Who Plans Whose Sustainability? Alternative Roles for Planners

The paper examines alternative roles for planners in planning for sustainable development. First, it outlines the particular context of the task focusing on operational questions, critical issues and sustainable development planning principles. It then explores roles for planners in this context distinguishing broadly among technician, politician and hybrid planners. It evaluates broadly each role's effectiveness and challenges, in particular decision making and political contexts. Finally, it discusses, first, the implications of these roles for planning education and identifies the main groups of skills planning schools should offer. Second, it analyses briefly the implications of these roles for planning practice in terms of the spatial/organizational level of planning, time horizon, functional planning areas, political/decision making system and planning's position in this system.     

Whose marginalisation? Politics around environmental injustices in India's Chilika lagoon

The article examines marginalisation in small-scale fishing communities in a large lagoon system. It explores what marginalisation looks like from the fishers' point of view, and examines the extreme discrepancy between the official government account of the lagoon's resources, and the fishers' account. We analyse two major drivers of marginalisation: (1) role of aquaculture development in the loss of resource access rights and decline of local institutions, and (2) ecological displacement and livelihood loss brought about by the opening of a new (2001) “sea mouth”. We consider evidence collected through household- and village-level surveys combined with a host of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The fishers' point of view, and the data obtained using this point of view as a guide, presents a more complex, multidimensional concept of marginalisation, not simply as a state of being but as a process over time, impacting social and economic conditions, political standing, and environmental health.     

Whose lawn is it anyway? Redefining problems and the implementation of municipal stormwater policies

Research of problem definitions typically centres on agenda setting and formulation with less attention given to implementation. In recognition of this gap, this analysis examines the relationship between issue definition, issue redefinition and policy implementation by reviewing two municipal stormwater plans. The results suggest that in larger issue contexts replete with ambiguity and uncertainty, problem definitions are often “tweaked” and adapted during the implementation process. In short, street-level bureaucrats craft “genetically related” but idiosyncratic problem definitions – that fit their own policy-making context. In the case of stormwater, “solutions”; are best described as dynamic policies built upon the values associated with technical expertise, public participation and environmental sustainability.     

The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990: A Policy Whose Time Has Come or Symbolic Legislation?

/ In 1990, the United States officially entered the era of pollution prevention with passage of the Pollution Prevention Act. This paper analyzes EPA's implementation of the Pollution Prevention Act from its passage in 1990 to the present. It examines the barriers EPA must overcome if it is to effectively integrate pollution prevention into its existing regulatory structure, including impediments created by statutory and organizational structure, the existing relationship between EPA and the groups it regulates, the fragmented implementation scheme of national environmental regulation, the balancing of conflicting demands advanced by powerful interests, industry's economic and technical concerns, and institutional inertia. It also examines issues such as industry commitment, the limits of prevention, and measurement concerns. The findings suggest that EPA's efforts at shifting to a pollution prevention regulatory ethic that holds primacy over pollution control are mixed. Its organizational structure, statutory authority, and incentives system still reflect a single-medium pollution control focus, appropriations for pollution prevention programs and activities are paltry compared to traditional pollution control programs, and participation in the program is voluntary. Yet, the findings also point to some promising programs that are working to institutionalize a pollution prevention regulatory ethic, and many states appear very committed to the concept.KEY WORDS: Pollution prevention; Source reduction; Pollution control; Alternative regulatory design; Barriers to implementation     

Whose energy transition is it,anyway? Organisation and ownership of the Energiewende in villages,cities and regions

As one of the most ambitious national energy transition initiatives worldwide, the German Energiewende is attracting a huge amount of attention globally in both policy and research circles. The paper explores the implementation of Germany's energy transition through the lens of organisation and ownership in urban and regional contexts. Following a summary of the principal institutional challenges of the Energiewende at local and regional levels the paper develops a novel way of conceptualising the institutional to urban and regional energy transitions in terms of agency and power, ideas and discourse, and commons and ownership. This analytical heuristic is applied to a two-tier empirical study of the Berlin–Brandenburg region. The first tier involves a survey of the organisational landscape of energy infrastructures and services in cities, towns and villages in Brandenburg. The second tier comprises a case study of current, competing initiatives for (re-)gaining ownership of the power grid and utility in Berlin. The paper draws conclusions on the diverse and dynamic organisational responses to the Energiewende at the local level, what these tell us about urban and regional energy governance and how they are inspired by – or in opposition to – new forms of collective ownership resonant of recent debates on reclaiming the commons. It concludes with observations on how relational approaches to institutional research and the notion of the commons can guide and inspire future research on socio-technical transitions in general, and urban energy transitions in particular.     

观鸟?关鸟?

<正>鸟儿,曾自由自在地翱翔于整个蓝天,而现在我却很少见到它们的身影。人们都说:"鸟,不过是很普通的动物罢了,随处能见。"但我却不这样认为。现在的天空中少了多少清脆的叫声,少了多少丰腴而不臃肿的姿态。曾几何时,他们还翱翔于天空,随处可见,又曾几何时,它们在天空中销声匿迹,不见踪影。记得有一次在课间自由活动时,我们看见有一群大雁呈人字形飞过头顶,由于我们很难看见这种许多鸟儿整齐地出现的场景,所有同学都表     

虎患?人患?

南山北山树冥冥,猛虎白日绕村行。向晚一身当道食,山中糜鹿尽无声。年年养子在深谷,雌雄上下不相逐。谷中近窟有山村,长向村家取黄犊。五陵年少不敢射,空来林下看行迹。张籍的这首《猛虎行》是唐代时虎患的生动记载,描述了我国秦岭地区猛虎掠夺百姓牲畜的情状。诗仙李白也有“朝避猛虎,夕避长蛇”的诗句。其他记载亦屡见不鲜,《全唐文》中有《命李全确往淮南授捕虎法诏》,称唐玄宗时“大虫杀人,村野百姓,颇废生业,行路之人,常遭死失”;区区地方虎患最终惊动了玄宗,遂令地方州县长官学习捕虎方法,“同除其害”;该现象涉及地区大致为鄂东淮南…     

造福乎?送祸乎?

三年前,某县在县城兴办了一爿电镀厂。由于严重地污染了周围环境,县工业部门就把这个厂迁到乡村去办。美其名曰:支援乡办工业,为农民     

让进吗? 要钱吗?

正前不久,朋友兴奋地告诉我,她的母校——北京颐和园小学经过几年的"内部修缮"后,重新开放了。于是,我陪着朋友兴冲冲地"返校"。出颐和园东宫门,广场东边约100米,一扇红漆大门里就是颐和园小学旧址。20世纪50年代,由于适龄儿童激增,这里变成了一所小学,专门招收颐和园附近的孩子。后来国家搞了计划生育,大约2002年的时候,因为生源太少,这所小学停办,学校的红漆大门从此紧闭不开。现在,红漆大门已重新刷过,鲜艳夺目。     

上帝的愤怒?大自然的报复?

<正>进入2010年,全球气候异常,极端天气不断。数十年甚至半个多世纪不遇的暴雪、寒流、暴雨、洪水、大旱,分别肆虐各大洲,灾情报道充斥媒体,灾难破坏触目惊心。1月1日至3日,中国迎来了自1951年进行气象观测以来最大的暴雪天气。中国北京近60年来的最大暴雪,使城市功能几近瘫痪。从新年第一     

燃放烟花爆竹,禁乎?限乎?

"爆竹声中一岁除,春风送暖入屠苏"。燃放烟花爆竹是我国传统年俗,已有千年历史。然而受到环境、安全、人们意识等因素影响,P M2.5爆表、意外伤害等新闻的集中涌现,燃放烟花爆竹到底是禁还是限,这样的争论一直在春节期间上演,占据着舆论高点。市场走访销售不景气,非法商户打擦边球1月1 1日上午,记者在合肥市通达路往长江东路走访,发现通达路上写有和畅花炮的销售点有5家,而且都集中在一起。有的店门口放置了烟花爆竹,有的店面里面则比较空,仅放     

冰是冰吗?

MIL—STD—810D试验方法521.0“结冰/雨淞”,包括对暴露于雨淞中的试验设备的指导.该方法是围绕导致产生薄冰的局部范围气象条件制订的.试验方法521.0中所介绍的结冰方法可适用于广宽范围的设备,并将有助于预测设备在自然雨淞期间的操作性状.但是,该方法没有提供任何设备在暴露于霜冰期间的操作指导.霜冰和薄冰对设备产生影响时的物理特性明显不同.在     

什么是清洁生产?

清洁生产是指不断采取改进设计、使用清洁的能源和原料、采用先进的工艺技术与设备、改善管理、综合利用等措施，从源头削减污染，提高资源利用效率，减少或者避免生产、服务和产品使用过程中污染物的产生和排放，以减轻或者消除对人类健康和环境的危害。通俗地讲，清洁生产不是把注意力放在末端，而是将节能减排的压力消解在生产全过程。     

寂静的春天?

离开江西老家开始流浪之前．我的有关春天的记忆都是美丽而让人想往的。在柳絮伴着和风，空气澄明而温暖的阳光下．寻一处绿色的小山坡躺着，最好有条清澈的小溪流过，有阵阵群鸟在四周歌唱．有一本让人开心的小人书……真想天不会黑下来．真想二十四小时都呆在户外．真想不要长大……但远山终于如黛。最好的时光在远去。是的．最好的时光已经远去。     

环保餐具 路在何方?

“白色污染”这个词大家并不陌生。其实,我们每个人都是消费者,同时也是污染的制造者。当我们每天在大量消费的时候,不知不觉的又产生着各种各样的污染。塑料袋、发泡餐盒以及各种塑料包装物。在使用前人见人爱,非它不可,而用完后转瞬间却变成了人见人烦的垃圾。我们是不是应该想想,这中间到底出了什么问题,是它的错,还是我们的错?应该说,随着人们生活节奏的加快以及卫生健康要求的提高,各种一次性用品的使用已经成为一种文明生活的标志。十多年来,发泡餐具因其物美价廉,在确保人们饮食健康以及生活快节奏等方面发挥了很大的作用,年使用量高达     

你知道吗?

<正>☆生态环境指生物有机体周围的生存空间的生态条件的总和。☆导致生态平衡破坏的原因主要是:种类成份的改变、环境因素的改变、信息系统的破坏。☆我国生态破坏状况主要有:物种灭绝、植被破坏、土地退化。     

谁是世界自然基金会?

Who is WWF? WWF(World Wide Fund For Nature)世界自然基金会是世界最大的、经验最丰富的独立性非政府环境保护机构。在全球拥有470万支持者以及一个遍布在96个国家活跃着的网络。从1961年成立以来,世界自然基金会在6大洲的153个国家发起或完成了12000个环保项目。目前世界自然基金会通过一个由27个国家级会     

二恶英是什么?

二恶英是一类化合物的简称，英文媒体称dioxin，文中应称呼二恶英，严格的学术名称应该是：多氯二苯并二恶英polychilrinated dibenzo-p-dioxin（简称PCDDs）多氯二苯并呋喃polychlorinated dibenzofuran(简称PCDFs)，在学术界喜欢简称为PCDD/Fs。     

怎样防治鼠疫?

为了控制鼠密度,预防鼠传疾病,目前,安徽省城合肥市开展了大规模的全城灭鼠活动。春季是老鼠活动频繁的季节,鼠疫威胁着人身安全,那么日常生活中人们该怎样防治鼠疫呢?