Railway freight transport statistics

Posted on: 21 November 2014
By: mackene
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This article focuses on recent rail freight transport statistics in the European Union.

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Breaking the mould

Posted on: 21 November 2014
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Based at the University of Exeter Medical School’s European Centre for Environment & Human Health, the European Centre for Environment & Human Health has just published findings that show damp and specific types of mould can pose a significant health risk to people with asthma. While homes are increasingly designed to save energy, this blog considers what can we do to prevent side-effects that pose a cost to our health.

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Future proofing cities in China

Posted on: 21 November 2014
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Atkins was commissioned by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Prosperity Fund to prepare eco-low carbon (ELC) urban planning guidance in close collaboration with China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development and the FCO, and supported by the China Society for Urban Studies. China’s 12th Five Year Plan, which places strong emphasis on energy and resource efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental protection, calls specifically for an “optimized pattern of green development”. The National New Urbanisation Plan (2014-2020) issued in March 2014 further emphasises the importance of sustainable development and sets out a clear vision of green eco-low carbon smart development. The methodology is aimed at providing a blueprint for ELC urban planning in China. In promoting a new type of urban planning to meet the challenges of the new type of urbanization in China, the guidance places strong emphasis on integration (technical, process and conceptual), understanding local context, and human scale development in harmony with nature, as well as the importance of place making in urban form, and partnering to finance ELC development through green credit initiatives. The methodology was officially launched in Beijing in May 2014.

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Energy performance of office buildings

Posted on: 21 November 2014
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Unlike Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), which provide a theoretical rating of the building’s energy consumption, Display Energy Certificates (DECs) provide information on the actual operational energy consumption. It’s claimed that in the public sector, where they are mandatory, DECs have helped achieve substantial year-on-year reductions in energy costs. The UK government ultimately withdrew plans to make DECs compulsory in the private sector, and while this might have caused dismay for many, it hasn’t stopped others from pushing ahead with their own ideas. The Voluntary Display Energy Certificate (VolDECs) is an operational energy rating scheme designed for commercial office buildings that has been developed by a partnership between the National Energy Foundation (NEF) and Phil Jones of Building Energy Solutions. The not-for-profit scheme has been piloted by Legal & General and tested on 16 of its major, multi-tenanted office properties. This blog contains the outcomes of a discussion with Debbie Hobbs, head of sustainability at Legal & General Property, and Malcolm Hanna, technical director of the NEF, to find out more about the initiative.

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Public realm

Posted on: 21 November 2014
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This briefing digs deeper into the conventional wisdom that underpins public realm interventions and provides a more complete picture of the likely effects of public realm interventions on the local economy. It draws on available empirical evidence and urban economic theory.

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The age and construction of English homes: A guide to ageing the English housing stock

Posted on: 21 November 2014
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This new report, on sale at the BRE Bookshop, provides detailed information on typical designs and features of houses built at different periods, using statistics from the 2010 English Housing Survey. Experienced surveyors and housing professionals will have developed an intuitive feel for when a house was constructed and the date of any modifications which have been undertaken, particularly in their own local area, where they are familiar with local materials and designs. As such, this book is intended for less experienced professionals, students of housing, or individuals with a personal interest, to be taken onto the streets and used as a reference book.

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Building a brighter future for the north.  Leeds, 6 November 2014

Posted on: 20 November 2014
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The Centre for Cities and the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office hosted the Northern Futures Summit, marking the end of a period of public consultation to gather ideas on how best to stimulate economic growth in the north of England. The event brought together over 300 delegates and a broad range of speakers, from local and national politicians and policy-makers, to local students, business representatives and leading academics. Above the line-up of speakers, however, it was the deliberative and inclusive format of the event that really made the day unique. The proposers of the most bold and innovative initiatives put forward during the consultation process were invited to deliver their pitches to a series of panels, which then debated and discussed each idea on its merits. All delegates were then able to vote for their favourite suggestions, with results shown in real-time in the room. A video of the event is available online.

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State of the World 2014: Governing for sustainability

Posted on: 20 November 2014
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The latest volume in the Worldwatch Institute’s State of the World series examines both barriers to responsible political and economic governance as well as gridlock-shattering new ideas. The authors analyze a variety of trends and proposals, including regional and local climate initiatives, the rise of benefit corporations and worker-owned firms, the need for energy democracy, the Internet’s impact on sustainability, and the importance of eco-literacy. A consistent thread throughout the book is that informed and engaged citizens are key to better governance.

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Transforming cities for sustainability

Posted on: 20 November 2014
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More people now live in urban than rural areas for the first time in human history. This growth challenges areas already struggling to provide services and cope with environmental pressures. How is planning and technology helping cities become more sustainable and reimagine their futures?  This resource presents an in-depth analysis including opinions, facts and figures, and key resources. It features views by Ashvin Dayal and Anna Brown of the Rockefeller Foundation, Marcus Moench of ISET International, and Edwin Castellanos of the University of the Valley of Guatemala. It also includes a podcast interview with urban poverty expert David Satterthwaite, and multimedia features that explore urban challenges and solutions in India, Mozambique and Uganda.

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The road to growth: Is transport the driver of local economic development?

Posted on: 20 November 2014
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This report analyses 474 projects Local Growth Deals. It showed that 63 per cent of the projects involved were transport-related, of which 73 per cent were road-related. The report emphasises that, to be most effective for growth, local enterprise partnerships should focus on both long-term, larger transport projects as well as short-term, minor improvements.

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