Migration from a mixed‐tenure area. A case study

This article discusses the result of a case‐study of movers from a mixed‐tenure housing estate located in a central Swedish municipality with just over 90000 residents, and comprising upwards of 200 dwelling units in multi‐storey apartment buildings and terrace houses placed around eight courtyards. The forms of tenure being public renting, co‐operatives and owner‐occupation. We discuss the problem of residential stability, the households’ reasons for leaving the estate and the possible relation between mixed forms of tenure and residential migration. The estate has a rather low level of residential stability with an average relocation rate of 30 percent annually. The multi‐family buildings have the highest turnover, and the owner‐occupied single‐family dwellings the lowest. The migration rate is not exceptionally high but higher than one might expect in a district also including tenant‐ownership and owner‐occupied dwellings. Only a very small proportion of the migrant households had found their new homes within the district. Consequently very little use has been made of the opportunities for households to live in different types of buildings and under different forms of tenure without a change of residential area.     

Grouting a tunnel cave-in from the surface: a case study on Kurtkulağı irrigation tunnel,Turkey

This paper describes the treatment of tunneling problems at Kurtkulağı irrigation tunnel, particularly focusing on the Kurtkulağı tunnel which is 1255 m in length and 3.50 m in diameter, is an important of the Yumurtalık Plain Irrigation Project. The tunnel was excavated using conventional dull and blast, but during the tunneling problems occurred. Within a 70 m long section of the tunnel, cave-in occurred at two locations both along the fault zone in tunnel alignment. Slope stability problems were experienced too at inlet and outlet section of the tunnel. A sinkhole was formed at the surface as a result of the cave-in. There are an Allocthonous Cretaceous complex sequence and Miocene sandstone–claystone units, which have a faulty contact in the tunnel alignment area. The complex sequence consists of mainly weathered andesite, spilitic agglomerate, radiolarite, serpentinite and limestone blocks. The claystone to sandstone is thin-medium bedded and has medium-weak rock substance properties. The fault zone with an approximate width of 150 m and consisting of extremely weak crushed rocks crosses the tunnel alignment at mid-section. Some treatment methods were applied to remedy this collapse. Cut and cover method was applied for the first 955 m of the tunnel inlet due to the shallow overburden and very weak rock properties. However, cave-ins delayed the tunnel construction for 1 year and increased the cost by 9%.     

America's high‐level nuclear waste repository: a case study of environmental science and public policy

The disposal of high‐level commercial nuclear wastes, the so‐called spent fuel, is one of the most politically and ethically complex environmental issues. A series of actions taken over past decades has resulted in plans to dispose of spent fuels in geologic repositories. This decision has ignited numerous controversies, especially concerning where the repositories should be located. This siting controversy has been “settled” for the time being by a federal law that designates Yucca Mountain in southern Nevada as the preferred location. However, the decision: (a) is inconsistent with the National Environmental Act as a comprehensive policy act, (b) does not reflect full consideration of value‐laden public policy issues, and (c) adds to credibility problems confronting the US Department of Energy and therefore contributes to controversies surrounding the agency's decisions. Aspects of how this decision came about and how it is being implemented provide an interesting case study of how our society is presently dealing with scientifically, politically, and ethically complex technological problems.     

Small‐scale hydroelectric development as appropriate technology: a case study

Proponents of “appropriate” technology maintain that it fosters greater environmental protection, and social and ethical goals of decentralization, fulfillment of basic human needs, intermediacy of scale, and simplicity as compared to large, centralized, and complex technologies such as fossil fuel or nuclear power plants. Small‐scale hydroelectric projects are commonly perceived to be appropriate technology, but few studies have assessed whether this perception is valid. An analysis of the effects of existing and proposed small‐scale hydroelectric projects in the eastern Sierra Nevada region of California suggests that the environmental impacts of small‐scale hydroelectric projects may be significant, and that certain social/ ethical criteria of appropriate technology are not fulfilled.     

Dynamic behaviour of a modern bell tower — A case study

The present study evaluates the dynamic behaviour of a modern concrete bell tower built in 1994. The structure has an unusual geometrical shape, with a wall 20 m high and 0.40 m thick. The tower’s dynamic interaction with the forces caused by the bells swinging becomes clearly evident even without using instrumentation. In 1998 the structure was strengthened by means of a three-dimensional steel truss, but the dynamic problem still exists after the strengthening. Consequently, the authors conducted a study to assess the scale and cause of the problem which consisted of an experimental and numerical study on the tower. This paper highlights the dynamic problem that bells can cause to slender bell towers and recommendations are given to help minimise this fact.     

Explosive construction in a micro‐state: environmental limit and the Bon curve: evidence from North Cyprus

The dynamo role of the construction sector in North Cyprus is documented on the basis of an empirical estimation of backward and forward linkages during the period 1998 to 2005. This was a period when the North Cyprus economy experienced an economic boom in the aftermath of the UN Peace Plan known as the Annan Plan for settling the Cyprus problem. The latest input–output table for the North Cyprus economy is 1998 and we had to derive backward and forward linkages for 2005 from a detailed breakdown of inter‐industry transactions per unit of construction output using the most significant purchases and deliveries, normalizing these transactions for comparability between 2005 and 1998. The results reflect radically different pattern of inter‐industry transactions in 2005 compared to 1998. This work also has general interest in highlighting the possibility of a modified Bon curve for micro‐states, such as North Cyprus, in which environmental constraints may be encountered earlier implying an inverted V‐shaped Bon curve in place of an inverted U‐shape.     

Treatment of wastewater from the meat manufacturing industry‐case study

Meat manufacturing mill wastewaters (MMM) originating from meat processing units are the most polluted wastewaters of the food industry. Discharged wastewater was characterized by high values of COD, BOD and TSS (6612, 2550 and 6220) mg/l, respectively. Moreover, the wastewater contains significant concentrations of oil and grease amounting to 4482 mg/l. Treatment processes namely, plain sedimentation, plain flotation, pressurized dissolved air flotation, chemical coagulation and biological treatment via a completely mixed activated sludge process, were chosen for this study. The results obtained revealed that plain sedimentation, column flotation and dissolved air flotation (DAF) exhibited good efficiency in removing flotation fats (93.5, 96, and 97.3%, respectively). Alum, ferrous sulfate and ferric chloride precipitation in‐combination with lime at their optimum operating conditions as minimal pre‐treatment procedures for the removal of organic matter contents exhibited good efficiency of COD, BOD, and oil and grease. The chemically treated effluent doesn't comply with the Law No.4/1994 (Egyptian Standards which regulating the discharge of industrial wastewater to the sewerage network). This is due to the high concentration of soluble organics. Activated sludge plant (ASP) with long aeration time (8hr) was suitable for the case under consideration. Results show that average residual COD, BOD, TSS and oil and grease were 270, 62, 78 and 9.8 mg/l, respectively. The biologically treated effluent is complying with Standards of discharge wastewaters to the sewerage network.     

Socio‐economic impacts of mine closure: a case study using satellite imagery

Mine closure normally leaves an adverse impact on the environment and society that, if left unattended, may last for years to come. In India the Raniganj Coalfields of Coal India Limited may be facing severe social and ground stability problems as a result of numerous old, abandoned mines. Already subsidence has occurred in a number of places, such as the Salanpur, Baraboni and Jamuria areas of the Raniganj coal fields. The study presented here highlights the socio‐economic problems faced by the area. Using remote sensing techniques the authors have assessed the socio‐economic factors of the area and they recommend various remedial measures to overcome the adverse impacts of mine closure.     

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.     

Innovation in small construction knowledge‐intensive professional service firms: a case study of an architectural practice

Small construction knowledge‐intensive professional service firms (SCKIPSFs) are becoming increasingly important agents of innovation within the construction industry. The nature and process of innovation in SCKIPSFs, however, is generally considered through the constraining prism of research results generated from significantly different contexts, such as from manufacturing sectors or non‐project based firms. A theory of innovation for SCKIPSFs is developed from a longitudinal 22‐month case study of a small architectural practice. Two forms of knowledge‐based innovation were discerned from the empirical work: exploitative innovation and explorative innovation. ‘Explorative innovation’ was found to be located in immediate ‘new’ project domains, and entailed search, variation, experimentation, activity to solve project‐specific problems; while ‘exploitative innovation’ concentrated on developing generic organisational infrastructure to ‘refine’ and ‘improve the efficiency’ of the firm operations to nurture capability for future activity. The key challenge for SCKIPSFs is to develop and manage an appropriate balance between explorative and exploitative innovation over time in order to generate sustainable competitive advantage.     

Children’s interactions with water in city centres: a case study from Sheffield,UK

Children’s experiences of outdoor environments have been studied now for more than 40 years yet no research has specifically focussed on children’s experiences of water play in constructed spaces of city centres. This article discusses the development of an observational mapping tool, called TOWEC, to record the interaction of children with water. It then reports findings and analysis from observations over a year-long period of 3,399 children interacting with water in the award winning public open space of the Peace Gardens in the centre of the City of Sheffield, UK. The findings reveal that children undertake both active and passive activities associated with the constructed water features and that these activities are influenced by gender, age and temperature, but not ethnicity. The water features were not designed for children to play in but the children realise the potential affordance that the water features provide.     

The reconstruction of housing in Palestine 1993–2000: a case study from the Gaza Strip

In the Palestinian Territories, housing is thought to be amongst the most difficult problems facing the National Authority (PNA) (Al‐Agha, 1997 Al‐Agha Z (1997) A national outlook for housing in Palestine in: A. B. Zahlan (Ed.) Reconstruction of Palestine, Urban and Rural Development (London, Kegan Paul)  [Google Scholar], p. 3). Increased Israeli settlements, the large size of Palestinian families, the deteriorating economic situation, the lack of national banks operating in the field of housing, the presence of refugee settlements containing over 1.2 million people, the Israeli state's policy of residential demolition and land confiscation have all combined to present a severe obstacle to urban reconstruction in the region. In an attempt to address these issues and to make some progress towards realising the estimated 180 000 housing units required by the Palestinian people, the Palestinian Housing Council (PHC) was established in 1992 (Abd Alhadi, 1994 Abd Alhadi, R (1994) Construction and Housing in the West Bank and (Gaza) Strip (Geneva, United Nations Commission on Trade and Development)  [Google Scholar]; Ziara, 1997 Ziara M (1997) The Palestinian Ministry of Housing. Challenging and opportunities in A. B. Zahlan (ed.) Reconstruction of Palestine, Urban and Rural Development (London, Kegan Paul)  [Google Scholar]). Although it has had some success, the organisation has been plagued by reports of internal dissent and disputes with its beneficiaries. This paper seeks to cast some light on these controversies by focusing on the PHC's role in the Elkarama Housing Project in the Gaza Strip during the period 1993 to 2000.1 Here it must be emphasised that this paper does not claim to provide an analysis of the current situation in Gaza. The authors acknowledge that conditions in Palestine are extremely fluid and have, to a great degree, overtaken the issues considered above. In examining this rapidly‐evolving environment, however, it is valuable to reflect upon recent changes and, while recognising the acute systemic problems that Palestinian administrators face, to offer critical assessments of domestic policy decisions and their outcome. View all notes It will first outline the broader context in which public institutions within the Gaza Strip operate before offering an account of the structure and background of the PHC. It will then consider Elkarama itself and will conclude by summing up the various factors that have determined the project's outcome. Finally, the paper will offer some tentative recommendations for improved housing provisions within the Gaza Strip in the future.     

Developing roles in change processes – A case study from a public sector organisation

Even though change is recognized to be of utmost importance in today´s organisations, there exists no common understanding of change roles. The relationship between change roles and program and project roles seems not to be clear, although many changes are organized by projects. The paper presents a case study of a transformation of a public organisation. In an action research approach together with representatives of the case study company relevant roles for the change were developed and established.     

Erring with high‐level nuclear waste disposal: a case study of the precautionary principle

Increasingly, the “Precautionary Principle” is being discussed as a basis for decision‐making to protect environmental and human health where there are risks of serious or irreversible damage but where there are gaps in knowledge and uncertainties to demonstrate conclusively either the existence of the risks or their levels. Many analyses of the precautionary principle focus on the abstract or philosophical theories of the principle. Here, I provide a more practical case study to demonstrate some of the prospects and problems of the principle. While the case study focuses specifically on the disposal of high‐level radioactive waste at a potential repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, it also provides insight to other problems of complex technologies and the protection of health.     

The ecosystem‐watershed concept in the environmental sciences — a review

The ecosystem‐watershed concept, which originated with the Hubbard Brook Watershed Ecosystem study, provides an important framework for research into contemporary processes in many environments. Integration of freshwater lakes into the basic model allows such studies to be extended back in time, and the typicality of present‐day landscapes and processes to be adjudged. In many ecosystem‐watersheds, inputs, outputs and processes are dominated by cultural factors. Many effects of Man upon environmental systems are thus transmitted and expressed via the material pathways of ecosystem‐watersheds. The ecosystem‐watershed concept is thus uniquely suited to integrative and interdisciplinary analysis of many environmental problems.     

Groundwork – a case study in landscape and amenity management

The Groundwork trusts have now been in operation for well over a decade and have implemented a wide range of projects across England and Wales. The origins and purposes of Groundwork are traced, and an overview of the types of project undertaken is presented. The relationship of the trusts to public and private sector funding, and the kinds of partnership involved, are examined. Many successes have been achieved in landscape renewal, although there have been some frictions with local authorities, and it is still difficult to make objective assessments of value for money or performance across a wide range of criteria. Nevertheless, the network of Groundwork trusts looks set to continue to offer a broad and flexible approach to environmental management.     

Analysis of Indian residences in terms of energy efficiency through energy education – a case study of Mumbai megacity

The portion of today's and future's world iniquities can be jettisoned if certain targeted innovations and adapted technology are introduced in the residential utilities system. One of these iniquities is energy spendthrift with all its negative consequences for the earth (e.g. depletion of finite energy sources and the subsequent climate change). This paper describes the results of an energy-thrift information and education project taking place in different residents of Mumbai city, India, which records more than 500 residences' routine energy-related behaviour and proves that this behaviour changes to a more energy-efficient one after the propagation of relevant information and the participation into the energy education projects. Namely, response percentages indicating the energy-efficient behaviour increased after project participation, while the ones indicating an energy-squandering behaviour decreased. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was statistically significant in all energy behaviour questions.     

Strong motion attenuation relationship for Turkey—a different perspective

For Anatolian earthquakes, there are insufficient strong motion data from rock sites to model an attenuation relationship for Turkey. This necessitates the use of records from soil sites, which are significantly affected by amplification. In order to include soil site data in the attenuation analyses, boreholes were drilled at 64 recording stations on soil sites. After removing the effects of soil amplification, rock site and soil site data were combined to establish an attenuation relationship. Various models were tested through regression analyses using moment magnitude, epicentral distance and threshold peak horizontal ground acceleration. A new attenuation relationship is modeled for Turkey.     

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.     

Polluting facilities and environmental justice – a study

The environmental justice movement attempts to examine the disproportionate exposure of environmental pollution on minority and low‐income people, understand the patterns of such disproportionate exposures and develop strategies to reduce and eliminate such exposures. Unlike several environmental justice studies that include all fifty states of the United States, this study examines the locations of manufacturing facilities that pollute in states with predominantly high African‐American populations. Our analysis indicates that polluting facilities tend to choose counties with higher proportion of nonwhite populations. Per capita incomes of people living within 5‐miles of the facilities are lower than per capita incomes of people living in the host counties Contrary to the conventional wisdom, population density per square mile both within 1 mile and 5 miles of the facility are much higher than the state population densities.