfrak {X}^{(p)}_{\text {awi}}$, with an unconditional basis, that admits $\ell _p$ as a unique asymptotic model and does not contain any Asymptotic $\ell _p$ subspaces. Freeman et al., Trans. AMS. 370 (2018), 6933–6953 have shown that whenever a Banach space not containing $\ell _1$, in particular a reflexive Banach space, admits $c_0$ as a unique asymptotic model, then it is Asymptotic $c_0$. These results provide a complete answer to a problem posed by Halbeisen and Odell [Isr. J. Math. 139 (2004), 253–291] and also complete a line of inquiry of the relation between specific asymptotic structures in Banach spaces, initiated in a previous paper by the first and fourth authors. For the definition of $\mathfrak {X}^{(p)}_{\text {awi}}$, we use saturation with asymptotically weakly incomparable constraints, a new method for defining a norm that remains small on a well-founded tree of vectors which penetrates any infinite dimensional closed subspace.

The classical Banach space $L_1(L_p)$ consists of measurable scalar functions f on the unit square for which

$$ \begin{align*}\|f\| = \int_0^1\Big(\int_0^1 |f(x,y)|^p dy\Big)^{1/p}dx < \infty.\end{align*} $$

We show that $L_1(L_p) (1 < p < \infty )$ is primary, meaning that whenever $L_1(L_p) = E\oplus F$, where E and F are closed subspaces of $L_1(L_p)$, then either E or F is isomorphic to $L_1(L_p)$. More generally, we show that $L_1(X)$ is primary for a large class of rearrangement-invariant Banach function spaces.

In this paper we consider the following problem: let Xk, be a Banach space with a normalised basis (e(k, j))j, whose biorthogonals are denoted by ${(e_{(k,j)}^*)_j}$, for $k\in\N$, let $Z=\ell^\infty(X_k:k\kin\N)$ be their l∞-sum, and let $T:Z\to Z$ be a bounded linear operator with a large diagonal, i.e.,

$$\begin{align*}\inf_{k,j} \big|e^*_{(k,j)}(T(e_{(k,j)})\big|>0.\end{align*}$$

Based on a construction method introduced by Bourgain and Delbaen, we give a general definition of a Bourgain–Delbaen space and prove that every infinite-dimensional separable ${\mathcal{L}}_{\infty }$ -space is isomorphic to such a space. Furthermore, we provide an example of a ${\mathcal{L}}_{\infty }$ and asymptotic $c_{0}$ space not containing $c_{0}$ .