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Imperfect external capital market and internal soft budget constraints are important reasons for the issue of enterprise financing constraints. This paper studies the impact of financing constraints and influencing factors of financing constraints in municipal infrastructure investment and construction for local governments by using the panel data from 2003 to 2018 in China. The results show that, first, there are great financing constraints in municipal infrastructure investment and construction for local government in China. Second, the increase of self-financing capacity and external financing capacity can reduce the level and uncertainty of financing constraints, thus improving the efficiency of municipal infrastructure investment and construction. Third, the expansion of the city scale may reduce the uncertainty of financing constraints, but improve the level of financing constraints thus reducing the efficiency of municipal infrastructure investment and construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Tunnel Construction / Suidao Jianshe (Zhong-Yingwen Ban) is the property of Tunnel Construction Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Organisations that operate utility infrastructure, such as water and electricity, within the municipal context have choices to make in terms of their preferred business model. Such choices include their business goal, implementing agent, and market structure. This study focuses on two of the possible business goals, namely to deliver a ‘sustainable service’ or a ‘financialised service’, defining these terms and exploring the general characteristics of the types of organisations involved in each, such as ownership profiles and exposure to financial market instruments. The study then goes into detail for two relevant case studies, which are Joburg Water, South Africa as a sustainable service, and Thames Water Utilities, England, as a financialised service. It takes a closer look at ten specific financial indicators calculated from the 2021/22 financial statements of Joburg Water and Thames Water Utilities. The study concludes with a tentative proposal for the financial indicators of sustainable and financialised services.

Copyright of Moderne Staat is the property of Verlag Barbara Budrich GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Municipal infrastructure is typically implemented to address a social need, yet not regularly evaluated to assess its impacts. This research explores the question of measuring the impact of wastewater infrastructure on water-borne diseases using the case study of Texas. There are over 300,000 mostly Hispanic residents living in informal settlements called colonias primarily located along the Texas-Mexico border. Until the late 2000′s these residents were using contaminated wells, hauled water, cesspools, or nonfunctioning septic tanks. Consequently, the incidences of contagious diseases associated with poor water quality greatly surpassed the state average. Federal and state agencies invested about $1 billion for first-time water and wastewater service in these rural communities with the objective of reducing water-borne diseases. This study applies a two-way fixed effects regression model to evaluate results using data gathered from publicly available reports and over 90 interviews with water and wastewater service providers. This quasi-experimental analysis exploited the size, location, and timing of wastewater infrastructure. Results show that residents in the eight counties with the largest colonia population experienced a 24% reduction in hepatitis A incidence rate. However, tuberculosis and salmonellosis rates do not seem to be affected by infrastructure investment and continue to be a problem. Most of the utility managers interviewed, especially in the more rural areas, coincided that even though population growth or economic development did not occur, they witnessed quality-of-life improvements. This research design and results contribute to an emerging body of literature on monitoring and evaluation of programs related to municipal infrastructure. [Display omitted] • Investment in sanitation can assist in addressing hepatitis A. • High incidences of other contagious diseases such as tuberculosis continue. • Stakeholder interviews were important to understand other quality-of-life benefits. • Public data is available for program evaluation of infrastructure investment. • Fixed effects model used to measure impacts of infrastructure on health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In modern conditions, the solution of the national development tasks of the Russian Federa-tion, aimed primarily at ensuring the high level and quality of life of the population, is constrained by the inefficiency of the functioning of communal infrastructure systems. The high wear and tear of its networks and facilities, as well as the lack of effective management, pose many challenges. The root cause of these problems is in a contradictory system of government, in which municipal authorities, most interested (by their nature) in solving them, are deprived of the necessary resources and opportunities for making effective decisions. The preservation of the situation may lead in the medium term to significant budgetary costs for the restoration of serviceability and the development of communal infrastructure against the background of a further decrease in the quality of infrastructure services. There was a need to change the approach to addressing the problems. The article proposes this kind of approach, based on the redistribution of powers and giving local governments real opportunities to influence the management of communal infrastructure.

Aim. To present first results of the study on the assessment of municipal infrastructure using specialized software in a pilot subject of the Russian Federation (Sverdlovsk Oblast).Material and methods. The following infrastructure elements of four municipalities of the Sverdlovsk Oblast have been assessed in the period from January to March 2022: sports facilities, grocery stores, fairs/markets with fresh vegetables and fruits, alcoholic drinks in shops and supermarkets, special liquor stores, tobacco outlets, fast food restaurants). The assessment was made with specialized software developed using Open Street Map (OSM) that allows real-time recording of objects for interactive map data visualization.Results. The density of sales outlets for tobacco, alcohol, fresh vegetables and fruits was 2,3, 3,4 and 2,4 per 1 km², respectively; the density of sports facilities, fast food and restaurants — 1,3, 0,9 and 0,5, respectively. The number of sales outlets for tobacco, alcohol, fresh vegetables and fruits per 100 thousand people was 111,6, 167,7 and 116,5, respectively, while the number of sports facilities, fast food and restaurants — 63,5, 44,1, 25,0, respectively.Conclusion. Creation and implementation of integrated system for assessing a unified preventive environment for promoting health and maintaining a healthy lifestyle at the municipal level using a combination of objective (GIS technologies, paraclinical tests) and subjective assessment methods (personal survey), as well as the introduction of interactive maps of municipal infrastructure, will make possible use of evidence to make decisions on the development and implementation of programs for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and health promotion, as well as their management at the regional/municipal level.

We conducted a case study in London, Ontario to identify factors that influence decisions to purchase low carbon vehicles including what role municipal governments might play in encouraging low carbon vehicle purchase decisions. As part of a city-university partnership, this study reports (n = 257) results from a mail-out survey. We test mainly whether social influences and mechanisms under municipal control predict intent to purchase electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). Both proximal social influencers (family and friends) (.179**, .393**) and distal social influencers (.219**, .142*) predict intent to purchase EV and HEV respectively. City information sessions (.161** EV) and City promotion (.141* HEV) significantly influence intentions, while City-provided EV parking and charging are not. While municipalities may find other areas with greater impact on GHG reductions, the findings support promoting the social aspects of EV and HEV purchasing and providing relatively low-cost promotion/events.

The technologies for trenchless execution of mini and microtunnels for an installation of municipal infrastructure in urbanized sites, used at present, are described in the article. The emphasis is laid on uncontrolled methods, in the case of the diameters of installations which do not exceed 200-250 mm and their length not bigger than 30-40 m. Some issues connected with making the installations of this type, using conventional methods, are also presented. A conception of equipment (ground rocket) for an trenchless execution of short-distance microtunnels of the diameter up to 200 mm and the length up to 30 m with an innovative electric drive, developed at the Department of Machinery Engineering and Transport of the AGH in Cracow as an alternative for the solutions applied nowadays, is described. An electric linear motor, whose conception is presented in the article, was installed in the head of the device. The goal of these works was possibility of using new solution of ground rocket without additional equipments for pneumatic supply with compressed air. New concept of proposed ground rocket can be used with feeding directly from the domestic electric network. The device is intended for execution of installation in incoherent and low-compact ground.

One could be forgiven for thinking that given the close to 20 deadly pandemics (LePan, 2020) and over 70 economic crises humanity has seen since the first century, we should by now know how mutation works and what economic outcomes to expect. This view is influenced by the established understanding that irrespective of the type of crisis – natural, financial, economic or otherwise – all crises have some similarities (Reinhart and Rogoff, 2011). For example, we can anticipate varying impacts from crises on risk appetite in markets, liquidity, productivity, trade, economic activity, standard of living – sometimes even lives and fiscal debt.

Cities in developing countries are faced with unique problems due to climate change, internal migration and general population growth. Urban population growth brings with it many benefits, but in cash-constrained municipalities this can be particularly problematic as the financial resources cannot keep pace with municipal infrastructure needs or environmentally-responsible decision-making. The confluence of these factors has widened the infrastructure finance gap in cities in developing countries and has made municipal leaders recognize the need to expand the variety of mechanisms available to help to close the infrastructure finance gap. However, in many cities, the commitment to green principles is driven by donors and external agencies, not from a deep appreciation of best practices for green principles or even the desire to make a city more climate resilient. This paper argues that the most effective way to institutionalise green practices within a city is not through a specially-dedicated environmental strategy but rather through a more well-established champion: the city‘s treasurer or chief financial officer.

The article considers the mechanism of state financial support for the modernization of infrastructure facilities. It is noted that technological backwardness and a high level of depreciation of public utility infrastructure requires direct involvement of the state in the reconstruction and modernization of communal facilities within the framework of state project financing. The article covers the main spheres, directions and forms of financial support for reconstruction and modernization of communal facilities. The coordinator of financial support is the state corporation - the Fund for Assistance in Reforming Housing and Communal Services, whose participation will improve the quality of projects, achieve return on investment and reduce the growth of tariffs for utilities. It is noted that to reduce the burden on state, regional and local budgets, it is necessary to attract extrabudgetary funds using public-private partnership mechanisms.

The study investigates the issue of managing the municipal infrastructure of cities by means of Smart City technologies on the example of the Russian Federation and proposes an adaptive approach to introduce the smart city policy in the country. The chosen topic is deemed relevant since yet no universal models for the implementation of SC ideas in Russia exist. The study presents the authors' vision of the SC strategies closely related to the concept of sustainable development. Besides, the paper provides the SWOT analysis of the developed vision and reviews approaches for determining the level of readiness of Russian cities for the implementation of smart services. By means of the survey method, the study uncovered the main directions and residents' preferences for the introduction of SC technologies in the cities of the Russian Federation. Apart from that, step-by-step recommendations for municipalities seeking to introduce smart initiatives were developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article considers the mechanism of state financial support for the modernization of infrastructure facilities. It is noted that technological backwardness and a high level of depreciation of public utility infrastructure requires direct involvement of the state in the reconstruction and modernization of communal facilities within the framework of state project financing. The article covers the main spheres, directions and forms of financial support for reconstruction and modernization of communal facilities. The coordinator of financial support is the state corporation - the Fund for Assistance in Reforming Housing and Communal Services, whose participation will improve the quality of projects, achieve return on investment and reduce the growth of tariffs for utilities. It is noted that to reduce the burden on state, regional and local budgets, it is necessary to attract extrabudgetary funds using public-private partnership mechanisms.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the development level of urban infrastructure on the quality of life of the population of the municipality. The study proposed an evaluation system formed on the basis of socio-economic indicators that characterize the quality of life. The relationship between quality of life and level of development of certain types of municipal services infrastructure is revealed. The paper concludes that the dependence models of the quality of life and types of municipal services infrastructure show that on average the quality of life is by 90% depends on the level of development of social, productive and household infrastructure.

This paper presents an analysis of regulatory documents for the presence of each other and compliance with the basic concepts of the field of housing and communal services "housing and communal services", "public infrastructure" and "organization of public utilities." The results showed that at the moment there is no clear and unambiguous understanding of any of the concepts in question, resulting in signifi cantly complicates the process of state regulation of public utilities, the purpose of which is speedy modernization and improvement of its efficiency.

This paper presents an organizational performance measurement framework for guiding the development of organizational competencies to manage water infrastructure assets. The framework was validated through interviews and surveys with professionals. The framework includes three major dimensions for competency: technical activities, organizational management, and information and knowledge management. Across these levels, it presents 11 core critical success factors. It also provides a set of quantitative performance measures for municipal asset management teams and organizations. The framework serves as means to guide public policy makers in establishing policies and guidelines for enhancing municipal capacity in project management in the context of infrastructure assets. It also can help municipalities in defining gaps and areas of improvement. The framework is not intended to be universal. No model can make this claim given the drastic differences in legal and political setting in different jurisdictions. The proposed framework, however, can serve as a benchmark for other work in related contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delivery of infrastructure services, which is of one of the basic services of the local government units, and citizen satisfaction is considered as subjects in this study. In the study, citizen satisfaction in the context of basic municipal infrastructure activities of medium and small scaled municipalities has been evaluated. As an example of governance Anamur Municipality, who is registered in small scale municipality group, has been selected. Anamur district from the infrastructure provided by the Municipality of Anamur has been attempted to be measured in this assay. In order to determine the satisfaction of the citizens who benefit from the services of Anamur Municipality, 392 citizensurveyscarriedoutandtheobtaineddatawereinterpretedusingthe SPSS 22.0 software package applications. In determining citizen satisfaction; the frequency and factor analysis, to test the hypothesizes, t-test and ANOVA analyzes were performed. As a result of this study, necessary suggestions about basic services provided by the Anamur Municipality has been made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technical bases for the development of asset management plans (AMPs) for municipal water infrastructure are rapidly evolving, with regard to both available software and strategies for data assembly. The challenges and assistance available from an array of AMPs in the technical literature are reviewed, including the capabilities and suitability of some data acquisition technologies. Specific strategies which are important for municipalities while developing effective AMPs are also described. The review concludes there is extensive literature on ‘how’ successful AMPs can be implemented for drinking water and wastewater systems in Canada, but guidance for stormwater is lacking. Guidance on assessing the condition of existing assets, how to define and maintain acceptable levels of service, and the availability of software tools to assist in asset management exist for the former, but not the latter. Moving forward, opportunities to better link both grey (traditional) and green (non-traditional) stormwater, wastewater and drinking water infrastructure are described. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The aim of the paragraph was to study young people's awareness on waste management; their attitude towards the amendment of statute on cleanliness and order in municipalities which is coming into effect now; and people's attitude towards waste segregation. The analysis showed that young people do not have sufficient knowledge about waste segregation in their own area, neither about the waste processing machines. They have not acquired enough knowledge about current alteration in this topic as well. However, young people still try to protect environment and have positive attitude towards the issue of waste segregation.

The aim of this paper de lege late is to analyse the ownership regime of municipal infrastructure buildings and equipment in the Republic of Croatia. In this paper the municipal infrastructure buildings and equipment in Croatia are firstly determined, and omissions in legislation, which in practice often lead to inclarities and open questions tied to the ownership legal status of these buildings, are pointed out. Then, the municipal infrastructure buildings and equipment in local self-government ownership are analysed and the sources of their financing are referred to. Then follows an analysis of the ownership status of existing municipal infrastructures buildings and equipment at a time when the local self-government unit founded a company or establishment for the performance of some municipal activities, and of the question of financing the construction of new buildings and the purchase of new equipment in municipal infrastructure on the part of these persons. Finally, the question of ownership of municipal infrastructure buildings and equipment of public and common good is analysed.

The state does not know or pretends ignorance in relation to the demographic, social and economic changes that await us in the future. At least that is what one can establish based upon the adopted strategic documents and other documents that are still in course of preparation. Thus, there is still mention of organized housing, industrial zones, proper regional centres, reserve of building land and similar, reminding us of the revolutionary times of building the country in the 1960s. Similarly, the term active land policy is still used, which should solve the developmental problems mentioned. Reserve of building land has recently become the means and goal of everyday policy of local communities primarily because of financial reasons. Given the current circumstances, the article tries to identify the kind of municipal spatial documents, which have to be adopted within the next three years.

In the paper the case of the provision of safe drinking water supply is used to highlight the challenges put on sanitary experts in the decision-making process of investments in the municipal infrastructure, taking into consideration the links between local policy, lobbyists, financial and regulatory impact and professional decisions. The owner of the municipal infrastructure is usually the municipality, but the operator is the one who must ensure compliance of safe drinking water to meet the criteria. The characteristics of the water supply system Postojna-Pivka, system status before remediation, the microbiological tests results in the period between years 2009 and 2014, and applied technology solutions during remediation process in 2012, are presented. On the basis of the above mentioned facts, as well as scientific and technical findings on achievable technologies, the challenges for experts, when deciding on the selection of optimal available technology for prospective investment in a municipal infrastructure, are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The reduction of the disproportions between municipal infrastructure between rural and urban areas is one of crucial aspects of equalization of standards of life in mountainous area. Paper describes specific problems related to construction and operation of water supply and sewage systems in Polish Carpathian region, where on the one hand, the infrastructure expenses per capita, especially in case of water supply and sewage, are much higher in rural areas than in cities, and on the other hand the infrastructure investments in mountain areas prove to be much more effective than in the case of lowland regions of the same voivodeship. Similar investigations were made with respect to the energy infrastructure. The energy infrastructure problems identified in Carpathian area cannot be solved without strong restrictions in terms of air protection. Paper presents special solutions, dedicated to these specific regions, for hot water heating, district heating systems and ventilation with lower demand for primary energy (fossil fuels). The general idea assumes that the system would consist of a local heating network conveying heat to the buildings which would not have to be equipped with heating boilers. Such a concept could be a model solution for a large part of the Polish Carpathians, considering the large potential of available biomass as well as the mastered technologies of biogas production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the efficiency of reforming of housing and communal services requires the development of an integrated concept of development of housing-and-municipal complex on the basis of the integrated interaction of the different approaches. The use of such approaches (investment, marketing and public formation of regional housing and communal infrastructure) must ensure modernization and innovative technology updates and utilities. Housing and communal services is an extremely important sphere of human life and of the city as a whole, and the quality of services provided directly determines the quality of life of the population. Therefore, its state and reformingcauses a wide public outcry, which in recent years has reached unprecedented heights.

Two types of publications on the estimation of the investment demand on the part of the municipal infrastructure companies engaged in the production and distribution of electricity, gas and water have been considered in the paper. In the publications of the first type only the results are examined while in the second type of publications attention is paid to the approaches and models of forecasting demand, taking into account various factors. The essential difference in the estimates of the World Bank and the Ministries of Economy, Water and Environment of the countries of EECCA (Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia) and their partners, in the work of other authors made the corresponding forecasts for the development of the situation in heating, water supply and sewerage both in Ukraine, and in its immediate environment has been determined. In the works of the second group attention is concentrated on the approaches of the forecasting with the complex issues of urban development and technical and technological advances in the industry. The approaches to the planning of investment programs on infrastructure development in Russia, modeling financial strategy in the water and sewer sector in Central and Eastern Europe, the multivariant model forecast of development of Russian heat supply up to 2030, the implementation of the financial strategy of water supply development in Armenia have been considered. The author's approach to the estimation of the investment demand on the basis of the data of the financial accounts from the corresponding service providers has been offered. The calculations made with the help of this approach led to the conclusion that the need for housing and communal economy of Ukraine in the investments of 2008 exceeded the amount of the state budget of Ukraine and has a constant tendency to the growth in the last years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hamilton's historical roots as an electric, industrial and transportation-oriented city provide it with a high potential for rapid transit, especially when combined with its growing population, developing economy, redeveloping downtown core and its plans for sustainable growth. This paper explores the health, environmental, social and economic impacts of light rail transit, a component of the City of Hamilton's rapid transit initiative. It performs a comparative analysis with other major North American cities that have successfully implemented this form of mass transit. The analysis concentrates on three main areas: urban development and land values, health and environmental impact and socio-economic factors. The results of the research on light rail transit (LRT) and its possible benefits indicate overwhelming support for the economic, health, environmental and social benefits of LRT, especially when compared to other forms of transit, including rapid bus and local transit schemes. According to the results, LRT in a medium sized, growing city such as Hamilton should be considered a viable and desirable transit option; a catalyst for transit oriented, high density, mixed use development; an economically sound investment opportunity, providing a return on investment to property owners, businesses and the municipality; and a catalyst for social change, improving the health, environment and connectivity of the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Collected Papers of the Faculty of Law in Split / Zbornik Radova Pravnog Fakulteta u Splitu is the property of Split Faculty of Law and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The pipe break database of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), dating from 1960, is used to quantify the impacts of cathodic protection (CP) on the frequency of pipe breaks. The findings demonstrate that the average time between pipe breaks increases by up to an average of almost 4 years for ductile iron pipes after CP is placed on a pipe. Further, the probability of a pipe break occurring 10 years after the application of CP decreases in comparison with pipes that have not been cathodically protected. The cost savings for CP are substantial, with the repair costs (including the cost of CP implementation) decreasing to one-third for ductile iron (DI) pipes of 150 mm diameter and to one-half for DI pipes of 300 mm diameter. The cost savings for cast iron (CI) pipes are not as dramatic, but still demonstrate a reduction to 60% of the repair costs for 150 mm diameter pipes and to 70% of the repair costs for 300 mm diameter pipes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses issues concerning the inexistence of explicit legislative regulation of ownership over objects and devices of municipal infrastructure. According to the author, owner of the municipal objects, devices and infrastructure may be a commercial company performing municipal services and owned by the units of local self-governance, or units of local self-government themselves.

Many cities have used special-purpose authorities, commissions, and quasi-public corporations to build and manage infrastructure projects. This article uses the Philadelphia region to illustrate an important reason why government officials resort to quasi-independent bodies to manage infrastructure investments-namely, because powerfid economic and political interests outside the city increasingly seek to control the development of urban centers. As metropolitan regions become the economic units competing at the global scale, interest groups beyond the city's boundaries act to ensure that the city's future development serves regional interests. One important way to do this is to exert influence over the infrastructure investments that make capital productive. This case study shows how quasi-governmental forms of organization have served as the vehicles for outsiders to influence the development of greater Philadelphia's core city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient management of infrastructure assets depends largely on the ability to efficiently share, exchange, and manage asset life-cycle information. Although software tools are used to support almost every asset management process in municipalities, data exchange is mainly performed using paper-based or neutral file formats based on ad hoc proprietary data models. Interoperability of various asset management systems is crucial to support better management of infrastructure data and to improve the information flow between various work processes. Standard data models can be used to significantly improve the availability and consistency of asset data across different software systems, to integrate data across various disciplines, and to exchange information between various stakeholders. This paper surveys a number of data standards that might be used in implementing interoperable and integrated infrastructure asset management systems. The main requirements for standard data models are outlined, and the importance of interoperability from an asset management perspective is highlighted. The role that spatial data and geographic information systems (GIS) can play in enhancing the efficiency of managing asset life-cycle data is also discussed. An ongoing effort to develop a standard data model for sewer systems is presented, and an example implementation of interoperable GIS and hydraulic modeling software is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]