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Evaluation in planning: evolution and prospects Ernest R. Alexander 0 Resenhas Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2006 - 293 páginas Evaluation is a critical stage in urban and regional planning and development, with the consideration of alternative proposals essential for informed debate and decision. Evaluation in planning has become even more important with the new paradigm attempting to integrate economic efficiency with equity, sustainability and social responsibility.The craft of pre-development evaluation has long been influenced by Nathaniel Lichfield, and in his honour, this book brings together prominent researchers and practitioners to discuss evaluation in planning: its conceptual foundations and subsequent development, its strengths and persisting dilemmas, and its best practices and their potential for improving future planning and development.The chapters trace evaluation in planning from its historical origin to current applications. Part one reviews the evolution of evaluation theory and practice, and part two contains a selection of best-practice application. The final integrating chapter notes key problems, and offers directions for future development in evaluation research and practice.

First International Workshop on "Econometrics and Multidimensional evaluation in Urban Environment" EMEUE 12 in conjunction with The 2012 International Conference on Computational Science and its Applications (ICCSA 2012) June 18th  - June 20th, 2012 Federal University of Bahia, Salvador de Bahia, Brazil   Submission papers should be submitted at:  http://www.iccsa.org/ WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION IMPORTANT DATES SCIENTIFIC COMMITEE ORGANISING COMMITTEE Call for papers Many urban policies emphasize the role of evaluation, as support of plans and programs, and in the same time, demand a better measure of economic dimension in planning. The new economic evaluation consider as well the ecological measure in the light of sustainability of development. The general focus of the session is therefore the evolution of evaluation methods in plans and programs, in the way is possible for methods to across web-communication-technologies. In someway, on one side we look at recalling to the memory the increase of econometric modeling of the early seventies and eighties, this time in the light of a new way to intend the relationship between urban geography and spatial statistics, on the other side we look at a new role of communication technologies to improve the multidimensional evaluation, by using the web as way to spread information, and democratize the assessment in multi actor processes. In that part of the scientific world that use soft econometric modeling Multicriterial/multigroup analyses can be "done on the web"; on the other side, in the other part of the world, that use robust data management, we need to overcome the traditional geo-statistical models that support econometrics withdrawing data and validating metadata. Maybe these two part of the world need to be linked. Multidimensional approaches in the field of urban economics, from the econometric approach to qualitative evaluation; new analytical and empirical approaches, hard, soft, fuzzy multicriteria a

Research Papers 220)     Cowen, Deborah and Vanessa Parlette Inner Suburbs at Stake: Investing in Social Infrastructure in Scarborough, June 2011, 86pp. ISSN 0316-0068; ISBN 978-0-7727-1482-4. 219)     Jim Simmons, Larry Bourne, and Shizue Kamikihara, The Changing Economy of Urban Neighbourhoods: An Exploration of Place of Work Data for the Greater Toronto Region, December 2009, 44 pp. ISBN 978-0-7727-1477-0 218)     Greg Suttor, Rental Paths from Postwar to Present: Canada Compared, December 2009, 59 pp. ISBN 978-0-7727-1476-3 217)     Michael Noble, Lovely Spaces in Unknown Places: Creative City Building in Toronto's Inner Suburbs, March 2009, 50 pp. ISBN 978-0-7727-1474-9 216)     Jason Hackworth, Habitat for Humanity and the Neoliberal Media: A Comparison of News Coverage in Canada and the United States, March 2009, 39 pp. ISBN 978-0-7727-1473-2 215)     David Wachsmuth, From Abandonment to Affordable Housing: Policy Options for Addressing Toronto's Abandonment Problem, November 2008, 48 pp. ISBN 978-0-7727-1472-5 214)     Katharine N. Rankin, with the assistance of Jim Delaney, Courtney Hood, Justin Ngan and Sabin Ninglekhu, Commercial Change in Toronto's West-Central Neighbourhoods, September 2008 ISBN-13 978-0-7727-1471-8 213)     Emily Paradis, Sylvia Novac, Monica Sarty, J. David Hulchanski, Better Off in a Shelter? A Year of Homelessness and Housing among Status Immigrant, Non-Status Migrant, and Canadian-Born Families, July 2008, 89 pp. ISBN-13 978-0-7727-1469-5 212)     Duncan Maclennan, Housing for the Toronto Economy, July 2008, 72 pp. ISBN 978-0-7727-1468-8 211)     R. Alan Walks and Richard Maaranen, The Timing, Patterning, & Forms of Gentrification & Neighbourhood Change in Montreal, Toronto, & Vancouver, 1961 to 2001, May 2008, 109 pp. ISBN 978-0-7727-1465-7 210)     Jason Hackworth, Neoliberalism, Social Welfare, and the Politics of Faith in the United States, June 2007, 36 pp. ISBN 978-0-7727-145

Public/Private Partnerships Innovation Strategies and Policy Alternatives Link, Albert N. 2006, XVI, 160 p. 13 illus., Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-387-29774-3 Ships in 3 - 5 business days $109.00 ABOUT THIS TEXTBOOK Research and development (R & D) leads to innovation, and innovation leads to technological change. Technological change, in turn, is the primary driver of economic growth. Public/private partnerships -- cooperative relationships among industry, government, and/or universities -- leverage the efficiency of R & D and are thus a critical aspect of a nation's innovation system. This text is intended for upper-level undergraduate and MBA courses such as Economics and Technology, Economics of Innovation, and Economics of Science and Technology, among others. The first chapter introduces the concept of public/private research partnerships along with other concepts fundamental to an understanding of innovation and technology policy. The framework chapters (2-5) set forth an argument for the public's role - government's role - in innovation in general and in public/private partnership in particular. The remaining chapters (6-14) describe a number of public/private partnerships and, to the extent possible, evaluate their social impact.   Content Level » Research Related subjects » Economic Growth - Entrepreneurship - Innovation - Technology Management - R&D / Technology Policy TABLE OF CONTENTS / SAMPLE PAGES List Of Tables List Of Figures Acknowledgements 1: Introduction Public/Private Partnerships Public/Private Partnership Framework Overview Of The Book 2: The History Of Public/Private Partnerships The Colonial Period The Period Of National Science And Technology Infrastructure The Period Of Industrial Science And Technology Infrastructure The Period Of The World Wars And Afterwards 3: Public Support Of Innovation Government's Role In Innovation The Role Of Public Research Institutions 4: Technological Change And R&D Models Of Technologic

hanks to everyone who has shared links and leads to webinars and other programs! To clarify. I will post the final list of FREE webinars and other distance learning programs late next week. I will also post separate lists of FOR-FEE online degree programs, certification programs, and fee-based distance learning programs. Examples of these include Ryerson University's Certificate in Food Security and Green Mountain College's new Masters in Sustainable Food Systems. So, please do continue to send me examples of all of the above! Cheers, Duncan -----Original Message----- From: Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion Group [mailto:SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU] On Behalf Of Duncan Hilchey Sent: Friday, January 20, 2012 12:59 PM To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU Subject: [SANET-MG] Food System Webinar Compilation Dear SANET List, Below is what I've collected so far toward a compilation of free webinars and distance learning programs of potential interest to food system and agricultural development professionals.  I do not believe this is exhaustive by any means. However, this is based on what folks (on COMFOOD, SANET, and FOOD PLANNING lists) led me to and what I was able to glean on my own from the Internet. I excluded some recommendations which I felt were too limited in scope. On the whole, the sustainable/organic agriculture and "good food" communities seems to have done an excellent job getting comprehensive programs online. I was less successful in identifying webinars and distance learning programs on food security. I do not know if there's a niche to produce these or whether I was simply not looking in the right place. In any case, please continue to send me links and leads-as well as corrections (I did this rather hastily). I will post the final compilation in the next few weeks-once your suggestions are exhausted. I would eventually like to see a one stop shopping clearing house created where e

Policy Analysis of Transport Networks Imprint: Ashgate Illustrations: Includes 44 b&w illustrations Published: January 2007 Format: 234 x 156 mm Extent: 332 pages Binding: Hardback ISBN: 978-0-7546-4547-4 Price : £65.00 » Website price: £58.50 BL Reference: 388 LoC Control No: 2006928102   Print friendly information sheet Send to a friend Edited by Marina van Geenhuizen, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands, Aura Reggiani, University of Bologna, Italy and Piet Rietveld, Free University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands Series : Transport and Mobility Interdisciplinary contributors from across Europe and the USA join together in this book to provide a timely overview of the latest theories and policies related to transport networks. They cover topical issues such as: environmental benefits of substitution of aviation by high speed trains; incident management; impacts of aviation deregulation; and time savings in freight transport. The book also breaks new ground on the development of new methods of cost benefit analysis and other approaches in policy analysis. Contents: Preface; New trends in policy making for transport and regional network integration, Marina van Geenhuizen, Aura Reggiani and Piet Rietveld. Part I Policy Analysis in the Transport Field: Equity issues in the evaluation of transport policies and transport infrastructure projects, Piet Rietveld, Jan Rouwendal and Arno van der Vlist; Economic impact assessment for analysing the viability of regional airports in Norway, Svein Brathen and Knut S. Eriksen; Modelling the short-term impacts of a nuclear accident on transportation flows, Peder Axensten; Models and realities: choosing transit projects for New York City, Robert Paaswell and Joseph Berechman; A framework for identifying and qualifying uncertainty in policy making: the case of intelligent transport systems, Marina van Geenhuizen and Wil Thissen; An evaluation of benefits from aircraft and high-speed train substitution, Mo

An evaluation of the most enduring privatisation of the Thatcher era … Written in an accessible style, this is a key reference for students and researchers in housing and planning; geography; and social policy. The book analyses the operation and impact of the right to buy policy (RTB). It includes a critique of the Housing Act and the 2001 Housing (Scotland) Act. The enactment of these changes under a Labour government affirms the continuance of the RTB. The authors take stock of its profound effect on housing policy, reversing the growth in social housing developed over the twentieth century, transforming the nation's tenure structure and revolutionising the UK housing system. The Right to Buy: analysis and evaluation of a housing policy begins with an examination of the policy background to the establishment of the RTB and the main features of the legislation. This is followed by chapters that review its take-up and the pattern of sales and their impact on social housing; a chapter examining the financial aspects of the RTB from the viewpoints of tenants, local authorities and central government; one looking at the impact of the RTB via subsequent re-sales on the open market and on the private rented sector; and a chapter drawing on the information already reviewed to consider the potential of the RTB to create sustainable and diverse communities. In the final chapters the international experience of parallel policies are considered and the future take-up of the RTB is assessed in the light of recent reforms together with alternatives.

Taking a policy analysis approach to housing and drawing from the burgeoning comparative literature, this textbook provides a systematic re-evaluation of the nature of British housing that challenges the orthodox "home-owning society" view whereby Britain is seen as marking a norm. Building up from basic concepts in policy analysis, the book reinterprets the UK housing system in a manner which is sensitive to the specific historical and cultural origins and development of British policy and society. As such, the text offers both an important and cutting-edge evaluation of British housing and a case study in applied social policy analysis.

New Horizons in Regional Science series Series editor: Philip McCann, University of Groningen, The Netherlands and University of Waikato, New Zealand Regional science analyses important issues surrounding the growth and development of urban and regional systems and is emerging as a major social science discipline. This new series will provide an invaluable forum for the publication of high quality scholarly work on urban and regional studies, industrial location economics, transport systems, economic geography and networks. New Horizons in Regional Science aims to publish the best work by economists, geographers, urban and regional planners and other researchers from throughout the world. It is intended to serve a wide readership including academics, students and policymakers. For submissions in this series please contact our commissioning editor - http://www.e-elgar.co.uk/proposal.lasso The Regional Economics Of Knowledge And Talent Karlsson, C. Johansson, B. Stough, R.R. 'The Regional Economics of Knowledge and Talent, edited by Charlie Karlsson, Börje Johansson and Roger R. Stough brings together a wide range of cutting edge studies and research on the role of talent... read more... Hardback c$160.00 on-line price c$144.00   Qty Innovation, Global Change And Territorial Resilience Cooke, P. Parrilli, M.D. Curbelo, J.L. 'Innovation, Global Change and Territorial Resilience is indeed a timely contribution addressing the challenges that the global economy poses for local, regional and national economies. In the current... read more... Hardback c$210.00 on-line price c$189.00   Qty Creative Knowledge Cities van Geenhuizen, M. Nijkamp, P. This book adopts a holistic, integrated and pragmatic approach to exploring the myths, concepts, policies, key conditions and tools for enhancing creative knowledge cities, as well as expounding poten... read more... Hardback $205.00 on-line price $184.50   Qty Societies In Motion Frenkel, A. Nijka

Major Report Series 1974-95 1. A. Rose, Citizen Participation in Urban Renewal, Centre for Urban and Community Studies, 1974, (Part V, National Housing Act, CMHC), 319 pp. 2. L. Curry and R. D. MacKinnon, Aggregative Dynamic Urban Models Oriented Towards Policy, Centre for Urban and Community Studies, 1974, (Ministry of State for Urban Affairs CMHC), 419 pp. 3. L. W. Kennedy, Adapting To New Environments Residential Mobility From The Mover's Point of View, Centre for Urban and Community Studies and Department of Sociology, University of Toronto, 1975, 199 pp. 4. W. Michelson, Time-Budgets and Social Activity - Volume 1, Centre for Urban and Community Studies, (Statistics Canada), 207 pp. 5. F.G. Schliewinsky, A Systems Approach to Neighborhood Change: Metropolitan Toronto 1951-1971, Centre for Urban and Community Studies and Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Toronto, 1975, (Cadillac-Fairview Corporation), 133 pp. 6. H.F. Andrews and H.J. Breslauer, User Satisfaction And Participation: Preliminary Findings from a Case Study of Cooperative Housing, March 1975, (Ministry of State for Urban Affairs), 331 pp. 7. C.M. Biernacki, Housing Stock Trends: A Summary. Canada, Ontario and Toronto, May 1976, (Connaught Fund), 87 pp. 8. P. Brown, Some Perspectives on the Toronto Housing Market, 63 pp. 9. S.M. McKinnon, Traditional Rural Architecture in Quebec 1600-1800, Centre for Urban and Community Studies and Centre for Medieval Studies, April 1976, (Cadillac-Fairview Corporation), 113 pp. 10. P.S. Morrison, Data Sources on Residential Change And the Housing Market. A Guide To Contemporary Sources and Tests of Bias in Residential Property Data in Metropolitan Toronto, March 1977, 76 pp. 11. C.M. Biernacki, Temporal Perspectives on the Toronto Housing Market: Descriptive Indices and Time Series, June 1977, Urban Housing Markets Program, 96 pp. 12. C.M. Biernacki, Tests of the Temporal Sensitivity of The Toronto Housing Market, July 1977, 61 pp.

patial Economic Analysis, Vol. 7, No. 3, 01 Sep 2012 is now available on Taylor & Francis Online.  This new issue contains the following articles: Editorial  Editorial Peter Mulder, Peter Nijkamp & Roger Stough Pages: 287-291 DOI: 10.1080/17421772.2012.697755 Original Articles  Modelling Regional Growth: An Advanced MASST Model Roberta Capello & Ugo Fratesi Pages: 293-318 DOI: 10.1080/17421772.2012.694143 The Causal Effect of the Internet Infrastructure on the Economic Development of European City Regions Emmanouil Tranos Pages: 319-337 DOI: 10.1080/17421772.2012.694140 Entrepreneurship, Social Capital and Institutions: Evidence from Italy Marco Percoco Pages: 339-355 DOI: 10.1080/17421772.2012.694144 Does Agglomeration Boost Innovation? An Econometric Evaluation Megha Mukim Pages: 357-380 DOI: 10.1080/17421772.2012.694142 Regional Growth and Unemployment: The Validity of Okun's Law for the Finnish Regions Aki Kangasharju, Christophe Tavera & Peter Nijkamp Pages: 381-395 DOI: 10.1080/17421772.2012.694141

Frame Analysis: Theoretical PreliminariesThomas KönigFrame analysis is neither a full-fledged theoretical paradigm, nor a coherent methodological approach. Rather, frame analyses are a number of related, even though sometimes partially incompatible methods for the analysis of discourses (Scheufele 1999: 118). What unifies these analyses is a (fairly loose) theoretical connection to Goffman's (1974) work on framing. These pages will overview: the theoretical development of frame analyses;the measurement of frames;important conceptsin frame analysis;software suitable to aid frame analysis;a bibliography of frame analysis.Theoretical DevelopmentInitially frame analysis was initially predicted to become a niche method at best. One Contemporary Sociology reviewer complained that Frame Analysis is cumbersome to read (Davis 1975: 603), the other one wondered, if an adequate systematization of frame analysis would be feasible (Gamson 1975: 605). 1Probably the single most important factor for the success of Goffman's frame analysis despite this initial skeptical assessment is its unorthodox appropriation by scholars from very different traditions. Frame analysis is no longer Goffman's frame analysis, but is frequently only loosely connected to the original formulation. Notwithstanding the recurrent symbolic nods to Goffman, today's "frame analysis" spans a number of disparate approaches (D'Angelo 2002; Fisher 1997; Hallahan 1999; Maher 2001: 81f; Scheufele 1999: 103, 118). Three subject areas stand out in the development of frame analyses since Goffman: Management and organizational studies, social movement studies, and media studies. Each subject area has, of course, focused on different areas of framing theory and has approached the subject with different methods. Following the the work of 2002 Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman and his associate Amos Tversky (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979), management and organizational studies have focused on the behavioral effects of different

RSA Annual International Conference 2011 17th - 20th April 2011, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK Academic Papers Author(s) Title of Paper/Presentation Cristina Aragón, Mari Jose Aranguren, Maria Angeles Diez, Cristina Iturrioz and James R. Wilson Creating cooperation for clusters? Lessons from the implementation of a participatory policy evaluation process Jānis Balodis Polieconomics of African Civil Wars: Period 1950. - 2010 - Military Geographical Distribution Professor Andrew Beer Subversive Leadership: Hegemony, Contestation and the Future of Regions Professor Andrew Beer and Dr Selina Tually The Drivers of Regional Housing Markets in Australia: Evidence and Implications for Future Growth Paul Benneworth and Roel Rutten Territorial Innovation Models beyond the Learning Regions Bianchi P. and Labory S. Industrial Policy after the Crisis: the Case of the Emilia-Romagna Region in Italy Michail Biniakos The changing politics of Local and Regional Development and Governance in Romania Ph.D. Luis Felipe Martí Borbolla Business and social responsibility Petter Boye (Econ. Dr.) The changing role of OECD Territorial Reviews in policy conception and regional development David L. Brown, Benjamin C. Bolender, Laszlo J. Kulcsar, Nina Glasgow and Scott Sanders Inter-County Variability of Net Migration at Older Ages as a Path Dependent Process Dr Ignazio Cabras Community Cohesion in Rural UK: The Case of Rural Co-operatives and their Potential for Local Communities H. Caraveli and M. Tsionas Regional Inequalities in Greece: Determining factors, trends and perspectives Tony Champion and Alan Townsend British City Regions' Economies into Recession Anastassios Chardas Exploring the differential enforcement of the EU's Cohesion Policy added value: Administrative and institutional adjustments in Greece and Ireland. Nick Clifton, Phil Cooke and Høgni Kalsø Hansen Creative Knowledge Workers across 'Varieties of Capitalism': evidence from Sweden and the UK Joa

ECOLOGY, PLANNING, AND MANAGEMENT OF URBAN FORESTS 2008, Part II, 219-239, DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-71425-7_14 Landscape Corridors in Shanghai and Their Importance in Urban Forest Planning Junxiang Li, Yujie Wang and Yong-Chang Song Download PDF (823.7 KB)Permissions & Reprints Look Inside Related Book View Related Documents full access Journal Article Changes in avian species composition following surface mining and reclamation along a riparian forest corridor in southern IndianaM. J. Lacki no access Book Chapter Opportunities and Alternatives for Enhancing Urban Forests in Compact Cities in Developing CountriesC. Y. Jim no access Book Chapter Benefits of Urban Green Space for Improving Urban ClimateVolker Heidt no access Book Chapter Urban Ecology Studies in China, with an Emphasis on ShanghaiYong-Chang Song no access Book Chapter Toward a Landscape Ecology of Cities: Beyond Buildings, Trees, and Urban ForestsJianguo Wu no access Journal Article A case study of urban ecological networks and a sustainable city: Tehran's metropolitan areaBehnaz Aminzadeh no access Book Chapter Linking Man and Nature Landscape Systems Landscaping blue-green networkS.-K. HONG no access Journal Article Impact of landscape and corridor design on primates in a large-scale industrial tropical plantation landscapeRobert Nasi Book Chapter Evaluation and Planning of Wildlife Habitat in Urban LandscapeY. Natuhara Book Chapter Urban Forestry and the Eco-City: Today and TomorrowMargaret M. Carreiro Scroll upScroll down EXPORT CITATIONABOUT Abstract Shanghai has now experienced more than 20 years of innovation and open experiments in promoting economic growth. However, rapid urbanization has been accompanied by increasingly serious environment pollution that already affects Shanghai's sustainable development goals. The Shanghai municipal government has realized that it is very important to develop urban forests to improve environment quality and provide livable places for its urban residents.

International Handbook On The Economics Of Mega Sporting Events Wolfgang Maennig , Andrew Zimbalist Edited by Wolfgang Maennig, Department of Economics, University of Hamburg, Germany and Andrew Zimbalist, Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics, Smith College, US April 2012 c 416 pp Hardback 978 0 85793 026 2 Hardback c£125.00 on-line price c£112.50 Qty Series: Elgar original reference Description From the Olympics to the World Cup, mega sporting events are a source of enjoyment for millions, but can also be a source of intense debate and controversy. In this insightful new Handbook, expert contributors address a number of central questions, including: How are host cities selected and under what economic conditions? How are these events organized, and how is local resistance overcome? Based on historical and empirical experience, what are the pitfalls for the organizers of these events? What are the potential economic benefits, including any international image effects? How can the costs be minimized and the benefits maximized for host cities and countries? How do these mega events impact the challenges of globalization and what is their environmental legacy? Contents Contributors include: G. Ahlfeldt, G. Andranovich, W. Andreff, R. Baade, O. Bass, R. Baumann, U. Bob, D. Brown, M. Burbank, R. Burton, A. Cartwright, A. Ceballos, D.M. Chin, D. Coates, L. de Melo, S. du Plessis, N. Eber, B. Engelhardt, A. Feddersen, R. Flores, D. Forrest, Y. Guo, C. Heying, Y. Hou, B. Humphreys, G. Kavetsos, S. Kesenne, R. Koning, J. Long, W. Maennig, B. Majumdar, V. Matheson, I. McHale, N. Mehta, M. Ölschläger, N. O'Reilly, P.K. Porter, A.R. Sanderson, I. Sanz, J. Schokkaert, B. Seguin, S. Shmanske, E. Sterken, B. Suessmuth, K. Swart, J. Swinnen, S. Szymanski, J.D. Tena, R. Tomlinson, H. van Egteren, T. Vandemoortele, C. Zhou, A. Zimbalist Further information From the Olympics to the World Cup, mega sporting events are a source of enjoyment for millions, but can also be

For four decades, the Center for Urban Policy Research has served the nation with basic and applied research on a broad spectrum of public policy issues. CUPR, a component of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, is nationally and internationally recognized for its research on affordable housing, land use policy, environmental impact analysis, state planning, public finance, land development practice, historic preservation, infrastructure assessment, development impact analysis, the costs of sprawl, transportation information systems, environmental impacts, and community economic development. As a full-time academic research institution, CUPR has developed a wide array of fiscal, environmental, transportation, and quality of life impact models that have been used in major public policy evaluations throughout the United States. Housed within the center is CUPR Press, one of the nation's premier publishers in the field of city and regional planning. (CUPR Press is now joined with Transaction Publishers.) Also housed there is R/ECON, a quarterly economic forecasting service for the state; the New Jersey Public Policy Research Institute (NJPPRI), a research center specializing in policy for and about the African-American community; and the Community Development Institute (CDI), a training institute for community development professionals. The Center's multidisciplinary faculty and staff have backgrounds in city and regional planning, economics, public administration, regional science, sociology, urban geography, computer programming, geographic information systems, and statistics. They have testified as expert witnesses before all branches of the federal government as well as state and local governments. Since its founding, the Center has completed more than $40 million in sponsored research for federal agencies, major private foundations, state and local government agencies in New Jersey, and a score of other states and private funders. Fede

Seventh International Conference on "Geographical Analysis, Urban Modeling, Spatial Statistics" GEOG-AN-MOD 12 in conjunction with The 2012 International Conference on Computational Science and its Applications (ICCSA 2012) June 18th  - June 20th, 2012 Federal University of Bahia, Salvador de Bahia, Brazil    Workshop Description Submission Authors Guideline Proceedings Important Dates Organising Committee Programme Committee Useful Links Further information Programme GEOG-AN-MOD 08 GEOG-AN-MOD 09 GEOG-AN-MOD 10 GEOG-AN-MOD 11 Presentations of previous GEOG-AN-MOD Pictures of previous GEOG-AN-MOD Videos of GEOG-AN-MOD 10 ICCSA conference site Follow us Workshop Description During the past decades the main problem in geographical analysis was the lack of spatial data availability. Nowadays the wide diffusion of electronic devices containing geo-referenced information generates a great production of spatial data. Volunteered geographic information activities (e.g. Wikimapia, OpenStreetMap), public initiatives (e.g. Spatial Data Infrastructures, Geo-portals) and private projects (e.g. Google Earth, Microsoft Virtual Earth, etc.) produced an overabundance of spatial data, which, in many cases, does not help the efficiency of decision processes. The increase of geographical data availability has not been fully coupled by an increase of knowledge to support spatial decisions. The inclusion of spatial simulation techniques in recent GIS software favoured the diffusion of these methods, but in several cases led to the mechanism based on which buttons have to pressed without having geography or processes in mind. Spatial modelling, analytical techniques and geographical analyses are therefore required in order to analyse data and to facilitate the decision process at all levels, with a clear identification of the geographical information needed and reference scale to adopt. Old geographical issues can find an answer thanks to new methods and instruments, wh

Due to request of delaying the submission by several authors, the deadline of "Cities, Technologies and Planning" (CTP 12) for submitting full paper has been extended to 28 February, 2012.  Due to request of delaying the submission by several authors, the deadline of "Cities, Technologies and Planning" (CTP 12) for submitting full paper has been extended to 28 February, 2012. "Cities, Technologies and Planning" CTP 12   http://www.unibas.it/utenti/murgante/ctp_12/descr.html in conjunction with The 2012 International Conference on Computational Science and its Applications (ICCSA 2012) June 18th  - June 20th, 2012 Federal University of Bahia , Salvador de Bahia, Brasil  http://www.iccsa.org/ Description 'Share' term has turned into a key issue of many successful initiatives in recent times. Following the advent of Web 2.0, such positive experiences based on mass collaboration generated "Wikinomics" have become "Socialnomics", where "Citizens are voluntary sensors". During the past decades, the main issue in GIS implementation has been the availability of sound spatial information. Nowadays, the wide diffusion of electronic devices providing geo-referenced information have resulted in the production of extensive spatial information datasets. This trend has led to "GIS wikification", where mass collaboration plays a key role in main components of spatial information frameworks (hardware, software, data, and people). Some authors (Goodchild, 2007) talk about "Volunteered Geographic Information" (VGI), as the harnessing of tools to create, assemble, and disseminate geographic information provided by individuals voluntarily creating their own contents by marking the locations of occurred events or by labeling certain existing features. not already been shown on map. The term "neogeography" is often adopted to describe people activities when using and creating their own maps, geo-tagging pictures,

Interconnected. Globalized. Complex. Our world is getting ever more intertwined. As we progress into the future and our knowledge about the world expands, we find ourselves in a paradoxical situation where we are more capable than ever to tackle problems, yet we are confounded by the ever more intricate problems facing us. Koios is being developed to help people rise up and combat these difficult problems. What is Koios? Koios is an online collaborative tool for solving difficult social problems. With difficult social problems we mean complex social systemic issues. Some also call these wicked problems. We do not mean everyday people problems. With solving a problem we do not mean applying a fix but instead working towards holistic solutions for systemic change. In common for these problems is that stakes are high, there is a high degree of uncertainty, and human judgement is required. Knowledge is incomplete. The problem situation and its boundaries are hard to define. (Uncertain facts) The causes of the problem are uncertain. The possible solutions are uncertain. Decisions of others are unpredictable. Evaluation of solutions require multi-criteria decisions including moral and ethical considerations. Future external factors that may influence the situation are uncertain. Behaviour and values of the people involved are in dispute. The best ways to measure or monitor solutions are uncertain. "…[Societal] structures of which we are unaware hold us prisoner. " - Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline. Koios empowers You to solve long term, open-ended, systemic, complex, messy, ill-structured, real world problems that often seem unsolvable. These can be issues on all levels from the community, to city, regional, national and on to the global level. Koios provides the tools to help you collaborate with thousands of other people to analyse and shift a difficult situation towards a more optimal, fair and sustainable future state. It is all about getting the require

The social, economic, and political landscape of northern British Columbia (BC), Canada, has undergone considerable transformation since a recession in the early 1980s. From this, there is an emerging recognition of the need to move from an economy based upon comparative advantage to one embracing competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper, drawn from ongoing regional research, is twofold. First, we apply a rural lens to the regional planning and development literature, which highlights the significance of competitive advantage as a tool for regional rejuvenation. Second, we add to this dialogue by exploring the relevance and meaning of competitive advantage in the non-metropolitan setting of...