“SOLVENT”: development of a reversible solar-screen glazing system

Preliminary experiments with a novel glazing system developed at the Desert Architecture and Urban Planning Unit of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel indicated that it may provide improved visual and thermal performance in buildings with large glazed areas located in sunny regions, regardless of orientation. In winter, it reduces glare, local over-heating and damage to furnishings caused by exposure to direct solar radiation, with only a small reduction in solar space heating. In summer, it reduces the penetration of unwanted radiation without obstructing the view through the window, to an extent that may render external shading devices unnecessary. The SOLVENT project was contracted to complete the development of the glazing system, which is based on the concept of converting short-wave solar radiation to convective heat and long wave radiation. The glazing system was modeled and evaluated experimentally; a suitable frame was developed for it; and a design tool required for its application was developed. The current paper reports on physical modeling and experimental evaluation of the glazing system.     

The determination of the “true” property boundary in planned development: a Coasian analysis

This interdisciplinary paper, informed by research and practices in neo-institutional economics, property law and land surveying, is an exploratory account of the boundary as (a) the ontological foundation of private property in land and boundary dispute resolution, and (b) as a pre-contractual condition of any Coasian exchange of rights for planned urban development and space-relevant innovations. Under conditions of positive transaction costs according to the third Coase Theorem, with the help of real-life examples, the paper explains the choice of using the courts, instead of the market, as a means of resolving disputes over land boundaries. It does so in terms of two land surveying and three economic reasons. The surveying reasons are historical and cartographical. The economics reasons relate to the price level of land, the transaction costs of enforcing dispute resolutions and the externalities of land boundary determination.     

Low-temperature (7 °C) anaerobic treatment of a trichloroethylene-contaminated wastewater: microbial community development

The feasibility of low-temperature (7 °C) anaerobic digestion for the treatment of a trichloroethylene (TCE) contaminated wastewater was investigated. Two expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) bioreactors (R1 and R2) were employed for the mineralisation of a synthetic volatile fatty acid based wastewater at an initial organic loading rate (OLR) of 3 kg COD m⁻³ d⁻¹, and an operating temperature of 15 °C. Successive reductions in OLR to 0.75 kg COD m⁻³ d⁻¹, and operational temperature to 7 °C, resulted in stable bioreactor operation by day 417, with COD removal efficiency and biogas CH₄ content ≥74%, for both bioreactors. Subsequently, the influent to R1 was supplemented with increasing concentrations (10, 20, 30 mg l⁻¹) of TCE, while R2 acted as a control. At an influent TCE concentration of 30 mg l⁻¹, although phase average TCE removal rates of 79% were recorded, a sustained decrease in R1 performance was observed, with COD removal of 6%, and % biogas CH₄ of 3% recorded on days 595 and 607, respectively. Specific methanogenic activity (SMA) assays identified a general shift from acetate- to hydrogen-mediated methanogenesis in both R1 and R2 biomass, while toxicity assays confirmed an increased sensitivity of the acetoclastic community in R1 to TCE and dichloroethylene (DCE), which contributed to acetate accumulation. Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) analysis of the methanogenic community confirmed the dominance of hydrogenotrophic methanogens in both R1 and R2, representing 71-89% of the total methanogenic population, however acetoclastic Methanosaeta were the dominant organisms, based on 16S rRNA gene clone library analysis of reactor biomass. The greatest change in the bacterial community, as demonstrated by UPGMA analysis of DGGE banding profiles, was observed in R1 biomass between days 417 and 609, although 88% similarity was retained between these sampling points.     

Building a Golden Grove ‘community’: a study of suburban production processes in South Australia, 1970s–1980s

Ideals of community have been associated with the practice of planning for over a century. Proponents of the Golden Grove Development considered particular ideals of community to be fundamental to the financial and social success of the new suburban development. This paper will analyse the early planning processes that underpinned the production of community ideals and argue that these planning processes took place at the transition between welfarism and neo‐liberalism. This study will offer provocative glimpses into late twentieth century suburban planning practices; practices that establish the Golden Grove Development as a model of late twentieth century suburban production processes.     

“A tapestry without instructions.” Lived experiences of community in an outer suburb of Melbourne,Australia

The suburbs located on the metropolitan edges of Australian cities are popular residential locations, but concerns have been raised about social isolation in these developing communities. This paper explores residents’ lived experiences of community in an outer-suburb of Melbourne using a phenomenological approach and photo-elicited interviews. Nine participants photographed positive and less favourable aspects of their suburb and these images were used to guide in-depth interviews. Findings indicated that participants’ views on what it meant to be a community and how they went about making social connections did not align exclusively with concepts of community saved, lost or liberated, but included broad aspirations around community building, helping and being helped by strangers and online place-based relationships. Overall, residents’ experiences were complex suggesting researchers, government and developers alike need to pay closer attention to how residents themselves create community in new and evolving suburbs.     

Ultimate bearing capacity at the tip of a pile in rock—part 1: theory

This paper proposes a method for calculating the ultimate bearing capacity at the tip of a pile that is embedded in rock, according to the theory of plasticity. The non-linear failure criterion of Hoek and Brown (Underground excavation in rock, The Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, London, 1980) is used. The plastified area is analysed as a two-dimensional medium using the characteristic lines method generalised for non-linear failure criteria. The embedment is simulated using the hypothesis proposed by Meyerhof for piles in soils. The results obtained through the calculations are corrected by applying a shape factor in order to take into account the three-dimensional nature of the pile.     

A Review of “Elderburbia: Aging With a Sense of Place in America”

A problem in applying benefit-cost analysis to planning issues is the difficulty of imputing values to public goods like water quality. During the past thirty years, the contingent valuation (CV) survey method has been institutionalized as a technique for valuing these types of goods. This article traces the development of the method and summarizes recent federal guidelines. Examples from three recent studies, involving willingness to pay for nonpoint-source pollution controls, are used to illustrate issues about the technique. Considerations for planners who must undertake or evaluate CV studies are discussed.     

Can a landscape be a work of art?: an examination of Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe's theory of aesthetics.

The article focuses on the theory of landscape design put forward by Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe. Central to this is the extent to which a designed landscape can be considered a ‘work of art’. Jellicoe makes connections between landscape design and the projection of the psyche into its natural environment, and thus it seems appropriate to relate his exploration of the subconscious to Jung's ‘psychological system’. The theories of Tolstoy and Langer are also used as critical reference points for the analysis of Jellicoe's theories. Although Jellicoe's theories appear to be flawed, it is concluded that he is right to maintain that landscape architecture can produce works of art, and that his limitations as a philosopher do not diminish his design achievements.     

Property-rights regime in transition: Understanding the urban regeneration process in China – A case study of Jinhuajie,Guangzhou

A variety of stakeholders have proposed different models of urban regeneration of China, and indicate an institutional arrangement that is more complex than a model dominated by the government or neoliberal interests. This study argues that the path to an effective property-rights regime for urban regeneration has become circuitous as it has needed to follow the trial-and-error process of institutional transition in China. Operational-level rights originally assigned to different actors have been gradually reclaimed by the land users and by the effect of market forces through ‘property-rights regime in transition’. Four rounds of regeneration were observed in Jinhuajie, Guangzhou over the past three decades, indicating the adoption of four property-rights regimes that have evolved sequentially, namely, a semi-open market for neighbourhood redevelopment, a semi-open market for land occupied by state-owned enterprises, an open market for redevelopment and an open market for both redevelopment and refurbishment. Each property-rights regime only reassigns one or two bundles of operational-level property rights from one actor to another to provide opportunities for older organisations to adapt to the new system. This inevitably led to an interweaving urban fabric and sub-optimal results of urban regeneration. This research suggests greater attention should be paid to cases of regeneration in different contexts as well as the interactions among the various stakeholders.     

An analysis of sustainable development and environmental protection in postcommunist countries: the case of croatia‐a view point

The paper analyses the origins, the definitions, and the implementation of sustainable development in the post‐communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe, using Croatia as an example. The overview of events in environmental concern world‐wide, in the last 25 years, shows that there is evidence of fast changes which have left the former communist countries behind. The major concern of the paper is the lack of an agreed upon definition and criteria on what sustainable development actually represents, and why it is still an odd subject in the Central and Eastern European region. Five recognition criteria described in the open literature are compared with the situation in the region. Using the examples of implementation of new UN Conventions, accepted at the UNCED Conference in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the paper discusses the shortcomings and obstacles to current policies of sustainability.     

Sectoral linkages and industrial efficiency: a dilemma or a requisition in identifying development priorities?

This paper attempts to provide an empirical evaluation of the potential relationship between sectoral linkages (backward and forward) and technical efficiency using the 1995 input–output tables for 14 EU countries. Sectoral technical efficiency is obtained by the econometric estimation of a “multilateral” stochastic input distance function, while sectoral backward and forward linkage coefficients were computed using the noncomplete hypothetical extraction method suggested by Dietzenbacher and Van der Linden (J Reg Sci 37:235–257, 1997). The empirical results suggest that the relationship between industrial technical efficiency and sectoral interdependence is ambiguous. Although the majority of the countries, in the sample exhibit a negative relationship, for some countries, the opposite is revealed. This implies that policy makers should not be blindly based on sectoral interdependence in forming development plans, and they should take into consideration the efficiency of resource utilization of individual sectors. The combination of the information provided by both indices will assist in devising effective policy plans in stimulating internal economic growth.     

Urban development,maintenance and conservation: planning in Germany – values in transition

In the history of urban planning, the attitude toward the existing urban fabric, the built heritage, has been subject to a number of changes both in theory and practice. This wide‐ranging article reviews the changing attitudes to the built heritage within Germany’s cities since the nineteenth century. Drawing on contemporary literature and many specific examples of practice, it charts perspectives and priorities which have ranged between neglect and attention, conversion and imitation. Present perspectives in German planning are marked by a growing awareness of future urban shrinkage which is likely to affect urban development policy for sustainability: from expansion to maintenance and regeneration of existing structure and substance.     

“Between a Rock and a Hard Place”: Planning Reform,Localism and the Role of the Planning Inspectorate in England

Like many European countries, England saw the establishment in the late 1990s and early twenty-first century of regional-scale spatial planning. Radical reform of English planning following the Localism Act 2011 however saw the whole intermediate tier of regional planning stripped out of the national planning system along with detailed guidance and top-down targets for house-building at a local level. This had a major impact on the Planning Inspectorate, the agency responsible on behalf of government for approving local development plans. Reform left the Inspectorate fully exposed to the tensions and contradictions between top-down policy and local autonomy inherent under the new planning framework. Focussing on future levels of housing development, a key responsibility of local councils under the new framework, we examine the implications of reform for the Planning Inspectorate in practice. We draw on approaches to localism and planning theory, in particular the idea of ‘conditional localism’, in order to situate and understand these changes. The study was based on interviews with elite respondents in or close to the Planning Inspectorate together with documentary sources. Lack of previous work on the Inspectorate, coupled with their key role in the national planning system, reinforced by recent reforms, emphasises the significance of the study. The importance of such ‘land-use tribunals’ internationally, points to the study’s wider relevance. It provides, as well, a study of planning reform with relevance in a wider European context and suggests how recent contributions to the localism debate can help make sense of these changes.     

luther's thesenportal: a case study of a “ritual-architectural event”

ABSTRACT

This article is part of a larger field-based study of contemporary festivity and religious tourism in Lutherland, a geographic and symbolic place associated with the life and work of Martin Luther. My aim, with reference to the work of Lindsay Jones and Victor Turner, is to develop an approach for studying the intersection of material culture and ritual. Material culture does not simply signify into empty space, shining meanings into its surrounding environment as a street lamp does light. Rather, material culture is produced, handled, used in a variety of ways. An exemplary case for studying how built space and ritual performance intersect is the Thesenportal of Wittenberg's Schlosskirche, an object and performative space commemorating the origin of the German Reformation.     

‘Sicherheit’: examining residents’ perceptions of community safety in working-class residential areas undergoing regeneration in Limerick City,Ireland

This paper examines the perceptions of residents’ in two housing estates in Limerick, a peripheral Irish city, on how (un)safety effects their day-to-day lives and is an intrinsic element in the production and reproduction of their urban territories. In focusing on these areas which are currently ‘undergoing’ the largest urban regeneration project in the history of the Irish State, our analysis provides new insights into the intersections between regeneration processes and (un)sicherheit. Significantly, our findings demonstrate that regeneration processes, often billed as enhancing community safety, can in fact contribute to destabilising the triumvirate of safety, certainty and security.     

Infrastructure Planning: in a State of Panic?

Abstract

Infrastructure is routinely framed in contemporary urban policy as a vehicle to grow the economy through the creation of jobs. In periods of economic downturn and when ongoing fiscal uncertainty ensues, governments may look to the construction and maintenance of social and public infrastructure such as social housing and public transport. Cities and communities that have endured infrastructure deficits in the past may become the beneficiaries of adjusted national and state-level policy to support economic prosperity through expedient infrastructure implementation programs. Yet in the post-GFC policy environment urban infrastructure has recentred the role of infrastructure in driving urban economic recovery in terms of economic prosperity. Drawing from the state of exception literature, I call on the notion of urgency to explore infrastructure planning as it manifests at the juncture between strategic planning and implementation. This paper will contribute to the critical urban planning literature by examining how infrastructure prioritisation and implementation is shaped through a characterisation of urgency which subverts the relationship between urban infrastructure planning, implementation and planning process.     

Privileging the “Objective”: Understanding the State’s Role in Shaping Housing Aspirations

This paper is to be read as one half of a twofold analysis of recent qualitative research on the housing aspirations of the people of Scotland, focusing specifically on the dimension of housing tenure. Moving beyond individual subjective preferences (i.e. what people “consciously” want or desire in relation to housing), this paper draws influence from David Harvey’s historical materialist approach to illustrate the importance of understanding the dialectical relation between objective reality and subjective preferences. We argue that it is by examining the broad homologies between the qualitative data on one hand, and the corresponding epochs of capital accumulation on the other, that important power structures can be made visible, and changes in housing aspirations over time better understood.     

Work–life fit: identification of demand and resource typologies within a systems framework*

Work–life fit occurs when people have the resources required to meet demands such that role performance (both at work and in non-work life domains) is effective. Interviews were conducted with 59 construction workers based in Melbourne, Australia to explore how demands and resources were experienced. Using a systems framework, data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results identified two demand typologies associated with demand-to-demand interaction. Demands operating as ‘influencers’ have a major impact on the conditions of the interdependent demand, while demands operating as ‘creators’ generate a new demand and shape the conditions of that demand. One resource typology related to resource–demand interaction was identified. ‘Enabling resources’ enable an individual to manage multiple demands across multiple domains, and may also enable an individual to manage multiple demands within a single domain. A new conceptual contribution is made to an area in which theory is under-developed, by adopting a systems approach to understanding the dynamic interactions between demands and resources. A lack of fit is damaging for the individual; therefore, it is useful to know that demands and resources are interdependent and these interdependencies will vary according to individuals. Using a systems approach to understanding demands and resources will be helpful to organizations seeking to support workers to achieve optimal work–life fit.