Alumni news / 14(1987)

Title from cover.Description based on: No. 5 (spring 1976)

Alumni news / 15(1988)

Title from cover.Description based on: No. 5 (spring 1976)

Alumni news / 8(1979)

Title from cover.Description based on: No. 5 (spring 1976)

Urban and regional planning

Urban and regional planning is a notion that encompasses the whole set of social activities aimed at anticipating, representing and regulating the development of an urban or a regional area. It thus articulates intellectual activities of study and prospective, of social and economic forecasting with more concrete activities such as infrastructure programming, land reservation and land use regulation. Planning operates at different scales: neighborhood, city or region. The concept of governance has subsequently been used to describe the devices through which urban and regional plans were elaborated and implemented following the end of the Keynesian-Fordist consensus and the new objectives set for these device

Treasure Valley State of the Region Report: A Preliminary View of Performance Indicators

The Treasure Valley State of the Region Report, while preliminary, describes the Boise- Nampa MSA using 49 indicators on social, economic, fiscal and environmental aspects of the region. Comparisons using the indicators are also made with peer regions in the Western United States. The rapid increase in growth in the Treasure Valley warrants a comprehensive look at the region. The Institute of Urban and Regional Planning in the College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs at Boise State University initiated the production of this report to meet this need. This report was assembled by faculty and graduate students in an effort to produce a fact based report using region wide data. It was also assembled as a starting point for understanding some of the issues and opportunities we face now and in the future. Undoubtedly the information in this report will grow and evolve as we develop a region wide system of shared data

How the Urban Poor Define and Measure Food Security in Cambodia and Nepal

Urban food security, or its lack, is attracting growing interest in global policy debates. Glaringly missing in these conversations, however, are the voices of the urban poor. To fill this gap, grassroots community organizations, with decades-long experience collecting data on their own communities and taking action to improve conditions, decided to ask the urban poor in Cambodia and Nepal how they define and measure food security, what key challenges they face in the daily struggle to put food on the table and what actions might help. Their findings show that access to adequate diets is a major challenge for low-income communities in Asia, and that hunger is widespread, although with great variations and fluctuations between and within households. They also highlight the extraordinary resilience of urban poor women and their multiple strategies to stretch meagre budgets and make sure there is something to eat, even though sometimes this is not enough

Discussion paper and working paper series : Motivations, expectations and experiences of Australian rural and regional planners

Despite playing an extremely important role in shaping communities, the role and contribution of planners is not widely understood or acknowledged. At the same time, there is a shortage of planners in Australia, especially in non-urban areas. Thus, though an online survey of 185 rural and regional planners, this research explores their motivations, expectations and experiences. Most enjoyed and felt confident in their role, explaining that they valued the relaxed family orientated rural lifestyle and the varied nature of the planning work. Although they sometimes felt isolated, the non-urban location provided quicker progression to senior roles, the ability to engage directly with the community and to see the consequences of their decisions. Only half felt their education had prepared them well for their role, citing gaps in terms of computerised modelling, team leadership and conflict resolution skills. Their feedback centred on providing a more practical course, focussing more on regional planning, and encouraging urban and rural experience placements. As the first study to quantifiably explore rural and regional Australian planners perceptions of their role and challenges, the findings illustrate current experiences, key planning challenges, perceived educational gaps and future priorities

Motivations, expectations and experiences of Australian rural and regional planners

Despite playing an extremely important role in shaping communities, the role and contribution of planners is not widely understood or acknowledged. At the same time, there is a shortage of planners in Australia, especially in non-urban areas. Thus, though an online survey of 185 rural and regional planners, this research explores their motivations, expectations and experiences. Most enjoyed and felt confident in their role, explaining that they valued the relaxed family orientated rural lifestyle and the varied nature of the planning work. Although they sometimes felt isolated, the non-urban location provided quicker progression to senior roles, the ability to engage directly with the community and to see the consequences of their decisions. Only half felt their education had prepared them well for their role, citing gaps in terms of computerised modelling, team leadership and conflict resolution skills. Their feedback centred on providing a more practical course, focussing more on regional planning, and encouraging urban and rural experience placements. As the first study to quantifiably explore rural and regional Australian planners perceptions of their role and challenges, the findings illustrate current experiences, key planning challenges, perceived educational gaps and future priorities

THE GROWTH POLES STRATEGY IN REGIONAL PLANNING: THE RECENT EXPERIENCE OF GREECE

In recent years, there has been an attempt to stimulate the developmental role of urban centres in Greece in the context of regional and spatial planning. In essence, through the recent basic programming texts for the periods 2000-2006 and 2007-2013, the growth poles strategy has once again been exploited in the development programming. This paper attempts initially to describe the new growth poles strategy through the aforementioned programming texts, and then to present the ensuing problems, as well as to outline the emerging capabilities of planning regarding growth poles in Greece. The main conclusions of the research refer to the lack of a fixed typology, which is based on a specific methodology that could form a hierarchical categorization of urban concentrations through clear, long-term criteria. They also refer to a relative weakness in the planning and implementation of urban development policy, as part of regional programming. The absence of a systematic investigation of the role of particular concentrations in the growth process at regional, national and broader level is also a key-conclusion. The formulation of necessary supplementary policies, as well as the administrative organisation issues of the country’s large cities, are of main importance too.Urban Development, Growth Poles and Axes, Regional and Spatial Planning, Greece.