Environmental Planning and Design

Green Infrastructure for Asian Cities: The Spatial Concepts and Planning Strategies

by Sadahisa Kato

Peer-reviewed paper
Kato, S. 2011. Green Infrastructure for Asian Cities: The Spatial Concepts and Planning Strategies. Journal of the 2011 International Symposium on City Planning: 161-170. Korea Planners Association.

Reviewed the concept of green infrastructure (GI) and five cases of GI-like application in Japan; proposed four... more Reviewed the concept of green infrastructure (GI) and five cases of GI-like application in Japan; proposed four general landscape planning and design guidelines of GI from a landscape ecology perspective; and made recommendations of four areas of application of GI to Asian cities

CIB4102 land ecomanagement

by Eliana Cangelli

Co Authored with I. Plantamura, proceedings of The 2005 World Sustainable Building Conference, Tokyo, 27-29 September 2005 (SB05Tokyo)

Recognition of the local dimension as the ideal level on which to carry out sustainable development is by now... more Recognition of the local dimension as the ideal level on which to carry out sustainable development is by now universally affirmed, as stated in the World Summit of Sustainable Development 2002, which represented an opportunity for relaunching the collaboration of local bodies in that direction. The Declaration of Local Bodies, issued as the closing document, constitutes an acceptance of responsibility regarding the promotion and carrying out of governing policies and measures of sustainable development in their individual communities. Unfortunately, these local bodies are still today not in a position to translate these policies into territorial programming, management and planning. This is the leading idea of a project financed by the Ministry of Education, University and Research, in which the authors are involved. This project was born from an interdisciplinary research activity, based on mutual exchange of scientific tools belonging to different disciplines: Architecture, Engineering and Computer Science. This paper deals with the main objective of the activity related to the research project. The main objective emerges as a proposal for putting in order useful measures in favour of eco-management development activities and an audit scheme for the sustainability of the territory in line with currently existing European Community regulations.

Facilitating Ecological Enhancement of Coastal Infrastructure: the Role of Policy, People and Planning.

by Martin Coombes

Naylor, L.A., Coombes, M.A., Venn, O., Roast, S., Thompson, R.C. (In Press). Facilitating Ecological Enhancement of Coastal Infrastructure: the Role of Policy, People and Planning. Environmental Science and Policy.

Urbanisation is recognised as a major pressure on coastal biodiversity. Increasing risks of flooding and erosion... more Urbanisation is recognised as a major pressure on coastal biodiversity. Increasing risks of flooding and erosion associated with future climate change indicate that new hard infrastructure will have to continue to be built—and existing structures upgraded—in areas of high social and economic value. Ecological enhancement involves undertaking management interventions at the design stage to improve the ecological potential of these structures, or to improve the ecological value of existing structures. While scientific research into ecological enhancement methods and designs is growing, there has been limited discussion of the non-science drivers and mechanisms by which ecological enhancements can be successfully implemented in coastal infrastructure projects. We explore the science-policy-practice interfaces of the ecological enhancement of hard coastal structures from three perspectives. First, we outline the growing number of European and UK policies and legislative instruments that are increasing the need to consider ecological enhancement in coastal developments. These serve as a facilitative tool for making enhancement projects happen, constituting a significant ‘policy push’ for research and application in this area. Second, we examine the role of people in influencing the uptake of ecological enhancements. The critical role of ‘knowledge brokers’ and the need for effective and sustained collaboration between a range of groups and individuals to get research approved and operational trials off the ground is discussed. Third, we examine where in the typical planning, design and build process current enhancement projects have been embedded, serving to illustrate how the science can be used in practice.

Adaptación del índice Humidex para el clima de la ciudad de Colima, México, de acuerdo con el enfoque adaptativo

by Adolfo Gomez Amador

Gabriel Gómez-Azpeitia, Adolfo Gómez Amador, Pablo David Elías López, Ri cardo Moreno*

Protecting local green spaces

by Ian Mell

Published in Journal of the Town and Country Planning Association. Vol. 81., No. 4. 194-197.

Ian Mell considers the implications and possible outcomes of
the new ‘Local Green Space’ designation. Ian Mell considers the implications and possible outcomes of
the new ‘Local Green Space’ designation.

Recycling pulp mill sludge to improve soil fertility using GIS tools

by Antonio Albuquerque

P. Ribeiro, A. Albuquerque, L. Quinta-Nova, V. Cavaleiro
Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 2010, V. 54, 12, 1303–1311.

Pulp mill sludge produced in the Cova da Beira region (Portugal) contains organic matter (11–47%), nitrogen (38–2560mg... more Pulp mill sludge produced in the Cova da Beira region (Portugal) contains organic matter (11–47%), nitrogen (38–2560mg N/kg) and phosphorus (167–370mg P/kg), which may be valuable for increasing soil productivity. The levels of heavy metals are below the limits recommended by legislation and the
amount of nitrogen and phosphorous to be introduced in soils does not present a risk for nutrient leaching.
After identifying the environmental and technical restrictions on its application, an area of 1650 ha was identified where the sludge can be applied in forage crops, fruit trees, olive groves and vineyards. A suitable area was also found for a biosolids storage centre. The use of GIS allowed to define a sludge
application index and to produce land-use suitability maps, which can be useful for sludge management.

Evaluation of the stability of waste-based geopolymeric artificial aggregates for wastewater treatment processes under different curing conditions

by Antonio Albuquerque

I. Silva, J. Castro-Gomes, A. Albuquerque
Advances in Science and Technology, 2010, V. 69, 86-91.

Waste geopolymeric artificial aggregates (WGA) with different atomic ratios of mining waste mud/Na2SiO (4 to 5) and... more Waste geopolymeric artificial aggregates (WGA) with different atomic ratios of mining waste mud/Na2SiO (4 to 5) and Na2SiO/NaOH (1.25 to 5) were produced using curing temperatures of 20ºC and 130ºC and its structural stability and pH variation after immersion in water was observed during 3 months. Results showed that WGA with mud/Na2SiO and Na2SiO/NaOH of 5 and 4, respectively, cured at 20ºC presented good stability in water and pH decreased from 10 to 7
in 24 days. Compressive strength was determined in additional samples cured at 20ºC and 80ºC in dry conditions, for 13 curing ages and 15 water immersion periods (up to 14 weeks). Results of this second stage showed that increasing temperature to 80ºC accelerated compressive strength gain but
only during the first 3 weeks (up to 15.4 MPa). After 24 h in water compressive strength decreased to half of the initial values determined in dry conditions in all samples and, therefore, the increase of temperature did not bring benefits to WGA strength in water. Regardless the curing temperature and the dry curing age comprehensive strength stabilizes between 1 MPa and 2 MPa after 4 weeks immersion in water, which are values that makes WGA suitable to be used as bed material for wastewater treatment processes.

Collaborative Water Planning in the Gulf of Carpentaria

by John Mackenzie

This report reviews the water planning process in the Gulf of Carpentaria undertaken between 2003 and 2007 by the... more This report reviews the water planning process in the Gulf of Carpentaria undertaken between 2003 and 2007 by the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water.

The context of the water planning process for the region is briefly summarised, through reference to the social and economic profile compiled as part of the planning process and other profiling processes for the region. The history of cultivation of water resources in the Gulf is then examined. A description of the water planning process is also provided. This process is then evaluated in section four against a series of criteria derived from recent literature on the evaluation of collaborative processes, examine the effectiveness of collaboration:

    * as a mechanism for improved decision-making, including governance arrangements, due process and the reconciliation of competing knowledge claims;
    * as a facilitator of social process; including improved relationships, conflict resolution
    * as a means of obtaining improved outcomes, including efficiency, equity, and wider social perception of the process; and
    * as a pathway for catalytic changes in the community.

The analysis found that water resource planning in Queensland is conducted according to a clear, transparent and well-articulated framework that is defined by both the legislation and supporting policy documents. After more than a decade of an adaptively managed planning program which has been subject to internal and external review, current water planning attempts to accommodate the best available scientific and technical analysis, comprehensive information provision and policy considerations to the production of water plans.

Through this planning program, the scope of public participation is delineated, and considerable effort is made by the state agencies to render the outcomes of the stakeholder input apparent to all stakeholders. In the conduct of the Gulf water resource planning process, the legislative requirements for public participation and due process were observed, and in a number of facets the planners involved in the preparation of the water resource plan exceeded the requirements of the legislation to facilitate public involvement and stakeholder contribution.

However, due to the fact that the WRP process has been developed primarily to address issues of water resource planning in the southern regions of Queensland, the planning framework itself is less suited in application in Northern Australia. This created a number of issues with regards to its effective application to the distinct environs of Northern Australia. Firstly, effective participation was constrained by the scope of the planning area and the logistical difficulties in undertaking a planning process for an area larger than the State of Victoria, with limited human resources.

Secondly, the different hydrology of Northern Australia meant that heavy reliance upon hydrological modeling and other technical assessments as decision-support were not as suited, particularly in the notable absence of appropriate data and information upon which to make apposite planning decisions.

Thirdly, the water planning framework had been developed to correct the legacy of over-allocated systems and state investment in water resources. In the Gulf, where there has been limited cultivation of water resources, and where the majority of the major water supply infrastructure has been privately funded, the application of the framework was not as appropriate.

Changing climate, changing democracy: a cautionary tale

by Mhairi Aitken

Aitken, M., 2012, 'Changing Climate, Changing Democracy: A cautionary tale' Environmental Politics Volume 21, Issue 2 pages 211-229

Climate change has come to hold a central position within many policy arenas. However, a particular framing of climate... more Climate change has come to hold a central position within many policy arenas. However, a particular framing of climate change and climate science, underpinned by modernist assumptions, dominates policy discourse. This leads to restricted policy responses reflecting particular interests and socio-political imaginaries. There is little public debate concerning this framing or the assumptions underpinning approaches to climate policy. The implications of this are illustrated by considering the ways in which UK planning policy has adapted to reflect commitments to mitigate climate change. It is shown that the importance attributed to climate change mitigation has had negative impacts on democratic involvement in planning processes. Given the uncertainty and high stakes of climate science (typical of post-normal science), value may be gained by incorporating the views and perspectives of ‘extended peer communities’, to question not only the processes and findings of climate science but also the ways in which the science is interpreted and responded to through policy.

Espace ouvert et planification intégrée

by Philippe Guerrier

Radiaoctivity in Cigarette

by Prof.Dr. İbrahim USLU

Turkish Journal of nuclear Sciences Volume 25 no:2 pp 1998
ibrahim Uslu, E. Tanker, M.L. Aksu

Cigarette is known to be hazardous to health due to nicotine and tar it contains. This is indicated on cigarette... more Cigarette is known to be hazardous to health due to nicotine and tar it contains. This is indicated on cigarette packets by health warnings. However there is less known hazard of smoking due to intake of radioactive compounds by inhalation. This study dwells upon the radioactive hazard of smoking.

Coal An Impure Fuel Source: Radiation Effects of Coal-fired Power Plants in Turkey

by Prof.Dr. İbrahim USLU

Hacettepe Journal of Biology and Chemistry volume 38 Issue 4 pp 259-268 2010
ibrahim Uslu, F. Gökmeşe

Turkish coal is generally poor quality and the levels of chemical and radiological toxic trace elements in it are... more Turkish coal is generally poor quality and the levels of chemical and radiological toxic trace elements in it are higher with respect to mean values of activity concentrations given in United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) Report. The main pathways through which the population living around soal-fired power plant (CFPP) is exposed to natural radionuclides are external and internal (ingestion and inhalation) dose and fly ash particles are the major component of the risk. It is estimated that the people working or living near the CFPP in Turkey receive a dose in between 0.1 mSv to 1 mSv extra from CFPP because nearly all the region of Turkey uranium (U) and thorium (Th) content in the coal are higher than 5 ppm to 7 ppm and around 25 ppm to 40 ppm respectively. Continuous monitoring is essential to determine occupational exposure levels in all stages of the coal fuel-cycle and proper measures should be taken to prevent direct contact of the ash pile with the top soil and local drainage systems.

Elwood, Indiana Comprehensive Plan 2010-2030

by Matt Lievertz

(Only Table of Contents uploaded) Comprehensive Plan by the Madison County Council of Governments (MCCOG) led by Allan Henderson. I contributed the analysis chapters for Natural Resources and Utilities.

‘Spatial planning as policy integration: The need for an evolutionary perspective. Lessons from Uzbekistan’

by Kristof Van Assche

Published in Land Use Policy

We start out from the premise of a continued need for policy integration to address both economic and environmental... more We start out from the premise of a continued need for policy integration to address both economic and environmental issues in society, arguing that spatial planning is a privileged site to locate such endeavor. While policy integration in planning can acquire many forms, we understand those forms as ways to manage interdependencies between organizations. Spatial planning can contribute to the integration of policies in comprehensive visions, but a planning system, in the sense of a network of organizations, does not escape from the evolutionary rigidity introduced by interdependence and path-dependence. In a study of the evolutionary path of spatial governance in Uzbekistan, a former Soviet republic, we investigated the shifting patterns of policy integration that affected the organization of space. Policy integration in planning, it is found, is path-dependent, worked out positively and negatively, and necessarily relied on informal coordination mechanisms. Thus, a planning system striving to manage interdependence has to be highly reflexive, to understand the extent to which its transformation options are constrained by history and by present linkages between organizations.

The good, the bad and the self-referential: heritage planning and the productivity of difference

by Martijn Duineveld

Kristof van Assche and Martijn Duineveld

Heritage planning, as an integrated approach to dealing with traces of the past in the ongoing organisation of the... more Heritage planning, as an integrated approach to dealing with traces of the past in the ongoing organisation of the landscape, must be a trans-disciplinary endeavour. Bridging differences between scientific disciplines, as well as sciences and the law, administration, politics and economy, is a continuous challenge. We argue that Niklas Luhmann’s social systems theory, with its sophisticated understanding of society as an evolving population of social systems, is very useful in understanding the value and difficulty of trespassing boundaries in heritage planning, and in understanding the value of conflict and cultivated difference in the planning process. We reflect on the mechanisms of self-reference and self-reproduction that are at play within the scientific disciplines addressing ‘heritage’, and analyse similar mechanisms within planning administrations. These mechanisms are not in essence negative; they are necessary for the production of the kind of knowledge that is specific for the system or organisation. However, in planning, some form of coordination of interests and types of knowledge is seen as desirable. We argue for an approach to heritage planning that avoids self-reference in the planning system as a whole, while accepting and cherishing the self-reference of the actors.

Promoting a Foundational Ecology Practically through Christopher Alexander's Pattern Language: The Example of Meadowcreek

by David Seamon

Co-authored with Gary J. Coates and originally published as a chapter in DWELLING, SEEING, AND DESIGNING: TOWARD A PHENOMENOLOGICAL ECOLOGY, David Seamon, ed. (Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1993), pp. 331-54.

FOUNDATIONAL ECOLOGY is the term that philosopher Joseph Grange (1977) used to describe a respectful, caring attitude... more FOUNDATIONAL ECOLOGY is the term that philosopher Joseph Grange (1977) used to describe a respectful, caring attitude toward nature and the environment. This article argues that one valuable means for contributing to a foundational ecology practically, especially in regard to environmental design, is architect Christopher Alexander's "pattern language."

This article examines pattern language's ability to join understanding and practice by presenting its use in an upper-level architectural studio taught by the two authors. The studio focus was the MEADOWCREEK PROJECT, a multi-disciplinary environmental-education center in Arkansas' Ozarks.

The article overviews the results of the Meadowcreek studio, both in terms of design and educational results. First, the design approach and resulting design proposals are discussed. Second, the learning value of the studio is examined, drawing on students' written evaluations.

The article concludes that, in its ability to integrate philosophical and practical needs, pattern language offers a powerful conceptual tool for designing environments that arise from and sustain a foundational ecology.

Promoting a Foundational Ecology Practically through Christopher Alexander's Pattern Language: The Example of Meadowcreek

by David Seamon

Co-authored with Gary J. Coates and originally published as a chapter in DWELLING, SEEING, AND DESIGNING: TOWARD A PHENOMENOLOGICAL ECOLOGY, David Seamon, ed. (Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1993), pp. 331-54.

FOUNDATIONAL ECOLOGY is the term that philosopher Joseph Grange (1977) used to describe a respectful, caring attitude... more FOUNDATIONAL ECOLOGY is the term that philosopher Joseph Grange (1977) used to describe a respectful, caring attitude toward nature and the environment. This article argues that one valuable means for contributing to a foundational ecology practically, especially in regard to environmental design, is architect Christopher Alexander's "pattern language."

This article examines pattern language's ability to join understanding and practice by presenting its use in an upper-level architectural studio taught by the two authors. The studio focus was the MEADOWCREEK PROJECT, a multi-disciplinary environmental-education center in Arkansas' Ozarks.

The article overviews the results of the Meadowcreek studio, both in terms of design and educational results. First, the design approach and resulting design proposals are discussed. Second, the learning value of the studio is examined, drawing on students' written evaluations.

The article concludes that, in its ability to integrate philosophical and practical needs, pattern language offers a powerful conceptual tool for designing environments that arise from and sustain a foundational ecology.

Ecological Impact Assessments: skirting the boundary of the law?

by Katherine Drayson

Published in "Environmental Liability" Volume 19 Issue 3 2011

This article focuses on whether the information requirements of the EIA Directive and the EIA Regulations are being... more This article focuses on whether the information requirements of the EIA Directive and the EIA Regulations are being satisfied in English ecological impact assessments (EcIAs). The author analysed 42 EcIAs submitted to English local planning authorities for built developments granted planning permission ina  variety of sectors, including energy, transport and housing and discovered that many of these failed to meet the Directive's information requirements. The article investigates the background to this and examines the legal implications, considering case law on the subject.

Mutualism, Eco-Design, Political Ecology, Climate Change Talk given to the 'Design after the Gift Symposium' Parsons, The New School for Social Research, New York, April 1st 2011

by Damian White

Talk given to the Design after the Gift Symposium at the New School, Parsons. An attempt to think about the gift,... more Talk given to the Design after the Gift Symposium at the New School, Parsons. An attempt to think about the gift, mutualism, political ecology, Bookchin, Colin Ward, eco-design, humanism after post-humanism and post apocalytic modes of eco-design. All work in progress but comments (+/-) more than welcome.

Framework in Environmental Design and Developmental Planning

by Koli A.K.