in defense of building codes

Last week in Accra, Ghana, a multi-storey commercial complex collapsed injuring 62 people and killing 12. As outlined in the article When A Major Building Like Melcom Collapses, Who Is To Blame? by vickivictoriaO for African Urbanism, early investigations suggest there is enough blame to share around. .

image: peace fm online

The building housed the department store, Melcom, as well as a bank and other businesses. In terms of blame, fingers are pointing to the contractor, who may not have had a construction permit, as well as the store management who, it is claimed, ignored complaints about cracks in the building structure.

This brings back memories of Hurricane Andrew, which hit South Florida in August 1992 as a Category 5 storm, and brought to light failures in building code enforcement. Florida had codes and inspection processes but the enforcement was lacking. Accra, by contrast, appears to have failures on several levels in terms of planning and building regulations.

Studies undertaken after Hurricane Andrew by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) shows that housing for 250,000 residents and commercial buildings for more than 80,000 businesses were lost, 40 people died and the insured damages amounted to $26 billion.

And what about the building code? Florida had adopted a statewide code in 2002 but this was obviously too late for buildings already erected by the time of Andrew. The IBHS estimated losses from Hurricane Andrew would have been reduced by 50 percent for residential properties and by 40 percent for commercial properties if they were built in accordance with the statewide building code Florida adopted a couple of years later in 2004.

Building codes and enforcement are important for public safety, they protect lives and preserve property, as, unfortunately, is being discovered now in Accra.

three items: world town planning day plus two more

World Town Planning Day is coming up on Thursday, 8 November 2012.

The international organization for World Town Planning Day was founded in 1949 by the late Professor Carlos Maria della Paolera of the University of Buenos Aires to advance public and professional interest in planning, both locally and overseas. WTPD is promoted each year by the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISoCaRP) headquartered at The Hague, The Netherlands.

In Bermuda, the Department of Planning is holding an open day from 12.00pm to 4.00pm. I would encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity to visit the Department, speak to Planning Staff and learn more about the functions of the Department of Planning.

As I believe I have been advocating, planning is so much more than setbacks and site coverage and this is a great chance to find out about key role of planning in shaping Bermuda's future.

The First Steps to Meaningful Community Engagement are hard to take and even more difficult to maintain. However, it occurs to me, chatting with one of the planners in the Department of Planning, that with the economy in a slump, this might be just the time to seriously consider how we want to engage the community in planning its own future.

The sad advantage of an economic downturn is the construction industry is off the boil, so to speak, and we can all think and act with less pressure and, presumably, more thoughtfulness. I'm not at all sure what the Sustainable Development Round Table is up to these days but the reality is that planners should be at the forefront of helping to shape sustainable, liveable communities.

As Neeraj Mehta outlines in the blog post, The First Steps to Meaningful Community Engagement, in Next American City, we need to acknowledge our interdependence and the importance of drawing on the diversity in our community. Also, be honest about the complexity of working together and get used to controversy and uncertainty.

Proper community engagement is a process and not necessarily a quick process at that. I think the Department of Planning could be taking a lead role here but, if not, what about the rest of us?

The Informal Workforce appears to be here to stay. I cannot be the only one who has noticed the increase in street peddlers along main roads in Bermuda. It is a sign of the times and a huge hint that there is an entrepreneurial workforce, which is directly addressing the issue of unemployment.

This photograph by Gerald Botha taken in Durban, South Africa, shows an example of a 'good practice'image: gerald botha case where the informal workforce has been drawn into urban plans.

As outlined by Caroline Skinner in the article, It's time to welcom the informal workforce to the urban policy table, for The Global Urbanist, it could be that the informal workforce plays an important part in alleviating poverty and growing the economy. And, if that is the situation, shouldn't we in Bermuda be paying more attention to our street peddlers?

Bermuda may not be a third world country but I can't help thinking the policy tips offered by Skinner in her article should be kept in mind by our island's decision-makers.

tourism plan(ning) in bermuda, part 1

The new National Tourism Plan for Bermuda is in the news and, along with its media campaign, is a hot topic of conversation these days. I erred in entering into a Plan discussion on Facebook and then made a swift exit when I realised one could spend all day there (Bermuda National Tourism Discussion Group, if you have the patience).

Still, the Plan warrants intelligent consideration by Bermuda's urban (town) planners - both those in private practice and those working for the Bermuda Government. Why? Because many of the ideas and actions will involve one or other or both sets of planners to come to fruition, and yet I can see little evidence that any of us are connected with this Plan. Please, someone, correct me if I'm wrong.

nonsuch island, identified as part of the eco-beach and nature productBermuda is on a journey to re-launch itself. Five specific hubs or "centres of characterized tourism interests" are identified in the Plan as unique destinations with attractions and opportunities. The five hubs are: St. George's World Heritage Destination and St. David's Island, Hamilton, South Shore Area, Royal Naval Dockyard and Offshore Bermuda. Aligned with the hubs are seven tourism products, which are to be demand drivers: Cultural, Business and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, events), Sports, Leisure and Entertainment, Nautical, Eco-beach and Nature and Cruise Tourism.

It was the South Shore Area hub that grabbed my attention because the aborted (for me) Facebook chat focussed on the development potential of the South Shore Parks.

So that you know, the Bermuda National Parks Act 1986 designates South Shore Park as a protected area which 

shall be managed in a manner to encourage conservation and enjoyment of the natural, historic and educational features of these areas with a minimum of commercial activity.

Setting aside whether using one acre out of 48 is "minimum commercial activity", it is striking that many of the identified business opportunities - real or pie sky-ish - will likely necessitate an application for planning permission at some point. It would be good to be an involved participant early in the development game. It would be good to see - and it may be happening in the background - the Department of Planning's planners constructively engaged early too. More importantly, those delivering or expected to deliver key products - arts and cultural organisations, water sports companies, residential/hotel/marina developers - need to be at the table as well. 

Much of what the National Tourism Plan proposes depends on connectivity, communication and cooperation. You know the saying: If it's about us, don't do it without us.