Outlining the Challenges of COVID-19 Pandemic on Africa’s Maritime Industry: the Case of Marine and Seafaring Professionals

Despite the ‘Key Worker’ status accorded seafarers in moments of demonstrable selflessness -ensuring, adequate supply of food, medicines, consumables like personal protective equipment (PPEs), and energy - there is a lack of genuine interest in their concerns, leading to various calls from major stakeholders such as the United Nations and International Maritime Organization. These calls associate- with various covid-19-related policies and regulations having a direct bearing on the ongoing crew change crises, maroon and overstay of contracts, poor mental health, rise in covid-19 infections and other unrelated illnesses among ship crew. Thus, to what extent are non-traditional seafaring nations of Africa being impacted? The study examines these concerns by identifying and investigating implemented covid-19 policies and regulations and their impact on maritime operations and crew ‘wellbeing;’ the contingency measures and innovations aiding mitigate responses with minimal challenges to seafarers and marine professionals. The case study approach focuses on West Africa’s maritime corridor, examining operations in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria and Angola to a host of varied ports and offshore installations operations. Direct field observations, as well as questionnaires and interviews of expert or ‘eye witness’ account, deployed via phone calls, online social media and emails are carried out. The study finds MLC 2006 was not been complied with. Embarkation quarantine measures and testing implemented for offshore Ghana and Angola could not prevent the outbreak of cases onboard FPSO units respectively, though the process identified positive cases during quarantine. The stigma associated with positive cases amongst the crew were prevalent in the first six months of pandemic declaration. Of the survey conducted amongst 71 vessel crew, 32.14% were certain of having recorded Covid-19 positive cases on their various Jobsites, 91.06% showed support for IMO-led interventions against covid-19, 30% complained of uncertainty spared by rumours as fueling poor mental health. However, only 19% willingly addressed issues of their proximity to covid-19. Vaccine inoculations upon commencing March 2021 remained low in the region amongst marine professionals. Mitigating measures implemented include increased internet and call access, and extensive boarding protocols. In conclusion, lessons learnt within these periods of history going forward should inform the need for a comprehensively developed global emergency response contingency regulatory plan that identifies various potential threats, establishes adequate measures and make adjustment for review and amendments –to be instated only in times of global emergencies.

Urbanization Models of Mostar in the Period of Austro-Hungarian Rule

In the period of Austro-Hungarian occupation between 1878 and 1918, the City of Mostar had a process of intensive urbanization. In that period, newly arrived engineers (surveyors) transformed the pre-existing Eastern – Ottoman qasaba (provincial town) into a Central European city. This paper revealed four models of urbanization they used in planning. The first model was developed within the existing physical structure of the city through the first regulatory plan. The second model forms the new urban centre using the empty space within the old town. The third and the fourth models expand the city over the river. While the third model forms orthogonal urban blocks, the fourth is a construction of free-standing villas within the Neo-Baroque Square in which six radial streets inflow. The engineers who worked on the regulatory plans were also discovered and presented, as well as the legislative and legal framework within which all these processes took place.

The City’s Regulatory Plans in the First Half of the 20th Century

The aim of this work is to throw light on the regulatory plans of the city of Korça. Based on the researches done in the press of time and in the relevant institutions as well, it comes out that the city had a regulatory plan for its development. It is documented in the press of time since 1875 making it an early document for both the city and Albania in general. These data derive mainly from the press of time published in Korças they have had a great impact on the social and economic life of the city. The ever documented regulatory plan is that of 1931 in co-operation with two foreign engineers and approved by the Albanian Ministry of Infrastructure. Based not only on the press publications, but also on what we have inherited up to nowadays, we conclude that this plan has never been implemented. The only “ new thing ” this plan brought is the “ Pirro Boulevard ” or the today known “ Skenderbe ” , ( Scanderbeg ) which joins the Shen Gjergj Blvd with that of “ Republikës ” ( Republic ) . In the end, based on archive researches we can deduce that the city of Korça has been among the first cities of Albania having a regulatory plan. A concise and definite fact is the article of 1910 which speaks of “ the City Card ” ( Chart ).

Planning Tool Mosaic (PTM): A Platform for Italy, a Country Without a Strategic Framework

The following work proposes the utilisation of a technical device named “Planning Tool Mosaic” (PTM), defined as a total homogeneous and standardised framework for the principles contained in municipal regulatory plans: the assignment of zoning, legends, and technical rules. The 300,000 km2-broad national territory is divided into nearly 8000 municipalities. Each of them refers to a distinct regulatory plan and then to a distinct regulation on local buildings, infrastructure, and social services. This level of planning tool is the one that has most impact on the territory. This highly fragmented scenario should be driven by upper-level regulation. Although protocols and guidelines are in force, they are almost irrelevant compared to the impact of regulation at the local level. This process is a European example of city planning mismanagement that needs to be brought to the broader attention of the European technical/scientific context. The PTM, though intervening when municipal plans are already in effect, introduces an element of social and political transparency to planning before transformative events occur. It also provides a continuous framework on the probable future of territories, thereby overcoming the current opacity with regard to public cognition of future arrangements.

CRITERIOS URBANOS Y ARQUITECTÓNICOS INMATERIALES EN EL PLAN URBANO MODERNO DE CUENCA DE 1947

El estudio analiza criterios urbanísticos y arquitectónicos inmateriales del plan urbano moderno de la ciudad de Cuenca, Ecuador, desarrollado en 1947 por el arquitecto uruguayo Gilberto Gatto Sobral. El trabajo comprende tres momentos: 1) Investigación descriptiva de la influencia que tuvo el arquitecto para desarrollar el plan regulador de Cuenca. 2) Revisión de casos de estudio de los planes normativos y urbanísticos que se han desarrollado a nivel nacional e internacional, y 3) Investigación exploratoria donde se toma como punto de partida el plan del arquitecto Gatto Sobral en Cuenca, para realizar una serie de hipótesis sobre la proporción, la escala y la traza reguladora. El estudio concluye con criterios de forma urbana y arquitectónica a través de tres ideas principales: El módulo como entidad delimitante original (criterio clásico como la proporción). La valoración esencial del proceso histórico (huella original como medio de crecimiento urbano), y la condición de la forma urbana de la Cuenca de 1947. Resultados que pretenden aportar a la ciudad, y poner en valor histórico a la cultura de la modernidad. Palabras clave: Criterios urbanos y arquitectónicos, inmaterial, valor patrimonial, plan urbano moderno. AbstractThe study analyzes immaterial urban and architectural criteria of the modern urban plan of the city of Cuenca, Ecuador, developed in 1947 by the Uruguayan architect Gilberto Gatto Sobral. The work comprises three moments: 1) Descriptive investigation of the influence that the architect Gatto Sobral had to develop Cuenca's regulatory plan. 2) Review of case studies of the regulatory plans and urban plans that have been developed at the national and international level, and 3) Exploratory research where the plan of the architect Gatto Sobral in Cuenca is taken as a starting point, to make a series of hypotheses about the proportion, the scale, and the regulatory trace. The study concludes with criteria of urban and architectural form through three main ideas: the module as an original delimiting entity (the classic criterion like proportion), the essential assessment of the historical process (original trace as a means of urban growth), and the condition of the urban form of Cuenca from 1947. The results intend to contribute to the city and to give historical value to modern culture. Keywords: Urban and architectural criteria, immaterial, heritage value, modern urban plan.

Assessment of subsidence risk associated with aquifer storage and recovery in the Coastal Lowlands Aquifer System, Houston, Texas, USA

In the Houston, Texas region, groundwater use is regulated by the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District (District) because of historical regional subsidence from groundwater development. The District regulates groundwater production in the Coastal Lowlands Aquifer System (CLAS) to mitigate subsidence through the implementation of District Groundwater Regulatory Plan. The District has successfully reduced groundwater pumping as a percent of demand regionally while controlling subsidence through the implementation of alternative water supplies. Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) is an alternative water supply strategy that provides a means to store water underground and increase water supply more cost effectively than traditional storage expansion strategies. Groundwater users in the District are interested in the many potential benefits of ASR as a water supply strategy. Little is known about the potential effects on compaction and land surface subsidence resulting from ASR operations. Recognizing this, the District funded research on the potential subsidence risk associated with ASR. Two hypothetical, though representative, ASR projects were developed and analysed: (1) an industrial ASR project meant to provide water supply during a drought of record (DOR), and (2) a municipal ASR project designed to provide an annual municipal summer peaking water supply. Simulations of groundwater hydraulics and subsidence were performed at three potential locations within the CLAS to provide insight into variability associated with location and aquifer depth. Theoretical simulations confirmed the potential for subsidence associated with the application of ASR in the CLAS, although operating an ASR for summer peaking needs has less potential risk of subsidence than the DOR scenario in the scenarios simulated. The study simulations provide insight into how an ASR project may be designed and operated to minimize compaction and potential subsidence. Based on this study, ASR operated to address summer peaking showed the greatest potential to reduce additional compaction verses sourcing all water from groundwater. This theoretical study provides a basis for future research on subsidence associated with ASR and provides a framework for consideration for the regulation of ASR within the District.

Strategic Planning Document of Port Authority System, a new city-ports agreement: the case of Northern Tyrrhenian Sea AdSP

Legislative Decrees 169/16 and 232/17 have modified Law 84/94. The changes introduces the Port System Regulatory Plan, composed of the PRPs of the individual ports and the Strategic System Planning Document. Among the contents of the DPSS, for which institutional agreements between AdSP and territorial bodies are envisaged, there is the identification of the so-called "Areas of port-city interaction". The objective of this research is to propose a methodology for identifying the areas of influence of the port on the city, measuring the degree of interaction through a system with indicators.

Elaboración de Ordenanzas y Ley de Procedimiento Administrativo Común

LABURPENA: Administrazio-prozedura Erkidearen Legeak (19/2015 Legea, urriaren 1ekoa), uniformeki erregulatu du erregelamendu-araugintza. Erregulazio hori tokiko ordenantzetan aplikatuko da hasiera batean, baina bi muga garrantzitsurekin: alde batetik, toki-eremuan erregulazio-arau bereziak daude, eta, beraz, ezin da erregulazioa orokorra aplikatu; bestalde, 55/2018 KAEk Legearen parte bat (oinarrizkoa ez dena) aplikatzea eragozten du. Testuinguru horretan, tokiko “araugintza-ziklo”aren egungo egitura planteatzen da, hauetan erregulatua: Prozedura Erkidearen Legea; toki-araubidearen oinarrizko legeria; toki-araubidearen lege autonomikoak, sektorearteko legeak (estatukoak zein tokikoak) eta tokiko erregelamendu organikoak. Araugintza-iturri ezberdin horien integrazio sistematikoa Administrazio-prozedura Erkidearen bidez “araugintzaziklo” ari buruz sartutako bost mugarrien inguruan egin da: aurretiazko kontsulta publikoa; arauen eraginaren analisi-memoria; entzunaldiaren eta informazio publikoaren izapidea eta arauen “ex post” ebaluazioa. ABSTRACT: The Common Administrative Procedure Act (Act 39/2015, of October 1) has regulated in a uniform way the preparation of regulatory provisions, these including local legislation. This regulation is in principle applicable to the local legislation albeit with two important limits: on the one hand, by the local sector there are special rules for their drafting that hinder the application of the general regulation. On the other hand, the Constitutional Court ruling 55/2018 suggests the non-application of part of the regulation laid down in the Act (the non-basic one). In that context, the current structure of the local "regulatory cycle" is approached as regulated by the Common Administrative Procedure Act, the basic State legislation on the local regime, the autonomic acts enacted regarding local regime, the sector-specific acts (both state and local) and the local organic legislation. The systematic integration of all these different normative sources is carried out by focusing on the five major milestones of the "regulatory cycle" as introduced by the Common Administration Procedure Act: prior public consultation; the annual regulatory plan; the memorandum on the regulatory impact assessment; the public consultation and information; and the "ex post" regulatory assessment. RESUMEN: La Ley de Procedimiento Administrativo Común (Ley 39/2015, de 1 de octubre) ha regulado de manera uniforme la elaboración de las normas reglamentarias. Esta regulación es en principio aplicable a las ordenanzas locales, aunque con dos importantes límites: de un lado, en el ámbito local hay normas especiales de elaboración, que impiden la aplicación de la regulación general. De otro lado, la STC 55/2018 lleva a la inaplicación de parte de la regulación (la no básica) de la Ley. En ese contexto se plantea la estructura actual del «ciclo normativo» local, regulado en: la Ley de Procedimiento Administrativo Común, la legislación básica de régimen local, las leyes autonómicas de régimen local, las leyes sectoriales (tanto estatales como locales) y los reglamentos orgánicos locales. La integración sistemática de estas fuentes normativas diversas se hace en relación con los cinco hitos fundamentales del «ciclo normativo» introducidos por la Ley de Procedimiento Administración Común: la consulta pública previa; el plan anual normativo; la memoria de análisis de impacto normativo; el trámite de audiencia e información pública; y la evaluación normativa «ex post».