Sustainable cities: Building cities for the future

Posted on: 14 June 2012
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This publication, to be launched at Rio+20 in June 2012 contains examples of best practice and information with the aim of stimulating debate, encouraging city cooperation, and promoting sustainable urban policy and procurement.

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URBAN-NEXUS

Posted on: 14 June 2012
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The URBAN-NEXUS Consortium comprises of 13 core partners, supported by 25 Strategic Partners throughout Europe. This coordination and support action builds on the work of the FP6 project URBAN-NET, which formulated the themes that URBAN-NEXUS is now working on. URBAN-NEXUS will develop a Strategic Dialogue & Partnership Framework to organise a long-term collaboration with stakeholders in relation to the key dimensions of sustainable urban development: Urban climate resilience; Health and quality of life; Integrated urban management; Integrated data and information; Competing for urban land.

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RICS Real Estate Action Law and Practice Conference. London, 13 June 2012

Posted on: 14 June 2012
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This conference, in its second year, looks at all the legal aspects of an auction from both perspectives and at the regulations auctioneers and solicitors need to follow in the auction process. Presentations are available online.

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Housing options and solutions for young people in 2020

Posted on: 13 June 2012
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The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a report which aims to inform the development of housing policy and practice by identifying the key challenges likely to face young people who will be aged 18–30 in 2020. It claims that a ‘three-tier’ system of people racing to find private rented accommodation will be created: those at the top able to pay, the ‘squeezed middle’ and 400,000 at the bottom who could well miss out on finding accommodation altogether.

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National housing statistics

Posted on: 13 June 2012
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The figures in this release from the Homes and Communities Agency show the supply of homes delivered under the Accelerated Land Disposal Programme, the 2011-15 Affordable Homes Programme (including the Affordable Homes Programme, Empty Homes, Homelessness Change and Traveller Pitch Funding), the Economic Assets Programme, FirstBuy, the Kickstart Housing Delivery Programme, the Local Authority New Build Programme, Mortgage Rescue, the National Affordable Housing Programme and the Property and Regeneration Programme.

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Social Housing Regulatory Sector Risk Profile

Posted on: 13 June 2012
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The Regulation Committee at the Homes and Communities Agency has published its Sector Risk Profile. The document covers high profile issues that the housing sector faces including the impact of risks on providers’ business models, including how they drive value for money; the availability of finance and associated development risk; and the overall effect of varied risks on financial viability. It aims to present them in a way to encourage providers to think about the interdependences between risks, which will affect all providers in different combinations.

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European Report on Development 2011-2012

Posted on: 13 June 2012
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The latest European Report on Development shows that demand for energy and water is expected to grow by 40% and food by 50% by the year 2030. Poorer countries will be hardest hit as populations continue grow and the consumption of resources increases as a key means of economic growth. The report, supported by the Department for International Development, highlights how businesses, aid agencies and governments must work together to deliver clean, renewable energy, new technology and protect natural resources in some of the poorest countries.

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Four degrees of preparation: Greater Manchester plans for adaptation

Posted on: 13 June 2012
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This website houses the reports, presentations and papers which are the outcome of the EcoCities research programme to date. Research is organised into five themes: Climate change recent trends and future projections; Impacts of weather and climate; Vulnerability to climate change impacts; Adaptation responses; Scenarios and future perspectives. At each theme page, you will find an overview and the research outputs related to that theme. Related resources from outside of the programme which may be of use are also included. Each section also makes available a link to the GRaBS spatial mapping tool, back issues of the EcoCities Blueprint newsletter and associated media coverage.

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Understanding the second hand market for shared ownership properties,

Posted on: 12 June 2012
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This report, published by the University of Cambridge for housing association Thames Valley Housing, argues that shared ownership is a long term-tenure for the majority of households involved. Drawing on a survey of housing associations, focus groups with shared owners and interviews with mortgage lenders and other stakeholders, this report examines the functioning of the second-hand market for shared ownership homes in England. The research also examines the practice of ‘staircasing’, whereby a shared owner may purchase additional shares of their home.

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EEA Signals 2012: Building the future we want

Posted on: 12 June 2012
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Signals is an annual publication from the European Environment Agency which aims to explain complex environmental issues for a non-expert audience. The 2012 edition explores the environmental impacts of our consumption and production patterns, and ways these can be changed to reduce their effect on the environment.

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