Gestão de resíduos sólidos urbanos (RSU) em territórios rurais: caracterização, problemas e propostas de intervenção no concelho de Anadia

Num mundo cada vez mais industrializado e consumista, com assimetrias territoriais várias, a defesa dos valores ambientais assume uma progressiva importância, uma vez que a qualidade de vida passa também pela qualidade ambiental. Como os produtos gerados pelo consumo devem ter o confinamento correto em função das suas diversas componentes, a gestão do processo de deposição, recolha e transporte de RSU, fica mais complexa, à medida que a população e a área se diversifica e expande, como acontece em alguns territórios rurais, agravando os custos e os impactos ambientais induzidos, se não for equacionada uma solução simultaneamente eficaz e eficiente. Paralelamente urge a satisfação dos residentes e dos restantes utilizadores enquanto usuários desses territórios. Por este motivo, nos últimos anos, as autarquias têm vindo a estudar essas soluções nas suas áreas de jurisdição, tentando com as ações realizadas, respeitar não só os critérios de proteção ambiental, mas também as necessidades das pessoas. Neste trabalho apresentam-se algumas variáveis identificadas, como resultados de um estudo de caso aplicado a um município rural, Anadia, onde se evidencia a ausência de sensibilização e a carência de meios e processos que podem comprometer as metas ambientais e sociais desejadas. In a world, progressively more industrialized and consumer, with several territorial disparities, the protection of environmental values assumes an increasingly importance, since the quality of life also involves environmental quality. As the products generated by the consumption must have a correct confinement in its various components, the management of the deposition process, collection and transportation of municipal solid waste, is more complex, as the population and the area expand, as happens in some rural territories, increasing the cost and environmental impacts induced, if not equated a solution both effective and efficient. At the same time it is very important to increase the satisfaction of residents, visitors and tourists visiting these areas. For this reason, in the last years, the municipalities have been studying these solutions in their areas of jurisdiction. That is why they try to respect not only the criteria of environmental protection, but also the needs of people and fulfilled actions whose variables we shall try to present as a case study applied to a rural municipality, Anadia, where we show up that the absence of awareness and the lack of means and processes can compromise the desired environmental and social goals

Educational decentralization models in Latin America

Includes bibliography

Desenvolvimento regional: um debate sobre as políticas industriais no Rio Grande do Norte

The discussion of economic development emphasizes the emergence of a gradual change of economic structure, which would rise from an agrarian to the industrial stage, and later with a predominant tertiary sector. However, the high Brazilian regional inequality resulted in the coexistence of modern spaces and other arrears. Such disparities are visible not only in economics, but spatial, social and environmental. Although Brazil has gone through changes in the production structure and the location of these activities, space - territorial disparities manifest themselves in a high level of regional heterogeneity. In this context, the Northeast emerged as a region that has historically been characterized by socioeconomic backwardness and the presence of the worst indicators of inequality. The presence of these indicators showing the socioeconomic backwardness of the other fronts region contributes to the priority of action aimed at reverting this regional disparity public policy. The historical account of the development policies of regional studies shows that the state played a pivotal role in ensuring regional planning. Besides the creation of development agencies such as the Northeast Sudene, tax and financial incentives have been widely used strategies in the region to foster greater national integration. However, the use of incentives is much discussed in view of the possible advantages and disadvantages brought by its use. Thus, this study aims to build a theoretical framework tool for building effective public policies for industrialization in the Northeast, specifically in Rio Grande do Norte.

Disparidades territoriales en la subregión de Ibagué: al norte del departamento del Tolima

Uno de los propósitos del país durante la segunda mitad del Siglo XX, y lo que va del Siglo XXI, es el combatir las disparidades presentes en el país. Es así que durante este periodo tiempo éstas han ido reduciéndose hasta niveles aceptables, como lo demuestran los indicadores de ICV y NBI que salen periódicamente en el país. Sin embargo, al usar otras figuras del ordenamiento territorial, la situación cambia; ese así como este trabajo tiene como objetivo, el demostrar la amplia brecha que hay entre los municipios que hacen parte de una misma provincia y subregión, estudiando información recolectada desde los municipios, usando variables de tipo cuantitativo y cualitativo, para así no solo evidenciar la presencia de este fenómeno en el territorio estudiado, sino brindando sugerencias para que estas sean combatidas.

“Realidad o Utopía" : : ley de ordenamiento territorial

La lógica del mercado y al cambio de modelo de desarrollo en América Latina, en el intento de poder competir a nivel mundial, ha agudizado las disparidades y el deterioro ambiental. La presión que ejercen las grandes empresas y ciertos grupos con poder, el enquistamiento de una estructura administrativa que puja por mantener esquemas tradicionales ya perimidos y la falta de planificación impiden atender uno de los problemas claves que plantea la economía en el territorio, el de la concentración y los desequilibrios territoriales. Surge entonces el Ordenamiento Territorial como alternativa válida para atenuar estos procesos y dar respuesta a la sociedad. El caso que se presenta pone en el tapete muchos de estos temas que hoy preocupan y puede servir como experiencia transferible y aplicable a otras realidades que buscan consolidar un desarrollo local sustentable. El ante-proyecto de Ley de Ordenamiento Territorial y Usos del Suelo para la provincia de Mendoza, República Argentina, es un instrumento elaborado en el año 2006 por el sector académico-científico que desde una visión interdisciplinaria incorpora fundamentos técnicos y aportes de los actores sociales involucrados. La metodología aplicada permite consensuar por la sociedad en su conjunto los principios que sustentan la Ley, determinar la aplicación de ciertos instrumentos para efectivizar acciones en el territorio y definir una forma innovadora de hacer política, gestionar y planificar el uso del suelo. La propuesta considera al Ordenamiento Territorial como una política de Estado que debe propiciar condiciones de gobernabilidad. Sus principios y normas priorizan la equidad y el bienestar general por encima de los intereses particulares así como también el respeto de los valores y costumbres de la sociedad. Surge de un proceso participativo y sus principios y fines responden a los problemas actuales. Incorpora una serie de instrumentos debidamente jerarquizados conforme a las competencias jurisdiccionales y existencia de distintas escalas geográficas, como también, instrumentos jurídicos y prácticas administrativas innovadoras que permiten la resolución de conflictos territoriales. Identifica además recursos financieros para implementarla y prioriza el fortalecimiento de los mecanismos de control para un funcionamiento más ágil y eficaz de la gestión pública. Sin embargo existen riesgos vinculados a la voluntad política y el poder económico que pueden impedir que esta utopía se transforme en realidad. Solo la participación social es la que puede lograr vencer los intereses en juego y conseguir la aprobación de la Ley. Si esto se consigue se habrá dado un paso muy importante a ser imitado, sin lugar a dudas, en otros lugares de Argentina y América Latina.

Redes energéticas en la Argentina : Planificación territorial en un nuevo contexto regional

El presente trabajo presenta los principales ejes en torno a los cuales se han estructurado las propuestas de intervención en materia de infraestructura energética planteadas desde el Estado Nacional, a través de programas e iniciativas sectoriales y territoriales. Se ilustran los problemas y desafíos, así como el conjunto de estrategias explicitadas desde la administración pública, mostrando las articulaciones entre situaciones de déficit energético y proyectos que modelarían un futuro distinto, en un territorio nacional caracterizado por fuertes asimetrías regionales

Redes energéticas en la Argentina : Planificación territorial en un nuevo contexto regional

El presente trabajo presenta los principales ejes en torno a los cuales se han estructurado las propuestas de intervención en materia de infraestructura energética planteadas desde el Estado Nacional, a través de programas e iniciativas sectoriales y territoriales. Se ilustran los problemas y desafíos, así como el conjunto de estrategias explicitadas desde la administración pública, mostrando las articulaciones entre situaciones de déficit energético y proyectos que modelarían un futuro distinto, en un territorio nacional caracterizado por fuertes asimetrías regionales

Redes energéticas en la Argentina : Planificación territorial en un nuevo contexto regional

El presente trabajo presenta los principales ejes en torno a los cuales se han estructurado las propuestas de intervención en materia de infraestructura energética planteadas desde el Estado Nacional, a través de programas e iniciativas sectoriales y territoriales. Se ilustran los problemas y desafíos, así como el conjunto de estrategias explicitadas desde la administración pública, mostrando las articulaciones entre situaciones de déficit energético y proyectos que modelarían un futuro distinto, en un territorio nacional caracterizado por fuertes asimetrías regionales

Relationships between employees and their nomadic, non-territorial work environment

Recent and current socio-cultural trends are significant factors impacting on how business is conduced and correspondingly, on how work environments are designed. New communication technology is helping to break physical boundaries and change the way and speed of conducting business. One of the main characteristics of these new workplaces is non-permanency wherein the individual employee has no dedicated personally assigned office, work station, or desk. In this non-territorial, nomadic situation, employees undertake their work tasks in a wide variety of work settings inside and outside the office building. Such environments are understood to be must suitable where there is the need for high interaction with others as well as a high level of concentrated, independent work. This thesis reports on a project designed to develop a deeper understanding of the relationships between people (P) and their built environment (E) in the context of everyday work practice in a nomadic and non-territorial work environment. To achieve this, the study focuses on the experiences of employees as they understand them in relation to their work and the designed/ physical work environment. In this sense, the study is qualitative and grounded in nature. It does not assume any previously established theory nor test any presenting hypothesis. Instead it interviews the participants about their situations at work in their workplace, interprets natural interaction and creates a foundation for the development of theory informing workplace design, particularly theory that recognises the human nature of work and the need, as highlighted by several seminal researchers, for a greater understanding of how people manage and adapt in dynamic work environments.

Investigation to enhance high speed rail accessibility

High Speed Rail (HSR) is rapidly gaining popularity worldwide as a safe and efficient transport option for long-distance travel. Designed to win market shares from air transport, HSR systems optimise their productivity between increasing speeds and station spacing to offer high quality service and gain ridership. Recent studies have investigated the effects that the deployment of HSR infrastructure has on spatial distribution and the economic development of cities and regions. Findings appear mostly positive at higher geographical scales, where HSR links connect major urban centres several hundred kilometres apart and already well positioned within a national or international context. Also, at the urban level, studies have shown regeneration and concentration effects around HSR station areas with positive returns on city’s image and economy. However, doubts persist on the effects of HSR at an intermediate scale, where the accessibility trade off on station spacing limits access to many small and medium agglomerations. Thereby, their ability to participate in the development opportunities facilitated by HSR infrastructure is significantly reduced. The locational advantages deriving from transport improvements appear contrasting especially in regions that tend to have a polycentric structure, where cities may present greater accessibility disparities between those served by HSR and those left behind. This thesis fits in this context where intermediate and regional cities do not directly enjoy the presence of an HSR station while having an existing or planned proximate HSR corridor. With the aim of understanding whether there might be a solution to this apparent incongruity, the research investigates strategies to integrate HSR accessibility at the regional level. While current literature recommends to commit with ancillary investments to the uplift of station areas and the renewal of feeder systems, I hypothesised the interoperability between the HSR and the conventional networks to explore the possibilities offered by mixed traffic and infrastructure sharing. Thus, I developed a methodology to quantify the exchange of benefits deriving from this synergistic interaction. In this way, it was possible to understand which level of service quality offered by alternative transit strategies best facilitates the distribution of accessibility benefits for areas far from actual HSR stations. Therefore, strategies were selected for their type of service capable of regional extensions and urban penetrations, while incorporating a combination of specific advantages (e.g. speed, sub-urbanity, capacity, frequency and automation) in order to emulate HSR quality with increasingly efficient services. The North-eastern Italian macro region was selected as case study to ground the research offering concurrently a peripheral polycentric metropolitan form, the presence of a planned HSR corridor with some portions of HSR infrastructure implementation, and the project to develop a suburban rail service extended regionally. Results show significant distributive potential, in terms of network effects produced in relation with HSR, in increasing proportions for all the strategies considered: a regional metro rail strategy (abbreviated RMR), a regional high speed rail strategy (abbreviated RHSR), a regional light rail transit (abbreviated LRT) strategy, and a non-stopping continuous railway system (abbreviated CRS) strategy. The provision of additional tools to value HSR infrastructure against its accessibility benefits and their regional distribution through alternative strategies beyond the actual HSR stations, would have great implications, both politically and technically, in moving towards new dimensions of HSR evaluation and development.

Territorial strategies and regions

The notion of territorial strategy emerged in the 1990s and has become more and more popular since. It refers to that combination of factors purposely assembled by governments, private and public companies, universities, and industrial associations to exploit a specific geographic competitive advantage in order to boost economic growth through the development of entrepreneurial activity and innovation. Three factors are generally considered to be the building blocks of a territorial strategy: natural resources, human capital, and industrial capabilities. Natural resources derive from environ­ mental conditions and represent raw materials or land available in a region. The presence of natural resources characterizes the typology of an industry (related to tourism, oil, wood, fish, and so forth) that exists or could exist in a certain area. Human capital refers to the stock of competences available in a certain region resulting from education and work experience. Industrial capabilities relate to complex constructs of specialized expertise, the confidence to apply knowledge and skills in various contexts and under changing conditions, and an ability repeatedly to improve methods and processes in a specific industry.

Study protocol : establishing good relationships between patients and health care providers while providing cardiac care. Exploring how patient-clinician engagement contributes to health disparities between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians in South Australia

Abstract Background: Studies that compare Indigenous Australian and non-Indigenous patients who experience a cardiac event or chest pain are inconclusive about the reasons for the differences in-hospital and survival rates. The advances in diagnostic accuracy, medication and specialised workforce has contributed to a lower case fatality and lengthen survival rates however this is not evident in the Indigenous Australian population. A possible driver contributing to this disparity may be the impact of patient-clinician interface during key interactions during the health care process. Methods/Design: This study will apply an Indigenous framework to describe the interaction between Indigenous patients and clinicians during the continuum of cardiac health care, i.e. from acute admission, secondary and rehabilitative care. Adopting an Indigenous framework is more aligned with Indigenous realities, knowledge, intellects, histories and experiences. A triple layered designed focus group will be employed to discuss patient-clinician engagement. Focus groups will be arranged by geographic clusters i.e. metropolitan and a regional centre. Patient informants will be identified by Indigenous status (i.e. Indigenous and non-Indigenous) and the focus groups will be convened separately. The health care provider focus groups will be convened on an organisational basis i.e. state health providers and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services. Yarning will be used as a research method to facilitate discussion. Yarning is in congruence with the oral traditions that are still a reality in day-to-day Indigenous lives. Discussion: This study is nestled in a larger research program that explores the drivers to the disparity of care and health outcomes for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians who experience an acute cardiac admission. A focus on health status, risk factors and clinical interventions may camouflage critical issues within a patient-clinician exchange. This approach may provide a way forward to reduce the appalling health disadvantage experienced within the Indigenous Australian communities. Keywords: Patient-clinician engagement, Qualitative, Cardiovascular disease, Focus groups, Indigenous