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Population Mobility Network Characteristics and Its Influencing Factors under the Influence of Typhoon Bebinca—— A Case Study of the Yangtze River Delta Region
No full textWith the increasing frequency of extreme weather events such as typhoons, the stability and resilience of the inter-city population mobility network is facing serious challenges. However, existing studies have failed to comprehensively reveal the dynamics of the overall regional network, especially the changes in network structure and drivers under disaster situations. Therefore, based on the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) framework and the complex network model, this paper constructs an assessment model for the characteristics of the population mobility network in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region under the influence of Typhoon Bebinca, in order to analyze the impact of the typhoon on the network structure and the changes in its driving factors. The study shows that the typhoon had a significant impact on the characteristics and patterns of the population mobility network in the YRD. First, during the typhoon, the network size and density decreased, long-distance mobility decreased, and mobility was concentrated among neighboring cities, showing the characteristics of “small world”. Second, after the typhoon landfall, the population inflow to the central city dropped significantly. Then, network connectivity declines during the typhoon, but modularity increases. Finally, in terms of drivers, differences in wind, air quality, residents\u27 economic conditions, and the level of pollution control between cities significantly and negatively affect the network. In summary, this paper enriches the theoretical study of population mobility networks in disaster situations, and provides scientific basis and policy recommendations for enhancing emergency management capabilities and optimizing post-disaster recovery strategies in the YRD region
Socio-Political Risk Analysis of Public Private Partnership (P3) Affordable Housing Projects in Ghana: A Case Study of Three Projects
Get PDFThe implementation of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has driven numerous governmental initiatives aimed at achieving these targets. Considerable progress has been observed globally, particularly among developing nations, in the pursuit of Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11) by the year 2030. However, despite these advancements, many countries, especially in the developing world, continue to face significant challenges in fully realizing this objective. In Ghana, the public-private partnership (PPP or P3) model has been adopted as an approach to facilitate successful housing projects.
This study critically examines various affordable housing projects in Ghana to identify potential risk factors that may hinder the successful construction and completion of affordable housing initiatives delivered through the P3 model. The findings reveal that sociopolitical risks constitute a notable challenge to the success of affordable housing projects in Ghana employing this delivery approach. Furthermore, the study assesses the potential impacts of such risks on project outcomes.
In response, this research offers practical risk management strategies and control mechanisms tailored to housing projects in Ghana under the P3 framework. The insights gained from this study serve as a valuable resource for government entities, real estate investors, and residential construction firms, guiding project planning and implementation for all P3-driven projects within the Ghanaian context
Framework for Assessing the Sustainability of Innovative Building Technology
Get PDFThe construction industry faces the dual challenge of providing affordable housing while addressing the pressing issue of climate change. In South Africa, many residents are forced to live in informal settlements due to a lack of affordable housing. This study aims to develop a sustainability assessment framework that evaluates the interconnectedness of affordability, social sustainability and environmental impact. The framework emphasizes the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It incorporates energy consumption and socio-economic impact criteria aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The findings suggest that while sustainable building practices may incur higher initial costs, they offer long-term benefits, including reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions. The proposed framework will serve as a tool for evaluating the sustainability of innovative building technologies, contributing to the discourse on sustainable construction practices. The study recommends an enhanced stakeholder engagement and a regulatory landscape conducive to adopting IBTs. Further empirical research is recommended to refine the framework and broaden its applicability across different contexts
Use of Modular and Offsite Technologies in Construction: Barriers and Pathways to Adoption
No full textThe construction industry struggles with low productivity, leading to time and budget overruns, ultimately escalating project costs. This research examines the barriers to adopting alternative construction technologies within the South African construction industry, including offsite and modular construction. The rationale for this study is that, despite numerous innovative technologies aimed at improving productivity and performance, these technologies have yet to be fully adopted, resulting in persistent low productivity levels. Through an in-depth literature review, the construction industry\u27s current state was investigated to understand the selected technologies\u27 background better. The research adopted a quantitative approach, collecting data from industry professionals through a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. The findings revealed that offsite construction is the most widely implemented technology, but proficiency still needs improvement. Critical barriers to using the technologies include a need for more client knowledge, insufficient skills and training, and limited resources. These barriers vary across the identified technologies and significantly impact construction performance. The study concludes that construction projects with knowledgeable clients that adopt alternative technologies, such as Offsite and Modular construction, will have better outcomes in terms of time, cost and productivity. Therefore, it is recommended that enhanced training initiatives should be established for clients to facilitate the adoption of these technologies, ultimately improving project performance. Further research is suggested to explore the extent to which the implementation of these technologies affects project performance using quantitative metrics of cost and time.
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International Comparison of Training Goals in Wooden Construction Education - Focusing on contents of wooden building systems -
Get PDFTo contribute to realizing a decarbonized society, the use of wood in buildings is being promoted worldwide. In recent years, new structures, construction methods, and materials for large wooden buildings have been developed. Support for the acquisition of design techniques, construction techniques, and techniques for understanding the performance of wooden buildings has become indispensable for introducing wooden construction. Japan and Finland have abundant forest resources and a long history of wooden construction. In recent years, the relaxation of regulations and the development of new materials have accelerated the movement toward the realization of large wooden buildings. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the challenges and directions of large wooden buildings education at universities in Japan and Finland. This paper compares the educational content of wooden construction at universities in both countries with the architectural education offered by firms specializing in the design of large wooden buildings focusing on the contents of wooden building systems. Furthermore, it will identify the educational content required for architectural education at universities. The analysis showed that the total number of study hours for wooden construction-related classes at universities in the two countries differed. However, some universities had almost the same ratio of study time for lectures, exercises, and design practice, and could be classified as “lecture-centered,” “exercise-centered,” “design-centered,” or “balanced”. In addition, companies involved in large wooden buildings in both countries require universities to have six competencies: properties of wood, manufacture of wood products, knowledge of wooden structure and construction methods, knowledge of laws related to wooden construction, history of wooden construction, and industrial production of wooden construction. And we found that the content and emphasis of these competencies differed between the two countries. These results indicate that Japanese in-house education tends to be comprehensive, covering planning and design, environment and facilities, regulations, structure, and construction. On the other hand, university education emphasizes the fields of planning and design, regulations, and structures, and only partially implements the fields of environment, equipment, and construction. In-house education in Finland has fewer items than in Japan, but university education is focused on the construction field
Ethical Risks of Human–Robot Interaction in the Construction Industry: A Systematic Review
Get PDFRobotics is increasingly deployed on construction sites, enhancing efficiency, safety, and quality. However, the form of human–robot interaction (HRI) poses various ethical challenges, and insufficient attention has been paid to the ethical aspects of HRI in the construction industry within the academic community. To bridge this gap, this study aims to identify, analyze, and evaluate ethical risks across various HRI patterns in the construction industry through an agent-relationship-scenario three-tier ethical lens. This lens includes three types of agents: managers, workers, and robots, as well as five interaction patterns: remote monitoring, proximity manipulation, non-collaborative coexistence, non-wearable collaboration, and wearable collaboration. This study conducts a systematic literature review based on the PRISMA protocol and develops a systematic ethical risk classification framework. Additionally, the characteristics of ethical risks across different HRI models and scenarios are further analyzed. Finally, based on the analysis of ethical risks, this study proposes ethical guidelines and normative recommendations. The findings reveal six dimensions of ethical risks:overtrust or distrust, human misconduct, robot system misdesign, physical risks, psychological risks, and regulation and accountability risks. This study offers new insights into ethical aspects of HRI in the construction industry, provides suggestions for future research, and lays a foundation for developing administrative guidelines
Integrated Project Delivery and its Use in Construction
Get PDFIntegrated project delivery (IPD) is a unique delivery method that involves a collaborative approach among the primary stakeholders. Unlike traditional methods, where parties tend to prioritize their individual interests, IPD aligns everyone\u27s goals for the collective benefit of the project. This approach encourages open communication, shared risk and a collective commitment to success. This study will provide a comprehensive review of the literature, an overview of the IPD delivery structure and a review of case studies comparing and contrasting IPD with traditional methods. Key findings indicate that IPD is still a relatively niche project delivery method but has had great success when applied to suitable projects
Integrating Nature-Based Solutions for Urban Resilience in the Pursuit of Sustainable Built Environments
Get PDFUrban areas increasingly face climate-related challenges such as extreme heat, flooding, and biodiversity loss, that demand innovative, resilient solutions. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) have emerged as a transformative approach for adapting urban areas, by integrating natural processes into urban planning process to enhance resilience and sustainability. In this paper, the role of NBS in promoting urban resilience is examined, aligning closely with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 11, which is intended to alter cities to become inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Key NBS strategies—such as green roofs, urban forests, bioswales, permeable pavements, sustainable building materials having high solar reflectivity— offer climate adaptation benefits such as temperature regulation and stormwater management, improved air quality, carbon sequestering, encouragement of biodiversity, and the promotion of social well-being. The implementation of NBS faces however, multiple challenges, including policy, financial, technical, and social barriers. In this paper each of these obstacles are addresses and the need for a paradigm shift is emphasized to overcome such barriers that would involve policy incentives, hybrid solutions, and community-driven strategies. Through a review of case studies, taken from Toronto, Detroit, Singapore, Malmö, and Rotterdam, are used to illustrates how hybrid NBS approaches, in which ecological processes have been combined with traditional engineering, have successfully used to address specific urban challenges. These cases demonstrate the potential of NBS to deliver multifunctional benefits, especially when implemented through cross-sector collaboration and supported by adaptive management frameworks. By providing useful outcomes that can be turned directly into actionable insights for policymakers, urban planners, and stakeholders, the results described in this permit advocating for the integration of NBS as a pathway to sustainable, resilient urban landscapes. Indeed, it is shown that the implementation of NBS enhance urban adaptability and contribute significantly to global sustainability goals, offering scalable models for cities worldwide
Heat stress in informal settlements: complex solutions for a multifaceted problem
No full textHeat stress is a well-known climate change-affected risk that typically impacts the most vulnerable sectors of our society. While its climate change correlation is well defined, drivers of heat stress exposure and mitigation measures to address it are complex - especially in informal settlements. This paper will unpack the heat stress-related vulnerabilities and adaptive capacity of inhabitants living in a South African informal settlement, highlighting the internal drivers that increase the inhabitants’ exposure to and limit any structural and behavioural response measures on dwelling and urban levels. As part of larger interdisciplinary projects, this paper conveys an analysis of triangulated findings from mixed methods studies that considered the informal urban structure, user perspectives of their heat stress exposure and adaptive capacity, along with empirical data on heat stress exposure under current climate conditions. Reflecting on the findings of the adaptative capacity, and resource and skills availability of the Melusi informal settlement, located in Tshwane, South Africa, the study reveals that even though the indoor environments typically expose users to high heat stress conditions, the adaptive response measures and the lack of available public space result in limited local response capacity. This highlights heat stress as a complex problem requiring integrated community or urban level response measures. The paper contributes to the climate change adaptation discourse and its implementation within informal settlements by specifically highlighting potential approaches to developing extensive, multi-faceted heat stress infrastructure networks
Supply Management System in Ready-Mixed Concrete Companies: Evidence from Turkey
Get PDFThe ready-mixed concrete industry has gained significance due to the growing global need for mass housing, high-rise buildings, and infrastructure projects. Ready-mixed concrete must be used within two hours of production, necessitating local manufacturing. Turkey stands out as the third-largest producer of ready-mixed concrete globally, after China and the U.S. A better understanding of supply management systems in ready-mixed concrete companies is critical for enhancing operational efficiency, meeting the dynamic demands of clients, and achieving long-term stability and growth in such a competitive market. The main aim of this study is to evaluate ready-mixed concrete companies\u27 supply management systems, focusing on three key aspects: (1) sales, (2) supply, and (3) waste management. A questionnaire was designed and randomly distributed to professionals employed by 150 ready-mixed concrete companies, achieving a 47% response rate with 70 returns. The findings indicate that the established practices among producers include frequent adjustments in unit pricing, offers of flexibility in payments, and the frequent use of discounts. Notably, half of the companies surveyed demonstrated high manufacturing capacity and high-quality production, with 75% supporting R&D operations. A significant portion (65%) employed over 15 technical professionals, and 64% utilized advanced vehicle tracking systems. Challenges in the availability of raw materials were common, and most companies employed waste management systems. These insights help to understand ready-mixed concrete production and distribution better and pave the way for optimizing supply chain dynamics in the ready-mixed concrete industry, offering pathways to improved efficiency and profitability