Engineering Resilience to Water Stress in the Late Prehispanic North-Central Andean Highlands (~600–1200 BP)

The Andes are defined by human struggles to provide for, and control, water. Nowhere is this challenge more apparent than in the unglaciated western mountain range Cordillera Negra of the Andes where rain runoff provides the only natural source of water for herding and farming economies. Based on over 20 years of systematic field surveys and taking a political ecology and resilience theory focus, this article evaluates how the Prehispanic North-Central highlands Huaylas ethnic group transformed the landscape of the Andes through the largescale construction of complex hydraulic engineering works in the Cordillera Negra of the Ancash Province, North-Central Peru. It is likely that construction of these engineered landscapes commenced during the Middle Horizon (AD 600–1000), reaching their apogee under the Late Intermediate Period (Huaylas group, AD 1000–1450) and Inca (AD 1450–1532) period, before falling into disuse during the early Spanish colony (AD 1532–1615) through a combination of disease, depopulation, and disruption. Persistent water stress in the western Pacific-facing Andean cordillera was ameliorated through the construction of interlinked dams and reservoirs controlling the water, soil, and wetlands. The modern study of these systems provides useful case-studies for infrastructure rehabilitation potentially providing low-cost, though technologically complex, solutions to modern water security.

Current water main rehabilitation practice using trenchless technology

The market for water infrastructure rehabilitation is growing rapidly due to the increasing age of underground utilities. Currently, two common water main rehabilitation methods exist: cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) and polymer spray-on coatings. CIPP can provide structural support for both internal and external loads, while spray-on techniques provide chemical resistance as well as adding minor strength to the existing pipe. This paper summarizes water main rehabilitation practice using CIPP and spray-on methods. The history of trenchless rehabilitation technology is discussed, as well as current methodologies and products for water mains. The design, installation, and monitoring of water main rehabilitation products are also summarized, along with the associated risks. Quality assurance and control (QA/QC) methods are included for evaluating existing products and procedures.

FISCAL POLICY IN KOSOVO AND ITS IMPACT ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Fiscal policy in Kosovo (1999) is based on government revenue and expenditure for achieving certain economic and social goals, and to influence macroeconomic indicators.Fiscal policy in this direction should be in the function of development and economic growth, with a high employment rate and protected from inflation.After the war in Kosovo, an UNMIK mission was set up, which from June to September 1999 was designated to provide donations in order to meet the emergency needs for financing and activating public administration, infrastructure rehabilitation and public services.In September 1999, the United Nations Civilian Administration established the Central Fiscal Authority (CFA) in Kosovo to build fiscal policy.Fiscal policy under specific conditions in Kosovo was tightened to mobilize financial means to cover public needs. So initially it was determined to collect funds for the Treasury bypassing the aspect of development of Kosovo. No mitigating administrative measures have been taken for economic development.

Un nuevo centro de producción de cultura contemporánea: la Fondazione Prada en Milán, Italia

La Fondazione Prada de Milán, Italia, es un paradigma y un ejemplo del mecenazgo moderno. En este documento se analiza de qué forma un museo de arte contemporáneo puede generar cambios positivos en el barrio donde se localiza, más aún si ese vecindario se ubica en una zona periférica de la ciudad que ha pasado por un proceso de degradación urbana. Veremos el caso de un museo como elemento rehabilitador de infraestructura y un espacio de estímulo para la creación y producción de cultura. El museo le da una nueva vida a una edificación abandonada que anteriormente estaba destinada a la producción industrial. Los amplios espacios de manufactura, hoy en día abandonados, son ideales para instalar obras de arte contemporáneo. Palabras clave: Fondazione Prada, Miuccia Prada, Rem Koolhaas, museografía moderna, cultura contemporánea, arte contemporáneo AbstractThe Fondazione Prada in Milan, Italy, is a paradigm and an example of modern patronage. This document analyzes how a museum of contemporary art can generate positive changes in the neighborhood where it is located, especially if that neighborhood is located in a peripheral area of thecity that has gone through a process of urban degradation. We will consider the case of a museum as an infrastructure rehabilitation element and a stimulus space for the creation and production of culture. The museum gives a new life to an abandoned building that was previously destined forindustrial production. The large manufacturing spaces, now abandoned, are ideal for installing works of contemporary art. Keywords: Fondazione Prada, Miuccia Prada, Rem Koolhaas, modern museography, contemporaryculture, contemporary art

Economic optimization for the rehabilitation of co-located mixed assets

Managing the rehabilitation of co-located infrastructure assets (pavements, pipelines, culverts, etc.) has become a major challenge for municipalities due to the varying rehabilitation requirements of these assets and the need for better coordination of rehabilitation works. Yet, most of the existing fund-allocation methods are not structured to address co-located infrastructure rehabilitation work in a systematic manner. This paper, therefore, extends the enhanced benefit-cost analysis (EBCA) optimization method that was developed earlier for a single asset type, to the case of co-located assets. The extended EBCA approach arrives at near-optimum funding decisions by achieving an equilibrium state at which fair and equitable allocations are made among all asset categories. Using a real case study consisting of bridges and culverts co-located in the right of way of a pavement network along with two different implementation strategies, EBCA proved to be able to arrive at near-optimum fund-allocations supported with a credible economic justification.