Search

In this article I aim to shed light on boat dwelling as an increasingly popular housing practice in the UK. I investigate the changing nature of this practice in times of housing crisis and of the connection between formal and informal approaches, and discuss how decentralized urban actors influence and safeguard their visions of housing. My investigation concentrates on three intertwined strategies boaters in Oxford use to deal with growing regularization and commodification pressures: (non)compliance, formalization and staying under the radar. My findings challenge several assumptions about housing informality in the global North and document the diverse trajectories that informal processes may take. My analysis reveals that informal and semi‐formal solutions are not simply 'tolerated' or 'overlooked' by the state, but co‐produced by urban dwellers through a repertoire of everyday actions and ad hoc advocacy approaches. The construction of specific trajectories of informal housing emerges at the interface of complex agendas and attitudes that go beyond the generalized roles attributed to the key urban sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Usually, the concept of sufficient stability of a floating structure is connected with the capacity to keep a small heel angle despite the moment of heeling. The variable responsible for these characteristics is the initial metacentric height, which is the relation between the hydrostatic features of the pontoon and the mass properties of the entire object. This article answers the questions of how heavy the floating system should be, what the minimum acceptable draft is, and whether it is beneficial to use internal fixed ballast. To cover various technologies, a theoretical model of a cuboid float with average density representing different construction materials was analysed. The results indicate that the common practice of using heavy and deep floating systems is not always reasonable. In the case of floating buildings, which, unlike ships, can be exploited only under small heel angles, the shape and width of the submerged part of the object may influence the stability more than the weight or draft.

The housing scene in major cities is driving people into unconventional real estate options, and London is no exception. As rental and purchase prices have risen, some individuals have tinned to houseboats for an affordable option. The waterbodies, that were a main driver of the development of the city, have experienced the consequences of that growth and the degradation that followed. hi this paper, the impact of the increase in waterway short-stay and permanent moorings is explored. Several events in tlie rich history of English canals are discussed, as well as then relevance to the current situation. The needs and main limitations are also considered, as these are putting pressure on the communities, agencies and authorities involved. The constraints, especially spatial, of this type of housing present an interesting challenge for boat designers who need to adapt to the next generation of boaters' requirements. Additionally, improvement of the facilities and infrastructure is important to protect the rights of all waterway users and the wider public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the first months of 44 ce , the Roman emperor Claudius, after spending as few as sixteen days in Britain, returned to Rome to celebrate his triumph. On his journey back to Rome, he stopped near the mouth of the Po river to take a cruise, as Pliny the Elder describes: The Po is carried to Ravenna by the Canal of Augustus; this part of the river is called the Padusa, formerly called the Messanicus. Nearby it forms the large harbour Vatrenus; from here Claudius Caesar, when celebrating his triumph over Britain, sailed out into the Adriatic, in what was more a domus than a ship. Pliny describes a vessel that was less a boat than a floating domus , a somewhat ambiguous word which denotes a structure ranging in size from a modest house to a palace. The cruise, like his time in Britain, was short, and yet this cruise was a part of meticulously planned campaign, a campaign not just for conquest but also for Claudius' reputation. Aulus Plautius, the experienced commander and suffect consul of 29 ce , had been sent ahead with the army, and Claudius' freedman Narcissus was also on hand to oversee the invasion. The Roman army achieved initial successes and then halted until the emperor could arrive to command the final assault on the stronghold at Camulodunum (Colchester). While Claudius only spent around two weeks in Britain, his journey to and from the island took six months. Claudius travelled to Britain with a huge entourage, including senators, relatives, and even elephants. This was a mammoth undertaking, and one that seems to have very carefully planned, to ensure military success and a positive reputation for a new emperor of still uncertain legitimacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Norovirus accounts for a large portion of the gastroenteritis disease burden, and outbreaks have occurred in a wide variety of environments. Understanding the role of fomites in norovirus transmission will inform behavioral interventions, such as hand washing and surface disinfection. The purpose of this study was to estimate the contribution of fomite-mediated exposures to infection and illness risks in outbreaks. A simulation model in discrete time that accounted for hand-to-porous surfaces, hand-to-nonporous surfaces, hand-to-mouth, -eyes, -nose, and hand washing events was used to predict 17 hr of simulated human behavior. Norovirus concentrations originated from monitoring contamination levels on surfaces during an outbreak on houseboats. To predict infection risk, two dose-response models (fractional Poisson and 2F1 hypergeometric) were used to capture a range of infection risks. A triangular distribution describing the conditional probability of illness given an infection was multiplied by modeled infection risks to estimate illness risks. Infection risks ranged from 70.22% to 72.20% and illness risks ranged from 21.29% to 70.36%. A sensitivity analysis revealed that the number of hand-to-mouth contacts and the number of hand washing events had strong relationships with model-predicted doses. Predicted illness risks overlapped with leisure setting and environmental attack rates reported in the literature. In the outbreak associated with the viral concentrations used in this study, attack rates ranged from 50% to 86%. This model suggests that fomites may have accounted for 25% to 82% of illnesses in this outbreak. Fomite-mediated exposures may contribute to a large portion of total attack rates in outbreaks involving multiple transmission modes. The findings of this study reinforce the importance of frequent fomite cleaning and hand washing, especially when ill persons are present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article attempts to determine the rules for lawful use of floating objects for residential purposes. It presents the currently existing legal solutions applied in Europe for such floating structures. Further, the article describes a classification of residential floating objects from the legal perspective. The existing regulations are analyzed with regard to the provisions of the Water Law Act and the Inland Navigation Act. Moreover, the paper describes three different types of water usage, i.e. common, ordinary and special, and discusses in which of these forms the residential use of public waters falls. The analysis allows for the determination of the directions of further research, so that an accurate procedure ensuring a lawful use of houseboats can be adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the concept of multipurpose inland residential platforms. It presents the existing solutions and the applications of floating residential structures in Europe, including houseboats and floating barges. Further on, the paper describes the possibilities and main purposes of using multipurpose inland platforms (residential, tourist or military). In addition, an algorithm is presented for selecting the right concept depending on the demand and the infrastructural conditions of inland harbors and marinas. Three variants of residential platforms are identified and the features of some of the solutions are discussed. The expected benefits for different sectors of the economy derived from using residential platforms are also explored. The aforementioned analysis prescribes the directions for further research aiming to ensure effective implementation of the presented concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploration of the history of the houseboat in China joins three investigative approaches: the context of transport systems, the technological perspective and transformations in cultural preferences. In a long-durational survey, it follows the boat as a means of transport but rarely as a means of travel from antiquity to about the third century. In the following centuries, boats became increasingly common, but they held little prestige compared to the riding horse or the carriage. In the tenth century, houseboats appear as lavish and fashionable means of elite travel, and until the eve of industrialisation remained the preferred mode for all who could afford them. The analysis traces gradual processes in seemingly sudden events and finds that stability may result from upholding traditions across historical ruptures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kenyir Lake is one of the popular ecotourism destinations in Malaysia which offers unique ecotourism services, namely house boat services. This service always sees a high demand from visitors as water transportation is the main method of travel at Kenyir Lake. This paper aims to capture the level of satisfaction of the visitors towards the house boat services. This study employed a choice experiment (CE) method, which asked people to choose between alternatives that are described by their attributes in order to estimate the visitors' preferences for house boat service attributes. The attributes investigated were tourist guide (TG), provision of safety equipment (SAFE), coverage for communication system (COMM), package of activities (ACTV) and extra package price (EPP). The simple conditional logit (CL) model and the simple mixed logit model (MLM) were estimated to identify the preferences of the visitors from various service options of house boat attributes. Tourism industries at Kenyir Lake generate a large financial income from house boat attractions. Therefore, the results from this study present several implications and at the same time can be helpful for the policy makers to plan their management strategy in the future. Moreover, it is important to determine the relevant policies that are appropriate with the current condition and to make sure this service fulfils the visitors' satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court on the lawsuit Lozman v. City of Riviera Beach, Florida. Topics discussed include the role of the decision of the Court in defining the laws for floating homes, the importance of case law in making decision on the lawsuit, and the judicial discretion of the court on the various disputes related to floating houses.

The article discusses the court case Lozman v. City of Riviera Beach which attempts to clear the muddy wake left behind a long line of cases determining vessel status in the U.S. The Supreme Court found that Lozman's houseboat is not a vessel but serves as the statutory phrase capable of being used as a means of transportation on the water. Further, the court failed to bind to a consistent test for vessel status.

The article focuses on the U.S. Supreme Court case Lozman v. City of Riviera Beach, Florida, which dealt with admiralty law in the U.S. Topics include the laws governing houseboats in the U.S., if a houseboat can be considered a dwelling or a vessel under the U.S. Rules of Construction Act, and in rem actions.

From time immemorial until the decree of 7 April 1861, all land belonged to the Thai king. This paper explores what this meant in practice, over time. In pre-modern times, land ideally could be inherited, but this could be overruled by the king. Taking and exploiting a piece of land meant that the owner would be registered and taxed. In the Chaophraya Delta, where waterways were the dominant means of water transport, two separate types of housing developed: the house-boat and houses on rafts. The latter form of high-density living on the water was only abandoned in the second half of the nineteenth century. Finally, the question of occupying land is looked at from the perspective of the commoner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An outbreak of suspected norovirus gastroenteritis among three consecutive groups of houseboaters on a large recreational lake in Arizona was investigated to assess the role of fomite contamination, and to provide recommendations for prevention of future outbreaks. Interior boat surfaces were sampled for norovirus using transport swabs. Onboard toilet reservoirs were swabbed as a surrogate for stool samples from ill participants, since none were available, and onboard potable water supplies were sampled for norovirus. All samples were analyzed using RT-PCR with primers specific for human norovirus. Widespread fomite contamination was documented in the houseboats; 83% (5/6) of bathroom surface samples, 40% (2/5) of kitchen surface samples, and 100% (3/3) of doorknob samples were positive for the presence of norovirus. Samples of onboard potable water supplies were all negative. One of the participants on the first boating trip arrived already displaying symptoms of gastrointestinal illness prior to boarding the boat. This investigation demonstrates the potential role of widespread fomite contamination in outbreaks in confined spaces. To prevent or minimize future outbreaks in confined spaces, the adoption of practices such as surface disinfection and the utilization of methods to identify and exclude those with gastroenteritis from trips or activities in confined spaces, where others may become infected, are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the motives underpinning the formation and (re)production of a marginal social group residing in houseboats within Shoreham-by-Sea, South-east England. It is contended that the ‘boat-people’ represent a unique example of going back-to-the-water, which is tied to a predilection for a self-sufficient and sustainable lifestyle, anti-consumerism, a sense of community, and closeness to nature and natural elements. The discussion points to the importance of idyllic rural representations of the South Downs, which render positive cultural readings of the river, coast, water and tides. It is also noted that the houseboats provide an economic ‘loop-hole’ into the wider gentrified housing markets of Brighton and Hove. Focusing on recent socio-cultural and economic transformations, and linked to the regulation and commodification of the alternative lifestyles and living arrangements, the case study provides an example of the ‘purification’ of manufactured, atypical gentrified spaces. The findings therefore disrupt ideas of gentrification being synonymous with conventional residential spaces, and extend understandings of the diversity of ‘other’ geographies of gentrification to more fully embrace sociocultural marginality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) researchers evaluated two exhaust stack designs for reducing carbon monoxide (CO) exposures from gasoline powered generator exhaust on houseboats. Tests were conducted (a) after dark, (b) in high-temperature and high humidity environments, (c) during temperature inversions, (d) under various generator loads, and (e) at different houseboat trim angles. Two different designs of houseboat exhaust stacks were evaluated and compared with the side-exhaust configuration, which is standard on many houseboats. The two designs were flagpole and vertical stack. Both exhaust stacks performed dramatically better than the standard water level, side-exhaust configuration. The highest mean CO concentrations on the upper and lower decks of the houseboat with the vertical exhaust stack were 27 ppm and 17 ppm. The highest mean CO concentrations on the upper and lower decks of the houseboat with the modified flagpole stack were 5 ppm and 2 ppm. These findings are much lower than the 67 ppm and 341 ppm for the highest mean CO concentrations found on the upper and lower decks of houseboats having the usual side-exhausted configuration. The NIOSH evaluation also indicated that high-temperature and high-humidity levels, temperature inversions, generator loading, and houseboat trim angles had little effect on the exhaust stack performance. It also demonstrated the importance of proper design and installation of exhaust stacks to ensure that all exhaust gases are released through the stack. Based on the results of this work, NIOSH investigators continue to recommend that houseboat manufacturers, rental companies, and owners retrofit their gasoline-powered generators with exhaust stacks to reduce the hazard of CO poisoning and death to individuals on or near the houseboat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]