Small towns in the united states: a perspective

Small towns are an important part of the rural settlement fabric in the United States, but there is very little substantive research into their capacity to survive or their intrinsic importance. However, recently there has been increasing interest shown by social scientists in these problems. This paper looks at features of this research from the point of view of the population and economic structure of small towns. It concludes by arguing that the problems of small towns are not indigenous to the towns, and calls for a comprehensive national urban policy.     

Housing in the new cities of Egypt

The New Cities of Egypt represent a major effort to redistribute investment and population away from Cairo and the Delta in a brave attempt to use desert land. Through a study of three cities under construction, the reliance on government‐built walk‐up flats for housing provision is discussed and its relevance for later phases questioned. In conclusion, the efficacy of the New Cities as counter‐attractions is doubted in the absence of effective controls on the growth of Cairo.     

Riera de Caldes new town: the restriction of growth

The historical and regional context to the development of a planning strategy for Barcelona is examined, providing an explanation of the obstacles to development of new towns in the region, and that of Riera de Caldes in particular. The paper analyses the reasons for the failure to develop the new town, and its subsequent reversion to rural uses and a place of pilgrimage for environmentalists.     

小城镇灾害易损性分析与评估

随着我国城镇化进程的加快 ,小城镇的防灾减灾问题逐步引起社会的关注 ,而小城镇易损度分析和评价是灾害危险性评价的重要组成部分 ,也是小城镇决策部门制定防灾减灾规划的重要依据 ;笔者在综合分析了小城镇的自然易损性、经济易损性及社会易损性的基础上 ,选取相应的灾害指标和社会经济指标 ,应用多级模糊综合评判方法 ,对小城镇的易损程度作出了评估 ,从而为小城镇制定相应防灾、减灾对策提供科学依据。     

美国离境外包经济动向的环境影响

最近美国离境外包经济发展很快，并引发继第一次产业革命（即工业革命）和第二次产业革命（即服务业超过制造业）之后的第三次产业革命，进而美国大批制造业向国外转移。这对我国承接制造业的产业转移是重大机遇，但同时也会遇到污染、能源转移的问题。建议我国抓住机遇，保持和发挥人力资源优势，迅速发展制造业，同时积极应对环境影响，分类管理，严格执法。     

国家级名镇(村)的旅游价值与开发模式探析

阐述了历史文化名镇（村）的概念和意义，并对80个国家级名镇（村）进行了划分，在此基础上分析了历史文化名镇（村）的开发现状与存在的问题。指出在80个历史文化名镇（村）中，有的已经创建了等级旅游区点，或被评为优秀旅游城市等，已将资源优势转化为产品优势；有的目前则少有开发成效。基于区域经济学的增长极、点轴、网络开发理论和可持续发展理念，提出了历史文化名镇（村）可持续开发的模式与建议。     

Pathways of system transformation: Strategic agency to support regime change

There is a well-recognised need to transform existing systems of production and consumption towards a more sustainable orientation. However, there is much uncertainty about how to achieve sustainability transitions in practice, and what transition advocates and actors can do to catalyse and steer regime transformation. We therefore need evidence of how transitions are operationalised, in order to better understand the on-ground dynamics of regime change. To address this gap, this research paper examines three contemporary cases of transformational change in the Australian urban water sector and the dominant strategic approach to change adopted in each city. It focuses on the strategic behaviour of actors, in particular examining how agents navigate and respond to the opportunities and constraints of their context, and what initiatives (or combination thereof) can facilitate innovation diffusion and regime transformation. The results reveal three distinct patterns of change, each of which favour particular strategic interventions by transition proponents.In order to incubate transformational change, the results suggest that actors may be best served by initially employing strategies that are immediately compatible with their existing context. However, examination of the strengths and weaknesses of each pattern confirm that no single strategic approach is in itself sufficient, and in order to embed a novel innovation and bring about regime change, actors will eventually need to broaden the range of interventions used. The results also reveal the possibility of a ‘pattern-dependence’ that actors need to deliberately work to overcome in order to fully mainstream the desired change. These findings therefore provide insight into the links between regime transformation, patterns of change and actor strategies while also offering practical guidance that can be used to inform the design and implementation of regime transformation agendas and programs.     

Adaptive co-management and network learning in the Room for the River programme

Adaptive co-management and learning are paramount for integrated flood risk management. Relevant literature focuses on adaptation at the level of physical and societal systems. The level of projects and programmes is largely overlooked, but they comprise interventions that adapt our physical systems and they provide opportunities for learning to contribute to transitions of societal systems. This paper aims to increase understanding on how learning takes place and can be stimulated within a programme. The mixed-method case study of Room for the River, a €2.3 billion programme for flood risk management, shows that a programme can be organised using various governance arrangements to stimulate learning and be a means for adaptive co-management to deliver upon environmental objectives.     

Deflagration to detonation transition in a vapour cloud explosion in open but congested space: Large scale test

The paper reviews large scale experiments with various fuels in air where successful deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) took place. This includes a recent experiment disclosed in the Buncefield R&D program, where DDT developed in the propane/air mixture. The DDT occurred in branches of deciduous trees in a premixed stagnant mixture. An internal R&D investigation programme was initiated to better understand the phenomena. A large scale experiment in an open space with ethane air mixture is presented in the paper. The premixed mixture was ignited at the edge of the congested three-dimensional rigs which consisted of vertical and horizontal pipes. After ignition, the flame accelerated in the congestion and transitioned to detonation at the end of congestion. Stable detonation propagated through the remaining open and uncongested space.The flame acceleration process leading to DDT is scale dependent. It also depends on many parameters leading to a large investigation array and, significant cost. However, such R&D efforts aimed toward a safer plant design, i.e. the prevention of occurrence of a major accident, are a small fraction of a real accident cost.     

The role of rural communities in the transition to a low-carbon Scotland: a review

The Scottish Government is committed to carbon reduction targets which are the most ambitious across the devolved administrations of the UK. Whilst Scotland operates within broader international and UK policy contexts, it has developed particular programmes and approaches to engage communities in the transition towards low-carbon futures. Rural areas have a role in the transition to a low-carbon Scotland; however, beyond land use and agriculture contributions, little research has explored the “rural” dimension of “low-carbon” transitions. The paper presents a policy and literature review relating to the low-carbon agenda in Scotland. It reflects on Scottish low-carbon policy and governance, the positioning of “rural communities” within this, and the opportunities and challenges this might present. Based on this, we develop an understanding of how rural communities may contribute to a low-carbon Scotland and identify a future research agenda to explore in more detail the nature and relative effectiveness of diverse governance structures to support this.