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Transcript of Issue 30 Research Horizons
Pioneering research from the University of Cambridge
Research
Horizons
Issue 30
Spotlight
Future of cities
Feature Rejuvenating organs for transplant
Feature
Linguistic time travelling
www.cam.ac.uk/research
Contents
4 – 5 Research news
6 – 9 Earth,windandflyer:themovesofDiscoTonyandfriends 10 – 11 Behindthe“honeypot”headlines 12 – 13 Flushedwithsuccess 14 – 15 Fingerprintingrareearthelementsfromtheair 16 – 17 House 18 – 19 Timetravellingtothemothertongue
20 – 21 UncoveringtheafterlifeofancientEgypt
22 – 23 Theriseandfallandriseofcities 24 – 25 Wouldyouliveinacitymadeofbone? 26 – 27 Waterworld 28 – 29 HappyMondays(andeveryday) 30 – 31 Howdoesyoursmartcitygrow? 32 – 35 Livingontheedge
News
Features
Things
Spotlight: Future of cities
2 ContentsIssue30,June2016
Welcometothe30thissueofResearch Horizons, in which we focusonthefutureofcities,atopicofincreasinginterestacrosstheUniversity. Today,overhalftheworld’spopulationlivesinurbanareas;in30years,itwilllikelybethreequarters.That’swhythinkingaboutthefutureofourcitiesreallymatters. Ofcourse,eachcityfacesitsownuniquefutureofpressuresandopportunities.Buttherearecommonissues.Thepastfewyearshaveseenanincreasingfocusbypolicymakers,academiaandbusinessonwhatcanbedonenotjusttomitigatechallengesbutalsotomakecitiesthriveandworkwell. Ourhealthandwellbeing,theeconomyandtheenvironment,socialcohesionandsecurity,thelongevityofourinfrastructure:allarefacetsofthefutureofcitiesthatrequireproactiveandinnovativesolutions.Thesearetheareaswehavefocusedon inthisissue. Findingwaysofmaximisingurbansustainabilityholdsparticularresonanceforearly-careerresearcherPatrickO’Hare.InhisExtremeSleepoverarticle,hedescribestheworkoffamilieswhorecyclevaluablematerialsdiscardedinUruguay’slargestlandfill.Withpredictionsthatthetotalvolumeofglobalwastegeneratedwilldoublein10years,thinkingaboutwasteasarecoverableresourceisbecominganincreasingpriority. Otherarticlesinthisissuedescribeanewmethodthatisincreasingthenumberoftransplantableorgans,howtheAmericanhomeisdepictedinfilm,theexperiencesofEUmigrantsworkingintheUK,the‘shape’oflanguagesounds,andthesearchforrareearthelementsfromtheair.Allthisandaprojectthatfollowsthemovesofacuckoonamed‘DiscoTony’.Areflectionofourdiversityinresearch! Professor Chris AbellPro-Vice-ChancellorforResearch
36 – 37 NudgeNudge
38 – 39 LivingbesideUruguay’s‘MotherDump’
Inside out
EditorDrLouiseWalsh Editorial advisorsProfessorDougCrawford-Brown,ProfessorLordRobertMair, ProfessorKoenSteemers Design TheDistrict Contributors BeckyAllen,CraigBrierley,AlexBuxton,SarahCollins, FredLewsey,LouiseWalsh T +44(0)1223765443 E [email protected] cam.ac.uk/research
Welcome
Copyright©2016UniversityofCambridgeandContributorsasidentified.ThecontentofResearch Horizons, with theexceptionofimagesandillustrations,ismadeavailablefornon-commercialre-useinanotherworkunderthetermsoftheCreativeCommonsAttribution-Non-Commercial-ShareAlikeLicence(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/),subjecttoacknowledgementoftheoriginalauthor/s,thetitleoftheindividualworkandtheUniversityofCambridge.ThisLicencerequiresanynewworkwithanadaptationofcontenttobedistributedandre-licensedunderthesamelicenceterms.Research HorizonsisproducedbytheUniversityofCambridge’sOfficeofExternalAffairsandCommunications.
3 ResearchHorizons
News
19.04.16Newresearchshowsa20%fallinnewcasesofdementiaintheUKovertwodecades,mainlyinmen.
15.04.16Britishsteelcouldbesaved,iftheindustryiswillingtotransformitself,claimsanewreport.
News in brief More information atwww.cam.ac.uk/research
4 News
Maxwell Centre opensNew Centre brings together physics research and the needs of industry.
Funded by government and business, the £26 million Maxwell Centre will enable University researchers and industrial collaborators to work together to translate ‘blue skies’ research into products vital for industry. The Centre is sited at the Cavendish Laboratory and will focus on research in areas such as efficient energy generation, storage and use, photovoltaics, refrigeration, lighting and ICT, as well as advanced scientific computing, materials science research, nanoscience and biophysics. “New research opportunities are often revealed by industrial activity,” explains Professor Sir Richard Friend, its new Director. “Their solutions require transfer of ideas and techniques often from fields well away from the industry. “This will not be conventional research or ‘business as usual’, but a major effort to go beyond the boundaries of traditional physical science concepts. We will combine work on the specific challenges facing collaborators with research into areas at the edges of current conception – the ‘unknown unknowns’.” The Centre will also house two Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Centres for Doctoral Training and the SKF University Technology Centre.
First performance in 1,000 years‘Lost’ songs from the Middle Ages have been brought back to life after being ‘reconstructed’ by a Cambridge researcher.
The11th-centurymanuscriptleafwasremovedfromacollectioncalledtheCambridge Songsbyalight-fingeredvisitingscholarinthe1840sandonlyrediscoveredbyaccident142yearslaterinGermany.ItfeaturesmusicsettopoetrywrittenbyRomanphilosopherBoethiusduringhis6th-centuryimprisonment,beforehisexecutionfortreason. Butitsrediscoverywasonlypartofthestory.Thetaskofperformingancientworkstodayisnotassimpleasreadingandplayingthemusicinfrontofyou.Athousandyearsago,musicwaswritteninawaythatrecordedmelodicoutlinescalledneumes,butnot‘notes’astoday’smusicianswouldrecognise. Ittookpart-detective,part-musicaltimetravellerDrSamBarrett,fromtheFacultyofMusic,
Image RediscoveredleafoftheCambridge Songs
Credit:Cam
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twodecadesofpainstakingworktoreconstructthemelodies,furtheringunderstandingofhowmedievalmusicwascomposedandperformed. Barrett’sscholarlygroundworkinvolvedgatheringtogethersurvivingnotationsfromtheCambridge Songs andothermanuscriptsaroundtheworld,andthenapplyingthemtotheprinciplesofmusicalsettingduringthisera. “Thetracesoflostsongrepertoiressurvive,butnottheauralmemorythatoncesupportedthem,”explainsBarrett.“Weknowthecontoursofthemelodiesandmanydetailsabouthowtheyweresung,butnottheprecisepitchesthatmadeupthetunes. “TherehavebeentimeswhileI’vebeenworkingonthisthatIhavefeltlikeI’minthe11thcentury,whenthemusichasbeensocloseitwasalmosttouchable.”
Hear the music: http://bit.ly/1rwhHJS
13.04.16 Thefirst‘bigdata’investigationofgraduateearningsrevealsvariationsdependingonbackground,degreeanduniversity.
06.04.16 SirDavidAttenboroughopensanewcampusinCambridgeforthelargestgroupingofconservationorganisationsandresearchersintheworld.
22.03.16 Cambridgewillleadamajornewresearchprojecttostudythebenefitsofmultilingualismtoindividualsandsociety.
5 ResearchHorizons
Green goldA unique facility will test ways of turning algae into fuel and food. Algaehavelongbeenconsideredasapotentialbiofueltoreplacefossilfuels–theyconvertsolarenergyintochemicalenergywithhighefficiency,theygrowfast,andtheyliveinwaterandsodon’ttakeuplandthatmightbeusedforfoodcrops.Eventheirby-productsareusefulasvaluablesourcesofproteinforfishandanimalfeed. However,makingthemostofthis‘greengold’needsmanyaspectstobeoptimised,inparticulartoavoidconsumingmoreenergyduringalgalproductionthanisgenerated. TheaimofthenewlyopenedAlgalInnovationCentre(AIC)inCambridgeUniversity’sBotanicGardenistofacilitatenewinnovationsingrowingandharvestingalgaeatscalethatarebotheconomicallyfeasibleandenvironmentallysustainable. Workingwithindustrialpartners,theAICwillalsotestwhetheralgaecanbeusedasasourceofproteinandnutraceuticals,foravarietyoffoodandbeautyproducts. ProfessorAlisonSmith,fromtheDepartmentofPlantSciences,explains:“It’sauniquefacilityfortheUK.Thegoalistoconnectbenchresearchthroughtomarket-placeproducts.” TheAICisfundedbytheUniversityandtheEuropeanUnion’sINTERREGEnAlgaeproject,whichaimstoreducerelianceonfossilfuelsinNorthWestEuropebydevelopingalgalbiofueltechnologies.
Inside informationThe wealth of untapped academic talent inside the criminal justice system has been illuminated by a ground-breaking project.
AninnovativeprojectinwhichCambridgestudentsandprisonersstudiedtogetherataCategoryBprisoninBuckinghamshirehasbrokendownprejudicesandcreatednewpossibilitiesforallofthosewhotookpart. TheLearningTogetherinitiativewasfundedbytheUniversity’sTeachingandLearningInnovationFundandtheBritishAcademyandconsistsofcarefullystructured,12-weekcoursesinvolvinggraduatesstudyingfortheMPhilinCriminologyattheUniversityofCambridgeandstudentsfromtheprisonitself.Alloftheparticipantsco-operateonequalterms,sharingexactlythesamestudymaterials,andworkingtogetherinsmallgroupsessions. Basedonfindingsfromtheproject,theorganisersDrRuthArmstrong(InstituteofCriminology)andDrAmyLudlow(FacultyofLaw)arguethatmoreshouldbedonetodevelopinclusive,empoweringand
Credit:Le
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sociallytransformativeapproachestolearninginbothuniversitiesandprisons.Theycallforthedevelopmentofanapproachthatis“moreporous”intermsofitscreativeengagementwiththeoutsideworld,onethatconsidersprisonersaspotentialassetstosocietyratherthanpeoplewhomerelyrequirecorrection. Gareth,oneoftheparticipantsfromHMPGrendon,haswrittenareviewofanacademicbooknowpublishedinapeer-reviewedjournal.Inhisgraduationspeech,Garethsaid:“Foralargepartofmysentence,whoIamhasbeenentirelysynonymouswiththereasonsIendedupinprison.Reflectingontheinitiative,itseemsthattheoverwhelmingproductwasthatIwasremindedofbeingsomeoneotherthanthepersonwhocommittedtheseoffences. “Iamsomeonewhohasvalidandusefulopinions,Ihaveaninterestinhowsocietyworksandtheconnectednesswefeelwiththeotherpeoplewhowesharethisworldwith.IamdevelopingasensethatnotonlydoIwanttohelppeople–IamstartingtobelieveIcan.”
6 Features
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1 July 2015: Disco Tony sighted in a Welsh bog.
27 July 2015: traced in France, Italy and Libya.
21 August 2015: south of the Sahara.
9 October 2015: in an unprecedented move, he veers west towards Chad, Nigeria and Cameroon.
13 January 2016: Gabon, west coast of Africa.
07 March 2016: now heading for Wales, he’s got a long way to go.
iscoTonyhastravelledover5,000miles.Heisgreywithayellowringaroundhiseyes.He
isacuckoo,butnotjustanycuckoo.Heisoneofaveryspecialgroupofbirdswhoseeverymoveisbeingmonitored. Earlierthisyear,TobySmithfollowedthemovesofDiscoTonyandhisfellowcuckoos–ajourneythattookhimtotheforestsofGaboninWestAfricaandthefringesoftheBatékéPlateaugrasslands. Asaphotojournalist–andfirstLeverhulmeartist-in-residenceattheUniversityofCambridgeConservationResearchInstitute(UCCRI)–hisaimwasbothtophotographthelandscapeandtotalktothelocalvillagersandhunterswithwhomthecuckoossharetheirhome. Theresultisaremarkableseriesofimagesthatisprovidingbirdresearcherswithacomprehensiveideaoftherurallandscapesinwhichthecuckoosoverwinter. Thecuckoosallcarrytinylightweightdevicesthattransmitasatellite-trackablesignalastheymaketheirarduousjourneyfrombreedinggroundsintheUKsouthtoAfrica.Overthepastfiveyears,thesignalsofaround50cuckooshavebeenhelpingateamofresearchersattheBritishTrustforOrnithology(BTO)gainthefirstinformationonwhathappenstoAfrica-boundmigrantbirdsaftertheyhavelefttheshoresoftheUK.TheBTO’shopeisthatthiswillhelpsolvethemysteryofwhythecuckoopopulationhashalvedintheUKinthepast20years. DrChrisHewson,wholeadstheBTOproject,explains:“Beforewestartedthework,allweknewwasthatwewereseeingacontinualdropincuckoonumbers.Wedidn’tknowwhetherthiswasaresultofchangesintheUKbreedinggrounds,oroffatalitiesonthemigrationroutesorinAfrica.But,bytrackingthebirds,wenowknowwhichroutestheytakeandtherelativecostsofeachintermsofmortality,whichhasledustobegintounderstandsomeofthecausesofthedecline.”
Earth, wind and flyer: the moves of Disco Tony and friends
These images are part of the first photo-narrative of the African landscapes in which the globally dwindling cuckoo population spend their winter months away from the UK. They were taken by Toby Smith, artist-in-residence at the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute.
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Infactthecuckooisnotaloneinfacinganuncertainfuture,saysJulietVickeryattheRSPB’sCentreforConservationScience:“Around70%oflong-distantmigrantbirdspeciesthatwinterinsub-SaharanAfricaaredeclining.Formostwedon’tunderstandwhy,butthecausesarelikelytobecomplexastheyfacelossofhabitat,throughhuman-anddrought-relatedlandusechange,huntingandclimatechange,rightacrosstheflyway.” “Weexpectbirdslikecuckoos,swallows,swiftsandnightingalestorockuphereeverysummerbutwhatiftheydon’tarrive?”addsProfessorBillAdamsfromtheDepartmentofGeography.Fouryearsago,heteamedupwithVickery,HewsonandresearchersattheDepartmentofZoologytoreviewalloftheinformationavailableonthefateofthebirdsinaprojectfundedbytheCambridgeConservationInitiative. Itbecameclearthatreallyverylittlewasknown.Inparticular,therewerefewcomparativestudiesontheeffectsoflandusechangeinregionsinAfricafrequentedbymanyofthe2.1billionbirdsthatmigratefromEuropeduringthenon-breedingseason. “Theseregionsareareaswherepovertymakesthewelfareofurbanandruralpeoplethepolicypriority,”addsAdams.“Often
inphotographsthathelpusunderstandwoodlandmanagementandagriculturalpracticewasveryattractive.” Actuallyspottingacuckoo,however,wasunlikely,asSmithexplains:“Thetrackingdataisaccurateenoughtopinpointwherethecuckoosaretowithin500m,butthere’sadelaybetweenthesignalbeingtransmittedbythebird’stagandbeingaccessibletousinthefield,andtheforestterrainisvast. “Seeingabirdwouldhavebeenepicbut,fromavisualperspective,itwouldn’thavetoldusanythingnew.Iwasn’tthereasabirdwatcher,Iwasthereasadocumentaryphotographer.Iwasmoreinterestedinexperiencingandengagingwiththenaturalandsociallandscapeofthesebirds.Verylittlescientificattentionhadbeenpaidtothisarea–evenGabon’smostprolificbirderhadn’tbeentherein35years.” AndsoinJanuary2016,TobySmithandMalcolmGreen,anoralstoryteller,arrivedinGabonwithhammocksandapetrolstove,hiredanoff-roadvehicleandsetofftobush-campforalmosttwoweeks.TheirtripwasfundedthroughFlightLines(ajointprojectbetweentheBTOandtheSocietyofWildlifeArtists),theEconomicandSocialResearchCouncilImpactAccelerationaccount,andSmithandGreenthemselves.Theyspoketohuntersandvillagers,askingwhattheyknewofthecuckoo–“weusedphotographsandbird-songrecordingstohelpidentifyanyinteractions”–andSmithphotographedthecuckoo’shabitatofforestmarginsandgrasslandsontheBatékéPlateau. Backhome,heopeneduphisphotoeditingandcuratingprocesstoconservationspecialistslikeChrisHewsonandotherpartnersintheCambridgeConservationInitiative–auniquecollaborationbetweentheUniversityofCambridgeandbiodiversityconservationorganisationswithinthenewlyopenedDavidAttenboroughBuilding. “Conservationistshaveaspecificaestheticinterpretationofpictures,andsoChrisandothersneededtobereallyinvolvedintheprocessofselectingwhichimagestoldanimportantpartofthecuckoo’sstory. “Generally,whatIfoundinGabonwasencouraging.Thedensityofpeopleissothinthatevenifthebirdwashuntedwithin40kmofeachvillagetherearestillhugeareasavailable.It’sanareaofgreatbiodiversityandthevillagers
ImagesLandscapeswithtransitionsbetweenwoodland,scrubandgrasslandsuitthecuckoo
whatisgoodnewsforpeople–adaptinglandtocreateworkandfood–isbadnewsforbirdsunlessthereisasophisticatedunderstandingoftheimplicationsofhabitatrequirements.Onlythencanwehopethatdecisionmakingcansupportnaturetoo.” AdamsandothersviewAfricaasamajorgapinknowledgeaboutlanduseandbirds:“InEuropeweknowalotabouthowandwhypeopleuseruralland,andwhatthismeansformigrantbirds.Butwedon’tknowmuchaboutruralAfricanlandscapesinwhichbirdsspendthewinter.” However,afewmonthsago,anideabegantotakeshapethatcouldprovideasteptowardsbridgingthisknowledgegap. Smithhadjusttakenuphisroleasartist-in-residenceatUCCRI.SpeakingtoAdamsandHewsonaboutthefateofthecuckoos,hewasfascinated:“IwonderedwhetherIcouldfollowthecuckoostoAfrica.No-onereallyknowswhatthecuckoofindsthere–howpeoplefashionalandscapethat’seitherfriendlyorunfriendlyforcuckoos.Iwantedtocontributetotheresearchprojectbyproviding‘eyesontheground’attheirjourney’send.” “Themostimportantelementinlandusechangeinthisregionistheruralhousehold,”explainsAdams.“Andtheopportunitytopresentthelandscapes
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arenothugelyawareofthecuckooamongthegeneralfloraandfauna. “Therewasanincrediblemosaicofgalleryforestwherethewatertableisaccessiblebeneaththesand.Andtherewereabrupttransitionsbetweensavannahlandscapeandforestedlandscape–there’salotofforestedge.FromwhatweknowaboutcuckoobehaviourthissuitsthemtoaT.” “However,futurelandusechangeintheGabonislikelytoaccelerate,”saysHewson.“TohaveToby’seye-witnessaccountnowisreallyimportant.Evenfindingthatpeoplerarelyseecuckoosthereisinstructiveforus–itshowswhatwearegoingtobeupagainstwhenwegooutthere.Ithelpsustopiecethistogetherwithknowledgeofmigrationroutes,toprovideamorefullyformedideaofwhathappenstothecuckooforthemajorpartofitsannualcycle.” Recently,theBTOtrackingprojecthasshownforthefirsttimethatcuckoosusetwodifferentroutestoreachAfrica(throughItalyandacrosstheSahara,andthroughSpainandaroundtheedgeofWestAfrica)andthattheSpanishrouteisassociatedwithgreatermortality.Theteamhasfoundthattheuseofthisroutewithinlocalbreedingpopulationscorrelateswithpopulationdecline.InanarticlerecentlypublishedinNature Communications,theresearcherssuggestthatthismightbelinkedtoseveredroughtsinSpain,suchasin2012,andraiseconcernsthatamorerecentdroughtinItalymighthavefurtherrepercussionsforthedecliningcuckoopopulation. “Ultimatelymoreresearchisvital,”saysAdams,whohasajointprojectwithVickerystartingnextyearinGhanatolookatthedriversoflandusechangeandtheimpactonbirds.“MyhopeisthatToby’sworkwillcontributetowardsacommonunderstandingbetweenornithologicalresearchersanddevelopmentresearchersaboutthewaypeopleandbirdssharelandscapes.” Meanwhile,asofMarch2016,andafternosignalforsevenweeks,DiscoTony“poppedbackup”accordingtotheBTO’sblogofeachofthecuckoo’swhereabouts.TracedtotheCentralAfricanRepublic,hehasbegunhislongjourneybacktotheboginWales.
Why the name Disco Tony? The Welsh bog in which he was tagged was a particularly challenging environment to work in, with high tussocky grass. To reach the captured cuckoo, bird-ringer Tony Cross had to do a hopping, balancing, disco dance of a run. Naming the cuckoo Disco Tony seemed only appropriate.
www.bto.org/science/migration/tracking-studies/cuckoo-tracking/disco_tony
“Toby’s work will contribute towards a common understanding between ornithological researchers and development researchers about the way people and birds share landscapes”
Professor Bill [email protected]
Dr Chris [email protected]
Toby SmithUniversityofCambridgeConservationResearchInstitutetoby@shootunit.com
Dr Juliet VickeryCentreforConservationScienceRSPBJuliet.Vickery@rspb.org.uk
Credit:Alejan
droAran
goonflickr
Credit:Allimag
es,Tob
ySm
ith
laims that the UK has become a “honeypot” nation for European Union (EU) migrants attracted
by the country’s welfare system have become a key issue in the debate about the UK’s membership of the EU. But what are the experiences of EU migrants working in the UK, and their attitudes to employment and social security, ask researchers in the Faculty of Law? InhislettertothePresidentoftheEuropeanCouncilon10November2015,DavidCameronoutlinedplanstocurbEUmigrationtotheUKby“reducingthedrawthatourwelfaresystemcanexertacrossEurope”.
ThePrimeMinisterisreferringtowhatoneDaily Mail headlinedescribedastheUK’sbenefits“honeypot”:theideathatthiscountry’swelfaresystemattractsmigrantsfromacrossEurope,whoexportbenefitsandclaimtaxcreditstosupplementlowfamilyincomesbackhome,attheexpenseoftheUKtaxpayer.
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Barbara,interviewedfortheEUMigrantWorkerProject,hastwoUniversitydegreesbutherprospectsinSpainaresuchthatshefeelsitnecessarytolookforworkelsewhere
fromthe‘UKinaChangingEurope’programmerunbytheEconomicandSocialResearchCouncil,theresearchershavesetabouttalkingtothosewhomovedfromthecontinenttomaketheUKtheirhome.
Bycombininginterviewswithnewmethodologiesforanalysingwhatavailabledatathereis,BarnardandLudlowhopetobuildasignificantbaseofevidenceaboutEUmigrants’experiencesof,andattitudestowards,Britain’semploymentandsocialsecuritysystems.
Sofar,fieldworkhasinvolvedvisitingvenuesasdiverseasfurthereducationcolleges,shops,churches,farms,andmotherandtoddlergroups,aswellascitizen’sadvicebureausandjobcentres,sittingdownwiththosewhohavejustarrivedandthosewhohavebuiltbusinessesandraisedfamilieshere.
TheresearchershaveconsultedwitheconomistsandheldroundtablediscussionswithcurrentandformerMPs.TheyarealsotravellingtoSpainandPolandtoshootshortdocumentaries,followingmigrants’journeystotheUKforworkandstudy.
“Theimageofthebenefits-scroungingmigrantispotent,butthereisnoevidencethatitiswidespread,”saysBarnard.“Todate,thepeoplewehaveintervieweddescribedthemainfactorsdrivingEUnationalstotheUKasworkandopportunitiesforpersonaldevelopment,includingthelearningofEnglish.Receiptofbenefits–thedetailsofwhichareoftenhazytomigrants–doesnotappeartofeature.”
However,theperceptionofmigrants“milkingBritain’sbenefits”castsalongshadow,notjustovertheEUmembership
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Cameron’sconsequentnegotiationofan“emergencybrake”onin-workbenefitsforEUmigrantshasdonelittletoquelltheheatedrhetoric.Thoseoneithersideofthe‘Brexit’debatecontinuetojumpontheissue–laudingCameron’s“clampdown”,ordecrying“benefittourism”inanation“creakingattheseams”–asJune’sEUreferendumapproaches.
However,criticsarguethatthegovernmenthasbeenconsistentlyunabletoprovidecompellingevidencethatthisisthecase.AresponsetoarecentParliamentaryquestionontheamountspentonbenefitstoEUmigrantswassimply:“theinformationisnotavailable”.
TworesearchersinEUlawfromCambridge’sFacultyofLaw,ProfessorCatherineBarnardandDrAmyLudlow,areaimingtofillsomeofthisknowledgegap.Oneofthewaystheyaredoingsoisbycapturingtheopinionsandexperiencesofthemigrantsthemselves.
FortheEUMigrantWorkerProject,launchedearlierthisyearwithfunding
Credit:KipLo
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Professor Catherine [email protected]
Dr Amy [email protected]
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makingitpossibleformigrantworkerstoenforcetheiremploymentrights.BarnardandLudlow’sanalysisofthelimitedavailabledata,combinedwithfieldwork,suggeststhatEUmigrantsuseUKemploymenttribunalsover85%lessthanwouldbeexpected,giventhesizeoftheworkforcetheyrepresent.
UndercurrentEUlaw,EUmigrantshaverightstoequaltreatmentintheirtermsandconditionsofemploymentasthoseofferedtodomesticworkers.However,thisexists“more‘onpaper’thaninpractice”,saytheresearchers.
Throughout2016,BarnardandLudlowwillcontinuetoexplorethehopes,fearsandexperiencesofEUmigrantworkerscomingtotheUK,andwhatitisliketolookforworkandbeemployedintheUK.“WehopetoincreaseourunderstandingofEUanddomesticlawasitworksinpractice,”addsLudlow,“andtoinformpublicopinioninanticipationofthereferenduminJuneandbeyond.”
www.eumigrantworker.law.cam.ac.uk
debate,butalsooverthelivesofthosewhohavesettledhere,saysLudlow.
“OnePolishnational,whomoved herealmosttenyearsagoafterherhusbandwasheadhuntedbyaBritishfirm,describedtomethemomentheryoungson’sfriendtoldhimhisschoolplaceis‘supposedtobeusedbyanEnglishchild’.”
Shesaysthisisjustoneexampleofthexenophobiareportedbymigrants,oftenfuelledbyinsecuritiesinthenativepopulation–whetheraroundjobs,housingorhealthcare–andstokedbythebenefits“honeypot”narrative.
Thisinsecurity,mixedwithBritain’sdeep-rooted‘islandmentality’,mightpartlyexplaintheUK’sfirmerresponsetoEUmigration,saysLudlow,thanthoseofmanyEUneighbours.SherecallsbeinginaSpanishtownrecentlyandencounteringasigninEnglishadvisingBritstoclaimbenefits,andhowtogoaboutit.“That’sjustnotsomethingyou’dseereportedinthepresshere.”
“TheideaofEUcitizenship,thatif IgotoanotherEUcountryIexpectto betreatedlikeacitizenofthatnation fromdayone,isapowerfulidea,but it’sanideathat’sstillaverylongwayoff inpolicyterms.”
Mostintervieweesexpressedtheideathatbenefitsshouldbeearnedthroughworkinthehoststate.TheresearchershavefoundareluctanceamongEUmigrantstoenforcetheirEUlawclaimstoexportablebenefits,suchaschildbenefit–practiceswhichtheyfeelare“abusive”.
Yet,claimingsocialrights,includingwelfare,canbeseenasanexpressionofcitizenship.Asoneintervieweeremarked:“Whensomeoneuses
thewelfarestate,theStategainsacitizen.Weusesocialrightstobecomeintegrated.Wedon’tbecomeintegratedandthenusesocialrights.”
Whilemediareportshavesuggestedaspikeinsalesofcitizenshiptextbooks,responsesfromthoseinterviewedhavebeenmixed.SomeEUmigrantsspokeofapplyingforcitizenshipoutofaconcernfortheirfutureifBrexitshouldoccur,butmanyhavenodesiretosevertieswiththeirhomeland,andresentfeelingforcedtochoose.
“TheUKisnotthelandofmilkandhoney,andmanymigrantswillsimplytaketheirskillselsewhere,”saysLudlow.Oneinterviewee,whoisreturningtoPolandfora“betterqualityoflife”,toldresearchers:“I’mnotinterestedinstayingintheUKjustbecauseit’spossible.”
AnotherEUmigrant,adentistworkinginEastAnglia,saidthatpeoplewillmovetowheretheyarewelcome.“Migrantsworkinginthefieldsandinlowerleveljobswillmoveon.ThereareplentyoffieldsinFranceandSpain.ButtheBritishbusinessesthatrelyonthemigrantswillclose.”
And,inagriculturealone,thosebusinessesareplentiful,saysLudlow.“Wespoketofarmmanagerswhosaidtheyneedaround£1.5millionoflabourannually,anditallcomesfromthecontinent.”
Theresearcherssaythereisapolicymismatchbetweenstoppingmigrantsfromclaimingbenefitsyetraisingthelivingwage,asitiswagesthatincentivisemigrants,notbenefits.
TheyalsoarguethatifwearereallyconcernedaboutEUmigrants‘undercutting’thedomesticworkforce,thereshouldbeagreaterfocuson
“Wespoketofarmmanagerswhosaidtheyneedaround£1.5 million of labour annually, and it all comes from the continent”
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here’s a nationwide shortage of suitable organs for transplanting – but what
if some of those organs deemed ‘unsuitable’ could be rejuvenated? Researchers at Addenbrooke’s Hospital have managed just that – and last year gave two patients an unexpected Christmas present. InaroomintheDepartmentofSurgery,akidneysitsinsideachamberconnectedtotubesandmonitors.Solutionsandgasesarepumpingthroughitandurineiscomingout.
Infact,thechamberinitselfisnotparticularlyspecial–it’sanoff-the-shelfmachineusedforcardiacbypasssurgeryinchildren:it’showithasbeenadaptedandthenewusesithasfoundthatmakeitsosignificant.Thismachineisabletorejuvenatekidneysdeemednotfitfortransplant,makingthemfitandhealthyagain–andsuitableforarecipient.
ProfessorAndrewBradley,HeadoftheDepartmentofSurgery,isquicktopointoutthatitishisteamatAddenbrooke’sHospital,partofCambridgeUniversityHospitals–particularlyProfessorMikeNicholsonandDrSarahHosgood–whoshouldtakeallthecreditforthismachine,whichtheyrefertoasanorganperfusionsystem.
Thereisachronicshortageofsuitableorgansfortransplantandsomethingneedstobedone.Tohelpaddresstheproblem,inDecember2015,WalesbecamethefirstcountryintheUKtomakeorgandonationan‘opt-out’system–inotherwords,doctorswouldremovetheorgansfromdeceasedindividualsandprovidethemforuseinsickpatientsunlesstheindividualhadexplicitlyrefusedconsentbeforetheirdeath.
Unfortunately,noteverydonatedorganissuitablefortransplant–inthecaseofkidneys,forexample,around15%aredeemedunsuitable.Thiscanbeforavarietyofreasons,includingtheageofthedonor,theirdiseasehistoryandthelengthoftimetheorganhasbeenincoldstorage.
“Gradingorgansisnotanexactscience–it’samixtureoffactorsaboutthecircumstanceinwhichitbecameavailable,itsstorageandhowitlookstoatrainedeye,”saysNicholson.“Thisisn’tgoodenough,particularlyifitmeanswe’relosingsomepotentiallysuitableorgans.”
Whatiftherewasawayoftakingtheseorgansandassessingthemsystematically?Andtotakeitastepfurther,couldsomeofthemevenberejuvenated?Beforecomingto
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hed with success
In a room in the Department of Surgery,
a kidney sits inside a chamber connected to
tubes and monitors
Professor Andrew [email protected]
Dr Sarah [email protected]
Professor Mike [email protected]
Professor Chris [email protected]
13 ResearchHorizons
NicholsonandHosgood’ssuccesshasspurredonothercolleagues.ProfessorChrisWatsondescribeshimselfas“piggybacking”ontheirworktodevelopatechniqueforperfusinglivers.Thesituationforlivertransplantsisevenmoreseriousthanitisforkidneys:asmanyasoneinfivepatientsonthewaitinglistwilldiebeforealiverbecomesavailable.
Sofar,histeamhastaken12livers,allbutoneofwhichhadbeenrejectedbyothercentres,andsuccessfullyresuscitatedandtransplantedthemusingasystemthatbuildsonthepioneeringworkofhistwocolleagues.
“There’sasceneintheWoodyAllenfilmSleeperwhereAllen’scharacterstumblesacrossa200-year-oldVolkswagenBeetleandmanagestostartitfirsttime,”hesays.“Theliverislikethat.Youtakeitoutofcoldstorageandexpectittostartfirsttime.Byfirstassessingitonourmachine,wecanbemoreconfidentitwillworkfirsttime.”
Insomeways,thishasprovedmoreofachallengethanitdidforkidneys,headds.“Withkidneys,youcanputtheminthemachineforanhour,resuscitatethemandthentransplantthem.Ifitdoesn’tworkimmediately,thepatientstaysondialysisuntilitpicksup.Withaliver,ittakeslongertoanalyseandresuscitatetheorgan,andifitdoesn’tworkit’sadisasterforthepatient.”
Nowthattheteamhassuccessfullyrevivedandtransplantedkidneysandlivers,thisisbynomeanstheendofthestory.Thereisstillmuchworktobedonetofurtherimprovetheorgan–andhenceimprovethefunctionandprolongsurvival,saysHosgood.
Oncetransplanted,organsfaceabattlewiththebody’simmunesystem,whichrecognisesitsnewoccupantasaforeignbody.Thisisonereasonwhytheperfusionsystemusesonlyredbloodcells,notwhite–todosowouldriskaninflammatoryresponsethatcoulddamagetheorgan.
“Ofcourse,assoonasyoutransplantthekidney,itwillfacea
Cambridge,NicholsonandHosgooddevelopedasystemwhileattheUniversityofLeicesterthateffectivelyrecirculatesessentialnutrientsthroughthekidney,bringingitbacktolife.
“Weuseacombinationofredbloodcells,aprimingsolution,nutrients,protectiveagentsandoxygen,”explainsHosgood.“Wepumpthisthroughthekidneywhilemaintainingatemperatureclosetoourbodytemperature.Itmimicsbeinginthebody.”
Astheperfusionsolutionisbeingcirculated,thekidneywillbegintofunctionandproduceurine.Byanalysingthecontentsofthisurineandmonitoringbloodflow,doctorscanseehowthekidneyisperformingandwhetheritmightmakeaviabletransplantorgan.Afterjusta60-minuteperfusion,thekidneysareresuscitatedandarepotentiallyreadyfortransplantation.
Thisisnolongerjustanexperiment:sincemovingtoCambridge,withfundingfromKidneyResearchUKandtheNationalInstituteforHealthResearch,theteamhasbeenabletotakekidneysrejectedfromothertransplantcentres,resuscitateandassessthem,thentransplantthem.InDecemberlastyear,twoindividualsontheorgantransplantwaitinglistreceivedtheperfectChristmaspresentcourtesyoftheCambridgeteam:anewkidney.
Sofar,theteamhastakenfivediscardedkidneysandmanagedtorescuethree.“We’rehopingtoprocessanotherhundredoverthenextfouryears,”saysHosgood,whoisalsoworkingwithcentresinNewcastle,EdinburghandatGuy’sHospitalinLondon,inthehopeofreplicatingtheirsuccess.
Thecurrentkit,whichwasnotpurpose-builtfororganperfusion,isbulkierandclumsierthanideal,sotheteamiscurrentlyfundraisingtohelpdesignadedicatedmachine,incollaborationwithcolleaguesfromtheDepartmentofEngineering.“It’snotverymobile,sowecouldn’tuseittohelpresuscitateorgansintransittoothercentres.”
similarinflammatoryresponse,butbythenitshouldbeinanimprovedstateandabletocopebetterwithwhatthebodythrowsatit,”sheexplains.TheDepartmentisintheprocessofrecruiting400patientsforarandomisedcontrolledtrialtotestthistechnology.
Theperfusionsystemalsoenablestherapiestobegivendirectlytothekidney.Thisensuresoptimaldeliveryofthetreatmenttothetargetedorganandavoidsanysideeffectsinthepatient.Onepromisingavenueofresearch,incollaborationwithProfessorJordanPoberatYaleUniversity(USA),istheuseofnanoparticlesthattargettheendothelialcellsintheliningofthekidney.Thesecellsplayanimportantroleintheinflammatoryresponseaftertransplantation.“Thedeliveryofnanoparticlesinthiswaymayreducedamagetotheorganaftertransplantation,”sheadds.
Theshortageofsuitableorgansisnotgoingaway.NotevenaUK-wide‘opt-out’systemislikelytocompletelyeradicatetheproblem.Ifanything,thecrisisislikelytogetworse–theflipsideofgoodnewsstoriessuchasfewerroadtrafficfatalitiesandbettermedicinesthatreducethenumberofyoungpeopledyingearly.Theteamrecognisesthatthesystemaloneisnottheanswer,butitbringsanewrelevancetotheoldadage“wastenot,wantnot”.
“As the perfusion solution is being circulated, the kidney will
begin to function”
ital to many modern technologies yet mined in few V places, the ‘rare earth elements’ are in fact not that rare – they are just difficult to find in concentrations that make them economic to mine. Researchers from Cambridge University and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) are investigating whether the remarkable properties of these materials can be used to track them down from the air.
Nexttimeyouuseyourmobilephone,spareamomentforthetinyyetvitalingredientsthatmakethisandmanyothertechnologiespossible–therareearthelements(REEs).
Used in computers,fibreopticcables,aircraftcomponentsandeventheanti-counterfeitingsystemineuronotes,thesematerialsarecrucialforanestimated £3trillionworthofindustries,withdemand
settoincreaseoverthecomingdecades.
Currently,morethan95%oftheglobaldemandfortheREEsismetbyasinglemineinChina.Thesecurityofthefuturesupplyofthese17criticalmetals,whichincludeneodymium,europium,terbium,dysprosiumand
yttrium,isamajorconcernforEuropean
governments,andtheidentificationofpotentialREE
resourcesoutsideChinaisseenasahighpriority.
Overthepastyear,DrsSallyGibson,TealRileyandDavidNeavehavebeenworkingtogetherthroughaUniversityofCambridge–BASJointInnovationProject(seepanel)onaremotesensingtechniquethatcouldaidtheidentificationofREEsinrocksanywhereintheworld.Theprojectbringstogetherexpertiseinremotesensing,geochemistryandmineralogyfrombothinstitutestotakeadvantage ofthepropertiesthatmakethemetalssospecial.
“Despitetheirname,therareearthelementsarenotparticularlyrareandareasabundantintheEarth’scrustaselementssuchascopperandtin,”explainsRileyfromBAS.“However,tobeextractableinaneconomicway,theyneedtobe
concentratedintoveinsorsediments.” It’stheidentificationofthese
concentrationsthatiscriticalforthefuturesecurityofsupply.REEsallhaveanatomicstructurethatcausesthemtoreacttophotonsoflightthroughaseriesofelectronictransitions.Thisgivesthemthe
magneticandelectricalpropertiesfor
whichtheyareprizedinplasmaTVs,windturbines
andelectriccarbatteries.Anditalsomeansthatforeveryphotonoflighttheyabsorb,theyreflectotherphotonsinauniqueway–itisthispropertythattheresearchershavelatchedontoasameansoftrackingthemdown.
“Thelighttheyreflectissospecificthatit’slikeafingerprint,onethatwecancaptureusingsensorsthatpickuplightemissions,”explainsGibson,fromCambridge’sDepartmentofEarthSciences.“Thedifficulty,however,isthatinnaturallyoccurringrocksandminerals,therareearthelementemissionspectraaremixedupwiththoseofotherelements.It’slikelookingatoverlappingfingerprints–thechallengewastoworkouthowtoteasethesespectralfingerprintsapart.”
Gibsonhasover20years’experience
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Fingerprinting rare earth elements
from the air
Microscopicimagesofrockshostinghighconcentrationsofrareearthelements
investigatinghowREEsaregeneratedduringthemeltingoftheEarth’smantle.“Collectiveunderstandingofthegeologicalmake-upoftheworldisnowgoodenoughthatweknowwheretolookfortheserocks–atsitesofacertaintypeofpasttectonicactivity–buteventhenit’sdifficulttofindthem.”
RileyistheheadoftheGeologicalMappingGroupatBAS–hisjobisto“maptheunmapped”areasofthepolarregiontounderstandthegeologicalevolutionofthecontinent.Muchofhisworkdependsonbeingabletodevelopnewwaysofinterrogatingsatellite-andaircraft-basedremotesensingdata.“Itbecameafrustrationthatwecouldcollectdataandsaygenerallywhatwasonthegroundbutthatwecouldn’tdefineindividualfingerprints,andsowedevelopedtheanalyticaltoolstodothis.”
GibsonandNeavegatheredrockscontainingREE-bearingmineralsfromaroundtheworld–sourcedfromminingcompanies,museumcollectionsanduniversities.OnesuchsourcewastheHarkerCollectionhousedintheUniversity’sSedgwickMuseumofEarthSciences.ThiscollectioncontainsspecimensofmineralsandrocksrichinREEsthatwerecollecteddecadespreviouslybygeologistswhowereunawareoftheireconomicimportance.
Neaveanalysedtheemissionspectrumofeachrockandrelatedthistoitsgross
andmicroscopiccomposition.Fromthisinformationhebegantountangletheindividualfingerprints,resultingin
what the researchers believeisthemostcomprehensive‘spectraldatabase’ofREEsintheirnaturalstate–inrocks.
Thenextgoalistousethisspectraldatabaseasareferencesourcetotrackdowndepositsfromtheair.“Althoughdatafromaircraftisnowgoodenoughtobeanalysedinthisway,wearewaitingfor
newsatellitemissionssuchastheGerman
EnvironmentalMappingandAnalysisProgram
(EnMAP)tobelaunchedinthenextfewyears,”explainsRiley.
Theplanwouldthenbetocarryoutreconnaissancesweepsofthemost
likelyterrainsandexplorethepossibilityofminingtheseareas.“Ourhopeisthatthisresearchwillhelptocreateaninternationallyuniqueandcompetitivecapabilitytomapthesesurprisinglycommon–yetdifficulttofind– materials,”addsGibson.
Dr Sally Gibson DepartmentofEarthSciences
Dr Teal Riley BritishAntarcticSurvey [email protected]
Dr Beatrix Schlarb-Ridley BritishAntarcticSurvey [email protected]
15 ResearchHorizons
Aurora Cambridge
The search for rare earth elements is one of a host of ongoing projects between the University and BAS. Like these, a new centre – Aurora Cambridge – will reflect the ethos that innovation developed for the Antarctic is transferable to a global setting.
AuroraCambridgeaimstogeneratenewresearchandentrepreneurialactivityfocusedonclimatechangeandchallengingenvironmentsthroughacademic,businessandpolicypartnerships.ItwillbelocatedatBASinCambridgeandhasbeenfundedbytheNationalEnvironmentResearchCouncilwithsupportfromtheUniversity. Thebuildingisduetoopenin2017;however,27UniversityofCambridge–BASJointInnovationProjectsarealreadyunderwaywithfundingfromtheHigherEducationFundingCouncilforEngland–includingthedevelopmentofmappingtechnologiesforrareearthelementsledbyDrsSallyGibsonandTealRiley. Otherprojectsincluderesearchoncold-adaptedenzymeswithpotentialapplicationsinthebiotechindustries,remotesensingforconservationofseabirdsandmarinemammals,andthemeasurementofcoastalvulnerabilitythroughsea-levelrise.ManyinvolveexternalindustrialpartnersandotherresearchinstitutionsaswellasresearchersfromBASand12Universitydepartments. “ThecollaborativeprojectsdemonstratenotonlytheimportanceofresearchtechnologytotheAntarcticbutalsotheirtransferabilitybeyonditsshorestoaglobalsetting,”explainsBASDirectorofInnovationDrBeatrixSchlarb-Ridley.“TheSPECTRO-ICEproject,forinstance,hasbroughtscientistsatBASwhoareconcernedwithmonitoringtheatmosphereabovetheicecaptogetherwithphysicistsandmathematicianswhoareworkinghardtoavoidseeingtheatmosphereintheirstudyofthestars–bothusesimilartechniquesandneedtooperateadvancedinstrumentsatdifficultlocations.” “Thisisjustthebeginning,”saysBASDirectorProfessorJaneFrancis.“Thenewinnovationcentrewillhelpustoextendtherangeoffruitfulpartnershipswithacademia,business,policymakersandthethirdsectortocreatetangiblebenefitsforsociety.”
www.bas.ac.uk/aurora-cambridge
Credit:Allimag
es,S
allyGibson
House
t’s black and white, silent and just short of ten minutes in length. But D.W. Griffith’s 1909 classic The
Lonely Villa inspired Dr John David Rhodes, Director of Cambridge’s new Centre for Film and Screen, to look at the role and meaning of the house in American cinema. The Lonely Villatellsthestoryoffourwomensubjectedtoaterrifyingbreak-inbyintruders.Awomanbarricadesherselfandherdaughtersintothehouseasherabsenthusband,alertedbyaphonecall,hastenstotheirrescue.Intheopeningshot,thevillainsareseenlurkingintheshrubberyofthehandsomeall-Americanhomethatstandsinsplendidisolation,aniconoftheproperty-owningdream.
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Rhodes’explorationofthehouseinAmericancinemahastakenhimdeepintothehistoryandtheoryofbothfilmandarchitecture,andwillresultinabookdueforpublicationin2017.HeisDirectorofthenewlylaunchedCentreforFilmandScreen,whichbringstogetherresearchersfromsubjectsasdiverseasEnglish,philosophy,historyofart,architectureandlanguages,andcontinuesatraditionofteachingandresearchonthesubjectoffilmsincethe1960s.
“Housesarebuilttobelivedinbutalsotobelookedat–andyouonlyhavetoswitchonyourtelevisiontoseehowmuchtheyfascinateus,”hesays.“Inwatchingcinema,too,weareforeverlookingatandintopeople’shouses.Cinema’spreoccupationwiththehousestemsfromcinema’sstrongrelationtorealismandtotherepresentationofhumanlives,alargeportionofwhichplaysoutindomesticinteriors.”
CentraltoRhodes’researchintofilmsthatrangefromMeet Me in St Louis and Gone with the WindtoPsycho and Citizen Kane is the idea ofpropertyandpossessionaswellastheiropposites–alienationanddispossession.It’sathemethatflowsthroughthecinematicexperiencerighttothetemporarypossessionoftheseatinwhichtheviewerwatchesafilmandenterstheintimatespacesofotherpeople’slives.“Propertyreignsinmanyaspectsofthecinemaexperience,”hesays.“Notjustinthedramaunfoldingonthescreenitselfbutalsointheprocessoffilm-making,practicesofproduction,distributionandexhibition.”
Rhodessuggeststhatthepleasurewetakeinimmersingourselvesinthevisualandsensualexperiencesofenteringotherpeople’sworldshasanantecedentincountryhousetoursand,mostspecifically,thecollectionsknownas‘cabinetsofcuriosities’.Objectsacquiredtodisplayandimpress,thesemuseum-likecollectionsareexamplesofbelongingand,bythesametoken,ofnotbelonging.“Attheheartofvisualpleasureisaconstantnegotiationofpropertyboundaries,”saysRhodes.“It’saquestionofminebutnotyours–ofinvitinginyetkeepingout.”
Revealedtoachosenfewguests,cabinetsofcuriositiesandtheirmodernequivalentsspeakpowerfullyoftheirowner’staste.AshortfilmtitledHouse: After Five Years of Living(1955)perfectlyencapsulatesthehouseasanobjectofdesireandasacontainerforcarefullycuratedpossessions.DirectedbydesignersCharlesandRayEames,itshowstheirmodernisthouse–onethey
“Houses are built to be lived in but also to be looked at – and you only have to switch on your television to see how much they fascinate us”
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Dr John David RhodesDepartmentofItalianFacultyofModernandMedievalLanguagesjdr42@cam.ac.uk
17 ResearchHorizons
fundamentaltoafeelingofownership.Thebungalowwasinitiallyseenasaspaceforeaseful,convenientliving–butthismodesthomequicklycametospellfailure,”saysRhodes.“Ifyouthinkaboutentrancesandexits,asuburbanhomewithahallwayallowsforagradualtransitionfromoutsidetoinsidewhileabungalowoffersnoneofthatdignity.Thecrampedspaceofthebungalowleadstotoomuchintimacyandtouncomfortableconfrontations.”
Dwellingplacesareobjectsofdesire–especiallysointheaffluentWesternworld.Ourhomesabsorbourmoneyandeatintoourtime:perhaps,intheprocessofacquisition,theyownusjustasmuchasweownthem.Asbackdropstoourlives,theytellstoriesaboutthekindofpeopleweareandwouldliketobe.Infilm,andonthescreen,housesconveymultiplemeanings–notjustaboutclassandstatusbutalsoaboutchildhoodandourrelationshipwithhistory.
Whenahouseisbrokeninto,adreamisshattered.InGriffith’sThe Lonely Villa,theruffiansarehamperedbythesolidityofthehouse’sdoorsandtheweightofthefurniturepushedupagainstthem.Allendswellwhenthemotheranddaughtersarerescued,justintime,bythemanofthehouse.Butpropertyisfragileand,inthefinalreckoning,allownershipisaquestionofcontrollingimpermanentandshiftingborders.
Centre for Film and Screen: www.mml.cam.ac.uk/film
designedthemselves–inaseriesofstillsthatveneratethislandmarkbuildinganditscollectionofmodernandfolkart,textilesanddesignobjects.Neitherofitsownersappearsyettheirpresenceispalpablethroughtheframing,shotbyshot,ofthehousetheycreatedtoworksobeautifullyinitsCaliforniancontext.
Ownershipisnotconfinedtobuildingsbutextendstothosewholiveandworkinthem.Rhodessaysthathisthesisisimplicitlyfeminist.Hisforthcomingbookwilldrawattentiontothewaysinwhich,infilmandinreallife,womenareforcedintouncomfortablycloserelationshipswiththehome,becomingpartofthesameparcelofownership.
Anevenmoretightlybindingrelationshipisplayedoutbetweenservantandhome,particularlyintherepresentationofAfricanAmericanslaveryintheAmericanSouthfollowingtheCivilWar.TwothirdsofthewayintoGone with the Wind,theservantgirlPrissylooksupatheremployers’newlyconstructedmansionandexclaims:“Wesureisrichnow!”Theviewerisapparentlyinvitedtolaughbothatherdelightandathernaivety,andinamannerthatonly
repeatsthefilm’sexplicitracism.Yetthespectatorisalsothebuttofthisjoke.
“Thisshotisakindof‘hallofmirrors’ofpropertyrelations,”saysRhodes.“ThecinemaaudiencelooksattheimagewhichwasMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer’sproperty.Insidetheimage,theservantsgazeupatthepropertyofthehouse.Butifwelookcarefullyweseethatthereisnohousethere:whattheyarereallylookingatiseitherapaintedbackgroundorelseamattpaintinginsertedinthepost-productionprocess.Whetherornottheimagewastherewhenthescenewasshot,whattheyarelookingatisa‘prop’.”
Thewordpropis,ofcourse,anabbreviationforproperty.Thehouse,astheultimateprop,takesmanyforms,itsphysicalformactingasapowerfulpointer.Themansionandthebungalow,theramblingshingleandstick-styleresidence,themodernisthomewithitspicturewindows:allconveymessages(aboutstatus,class,race,politics)andshapetheactionthattakesplacewithinthem.
“InmuchoftheUS,thepossessionofland,evenifit’satinystripofgrassseparatingonehousefromanother,is
he sounds of languages that died thousands of years ago have been brought to life again through
technology that uses statistics in a revolutionary new way. NomatterwhetheryouspeakEnglishorUrdu,WaloonorWaziri,PortugueseorPersian,therootsofyourlanguagearethesame.Proto-Indo-European(PIE)isthemothertongue–sharedbyseveralhundredcontemporarylanguages,aswellasmanynowextinct,andspokenbypeoplewholivedfromabout6,000to3,500BConthesteppestothenorthoftheCaspianSea.
Theyleftnowrittentextsandalthoughhistoricallinguistshave,sincethe19thcentury,painstakinglyreconstructedthelanguagefromdaughterlanguages,thequestionofhowitactuallysoundedwasassumedtobepermanentlyoutofreach.
Now,researchersattheUniversitiesofCambridgeandOxfordhavedevelopedasound-basedmethodtomovebackthroughthefamilytreeoflanguagesthatstemfromPIE.Theycansimulatehowcertainwordswouldhavesoundedwhentheywerespoken8,000yearsago.
Remarkably,attheheartofthetechnologyisthestatisticsofshape.
“Soundshaveshape,”explainsProfessorJohnAston,fromCambridge’sStatisticalLaboratory.“Asawordisuttereditvibratesair,andtheshapeofthissoundwavecanbemeasuredandturnedintoaseriesofnumbers.Oncewehavethesestats,andthestatsofanotherspokenword,wecanstartaskinghowsimilartheyareandwhatitwouldtaketoshiftfromonetoanother.”
Awordsaidinacertainlanguagewillhaveadifferentshapetothesamewordinanotherlanguage,oranearlierlanguage.Theresearcherscanshiftfromoneshapetoanotherthroughaseriesofsmallchangesinthestatistics.“It’smorethananaveragingprocess,it’sacontinuumfromonesoundtotheother,”addsAston,whoisfundedbytheEngineeringandPhysicalSciencesResearchCouncil(EPSRC).“Ateachstage,wecanturntheshapebackintosoundtohearhowthewordhaschanged.”
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Ratherthanreconstructingwrittenformsofancientwords,theresearcherstriangulatebackwardsfromcontemporaryandarchivalaudiorecordingstoregenerateaudiblespokenformsfromearlierpointsintheevolutionarytree.Usingarelativelynewfieldofshape-basedmathematics,theresearcherstakethesoundwaveandvisualiseitasaspectrogram–basicallyanundulatingthree-dimensionalsurfacethatrepresentstheshapeofthatsound–andthenreshapethespectrogramalongatrajectory‘signposted’byknownsounds.
WhileAstonleadstheteamofstatistician‘shape-shifters’inCambridge,theacoustic-phoneticandlinguisticexpertiseisprovidedbyProfessorJohnColeman’sgroupinOxford.
Theresearchersareworkingonthewordsfornumbersasthesehavethesamemeaninginanylanguage.Thelongestpathofdevelopmentsimulatedsofargoesbackwards8,000yearsfromEnglishonetoitsPIEancestoroinos,andlikewiseforothernumerals.Theyhavealso‘goneforwards’fromthePIEpenkwetothemodernGreekpente,modernWelshpimpandmodernEnglish five,aswellassimulatingchangefromModernEnglishtoAnglo-Saxon(orviceversa),andfromModernRomancelanguagesbacktoLatin.
“We’veexplicitlyfocusedonreproducingsoundchangesandetymologiesthattheestablishedanalysesalreadysuggest,ratherthanseekingtooverturnthem,”saysColeman,whoseresearchwasfundedbytheArtsandHumanitiesResearchCouncil.
Theyhavediscoveredwordsthatappeartocorrectly‘fallout’ofthecontinuum.“It’spleasing,notbecauseitoverturnsthereceivedwisdom,butbecauseitencouragesusthatwearegettingsomethingright,someofthetimeatleast.Andalongthewaytherehavealsobeenafewsurprises!”Themethodsometimesfollowspathsthatdonotseemtobeetymologicallycorrect,demonstratingthatthemethodisscientificallytestableandpointingtoareasinwhichrefinementsareneeded.
Remarkably,becausethestatisticsdescribethesoundofanindividualsayingtheword,theresearchersareabletokeepthecharacteristicsofpitchanddeliverythesame.Theycaneffectivelyturnthewordspokenbysomeoneinonelanguageintowhatitwouldsoundlikeiftheywerespeakingfluentlyinanother.
Theycanalsoextrapolateintothefuture,althoughwithcaveats,asColemandescribes:“Ifyoujustextrapolatelinearly,you’llreachapointatwhichthesoundchangehitsthelimitofwhatisahumanly
Time travelling to the mother tongue
FRENCHun
unoITALIAN
19 ResearchHorizons
reasonablesound.Thishashappenedinsomelanguagesinthepastwithcertainvowelsounds.ButifyouaskedmewhatEnglishwillsoundlikein300years,myeducatedguessisthatitwillbehardlyanydifferentfromtoday!”
Fortheteam,theexcitementoftheresearchincludesunearthingsomegemsofarchivalrecordingsofvariouslanguagesthathadbeengivenupfordead,includinganOldPrussianwordlastspokenbypeopleintheearly1700sbut‘borrowed’intoLowPrussiananddiscoveredinaGermanaudioarchive.
SPANISHsiete
setePORTUGUESE
ImagesSpectrogramsshowinghowtheshapeofthesoundofawordinonelanguagecanbemorphedintothesoundofthesamewordinanotherlanguage
Professor John [email protected]
Professor John ColemanOxfordUniversity [email protected]
Dr James [email protected]
Dr Carola-Bibiane SchönliebDepartmentofAppliedMathematicsandTheoreticalPhysicscbs31@cam.ac.uk
Medical imaging reshaped
The statistics of shape are not just being used to show how different languages relate to each – they are also being used to improve the analysis of medical images.
Justassoundwaveshaveashapethatcanbeanalysedusingstatistics,sodothepatternsofneuronsinteractingwitheachotherorthedimensionsofthesurfaceofatumour.Nowanewresearchcentrewilldeveloptoolsthatusethemathematicsoftheshapesfoundinmedicalimagestoimprovediagnosis,prognosisandtreatmentplanningforpatients.
TheCentreforMathematical andStatisticalAnalysisofMultimodalClinicalImaging,oneoffive‘maths’centresrecentlyfundedby £10millionfromEPSRC,isco-ledbyAstonandDrCarola-BibianeSchönliebfromtheDepartmentofAppliedMathematicsandTheoreticalPhysicsinCambridge.
“Thenewmethodologieswillallowclinicalmedicinetomovebeyondonepersonreadingsinglescans,toautomatedsystemscapableofanalysingpopulationsofimages,”explainsSchönlieb.“Asaresult,clinicianswillhavefargreaterscopetoaskcomplexquestionsofthemedicalimage.”
It’salreadypossibletoextractstatisticalinformationfromanimageofapatient’sthighbone,turnthedataintoatemplateforcomparisonwiththosefromotherpeopleinthepopulation,andthenaskwhetheraparticularshapeofboneismorepronetobeingbrokenthanothersintheelderly.
Mostorganscanssplittheimageintomanyelements,whicharethenanalysedvoxelbyvoxel.“Butcomplexstructuresliketheheartandthebrainshouldbeanalysedholistically,”explainsDrJamesRudd,fromtheDepartmentofMedicine,wholeadstheclinicalinteractionwiththeCentre.“Thetoolswearedevelopingwillenabletheanalysisoforganslikethebrainassingleobjectswithmillionsofconnections.”
TheCentrebringstogetherresearchersandcliniciansfromappliedandpuremaths,engineering,physics,biology,oncology,clinicalneuroscienceandcardiology,andinvolvesindustrialpartnersSiemens,AstraZeneca,Microsoft,GSKandCambridgeComputedImaging.
The longest path of development simulated so far goes backwards 8,000
years from English one to its PIE ancestor oinos
Theirworkhasapplicationsinautomatictranslationandfilmdubbing,aswellasmedicalimaging(seepanel),buttheprincipalaimisforthetechnologytobeusedalongsidetraditionalmethodsusedbyhistoricallinguiststounderstandtheprocessoflanguagechangeoverthousandsofyears.
“Frommypointofview,it’samazingthatwecanturnexcitingyethighlyabstractstatisticaltheoryintosomethingthatreallyhelpsexplaintherootsofmodernlanguage,”saysAston.
“Nowthatwe’vedevelopedmanyofthenecessarytechnicalmethodsforrealisingtheextraordinaryambitionofhearingancientsoundsoncemore,”addsColeman,“theseearlysuccessesareopeningupawiderangeofnewquestions,oneofthecentralbeinghowfarbackintimecanwereallygo?”
Credit:Allimag
es,Joh
nAs
ton
Things20
ThingsUncovering the afterlife of ancient Egypt
T his ‘recycled’ coffin bears an updated ‘cv’, a doodled eye and 3,000-year-old fingerprints, and is
one of the treasures revealing its hidden secrets thanks to new research at the Fitzwilliam Museum.
Goldenyellowandcoveredfromheadtotoeinbrighthieroglyphsinreds,greensandblues,thesetofcoffinsbelongingtoNespawershefytwasoneoftheveryfirstgiftstothecollectionattheFitzwilliamMuseum.ItwasgivenbytwomembersoftheUniversityin1822,justafewyearsaftertheMuseumwasfounded200yearsagothisyear. Theoutstandinglywell-preservedartefactscontainvaluablecluesastohowEgyptiancoffinsweremadeandtothemanwhocommissionedthem.Touncovertheirhiddensecrets,they’vebeenstudiedusingimagingtechniquesattheMuseum,theRadiologyDepartmentofAddenbrooke’sHospital,partofCambridgeUniversityHospitals,andtheDepartmentofEngineering. “Theresultswerestunningandyieldedahugeamountofinformation,”saysJulieDawson,HeadofConservationatthe
Museum.“Theinnercoffinboxismadeupofamultitudeofpiecesofwood,includingsectionsfromatleastoneoldercoffin.Woodwasapreciouscommodityandthecraftsmenwereincrediblyskilledatmakingthesecomplexobjectsfromsometimesunpromisingstartingmaterials.” Othersurpriseslayinwait:3,000-year-oldfingerprints,suggestingthatthecraftsmenmovedthelidoftheinnercoffinbeforethevarnishhaddried;newjobtitlesthatwereinscribedoveroldones,presumablyasNespawershefytroseinrankasaseniorofficial;andeventheodddoodleontheundersideofacoffinbox. Nespawershefytwasclearlykeentoprepareproperlyforhisafterlife.“Tous,thisseemslikeamorbidpreoccupation,”addsHelenStrudwick,EgyptologistattheMuseum.“Infact,itwasanobsessionwithlifeandanurgentwishtoensureitsperfectedcontinuation.”
The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge and is 200 years old this year.
www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk
ResearchHorizons21Credit:Allimag
es,T
heFitzwilliam
Museu
m
ImageDifferentimagingtechniqueshavebeenusedtoanalyseNespawershefyt’scoffin
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Why is Milton Keynes one of the most successful cities in the UK, and Dundee one of the least? What gives Leeds its economic edge over Liverpool? How
did London survive the 1990s recession, going from boom to bust and boom again? Researchers are asking these questions and many more in the largest ever analysis of what makes cities thrive.
Spotlight:Futureofcities
The rise and fall and rise of cities
rguably,everythingaboutMiltonKeynesisdeliberate:itssite,itstransport,itshousing,itsbusiness
sectors,itsjobs.Fromthemomentofits‘birth’in1967asoneofthecountry’s‘newtowns’,MiltonKeyneswasplannedasawhole.Overthepastthreedecades,ithasout-smartedeveryothercityintheUKintermsofitsannualaveragegrowthrateofoutputandemployment.
Meanwhile,mostofBritain’soldindustrialcities–Newcastle,Sheffield,Birmingham,GlasgowandLiverpoolamongthem–underwentadramaticslippageingrowthfromthebeginningofthe1980stothelate1990s.Althoughtheirdeclinehasslowed,theystilllagbehindthenationalaverageintermsofeconomicgrowth.
NotsoLondon.Afteryearsofrelativedecline,ithasexperiencedaturnaroundsincetheearly1990s,thankstoitsflourishingfinancialsectorandrapidlyexpandingbusinessservices.ItevenweatheredtherecentrecessionbetterthanalmostallotherpartsoftheUK.Ithasbecomeoneofthefastestgrowingpartsofcountry,andispredictedtopullfurtheraheadoftherestofthecountryinthenextdecade.
Thisstoryofa‘greatdivergence’openingupbetweencitiesisbeingplayedoutallacrosstheUK,aswellaselsewhereintheindustrialisedworld.IntheUSA,forinstance,thedownturninthefortunesofDetroitandClevelandstandinstarkcontrasttoboomcitieslikeSanFranciscoandBoston.RecenteffortsintheUKtorebalancetheeconomyhaveincludedthe‘NorthernPowerhouse’investmenttoboostManchester,Liverpool,Leeds,SheffieldandNewcastle.
“Citieshavealwayshadupturnsanddownturns.Butforthefirsttimeinhumanhistorymorethanhalfoftheworld’spopulationlivesincitiesandsonowmorethaneverit’simportanttounderstandwhatitisthatmakesacityflourish,”saysProfessorRonMartin.“Adaptabilityandresiliencemaybetoday’sbuzzwordsbutthisisthewaythatcities–andthosemakingpoliciesthataffectcities–needtothinktokeepthemworkingwell.”
Martinleadsamajorresearchprojectaimedatunderstandingtransitionsthroughboom,bustandausterityforUKcities,andthelessonsthatcanbelearnedfromthepast50yearsofeconomichistorythatmighthelpcitiesprepareforthedecadesahead.
Itwillbethelargesteveranalysisofthepost-industrialfortunesoftheUK’scities.ItbuildsonworkthatMartinandhisteamcarriedoutfortheUKGovernmentOfficefor
A
Professor Ron [email protected]
23 ResearchHorizons
14specialisms,withlifesciencescurrentlymovingintopoleposition.Thekeyistokeepbranchingintonewareas.”
Headds:“Thisshouldn’treallycomeasasurprise.It’sabitlikebuyingstocksandshares–youwouldn’tputallyourmoneyinonecompanybecauseyourisklosingeverything.Thesamegoeshere–youneedadiverseeconomicstructuretowithstandshockstothesystem.”
Beforethisstudy,however,thedatasimplywasn’tavailabletodrawthisconclusion.Martin’steamworkedwithCambridgeEconometrics,businessmanagementconsultants,whoarespecialistsinbuildingupcity-leveldatasetsfromlocaldata.
Now,withfundingfromtheEconomicandSocialResearchCouncil,theteamhasincreasedtoincluderesearchersattheUniversitiesofSouthampton,NewcastleandAston,andthedatasettheyarebuildingisthelargestofitskindeverconstructedfortheUK:thegrowth,employmentandeconomicstructureof75cities,forfourdecadesfrom1971,withhopeseventuallytolookbacktothemid-19thcentury.Tencitieshavebeenchosenforanin-depthanalysisoffirmdynamics,localgovernanceandpublicpolicy.
“Citieshavecometodominatehowwethinkandtalkabouteconomies,particularlyastheynavigatetheturbulentanduncertaincontextofausterityandeconomicreform,”saysMartin.“Thereislittledoubtthatcitiesfaceanunprecedentedandintensesetofeconomic,socialandenvironmentalchallenges.OurresearchaspartoftheFutureofCitiesprojectprovidedthefirstquantitativeevidencethatdifferentcitiesdemonstrateverydifferentcapacitiestocopewithandrespondtochallenges,andthattheseleadtodiverseeconomicoutcomes.”
It’stimely,headds,tobeconsideringwhatmakesacitythrive,giventheongoingdiscussionsbygovernmentonthebusinesscasefordevolvingcentralpolicydecisionsandbudgetstoregions.
“Inthiscontext,whilefiscaldevolutionisdesirable,differencesbetweencitiescouldassumegreatersignificance,”saysMartin.“Ifcitiesandregionstakemorecontrolofthepursestrings,theywillneedtoknowwherebesttoinvestresourcestohelpthemthrive.Thisresearchprogrammeisambitiousbutweareconfidentthatwewillbeabletoidentifyatleastsomeofthekeystocityeconomicsuccessandhowtomaintainthatsuccessovertime.”
Science(GoS)ForesightProjectontheFutureofCities–thebrainchildofGovernmentChiefScientificAdviser,ProfessorSirMarkWalport.
“CitiesmattertotheUK,”explainstheGoSFutureofCitiesproject.“TheyaretheconcentrationsoftheUK’spopulation,trade,commerce,culturalandsociallife.TheyarealsothesiteswheremostoftheUK’sfuturegrowth,bothpopulationandeconomic,isforecasttooccur.TheUK’sfutureisnowcloselylinkedtothatofitscities.”
Thefastestgrowingcitiesoverthepastthreedecadeshavebeenthoseinthesouthofthecountry,linkedwithadownturninmanufacturinginthenorthandanincreaseinserviceindustriesinthesouth.
“Manufacturingstillhappensofcourse,andisstillimportanttotheeconomyofmanyofourcities,”saysMartin.“Butthenumberofpeopleworkinginmanufacturinghasfallenoverthepast30yearsbecauseofincreasingefficiencyandproductivity,andtheriseofforeigncompetitors.”
“It’s a bit like buying stocks and shares – you wouldn’t
put all your money in one company because you
risk losing everything”
Theteam’sstudyfortheForesightProjectlookedat63citiesacrosstheUK.OnefindingwasthatthefastestgrowingcitiesoverthepastthreedecadeswerethenewtownslikeMiltonKeynesthathadbeendeliberatelyplannedanddevelopedthroughpost-warpublicpolicy.“Inthesecases,everythingtodowithanewsettlementcouldbethoughtaboutholistically–anargumentperhapsforfocusingonexpandedcitiesinthefuture.”
Butwhataboutoldindustrialisedcities?“There’sahugeinfrastructureinthesecitiesandalotoftalent,”saysMartin.“Wefoundthatwhereassomecitiesareexperiencingaworseningofeconomicinequalitiesandfailures,othershavemanagedtoreinventthemselvesbygrowingnewsectors–electronics,pharmaceuticals,finance,businesssupportservices.Thosecitiesthathadn’tmanagedtodiversify,reorientateandadapttheiremploymentsectorsfaredlesswell.”
MartincitesCambridgeasanexemplarofdiversification:“Cambridgeisinterestingbecauseitisoftenheldupasahigh-techclusterbutinfactyoucanidentifyaround
he cities of today are built with concrete and steel – but some T Cambridge researchers think that the cities of the future need to go back to nature if they are to support an ever-expanding population, while keeping carbon emissions under control.
Betweenthem,concreteandsteelareresponsibleforasmuchasatenthofworldwidecarbonemissions.Beforetheyeverreachaconstructionsite,bothsteelandconcretemustbeprocessedatveryhightemperatures–whichtakesalotofenergy.Andyet,ourcitiesarecompletelydependentonthesetwounsustainablematerials.
“IflybackandforthalotbetweentheUKandtheUS,andI’dbeenharbouringalotofguiltabouttheeffectthathadonmycarbonfootprint–I’dalwaysassumed,
asmanyofusdo,thatairtravelisahugecontributortocarbonemissions,”saysbioengineerDrMichelleOyenofCambridge’sDepartmentofEngineering.“Butthetruthis,whiletheemissionscausedbyairtravelaresignificant,farmorearecausedbytheproductionofconcreteandsteel,whichofcourseiswhatmostcitiesarebuiltfrom.”
Sowhatdoesthatmeanforcitiesofthefuture,asmoreandmoreofusliveinurbanareas?Howcanwecontinuetobuildwhilereducingcarbonemissions?
Whereassomeresearchersareinvestigatingwaysofproducingsteelandconcreteinmoreenergy-efficientways,orfindingwaysofusingless,Oyenwouldratherturnthetablescompletely,andcreatenewbuildingmaterialsthatarestrong,sustainableandtaketheirinspirationfromnature.
“Whatwe’retryingtodoistorethinkthewaythatwemakethings,”saysOyen.“Engineerstendtothrowenergyatproblems,whereasnaturethrowsinformationatproblems–theyfundamentallydothingsdifferently.”
Oyenworksinthefieldofbiomimetics–literally‘copyinglife’.Inherlab,withfundingsupportfromtheUSArmyCorpsofEngineers,sheconstructssmallsamplesofartificialboneandeggshell,whichcouldbeusedasmedicalimplants,orevenbescaledupandusedaslow-carbonbuildingmaterials.
Liketherealthings,artificialboneandeggshellarecompositesofproteinsandminerals.Inbone,theproportionsofproteinandmineralareroughlyequal–themineralgivesbonestiffnessandhardness,whiletheproteingivesittoughnessorresistancetofracture.While
24 Spotlight:Futureofcities
bonescanbreak,itisrelativelyrare,andtheyhavethebenefitofbeingself-healing–anotherfeaturethatengineersaretryingtobringtobiomimeticmaterials.
Ineggshell,theratiosaredifferent:about95%mineralto5%protein,buteventhissmallamountofproteinmakeseggshellremarkablytoughconsideringhowthinitis.
Whenmakingtheartificialboneandeggshell,themineralcomponentsare‘templated’directlyontocollagen,whichisthemostabundantproteinintheanimalworld.“Oneoftheinterestingthingsisthatthemineralsthatmakeupbonedepositalongthecollagen,andeggshelldepositsoutwardsfromthecollagen,perpendiculartoit,”saysOyen.“Soitmightevenbethecasethatthesetwocompositescouldbecombinedtomakealattice-typestructure,whichwouldbeevenstronger–there’ssomeinterestingsciencetherethatwe’dliketolookinto.”
Inherlab,Oyenandherteamhavebeenmakingsamplesofartificialeggshellandboneviaaprocessthatcouldbeeasilyscaledup–andsincetheprocesstakesplaceatroomtemperature,thesamplestakeverylittleenergytoproduce.Butitmaybesometimebeforewe’relivinginboneandeggshellhouses.
Forone,thecollagenthatOyenneedstomakethesematerialscomesfromnatural(meaninganimal)sources.Oneofthethingsshe’scurrentlyinvestigatingiswhetheranon-animal-derivedorevensyntheticproteinorpolymercouldbeusedinsteadofnaturalcollagen.
“Anotherissueistheconstructionindustryisaveryconservativeone,”Oyensays.“Allofourexistingbuildingstandardshavebeendesignedwithconcreteandsteelinmind.Constructingbuildingsoutofentirelynewmaterialswouldmeancompletelyrethinkingthewholeindustry.Butifyouwanttodosomethingreallytransformativetobringdowncarbonemissions,thenIthinkthat’swhatwehavetodo.Ifwe’regoingtomakearealchange,amajorrethinkiswhathastohappen.”
DrMichaelRamagefromtheDepartmentofArchitectureisanotherCambridgeresearcherwhobelievesweneedtoexpandouruseofnaturalmaterialsinbuildings.Ramagehasseveralongoingresearchprojectsthatarelookingintotheuseofwood–oneoftheoldestbuildingmaterialswehave– fortallbuildings.
WorkingwithPLPArchitectureandengineersSmithandWallwork,Ramagerecentlydeliveredplansforan80-storey,300mhigh,timberskyscrapertotheMayorofLondon.Theproposalscurrentlybeingdevelopedwouldcreatemorethan1,000residentialunitsina1millionsquare-foot,mixed-usetowerandmid-
riseterraces,integratedintotheBarbicanincentralLondon.
Likeothernaturalmaterials,theprimarybenefitofusingwoodasabuildingmaterialisthatitisarenewableresource,unlikeconcreteandsteel.Ramage’sresearchisalsoinvestigatingotherpotentialbenefitsofusingwoodfortallbuildings,suchasreducedcostsandimprovedconstructiontimescales,increasedfireresistanceandasignificantreductionintheoverallweightofbuildings.
“IfLondonisgoingtosurviveanincreasingpopulation,itneedstodensify,”saysRamage.“Oneway istallerbuildings.Webelievepeoplehaveagreateraffinityfortallerbuildingsinnaturalmaterialsratherthansteelandconcretetowers.Thefundamentalpremiseisthattimberandothernaturalmaterialsarevastlyunderusedandwedon’tgivethemnearlyenoughcredit.Nearlyeveryhistoricbuilding,fromKing’sCollegeChapeltoWestminsterHall,hasmadeextensiveuseoftimber.”
Thetallesttimberbuildingintheworldatthemomentisa14-storeyapartmentblockinBergen,Norway,butRamageforeseesfuturecitieswheretimberskyscraperssitalongsidethosemade ofconcreteandsteel.
“Futurecitiesmaynotlookawholelotdifferent–youmaynotknowimmediatelyifyouareinatimber,steelorconcretebuilding,”saysRamage.“Butcitiesmightbeawholelotquieter,asmosttimberbuildingsarebuiltoffsite,andthenjustassembledonsite,anduseroughlyafifthasmuchtrucktrafficasequivalentconcretebuildings.Inotherwords,whatneedstobedeliveredinfivetrucksforaconcretebuildingcanbedeliveredinonetruckforatimberbuilding.That’sanincredibleadvantage,forcost,forenvironment,fortrafficandforcyclists.”
“Thematerialpropertiesofboneandwoodareverysimilar,”saysOyen.“Justbecausewecanmakeallofourbuildingsoutofconcreteandsteeldoesn’tmeanweshould.Butitwillrequirebigchange.”
Dr Michelle Oyen DepartmentofEngineering
Dr Michael Ramage DepartmentofArchitecture [email protected]
25 ResearchHorizons
“Just because we can make all of our buildings out of concrete and steel doesn’t mean we should. But it will require big change”
Waterworld
lash floods, burst riverbanks, overflowing drains, contaminants leaching into waterways: some of
the disruptive, damaging and hazardous consequences of having too much rain. But can cities be designed and adapted to live more flexibly with water – to treat it as friend rather than foe? InDecember2015,StormDesmondhitthenorthoftheUK.Initswakecamefloods,themiseryofmuddy,pollutedwatersurgingthroughhomesandthedisruptionofclosedbusinesses,schoolsandroads.
Rapidurbangrowthandprogressivelyunpredictableweatherhavefocusedattentionontheresilienceofcitiesworldwidenotjusttoextremeevents,butalsotoheavier-than-normalrainstorms,andraisedquestionsastohowfloodriskcanbemanaged.
Thereisofcourseno‘one-size-fits-all’strategy.Forsomeareas,defenceisapossibility.Forothers,retreatistheonlyoption.“Butforthoseunabletodoeither,weneedtofundamentallyrewritetherulebookonhowweperceivewaterasahazardtotownsandcities,”saysEdBarsley,PhDstudentworkingwithDrEmilySointheCambridgeUniversityCentreforRiskintheBuiltEnvironment(CURBE).Barsleybelievesthatadaptationand
26
F
Spotlight:Futureofcities
planningforresiliencecanprovideauniqueopportunityforincreasingthequalityoftownsandcities(seepanel).
DrDickFennerfromtheDepartmentofEngineeringagreesthatresiliencetowatershouldberegardedpositively.HeispartoftheUK-wideBlue–GreenCitiesproject,whichisdevelopingstrategiestomanageurbanfloodriskinwaysthatalsopaydividendsinmanyotherareas,through‘greening’thecity.“Wewanttoturnrainfallintoawin-win-winevent,”hesays.
Whenitcomestodealingwithfloods,oneofthemajordifficultiesthatmanycitiesfaceistheimpermeabilityofthebuiltenvironment.Inacitythatispaved,concretedandasphalted,surfacewatercan’tsoakawayquicklyandnaturallyintotheearth.
Newcastlecitycentre,forinstance,isaround92%impermeable,andhassufferedmajorfloodinginthepast.“The‘floodfootprint’ofthe2012‘ToonMonsoon’causedaround£129millionindirectdamagesand£102millioninindirectdamages,ripplingtoeconomicsectorsfarbeyondthephysicallocationoftheevent,”saysFenner.
“Traditionally,citieshavebeenbuilttocapturewaterrun-offinguttersanddrains,tobepipedaway.Butwhereisaway?Andhowbigwouldwehavetobuildthesepipesifthecitycan’tcope
“we need to fundamentally rewrite the rule book on how we perceive water as a hazard”
Credit:Ed
Barsley
27 ResearchHorizons
now?”headds.Theprincipalbehinda‘Blue–GreenCity’istocreateamorenaturalwatercycle–oneinwhichthecity’swatermanagementanditsgreeninfrastructurecanbebroughttogether.
Citiesworldwidearealreadytakinguptheconceptof‘greening’,usingpermeablepaving,bioswales(shallowditchesfilledwithvegetation),streetplanting,roofgardensandpocketparks.Greeninfrastructurebenefitshealthandbiodiversity,andcanhelpcombatrisingCO2levels,heatislandeffects,airpollutionandnoise.
“Notonlydotheyalsoprovideaplaceforwatertosoakaway,”saysFenner,“theycanevencreateresourcesfromwater–suchasgeneratingenergyfromthewaterflowthroughsustainabledrainagesystemsandprovidingplacesforamenityandrecreation.”
Ed BarsleyCURBE,[email protected]
Dr Dick FennerCentreforSustainableDevelopmentDepartmentofEngineeringraf37@cam.ac.uk
Dr Emily SoCURBE,[email protected]
Flood risk as a driver for change
While the Blue–Green Cities project focuses on urban drainage at times of normal to excessive rainfall, Ed Barsley is more concerned with helping communities consider the consequences of extreme events.
“Floodsaredevastatingintheirimpactandfloodriskisoftenseenasaburdentobeendured,”saysBarsley,“butfutureproofingandplanningforresiliencecanandshouldbeusedasadriverforincreasingthequalityofbuildings,streetsandneighbourhoods–achanceforexcitingchangeinourcities.”
Asacasestudy,BarsleyisusingthevillageofYaldinginKent,whichhasenduredphysical,economicandpsychologicalimpactsasaresultofflooding.
Helookedathoweachhouseinthevillagepreparedforandwasaffectedbyitsmostrecentflood,itslocationandbuildingmaterial,andevenitsmillimetrethresholdheight;andthenhelookedatfuturefloodriskscenarios.Theresultisamethodologyforassessingresiliencethatcanbeusedtohelpinformandplanforadaptation,andistransferabletoothercommunitieslargeorsmallacrosstheUKandworldwide.
“Whenwecommunicatedtheriskstothecommunity,wefoundthatresiliencemeansdifferentthingstodifferentpeople.Understandingprioritiescanhelpthemtailortheirownstrategytobecontextuallyappropriate,”explainsBarsley,whoisspecialadvisoronfloodriskintheSouthEasttoGregClarkMP,SecretaryofStatefortheDepartmentforCommunitiesandLocalGovernment.
Forhomesinwhichresistancemeasureslikefloodbarrierswillbeovercome,oneoptionmightbetoregardthelowerfloorasasacrificialspace–anareathatcanbefloodedwithoutdisruptingwaste,powerorwater.InYalding,thereareexamplesofhomeownerswhohavedonejustthisandaddedanextrastoreytotheirhomes.
“I’dliketoseeresiliencerewardedandforustobegintolivewithwaterinadifferentmanner.Embeddinglong-termresiliencehashugepotentialforcreatingvibrantandenrichingspaces.”
www.edbarsley.com
“the city’s water management and its green infrastructure
can be brought together”
toexplicitlycommittoablue–greenapproach,asrecommendedbytheresearch.Thehopeisthatotherlocalandnationalorganisationswillfollowsuit.
Embracingresilience,astheseorganisationsaredoing,isvitallyimportantwhendealingwithnaturalhazards,saysEmilySo,wholeadsCURBE:“Weshouldrememberthatfloodingisanaturalprocessandahazardweneedtolearntolivewith.Itisoftenthedisjointedconfigurationofthebuiltenvironmentthatresultsinitbeingarisktothecommunities.Ouraimshouldbetodesigntoreducetheimpactof,andourrecoverytimefrom,thisnaturalhazard.”
Fenneradds:“Continuingtodeliveraneffectiveandreliablewaterandwastewaterservicedespitedisruptivechallengessuchasfloodingishard,butvital;itrequirescontinuousand
Allwellandgoodbutwithalonglistofpotential‘clue–green’choices,andanequallylonglistofbenefits,howdocitieschoosethebestoptions?
OneofthemajoroutputsoftheBlue–GreenCitiesinitiativeisa‘toolbox’forauthorities,planners,businessesandcommunitiestohelpthemdecide.UsingNewcastleUniversity’sCityCatmodel,theteamassessedhowwellgreeninfrastructuresperformedinholdingbacksurfaceflows,andusednoveltracertechniquestofollowthemovementandtrappingofsedimentsduringintensestorms.Thentheymappedthebenefitsinageographicinformationsystem(GIS)toidentifyphysicallocationsthatare‘benefithotspots’.
ThetoolsweredevelopedbyevaluatingtheperformancebenefitsofgreeninfrastructuregatheredfromsitesinboththeUKandUSA.Aspartofarecent12-monthdemonstrationstudyinNewcastle,aLearningActionAlliancenetworkwassetupwithlocalstakeholdersthathas,saysFenner,ledtonewopportunitiesthatreflecttheprioritiesandpreferencesofcommunitiesandlocalresidents.
Now,NewcastleCityCouncil,theEnvironmentAgency,NorthumbrianWater,NewcastleUniversity,ArupandRoyalHaskoningDHVhavecombinedtobethefirstorganisationsinthecountry
dramaticinnovation.Inthefuture,wewillseefullywater-sensitivecities,wherewatermanagementissogoodthatit’salmostasifthecityisn’tthere.”
The Blue–Green Cities project is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), involves researchers from nine UK universities and is led by the University of Nottingham. A parallel project, Clean Water for All, funded by EPSRC and the National Science Foundation, connects the team with researchers in the USA.
www.bluegreencities.ac.uk
Happy Mondays28
ife in towns and cities can grind you down, but putting health and wellbeing at the centre
of new housing and infrastructure developments could make for happier, healthier citizens. “WhenamanistiredofLondon,heistiredoflife;forthereisinLondonallthatlifecanafford,”saidSamuelJohnsoninthe18thcentury.ForJohnson,therichtapestryofLondonlifeandthemyriadculturalassetsclearlyoutweighedanydownsidesofcitydwelling.
Forothers,though,citylifeisagrind.Publictransportisovercrowded,housepricesaresoaring,trafficisatgridlockanddieselfumeshangalmostperceptiblyintheair.Littlesurprise,then,thatpeopledobecometiredofLondon,evenifnotoflifeitself.
Evenifissuessuchasairpollutionaretakenoutoftheequation,livinginacitycanbebadforyourhealth,whichisnotgoodnewsconsideringthattheWorldHealthOrganizationestimatesthatby2017themajorityofpeoplewillbelivinginurbanareas.
L Astudypublishedin2014byDrManjinderSandhusuggestedthatincreasingurbanisationofruralareasinsub-SaharanAfricamightleadtoanexplosionoftheincidenceofstroke,heartdiseaseanddiabetes.Yes,movingtotownsandcitiesprovidesbetteraccesstoeducation,electricityandhospitals,buttownandcitydwellersbecomelessactive,theirworkbecomeslessphysicalandtheirdietsworsen.
“Ifthispatternisrepeatedacrosstheglobe–whichwethinkitwill–thenwecouldfaceanepidemicofobesity,diabetesandotherpotentiallypreventablediseases,”saysSandhu.“Localandnationalgovernmentsneedtotakethisintoconsiderationwhenplanninginfrastructuretotryandmitigatesuchnegativeeffects.”
Asfaras‘healthy’citiesgo,Cambridgehasalotgoingforit.Itspopulationhashigherthanaveragelevelsofeducationandisphysicallyactive:Cambridgehasbeennicknamed‘thecyclingcapitalofBritain’–thesightofbicyclesleaningagainstwallsisasiconicasthatofpuntspassingunderthe
(and every day)
“Commuting is a part of everyday life where people could include a bit more physical activity without
having to think about it very much or make time for it”
Spotlight:Futureofcities
ImageAccordia–wheretheprovisionofmorecommunalthanprivateoutdoorspaceencouragespeopletointeract
Dr Jamie [email protected]
Dr David OgilvieUKCRCCentreforDietand ActivityResearchMRCEpidemiologyUnitdavid.ogilvie@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk
Dr Manjinder [email protected]
Professor Koen [email protected]
29 ResearchHorizons
fromthelightinginofficespaces,throughtoeducationalopportunitiesforyoungpeoplefromdeprivedcommunitiesandtherestaurantswithinthevenue.
HIAsarecurrentlyvoluntary,butaresettobecomemandatoryforsignificantdevelopmentsacrosstheUKin2017,andcanhelparchitectsanddesignersimprovetheirsubmissionsforplanningapplication.Howeffectivethey’llbeisunclear,warnsAnderson.“Youmighthavesomereallystrongevidence,butthefinaldecisionisablendofopinionfromvariousstakeholders,soyoucouldendupwithawatered-downversionofwhat’sneeded.”
Heremainsoptimistic,however:“We’removingintherightdirection.Bybuildingconsiderationofhealthandwellbeingintotheplanningprocess,itshouldraisethebarandhopefullywewillseemanymorecyclelanes,moreinvitingandbetteroptionsforactivetransport,andmaybefewerfast-foodshops.”
“Idon’tknowwhatmakesmestay/Thecitylifejustain’tthesame,”sangNewOrder,oneofFactoryRecord’sbestknownsignings,in2001.PerhapstheworkofCambridgeresearcherswillhelpmakecitiesattractive–andhealthy–placestostay.
BridgeofSighs.Butasthecityexpandsandhousepricesrocket,moreandmorepeoplearelivinginneighbouringvillagesandtowns,wherecyclingtoworkalongwinding,congestedcountrylanescanbelessappealingthandriving.
In2011,theworld’slongestguidedbuswayopened,connectingCambridgewithnearbyHuntingdonandStIvesalongaformerrailwayline.Anintegralpartofthebuswaywasacyclepathalongitsroute–andthisappearstohavehelpednudgepeopleintherightdirection.AstudyledbyDrDavidOgilviefromtheMedicalResearchCouncil(MRC)EpidemiologyUnitfoundthat,amongpeoplewhocommutedintoCambridgefromwithina30kmradius,thosewholivedclosertothebuswayweremorelikelytoincreasetheamountof‘active’commutingtheydid,particularlycycling.
“Commutingisapartofeverydaylifewherepeoplecouldincludeabitmorephysicalactivitywithouthavingtothinkaboutitverymuchormaketimeforit,”saysOgilvie.“Whennewinfrastructureintegratesopportunitiesforwalkingandcycling,weseepeopleshiftingtheircommutingbehaviour.”
Ogilvie’sresearchis,hesays,“contributingbricksofevidencetoawallthat’sslowlybeingassembledfromacrosstheworldofthehealthbenefitsofinvestingintothiskindofinfrastructure.”Whilesuchbenefitsareoftenalludedtoinbusinesscases,untilnowtheevidencetosupportthemhasbeenlimited.
Therearewaystointegratemorepedestrian-friendlyenvironmentsinexistinginfrastructure,hesays,citingexamplessuchasthoseintheNetherlands–nowbeingintroducedinsomeareasofLondon–wheretrafficisslowedtowalkingpaceandthedivisionsbetweenpavementandroadaredeliberatelyblurred,cuingdriverstosharethespace.
Withmorethoughtfulurbanplanning,Ogilviesays,itshouldbepossibletodesigntownsandcitiesasenvironmentsthatpromotenotjustphysicalactivity,butimprovedhealthandwellbeing–“inshort,aplacewherepeoplewanttolive”.
“Sprawlingcitieswithretailparksonthefringesarenotconducivetodoingyourshoppingonfoot,”hesays.“Peoplearemorelikelytowalkandcyclearoundtheirneighbourhoodifitissafe,wellconnectedandhasgoodlocalamenities.Andgettingpeopleoutonthestreetsnotonlygetsthemactive,italsoincreasessocialinteractionsandasensethatit’ssafetobeonthestreets.”
DrJamieAndersonfromtheDepartmentofArchitectureisalsointerestedintherelationshipbetweenthebuiltenvironmentandourbroader
wellbeing.AspartofhisPhDprojectwithProfessorKoenSteemers(Architecture)andProfessorFeliciaHuppert(DepartmentofPsychology),hedidastudyofanotherCambridgeinitiative,thehousingdevelopmentknownasAccordia.
Sincethefirstresidentsmovedintotheirhomesinthemid-noughties,Accordiahaswonnumerousprizes,includingtheRoyalInstituteofBritishArchitectsStirlingPrize,foritsinnovativemixingofprivateandpublicspaces.Yetsurprisingly,saysAnderson,noonehaddoneadetailedstudyoftheimpactonitsresidents.
OneoftheinterestingapproachestakenbyAccordiawastofocusoncommunalspacesratherthanprivategardens:onlyoneinfivehomeshasitsowngarden.GiventhestereotypeoftheBritishasaveryprivatepeople,howdidpeoplerespond?Didpeoplespendtimechattingoutdoorswiththeirneighbours,ordidtheyshutthemselvesawayanddrawthecurtains?
Theresults,explainsAnderson,weremixed.Whileonemiddle-agedcouplemissedhavingtheirowngardenandwerenowonalongwaitinglistforalocalallotment,onemotherdescribedthecommunalgardensas“cruciallyimportant”:shehadsufferedfrompostnataldepressionand,withherhusbandawayatworkallday,shetoldAndersonthatshe“wouldn’thavegotthroughherdepression”withouttheinteractionsthattheadjacentcommunalareasprovided.
“Intermsofbehavioursthatweassociatewithphysicalhealthandpositivementalhealth–sopeopleinteractingwitheachother,childrenoutplaying,forexample–wefoundclearpositiveassociationswithAccordia’soutdoorneighbourhoodspaces,”headds,“butwhenwelookedatpeople’ssubjectivewellbeing,itwasn’tasclearcut.”
WithAccordia,Andersonwasevaluatinganalreadyestablisheddevelopment,buthenowhasachancetoinfluenceaprojectattheplanningstage.PartoftheChancelloroftheExchequer’svisionofa‘NorthernPowerhouse’willseea£110millionculturevenueinManchesternamedTheFactoryaftertheeponymousrecordcompanybehindsuchiconicbandsasJoyDivisionandHappyMondays.
UnderafellowshipfromtheEngineeringandPhysicalSciencesResearchCouncil,Anderson,incollaborationwithengineeringfirmBuroHappold,iscarryingoutaHealthImpactAssessment(HIA)oftheproposednewsite,lookingatfactorsthatmightinfluencehealthandwellbeing,
“the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s vision of a ‘Northern Powerhouse’ will see a £110 million
culture venue in Manchester named The Factory after the eponymous record company”
30
The Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction is building on advances in sensing technology to learn
everything possible about a city’s infrastructure – its tunnels, roads, bridges, sewers and power supplies – in order to
maintain it and optimise its use for the future.
How does your smart city grow?
Spotlight:FutureofcitiesCredit:Crossrail
Dr Ruchi ChoudharyCSIC,[email protected]
Professor Lord Robert [email protected]
Dr Jennifer [email protected]
31 ResearchHorizons
havetobecompletelyreplaced,asiscommonpractice,whichnotonlysavedthecompany£6millionandsixmonthsinaddedprojecttime,butalsowonthecompanyasustainabilityprizeforavoidingpouringthemassiveamountsofconcreterequiredforcompletelynewpiledfoundations.
AnotherCSICprojectmaximisingthevalueofexistinginfrastructureisonethatislookingtoextracttheheatfromtheLondonUndergroundtoheatandcoolthebuildingsaboveit.ResearchersinDrRuchiChoudhary’sgroupintheDepartmentofEngineeringaremodellingtheamountofheatthatcanbeextractedfromtheTube,howmanybuildingscanbeheatedorcooled,andhowthatmightbeaffectedbyfutureclimatechange.Thesegeothermalsystemsofferapotentialenergy-efficientcoolingsolutioncomparedwithenergy-intensiveconventionalcooling.
“Acity’sinfrastructuregeneratesmanywastestreams:theheatgeneratedintheLondonUndergroundisaclassicexample,leadingtoseverelyoverheatedTubestations,”saysChoudhary.“Simulationmodelsallowustoquantifythewasteenergythatcanbeusefullyharnessedthroughgeothermalboreholes,whichmakesitpossibletodemonstratefeasibilityandthebenefitsofoperatingourinfrastructureinmoresynergisticways.”
“Ifthere’sonethingwereallyexcelatinthiscountry,it’smakingourVictorianinfrastructure–suchasthatdesignedbyJosephBazalgette–workwell,”addsSchooling.“Weneedtothinkaboutthevaluethatinfrastructurebringstoourcities,whichwillhelpusfigureoutwhereandwhenweshouldbemakingnewinvestments,andwhatimpactthatwillhaveonacity.Ifwereallyunderstandourinfrastructurethroughdata,there’sahugeopportunitytoreallymakeadifferencetohowourcitiesperforminthefuture.”
AddsMair:“Ourcitieswilldefinethefutureofsociety,andsmartcityinfrastructureequippedwithmodernsensorsisessentialtoachievetherequiredtransformationalimpact.”
tcanbetoughgettingpeopleexcitedaboutinfrastructurebecauseweoftendon’tnoticeituntilsomething
goeswrong.Weexpecttoturnonthetapandhaveclean,drinkablewatercomeout.Weexpecttheundergroundtowork.Weexpecttoflickaswitchandhavethelightscomeon.
ButjustthinkhowdifferentexpectationswereforpeoplelivinginVictorianLondon.The‘GreatStink’in1858,causedbyuntreatedhumanandindustrialwasteflowingdirectlyintotheThames,ledtonear-constantcholeraoutbreaks.Eventually,thesmellintheHousesofParliamentbecamesobadthatthewindowshadtobecoveredwithheavycurtains,whichgoadedthepoliticiansofthedayintoaction.EngineerJosephBazalgettecametotherescuebycreatingasewernetworkforcentralLondon,whichrelievedthecityfromcholeraepidemics.
Fast-forward150years,andLondon,andtherestoftheUK,isgenerallyinfairlydecentshapeinfrastructure-wise.However,literalandfigurativecracksarerapidlyappearing.TheLondonInfrastructurePlan2050,launchedin2014,statesthatthecapitalshouldbeabletoaccommodateitsgrowth,atleastuntil2025,withinexistingboundaries,butestimatesthat£1.3trillionwillneedtobeinvestedinthecity’sinfrastructurebetween2014and2050,anamountmorethanhalfoftheUK’scurrentGDP.
“Infrastructure,bothexistingandfuture,isofparamountimportanceforsupportingeconomicgrowthandproductivity–andsowemustanticipateandplaneffectivelyforthechangingneedsofsociety,”saysProfessorLordRobertMairofCambridge’sDepartmentofEngineering.
“Wecan’tjustbuildourwayoutofthis–wesimplydon’thaveenoughspace,”addsDrJenniferSchooling,DirectoroftheCambridgeCentreforSmartInfrastructureandConstruction(CSIC).“Wehavetousetheexistinginfrastructurewe’vegotandgetmoreandmoreoutofit,andwhenit’sappropriate,wecanbuildnewinfrastructurealongsidethat.”
CSIC,anInnovationandKnowledgeCentrejointlyfundedbytheEngineeringandPhysicalSciencesResearchCouncilandInnovateUK,workstobridgethegapbetweenUniversityresearchandindustryintheareaof‘smart’infrastructure.
Thankstotechnologicaladvancesoverthepasttwodecades,sensorscannowbeembeddeddirectlyintothefabricofourcities,providingvaluableinformationaboutthe‘health’ofaparticularroad,tunnel,bridge,building,
oranyotherpieceofinfrastructure.Thisinformationcanhelpidentifyproblemsbeforetheybecomeserious,andhelpgetthemostoutofexistinginfrastructure,whichisparticularlyimportantinasmall,crowdedcountryliketheUK.
CSICworkswithdifferentcompaniesandorganisationsthroughoutthecomplexinfrastructuresupplychain:fromownersandoperators,designersandbuilders,tocontractorsandmaintenancepersonnel,helpingthemmaximisethepotentialofsensingtechnologyand,byextension,thatoftheinfrastructurewerelyoneveryday.
Sinceitwasfoundedin2011,CSIChasbuiltupanetworkofmorethan40industrypartners,includingsomeofthebiggestcompaniesintheconstructionindustry,includingLaingO’Rourke,ArupandAtkins.IthasalsoworkedonsomeofthelargestinfrastructureprojectsintheUK,suchasCrossrailandtheNationalGridpowertunnels.
I
“Infrastructure is of paramount importance
for supporting economic growth and productivity”
“Becausetheconstructionindustryisjudgedonreliabilityandsafety,itisaconservativeone,andsowehavetoreallydemonstrateourtechnologiesandapproaches,toshowthattheywork,”saysSchooling.“Aconservativeindustryfindsitdifficulttograbholdofcomplexprojects,andsowe’veworkedreallyhardtodevelopconsistentmethodologiessothatwecantrainindustrytousethetechnologieswe’vedeveloped.”
OneofCSIC’smajorindustrypartners,theconstructionanddevelopmentcompanySkanska,hasrecentlyestablishedtheirowncompanythatwillmakeCSIC-developedtechnologyavailablecommercially,afterhavingsuccessfullyuseditonaprojecttheyrecentlyundertookinLondon.Thecompanywasdemolishinga12-storeybuildingtoreplaceitwitha16-storeybuildingincentralLondon,ontopofacomplexsubterraneanweboftunnels,transport,foundations,sewersandmore.
SkanskaworkedwithCSICtoembedfibreopticsinthebuildingpilefoundationsbeforeitwasdemolishedtodeterminewhethertheexistingpilescouldbeusedagainorhadtobecompletelyreplacedtosupportthenewbuilding.Thefibreopticdatashowedthatthefoundationsdidnot
32 Spotlight:Futureofcities
ities exist in a state of constant flux: not always ‘smart’ and successful, they can be
vulnerable, chaotic and seem on the edge of failure. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the shanty towns and slums. How can these informal settlements, and the wider city, be helped to succeed?
DrFelipeHernándezwasbornandraisedinCali,Colombia’sthirdbiggestcityandoneofthecountry’smostdangerous–rivenbyfightingbetweendrugtraffickinggangsandthegrindingpovertyofitsshantytowns.OneofthemostviolentneighbourhoodsisPotreroGrandealongtheCaucaRiver.“WhenIwasachildIneverwenttothesettlementsalongthebank,althoughtheywereonlynineortenmilesaway.Theyhadareputationforbeingdangerous.IttookseveralyearsandsomegeographicaldistanceformetoseehowdeeplydividedCaliwasthenandremainstoday.Asrecentlyas1997,thecity’smostprestigiousclubdeniedmembershiptoBlackpeople.”
C
Living on the edge
ImageForthoselivinginshantytownsandslums,neutralspaceslikethismakeshiftbasketballcourtcanofferplacesofsafetyinalifeofmultipledeprivations
thediversity.Planningandarchitecturehaveanimportantroletoplayinthis.” Hernándezagrees:“Itseemsclearthatcitieswillcontinuetoattractpeoplefromruralareasandthatpocketsofpovertywillpersist.Peoplewhoarriveatcitiesfrequentlyencounterafunctioningsystemtowhichtheyareperipheralandfromwhichtheyaremarginalised.Inevitably,thereareconflictsbetweentheestablishedpopulationandthenewarrivals.Andwhenpeoplefromdifferentcommunitiesarethrowntogetherinthesameslumconditions,theresultcanbeviolence.” “Infact,conflictisaspartofthehumanconditionascitybuilding,”addsPullan,whoisworkingonabookonthenatureofurbanconflictbasedonherresearchfundedbytheEconomicandSocialResearchCouncil. “Wehavetofindbetterwaysoflivingwiththeconflict–usingandchannellingitinaconstructiveway,ratherthanthinkingwecanremoveitorbanishit,”shesays.“Theurbantopography–thecity’sstreetsandcourtyards,roadsandrooftops,towerblocksandslums,andalloftheactivitieswithinthem–areasmuchapartoftheproblemastheyareapartofthesolution.Whenwedesigncitiesweneedtounderstandthesociopoliticalprocessesatplayandthepotentialforflashpoints.” WhenHernándezandhisteamlookedmorecloselyatthedynamicsofCali,theymadeanimportantdiscovery:“Wemappedtheinvisibleboundariesoftheseareasandwediscoveredthattherewereneutralspaces–thechurch,theschool,anadulttrainingcentreandsportsfields–whichsometimescutacrossthedivides. “Armedgangscontroltheneighbourhoods.OnSundays,however,thegangmembersputdownthegunsandplayedfootballtogether.” Hesuggeststhatcarefulplanningcancapitaliseonthesesafezones,creatingandconnecting“corridorsofconflictsuspension”toformalandscapewiththepotentialforsafermobility. HisteamworksinpartnershipwithpractitionersandresearchersinColombia,Mexico,IndonesiaandtheUSA.Oneofthecentraltenetsoftheprojectistheconceptofarticulation.“Weusetheterm‘articulatory’todescribeafluidapproachtotheinteractionbetweentheinformaleconomyandthedominantsystems,”hesays.“Intermsofplanningandarchitecture,thisapproachmightmeanlookingatthewaysinwhichpeoplebuildtheirhousesanduseland,anditalsomeansreflectingonhowproductiveactivitiescanbesupported.” ForHernández,aprojectundertakeninQuerétaro,Mexico,hadprovedasteeplearningcurvefortheirresearchinColombia.Heexplains:“I’dtakenateam
33 ResearchHorizons
VariousschemeshavebeeninitiatedtoregulatethedevelopmentofCaliandaddressthelevelsofviolenceinitsnotoriouspoorerdistricts.Althoughtheseschemeshavecommendableobjectives,andvaluableaspects,theyfailtotakepeople’slivedexperiences,especiallytheirsocialnetworksandproductivecapacity,intoaccount. AsHernándezsays:“Teachingmusictopoorchildrenisusefulbecauseitgetsthemoffthestreets.Butwhathappenswhentheygrowupandneedtoearnaliving?Howmanychildrenhavetheopportunitytofollowacareerinmusic?InacitycalledPereira,therewasaproposaltotrainacommunityincarpentry,butthepeoplewhomighthavebenefitedhavenotraditionofworkingwithwood,insteadtheywerefarmers.” Overthepastnineyears,Hernández,fromtheDepartmentofArchitecture,hasconcentratedhisresearcheffortsonpovertyandmarginalisationinLatinAmerica.In2013,heestablishedCitiesSouthofCancer–agroupdedicatedtoresearchingtheurbanenvironmentinthesouthernhemisphere.ItsparticipantsincludefourPhDcandidatesinCambridge,amongthemAngelaFranco,formerPro-ViceChancellorforResearchatUniversidaddelValleinCali,wholeftherpositiontoundertakeresearchinurbanredevelopmentsupervisedbyHernández. Hernándezhaslooked,inparticular,attheexpandinginformalsettlements–slumsandshantytownsonthemarginsofcities–whicharehometothedisempoweredanddispossessed.Whereyouliveplaysalargepartinshapingyourdestiny;hugestigmaisattachedtothetermsslumandshantytown.InthecourseofresearchingoneofthebarriosofMedellíninColombia,forexample,Hernándezdiscoveredthatresidentsoftendenythattheylivethere.Yetitisintheselargelyunplannedurbansettingsthatmillionsofpeoplehave,forgenerations,lived,workedandbroughtuptheirchildren.Globally,anestimatedonebillionpeopleliveinslumslackingbasicinfrastructure,andtheUnitedNations(UN)predictsthatthisnumbercouldrisetothreebillionby2050ascitiesgrowandthenumbersofnationalandinternationalmigrantsincrease. Informalsettlementsandtheinfluxofmigrantshaveoftenbeenseenasproblemstobesolved.However,diversityandafluxofpeopleisgoodforcities,saysDrWendyPullan,wholeadstheCentreforUrbanConflictsResearchintheDepartmentofArchitecture.“Citiesdemanddiversity.Itmakesthemrobustandflexible–placesthatcanthriveandprosper.Thequestionishowtosupporttheactivitiesofcommunitiesandencouragesocialcohesionwithoutlosing
“When I was a child I never went to the settlements along the bank, although they were only nine or ten miles away. They had a reputation for being dangerous”
Credit:MarcinGab
rukon
flickr
34
ofundergraduateandPhDstudentsoutfromCambridgetoworkwithaMexicanarchitecturalgroup,TallerActivo.Together,we’dorganisedworkshopsinthelocalcommunityand,withlocalpeople,webuiltthreedifferentbuildingsinthesameneighbourhoodwiththeobjectiveofhelpingtoarticulatedifferentaspects,andareas,ofthecommunity.”Oneofthesebuildings–asharedresourcewithakitchen–wasparticularlysuccessfulandwonfirstprizeintheServiciosyAsistenciaPúblicacategoryofthe2014CEMEXAwards. Hebelievesthatacademiaoccupiesaprivilegedpositiontoaddressthesubjectofurbanprogrammesthataresustainedoverlongperiodsandareadaptivetomarginalisation.“Universitiesarevitallyimportantrepositoriesofknowledgeandexperience,largelyunaffectedbythepressurestogeneraterevenuethatdriveprivate-sectorparticipation.” Academicresearchcanprovidesustainedexpertadviceinthecontinuousprocessofbuildingcities.CitiesSouthofCancerhasalreadygeneratedasubstantialbodyofknowledgeonanumberofcitiesinthedevelopingworld,andamethodologythatcouldhelpmanyothersaroundtheworld. WorkingwithlocaluniversitiesinCaliandBogotáinColombia,histeamproducedamapofactivitiesthat,althoughtheymightoperateoutsideformalstructuresandnotpaytaxes,makea
positivecontributiontotheeconomy,andhaverealpotentialforgrowth.Researchofthiskindalsoquestionstheconventionalcategoriesofemployedandunemployed:peoplewhoareofficiallyunemployedmaywellbeparticipatinginproductiveactivitiesoutsidetheformaleconomy. OneexamplethatHernándezgivesforCaliissandextraction,anactivitythatprovidesalivingforlargenumbersofpeople.CommunitieslivingontheCaucaRiverhavebuiltmachinestoextractsandthatistransportedtoconstructionsites–whereitenterstheformaleconomy.Thesesamepeoplehaveestablisheddwellingsandbusinessesonafloodplainwherethereisdangerofinundation.Becausetheyhavebuiltsturdyhouses(concreteandbrick),oftenonstilts,drowningaccidentsarerare.Notsurprisingly,theownersofthesehousesandbusinessesdon’twanttobemovedawayfromtheriverastheywouldbeseparatedfromtheirworkplacesandtheirlong-standingcommunity. OntheperipheryofCali,peoplelivingalongtheCaucaRiver,inDistrict21,keepcows,pigsandgoatsformilkandmeat.Atpresent,meatfromthisareaentersthemarketsurreptitiously,andwasteisdisposedhaphazardlyintotheriver.Hernándezarguesthat,becausetheseactivitieshaveestablishedsocialstructures,theycouldbedevelopedrelativelyeasily:qualitycontrolscouldbeestablishedandtheenvironmentalfootprintcouldbereduced,maximisingbenefitsforthelocalcommunitiesandthecityatlarge. Similarly,animalsandplantationskeptbypeoplealongtheriverbankalsopresentanopportunity.Theentireseven-mileriverbankcouldbetransformedintoaproductivelinearpark,thusrecuperatingtheriverforthecity.Hesays:“Aparkofthiskindcouldbeaplacewherechildrengotobecomemoreinvolvedintheproductionoffoodandlearnaboutrearinganimals.Insteadofmaintainingcurrentsocioeconomicdivisions,thisformofurbanarticulationwouldbringtwo‘distant’communitiestogether,contributingtothesearchforpeace.” Here,thereisasubtleemphasisonbuildingthe‘urbancommons’–areas
“A productive approach is to support the positive activities that thrive in these settlements, and create ways of connecting them to the formal economy”
ImageMakingalivingwithsmallbusinessesinMedellín,Colombia
Spotlight:Futureofcities
35 ResearchHorizons
ofcollectiveownershipandresourcemanagement–inwaysthatbenefitthepoor,signallinganapproachtoslumsthatisneitheraboutgutsysurvivalismnorabouthandouts.ThisapproachisdevelopedbyProfessorAshAmin,fromtheDepartmentofGeography,inhisnewbookwithProfessorSirNigelThrift,Seeing Like a City(Polity2016). Currently,arguesAmin,slumsandinformalsettlementstendtogetnarratedeitherasuncongenialspaceswherepeopleonverylowincomesfacemultipledeprivations–illhealth,insecurity,violenceandharassment–orasspacesofhardshipnegotiatedsuccessfullybyenterprisingresidentsandentrepreneurialcapability,fromwheretheruralpoormaybegintheirjourneytowardsbecomingmiddleclass. Slowly,however,arguesAmin,“anewlanguageoffacilitationisbeingusedbyinstitutionslikeUN-Habitat,whoseektoidentifyhowthepoorcanbeenabledtoparticipateinandderivebenefitfromtheurbangrowthmachineofthelargercity.Thismightbethroughimprovingaccesstogoodsandservices,jobsandopportunities,informationandknowledge,orskillsandcapabilities.” Aminthinksthatthislanguageoffacilitationshouldbepushedmuchfurtherthanthecurrentpolicyemphasisonharnessingthecapabilitiesofthepoorasawayofdealingwiththechallengesofslumlivinganddebilitatinginformality. “Thereisaneedforinternationalpolicyonpovertyreductiontostopromanticisingslums–counteringthehyperboleofblockbusterfilmslikeSlumdog Millionaire –andtogetbehindthe‘capabilities’ofthepoorinunderservedcitieslefttofendforthemselves,”saysAmin.“Whatthismeansisofferingthepoorasetofinfrastructuralrightsofaccesstothestaplesoftheurbancommons–water,electricity,basichealthcareandeducation,sanitation,andthelike–alongwithrightstobasicincome,sothatthegroundforthemoreactiveparticipationofmarginalisedcommunitiesincitylifecanbepreparedonasustainablebasis.” Inthisway,slums(andthosewhodwellinthem)canbeseenbygovernmentsandpolicymakersas‘enabled’spaces–much
inthesamewayascitiesareofferedtoelitesandmiddleclasses.Neitherneglectednorsweptawayinwholesaleclearances,butupgradedinwaysthatallowcollectivelifetoflourishatlowcostandwithconsiderablegains,accordingtoAmin. Hernándezarguesthattheformalandinformaleconomiesarenotseparateentitiesbutmeshedtogether–andthatthisfluidityrepresentsanopportunity.Hesaysthatamoreproductiveapproachistosupportthepositiveactivitiesthatthriveinthesesettlements,andtocreatewaysofconnectingthemtotheformaleconomy. SlumsmightnotexistinthedevelopedworldonthesamescaleasinthedevelopingworldbutinteractionbetweenformalandinformalactivitiesappliesasmuchinLondonorNewYorkasinBogota.“We’retalkingaboutthesamekeyissue,”explainsHernández,“ofpeoplefindingwaystomakealivinghowevertheycan.” “Itistheweavingtogetherincitiesofhumans,technologiesandinfrastructuresthatgivescitiestheirworld-makingpower,”addsAmin.“Inpastcities,leadershaveunderstoodthiscollectiveagency;contemporarypolicymakersneedtoreturntothequestionofhowthematerialandhumaninterdependenciesthatconstituteurbanprovisioningsystemscanbeharnessedforthemanyandnotjustthefew.Thecityisbrimfullofopportunitywhenitisorganisedasacommons.”
Professor Ash [email protected]
Dr Felipe Herná[email protected]
Dr Wendy [email protected]
“There is a need for international policy on poverty reduction to stop romanticising slums”
Credit:Alejan
droAran
goonflickr
rom wind turbines and solar photovoltaics to grey water recycling and electric vehicles,
technology is making it ever easier for us to be green – yet many of us are not. Now, Cambridge researchers are discovering that our personalities and communities have a major impact on our environmental decisions, opening up new ways to ‘nudge’ us into saving energy and carbon. Forthoseofuswhopayfuelbills,savingenergybyinsulatingourhomesorperhapsinstallingsolarpanelsseemstomakeperfectsense.Itsavesmoney,thereforeasrationalhumanbeingswhydon’twealldoit?
It’saquestionthatpreoccupiesDrFranzFuerstfromtheDepartmentofLandEconomy.“Ifyoujustfollowthebottomline,youshouldseealotmoreinvestmentinenergyefficiencypurelyfromaprofit-maximisingperspective.Andweshouldseeevenmoreifwetakethecostsofclimatechangeintoaccount.Whyit’snothappeningisapuzzlethatkeepsmeawakeatnight,”headmits.
Fascinatedtofindthefactorsatplay,FuerstandhiscolleagueAnteBusic-Sonticstartedsupplementingtheireconomicmodelswithinsightsderivedfrompsychology.
36
F Accordingtotheirnewlydevelopedtheoreticalframework,ourpersonalities–asdescribedbythe‘BigFive’personalitytraitsofOpenness,Conscientiousness,Extraversion,AgreeablenessandNeuroticism–haveamajorinfluenceonourdecisionsaboutinvestinginenergyefficiencybecauseofthewaytheyrelatetoourattitudestoriskandtheenvironment.
Toprovideevidenceforthetheory,theyanalyseddatafromtheUnderstandingSocietysurvey(previouslycalledtheBritishHouseholdPanelSurvey),whichsince2009hassurveyedsome50,000householdsand100,000individualseveryyear.“It’sarichdatasetthatcapturesallpossibleindicatorsforahousehold,includingenergyefficiencydecisionsandattitudesaswellaspersonalitytraits,”saysFuerst.
Theyfoundthatpersonalitytraitsmatterintermsofinvestmentdecisionsinenergyefficiency,evenwhencontrolledfordriverssuchasincome,genderandeducation,althoughsomepersonalitytraitsaremorestronglyassociatedwithinvestmentdecisionsthanothers.
“Makinganyinvestmentisalmostalwaysariskyundertaking.Thisisparticularlytrueformanyenergyefficiencyinvestmentsthatrequireupfrontcapitalexpenditurewhiletheactualenergysavingsandpayback
periodsoccuratalatertime,whichintroducesrisk.Butwhatisconsideredanacceptablelevelofriskdifferswidelyacrosspeopleandhouseholds.”
Thismakesattitudestowardriskaninterestingfactortoconsiderwhenexplainingenergyefficiencyinvestmentdecisions.“Openness,whichisgenerallyrelatedtolowerriskaversion,hasadistinctimpactoninvestmentbehaviourandisourstrongesttrait,”heexplains.“NeuroticismandAgreeablenessleadpeopletobemoreriskaverse,whileExtraversionhasapositiveassociationwithrisk.Conscientiousnessinsteadshowsonlyaweakimpactoninvestmentbehaviourthroughtheriskchannel.”
Theyalsofoundsizeabledifferencesbetweenpersonalitytraitsandenvironmentalattitudesandthesamepersonalitytraitsandactualinvestmentoutcomes.“Wefindthatwithrisingincome,personalitytraitsbecomemoreimportantasfactorsthatdeterminegreeninvestment.Yourpersonalitytraitsdon’tgetachancetomanifestthemselvesifyoulackthemoneytoinvest.”
Givenpolicymakers’limitedsuccessinencouragingmoreofustoinvestinenergyefficiency,understandinghowpersonalityaffectsthesedecisionscouldhelpusdevelopmoreeffectivepoliciesandincentives,Fuerstbelieves.
Spotlight:Futureofcities
37 ResearchHorizons
“Becauseperceivedriskandriskaversionarethetwokeymediatingfactors,thereisscopefordevelopingmorebespokefinancialproductsthatareattractiveifyouhaveaverylowappetiteforrisk.”
Thereisalreadyarangeoffinancingoptionsavailablethatinvolvetransferringsomeoralloftheinvestmentriskfromthepropertyownertoaprivateorpublicsectorthirdpartybutthesearecurrentlyfocusedonlargerorganisationsandbusinessesandhaveyettoberolledouttohouseholdsonalargescale.Additionally,informationcampaignscanhelptoincreasetheawarenessamongtheriskaversethatthe‘donothing’optionisbynomeansrisk-freeandmightinfactbetheriskiestchoice.“Forexample,viathelargerexposuretofutureenergyprices,tighteningregulationsorapotentialdropinmarketvalueforpropertieswithpoorenergyefficiency,”hesays.
lookatwhat’sspecialaboutNWC,howenergyandcarboncanbesavedinadevelopmentlikethis,andlearnlessonsthatcanbetransferredtofuturesites.”
Takingarangeoftechnologies–fromsolarpanelsandwaterrecyclingtothedistrictheatingsystemandelectriccarchargingpoints–thatarebeingbuiltintoNWC,Oldismodellingwhichtechnologieswillbemostefficientaccordingtohowpeoplebehave.
ResidentshaveyettomoveintoNWC,sosheissurveyingequivalentdemographicgroupsinCambridge,suchaspostgraduates,keyworkersandfamilies,tofindoutabouttheirvalues,normsandattitudessothatshecanmodelhowtheyarelikelytousethegreentechnologiesonoffer.
“Wecanlookattheenergyimpactgivencertainscenarios,”sheexplains.“Forexample,if50%ofpostgraduatesare‘keengreens’andtheyallcycletotheirdepartments,themodelwilltellustheenergyimpact.”
Andbecausethemodelincludestheabilitytointerrogatedifferentscenarios,itallowsprojectmanagerstocalculatethecarbonsavingsassociatedwithencouragingcertaingroupstobemoreenvironmentallyconscious,openingupnewwaysofnudgingresidentstobegreener.
OldhopesthemodelwillhelpshapefuturephasesofNWC,aswellasothersustainablecitysitesandothersectors:“Whatwediscoverabouthowtoshiftpeoplebetweendifferentbehaviouralgroupsisimportantandcanbeusedinpolicyworkinmanysectors.Evensmallchangesinurbandesigncanmakeabigdifference.”
Professor Doug Crawford-Brown [email protected]
Dr Franz [email protected]
Professor Paul LindenDepartmentofAppliedMathematicsandTheoreticalPhysicsp.f.linden@damtp.cam.ac.uk
Rosalyn [email protected]
Smart city, MAGIC city
Nudging people to make sustainable lifestyle choices is one thing, but can a city be nudged towards energy-efficient investments, lower emissions and cleaner air?
Citiescopewithpollutionanduncomfortabletemperaturesbyclosingwindowsandinstallingunitsthatheat,ventilateandaircondition,whichthemselvesguzzleenergyandfrustrateeffortstodecarbonise.
Anewinterdisciplinaryresearchprojectaimstohaltthisunsustainabletrendbycreatingsolutionsthatmakecitiescleanerwithminimumuseofenergy.Thekeytoprogress,saysprojectleaderProfessorPaulLinden,intheDepartmentofAppliedMathematicsandTheoreticalPhysics,istostarttreatingthecityasacomplete,integratedsystem.
“Experienceoverthepasttwodecadessuggeststhatwheninfrastructureinvestmentworkscloselywithinnovativeurbandesignacrossacity,there’sashifttowardslowemissionsandlowercarbontravelthroughspontaneouscitizenchoices,”heexplains.
The£4.1millionManagingAirforCleanInnerCities(MAGIC)projectwilllinkdatafedfromsensorsmonitoringacity’sairtoanunderstandingofairflowinsideandoutsidebuildings,andinnovationsinnaturalventilationprocesses.Theideaistodevelopanintegratedsuiteofmodelstomanageairqualityandtemperature(and,consequently,energy,carbon,healthandwellbeing)–atthelevelofbuildings,blocksandacrossthewholecity.
Todoso,engineers,chemists,mathematicians,architectsandgeographersfrom12universityandindustryorganisationswillbeworkingtogether,withfundingfromtheEngineeringandPhysicalSciencesResearchCouncil.
Themodelandassociateddecisionsupportsystemwill,forexample,provideinformationonhowtrafficroutescanbeoptimisedtoreducepollution,andthecost-benefitsofintroducingcyclingroutesandgreenspaces.Butthemainvalueofunderstandingenergyuseandairflow,saysLinden,isthatacitycanmonitoritselfcontinuously–itcan,ineffect,becomeitsownnaturalairconditioner.
www.magic-air.uk
For those of us who pay fuel bills, saving energy by insulating our homes
or perhaps installing solar panels seems to make perfect sense...why don’t we all do it?
Environmentaldecisions,areaffectednotjustbypersonalityandattitudestorisk,butalsobyurbandesignandsocialconditions–factorsthatProfessorDougCrawford-BrownandPhDstudentRosalynOldareexploring.
“Citiesareincreasinglyincorporatingsustainabilitymetricsinthewaybuildingsarebuilt,thematerialsandresourcesusedbyoccupants,andhowwasteisdisposedof,”Crawford-Brownexplains.“Buthowcanweensurecitieswillmeetthesemetricsandperformsustainably?Oneofthemostimportantchallengesistounderstandhowpeoplearemotivatedtoactsustainably,andhowthosemotivationsarestimulatedbythedesignandoperationsofcommunities.”
Tounderstandmoreaboutthetakeupanduseofgreentechnologies,OldisstudyingtheUniversity’sNorthWestCambridge(NWC)Development,anextensiontothecitythatiscurrentlybeingbuilt.“Housebuildersareunderpressuretoincludegreentechnologiesinnewbuildings,yetthetakeupanduseofthesetechnologiesisuncertain,”shesays.“Thisisagoodopportunityto
38 Insideout
Extreme sleepover:Living beside Uruguay’s ‘Mother Dump’
Credit:Pa
trickO’Hare
Patrick O’Hare describes his time with the clasificadores – the families who scour Montevideo’s pungent ‘wastescape’ to recover and classify anything that is valuable, usable or edible.
ReturningtoUruguay’slargestlandfill(cantera),‘FelipeCardoso’inMontevideo,toconductfieldworkformyPhD,IwasdelightedwhenlocalsocialworkerandmissionaryJorgetoldmethatIcouldliveathishome,inahousingco-operativeoverlookingthelandfill.
Ihadworkedasalabourerintheconstructionoftheco-operativein2010andknewthatmostoftheoccupantswererelocatedresidentsofaninfamousshantytownbuiltontopofanoldlandfill.
IcouldusethehouseasabaseforexploringMontevideo’sformalandinformalwastetrade,sincemanyneighbourswereurbanrecyclers,knownlocallyasclasificadoresorclassifiers.I’dbeabletoaccompanythemastheyleftinthemorningtorecovervaluefromthetrashatsitesnearby,oftenreturningintheafternoononmotorbikes,trucksorhorse-drawncartsladenwithanimpressivearrayofplastics,metalsandcardboard,aswellasfood,clothingandelectronicsfordomesticconsumptionorneighbourhoodsale.
Waitingtomoveinandimpatienttostartfieldwork,Ihadeagerlyacceptedwhenoneneighbourofferedtohostmetemporarilyinhisyard.Asittranspired,IlivedforaweekinthemostdenselypopulatedaccommodationIhaveeverexperienced.Now,though,Jorge’shousewouldbemyhomeforthefollowingyear.Initiallyitwasaconcreteblocklackingwindowsanddoors,butIsetaboutmakingithabitable,mostlyusingmaterialsscavengedfromthelandfill.
OfcourseIcoulddonothingaboutthesights,soundsandsmellsofthelandfillitself.Itroseoverthehorizon,thethirdhighestpeakoflow-lyingMontevideo;thebeepingofitsreversingcompacterscouldbeheardthroughoutthenight;andthestrangelysweetsmellofmixedurbanrubbishdriftedoverinthemorningmist.
Eachday,some60trucksrollintothecompoundfilledwithurbanrubbish.Atthelastcount(in2008,andlikelytobeanunderestimate),around5,000waste-pickingfamiliesweremakingalivingfromMontevideo’strash,attempting
torecoverallthatisvaluable,usableoredible.Theirroleinacitywherewastemanagementhasreachedcrisispointsinthepasthasbeenlaudedasalessontosociety:theyhelptoreducetheenvironmentalandfinancialcostoflandfillandfindvalueinsomethingthatmightbesurplustosomebutnotothers.
Likemyinterlocutorswhorecoveredmaterialsfromthere,Ihadambivalentfeelingsaboutthecanterawhich, becauseofitsreliableprovision,wasnicknamed“themother”.Ontheonehand,itwasanintriguingsiteforfieldworkwhere,underthesupervisionofDrSianLazar,Ifocusedontheprocessesoflabourformalisation,thesocioculturaldynamicsofthewasteandrecyclingwork,andthehistoryofwasteinfrastructureandaesthetics.Ontheotherhand,itwasalsoaplaceofhazard,policeviolenceandasmellthatlingeredonclothesandskin,gettingintohairandunderfingernails.
Ineversleptatthedumpbutthiswaspreviouslyacommonpractice:clasificadoreswouldcamptherefordaysorweeksatatime,alwaysatthemercyofthefearedmounted
police,whowouldsettentsalight,showinglittletoleranceforintruders.
TheclosestIcametotheapparentlyboisterousatmosphereoftheseencampmentswasjoiningclasificadoresoftheFelipeCardosorecyclingco-operativeastheyspentthelastnightsinabuildingthemunicipalityhadcededthemforfacilitiesbutwhichsomehadappropriatedasaresidence.WiththeexceptionofveteranworkerCoco,wholivedtherepermanently,thespaceseemedtofunctionasatemporaryrefugeformaleclasificadoreswhohadbeenkickedoutbytheirwives!Onthenightofmyvisit,wesatandplayedcards,listenedtocumbiamusic,drankintomysuppliesofScotch,anddiscussedtheimpendingclosureofthesiteandtheworkers’relocationtoaformalsectorrecyclingplant.
Withthemunicipalgovernment’sattemptedformalisationofMontevideo’srecyclingtrade,itispossiblethatthedaysofsuchprecarious,autonomous,clasificadorspacesarenumbered,tobereplacedbyhygienicandtechnologicallyprovisionedinfrastructures.Yetattheendofmyresearchtrip,many
Microgrids and other Local Area Power and Energy SystemsAlexis KwasinskiWayne WeaverRobert S. Balog
EnErgy and SpEctrum EfficiEnt WirElESS nEtWork
dESign
EnErgy and SpEctrum EfficiEnt WirElESS nEtWork dESign
EnErgy a
nd SpEctrum
EfficiEnt
WirElESS n
EtWo
rk dESign
guowang miao and guocong Song
miao and SongCovering the fundamental principles and state-of-the-art cross-layer techniques, this
practical guide provides the tools needed to design MIMO- and OFDM-based wireless networks that are both energy- and spectrum-efficient. Technologies are introduced in parallel for both centralized and distributed wireless networks to give you a clear understanding of the similarities and differences between their energy- and spectrum-efficient designs, which is essential for achieving the highest network energy saving without losing performance. Cutting-edge green cellular network design technologies, enabling you to master resource management for next-generation wireless networks based on MIMO and OFDM, and detailed real-world implementation examples are provided to guide your engineering design in both theory and practice. Whether you are a graduate student, a researcher, or a practitioner in industry, this is an invaluable guide.
guowang miao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communications Systems at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. After receiving his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, USA, in 2009, he spent two years working in industry as a Senior Standard Engineer at Samsung Telecom America. His current research interests are in the design and optimization of wireless communications and networking.
guocong Song is currently the Principal Research Engineer at ShareThis, Palo Alto, California. He has been working in wireless communications and networks for a decade, since receiving his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. He received the 2010 IEEE Stephen O. Rice Prize for the best paper in the field of communications theory, and he is recently active in the area of data science and machine learning.
Cover illustration by Christian Hackenberger.
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Do you need to get up to date with the world’s most popular networking technology? With this resource you will discover everything you need to know about Ethernet and its implementation in the automotive industry.
Enhance your technical understanding and better inform your decision making process so that you can experience the benefi ts of Ethernet implementation. From new market opportunities, to lower costs, and less complex processes, this is the fi rst book to provide a comprehensive overview of Automotive Ethernet. Covering electromagnetic requirements and Physical Layer technologies, Quality of Service, the use of VLANs, IP, and Service Discovery, as well as network architecture and testing, this unique and comprehensive resource is a must have, whether you are a professional in the automotive industry, or an academic who needs a detailed overview of this revolutionary technology and its historical background.
Kirsten Matheus is a communications engineer who is currently responsible for establishing Ethernet-based communication in the industry. She also initiated and chaired the OPEN Alliance and helped establish the IEEE 802.3 Reduced Twisted Pair Gigabit Ethernet (RTPGE, 1000BASE-T1) working group.
Thomas Königseder is an electronics engineer and Group Manager for Communications Technologies at BMW. He was responsible for launching the fi rst ever serial car with an Ethernet connection.
Cover designed by Zoe N
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9781107057289 Math
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Kirsten Matheus and Thomas Königseder
AUTOMOTIVE ETHERNET
R o beR t Y e at s
In a media interview in January 2010, scientist Robert Yeats sounded the alarm on Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as an “earthquake time-bomb,” a region at critical risk of major seismic activity. One week later, an earthquake of catastrophic proportions struck the city, leaving over 100,000 dead and triggering a humanitarian crisis. No one could have predicted the exact timing of the Haiti earthquake, but by analyzing its proximity to an active fault and its earthquake history, Yeats was able to point out the severity of the threat to Port-au-Prince. He forewarned that Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, was woefully unprepared for such a major quake.
Now, in a shocking and timely study, Yeats sheds new light on other earthquake hot-spots around the world and the communities at risk, including Caracas, Kabul, Tehran, and Jerusalem. He examines these seismic threats in the context of recent cultural history, including economic development, national politics, and international conflicts, and draws comparisons between the capacity of first-world and developing-world countries to prepare for the inevitable. The killer combination of mass migration to megacities coupled with poor building standards is explored, while descriptions of emerging seismic resilience plans from some cities around the world provide a more hopeful picture.
Earthquake Time Bombs is essential reading for policy-makers, infrastructure and emergency planners, scientists, students, and anyone living in the shadow of an earthquake. This book raises the alarm so that we can protect our vulnerable cities ... before it’s too late.
Yeats
“This book highlights the appalling reality of the threat to the world’s growing population that is exposed to earthquakes, especially those concentrated in vulnerable megacities. The recent calamities of the earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal are simply foretastes of what is to come, unless decisive action is taken. It is written by someone perhaps uniquely qualified to do so: an earthquake scientist whose long and personal engagement with many of the cities he writes about is accompanied by an extremely well-informed, up-to-date and widely respected grasp of his subject. It is written in an easy semi-populist, non-technical style that will make it accessible to non-specialists, but with the completely convincing authority and balance that accompanies an author who is utterly confident and secure in his knowledge. It is an impressive achievement to distil decades of global scientific effort into
a compelling narrative and call to action.”
Professor James Jackson, University of Cambridge
“An excellent and very timely book! Professor Yeats places the disaster potential of urban earthquakes within a varied context of history, local culture, public planning and politics, in a comparative manner. He presents a massive amount of information in a clear, concise, and readable style, which will be of interest to anyone working on mitigating the urban earthquake risk on a global scale. The book is also a must-read for policymakers, city administrators, risk managers,
emergency planners, scientists, and students.”
Professor Mustafa erdik, Bogaziçi University, Istanbul
“In Earthquake Time Bombs, Yeats provides the proverbial wake-up call for earthquake-prone major cities around the world. History, politics, economics, and seismology are interwoven in order to demonstrate the unique challenges each city faces, as well as the lessons to be shared with the others. This book should be required reading for both public- and private-sector leaders in these cities, heads of international development agencies and multi-national corporations, students and practitioners of earthquake science and engineering, and others who may implement existing solutions or develop innovative
approaches for defusing at least some of these bombs before it’s too late.”
Mark benthien, Director of Communication, Education, and Outreach at the Southern California Earthquake Center, and Global Coordinator of Great
ShakeOut Earthquake Drills
Robert Yeats is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Geological Society of America. He is senior consultant and partner in Earth Consultants International, an international firm focusing on earthquake hazards, and also an Emeritus Professor at Oregon State University, where an endowed professorship has been named in his honor. He has decades of experience in earthquake geology worldwide, including acting as chair of an active fault working group of the International Lithosphere Program for several years and writing four previous books: Geology of Earthquakes (with Kerry Sieh and Clarence R. Allen), Living with Earthquakes in California, Living with Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest, and Active Faults of the World.
Jacket design: Andrew Ward
Printed in the United Kingdom
9781107085244
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Jacket illustration: PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI – FEBRUARY 26: Sherider Anilus, 28, and her daughter, 9-month-old Monica, sit on the spot where their home collapsed during last month’s 7.0 earthquake in the Fort National neighborhood, February 26, 2010, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Living in a shack with her husband and two children, Anilus returned to Fort National from a tent camp in downtown Port-au-Prince so as to escape the flash flooding that happens when it rains. Photo by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images.
9781107624733 Go
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Ethics, Medicine, and Information
Technology
KENNETH W. GOODMAN
Intelligent Machines and The Transformation of Health Care
GO
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Techn
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Information technology is transforming the practices of medicine, nursing, and biomedical research. Computers can now render diagnoses and prognoses more accurately than humans. The concepts of privacy and confi dentiality are evolving as data moves from paper to silicon to clouds. Big data promises fi nancial wealth, as well as riches of information and benefi ts to science and public health. Online access and mobile apps provide patients with an unprecedented connection to their health and health records. This transformation is as unsettling as it is exhilarating.
This unique new book is essential for anyone who uses computers in health care, biomedical research, or public health, and cares about the ethical issues that arise in their work. With chapters spanning issues from professionalism and quality to mobile health and decision support, it establishes what will become the “core curriculum” in ethics and health informatics, a growing fi eld which encourages truly inter- and multidisciplinary inquiry.
Kenneth W. Goodman Ph.D. FACMI is Professor and Director, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy, Miami, FL, USA.
Other titles of interest:
Complex Ethics Consultations: Cases that Haunt UsEdited by Paul J. Ford and Denise M. Dudzinski (ISBN 9780521697156)
The Cambridge Textbook of BioethicsEdited by Peter A. Singer and A. M. Viens (ISBN 9780521694438)
Cover illustration: © skodonell/iStockphoto
Cover designed by Zoe Naylor
9781107099005 Cu
i, Hero
, Luo
o &
Mo
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SHUGUANG CUI,ALFRED O. HERO III, ZHI-QUAN LUO,
AND JOSÉ M. F. MOURA
BIG DATA OVER
NETWORKS
CUI, H
ERO, LU
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AN
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Utilizing both key mathematical tools and state-of-the-art research results, this text explores the principles underpinning large-scale information processing over networks and examines the crucial interaction between big data and its associated communication, social, and biological networks.
Written by experts in the diverse fi elds of machine learning, optimization, statistics, signal processing, networking, communications, sociology, and biology, this book employs two complementary approaches: fi rst, analyzing how the underlying network constrains the upper layer of collaborative big data processing, and second, examining how big data processing may boost performance in various networks. Unifying the broad scope of the book is the rigorous mathematical treatment of the subjects, which is enriched by in-depth discussion of future directions and numerous open-ended problems that conclude each chapter.
Readers will be able to master the fundamental principles for dealing with big data over large systems, making it essential reading for graduate students, scientifi c researchers, and industry practitioners alike.
Shuguang Cui is Professor at Texas A&M University. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and was selected as a Highly Cited Researcher by Thomson Reuters, 2014.
Alfred O. Hero III is R. Jamison and Betty Williams Professor of Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with appointments in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering and Statistics. He is a Fellow of the IEEE.
Zhi-Quan Luo is Professor at the University of Minnesota. He has served as the Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing and is a Fellow of the IEEE, SIAM, and the Royal Society of Canada.
José M. F. Moura is Philip L. and Marsha Dowd University Professor at CMU with appointments in the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and, by courtesy, of Biomedical Engineering. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and the AAAS, a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of Portugal, and a member of the US NAE.
Cover illustration: © 2015 Pixelagestudio/Shutterstock.com.Cover design by Zoe Naylor.
Future Cities Research from
Cambridgewww.cambridge.org/researchhorizons
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Offer available until 30 September 2016. Offer excludes eBooks.
39 ResearchHorizons
“it was a place of hazard, police
violence and a smell that lingered on
clothes and skin, getting into hair and under fingernails”
Patrick O’[email protected]
ofmyneighbourswerestillmakingtheirwaytothecanteratoclassifythetonsofwastedumpedtheredaily.
UruguayanpriestPadreCachooncedescribedclasificadoresas“ecologicalprophets”andIcanseewhathemeant–theyhavelongfunctionedas‘prospectors’,miningtheurbanwastestreamforvaluablematerialsthatconsumershavebeenhappytodiscard,andmunicipalgovernmentssendtolandfillorincinerate.
NowbackinCambridgeasaninternattheCentreforScienceandPolicy(CSaP),Iamhelpingtoorganiseaworkshoponthe‘circulareconomy’toexplorethewaysthatgovernmentandindustryareincreasinglyreconceptualisingwasteasarecoverableresource.Atagloballevel,itisimportantthatshiftsinpolicybenefitratherthandispossessinformalsectorrecyclers,thelong-time‘artisanalminers’ofthewastestream.
JustbeforeleavingMontevideo,theannuallandfillclasificadorChristmassocialaffordedmeanenduringimageofslumberamidstthescraps:anold,intoxicatedandwearyrecyclerlyingonarecoveredfloralmattress,hissweatedbrowrestingonalargefoldedrubbishbag,surroundedbythousandsofpesosworthofscrapmetal.
Patrick’s policy internship at CSaP is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council Cambridge Doctoral Training Centre.
T +44(0)1223765443 E [email protected] W cam.ac.uk/research f facebook.com/cambridge.university twitter.com/cambridge_uni youtube.com/cambridgeuniversity instagram.com/cambridgeuniversity
ContactResearchHorizonsOfficeofExternalAffairsandCommunicationsThePittBuilding,TrumpingtonStreetCambridge,CB21RP
CoverFloodingcanbeamiseryandaneconomicnightmare,butit’salsoanaturalhazard.Canwedesignandadaptcitiestolivemoreflexiblywithwater–totreatitasfriendratherthanfoe?Findoutmoreonp.26thisissue,aspartofourfocusonthefutureofcities.
Credit:Ed
Barsley