Evolution of the Metaponto District,Southern Italy: From Land Reform to New Sustainable Scenarios

In this paper we have represented the economic, environmental and territorial transformation of Metaponto district (southern Italy) generated by the land reform since 1950. The coastal area, once inhospitable and unproductive, through land reform has become a point of development for the entire Basilicata Region. The intensive model of economic development applied to agriculture and tourism today represents the main critical points of high environmental impact. In particular, the great human pressure exerted by economic activities has led to an insufficient capacity of water purification systems in the area and such criticism is amplified in the summer mainly for seaside tourism. In this study we have measured the environmental load exerted on the territory and we have estimated the human pressure on the district in the year 2030 and made proposals for amendments to current patterns of development in the agricultural and tourist sectors.     

Integrating Ecological,Social and Cultural Dimensions in the Implementation of the Landscape Convention

Implementation of the European Landscape Convention requires new tools that link ecological, social and cultural dimensions in practical planning. Here, we propose connectivity as a conceptual tool to include different dimensions into landscape and spatial planning. We present a short review of the connectivity concept in relation to ecological, social and cultural dimensions and illustrate it by examples from a real landscape planning case.     

Are Perceived Sensory Dimensions a Reliable Tool for Urban Green Space Assessment and Planning?

Environmental psychologists have developed varying methods for landscape assessment according to how it is perceived and experienced. In the Nordic countries, eight perceived sensory dimensions are increasingly being used as a methodological framework for expert assessments. These are serene, nature, rich in species, space, prospect, refuge, social and culture. Using an onsite questionnaire distributed to green space visitors in Helsingborg, Sweden, this study is the first to examine the representation of the eight sensory dimensions in different types of urban green spaces as experienced by lay people and their relationships with green space attributes. The results showed that (1) prospect then serene and space were the most common, and culture and social the least; (2) the experience of the sensory dimensions varied across the six study sites and was related to their diversity of biotopes and overall size; and (3) respondent experience of the sensory dimensions was consistent across gender, age and frequency and type of recreational use. These results grant legitimacy to the method in assessment and mapping of recreational experience of urban green space.     

Strategies for the construction sector in the information technology era

The construction industries in many countries are starting to consider seriously the strategic use of information technology (IT). The use of information technology in construction is extending beyond the stage of piecemeal application for improving the efficiency of discrete operations by individual organizations to the advanced stage where IT is applied strategically in commercial enterprises, government agencies and professional institutions. Progress in construction in this regard appears to lag behind that in most other sectors of the economy. This paper considers the nature and the background of this progression in construction by examining proposals by Earl (1989) of nine basic prerequisites to the IT era which make a strategic approach timely. Each prerequisite is outlined and how it has been met in other sectors of the economy considered. The extent to which these prerequisites apply in construction and the scope for their application in the near future are examined. It is argued that all organizations involved in construction will ultimately have to think strategically about their use of IT, and how some are already doing so is described.

In discussing the factors which hinder the strategic application of IT in construction, the nature of the design and construction processes and initiatives that may be necessary to overcome the perceived problems are examined in detail. The strategies that are evolving at a national level in Singapore are outlined.     

A Wildland–Urban Interface Typology for Forest Fire Risk Management in Mediterranean Areas

The transitional areas that lie between wildlands and urbanized spaces, generally defined as wildland–urban interfaces (WUI), represent an increasing risk factor in Mediterranean areas; these define a new scenario in forest fire fighting and prevention. We have developed a methodological approach in order to assess the hazard and vulnerability of WUI which is based on landscape analysis, on the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques and remote sensing. Unlike traditional approaches which are based on local scale characterization of WUI, we propose a progressive multi-scale approach. In order to reach an operative classification of the WUI the methodology was developed in three stages: a regional urban development model, a landscape character assessment and finally, a WUI typology. The last WUI typology has been based on the identification of different urban morphologies and their context within the type of landscape in which they occur.     

A linear programming model for cash flow management in the Brazilian construction industry

A linear programming model has been developed for optimal cash flow management addressing specific cash flow issues related to the construction industry. These include typical financial transactions, possible delays on payments, use of available credit lines, effect of changing interest rates, and budget constraints that often occur in the construction industry. A small size project from the Brazilian construction industry is provided as a case study, aiming at evaluating the potential benefits from using the model. Different changes to the basic structure of the model allow and establish the consistency of the results. Alternative formulations are suggested to deal with uncertainties, longer planning horizons, and multiple subcontractors and suppliers. In addition to the tangible financial earnings derived from the optimization process, the simple structure of the model, as a network flow and corresponding equations, provides much visual insight concerning the relationships between the external inputs and the variables of the problem. Optimal results have yet to be achieved in a real life situation, but a better view of whole cash flow management is provided when using the model.     

Enhanced heuristic for finance-based scheduling of construction projects

Typically, construction contractors operate under cash-constrained operating conditions. The lag between the time when contractors spend money to accomplish work on site and the time when payments are actually made by clients, which partially compensate contractors for the accomplished work, constantly creates a finance deficit. Contractors often supplement finance deficits using external funds procured through establishing credit-line bank accounts which typically allow contractors to withdraw cash up to specified credit limits. This makes the task of project scheduling considering the constraints of specified finance very important for financial and operational planning. This scheduling concept and technique are referred to as finance-based scheduling. An enhanced heuristic is proposed to devise finance-based schedules of multiple projects within contractors’ portfolios. The enhancement is achieved by replacing the exhaustive enumeration technique employed in the heuristic to specify activities’ start times with a polynomial shifting algorithm. This enhancement resulted in a substantial reduction in the number of solutions explored before a feasible solution is encountered. The enhanced heuristic was validated through comparison with the integer programming technique using 240 problems of randomly generated networks of sizes that range from 30 to 240 activities. Further, it was proved that the enhanced heuristic can be easily scaled up to handle portfolios of multiple large-size projects.     

A socio-ecological analysis of hospital resilience to extreme weather events

Hospitals play a critical role in helping communities respond effectively to extreme weather events (EWEs). Despite predictions of more EWEs, little is known about the process by which hospital infrastructure resilience to such events can be built. Using Gunderson and Holling’s Adaptive Cycle, a new theoretical perspective based on socio-ecological resilience theory is provided to understand this process. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, observations of disaster drills and disaster planning meetings, as well as additional documentary analysis of past incident reports. The research findings were then refined and validated in a focus group meeting with respondents. The findings indicate that there are significant organizational barriers which prevent facilities managers improving the resilience of hospital facilities to future EWEs. It was found that the disaster planning process is ad hoc and non-inclusive, focused on man-made disasters and compliance driven, top-down approach, under-resourced and is driven by a general ignorance of the importance of resilient-built facilities to health care delivery during an EWE. It is concluded that to produce more resilient hospital infrastructure, there needs to be a more well-resourced, integrated and collaborative approach to disaster management planning which enables health facilities managers to play a more central role in disaster planning decisions. There also need to be better systems, technologies and training implemented to manage information about health infrastructure performance before, during and after EWEs.     

The Food System

Shelley Jordon describes her artwork as celebrating “the power and the beauty of domestic spaces and objects…culled from daily life.” Food is among the most basic of daily human needs, yet what is most basic often gets overlooked. Alpenrose, her image of a breakfast table, brings this human need to the fore, as authors Ka-meshwari Pothukucki and Jerome L. Kaufman argue that food systems need a place among the concerns of planners.

The artist, who is an associate professor of art at Oregon State University, resides in Portland, Oregon. Her works can be found in galleries and private collections throughout the West Coast.

Planning lays claim to being comprehensive, future-oriented, and public-interest driven, and of wanting to enhance the livability of communities. It is concerned with community systems—such as land use, housing, transportation, the environment, and the econ-omy—and their interconnections. The food system, however, is notable by its absence from most planning practice, research, and education. We present evidence for the limited presence of the food system in planning's list of concerns by scanning leading journals, texts, and classic writings, and by reporting on a survey of 22 U.S. city planning agencies. We analyze this low level of attention and discuss reasons and ideas for planning involvement to strengthen community food systems.¹     

Cities under Siege: Urban Planning and the Threat of Infectious Disease

Many analysts argue that the potential for a natural, accidental, or nefarious infectious disease event to have a dramatic impact on urban areas in the United States and abroad is growing. After reviewing the justification for this position, this article considers what cities should do to prepare for a major disease event. Recognizing that prevention and preparation receive insufficient attention, we recommend that planners seek out and work with both public and private sector groups with roles in disaster planning; design land and transportation planning information systems to aid and support decision makers during crises; encourage greater self-sufficiency in food production and consumption; assist in the design of humane, realistic evacuation strategies and routes; and consider the effects of their day-to-day recommendations on disease risk and response.