Open questions for public water management: Discussions from Uruguay's restatization process

In Uruguay, potable water services—privatized during the neoliberal period—were set to return to the public sphere in the mid-2000s. This was a promising scenario as it entailed a wide scope for development. However, over a decade after this process was set in motion, the results are discouraging. The new problems in public water management have to do with outsourcing key areas and covert privatization processes. Furthermore, rate reforms transferred the problems created in natural water basins to mass users, which implies a form of water privatization as the entire society subsidizes the environmental costs of pollution (Ribeiro, 2006).There is a wide variety of gray areas between the public management model, where service provision is a common good and a state responsibility, and the private management model, where the service becomes a commodity.This paper analyzes the restatization and public management of drinking water services in Uruguay according to a state logic and its inertias in the transition from neoliberal to progressive administrations. Institutional inertia is critical in these experiences because it renders services the joint and complex result of combining a state logic and a privatization logic, where public oversight and community participation are mentioned by some government authorities but excluded in practice. This is what Gautreau and Perrier have called neoliberal resilience (2019). These logics intertwine perversely in key management areas, such as rate structures.     

The loss of public values when public shareholders go abroad

Governments emerged as “international public shareholders” when publicly-owned utilities developed into some of the world's largest multinationals. This article enquires whether these international public shareholders maintain their public values when operating abroad. Taking a public values approach, we assess whether public values were transferred across borders focusing on five core dimensions: financial, economic, social, technical and environmental. We analyze the internationalization activities of two large public utilities, Vattenfall and Endesa - strategically selected for representing strong and weak public values – in their major markets in Europe and Latin America. We find that, irrespective of the relative strength of the initial public values legacy of the public utility, the lure of financial success trumped other competing objectives associated with the public shareholder abroad.     

Business Improvement Districts and the recession: Implications for public realm governance and management in England

BIDs were introduced in the UK in 2003/2004 and their widespread adoption is linked to their ability to raise funds to invest in the locality, through a mandatory supplementary levy on business rates, voluntary contributions, sponsorship and public sector grants. However, the economic downturn has already restricted those sources of funding, and public sector spending cuts are likely to restrict them even further. This paper discusses a case-study research on the impact that recession and spending cuts have had on the way BIDs operate, and identifies the threats and opportunities to them as stakeholder-led instruments for the management of town centres and commercial and industrial areas. The research shows that although the recession and spending cuts have had an impact on most BIDs, the model itself has not been put in question, and BIDs are becoming permanent features of the governance of town and city centres, and increasingly also of industrial areas. Their roles in public realm management have been varied, from a minor function in complementing local environmental services, to being active players in the transformation of public places into arenas for festivals and spectacle, to coordinators of surveillance, policing and occasionally exclusion. The implications for the public realm of the evolution and consolidation of BIDs will therefore be varied. Some BIDs are likely to play an increasing role in the delivery of public realm services and the shaping of public realm quality, and in those cases the existence of adequate mechanisms to harmonise the interests of levy payers with other local stakeholders will be of considerable importance. Others might have a sporadic impact on the public realm, with a more pronounced role of the local authority in mediating that impact. Understanding how BIDs operate, the aspirations they represent, their relationship to other aspirations and to broader policy objectives, and the role in that operation of fluctuations in the economy, will be increasingly important in thinking critically about the limits and potential of emerging forms of urban governance.     

加强事业单位固定资产管理的思考

事业单位的固定资产是国有资产的重要组成部分，是事业单位开展业务及其他活动的重要物质条件，在各级事业单位的资产结构中占有很大的比重。本文通过分析目前事业单位固定资产管理存在的主要问题及其原因，提出加强固定资产管理、建设节约型事业单位的对策措施。     

Is time really important for research into contracting out public services in cities? Evidence for urban water management in Southern Spain

Local governments are responsible for the supply of important public services in cities. On many occasions the management of those services is externalized. There is extensive literature analyzing the explanations for the governance option taken by local governments, aiming to ascertain the reasons why the management of certain services is externalized. Recent research has highlighted the fact that time has not been contemplated by research dealing with explanatory factors in the decision to contract out municipal services. This is a key issue in order to identify the real reason behind policymakers’ decisions about the management of the services in cities. This paper tests the importance of taking into account time in the research into contracting out. This is undertaken by means of two methodological tests in the design of variables from a dataset containing 744 municipalities in Southern Spain. Using this empirical analysis as a basis, it is concluded that considering time contributes towards enhancing the specification of the model and that omitting this aspect could lead to misunderstanding the motivation behind such decisions.     

法国城市公共空间的可停留性与吸引力

在分析法国徒步行程中几个城镇中心区的肌理与空间形态的基础上,总结了四种可停留的公共空间:坡道、树廊、拱门和曲巷,通过对空间类型、功能配置及空间关系的解释,分析其可停留性。通过对于场所不同属性及其产生的不同社会关系的分析,揭示空间吸引力的深层来源。     

Co-designing for common values: creating hybrid spaces to nurture autonomous cooperation

ABSTRACT

The paper concerns the development of digitally-mediated technologies that value social cooperation as a common good rather than as a source of revenue and accumulation. The paper discusses the activities that shaped a European participatory design project which aims to develop a digital space that promotes and facilitates the ‘Commonfare’, a complementary approach to social welfare. The paper provides and discusses concrete examples of design artifacts to address a key question about the role of co- and participatory design in developing hybrid spaces that nurture sharing and autonomous cooperation: how can co-design practices promote alternatives to the commodification of digitally-mediated cooperation? The paper argues for a need to focus on relational, social, political and ethical values, and highlights the potential power of co- and participatory design processes to achieve this. In summary, the paper proposes that only by re-asserting the centrality of shared values and capacities, rather than individual needs or problems, co-design can reposition itself thereby encouraging autonomous cooperation.     

The role of organizational culture and leadership in water safety plan implementation for improved risk management

Appropriate implementation of WSPs offers an important opportunity to engage in and promote preventative risk management within water utilities. To ensure success, the whole organization, especially executive management, need to be advocates. Illustrated by two case studies, we discuss the influence of organizational culture on buy-in and commitment to public health protection and WSPs. Despite an internal desire to undertake risk management, some aspects of organizational culture prevented these from reaching full potential. Enabling cultural features included: camaraderie; competition; proactive, involved leaders; community focus; customer service mentality; transparency; accountability; competent workforce; empowerment; appreciation of successes, and a continual improvement culture. Blocking features included: poor communication; inflexibility; complacency; lack of awareness, interest or reward and coercion. We urge water utilities to consider the influence of organizational culture on the success and sustainability of WSP adoption, and better understand how effective leadership can mould culture to support implementation.     

Connecting landscapes: examining and enhancing the relationship between stakeholder values and cultural landscape management in England

In England’s post-Brexit environment, as the nation’s approach to cultural landscapes is reassessed, understanding what stakeholders value and how they currently engage with landscape management is likely to be increasingly important. This study explores this at a localised scale. Examining the value of an ecosystems services perspective, it focuses on two case-study landscapes in Gloucestershire. Using interviews, focus groups, mapping tasks and questionnaires it examines how stakeholder values intersect with current policies and practices. Based on this analysis, it suggests the need for greater integration and knowledge exchange between stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of landscape management. It suggests new strategies, such as a centralised e-portal of resources, are required to ensure awareness and dialogue between stakeholders. This study is part of a larger European project comparing how the values of stakeholders in heritage landscapes can be better integrated into cultural landscape management.     

Using QMRA-based regulation as a water quality management tool in the water security challenge: Experience from the Netherlands and Australia

Innovation in the water sector is at play when addressing the global water security challenge. This paper highlights an emerging role for Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) and health-based targets in the design and application of robust and flexible water quality regulation to protect public health. This role is especially critical as traditional supply sources are subject to increased contamination, and recycled wastewater and stormwater become a crucial contribution to integrated water supply strategies. Benefits and weaknesses of QMRA-based regulation are likely to be perceived differently by the multiple stakeholders involved. The goal of the current study is to evaluate the experience of QMRA-based regulation implementation in the Netherlands and Australia, and to draw some lessons learned for regulators, policy makers, the industry and scientists. Water experts from regulatory bodies, government, water utilities, and scientists were interviewed in both countries. This paper explores how QMRA-based regulation has helped decision-making in the Netherlands in drinking water safety management over the past decade. Implementation is more recent in Australia: an analysis of current institutional barriers to nationally harmonized implementation for water recycling regulation is presented. This in-depth retrospective analysis of experiences and perceptions highlights the benefits of QMRA-based regulation and the challenges of implementation. QMRA provides a better assessment of water safety than the absence of indicators. Setting a health target addresses the balance between investments and public safety, and helps understand risks from alternative water sources. Challenges lie in efficient monitoring, institutional support for utilities, interpretation of uncertainty by regulators, and risk communication to consumers.     

Stakeholder involvement and public participation: a critique of Water Framework Directive arrangements in the United Kingdom

Expert consensus regarding public consultation and participation on environmental matters favours a multilevel approach: the process is much more likely to succeed when those consulted can relate to the boundaries, scale and the local nature of the issues. The Water Framework Directive requires those with the responsibility for river basin management planning to engage with stakeholders and the general public when such plans are being developed. Examination of the arrangements for public participation in the regions of the United Kingdom shows a marked variation in the interpretation of the Directive that may leave the general public residing in England and Wales at a significant disadvantage. In both Scotland and Northern Ireland involvement by the general public is planned at a much more local level through groups established specifically for that purpose. Arrangements at local level in England and Wales are focused on narrower existing liaison arrangements in place before the implementation of the Directive.     

Water management considerations at a dam site

The Akaki Dam is located some 26 km southwest of Nicosia and 0.5 km west of Malounta village. The dam is up to 31 m high and has a storage capacity of 2 million m³. The reservoir retained by the dam has a surface area of 18 ha at full storage levels. The paper discusses water management considerations for the area following the construction of the dam.     

A sustainable framework for water resources management in an urban watershed: the case of Volos,Greece

The implementation of sustainable development principles in water resources management refers to an integrated management and coordination of the entirety of the actions and interventions that concern the water ecosystem, or parts of it, within a watershed. This procedure is accomplished through the development and application of an overall management plan at a hydrological basin level. This concept was followed by the water resources management plan of the city of Volos' watershed, which is presented in this paper. The main objective is the choice of the best set, among others, of hydraulic projects, which will be able to re-establish the balance in the basin's deficient water budget, satisfying at the same time future urban water demand. Decision making was carried out using a GIS tool and involved traditional water capture hydraulic projects on the one hand and sustainable water saving measures on the other. The whole procedure is being developed in an area with serious environmental problems, concerning mainly the groundwater resources. The particularity here is that the alternative solutions strongly depend on administrative agreement and consensus between relevant authorities.     

析法国社会住宅建设中的公共干预方式

以法国大力推行社会住宅建设为背景，分析了当前国际性的住宅危机和供需状况，以及社会住宅的融资方式和公共资助体系。随着社会住宅政策的不断演变，法国的公共干预模式也进行了调整和完善，逐渐由公共部门主导向公私合作方向发展，进而在协议区开发模式下鼓动私人部门的力量进行大规模的建设。     

重塑城市公共空间--法国鲁贝市旧城改造实例介绍

作为法国北部传统的纺织工业城市,鲁贝市长期以来是工业衰落城市的代名词。为了走出困境,在20世纪90年代,鲁贝市开始进行旧城改造,在城市规划的指导下,运用城市设计手段,通过改建或新建,在旧城区内创造一系列多种类型的、丰富宜人的城市公共空间,极大地改变了城市景观,吸引了多方投资,促进了城市社会经济的综合发展。     

Functional and residual capital values as criteria for water pipe renewal

Water pipes are considered as tangible assets designed to provide a level of service throughout an expected lifetime. The asset can be characterised by two types of values: capital or accounting value and functional value. The capital value of assets depreciates according to a specific rate per time period. The depreciation is assessed by the annual amortisation of the capital asset, which constitutes a potential self-budgeting for future renewal. The development in the last 20 years of public sector accounting standards boards dedicated to tangible capital assets management has encouraged water and wastewater utilities to consider capital depreciation as a decision-making criterion for asset prioritisation. At the same time, when the capital depreciates the asset function deteriorates, but this deterioration is more difficult to assess. In fact, each asset can be evaluated according to a functional value that indicates the capacity of the asset to deliver the designated service at the required level. This value declines during the service life because of the occurrence of unexpected events (failures, breaks, leaks and degradation). The functional deterioration, also referred to as ‘obsolescence’ or ‘reliability’, is still misunderstood for water pipe assets. This study addresses the following questions: How can the functional value be estimated for water systems both at the pipe and at the network scale? How can the decision-making process for pipe renewal be improved by incorporating specific indicators based on both functional and accounting values? The current research focuses on the definition of an appropriate time-dependent functional value, based on the following hypothesis: the functional value depends on both structural and hydraulic deterioration of the pipe asset, but is partially restored by curative maintenance actions. The calibration of the functional value is mainly based on historical incident data, roughness data and managers' opinions. In order to carry out the decision-making process, the evolution of the functional value is simultaneously analysed with the depreciation of the capital asset value. The implementation of the approach at the pipe and the network level leads to an assessment of innovative criteria for the purpose of assessing possible renewal policies.     

大学生创新创业教育的探索与实践——以河北建筑工程学院为例

培养创新创业意识、提升创新创业能力是经济社会发展新常态下大学生勇于创业和成功就业的需要。高校要在国家大学生创新创业教育和自主创业政策指导下,结合学校办学特色和学科专业特点构建立体化教育模式,将创新创业教育与实践有机结合,为大学生创新创业实践提供广阔平台和实践锻炼机会,探索适合学校自身特色的教育模式与思路。     

Community Catalyst: Building a Water Sanitation System for Social Inclusion in Winneba,Ghana

Located on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in Ghana, West Africa, the city of Winneba boasts one of the important ecological wetlands inscribed on the list of Ramsar Sites. However, Winneba faces daunting environmental, economic and social challenges—e.g. water sanitation crisis, infrastructure deficiency, environmental degradation, gender inequality, and social conflicts—interacting with each other to create a vicious cycle. Based on a collaborative workshop, a “crowd-sourcing” decisionmaking process, on-site fieldworks, and an Interactive Web Map, the project team develops in-depth study of the social context and traditional customs of Winneba. A water sanitation system, also as a network of public spaces that facilitates ecological and social improvement, is proposed. It includes drainage systems, rain gardens, water kiosks, orchards, public biogas toilets, and organic waste collection stations. Combining a three-phase implementation, i.e. establish the concept of public space, create a site through collaborative work, and connect communities, the project team introduces a bottom-up incentive system that encourages local community residents to collaborate and participate in constructing and maintaining the public space system for their communities, so as to improve the wellbeing of the communities and the city. Not just proving a design strategy for a kind of public space or a plan for a network of urban green space system, this project sets an exemplar to long-term sustainable management of water sanitation system through self-government of residents and communities in developing countries.     

中小城市——法国国土开发的催化剂

法国有大量的中小城市,这些城市在1945—1973年间经历了急剧的人口和经济增长。从那以后,中小城市的活力与大聚落的活力就不相上下。半个多世纪以来,小城市发展的重要因素是欧洲的农业政策,中型城市则受益于法国的国土规划政策。然而无论中型城市还是小城市又各自有其内生的发展,主要因为它们提供的良好生活环境可以促进住宅经济发展。法国北方分布较多工业,只要它们懂得创新之道就能抵抗风险;南方以旅游业为主,是全球旅游的胜地。总之,中小城市以它们特有的吸引力为国土的发展做出了贡献。     

Water issues in Kuwait: a future sustainable vision

Kuwait, an arid country, has an acute lack of natural groundwater resources, an increasing demand for water supply, but no clear plan for water management. On this basis, a future water crisis will be inevitable. This paper offers proposals that could lead to the sustainable management of water resources in Kuwait. The objective should be less the increase of supply than the improvement of its reliability and quality. The establishment of a unified water authority is desirable.