Waste prevention programme for England

Posted on: 11 December 2013
By: mackene
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Defra has published a waste prevention programme for England which sets out the government’s view of the key roles and actions which should be taken to move towards a more resource efficient economy. As well as describing the actions the government is taking to support this move, it also highlights actions businesses, the wider public sector, the civil society and consumers can take to benefit from preventing waste.

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Tourism in the Americas

Posted on: 11 December 2013
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This report from the World Tourism Organisation aims to identify the main trends shaping tourism in the Americas over the last years while bringing to light important national case studies in key areas such as air transport development, visa facilitation or regional tourism.

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Home Truths 2013/14: The housing market in England

Posted on: 10 December 2013
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This report from the National Housing Federation argues that whilst economic growth has returned to many areas, this has caused the already over-stretched housing market there to overheat. Meanwhile, in parts of England where green shoots are nowhere to be seen, high unemployment and low wages mean families are desperately struggling to make ends meet and communities are at a standstill.

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Sustainable Drainage Sytems (SuDS) Manual

Posted on: 10 December 2013
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As part of the update of the CIRIA SuDS Manual a Project Team has produced a series of priority checklists and frameworks on the planning, design, construction and maintenance of SuDS.

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Status of black carbon monitoring in ambient air in Europe

Posted on: 10 December 2013
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This report from the European Environment Agency looks at the monitoring networks currently measuring black carbon, measurement methodologies and how this data is used. As the effects of this pollutant have become better understood in recent years, it is increasingly seen as an important target of environmental control. Authors of the report hope that the study will encourage more comprehensive monitoring of this pollutant, which is currently patchy.

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ITF Transport Outlook 2013: Funding transport

Posted on: 10 December 2013
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The volume of global transport could double or even quadruple by 2050, according to a new study released today by the International Transport Forum (ITF), an intergovernmental organisation with 54 member states associated with the OECD. GDP growth, freight intensity of economic activity and demographic change are important drivers of this growth. But key determinants for the level of future increases are policy choices, according to the ITF Transport Outlook, an annual report containing long-run scenarios for global transport activity and related CO2 emissions.

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UK Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium

Posted on: 10 December 2013
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The UK Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium will inform the analysis, planning and design of national infrastructure, through the development and demonstration of new decision support tools, and working with partners in government and industry. The research deals at a national scale with: energy, transport, water, waste, and information and communication technologies (ICT) systems.

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Box of Broadcasts (BoB)

Posted on: 10 December 2013
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Box of Broadcasts (BoB) is having an upgrade,  ready for the new launch on 6th January 2014, BoB will be closed from 5pm on 13th December until 23rd December 2013. The upgrade is the most substantial update to BoB National since its launch in 2009 and will result in a range of new features and much more content, including: Over 1 million TV and radio programmes available, including all BBC TV and radio content dating from mid-2007; More than ten foreign language channels; An extended 30-day recording buffer; Display and search transcripts and thumbnails; Watch BoB on your handheld device; An improved way to create clips, playlists and clip compilations; An easy one-click citation to reference programmes in your work; A new-look website and improved navigation; Share what you’re watching on Twitter; Add You-Tube style comments on programmes and clips.

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Notes on Neighbourhood Planning: Issue 8

Posted on: 10 December 2013
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This bulletin from the neighbourhood planning team in the Department for Communities and Local Government provides an update on the latest news and policy developments, how the neighbourhood planning team can help communities, and how communities’ varied work on the ground fits with the national picture.

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Open data or closed doors? Supporting research in cities

Posted on: 10 December 2013
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One of the factors constraining our ability to improve the functioning of UK cities is the lack of robust data at the city level, according to a new report from the Centre for Cities. It argues that the UK Government needs to do more to increase awareness of and use of the data it holds, and cities themselves need to recognise the value of the data they collect and begin sharing this data for the benefit of their residents. This report highlights some of the benefits seen around the world from opening up data, whether that data be classed primarilyas public, private or big data. It also highlights data currently held by the UK Government that if released would significantly improve the understanding of cities; and it sets out some important areas in which data collection needs to be improved.

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