Planning for climate change: Guidance and model policies for local authorities

Posted on: 26 April 2012
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This guide is designed primarily for local authorities and new Local Enterprise Partnerships who want both to tackle climate change and to reap the benefits that renewable energy and effective adaptation can bring. It draws explicitly on the draft Planning Policy Statement (PPS) on climate and energy, Consultation on a Planning Policy Statement: Planning for a Low Carbon Future in a Changing Climate, published in March 2010, and it seeks to reflect the wide-ranging consensus which that document commanded. The guide gives detailed guidance on the principles which should underpin plan-making and development management. It is recommended as the basis for comprehensive policy in the new, community-based local plans. It could also form the basis of local supplementary planning policy and should guide development management decisions.The policy has been developed through cross-sector dialogue, using the wide-ranging expertise of the Planning and Climate Change Coalition partners, brought together by Friends of the Earth and the Town & Country Planning Association.

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Contracts and law blog

Posted on: 26 April 2012
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NBS has launched its first blog which aims to keep you up-to-date with the latest legal developments in construction, with weekly posts featuring news, tips and quotes.

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URBES

Posted on: 24 April 2012
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Launched in January 2012, the URBES project is a transdisciplinary collaboration project between 11 top research institutes in Europe and New York, as well as four urban case study areas, Stockholm, Rotterdam, Salzburg and Berlin. The project addresses significant scientific knowledge gaps on the role of urban biodiversity and ecosystem services for human well-being. It will pioneer the development of the TEEB- approach (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) in an urban context and be innovative in integrating monetary and non-­monetary valuation techniques, explore their governance implications and develop guidelines for implementation in urban landscapes. Capacity development instruments such as fact sheets and trainings workshops will be developed. The first fact sheets will be available in summer 2012. The trainings will be available for all European local authorities throughout 2013 and 2014.

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Mayanmar: First glance of the golden land

Posted on: 24 April 2012
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In light of political changes in Burma this summary report considers how the situation is changing for  the tourism and hotel industry.

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Institute for Dark Tourism Research

Posted on: 24 April 2012
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The University of Central Lancashire has launched the Institute for Dark Tourism Research (iDTR), a world-leading academic centre for dark tourism scholarship, research and teaching. The iDTR promotes ethical research into the social scientific understanding of tourist sites of death, disaster or the seemingly macabre.

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Community based disaster risk reduction

Posted on: 24 April 2012
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ISBN 9780857248671 £82.95

Communities are at the core of disaster risk reduction (DRR), and community based approaches are getting increasing focus in national DRR plans. In the case of past disasters, communities were always the first responders, and took leading roles in the post disaster recovery. The roles of communities in pre-disaster preparedness are also very important. This is the first comprehensive book available on CBDRR (community based disaster risk reduction) which outlines both research and practice, citing field examples and research results. It provides an overview of the subject and looks at the role of governments, NGOs, academics and corporate sectors in community based disaster risk reduction. It proceeds to examine experiences from Asian and African countries, and concludes by looking ahead to the future perspective of CBDRR.

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Drying up: What to do about droughts in the People’s Republic of China

Posted on: 24 April 2012
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The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has released a publication which explores the difficulties that China will face in supplying its cities with water and in managing more frequent and longer droughts in the face of climate change. A case study of the Guiyang Municipality in the Guizhou Province is presented to illustrate how demand management can be used to manage and prevent droughts and provide sustainable water supplies. The study looks at optimal infrastructure for management and sustainable supply, as well as ecosystem management.

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Background paper for the Council of Europe’s report on resilient cities

Posted on: 24 April 2012
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The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has adopted the resolution Making cities resilient based on the above report drafted by ICLEI Europe on behalf of the Congress. The new text supports the United Nations World Disaster Reduction Campaign. This initiative is aimed at raising awareness among citizens and local governments on the benefits of reducing urban risks, integrating the potential disaster risk into cities’ planning to protect critical infrastructure.

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RICS launches New Rules of Measurement and construction standards ‘Black Book’

Posted on: 24 April 2012
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RICS has published its quantity surveying and construction standards (the Black Book) and New Rules of Measurement (NRM). Described as one of the most significant launches by RICS in the past 30 years, the standards provide the tools for the construction industry to work collaboratively, efficiently and consistently. The guidance includes an updated version of New Rules of Management (NRM) 1: Order of Cost Estimating and Cost Planning for Capital Building Works and the new NRM 2: Detailed Measurement for Building Works alongside two new guidance notes looking at conflict avoidance and dispute resolution and retention, which will form part of the RICS construction standards (the Black Book).

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Logistics Growth Review: Connecting people with goods

Posted on: 23 April 2012
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The Logistics Growth Review, published by the Department of Transport in November 2011, presents a diverse package of measures that targets the key barriers to growth identified by the logistics industry and its users. Logistics is one of the sectors being focused on as part of the second phase of the Growth Review, set out within the Government’s Plan for Growth. Its aim is to fundamentally examine the conditions for logistics sector success, and to identify what actions Government can take to address barriers to growth of the industry.

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