Time to listen: hearing people on the receiving end of international aid. London, 15 January 2013

Posted on: 30 January 2013
By: mackene
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Humanitarian actors have long been concerned to ensure that the voices of affected populations are heard, and there has been a recent increase in initiatives designed to increase communication with, and accountability to, the recipients of international humanitarian assistance. Perhaps the most comprehensive attempt to date to understand the opinions and perspectives of disaster-affected populations has been undertaken by ALNAP Member CDA Collaborative Learning Projects.  Between 2005 and 2009, CDA’s Listening Project held thousands of conversations with aid recipients, government and civil society representatives and aid workers in 20 aid receiving countries. The core themes that emerged from these conversations have now been collected in CDA’s new book Time to Listen: Hearing People on the Receiving End of International Aid. The ODI organised an event where the authors of the book outlined the main issues identified by the 6,000 people with whom they spoke: what works in humanitarian assistance, and what needs to change. The presentation was followed by an open discussion. Videos of the event are available online.

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Modus

Posted on: 30 January 2013
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The most recent issue of the RICS journal Modus (December 2012/January 2013) takes a closer look cutting-edge virtual technologies in surveying and celebrate the new frontiers that they are creating. Includes an article which reports on the use of BIM in three very different projects.

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Count us in: Approaches to engaging households with their energy use

Posted on: 30 January 2013
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The National Housing Federation has published its review of behaviour change and engagement research and practice. The report profiles the work housing associations are carrying out across England to help tenants cut their energy use and sets out key findings from recent academic research.

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101 rules of thumb for low energy architecture

Posted on: 30 January 2013
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This book encourages the designer to think clearly and intuitively about the fundamentals of low energy buildings. With reliable, simple rules of thumb that will provide new ideas and refresh the designer’s palette, each page focuses on a single piece of advice or guidance along with a clear hand-drawn illustration, while there are also plenty of tips and more detailed information for those who wish to dig deeper. The emphasis is on passive low-energy principles, and the rules of thumb cover all the design fundamentals from site and location to orientation and form, peppered with some which will help the designer to think ‘outside the box’ about the design process itself. The information is applicable throughout the world in any climate region. Price £17.99

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Pioneering growth and profitability trends in the travel sector

Posted on: 29 January 2013
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This study includes findings from interviews with 30 travel industry thought leaders and, combined with macroeconomic forecasts from Oxford Economics, provides insights into how the industry will develop in the coming decade. Focused specifically on the challenges and opportunities facing airlines and agents, the report not only looks at potential new revenue opportunities and drivers of profitability but also changing traveller tastes and preferences, and new models driving future growth.

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An easier life at home? ‘Selling’ the Green Deal to UK households

Posted on: 29 January 2013
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A key assumption behind the Green Deal is that once market barriers are removed, there will be a flood of demand from UK homeowners for energy efficiency measures in their homes. However, interim findings from research from the UK Energy Research Centre casts doubt on whether this expected flood will come, for one simple reason: energy efficiency is rarely the main motivating factor for people’s decisions to renovate their homes.

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London Business Survey

Posted on: 29 January 2013
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This report presents the findings of the sixteenth CBI/KPMG London business survey, based on responses from a cross-section of businesses in London. Topics covered include: the impact of the 2012 Games, London’s transport and London’s competitiveness.

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Federation of Master Builders: State of Trade Survey

Posted on: 29 January 2013
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This quarterly survey examines the workload of small and medium sized enterprises in residential and non-residential sectors in the UK. The survey also covers prices, costs and employment.

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EU funds and local growth

Posted on: 29 January 2013
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This report, commissioned by the Local Government Association, makes the case for giving local partnerships sufficient freedoms and flexibility to maximise local growth through the use of EU structural funds during 2014-2020. It makes a series of recommendations which would ensure decisions are devolved, and grounded in the arguments for a genuinely local approach to growth.

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Reference Framework for European Sustainable Cities

Posted on: 29 January 2013
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The Reference Framework for European Sustainable Cities (RFSC) has been successfully launched and is now available to all European cities and municipalities wishing to pursue an integrated and sustainable urban development. The RFSC offers practical support in integrating sustainability principles into policies and actions at various urban scales, from neighbourhood level to the wider metropolitan level.

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