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This issue marks the 25th anniversary of the publication of Municipal Engineer as a part of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. This briefing outlines the journal's history, aims and scope, content and the way in which it has responded to changes in the municipal engineering profession. It then looks ahead to the journal's future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK historic city of Durham is considered by policymakers to be the 'jewel in the crown' in terms of economic potential for a county that has struggled to find a niche role following the collapse of coal mining. Perceived through the eyes of a local practitioner, this paper takes a look at how a networked ensemble of actors are responding to the economic recession and planning for the upturn. The paper examines the role of place quality improvements administered through the delivery of a city masterplan to stitch together the historic city fabric with a contemporary urban aesthetic. Through the case of the incremental renaissance of Durham city, it is suggested that a sensitive multi-layered development approach underpinned by deliberative democracy is required that responds to the needs of everyday users and local inhabitants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a case history of an earth pressure balance shield tunnelling project in Guangzhou, China. It beings with an explanation of the project background and geological conditions on site. The shield machine passed through variably weathered granite with randomly distributed boulders. Based on the different geological formations, the tunnel alignment was classified into eight different zones. Tunnel face instability, ground collapse, groundwater ingress and excessive cutter wear were identified to be critical factors that affected the performance of the tunnel boring machine (TBM) and delayed the construction schedule. The impact mechanism on the surroundings during tunnelling was analysed. Countermeasures are recommended to improve the performance of TBMs in such difficult ground conditions on future projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blackfriars in the City of London, UK, is steeped in history and has undergone massive changes since the arrival of the railway in 1864. This made access to the city available to the masses, and demand has grown ever since. This paper charts the changes to the railway hub, focusing on the bridges that were built to cross the Thames and the recently completed project to upgrade Blackfriars railway bridge, as well as the mainline and underground stations. The bridge has been strengthened, partially reconstructed and renovated to cope with the demands of the twenty-first century, but remains founded on the original 1886 substructure and supported on the original wrought-iron arches. It now carries the first station to span the river, with entrances on both south and north banks. The paper describes some of the technical challenges encountered during the project and how a collaborative approach between the engineers of Network Rail, its contractors and designers resulted in an impressive feat of engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use distribution represents a major sustainability indicator. It has cause and effect on transportation systems, time, energy consumption, and the location of source and destination stimuli for daily trips. Consequentially, it affects sustainable development plans. Arab cities demonstrate multiple layers of development through history. Over long periods of development, land uses have been adapted to suit inhabitants. This paper analyses the transformation and distribution of land use in Arab and Western cities. Conventional urban configurations were based on densities, mixed uses and bottom-up urban growth, reflecting people's daily needs. Although various theories have been presented to explain land use transformations, this research adopts the spatial configuration theory, which links spatial logic with social logic of movement. Modern Arab cities demand an accelerating increase in transportation mobility pursuant to inappropriate land use distribution. These requirements do not consider the current spatial morphology of the urban fabric, nor its role as a stimulus in successful locations. The paper highlights the differences between traditional and modern extensions for Arab city centres on the basis of sustainable land use location. It proposes a model framework for analysing current land use distribution and forecasting the success of any future intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses upon efforts to secure the future of the historic winding hutong streets and siheyuan houses that represent the way of life of the common people and the true urban identity of Beijing. These remaining patches of historic Beijing are of immense value and the urgency of their preservation has become widely recognised. There are many challenges facing conservation projects with regard to the retention of the unique historic urban character whilst achieving necessary revitalisation. This paper will review recent practice and legislation that is recognising the potential of the old city without compromising the modernity of China's bustling capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea of the historic city has often been discussed through debates about conservation and development. In recent years some writers have discussed the idea of the historic city through concepts of sustainability and particularly the idea of social sustainability. However, although sustainability is important, the idea that local communities play a key role in the development of historic cities has been barely researched. The present paper fills this gap by looking at less well recognised investigations that have dealt with the way that different local communities have interacted and reinterpreted the urban heritage sites they live within or alongside. It is argued that more attention needs to be paid to the processual side of social life and the historic environment if issues of vitality, revitalisation and even sterility in the historic city are to be understood more readily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to stimulate a wider interest in the built heritage of industrial Britain amongst civil engineers. Britain has a greater number and variety of iron roofs than found anywhere else in the world. From the tentative iron roofs over the attic workrooms of the first iron-framed factories, this paper traces the development of greater spans using arch and truss forms to meet the needs of a diverse range of building types, among which the railway station passenger train shed is most significant. The confused issue of design and construction responsibilities for some of the great roofs of the nineteenth century is partially unravelled. The paper shows how innovations in iron roofing were at first introduced by a handful of structural ironwork contractors, further advances being made by a small group of specialist engineers expert in the analysis, design and detailing of structural works in iron. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to show how changes in the approach to the delivery, management and techniques of municipal engineering in the UK have evolved and, in turn, influenced political and professional skills and policies. It will consider how greater sophistication, integration and adoption of a more holistic approach by professionals within government and changes in the accountability of politicians and the democratic process are leading to a broader definition of the role of the municipal engineer in the UK. The paper will also suggest how individuals, professional institutions and employers can work towards the skills and knowledge required by a modern municipal engineer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Forth Road Bridge has carried road traffic across the Forth estuary in Scotland, UK, since 1964. It was replaced in September 2017 by the Queensferry Crossing, the country's biggest infrastructure project in a generation. The outturn £1·34 billion replacement crossing project consists of a 2·7 km long cable-stayed bridge, associated connecting roads and junction improvements and a state-of-the art 22 km long intelligent transport system to manage traffic through the project corridor. This paper describes the project history, its development and scope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crossing of rivers in Katanga (Democratic Republic of Congo) by railway lines in the 1920s and 1930s gave Belgian engineers and contractors the opportunity to build record spans for railway bridges. The crossing of the Lualaba River at Bukama consists of four Vierendeel steel girders each with a 62 m span, which were the largest of their type at the time of their erection in 1925. The crossing of the Lualaba at Kongolo, built in 1937-1939, required a 495 m long reinforced concrete continuous beam bridge with 14 spans, the largest measuring 70 m. It was the first significant concrete beam bridge constructed with a travelling gantry supporting movable formwork. The crossing of the Lukaga River (1938-1939) is a three-span concrete bridge with the 70 m long central span built using the cantilever method, which makes this bridge the oldest of its type in the world. This paper highlights the landmark characteristics of these forgotten bridges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft cliff retreat has often triggered a hard adaptation response by the building of seawalls and groynes. On adjacent undefended coasts erosion continues, resulting in set-backs. This paper examines the impact of coastal defences on the adjacent coast from historic records and present practices, and explores possible future response. Continued set-back often leads to outflanking of defences, making them ineffective at their extremities, particularly at the down-drift end where it is most severe. Solutions to outflanking usually involve extending defences, initiating a cycle of set-back, outflanking and further extensions. Multiple defence extensions and continued retreat of the unprotected adjacent coast results in artificial headland formation. Over several decades, headlands experience foreshore steepening and reduced sediment availability, making them more difficult and expensive to defend. Shoreline management plan policies of managed retreat advocate selective defence abandonment, which may change the nature of artificial headland formation. Defence abandonment and new engineering works must be planned, anticipating the processes described in this paper. This will reduce unexpected changes and reduce maintenance and emergency work costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes a new form of bridge called a spatial arch bridge. This bridge type was developed in response to the demand for landmark structures, which have started to appear in the modern urban landscape to provide a symbol of originality, innovation and progress. Spatial arch bridges are defined as bridges in which the vertical deck loads produce bending moments and shear forces not contained in the arch plane, owing to their geometrical and structural configuration. Moreover, the arch itself may not be contained in a plane. The different variables and geometries that create such a structural configuration have been studied and classified. A wide compilation of examples of this bridge type has been made in chronological order, according to their construction date, from Maillart's first concrete spatial arch bridges to the latest designs and materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cedric Masey White is a notable British hydraulician of the twentieth century, having particularly contributed to the pipe flow problem in collaboration with his PhD student Cyril Frank Colebrook. Their solution is currently accepted universally, although some particular questions remain as yet unresolved. This biographical work further introduces the professional background of White during his stays at King's College and Imperial College, London, where he became one of the most renowned British hydraulicians mainly because he introduced the post graduate course in hydraulics after World War II. This work also describes how the author was able to find White's daughter in Canada, and how she kindly gave her support in terms of photographs and biographical details. A well-known figure in the field of hydraulics is therefore finally given acknowledgement by an adequate biography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many Chinese cities have started urban conservation programmes but the focus has mainly been on the preservation of historic buildings and tourism. These programmes have been usually based on top-down and commercial development, which often leads to demolition of traditional blocks and relocation of the original inhabitants. However, some initial experimentation has been based on 'cautious renovation' as well as modernisation and participation and has achieved noteworthy results. This paper compares three different approaches 'demolition + renovation', 'relocation + renovation' and 'renovation + participation' using three realised projects as examples: Xin Tian Di of Shanghai, Lijiang of Yunnan Province and Yangzhou of Jiangsu Province. The focus is on sustainable conservation of historic cities and the role of engineers and their contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From early 2005 up to the freeze induced by the world's faltering financial markets during the first quarter of 2008, Britain experienced a demand for tall buildings of an unprecedented high level: in London alone, ten tall buildings have started, or were due to start on site, between the first quarter of 2007 to the fourth quarter of 2008. This is directly comparable in size with America's Manhattan Island skyscraper boom of the 1920s. The objectives of this paper are: first, to investigate the evolution of the UK tall building and determine the reasons behind this building form's growth at unprecedented rates; second, to define the UK tall building and compare it with the international tall building stage; third, to analyse the differing types of demand and categorise these subsectors of the UK tall building market; fourth, to calculate the size and value of this specialist construction market in the UK and forecast its growth potential; and finally, to analyse the latest negative market developments during 2008 and warn of the current match of the UK tall building market to the Skyscraper Index model and the resulting risk of full-blown economic recession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the relevance and influenced of Alfred Pugsley's work to the practice of structural mechanics and structural engineering. Pugsley was appointed as chair of civil engineering at the University of Bristol in England and chaired a committee for the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA). The authors concluded that he made contributions to the fundamentals of engineering analysis because he offers new ideas for the improvement of the field.

Major construction works in consolidated urban areas can seriously affect existing services and public facilities. This reality worsens when infrastructure projects are in the old parts of towns. Whether archaeological remains have high or low historical significance, a substantial effort is needed in respecting, consolidating and even, in many instances, incorporating them into the final project being developed. From this perspective, civil engineering, far from being an 'earthquake' that destroys culture and dismantles history, turns out to be an important ally that makes archaeological research, the study and inventory of findings and ultimately their conservation possible. It is obvious that making goals—sometimes even contradictory ones—compatible does not allow for single and unequivocal solutions, and certain external circumstances can condition to a large extent the actions finally executed. This paper describes two major construction projects carried out in close proximity to existing historical structures of archaeological significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes theoretical and experimental work undertaken to obtain a structural model for assessment of historical Latin-American vertically laminated planked timber arches, as built by the Spanish, mainly in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Many such arches still stand, and represent an important historical heritage. Following initial historical and construction studies, a structural analysis is being undertaken; the first stage is described here. Two wire frame analysis models are developed and assessed: a finite-element model using elasto-plastic constitutive equations (implemented in SAP2000), and another model using limit analysis. An experimental programme is also conducted. The structure presents elasto-plastic behaviour with an important plastic range, which is a relevant and favourable property for a structure. The numerical elasto-plastic model shows good agreement with experimental results for the elastic range and deviations around 60% for the plastic range. The plastic model shows a deviation of around 40%, which is an important outcome at this stage. The models show the key problem of the structure: the transference of the bending moment along planks is poor, restricting its overall load-bearing capacity. Additional tests and more complex material models (including failure in tension perpendicular to the grain), using two-dimensional and three-dimensional finite elements, are now under development to recalibrate the models presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning, urban design and regeneration must respond to an ever more complex, rapidly shifting, globalised, connected world. This coincides with new thinking about self-organisation - emergence. Increasingly, connections are being made between ideas about emergence and political and academic thinking about planning and development for an uncertain world. Following the wisdom of crowds is gaining ground over following the wisdom of leaders and professionals. So how do we tackle the big stuff? Emergence may work at street or neighbourhood level. Will emergent local cells combine naturally into undesigned but successfully functioning urban systems? In other words, can we still design at large scale, or must urban design be confined to the creation of local townscape now that we have discovered emergence and face change and complexity on an unprecedented scale? Is urban design only a process for choosing the right bollards, or should we try to shape the bigger picture? To look at some of these issues the author initiated a CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) programme, led by my colleague Biljana Savic, to find out if urban design can still work at larger than neighbourhood scales. This paper draws some initial conclusions from that work, due for publication later this year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public engagement is an essential process for major municipal infrastructure and construction projects as it serves to identify the interests and concerns of citizens before the planning and design are finalised and thus ensures the schemes are beneficial to all sectors of the community. However, the success of public engagement depends on a number of factors, not least the suitability of the engagement methods used, representativeness and activeness of participants, time pressure, financial constraint and so on. In Hong Kong, the community has experienced discontent with several major projects recently, suggesting the need to examine the effectiveness of its current public engagement mechanism. This paper reports the results of a series of interviews with a variety of stakeholders - indicating the need for a carefully considered public engagement plan to be established at the beginning to drive the process and more experienced people to lead and facilitate the engagement process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the reasons for the collapse of suspension bridges during 1800's in Europe. It is mentioned that out of four, two collapses occurred due to excessive vibrations caused by marching of troops and the other two collapses took place because of sudden movement of large crowd from one end to another. Also, factors like poor quality of iron and inefficient design added to the failure of the bridges. The use of truss-parapets to harden decks help in prevention of accidents.