An ecological approach towards building knowledge cities

Purpose A knowledge-based urban development needs to be sustainable and, therefore, requires ecological planning strategies to ensure a better quality of its services. The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative approach for monitoring the sustainability of urban services and help the policy-making authorities to revise the current planning and development practices for more effective solutions. The paper introduces a new assessment tool–Micro-level Urban-ecosystem Sustainability IndeX (MUSIX) – that provides a quantitative measure of urban sustainability in a local context. Design/methodology/approach A multi-method research approach was employed in the construction of the MUSIX. A qualitative research was conducted through an interpretive and critical literature review in developing a theoretical framework and indicator selection. A quantitative research was conducted through statistical and spatial analyses in data collection, processing and model application. Findings/results MUSIX was tested in a pilot study site and provided information referring to the main environmental impacts arising from rapid urban development and population growth. Related to that, some key ecological planning strategies were recommended to guide the preparation and assessment of development and local area plans. Research limitations/implications This study provided fundamental information that assists developers, planners and policy-makers to investigate the multidimensional nature of sustainability at the local level by capturing the environmental pressures and their driving forces in highly developed urban areas. Originality/value This study measures the sustainability of urban development plans through providing data analysis and interpretation of results in a new spatial data unit.

Assessing land-use and transport integration via a spatial composite indexing model

Achieving sustainable urban development is identified as one ultimate goal of many contemporary planning endeavours and has become central to formulation of urban planning policies. Within this concept, land-use and transport integration is highlighted as one of the most important and attainable policy objectives. In many cities, integration is embraced as an integral part of local development plans, and a number of key integration principles are identified. However, the lack of available evaluation methods to measure extent of urban sustainability levels prevents successful implementation of these principles. This paper introduces a new indicator-based spatial composite indexing model developed to measure sustainability performance of urban settings by taking into account land-use and transport integration principles. Model indicators are chosen via a thorough selection process in line with key principles of land-use and transport integration. These indicators are grouped into categories and themes according to their topical relevance. These indicators are then aggregated to form a spatial composite index to portray an overview of the sustainability performance of the pilot study area used for model demonstration. The study results revealed that the model is a practical instrument for evaluating success of local integration policies and visualizing sustainability performance of built environments and useful in both identifying problematic areas as well as formulating policy interventions.

Getting a piece of the cloud

Introduction When it comes to sustainable economic development, it is hard to go past the thought of investment in information technology (IT). The foundation of sustainable economic development is sustainable infrastructure. This situation means that investment in IT is about developing sustainable IT infrastructure. An IT infrastructure is a set of IT tools on which organisations could develop applications to manage their varying business processes. At a national economic level, this is all about developing a national IT infrastructure to provide social and economic services to the various stakeholders. Current troubling economic times call for collaboration and centrality in IT infrastructure development. This notion has led to the idea of national broadband networks, sustainable telecommunication platforms, and national IT development plans and goals. However, these thoughts and actions do not directly impact the critical social and economic processes of organisations. That is, these thoughts set the tone and direction of actions

Present status of Gottigere Tank : Indicator of Decision maker’s apathy

Gottigere lake with a water spread area of about 14.98 ha is located in the Bellandur Lake catchment of the South Pennar River basin. In recent years, this lake catchment has been subjected to environmental stress mainly due to the rampant unplanned developmental activities in the catchment. The functional ability of the ecosystem is impaired due to structural changes in the ecosystem. This is evident from poor water quality, breeding of disease vectors, contamination of groundwater in the catchment, frequent flooding in the catchment due to topography alteration, decline in groundwater table, erosion in lake bed, etc. The development plans of the region (current as well as the proposed) ignore the integrated planning approaches considering all components of the ecosystem. Serious threats to the sustainability of the region due to lack of holistic approaches in aquatic resources management are land use changes (removal of vegetation cover, etc.), point and non-point sources of pollution impairing water quality, dumping of solid waste (building waste, etc.). Conservation of lake ecosystem is possible only when the physical and chemical integrity of its catchment is maintained. Alteration in the catchment either due to land use changes (leading to paved surface area from vegetation cover), alteration in topography, construction of roads in the immediate vicinity are detrimental to water yield in the catchment and hence, the sustenance of the lake. Open spaces in the form of lakes and parks aid as kidney and lung in an urban ecosystem, which maintain the health of the people residing in the locality. Identification of core buffer zones and conservation of buffer zones (500 to 1000 m from shore) is to be taken up on priority for conservation and sustainable management of Bangalore lakes. Bangalore is located over a ridge delineating four watersheds, viz. Hebbal, Koramangala, Challaghatta and Vrishabhavathi. Lakes and tanks are an integral part of natural drainage and help in retaining water during rainfall, which otherwise get drained off as flash floods. Each lake harvests rainwater from its catchment and surplus flows downstream spilling into the next lake in the chain. The topography of Bangalore has uniquely supported the creation of a large number of lakes. These lakes form chains, being a series of impoundments across streams. This emphasises the interconnectivity among Bangalore lakes, which has to be retained to prevent Bangalore from flooding or from water scarcity. The main source of replenishment of groundwater is the rainfall. The slope of the terrain allows most of the rainwater to flow as run-off. With the steep gradients available in the major valleys of Bangalore, the rainwater will flow out of the city within four to five hours. Only a small fraction of the rainwater infiltrates into the soil. The infiltration of water into the subsoil has declined with more and more buildings and paved road being constructed in the city. Thus the natural drainage of Bangalore is governed by flows from the central ridge to all lower contours and is connected with various tanks and ponds. There are no major rivers flowing in Bangalore and there is an urgent need to sustain these vital ecosystems through proper conservation and management measures. The proposed peripheral ring road connecting Hosur Road (NH 7) and Mysore Road (SH 17) at Gottigere lake falls within the buffer zone of the lake. This would alter the catchment integrity and hence water yield affecting flora, fauna and local people, and ultimately lead to the disappearance of Gottigere lake. Developmental activities in lake catchments, which has altered lake’s ecological integrity is in violation of the Indian Fisheries Act – 1857, the Indian Forest Act – 1927, Wildlife (Protection) Act – 1972, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act – 1974, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act – 1977, Forest (Conservation Act) – 1980, Environmental (Protection) Act – 1986, Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act – 1991 and National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on Environment and Development – 1992. Considering 65% decline of waterbodies in Bangalore (during last three decades), decision makers should immediately take preventive measures to ensure that lake ecosystems are not affected. This report discusses the impacts due to the proposed infrastructure developmental activities in the vicinity of Gottigere tank.

Evolución y transcendencia del sector de las energias renovables en España

Nowadays the energies that still prevail on a global scale as a source of generation of electricity are those that come from fossil resources. Nevertheless, in a few years the future of energy will center on renewable energies. Those countries that are not involved in their development will be at a clear disadvantage at economic level, since the electrical power is the base for the development of human society and the renewable energies are essential for its production. The present work has as a target to show, in a clear and concise form, the current situation of the sector of renewable energies in Spain. In addition, we present in a brief and summarised form, an aspect that has been essential in the development of the renewable energies in Spain is tackled. This is, the legislation on the matter as well as the development plans that Spain has carried out for its promotion. Finally, the study considers the compared situation of the sector of the renewable energies and of the energy sector in general in Spain in the context of the EU. IDIOMA: Ingles

Avaliação do possível impacto das técnicas de MEOR (Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery) no fator de recuperação das reservas de petróleo e gás do Brasil

Os métodos tradicionais de estimular a produção de petróleo, envolvendo a injeção de água, vapor, gás ou outros produtos, estabeleceram a base conceitual para novos métodos de extração de óleo, utilizando micro-organismos e processos biológicos. As tecnologias que empregam os processos de bioestimulação e bioaumentação já são amplamente utilizadas em inúmeras aplicações industriais, farmacêuticas e agroindustriais, e mais recentemente, na indústria do petróleo. Dada a enorme dimensão econômica da indústria do petróleo, qualquer tecnologia que possa aumentar a produção ou o fator de recuperação de um campo petrolífero gera a expectativa de grandes benefícios técnicos, econômicos e estratégicos. Buscando avaliar o possível impacto de MEOR (microbial enhanced oil recovery) no fator de recuperação das reservas de óleo e gás no Brasil, e quais técnicas poderiam ser mais indicadas, foi feito um amplo estudo dessas técnicas e de diversos aspectos da geologia no Brasil. Também foram realizados estudos preliminares de uma técnica de MEOR (bioacidificação) com possível aplicabilidade em reservatórios brasileiros. Os resultados demonstram que as técnicas de MEOR podem ser eficazes na produção, solubilização, emulsificação ou transformação de diversos compostos, e que podem promover outros efeitos físicos no óleo ou na matriz da rocha reservatório. Também foram identificadas bacias petrolíferas brasileiras e recursos não convencionais com maior potencial para utilização de determinadas técnicas de MEOR. Finalmente, foram identificadas algumas técnicas de MEOR que merecem maiores estudos, entre as técnicas mais consolidadas (como a produção de biossurfatantes e biopolímeros, e o controle da biocorrosão), e as que ainda não foram completamente viabilizadas (como a gaseificação de carvão, óleo e matéria orgânica; a dissociação microbiana de hidratos de gás; a bioconversão de CO2 em metano; e a bioacidificação). Apesar de seu potencial ainda não ser amplamente reconhecido, as técnicas de MEOR representam o limiar de uma nova era na estimulação da produção de recursos petrolíferos existentes, e até mesmo para os planos de desenvolvimento de novas áreas petrolíferas e recursos energéticos. Este trabalho fornece o embasamento técnico para sugerir novas iniciativas, reconhecer o potencial estratégico de MEOR, e para ajudar a realizar seu pleno potencial e seus benefícios.

Management of wetland resources in the lower Mekong Basin: issues and future directions

The Lower Mekong Basin has extensive wetlands and these are being threatened by numerous problems. Most of these problems are interdependent and interact with one another. The lack of an appropriate definition of wetlands applicable to the region, pervasive inefficiencies and chronic lack of funds among riparian governments, and the poor appreciation of the true economic importance of wetlands and its resources are among the most prominent. The current definition, based on the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971), is too broad when compared to the understanding of wetlands as being swamps, marshes and the like, and was developed specifically for wetlands with international importance as waterfowl habitats. Furthermore, wetlands are composed of different types of resources, which require different modes of management. Often, institutional competition, overlapping mandates and sometimes jealousies occur between government departments when they try to assert their authority on a particular wetland resource and use, and put forward their development plans without considering how these may conflict with other wetlands uses. Finally, effective wetland management requires reliable statistics or information on rate of harvest of natural resources such as fish and others, fishing/harvesting methods over time in order to determine the level of exploitation, and the status of the natural resources. This information is needed to identify opportunities for expansion, to establish historical trends, and to determine when management interventions are necessary to protect the resources from being overused by other developments. In order to address these issues, ICLARM - The World Fish Center has launched a project, the aim of objectives of which are described in this paper.

酿酒酵母和运动发酵单胞菌木薯乙醇发酵条件研究

本文结合我国燃料乙醇发展的方针政策，以酿酒酵母和运动发酵单胞菌为菌种研究其在非粮能源作物木薯中乙醇发酵的情况，为木薯原料更好地应用于生产中提供了理论依据。 酿酒酵母木薯高浓度乙醇发酵的研究。实验采用的木薯干淀粉含量约70-75%。以酿酒酵母为菌种进行高浓度乙醇发酵的工艺条件研究，最佳条件为：木薯干粉碎细度为35目，料水比1：2，α-淀粉酶用量0.09 KNU/g淀粉，蒸煮温度85 ℃，蒸煮时间15 min。采用30 ℃同步糖化发酵工艺，糖化酶用量为3.4 AGU/g淀粉，发酵时间30 h。在10 L发酵罐中，乙醇质量比达127.88 g/kg，发酵效率为88.28%，发酵强度4.263 g/kg/h，100 L中试研究中乙醇浓度为127.75 g/kg，发酵强度4.258 g/kg/h。利用高效液相色谱对发酵液中残糖进行了分析，证明葡萄糖、果糖等单糖已完全被菌体利用，剩余糖为二糖，三糖等不可发酵的低聚糖。 运动发酵单胞菌快速乙醇发酵的研究。对实验室保藏的8株运动发酵单胞菌进行比较，选择发酵速度最快的Zymomonas mobilis232B进行研究。该菌在纯葡萄糖中的最佳发酵条件为：葡萄糖浓度18%，起始pH 6-7，发酵温度30 ℃，发酵时间18 h，乙醇浓度88 g/kg。在以木薯为底物同步糖化快速乙醇发酵中，采用Full Factorial设计和最速上升实验确定了培养基成分中的2个显著性因子及其最适浓度：酵母粉4 g/kg，硫酸铵0.8 g/kg。在最适培养基条件下，对木薯料水比和糖化酶用量进行了优化，得到Z.mobilis232B木薯乙醇发酵最佳料水比1：3，糖化酶浓度4 AGU/g淀粉，乙醇发酵4.915 g/kg/h。利用高效液相色谱对发酵液中残糖进行了分析，剩余糖为二糖，三糖等，但成分较酵母发酵后复杂。 According to the fuel ethanol development plans and policies in our country, the ethanol production from cassava by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zymomonas mobilis was studied. It provided theoretical basis for ethanol fermentation by cassava in industry. Part 1 is the study of VHG (very high gravity) ethanol fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The content of starch in cassava was 70-75%. Compared with the performances under different experimental conditions, the following optimal conditions for VHG fermentation were obtained: Granule size of dry cassava 35 mashes, hydromodulus of cassava to water at 1:2, α-amylase enzyme dosage 0.09 KNU/g starch, cooking temperature 85 ℃ for 15 min, using the SSF process (simultaneous saccharification and fermentation) and the amount of glucoamylase 3.4 AGU/g starch. Accordingly, the final ethanol concentration was up to 127.88 g/kg; the ethanol yield reached 88.28%, and ethanol productivity was 4.263 g/kg/h after 30 h. When the fermentation scale expanded to 100 L, the final ethanol concentration was 127.75 g/kg, and the ethanol productivity was 4.258 g/kg/h in 30 h. The residual sugar was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography, and proved that there was no glucose and fructose. The residual reducing sugar was some unfermentable oligosaccharide Part 2 is the study of the rapid ethanol production by Zymomonas mobilis. Compare with other seven stains, Zymomonas mobilis 232B was selected for research. The optimum condition in glucose medium was as follow: glucose concentration 18%, initial pH 6-7, and fermentation temperature 30 ℃. The ethanol concentration was 88g/kg in 18 h. After that, rapid ethanol production from cassava in SSF by Zymomonas mobilis 232B was studied. Through a series of experiments aided by Full Factorial Design and steepest ascent search, the optimal concentration yeast extract and ammonium sulfate were determined: 4 g/kg and 0.8 g/kg, each. Under optimum medium conditions, the optimal hydromodulus of cassava to water and glucoamylase dosages were obtained: hydromodulus of cassava to water at 1:3 and glucoamylase dosages 4 AGU/g starch. The ethanol production reached 4.915 g/kg/h. The residual sugar was analyzed by HPLC, and proved that the residual reducing sugar was some unfermentable oligosaccharide，but the components were more complex than that fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

胜利油田低渗透砂岩油藏非均质地质建模

Guided by geological theories, the author analyzed factual informations and applied advanced technologies including logging reinterpretation, predicting of fractal-based fracture network system and stochastic modeling to the low permeable sandstone reservoirs in Shengli oilfield. A new technology suitable for precious geological research and 3D heterogeneity modeling was formed through studies of strata precious correlation, relation between tectonic evolution and fractural distribution, the control and modification of reservoirs diagenesis, logging interpretation mathematical model, reservoir heterogeneity, and so on. The main research achievements are as follows: (1) Proposed four categories of low permeable reservoirs, which were preferable, general, unusual and super low permeable reservoir, respectively; (2) Discussed ten geological features of the low permeable reservoirs in Shengli area; (3) Classified turbidite fan of Es_3 member of the Area 3 in Bonan oilfield into nine types of lithological facies, and established the facies sequences and patterns; (4) Recognized that the main diagenesis were compaction, cementation and dissolution, among which the percent compaction was up to 50%~90%; (5) Divided the pore space in ES_3 member reservoir into secondary pores with dissolved carbonate cement and residual intergranular pores strongly compacted and cemented; (6) Established logging interpretation mathematical model guided by facies- control modeling theory; (7) Predicted the fracture distribution in barriers using fractal method; (8) Constructed reservoir structural model by deterministic method and the 3D model of reservoir parameters by stochastic method; (9) Applied permeability magnitudes and directions to describe the fractures' effect on fluid flow, and presented four different fractural configurations and their influence on permeability; (10) Developed 3D modeling technology for the low permeable sandstone reservoirs. The research provided reliable geological foundation for the establishment and modification of development plans in low permeable sandstone reservoirs, improved the development effect and produced more reserves, which provided technical support for the stable and sustained development of Shengli Oilfield.

A strategic review of electricity systems models

Electricity systems models are software tools used to manage electricity demand and the electricity systems, to trade electricity and for generation expansion planning purposes. Various portfolios and scenarios are modelled in order to compare the effects of decision making in policy and on business development plans in electricity systems so as to best advise governments and industry on the least cost economic and environmental approach to electricity supply, while maintaining a secure supply of sufficient quality electricity. The modelling techniques developed to study vertically integrated state monopolies are now applied in liberalised markets where the issues and constraints are more complex. This paper reviews the changing role of electricity systems modelling in a strategic manner, focussing on the modelling response to key developments, the move away from monopoly towards liberalised market regimes and the increasing complexity brought about by policy targets for renewable energy and emissions. The paper provides an overview of electricity systems modelling techniques, discusses a number of key proprietary electricity systems models used in the USA and Europe and provides an information resource to the electricity analyst not currently readily available in the literature on the choice of model to investigate different aspects of the electricity system.

Conhecimento comum e perceção do risco na gestão territorial costeira

As zonas costeiras, pelas suas características naturais, disponibilizam à sociedade múltiplas oportunidades e serviços, o que favorece uma ocupação desmedida deste território e a ocorrência de transformações relevantes provocadas pela intervenção humana. A simultaneidade da influência das atividades e intervenções humanas e da ocorrência das funções naturais deste território, revestidas de um forte caráter dinâmico, encontra-se na base do desenvolvimento quer de conflitos do tipo socioambiental, quer de situações de risco costeiro. A contribuir para esta situação, surge também a problemática das alterações climáticas, com impactos em domínios diversos, como por exemplo biodiversidade, pesca ou turismo, com um registo de aumento e intensidade de acidentes naturais associados a fenómenos meteorológicos. Apesar da existência de um conjunto de instrumentos de preservação dos recursos naturais e de ordenamento e gestão territorial, a degradação do sistema natural costeiro é muito visível, com impactos negativos de complexa recuperação. Refira-se, também, o caráter de exceção dos planos de ordenamento da orla costeira, em particular em frentes urbanas consolidadas ou em consolidação, permitindo o contínuo aumento da urbanização na orla costeira. A atuação das entidades responsáveis pela gestão do território costeiro tem sido desenvolvida com um baixo nível de envolvimento da população e maioritariamente no sentido de dar resposta às situações de perigo que vão surgindo, com a implementação de estruturas de defesa costeira, suportadas pelo erário público, cujos impactos se traduzem num agravamento do estado da zona costeira portuguesa, em geral. A região de Aveiro é um exemplo da problemática exposta, onde se registam frequentemente episódios de perigo costeiro, considerando-se urgente a tomada de medidas que contribuam para a sustentabilidade deste território, associada a uma visão de longo prazo, e que deverão passar pela integração do risco na gestão territorial costeira. Esta investigação, com a qual se pretende aumentar o conhecimento científico, desenvolver uma abordagem integrada de diversos domínios disciplinares, demonstrar a relevância da valorização do conhecimento comum e da perceção social na gestão do território, bem como desenvolver uma ferramenta de suporte à gestão territorial da zona costeira, tem como propósito contribuir para a preservação do sistema natural costeiro e para o aumento dos níveis de segurança humana face ao risco costeiro. Nesse sentido, desenvolveu-se um estudo de perceção social em aglomerados urbanos costeiros da região de Aveiro, para avaliação da perceção do risco costeiro e da gestão do território e recolha de conhecimento comum sobre a dinâmica costeira. Concebeu-se, também, um sistema de informação geográfica que permite às entidades de gestão do território costeiro uma atuação facilitada, articulada e de caráter preventivo, suportada na integração de conhecimentos científico, técnico e comum, de perceções e aspirações, de limites, propostas e condicionantes de planos de ordenamento e gestão do território existentes, entre outra informação, e com potencialidade para evoluir simultaneamente para um sistema de aviso de acidentes. Como resultados do estudo empírico destacam-se a forte ligação da população ao mar, de caráter afetivo ou pela pretensão de utilização da praia, a desvalorização do risco costeiro, apesar do reconhecimento do recuo da linha de costa, a valorização das estruturas de defesa costeira, a escassa disponibilização de informação à população acerca do risco costeiro a que está exposta, e a importância atribuída à participação da população no processo de gestão territorial costeira. O sistema de informação geográfica foi validado para o caso da Praia de Esmoriz, permitindo identificar, por exemplo, para cada proprietário de habitação localizada em área de risco, a disponibilidade para participar no processo de gestão territorial costeira ou a abertura para aderir a um processo de relocalização da habitação. Face à pertinência do tema e à expectativa do mesmo ser considerado uma prioridade da política da atualidade, considera-se a necessidade de desenvolvimentos futuros de aprofundamento de conhecimentos em paralelo com uma aproximação ao sistema institucional de gestão territorial costeira, no sentido da minimização dos conflitos entre dinâmica costeira e uso do território e da prevenção do risco costeiro, particularmente risco de inundação e de erosão.

Level monitoring system for waste oil containers: an EPS@ISEP project

Waste oil recycling companies play a very important role in our society. Competition among companies is tough and process optimization is essential for survival. By equipping oil containers with a level monitoring system that periodically reports the level and alerts when it reaches the preset threshold, the oil recycling companies are able to streamline the oil collection process and, thus, reduce the operation costs while maintaining the quality of service. This paper describes the development of this level monitoring system by a team of four students from different engineering backgrounds and nationalities. The team conducted a study of the state of the art, draw marketing and sustainable development plans and, finally, designed and implemented a prototype that continuously measures the container content level and sends an alert message as soon as it reaches the preset capacity.

Environmental Decision Support: a Multi-Agent Approach

The environmental management domain is vast and encompasses many identifiable activities: impact assessment, planning, project evaluation, etc. In particular, this paper focusses on the modelling of the project evaluation activity. The environmental decision support system under development aims to provide assistance to project developers in the selection of adequate locations, guaranteeing the compliance with the applicable regulations and the existing development plans as well as satisfying the specified project requirements. The inherent multidisciplinarity features of this activity lead to the adoption of the Multi-Agent paradigm, and, in particular, to the modelling of the involved agencies as a community of cooperative autonomous agents, where each agency contributes with its share of problem solving to the final system’s recommendation. To achieve this behaviour the many conclusions of the individual agencies have to be justifiably accommodated: not only they may differ, but can be interdependent, complementary, irreconcilable, or simply, independent. We propose different solutions (involving both local and global consistency) to support the adequate merge of the distinct perspectives that inevitably arise during this type of decision making.

Le périmètre métropolitain du Grand Montréal, son évolution, son encadrement et ses potentialités : le cas de la Couronne Nord

Le nouveau contexte de planification du Grand Montréal engendré par la Loi modifiant la Loi sur l’aménagement et l’urbanisme et d’autres dispositions législatives concernant les communautés métropolitaines (L.Q. 2010, c. 10) soulève un grand nombre de questions en matière d’aménagement, notamment par rapport à la gestion de l’urbanisation et plus spécifiquement en ce qui a trait à la notion de périmètre d’urbanisation. Ce nouveau contexte de planification est donc l’élément déclencheur de la présente recherche qui vise à examiner la conception du périmètre métropolitain définie dans le Plan métropolitain d’aménagement et de développement (PMAD) adopté par la Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) et qui est entré en vigueur le 12 mars 2012, suite à l’avis favorable du gouvernement du Québec. Cette recherche vise également à examiner l’encadrement du périmètre métropolitain en fonction du contenu des schémas d’aménagement et de développement (SAD) en vigueur des cinq municipalités régionales de compté (MRC) de la Couronne Nord. Plus précisément, il s’agit d’examiner ces documents en ce qui a trait à quatre outils de planification complémentaires, soit les seuils minimaux de densité, les programmes de phasage, les plans de développement de la zone agricole et les demandes à portée collective, ceci afin d’évaluer leur présence et leur contribution à l’atteinte des objectifs poursuivis par le concept de périmètre d’urbanisation. La présente recherche a permis de conclure qu’en matière de conception, le périmètre métropolitain est un outil nettement plus stratégique, comparativement au rôle attribué à cette notion au préalable dans les schémas régionaux, et ce, même considérant le peu de complémentarité entre les périmètres régionaux et ce dernier. En matière d’encadrement, il est possible de conclure que le contexte de planification révèle une situation régionale hautement variable qui illustre le besoin d’une approche de planification commune afin d’atteindre les objectifs du périmètre métropolitain.

Le Plan Nord du gouvernement du Québec : analyse du design, du positionnement et de la planification stratégique des projets d'infrastructures de transport

Cette recherche a été financée par le Fonds de recherche sur la société et la culture du Québec et le Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines. L’auteur a de plus reçu le support financier du programme de remboursement des frais de scolarité des forces armées canadiennes. Les cartes ont été produites grâce au logiciel ArcGIS (ESRI).