Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/712794
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 17 JULY 2016 38 This Week The loud song of the cicada is a sound I associate with the heat, the haze and the blinding glare of a Maltese summer afternoon. At over 100 decibels, that ear-numbing churr is the loudest animal sound you're likely to hear, and July is when they all start up. But for all their loud acoustics, cicadas are often hard to spot because they pipe down on your approach. The cicada looks rather like a gigantic fly with large, much-veined wings. It's actually a bug and it produces its churr by rapid vibration of a patch on its abdomen. It's only the males that 'sing', which they do to attract females for some fun. Cicadas (M: werżieq ta' binhar, ċikada, żerżur, żarżur) spend most of their life – sometimes several years – as larvae, sipping root sap underground, and only the last few weeks of their life as flying adults. So we should really forgive them for celebrating their short wild stint above ground so vociferously! They're harmless, by the way. GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 418: BBQ WITH A MARKER: Some time in between the artichoke dip and the coleslaw, you lost track of your cup, and now there are a sea of matching cups on the table, one of which might be yours. If you're still using disposable cups for BBQs and picnics, set out a permanent marker so guests can mark their cup and everyone will only use one. Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate Text and photo Victor Falzon 515. CICADA Rich, industrialised countries have done the most to push our climate to the brink, so they need to make cuts first – and fastest. This means transforming their own economies, not offsetting their emissions abroad. They need to provide billions for developing countries and share low- carbon technologies. National governments should set a limit on the amount of pollution the country can produce. Then they should make sure all sectors start reducing emissions to stay within these budgets. Taking the lead like this is no threat to people in developed countries. It is a vital step towards new jobs, new industries and a healthier global economy Things to know about Climate Change 9 – What the global community must do Land of policies LAND has recently been the topic of much debate in Malta – be it controversial deals over land expropria- tion, speculative gains being sought through high-rise development, or the development of educational institutions on pristine ODZ land. It seems that on an island with limited terrain, the only real limitations that exist for devel- opers are those they choose to believe in, as for some, opportu- nities can be found around every corner. In recent years the government has introduced an array of poli- cies and legislation, with the sup- posed intent of either decreasing bureaucracy, introducing effi- ciency and transparency within the Planning Authority, protect- ing the environment through the MEPA demerger, or by a grand harmonisation of our fragment- ed built environment through the Design and Policy Guidelines of 2015 (DC15). However in spite of these seemingly flawless con- cepts aimed to revamp the urban environment and protect our shared property and quality of life, reality is a far cry from what policies set out. A case in point is the revision of the Rural Policy and Design Guidelines introduced in 2014. These policies, which claimed to safeguard ODZ, somehow resulted in rampant con- struction across previously no-go- areas, with ruins being transformed into villas almost at the flick of a wand. This was made possible due to the various loopholes throughout the document that give those with short-sighted egoistic motives the opportunity to exploit the land this very doc- ument is meant to protect. The media has highlighted a multi- tude of cases where development in ODZ has been approved by the PA board on the claim that some pile of rubble lying in the mid- dle of agricultural land was once inhabited – and all this proven through some smudge on an aer- ial photo dug up for this timely opportunity. Urban cores or more charac- teristic towns and cities such as Lija, which despite all odds have managed to retain a strong ho- listic identity, are now also un- der threat. Despite the outcry of residents living in other localities which have been ripped of their character due to the unbridled approval of crass and alienating multi-storey apartment blocks, Lija is now facing the same fate. A five-storey apartment build- ing has just been approved where to date only two-storey buildings exist. This project has paved the way for the same degradation experienced all over the island, to obliterate the serenity and picturesque streetscapes of this village that the Planning Author- ity's new polices had vowed to protect. During the hearing, PA Commission chairperson Eliza- beth Ellul unreservedly admit- ted that she was solely justify- ing her decision to approve this development on the basis of one local plan map, clearly indicat- ing that she was ignoring all other policies.These included the DC15 which emphasises the importance of improving qual- ity of life, promoting sustainable development and taking a con- scientious approach to design, and therefore approving the pro- ject despite the harsh criticism it received – all this being done by the very representative who is supposedly appointed to uphold such policies. These actions clearly display that despite the overarching positive approach outlined in the planning policies, their selective implementation leaves the built environment open to a continu- ation of poorly designed urban fabric and to widespread specu- lation by all those taking advan- tage of the loopholes. A final year project exhibition being held by the 2016 Masters of Architecture and Masters of Engineering depicts the students' visions for Marsa 2050 through a multitude of diverse propos- als aimed at regenerating this neglected locality. The students' exhibition is a clear and factual example of what bold visions could achieve, through conscien- tious and thought-provoking de- sign. The projects not only rec- ognize the nation's present and future needs but set out sustain- able, feasible and holistic design solutions to attain them. Planning can no longer be seen as a piecemeal approval or rejec- tion of projects without any au- thority taking responsibility for the overall effect these individual cases will have on the whole is- land. The Planning Authority must recognise the advantages and opportunities that come from well thought-out develop- ment, as has been portrayed by these young graduates, who have shown the positive influence that urban planning and design can have, not only on the built en- vironment but even more so, on its inhabitants and their quality of life. Tara Cassar