In Sub-Saharan Africa urbanisation is progressing at a rate unprecedented in human history. In most countries, the state is not in a position to apply a responsive legal framework and to mobilise adequate resources to guide urbanisation. A major obstacle are the outdated legal framework and the inappropriate planning concepts inherited from colonial governments which often contradict post colonial policies (Ambe 1999) and are unsuitable to respond to rapid urban growth. Consequently, insufficient formal building land is released to the market and informal settlements emerge resulting often in dysfunctional urban fabrics. In Dar es Salaam, informal settlements cover more than 70Prozent of the city area because the public sector cannot provide sufficient land and settlers have to buy plots on the informal land market. In Durban, where 25 to 30Prozent of the population live in informal settlements, the rate has remained relatively constant despite large scale provision of housing through government programmes. Both cases show the need for a new approach to statutory planning in order to guide urban development effectively and to create more functional settlements. Using a mainly empirical approach this study will analyse factors that determine space standards and land use in prevalent types of formally planned and informal settlements. It aims to identify parameters to ascertain the long-term suitability of settlements, understood as being functional and flexible to respond to future demands resulting from socio-economic development. Starting point of the research are the livelihood strategies of the residents. The aim is to evolve a responsive framework for statutory planning including spatial standards for settlements that reflect the current reality of urbanisation under poverty while addressing future needs.
In den letzten 2 Jahren des SPP 1144 werden wir unsere Untersuchungen an endosymbiontischen Bakterien in Evertebraten, einer der wichtigsten Gruppen von Primärproduzenten an Hydrothermalquellen des Mittelatlantischen Rückens (MAR), abschließen. In enger Zusammenarbeit mit Geologen und Geochemikern soll der Einfluss von unterschiedlichen geologischen Strukturen und Gradienten in Ventfluiden auf symbiontische Diversität, Biomasse und Aktivität aufgeklärt werden. Diese Forschung wird zu einer der Kernfragen des SPP 1144 beitragen: Welche Wechselwirkungen bestehen zwischen hydrothermalen und biologischen Prozessen? Eine weitere Kernfrage des SPP 1144 ist: Wie beeinflussen Achsenmorphologie und Meeresströmungen die Verbreitung von Ventorganismen entlang der Rückenachse? Biogeographische Analysen der Symbionten von Muscheln und Garnelen sollen zeigen, ob geologische und hydrologische Barrieren zwischen den nördlichen und südlichen Hydrothermalquellen zu einer räumlichen Isolierung von symbiotischen Bakterien führen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Forschung liefern einen wichtigen Beitrag zum Verständnis der Kopplung geologischer und biologischer Prozesse an gemäßigt spreizenden Rückenachsen.
Objective: To achieve the tasks of Research Domain 1.10, the proposed project STEPS has the following overall objective:to develop, compare and assess possible scenarios for the transport system and energy supply of the future taking into account the state of the art of relevant research within and outside of the 6th RTD Framework and such criteria as the autonomy and security of energy supply, effects on the environment and economic, technical and industrial viability including the impact of potential cost internalisation and the interactions between transport and land use.To achieve this overall objective, STEPS has chosen a two-way approach. As the task description mentions research and assessment, modelling and forecasting activities on the one hand and co-ordination, comparison and dissemination activities on the other, the consortium has come up with a work plan consisting of two main activity 'lines': A Co-ordination activities (clustering meetings, dissemination, publications etc.); B Supporting research activities (scenario development, evaluation and assessment). These two lines of activities are closely related and constantly influencing each other. In all phases of the project,the interlinking of the two 'paths' will ensure a fruitful cross-fertilisation. Moreover, the chosen approach offers an added value to a project plan strictly confined to one of the two activities (research and co-ordination/dissemination).To achieve the project's goals, a well-balanced consortium of renowned research institutes, experienced in the fields of scenario-building and modelling, transport research and energy has been composed. Together with external experts, representatives of governments and other relevant authorities, market parties and transport and energy organisations, this consortium will make the possible consequences on the transport systems and energy supply of the future of the implementation of transport innovations, or the lack thereof, clear'.