Dignity by Any Other Name

Reviewing: Michael Rosen - Dignity: Its History and Meaning; Jeremy Waldron - One Another’s Equals: The Basis of Human Equalit

Vindicating Environmental Rights: Constitutional Protection for Present & Future Generations

Our presentations will chronicle and assess the jurisprudential dimensions of constitutional environmental rights worldwide, encapsulating the preliminary findings of our book, Vindicating Environmental Rights: Constitutional Protection for Present & Future Generations, Cambridge, 2013), especially pertaining to provisions regarding rights to water, and procedural rights. The constitutions of about 160 nations address environmental matters in some fashion, some by committing to environmental stewardship or the rights of nature, others by recognizing a basic right to a quality environment and still others by ensuring a degree of public participation in environmental decision making. Most people on Earth live under constitutions that protect environmental rights in some way. Despite their ubiquity in constitutions, environmental rights have not often been energetically pursued in courts. Nevertheless, we find the trend of judicial enforcement is positive and powerful, given the increased adoption of constitutionally embedded environmental rights and the growth of constitutional jurisprudence generally in all regions of the world. And the more attention these rights receive in courts around the world, the more attention they receive in public discourse. The papers analyze two aspects this jurisprudence: the right to water, and the phenomenon of procedural environmental rights, showing what factors influence the implementation of these rights worldwide. The co-authors are recognized leaders in this field, and have published widely on this subject, including in the IUCN E-journal. Professor May’s expertise is in environmental, natural resources, and constitutional law. He is the editor and author of Principles of Constitutional Environmental Law (American Bar Association, Environmental Law Institute, 2011). Professor Daly’s expertise is in comparative constitutional law; she is the author of Reconciliation in Divided Societies: Finding Common Ground (U. Penn Press 2007, pa. 2010), and the forthcoming Dignity Rights (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012)

The Social Implications of Bicycle Infrastructure: What it Means to Bike in America\u27s Best Cycling Cities

The abundance of bicycle infrastructure appearing alongside controversial urban revitalization efforts in recent years has left many with distinct perceptions about people who ride bicycles and their role in society. The lifestyle associated with the most visible cyclist cohorts has furthered divisive perceptions and often times created resentment, as what was once a humble tool for mobility has become a symbol of an inaccessible cyclist “culture” often associated with gentrification. This paper aims to acknowledge existing research on how the bicycle has attained so many divisive connotations, while looking at methods to improve this reputation and increase accessibility to utilitarian cycling moving forward. Analyses of recent and ongoing projects in Portland, Oregon and Minneapolis, Minnesota will demonstrate how specific urban contexts influence perceptions of bicycle infrastructure and future accessibility. Especially important are the perceptions of communities with a strong minority presence, or populations who are typically underrepresented amongst cycling cohorts. In the future, it is crucial that cities acknowledge resident diversity and history of place and utilize human infrastructure as a tool for development, to ensure that all residents feel invested in results of bicycle planning initiatives

Evaluation of the Conservational Channel Evolution and Pollutant Transport System (Concepts) Applied to Composite Streambanks in the Ozark Highlands Ecoregion

The objectives of this study were to perform an evaluation of the Conservational Channel Evolution and Pollutant Transport System (CONCEPTS) applied to composite streambanks in the Ozark Highlands ecoregion, and to demonstrate CONCEPTS's ability to predict the long-term stability of streambank stabilization. In order to accomplish these objectives, CONCEPTS was used to simulate a 9.25 km reach along the Barren Fork Creek in Northeastern Oklahoma. A sensitivity analysis was first performed to identify input parameters with the greatest effect on bank erosion predictions in CONCEPTS. The alpha correction factor and the internal angle of friction of the bank soils were found to be the most sensitive followed by the critical shear stress, effective cohesion, erodibility coefficient and the permeability. Next, CONCEPTS was calibrated using ground-based and aerial bank retreat measurements to produce realistic processes and predictions. Model calibration was conducted by reducing the critical shear stress of the noncohesive soils until the predicted retreat matched the observed data. Using the calibrated model, two streambank stabilization techniques were simulated at two highly unstable cross sections. Fluvial erosion was reduced by simulating the application of riprap at the bank toe, and geotechnical failure was reduced by simulating a slope stabilization technique. In general, CONCEPTS predicted a high percent reduction of cumulative fines yield, bank retreat at the bank top and toe, and cumulative change in thalweg elevation for both stabilization techniques. Due to CONCEPTS limitations, a two or three-dimensional model is needed to perform a comprehensive analysis of streambank stability for the composite streambanks in the Ozark Highlands ecoregion. Additional research is needed on the use of the internal angle of friction as a lumped calibration parameter. However, with the proper calibration and caution, CONCEPTS is a useful tool to guide the design and prioritization of streambank stabilization projects.School of Civil & Environmental Engineerin

Quantifying Fluvial Resistance of Streambanks Using Jet Erosion Tests

The United States has over forty-thousand impaired water bodies with sediment listed as one of the top five causes of impairment. Recent research has found that more than 50% of fine sediment in watersheds originates from channel sources. This highlights the need for watershed management strategies geared towards channel erosion, specifically in the form of streambank erosion. Process-based models are often used to study streambank erosion mechanisms and predict erosion in order to work towards more comprehensive watershed management solutions. The fluvial erosion component of these models is based on the excess shear stress equation dependent on the erodibility parameters - the critical shear stress (c) and the erodibility coefficient (kd). One of the most commonly used methods of measuring the erodibility parameters is the Jet Erosion Test (JET). However, there has been discussion recently regarding the derivation of the erodibility parameters from JET data, the variability of results, and the effects of subaerial processes on parameter estimation. There remains a large gap in the knowledge with regard to these points. In order to begin addressing some of these gaps, the overall objectives of this research were (1) to evaluate new solution methodologies for the derivation of the erodibility parameters, c and kd, from the JET, (2) investigate the erodibility parameters using all three techniques by considering parameter uniformity, correlations between the derived parameters and physical soil properties, and the applicability of currently proposed relationships to estimate the erodibility parameters at both a site and watershed scale, and (3) to apply the results from JET data to composite streambanks within a process-based modeling framework. The new solution methodologies, the scour depth and iterative solutions, were found to provide improved fits over the Blaisdell solution and incorporated into an automated spreadsheet. The erodibililty parameters were explored at both a site and watershed scale and found to vary spatially and temporally by orders of magnitude. This large amount of variation, coupled with the new solution techniques, have shown currently used empirical relationships to estimate the erodibility parameters to be generally invalid for the systems included in this study. This research highlights the need to measure the erodibility parameters in situ and the continued research into parameter variability and the role of subaerial processes in cohesive streambank erosion.Biosystems & Agricultural Engineerin