Briefs for GSDR - Urban stormwater reuse: An agenda for sustainable development

We treat urban stormwater as a problem as it causes flooding, transports pollutants and degrades the ecosystem health of waterways (Goonetilleke et al., 2014). Municipal authorities devote a significant component of their budget to capture and remove stormwater from urban areas as rapidly as possible. Unfortunately, it is a largely unappreciated fact that urban stormwater is the last available uncommitted water resource for our cities as the demand for potable water escalates due to growing urbanisation, industrialisation and higher living standards.

Brief for GSDR - Emerging Contaminants in urban stormwater: Challenges and perspectives for sustainable water use

Emerging contaminants (ECs) are chemical compounds commonly present in water. It is only recently that this family of compounds is being recognized as significant water pollutants (. ECs include a wide variety of chemicals such as pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), pesticides, hydrocarbons and hormones, among others, that once released into the environment exert adverse impacts on the human and wildlife endocrine system. Natural attenuation and conventional treatment processes are not capable of removing these micro-pollutants detected in wastewater influent and effluent and surface and drinking water. The main challenges related with presence of ECs in stormwater in the context of reuse are: a) Development of suitable laboratory test methodologies and protocols for ECs identification and quantification b) Identification of the sources of ECs in the urban environment; c) Understanding their impacts on human and/or ecosystem health; and d). Development of cost-effective removal technologies which are appropriate for large as well as small-scale application.

Applying urban morphology theory to design practice

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between research and design through an applied example of how architects can approach the design for a building guided by data derived from morphological research. An Expert Focus Group consisting of nine leading architects and urban designers from Brisbane, Australia was given the task of testing this proposition. Analysis of the workshop outcomes are examined, and the design drawings of each participant are assessed to determine the relative congruence of the design proposals within the morphological commodity of the specific context. In addition, qualitative data, captured through verbal and written feedback is assessed highlighting the participants' observations and experiences of the workshop. This paper makes a contribution to the current debate within the field on the opportunities of integrating research with practice.

Adsorption and Unfolding of Lysozyme at a Polarized Aqueous-Organic Liquid Interface

The adsorption of proteins at the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions has been found to be key to their bioelectroactivity at such interfaces. Combined with interfacial complexation of organic phase anions by cationic proteins, this adsorption process may be exploited to achieve nanomolar protein detection. In this study, replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to elucidate for the first time the molecular mechanism of adsorption and subsequent unfolding of hen egg white lysozyme at low pH at a polarized 1,2-dichloroethane/water interface. The unfolding of lysozyme was observed to occur as soon as it reaches the organic−aqueous interface,which resulted in a number of distinct orientations at the interface. In all cases, lysozyme interacted with the organic phase through regions rich in nonpolar amino acids, such that the side chains are directed toward the organic phase, whereas charged and polar residues were oriented toward the aqueous phase. By contrast, as expected, lysozyme in neat water at low pH does not exhibit significant structural changes. These findings demonstrate the key influence of the organic phase upon adsorption of lysozyme under the influence of an electric field, which results in the unfolding of its structure.

Guest editorial: Urban nature for resilient and liveable cities

It is a transforming experience to imagine that in 50 years, our current built environment might look as foreign to our grandchildren as the computers of the 1960s look to us today. We can already see emerging attempts to create cities that are resilient and liveable in the face of physical stresses including population growth, increasing climate variability, resource shortages and pollution. The capacity for transforming every aspect of development towards resilience and liveability goals is profoundly exciting, from heating and cooling through to energy generation, water reticulation, food production, transportation, communication and recreational spaces...

Place quality and urban competitiveness symbiosis? A position paper

Urban agglomerations—where innovation and knowledge generation activities take place—are in a tough competition to become a major player in the global knowledge economy. It is claimed that soft measures—namely quality of life and place—help in fostering and attracting talent, and consequently draw investment to these urban localities. This paper aims to scrutinise the role of soft measures in supporting urban competitiveness through a critical review of the scholarly literature. The findings shed some light on whether there is a symbiotic relationship between place quality and urban competitiveness. The paper also points out directions for future investigations.

Editorial: Dimensions of knowledge-based urban development

This issue marks the beginning of a new editorial cycle. In the seventh volume of the journal the editorial team will continue collating novel scientific and social developments in the broader field of ‘knowledge-based development’ to report to our readers. In this perspective, the first issue of the volume focuses on different dimensions of knowledge-based urban development. As Gabe et al. (2012, p.1179) indicate, “[i]t would be an understatement to suggest that knowledge plays a key role in today’s economy; for much of the developed world, it might be more accurate to assert that knowledge is today’s economy”. Thus, knowledge generation has been a priority for global city administrations, and there is a growing consensus amongst scholars, planners, politicians and industrialists in identifying knowledge-based urban development as a panacea to the burgeoning economic problems (Knight, 1995; Kunzmann, 2009; Yigitcanlar, 2010, 2011; Huggins and Strakova, 2012; Lönnqvist et al., 2014). Although, in the era of global knowledge economy, knowledge-based urban development is a critical factor for economic success (Pratt, 2000; Sheppard, 2002), it is not solely an economic policy. For many, knowledge-based urban development is a policy that targets building an urban setting to form perfect climates for business, people, and governance in an environmentally friendly atmosphere (Carrillo, 2006; Ergazakis et al., 2006; Angelidou et al., 2012). Each of these climates correspond to a dimension or domain of knowledge-based urban development – namely, economy, society, space, and governance (Carrillo et al., 2014). Each paper of this issue corresponds to at least one of these domains, or policy areas.

A multi-centre open-label randomised non-inferiority trial comparing watchful waiting to antibiotic treatment for acute otitis media without perforation in low-risk urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (the WATCH trial): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background Treatment guidelines recommend watchful waiting for children older than 2 years with acute otitis media (AOM) without perforation, unless they are at high risk of complications. The high prevalence of chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities leads these children to be classified as high risk. Urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are at lower risk of complications, but evidence to support the subsequent recommendation for watchful waiting in this population is lacking. Methods/Design This non-inferiority multi-centre randomised controlled trial will determine whether watchful waiting is non-inferior to immediate antibiotics for urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with AOM without perforation. Children aged 2 − 16 years with AOM who are considered at low risk for complications will be recruited from six participating urban primary health care services across Australia. We will obtain informed consent from each participant or their guardian. The primary outcome is clinical resolution on day 7 (no pain, no fever of at least 38 °C, no bulging eardrum and no complications of AOM such as perforation or mastoiditis) as assessed by general practitioners or nurse practitioners. Participants and outcome assessors will not be blinded to treatment. With a sample size of 198 children in each arm, we have 80 % power to detect a non-inferiority margin of up to 10 % at a significance level of 5 %, assuming clinical improvement of at least 80 % in both groups. Allowing for a 20 % dropout rate, we aim to recruit 495 children. We will analyse both by intention-to-treat and per protocol. We will assess the cost- effectiveness of watchful waiting compared to immediate antibiotic prescription. We will also report on the implementation of the trial from the perspectives of parents/carers, health professionals and researchers. Discussion The trial will provide evidence for the safety and effectiveness of watchful waiting for the management of AOM in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children living in urban settings who are considered to be at low risk of complications.

Cities of Light: Two Centuries of Urban Illumination

Cities of Light is the first global overview of modern urban illumination, a development that allows human wakefulness to colonize the night, doubling the hours available for purposeful and industrious activities. Urban lighting is undergoing a revolution due to recent developments in lighting technology, and increased focus on sustainability and human-scaled environments. Cities of Light is expansive in coverage, spanning two centuries and touching on developments on six continents, without diluting its central focus on architectural and urban lighting. Covering history, geography, theory, and speculation in urban lighting, readers will have numerous points of entry into the book, finding it easy to navigate for a quick reference and or a coherent narrative if read straight through. With chapters written by respected scholars and highly-regarded contemporary practitioners, this book will delight students and practitioners of architectural and urban history, area and cultural studies, and lighting design professionals and the institutional and municipal authorities they serve. At a moment when the entire world is being reshaped by new lighting technologies and new design attitudes, the longer history of urban lighting remains fragmentary. Cities of Light aims to provide a global framework for historical studies of urban lighting and to offer a new perspective on the fast-moving developments of lighting today.

Women bashing: An urban Aboriginal perspective

ABORIGINAL people in urbanised Australia experience violence on a daily basis. This violence ranges from the psychological (the covert hostility of the corner shop, the denial of the Aboriginality of fair-skinned or urban Blacks) through to the physical brutality of the criminal justice system. For Aboriginal women and children this daily violence is not only public but also has a private, B1ack-on-B1ack dimension. The Aboriginal home may be some refuge from the slights of white Australia but this is cold comfort to women for whom being 'flogged up' by their partners is so ordinary an event as to be unremarkable.

Understanding urban rail travel for improved patronage forecasting

Improved forecasting of urban rail patronage is essential for effective policy development and efficient planning for new rail infrastructure. Past modelling and forecasting of urban rail patronage has been based on legacy modelling approaches and often conducted at the general level of public transport demand, rather than being specific to urban rail. This project canvassed current Australian practice and international best practice to develop and estimate time series and cross-sectional models of rail patronage for Australian mainland state capital cities. This involved the implementation of a large online survey of rail riders and non-riders for each of the state capital cities, thereby resulting in a comprehensive database of respondent socio-economic profiles, travel experience, attitudes to rail and other modes of travel, together with stated preference responses to a wide range of urban travel scenarios. Estimation of the models provided a demonstration of their ability to provide information on the major influences on the urban rail travel decision. Rail fares, congestion and rail service supply all have a strong influence on rail patronage, while a number of less significant factors such as fuel price and access to a motor vehicle are also influential. Of note, too, is the relative homogeneity of rail user profiles across the state capitals. Rail users tended to have higher incomes and education levels. They are also younger and more likely to be in full-time employment than non-rail users. The project analysis reported here represents only a small proportion of what could be accomplished utilising the survey database. More comprehensive investigation was beyond the scope of the project and has been left for future work.

Book Review: "The Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945-1975", John Harwood, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2011

Within the history of twentieth-century design, there are a number of well-known objects and stories that are invoked time and time again to capture a pivotal moment or summarize a much broader historical transition. For example, Marcel Breuer’s Model B3 chair is frequently used as a stand-in for the radical investigations of form and new industrial materials occurring at the Bauhaus in the mid-1920s. Similarly, Raymond Loewy’s streamlined pencil sharpener has become historical shorthand for the emergence of modern industrial design in the 1930s. And any discussion of the development of American postwar “organic design” seems incomplete without reference to Charles and Ray Eames’s molded plywood leg splint of 1942. Such objects and narratives are dear to historians of modern design. They are tangible, photogenic subjects that slot nicely into exhibitions, historical surveys, and coffee-table best sellers...

Light and the Urban Nightscape

The design of nighttime environments that instill feelings of both safety and enjoyment is of critical importance to the economic and cultural vitality of urban centers around the world. This has been broadly recognized in Europe for several decades, but has only recently been seriously addressed in North America. The following considers lighting design for the urban nightscape through the examination of two progressive urban lighting projects, organizations like the Lighting Urban Community International (LUCI), the City-People-Light program, and the role of lighting festivals and workshops in advancing urban lighting design.