Interactions among different dimensions of a responsive public space: case study in Iran (journal article)
by Maryam Charkhchian and Seyyed Abdolhadi Daneshpour
from Review of Urban and Regional Development Studies, Vol 21 No 1 2009
"A place is generally identified by its varying physical, activity, social and meaning (connotative) characteristics. In this paper, the "Model of Responsive Public Space" is defined by these four aspects and each of them has its own special indicators as shown in previous studies on this subject. To examine this model and evaluate the interactions between these dimensions, experimental studies were carried out in two stages. In the first stage, open-ended structured interviews were carried out with 70 participants to adjust the model with personal opinions about public spaces in Qazvin city, Iran. In the second stage a questionnaire was used to explore the effect of the four dimensions on each other. 598 users of a selected public space participated in this study. The results were analyzed by SPSS software applying a Pearson correlation test and Excel software. These results indicate that not only in theory but also in practice, public spaces have four distinct aspects that must be taken into consideration when creating a responsive public space. The most significance correlation is that between the meaning and the social dimension of public spaces."

Spatially varying effects of re-zoning on housing price (journal article)
by Seong-Hoon Cho, Seung Gyu Kim and Dayton M. Lambert
from Review of Urban and Regional Development Studies, Vol 21 No 1 2009
"A hedonic price equation is estimated at the parcel level to capture the spatially-varying effects of rezoning on housing prices using a geographically weighted regression - spatial autoregressive error model (GWR-SEM). The empirical results highlight a number of points. Firstly, the positive amenities from rezoning to office use act as a buffer and transition the zones between single family housing to commercial zones near downtown areas may be applicable to approving the same kind of rezoning in other areas. Secondly, when approving rezoning from agriculture to residential or commercial use, it may be necessary to anticipate the positive amenities from rezoning in less well-off neighborhoods and the negative amenities from rezoning in well-off neighborhoods. Thirdly, the positive amenities from well-designed open space preservation districts may encourage county planners to consider similar types of projects in the future."

Reassessing Outsourcing in Ict-Enabled Public Management (journal article)
By Tino Schuppan
from Public Management Review Vol 11 Issue 6 Nov 2009 , pp 811 - 831
"Using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in public administration goes beyond online services, as it also enables new kinds of work sharing and information exchange between different agencies. These can be used to establish new forms of public service delivery, such as the separation of service delivery between front and back offices, which enable better access for citizens. This new kind of ICT enabled work sharing will be used as a basis to analyse whether outsourcing can be reassessed. First, existing approaches to such decisions will be explored against the backdrop of public service delivery processes which have been penetrated by ICT. Next, a framework will be derived which will be used to understand better the potential of different ICT functions to affect outsourcing decisions. Finally, ICT's effect upon outsourcing will be illustrated using examples from the United Kingdom. The UK findings demonstrate that new strategic issues are emerging which are not addressed in existing public management literature about outsourcing and which therefore require further exploration and examination."

Transport, Housing and Urban Form: The Life Cycle Energy Consumption and Emissions of City Centre Apartments Compared with Suburban Dwellings (journal article)
by Alan Perkins et al.
from Urban Policy and Research, Vol 27 No 4 December 2009, pp.377-396
"Buildings in cities and the activities carried out therein use a significant proportion of a nation's energy consumption and produce substantial quantities of greenhouse gases in the process. Residential buildings are a large contributor, partially as a result of the transport and housing activities of households. In this study, life cycle analysis is used to calculate the total transport and housing energy and emissions from a sample of 41 households in apartment buildings in the city centre of Adelaide, Australia and compare them with suburban households. The purpose of this is to determine whether the urban density option of higher rise dwellings offers a lower environmental impact than conventional housing. The analysis includes delivered energy and greenhouse gas emissions generated by motorised travel and activities within the dwellings, and the energy and emissions embodied in household motor vehicles and the apartment buildings. The total delivered energy consumption of apartment households was found to be lower than suburban households due mainly to higher car usage, particularly in the outer suburbs. However, the analysis of total greenhouse gas emissions provided a somewhat different comparison especially when they were considered on a per capita basis. The total per capita emissions for apartment households varied considerably but, on average, exceeded those of both the inner and outer suburban households. This resulted from lower occupancy rates and higher emissions arising from higher dwelling operational and embodied energy consumption. Overall, it cannot be assumed that centralised, higher density living will deliver per capita emission reductions for residents, once the combined per capita life cycle emissions from housing and transport have been accounted for. A more vigorous educational, promotional and regulatory approach is required to achieve greater operational and embodied energy efficiency in apartment buildings to fully realise the emissions-reducing potential of such buildings in centralised locations. "

Urban Form and Housing Density, Australian Cities and European Models: Copenhagen and Stockholm Reconsidered (journal article)
by Greg Bamford
from Urban Policy and Research, Vol 27 No 4 December 2009, pp. 337-356
"Stockholm and Copenhagen have been widely regarded in English-speaking countries as exemplifying aspects of the compact city—from well planned, mixed use, higher density, transit-oriented development to sociable urban spaces. So how is it that the development of these two cities has also been located in the garden city tradition? This article tackles this question in the context of the implications European cities are often thought to have for low-density Australian cities. Comparisons of the urban form of Stockholm and Brisbane and of higher density housing in Copenhagen and Brisbane emphasise that the 'Scandinavian model' is as much about the role of open space in shaping urban form and in housing design as our current preoccupation with density"

Strategic change: program management (journal article)
by Cecily Macdougall
from Queensland Mining and Energy Bulletin, Spring 2009
"Some of the key learning points gained from our most recent engagements include the lack of understanding of programs and program management, and the recognition that strategic change
programs cannot be run from a line management position. Strategic change can be done successfully, if managed as a strategic program and not part of business as usual activities. Successful change creates value and inspires members to achieve the visions. Unmanaged and unmeasured change increases rework, increases costs and the investment rarely delivers the required outcomes. This article attempts to share some of our experiences with you to illustrate these points."

Top tech for a cooler planet (journal article)
by Jessica Griggs, Phil McKenna and Maggie Koerth-Baker.
from New Scientist, 03/10/2009, Vol. 203 No. 2728, p36-39
"The article features several environmental friendly products from research laboratories and start-ups. Magnetic refrigeration developed by Camfridge subjects metal alloys to a magnetic field, which causes them to cool down. A superconducting wire was developed by American Superconductor that cuts transmission line losses. Flybrid Systems has designed a flywheel that uses carbon fibre and spins at over three times the speed of conventional flywheels. "

An analysis of the relative efficiency of wastewater utilities in non-metropolitan New South Wales and Victoria (journal article)
by Joel Byrnes, Lin Crase, Brian Dollery and Renato Villano
from Australasian Journal of Regional Studies, Vol. 15, No. 2, 2009
"A recent policy issue in Australian local government has centred on a so-called ‘skills shortage’ in the sector, particularly in regional jurisdictions. In this paper, we estimate the relative efficiency of non-metropolitan water utilities in New South and Victoria and consider the role of divergent governance structures in order to measure the impact of unique managerial factors upon relative efficiency in wastewater service delivery. We find that larger utilities, governed by skills based boards, are relatively more technically efficient than those operating as a business unit of local government. We argue that this is partly explained by the ability of those utilities to attract and retain relatively more skilled staff. A number of policy recommendations are advanced."
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Global cleantech and environmental capital providers guide [online]

Author: Thomas Su / Money Cat Consulting

"Guide for companies and professionals in the fast growing cleantech, environmental, green, renewable energy industries seeking to raise investments from global markets." - publishers website. This directory contains the contact details of more than 500 global investment institutions which provide capital for start-ups, middle stage business, expansion capital, infrastructure and other purposes.

Portfolio, programme and project offices [book]

Author: Great Britain. Office of Government Commerce

"Brings together a set of principles, processes and techniques to facilitate effective portfolio management, programme and project management by proposing proven support structures, roles and responsibilities. ... Draws on real-life experiences from both public and private sector organisations to produce guidance that will help senior management make informed decisions on strategic alignment, prioritization, risk management and optimization of resources to deliver business objectives." - foreword.

Click here to request a copy through your library.

Innovation cities analysis report [book]

Author: Christopher Hire / 2Thinknow

"Analyses the global context for cities, identifies where innovation out-performance is occuring and provides a detailed set of indicators to measure and improve performance. ... Draws on leading thinkers, professors, and ideas and compiles them into an analysis, and an easy-to-understand framework of 162 indicators to measure a city." - publisher's website.

Click here to request a copy through your library.

Australia on the move 2009 [online]

Authors: Property Council of Australia. Residential Development Council / Matusik

"Identifies population forecasts over the next 20 years with a focus on the next five year cycle. This report covers the key hotspots to watch as well as highlights the housing needs and shortfalls of the key 42 capital and regional centres around the country." - executive summary.

Voluntary carbon markets : an international business guide to what they are and how they work [book]

Written and edited by Ricardo Bayon, Amanda Hawn and Katherine Hamilton

"Draws together all the key information on international voluntary carbon markets with commentary from leading practitioners and business people. It covers all aspects of voluntary carbon markets around the world: what they are, how they work and, most critically, their business potential to help slow climate change." - publisher's website.

Grab a copy from the library!

Logistic regression models [book]

Author: Joseph M. Hilbe

"Presents an overview of the full range of logistic models, including binary, proportional, ordered, and categorical response regression procedures. It illustrates how to apply the models to medical, health, environmental / ecological, physical, and social science data." - cover.

Looks like something you'd like to read? Click here, and request a loan.

Environmental decision-making : exploring complexity and context [book]

Authors: Ronnie Harding, Carolyn M. Hendriks & Mehreen Faruqi

"Contemporary environmental decisions are made within the context of sustainability aimed at meeting integrated ecological, economic and social goals. ... This book explores these processes and context and the influences which affect them. For example: How do different value systems influence what environmental issues come onto the public agenda, and their management? What institutions and actors are involved in the processes and how? What tools are available and what are their limitations? How should we deal with uncertainty and risk? How do we incorporate relevant but very different forms of knowledge, and how do we manage the information 'explosion'?" - cover.

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New urbanism : best practices guide [book]

Authors: Robert Steuteville & Philip Langdon

"Helps architects, planners, urban designers, landscape architects, builders, developers, public officials, students, and citizens understand one of the most vital planning movements of our time - a movement that is reshaping cities, suburbs, small towns, and neighborhoods." Chapters include: Architectural styles and building types; Land development; Health and aging; Shaping the region; Revitalizing cities and towns; Urban retail; The Human-scale workplace; Planning and transit; Civic buildings and spaces; Affordable placemaking; and Building community.

Want to borrow a copy from the library? Click here to email through your request.

Corporate responses to climate change : achieving emissions reductions through regulation, self-regulation and economic incentives [book]

Author: Rory Sullivan

"Analyses current business practice and performance on climate change, in the light of the dramatic changes in the regulatory and policy environment over the last five years. More specifically, it examines how climate change-related policy development and implementation have influenced corporate performance, with the objective of using this information to consider how the next stage of climate change policy - regulation, incentives, voluntary initiatives - may be designed and implemented in a manner that delivers the real and substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that will be required." - cover.

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The climate caper : facts and fallacies of global warming [book]

Authors: Garth W. Paltridge ; with a foreword by Christopher Monckton

"Professor Paltridge shows that the case for action against climate change is not nearly so certain as is presented to politicians and the public. He leads us through the massive uncertainties which are inherently part of the 'climate modelling process'; he examines the even greater uncertainties associated with economic forecasts of climatic doom; and he discusses in detail the conscious and sub-conscious forces operating to ensure that scepticism within the scientific community is kept from the public eye." - cover.

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Capturing power (journal article)
by Matthew Ogg
from Brisbane Business News, Vol 2 No 9, October 2009
"CARS and electricity - two inventions that propelled the world into the modern age, but with finite resources and growing concerns over climate change, they are also destroying the planet. As part of this month's eco feature, Brisbane Business News profiles two companies driving the current change to help reduce pollution from fuel and energy."

Theory and Practice in Metropolitan Strategy: Situating Recent Australian Planning (journal article)
by Raymond Bunker and Glen Searle
from Urban Policy and Research, Volume 27, Issue 2, June 2009 , pp. 101 - 116
"Over the last several years, metropolitan strategies have been produced for the five mainland state capital cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. The distinctive characteristics of Australian urban planning mean that they can be shown to reflect an Australian paradigm of planning. However, this paradigm is rewritten in different ways in each strategy reflecting the particular institutional circumstances and political culture of each state. In doing so there is some strong reaffirmation of this paradigm, but also indications of a more relational and transactive manner of planning adding further process to product. Here there is some resonance with recent developments in planning theory and to some extent in practice, largely in Europe. "