Architecture Commons^™

Achieving Sustainable Designs Within Master Planned Communities, Ned Wales, Elspeth Mead

Ned Wales

Under rapid technological advancement within the urban development industry, fuelled by booming economic conditions, a fertile environment is flourishing for the uptake of sustainable development practices. However, this gives rise to the question: Then, why is there a considerable lag in the implementation of sustainable practices aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and human waste? This paper expands on initial findings of localised research into the adoption of ecological sustainable development practices within the land development industry. Through this research and further investigation a number of issues are exposed; the lack of regulatory direction, training of industry players and a …

Student Preferences For Career Mentoring In Property And Construction, Liz Everist, Valerie Francis, Lynne Armitage

Lynne Armitage

Although career mentoring is well established across many professional areas, its application in the field of property and construction is at an emergent stage. As part of ongoing quality review aimed at enhancing student engagement with their educational program, a survey was undertaken among first and second year students enrolled in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning's Bachelor of Planning and Design (Property and Construction). The study investigated student preferences regarding involvement in a career mentoring program including mentoring program options and mentoring style preferences. Several differences emerged between property and construction student cohorts and in particular between male …

Translating Research Into Homelessness Policy And Practice: One Perspective From The United States, Dennis P. Culhane

Dennis P. Culhane

Like social scientists everywhere, homelessness researchers in the US are usually ignored. Good science that identifies what causes homelessness, sound evaluations which document that certain programs will never work, and even evidence that promising solutions deserve broad replication, are often disregarded. Such wanton indifference for science would constitute malpractice in the field of medicine, but it sometimes passes as acceptable policy in the field of social welfare. Ideology, politics and preservation of the status quo usually prevail. So, what’s a well intentioned researcher to do? Persevere and become more tactical. After all, policy failures can’t be ignored forever. Like good …

Barriers To Building Partnerships Between Major Stakeholders In Affordable Housing Investment In Queensland, Connie Susilawati, Lynne Armitage

Lynne Armitage

The recent housing boom experienced across Australian metropolitan markets has attracted many new investors and resulted in increasing prices across the full range of residential sub-markets for both owner-occupation and investment categories. Of particular concern from a social perspective is the consequential pressure generated in the affordable housing rental market. This paper reports the results of a survey of affordable housing providers drawn from a range of backgrounds. Using in-depth interviews, it compares the opinions of these supply side groups regarding their experiences of the barriers to entry to affordable housing partnerships. The findings show agreement across the sector that …

Pobres Las Ciudades De Pobres, Fernando Carrión Mena

Fernando Carrión Mena

En América Latina, los años ochenta, en términos socioeconómicos, fueron definidos como la "década perdida". Las políticas de ajuste estructural dirigidas a solventar las llamadas variables macroeconómicas dejan -a estas alturas-una considerable deuda social que, en lugar de reducirse con el paso del tiempo, se incrementa considerablemente. Según el Banco Mundial, América Latina es la región del mundo con mayor grado de desigualdad social, lo cual hace que la pobreza sea impermeable al crecimiento económico y al gasto social.

Si bien la pobreza no es un fenómeno nuevo, sí se puede afirmar que durante los últimos años creció, se transformó …

Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships In Affordable Rental Housing: An Investigation Using Soft Systems Framework, Connie Susilawati, Martin Skitmore, Lynne Armitage

Lynne Armitage

Queensland Department of Housing has proposed partnerships as one possible option to deliver affordable housing. Although this initiative is supported by other stakeholders, many constraints have impeded its implementation for real projects. It might be applicable for mixed housing projects with some relaxation on tax and/or planning requirements. In general, affordable housing has not been seen as a valuable investment. Moreover, the partnerships require stakeholders to work across boundaries and outside their comfort zones.

This initial study examines the use of Soft System Framework to explore stakeholders’ views of multi-stakeholder partnerships in affordable rental housing. A series of in-depth interviews …

Quito Imaginado, Fernando Carrión Mena, Milagros Aguirre A., Eduardo Kingman G.

Fernando Carrión Mena

Apreciado lector, investigador, viajero, habitante de estas urbes: en las páginas siguientes encontrará usted uno de los resultados más sugestivos de la que también es una de las investigaciones más originales e interesantes generadas en América Latina sobre las formas y maneras de ser habitante de una ciudad iberoamericana; labor realizada por numerosos especialistas que nos aportaron miradas locales, de conjunto y comparativas. Este trabajo fue realizado con el auspicio del Convenio Andrés Bello y el aporte de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia y de múltiples instituciones académicas, oficiales y de la sociedad civil en todo el continente y España. …

Citizen Based Public Health Surveillance, Monitoring And Post-Event Assessments, Thomas Lyons Carr Iii

Thomas Lyons (Thom) Carr III Appl.Sc., CEM

When a sudden on-set emergency or disaster affects a region or the whole country, communities and neighborhoods should plan for the possibility that emergency and other civic services will be disrupted and unavailable (District of Columbia 2003a, 2003b, 2004; Doyle 2004; Siskiyou County Public Health/NorCalBT.com 2004). The event may be severe enough that the routine public health surveillance and monitoring system will be disrupted or the system will not be able to provide data quickly enough to support state and local decisionmaking. A temporary post-disaster system should be planned for and implemented. The epidemiologist supporting the local decision makers must …

What Communities Should Do Pre-Event To Support Public Health Post-Event Assessments, Surveillance And Monitoring, Thomas Lyons Carr Iii

Thomas Lyons (Thom) Carr III Appl.Sc., CEM

[Abstract written March 2008, TLC] Under worst-case planning assumptions used by some major metropolitan areas, a Neighbor-to-Neighbor self-help program model is the primary link between citizens and the professional response personnel of the responsible government agencies.

In the Neighbor-to-Neighbor self-help program model or a Community Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) calls on the citizens in neighborhoods to identify and establish cluster emergency preparedness committees, Cluster Emergency Coordination Centers (CECC) and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT). Missing from these plans or what is not articulated is how constant Public Health Post-Event Surveillance, Monitoring and Assessments will be done. Given the worst-case planning …

Barriers To Expanding Partnerships For Affordable Rental Housing Investments, Connie Susilawati, Lynne Armitage, Martin Skitmore

Lynne Armitage

The recent housing boom, experienced across Australian metropolitan markets, has attracted many new investors and resulted in increasing prices across the full range of residential sub-markets for both owner-occupation and investment categories. Of particular concern from a social perspective is the consequential pressure generated in the affordable housing rental market. Moreover, high vacancy rates and modest rental growth in rental housing has caused a deterioration in the investor’s rental yield given these increasing house prices (Powall and Withers, 2004, p.7).

In this difficult situation, traditional delivery methods for rental housing are unlikely to continue to attract more investment in this …

Barriers To Sustainable Suburbs, Ned Wales, Elspeth Mead

Ned Wales

Under the rapid technological advancement within the building industry and booming economic conditions regionally it has been an ideal environment for the uptake of environmentally sustainable development (ESD) and progressive urban planning practices. Then why is there considerable lag in the implementation of new ESD technologies and master planning practices that address important issues such as greenhouse gas emissions and waste generation within building, design and construction? This paper is the result of localised research into the perceived and real barriers preventing broad adoption of ecologically sustainable development practices in the Australian land development context.

Through this investigation a consistent …