The Oslo transport packages 1–3: success by local initiatives

Queues, traffic jam and chaos characterised Oslo in the 1980s. The region Oslo/Akershus had for decades in vain been waiting for national finance in order to solve the problem. A local transport package based on road charging gave the funding for building roads. The region grew by 22% in population in the period 2000–2012. The road traffic has increased by 6% and the public transport by 38% in Oslo, a massive success. Sixty percent of the funds are now invested in public transport. Public attitudes are rather positive. There are still queues, but they are reduced. The local firm ‘Fjellinjen’ owned by Oslo and Akershus do not pay dividends and has reduced administrative and running costs to 10%.     

Is the ability of politicians to act as representatives between elections hampered in systems inspired by NPM?

In this article, I explore and analyse how the application of systems inspired by New (Normal) Public Management affects the capacity of politicians to act on behalf of the people. The aim is to acquire new knowledge about how output-based financial and performance measurement systems affect the form and content of deliberative processes between elections. The analysis is based on an extensive empirical process, both backwards and forwards in time, tracing analysis of a critical event that occurred within education policy in a Swedish municipality. One main hypothesis generated is that NPM-inspired systems have a negative effect on deliberations between elections in ways that generate lock-in effects that hamper the ability of politicians to act as representatives between elections.     

梁山印象——梁山汽车客运中心方案设计

在当今全球化的背景下,建筑的地域化表达是建筑师们的普遍追求。汽车客运站作为城市的重要节点,在满足交通中转的功能外,还是表达地域文化、展现城市风采的重要门户。本文结合梁山汽车客运中心的设计分析,从文化引入,总体布局,流线分析、景观营造等方面阐述了基于特定城市文化脉络的设计思路。     

关于某大厦办公楼超限结构设计的探讨

本文介绍了某大厦建筑结构整体设计过程,对建筑结构的分析和方法的采用都进行了详细阐述。本工程中再次研究了超限高层建筑设计的抗震性能,通过计算机软件的应用、概念设计、局部转换等手段,保证建筑基本性能和提高建筑抗震性能,给以后的超限高层建筑结构设计提供了一个案例参考。     

试论园林景观中本土文化元素的应用——以松江上林苑为例

本文以上海松江上林苑的建筑和景观特点为主要案例,探讨上海本土文化元素在园林景观中具体应用,并总结出一些具体的景观设计注意点。     

A new multi‐focus image fusion algorithm based on BEMD and improved local energy

A multi‐focus image fusion method, which is based on bidimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD) and improved local energy algorithm, is presented in this paper. First, the source image is decomposed by BEMD. Then maximum criterion combined with weighted average fusion rule based on local energy is applied to bidimensional intrinsic mode function components of the corresponding frequency segment. If the phase of the bidimensional intrinsic mode function coefficients decomposed by BEMD on two source images is the same, the local energy maximum criterion is used in the frequency coefficients of the fused image; else, if the corresponding phase is opposite, bidimensional intrinsic mode function coefficients of the fused image is determined by a weighted average method based on local energy. Finally, the fusion result is obtained by the inverse BEMD transformation on the fusion coefficient. Simulation shows that the proposed algorithm significantly outperforms traditional methods such as the maximum criterion, weighted average, and wavelet fusion rules. © 2015 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Multistage treatment system for raw leachate from sanitary landfill combining biological nitrification–denitrification/solar photo-Fenton/biological processes,at a scale close to industrial – Biodegradability enhancement and evolution profile of trace pollutants

A multistage treatment system, at a scale close to the industrial, was designed for the treatment of a mature raw landfill leachate, including: a) an activated sludge biological oxidation (ASBO), under aerobic and anoxic conditions; b) a solar photo-Fenton process, enhancing the bio-treated leachate biodegradability, with and without sludge removal after acidification; and c) a final polishing step, with further ASBO.     

Developing local government policy and processes for community consultation and participation

Abstract

This paper documents the development of a local government community consultation and capacity building vision and strategy. A central argument is that traditional government perspectives on community consultation must be reconsidered to include greater opportunities for informed community participation in planning and decision making processes for a sustainable community.     

Regulation Theory,Global Competition Among Cities And Capital Embeddedness

This paper reviews the contribution of regulation theory to our understanding of urban development and its regulation by the state. The theory provides a useful instrument for convergence of politics, economics and geography in which the crucial questions of territoriality of local states and the embeddedness of capital can be considered. But there remains much to be explored both in the mode of development of the global economy over time, and in the relationship between global economic structures and local political institutions. The further development of regulation theory demands a reconceptualisation of power and the absorption of ecological/environmental and feminist discourses into the debates.     

Mini‐blasting for repair work

High chloride content of the concrete had led to corrosion of reinforcement in the brackets supporting the access balconies of a block of flats in Copenhagen; also affected were parts of the balcony decks and some wall panels. Widespread replacement of the suspect components was chosen, including re‐casting of the support brackets in situ. How the old concrete of the brackets was removed by controlled local blasting is described by a member of Demex consulting engineers, who acted as explosive demolition consultants to this project.