Search Constraints

Search Results

  • The "Xochimilco model" for managing irregular settlements in conservation land in Mexico City

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Wigle, Jill
    Abstract:
    Mexico City has long been known as one of the world’s largest mega-cities. Although, the city’s growth rates have slowed since the 1980s, this process is not manifested evenly in spatial terms. Peripheral municipalities continue to grow at higher rates, including those municipalities in the southern part of the Federal District that contain its remaining conservation land. This growth is largely, but not exclusively, driven by the ongoing search for housing among lower-income households in the form of irregular settlement. Over time, this incremental pattern of settlement expansion has fragmented conservation land and impaired its ecological functioning. Given their role in land use planning with the reintroduction of elected local governments in the Federal District in 1997, this situation has placed municipalities quite literally at the ‘‘frontlines” of this planning and sustainability challenge. This paper examines the approach for managing land use regularization processes related to irregular settlement in conservation land adopted by the municipality of Xochimilco in its 2005 urban development plan, with reference to the experience of a specific case study community. Based on a series of interviews with residents and planning officials, the paper documents the highly-negotiated nature of ‘‘normative” planning that focuses on mitigating the impact of settlement in the conservation zone rather than stopping it completely. Given the enormous social pressures to access land for housing, the paper concludes that realistic efforts to preserve the remaining conservation land must involve a more comprehensive approach that better integrates environmental and social equity issues within and among municipal and upper-levels of government.
    Date Created:
    2010-04-17

  • Community Treatment Orders: The Service User Speaks. Exploring the Lived Experience of Community Treatment Orders

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Fleming, Courtney, Morel, Vanessa, Schwartz, Karen, Armstrong, Meredith, O’Brien, Ann-Marie, and Moore, Patricia
    Abstract:
    This study uses an exploratory qualitative design to examine the lived experience of one group of service users on community treatment orders (CTOs). The study was designed and completed by four graduate students at Carleton University School of Social Work. Despite the unique features of CTO legislation in Ontario, many findings from this study are remarkably similar to findings of research conducted in other jurisdictions. What is unique in our findings is the lack of focus on the actual conditions and provision of the CTO. The issue for our participants was less about the CTO itself, and more about the labels, control and discrimination associated with severe mental illness. Cette étude utilise un concept qualitatif et exploratoire pour examiner les expériences vécues d’un groupe qui utilise les ordonnances de traitement en milieu communautaire (OTMC). Cette étude a été designée et complétée par 4 étudiants de l’école de service social de l’université Carleton. Malgré les nombreux aspects uniques de la loi gérant les OTMC de l’Ontario, plusieurs résultats de cette étude sont remarquablement similaires aux résultats découverts dans de différentes juridictions. L’élément unique de cette recherche est le manque de focus sur les conditions véritables et les provisions des OTMC. La problématique encourue par les participants n’était pas au sujet des OTMC en soi, mais plus tôt au sujet de l’étiquetage, du contrôle, et de la discrimination associé aux troubles de santé mentale sévères.
    Date Created:
    2010-01-12

  • Understanding Chinese Confucommunism

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Kovalio, Jacob
    Date Created:
    2010-10-04

  • Polarization-selective grating excitation of plasmons in cylindrical optical fibers

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Albert, Jacques, Dakka, Milad A., Shevchenko, Yanina, and Chen, Chengkun
    Abstract:
    We show that the tilted-grating-assisted excitation of surface plasmon polaritons on gold coated single-mode optical fibers depends strongly on the state of polarization of the core-guided light, even in fibers with cylindrical symmetry. Rotating the linear polarization of the guided light by 90° relative to the grating tilt plane is sufficient to turn the plasmon resonances on and off with more than 17 dB of extinction ratio. By monitoring the amplitude changes of selected individual cladding mode resonances we identify what we believe to be a new refractive index measurement method that is shown to be accurate to better than 5 × 10-5.
    Date Created:
    2010-03-01

  • The relationship between net energy use and the urban density of solar buildings

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Athienitis, Andreas K, Kesik, Ted J, Kennedy, Christopher A, and O'Brien, William
    Abstract:
    There is a paradoxical relationship between the density of solar housing and net household energy use. The amount of solar energy available per person decreases as density increases. At the same time, transportation energy, and to some extent, household operating energy decreases. Thus, an interesting question is posed: how does net energy use vary with housing density? This study attempts to provide insight into this question by examining three housing forms: low-density detached homes, medium-density townhouses, and high-density high-rise apartments in Toronto. The three major quantities of energy that are summed for each are building operational energy use, solar energy availability, and personal transportation energy use. Solar energy availability is determined on the basis of an effective annual collector efficiency. The results show that under the base case in which solar panels are applied to conventional homes, the high-density development uses one-third less energy than the low-density one. Improving the efficiency of the homes results in a similar trend. Only when the personal vehicle fleet or solar collectors are made to be extremely efficient does the trend reverse-the low-density development results in lower net energy.
    Date Created:
    2010-01-01

  • Peter the Venerable and Secular Friendships

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Saurette, Marc
    Date Created:
    2010-02-02