Trajectory planning has recently gained importance in the mobile robot community as a motion planning strategy to solve the problem of guiding the robot from a initial location to a target location in an environment with static or dynamic obstacles. This thesis is concerned with the timed elastic band approach and model predictive control to find the optimal trajectories subject to a differential constraints of a non-holonomic platform. The objective of this thesis is to augment the timed elastic band approach to general kinematics such as the mobile robots with differential drive, the car-like systems and the truck and trailer systems in specific environments. Several cost functions are evaluated to task of obstacle avoidance. For each kinematic, the metrics of traveling time starting from a fixed initial position to a goal location as well as the traversed distance between those states are evaluated. This thesis concludes with a comparative analysis of timed elastic bands with the robot motion planning approach RRT (Rapidly-exploration random tree).

Current policy-making understands human and ecological systems as independent, leading to the misconception that, though they interact, they can be managed separately. This often leads to policy overlooking the effects that the environment has on human structures, and vice versa. Under environmental stress, this disconnection may cause the community to fail, which can manifest in migration and conflict. In a climate-change scenario, it becomes increasingly important to consider social and environmental structures as one single system, that must be managed as a unit. Also, increasing the resilience of socio-ecological systems becomes a priority to prevent climatic disruptions to cause the system to collapse. This dissertation aims to learn from using systems thinking to interpret the Syrian crisis, following the 2006-2011 drought, and extract insights from using the same methodology in different contexts. This is done through the construction of two diagrams that help visualize socio-ecological system in a more accessible way, offering policy-makers an instrument to understand and manage socio-ecological systems more effectively. Finally, it discusses how these lessons can be helpful for the post-conflict process in Colombia, which shares many structural flaws with pre-conflict Syria, and explores how the methodology can be useful to identify and address these flaws for sustainable peace-building.

En este capítulo se presentan los resultados de un modelo bayesiano para la merluza del Atlántico norte, una especie que es poco vulnerable a cambios medio ambientales pero cuya biología todavía no es completamente conocida, ya que el crecimiento de la especie aún no se ha determinado con exactitud. Los resultados presentados comparan escenarios donde se utiliza información de diversos stocks de merluza para estimar parámetros biológicos como la mortalidad natural, la tasa de crecimiento y el reclutamiento máximo, con otros donde estos parámetros se asumen constantes. Texto tomado de la “Introducción general” de esta tesis.

This thesis explores how informal property rights are defined and enforced in the business of onstreet parking in Bogota. It establishes that informal businesses could not operate without such property rights and that the value of force has been underestimated in the scant literature devoted to the subject. To contribute to the construction of a currently non-existent informal property rights theory this thesis contrasts the research findings with traditional property rights theory and attempts to redefine classic property rights concepts to fit the context of the urban informal economy. Finally, the thesis explains how mafias can enforce informal property rights, the logic of their actions, and the dangers of their proliferation.

This paper will present two cases that deal with the constitutionality of assisted suicide, Washington v. Glucksberg 521 U.S. 702 (1997) of the Supreme Court of the United States and the judgment C – 239/1997 of the Constitutional Court of Colombia. The main purpose is to examine the understanding that each court presents about the rights to liberty and life, how they balance them and the arguments that each one wield to arrive to different decisions. Also, the paper underlines what considers inconsistences in both judgments. To achieve that goal, the paper will present a brief description of the reasoning and holding of each judgment, then, it will discuss the rights at stake, the balancing done by the courts, the need of regulation on the issue, the role of the legislature on this regard, and physicians´ dilemmas. Lastly, it will provide some conclusions. Este documento presentará dos sentencias ques estudian la constitucionalidad del suicidio asistido, Washington v. Glucksberg 521 U.S. 702 (1997) de la Corte Suprema de los Estados Unidos y la sentencia C - 239/1997 de la Corte Constitucional de Colombia. El objetivo principal es examinar el análisis que cada tribunal presenta sobre los derechos a la libertad y la vida, cómo los pondera y los argumentos que cada uno maneja para llegar a decisiones diferentes. Además, el artículo subraya qué considera incoherente en cada decisión. Para lograr ese objetivo, el documento presentará una breve descripción del razonamiento y los argumentos de cada sentencia, luego, discutirá los derechos en tensión, la ponderación hecha por los tribunales, la necesidad de regulación sobre el tema, el papel del legislador en este sentido, y los dilemas de los médicos. Por último, proporcionará algunas conclusiones.

Este capítulo presenta el trabajo desarrollado también en el marco del proyecto ECOKNOWS. El trabajo permite responder a la pregunta de cómo medir el riesgo asociado a una estrategia de pesca que incorpore el efecto del medio ambiente, desde un enfoque inspirado en la gestión del sector agrícola. Aquí se compara una estrategia que tiene en cuenta el medio ambiente con otra que lo ignora en diversos escenarios, usando un patrón de medida que facilita la comunicación de resultados a los gestores del recurso. Texto tomado y adaptado de la “Introducción general” de esta tesis.

Abstract Can we assess currencies of distributive justice based on whether they are sustainable or not? I believe the answer to this question is yes. In this thesis I discuss that it is possible and necessary to assess whether different currencies of distributive justice are sustainable. Sustainability as a desideratum of a theory of distributive justice can sometimes help decide what currency we should accept. I will also argue this applies to the case of two widely discussed currency approaches of distributive justice: primary goods, discussed by John Rawls, and capabilities, discussed by Amartya Sen. I will conclude that, when sustainability is considered, capabilities are a better currency of distributive justice. Resumen ¿Podemos evaluar distintos bienes de la justicia con relación a si estos son o no sostenibles? Creo firmemente que la respuesta a esta pregunta es sí. En esta tesis discuto que es posible y necesario evaluar si distintos bienes de la justicia distributiva son sostenibles. La sostenibilidad como desiderata de una teoría de la justicia distributiva puede en algunas ocasiones ayudarnos a decidir cuáles bienes debemos aceptar. Argumentaré que esto aplica para el caso de dos tipos de bienes de la justicia distributiva: los bienes primarios, de John Rawls, y las capacidades, de Amartya Sen. Concluiré afirmando que, cuando se considera la sostenibilidad, las capacidades son un bien superior de la justicia.

The aim of this report is to demonstrate and explore how the vernacular architecture and crafts of the Andean region of Colombia could inspire the creation of an interior installation that is designed to convey a personal interpretation of the tensions associated with the current internal conflict in Colombia and a sincere aspiration for sustainable peace. To approach this hypothesis, the perspectives of experts in those matters were imperative and guided the further research of alternative secondary methods that included books, journals, and official publications. The main structure of the report attempts to address three principal chapters. The first chapter intends to recognise and highlight the importance of Guadua to the vernacular architecture and crafts associated with the Andean region of Colombia. The second chapter focuses on the investigation of the current trends and science behind narrative design and the infinite possibilities of storytelling in exhibitions and set design. Finally, the third chapter explores the current internal conflict between the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and Colombia’s National Government, which in theory is being tried to be resolved from the study of peace agreements and new possibilities for both parts achieving justice and repair.Findings obtained throughout the research and analytical process show that Guadua’s characteristics as a construction material represent a new insight in the scenario of a sustainable world. Furthermore, Colombia’s ongoing conflict, although it depends on many factors, should be acknowledged globally and has the potential to be tackled from a new artistic perspective, where an interior installation encodes a sincere aspiration for sustainable peace.

The FreshWaterMill project is a transfer of Environmentally Sound Technology (EST) from The Netherlands to Colombia that involves several Dutch companies, the Delft University of Technology and Coralina (corporation for sustainable development of the Archipelago San Andrés, Providence and Saint Kathleen). The installation place is Johnny Cay, a small islet 1.5 km northeast from San Andrés, Colombia, uninhabited and exclusive for touristic use (Van Tonningen, 2014). The technology is a wind powered reverse osmosis (RO) system that can fulfil the drinkable water and electricity demands of the Cay. This way can be alleviated the sanitary conditions resulting from unsustainable touristic practices. Moreover, this project is seen as a promoter of sustainable development in the Archipelago (Coralina, 2006), and as a potential solution to provide electricity and water to rural and remote areas of low utility coverage but abundant wind power. There are no environmental or social impact analyses that validate the sustainable character of the technology transfer. Moreover, although it is intended to improve the livelihood of target users their opinions are not reflected in the project plans. This situation resembles those factors that describe the trend to failure of technology transfers. Therefore this research made an integral assessment of the project as a Socio-Technical System (STS) to provide useful findings and recommendations that could lead it away from such trend. The Functions of Innovation Systems (FIS) framework (Van Alphen, 2008) was chosen for a systems approach analysis. Through this was found that poor planning, insufficient financial resources and ineffective communication channels are the most relevant barriers for a successful implementation of the FreshWaterMill. The most relevant drivers are the suitability of the place for a wind/RO system, the planning of a local educational center, a remarkable advocacy for Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) in the Archipelago and the existence of local human capital and R&D on RE. Five conditions for self-organization were derived from the PAR (Participatory Action Research) methodology to explore the likeliness of self-organization for bottom-up management. Through this methodology was shown that the difficult relationship between the corporation and the touristic service providers, their lack of group cohesion, managerial and operational capacities, ignorance and/or misuse of instruments for self-organization, make unfeasible for this group to address the barriers and support the drivers of the project. Relevant conditions from the context not covered by the previous methodologies were also included. These reflected that the advocacy for RETs is counteracted by the fragmentation between institutional actors and their lack of managerial skills on technology topics, which makes them rely on national and international assistance to achieve a technological transition. The regular interaction that Johnny Cay workers will have with the windmill, the affinity of the life plan of young adults to the project objectives and the likeliness of this group to make economic contributions urges the need for a participatory approach. The socio-cultural crisis of the Archipelago supports this recommendation. However, the difficulty of institutional entities to understand and assume the roles that require a participatory approach and the path dependency on top-down regulation makes it a complex challenge. A participatory approach for the FreshWaterMill is indirectly supported by the management plan of the Natural Regional Park Johnny Cay and the Community and institutional participation board. Additional to the commitment of the corporation to assume an enabling role, the process needs a mediator so the touristic service.

The main purpose of this research is to demonstrate the connection between the vernacular architecture of La Cabaña and El Chuzo, two coffee regions of Caldas, Colombia, and how their ordinary domestic spaces of everyday life are defined and intimately related to the process of coffee production. The study of both veredas will lead us to understand an architecture that has been shaped by the two systems of coffee production in Caldas, known as Latifundios1 (La Cabaña) and minifundios2 (El Chuzo). Both systems determine the social and economic structure of the Caldas coffee region and therefore also its vernacular architecture and its peoples’ everyday life. This study will demonstrate the tangible and intangible qualities of these places, enabling us to understand in a deep way their values, meaning, and change over time. In Colombia, a country just starting to document its history and to create a written patrimony, being able to narrate what people do not know about La Cabaña and El Chuzo is a way to work toward a better understanding of the coffee region´s vernacular architecture and cultural landscape, and its sense of place and identity. To achieve this understanding of the coffee region, the project is undertaken in the emerging field of Cultural Landscape studies. This methodology aims to identify and analyze the essential and fundamental qualities of specific places, to then reveal their sense of place and identity. The study is done through historic photographs, oral histories, interviews, direct observation and documentation of peoples’ everyday lives around the process of coffee production. Only by studying how people live and the activities that take place in their domestic spaces and by being part of their everyday life, will we be able to understand how the vernacular architecture of La Cabaña and El Chuzo has been shaped by the process and culture of coffee production.