Land use is an important aspect to be studied and carefully considered in any attempt to reduce the emission of Green House Gases (GHG). This topic becomes even more prominent in places like Hawaii where overpopulation is a great concern since it turns land into a fairly scarce resource.
Citizens are to pay increased fees for occupying public spaces. In the context of ground transportation, vehicle owners have no other option rather than disbursing more to everything running out of fossil - and renewable - fuel engines to sharply reduce GHG local emissions. At the same time, drivers should be eligible to receive fiscal incentives for promoting ridesharing and using alternative means of transportation.
Technology is an essential tool to help drastically reduce the number of vehicles on streets. As local governments create online systems through which drivers and riders can connect and transfer mileages, taxpayers can easily communicate to find creative ways to share private spaces.
Vauban, in Germany, has dramatically increased the prices of public - and private - parking. The Green Party coalition decided that the ones who opted for driving rather than taking convenient, comfortable, and reliable public transportation must pay for occupying public space for private purposes. This decision has proven to be environmentally effective since GHG-free vehicles do not address the issue of land overuse and traffic congestion as well as contribute to the economy of mass production and consumption; therefore, increasing overall emission of pollutants.
In addition to taxes, the combination of incentives and technology generates less GHG emissions precisely because it reduces the number of private cars in public areas. A comprehensive system of smart pick-up and drop-off meters, for example, combined with online database and tax refund systems may encourage car owners to share private spaces with others.
Positive consequences of these measures are various: i) promote ridesharing ii) create incentives through tax refunds iii) indirectly force drivers to replace cars with public transportation iv) increase the number of people advocating for the improvement of green transportation and road safety and v) increase public surpluses for investments on new practices and technologies.
More ideas:
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/pubs/congestion.pdf
Mostrando postagens com marcador Technology. Mostrar todas as postagens
Mostrando postagens com marcador Technology. Mostrar todas as postagens
segunda-feira, 7 de fevereiro de 2011
quarta-feira, 26 de janeiro de 2011
Collaboration and Networks in the Public Sector
Last night we had an interesting discussion over collaboration and networks in the public sector.
As more public services have been contracted out and more non-profit and private organizations have been responsible for delivering specific public services, the number of players acting in the public sector has rapidly expanded as well as the importance of managing networks.
The challenges faced by interdependent organizations are the willingness to renegotiate, identify alternatives, and measure outcomes. As interests usually diverge, resources are limited, and accountability oftentimes fuzzy, public administrators have to constantly tap into their negotiation, management, and statistics skills.
In this context where the public sector is no longer isolated from market forces and citizen pressure, public organizations not only collaborate with different players but periodically review command-and-control structures. As more organizations have been delegated power to accomplish assigned tasks and less clear have become to whom constituents should blame for when things go wrong, state agencies must centralize and tap into their authority position by creating call centers where complaints are received and ultimate decisions regarding network collaboration made.
Technology has allowed public organizations to effectively oversee decentralized systems. Contemporary challenge is the provision of training and conditions for personnel to further explore the possibilities of electronic systems to reduce monitoring and transparency costs deriving from information asymmetry.
As technology rapidly evolves, decision-making process in public organizations has become more similar to dynamic and existing structures found in the private sector. As long as public servants receive proper training and incentives, electronic systems unfold possibilities that substantially improve the quality of services provided to - and in collaboration with - taxpayers.
As more public services have been contracted out and more non-profit and private organizations have been responsible for delivering specific public services, the number of players acting in the public sector has rapidly expanded as well as the importance of managing networks.
The challenges faced by interdependent organizations are the willingness to renegotiate, identify alternatives, and measure outcomes. As interests usually diverge, resources are limited, and accountability oftentimes fuzzy, public administrators have to constantly tap into their negotiation, management, and statistics skills.
In this context where the public sector is no longer isolated from market forces and citizen pressure, public organizations not only collaborate with different players but periodically review command-and-control structures. As more organizations have been delegated power to accomplish assigned tasks and less clear have become to whom constituents should blame for when things go wrong, state agencies must centralize and tap into their authority position by creating call centers where complaints are received and ultimate decisions regarding network collaboration made.
Technology has allowed public organizations to effectively oversee decentralized systems. Contemporary challenge is the provision of training and conditions for personnel to further explore the possibilities of electronic systems to reduce monitoring and transparency costs deriving from information asymmetry.
As technology rapidly evolves, decision-making process in public organizations has become more similar to dynamic and existing structures found in the private sector. As long as public servants receive proper training and incentives, electronic systems unfold possibilities that substantially improve the quality of services provided to - and in collaboration with - taxpayers.
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