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Research to support the development of a Green Deal Competency Framework
Posted on: 7 March 2012
By: mackene
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New research, commissioned by the Green Deal Skills Alliance (GDSA), a collaboration between Asset Skills, SummitSkills and CITB-ConstructionSkills, argues the challenge to train the built environment workforce and its learning providers for Green Deal launch this autumn is immense. The study surveyed more than 400 employers and training providers from the energy assessment, advice and construction sectors in England, Wales and Scotland, gathering views on the skills and knowledge needed to deliver the Green Deal, the government’s flagship policy for energy efficiency. Despite citing challenges in preparing industry, the report claims SMEs will be able to profit from the scheme. While most employers thought larger firms were more likely to dominate the market, they also believed real opportunities would be created for SMEs to win work through subcontracting for larger firms. Respondents also indicated the initiative had the potential to boost firms’ turnover by up to 20% and that nearly a third of the workforce did have the basic skills needed to deliver the scheme. However, there were concerns that the workforce lacked knowledge in areas such as building fabrics and the impact energy efficiency measures have on different types of buildings. Improving the skills of the workforce was still an urgent priority to ensure the Green Deal’s success.
Green building and climate resilience: understanding impacts and preparing for changing conditions
Posted on: 7 March 2012
By: mackene
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A new report, released by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, describes how green buildings advance resiliency in disasters. This report represents one of the first attempts to compile all research on the impacts of climate change on the built environment in the United States and to link impacts with strategies for addressing them. It explores how climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts at all scales interact synergistically, with a focus on how green building professionals can approach adaptation in the built environment. It contains a set of specific strategies that can be used to enhance resilience and provide adaptive benefits, including ‘no-regrets’ strategies which aim to generate social and/or economic benefits whether or not climate change occurs. The information and strategies presented in the report provide a solid baseline from which green building professionals can begin to address climate change adaptation in their projects.
Adaptation and Resilience to a Changing Climate Coordination Network UKCIP Annual Report 2011
Posted on: 7 March 2012
By: mackene
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The Adaptation and Resilience to a Changing Climate Coordination Network (ARCCCN) has now evolved into a mature network of researchers and stakeholders focussing on the built environment and infrastructure sectors. There is active participation from 18 multi-disciplinary research teams involving 35 academic institutions, over 200 researchers and a wide variety of stakeholders from central and local government, business and industry. Working together through network activities, this community is providing evidence to enable the design of urban systems that are more resilient to climate change thus benefitting national economic stability and well-being. Key achievements across the network in 2011 are included in the latest annual report.
Corporate real estate: investment and global cities
Posted on: 6 March 2012
By: mackene
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This paper represents a scoping exercise among some of RICS’ key stakeholders through a number of global discussion forums. Between late 2011 and early 2012 RICS convened a number of roundtable discussions in a selection of cities in which it operates. Participants at each city discussion included a combination of senior management of major corporate occupiers (e.g. Directors of Property, Heads of Real Estate), service providers (often RICS members) from real estate firms and other property professionals. The participants based their discussions on the same set of topics, which included: why they chose to locate in that specific city/city-region; their city’s relationship with the rest of the country and region; whether there were any real market constraints to locating in the city; existing or emerging best practice in the way that real estate service providers were working with occupiers in that location. Each city page in this report includes a set of economic and demographic data to provide a wider context to the anecdotal evidence.
In sight of the finishing line: A review of the preparations to stage a sustainable Games
Posted on: 6 March 2012
By: mackene
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The Commission for Sustainable London has published a report which reviews London 2012′s preparations to meet the time-critical sustainability challenges facing the organisers of the ‘most sustainable Games to date’. The review has focused on the mechanics of delivery that will be needed at Games-time to ensure that sustainability commitments are met.
Olympic cities and advanced city-making: Part 1
Posted on: 6 March 2012
By: mackene
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Through a series of blogs, Brent Toderian, Planning Director for Vancouver over 4 years of preparation preceding the last Olympics, aims to share his observations on the city-building challenges and legacies from the Vancouver and Calgary Olympic Games, as well as his indirect observations from London and past host cities like Barcelona, Sydney, and Montreal. He will consider the debates on whether hosting the Olympics is a good or bad thing for a city, the lessons from cities that have done it successfully, and maybe even some observations from cities that benefited from going after the Games, and not getting them.
Attitudes of Europeans towards tourism
Posted on: 6 March 2012
By: mackene
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Flash Eurobarometers are ad hoc thematical telephone interviews conducted at the request of any service of the European Commission. Flash surveys enable the Commission to obtain results relatively quickly and to focus on specific target groups, as and when required. Reproduction is authorized, except for commercial purposes, provided the source is acknowledged. The objectives of the latest survey on attitudes of Europeans towards tourism were to study: respondents’ motivation for going on holiday in 2011, the types of research and modes of organisation that people use before taking a holiday, attitudes towards tourism ( e.g. preferred holiday destinations, and the types of holiday that respondents favour), respondents’ travel profiles in 2011, the reasons why respondents did not go on holiday in 2011, including the potential impact of the current economic crisis and respondents’ holiday plans for 2012. Factsheets for individual European countries are also available.
Mainstreaming sustainable development: one year on
Posted on: 6 March 2012
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A year on from publication of Mainstreaming Sustainable Development, the Coalition Government’s vision for sustainable development, Jonathan Tillson, Head of Defra’s Sustainable Development Team, introduces a series of reviews on the year’s progress.
Towards a post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction
Posted on: 6 March 2012
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This paper from the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat (UNISDR) outlines some substantive issues and a process of consultations as the disaster risk reduction community heads toward the end date of the current blueprint for global disaster risk reduction, the Hyogo Framework of Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. It includes a timeframe and timeline of main events for a Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Delivering effective regeneration: Learning from Bridging NewcastleGateshead
Posted on: 6 March 2012
By: mackene
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The social housing research charity, the Building and Social Housing Foundation, has called for long-term commitment and funding for regeneration across the country. The Foundation’s paper highlights the importance of understanding the experiences, needs and aspirations of local communities. This research briefing outlines key learnings for regeneration policymakers and practitioners, with a particular focus on the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder, Bridging NewcastleGateshead, which ran from 2003 to 2011 in the North East of England.
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