Developing green infrastructure ‘thinking’: devising and applying an interactive group-based methodology for practitioners

Recent years have witnessed a wave of interest in the concept of green infrastructure (GI) as a means of applying an ecosystem approach to spatial planning practice; however, more limited attention has been paid to decision-making processes or tools to enhance GI within spatial plans and guidance. We address this deficit by reporting on the development and application of an interactive group-based methodology to enhance GI ‘thinking’ and interdisciplinary collaboration, drawing on the literature on the sociology of interactions. Our findings suggest that a game-based approach to GI problem-solving was successful in breaking down professional barriers by creating an informal learning arena, providing an enabling opportunity for participants to solve problems in an iterative, non-linear style to develop principles for action with transferability to ongoing plan formation. This style of problem-solving was characterised by shifting norms and routines of interaction, leading to problem re-framing and a search for alternative solutions.     

贵‘在七分管’

人们常说:环保工作,三分治,七分管。这话,越来越觉得是在理。几年来,我厂花了三十几万元环保投资,搞了几套环保设备,但厂内污染负荷降不下来,所缴排污费不断上升,环境污染仍然严重。什么原因?不是环保设备不好用,而是不好好用,由于管理不善,未能使其发挥应有作用。据说,国外的环保设备一般也都是“常规武器”,和我们的差不多,所不同的是,管理得科学,工作认真、负责任。我厂一天排电镀污水300～350吨。如果责任到人,让工人都能爱护水象爱护自家的油那样,有活就开开关,无活就闭开关,减少长流水,那     

Animal Abolitionism and ‘Racism without Racists’

Abolitionism is an animal rights' philosophy and social movement which has recently begun to grow. It has been largely contested but the criticisms directed at it have usually been articulated outside academia. In this article, I wish to contend that one of the criticisms directed at abolitionism—that it contains racist implications—is correct. I do this by defending the idea that abolitionism engages in what Eduardo Bonilla-Silva classifies as ‘racism without racists’—an unintentional and subtle form of racism. I present three ways in which abolitionism may be considered racist and then address some possible objections to my view.     

From social ‘acceptance’ to social ‘acceptability’ of wind energy projects: towards a territorial perspective

Social acceptance is central in many debates surrounding energy projects. Wind energy, in particular, has been described as a ‘learning laboratory’ in terms of social acceptance of energy projects. It has given way to a socio-technical paradox: the social dimension has become a factor of equal importance to technology in the wind farms implementation. Based on a literature review concerned with the social acceptance of wind energy, the paper seeks to demonstrate both the richness and the limits of the key concepts that inform the ongoing work of scholars. By doing so, we intend to emphasise the complex processes underneath in order to then elaborate a conceptual definition of social acceptability. Various modulations and limits that characterise current thinking are thus underlined. We then propose a grid analysis relying on a territorial perspective. It is structured around three levels that connect micro-social, meso-political and macro-economic processes.     

模糊数学在效益‘三统一’中的应用

1979年我国颁布了《中华人民共和国环境保护法(试行)》。该法明确规定,在基本建设项目中,环保设施要与主体工程同时设计、同时施工和同时投产(即基建“三同时”)。近年来中央又提出对城市环境进行综合整治,实现经济建设、城乡建设与环境建设“三同步”,经济效益、社会效益与环境效益“三统一”的基     

Some pitfalls of ‘manstream’ environmental theory and practice

Summary Radical environmentalists consider the environmental crisis to be ultimately one of culture and character. However, in analyses and strategies for social transformation, non-feminist greens have generally accepted the Patriarchal conception of human motivation, which is based on a rational, impersonal (read Masculine) model of Man. Thus, it is implicitly assumed that the motivations underlying the environmental crisis are greed or self-interest (deemed rational motives in Western Patriarchal culture). Owing to this male-centred perspective on human nature, green strategies have ultimately relied on an appeal to reason. This, at least, has failed relative to the accelerating pace of environmental destruction.It is argued that a focus on the abuse of power leads to a more useful analysis of the causes of human oppression and environmental exploitation. The abuse of power can be understood as an attempt to overcompensate for unmet emotional needs (e. f. for love, recognition, and a sense of belonging) through an excessive drive for gratification in other dimensions of life. In Patriarchal thought, emotional needs are largely denied, being non-rational and non-masculine, and hence have also been largely ignored in social policy. This realisation suggests new strategies.Dr Janis Birkeland was an attorney, architect and planner San Francisco, USA, and now teaches at the Department of Architecture, University of Tasmania. A more extensive discussion of these points can be found in Birkeland (1993a).     

‘强化一级物化法’处理生活污水技术

以广州电池厂及华南缝纫机公司的生活污水治理工程为例,介绍了用EWP高效污水净化器的强化一级物化法处理城市生活污水的技术特点、工艺流程和工程实践。该物化法比常规的生化法降低投资成本1／2以上,占地面积减少2／3以上,处理效果较好。     

A tale of ‘fat cats’ and ‘stupid activists’: contested values,governance and reflexivity in the brno railway station controversy

ABSTRACT

The article explores one of the biggest controversies over sustainability in modern Czech history, a protracted conflict over whether the Brno railway station should be re-built in a new location. By examining the language of the interaction between a ‘modernizing discourse’ and a ‘sustainability discourse’, the article highlights reflexivity as analytic enterprise that bares the governance dimension of policy conflicts. The reflexive analysis focuses on how actors justify their positions, how they distinguish themselves from their opponents and how they express trust in their own group. It reveals that both discourses are not only related to the re-location issue per se, but that they entail contested notions of legitimate knowledge and modes of governance. Since such power contest is common in sustainability controversies, the reflexive analysis suggests a novel analytical agenda for addressing policy conflicts in sustainability issues.     

中国环境保护：‘96蓬勃发展,’97扎实推进

1996年是“九五”开局第一年，也是我国环境保护事业取得重大进展的一年。——1996年3月召开的全国人大八届四次会议通过的《关于国民经济和社会发展“九五”计划和2010年远景目标纲要》，明确了我国跨世纪的环保工作目标：到2000年，力争使环境污染和生态破坏加剧的趋势得到基本控制．部分城市和地区环境质量有所改善；2010年．基本改变环境恶化的状况．城乡环境有比较明显的改善。——1996年9月3日·国务院批准了帼家环境保护“九五”计划和2010年远景目标》和实施“九五”环境保护的两大举措：《全国主要污染物排放总量控制计划办件国跨…     

Wistful wilderness: communication about ‘new’ nature in the Netherlands

Based on in-depth interviews, this article presents findings of a study centred on public communication regarding Tiengemeten, a Dutch island previously occupied by farmers. An answer is sought to the question of how visitors to Tiengemeten evaluate, according to their own experiences, the discourse of people involved in Tiengemeten from a policy and communication perspective. This study showed that visitors’ experiences do not always match the emotions appealed to in public communication materials. It is also suggested that people involved from a policy and communication perspective should refrain from using ‘heavily value-laden’ phraseology. For reasons of trust, this article suggests aligning public communication with genuine experiences of visitors. This is also necessary for avoiding scepticism of visitors as policy makers and communication professionals run a risk that public communication regarding nature becomes counterproductive.     

Appreciating the biodiversity of remnant bushland: an ‘architectural’ approach

Tutor in the Department of Geography at the University of Western Australia. In response to the fragmentation and loss of indigenous vegetation caused by the expansion of metropolitan Perth, all levels of government in Western Australia have made some commitment to the preservation of biodiversity. A case for seeing and using vegetation structure as a possible surrogate for biodiversity is presented. The concept and a simple methodology which may be applied without any specialist ecological knowledge or expertise is outlined for the urban developer, engineer, planner, decision maker and educator. The notion that the degree of diversity of the vegetation structure of a banksia woodland remnant may indicate and give a substitute or preliminary measure of biodiversity assists the popular understanding of biodiversity. Such a non-technical yet objective appreciation and measure may prove satisfactory for some conservation purposes, until a detailed professional assessment is made of the plant and animal species in a remnant of native vegetation. It is currently being used by state planning staff in Western Australia for the preliminary assessment of native woodland in areas zoned for urban growth at the metropolitan fringe.     

Ensuring social acceptance of the energy transition. The German government’s ‘consensus management’ strategy

This study deals with the German Federal Government’s approach of ensuring public support for its ‘Energiewende’, the swift and complete transition to an energy system based on renewable sources. First, the government’s ‘consensus management’ strategy is described as consisting of four elements: the setup of stakeholder deliberation fora; the funding of organisations dedicated to the public promotion of the energy transition; public campaigns that appeal to people’s commitment and the support of research on energy technologies. The study then traces the need for a strong social mandate of the energy transition back to the scope of the regulatory challenge and the recently growing conflicts around implementation, to institutional constraints of a consensus democracy and to the narrative of ‘Energiewende’ as the ‘grand national task’.     

Does adding more lettuce make a hamburger truly green? A metaphor behind the green movement paradigm in designing cities

In designing cities, the label of the green movement these days is being applied to almost everything—starting from works of environmental non-governmental organizations and international as well as local conservation organizations to grass-roots resistance activism including radical environmentalism. This paper seeks to understand the motivation—the paradigm—behind the green movement initiatives and how the paradigm appears to shift from the ground reality. Conclusions suggest that, on one hand, environmental problems are far from being a matter of common sense and, on the other, the matter of intellectual and technological developments—the outcomes of rigorous academic research reflected in endless literature predominantly comprising the fields of environmental sociology, environmental anthropology, and conservation psychology—are in reality often found to be dealt with by shallow planning and policy practices without even realizing the big-picture that the paradigm is merely being used as an advertizing tool for making business profit. It is expected that, unless a shift from such negative practices towards a conscious and genuine commitment to proactive environmental stewardship is made, the situation will continue to be exacerbated.     

Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? Examining the “green” of Green Infrastructure development

The rapid development of Green Infrastructure as an approach to planning has enabled landscape practitioners to implement a range of projects utilising its principles. Discussions though exist examining what Green Infrastructure is, how it should be planned, and whether it can be identified as only those elements of the landscape that are green. A further element of this argument examines the use of water within this process. Therefore, as planners, we can ask: can we tell a green field from a cold steel rail? Both may have a green or sustainable function with only the visual appearance differing. Debates, however, focus on practitioner selectivity of the interpretation of “green” infrastructure planning exploring whether physical landscape characteristics or the function of an investment is the main focus of discussion. Using the grey–green continuum developed by Davies et al. [2006. Green infrastructure planning guide project: Final report. Annfield Plain: NECF], this paper examines whether geographical differences exist in the application of the Green Infrastructure and examine how practitioners use the ambiguity of Green Infrastructure planning to guide investment. Drawing on academic and practitioner literature provides this paper with a balance of conceptual and process-based assessments evaluations of global Green Infrastructure focusing on the design and implementation of terrestrial and marine resources. This paper also examines whether the dominant landscape planning framework in each region could be considered contradictory to the wider application of Green Infrastructure principles.     

How Good? Ethical Criteria for a ‘Good Life’ for Farm Animals

The Farm Animal Welfare Council’s concept of a Good Life gives an idea of an animal’s quality of life that is over and above that of a mere life worth living. The concept needs explanation and clarification, in order to be meaningful, particularly for consumers who purchase farm animal produce. The concept could allow assurance schemes to apply the label to assessments of both the potential of each method of production, conceptualised in ways expected to enhance consumers’ engagement such as ‘naturalness’ and ‘freedom’; and the concept of a life worth living as a safeguard threshold below which no animal’s actual welfare should fall, based on each animal’s overall affective states. This may provide a framework for development of the Good Life concept, within scientific and sociological fields, in order to allow reliable and influential use by assessors, consumers and retailers.     

“首届全国青少年‘保护环境,珍爱家园’网上系列科普活动”结束

由中国科协信息中心、中国青少年科技辅导员协会科技中心工作委员会、北京市青少年科技馆、上海市青少年科技教育中心、首都师范大学基础教育研究所联合举办的“首届全国青少年‘保护环境,珍爱家园’网上系列科普活动”从 2000年 5月 10日开始,历时 3个月,于 8月 13日结束。本次活动分为初赛和复赛两个阶段。来自北京市、上海市、湖北省、浙江省、贵州省、河南省的 11600多人次的中、小学生上网参加了初赛活动。经过专家的评审,共有 112人获得复赛资格,其中有 74人到北京参加了复赛。通过两天的比赛共决出一等奖 5人,二等奖 12人,三…