Early in 2008, the Scottish government created a new Directorate for the Built Environment bringing together internal interests on planning, building standards and architecture with a view to greater co-ordination of policies.

BBC: Architecture and placemaking debate 1

Now that the first four model homes are complete, KB Home plans on building every home in Springwood to WaterSense standards.

FORBES: New water-efficient homes make perfect 'sense'

It was also literacy and numeracy programmes, building on best existing teaching practice, to raise basic standards systematically nationwide - 84, 000 more 11 year-olds a year now up to standard in maths and 60, 000 in English.

BBC: NEWS | UK | Politics | Full text: Blair on public services

Thanks to stricter lending standards and a glut of properties on the market, house-building has slowed sharply.

ECONOMIST: California

The i2i Can-do Toolkit provides guidance to registered social landlords building new affordable homes and working towards the Welsh Housing Quality Standards (WHQS) on making targeted recruitment and training a condition of contract when they appoint companies to carry out work on their behalf.

BBC: Democracy Live site links

"Given that many of these reactors they're building will be on the coastline, I think they will have to potentially look closer at the standards at which they build them, " he said.

WSJ: Uranium Firms Take Hit After Earthquake

Working through grantees, it has had significant impact on promoting adoption of state and federal vehicle efficiency standards, more stringent residential and commercial building codes to reduce energy consumption, and development of renewable energy technology.

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