The wind power increase of Gotland as well as other parts of Sweden during the last ten year period has meant that this renewable energy source has increased its share over other fossil sources. The year of 2011 became the first when the wind power produced more energy than an average nuclear reactor. Now that wind power is in an expansive phase, the land issue will be of great interest. Land with good wind resources will be of interest to wind energy developers.  The problems that this essay is based on are; how can landowners altering the economic conditions at a wind power establishment? What opportunities and obstacles exist for landowners who choose to set up wind power on their land? The purpose of this essay is to highlight the economic conditions that exist for landowners for the establishment of wind farms, with regard to compensation for the leasing and return on invested capital. The authors will also clarify the difficulties and opportunities arising from the process at an imaginary wind power establishment, which have emerged through interviews and research articles. The primary sources consist of interviews with actors for a planned wind farm in southeast Gotland, as well as representatives of a trade association of companies working with wind power. Interviews were also made with a bank, where the experience in question funding for wind energy has been important for our problem as well with a wind turbine manufacturer for real facts about wind turbines.  Landowner’s interest in wind energy as a long term investment has in Lau on Gotland resulted in a project where local landowners have chosen to form a joint company to invest in a wind farm, with the goal that the park generally will be owned by local residents in the parish. Conclusions to be drawn from this study is that landowners who form a joint company, in this case Lau Wind AB will open an opportunity for landowners to take a larger share of the ownership and profits as wind power turbines on their land supplies. But also for locals who have opportunity to become owners of the wind through the purchase of shares in wind farm.

published_or_final_version / Urban Design / Master / Master of Urban Design

Financial professionals are advocating a personal counselling framework to deal with financial issues. Many popular magazines are discussing this new persective on financial planning and services offered to clients. This new spin on financial advising finds financial personnel going beyond money and including personal counselling content. Articles from both academic and popular journals support the basis for this new awareness. They point to the fact that financial health and psychological health are connected and interrelated. The problem with traditional financial counselling is that financial personnel are trained to deal with numbers and money, and are not trained to counsel personal issues. Therefore, considering the potential ramifications, it is imperative that financial and psychological professionals work effectively together. The goal of addressing the issue, found within this study, is to increase service delivery to clients, both from financial as well as psychological perspectives. Ultimately, this research aims to determine how to improve, and thus increase the level of referral and collaboration between these two fields. Thirty interviews were conducted with financial personnel currently working in Western Canada. The interview population consisted of Chartered Accountants, and Certified Financial Planners and Advisors. The Financial Personnel Interview was used to collect data and explore the perceptions of the existing processes of referral and collaboration between themselves and psychologists. The interview covered an array of topics including eight parts: Demographic Information, Recognizing and Defining Personal and Psychological Issues, Addressing Personal and Psychological Issues, Roles of Financial Personnel, Referral, Collaboration, Concluding Thoughts and the Client Problem Table. Extreme viewpoints emerged from the data. One is that these worlds are too different, personal counselling is not their responsiblity and there is no need for referral and collaboration. However, the majority of financial personnel believe there is a lack of understanding between the professions, the two worlds overlap and there is a need for referral and collaboration. In order to make referral and collaboration happen, it will have to start with baby steps; it will also take willingness, time and education to move from an unknown territory to a place where clients benefit from both professions. / xiii, 162 leaves ; 28 cm.

The objective of this research project was to gain a better understanding of the language, policies and collaborative actions undertaken by planning and public health professionals that are relevant to the design of active communities. The overarching aim of this research was to develop resources to facilitate the collaborative efforts of planners and public health professionals working together to create active communities. To this end, three studies were undertaken. In the first study, publicly available documents, websites, and published reports from five Government of Ontario ministries were reviewed. The review produced 136 terms for inclusion in a joint glossary of terms for planners and public health professionals. In the second study legislation/strategies from the same five government ministries were reviewed and interviews were conducted with 10 government policy-makers to identify priorities, challenges and inter-sectoral collaboration to enhance the design of active communities. This process produced a policy inventory of 39 Ontario laws/strategies that govern planners and public heath professionals working to enhance the design of active communities and identified challenges related to achieving inter-ministry collaboration and coordination towards a provincial active communities’ agenda. The third study recruited planners and public health professionals working in the province of Ontario to participate in a concept mapping process to identify ways they currently work together to enhance the design of active communities. This process generated 72 actions that represent collaborative efforts planners and public health professionals engage in when designing active communities. These actions were then organized by importance and feasibility, resulting in the development of a coordinated action framework that features four planning actions for planners, nineteen proximal and six distal coordinated actions for planners and public health professionals and six public health actions for public health professionals. Collectively, results from these three studies contribute to our understanding of the language, policies, and collaborative actions employed by planning and public health professionals that are relevant to the design of active communities. The resources developed from this project are intended to support and facilitate the collaborative efforts of planners and public health professionals working to create active communities. / Thesis (Ph.D, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2012-06-04 14:33:13.672

Land use planning tools have been extensively applied in the U.S. to achieve sustainability and resiliency for local communities. These include development regulations, building standards, property acquisition, incentive tools, information dissemination, critical and public facilities policies, financial tools, and private-sector initiatives. An important issue related to land use planning tools is to assess planners’ beliefs about the ways in which these tools differ from each other and, thus, how planners choose among these tools in the plan making process. To address this issue, the present study addressed three basic research objectives: 1) determine if planners agree in their perceptions of the attributes of land use planning tools, including efficacy, cost, and implementation barriers; 2) determine if personal characteristics affect planners’ perceptions of land use planning tools; and 3) determine if work environment characteristics affect planners’ perceptions of land use planning tools. A web-based survey collected data from urban planners in coastal and inland counties (or boroughs) in the five Pacific states. Interrater agreement was assessed to determine if planners had similar perceptions of the attributes of eight types of land use planning tools. In addition, an intercorrelation matrix was examined to identify any important relationships among three perceptual attributes of planning tools (effectiveness, cost, and implementation barriers) and contextual variables such as planners’ personal characteristics and those of their jurisdictions. The results indicate that 1) planners substantively, but not completely, agreed in their perceptions of the land use planning tools; 2) planners’ perceptions of planning tools are minimally related to their personal characteristics and those of their jurisdictions; and 3) planners’ perceptions of planning tools are significantly correlated with the capacity of their planning agencies. The high level of agreement among practicing planners suggests that planners have similar “mental models” about these planning tools. Moreover, these planners viewed effectiveness as negatively correlated with cost and implementation barriers so they must make tradeoffs among those attributes because there is no “dominant” tool that will be appropriate for all situations. These experienced planners’ views should be conveyed to planning students and novice planners so the latter can better understand the tradeoffs among these tools’ effectiveness, cost, and implementation barriers and choose the most appropriate tool when formulating a growth management strategy.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Murdoch University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (86 p. ).

Within the construction industry, proximity of actual to scheduled completion time is a primary performance measure, and deviations from planned schedules remain a popular concern in the field of construction management. Prevailing research assumes that delays arise either from flawed execution of the plan or from failure to plan effectively. Thus, solutions suggested include improving execution and developing ever more sophisticated planning techniques. In spite of these efforts, accuracy in scheduling construction projects has shown little or no improvement, and clients continue to incur the significant costs associated with the failure to more accurately plan. Eschewing this traditional techno-rational view, the current research turned to critical management studies for solutions and investigated planning intentionality, the intentional and unintentional roles planners play in project delays. Thus, it sought to explore the following with respect to the project planner role: optimism bias, where a planner unintentionally mitigates negative information in decision-making; strategic misrepresentation, where a planner intentionally mitigates negative information; and group dynamics in time estimation. The latter is relevant because a team rather than an individual typically embodies the planner function within a construction project. To perform this research, two mixed-methods studies, preceded by a pilot study, and seven interviews with project planners were conducted. The first mixed-methods study investigated how intended and unintended actions of participants affected underestimation of time during task performance; and the second investigated the creation of collective intentionality, the transmutation of individual preferences into a group consensus in time estimation. Results of the first mixed-methods study identified the key situational variables differentiating intended and unintended actions of planners and indicated how these can influence the quality of time estimation. Results of the second study showed that group performance in time estimation was inferior to that of individuals and that group member interaction appeared detrimental to good decision-making. Reasons found were sense of power, commitment, confidence level, cultural diversity, conflicts, and groupthink. The findings were compared and contrasted with those obtained from interviews with project planners to enhance the scope of the study.

xii, 69 p. : ill. (some col.) A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / New Urbanists promote development modeled upon neighborhoods that are highdensity and mixed-use with connected streets so that residents will drive less and have a strong sense of community. Little is known about whether New Urbanist environments provide the envisioned change in living experience for those who reside there. This study assesses changes in the living experience of residents of a suburban New Urbanist environment located in Eugene, Oregon, relative to their living experience in their previous residential environment. Findings reveal that respondents drive less for some but not all types of trips. There are no significant changes in sense of community. Changes in housing density and land-use mix are found associated with driving behavior change. Change in the enjoyment of the walking environment is found associated with changes in levels of resident interaction and feelings of sense of community. / Committee in Charge: Dr. Yizhao Yang, Chair; Dr. Robert Young; Robert Parker

Work is a central activity in human lives and we cannot afford to talk about work and exclude employees, especially on how their personal lives are being influenced by the job requirements on daily basis. The work environments are ever changing due to a number of internal and external pressures. These changes result in adjustments of job requirements which in turn influence employees’ personal lives which constitute of the emotional, physical, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions. The nature and extent of the actual influence is depended of a number of factors like employee demographics, the business process of each job, employee perceptions about the requirements of their jobs and the actual job requirements demands. The goal of this study was to explore and describe the influence of the job-requirements on the personal lives of the Planners in the Department of Land Affairs. The objectives of this study were: <ul> <li> To conceptualise theoretically the influence of job requirements on the personal lives of employees.</li> <li> To undertake an empirical study to investigate the influence of the specific job requirements on the personal lives of Planners in the Department of Land Affairs.</li> <li> To draw conclusions and make recommendations to the Department of Land Affairs on how to address the needs of Planners and to formulate guidelines to enhance the Planners’ quality of life.</li> </ul> In the context of quantitative research, the researcher utilised applied research since this study was designed to offer practical solutions to problems experienced by the Department of Land Affairs on improving quality of life for Planners thus enhancing productivity. Group administered questionnaires were utilised as a data collection method and it was pilot tested with three employees at the National Office of the Department of Land Affairs who did not form part of the actual study. The population of the study was 51 and all of them completed the questionnaire. The results of the study showed that employees who were employed as Planners by the Department of Land Affairs at the Mpumalanga Regional Land Claims Commission, were exposed to job requirements which to a larger extent had a negative influence on certain dimensions of their personal lives. The goal of the study was achieved in that the researcher did not only manage to explore and describe the influence of the job requirements on the personal lives of the Planners in the Department of Land Affairs but also managed to give recommendations to the Department of Land Affairs on how to enhance quality of life of Planners. Copyright / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

ABSTRACT Planning for Sustainable Development - Dilemmas for local authority planners This thesis for the degree of licentiate in regional planning at the Royal Institute for Technol-ogy is a study of certain aspects of the profession of comprehensive planners in Sweden. The empirical background of the thesis is an interview study of 15 Swedish local authority plan-ners noted for their professional commitment in working for a more sustainable society. The aim of the thesis is to identify, describe, analyse and evaluate planners’ experiences in using comprehensive planning as an arena for a more sustainable development in society, with new democratic forums. The thesis focuses on how the planners consider and manage the prob-lems they encounter. The empirical findings are based on in semi-structured interviews and have been analysed qualitatively. The findings are construed from theories and conceptions of global justice, ecological modernism, communicative planning, power and the reflective practitioner. An analysis of the planner’s experience as a problematisation in an actor-structure per-spective is the main result. The problems are formulated in four dilemmas frequently con-fronted by the planners in their daily work, as follows. Ecological, economic or social sustainability? The interviewed planners seem to feel deeply for the ecological aspects of their work, which they connect more with urban and regional planning than with economic and social issues. Despite this lesser involvement in social issues, they have experience from methods of citizen participation. Long- or short-term planning, comprehensiveness or components? The planners find it difficult to combine the long-term perspective in comprehensive planning and sustainable development with the short-term decisions of economic planning. The con-version to a more sustainable society is not compatible with the long-lasting physical struc-tures. Top-down or bottom-up perspective? The planners strive to use top-down methods, but at the local authority level there are strong traditions of rational methods for planning and decision-making. The interviewed subjects were disappointed in the weak citizen interest in comprehensive planning. The planner as an expert, co-ordinator or facilitator? Local authority planners are often engaged as experts, co-ordinators and facilitators all at the same time, in the same process of planning. Problems occur in how other actors trust the planners when they change from role to role. / Licentiatavhandlingen vid Institutionen för Infrastruktur och samhällsplanering vid Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan är en professionsstudie av svenska översiktsplanerare. Avhandlingen grundar sig empiriskt på en intervjustudie av femton planerare för kommunala översiktsplaner, som utmärkt sig som föregångare i planering med inriktning på hållbar utveckling. Syftet med avhandlingen är att identifiera, beskriva, analysera och tolka planerares erfarenheter med att utnyttja översiktsplanering, med nya demokratiska former, som ”verktyg” för en mer hållbar utveckling i samhället. Avhandlingen fokuserar på hur planerarna uppfattar och hanterar de problem de upplever i sitt vardagliga professionella arbete. Det empiriska resultatet baseras på kvalitativa halv-strukturerade intervjuer, som har analyserats abduktivt. Resultatet är tolkat utifrån teorier och begrepp om global rättvisa, ekologisk modernism, kommunikativ planering samt teorier om makt och erfarenhetskunskap. Planerarnas erfarenheter har analyserats och problematiserats ur ett aktörs-struktur perspektiv. Huvudresultatet är formulerat i form av fyra dilemman som planerarna ofta upplever i sitt vardagliga arbete. Dilemman uppstår i en situation där det finns flera möjliga handlingsvägar, men där det uppstår nya problem oavsett vilken väg som väljs. Ekologisk, ekonomisk eller social hållbarhet? De intervjuade planerarna tycks betona de ekologiska aspekterna i sitt arbete, som de uppfattar har närmare anknytning till fysisk planering and de ekonomiska och sociala frågorna. Trots detta är de mycket engagerade i sociala frågor och har erfarenheter av metoder med medborgarinflytande. Lång- eller kortsiktig planering, helhet eller delar? Planerarna ser svårigheter i att kombinera ett långsiktigt perspektiv i översiktlig planering och hållbar utveckling, med genomförandeinriktade ofta kortsiktiga beslut. Omställningen till ett samhälle med hållbar inriktning är dessutom komplicerad då de fysiska strukturernas har en sådan lång livslängd. Perspektiv uppifrån eller underifrån? Planerarna strävar efter att utveckla planeringsmetoder med underifrånperspektiv, men på förvaltningsnivån finns starka traditioner med rationella metoder för planering och beslutsfattande. Intervjupersonerna är besvikna över medborgarnas svaga intresse för långsiktig översiktlig planering. Planeraren som expert, koordinator eller processtödjare? Kommunala planerare är ofta engagerade som experter, koordinatörer och processtödjare på samma gång och i samma process. Problem kan då uppstå med övriga aktörers förtroende för planerarna när de byter mellan skilda roller under processens gång. Planerare, Översiktlig planering, Hållbar utveckling, Miljöplanering, Kommunikativ planering, Erfarenhetskunskap, Reflekterande praktiker / <p>Rapporten är tryct i KTH's TRITA-serie, kan beställas från KTH jose@infra.kth.se</p>