Residential planning,driver mobility and CO2 emission: a microscopic look at Borlänge in Sweden

In a city there are hotspots that attract citizens, and most of the transportation arises when citizens move between their residence and primary destinations (i.e. hotspots). However, an ex ante evaluation of energy-efficient mobility and urban residential planning has seldom been conducted. Therefore, this paper proposes an ex ante evaluation method to quantify the impacts, in terms of CO₂ emissions induced by intra-urban car mobility, of residential plans for various urban areas. The method is illustrated in a case study of a Swedish midsize city, which is presently preoccupied with urban planning of new residential areas in response to substantial population growth due to immigration. In general, CO₂ emissions increase from the continued urban core area (CUCA), to the sub-polycentric area (SPA), to the edge urbanization area (EUA), where CO₂ emission of EUA is twice that of the CUCA. The average travel distances also increase in the same pattern, though the relative increase is more than four times. Apartment buildings could be more effective in meeting residential needs and mitigating CO₂ emissions than dispersed single-family houses.     

The Spatial Organization of Bone Crafting During the Middle and Late Mesolithic at Ringsjöholm and Strandvägen in Sweden

This paper focuses on the spatial distribution of bone tool production waste from two Mesolithic sites in Sweden, Ringsjöholm and Strandvägen, with well-preserved faunal remains including bone and antler artifacts. Local production on both sites has generated a variety of identifiable waste products deriving from complete chains of production, including unmodified bones, debitage and finished products. Identified categories include: blanks, removed epiphyses, bone flakes, and preforms. Identification of species shows that antler and bone from red deer were the preferred raw materials. Spatial statistical analyses confirm that different stages of bone tool production were organized within separate areas of the sites and that larger items were discarded in the water along the shorelines. Interestingly, blanks and preforms seem to have been stored under water for future use and demarcated clusters of bone flakes in association with dwellings represent “bone knapping floors” where production was more intense than in other areas.     

The effectiveness of public participation in the environmental impact assessment process – a case study of the projected Sierilä hydropower station at Oikarainen,northern Finland

One of the most difficult challenges in environmental impact assessment (EIA) is the effectiveness of public participation. This article addresses this question by looking at evaluation criteria applied during the EIA process for a northern Finnish hydropower project. The problematics of public participation is discussed in connection with the EIA process and social impact assessment for the projected Sierilä hydropower station in the village of Oikarainen, near Rovaniemi, in northern Finland, during which the local population has been viewed as not being sufficiently competent as the project developer, Kemijoki Ltd. Nevertheless, carrying out an EIA seems to be a starting point in the long‐term process of increasing the effectiveness of public participation and the influence of local communities on hydropower planning processes in Finland.     

Archaeobotanical investigations in a settlement of the Horgener culture (3300 BC) 'Torwiesen II' at Lake Federsee,southern Germany (Archäobotanische Untersuchungen in einer Siedlung der Horgener Kultur (3300 BC) 'Torwiesen II' am Federsee,Süddeutschland)

Abstract

The results of 46 archaeobotanical samples from the site 'Siedlung Torwiesen II' in the Federseereed, Stadt Bad Buchau, Kreis Biberach are presented here. The dendrochronological datings of the piles from this settlement of the Horgener culture are (placed) between 3293 and 3281 BC. The samples were taken from the refuse areas under or beside of the house forecourts or the entrance areas of the houses. As main crops naked barley (Hordeum vulgare L.ssp. nudum) and a tetraploid naked wheat species Triticum durum Desf./turgidum L.) were found. Emmer (Triticum dicoccon Schübl.) was rarely detected. Further crops were flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) and poppy (Papaver somniferum L.). The spectrum of the cultivated plants show a clear cultural connection with the regions further south, as the Lake Constance and Switzerland. Huge amounts of flax remains suppose that settlements at the lake Federsee were specialised on flax production already during the Late Neolithic period.

Aus der dendrochronologisch auf 3293–3281 BC datierten und damit der frühen Horgener Kultur zuzuordnenden Siedlung Torwiesen II im Federseeried, Stadt Bad Buchau, Kreis Biberach konnten 46 Einzelproben archäobotanisch untersucht werden. Die Proben stammen aus Abfallzonen unterhalb oder seitlich der Hausvorplätze oder Hauseingangsbereiche. Hauptgetreide sind Nacktgerste (Hordeum vulgare ssp. nudum) und ein tetraploider Nachtweizen (Triticum durum vel turgidum). Emmer (Triticum dicoccon) ist selten. Weitere Kulturpflanzen sind Lein (Linum usitatissimum) und Schlafmohn (Papaver somniferum). Hervorzuheben ist eine durch die Anbaupflanzen nachweisbare kulturelle Verknüpfung zu weiter südlich gelegenen Siedlungen am deutschen Bodenseeufer und in der Schweiz. Die große Menge an Leinresten aus endneolithischen Siedlungen am Federsee, lässt eine Spezialisierung auf Leinanbau vermuten.