Dilapidated Dwelling

Where I live, there seem to be two kinds of space. There is new space, in which none of the buildings are more than about ten years old, and there is old space, in which most of the buildings are at least twenty years old, a lot of them over ninety years old, and all are more or less dilapidated. Patrick Keiller begins his 1998 essay The Dilapidated Dwelling with a concise and simple description of the issues he raises in both the essay and the film to which it relates, The Dilapidated Dwelling, 2000. In both film and word Keiller's description of the UK's physical infrastructure at the turn of the millennium was both depressingly evident and in need of explanation. Continuing in the vein of his most famed films London, 1994, and Robinson in Space, 1997, The Dilapidated Dwelling is narrated by an invisible voice that probes the peculiarities of the economic, political and social conditions of late 20th century Britain through the prism of its infrastructure, urban blight and, in particular, its housing. The narrator, a woman is recalled to Britain after two decades in the Arctic investigates 'the predicament of the house', discovering that the most recent advances in industrial manufacture have left the house building industry practically untouched. By contrast, changes to the global economy and the emergence of the digital age have conspired to create wealth that has seen the market price of the existing, dilapidated housing stock skyrocket. Revisiting the ideas of Constant, Buckminster Fuller and Archigram she discusses the anomalies of housing supply and demand that have allowed some to escape housing poverty and yet leave millions in 'dilapidated dwellings'. To coincide with the the launch of its three year project Housing – Critical Futures, Architecture, Media, Politics, Society, is republishing Keiller's essay and re-showing his film. The essay is reprinted from Keiller's recent book, The View From the Train, Vesro, 2013; and the film is shown as part of a one day series of film screenings and debates about the effects of housing on issues of public health, Housing, Health and Film. Screened at the Bluecoat Chambers Art Gallery, Liverpool, the film is accompanied by debates from architects, filmmakers and public health officials

Interactive learning objects as a solution to challenges in basic medical science teaching

Background. As a core component of any health professions curriculum, basic medical science modules facilitate learning of biology, anatomy, histology and physiology content. To redress the challenges of class size and poor tertiary education readiness, interactive learning objects could facilitate learning and enhance engagement between lecturers and students. Objective. To determine whether the use of learning objects in a basic medical science first-year module is an effective tool for enhancing the student learning experience. Methods. A case study research design with mixed methods of data collection was used. Participants provided informed consent for this study. Learning objects were incorporated into a basic medical sciences first-year module in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. A correlation analysis between usage statistics and assessment results was used to determine the academic effectiveness of this intervention. A thematic network analysis identified the barriers and enablers of the intervention. Results. Student attempts at learning objects correlated with a higher assessment outcome for two of the three tutorials. Technical difficulties, timing and assessment format were barriers to learning with the use of learning objects. Enablers to learning included student enjoyment, facilitating understanding of core concepts, adaptation to new ways of learning and formative assessment. The module team received valuable feedback on the constructed learning environment through the qualitative data collected from students within this study. Conclusion. Interactive learning objects are useful and effective tools for facilitating learning in the context of large, diverse first-year health professions education classes

The second global survey of repair cafés: a summary of findings

In 2014 The Centre for Sustainable Design (CfSD) at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in Farnham in the UK undertook the first global survey of volunteers at Repair Cafés, in collaboration with The Repair Café Foundation (Charter & Keiller, 2014 - Circular Economy and Grassroots Innovation – A Global Survey of Repair Cafes and Hackerspaces). Particular emphasis was placed throughout the work on understanding the importance of environmental, social and economic drivers as motivations for participation and of the activities undertaken. Since the first survey two years ago, the number of Repair Cafés around the world has more than doubled. This report presents a summary of the findings of a second global survey of Repair Café volunteers, undertaken in February and March 2016 by CfSD in collaboration with Repair Café International (RCI). This work aims to understand whether there have been any changes in volunteer attitudes, motivations and activities undertaken at Repair Cafés and also introduces new questions that explore issues including risk management, community engagement, data collection and barriers to success. The additional questions have been inspired by CfSD's experience as a co-founder with Transition Town Farnham of Farnham Repair Café, UK which was launched in February 2015

Lessons learnt from supporting SMEs through the FUSION project 2012 – 2014

Since 2009, The Centre for Sustainable Design (CfSD) at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in Surrey, UK has provided business support to six hundred and fifty three eco-innovative SMEs in South East England as part of three European Commission (EC) funded projects, EcoMind, SUSCIN and FUSION. Between 2009 and 2012 CfSD led and supported 566 eco-innovative SMEs through the Sustainable Supply Chains through Innovation (SUSCIN) project, funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) – now the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG). In parallel to SUSCIN between 2009 and 2011 CfSD supported 30 SMEs in more depth through the INTERREG IVA '2 seas' Environmental Market and Innovation Development (EcoMind) collaborative project. A detailed exploration of activities and learnings from SUSCIN and ECOMind is provided in 'Lessons learnt supporting SMEs on Eco-Innovation', 2012. Under the FUSION project between 2012 and December 2014, CfSD provided intensive support to 57 eco-innovative SMEs in Kent, East and West Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The work was co-funded under the INTERREG IVA '2 seas' FUSION collaborative project. This report summarises the activities undertaken by CfSD as part of the FUSION project and shares the findings and lessons learnt and draws on the learnings from SUSCIN and EcoMind

Grassroots innovation and the circular economy: a global survey of repair cafés and hackerspaces

This short report is a summary of the findings of research undertaken by Professor Martin Charter and Scott Keiller of The Centre for Sustainable Design. Interim data were previously presented at the workshop 'Makers & Fixers: The Circular Economy and Grassroots Innovation' held at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), Farnham, UK on 3 June 2014

Farnham Repair Café survey of visitors & volunteers

This report presents the results of a survey of Farnham Repair Café visitors (e.g. product owners) and volunteers (e.g. repairers and organisers). The survey was undertaken in February 2016 by The Centre for Sustainable Design (CfSD) at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in Farnham in the UK. Farnham Repair Café (FRC) is a collaborative project between CfSD at UCA and Transition Town Farnham (TTF). FRC is one of a global network of one thousand Repair Cafés in 24 countries which are part of The Repair Café Foundation International, founded in the Netherlands in 2007 by Martine Postma as a way of actively promoting sustainability in local communities. Repair Cafés offer a free meeting place for people to bring products in need of repair and to work together with volunteer repairers from the local community, to fix broken products

Hydrothermal Carbonisation of Novel Biomasses

Renewable sources of thermal and chemical energy are needed in order to satisfy the world’s ever growing energy needs while limiting the rise of global temperatures below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels. Plant biomass is a vast resource which if harnessed properly could help revolutionise the global energy economy. Hydrothermal Carbonisation (HTC) is a technology wherein biomass exposed to subcritical water at 180 °C – 260 °C is thermochemically converted into an energy-dense “hydrochar” with strong thermal and elemental similarities to fossil coal. However, key aspects of the HTC reaction remain unknown, especially with regard to the degradation of the key biochemical macromolecules hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin and protein. In this thesis, three novel biomasses, Australian saltbush, hemp and macroalgae, were subjected to HTC and the hydrochars analysed for fuel properties and biochemical composition. The breakdown of the key macromolecules was then described using kinetic modelling to build a mechanistic model of the overall conversion of biomass to hydrochar. Each of the three biomasses underwent profound chemical changes during the HTC reaction, resulting in much lower oxygen content, and much higher carbon content. This caused the energy content of the hydrochars to rise to levels that rivaled or even exceeded those observed in fossil lignites. In addition, the ash content of the biomass was reduced, although certain reaction conditions at higher intensities saw the reabsorbence of inorganic elements back into the char. A twin-pathway mechanistic model was adapted and developed from the literature to describe the overall HTC process and the formation of two different kinds of hydrochar: Mechanism 1, involving solid phase conversions that yield “primary char” derived directly from undissolved and partially converted starting material; and Mechanism 2, a two-step pathway that involves the degradation of the feedstock into dissolved intermediates, and the subsequent repolymerisation of those intermediates into “secondary char”. Using this model as a framework of the backdrop of the HTC reaction, the kinetics of the degradation step in each macromolecule where then analysed in detail. There were numerous broad similarities in the behaviour of the key macromolecules between the different biomasses, in spite of their different origins. The degradation of polysaccharides was determined mainly by the degree of crystallinity; non-crystalline hemicellulose degraded very quickly in every biomass in a pseudo-first order reaction, often being completely eliminated from the feedstock within minutes. On the other hand, highly crystalline cellulose was more recalcitrant, and the reaction orders and rates of degradation of cellulose varied considerably across the three biomasses, although it was consistently slower than its non-crystalline counterparts. Variations in the degree of crystallinity in both cellulose and hemicellulose appeared to result in dramatic differences in the degradation kinetics. Lignin was found to be partially susceptible to HTC degradation, with the majority being dissolved with similar kinetics to hemicellulose, and the remainder being inert. The mechanism of the degradation of protein in macroalgae was opaque and difficult to model, with proteins possibly undergoing Maillard reactions with carbohydrates. It is hoped that the methods presented here, especially regarding the biochemical analyses of the hydrochars, can form a major facet of future research and industrial development of HTC.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, 202

Income inequality and the labour market in Britain and the US

We study household income inequality in both Great Britain and the United States and the interplay between labour market earnings and the tax system. While both Britain and the US have witnessed secular increases in 90/10 male earnings inequality over the last three decades, this measure of inequality in net family income has declined in Britain while it has risen in the US. To better understand these comparisons, we examine the interaction between labour market earnings in the family, assortative mating, the tax and welfare-benefit system and household income inequality. We find that both countries have witnessed sizeable changes in employment which have primarily occurred on the extensive margin in the US and on the intensive margin in Britain. Increases in the generosity of the welfare system in Britain played a key role in equalizing net income growth across the wage distribution, whereas the relatively weak safety net available to non-workers in the US mean this growing group has seen particularly adverse developments in their net incomes

The impact of sinkholes on species richness and diversity: implications for mine rehabilitation

Mining often results in numerous detrimental impacts on the surrounding environment. One such potential impact is the formation of sinkholes on mining property, commonly resulting from dewatering operations initiated by mines to keep working conditions dry and safe. The rehabilitation of these sinkholes poses problems for mines that near closure; not only because of the potential costs involved, but also in determining the best methods to rehabilitate a sinkhole. In order to determine the best rehabilitation requirements the differences in biodiversity found between sinkholes and the surrounding area were examined. Two sinkholes and the areas surrounding each sinkhole were sampled for small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates. Basic vegetation and environmental variables studies were also conducted. Grass cover was significantly higher than all other environmental variables (woody, forbs, rock, bare ground and plant litter cover) outside the sinkhole. Inside the sinkholes plant litter, grass and rock cover were significantly higher than the other environmental variables. Woody cover was significantly higher inside the sinkholes, compared to woody cover outside the sinkholes. The average percentage cover of broad-leaved plants was significantly lower than narrow‐leaved plants outside the sinkholes. The cover of broad leaved plants outside the sinkholes was significantly lower in comparison to cover inside the sinkholes. No significant differences were recorded between different seed dispersal types outside the sinkholes. However, inside the sinkholes, the average percentage cover of plants with other types of seed dispersal was significantly higher than animal dispersed seed types. The floral composition analyses found that Tagetes minuta featured prominently inside the sinkholes, while Digitaria longiflora was the most important species outside the sinkhole. The multivariate analysis showed a certain degree of separation between inside and outside quadrats, based on the environmental variables studied. A total of six animal classes were recorded in the study sites. Insecta were most abundant both outside and inside the sinkholes. Outside the sinkholes, Insecta were significantly higher than Arachnida and Myriapoda. Amphibians were significantly lower than all other animal classes. Inside the sinkholes, Insecta and Arachnida were significantly higher than Mammalia and Reptilia. The sinkholes examined in this study do not appear to have decreased levels of biodiversity, but rather present altered environmental conditions to those found outside the sinkholes, allowing the establishment of different species. The exclusion of fire, grazing and frost from sinkholes are likely to be contributing factors in the different growth type abundances and may also impact on invertebrate abundances. The environmental conditions inside the sinkhole that differ from surrounding conditions may be preferred by certain species, while they are avoided by others. Faunal species appear to exhibit individual preferences on sinkhole selection based on their life strategies. Given sufficient time it would appear that sinkholes regenerate to sufficient levels that allow ecosystem functioning. As a result of this, it may not be necessary to refill sinkholes unless out of safety concerns. Only a limited number of variables were examined in this study and future work is required to justify the findings and explanations given herein. Additional environmental variables, such as slope, and detailed studies on the exact differences in moisture, humidity, sunlight, temperature etc. between the sinkholes and surrounding areas should be included in further studies. Both the grazing and burning regimes of the sinkholes and surrounding areas should be established to provide further insight and understanding in the differences between sinkholes and the surrounding areas