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Welcome to this edition of the SOLGM Member Briefing. In it you will find a range of information that may be of interest.
The brief comprises short introductory notes to issues, documents, resources, a ‘heads-up’ on national and international programmes and projects of interest and a link to more detailed information.
While not exhaustive, we have drawn from a range of New Zealand and international sources.
If you would like to suggest additional sources of information that we might monitor, or if you have material of your own you think could be included in a future edition, please contact Chris Wilson, Senior Advisor, Sector Improvement, Chris.Wilson@solgm.org.nz
NOTE: This briefing is a platform for sharing of information. The views and opinions represented by agencies and individuals and the associated links credited in this document should not be misconstrued as the views of SOLGM. Members are advised to use the material at their own discretion and should seek appropriate professional advice should any of the matters within the information necessitate clarification or further internal council discussion.
In this edition you can find information on:
- Environmental Issues
- Transportation
- Community Development
- Climate Change and Other Natural Hazards
- Arts Funding
- Public Sector Productivity
- Statistics
- Artificial Intelligence
Environmental Issues
Five cities chosen to develop water resilience framework
Cities from five continents (Amman, Cape Town, Mexico City, Greater Miami and the Beaches, and Hull) have been selected to contribute to the development of a global framework for water resilience. The City Water Resilience Framework, developed by Arup with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, will help cities better prepare for and respond to shocks and stresses to their water systems. http://bit.ly/2seO2tM
This new Florida city will produce its own power and run self-driving buses
Babcock Ranch is a new eco-city three hours’ drive from Miami. This city will rely 100% on solar energy. http://hrld.us/2BwWc3J
Transportation
Shared mobility could halve vehicle CO2 emissions in Auckland
A study has been conducted based on a simulation of the more than 4.5 million trips undertaken on an average weekday by 1.3 million inhabitants in the most densely populated part of Auckland. The study concluded that vehicle CO2 emissions and traffic congestion in Auckland would fall by around 50 per cent if all private car trips were instead provided by shared mobility services. http://bit.ly/2DwGoj1
Improving and Promoting Transit through Smart Design
Breckenridge, Colorado, is a town with limited space and a large number of visitors (nearly 40,000 people during peak recreational times) so transit has become a priority for town officials. The town is working to ease congestion and reduce emissions by improving and promoting transit with smart design. The town’s transit system “Breckenridge Free Ride” serviced more than a million riders in one calendar year. For a town of 4,500 residents, the milestone was encouraging in the town’s mission to create a more sustainable method of travel, to reduce congestion, and to ease issues around parking. http://bit.ly/2o2aNwC If you have trouble with this link, please copy the following link and paste it in your browser - https://icma.org/blog-posts/improving-and-promoting-transit-through-smart-design.
Community Development
Rise of theYIMBYs
The YIMBYs (Yes In My Backyard) are pro-development community groups, who are in favour of higher-density living. They argue more construction – meeting housing demand with housing supply – is the most effective and equitable way to make housing affordable to a wider segment of society, not just those with the financial means to break into these highly-competitive and in-demand housing markets. http://bit.ly/2C2pNmM
Gender equality in local government: what difference does legislation make?
An examination of the influence of legislation in the UK on gender equality practice since the 1980s. The article draws on council documents and interviews with council workers to explain that the impact has been a positive one, but argues that law is only part of the solution. http://bit.ly/2CmwKL7
How to leverage the potential of the ‘sharing economy’
The World Economic Forum has released a white paper “Collaboration in Cities: From Sharing to ‘Sharing’ Economy” identifying and answering key questions for cities about the sharing economy. The paper explores opportunities and challenges of the sharing economy by highlighting examples and solutions from cities around the world, including Seattle, London, New York, Melbourne, São Paulo, Kigali, Seoul, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Kamaishi. http://bit.ly/2Gh4Him
Gathering the Opinions of Hard-to-Reach Residents
A blog that provides ten tips about how to consult the “hard to reach” public. The blog says the hardest to reach populations tend to be lower-income residents, youth, undocumented residents, racial and ethnic minorities, and people whose first language is not English. http://bit.ly/2HkTOxp If you have trouble with this link, please copy the following link and paste it in your browser - https://icma.org/blog-posts/gathering-opinions-hard-reach-residents.
Freedom camping discussions important step to action
Freedom camping has grown considerably in the last 10 years and continues to be a popular option for visitors and locals. The Minster for Tourism the Hon Kelvin Davis has invited 22 mayors to meet with him in early March to discuss the key issues facing some communities as a result of this growth and begin working towards solutions for the next summer season. http://bit.ly/2ELFmAb
Local Democracy and Electoral Reform
This article is an analysis of issues in the UK voting system. Having a vibrant political culture underpinned by deliberation and participation starts at a local level with people feeling that voting matters – feeling that it can make a difference to their everyday lives. But there are systemic failings in local democracy that are limiting the development of that culture of participation; the growth of one party states and uncontested seats mean reform is urgent. http://bit.ly/2HimAih
Climate Change and Other Natural Hazards
Adapting to climate change in New Zealand
A webpage introducing the first report prepared by the Climate Change Adaptation Technical Working Group who provide advice to the Climate Change Minister on options for building New Zealand’s resilience to the effects of climate change while sustainably growing our economy. The report summarises the expected impacts of climate change on New Zealand over the medium and long term, takes stock of existing work on adaptation, and identifies gaps in New Zealand’s current approach. http://bit.ly/2o5EADI
Preparing for coastal change: A summary of coastal hazards and climate change guidance for local government
The Ministry for the Environment has released a summary of their document “Coastal Hazards and Climate Change - Guidance for Local Government in New Zealand” released in December 2017. The summary is intended for a wide audience. This document summarises the 10-step approach developed in the guidance to help local government and others assess, plan for, and manage the increasing risks facing coastal communities. http://bit.ly/2obNYpc
Recipe For Disaster: Building Policy on Shaky Ground
The New Zealand Initiative has published a report about the lessons for disaster recovery from the experience of the Christchurch earthquakes. They recommend that central and local government should aim to provide early certainty about responses to natural disasters to better encourage recovery. http://bit.ly/2ncQJGz
Arts Funding
The Appalachian City That Raised Its Taxes and Grew
An article about Berea, Appalachia, a city that has taken a coordinated approach to arts investment as a way to stimulate its economy. This city is using the arts as a way to drive economic growth in the post-coal environment. http://bit.ly/2nDEuUf
State Sector Productivity
State sector productivity: Draft Report
The Productivity Commission draft report on measuring and improving state sector productivity was made available in December 2017. The terms of reference for this inquiry asked the Commission to investigate how to measure the productivity of core government services – health, education, justice and social development. Submissions on the draft report close on 1 March and the final report is due to the government on 30 August. http://bit.ly/2GjoXQx
Statistics
Labour Market Statistics: December 2017 quarter
Statistics New Zealand has published the Labour Market Statistics for the December 2017 quarter. The highlights are: the unemployment rate fell to 4.5%, underutilisation rate rose to 12.1%, employment rate unchanged 67.8%, filled jobs rose 0.3%, average ordinary time hourly earnings increased to $30.68 and annual wage inflation increased 1.8%. http://bit.ly/2GgQke8
International travel and migration: December 2017
The key stats from Statistics New Zealand are that in December 2017, compared with December 2016, visitor arrivals were up 19,200 to 513,300. The biggest changes were in arrivals from USA (up 5,200), China (up 3,400), India (up 2,000) and Republic of Korea (up 2,000). http://bit.ly/2EJzyHi
Artificial Intelligence
AI opens up ways to “see the unseeable” in public safety – provided it’s used responsibly
This is a blog post that describes how AI can contribute to public safety. The author outlines three contributions that AI can make. It can “manage the mundane” by reducing the repetitive and procedural tasks that staff must undertake. AI can “see the unseeable” by processing the huge volumes of data that a human simply cannot. Thirdly, AI is good at “policing the virtual world”. http://bit.ly/2BZUUPP
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