Giving parks back to people: a transportation study of New Orleans City Park with implications for improving public health

Park planning, once at the root of the profession during the nineteenth century, can again provide cities with a means to improve public health through restricting access to automobiles. This intercept study, conducted in New Orleans City Park, found that two-thirds of users support weekend street closures to automobiles. Widespread support (63%) exists even among the 72% of people who arrived by automobile. This study also found measurable stated benefits from restricting car access. For more than 53% of the sample that stated that they would walk more in a car-free zone, respondents noted that they would walk nearly 30?min more per month. These findings suggest that planners and policy-makers have a cost-effective option to improve cities and public health – taming the automobile in urban parks.     

论环境权及其司法救济途径——兼谈我国环境公益诉讼制度的构建

民事诉讼作为保护环境权利与解决纠纷的衡平机制,它的产生是基于当事人对司法救济的需要.在运用诉讼程序解决民事纠纷时,存在利益衡量的问题.作为环境法的法意基础,环境权在某种意义上是一种社会性权利,有权提起环境诉讼,维护公共利益是环境权从理论到实践的基本标志.本文通过论述环境权理论及其在环境侵权救济中的运用,并对原告资格的适度放宽、举证责任的合理配置、诉讼费用公平负担等方面进行制度创新,以期构建我国的环境公益诉讼制度,这也是公众环境权获得程序上的有力保障.     

环境影响评价需要新的突破

中国环境影响评价已取得巨大成绩，在项目建设、区域发展中起着重要的作用，成为环境保护的重要保证手段。但中国环境影响评价依然存在十分突出的问题，还不能充分发挥其应有的功能。为此，环境影响评价应坚持正确的价值观，要打破环评单位隶属于项目建设单位的主从关系，环境单位要有独立行使调整、考察、分析、评价和下环评结论的权利；环境影响评价的时间要适时、充分，杜绝项目先上马后补环评，或项目要上马临时补环评的做法；战略环评应在宏观发展战略发挥更大的作用，成为国家宏观调控的有力工具之一；要构建环评的公共服务信息平台，反对信息部门垄断和数据虚假；环评方法贵在创新、重在实用，要积极应用新方法、新技术，反对数学方法与模型的滥用。     

PFI项目履约监管机制的研究

提高资源利用率，是实现城市可持续发展的关键。PFI模式有效解决了政府投资的低效率问题，提高了公用基础设施的投资效益，为改善国家基础设施面貌，推动城市化进程做出了贡献。然而PFI项目中作为公共利益代表的政府与追求私人利益最大化的私人投资者在某些方面是有冲突的。政府应该通过提高管理手段和行政能力对PFI项目实施科学化管理，可以通过在特许权合同中引入违约罚分机制、履约报告制度、期中评估与期末评估制度、特殊情况下政府介入机制和强化标准的制定等方法，提高投资人的履约质量。     

COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION MAKING IN OREGON WATERSHED GROUPS: PERCEPTIONS OF EFFECTIVENESS1

ABSTRACT: Collaborative watershed groups have formed at a significant rate throughout the United States in the last decade. Data on these groups, however, has been largely anecdotal and lacking in rigorous examination of the relationship between group formation, membership, process, and group effectiveness. Using a mail survey, Oregon watershed group participants were asked to identify who initiated the formation of the group, how efficiently the group formed, how the group determines membership, what decision making method the group uses, and how members perceive the group's effectiveness. Findings indicated that a majority believe that, because of their participation in a watershed group, they better understand issues in the watershed and the perspectives of others, but less than half believe that relationships with government decision makers or physical conditions in the watershed have improved. Members of citizen initiated groups rated their groups higher than government initiated groups on addressing difficult or controversial issues. Members of groups that use consensus responded most positively on whether the group gives fair consideration to dissenting opinions. Overall, groups with restricted membership systems rated themselves lowest on involving key decision making groups, timeliness in addressing issues, and overall effectiveness. These results raise concerns about this type of group membership system.     

ARSENIC IN THE SHALLOW GROUND WATERS OF CONTERMINOUS UNITED STATES: ASSESSMENT,HEALTH RISKS,AND COSTS FOR MCL COMPLIANCE1

A methodology consisting of ordinal logistic regression (OLR) is used to predict the probability of occurrence of arsenic concentrations in different threshold limits in shallow ground waters of the conterminous United States (CONUS) subject to a set of influencing variables. The analysis considered a number of maximum contaminant level (MCL) options as threshold values to estimate the probabilities of occurrence of arsenic in ranges defined by a given MCL of 3, 5, 10, 20, and 50 μg/l and a detection limit of 1 μg/l. The fit between the observed and predicted probability of occurrence was around 83 percent for all MCL options. The estimated probabilities were used to estimate the median background concentration of arsenic in the CONUS. The shallow ground water of the western United States is more vulnerable than the eastern United States. Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and California in particular are hotspots for arsenic contamination. The risk assessment showed that counties in southern California, Arizona, Florida, and Washington and a few others scattered throughout the CONUS face a high risk from arsenic exposure through untreated ground water consumption. A simple cost effectiveness analysis was performed to understand the household costs for MCL compliance in using arsenic contaminated ground water. The results showed that the current MCL of 10 μg/l is a good compromise based on existing treatment technologies.     

浅谈生态公益林的补偿

补偿是生态公益林外部性内部化的核心问题。从生态公益林的经济学属性出发，阐述了生态公益林产生的外部性及其公共物品的属性，并对生态公益林对所在地社会经济发展产生的负外部疚及补偿问题，做了重点的讨论。提出生态公益林的补偿学应局限于单纯的经济补偿，应该为利益受损的群体提供更多的经济机会和发展空间，引导地区产业的结构调整和升级换代。     

典型生态学方向研究性实验案例设计与教学实践研究

以研究性实验案例“公众参与调查”教学设计为例,结合笔者多年实践教学经验,探索了将理论方法转化为具体实验教学方法的途径,介绍了将该实验方法应用于具体的教学实践过程,阐释了实验教学各环节和具体过程,尤其是将问卷调查法融入具体教学,列举了部分实验结果,总结了教学过程反馈的若干问题.希望本文在实验设计与教学实践方面的探索,为深化中国高校实践教学改革提供行之有效的借鉴.     

国外环境保护公众参与和社会监督法规现状、特征及其作用研究

对国外环保体系发达国家（包括欧盟、日本、美国）现行的环境保护公众参与和社会监督法规制度建设情况予以阐述和介绍,以期为中国环境保护公众参与和社会监督法规的完善提供借鉴.同时提出该体系的主要框架性特征,即充分保障公众环境知情权、落实环境参与权、完善诉讼权和补偿权,提出公众参与和社会监督的政策依据受到政府部门的高度重视,以法规形式固定下来,对公众参与积极性的提高具有较强的促进作用.     

长沙市光污染的公众主观调查方案设计与结果分析研究

过度照明、不适宜的照明分布可能给居民带来身体和精神上的不适。本文对长沙市六个典型光污染源周围居民开展公众主观调查,主要调查公众对光污染的认识、所受光污染影响的程度以及受到光污染影响时的感觉、态度与采取措施等。调查发现：超过九成五的受访者认为长沙存在光污染,且半数受访者认为在El常生活中受到光污染影响,大多数受访者认为光污染导致的影响是金钱无法弥补的。