Mapping Europe into local climate zones

Cities are major drivers of environmental change at all scales and are especially at risk from the ensuing effects, which include poor air quality, flooding and heat waves. Typically, these issues are studied on a city-by-city basis owing to the spatial complexity of built landscapes, local topography and emission patterns. However, to ensure knowledge sharing and to integrate local-scale processes with regional and global scale modelling initiatives, there is a pressing need for a world-wide database on cities that is suited for environmental studies. In this paper we present a European database that has a particular focus on characterising urbanised landscapes. It has been derived using tools and techniques developed as part of the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT) project, which has the goal of acquiring and disseminating climate-relevant information on cities worldwide. The European map is the first major step toward creating a global database on cities that can be integrated with existing topographic and natural land-cover databases to support modelling initiatives

Comparitive assessment of the vulnerability and resilience of 10 deltas, synthesis report

The proposed framework for delta assessment and especially the scorecards are intended to enhance awareness raising, discussion and prioritization on most relevant delta issues, in each delta but also in comparison with other deltas. This should lead to more efficient and effective (multi-sectoral) policy formulation, management design and implementation, in concrete Delta plans, pilot-projects and (research) programmes. The target groups are all stakeholders who are involved in delta management at different levels and with different interests (government, private companies, NGOs, public), and who wish to contribute to the resilience of their own delta and other deltas worldwide

Comparative assessment of the vulnerability and resilience of 10 deltas : work document

Background information about: Nile delta (Egypt), Incomati delta (Mozambique), Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (Bangladesh), Yangtze (China), Ciliwung (Indonesia), Mekong (Vietnam), Rhine-Meuse (The Netherlands), Danube (Romania), California Bay-Delta, Mississippi River Delta (USA

Real estate market activity in Slovenia in 2000-2006

This paper examines a particular aspect of Slovenian real estate market that is still developing -real estate market activity. Only two decades ago, Slovenia still had a socialist, planned economy, so there is a lack of tradition in the fields of both the real estate market and analysis of that market. The former only started to develop with the transition to the market-oriented economy in the beginning of the 1990s. Significant progress was observed in the second half of the 1990s, due to the favourable economic development of the country. In our research, we focused on the real estate market development in the 2000-2006 period, which was marked by major changes in legislation and other institutional backgrounds, directly or indirectly referring to the field of real estate and real property. The development of the real estate market in Slovenia was examined for a given period on the basis of the available market data, which have been acquired from the Tax Administration of the Republic of Slovenia; the real estate market activity development is analysed by statistical regions and types of real estate. The results show general developments in the Slovenian real estate market for the given period and, in particular, the influence of institutional and legal factors on real estate market activity

Launching Delta Alliance, final report of phase 2

Delta Alliance is a network that aims to improve the resilience of the world’s deltas. It provides a foundation and framework for international knowledge sharing and development around delta issues. Phase 2 focussed on three components: developing the Delta Alliance organization, initiating network activities and (development of) research and knowledge sharing projects