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Direct current in public lighting for improvement in LED performance and costs

Public lighting’s primary purpose is nighttime visibility for security and safety. How to meet so many requirements of so many stakeholders? The key to developing a good plan is to relate lighting to functions of public spaces, because street lighting is more than a technical requirement, a security need, or a design element. It can be thought of and utilized in terms of how the type, placement, and wattage affect how a street is perceived and used. With present-day used street lighting systems however, flexibility is expensive, as is maintenance and energy consumption. A new solution is to use LED lighting with a Direct Current power system. Advantages are a decrease in: energy conversions; material use; amount of switch- boxes; components; labour costs and environmental comfort. The overall implementation of LED and DC will result in better control and efficient maintenance due to integrated bidirectional communication. A challenge is the relatively high investment for these new solutions. Another challenge; DC is not a standard yet in rules and regulations. In the paper the transition to direct current public lighting system will be described with all the pros and cons. A new concept of public ownership, to overcome financial challenges will be discussed. M Hulsebosch1, P Willigenburg2 ,J Woudstra2 and B Groenewald3 1CityTec b.v., Alblasserdam, The Netherlands 2The Hague University of Applied Sciences, The Hague, The Netherlands 3Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa 10.1109/ICUE.2014.6904186

Is small beautiful? Understanding the contribution of small businesses in township tourism to economic development

The increased importance attached by policy-makers to the anticipated developmental effects of tourism in developing countries has been insufficiently examined by academic researchers, particularly in the context of the contribution of small firms in urban areas. This deficiency is addressed by providing a review of existing research followed by an analysis of interviews with 90 tourism business located within and outside the townships of Langa and Imizamo Yethu, Cape Town, South Africa. The findings reveal tensions between the different actors involved in township tourism. While the involvement of small, locally owned, businesses is beneficial, it is limited by conflicts of interest, lack of trust, limited social networks and little attachment to the township locality. The discussion highlights the complexity of tourism's role in economic development, which has significant implications for local policy-makers.

Management of LBP at primary care level in South Africa: up to standards?

BACKGROUND: Primary Health Care (PHC) is well suited for management of low back pain (LBP). Prevalence of (chronic) LBP is suspected to be high among visitors of the South African primary care centers, but currently no information exists on prevalence or guideline adherence.OBJECTIVES: To establish if treatment received for LBP in public PHC in the Cape Town area compares with international evidence based guidelines.METHODS: Cluster randomization determined the 8 community health centres where the study took place. A measurement tool was developed and validated for this population. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression analytical techniques were applied.RESULTS: 489 participants (mean age: 44.8) were included in this study. Lifetime prevalence was 73.2% and 26.3% suffered from chronic low back pain (CLBP) . Pain medication was the only form of treatment received by 90% of the sample. Interventions received seemed to be unrelated to type of LBP (acute, sub acute and chronic). Referral to physiotherapy, education and advice to stay active were rarely done. Participants expressed low satisfaction with treatment.CONCLUSIONS: Current management of LBP at PHC level appears to be ineffective and not conform guidelines. Further South African research should focus on barriers as well as measures to be taken for implementation of LBP guidelines.

Small Businesses and Township Tourism around Cape Town

E-Governance in European and South African Cities

Since the late 1990s, city councils have become increasingly aware of the potential for information technologies (ICTs) to improve the management of cities and as an instrument for economic and social policy. This has resulted in a wave of urban ICT strategies and policies, such as the adoption of ICTs within the city administration itself, projects that facilitate access to ICTs by weaker social groups and policies to improve the urban electronic infrastructure. By comparing eight cities - Barcelona, Cape Town, Eindhoven, Johnnesburg, Manchester, Tampere, the Hague and Venice - this book examines a range of innovative urban e-governance strategies and develops a framework of analysis that permits a common approach. Throughout the book, a distinction is made between access policies (aimed at improving access to ICTs for all citizens), content policies (directed to improve the use of ICTs in the city administration and semi-public domains) and infrastructure policies (to improve the provision of broadband infrastructure). For each of the cities, e-strategies and policies are critically reviewed and compared. The book reveals that urban e-strategies have evolved from an internal and technology-centred orientation to a more outward-looking approach.