Engaging Local Communities in Low Emissions Land-Use Planning: a Case Study from Laos

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation and enhancing forest carbon stocks (REDD+) is a performance-based payment mechanism currently being debated in international and national environmental policy and planning forums. As the mechanism is based on conditionality, payments must reflect land stewards��� level of compliance with carbon-efficient management practices. However, lack of clarity in land governance and carbon rights could undermine REDD+ implementation. Strategies are needed to avoid perverse incentives resulting from the commoditization of forest carbon stocks and, importantly, to identify and secure the rights of legitimate recipients of future REDD+ payments. We propose a landscape-level approach to address potential conflicts related to carbon tenure and REDD+ benefit sharing. We explore various land-tenure scenarios and their implications for carbon ownership in the context of a research site in northern Laos. Our case study shows that a combination of relevant scientific tools, knowledge, and participatory approaches can help avoid the marginalization of rural communities during the REDD+ process. The findings demonstrate that participatory land-use planning is an important step in ensuring that local communities are engaged in negotiating REDD+ schemes and that such negotiations are transparent. Local participation and agreements on land-use plans could provide a sound basis for developing efficient measurement, reporting, and verification systems for REDD+.

Socio-economic atlas of Kenya: Depicting the national population census by county and sub-location

The Socio-Economic Atlas of Kenya is the first of its kind to offer high-resolution spatial depictions and analyses of data collected in the 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census . The combination of geographic and socio-eco - nomic data enables policymakers at all levels, development experts, and other interested readers to gain a spatial understanding of dynamics affecting Kenya. Where is the informal economic sector most prominent? Which areas have adequate water and sanitation? Where is population growth being slowed effectively? How do education levels vary throughout the country? And where are poverty rates lowest? Answers to questions such as these, grouped into seven broad themes, are visually illustrated on high-resolution maps. By supplying precise information at the sub-location level and summarizing it at the county level, the atlas facilitates better planning that accounts for local contexts and needs. It is a valuable decision-support tool for government institutions at different administrative levels, educational institutions, and others. Three organizations ��� two in Kenya and one in Switzerland ��� worked together to create the atlas: the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the Nanyuki-based Centre for Training and Integrated Research in ASAL Development (CETRAD), and the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Bern. Close cooperation between KNBS, CETRAD, and CDE maximized synergies and knowledge exchange.

Criterios de selecci��n de terrenos para viviendas de inter��s social : indicadores actualmente en desarrollo para la Provincia de Mendoza, Argentina

El objetivo de la presente investigaci��n en desarrollo es integrar criterios vinculados al h��bitat en una herramienta de gesti��n que permita una mejor toma de decisi��n en cuanto a la selecci��n de terrenos para viviendas de inter��s social; logrando as�� en un mediano y largo plazo una intervenci��n m��s sostenible en el territorio. El tema de estudio presenta un alto grado de complejidad para abordar su an��lisis debido a los diferentes actores y fuerzas que intervienen en la decisi��n de localizaci��n de los conjuntos habitacionales, esta multidimensionalidad est�� dada por lo social, lo econ��mico ��� financiero, lo pol��tico ��� administrativo, lo legal ��� notarial y lo territorial - ambiental. La metodolog��a utilizada es a trav��s de un enfoque sist��mico que permite contemplar las relaciones que se establecen entre los distintos elementos que conforman el sistema territorial. Esta herramienta se encuentra actualmente (2007-2008) en desarrollo como Tesis de la ���Maestr��a en Ordenamiento Territorial con orientaci��n en Planificaci��n Estrat��gica" (Departamento de Geograf��a, Facultad de Filosof��a y Letras, UNCuyo, Mendoza) y est�� siendo aplicada desde el a��o 2007 en el Instituto Provincial de la Vivienda de Mendoza (aprobada por Resoluci��n N�� 732/07).

Integrated planning for ecological urban regeneration

Considering that the vast majority of housing stock existing in 2011 will be used to satisfy residential needs in the year 2020 and beyond, ecological urban regeneration appears clearly as the key issue in relation to global urban sustainability for the most part of this century. Thus, if the 1992 Rio Summit identi���ed the urban environment as the main arena where the global environmental crisis should be fought, 20 years later we must emphasize that it is mainly to the real cities and territories around us now where we should address our attention

Housing plans and urban rehabilitation in Spain, 1992-2012

This paper explores the urban rehabilitation projects promoted by the Spanish Government between 1992 and 2012 through housing plans. The analysis is based on the comparison of programmes and estimations gathered in these plans with actual housing production within this period in order to find the connection between sectoral housing planning and real estate cycles in these last twenty years. During the period under review, six state housing plans, that were mainly focused on the promotion of newly-constructed state-subsidised housing, were developed, including the Areas of Integrated Rehabilitation programmes (ARI programmes). In spite of the relevance and growing complexity of these programmes, these played a subsidiary role in the government housing policy and were insignificant regarding the whole real estate production in this period.

A governa����o de territ��rios metropolitanos. Contexto institucional e de planeamento nas regi��es de Madrid, Barcelona, Paris e Lisboa / The regional metropolitan governance. Institutional mark and planning in Madrid, Barcelona, Paris and Lisbon

Resumo Em resposta aos desafios atuais de muitas grandes cidades, o contexto institucional e o planeamento territorial formam dimens��es para melhorar a governa����o metropolitana. No quadro das regi��es capitais do sudoeste europeu, quais poder��o ser as inova����es e diferen��as nos seus modelos e processos em curso? Este artigo prop��e uma investiga����o aplicada para apresentar a an��lise da governa����o metropolitana. Atrav��s do m��todo de estudos de caso em perspectiva comparada, v��rios elementos e entrevistas s��o ponderados qualitativamente nas regi��es de Madrid, Barcelona, Paris e Lisboa. As conclus��es encontram uma tend��ncia para o equil��brio entre os esfor��os dessas duas dimens��es da governa����o territorial metropolitana, n��o impedindo registrar os seus diferentes percursos: por exemplo Ile-de-France desenvolveu boas iniciativas em mat��ria de planeamento, que ent��o pedem alguns ajustamentos no quadro pol��tico, enquanto Madrid teve ���menos actividade��� nos ��ltimos anos, em resultado da sua grande estabilidade institucional. A regi��o de Lisboa permanece talvez numa ���posi����o interm��dia���, com uma din��mica de evolu����o pouco previs��vel. Mas de acordo com este argumento, admite-se que os seus processos podem levar a melhorias graduais no sistema de governa����o, com o seu pr��prio percurso, implementando ac����es que devem respeitar, em particular, a geografia do territ��rio. Abstract Addressing the running challenges of several greater cities, the institutional mark and regional planning are dimensions for improving metropolitan governance. Regarding the southwest European capital regions, what can be the innovations and differences in their currently processes and models? This paper proposes an applied framework to present the metropolitan governance analysis. Through a comparative case study methodology, various elements and interviews are qualitatively measured in the regions of Madrid, Barcelona, Paris and Lisbon. The conclusions find a tendency to balance between the efforts on those two regional metropolitan governance dimensions, which does not prevent to register their different paths: for example Ile-de-France has developed good initiatives in terms of planning, which then require some adjustments in the political mark, while Madrid had in recent years ���less activity���, in result of his institutional stability. The Lisbon region maybe stays in an ���intermediate position��� with a dynamic evolution that is difficult to predict. But according to that argument, it���s possible to admit that his processes can gradually lead to small improvements in his governance system, with his own path, implementing actions that must respect, in particularly, the geography of the territory.

The Environmental Costs of Automobile-Centric Transportation Planning

Since the passage of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, the automobile has become the primary form of transportation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. As the rate of motor vehicle use continues to rise faster than population growth, the benefits of the current transportation system are coming at a price that rivals annual household expenditures for housing. Furthermore, the automobile-centric transportation system incurs environmental costs. Carbon dioxide emissions, motor fuel use, health care costs for chronic illness, and the loss and impairment of natural resources due to sprawling development, continue to escalate. This project analyzes the environmental costs associated with automobile-centric planning for the urbanized area of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and compares these costs to those of alternative transportation modes.

The other architecture: From natural caves to excavated housing

Excavated towns are an attractive example of underground urbanism that managed to solve, in a very interesting way, thermal problems thanks to natural ground inertia or transition spaces. The aim of this paper is to show the typological evolution of excavated dwellings worldwide, as an architectural proposal and urban solution. The proposed methodology provides an analysis of underground architectures from natural caves to excavated housing, focusing on the study of global constructive solutions to specific problems. Thus, architectures as a natural geography correction (horizontal excavation), buried underground architectures (vertical excavation), subtractive architectures (shallow excavation) and combined architectures (mixed excavation) are studied. In conclusion, there are many examples of typological combinations since troglodyte architects tried to adapt the most elementary constructive rules to get greatly enriched results. These proposals of different underground structures deal with each territory and its geographical features, and obtain urban and architectural solutions transferable to current configurations.

Excavated housing in Crevillente (Spain). Constructive and typologycal study

Underground architecture has sheltered man for many centuries, but the current need to emphasize the bioclimatic approach makes the study of excavated housing essential. This traditional construction is a part of the collective human living experience but also a reference in using the natural conditions of each region through simple proposals based on ground thermal inertia. The aim of this paper is to show the typological evolution of the excavated dwelling in Crevillente, in southeast Spain, compared to other worldwide architectural proposals or urban solutions. To show their adaptation to the regional geography and to comprehend both formal and material characteristics of these simple typologies, which do not need extra energy contribution for interior conditioning. This work is part of the doctoral thesis of the author.

Strasbourg, France, City Planning, 1880 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Bebauungsplan f��r die Erweiterung der Stadt Strassburg. It was published by Druck und Verlag R. Schultz & Cie. in 1880. Scale 1:5,000. Covers Strasbourg, France. Map in German. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the 'European Datum 1950 UTM Zone 32N' coordinate system. All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows development plans for the expansion of the city of Strasbourg. It includes features such as existing and proposed roads (with measurements), railroads and stations, drainage, built-up areas and selected buildings, fortification, ground cover, parks, and more. This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from The Harvard Map Collection as part of the Imaging the Urban Environment project. Maps selected for this project represent major urban areas and cities of the world, at various time periods. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features at a large scale. The selection represents a range of regions, originators, ground condition dates, scales, and purposes.

Strasbourg, France, City Planning, 1910 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Plan der Stadt Strassburg : aufgestellt nach dem amtlichen Bebauungsplan. It was published by W. Heinrich in 1910. Scale 1:7,500. Covers Strasbourg, France. Map in German. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the 'European Datum 1950 UTM Zone 32N' coordinate system. All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows development plans for the expansion of the city of Strasbourg. It includes features such as existing and proposed roads, railroads and stations, street-railroads, drainage, built-up areas and selected buildings, ground cover, parks, city district boundaries, and more. Includes black pen-and-ink manuscript additions and type-script paper pasted over map in English; red and yellow lines showing the public lands & buildings & lands owned by municpality. This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from The Harvard Map Collection as part of the Imaging the Urban Environment project. Maps selected for this project represent major urban areas and cities of the world, at various time periods. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features at a large scale. The selection represents a range of regions, originators, ground condition dates, scales, and purposes.

Kolkata, India, City Planning, 1913 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: City of Calcutta, E. P. Richards. It was printed by Jennings & Bewley in 1913. Scale 1:21,120. Covers Kolkata and a portion of H��ora, India. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the 'WGS 1984 UTM Zone 45N' coordinate system. All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as residential and industrial zoning districts and redevelopment zones, roads, railroads, drainage, canals, built-up areas and selected buildings, fortification, docks, parks, and more. Includes index, note, legend of class dwellings, and census "map" (i.e., chart). This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from The Harvard Map Collection as part of the Imaging the Urban Environment project. Maps selected for this project represent major urban areas and cities of the world, at various time periods. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features at a large scale. The selection represents a range of regions, originators, ground condition dates, scales, and purposes.

State housing finance authorities /

Includes examples of legislation for Delaware, Illinois and Michigan.