Municipal Budget Management and the Generation of Urban Sprawl. A Case Study of the Lombardy Region (Italy)

ABSTRACT

The paper describes one of the Italian sprawl drivers: the circle triggered by the use of urban charges to solve budget problems. From 2005 to 2018, Italian municipalities could use urban charges to solve normal budget problems: they could plan new urban areas to provide new urban charges, new building and services, and they could manage old and new services at the expense of normal budget. The planning of unnecessary urban areas was effectively influenced by budget problems. The paper illustrates this issue during a period without open data sources in order to improve land management and environmental sustainability.     

Understanding and Planning for Freight Movement in Cities: Practices and Challenges

ABSTRACT

Planning for freight presents a perpetual challenge for governments. Understanding freight flows has attracted increasing research attention, though such knowledge can be difficult to translate to address problems in planning practice. This paper critically assesses the challenges of understanding and planning for urban freight movement, especially with reference to achieving more sustainable outcomes. In doing so, we elucidate guidance for broader analytical and policy approaches suited to meeting diverse public interest objectives. We review the literature with specific reference to the nature of policy problems, while collating existing conceptual knowledge for broad urban land use types.     

Blockchain and the circular economy: potential tensions and critical reflections from practice

Abstract

Blockchain technology and the circular economy (CE) are two emergent concepts that can change the way we live for decades. Arrival of Industry 4.0 is set to transform organisational activities through various technological innovations. Blockchain is such a critical technology. Yet, the breadth of the blockchain concept and its application require nuanced investigation in different contexts, including examining some tensions with the applications. This paper examines how blockchain technology is likely to transform and advance circular economy realisation. Using grounded theory building from multiple case studies, we present early evidence linking the blockchain application to circular economy dimensions of regenerate, share, optimise, loop, virtualise, and exchange (ReSOLVE model). Case studies of blockchain application in various industrial sectors, at different adoption levels, for diverse organisational purposes are analysed and discussed. We systematically examine the practices, gaps, potential tensions, and critical reflections. Our study concludes with a summary of research propositions, limitations, and future research directions.     

What is a Healthy Sustainable Built Environment? Developing Evidence-Based Healthy Built Environment Indicators for Policy-Makers and Practitioners

Abstract

Healthy built environments place people and communities at the heart of urban planning, encouraging decision-making based on human health, well-being and environmental sustainability. This paper describes the development of a set of indicators to assist in this endeavour—by translating and linking the research evidence base with policy-makers and other practitioners. The paper describes how the indicators were chosen, contextualized and subsequently structured to maximize useability for urban planners and health professionals working together to improve community health and neighbourhood sustainability.     

New developments in generative BOM processing systems

Abstract

The principle of generative bill-of-material (BOM) processing systems is that different BOMs belonging to different product variants can be represented by a single, so-called source BOM. The BOM processing systems comprise additional data structures which hold information on the relationships between product characteristics of parent product variants and component product variants, and on the relationships between characteristics of a parent product variant and its BOM data. These relationships allow the automatic generation of the individual BOM of each represented product variant. There are several alternative ways of implementing a generative BOM processing system. The oldest concept known is the variant BOM concept. This concept provides a relatively simple solution to deal with large varieties of final product variants. However the concept has a number of drawbacks such as the representation of product variety at lower levels in the product structure and data redundancy which hampers data maintenance. In this paper an improved concept for generative BOM processing systems is introduced and described: the generic BOM concept. The generic BOM concept does not focus on representing final product variants only, but takes a broader view towards representing any range of product variants at any level in the product structure. This starting point solves a number of draw-backs implied by the variant BOM concept but it also requires new definitions of BOM relationships and the introduction of new data structures to support the generation of individual BOMs.     

A global meaning of supply chain social sustainability

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to help reduce tensions in supply chain social sustainability (SCSS) decisions by providing a common global, contextual definition of social sustainability. This exploratory study utilised an inductive structured interview method to capture SCSS concept meanings. Those interviewed are from, have lived, and worked in developed economies, emerging economies and the base of the pyramid (BOP) economies. The results present a new global baseline definition of SCSS to inform theory and practice by finding that SCSS meanings differ not only between the different levels of economic development, but also within the levels as well. Culture, community and whether basic human needs are met all weigh into perspectives of what this concept is and should entail; a broad, contingent definition is most appropriate moving forward for sustainability planning and execution. Further research with stakeholders in more countries and communities is needed to validate our proposal.     

Making Competitive Cities in the Light of the Meta-SWOT Tool: A Case Study of Tehran,Iran

ABSTRACT

While there is a growing body of scholarship on regional competitiveness, little attention has been paid to the planning methods that can pursue this objective. Public planners are mainly relying on conventional methods that have come under increasing criticism. This study aims to introduce Meta-SWOT as a novel planning tool in urban and regional studies. Meta-SWOT provides competitive and realistic strategies for planners. It systematically tries to present strategies rooted in internal resources and capabilities while acknowledging the challenges posed by the external environment. Nevertheless, it has several limitations that should be considered when applying to urban and regional planning.     

Collaboration with Caveats: Research–Practice Exchange in Planning

Abstract

Researcher and practitioner collaboration in urban planning is both critical to good outcomes and problematic to achieve in reality. Collaboration has the potential for new partnerships, better research problem definition, improved research design and greater impact on practice and policy. However, politics, stakeholder agendas and funding bodies bring pressures and constraints, for which research professionals require a broader set of skills to manage. We examine researcher–practitioner collaboration as part of an action research project on urban greening in Australia. Focusing on a stakeholder engagement workshop, we examine the mechanisms used to overcome barriers to research-practice exchange. We find overt consideration of common barriers to access and use of research when planning collaboration exercises can help facilitate more productive engagement, creating spaces for mutual understanding and generating shared objectives. However, we also find that efforts at collaboration challenge traditional research practices, involve tensions and caveats, and require a different mode of researcher engagement.     

How smart cities transform operations models: a new research agenda for operations management in the digital economy

Abstract

The notion of smart cities is growing in prominence in the digital economy. The integration of urban infrastructures with information and communication technologies enables the development of new operations models. Digitised infrastructures offer opportunities for public and private organisations to design and deliver more customer-centric products or services, particularly for those that require geographical proximity with consumers in the online to offline (O2O) context. A framework is developed and used to analyse three case examples. These cases illustrate the emergence of new operations models and, demonstrate how smart cities are redefining the characteristics of operations models around their scalability, analytical output and connectivity. We also explore the feasibility, vulnerability and acceptability of each new operation. This paper contributes to our understanding of how smart cities can potentially transform operational models, and sets out a research agenda for operations management in smart cities in the digital economy.     

Simple systems for computer-aided production management

Future production concepts where workshop employees responsibly carry through planning and scheduling tasks call for new principles ofcomputer-aided production management (CAPM). With the aid of a critical analysis ofdifferent planning and scheduling mechanisms it will first be laid down why the field of computer-aided production management is suited for a dialogue-oriented planning support based on simple models rather than for the objective of automation with the aid of refined optimization algorithms. Consequently, an alternative design is proposed. This is a prototypically realized concept aiming at computer-aided support of production management of production teams.     

Disability,Terror and Safety in the City: Charting Individuals’ Spatio-temporal Encounters with Counter-terrorism Measures in Birmingham,UK

ABSTRACT

This paper responds to recent calls for further work on vulnerable people’s experiences of official planned attempts to create safe cities that are based on ableist assumptions. Go-along interviews elicited from people with cognitive, physical or motor impairments, together with interviews taken from built environment professionals are used to highlight the diverse ways in which differently disabled individuals encounter official efforts to create safe, secure urban spaces and suppress terrorist threats in one UK city centre (Birmingham). Focusing on individuals’ embodied spatio-temporal experiences provide wider lessons for planners and urban stakeholders about the decision-making processes people adopt during urban crises.     

Open collaborative innovation and digital platforms

Abstract

This study uses contract theory to analyse the relationship between open collaborative innovation strategies and digital platforms. We argue that a collaborative mechanism and governance of the platform affect how operations are run and impact firm ambidexterity. We also explain how the twofold revealing strategy, both selective and free occurs via the platform and how governance positively impacts the coordination mechanism. A case study analysis on TIM OPEN draws a ground-breaking framework for future investigations. The analysis suggests that the combination of digital platform and collaborative innovation can facilitate the creative process and be a driver of operational synergies. Results confirm that the adoption of digital platforms for collaborative innovations reduces transaction costs.     

New views and visions on product structures

Abstract

The paper deals with different viewpoints in product structuring knowledge. Special interest is paid to a new viewpoint called control structure. The necessity for such a concept is based on the penetration of product oriented manufacturing systems (factories, workshops and cells) together with the related distribution of production management decision making. Control structure is an aggregated control oriented viewpoint on the product structure hiding the details of the work operations and materials requirements at the lower levels of decision making. Thus control structures are also intended for the integration and loosely coupled co-ordination of control units. The paper also strongly advocates the application of interactive graphics in the manipulation of product structure information. A practical system developed is demonstrated as a vehicle for implementing the concepts introduced.     

In search of optimal management of the purchasing–marketing interface for new product development

Abstract

Growing dependence on suppliers for production and innovation, together with increasing consumer demands, has prompted recent discussions of the importance of purchasing–marketing functional integration. However, empirical studies are needed to understand how to manage this interface within a new product development (NPD) context. This study, grounded in information processing theory, proposes a new model to classify integrating mechanisms as either information-sharing forums or optimizers. This model further postulates the greater capacity of optimizer mechanisms for improving NPD commercial and financial performance, as well as speed. The empirical results, obtained from a sample of 141 firms, show that forums only improve NPD speed, whereas optimizer mechanisms evoke better commercial and financial performance. This study therefore highlights the potential of different integrating mechanisms and contributes to the on-going debate about the very concept of functional integration itself.     

Integrated Education for Resilient Urban Adaptation: Wildfire Risk Reduction in Australia

Abstract

Urban and regional planning education seeks, often through highly applied teaching, to develop students’ abilities allowing them to work meaningfully on emergent urban and regional issues. However, it is relatively uncommon that education itself develops alongside government policy and research agendas. This paper documents the development of a new tertiary wildfire management qualification prepared in partnership with planning and building agencies after the devastating 2009 Victorian wildfires. It is argued that the process of developing educational outcomes in this case paralleled an interactive and ongoing agenda of research, policy development and education that represents adaptive-ness facilitating resilience as learning and institutional change.     

Reviewing Implications of Urban Growth Management and Spatial Governance in the Global South

ABSTRACT

Urban containment policies have been applied in the global north as a strategy towards creating compact urban development. In the south the urban growth management discourse have been part of planning practice for the past three decades. There are however several reasons, both structural and political that have contributed to its limited success. The purpose of the research is to review practices of growth management in the south in an attempt to find lessons from the implementation of different mechanisms. The study focuses on the challenges of growth management mechanisms and its associated spatial governance approaches.     

GIM and logistics in the factory of the future

Abstract

In the future, the competitive strength of industry will depend on its ability to realize flexible production systems, to install intelligent EDP-systems and to link them to a goal-orientated logistic system. Currently, a lot of new strategies, concepts and approaches for production arc being promoted and discussed, often in a spirit of controversy: CIM (computer integrated manufacturing), 'production logistics’, and JIT (just-in-time production) have become familiar concepts which have one thing in common: new structures in production will be necessary. However, the overall effect of CIM is often very small in comparison to the investment for realizing this concept. The main reason is that such projects are missing a logistic orientation. A continuous flow of information and material as envisaged by the logistics principle requires not only that all automation components can be integrated on the technical level, but also that all relevant functions and sectors can be integrated organizationally.     

Selection of methods,techniques and tools for system analysis and for the integration of CIM-elements in existing manufacturing organizations

Abstract

Implementation of computer-aided and integrated manufacturing systems requires one to consider all areas of the company in order to ensure a homogeneous and continuous evolutionary system development. Therefore, planners of computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) systems need a concept to come to a coherent selection of methods for those system development. In this paper a concept is introduced which allows an interdisciplinary team of system developers (engineers, industrial economists, personnel economists) a coherent choice of methods for system development. As examples, three methods applicable to the problem of CIM-implementation into organizations are evaluated.     

建设用地指标和建设用地的序贯拍卖定价机制研究

现行建设用地指标定价机制未能有效反映其真实价值，使得农民缺乏复垦闲置宅基地来提供建设用地指标的意愿。针对指标和建设用地的互补性特点，以及指标价值是开发商私人信息的特征，本文构建第一价格和第二价格两种密封拍卖下的互补品序贯拍卖模型，研究建设用地指标和建设用地的定价机制。理论和仿真分析得出两种拍卖下的建设用地指标和建设用地价格，并通过对比分析得出不同目标下的最优定价机制。研究发现，两种拍卖下，竞标人的建设用地指标报价均随着土地价格增值系数增加而提高，随着竞标人数递增而降低；序贯二价下的竞标人建设用地指标及建设用地的报价均高于序贯一价；序贯二价下，持有建设用地指标的竞标人获得建设用地的概率更高。因此，地方政府可采用适当提高土地闲置费用的方法，以此提高失地农民复垦权益，激励农民复垦闲置宅基地，增加建设用地指标供给；同时，采用序贯二价拍卖，提高建设用地指标和土地的利用效率。     

Frugal innovation for supply chain sustainability in SMEs: multi-method research design

Abstract

In this study, we attempt to establish the missing links between supply chain sustainability and frugal innovation. Our study motivations stem from two facets of the emerging markets: first, the institutional barriers and, second, the resource constraints. We argue that there is a synergy in the concepts of frugal innovation and sustainability in supply chains and there is a need to further explore this synergy. Furthermore, we claim that even in the wake of many success stories in the frugal innovative supply chain management practices from emerging markets such as India, there are very few, if any, attempts made to understand the implications of a sustainability oriented frugal innovations in the particular context. To address this gap, we develop a model to establish the linkage between sustainable supply chains and frugal innovations. Our proposed conceptual framework depicts the hierarchy and interlinks of the identified enablers in developing sustainability oriented frugal innovative capabilities in supply chains. Furthermore, we have empirically validated our theoretical framework using survey data. We observed that most of the interpretive links are supported. These findings extend the understanding of frugal innovation for supply chain sustainability using multi-method research design, while also providing theoretically guidance to managers in the development of frugal innovation capability to achieve sustainability in supply chain in resource constrained environment.