Stadslab: European Urban Design Laboratory

Posted on: 13 May 2013
By: mackene
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Stadslab was established in the summer of 2006 to create a European urban design laboratory where professionals and academia would meet to exchange knowledge and know-how, while addressing real time cases proposed by our hosting cities. After six years our track record consists of strategic design studies for cities and regions in Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Georgia, Serbia, Japan and the Netherlands. More than eighty participants took part in these studies, representing over 15 nationalities and varying degrees of professional experience in different fields. Programmess for cities both within and outside of Europe are currently being developed. One of Stadslab aims is to train local professionals in design methodology and international exchange. A new Stadslab publication is now available online. The 52 pages booklet is a comprehensive presentation of the results of the October 2012 Master Class on Mobility and Urban Transportation in Fukuoka, the largest city on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. The proposal for a new hierarchy of bus-lines to fight congestion and redundancy is at the core of the Master Class results.

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Heritage legislation and Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013

Posted on: 13 May 2013
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New heritage legislation has been introduced via the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 that will make life easier and provide greater certainty for owners, managers and developers wishing to make changes to listed buildings. The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 was enacted at the end of April 2013. The new legislation is introduces a number of entirely new ideas taken from the previously shelved Heritage Bill, the Penfold Review and other consultations including: heritage partnership agreements; new types of list entry descriptions for listed buildings; certificates of lawful proposed works to listed buildings; revised certificates of immunity from listing; and new national and local listed building consent orders. Further guidance and secondary legislation is needed before many of these measures introduced in the Act can be fully adopted.

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Towards transformational change: UNDP’s work in environment and sustainable development 2008-2012.

Posted on: 13 May 2013
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The UN Development Programme’s (UNDP) Environment and Energy Group (EEG) has released a report which features a collection of stories from around the world in four strategic areas: mainstreaming environment and energy; mobilizing environmental finance; promoting adaptation to climate change; and expanding access to environmental and energy services for the poor.

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Intelligent cities: Urban design in the digital age

Posted on: 10 May 2013
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This presentation considers the issue of smart/intelligent cities, how to develop new cities and retrofit existing global cities.

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Aviation Strategy

Posted on: 10 May 2013
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The House of Commons Transport Select Committee has published the findings of its inquiry into the government’s aviation strategy. The Committee rejects calls for a new hub airport east of London and urges the Government to permit the expansion of Heathrow where a third runway is long overdue. The Committee looked closely at the three main options by which the UK could increase its hub airport capacity.

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New opportunities for sustainable development and growth through the reuse of existing buildings

Posted on: 10 May 2013
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The Department for Communities and Local Government has published a summary of responses outlining measures the government is bringing forward to relax planning regulations to enable better use of existing buildings. The document contains the government’s response.

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Extending permitted development rights for homeowners and businesses

Posted on: 10 May 2013
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The Department for Communities and Local Government has published a summary of consultation responses outlining measures the government is bringing in to extend permitted development rights for extensions for homeowners and businesses including a new neighbours’ consultation scheme. The Department has also published an assessment of the impact of measures to extend permitted development rights for homeowners and businesses. The measures being taken forward will allow, for a period of 3 years, homeowners to build larger single storey extensions and also increase the thresholds for extensions to retail premises, offices and new industrial buildings. For the new larger home extensions a neighbours’ consultation scheme is being introduced. View here

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Green infrastructure: Enhancing Europe’s natural capital

Posted on: 10 May 2013
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The European Commission has adopted a new strategy for encouraging the use of green infrastructure, and for ensuring that the enhancement of natural processes becomes a systematic part of spatial planning. A technical information paper is also available.

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In land revenue: The case for a land value tax in the UK

Posted on: 9 May 2013
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The Centre for Labour and Social Studies has published a paper calling for a land value tax to help deliver a ‘house-building revolution’.

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East London river crossing

Posted on: 9 May 2013
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The river crossings consultation report shows there is continued support for a new road tunnel between Silvertown and the Greenwich Peninsula and a new river crossing at Gallions Reach.

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