Investigating public disengagement from planning for major infrastructure projects: A high voltage powerline case study

Public disengagement from consultation is a real-world problem affecting areas of the public sphere, such as land use planning, where democracy is a key requirement. The ethos of engaging the public in decision-making has long been accepted as an important objective in the UK planning system in order to protect and serve the public interest. However, there is limited research into why the public frequently appear to disengage from the consultation process for major engineering projects such as energy infrastructure. Public disengagement can result in a lack of representation and legitimate speech in the discourse of decision-making and my research challenges the effectiveness of the current system. Drawing on human geography, planning theory, sociology and my professional experience of working as an Environmental Planner on Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, the research moves away from the current perceptions of an instrumental approach to public consultation for infrastructure. A novel approach to conceptualising disengagement is proposed through a Bourdieusian lens, which could enable a deeper understanding of the reasons for both voluntary and involuntary disengagement. By introducing a place dimension to the conceptual framework, the research is better able to understand the cognitive, affective and behavioural dimensions that reflect the ways in which communities of place choose to engage with, or disengage from, the public consultation process for infrastructure. The research contributes conceptually, methodologically and empirically to addressing the research problem through a high voltage overhead powerline case study research design in Cumbria. Primary data has been collected through semi-structured interviews, participant observation and event ethnography. Secondary data, including local media, project documents, planning policy and best practice guidance, was also collected for contextual purposes. Qualitative methods allowed greater flexibility without a dependence on language, literacy or assumptions based on cultural norms and thematic analysis was selected as the method of analysis due to its accessibility and theoretically flexible approach to analysis which could be used with a case study research design. The credibility of the analysis was established through data collection triangulation using the secondary data to verify the emerging themes. The primary contribution to knowledge from this research has been to expand the understanding of disengagement, using the novel conceptual approach that combines the Bourdieusian conceptual framework with aspects of place, and which also has policy and practice implications. Factors affecting engagement in the case study include an underlying thread of symbolic violence and perceptions of stigma which have been shown to be partly place-based and partly resulting from community experiences of legacy planning applications for energy. There are also underlying factors of marginalisation and peripherality, with small communities frequently perceived to be without power or voice in the process. An examination of the relationship between habitus and place has suggested that disengagement can be explained by both communities of practice and of place and an analysis of the public’s relationship with place through the varieties of people-place relations can bring additional insight to understanding the problem. The empirical output of the research includes a Typology of Engagement which disrupts the existing binary approach to engagement and disengagement. The typology incorporates degrees of engagement and, more significantly, degrees of disengagement which, once identified, can be used to inform public engagement strategies, taking into account the wider characteristics of locally affected publics. The findings of the case study offer a new understanding of aspects of disengagement and the findings support the argument that the conceptual approach of a Bourdieusian toolkit combined with a place dimension, can help to better understand the factors leading to disengagement. This opens up new opportunities for research in areas beyond planning, such as climate change, where public engagement could be key to the implementation of future adaptation strategies

Queen, James C. (5)

Fort McClellan, Alabama; 3rd Student Training Regiment, Fort Benning, GAhttps://dh.howard.edu/prom_corres/1119/thumbnail.jp

Queen, James C.

Fort McClellan, Alabama; 3rd Student Training Regiment, Fort Benning, GAhttps://dh.howard.edu/prom_corres/1115/thumbnail.jp

Queen, James C. (4)

Fort McClellan, Alabama; 3rd Student Training Regiment, Fort Benning, GAhttps://dh.howard.edu/prom_corres/1118/thumbnail.jp

Queen, James C. (2)

Fort McClellan, Alabama; 3rd Student Training Regiment, Fort Benning, GAhttps://dh.howard.edu/prom_corres/1116/thumbnail.jp

Queen, James C. (3)

Fort McClellan, Alabama; 3rd Student Training Regiment, Fort Benning, GAhttps://dh.howard.edu/prom_corres/1117/thumbnail.jp

Two-Level Systems in Evaporated Amorphous Silicon

In $e$-beam evaporated amorphous silicon ($a$-Si), the densities of two-level systems (TLS), $n_{0}$ and $\overline{P}$, determined from specific heat $C$ and internal friction $Q^{-1}$ measurements, respectively, have been shown to vary by over three orders of magnitude. Here we show that $n_{0}$ and $\overline{P}$ are proportional to each other with a constant of proportionality that is consistent with the measurement time dependence proposed by Black and Halperin and does not require the introduction of additional anomalous TLS. However, $n_{0}$ and $\overline{P}$ depend strongly on the atomic density of the film ($n_{\rm Si}$) which depends on both film thickness and growth temperature suggesting that the $a$-Si structure is heterogeneous with nanovoids or other lower density regions forming in a dense amorphous network. A review of literature data shows that this atomic density dependence is not unique to $a$-Si. These findings suggest that TLS are not intrinsic to an amorphous network but require a heterogeneous structure to form

Proverbs and taboos for a sustainable value: moral ideas and healthy etiquettes of the Igbo

The ethos of the Igbo has been threatened with the infiltration of the western culture. Modernization has legitimatized the marginalization of the Igbo standard etiquette and morals. This calls for re-orientation of the people. This paper has presented optional instruments of communication for the transmission of culture, social morality, manners and ideas of the Igbo. It submits that proverbs and taboo have the implication of sustainability in this directio

ASPIRE Flight Mechanics Modeling and Post Flight Analysis

The Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research and Experiment (ASPIRE) is a series of sounding rocket flights aimed at understanding the dynamics of supersonic parachutes that are used for Mars robotic applications. SR01 was the first sounding rocket flight of ASPIRE that occurred off the coast of Wallops Island, VA on Oct. 4, 2017 and showed the successful deployment and inflation of a Mars Science Laboratory built-to- print parachute in flight conditions similar to the 2012 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. SR02 was the second sounding rocket flight that also occurred off the coast of Wallops Island on March 31, 2018 and showcased the successful deployment and inflation of a new strengthened parachute being considered for the Mars 2020 mission at fifty percent higher dynamic pressure than observed on MSL. Prior to both flights, a multi-body flight dynamics simulation was developed to predict the parachute dynamics and was used, in conjunction with other tools, to target Mars-relevant flight conditions. After each flight, the reconstructed trajectory was used to validate the pre-flight dynamics simulation and recommend changes to improve predictions for future flights planned for the ASPIRE pro- gram. This paper describes the flight mechanics simulation and the post flight reconciliation process used to validate the flight models

Adopting a blended approach to learning: experiences from radiography at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

The perspective of the radiography teaching team at Queen Margaret University (QMU) was that a transmission mode of programme delivery was sub-optimal in helping students to learn and make links between theory and practice. Programme redesign adopted a blended learning approach with both face-to-face and online learning aimed at enhancing the students’ control over their own learning. Online tasks within Web Classroom Tools (WebCT) were used as an integral part of careful programme design, which resulted in a programme enabling synthesis of the skills, knowledge and competencies acquired in the academic and clinical environments. With the move towards a more learner-centred, blended educational experience for the students the lecturers’ role shifted to that of facilitator with WebCT providing the tutor with a more transparent view of student learning. Lecturers plan learning activities that build upon the skills students have developed through learning in groups, online and in class. The explicit connections that now exist between the academic programme and the opportunities for applying knowledge in practice allow students to engage more deeply in their learning