The City of Asker (Norway) is set to engage in the Cities Programme and have chosen to explore the issue of corrupution. ‘The Fraud & Corruption Resistant Profile – The Framework A Public Version,’ provides a useful background and details an assessment system, which aims to measure the resistance (or resilience) and impacts of fraud and corruption to organisations, corporations or entities.
There will be more information made available in the coming months as Asker formally engages as a member city.
Read the article BGZ Berlin International Co-operation Agency submitted for the Compact Quarterly magazine, which details Berlin’s most recent activities and future project goals.
The 7th International Conference on Urban Health will take place in Vancouver Canada. The theme of the Conference is ‘Knowledge Integration: Successful
Interventions in Urban Health’ and there is an emphasis on intersectoral partnerships. The deadline for abstract submissions is May 31, 2008 and early bird registration ends July 28, 2008.
Social scientists say this century will be marked by the rise of the global mega city. Melbourne has been chosen as the heart of a global effort to combat the problems of city life.
Presenter – Girish Sawlani Speaker – Graeme Hugo, Professor of Geography at the University of Adelaide; Stephanie McCarthy, RMIT Global Cities Program Manager.
Excerpt from Radio Australia’s Asia Pacific program. (6min 25sec, Mp3, 7.4Mb)
RMIT University has been named the global centre for a United Nations program searching for local solutions to the social, economic and environmental problems faced by cities around the world. RMIT’s Global Cities Institute will guide the United Nations Global Compact – Cities Programme, which works with government, business and community leaders to address the effects of rapid urbanisation.
The International Secretariat of the UNGC – Cities Programme will be based in Melbourne, under the auspices of the Institute, and in partnership with the Committee for Melbourne.
Programme Director, Professor Paul James, said the challenges faced by cities were becoming more complex as the number of people living in urban centres outnumbered those in rural areas for the first time in history.
“Every city around the world is facing its own intractable problems, which are becoming increasingly difficult to manage, let alone improve,” Professor James said.
“These are the issues that have been failed by previous governance efforts year after year – slums, transport, pollution, sanitation.
“The UNGC – Cities Programme provides a unique framework for helping cities build constructive taskforces across the key sectors of business, government and community to produce practical, local and sustainable solutions to these challenges.”
Under the program, which was an initiative of the Committee for Melbourne, cities are provided with research resources to conduct pilot projects targeting priority issues identified by their residents.
Melbourne was among the first 11 cities to sign up, with other affiliates including Berlin, San Francisco and Jinan in China.
Professor James said the program had put RMIT at the centre of a global collaborative effort to combat the problems associated with urban life.
“The UNGC – Cities Programme will act like a bridge to link the cities who are struggling with these issues to the universities and research centres who are working on them,” he said.
“For example, we’re already working with the city of Jinan in China on transport issues but we would hope to bring the expertise of transport academics and accident researchers from other universities to the project.
“Our emphasis is on engaged research, knowledge which does something for the world.
“We’re bringing together local knowledge and expert knowledge – so neither has the hubris to think that they can do it all by themselves.”
Other key members of the International Secretariat based in Melbourne include Deputy Director Caroline Bayliss, who is the Director of Global Sustainability at RMIT, and Manager Stephanie McCarthy.
The UNGC Cities Programme International Secretariat is delighted to announce the Melbourne Climate Change Project. Led by the Committee for Melbourne, the Local Secretariat comprises more than 30 members from Government, private and civil sectors.
Key goals of the Climate Change Project are to:
• Position Melbourne as a leader in climate change knowledge, proactive adaptation and mitigation, as well as business development;
• Highlight what the climate change trends mean for the Melbourne community and key industry sectors in the lead up to 2030 and beyond;
• Investigate opportunities of a changing climate and set priorities for government, business and community action.
Initiated in May 2007, the Project plans to deliver solutions to Melbourne’s business community about the impacts and implications of Climate Change and how to capitalise on the opportunities it presents.
The project will deliver ‘An Image of Melbourne 2030 – In the Face of Climate Change.’ By using geospatial aids, the tool will inform Melbourne businesses on how to create a climate proof city and how to maximise the opportunities arising from the demands of regulatory change, economic and business climate.
During the 12 month Implementation Phase, 3 working groups; Impacts and Implications, Opportunities and Response and Communications and Actions Working Groups) will meet monthly will focus on 12 Business Areas (including Building, Waste, Energy, Health).
The Local Secretariat members include:
AT Kearney Australia Pty Ltd AAMI
Allens Arthur Robinson Arup
Australian Centre for the Moving Image BearingPoint Australia Pty Ltd
BioMelbourne Network Bligh Voller Nield Pty Ltd
Bus Association Victoria CSIRO
Daryl Jackson Pty Ltd Deloitte
Ernst & Young Gavin Anderson & Company (Australia)
GE Money GHD Pty Ltd
Global Renewables Holden Ltd
Imagine Un Limited John Wertheimer Consultants Pty Ltd KPMG Maunsell Australia Pty Ltd
Melbourne Convention & Visitors Bureau Melbourne Water
Monash University Museum Victoria
Origin Energy Pacsoft Australia Pty Ltd
PricewaterhouseCoopers RMIT University
Royal Automobile Club of Victoria Royal Botanic Gardens
South East Water Limited Sustainability Victoria
The University of Melbourne Transurban Group TRUenergy Australia Pty Ltd VicHealth
Victoria Coal Resources Victorian Association of Forest Industries
VicUrban Victorian Government
Yarra Tram
As-Salt city is an old city, it’s a mixture of diverse civilization over ages, the city “As-Salt” witness the prosperous ages in during the Ottoman Turks age from 1850 to 1916 . As-Salt city has some historical streets like Hammam Street; it’s the oldest street, it has been restored to be for Pedestrian. However, Buildings that surround the street were built during (1881- 1918). The old city of As-Salt is well known for its stone stairs, people use to move in the city through a network of stairs; so it was necessary to restore the stone paths as well as the stairs.
In general, As-Salt city suffers from congestion and over-crowdedness of buildings, especially in its center. In addition, roads are narrow and steep with no public Plazas and minimal car parking spaces, and the randomly scattered buildings erected within the last three decades, all these problems damage the heritage architectural style, which rendered As-Salt city distinction during the last decades.
