Green Infrastructure Successes In US Benefit China

Green Infrastructure Successes in the US Benefit China—China has a new initiative called Sponge Cities. The Chinese government has pledged to provide billions of dollars in financial assistance in an effort to help numerous cities morph into “urban sponges.” Besides the selected pilots, other cities in China have also carried out their own experiment. MS Consultants has been asked to provide guidance to several cities on how the implementation of green infrastructure can reduce localized flooding and promote infiltration through their watersheds. There is a direct benefit for those cities considering green infrastructure solutions to learn from US cities that have already implemented large-scale projects and have lessons learned to share—which will be presented here

Socio-economic status and overall and cause-specific mortality in Sweden

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous studies have reported discrepancies in cause-specific mortality among groups of individuals with different socio-economic status. However, most of the studies were limited by the specificity of the investigated populations and the broad definitions of the causes of death. The aim of the present population-based study was to explore the dependence of disease specific mortalities on the socio-economic status in Sweden, a country with universal health care. Another aim was to investigate possible gender differences.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using the 2006 update of the Swedish Family-Cancer Database, we identified over 2 million individuals with socio-economic data recorded in the 1960 national census. The association between mortality and socio-economic status was investigated by Cox's proportional hazards models taking into account the age, time period and residential area in both men and women, and additionally parity and age at first birth in women.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We observed significant associations between socio-economic status and mortality due to cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, to cancer and to endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases. The influence of socio-economic status on female breast cancer was markedly specific: women with a higher socio-economic status showed increased mortality due to breast cancer.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Even in Sweden, a country where health care is universally provided, higher socio-economic status is associated with decreased overall and cause-specific mortalities. Comparison of mortality among female and male socio-economic groups may provide valuable insights into the underlying causes of socio-economic inequalities in length of life.</p

Stormwater Management in Flat Floodplains

Communities across the Midwest have experienced chronic stormwater drainage and increased flooding of roadways and structures. While adequate storm drainage seems to be lacking in many rural communities, steps can be taken to address some of the nuisance flooding that plagues many regions. Walnut Township commissioned a stormwater study that included the development of a 2D model to understand and mitigate flooding in their area