Tackling social exclusion in European neighbourhoods: experiences and lessons from the NEHOM project

Disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods with their complex social, economic and physical situations have increasingly become the focus of governmental policies in the EU. The emphasis has shifted from improving physical qualities to building opportunities for social groups in these areas. While physical upgrade is easier to achieve, at least in the short run, initiatives often fail in outcomes on communities and local participation. This paper aims to improve understanding on how to tackle area-based social exclusion and create socially coherent communities. Building on the results of the NEHOM project, the focus is on examining how various interventions have impacted local communities and their opportunities for better inclusion. A comparison between neighbourhoods shows that mixing social groups to a certain degree is likely to be a necessary step towards opening long-term opportunities for a disadvantaged neighbourhood. The planned initiatives should at the same time directly benefit local communities, and the involvement of local groups in the planning and implementation process helps to guarantee that the overall changes are accepted by the local community. However, the proposed guidelines do not provide a universal recipe for a successful renewal suiting each neighbourhood—the contextual matters should always be a starting point when planning an initiative.     

Effect of suction on the mechanical behaviour of iron ore rock

The effect of suction on the behaviour of iron ore has been studied from both physical and mechanical points of view. The porosity and the suction phenomena have been analysed using different experimental techniques. Uniaxial compressive tests on partially saturated samples have shown that the suction is responsible for strength and cohesion improvement. Considering the theory of partially saturated porous soils of Coussy and Dangla (Mécanique des sols non saturés (2002 edn). Hermès Science: 2002; 390), we have proposed a constitutive law for partially saturated iron ore. The real increase in the apparent cohesion due to the capillary attraction forces is overestimated if the yield function is written in terms of effective stresses. The effect of the capillary cohesion has been modelled with a function in the expression of the apparent cohesion of the yield function. The effect of suction on the mechanical behaviour has been represented in the effective stresses space and in the total stresses space like the Alonso model (Géotechnique 1990; 40 :405–430). Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

冻融循环下含节理类岩石试样剪切破坏特性

为探究冻融循环对节理岩石抗剪力学特性的影响,针对冻融循环前后不同连通率节理岩石试样进行剪切特性试验,探究了节理试样的剪切破坏机制,对比分析了冻融前后节理试样抗剪强度的衰减趋势,分析了黏聚力及内摩擦角随岩石试样剪切破坏面分形维数的变化规律。结果表明：随冻融循环次数的增加,节理试样剪切应力-位移曲线发生显著变化,峰值剪应力出现明显下降,黏聚力及内摩擦角对比冻融前试样出现明显劣化,并且随节理试样连通率的增加,劣化程度加剧;在节理连通率相同时,随冻融循环次数的增加,剪切破坏面的分形维数呈现近指数函数递增的趋势,随分形维数的增加,节理试样的黏聚力损伤因子、内摩擦损伤因子也呈现指数函数增加的趋势;在冻融循环次数相同时,内摩擦角损伤因子随节理连通率的增大呈先减小后增大的趋势,而黏聚力损伤因子在冻融循环次数为30次前后分别呈递增和先减后增的趋势。     

基于孔隙率的延安黄土抗剪强度模型

孔隙率对黄土抗剪强度具有非常重要的影响,然而,孔隙率对黄土抗剪强度影响效果的认识并不充分。本文以陕西省延安黄土为研究对象,开展不同孔隙率的黄土直剪试验研究,探讨了孔隙率对粘聚力与内摩擦角的定量变化关系;并以此为基础,构建了基于孔隙率的延安黄土抗剪强度模型,并对其进行了验证。研究结果表明:(1)延安黄土粘聚力与孔隙率间呈幂函数变化关系;(2)延安不同孔隙率黄土内摩擦角取值呈现出两个区间,当孔隙率n≥0.4时,其内摩擦角在25±2.5°的范围内变动,而当孔隙率n<0.4时,其内摩擦角在29.5±2°的范围内变动;(3)通过分析得到了基于孔隙率的延安黄土抗剪强度模型,且该模型得到的黄土抗剪强度理论值与实测值间的误差较小,相对误差均在7%以内,具有较高的精确度。研究成果不仅能为延安黄土抗剪强度研究等提供技术支持,而且还能为该地区的工程建设等方面提供理论参考。     

Wildfire preparedness,community cohesion and social–ecological systems

The consequences of wildfires are felt in susceptible communities around the globe on an annual basis. Climate change predictions in places like the south-east of Australia and western United States suggest that wildfires may become more frequent and more intense with global climate change. Compounding this issue is progressive urban development at the peri-urban fringe (wildland–urban interface), where continued infrastructure development and demographic changes are likely to expose more people and property to this potentially disastrous natural hazard. Preparing well in advance of the wildfire season is seen as a fundamental behaviour that can both reduce community wildfire vulnerability and increase hazard resilience – it is an important element of adaptive capacity that allows people to coexist with the hazardous environment in which they live. We use household interviews and surveys to build and test a substantive model that illustrates how social cohesion influences the decision to prepare for wildfire. We demonstrate that social cohesion, particularly community characteristics like ‘sense of community’ and ‘collective problem solving’, are community-based resources that support both the adoption of mechanical preparations, and the development of cognitive abilities and capacities that reduce vulnerability and enhance resilience to wildfire. We use the results of this work to highlight opportunities to transfer techniques and approaches from natural hazards research to climate change adaptation research to explore how the impacts attributed to the social components of social–ecological systems can be mitigated more effectively.     

冻融循环对盐渍土黏聚力影响的试验研究

通过室内试验,测试了冻融循环对不同含盐量和不同含盐类别盐渍土黏聚力的影响规律。从结晶体位置变化、微观结构、盐类性质及未冻结水含量三个方面分析了冻融循环对盐渍土黏聚力的作用机理。研究结果表明,在含水率一定的情况下,无论是向土中加入Na2SO4,或者是CaCl2,经冻融循环后黏聚力都随冻融次数的增加而减小,且第1次和第2次循环为主要减小阶段;加入CaCl2后黏聚力的减小程度比加入等量Na2SO4后小;冻融循环过程中结晶体析出时位置的变化是土体黏聚力和干密度减小的主要原因;经SEM图片分析,大孔隙占总孔隙面积的比例随冻融次数的增加而减小;盐渍土中CaCl2溶液的含量对冻融循环中黏聚力的变化有重要影响。     

粉质黏土堤防漫溢溃决试验

为研究粉质黏土堤防漫溢溃决破坏过程及其对水流要素和土体性质的响应规律,以河道流量、筑堤土体含水率和孔隙率为变量,在弯道水槽中开展了9组堤防漫溢溃决概化试验.通过试验发现,粉质黏土堤漫溢溃决溃口发展过程可分为垂向侵蚀和横向扩宽两个阶段,垂向侵蚀阶段以"陡坎"后退为主要形式;筑堤土体含水率与孔隙率不仅影响了溃口垂向侵蚀以及横向扩宽速度,而且决定了溃口最终形态,河道流量主要影响堤防溃口的横向扩宽速度;溃口处流速以及下游水位变化受溃口高度的制约.拟合得到土体黏聚力与土体含水率、孔隙率的相关关系式;通过试验数据提出了由土体黏聚力和水流参数表达的"陡坎"侵蚀后退速度计算公式,证明具有一定合理性.     

川东“侏罗山式”褶皱的数值模拟及成因探讨

本文通过采用有限差分法（FLAC）对“侏罗山式”褶皱进行数值模拟发现,层间粘聚力差异和上覆压力是控制隔档式褶皱、隔槽式褶皱样式的主要因素,即层间的能干性差异和埋深的控制。当地层在埋深较浅时,层间能干性差异对褶皱样式起主控作用,能干性差异小时出现隔槽式褶皱,差异大时出现隔档式褶皱。随着埋深加大,压力逐渐起主要作用,这时仅出现隔槽式褶皱。川东东带褶皱地层总体上层间能干性差异小,因而盖层的深部与浅部皆出现隔槽式褶皱,与模拟结果一致。西带褶皱地层总体层间能干性差异大,因而浅部出现隔档式褶皱。而其深部的下古生界地层主要受上覆压力控制,根据模拟推测应为隔槽式褶皱。     

Soil water dynamics under different forest vegetation cover: Implications for hillslope stability

Though it is well known that vegetation affects the water balance of soils through canopy interception and evapotranspiration, its hydrological contribution to soil hydrology and stability is yet to be fully quantified. To improve understanding of this hydrological process, soil water dynamics have been monitored at three adjacent hillslopes with different vegetation covers (deciduous tree cover, coniferous tree cover, and grass cover), for nine months from December 2014 to September 2015. The monitored soil moisture values were translated into soil matric suction (SMS) values to facilitate the analysis of hillslope stability. Our observations showed significant seasonal variations in SMS for each vegetation cover condition. However, a significant difference between different vegetation covers was only evident during the winter season where the mean SMS under coniferous tree cover (83.6 kPa) was significantly greater than that under grass cover (41 kPa). The hydrological reinforcing contribution due to matric suction was highest for the hillslope with coniferous tree cover, while the hillslope with deciduous tree cover was second and the hillslope with grass cover was third. The greatest contributions for all cover types were during the summer season. During the winter season, the wettest period of the monitoring study, the additional hydrological reinforcing contributions provided by the deciduous tree cover (1.5 to 6.5 kPa) or the grass cover (0.9 to 5.4 kPa) were insufficient to avoid potential slope failure conditions. However, the additional hydrological reinforcing contribution from the coniferous tree cover (5.8 to 10.4 kPa) was sufficient to provide potentially stable hillslope conditions during the winter season. Our study clearly suggests that during the winter season the hydrological effects from both deciduous tree and grass covers are insufficient to promote slope stability, while the hydrological reinforcing effects from the coniferous tree cover are sufficient even during the winter season. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.