Energy, sustainability and communities : assessing the potential for community energy planning in British Columbia

Analysis of the demand for energy services has traditionally focused on efficiency improvements to buildings and equipment. Yet, energy consumption patterns are also influenced by urban infrastructure characteristics which are largely under the control of municipal government.Community energy planning (CEP) is an integrative process that aims to jointly address energy,sustainability and community planning objectives. It is currently in its infancy as a planningprocess. To move from the realm of concept to that of practice , it is necessary to answer three questions: what is CEP? ; why should we do it?; and how do we do it?This study develops the concept of CEP into four policy packages designed to influence urban land use planning, transportation management, site and building design, and the use of alternative energy supplies . The " why" ofCEP must be answered at two levels: at the community level in order to motivate local action; and at a more aggregate level in order to motivate major policy shifts. In this study, the benefits to communities are demonstrated through a series of four casestudies which compare two alternative scenarios of development over a fifteen year time frame.Demonstrating the benefits at a more aggregate level is difficult , given the diversity of communities . By focusing on a single component of CEP, namely urban land use planning, it was possible to develop a heuristic for illustrating the benefits of CEP at the provincial level. The "how" of CEP is also examined at two levels: a conceptual level , to identify major legal, technical, economic and social issues ; and a practical level, to develop, through a case study, an understanding of some real-world problems and solutions . As CEP requires the involvement of municipal government in an area-not traditionally considered municipal jurisdiction, the specificlegal authority for municipal action with respect to CEP is examined.The results of the study analyses suggest that communities can achieve energy and cost savings of 15 to 30% and energy-related emission reductions of 30 to 45%. Investments in the energy sector tend to produce two to three times more jobs in the local economy in a CEP approach versus a business-as-usual approach. At an aggregate level, land use planning reform alone is estimated to produce carbon dioxide emission reductions of 17% at cost savings of 20%. Savings per tonne ofabatement are in excess of $600 . These results are relatively insensitive to substantial changes in the underlying assumptions, suggesting that uncertainty is not a significant factor in interpreting the results . The study suggests that the greatest benefits will be realized by bringing very low density urban areas up to more moderate densities through selective redevelopment.The implications of these results for municipalities and regions , the province , and the energy utilities are presented, along with suggestions for further study

Advocating Science for All: An Interview with Peter J. Fensham

After providing some glimpses of his private life, Peter Fensham, a leading figure of the prestigious Faculty of Education, Monash University (and now emeritus professor at Queensland University, Brisbane, Australia), gives some suggestions about the conditions that help students to learn meaningfully. He began his career in the field of physical chemistry and then became an international authority in science education. His dedication to students and commitment to teaching a learner-centered science is palpable in many of his comments. This interview touches on many of the themes he addressed in numerous studies and research: the curriculum, the qualities of the expert teacher, and the decline of standards in schools. Although he is a supporter of a constructivist approach to teaching chemistry, he criticizes the extreme views of constructivism and explains the origin of his inner strength that made him a champion of “science for all”

Reading the Stockholm riots - a moment for social justice?

This article examines the 2013 riots in Stockholm in the context of other urban rebellions across disadvantaged metropolitan neighbourhoods in the North-Atlantic region over the past three decades of neoliberal transformation. The authors discuss the consequences of securitisation and police repression, institutional racism, the corrosion of citizenship and the structuring of inequality in Swedish cities. Beyond the violence of the recent riots, contemporary Sweden reveals the emergence of an autonomous, non-violent and organisationally embedded movement for social justice among young people contesting urban degradation and reclaiming the nation in terms of an inclusive citizenship, social welfare and democracy. The article asks whether the Stockholm uprising could possibly be read as a sobering moment of self-examination in Swedish politics that could open space up for new political voices