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On the Rationality of Borrowers’ Behaviour: Comparing Risk Attitudes of Homeowners
Get PDF'On the Rationality of Borrowers’ Behaviour' was prompted by two observations: first, mortgage take-up amongst homeowners was fairly divergent across Europe, and second, the fact that this was seen by academic researchers as well as policymakers and financial authorities as an indication of fundamental differences in the risk attitudes of homeowners. Although the time and depth of the cycles differed from one European country to another, mortgage markets have grown in size, expanded in product variation and improved borrowers’ accessibility to mortgage credit. However, this expanding range of mortgage opportunities significantly increases the search and information costs for a borrower, making it harder for him to find the mortgage with the most favourable cost-risk trade-off. Nonetheless, the research reveals that homeowners are still acting as rational customers, i.e. willing and able to choose the optimal mortgage. Meanwhile, the cross-country analysis in this study highlights the role of the institutions, household characteristics, and the structure of national mortgage markets as key elements in shaping the optimal mortgage for homeowners
Contracting for Better Places: A Relational Analysis of Development Agreements in Urban Development Projects
Get PDFLarge-scale urban development projects aim to create better places in underused or deteriorated areas. For their realization, cooperation between planning authorities and market parties is indispensable. Contracting for Better Places focuses on the development agreements that these parties close. It follows from the relational contract theory that, as the projects evolve over time, these agreements have to promote relational values such as trust and flexibility. This work displays four interesting cases: Battery Park City and Hudson Yards (both in New York City), Zuidas (Amsterdam) and King’s Cross (London). The content, meaning and function of real-life development agreements of these focal projects are studied and criticized. The conclusions have a case-specific as well as a more general character. Therefore, this book is of value for academics as well as practitioners as it conducts some pioneering work in a field that has not been subject of much research yet
Urban Housing Patterns in a tide of change: Spatial structure and residential property values in Budapest in a comparative perspective
Get PDFThe development of the housing markets in different European metropolitan areas is of high interest for the urban development and the real estate markets, which are moving towards globalisation. The Budapest housing market is an ideal candidate for scrutiny from an institutional and evolutionary perspective due to its fragmented nature: different house types, age categories, price levels and micro-locations are found side by side. This is a case ‘in between’ Eastern and Western settings, with its own distinctive path dependence — its development pattern does not resemble any other system. The study comprises an innovative economic analysis of the Budapest housing market structure. Applying the self-organising map and the learning vector quantification sheds light on how physical and socio-demographic characteristics, price and regulation are related in this market. Further analysis is carried out using the analytical hierarchy process together with in-depth interviews of experts and a case study of urban renewal in two neighbourhoods using market data. The results are compared with those of a prior study from Helsinki and Amsterdam, as well as with more general theory literature. The results suggest a great difficulty in relating the empirical findings from Budapest to mainstream theory of housing markets
Nanostructured lime-based materials for the conservation of calcareous substrates
Get PDFNanolimes, i.e. dispersions of lime (Ca(OH)2)nanoparticles in alcohol, have been extensively investigated over the last two decades as consolidation products for calcareous substrates.
The use of nanolimes for consolidation of mural paintings arises from the lack of effective and compatible consolidants for this type of substrates; the use of nanolimes was later extended also to limestone and lime-based mortars, as an alternative for silica-precursor consolidants (e.g. tetraethoxysilan - TEOS), which had shown to have a limited effectiveness and compatibility with calcareous substrates.
Nanolime dispersions are characterized by a very small size of the lime particles, which should provide a proper penetration within the porous network of most building materials. In fact, a homogeneous and in-depth penetration of the consolidant is a crucial requirement when dealing with decayed stones and plasters/renders.
The effectiveness of nanolime dispersions reported in literature appears controversial. Some authors observed a proper penetration and moderate consolidating action, whereas others report poor penetration, poor consolidation action and sometimes the formation of a white haze on the treated surface. There is no agreement concerning the factors affecting the transport and deposition of the lime nanoparticles within a porous network, and the causes of the observed drawbacks are not well understood.
Therefore, the main research question is:
Is nanolime a suitable alternative to silica-precursor consolidants (e.g. TEOS) for the consolidation of calcareous substrates?
More specifically, the following research questions can be formulated:
How and up to which extent can the effectiveness and compatibility of nanolime be improved? How can deposition of nanolime in depth be improved and the appearance of a white haze on the surface avoided?
How can nanolime properties be fine-tuned to improve the effectiveness and compatibility of the treatment?
What is the effect of different application methods on the effectiveness of nanolime consolidation?
This research investigates and elucidates the behaviour of nanolime products for consolidation of calcareous substrates. Based on the developed knowledge, it proposes and validates a methodology (including solvent modification and application protocol) for improving the consolidation effectiveness of nanolime dispersions, making these a suitable alternative for TEOS products.
Firstly, an experimental campaign was carried out in order to understand the penetration and deposition of commercial nanolimes on coarse porous calcareous substrates (Maastricht limestone). The main cause of the poor nanolime deposition in-depth was identified in the back-transport of the nanoparticles towards the drying surface, as a consequence of the high volatility and low kinetic stability of the dispersions.The modification of the nanolime properties, through the optimization of the solvent, appears thus a feasible strategy to improve the in-depth deposition of the lime nanoparticles. New nanolimes were synthetized and dispersed in a selection of solvents conferring different stability and drying rate to the obtained nanolime dispersions. A conceptual model, correlating the properties (i.e. drying rate and kinetic stability) of nanolimes dispersed in different solvents, to the moisture transport behaviour of the substrates to be treated, was conceived. The model was experimentally validated on coarse porous (Maastricht) and fine-porous (Migní©) limestones.
Experimental results confirmed the predictions of the model that nanolimes dispersed in solvent with lower volatility and stability (e.g. water or butanol) have a good in-depth deposition within coarse porous networks. On the other hand, solvents with higher volatility and guaranteeing higher kinetic stability (e.g. ethanol or isopropanol) to the relative dispersions, should be preferred for substrates with fine porous networks. Fine-tuning the properties of the nanolime dispersion (by modification of the solvent) to the moisture transport behaviour of the substrate, is shown to be a successful strategy for improving in-depth deposition of lime nanoparticles.
On the basis of the obtained results, the solvent mixture was further fine-tuned using ethanol-water mixtures. Results proved that ethanol-based nanolime, mixed with a minor amount of water (5%), can provide better nanoparticles in-depth deposition within coarse porous substrates (e.g. Maastricht limestone), when compared to dispersions in pure ethanol.The application procedure of nanolime dispersions was also studied and optimized, this step being a crucial aspect for a successful consolidation; nanolimes were applied both by capillary absorption (method commonly used for laboratory tests) or by nebulization (method widely used in situ) on a coarse porous limestone and a mortar.
The research showed that results obtained by application through capillary absorption do not always correspond to those obtained by nebulization.
The effectiveness and compatibility of nanolimes with improved properties and a fine-tuned application protocol were finally verified. Fresh and weathered Maastricht limestone, as well as lime-based mortars, were treated. Results showed that nanolime dispersions can guarantee an in-depth consolidation both in laboratory mortar specimens and weathered limestone, with only a moderate alteration of the total porosity and of the moisture transport properties of the investigated substrates.
Therefore, nanolime dispersions, provided that they are properly formulated and applied, can be a suitable and compatible alternative to TEOS for the consolidation of coarse porous substrates. This dissertation contributes to define guidelines to support restorers and professionals in the choice and application of nanolime dispersions for consolidation of calcareous substrates.
 
Socio-spatial change in Lithuania: Depopulation and increasing spatial inequalities
No full textThe fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 signalled a major change for Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. Despite the significant benefits gained with the ‘return to Europe’, CEE countries have also been faced with large challenges (Gentile, Tammaru, & van Kempen, 2012; Kornai, 2006; Koví¡cs, 1999; Shleifer & Treisman, 2014). They had to transform their political and economic systems and find new ways to establish themselves in the context of increasing globalization, liberalization and technological progress. This has led to rapid and significant changes in their socio-spatial organization (Brade, Herfert, & Wiest, 2009; Gentile et al., 2012; Lang, 2011; Lang, Henn, Sgibnev, & Ehrlich, 2015; Schmidt, Fina, & Siedentop, 2015; Smith & Timí¡r, 2010). According to Stanilov (2007), due to the very rapid pace of change, the recent socio-spatial developments in CEE countries can be seen as a perfect ‘laboratory for observation’. The most significant development trends in the post-socialist countries are population decline and increasing spatial inequalities that started soon after the reforms. Of all the post-socialist countries, it is Lithuania that stands out the most, experiencing an extreme drop in population (Eurostat, 2017; United Nations, 2015). Since the 1990s, it has lost more than 20 percent of the population, which makes it one of the world’s fastest shrinking countries. Furthermore, in Lithuania in the socialist period, planning policy focused on decentralisation and sought to limit the growth of the major cities (Enyedi, 1998; Å eÅ¡elgis, 1996; Vanagas, KriÅ¡jane, Noorkoiv, & Staniënas, 2002). Now most of the economic growth and demographic potential is concentrated in a few metropolitan regions, particularly in Vilnius (Burneika & Ubareviciene, 2015; Cirtautas, 2013; Krupickaitė, 2014; Ubarevičienė & Burneika, 2015; Ubarevičienė, Burneika, & Kriaučiënas, 2011). Extreme population decline and uneven spatial development can be seen as a threat to the economic and social stability of Lithuania.
Despite the fact that significant socio-spatial transformations have been occurring for three decades in Lithuania, they have only recently started to attract greater attention. However, many issues related to socio-spatial development still receive little attention in the scientific and political domains. The aim of this thesis is to gain more insight into the recent socio-spatial transformation processes and their consequences in Lithuania.
This thesis investigates the main features and drivers of socio-spatial change. It shows why we should be concerned, despite the growing economy and improvements in the standard of living, as Lithuania is facing major challenges related to extreme population decline and increasing socio-spatial inequality. The results of this study provide a better understanding of the development processes and reveal how the Soviet-designed socio-spatial structures adapted to a market economy environment. This thesis contributes to the existing literature by investigating population decline, migration patterns, processes of segregation and increasing regional inequalities. While the focus is on Lithuania, the results of this study are also of value for other CEE countries, many of which have experienced similar trajectories of change during recent decades.
This thesis focuses on four areas of social-spatial change: population decline, shifting residential patterns, social segregation and increasing regional inequalities. These processes characterised Lithuania in the recent decades. Firstly, due to its exceptional geopolitical situation (the experience of a shift from the Soviet Union to the EU) and, secondly, due to the specific legacy of Soviet planning policy. 
International Façades - CROFT: Climate Related Optimized Façade Technologies
Get PDFLooking at Central European building projects illustrates an awareness of sustainability and the need to save energy. This trend is based on the finiteness of natural resources, and is thus wise to follow. Developments in this region including passive house technologies, and energy plus solutions that create more energy than they use have become realisable. But it is not increasing technological knowledge alone that supported these developments; the Central European climate makes it possible to invent technological solutions that allow for maximum comfort while maintaining low energy consumption.
Other regions have experienced a building boom over the past decades that has dramatically increased city sizes. A detailed examination of such building projects illustrates that most of them strive for the international standard with a high glazing ratio in the style of the Central European examples. But how can architecture be transferred to regions with entirely different climate conditions? The answer lies in the technological possibilities we have at our disposal today. The main research question of this thesis refers to utilising the local climate. Which methods are necessary to plan a building - and a façade as the interface between the inside and the outside, in particular - while working with, not against the climate? Sailing has been used as an analogy: only with the knowledge of winds and tides can we use them to efficiently move across bodies of water. Those who have not learned or understood this will have to use a motorboat and pay the price for petrol.
Chapter 2 ‘Climate zones’ describes the different climate zones and their particularities, analysed with the help of eight different boomtowns. The mild Central European climate becomes particularly apparent when compared to tropic locations such as Singapore. Here, very high average temperatures and humidity levels require that we rethink and find new solutions.
In chapter 3 ‘Principles of climate-adapted architecture’ a journey back in time to traditional building methods and vernacular architecture lets us identify how building styles and building methods derived from an adaptation to the local climate. Have we lost some of this knowledge, and what can we learn to adapt modern architecture to the local climate? The study of traditional architecture is sobering; all or most of the solutions found in traditional architecture have, in principle, been implemented or further developed in modern technological solutions. The Roman hypocaust is the predecessor of modern underfloor heating and the fresh air stream, called “lifeline” in India, that cools down massive walls during the night can be compared to night flush ventilation used in modern office buildings. All of the traditional methods and solutions have made survival possible under sometimes extreme climatic conditions. But the comfort level expected by the modern user and regulated by building codes could have never be achieved.
The façade is the focal point of this work because, as an enclosing building component, it connects or separates the interior and the exterior. After a short introduction about the evolutionary history of the façade, chapter 4 ‘The Façade’ describes the reciprocity of the façade with reference to the indoor room climate. Since the possibilities of regulating the indoor climate and thereby the comfort level with the façade itself are limited, chapter 5 ‘Building services components’ includes a description of the building services components necessary to control the room climate.
Chapter 6 ‘FET Façade Expert Tool’ describes the process of combining the findings from the previous chapter for a tool to analyse the climate and the combination of façade and building services. The goal of the “Façade Expert Tool” (FET) software tool is to easily analyse the climate of a particular location and to then limit the possible combination of façade and building services components to a practical level. The initial aim to generate the perfect combination of components and therewith the ideal façade and building services after entering a particular location upon a click of the mouse was replaced by the idea of an expert tool that requires basic knowledge of the working principle of the individual components and their reciprocal action. The application of the FET and its recommendations as well as comparison simulations rounds off the chapter. The performance capability of the tool is illustrated by a reduction in energy consumption of up to 50% in the comparative thermal simulations.
In many cases, the approaches to solutions and examples introduced in chapter 7 ‘Climate Responsive Optimised Façade Technologies CROFT’ under the name “Climate Responsive Optimised Façade Technologies” (CROFT) use reduced glazing ratios recommended by the FET to integrate new technical solutions into non-transparent areas of the façade. To name a few: a condensate trap that enables dehumidification of the outside air in tropical climates as well as a rotating sun protection system that creates the sensation of transparency for the human eye while providing efficient sun protection.
The final chapter 8 ‘Conclusion’ takes a critical look at the research, highlights potential for further research and new markets, and summarises the overall results.
This thesis can be linked to the fields of architecture, building services and building physics. The focus of the research and the author’s background in architecture is easy to perceive. But beyond purely formative architectural aspects, the building envelope as the interface between the inside and the outside requires knowledge of building physical basics and the function and interaction with or as part of the building services system.
The thesis also aims at mediating between different planning disciplines and at supporting an interdisciplinary planning process. If it furthers international diversity in façade design that represents the respective location in addition to reduced energy consumption, the author’s intentions have been met and another step toward a sustainable future has been accomplished
Amsterwarm: Gebiedstypologie warmte-eiland Amsterdam
Get PDFAmsterwarm biedt met de ontwikkeling van een gebiedstypologie inzicht in het stedelijk warmte-eiland effect in de stad Amsterdam.
De typologie maakt duidelijk in hoeverre de stad Amsterdam zelf bijdraagt aan het stedelijk warmte-eiland effect, in hoeverre buurten en woningen hun bewoners blootstellen aan het warmte-eiland effect, en in hoeverre de bewoners van de stad kwetsbaar zijn voor de gevolgen ervan.
De typologie is gebaseerd op het ruimtegebruik fysieke kenmerken van Amsterdam, op de leefbaarheid en de woningkwaliteit, en op de samenstelling van de bevolking in de verschillende delen van de stad.
De typologie geeft concrete handreikingen voor het soort actie die de stad Amsterdam kan ondernemen met oog op het welzijn en het comfort van haar bevolking, en met oog op het beperken van het energiegebruik om gebouwen te koelen tijdens warm weer.
De gebiedstypologie maakt het mogelijk om uitspraken te doen over specifieke maatregelen/prioriteiten voor verschillende delen van de stad Amsterdam.
Amsterwarm verkent tevens hoe sterk het warmte-eiland Amsterdam is
Imagine: Façades
Get PDFFaçade technology of the 20th century is related to the dissolution of the massive wall into a separation of structure and façade. Looking at the development of façade technology, after 60 years of curtain wall systems, 30 years of element-façade systems and ten years of experience with the integration of environmental services in double façades, it can be concluded that the peak of optimisation has been reached. No further technical developments can be expected by continuing to apply extra layers for each additional technical function. Understanding façades - or better envelopes - as part of an integral building, we have to see that creating the future envelope has to be done on a ’network’ basis: employing systems - but also methods of thinking - which provide the possibility to develop different aspects simultaneously and combine them as required. The envelope has to be seen as a functional part of the entire building, serving a part of the demand by providing the necessary technologies and qualities. In this regard, we have to withdraw from material and structure-orientated thinking and construction — we have to develop the envelope as a hybrid system: materials, technologies and production processes have to be integrated into the summation and combined into an all-encompassing result. Façades comprise various themes covering strategic, material and technological developments. Aspects such as function integration, networking of elements, new structures and materials as well as the addition of functions to existing structures will be investigated and explained in 85 or so concrete ideas. 
Unequal Networks: Spatial Segregation, Relationships and Inequality in the City
Get PDFDoes the neighbourhood in which people live matter for the resourcefulness of their personal network and thus for their opportunities in life? Do residents of a multi-ethnic ‘problem’ area maintain fewer relationships with fellow residents compared to residents of a homogeneous problem-free neighbourhood? And do ‘diversity-seekers’ who choose to live in a mixed neighbourhood translate their liking for diversity into more mixed networks and more bridging ties? This book brings together key insights from urban studies and network studies in order to understand whether and how spatial segregation matters for personal networks and inequality. By approaching these questions through different urban sociological perspectives, the book engages with current debates on poverty concentration as well as ethnic diversity, gentrification and social capital. The study is based on detailed quantitative and qualitative data on the personal networks of people living in three differently composed neighbourhoods in Rotterdam, the second largest city in the Netherlands
Innovation Development for Highly Energy-Efficient Housing: Opportunities and Challenges Related to the Adoption of Passive Houses
Get PDFIn previous years we have seen a recognition of the significant potential that exists for reducing energy use through innovation in residential buildings. This study investigates innovation challenges and identifies opportunities that could lead to a rapid increase in the adoption of highly energy-efficient housing concepts, particularly that of the passive house. To this end, it exemplifies, interprets and develops the innovation adoption theory through an investigation of views and experiences on the supply side, the demand side and the policy side.
It highlights successful innovation trajectories and barriers experienced by businesses. It addresses both problems and positive experiences from the perspective of the end user and investigates different policy approaches. As such, the research reveals important features of innovation-adoption strategies in the building sector. It shows how multi-player enterprise collaboration plays a key role, and the study also recommends the development of quality assurance schemes. It makes a valuable contribution to discussions about how active the role of government policymakers and enterprise networks should be