Eco-industrial park initiatives in the USA and the Netherlands: first lessons

Since the introduction of the industrial ecology concept by Frosch and Gallopoulos in 1989, and the apparent success of the Kalundborg Industrial Symbiosis project, attention to planned eco-industrial park (EIP) development projects has grown all over the world. This article includes data from six of these EIP development projects. Three of the projects discussed are located in the Netherlands and three in the US. This article compares the differences in project approach and results on a national level. The approach suggested is derived from the available EIP development literature.Initial research indicates that the Dutch EIP projects are more successful than their US counterparts. This difference in success can be, mostly, attributed to the fact that the US projects are initiated by local and regional governments that see the project as a way to improve the local/regional economy with access to substantial government funds. Because of this heavy government involvement, US companies are, in general, not interested in the project. The more successful Dutch projects, on the other hand, are mostly initiated by the companies themselves with financial and advisory support from the local and regional government.     

Assessing potential future urban heat island patterns following climate scenarios,socio-economic developments and spatial planning strategies

Climate change and urban development will exacerbate current urban heat island effects. While most studies acknowledge the importance of projected temperature increases for raising urban temperatures, little attention is paid to the impacts of future changes in urbanisation patterns. Yet, steering urban development may be an effective strategy to further limit increases in the intensity and spreading of the urban heat island effect. We describe a method that allows exploring the impact of urban development scenarios on the urban heat island effect. This paper starts with a basic analysis of the strength of this effect in a temperate climate under relatively favourable conditions based on data from amateur weather stations and own observations. It explains local variation in observed temperatures and quantifies how the urban heat island effect may develop in the coming 30 years. Using the obtained relations, we assess potential future changes building on existing scenarios of climatic and socio-economic changes and a land use simulation model. Our measurements for the Amsterdam region in the Netherlands indicate that the urban heat island effect induces maximum temperature differences with the surrounding countryside of over 3 °C on moderately warm summer days. The simulations of potential future changes indicate that strong local temperature increases are likely due to urban development. Climate change will, on average, have a limited impact on these changes. Large impacts can, however, be expected from the combination of urban development and potentially more frequent occurrences of extreme climatic events such as heat waves. Spatial planning strategies that reduce the lateral spread of urban development will thus greatly help to limit a further increase in urban heat island values.     

Assessment of Water Quality in a Border Region Between the Atlantic Forest and an Urbanised Area in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil

The preservation of water resources is one of the goals of the designation of parks that act as natural reservoirs. In order to assess the impact of the presence of humans in an environmental preservation area bordering urban areas, the presence of four pathogenic enteric viruses [group A rotavirus (RV-A), norovirus (NoV), human adenoviruses (HAdV), and hepatitis A virus (HAV)], as well as the physico-chemical parameters, and Escherichia coli levels were assessed in riverine water samples. From June 2008 to May 2009, monthly monitoring was performed along the Engenho Novo River. RV-A, NoV, and HAdV were observed in 29 % (31/108) of the water samples, with concentrations of up to 10³ genome copies/liter. The natural occurrence of infectious HAdV was demonstrated by Integrated Cell Culture-PCR (ICC-PCR). This study confirms the suitability of using the detection of fecal-oral transmitted viruses as a marker of human fecal contamination in water matrices and indicates the spread of pathogenic viruses occurring in an alleged area of environmental protection.