City spatial planning and modelling : hidden depths : workshop report

There is a current drive to reform the planning system in the UK to unlock the value of data and embed digital processes into the work of government and cities. It is recognised that existing data, in particular environment and utility datasets, are not fully utilised to inform planning decisions at a local and strategic level. Failure to consider the full suite of data for cities weakens the evidence base on which planning decisions are made and leads to inefficiencies and a late stage awareness of potential issues. This situation is most pronounced for underground development in cities. The subsurface extent of our cities is gaining increased prominence in future cities thinking. Continued urban growth, demand for resources, city resilience and sustainability concerns bring increased pressures on subsurface space, facilities and services but also opportunities for more strategic subsurface utilisation. For example it is estimated that 76% of London’s total heat demand could be met by secondary sources such as ground heat and re-using waste heat from the underground. In addition we are seeing a growing trend for subsurface living – 450 applications for basements submitted to Kensington and Chelsea in 2013 alone. However we must first address the constraints, the fact that unforeseen ground risks are one of the main causes of project delays and insurance claims on completed projects at a time when government is calling for a 33% reduction in project costs. Meanwhile there are over 680,000 properties at risk of flooding from heavy rainfall in London in a 1 in 200 year event. As a result cities want to increase the amount of urban green cover and infiltration of water into the ground through sustainable drainage systems is being prioritised and included in new planning policy. There is currently no formal policy for integrating urban underground space and above ground city services within the planning framework and no one organisation with a mandate to take ownership of this issue. However there are a number of projects and initiatives underway which are beginning to address elements of the issue, such as city data management tools, infrastructure mapping, integrated city modelling, building information modelling systems and collation of good practice demonstrators. To capitalise on these initiatives and bring the subsurface into strategic city planning the workshop, hosted by the Future Cities Catapult at their Urban Innovation Centre drew together science expertise and city innovators that work across the boundary between surface and subsurface spatial planning and use, and city modelling. The aim was to demonstrate capability and share learning, identify commercial opportunities to address the challenges, and consider how we can advance this topic at a strategic level within UK cities. The workshop had two main objectives, which were addressed over three sessions that covered, issues and ideas, tools for city planning and use case development. Short talks by industry experts were given at the start of each session to highlight key points for the attendees. Workshop objectives: i) Innovation and commercialisation: Highlight the innovation and commercial products & services needed to address city challenges around improved city modelling and spatial planning. Identify funding mechanisms for demonstrators and pilot projects. ii) Policy and governance: Review the current policy framework for spatial planning, subsurface development and management. Identify opportunities for strategic policy/city-led initiatives which tackle the challenges around spatial planning

National underground assets and subsurface data : review of use case applications. Iceberg Industry Group workshop

The Iceberg Industry Group represents over 130 organisations who are committed to the improvement of the capture and sharing of information that relates to the subsurface. The open community was formed following the publication of research (Project Iceberg, 2018) into a framework to address shortfalls in subsurface data. The research also informed subsequent programmes, most notably the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) pilot projects delivered by the Greater London Authority and the Ordnance Survey, funded by the Geospatial Commission (2019). NUAR currently focuses on the development of an underground utility asset register for strike avoidance, with the benefits aligned to Health and Safety related outcomes and planning efficiencies. Working in partnership with the Geospatial Commission (GC), the Iceberg Industry Group delivered a workshop (Nov 2019) looking at additional applications and benefits, (over-and-above strike avoidance), that may be realised by the creation of an underground asset register and better subsurface data use. The workshop was facilitated by British Geological Survey and Ordnance Survey. This report presents a summary of the workshop and its findings

People and Nature: Toward an Ecological Model of Health Promotion

Striving for a healthier relationship among individuals, families, communities, nations, and the environment is imperative at a time in history when humankind can change the face of the earth in monumental ways. This dynamic health relationship, with an emphasis on the contributions of parks, recreation, and tourism to health promotion, is the subject of this article. A broader conception of health that moves beyond human physical and mental health to include familial, communal, national, international, and global ecological health is called for, and a more comprehensive ecological model of health promotion, including consideration of health from a holistic ecological perspective, is presented. New directions for leisure research based on an ecological orientation to health promotion conclude the article

Place Attachment and Recreational Constraints Relating to Fire Management

This paper presents a study of visitors to the Big Sur region of California during summer 2001. An onsite survey was administered to visitors to USDA Forest Service day-use areas and at developed campgrounds. Place attachment, observations relating to fires and fire management, and perceived recreational constraints owing to wildland fire and fire management are examined. The results indicate that place dependence and place identity influence some perceived constraints and observations of fire conditions. A discussion of the findings is provided, emphasizing the importance of managers’ understanding of visitors’ perceptions relating to fire and fire management

Characterisation of hydraulic head changes and aquifer properties in the London Basin using Persistent Scatterer Interferometry ground motion data

In this paper, Persistent Scatterer Interferometry was applied to ERS-1/2 and ENVISAT satellite data covering 1992–2000 and 2002–2010 respectively, to analyse the relationship between ground motion and hydraulic head changes in the London Basin, United Kingdom. The integration of observed groundwater levels provided by the Environment Agency and satellite-derived displacement time series allowed the estimation of the spatio-temporal variations of the Chalk aquifer storage coefficient and compressibility over an area of ∼1360 km2. The average storage coefficient of the aquifer reaches values of 1 × 10−3 and the estimated average aquifer compressibility is 7.7 × 10−10 Pa−1 and 1.2 × 10−9 Pa−1 for the periods 1992–2000 and 2002–2010, respectively. Derived storage coefficient values appear to be correlated with the hydrogeological setting, where confined by the London Clay the storage coefficient is typically an order of magnitude lower than where the chalk is overlain by the Lambeth Group. PSI-derived storage coefficient estimates agree with the values obtained from pumping tests in the same area. A simplified one-dimensional model is applied to simulate the ground motion response to hydraulic heads changes at nine piezometers. The comparison between simulated and satellite-observed ground motion changes reveals good agreement, with errors ranging between 1.4 and 6.9 mm, and being 3.2 mm on average