Government educational 'reforms' have set out to place educational institutions in competitive relations in the market place. In spite of this, however, the institutions continue to seek out and to develop a variety of collaborative relations, working in consortia and networks.

Offers a discussion of the basic concerns which underlie the development and use of language tests. Presenting a synthesis of research on testing, this book is useful for students on teacher education courses. It is also helpful for those professionally involved in designing and administering tests, acting as a complement to 'how to' books.

This dissertation is an exploration into the fields of sustainable development, property investment and valuation. It investigates the rationale for immediately and rigorously integrating sustainability issues into property valuation theory and practice and proposes theoretical and practical options for valuers on how to address sustainability issues within valuation reports. It is argued that the perception of property as a commodity is changing to emphasize sustainable design features and performance characteristics as important determinants of a property's worth and market value.

Place-Keeping presents the latest research and practice on place-keeping – that is, the long-term management of public and private open spaces – from around Europe and the rest of the world. There has long been a focus in urban landscape planning and urban design on the creation of high-quality public spaces, or place-making. This is supported by a growing body of research which shows how high-quality public spaces are economically and socially beneficial for local communities and contribute positively to residents’ quality of life and wellbeing. However, while large amounts of capital are spent on the creation of open spaces, little thought is given to, and insufficient resources made available for, the long-term maintenance and management of public spaces, or place-keeping. Without place-keeping, public spaces can fall into a downward spiral of disrepair where anti-social behaviour can emerge and residents may feel unsafe and choose to use other spaces. The economic and social costs of restoring such spaces can therefore be considerable where place-keeping does not occur. Place-Keeping also provides an accessible presentation of the outputs of a major European Union-funded project MP4: Making Places Profitable, Public and Private Open Spaces which further extends the knowledge and debate on long-term management of public and private spaces. It will be an invaluable resource for students, academics and practitioners seeking critical but practical guidance on the long-term management of public and private spaces in a range of contexts.

This book publishes the best papers accepted and presented at the 3rd edition of the International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Systems for Sustainable Development Applied to Agriculture, Energy, Health, Environment, Industry, Education, Economy, and Security (AI2SD’2020). This conference is one of the biggest amalgamations of eminent researchers, students, and delegates from both academia and industry where the collaborators have an interactive access to emerging technology and approaches globally. In this book, readers find the latest ideas addressing technological issues relevant to all areas of the social and human sciences for sustainable development. Due to the nature of the conference with its focus on innovative ideas and developments, the book provides the ideal scientific and brings together very high-quality chapters written by eminent researchers from different disciplines, to discover the most recent developments in scientific research.