The Evolution of the Federal Role in Supporting Community Recovery After U.S. Disasters

Problem, research strategy, and findings: The process of long-term recovery, if done well, can minimize post-disaster disruption, address problems that existed before the disaster struck, and improve the future resilience of a community. The U.S. government, however, historically has lacked a systematic approach to supporting community recovery. This study describes the history of federal policies for supporting community recovery after disasters, with particular attention to the roles of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). We conclude by considering the new National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF). This historical review suggests that the federal government needs to emphasize the following: providing resources for community recovery planning; facilitating increased flows of information after disasters; streamlining FEMA assistance to public agencies; explicitly working to reduce the barriers between FEMA and HUD; and incorporating equity into recovery policies. Recovery policies also need to include incentives to achieve substantive goals of rebuilding in a way that is sustainable, equitable, cost-effective, and timely, and that reduces the chances of future disasters.

Takeaway for practice: Local community planners can draw several lessons from this historical account. First, they should become aware of the various post-disaster programs now, before disaster strikes. Second, knowledge of post-disaster policies and programs will enable planners to use them creatively and effectively if disaster strikes. Third, in the midst of reconstruction, planners need to continually seek opportunities to promote betterment and resilience to natural hazards.     

Bewertung von Altlasten im Grundwasser anhand der Meiofaunagemeinschaften—erste Ergebnisse.

Kurzfassung Im Rahmen eines Pilotprogramms wurden in Rheinland-Pfalz fünf Standorte mit Altlasten unterschiedlicher Herkunft auf das Auftreten und die Verteilung von Grundwassermeiofauna untersucht. Ziel dieser Vorstudie war es, erste Daten zur Verteilung der Grundwassermeiofauna in Altlaststandorten zu sammeln. Die Ergebnisse eines Standortes, hier bezeichnet als militärische Altlastfläche C, werden im Detail vorgestellt. Trotz des vorläufigen Charakters der Ergebnisse konnten für einzelne Organismengruppen deutliche Verteilungsmuster gefunden werden. Während die Crustacea (Krebstiere) mit LCKW (leichtflüchtige chlorierte Kohlenwasserstoffe) belastete Bereiche mieden, traten v. a. Nematoda und Oligochaeta flächendeckend und teilweise in hohen Abundanzen in allen untersuchten Bereichen auf. Diese beobachteten Verteilungen scheinen nicht nur arten- oder taxaabhängig zu sein, sondern möglicherweise auch abhängig von der Art des Schadstoffs. Langfristig ist anzustreben, die Grundwassermeiofauna auf ihre Eignung als Bioindikator zu testen. Bisher praktizierten physikochemischen Analysemethoden soll damit ein kostengünstiges, faunistisch begründetes Monitoringsystem beigestellt werden, wie es sich in Oberflächengewässern seit Jahrzehnten bewährt hat.

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Assessment of contaminated groundwater sites using meiofaunal assemblage patterns—first results.

Abstract In Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, a pilot program has been carried out to investigate the groundwater meiofauna at five contaminated sites. Aim of the study was to obtain first field data on the distribution of meiofauna at sites with varying contamination. Site C, a former militarily area, is introduced in more detail. In spite of the preliminary character of our data set, the fauna exhibited clear distribution patterns in relation to contamination. Crustaceans were found to colonize areas with low or non-existent concentrations of volatile halogenated hydrocarbons (VOC), whereas nematodes and oligochaetes occurred on site scale in more or less high abundances. The sensitivity to pollution observed seems not only to depend on species or taxa, but probably also on the type of contamination. For the future it is planned to test the suitability of groundwater meiofauna to serve as bioindicators as routinely practised for surface water systems for many decades. Complementary to hydrochemical methods, a faunistical biomonitoring on groundwater fauna can be an economical and effictive tool.

     

Education for Environmental Systems Design: Philosophy of the Graduate Program at V.P.I.

Abstract

In 1943, the government of Free France assigned the architect Bernard Zehrfuss the mission of estimating and repairing the devastation caused by the Second World War in Tunisia. Surrounded by a team of young architects, Zehrfuss set up a Department of Architecture and Urbanism, labeled the perchoir, which carried out a distinctive design philosophy. As a unique research laboratory, this Department was to become, for a little over four years, the arena of an architectural creation without precedent. The early colonial fascination with exotic and orientalist themes was substituted by an architecture that incorporated the local know-how in the expression of an abstract modernism.     

Expanding the Scope and Impact of Collaborative Planning

Problem: As planners grow increasingly confident that they have settled on the right concepts and methods to conduct stakeholder-based collaboration, they are not considering what can be achieved through other collaborative approaches.

Purpose: We aimed to explore how creating a network of place- and stakeholder-based collaboratives using communities of practice could strengthen individual collaboratives and achieve network synergies.

Methods: Using a case study approach, we draw out lessons for collaborative planning from our research on the U.S. Fire Learning Network (FLN), a collaborative initiative to restore ecosystems that depend on fire. We analyzed data from over 140 interviews, hundreds of documents including restoration plans, newsletters, meeting summaries, maps, and various other reports, and observations at more than a dozen regional and national meetings.

Results and conclusions: We conclude that the FLN nurtures expertise in ecological fire restoration and collaborative planning by linking multi-stakeholder collaboratives to regional communities of practice. Moreover, this linkage creates and sustains a network of collaboratives that amplify the potential for fundamental change in the culture and practice of fire management.

Takeaway for practice: A community of practice is an effective approach to collaboration in situations where the purpose is to expand expertise rather than to resolve conflict and reach consensus. Moreover, a community of practice can link stakeholder-based collaboratives to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Realizing this potential requires questioning the universality of some of the core principles of stakeholder-based collaborative planning and diversifying the collaborative planning toolkit.

Research support: This research was supported by the Northern Research Station of the U. S. Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy.     

Development Plans for the Southwest Survey Area of Washington; D. C.

Abstract

THE SOCIOLOGY OF URBAN LIFE. By T. Lynn Smith and C. A. McMahan. Dryden Press, New York. 1951. 831pp. $6.00.

KINGSPORT: THE PLANNED INDUSTRIAL CITY.: The Rotary Club of Kingsport, Tenn. 3rd. Ed. 1951. 491 pp. Illustrated.

ECONOMICS FOR THE POWER AGE.: By Scott Nearing. Cloth — John Day Co., New York. $3.00; Paper—World Events Committee, East Palatka, Florida. $1.00. 1952. 190 pp.

ROBERT MOSES, Builder for Democracy.: By Cleveland Rodgers. Henry Holt &; Co., New York. 1952. 356 pages. Illustrated. $6.00.

COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES.: United Nations Housing dnd Town and Country Planning — Bulletin #5. Columbia University Press, New York. 1951. $1.25.     

Comparing Land Use Forecasting Methods: Expert Panel Versus Spatial Interaction Model

Problem: Legal requirements and good planning practice dictate that land development induced by major highway investments be forecasted. Two forecasting methods, the first qualitative and based on expert judgment and the second quantitative and based on formal spatial interaction models, are often presented as equivalent.

Purpose: We aim to extract lessons about the strengths and weaknesses of the two methods from a case study of a controversial highway, the Intercounty Connector (ICC), in the suburbs north of Washington, DC.

Methods: We compare forecasts of induced development obtained using both methods and judge their reasonableness against the empirical literature.

Results and conclusions: The two methods gave dramatically different results. The subjective judgment of experts predicted small impacts, on average, compared to a simple spatial interaction model. Also, subjectively forecasted impacts were limited to lands near the new facility, while modeled impacts rippled out across a much larger area. The subjective method seemed to give too little weight to accessibility effects and too much to zoning constraints, while a simple spatial interaction model seemed to do the opposite.

Takeaway for practice: Where time, budget, or data limitations preclude the development of state-of-the-art integrated land use and transportation models, we conclude based on this case study that the best approach is to combine simple models and expert judgment. Expert panels can be used to check model inputs against local knowledge and to adjust outputs in light of factors otherwise unaccounted for. Conversely, model outputs can be used to check expert opinion for inconsistency with known land use–transportation relationships.

Research support: None.     

Neighborhood Planning as Collaborative Democratic Design

Problem: Historically, neighborhood participation has lapsed into NIMBYism or has not been especially effective at long-term, inclusive, and integrative planning.

Purpose: I aim to describe and analyze an example of how local governments can function as civic enablers and capacity builders for collaborative and accountable planning among neighborhood stakeholders and city government.

Methods: This is a case study of Seattle's neighborhood planning approach in the 1990s based on semistructured interviews with 33 current and former planners, other officials, and neighborhood activists, and review of a broad selection of neighborhood plans and other planning documents and newspaper coverage of the planning process.

Results and conclusions: The city of Seattle developed a set of tools and resources to empower local citizens in the planning process while also holding them accountable for actions consistent with specified broad values and planning targets. This, together with the city's substantial investment in neighborhood planning staff, who served as relational organizers and intermediaries of trust, was critical to the success of neighborhood planning and to the emergence of a collaborative governance culture among highly diverse and often contentious community associations, business interests, city departments, and the city council.

Takeaway for practice: Diverse neighborhoods can find common ground and make positive progress on planning to address shared citywide concerns. However, they need staff assistance to do this. Neighborhood planners can play this role, but only if cities fund them to do this time-consuming work and provide institutional support and guidance.     

A Review of “Children & Their Urban Environment: Changing Worlds”

Problem: Information is often suppressed when public infrastructure is planned by design-build-finance-operate (DFBO) public/private partnerships, an increasingly popular strategy for procuring transportation facilities, hospitals, and schools.

Purpose: I aim to identify strategies to increase transparency and accountability in large infrastructure projects delivered through public/private partnerships.

Methods: I studied the case of an award winning public/private partnership to plan a rapid rail line in Vancouver by comparing confidential documents released after project approval to the information available while planning was underway.

Results and conclusions: I find that although this project followed many best practices for achieving accountable and transparent public/private partnerships, in some instances it kept unfavorable study results from public view, limiting the potential for meaningful public involvement in the planning process. Takeaway for practice: I identify the following strategies to increase transparency and accountability in large infrastructure projects, including those delivered through private-public partnerships: (1) using a clear and narrow standard for what information should be kept confidential; (2) ensuring that public officials with responsibility for project decisions and their staffs have full access to all project information, including that not made public; (3) appointing a watchdog to see that these standards are upheld; and (4) implementing a decision process that allows public input and places the burden for proving that information should remain confidential on the entity making the request.     

School Siting

Problem: The United States is embarking on an unprecedented era of school construction even as debate continues over where schools should be located and how much land they should occupy.

Purpose: My three goals for this study were to trace the evolution of school siting standards, to explain the factors currently influencing school facility location decisions, and to identify what local and regional planners could contribute to school siting decisions.

Methods: I reviewed the land use planning and educational facilities literatures on school siting and conducted in-depth interviews with school facility planners from 10 counties in Maryland and northern Virginia to assess their perspectives on the school planning process.

Results and conclusions: I discovered that different groups use very different definitions of community school. Smart growth proponents advocate community schools that are small and intimately linked to neighborhoods, while school facility planners expect community schools to meet the needs of entire localities. I recommend that individual communities consider the tradeoffs associated with different school sizes and make choices that meet local preferences for locations within walking distance of students, potential for sports fields, school design, and connections to neighborhoods. State school construction and siting policies should support flexibility for localities.

Takeaway for practice: Local and regional planners should work with school facility planners to conduct exercises and charettes to help each community determine how to realize its own vision of community schools.

Research support: The School of Architecture at the University of Virginia and the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill supported this research.     

Tracking Our Footsteps

Abstract

Problem, research strategy, and findings: We conduct a systematic reading of all articles published in the past 30?years in three U.S.-based general planning journals, Journal of the American Planning Association (JAPA), Journal of Planning Education and Research (JPER), and Journal of Planning Literature (JPL), using latent Dirichlet allocation, a text mining technique. We find that certain research themes remain important in the past 3 decades, such as planning process, planning methods, and land use/growth management, whereas others have lost their prominent status, such as planning theory and planning education. New fields such as food systems have emerged during the study period. Editorial regimes appear to be associated with theme dynamics.

Takeaway for practice: In this study we demonstrate a text mining method to effectively summarize a large amount of text data and track planning researchers’ footsteps in the study of planning issues reflected from published research articles. We identify past and emerging research trends in the studied journals that can help scholars situate their work in the literature and practitioners find collaboration opportunities. It also helps professional associations such as the American Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) and the APA open up new conference tracks and/or specialization groups/divisions so they can reflect the ever-changing interests of their memberships in a timely manner.     

Experimental studies on convective heat transfer coefficient of water/ethylene glycol-carbon nanotube nanofluids

ABSTRACT

The objective of the project is to study the enhancement of convective heat transfer of secondary refrigerants. It is the function of different volume fractions as well as different operating temperatures. This project deals with the use of CNT nanofluids with CNT as a nanoparticle and EG/water as a base fluid. In this study the theoretical study of CNT and thermo physical properties were reviewed and discussed. To investigate the convective heat transfer, an experimental set-up is required. The experimental set-up is used to compare the thermo physical properties of CNT nanofluids.

Abbreviations: CNT: carbon nanotube; EG: ethylene glycol; MWCNT: multi-walled carbon nanotube     

Longer View: Planning for the Rebuilding of New Orleans

Problem: Catastrophic disasters like Hurricane Katrina disrupt urban systems, economies, and lives, and pose huge problems for local governments and planners trying to organize and finance reconstruction as quickly and effectively as possible.

Purpose: This article aims to summarize the key planning challenges New Orleans faced following the August 29, 2005 flooding in order to identify lessons planners can apply following future disasters.

Methods: In this case study we sought to observe key decisions about the recovery as they unfolded. Collectively, we spent months in New Orleans in 2005, 2006, and 2007, and interviewed leaders of all the planning efforts to date. One of us played a lead role in the design and execution of the Unified New Orleans Plan (UNOP), and all observed and/or participated in neighborhood-level planning activities.

Results and conclusions: We agree with previous findings on post-disaster recovery, confirming the importance of previous plans, citizen involvement, information infrastructure, and external resources. We also observe that the recovery of New Orleans might have proceeded more effectively in spite of the inherent challenges in post-Katrina New Orleans. Many local difficulties are a result of the slow flow of federal reconstruction funding. Despite this, the city administration also could have taken a more active leadership role in planning and information management earlier; the city's Office of Recovery Management has since improved this. On the positive side, the Louisiana Recovery Authority has been a model worth emulating by other states.

Takeaway for practice: Planning can inform actions as both proceed simultaneously. Had New Orleans planners not felt so compelled to complete plans quickly, they might have been more effective at providing reasoned analysis over time to support community actions and engaging a broader public in resolving difficult questions of restoration versus betterment. A center for collecting and distributing data and news would have better informed all parties; this remains an important need.

Research support: We received support from the Mid-America Earthquake Center, the Public Entity Risk Institute, and the New Orleans Community Support Foundation.     

Simulation des dichteabhängigen Stofftransportes im Grundwasser und Verifizierung am Beispiel der Saltpool-Experimente

Kurzfassung Die Saltpool-Experimente von OSWALD (1998) und OSWALD & KINZELBACH (2004), im Jahre 1998 an der ETH Zürich ausgeführt, sind exzellente Benchmark-Tests für numerische Simulationsprogramme der dichtevariablen Strömung. Zahlreiche Autoren haben Ergebnisse dazu veröffentlicht. Die kritischen Probleme hierbei sind sowohl die zu dicke Übergangszone von hoher Konzentration an der Sohle der Versuchsbox zum Süßwasser am Top der Box in der Injektionsphase und in der Ruhephase als auch die extrem langen Rechenzeiten.Die Untersuchungen von HÄFNER & BOY (2003a) wurden fortgeführt mit dem erweiterten Code MODCALIF-MST (MODular Flow and CALIbration with Front Limitation algorithm—Multi Species and Temperature). Insbesondere werden Methoden zur Rechenzeitbeschleunigung diskutiert und verifiziert. Durch Nutzung eines algebraischen Multigrid- Gleichungslösers konnte die Rechenzeit um den Faktor 4 verringert werden. Zur Prüfung der Leistungsfähigkeit von MODCALIF-MST wurden die Saltpool Experimente, case 1 und case 2, nachsimuliert und Gitterkonvergenzstudien sowie eine Modellkalibrierung durchgeführt.

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Simulation of density-dependent solute transport in groundwater and verification with saltpool experiments

Abstract The Saltpool experiments by OSWALD (1998) and OSWALD & KINZELBACH (2004), carried out in 1998 at the ETH Zurich, are an excellent benchmark test for numerical simulation programmes of the variable-density flow. Numerous authors published results on this subject. Here, critical problems are the thick transition zones from high concentration at the bottom to fresh water at the top of the box in the injection phase and the rest phase (phases 1–2) as well as the extremely long computing time.We have continued the investigations by HÄFNER & BOY (2003a) with the extended code MODCALIF-MST (MODular Flow and CALIbration with Front Limitation algorithm—Multi Species and Temperature) in double porosity porous media. Especially, the methods for code acceleration are discussed and verified. By incorporating the algebraic multigrid package as linear equation solver, computing times could be reduced by a factor of about 4. Simulations, a grid convergence study and a model calibration were carried out for the experiments case 1 and case 2 with MODCALIF.

     

Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City

Problem: Suburban areas have an important role to play in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, yet little is known about the magnitude of reductions that can be expected or which strategies are most promising. Local GHG reduction strategies are often capital investments such as new green buildings, ignoring the promise of operational strategies.

Purpose: The research is intended to support local planning efforts for GHG reduction in areas where land uses are separated and transit use is low. It is also intended to contribute to the dialogue on the potential for local actions versus broader state, federal, or international initiatives.

Methods: Using the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (CPP) campus in eastern Los Angeles County as a case study, this ex ante evaluation estimates the cost effectiveness of eight capital and operating GHG-reduction strategies. It uses locally developed estimation methods in combination with the Clean Air-Cool Planet GHG inventory model.

Results and conclusions: Carbon neutrality in suburban areas is a fantasy unless there are supportive energy, transportation, and carbon sequestration initiatives at the state, national, and international level. We find that local operational strategies, such as online classes and alternative scheduling, green energy purchase, and parking pricing and carpool programs have merit. Greater results are achieved when operational strategies are combined with cost-effective capital investments such as land use mixing (in this case, on-campus housing). Even so, some of the most favored capital approaches, such as a new green building or building commuter rail transit station facilities, rank near the bottom in cost effectiveness.

Takeaway for practice: Given the urgency of reducing GHG emissions, local planners and activity center managers should evaluate both capital and operating strategies and implement the most cost-effective strategies in new and existing development.

Research support: Support for this research was provided by the President's Office, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.     

Green Building Assessment Systems: A Framework and Comparison for Planners

Problem: Building assessment systems allow planners to examine whether buildings and developments meet sustainability goals, but no framework exists to help planners choose among them.

Purpose: This study develops a framework for planners to use in considering which building assessment system would be most appropriate for their purposes and analyzes nine such systems.

Methods: I conducted a content analysis of the system documentation for nine building assessment systems used in the United States and interviewed administrators of the systems.

Results and conclusions: Although many building assessment systems appear at first to be quite similar, they have substantial differences, and could produce significantly different results when used to implement green building programs. Among the important differences are the scales at which they consider various issues, whether or not they emphasize communication, and how they prioritize and weight concerns. I also found that most national building assessment systems lack a mechanism for adapting them to local concerns and conditions.

Takeaway for practice: While building assessment systems offer new tools to help communities meet sustainability goals, planners should consider the details of each system carefully before deciding on which to use in their communities. It would be very desirable for building assessment systems to become adaptable, so they will be more locally relevant and appropriate.

Research support: None.     

Go Public!

Problem: While mortgage foreclosures are devastating communities across the United States, few planners know how to access the data necessary to document the number of foreclosures, where they are located, how the problem has changed over time, or how many households are affected, in order to assess how foreclosures affect borrowers, renters, and communities. There is no national dataset with foreclosure information, and in many communities, this information is buried in county property records, state legal files, and property auction lists.

Purpose: This article explains foreclosure as a process and describes how to use publicly available data to study foreclosure and inform outreach efforts. It shows how a collaborative effort among researchers and practitioners can produce useful data and analysis to reduce incidences of foreclosure. It concludes with suggestions for improving data access and quality.

Methods: The main foreclosure data used in the illustrative examples in this article were gathered from foreclosure court records and enhanced with data from property sales and tax records, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data, and foreclosure sale records.

Results and conclusions: Although records on property foreclosures, real estate owned properties, and loan servicers are publicly available, accessing them, combining information from different records, and correcting mistakes to make them useful for analysis is time consuming and costly. Teams of researchers, public officials, and non-profits in a number of places, including one involving the author, have collaborated to build local foreclosure datasets using public data, producing accurate, property-level data that planners can use to guide policy, target direct outreach to at-risk borrowers and renters, and purchase distressed properties.

Takeaway for practice: Public entities hold some of the best data available on the foreclosure crisis but, in most places, accessing it involves considerable time, effort, and money. When researchers and practitioners work collaboratively to access and analyze these data their joint efforts can transform data-sharing practices and institutions, facilitating wider access and use in the future.

Research support: This research was supported by the Fund for New Jersey, NeighborWorks America, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the Michael J. and Susan Angelides Public Policy Research Fund, the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, Essex County, Hudson County/Jersey City, and Union County.     

Steinbruchseen—Aufschlüsse im Kluftgrundwasserleiter

Kurzfassung Drei benachbarte Steinbruchseen und die sie umgebenden Grundwasserbeobachtungspegel im Unteren Halleschen Porphyrkomplex (Kautzenberg bei Löbejün) wurden geochemisch untersucht, um die hydrogeologischen Eigenschaften des Gebietes sowie die geochemischen Prozesse beim Eintritt des Grundwassers in einen See besser zu verstehen und hydraulische Verbindungen zwischen den Seen nachzuweisen. Die für die Untersuchung ausgewählten Seen zeichnen sich dadurch aus, dass sie nahezu parallel zur Grundwasserfließrichtung hintereinander aufgereiht liegen. Eine schwache thermische Schichtung des Seewassers wurde nur in den Sommermonaten nachgewiesen. Die starke Durchmischung der Wassersäule ist auf die windexponierte Lage der Seen sowie Tauchaktivitäten zurückzuführen.See- und Grundwasser können anhand chemischer und isotopengeochemischer Parameter unterschieden werden. Die Isotopenverhältnisse ¹⁸O/¹⁶O und ²H/H werden durch Verdunstungsprozesse im See verändert und dienen als geochemische Tracer im Abfluss der Seen, während die Sauerstoff- und Wasserstoffisotope des Grundwassers denen des Niederschlages entsprechen. Weiterhin werden durch seeinterne biologische Prozesse im Seewasser geringere Si- und -Gehalte gefunden als im einströmenden Grundwasser. Die Verteilung der leichten Seltenen Erden im See- und Grundwasser gibt Hinweise auf Fließpfade, die auch den tektonischen Merkmalen des Untersuchungsgebietes entsprechen.

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Quarry lakes as part of a fractured rock aquifer

Abstract In this study, three abandoned adjacent porphyry quarries, filled by rising groundwater are investigated together with surrounding groundwater observation wells. The aim of this study is to characterise the hydrogeological situation of the surrounding fractured rocks and investigate if there are hydraulic connections between the three pit lakes. Furthermore, the interaction between lake and groundwater is studied. The three lakes are situated next to each other in a row and nearly parallel to the main ground-water flow direction from south to north. Meteorological conditions and diving activities lead to thorough mixing of the water in the lakes.Lake and groundwater can be distinguished by their different chemical and isotopic data. The isotope ratios ¹⁸O/¹⁶O and ²H/H are influenced by evaporation and can be used as geochemical tracers for the outflow of the lakes. Biological processes in the lakes resulted in decreased Si and concentrations in the lake water. REE patterns reflect the tectonic features of the drainage basin.

     

Laboruntersuchungen zur Freisetzung von Unat aus einem Gestein unter oxischen naturnahen Bedingungen

Kurzfassung Im Labor wurden verschiedene Größen (pH-Wert, HCO ₃ —Gehalt, Präsenz von Fe(OH) ₃ ) untersucht, von denen angenommen werden konnte, dass sie die umweltrelevante Freisetzung von Uran aus Gesteinen (z. B. Haufwerken, Halden, Tailings) im neutralen und schwach basischen pH-Bereich (6 bis 9) beeinflussen. Hierzu wurde der Austrag von U _nat aus einem schwach vererzten Urangestein (2,31 %) in Batchversuchen untersucht. Diese Versuche wurden mit 8, 10 oder 40 g/l Gestein und Leitungs- bzw. Mineralwasser durchgeführt. Zum Vergleich wurden parallele Standversuche in deionisiertem Wasser, 0,1 M Na ₂ CO ₃ und 0,1 M H ₂ SO ₄ durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen eine Begünstigung der Uranfreisetzung in Anwesenheit von Carbonat (gelöst oder in situ durch Dolomitauflösung entstanden), während die Rolle des Pyrits auf die Freisetzung deutlich komplexer ist. Das Erreichen eines Gleichgewichtszustands kann unter Umständen durch sorptive Einflüsse verzögert werden.

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Investigations for the release of U_nat from ore bearing rock under natural near oxic conditions

Abstract The effects of carbonate concentration and the presence of iron hydroxide phases on uranium release into the environment were investigated under oxic conditions and in the pH range from 6 to 9. For this purpose not-shaken batch experiments were conducted with a constant amount (8, 10 or 40 g/l) of a uranium bearing rock and different types of water (deionised, tap and mineral water). For comparison parallel experiments were conducted with 0.1 M Na ₂ CO ₃ and 0.1 M H ₂ SO ₄ . The use of dolomite confirmed the favourable role of carbonate bearing minerals for U transport while the presence of pyrite on Uranium mobilisation was shown to be considerably more complex. This study shows that the approach of equilibrium conditions can be strongly delayed by sorption processes.

     

Carsharing and Car Ownership at the Building Scale

Problem, research strategy, and findings: A number of studies across the world have established the potential of carsharing to reduce vehicle ownership and parking demand at the citywide or neighborhood scale; however, few North American cities have formally adopted reduced minimum parking requirements for developments with carsharing services onsite (i.e., dedicated carshare vehicles). This reflects the lack of evidence regarding the impacts of carsharing on individual developments, as well as the implementation and enforcement challenges associated with adopting more flexible parking requirements.

This article investigates the case for developing and implementing a reduction in the parking requirements for residential buildings that provide dedicated carshare vehicles. We use surveys of residents of buildings with and without dedicated carshare vehicles in Toronto, Canada, to develop a regression model of vehicle ownership. This analysis suggests that the presence of dedicated carshare vehicles is associated with reduced vehicle ownership and parking demand at the building level. This is the first study, to the authors’ knowledge, that quantifies this relationship at the scale of individual developments.

Takeaway for practice: This article provides recommendations for developing a parking reduction ratio for carsharing that is compatible with existing parking requirements. It also considers approaches to promote the long-term financial viability of dedicated carshare vehicles. Overall, this study provides a starting point for those considering if and how to relax parking requirements for developments with access to carsharing services and illustrates some of the challenges with adopting flexible parking requirements.

Research support: The City of Toronto.