Breaking organizational barriers for greening Australian

Sustainability is an issue for everyone. For instance, the higher education sector is being asked to take an active part in creating a sustainable future, due to their moral responsibility, social obligation, and their own need to adapt to the changing higher education environment. By either signing declarations or making public statements, many universities are expressing their desire to become role models for enhancing sustainability. However, too often they have not delivered as much as they had intended. This is particularly evident in the lack of physical implementation of sustainable practices in the campus environment. Real projects such as green technologies on campus have the potential to rectify the problem in addition to improving building performance. Despite being relatively recent innovations, Green Roof and Living Wall have been widely recognized because of their substantial benefits, such as runoff water reduction, noise insulation, and the promotion of biodiversity. While they can be found in commercial and residential buildings, they only appear infrequently on campuses as universities have been very slow to implement sustainability innovations. There has been very little research examining the fundamental problems from the organizational perspective. To address this deficiency, the researchers designed and carried out 24 semi-structured interviews to investigate the general organizational environment of Australian universities with the intention to identify organizational obstacles to the delivery of Green Roof and Living Wall projects. This research revealed that the organizational environment of Australian universities still has a lot of room to be improved in order to accommodate sustainability practices. Some of the main organizational barriers to the adoption of sustainable innovations were identified including lack of awareness and knowledge, the absence of strong supportive leadership, a weak sustainability-rooted culture and several management challenges. This led to the development of a set of strategies to help optimize the organizational environment for the purpose of better decision making for Green Roof and Living Wall implementation.

Sustainable water provision : challenges, alternative strategies and sources in the ERA of climate change

As a result of rapid urbanisation, population growth, changes in lifestyle, pollution and the impacts of climate change, water provision has become a critical challenge for planners and policy-makers. In the wake of increasingly difficult water provision and drought, the notion that freshwater is a finite and vulnerable resource is increasingly being realised. Many city administrations around the world are struggling to provide water security for their residents to maintain lifestyle and economic growth. This chapter reviews the global challenge of providing freshwater to sustain lifestyles and economic growth, and the contributing challenges of climate change, urbanisation, population growth and problems in rainfall distribution. The chapter proceeds to evaluate major alternatives to current water sources such as conservation, recycling and reclamation, and desalination. Integrated water resource management is briefly looked at to explore its role in complementing water provision. A comparative study on alternative resources is undertaken to evaluate their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and constraints, and the results are discussed.

Embedding nature into cities – a case study of economic lessons from Singapore

Built environment design around the world faces a number of 21st Century challenges such as rising urban heat island effect and rising pollution, which are further worsened by consequences of climate change and increasing urban populations. Such challenges have caused cities around the globe to investigate options that can help to significantly reduce the environmental pressures from current and future development, requiring new areas of innovation. One such area is ‘Biophilic Urbanism’, which refers to the use of natural elements as design features in urban centres to assist efforts to address climate change issues in rapidly growing economies. Singapore is an illustration of a thriving economy that exemplifies the value of embedding nature into its built environment. The significance of urban green space has been recognised in Singapore as early as the 1960s when Lee Kuan Yew embarked on the ‘Garden City’ concept. 50 years later, Singapore has achieved its Garden City goal and is now entering a new era of sustainability, to create a ‘City in a Garden’. Although the economics of such efforts is not entirely understood, the city of Singapore has continued to pursue visions of becoming a biophilic city. Indeed, there appears to be important lessons to be learned from a city that has challenged the preconceived notion that protecting vegetation in a city is not economically viable. Hence, this paper will discuss the case study of Singapore to highlight the drivers, along with the economic considerations identified along the way. The conclusions have implications for expanding the notion of biophilic urbanism, particularly in the Australian context by discussing the lessons learned from this city. The research is part of Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre, and has been developed in collaboration with the Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute.

First full-scale trials of pebble matrix filtration

Protecting slow sand filters from high turbidity waters by pre-treatment using Pebble Matrix Filtration (PMF) has been studied in the laboratory at University College London followed by pilot field trials in Papua New Guinea and Serbia. Subsequently, the construction of two full-scale PMF units, one out of concrete (4.8m x4.8m x 3.0m high) and the other using pre-cast Ferro-cement panels (900mm x 1600mm x 20mm thick) with an effective diameter of 4.7m and 3m height, and the combined effective plan area of 40 m2 was completed to protect an existing Slow Sand Filter system at the National Water Supply Drainage Board (NWSDB) in Sri Lanka. Although the plant was completed in April 2008 due to some major repairs to address some leaks and other construction defects in both filters, monitoring was intermittent until November 2008. The results on the plant performance are presented here along with some of the construction problems encountered during the project.

Intellectual property and global warming: Climate justice

Engaging in a close analysis of legal and political discourse, this chapter considers conflicts over intellectual property and climate change in three key arenas: climate law; trade law; and intellectual property law. In this chapter, it is argued that there is a need to overcome the political stalemates and deadlocks over intellectual property and climate change. It is essential that intellectual property law engage in a substantive fashion with the matrix of issues surrounding fossil fuels, clean technologies, and climate change at an international level. First, this chapter examines the debate over intellectual property and climate change under the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 1992, and the establishment of the UNFCCC Climate Technology Centre and Network. It recommends that the technology mechanism should address and deal with matters of intellectual property management and policy. Second, the piece examines the discussion of global issues in the World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO GREEN. It supports the proposal for a Global Green Patent Highway to allow for the fast-tracking of intellectual property applications in respect of green technologies. Third, the chapter investigates the dispute in the TRIPS Council at the World Trade Organization over intellectual property, climate change, and development. This section focuses upon the TRIPS Agreement 1994. This chapter calls for a Joint Declaration on Intellectual Property and Climate Change from the UNFCCC, WIPO, and the WTO. The paper concludes that intellectual property should be reformed as part of a larger effort to promote climate justice. Rather than adopt a fragmented, piecemeal approach in various international institutions, there is a need for a co-ordinated and cohesive response to intellectual property in an age of runaway, global climate change. Patent law should be fossil fuel free. Intellectual property should encourage research, development, and diffusion of renewable energy and clean technologies. It is submitted that intellectual property law reform should promote climate justice in line with Mary Robinson’s Declaration on Climate Justice 2013.

Technology and the City: Systems, Applications and Implications

This book investigates and reveals the interplay between smart technologies and cities, a topic that has gained incredible currency in urban studies in recent years. Beginning with an elaboration of the historical significance of technologies in economic growth, social progress and urban development, the author then goes on to introduce the most prominent smart urban information technologies before demonstrating the use of these technologies in various smart urban systems. The book then showcases some of the most significant cases of smart city best practice from across the globe before discussing the magnitude and prospects of smart technologies and systems for our cities and societies. "The interplay between smart urban technologies and city development is a relatively uncharted territory. Technology and the City aims to fill that gap, exploring the growing importance of smart technologies and systems in contemporary cities, and providing an in-depth understanding of both theoretical and practical aspects of smart urban technology adoption, and its implications for our cities. Beginning with an elaboration of the historical significance of technologies in economic growth, social progress and urban development, Yigitcanlar introduces the most prominent smart urban information technologies. The book showcases significant smart city practices from across the globe that uses smart urban technologies and systems most effectively. It explores the role of these technologies and asks how they can be adopted into the planning, development and management processes of cities for sustainable urban futures. This pioneering volume contributes to the conceptualisation and practice of smart technology and system adoption in our cities by disseminating both conceptual and empirical research findings with real-world best practice applications. With a multidisciplinary approach to themes of technology and urban development, this book is a key reference source for scholars, practitioners, consultants, city officials, policymakers and urban technology enthusiasts."--Publisher website

基于QuickBird卫星影像的沈阳城市绿地景观格局研究

城市绿地是城市景观的重要组成部分，起着调节城市生态环境、美化城市景观、提供休闲游憩场所的重要作用，在城市发展中扮演着关键角色。沈阳市近年来将城市绿地建设作为城市建设的重要方面，取得了显著成效。因此，本文利用2006年Quick Bird高分辨率卫星影像对沈阳市三环内的城市绿地景观格局进行了研究，具体结论如下： (1) 沈阳三环内绿地斑块18261个，绿地面积 173.71km2，斑块数目主要以中型斑块为主(62.25%)；在面积上以大型斑块为主(85.59%)；绿地总体呈现斑块分布不均衡。 (2) 居住绿地、单位附属绿地与道路绿地破碎化程度高，分布分散，斑块形状复杂。城市绿地廊道连通性较高，道路绿地平均分维数最大。 (3) 公园绿地亚类中，综合型公园与带状公园面积较大，破碎化程度低；社区公园与街头绿地面积较小，破碎化程度高，分布分散。 (4) 绿地景观整体上，绿地斑块密度较大，破碎化程度高，景观多样性指数为1.6，斑块类型丰富，均匀度指数为0.73，蔓延度指数为0.83，存在着少数类型控制整个景观的现象。 (5) 绿地系统梯度分析表明:类型水平上,不同的绿地类型沿景观格局梯度表现出明显的空间特征；景观水平上,不同景观指数沿样带梯度也表现出差异性,表明城市化导致景观的破碎化程度增大,景观异质性增高。城乡边缘区绿地类型最为丰富，多样性指数较高，其格局有利于绿地生态环境维护功能的发挥。

基于遥感的城市绿地格局及变化分析——以沈阳市为例

本文利用中高分辨率遥感影像研究2006年沈阳市三环内城市绿地的空间格局及2001-2006年间的变化，以期对5年的高强度绿化建设进行评价。利用QuickBird高分辨率遥感影像，结合基于知识分类方法提取的植被覆盖信息和目视解译方法提取的土地利用信息，分析了2006年附属绿地的空间分布格局和公园绿地可达性。利用2001、2006年两景Landsat TM影像，基于线性混合分解方法提取的植被盖度信息，分析了5年间的绿化建设强度及其空间分布。 本文得到以下结论： 1) 工业用地和公共设施用地的绿化率均较高，分别是28.9%和32.3%。研究区域多层老式居住用地和道路的绿化率只有近20%。新居住用地中高层片块居住用地的平均斑块面积较小，主要是由小块的街区角落开发而成，绿化率只有10.3%；其余的新居住用地的绿化率均高于多层老式居住用地。居住用地高度类型相同的情况下，花园式居住用地比片块式居住用地拥有更高的绿化率。 2) 附属绿地绿化率随距市中心距离的递增梯度反映了城市内外绿化状况的两极分化现象，在几种主要的城市用地类型之间存在差异：公共设施（4.16%∙km-1）>多层老式居住用地（3.85%∙km-1）>新居住用地（3.05%∙km-1）>道路（2.36%∙km-1）。新居住用地弱于多层老式居住用地，表明随着旧城改造的持续进行，居住用地的内外两极分化现象可以得到缓解。公共设施用地的内外两极分化现象较严重，城市化进程中慎重对待高绿化率的公共设施用地如高校等迫于地价压力的外迁行为。 3) 公园绿地可达性分析的结果表明，只有29.25%的居住用地分布在距最近公园绿地5分钟的步行范围内，43.31%的居住用地在5-15分钟的步行范围内，建议持续增加公园绿地建设，尤其是在工商业密集区。研究区域尚未出现居住用地绿化环境的马太效应（高公园绿地可达性+高附属绿地绿化率）。 4) 2001-2006年，道路、居住用地、公共设施用地、公共绿地及广场的植被盖度均有不同程度的增加（5%-9%），证实了5年间绿化建设力度之大；工业用地的植被盖度几乎没有变化，原因估计是工业用地空间属于非公共空间，不属于公共绿化建设区域。5年间植被增量空间分布均匀，没有针对低绿化覆盖率地区加强绿化建设力度，部分缓解了绿化率的城市内外两极分化现象。

城市绿色环境系统生态设计的理论与模式

针对当前城市水资源匮乏和人居环境问题，根据城市生态学和城市水文学的基本原理，以集雨消尘为主线对新研究领域——城市绿色环境系统进行了理论研究、技术设计和应用示范.最小生态风险选择原则、生态边缘效应的两向性和城市绿色环境集雨利用的操作单元（终端）划分的研究成功地为集雨利用建立了理论基础;以垂向设计为特点，设计了可普遍应用的一般集雨利用模式和在不同具体条件下的量化模式;根据气候因素及集雨利用目的，对中国城市绿色环境系统集雨利用区域进行了区划，划分4个区;同时得出，绿地在城市绿色环境系统自净作用中的核心地位.分析认为，“设计”的应用将会产生巨大的生态效益和经济效益.指出现行城市绿色环境系统格局是一种落后、低质低效的运行模式.集雨设计模式应用的示例城市选择了包头市市政区，应用的集雨生态系统终端选择了包头市医学院大院;给出了应用的方法步骤：①确定集雨区;②根据集雨利用区气候和其他特点和建设要求，进行终端划分;③根据各水文参数做集雨利用模式规划设计;④将设计纳入城市建设规划.

Les pratiques des usagers dans les friches urbaines végétalisées et leurs facteurs d’influence : analyse de deux cas montréalais.

Dans l’ère post-industrielle, où la densification apparaît comme une solution afin de freiner l’étalement urbain, la question de l’avenir des terrains en friche devient incontournable. En effet, ceux-ci deviennent hautement convoités par les acteurs du redéveloppement urbain puisqu’ils détiennent un potentiel foncier important. Face à ces pressions, cette recherche s’intéresse à la complexité des terrains en friche, puisqu’il existe une diversité de potentiels, outre le foncier. Parmi ces potentiels, les friches peuvent être utilisées comme des espaces verts urbains. Effectivement, il arrive qu’on retrouve sur ces sites des usagers qui les fréquentent, à différents desseins. L’étude tente ainsi de répertorier et de comprendre les pratiques faites par les usagers, pour deux cas étudiés à Montréal : le Boisé Jean-Milot et le Champ des possibles. L’objectif est non seulement de qualifier ces pratiques, mais également de mettre en évidence les facteurs d’influence qui les sous-tendent. La recherche s’inscrit dans les approches personnes-environnement. D’un point de vue méthodologique, des entretiens in situ ont été menés avec les usagers afin qu’ils puissent expliquer leur expérience vécue de la friche. Les facteurs d’influence ont émergé des discours tenus en entrevue. Les cas étudiés montrent que la friche est un espace d’exception en ville : les friches urbaines végétalisées sont le cadre de pratiques exclusives, en plus de faire vivre une variété d’ambiances à l’usager. Les résultats permettent ainsi de placer la friche comme un espace vert complémentaire au parc urbain. La friche fait partie d’un portfolio d’espaces disponibles, utilisés au moment présent. En relevant les facteurs qui influencent les usagers à fréquenter les friches, on met en lumière des qualités qui pourraient être utiles dans la planification des espaces verts urbains et dans le développement d’une vision innovante pour l’avenir des friches.

Comparación de las dinámicas de uso y apropiación del espacio público en parques de origen informal y formal: parque Villa de la Torre y parque Cayetano Cañizares

El interés de este estudio de caso es comparar las dinámicas de uso y apropiación del espacio público en parques de origen formal e informal, y discutir sus implicaciones en la vida social y urbana, teniendo como zonas el parque Villa de la Torre (informal) y el parque Cayetano Cañizares (formal). Este trabajo se enmarca en conceptos de uso y apropiación del espacio público, a partir de los cuales se examinan las dinámicas de formalidad e informalidad de los parques zonas de estudio, explorando qué efectos puede tener su origen, y revisando si el parque informal implica falta de apropiación y usos conflictivos, o si por el contrario, las dinámicas que en espacios públicos se dan pueden incluir dinámicas positivas y negativas indistintamente de su origen.

Sub-irrigation of Petunia: benefits in dry summers

With the increasing frequency and magnitude of warmer days during the summer in the UK, bedding plants which were a traditional part of the urban green landscape are perceived as unsustainable and water-demanding. During recent summers when bans on irrigation have been imposed, use and sales of bedding plants have dropped dramatically having a negative financial impact on the nursery industry. Retaining bedding species as a feature in public and even private spaces in future may be conditional on them being managed in a manner that minimises their water use. Using Petunia x hybrida ‘Hurrah White’ we aimed to discover which irrigation approach was the most efficient for maintaining plants’ ornamental quality (flower numbers, size and longevity), shoot and root growth under water deficit and periods of complete water withdrawal. Plants were grown from plugs for 51 days in wooden rhizotrons (0.35 m (h) x 0.1 m (w) x 0.065 m (d)); the rhizotrons’ front comprised clear Perspex which enabled us to monitor root growth closely. Irrigation treatments were: 1. watering with the amount which constitutes 50% of container capacity by conventional surface drip-irrigation (‘50% TOP’); 2. 50% as sub-irrigation at 10 cm depth (‘50% SUB’); 3. ‘split’ irrigation: 25% as surface drip- and 25% as sub-irrigation at 15 cm depth (‘25/25 SPLIT’); 4. 25% as conventional surface drip-irrigation (‘25% TOP’). Plants were irrigated daily at 18:00 apart from days 34-36 (inclusive) when water was withdrawn for all the treatments. Plants in ‘50% SUB’ had the most flowers and their size was comparable to that of ‘50% TOP’. Differences between treatments in other ‘quality’ parameters (height, shoot number) were biologically small. There was less root growth at deeper soil surface levels for ‘50% TOP’ which indicated that irrigation methods like ‘50% SUB’ and ‘25/25 SPLIT’ and stronger water deficits encouraged deeper root growth. It is suggested that sub-irrigation at 10 cm depth with water amounts of 50% container capacity would result in the most root growth with the maximum flowering for Petunia. Leaf stomatal conductance appeared to be most sensitive to the changes in substrate moisture content in the deepest part of the soil profile, where most roots were situated.

The grass-free lawn: floral performance and management implications

Grass lawns are a ubiquitous feature of urban green-space throughout much of the temperate world. Species poor and intensively managed, lawns are ecologically impoverished, however environmentally aware lawn owners are reluctant to implement alternatives due to aesthetic concerns. Developing an alternative lawn format which is both biodiversity friendly and aesthetically pleasing is an imperative for urban greening. We suggest that such an alternative can be provided by replacing the grass lawn by a forb-based mix. To advance this, we tested the floral performance of three groups of clonal perennial forbs (native, non-native and mixed), each maintained using standard lawn management mowing regimes. Our findings show that both the frequency of mowing and the height at which mowing is applied influence floral performance and lawn aesthetics. Species origin was found to influence floral productivity, floral visibility and floral variety within grass-free lawns, with native species providing the greatest floral performance. The behaviour and management of grass lawns was not found to be a suitable analogue for the management of grass-free lawns and grass-free lawns are sufficiently different from grass lawns to require an entirely original management approach. We suggest that the grass-free lawn can provide an aesthetically and environmentally relevant replacement for the ubiquitous and ecologically-poor grass lawn.

Estudo da eletrocatálise da reação de oxidação do glicerol sobre as fases intermetálicas ordenadas PtSn e AuSn

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Vantagens e limitações das imagens de alta resolução como suporte ao planejamento urbano: o exemplo de Sobradinho - Distrito Federal

Pós-graduação em Geografia - IGCE