Structural adjustment programs and housing affordability in Accra, Ghana

Due to the persistent socio-economic problems that have beset African countries since the late 1970s, many of them have been forced to accept IMF and World Bank sponsored Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs). Ghana came under one such program in 1983. While proponents of the program point to growth in GDP and other measures as evidence of successful adjustment in Ghana, critics have pointed to the negative impacts on the labor market, women, farmers and the like. This paper seeks to add to the debate by examining the impacts of SAPs on housing production, delivery and affordability from 1983–1998. It argues that since shelter is a very important basic need, what happens to its production, affordability and access under the SAPs should be considered among the criteria for judging their success or failure. The paper examines housing affordability in Accra, Ghana, using standard measurement criteria applied by lending institutions to determine affordability. It uses market data to compare and contrast housing prices and income ratios in Ghana from 1980 to 1998. The analysis is based on a combination of primary and secondary data from market surveys, the Ministry of Housing, the Ghana Statistical Services and a variety of other sources. It concludes that not all the dramatic increases in the price of both developed and undeveloped land over the past 16 years can be wholly attributed to the ongoing Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) per se. Nonetheless, SAP inspired policies such as currency devaluation and hikes in interest rates have contributed greatly to these changes. The end result is that real estate prices have been pushed beyond the affordability of a significant proportion of Ghana's population.     

Governance, institutional capacity and partnerships in local economic development: theoretical issues and empirical evidence from the Humber Sub-region

Recent research on local and regional economic development has focused upon transformations in local governance and institutional capacity. It has been argued that local authorities have ceded power to other actors and institutions involved in economic development and regeneration, and that the success of local and regional economic development is closely related to the strength of 'institutional capacity' within an area. In this paper, we examine these claims with reference to the operation of EU Structural Funds in the Humber Sub-region of the UK. Previous research on local governance and institutional capacity has had a limited empirical focus, drawing conclusions from studies of either economically 'successful' regions or regions undergoing regulatory and institutional transformation and precluding analysis of the nature and conditions of local governance and institutional capacity in less developed regions. Our case study evidence not only suggests that arguments about the declining influence of the local state are overdrawn, but also indicates a need for more nuanced accounts of the role of institutional capacity in regional development.     

金陵大报恩寺御碑遗址结构性能及保护技术研究

为了对金陵大报恩寺南北两块御碑遗址进行科学保护,首先通过有限元模拟对南北御碑遗址的现状结构性能进行分析,找出其在正常使用和地震作用时存在的安全隐患;然后根据计算分析结果及整体设计要求提出增设隔震支座的保护技术方案,采用有限元模拟计算对南北两块御碑遗址在增设隔震支座后的结构性能进行分析。计算结果表明:带有御碑的北碑的第一阶自振频率约为不带御碑的南碑的0.087;地震作用下,带有御碑的北碑最有可能破坏的部位是御碑,而不带御碑的南碑最有可能破坏的部位是龟趺头部。施加隔震支座后,南北两块御碑遗址结构的振动频率、最大主拉应力和最大主压应力均明显减小,在7度罕遇地震的情况下均不会发生破坏。研究结果对石碑的结构保护工程研究有参考价值。     

Are we spending too much to grow? The case of Structural Funds

We evaluate whether the impact of EU Structural and Cohesion Funds (EUF) on Member States’ regional economic growth depends on the intensity of treatment, measured by the normalized amount of funds distributed in each region. We use an original data set that covers all the main sources of EUF and extend the regression discontinuity design to the case of continuous treatment. The results suggest an average positive effect on regional growth. The estimated conditional intensity‐growth function is concave and presents a maximum value. Therefore, the exceeding funds could have been allocated to other lagging regions without reducing the effect on growth.     

淮安板闸遗址的结构安全评估与保护设计研究

为了对淮安板闸遗址进行科学合理的保护,首先通过现场测绘调研,获得板闸遗址的几何尺寸和结构构造形式;然后再对板闸遗址的残损进行分析,先找出其显见的病害,包括墙体残损和木桩残损等;接着分别采用有限元分析方法与传统计算方法对其结构性能进行研究,并进行两种方法的对比分析,然后找出其隐在病害,主要是各层土体局部塌陷和墙体开裂等问题;最后,综合实际残损分析及数值计算模拟结果,提出了适用于板闸遗址的保护设计方法。研究表明:对于板闸这类平面转折的文物类型进行修缮时,应采取适当措施增强墙体拐角处的抗拉强度,具体措施可以采取通过沿水平灰缝埋设不锈钢钢筋的方式进行加固。     

故宫灵沼轩残损分析及结构性能研究

故宫灵沼轩是我国最早建造的钢铁-砌体组合结构之一,目前损坏较为严重。为更好地保护和修缮该建筑,残损分析和结构性能研究是其修缮保护的科学基础。首先通过现场调研,对该建筑的残损状况进行分析,找出其显见的病害;然后通过精确测绘、材料检测及有限元模拟分析其结构性能,找出其隐在的病害;最后综合残损分析及结构性能分析结果,提出相应的保护措施建议。     

Use of Pushover Analysis for Predicting Seismic Response of Irregular Buildings: A Case Study

Structural irregularity undermines capability of conventional methods for 2D pushover analysis to closely approximate results from inelastic dynamic analysis. In recent years, different methods have been developed to overcome such limitation and their suitability has been checked with reference either to idealized building models or to geometrically simple tested structures. In this paper, suitability of one such method, proposed by Fajfar et al. [2005] Fajfar, P., Maru?i?, D. and Perus, I. 2005. Torsional effects in the pushover-based seismic analysis of buildings. Journal of Earthquake Engineering, 9(6): 831–854. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], is evaluated considering an existing school building which presents both vertical and plan irregularities. Types of irregularity encompass not only those usually considered by seismic codes but also those deriving from a bad conceptual design and construction inaccuracies, very frequent at the year of construction (1974). It is found that, even under such complex irregularity conditions, this ‘modified’ pushover analysis correlates well results from inelastic dynamic analysis almost up to failure, since, in most cases, its predictions of interstorey drifts and plastic rotations are conservatively close to values from inelastic dynamic analysis. Even failure mechanism, consisting of a floor mechanism at the third level, is correctly predicted, thus demonstrating adequacy of such method for actual framed structures.     

Multi-Objective Evolutionary Seismic Design with Passive Energy Dissipation Systems

The problem of multi-objective seismic design optimization is examined within the context of passive energy dissipation systems. In particular, a genetic algorithm approach is developed to enable the evaluation of the Pareto front, where maximum inter-story drifts and maximum total accelerations, both important measures for damage, serve as objectives. Here the cost of the passive system is considered as a constraint, although it could be included instead as a third objective. Hysteretic, viscoelastic and viscous dampers are all considered as possible design strategies, as well as the weakening plus damping concept. Since different types of passive systems are included, diversity of the Pareto front becomes a key issue, which is addressed successfully through an innovative definition of fitness. The multi-objective framework enables the evaluation of trade-offs between the two objectives and, consequently, provides vital information for the decision maker. Furthermore, the results presented offer valuable insight into the characteristics of optimal passive designs for the different objectives. Some of these characteristics confirm results reported elsewhere, while others are presented here for the first time.     

Transient and Long-Term Changes in Seismic Response of the Natural Resources Building,Olympia, Washington,due to Earthquake Shaking

The Natural Resources Building (NRB) in Olympia, Washington, was shaken by three earthquakes (Mw = 5.8, 6.8, and 5.0) between 1999 and 2001. Building motions were recorded on digital accelerographs, providing important digital recordings of repeated strong shaking in a building. The NRB has 5-stories above grade with 3 sub-grade levels and a ductile steel-frame elongated in the E-W direction. The upper two floors extend significantly beyond the lower 3 on the southern and eastern sides. N-S motions dominate the fundamental modal vibrations of the building system. In the 1999 Satsop M5.8 earthquake, the frequency of this fundamental system mode was 1.3 Hz during motions of 10% g. The frequency dropped to 0.7 Hz during the 2001 M6.8 Nisqually strong motions. Moreover, the Nisqually recordings reveal both numerous high-frequency transients of up to 0.18 g, several of which are visible on widely spaced sensors, and long-term tilts of some of the sensors. The weaker 2001 M5.0 Satsop earthquake motions showed the frequency remained depressed at less than 1 Hz for the eastern side of the structure, although the western side had recovered to 1.3 Hz. An ambient noise survey in 2008 showed the fundamental frequency of N/S vibrations remains about 1.0 Hz for the eastern side of the building and 1.3 Hz for the western side. These results suggest that in the Nisqually earthquake, the east side of the NRB suffered a permanent reduction in fundamental mode frequency of 37% due to loss of system stiffness by undetermined mechanism.     

Ductility of a Structural Wall with Spread Rebars Tested in Full Scale

The experimental work focuses on the ductility of the reinforced concrete (RC) seismic structural walls in buildings of mid-rise height. A full-scale five-story structural wall was tested to obtain results, still scarce in literature, without the influence of size effect. An unusual detailing with large diameter longitudinal rebars uniformly distributed in the wall length was adopted to prevent premature web rebar fracture and shear sliding. The plastic hinge length and deformations were evaluated in detail. The results show the high ductility of the wall that reached a total drift of 2.5%, larger than those usually required in design.