Climate risks in West Africa: Bobo-Dioulasso local actors’ participatory risks management framework

The paper focuses on the role of multilevel governance in climate change adaptation and risk management, and draws out lessons from the implementation of the UN Habitat Cities and Climate Change Initiatives (CCCI) in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. It describes the process for the formulation of a participatory risk management framework for local actors drawing from empirical investigations undertaken in Bobo-Dioulasso. The paper argues that adaptation needs to be mainstreamed and implemented at local level and to include risk management. Moreover, regulatory capacity of public authorities and balance of power and resources play a major role in this process. After presenting the specific knowledge on climate and environmental challenges and CCCI implementation in Bobo-Dioulasso, the paper describes challenges and opportunities in the implementation of the participatory risk and management framewor

Peri-Urban Livelihood and Adaptive Capacity: Urban Development in Dar Es Salaam

This research focuses on the interactions between urban development and global environmental change processes as crucial for reducing the impacts of climate change. Together with the challenges of rapid urban growth, environmental change impacts will undermine efforts to achieve sustainable development. Peri-urban refers to the area where urban and rural features and processes meet, intertwine and interact, usually located between city and countryside. Peri-urban growth patterns are shaping most of the urban development in sub-Saharan Africa, raising concerns regarding vulnerability to global environmental change in unplanned settlements. To date, there has been little exploration of the implications of peri-urban patterns for social vulnerability and adaptation options. The study discussed in this paper, conducted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, illustrates the livelihood strategies and environmental management practices used by peri-urban dwellers, while underlining challenges and opportunities for adaptive capacity. According to a few scholars, the acknowledgement of such hybridity leads to a reconsideration of the dominant strategies for addressing environmental issues in peri-urban areas. Assuming the transition to urban is the best solution, those strategies emphasize the role of infrastructure and services provisioning. Moreover, a criticism of dominant approaches arises through analysis of the recent trend toward ecological security in global cities’ environmental management

Ambiente e Città metropolitana. Intorno all’acqua di Roma

L’idea sottesa a questo breve testo è che la riforma istituzionale introdotta dalla legge Delrio possa, ed anzi debba, contribuire all’attuazione della Direttiva europea sulle acque del 2000. L’istituzione metropolitana è infatti esplicitamente richiamata nel Codice nazionale dell’ambiente del 2006. La Città metropolitana di Roma capitale offre un formidabile scenario per iniziare a ragionare su questo tema. Nello specifico ci si chiede se e in che misura la riforma Delrio abbia le potenzialità per riconfigurare il dibattito pubblico sull’acqua e aprire al superamento di alcuni divari storici tra centro e corona, come tra centro e distretto idrografico, in materia di gestione del servizio idrico integrato e di tutela della qualità dei corpi idrici naturali. L’analisi del portato ambientale della riforma, in generale e nello specifico della capitale, nonché la rilettura di alcune recenti evoluzioni del dibattito sull’acqua nella regione Lazio, forniscono degli elementi utili per tracciare un numero limitato di ragionevoli scenari che proponiamo qui in conclusione, sia per orientare il futuro dibattito in seno alla Città metropolitana e/o nel suo contesto regionale di riferimento, sia come strumento per valutare in progress gli esiti di tale dibattito.The underlying idea of this short essay is that the institutional reform recently introduced in Italy (Delrio Act) could, and even had to, contribute to the implementation of the 2000 Eu Water Framework Directive in the country. A clear indication in this direction is provided by the 2006 Italian national Environment Act , while the actual setting-up of Rome Capital City’s metropolitan authority offers a formidable context to start discussing in practical terms. Specifically, in the case of Rome, the question arises whether and to what extent the Delrio Reform has the potential for reframing the public debate on water and leading to an end of the conflicts over integrated water service management and quality conservation of natural water-bodies that historically oppose the capital city to the surrounding municipalities and to the whole hydrographic region. Assessing the Reform’s environmental consequences, together with examining recent evolution of the water debate in the Lazio region, provides some useful elements for sketching a few reasonable scenarios that are proposed in conclusion. They are meant to serve both as a compass for future debate within Rome’s metropolitan area and/or region, and as a tool for assessing the progress of such a debate

Città e cooperazione allo sviluppo: permanenze e novità nelle politiche Ue per il post 2015

Questo articolo vuole avviare la riflessione sul ruolo che l’Agenda urbana Ue potrà svolgere in quanto strumento di propulsione e/o veicolo per la mobilità di idee e modelli urbani tra Europa e Sud del mondo. Per fare questo, ci concentriamo su alcuni documenti di policy recentissimi o in fieri per individuare alcuni temi caldi da seguire sia in occasione della chiusura delle negoziazioni sugli obiettivi per lo sviluppo nel post 2015, sia nella cosiddetta fase di post post 2015 quando si aprirà il dibattito sull’attuazione delle decisioni assunte. Il nostro sguardo privilegia l’Africa Subsahariana, dove la retorica del millennio urbano si inceppa davanti all’evidenza che le città di fatto ospitano quote minoritarie di popolazione (37% in media in Africa Subsahariana che scendono a 25% in Africa Orientale, nel 2014). Se è ovvio che trend di urbanizzazione mediamente intorno al 5% minano alla base la qualità attuale delle città Subsahariane, il dilemma tra lavorare per rallentare tali tendenze piuttosto che per rendere sostenibile il loro esito è ancora aperto e l’urbanizzazione dell’Africa rimane un progetto prima che una realt

Climate change adaptation through urban planning. A proposed approach for Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

The need for climate change adaptation is increasingly influencing the discourse about spatial development strategies throughout the world. Nevertheless, several gaps still exist in our understanding of the spatial dimensions of climate change vulnerability and how to incorporate them into planning practices. Firstly, attention has been mostly focused on how to adjust physical assets to climate change, while the question of how to strengthen local adaptive capacity remains rather neglected. Secondly, while many cities have institutionalized climate change, integration of adaptation considerations into existing urban planning and governance systems is still lacking. As a result, not only do the plans and programs in place for urban development and environmental management often fail to address adaptation needs, they may even jeopardize current adaptive capacity. The latter has particularly serious consequences for Sub-Saharan cities, where people's capacity for autonomous adaptation is a crucial resource, given the limited capacity of local government institutions to fulfill their responsibilities. This chapter proposes a methodology for main-streaming adaptation into existing planning documents, developed specifically for the city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. After providing a brief review of approaches and challenges in adaptation mainstreaming, the main features of the proposed methodology and preliminary results of its application are presented. Lessons learned from the experience are examined in the conclusions

Reinterpretare la città sub-sahariana attraverso il concetto di "capacità di adattamento". Un'analisi delle pratiche "autonome" di adattamento alle trasformazioni ambientali in ambito peri-urbano

La ricerca affronta il tema della pianificazione locale per l’adattamento dal cambiamento climatico nelle città dell’Africa sub-sahariana, come opportunità per sviluppare un’analisi critica dei paradigmi che hanno orientato e ancora prevalgono negli studi urbani di tali città e negli approcci di pianificazione ad essi associati. Il concetto di capacità di adattamento costituisce lo strumento attraverso il quale vengono messi in evidenza limiti e contraddizioni degli approcci interpretativi delle geografie urbane dominanti, un punto di partenza per esplorare elementi conoscitivi e metodologici utili a colmare la distanza tra i modelli interpretativi, categorie e dicotomie adottati nella pianificazione e realtà urbana delle pratiche “informali” di gestione ambientale. Attraverso l’indagine svolta a Dar es Salaam si vuole comprendere se e come una rilettura della città sub-sahariana attraverso il concetto di capacità di adattamento possa colmare tale distanza e contribuire ad una nuova interpretazione della città contemporanea giungendo a due risultati principali del percorso di ricerca: uno è rappresentato dalla conoscenza prodotta sulla pianificazione, sulle dinamiche di sviluppo e di gestione ambientale nella aree peri-urbane delle città dell’Africa sub-sahariana e nello specifico di Dar es Salaam, dalla quale emergono i limiti di alcune generalizzazioni diffuse sui caratteri delle aree peri-urbane. L’altro è un contributo di tipo metodologico derivato dalla riflessione su limiti e punti di forza di strumenti e metodi di indagine della capacità di adattamento e di gestione ambientale, applicati nella città di Dar es Salaam, come riferimento per l’analisi di contesti simili. Infine l’adozione di una prospettiva post-coloniale consente di evidenziare le tensioni e i possibili percorsi di ricerca che sorgono nella relazione tra capacità di adattamento e pianificazione. In particolare emerge come vi sia la necessità di esplorare e ricercare una via di uscita dal dualismo, in cui lo stato dell’arte della pianificazione urbana sembra intrappolato, tra la necessità di sovvertire un modello neo-liberista di sviluppo urbano che porta al moltiplicarsi delle pratiche di auto-sfruttamento da parte dei subalterni e l’esaltazione delle pratiche locali autonome e informali come unica a proficua soluzione per la pianificazione nel Sud del mondo

Unilateral condylar hyperplasia recurrence after orthognathic surgery: a case report

Introduction: Unilateral Condylar Hyperplasia (UCH) is an uncommon condition resulting in facial asymmetry and malocclusion. At the time of diagnosis, an accurate evaluation of condylar activity through bone SPECT is necessary to determine the most appropriate surgical treatment. The Authors present a case of a UCH recurrence after orthognathic surgery in order to discuss about the clinical role of condylar SPECT in UCH therapeutic management. Case report: A 60-years old female patient was referred to the Department of Maxillo-Facial Surgery of Sapienza University of Rome for a relapse of mandibular laterodeviation. At the age of 24, she underwent orthognathic surgery after a diagnosis of UCH without condylar SPECT evaluation. As part of our clinical routine, condylar SPECT was performed and a significant difference in radiotracer uptake (20%) was found between the left condylar region and the contralateral one. She underwent high condilectomy and Bilateral Mandibular Sagittal Osteotomy. She had no evidence of recurrence till today. Discussion: Optimal surgical management of UCH is still controversial. In the diagnostic phase of UCH, a functional evaluation of condylar growth status by bone SPECT is an essential step to avoid long-term recurrence of mandibular asymmetry. On the basis of condylar metabolic activity, UCH can be classified in an active phase or a stationary phase. Clinical and functional evaluation of patients with mandibular asymmetry should be standardized in order to plan the most appropriate surgical and orthodontic treatment

Green Cities: Utopia or Reality? Evidence from Zurich, Switzerland

There is an overall scientific consensus that green spaces positively affect urban dwellers’ health and well-being. However, there is a gap between knowledge and policy objectives, and their translation into effective interventions to unleash the benefits of green spaces. Examining such ‘implementation gap’ in Zurich is relevant due to the integration of the ‘green urban agenda’ in various Swiss policies. The research narrows its focus to district 9, including the Altstetten and Albisrieden neighborhoods, which contain diverse green spaces despite ongoing densification. The study further explores four green space clusters and their 400-m catchment areas within the district. The research applies a mixed-method approach at three analytical levels: (1) identification of the critical tenets associated with the ‘green urban agenda’ through a review of multi-scale national policies, (2) assessment of green spaces’ provision, types, size, and mutual connectivity in Zurich’s district 9 based on online available quantitative data and on-site observation, and (3) identification of the dominant activities in four green space clusters through on-site observation. Through critical mutual examination of the identified ‘green urban agenda’ principles in the national policies and green space attributes, the findings reveal the extent of the convergence or divergence between policy trends and their implementation in practice

Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 315 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE), 1990-2015:a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

Background Healthy life expectancy (HALE) and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) provide summary measures of health across geographies and time that can inform assessments of epidemiological patterns and health system performance, help to prioritise investments in research and development, and monitor progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We aimed to provide updated HALE and DALYs for geographies worldwide and evaluate how disease burden changes with development.Methods We used results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 (GBD 2015) for all-cause mortality, cause-specific mortality, and non-fatal disease burden to derive HALE and DALYs by sex for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2015. We calculated DALYs by summing years of life lost (YLLs) and years of life lived with disability (YLDs) for each geography, age group, sex, and year. We estimated HALE using the Sullivan method, which draws from age-specific death rates and YLDs per capita. We then assessed how observed levels of DALYs and HALE differed from expected trends calculated with the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator constructed from measures of income per capita, average years of schooling, and total fertility rate.Findings Total global DALYs remained largely unchanged from 1990 to 2015, with decreases in communicable, neonatal, maternal, and nutritional (Group 1) disease DALYs off set by increased DALYs due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Much of this epidemiological transition was caused by changes in population growth and ageing, but it was accelerated by widespread improvements in SDI that also correlated strongly with the increasing importance of NCDs. Both total DALYs and age-standardised DALY rates due to most Group 1 causes significantly decreased by 2015, and although total burden climbed for the majority of NCDs, age-standardised DALY rates due to NCDs declined. Nonetheless, age-standardised DALY rates due to several high-burden NCDs (including osteoarthritis, drug use disorders, depression, diabetes, congenital birth defects, and skin, oral, and sense organ diseases) either increased or remained unchanged, leading to increases in their relative ranking in many geographies. From 2005 to 2015, HALE at birth increased by an average of 2.9 years (95% uncertainty interval 2.9-3.0) for men and 3.5 years (3.4-3.7) for women, while HALE at age 65 years improved by 0.85 years (0.78-0.92) and 1.2 years (1.1-1.3), respectively. Rising SDI was associated with consistently higher HALE and a somewhat smaller proportion of life spent with functional health loss; however, rising SDI was related to increases in total disability. Many countries and territories in central America and eastern sub-Saharan Africa had increasingly lower rates of disease burden than expected given their SDI. At the same time, a subset of geographies recorded a growing gap between observed and expected levels of DALYs, a trend driven mainly by rising burden due to war, interpersonal violence, and various NCDs.Interpretation Health is improving globally, but this means more populations are spending more time with functional health loss, an absolute expansion of morbidity. The proportion of life spent in ill health decreases somewhat with increasing SDI, a relative compression of morbidity, which supports continued efforts to elevate personal income, improve education, and limit fertility. Our analysis of DALYs and HALE and their relationship to SDI represents a robust framework on which to benchmark geography-specific health performance and SDG progress. Country-specific drivers of disease burden, particularly for causes with higher-than-expected DALYs, should inform financial and research investments, prevention efforts, health policies, and health system improvement initiatives for all countries along the development continuum. Copyright (C) The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.</p