Romania’s urban policy in the context of COVID-19 pandemic time

Under the conditions of frequent changes, of some edifying transformations and perpetual challenges, urban policy undergoes changes/adjustments/updates over certain time intervals. These changes generate increasingly more complex requirements that impose drafting a flexible multidisciplinary framework able to support the future development of a territory. In full debate-process, the new urban policy of Romania promotes sustainability, resilience and inclusive growth, on the background of a critical period under the dominance of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic. This new policy brings around the discussion table experts from relevant fields: decision factors, urbanists, economists, architects, citizens, civic initiative groups, etc. The national urban policy must address all categories of urban areas (defined as a city area considered as the inner city plus built-up environs, irrespective of local body administrative boundaries), being fundamental in implementing the goals set by the New EU Urban Agenda, approved in the framework of the Habitat III conference of the United Nations (2016) and the new provisions of the New Leipzig Charter (2020). Urban policy must ensure a single planning framework that would support the implementation of the programs and projects financed from European and national funds, preparing thus the financial exercise 2021-2027. Considering the above mentioned, the present paper aims to review the important and strategic elements of the future urban policy from Romania and its role in promoting and supporting balanced territorial development under the conditions of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic crisis which is far from over.

Recordkeeping in council-controlled organisations: An investigation into local body involvement and the implementation of formal recordkeeping programmes

<p>In New Zealand council--‐controlled organisations (CCOs) play an important role in the conduct of local government’s affairs, and in recognition of this they are subject to the Public Records Act 2005. The purpose of the study is to investigate the extent to which local bodies are involved in CCO recordkeeping programmes, the motivations for and barriers to their involvement, and whether formal recordkeeping programmes are being implemented in CCOs. The study used an online questionnaire to collect data from CCOs and staff overseeing recordkeeping in local bodies. The results show that though some local bodies take part in CCO recordkeeping programmes, involvement is often occasional and not necessarily grounded in a formal agreement. In some cases perceptions about the status of CCOs apparently drive involvement, while a lack of guidance, decision--‐making and resources can inhibit participation. Small CCOs in the completed sample did not show strong signs of having implemented formal recordkeeping programmes, but due to the response rate this finding cannot be generalised to all CCOs. The study brings attention to previously undocumented issues with CCO recordkeeping, and presents the case that CCOs and local body recordkeepers are in need of appropriate advisory support. There is still much that is unknown about CCOs’ attitudes to toward their legal recordkeeping obligations, the barriers they face to implementing formal recordkeeping programmes, and the assistance they require.</p>

Recordkeeping in council-controlled organisations: An investigation into local body involvement and the implementation of formal recordkeeping programmes

<p>In New Zealand council--‐controlled organisations (CCOs) play an important role in the conduct of local government’s affairs, and in recognition of this they are subject to the Public Records Act 2005. The purpose of the study is to investigate the extent to which local bodies are involved in CCO recordkeeping programmes, the motivations for and barriers to their involvement, and whether formal recordkeeping programmes are being implemented in CCOs. The study used an online questionnaire to collect data from CCOs and staff overseeing recordkeeping in local bodies. The results show that though some local bodies take part in CCO recordkeeping programmes, involvement is often occasional and not necessarily grounded in a formal agreement. In some cases perceptions about the status of CCOs apparently drive involvement, while a lack of guidance, decision--‐making and resources can inhibit participation. Small CCOs in the completed sample did not show strong signs of having implemented formal recordkeeping programmes, but due to the response rate this finding cannot be generalised to all CCOs. The study brings attention to previously undocumented issues with CCO recordkeeping, and presents the case that CCOs and local body recordkeepers are in need of appropriate advisory support. There is still much that is unknown about CCOs’ attitudes to toward their legal recordkeeping obligations, the barriers they face to implementing formal recordkeeping programmes, and the assistance they require.</p>

What is the body schema?

The body schema is commonly defined as the representation of a body for action. But what do we mean exactly by that? What makes the body schema so special? The type of information that it represents? The way this information is represented? Or the function of the representation? And is there more than one type of body schema? There is a sense indeed in which the term ‘body schema’ is ambiguous, in that it functions as a general term that groups together various body representations intervening at different stages in motor control, representing short- or long-term properties, used for positive or negative affordances. In addition, one might want to distinguish between local body schemata, which represent body parts, and a global body schema, which represents the body as a whole. But is this latter holistic representation really necessary? Here this chapter will present a detailed characterization of the manifold of representational processes involved in what we commonly refer to as the body schema, as well as the key mechanisms that contribute to their construal.

Age and Environmental Citizenship: A Case Study of Media Coverage of the 2019 Local Body Elections in New Zealand

Environmental issues in the coverage of the elections are usually framed in relation to voters’ attitudes towards the specific problems, for instance, water quality or land use. The environment is not given standing in these discussions, rather, it is an instrument or resource for voters. In this article we investigate the relationship between news and politics by looking at media coverage of the 2019 local body elections in New Zealand. We follow a call to put place at the centre of journalism research and to investigate the emerging forms of environmental citizenship. We focus on a media market at each end of New Zealand’s two main islands and relate analysis of the coverage of local body elections coverage to related social groups engaged in environmental issues. The objective of our article is to consider the extent to which age plays a role in media representation of environmental issues in the context of local body elections.

Assessment of urban solid waste management systems for Industry 4.0 technology interventions and the circular economy

The ongoing fourth industrial revolution, Industry 4.0 (I4.0), is transforming various industries across the globe. At the same time, resource scarcity with high consumption rates has led to the development of the circular economy. Both concepts advocate for sustainable growth and waste minimization. In developing countries, the integrated solid waste management framework is undergoing modification under I4.0 and the circular economy. Urban local bodies are often unable to measure the readiness of their waste management systems to transform under I4.0 and the circular economy. Here the novel concept of Waste 4.0 is developed. ‘Waste 4.0’ is a readiness assessment tool to promote the comprehensive transformation of municipal solid waste management under I4.0 and circular economy. This tool has eight determinants for assessing the municipal solid waste management of urban local bodies. To validate Waste 4.0 the urban local bodies of Indore and Sagar, India were used as case studies. The readiness index for I4.0 in the municipal solid waste management system in Indore and Sagar was 0.72 and 0.14, respectively. The readiness index for circular economy focus in Indore and Sagar was 0.65 and 0.13, respectively. The Indore urban local body was classified as an ‘Experienced’ player for I4.0 Intervention and a ‘circular economy fast adopter’ for circular economy focus under I4.0 readiness. The Sagar urban local body was classified as a ‘Hesitator’ player for I4.0 Intervention and achieved the ‘Business as usual’ tag for circular economy focus under I4.0 readiness. With the Waste 4.0 assessment results urban local bodies can better plan and thus transform their municipal solid waste management systems under I4.0 and the circular economy.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF LOCAL BODY AND NON-LOCAL BODY GOVERNMENT REGIMES IN PROVISION OF PUBLIC SERVICES IN TERMS OF HEALTH & EDUCATION: EVIDENCE FROM PAKISTAN

It is important to find out the impacts of local body reforms on health and education sector to have a comparison between those eras when local government system have been implemented and not implementation of this system. The paramount concern of the study is to identify whether public services provision in terms of education and health are improved during the era of local body government than that of non-local body government regime in Punjab, Pakistan The main concern of this study is to identify the differences between two regimes of government local body government and non-local body government duration in provision of public services in terms of health and education. Data has been collected for three provinces (Punjab, Sindh, and KPK) at district and province level from provincial development statistics. Due to data limitations, Baluchistan province is excluded from analysis. Overall trend suggested that education sector has been assessed with more and increasing trend during the non-local government regime as compared to local body government in all three provinces. Similarly, we have assessed that health sectors is also experiencing trend as education.