Pathways to Coastal Resiliency: the Adaptive Gradients Framework

Current and future climate-related coastal impacts such as catastrophic and repetitive flooding, hurricane intensity, and sea level rise necessitate a new approach to developing and managing coastal infrastructure. Traditional “hard” or “grey” engineering solutions are proving both expensive and inflexible in the face of a rapidly changing coastal environment. Hybrid solutions that incorporate natural, nature-based, structural, and non-structural features may better achieve a broad set of goals such as ecological enhancement, long-term adaptation, and social benefits, but broad consideration and uptake of these approaches has been slow. One barrier to the widespread implementation of hybrid solutions is the lack of a relatively quick but holistic evaluation framework that places these broader environmental and societal goals on equal footing with the more traditional goal of exposure reduction. To respond to this need, the Adaptive Gradients Framework was developed and pilot-tested as a qualitative, flexible, and collaborative process guide for organizations to understand, evaluate, and potentially select more diverse kinds of infrastructural responses. These responses would ideally include natural, nature-based, and regulatory/cultural approaches, as well as hybrid designs combining multiple approaches. It enables rapid expert review of project designs based on eight metrics called “gradients”, which include exposure reduction, cost efficiency, institutional capacity, ecological enhancement, adaptation over time, greenhouse gas reduction, participatory process, and social benefits. The framework was conceptualized and developed in three phases: relevant factors and barriers were collected from practitioners and experts by survey; these factors were ranked by importance and used to develop the initial framework; several case studies were iteratively evaluated using this technique; and the framework was finalized for implementation. The article presents the framework and a pilot test of its application, along with resources that would enable wider application of the framework by practitioners and theorists

Hope and fear: narratives of state-level climate adaptation

Si la planificación es ampliamente considerado como la organización de la esperanza, la planificación del cambio climático, con su necesidad de anticipar lento y desastres rápida puede ser la gestión del miedo. Pero el miedo y la desesperación tienden a desalentar a los bienes públicos compartidos. Parece que los planes de adaptación al cambio climático debe ser un equilibrio cuidadoso entre el pesimismo realista / (cambio climático está en marcha y es probable que sea grave) y el optimismo (podemos hacer arreglos ahora que importará y crearemos mejores ciudades de todo). Empíricamente, ¿es así como los estados están interpretando el reto? Esta investigación examina un conjunto de planes de adaptación de EE.UU. a nivel estatal y se encuentra que hay prácticas que los planificadores pueden utilizar para equilibrar la esperanza y el miedo. Los planes pueden comenzar con una visión positiva que pone de relieve los diversos beneficios de la adaptación, y demostrar que las medidas de adaptación son capaces de reducir la magnitud o intensidad de los impactos. Pueden diferenciar entre la incertidumbre inherente a la ciencia y la desconfianza en la ciencia, y proporcionar los datos de monitoreo sobre impactos del cambio climático.If planning is widely considered the organization of hope, climate change planning with its need to anticipate slow and quick disasters may be the management of fear. But fear and despair tend to discourage shared public goods. It seems that climate adaptation plans should be a careful balance between the realistic/pessimistic (climate change is underway and is likely to be severe) and the optimistic (we can make arrangements now that will matter and will create better cities all around). Empirically, is this how states are interpreting the challenge? This research examines a set of US statelevel adaptation plans and finds there are practices that planners can use to balance hope and fear. Plans can begin with a positive vision that highlights the diverse benefits of adaptation, and demonstrate that adaptation actions are capable of reducing the magnitude or intensity of impacts. They can differentiate between the uncertainty inherent in the science and distrust in science, and provide for monitoring data on climate change impacts. We contend that building narratives that create a message of hope and tying to long-established values for planning will help to make adaptation more likely to be implemented.Eje 4: Construir las nuevas agendas socio-ambientales. Orientar y gestionar las transiciones y transformaciones urbanas.Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

Syllabus: Sustainable Cities Seminar

‘Sustainability’ is a concept and approach that has become more prevalent in ecological, economic and equity discussions over the last several decades, yet its historical and cultural roots are far more extensive than has been usually recognized. This course aims to examine + evaluate core principles and practices identified by advocates as well as adversaries of sustainability, and address a variety of questions related to sustainability: the appropriate spatial and temporal scale of sustainable planning and design; the full scope of which systems and standards are best suited for achieving sustainable outcomes; the relative roles of ‘high’ vs. ‘low’/‘hard’ vs.‘soft’ science and technology paths; expertise ↔ efficiency ↔ equity; individual vs. collective responsibilities; and the interdependence of ecology, economy, empowerment/engagement in civic revitalization

Strong Black Woman Cultural Construct: Revision and Validation

The purpose of the current study is to revise the wording of the items in the Strong Black Woman (SBW) attitudes scale and investigate the psychometric properties of this revised scale (renamed the SBW Cultural Construct Scale, SBWCCS). Another goal is to determine if the scale predicts racial identity, stress, and social support. The sample consisted of 152 women of African descent, who were recruited from a community based organization. An exploratory factor analysis on the SBWCCS scale suggested a 3-factor model consisting of (1) caretaking, (2) affect regulation, and (3) self-reliance. These factors parallel those found in the original scale (Thompson, 2003). The internal consistency was adequate for the overall scale and the caretaking subscale, but somewhat low for affect-regulation and self-reliance. The SBWCCS scale predicted centrality of racial identity and stress (measured as perceived stress and number of stressful events). Specifically, women who reported higher levels on the SBWCCS also reported higher levels of centrality and stress. In addition, higher levels on the caretaking subscale predicted lower reciprocity of social support. Other aspects of racial identity (public and private regard) and social support (received and satisfaction) were not predicted by SBWCCS. Methodological limitations and implications for future research are discussed

PENERAPAN PENGAWASAN PELAKSANAAN PUTUSAN PENGADILAN TERHADAP TERPIDANA MENURUT KITAB UNDANG-UNDANG HUKUM ACARA PIDANA

Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan tujuan untuk mengetahui bagaimana proses pembinaan terpidana dalam sistem pemasyarakatan dan bagaimana penerapan pengawasan pelaksanaan putusan pengadilan menurut Kitab Undang-undang Hukum Acara Pidana. Dengan menggunakan metode penelitian yuridis normatif, disimpulkan: 1. Proses pembinaan kepada warga binaan tidak berhasil tanpa dukungan sarana dan prasaran (gedung yang memadai, pembinaan warga binaan, petugas yang profesional), namun ini masih jauh dari harapan karena masih sering terjadi warga binaan yang lari, petugas yang terima suap. Sistem pembinaan warga binaan dalam lembaga pemasyarakatan diatur dengan Undang-Undang Nomor 12 Tahun 1995, PP No. 31 Tahun 1999 termasuk hak-haknya juga hak asasi manusianya. 2. Pelaksanaan pengawasan dan pengamatan yang dilakukan oleh Hakim Pengawas dan Pengamat, dilaporkan kepada Ketua Pengadilan, akan tetapi tidak saja dapat menentukan kebijaksanaan pembinaan narapidana di penjara atau Lembaga Pemasyarakatan dan Rumah Tahanan Negara, tetapi juga ada tolak ukur dalam menjatuhkan putusan oleh hakim. Di samping itu, masih menjabat sebagai hakim aktif menangani dan mengadili perkara.Kata kunci: Penerapan pengawasan, putusan pengadilan, terpidana

The effects of the process approach on writing apprehension and writing quality among ESL students at university level in Malaysia

This study was designed to investigate the effects of two methods of teaching written composition (i.e. traditional and process approach) on writing apprehension among ESL students, and also the effect of the process approach on the overall quality and length of their writing. Students enrolled in Written Communication 1 course at the National University of Malaysia were chosen as the subjects of this study. The students had been placed in three groups based on the results of previous courses and for the purpose of this study the top and the bottom groups were selected as the experimental groups and the middle one as the control. From the findings, it was concluded that both methods were successful in reducing writing apprehension, but that the process approach was considerably more effective in achieving this than the traditional approach. Moreover, the subjects in the process/experimental group were found to write better and longer essays than the subjects in the control group taught in the usual way

Syllabus: Sustainable Cities/Community Development

‘Sustainability’ is a concept and approach that has become more prevalent in ecological, economic and equity discussions over the last several decades, yet its historical and cultural roots are far more extensive than is generally recognized. This course aims to examine + evaluate the core principles and practices identified by advocates as well as adversaries of sustainability, and address a range of questions related to sustainability: the appropriate spatial and temporal scales of sustainable planning and design; the full scope of which systems and standards are best suited for achieving sustainable outcomes; the relative roles of ‘high’ vs. ‘low’/‘hard’ vs.‘soft’ science and technology paths; expertise ↔ efficiency ↔ equity; individual vs. collective responsibilities; and the interdependence of ecology, economy, empowerment/engagement in civic revitalization

Perlindungan Hukum Bagi Nasabah (Debitur) Bank sebagai Konsumen Pengguna Jasa Bank terhadap Risiko dalam Perjanjian Kredit Bank

Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan tujuan untuk mengetahui bagaimana upaya perlindungan Hukum bagi nasabah (debitur) sebagai konsumen pengguna jasa bank dan bagaimana pertanggungjawaban bank jika terjadi risiko terkait perjanjian kredit bank. Dengan menggunakan metode penelitian yuridis normative, disimpulkan: 1. Upaya perlindungan bagi nasabah debitur terhadap risiko yang dialaminya dalam perjanjian kredit bank selain dapat dilakukan dengan penerapan Pasal 18 UUPK, juga dapat dilakukan sesuai dengan kebijakan Bank Indonesia. Bank Indonesia sejak awal tahun 2002 mulai menyusun cetak biru sistem perbankan nasional yang salah satu aspek didalamnya tercakup upaya untuk melindungi dan memberdayakan nasabah. Upaya ini kemudian berlanjut dan dituangkan menjadi Pilar ke VI dalam API yang mencakup empat aspek, yaitu mekanisme pengaduan nasabah, pembentukan lembaga mediasi independen, transparansi informasi produk, dan edukasi nasabah. 2. Perjanjian kredit merupakan perjanjian baku (standard contract), dimana isi atau klausul-klausul perjanjian kredit tersebut telah dibakukan dan dituangkan dalam bentuk formulir (blangko), tetapi tidak terikat dalam suatu bentuk tertentu. Calon nasabah debitur tinggal membubuhkan tandatangannya saja apabila bersedia menerima isi perjanjian tersebut, tidak memberikan kesempatan kepada calon debitur untuk membicarakan lebih lanjut isi atau klausul-klausul yang diajukan pihak bank. Perjanjian baku diperlukan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan yang sifatnya praktis dan kolektif Pada tahap ini kedudukan calon debitur sangat lemah, sehingga menerima saja syarat-syarat yang disodorkan oleh pihak bank, karena jika tidak demikian calon debitur tidak akan mendapatkan kredit yang dimaksud

Filial Responsibility as a Moderator of Witnessing Domestic Violence and Behavioral Outcomes in Latino Children

Children’s perceptions of the fairness of their filial responsibility was examined as a moderator between witnessing domestic violence and behavioral outcomes in children. Hierarchical Multiple Regressions revealed that children’s perceptions of the fairness of their family responsibility influenced the relation between the psychological violence in the household and child reports of internalizing behavior problems. Specifically, higher levels of psychological violence predicted higher levels of internalizing only under perceptions of unfair filial responsibility. In addition, increased levels of reported psychological violence in the household significantly predicted increased levels of mother-reported externalizing problems. Descriptive analyses revealed that for 12 of the 27 families all of the children had very small levels of reported behavior problems, as compared to the rest of the sample. These resilient families had lower level of psychological violence and physical violence in the household than the other families in the sample