Wim Ravesteijn

Training complete engineers: Global enterprise and engineering education

For the past few years a discussion has been going on about the specific skills and knowledge a complete engineer should possess. Apart form this discussion, a separate debate has focused on the content of an engineers education. This article is a combination of two joint papers (De Graaff and Ravesteijn 2000, Ravesteijn and De Graaff 2000) bearing on these respective subjects, presented by the authors at the SEFI 2000 conference in Paris. The demands from industry that engineers of the future will have to meet are summarized and related to characteristics of modern training methods. It is argued that a new view on the content of the engineers education implies, at least to a certain extent, a new set of educational tools.

Engineering the future: the social necessity of communicative engineers

It is a long and winding road from invention to innovation. Starting from this observation, this paper presents a historical perspective on the capabilities engineers should possess to do their work. The importance of the ‘communicative competence’ involved in creating a social base for innovation is underpinned. We will present a theoretical framework with regard to engineering and society and argue that this competence requires a good understanding of the social dynamics of technology as well as the ability to communicate on the level of facts, values and emotions. Three particular skills are extensively discussed: orientation on the future and the abilities involved in dialogue and cultural differences. We will argue that engineers can develop this new competence through project learning.

Managing water resources for sustainable development: the case of integrated river basin management in China

The emerging water crisis in China shows that the current institutional frameworks and policies with regard to water resources management are incapable of achieving an effective and satisfactory situation that includes Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM). This paper analyses this framework and related policies, examines their deficiencies in relation to all water stress problems and explores alternatives focusing on river basins. Water resources management reforms in modern China are reviewed and the main problems involved in transforming the current river management system into an IRBM-based system are analysed. The Huai River basin is used as an example of current river basin management, with quantitative data serving to show the scale and scope of the problems in the country as a whole. The institutional reforms required are discussed and a conceptual institutional framework is proposed to facilitate the implementation of IRBM in China. In particular, the roles, power and responsibilities of River Basin Commissions (RBCs) should be legally strengthened; the functions of supervising, decision-making and execution should be separated; and cross-sectoral legislation, institutional coordination and public participation at all levels should be promoted.

The 2000 EU water framework directive and Chinese water management: experiences and perspectives.

This paper addresses Integrated River Basin Management as a solution to water stress through a comparative analysis of water management in Europe and China. It makes a preliminary assessment of the European experiences so far with the Water Framework Directive (WFD) on river basin management and investigates its potential value for other areas, focusing on China. Problems and possibilities of policy transfer in the process of initiating and stimulating sustainable water management are investigated. Could the WFD, which seems to have beneficial impact in Europe, be used to reach the same results in China? We will deal with this and other questions, discussing the differences in water management and context between China and the EU and the problems with adopting a WFD inspired approach in China. Framework Directive, policy transfer.

Responsible resource management: the predicament and reform path for Chinese wetland conservation

Despite national conservation policies, international agreements and public support related to wetlands, a wide range of agricultural development and public works projects have resulted in the over-exploitation and degradation of wetlands during the past decades in China. The phenomenon of “the tragedy of the commons” in Chinese wetland conservation is recognized as an incentive problem provoked by a multi-stakeholder situation. This paper examines the governance of China’s wetlands and its hierarchical and functional–behavioral characteristics within the context of resource management. The results show that the administrative system in China wetland management depends on resource element-oriented legislation, in that various agencies managing different resources place various demands on wetland resources. This paper analyzes the responsibilities and incentives of various government administrators and other stakeholders as well as their behavioral logic and why such a multi-stakeholder mode fails to provide adequate wetland conservation. Using Heilongjiang Province as an example, it explains the conflicts between stakeholders within both the legislative system and those who administer wetland management. In addition, it suggests improvements, especially in the form of an integrated management system with an appropriate and unified system of administration.

Challenging E-Learning: An Evaluation of the STUDIO Project at TU Delft.

Lots of papers are being published about e-learning in engineering education. In these papers, positive experiences and aspects seem to overshadow negative ones. However, there are still some problematic sides worth studying. In order to improve its quality these should receive broad attention too. We present an explicit two-sided evaluation of the STUDIO e-learning project carried out at TU Delft in the Netherlands. STUDIO was set up as a Technology and Society course for all first-year students at TU Delft. Given the expected numbers of students, labour-extensivity was an important aim. STUDIO was introduced in three faculties. At the SEFI-conference 2002 the project was evaluated by its designers using student-questionnaires. In this article teachers describe their experiences with STUDIO over some years. Together it gives rise to a balanced view of e-learning in engineering education and provides a good base for improvement.

River Systems In Transition:Pathways And Stakeholder Involvement

In view of present-day water stress, water transitions are necessary, incorporating both technological innovation and institutional reform. Water provisions and problems involve a range of diverging interests and values, with which a corresponding range of actors and stakeholders are connected. This paper focuses on both the social and the technological dynamics around river development and management, and explores the margins and possibilities of stakeholder involvement in water transitions. It draws on cases from The Netherlands, Bangladesh and China.

Towards low carbon based economic development: Shanghai as a C40 city.

As a result of its rapid industrialization process, China has become the greatest emitter of carbon dioxide world-wide. Consequently, Shanghai - the most industrialized city in China - is facing serious challenges arising from carbon emissions and climate change in general. The main question of this paper is: How can Shanghai continue its economic growth, while controlling the negative consequences of its energy use and production in a responsible way? For the approach, it explores the use of the C40 framework, as an application and specification of new synergy seeking approaches, such as Value Sensitive Design. The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group is a global city-level network to address climate change and promote world-class projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this paper, a quantitative analysis of Shanghais energy trends is made as well as a SWOT analysis to map and evaluate its current environmental, social, economic and political characteristics. Three main challenges are presented, related to institutional inclusiveness, global relations, and long-term innovation. In view of the initiatives, targets, and the whole network of the C40 movement, this paper concludes that Shanghai is strongly recommended to fully use the C40 framework in creating a sustainable and responsible future.

Under the wings of the Great Garuda: responsible port innovation in the Jakarta Bay area

Port extension is economically important but difficult to implement in view of environmental and social objections, as port development projects are often contested innovations. Responsible Innovation (RI) addresses this issue by providing a motor for sustainable development, enhancing employment opportunities and incomes, while minimising detrimental social and environmental impacts. First and foremost, RI reconciles different interests and values, as these occur in the design and development process of any project. This paper illustrates how RI can be used to analyse conflicting values, and how it can contribute to reconciling these values in a project’s design and development phases. We use the Jakarta Bay problems and plans, especially the Great Garuda Plan, as an example, focussing in particular on port expansion versus floodingrelated issues and solutions. On the one hand, flooding must be prevented for reasons of safety and sustainability, while on the other hand, Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok port needs to be extended for the purpose of economic growth. The flooding occurs as a result of both the high and rising sea level and the huge discharges in the rivers flowing into the Jakarta Bay. We will focus especially on four dimensions of RI and on non-optimising design and development methods, which help engineers to deal with diverging values. We especially discuss Satisficing, the method of formulating thresholds for values and then selecting any option that at least meets these thresholds. In this paper, we create threshold values for safety (flooding), economics (port extension) and health and environment (air pollution) and apply these to alternative solutions. It is shown that RI will lead to better projects, especially in terms of societal and environmental values, and will thus

The Dao of Chinese Water Management and Development: Challenges and Perspectives

As the global community addresses the necessary transitions that are required to create sustainable water management and development practices around the world, an examination of the Chinese water tradition, with both its Daoist and Confucian approaches, offers new insights and understanding about the cultural and social embeddedness of water traditions. By comparing current water management practices, such as Integrated Water Resources Management that was co-developed in twentieth century Netherlands, with historical Chinese approaches, a nonlinear form of change that is significant for water policy and transition studies in general becomes clear.