This report makes recommendations for good practice bringing the results of economic appraisals and environmental assessments before decision makers in the transport sector on the basis of reviews of recent experience in infrastructure planning and policy development in seven countries.
There is more statistical data produced in today’s modern society than ever before. This data is analysed and cross-referenced for innumerable reasons. However, many data sets have no shared element and are harder to combine and therefore obtain any meaningful inference from. Statistical matching allows just that; it is the art of combining information from different sources (particularly sample surveys) that contain no common unit. In response to modern influxes of data, it is an area of rapidly growing interest and complexity. Statistical Matching: Theory and Practice introduces the basics of statistical matching, before going on to offer a detailed, up-to-date overview of the methods used and an examination of their practical applications. Presents a unified framework for both theoretical and practical aspects of statistical matching. Provides a detailed description covering all the steps needed to perform statistical matching. Contains a critical overview of the available statistical matching methods. Discusses all the major issues in detail, such as the Conditional Independence Assumption and the assessment of uncertainty. Includes numerous examples and applications, enabling the reader to apply the methods in their own work. Features an appendix detailing algorithms written in the R language. Statistical Matching: Theory and Practice presents a comprehensive exploration of an increasingly important area. Ideal for researchers in national statistics institutes and applied statisticians, it will also prove to be an invaluable text for scientists and researchers from all disciplines engaged in the multivariate analysis of data collected from different sources.
In the devastation that follows a major disaster, there is a need for multiple sectors to unite and devote new resources to support the rebuilding of infrastructure, the provision of health and social services, the restoration of care delivery systems, and other critical recovery needs. In some cases, billions of dollars from public, private and charitable sources are invested to help communities recover. National rhetoric often characterizes these efforts as a "return to normal." But for many American communities, pre-disaster conditions are far from optimal. Large segments of the U.S. population suffer from preventable health problems, experience inequitable access to services, and rely on overburdened health systems. A return to pre-event conditions in such cases may be short-sighted given the high costs - both economic and social - of poor health. Instead, it is important to understand that the disaster recovery process offers a series of unique and valuable opportunities to improve on the status quo. Capitalizing on these opportunities can advance the long-term health, resilience, and sustainability of communities - thereby better preparing them for future challenges. Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters identifies and recommends recovery practices and novel programs most likely to impact overall community public health and contribute to resiliency for future incidents. This book makes the case that disaster recovery should be guided by a healthy community vision, where health considerations are integrated into all aspects of recovery planning before and after a disaster, and funding streams are leveraged in a coordinated manner and applied to health improvement priorities in order to meet human recovery needs and create healthy built and natural environments. The conceptual framework presented in Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters lays the groundwork to achieve this goal and provides operational guidance for multiple sectors involved in community planning and disaster recovery. Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters calls for actions at multiple levels to facilitate recovery strategies that optimize community health. With a shared healthy community vision, strategic planning that prioritizes health, and coordinated implementation, disaster recovery can result in a communities that are healthier, more livable places for current and future generations to grow and thrive - communities that are better prepared for future adversities.
The purpose of the China Energy Technology Program (CETP) has been to take a holistic view of electricity generation in China with special emphasis on the economic and environmental impact of technology. The program is a collaborative effort involving industry, as leader and manager of the program; researchers from academia and national research institutes; and the stakeholders--users or planners of the electricity market. A power plant, no matter of what kind, is not a solitary unit, which may be considered independently from its environment. Modem society has been built on easy access to power; it is now asking for environmentally clean power. Clean power is the pathway that will lead to sustainability, an extension of the concept of an environmentally clean future. Progress toward a sustainable technical solution must include an evaluation of the environmental, economic, and societal impact of electrical power generation. To achieve the goals of the CETP program, we wanted to go beyond what had been done in similar programs in the past. Its organizers wanted the program not only to evaluate the overall impact of electricity generation, but also do it in such a way that program results could be applied and adapted to different circumstances, including countries other than China. For this purpose we have developed a methodology and presented it on a DVD disc, which the reader will find inside the back cover of this book. The methodology is conceived to allow insights into the function of the program on various levels.
Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is primarily concerned with the future consequences of plans, proposals and policies on the health of communities. It is a rapidly growing complement to Environmental Impact Assessment, increasingly mandated by national and international requirements. Guidelines have been produced by many national and international organizations and it is being introduced in a number of undergraduate or postgraduate university curricula. However, there has been until now no broad-based, introductory text of international scope to the subject, suitable for both these courses and for professional training. The purpose of this book is to fill this gap and to introduce the subject of Health Impact Assessment using plain language, in both general and specific contexts and with reference to both market and less developed economies. As a result, the reader should be able to describe what HIA can and cannot achieve, identify the components of a successful HIA and participate in an assessment as a member of a team. Examples are provided from a number of planning and development sectors, including extractive industry, water resource management, and housing. The reader, whether student or professional, need not be a health specialist, although prior knowledge of some public or environmental health would be an advantage.
This volume brings together the world’s leading experts on urban and transport planning, environmental exposures, physical activity, health and health impact assessment to discuss challenges and solutions in cities. The book provides a conceptual framework and work program for actions and outlines future research needs. It presents the current evidence-base, the benefits of and numerous case studies on integrating health and the environment into urban development and transport planning. Within cities there is a considerable variation in the levels of environmental exposures such as ambient air pollution, noise, and temperature, green space availability and physical activity. Many of these exposures, and their adverse health impacts, are related to and are being exacerbated by urban and transport planning and policy. Emerging research suggests that urban and transport planning indicators such as road network, distance to major roads, traffic density, household density, industry, and natural and green space can explain a large proportion of the variability in environmental exposures and therefore represent important and highly modifiable factors. The urban environment is a complex interlinked system. Decision-makers need not only better data on the complexity of factors in environmental and developmental processes affecting human health, but also an enhanced understanding of the linkages between these factors and health effects to determine at which level to target their actions most effectively. In recent years, there also has been a shift from trying to change at the national level to more comprehensive and ambitious actions being developed and implemented at the regional and local levels. Cities have come to the forefront of providing solutions for environmental issues such as climate change, which has co-benefits for health, but yet need better knowledge for wider health-centric action. This book provides the latest and most up-to-date information and studies for academics and practitioners alike.
This authoritative handbook surveys the full breadth and depth of SEA, bringing together a range of international perspectives and insights on the theoretical, methodological and institutional dimensions and practical issues of the field. It then subjects this conventional wisdom to a critical reappraisal, looks at the vast lessons of experience and offers new ideas and interpretations as to where the field is going. The volume is organized into six major sections, beginning with an introduction and overview of the development of the field and a framework for evaluating SEA good practice. Part I comprises a review of SEA frameworks in leading countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA), the European Union and developing regions (Africa, Asia, Latin America and Newly Independent States). Part II reviews SEA practice in several major sectors (energy, minerals, transport, water, development assistance and coastal zone management). Part III addresses the linkages between SEA and other comparable tools such as spatial planning and environmental management. Part IV probes key cross-cutting issues in SEA, including how to address cumulative and trans-boundary effects. Part V identifies ways and means of SEA process and capacity development, focusing on how to improve and upgrade the theory and practice of the field. Part VI examines the shift from conventional SEA towards more integrative approaches, drawing on experience and examples from a number of countries. Published with IAIA
This ECMT Annual Report 2003 provides information on the different modal and horizontal activities where ECMT tries to make a contribution to improving international policy reflection and formulation.
This report assesses the progress that OECD countries have made in implementing objectives set out in an Environmentl Strategy adopted in 2001, as well as in applying the 71 national actions they agreed as part of that Strategy.