Versatility and ambiguity : first experiences with integrated territorial investment tool

The following article examines some of the initial experiences of Member States with the integrated territorial investment (ITI) tool. It draws from examples of ITI in Belgium (Limburg) and Finland (Six Cities) which are already in advanced stages of planning. The article highlights the versatility of ITI as an implementation tool for integrated territorial approaches but also considers key challenges in relation to administrative and institutional capacity, territorial competitiveness, limited scale of resource allocations, and ambiguities in relation to implementation requirements

To see ourselves as others see us : identity and attitudes towards immigration amongst civic nationalists

This article examines how different conceptions of national identity can be linked to attitudes towards cultural pluralism. The tensions between more culturally pluralistic societies and sustained support for nationalism represent an important political issue in modern western European politics. Such tensions are of particular relevance for stateless nationalist and regionalist parties (SNRPs) for whom national/regional identity is a major political driver. This article empirically tests the relationship between different conceptions of national identity and attitudes towards cultural pluralism in two SNRPs—the Scottish National Party and the Frisian National Party. The article draws upon evidence from two unique full party membership studies and is supported with evidence from documentary analysis. A key finding is that the manner in which members conceptualise national identity has significant implications for their attitudes towards cultural pluralism, which has the potential of becoming a source of tension within SNRPs. A key implication of the article is that there is evidence that attitudes of general members and officially stated party positions and narratives diverge on issues relating to cultural pluralism and national identity. These tensions could potentially be harmful for the party's overall civic image

Computational models of emergent organisation in conflict environments

This thesis takes a multi-level computational modelling approach to develop understanding of the complex phenomena of insurgent organisation at a micro-, meso-, and macro-level. At an individual level (micro), individuals are subject to social and economic pressures that may lead to a radicalisation process in which extremist beliefs, feelings, and attitudes develop. At the societal level (macro), processes such as elections, justice and security reforms, and economic developments influence the stability of the state. In between these levels (meso), we can identify specific group-level processes that connect the attributes and skills of individuals at a communal level. In this thesis we explore the possibility of combining critical phenomena of complex systems, such as collective behaviour, feedback and self-organisation, for analysing insurgent organisation through application of different computational modelling methods. For this framework, methodologies are applied focusing on formal models to analyse the reasoning of individuals and how they perceive their environment, game theoretic and social-network models to analyse the relationships and dependencies between individuals, and agent-based and systems dynamics modelling to simulate individual and group behaviour within a certain context and analyse the development of behaviour over time. This interdisciplinary approach helped us to gain insights on how these different methodologies complement each other and enable analysis of complex phenomena specifically in the field of computational theory, conflict analysis and criminology

Sustainable and integrated urban planning and governance in metropolitan and medium-sized cities

This paper examines the design and implementation process of Integrated Strategies for Sustainable Urban Development (ISUD), as well as their main effects and lessons learned in two European cities: Barcelona in Spain, a vibrant European metropolis, and Évora in Portugal, a medium-sized city with a world heritage historic centre. The former is facing socioeconomic challenges in some of its neighbourhoods, while the latter, a regional capital of an already depopulated region, Alentejo, is facing further depopulation and socioeconomic challenges. Following from a qualitative analysis of ISUD and other urban plans implemented in past decades, the article employs a framework with five analytical dimensions, based on the policy cycle (priority setting, participatory approaches, implementation strategy, collaboration networks, and measuring results and impact). These provide a framework to identify best practices. The findings demonstrate that ISUD in both cities provides impetus for sustainable strategic planning, but can be strengthened in particular via the active involvement of citizens and stakeholders in the elaboration and implementation of these ISUD. Conversely, the results demonstrate mounting challenges that many urban planners in medium-sized towns face in relation to inverting depopulation trends, raising further questions of to what extent European Cohesion policy, and ISUD in particular, can contribute to territorial cohesion objectives whilst also aiming to achieve other policy goals.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluating integrated sustainable urban development strategies: a methodological framework applied in Portugal

This paper debates the evolution and importance of the urban dimension of EU policies and in particular EU Cohesion Policy in the past three decades. It discusses the growing relevance for supporting a Urban Agenda for the EU, and the gradual adoption and implementation of Integrated Sustainable Urban Development Strategies (ISUDS), by pointing out their advantages vis-à-vis mainstream sectoral-focused policy strategies. In this light, the article proposes an evaluation framework to assess and compare ISUDS across Europe. Based on the Portuguese case-study this analysis argues that despite their limited impacts, EU financed urban programmes (URBAN, POLIS, ISUDS) contributed positively to promoting a policy integrated approach, and enhanced urban physical and social environment of deprived urban neighbourhoods. More concretely, the initial results from the recent implementation of the 103 Integrated Sustainable Urban Development Strategies reveal a gradual adoption by the urban and local authorities of more holistic and integrated urban development policy approaches to increasing policy effectiveness and efficiency.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

British governance needs to move from New Public Management to Public Value Management ideas

Arno van der Zwet and John Connolly argue that the experiences of the past decade mean that public value-based ideas are required to inform governance reform for the coming years. This needs to be prioritised due to the twin challenges of managing the aftermath of Brexit and navigating through the recovery phase of the pandemic

Design challenges of multifunctional flood defences: A comparative approach to assess spatial and structural integration

Due to the changing climate and increasing urbanisation delta cities are faced with an increasing flood risk. In The Netherlands many of the flood defence infrastructures, such as dikes and flood walls, need to be adapted or improved in the near future, to comply to current or improved safety standards. These improvements directly affect landscape and urban development. In its 2008 report, the 2nd Delta Committee presented the idea of multifunctional flood defences, which are flood defence structures that deliberately provide opportunities for other functions. Since then, spatial designers and hydraulic engineers together delivered a wide palette of designs and concepts, resulting in a rather fluid and indefinable concept of multifunctional flood defences. This paper presents a method to describe the level of multifunctionality, based on two existing spatial and structural assessment methods from the fields of civil engineering and urban planning. The combined method distinguishes four ascending levels of integration, ranging from spatial optimisation to structural and functional integration. The combined classification method is tested on a selection of cases of multifunctional flood defences in the Netherlands. Based on this test, it is concluded that the classification method is a useful and generic method to describe the level of multifunctionality. Some of the selected examples look very innovative and multifunctional at first glance, while the level of spatial and structural integration is limited. Other examples might not be very spectacular from a spatial designers point of view, but show that true functional integration of flood protection with multiple other functions is already feasible, depending on the local context. The method helps to bridge the gap between the practices of civil engineering and urban and landscape design. Also, it makes clear that flood risk management is part of an overall process of integrated area development, anticipating on what could be described as a multifunctional flood defence zone

Epidemiologie en preventie van nosocomiale infecties op de neonatale intensive care unit

Ziekenhuisinfecties bij te vroeg geboren babies komen frequent voor en kunnen leiden tot verlengde ziekenhuisopname of zelfs sterfte. Gedurende 3 jaar werden 742 pasgeborenen in de Neonatale Intensive Care Unit (NICU)van het VUmc onderzocht op risicofactoren voor infectie. De belangrijkste risicofactor bleek een laag geboortegewicht. Tevens bleken intraveneuze voeding en kunstmatige beademing een risicofactor voor infectie. Dit zijn essentiële onderdelen van de behandeling. Er bleek geen gerichte interventie mogelijk. Het voorkomen van infectie bleek hoog t.o.v Amerikaanse NICUs. Dit komt deels door verschil in definiëring van infectie en verschillen in locale behandelstrategieën. Tijdens het promotie-onderzoek deden zich 2 epidemieën voor. Beademingsballonnen bleken de bron voor Bacillus cereus infecties. Autoclaveren van deze ballonnen beëindigde de epidemie.Een Klebsiella pneumoniae resistent voor gentamicine verspreidde zich over de afdeling. Een stop op dit antibioticum droeg er toe bij dat de epidemie tot staan werd gebracht. Tevens bleek een Staphylococcus capitis, heteroresistent tegen vancomycine, gedurende 3 jaar van patiënt tot patiënt te zijn overgedragen. Mogelijk was de heteroresistentie (een kleine subpopulatie is resistent) een selectief voordeel in een afdeling waar relatief veel vancomycine wordt gebruikt. Afwijkingen in het Mannose Bindend Lectine gen bleek geen risicofactor voor infectie in een onderzoek van hielprikkaart-bloed van 186 neonaten, dit in tegenstelling tot andere patiëntcategorieën, waarbij dit wel als risicofactor voor infectie was geïdentificeerd. Tenslotte bleek, in tegenstelling tot de tot dan toe heersende opinie, dat de bloedspiegel van via de placenta verkregen moederlijke antistoffen tegen het waterpokkenvirus vooral bepaald te worden door de spiegel in het moederlijk bloed, en niet door de zwangerschapsduurVandenbroucke-Grauls, C.M.J.E. [Promotor

Cross programme collaboration between regional territorial cooperation programmes

There are increased pressures to improve linkages between European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) programmes. This article identifies three models that can assist more collaborative approaches. It goes on to draw practical lessons on issues around the establishment of such mechanisms. The article draws on the authors’ experiences in relation to formulating and consulting on proposals for a collaborative mechanism in the Euro-Arctic region. Regional territorial cooperation is considered an important driver for development in the Arctic and adjacent northern European regions and is supported by European Arctic States and the European Union. Experience from the Arctic demonstrates the added value of regional collaboration. However, formalised cooperation and collaboration need to be highly tailored to specific regional needs and conditions. The development of formal mechanisms needs to build trust and acceptance among the key stakeholders