City Engineer Research Articles

Professional Activities (1930–1981) of Latvian-Born Lithuanian Architect and Engineer Karolis Reisonas (1894–1981) in Kaunas, Panevėžys and Adelaide Cities

The article introduces the professional activities of Latvian-born Lithuanian architect and engineer Karolis Reisonas (in Latvian: Kārlis Reisons; 1894–1981) in the second half of his life – from 1930 in Kaunas, Panevėžys and Adelaide cities – and his role in the history of Lithuanian architecture. K. Reisonas was one of the most prominent creators of modern 20th-century interwar Lithuanian architecture and together with other famous Lithuanian architects formed a special style of Kaunas modern architecture in interwar period. K. Reisonas is the author or co-author of representative buildings in Šiauliai, Kaunas and other Lithuanian cities, as well as in Riga and Adelaide cities. Architect and engineer K. Reisonas worked as Šiauliai City Engineer and Head of Municipal Construction Department (1922–1930), Director of Šiauliai Vocational School (1926), Consultant of Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture (1927–1928), Head of Construction Department of Kaunas Municipality (1930– 1938), Panevėžys City Engineer (1940) and Burgomaster (1941–1944). From 1949, the Reisonas family lived in Adelaide city, Australia. To his projects three monuments of independence were built in Lithuania – Monument of Independence in Šiauliai city, Podium of the Freedom Monument of Kaunas city and Roman Catholic Christ’s Resurrection Church in Kaunas city. Fourteen of buildings in Lithuania (in Kaunas and Šiauliai cities) designed by him are included in the list of cultural values of Lithuania. Early K. Reisonas’ projects are characterized by historism, elements of eclecticism and «brick style», later projects are characterized by austere rationalism, functionalism, adaptation to urban construction and cultural and historical context.

Madonas pilsētas inženieris Voldemārs Bergkinds (1897–1978)

Būvinženieris Voldemārs Bergkinds sāka studijas Rīgas Politehniskajā institūtā, beidza Latvijas Universitāti 1922. gadā. Viņš bija ceļu inženieris Satiksmes ministrijā, bet arī projektēja dažādas jaunceltnes un ēku pārbūves. Vairākas viņa plānotas celtnes saglabājušās Madonā, kur kopš 1928. gada V. Bergkinds bija pilsētas inženieris. Pēc Otrā pasaules kara viņš dzīvoja Austrijā, piedalījās Raiņa un Aspazijas pieminekļa iekārtošanā Šveicē, Kastaņolā. Madona City Engineer Voldemārs Bergkinds (1897–1978) Civil engineer Voldemārs Bergkinds started his studies at the Department of Civil Engineering of Riga Polytechnic Institute and continued at the University of Latvia. In 1922, he received the Diploma of Civil Engineer and was a road engineer with the Ministry of Transport of Latvia. He has developed the design for various new buildings and modifications of the existing ones. Some of the buildings he designed can be seen in Madona. Bergkinds had been the Civil Engineer of the town of Madona since 1928. After World War II, he lived and worked in Austria. He took part in the construction of the monument to Latvian poets Rainis and Aspazija in Castagnola, Lugano, Switzerland. The monument was restored in 1972. Bergkinds died in January 1978 at the age of 80 in Innsbruck, Austria, where he was buried. Keywords : Voldemārs Bergkinds, road construction, building design, Madona, monument to Rainis and Aspazija in Switzerland. Инженер города Мадона Волдемарс Бергкиндс (1897–1978) Инженер-строитель Волдемарс Бергкиндс начал учебу на Инженерном отделении Рижского политехнического института и продолжил в Латвийском университете, где в 1922 году получил диплом. Он работал в качестве инженера-строителя в Министерстве сообщения Латвии, а также разработал целый ряд новых конструкций в процессе реконструкции зданий. С 1928 года В. Бергкиндс работал инженером в городе Мадоне. Несколько зданий, построенных в городе по его проекту, сохранились до наших дней. После Второй мировой войны он жил и работал в Австрии. Он являлся одним из активистов по постройке памятника латышским поэтам Райнису и Аспазии в Кастаньоле, Лугано, Швейцария. Памятник был открыт в 1972 году. Скончался В. Бергкиндс в Инсбруке в январе 1978 года, в возрасте восьмидесяти лет. Ключевые слова : Волдемарс Бергкиндс, дорожное строительство, проектирование зданий, Maдонa, память о Райнисе и Аспазии в Швейцарии.

Typhoid outbreak investigation in Dzivaresekwa, suburb of Harare City, Zimbabwe, 2011.

IntroductionTyphoid fever is a systemic infection caused by a Gram negative bacterium, Salmonella typhi. Harare City reported 1078 cases of suspected typhoid fever cases from October 2011 to January 2012. We initiated an investigation to identify possible source of transmission so as to institute control measures.MethodsAn unmatched 1:1 case-control study was conducted. A questionnaire was administered to study participants to identify risk factors for contracting typhoid. A case was a resident of Dzivaresekwa who presented with signs and symptoms of typhoid between October and December 2011. Water samples were collected for microbiological analysis.Results115 cases and 115 controls were enrolled. Drinking water from a well (OR= 6.2 95% CI (2.01-18.7)), attending a gathering (OR= 11.3 95% CI (4.3-29.95)), boiling drinking water (OR= 0.21 95% CI (0.06-0.76)) and burst sewer pipe at home (OR= 1.19 95% CI (0.67-2.14)) were factors associated with contracting typhoid. Independent risk factors for contracting typhoid were drinking water from a well (AOR = 5.8; 95% CI (1.90-17.78)), and burst sewer pipe at home (AOR = 1.20; 95% CI (1.10-2.19)). Faecal coli forms and E. coli were isolated from 8/8 well water samples. Stool, urine and blood specimens were cultured and serotyped for Salmonella typhi and 24 cases were confirmed positive. Shigella, Giardia and E coli were also isolated. Ciprofloxacin, X-pen and Rocephin were used for case management. No complications were reported.ConclusionContaminated water from unprotected water sources was the probable source of the outbreak. Harare City Engineer must invest in repairing water and sewage reticulation systems in the city.

Edward Bell and the Interdisciplinarity of Engineering and Architecture in Victorian Sydney

Edward Bell, Sydney's City Engineer and Surveyor from 1856 to 1870, challenges our current-day view of the disciplinary framing of architecture and its allied fields. In Victorian Sydney, the boundaries of these disciplines were more fluid than they are today, and Bell viewed architectural projects such as the Botany Pumping Station, Sydney's first Exhibition Hall and even the Sydney Town Hall as not beyond his skills or area of responsibility. At the same time, his influence on the design and construction of much of the city's Victorian infrastructure, including his role in the development of the city's sewerage and water systems, has been under-acknowledged. Works such as the Paddington Reservoir, Thornton's Obelisk and numerous public stairways are some of the urban elements designed by Bell that still exist in Sydney today. Integrated into the urban life of the city, these overlooked elements have become monuments not to their largely unknown designer, but to the mayors and aldermen of his era, after whom they are named. This paper will review some of these projects, exploring the architectural implications of Bell's work in his own time and its ongoing contribution to the urban and architectural heritage of the city of Sydney. Many of Bell's works extended beyond what today would be seen as the jurisdiction of the civil engineer or surveyor and well into the territory of the urban designer and architect. What later were to become distinct specialisations were at the time overlapped, meaning that Bell's work has important implications for concepts of authorship in architecture, the status and appreciation of designed objects and the identity and sociology of the professions.

Between knowledge of landscape production and representation

Between knowledge of landscape production and representation

Experimenting with GIS in Doing Damage Assessments: A Trial Run at Disaster City

While there has been a great deal of research that addresses some of the communications obstacles during disasters, there has been few studies on how new information technologies can be integrated to improve communication in disaster response operations. In this research experiment held at Disaster City, Texas, researchers focused on how GIS technologies and cell phones could be utilized by “citizen volunteers” in Community Emergency Response Teams to conduct damage assessments and provide reports and photographs from the field to improve situational awareness in the first hours after a simulated earthquake. This article highlights the power of GIS as a spatial decision support system by emergency managers and the importance of rapid damage assessments after disasters. Finally, this research showed that though there were a number of significant challenges faced by the GIS technician in integrating data collected from the field by citizen volunteers into GIS systems at the EOC, the information was well utilized by the Incident Commander for gaining situational awareness and by the City Engineer to identify buildings with severe damage.

Elephant Hunters Inspecting Concrete Sidewalks

Criticisms of the work of the City Engineer’s department by members of Toronto Council in 1891-92 led variously to an action for libel, an inquiry, and resignations. While urban reformers in Ontario and elsewhere often couched their criticisms in terms of rational expertise vs. political interference, what this particular case and others like it show instead is that the possession of expert knowledge and the appropriation of a mantle of scientific rationality did not remove politics from decision-making but rather made salient the essentially political nature of expertise. These incidents and the documentation they generated allow us particularly useful windows through which we may view the evolution of municipal governance during a crucial period in the history of North American cities.

Make and Keep Commitments at Work

The author, the Chief City Engineer, noticed that the city's business environment tended to encourage behaviors that were frustrating to staff and, therefore, staff actions could reflect poorly on the city's reputation. He asked the staff to suggest ways to enhance the city's reputation as a successful organization, as well as how commitment could be encouraged. This paper is an attempt to discuss commitment and its benefits and consequences.

Commemorative plaque to Sir Patrick Abercrombie

The Review is pleased to note the award of a commemorative plaque (Fig. 1) to Patrick Abercrombie, the journal's first editor (1910-35), by English Heritage. The distinctive Blue Plaques have been erected on numerous buildings in London associated with famous people and, due to the popularity of the London Scheme, English Heritage decided in 1998 to launch a national scheme. An initial scheme was established in Merseyside in June of that year to pilot the wider national programme, when local residents were asked to nominate prominent people who were deserving of recognition. Merseyside was selected because of its interesting history and in recognition of Liverpool's status as a great mercantile city whose people have made significant contributions to the arts, architecture, politics and industry. The conditions for the award of a plaque are stringent and include the following: * There shall be reasonable grounds for believing that the subjects are regarded as eminent by a majority of members of their own profession or calling; * They shall have made some important positive contribution to human welfare or happiness; * They shall have had such exceptional and outstanding personalities that the well-informed passers-by immediately recognise their name; and * They deserve national recognition. Proposals will also not be considered until the centenary of the birth or until 20 years after the death of the nominee. In all, 14 nominations have been accepted in the Merseyside pilot scheme, which was extended to Birmingham, Portsmouth and Southampton in 1999. The Merseyside plaques range from Sir Henry Tate (founder of the Tate Gallery) to John Lennon and, in addition to the Abercrombie plaque, include two others closely associated with the founding of the Town Planning Review. First is one awarded to Sir Charles Reilly (1876-1948), who as Professor of Architecture at the University of Liverpool sought funds from the builder of Port Sunlight model village, MrW. H. Lever, to found the Department of Civic Design and to produce a journal which would publish work on the then newly established subject of `town planning'. The second plaque has been awarded to John Brodie (1858-1934), the Liverpool City Engineer, who lectured to the first cohorts of civic design students and contributed two papers to early issues of the Review. The circular ceramic plaques are about 20 inches in diameter, with white lettering on a blue background. The plaque for Patrick Abercrombie, with its dedication of `town and country planning pioneer' (Fig. 1), has been placed on the first oor of the front of the house in Village Road, Oxton in Birkenhead where Abercrombie and his wife lived for much of their married life in Merseyside. It was unveiled on Monday 18 March 2002 by Emeritus Professor Gerald Dix, who was Abercombie's last professional planning assistant, an Associate Editor of the Review and Lever Professor of Civic Design (1975-88), at an informal ceremony presided over by Mr Nicholas Antram, English Heritage's Coordinator of the Blue Plaques National Scheme. Gerald Dix's speech is published here as a record of the occasion. The unveiling of the Abercrombie Blue Plaque (Oxton, Monday 18 March 2002) It is most appropriate that the long period of residence of Patrick Abercrombie in Oxton should be commemorated with an English Heritage Blue Plaque for this is where he spent some of the most formative years of his long and distinguished life. It was while he was here that he established his reputation as our foremost town and regional planner-in the process more or less inventing regional planning in the British context-and where he developed many of the ideas and contacts that were later to bring him international fame. Leslie Patrick Abercrombie was one of the younger members of the extensive family of a Manchester businessman. He was unhappy at school at Uppingham, and while still at school an attack of measles led to the loss of the sight in one eye. …

THE MERSEY ESTUARY POLLUTION ALLEVIATION SCHEME: LIVERPOOL INTERCEPTOR SEWERS.

Keywords LIVERPOOL CITY ENGINEERS, NWW ENGINEERING, BECHTEL WATER BECHTEL WATER POLLUTION, ESTUARIES, ALLEVIATION, SEWERS, INTERCEPTOR, PLANNING, DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, PROJECTS, TUNNELS, COMBINED, OVERFLOWS, STORMS, SEWAGE, STORAGE, CHAMBERS, OUTFALLS, PENSTOCKS, REACTIVE, REAL TIME, CONTROL, SYSTEMS, ENVIRONMENT, DRAINS, TUNNELLING, CITIES, CONURBATIONS, RIVERS, DRAINAGE, SITE INVESTIGATION, FLOW, TELEMETRY, DISCHARGES, INTERCEPTION, SANITATION, PUBLIC HEALTH LIVERPOOL, MERSEY, MERSEY ESTUARY, ENGLAND UK... Show All

Green Point Sewage Disposal Options

In the winter of 1989 severe seas destabilised the 1 700 metre long marine outfall at Green Point which had been commissioned in 1985. Divers had to detach a large section of the outfall to prevent further damage occurring. This resulted in virtually untreated sewage effluent being discharged 280 metres from the rocky shoreline. Public outrage and severe criticism from the media resulted in an emotional and environmentally sensitive issue having to be handled with considerable political and professional skill to enable the determination of the most appropriate solution for Green Point. Independent consultants were appointed by the Cape Town City Council to study basically two options to rectify the situation; reinstating the marine outfall or constructing a conventional sewage treatment plant in close proximity to a densely populated coastal area. This paper discusses the marine option in detail and the advantages and disadvantages of both marine and land options as well as the public involvement and the adopted decision making process. After a comprehensive investigation had identified and explored all aspects and after the public had been fully involved and consulted, the Cape Town City council accepted the City Engineer's recommendation with a vote of 33 to 1, in favour of a new marine outfall.

Competition for Space in the Urban Infrastructure

What does the word infrastructure mean? Webster defines this as the underlying foundation or basic framework. In an urban area, the urban infrastructure refers to the underground water and waste water lines; gas, electrical and telephone lines; walks, curbs/gutters and roads that serve dwellings. Although my training and background is forestry, I am also the Assistant Director of Public Works for Park Ridge, Illinois. I prepared this article from the perspective of a public works director or city engineer. My day to day activities involve both forestry and public works projects, with trees and the infrastructure being an integral part of my daily routine. I have heard about the environmental benefits that trees provide to a community, 1) through the photosynthesis process, the leaves absorb carbon dioxide and provide us with oxygen, 2) the shade of trees cools our homes, 3) trees provide shelter from winds, 4) the roots help prevent soil erosion, 5) trees add value to property, 6) trees provide wildlife with shelter, 7) they provide food and beauty for us all to enjoy, 8) trees absorb dust and help to cleanse the air of particles that we would otherwise breathe, and 9) trees absorb noises that frequent an urban community. I am sure we would all agree that trees in an urban community are very beneficial. However, not everyone shares that viewpoint. Trees are often an obstruction to the infrastructure of a community. The roots of some trees buckle and crack sidewalks and driveways creating trip hazards to citizens of all ages, and liability exposure to municipalities. The roots of trees run along the soil surface occasionally sending up sucker sprouts in the middle of the resident's beautifully maintained yard. Surface roots also create trip hazards in yards. The roots that grow deep enter cracks or openings in the sewer lines both on city and private property causing damage including water backup into the resident's home. The roots of trees crack house foundations creating entrance ways for ground water to seep in, curbs buckle, pavement raises and cracks develop from tree roots growing underneath in the soil. Some trees drop leaves and small twigs throughout the growing season, a continuing nuisance to residents. Occasionally large limbs fall from trees without warning, causing property damage and personal injury. Trees obstruct roadways and the vision of motorists using the roadways. Low hanging branches interfere not onlywith vehicular travel but with pedestrian travel as well. Trees attract certain insects and pests that are a nuisance and problem for homeowners; for example, the boxelder bug, carpenter ants and termites. Large flock of starlings and other undesirable species of birds roost in trees creating a health hazard to our residents. Insect pests feeding on trees generate a sticky sap-like liquid that rains down and covers the sidewalk, homes, roads and vehicles. Trees disrupt electrical and telephone communications when their limbs come in contact with utility lines, a never ending maintenance problem. Foresters have been and still are on a collision course with city engineers. As the infrastructure in communities continues to age, replacement is necessary. As population in the community grows, the road system also must be expanded to accommodate the increasing number of vehicles. Directors of public works and city engineers must meet the needs of the community and replace the aging infrastructure, build new roads, resurface and repair existing pavement in a financially responsible way. It is the property owners who are paying for these improvements through their property taxes. The repairs of the infrastructure

Thomas Roy and his “Remarks on road-making” (1841)

Thomas Roy was a civil engineer and geologist who lived in Toronto from 1834 to 1842; he was probably Canada's first geotechnical engineer. In 1835 he carried out the survey for what would have been Canada's first railway if it had then been constructed. He acted as City Engineer for the fledgling city. Nothing is yet known of his life before 1834 but the search continues. In 1837 he presented to the Geological Society of London a paper on the former, raised water levels of the Great Lakes, based on his field observations while surveying. In 1841 he wrote and had published a remarkable little book on road making, in some ways far ahead of its time; significant extracts are herein presented. Key words: road building, archival, geology.

State Opera House - upgrading

The Local Government Act allows local bodies to take powers requiring building owners to upgrade masonry buildings to a reasonable level of seismic capacity.
 The State Opera House is one such building. The theatre was built in 1913 and allows for seating for 1300 patrons on three levels. The building is of brick construction with walls up to 685mm thick and 23,000mm high without intermediate support. Although the Wellington City Council generally requires buildings to achieve two thirds of the standard laid down by NZS 1900 Chap. 8:1965 the City Engineer requested that the Opera House be upgraded to full compliance with that standard. As a preliminary to detail design, tests were made on brick beam samples to determine what quality of brickwork existed within the building and what levels of stress could be reliably used in panel configurations. From these tests we determined a bond strength of 0.1MPa in mortar joints and F’c (Brick) 10MPa. This investigation was coupled with an extensive structural survey to supplement the meagre amound of information from drawings and original specification.

Precast Concrete Housing: The Youngstown Project

T potential for innovation inherent in reinforced concrete as a building material was recognized early. Many builders experimented with the new material and explored ways in which its unique properties could be advantageously exploited. Particularly interesting were many of the earty experiments that dealt with the precasting of concrete building elements. There is not always a continuous line of development, however, from early experiments in the area to our current precast concrete industry. Many innovative ideas were developed to the extent that they were field tested, only to then fall by the wayside to await rediscovery at a much later date. A good case in point is the development of housing systems made of precast building elements. The past 20 years have seen a flurry of such systems, some successful and some not. Most were developed as if there were no previous experiments at doing the same thing. Not fully appreciating previous experiments is unfortunate, since many of the more successful innovations in the use of precast elements to build housing are to be found in some of the earliest examples of precast systems. A good example is a housing project in Youngstown, Ohio. The Youngstown project does not represent the first precasting experiment in the United States, but it is among the more significant. A stable using precast concrete elements was built in Brooklyn, New York, in 1900 and was followed by a warehouse built in West Rutland, Vermont, in 1905. 1 A significant building using a precast floor and roof system was constructed in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1905. 1 In other countries, an important initial attempt at precasting apartment units was made in 1904 in Liverpool, England, by City Engineer John A. Brodie.2 Further significant developments in the United States include the precast

Discussion of “Role of the City Engineer in Urban Planning”

Discussion of “Role of the City Engineer in Urban Planning”

Role of the City Engineer in Urban Planning

The city planner has stepped into the municipal government structure to fill the gap (long range planning) left by the city engineer in the past. Too much emphasis is now being placed on the socio-economic requirements in planning our urban areas. As a result, many plans will never become a reality. A long-range plan must be made up from a number of short-range programs. The city engineer and planner must cooperate in the development of the transportation plan, capital improvement plan, land use plan, circulation plan, subdivision regulations, street openings and setback regulations. The city engineer must provide technical guidance for today’s city planning activities.

Brush and trunk burning plant in the City of Detroit.

For many years the City of Detroit was a flagrant violator of its own air pollution laws by the indiscriminate open burning of Dutch Elm diseased trees, brush and trunks. Cited for violation under the city’s air pollution control code as well as under threat of a private legal suit, the City administration approved a $250,000 expenditure for the design and installation of a unique six ton per hour brush and trunk burning incinerator plant. This plant was conceived by engineering personnel of the City Engineer’s office in consultation with engineering staff members of the Air Pollution Control Bureau. Information is provided on the basic plant layout and design, wet fly ash collector configuration, operating and maintenance experience, and recommended changes for any future similar installations. Stack emission test data are also reported. Due to the success of this plant, a similar plant is in the process of being constructed in another part of the city upon completion of which the City of Detroit will no...

Reshaping Suburban Shopping Centres

Members and guests of the Sydney and Newcastle Divisions of the Australian Planning Institute met at Terrigal, N.S.W., on April 22nd-23rd, 1961, to discuss problems and policies in the planning of suburban shopping centres.To provide a basis for discussion two papers were read, the first by Mr. J. H. Gilmour, Town Planner for Bankstown Municipality, on Planning Objectives, and the second by Mr. F. Smale, City Engineer and Town Planner for Parramatta, on Problems of Implementation. Each of these papers was followed by general discussion. In the third session a panel of experts, comprising Mr. W. R. Bunning, Mr. F. R. G. Jackson, Mr. W. W. Pettingell, Mr. P. Yeomans and chaired by Mr. T. Stephens, answered questions put by the audience. The proceedings were concluded by Professor Denis Winston, the School Chairman, who gave a summary of the discussions and findings of the School.

Planning the Future for Chicago's Water System

The operation, design, and construction of the Chicago water works system were formerly carried on under the direction of the City Engineer in the Bureau of Engineering of the Department of Public Works. On January 1, 1953, all of the operating functions of the water system were placed under the Bureau of Water. Chicago is now eliminating possibilities of water shortages, and arrangements are being made to furnish water from the Lake Michigan source to suburban communities.