River basin management planning ministerial guidance and standards

Posted on: 2 May 2014
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The Government has launched a consultation exercise on its draft updated guidance to the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales on river basin planning. This guidance includes a description of how the agencies will be expected to use the new and updated standards in classifying the status of water bodies, regulating controlled activities and setting environmental objectives. Comments are requested by 30 May 2014.

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The UK’s National Energy Efficiency Action Plan and Building Renovation Strategy

Posted on: 1 May 2014
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The NEEAP explains how the implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive will help realise the UK’s cost effective energy efficiency potential.

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Building the homes we need: A programme for the 2015 government

Posted on: 1 May 2014
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Research by Shelter and consultancy firm KPMG shows that a radical new housebuilding programme is needed to provide nearly 250,000 new homes a year.

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Delivering change: Making transport work for cities

Posted on: 1 May 2014
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This report from the Centre for Cities identifies the key challenges that need to be overcome if the transport systems in UK cities are to improve and provide the quality of service that workers, businesses and residents need, such as: uncertainty and short timescale of funding, limited freedoms to make transport improvements, and the lack of integration of transport, economic development and housing strategies. It shows that London has overcome the majority of these challenges because it has more control over its transport and Transport for London has had huge success in improving the capital’s transport system.

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The ECO: an evaluation of year 1

Posted on: 1 May 2014
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The Centre for Sustainable Energy has completed an independent evaluation of the first year of the Energy Company Obligation, including its interactions with the Green Deal. The evaluation shows the ECO as a new scheme beginning to pick up speed after a slow start. After one year it was being delivered within the original estimated costs. But it was not meeting one of its core aims, which was to develop a market for solid wall insulation. This was mainly due to a design flaw in the policy which allowed energy suppliers to prioritise cheaper, easier measures. There was also very little activity in rural areas. The report makes a number of recommendations.

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Climate resilience in development planning: Experiences in Colombia and Ethiopia

Posted on: 1 May 2014
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This report discusses the current state of knowledge on how to build climate resilience in developing countries. This report discusses the current state of knowledge on how to build climate resilience in developing countries. It argues that climate-resilient development requires moving beyond the climate-proofing of existing development pathways, to consider economic development objectives and resilience priorities in parallel.

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Expanding airport capacity in large urban areas

Posted on: 1 May 2014
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This report reviews international experience in reconciling planning and environmental constraints with demand for airport capacity and the potential benefits in terms of productivity and growth from developing international airline services. Experience is compared in London, New York, Tokyo, Osaka, Sydney and in Germany’s main airports with particular attention to the dynamics of airline markets and implications for airport planning in multi-airport cities.

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An evaluation of the Commonwealth Games 2014 legacy: Pre-Games report

Posted on: 1 May 2014
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The Pre-Games Report sets out our commitment to a transparent and long term evaluation of legacy to generate learning for ourselves, future bidders and hosts, and to add to the international literature. This is the most ambitious evaluation that has been conducted as part of a Commonwealth Games. The report covers the key questions, methodology and some early findings. It also makes a prospective assessment of what the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games might achieve based on the evidence and early results.

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Assessing polycentric urban systems in the OECD: Country, regional and metropolitan

Posted on: 1 May 2014
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Contemporary urban systems in OECD countries are structured around functional regions, which often overcome established city boundaries. By using a harmonised definition of functional urban areas in OECD countries, this paper first provides a sound definition of polycentricity at each spatial scale, highlighting for each of them the different links with policy. Second, it provides measures of polycentricity and explores the economic implications of different spatial structures. Results show that relatively more monocentric regions have higher GDP per capita than their more polycentric counterparts. At country level, on the other hand, polycentricity is associated with higher GDP per capita.

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City resilience framework

Posted on: 1 May 2014
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This framework, supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and developed by Arup’s International Development team gives cities a tool to understand their resilience; to shape urban planning, practice and investment.

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