Search results

Toukomst of Groningen: linking public with policy

The integration of storm water flooding and thermal stress potential in Tainan (Taiwan) and Groningen (Netherlands)

Stormwater flooding and thermal stresses of citizens are two important phenomena for most of the dense urban area. Due to the climate change, these two phenomena will occur more frequently and cause serious problems. Therefore, the sectors for public health and disaster management should be able to assess the vulnerability to stormwater flooding and thermal stress. To achieve this goal, two cities in different climate regions and with different urban context have been selected as the pilot areas, i.eY., Tainan, Taiwan and Groningen, Netherlands. Stormwater flooding and thermal stress maps will be produced for both cities for further comparison. The flooding map indicates vulnerable low lying areas, where the thermal stress map indicates high Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) values (thermal comfort) in open areas without shading. The combined map indicates the problem areas of flooding and thermal stress and can be used by urban planners and other stakeholders to improve the living environment.

How do demographic transition and unbalanced population decline affect social support systems of elderly?

The structure and financing of collective long-term care and support in the Netherlands changed dramatically with the introduction of the Social Support Act (WMO) the 1st of January 2015. This act arranged that municipalities assist people to live in their homes for as long as possible by providing various forms of aid and support. This aid and support however, is in addition to the help that people arrange for themselves and / or receive in the form of volunteer aid (mantelzorg) by family, friends and neighbours. Furthermore under this Act people only become eligible for state financed sheltered accommodation in the exceptional case of severe physical or mental illness. The fact that under the new regime of the Social Support Act municipal support is made additional to volunteer aid, it is important to understand what role family, friends and neighbours potentially can play and in fact do play. This is especially important in regions were unbalanced population decline through out-migration of young people, effectively changes social structures and accelerates the ageing of the population. For this reason we designed a limited pilot-study to test the possibilities and the necessity of a broader study focussing on potential and every day practice concerning volunteer aid for elderly in regions characterized by unbalanced population decline. In this pilot study we will focus on a rural municipality in the north of the Netherlands: Oldambt.Within the framework of this pilot-study we focussed on living arrangements and social network of two groups of senior citizens; one group of men and women aged 65-79 and one group aged 80 years and over. Based on demographic data kindly made available by the municipal office of Oldambt, in this paper we will draw a picture of these citizens living in the municipality. Going deeper into the material and the municipality’s structure we will than focus on one of the municipality’s communities, Finsterwolde, with its village, hamlets and surrounding rural area. For the purpose of this pilot-study we constructed a sample of 30 men and women aged 80+-elderly and asked them to fill in a questionnaire. Based on the outcomes of these questionnaires we than had five in-depth interviews with some of them. Finally, on the basis of the gathered material, we will draw some general conclusions while presenting some new questions for further research into the living conditions and social support systems for elderly in a region with unbalanced population decline and accelerated ageing.

Roadmap datagedreven vastgoedsturing gemeente Groningen

Om haar doelstellingen te behalen en op professionele wijze om te gaan met haar vastgoed wil het Vastgoedbedrijf van de gemeente Groningen op een innovatieve manier gaan sturen op de maatschappelijke vastgoedportefeuille. Het gebruik van data en informatietechnologieën, oftewel datagedreven werken en sturen geeft inzicht in de effectiviteit en efficiëntie van de portefeuille. Deze roadmap omvat, naast een theoretisch kader, een stappenplan waarmee het proces naar data-gedreven vastgoedsturing wordt beschreven. Uitgangspunt hierbij is stapsgewijs uitvinden aangezien datagedreven vastgoedsturing vraagt om een andere manier van denken en doen. Er worden actionable insights gecreëerd zodat strategisch sturen mogelijk wordt. Het te ontwikkelen datamodel vormt de basis voor het aangaan van de dialoog, het nemen van beslissingen en het opstellen van lange termijndoelen. De uitkomst is een datamodel voor een proactieve, wendbare, toekomstbestendige organisatie die in staat is in te spelen op een veranderende omgeving en stuurt op een zo hoog mogelijk maatschappelijk rendement.De opkomst van Big Data en vooral Smart Data stelt ons in staat om op een andere manier inzicht te verkrijgen in wat er in de toekomst gaat gebeuren en hierin te sturen. Smart Cities, slimme apparaten en andere voorbeelden van Internet of Things - niet alleen mensen zijn online, maar ook dingen - genereren waardevolle data en maken dat dit eenvoudig gedeeld kan worden. En de introductie van Blockchain in het vastgoed zorgt bijvoorbeeld voor een andere manier van waardeoverdracht (Veuger, 2017). Het zijn voorbeelden van de inzet van data en technologische mogelijkheden die zorgen voor grote veranderingen en invloed hebben op en potentiële waarde - transparanter, professioneler, objectiever - hebben voor de vastgoedwereld. Maar hoe kan de gemeente Groningen nieuwe data en informatietechnologieën gebruiken om strategisch te sturen op de maatschappelijke vastgoedportefeuille?

Establishing a Positive Energy District: legal aspects and challenges

This report relates to the Horizon 2020 project entitled ‘Making City’. The report was conducted by the Hanze University of Applied Sciences to the benefit of theMunicipality of Groningen and other consortium partners in the Making City project and addresses the legal impediments that may arise when creating and achieving a Positive Energy District (PED). In doing so, it specifically addresses the situation in the city of Groningen and the legal framework of the Netherlands.This report highlights legal developments of (upcoming) EU and mostly Dutch legislation related to a PED, such as the Collective Heat and Supply Act (Warmtewet) and the Environmental Act. Moreover, smart contracts used in the Block chain technology is discussed and a chapter on Intellectual Property legislation is included which becomes relevant when using new innovations and technologies. Furthermore, it identifies certain legal barriers that emerged in the establishment of the Groningen PED.

Goed op weg met Groningse bushaltes

This research was commissioned by the province of Groningen. The province of Groningen asked the question how the quality her bus stop data could be improved.The province of Groningen is ultimately responsible for public transport. The public transport bureau is set up in 2005 to arrange bus transportation. The management of the bus stops, however, is in the hands of the regional and local authorities. The province manages the bus stops along the provincial highways The municipalities are responsible for the other bus stops in the province. The staff who manage the bus stops are called road authorities. Also on this domain the County has to do with laws and policies. The province of Groningen states in its strategic Information plan that it will focus on the quality of its information in the coming years. The different activities within the bus stop management provide different, complex information flows. The complexity has to do with the province that distributes the tasks through several departments and works together with several external partners in the chain.Research, commissioned by the province of Groningen. The province of Groningen asked the question how the quality her bus stop data could be improved.