Transport and nation‐state governments worldwide

The Sydney Olympics held in September 2000 provided an opportunity to monitor the planning of transport provision for the world's greatest sporting spectacular. As the single largest major event, the pressures on a city's transport system are enormous, as witnessed by the previous Games in Atlanta and Barcelona. This paper takes a value-chain approach to assess transport performance as a crucial element in the delivery of the Sydney Olympic Games. We begin with a brief overview of strategic value, highlighting some generic aspects of value chains followed by the transport delivery system that came to the fore as significant 'drivers' in the value chain. This is followed by a summary of the effectiveness of the buses, trains, taxis, roads and the airport. A more detailed look is provided of the private bus sector where the problems leading up the opening of the Games received a great deal of media attention. The paper concludes with two stories, one good, one not so good, about transport and the Olympic Games.     

Economic Valuation of Coastal and Marine Resources: Bohol Marine Triangle,Philippines

This article provides results on the net benefits generated from the natural resources in the Bohol Marine Triangle (BMT) in the Philippines. The BMT spans over 112,000 ha and its coastal ecosystems are rich in biodiversity and provide economic opportunities to the coastal communities. With a 10% discount rate, the accumulated total net benefits for the BMT resources over a 10-year period is US$11.54 million. Tourism and the municipal fisheries are the most important direct use values of the coastal and marine resources of the BMT accounting for 44% and 39% of the total net benefits. Annual revenues attributed to ecosystems were as follows: coral reefs, US$1.26 million; beach/intertidal area, US$1.12 million; marine waters, US$646,501; mangrove, US$239,561; and seagrass, US$105,990. The large market values indicate the dependence of the local community on the BMT coastal and marine resources. In the same way, non-market values show the important life-support functions of coastal and marine ecosystems. The net benefits reflect the magnitude of potential losses due to improper management of coastal and marine resources in the BMT. This valuation highlights the importance of the coastal services to the BMT economy and draws attention to the benefits the local stakeholders derive from BMT coastal resources. Policy measures can now take into account these values to justify a sufficient investment in coastal management efforts to sustain the flow of coastal services in the interest of current and future generations.     

公司交通政策的最佳实践——以比利时为例

公司是通勤交通的主要创造者,在与交通相关的讨论中,公司扮演着重要角色。近几年,公司提出了多种政策措施,以改善员工的出行条件,但其愿景与行动通常被研究文献所忽视。为了讨论比利时公司在交通政策方面的最佳实践,分析了现有研究成果和比利时的两次大规模通勤交通调查。首先,对公司进行分类,以便确定在推广替代交通方式方面受员工欢迎的公司。然后,通过量化分析确定交通政策的最佳实践。结果显示,最佳替代交通方式取决于公司特征;自行车交通最适合小型工作场所,大型工作场所和位于建筑密集区或市中心的公司则更适合推广公共交通;在公司交通管理中,财务激励、设施提供、信息传播和停车管理均起重要作用。     

The urban coast from a national perspective

Abstract

Viewing the urban coast from the national perspective one sees not only the sheer number and complexity of the federal programs involved but the lack of adequate coordination and the different often cross‐purpose missions. It goes without saying that to date, no one federal agency or program has been specifically charged with overseeing the urban coastal resource as an entity, nor is it likely that one will. However, national concern regarding various aspects of the urban coastal issues has been expressed. A very clear‐cut national interest has been constitutionally declared in navigation, defense, and interstate commercial activities, most of which affect the water area. A more diffuse though no less important national involvement can be traced through a number of federal activities which add up to considerable federal interest and investment in our urban coastal areas. Beginning in the early 1960s with waterfront related urban renewal activity for example the activities have accelerated more recently with such things as the administration's urban initiative, the Urban Recreation Study and the Urban Waterfront Study (HCRS), the Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery Program (HCRS), the Maritime Preservation Program (HCRS and NHT), public investment in harbor cleanup (EPA), shorefront access and planning (OCZM), special waterfront demonstration projects (OCZM), and the State Coastal Zone programs coming in line to mention a few. Building on the existing framework and growing enthusiasm there is an unexcelled opportunity to make incremental progress in creating a new and better urban environment by effectively managing this unique portion of the city—the urban waterfront.     

Sense of Place as a Source of Tension in Canada’s West Coast Energy Conflicts

Canada’s west coast has been a hotspot of environmental conflict, most recently in defense of climate action and natural places under threat by energy development. This study examined sense of place as a source of tension in conflicts sparked by two energy proposals. The Bute Inlet run-of-river hydroelectric project would power British Columbia’s remote Central Coast, and the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion would transport bitumen from Alberta’s oil sands to tankers for export. Surveys, interviews, and mapping were used to investigate the depth and character of participants’ sense of favorite places and places expected to be affected by the projects, with appreciation, concern, and responsibility for nature as organizing themes. We discovered a regional, nature-centric sense of place on the south coast, and a sense of place among Albertans linked to that province’s oil and gas economy and its reputation as Canada’s chief breadwinner. Ties to natural places were found to underpin environmental advocacy by tapping into deep place connections as well as place connections conveyed through network ideologies and the protests themselves. We outline for consideration key characteristics of a regional sense of place, and offer ways to mitigate place-based economy versus environment conflicts.     

Distributed work and travel behaviour: The dynamics of interactive agency choices between employers and employees

This paper develops a framework within which multiple agents make discrete choices in respect of a common objective – the determination of participation in distributed work, especially the opportunities and constraints associated with telecommuting. Ideas in discrete choice theory and game theory are combined to define a set of choice experiments in which employees and employers interact in arriving at a choice path in a distributed work context. A state choice experiment with offers and feedback, known as an interactive agency choice experiment (IACE), is empirically investigated in the context of telecommuting options with an exploratory sample of employees and employers in Sydney, Australia. The approach highlights the role of information and negotiation in breaking down the barriers to more flexible work activity, to deliver potential benefits to the transport system such as reduced traffic congestion and environmental sustainability. The paper identifies the types of incentives that an employee/er has to offer the employer/employee in securing effective telecommuting. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The built environment,walking, and physical activity: Is the environment more important to some people than others?

We examine whether specific types of people are more sensitive to the built environment when making a decision to walk or engage in other physical activity. Over 700 participants from 36 environmentally diverse, but equivalent-sized neighborhoods or focus areas responded to a survey, kept a travel diary, and wore an accelerometer for seven days. Subgroups defined by demographic and socioeconomic variables, as well as self reported health and weight status demonstrate that most subgroups of people walk more for transportation in high density areas. However, only the less healthy walked more overall in high density areas after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and physical activity was remarkably similar among the groups and across different kinds of environments. While environmental interventions may not increase physical activity population wide, some populations – including some for whom interventions may be important such as the less healthy and the unemployed or retired – are more affected by these neighborhood environmental characteristics.