OFT guidance for estate agents

Posted on: 20 September 2011
By: mackene
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A consultation on draft guidance to estate agents and developers for property sales best practice has been launched by the Office of Fair Trading. The new guidance focuses on two pieces of law: the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, and the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008. How developers deal with complaints, how sales are negotiated, and how buildings are marketed, are among practices discussed in the draft. Comments are requested by 9 December 2011.

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Were ERDF co-financed tourism projects effective?

Posted on: 20 September 2011
By: mackene
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Between 2000 and 2006, € 4.6 billion in EU funds were allocated under the ERDF for physical investments in tourism. This European Court of Auditors’ (ECA) performance audit is based on a wide survey of projects in nine Member States encompassing 26 regions. The questions addressed by the audit were: Did the projects deliver the results expected of them? Are project results sustainable? Did the EU support influence the existence or the design of the projects?

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Addressing crime and disorder in public places through planning and design

Posted on: 20 September 2011
By: mackene
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The main aim of this guide is to provide advice about the design and planning issues that arise from the area of “crime and disorder”. It is primarily aimed at planners, architects and other designers responsible for planning and designing the external built environment. The guide: explains how the issues may be addressed in a comprehensive manner and explores their complexity; provides more information on particular topics, exploring the issues in greater depth and providing advice on where to go for more detailed information; and demonstrates, through case studies, examples of the issues and the approach taken on particular projects.

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Innovation in redesign cities. Gdansk, Poland, 18-20 September 2011

Posted on: 18 September 2011
By: mackene
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In the framework of Polish Presidency of the EU Council the European Forum for Architectural Policies organised this international  conference. The goals of the conference were: to indicate an innovative role of architecture in redesign of European cities that is aimed at their development and increase of attractiveness, while challenged by global competition; to indicate an innovative role of architecture and urban design in sustainability and harmony of urban environment, while responding to the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth; to indicate an innovative role of architecture that aims at the life quality, as opposed to short-term and territory-limited profits of mostly financial character, observed at all levels: national and regional, municipal, corporate and individual; to indicate a need for cooperation of the state and local authorities, the NGOs, research institutes and profession in support of innovative architecture; to indicate the needed actions, carried by EU and governmental bodies in processing the redesign of European cities’ structure; to indicate the priorities of the Architectural Policy, accepted by all parties engaged in innovation and architectural quality, aimed at sustainable.

A video summarising the main issues debated at the conference and illustrated by several case studies and site visits is also available here.

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Retrofit: Moving in and moving on. Nottingham, 16-17 September 2011

Posted on: 17 September 2011
By: isadm
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The annual conference of the sustainable building association, AECB, looked at issues around refurbishment as many of the Retrofit for the Future projects were coming to a conclusion. While recent focus has been on energy issues, this event aimed to look at some other areas that may have been bypassed. These include community involvement, usability, embedded carbon, ethics and language. Some presentations are available online.

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The case for space

Posted on: 16 September 2011
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A report published by RIBA argues that the average new three-bedroom home currently being built by the UK’s top house builders is around eight per cent smaller than the basic recommended minimum size, leaving thousands of people across the country short-changed. The research uses a benchmark based on the London Plan space standards for a two-storey, three bedroom home big enough for five people.

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BIM – Are you ready for the digital switchover? London, 16 September 2011

Posted on: 16 September 2011
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Following on from the success of the NBS BIM Roundtable held in May 2011, this joint NLA-NBS conference has provided a timely opportunity for construction professionals to hear the latest thinking on Building Information Modeling (BIM). Videos of the presentations are available online.

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First International Congress on Ethics and Tourism. Madrid, 15-16 September 2011

Posted on: 16 September 2011
By: isadm
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The 1st International Congress on Ethics and Tourism called for the urgent placement of ethics at the core of tourism development, so as to achieve a truly responsible and sustainable tourism sector. Jointly organized by the Spanish General Secretariat of Tourism and Domestic Trade and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the event was attended by participants from over 50 countries, bringing together some 350 tourism officials, business leaders, academics, representatives of international organizations and NGOs, and experts in the field of ethics and tourism. The UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations ten years prior to the Congress, set the tone for the event’s five panel debate sessions which addressed such issues as ethical frameworks for tourism development, fair tourism, sustainable practices in both the public and private sectors, poverty reduction, the prevention of exploitation, gender equality, accessibility, corporate social responsibility, and environmental protection.  General conclusions from the event are available online together with a copy of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.

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Communities, planning and localism

Posted on: 16 September 2011
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This report draws out key points from a study commissioned early in 2011 by CPRE Gloucestershire. The project brief was to contribute to the unfolding government policy on localism by reviewing the effectiveness of community involvement in neighbourhood planning in the area of Parish Plans and Village Design Statements.

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Strengthening climate change in urban education: Cities and Climate Change Academy (CCCA) Global Workshop

Posted on: 16 September 2011
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UN-HABITAT’s Cities and Climate Change Academy aims at strengthening urban course modules of universities around the globe by providing easily adaptable climate change courses and by building the capacities of teaching staff of urban planning, urban development and related departments. The ultimate goal of the initiative is equipping urban professionals with the know-how and tools to respond to climate change. This workshop, held in Bonn on 1-2 June 2011, is a milestone in the development of these course modules. The objectives of the workshop were: to exchange experiences on how to strengthen education on climate change and cities at university level; to reach a common understanding on how to develop generic course material for the Cities and Climate Change Academy; to agree on priority topics for the development of initial courses; to agree on partnerships (including universities from the North and South) for the development of selected courses, and to agree on a road map for 2011/2012.  [loaded 16 September 2011]

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