Nature-based Solutions (NBS) offer unique opportunities for the private sector to innovate, from green walls to urban gardens, planting trees next to the roads or wetlands in the city. To understand, replicate and scale up successful NBS business models, it is imperative to analyze the existing business models. This master thesis analyzes the value flow of six business models related to Nature-based Solutions through an analysis of the value proposition, value creation and delivery, value capture, and value uncaptured. The latter is performed with a holistic approach that includes various stakeholders, including the environment and society and through the recognition of value destroyed, missed, surplus, and absence. This facilitates the identification of opportunities to innovate in the business model and strategies to fulfill the purpose of NBS. Nature-based Solutions aim to solve societal and environmental issues that cannot be fully addressed from the usual business model perspective, therefore an immersion in the specificities of the NBS business models provides unique possibilities to understand the relationship between environmental, social, and economic benefits and the different business models arisen from Nature-based solutions.

Acrocomia ssp. is a native palm tree in Latin America which grows wildly and produces rich oil-bearing fruits traditionally used as food and fodder. Oils from pulp and kernel have applications in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and bioenergy sectors. Husk, endocarp and pressed cakes are by-products with manifold applications. This multipurpose characteristic of Acrocomia suits the concept of bioeconomy. Agronomic aspects, cultivation, breeding, crop management and further applications are progressively studied. Paraguay is a natural habitat of Acrocomia, which gained economic importance by mid of the 20th century with the emergence of vegetable oil industry. It is considered as an alternative crop to diversify income sources for peasant and smallholder family farmers. They represent 90% of farms in Paraguay and increasingly face multiple challenges associated to agribusiness activities. Using the approach of biomass value web, this research aims to analyse the existing Acrocomia value chains in Paraguay, identifying opportunities and constraints for inclusive upgrading. Complementary, a bottom-up Acrocomia initiative in the region of San Pedro del Paraná (Itapúa) is studied, which focus on small-scale cultivation and processing of Acrocomia fruits.

The present paper gives an overview of the study of secondary data obtained by metadata research focused on geothermal survey. Through the database from Colombia Geological Survey were obtained chemical information of thermal waters in Puracé volcano area and these were characterized respectively. This volcano is located at southwestern of Cauca department in Colombia, along the Coconucos Volcanic Chain. The waters were classified according to Piper Diagram in three main types; calcium-chloride, sodium-chloride and sodium-potassium-bicarbonate waters. All the samples chosen were verified with charge balance error for further geothermal studies where some sample were discarded, and the suitable ones were carried out in studies of solute geothermometers. The geothermometry estimated a reservoir temperature between 150-220°C and mixing processes were identified through of stable isotopes providing information about the origin. Finally, according with the geology and the chemistry of thermal.

This paper analyses the forces and dynamics organizing the real estate development process, both from the provision of affordable housing and the promotion of real estate sector as the engine of the local economy. An indepth case-study of Bogotá has been conducted looking at the structural determinants of the urban real estate trajectory and how a particular administration affects the same. Two main findings are brought forward: firstly, the distribution and land use has been the most important factor of production in the-defining the urban trajectory of Bogotá through processes of ‘accumulation by dispossession’. This reflects in the coexistence of formal and informal markets, which are mediated by the growing scarcity of land and high prices. Secondly, while the Administration of Gustavo Petro strived to address these issues, its policies were not effective in reversing the speculation patterns or providing housing for the poor. Rather, they deepened these issues and further impacted the performance of the local economy. Resumen: Este documento analiza las fuerzas y dinámicas que organizan el proceso de desarrollo inmobiliario, tanto desde la provisión de viviendas asequibles como desde la promoción del sector inmobiliario como motor de la economía local. Se ha llevado a cabo un estudio de caso en Bogotá que analiza los determinantes estructurales de la trayectoria de los bienes inmuebles urbanos y la manera como una administración particular los influye o afecta. Se presentan dos hallazgos principales: en primer lugar, la distribución y el uso del suelo han sido el factor de producción más importante en la definición de la trayectoria urbana de Bogotá? a través de procesos de "acumulación por despojo"". Esto se refleja en la coexistencia de los mercados formales e informales, que están mediados por la creciente escasez de tierras y los altos precios. En segundo lugar, si bien la Administración de Gustavo Petro se esforzó? por abordar estos problemas, sus políticas no fueron efectivas para revertir los patrones de especulación o proporcionar viviendas a los pobres. Más bien, profundizaron estos problemas e impactaron aún más el desempeño de la economía local.

Este texto pretende analizar el proceso creativo en el cine de Agnès Varda, con el fin de descubrir las conexiones vitales que subyacen entre el gesto autobiográfico y la presencia de imágenes de casas y familias en sus películas. Se buscará comprender a la familia como un elemento preponderante que invita a descubrir nuevas formas de presencia de la cineasta dentro de su cine; prestando especial atención a la imagen de la casa como un espacio sobre el que se imprime la experiencia de la autora, y, sobre el que a su vez se presentan diferentes imaginarios de familias. La casa como dialéctica del gesto autobiográfico y de las historias de familia, y como vehiculización del quehacer cinematográfico, considerando la presencia de la propia familia de Varda dentro de su cine y la mítica casa en la Rue Daguerre en París, como instrumento para leer la Historia.

The purpose of the dissertation is to analyse the different legal issues that arise under the Canada -Colombia FTA after the Colombian Congress and the Constitutional Court banned mining activities within páramos. Special attention was placed on the question as to whether the decisions taken by the Colombian State, through the Congress and the Constitutional Court, implied a breach of the standard of Fair and Equitable Treatment enshrined in the FTA and particularly if: (i) it was against the stability, predictability and consistency of Colombia’s legal framework; (ii) if it thwarted the legitimate expectations of the contractors, if any; (iii) if the measures taken were adopted according to the proportionality principle, and finally (iv) if the measures constituted an indirect expropriation. The aim is to assess if the Colombian State could legally implement strict environmental protections over the páramo ecosystems without violating alleged rights or legitimate expectations of concessionaires, as well as the protection standards for investors and investments enshrined in the FTA. Resumen: El propósito de esta tesis es analizar los diferentes problemas legales que surgieron después de que el Congreso y la Corte Constitucional Colombiana prohibieron las actividades mineras en zonas de páramo. Especial atención fue puesta en si dicha decisión implicó una violación al estándar de protección de trato justo y equitativo consagrado en el tratado y, en particular, (i) si fue en contra de la estabilidad y consistencia del marco legal colombiano, (ii) si frustró expectativas de los concesionarios, si ellas existían, (iii) si la medida consultó el principio de proporcionalidad y (iv) si la medida constituyó una expropiación indirecta. El objetivo es evaluar si el Estado colombiano podía legalmente implementar una protección ambiental como la que implementó sin violar los presuntos derechos o expectativas legítimas de los concesionarios, así como lo estándares de protección consagrados en el tratado de libre comerio.

This research presents an analysis of the behaviour of pile curtain walls (non-secant) founded in the porous clay of Brasilia. The objective was the evaluation of the soil response by means of saturated and unsaturated tests of shear strength, porosimetry, mineralogy, water retention and microscopic structure. The curtain was instrumented to obtain data of the displacements and stresses acting in the anchors, in order to have the global behaviour of the structure during the construction process, allowing the numerical simulation of the unsaturated response of the soil, using a hypoplastic constitutive model implemented for these research and inserted in a FEM program (Plaxis 2D) with the User Defined Soil Models (UDSM) option. The parameters of the model were calibrated using element tests supported in unsaturated lab tests carried out in Charles University (Prague). The computational model used considers variables related to the environmental-soil interaction, i.e. rain loads were imposed in the model to observe the behaviour of the retaining structure where changes in the suction along the stratigraphic profile. Besides of the main studied case, the reference constitutive model was also validated considering another curtain wall in the DF, with similar characteristics for the purpose of evaluate the overall soil conditions. Resumen: Esta investigación presenta un análisis del comportamiento de muros cortina de pilotes (no secantes) fundados en arcilla porosa de Brasilia. El objetivo consistió en evaluar la respuesta del suelo mediante ensayos saturados y no saturados de resistencia al corte, porosimetría, mineralogía, retención de agua y estructura microscópica. La cortina fue instrumentada para obtener datos de desplazamientos y esfuerzos que actúan en los anclajes, con el fin de tener el comportamiento global de la estructura durante el proceso de construcción, permitiendo la simulación numérica de la respuesta no saturada del suelo. Utilizando un modelo constitutivo hipoplástico, implementado para esta investigación e insertado en un programa FEM (Plaxis 2D) con la opción UDSM. Los parámetros del modelo se calibraron utilizando programas Element Test respaldadas en ensayos de laboratorio no saturados realizados en Charles University (Praga). El modelo computacional utilizado considera variables relacionadas con la interacción atmosfera-suelo, es decir, se impusieron cargas de lluvia en el modelo para observar el comportamiento de la estructura de retención y los cambios en la succión a lo largo del perfil estratigráfico. Además del caso principal estudiado, el modelo constitutivo de referencia también fue validado considerando otro muro cortina en el DF, con características similares con el fin de evaluar las condiciones generales del suelo.

This work brings analytical clarity and original insights to the much-debated questions of whether and how to include violations of economic and social rights (ESRs) within the mandate of several widely used transitional justice mechanisms. First, it provides a nuanced and comprehensive framework of analysis to examine whether the inclusion of large-scale ESR violations within the powers of the studied mechanisms is in conformity with the functions they have had traditionally. Second, by analyzing the implementation of this analytical framework with respect to the power to adjudicate and provide reparations for large-scale ESR violations, it sheds new light on important aspects of these questions. It demonstrates that exercising the two mentioned powers by the analyzed mechanisms with respect to large-scale ESR violations is mostly in conformity with the functions these mechanisms have had traditionally. It also shows that most of the challenges that including these violations within the two studied powers would pose to the institutional competence and democratic legitimacy of the examined mechanisms are because these are large-scale abuses, not that they are ESR violations. Resumen: ¿Deben las violaciones de los derechos económicos y sociales (‘DES’) ser incluidas dentro del ámbito de la justicia transicional? En caso afirmativo, ¿cómo? Mi estudio hace importantes aportes al análisis de estas preguntas, específicamente respecto a la inclusión de las violaciones masivas de los DES dentro de los poderes de ciertos mecanismos de justicia transicional usados de manera frecuente. En primer lugar, mi artículo elabora un marco de análisis exhaustivo y matizado para examinar si la inclusión de las violaciones masivas de los DES dentro de los poderes de los mecanismos de justicia transicional estudiados, se ajusta o no a las funciones que estos tradicionalmente han tenido. En segundo lugar, al analizar la implementación de este marco de análisis con respecto a los poderes de adjudicar y de reparar violaciones masivas de los DES, mi trabajo aporta nuevas ideas e información sobre aspectos de importancia crítica de las cuestiones analizadas.

Architecture in a City Without Architects is the dissertation thesis for the Master in Sustainable and Resilient Architecture, in the framework on continuity and identity, which aims to cooperate with Nepal’s government in the reconstruction process after the devastating earthquakes of 2015 that affected that country. Focusing in Kathmandu’s city since it is the most populated and the most affected by the temblor as well as urban issues, this document presents an analysis with the main goal is to understand the current life’s conditions of this city; economical limitations, social concerns, isolated location and indochinese mentality. Therefore, a better approach to local perspective is achieved, questioning some paradigms from western mind. Translating this research to architectural and urban matters the investigation focuses on the accelerated and unplanified densification that affects the city specially in the center where oldest and more traditional neighbourhoods are located. And, the possible role of architecture on a system grounded in self-construction and non-regulations, out of reach of local authorities. Finally the understanding in consideration with architectural potential is apply to a specific case generating a proposal that aims to advocate for incorporate self -construction as economical support in order to add technical expertise that contribute in problems such as supplies lack, city’s ventilation, and gentrification. The specific strategy is the incorporation of high technology applied by bottom-up methods in order to get a passive system of oxygenation that use the current typology of narrow courtyards forced by the densification.

Whilst the anthropology of mining has been quite critical to the consequences of mineral extraction, the anthropology of finance has overlooked the consequences of mineral attraction. This dissertation explores how the World Gold Council (WGC), an umbrella organization for the global development of the gold market, makes such market attractive to investors by disconnecting gold financial value from gold mining conflicts. It introduces the concept of ‘resource attraction’, which brings together ethical regimes, affective relationships and global aspirations. It proposes to understand the problem of natural resources from the perspective of the demand mostly located in the global north, and not from the offer often located in the global south. Resumen: Mientras que la antropología de la minería ha sido muy crítica de las consecuencias de la extracción de minerales, la antropología de las finanzas ha ignorado las consecuencias de la atracción del mineral. Esta tesis explora cómo el Consejo Mundial del Oro (WGC, por sus siglas en inglés), una organización para el desarrollo global del mercado del oro, hace atractivo dicho mercado frente a los ojos de los inversionistas, desconectando el valor financiero del oro de los conflictos generados durante su extracción. Introduzco el concepto de “atracción de los recursos”, a través del marco conceptual que une regímenes éticos, relaciones afectivas y aspiraciones globales. Propone que el problema de los recursos naturales sea entendido desde la perspectiva de la demanda, por lo general ubicada en el Norte Global, y no solo desde la oferta, ubicada normalmente en el Sur Global.