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4D visualization to bridge the knowing-doing gap in megaprojects: an Australian case study
Get PDFThe literature on megaprojects are oriented towards ‘knowing’ the problems and ‘knowing’ the solutions, and there is a dearth in literature aimed at explaining strategies adopted in ‘doing’ or implementing that knowledge. Particularly, the literature highlights communication as important as part of the ‘knowing,’ while there is a gap in ‘doing,’ as performance improvements are still not evident. This research aims to explore how this knowing-doing gap in the communication of risk information was addressed by using 4D visualization. This article discusses the vent facility of a megaproject in Australia as a case study to illustrate the innovation. The 4D model developed for the facility helped the project team to visualize the construction of a critical part of the project, discuss the construction methodology, identify the risks in the construction process and persuade the non-technical decision-makers of the project to take appropriate action. The risks identified through the visualization covered safety, program, and interface risks. This study offers insights into the role of visualization in bridging the knowing-doing gap in the construction industry in the context of a megaproject
Struggle with Multiple Pandemics: Women, the Elderly and Asian Ethnic Minorities during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths in the first six months of 2020. It also exposed and led to increases in the inequalities that exist worldwide. This paper draws attention to the prejudices and biases toward three vulnerable social groups—women, the elderly and Asian ethnic minorities during the crisis. It shows that while women ‘held up more than half of the sky’ both inside and outside the house, they struggled against rising domestic violence and various forms of sexism. The elderly, the most at risk of infection, are being ‘abandoned,’ ‘abused’ or ‘obliged’ to sacrifice themselves to the capitalist market economy. Ethnic minorities, especially Asian/Chinese immigrants in western countries have been subjected to racial stereotypes in their everyday life. Although the coronavirus will disappear, the ‘shadow’ of the pandemic will undoubtedly remain unless we rebuild solidarity and work together to reflect, reconcile and redress the inequalities entrenched in our societies
Diseñar comunidades en paz: Enfoques participativos de investigación-acción anclados a una educación regional en Colombia
Get PDFGaitania es un corregimiento ubicado en la cordillera de los Andes, muy cerca de donde se formó la guerrilla de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC, a mediados de la década de los 60. En este contexto, se realizó un proyecto de investigación y educación con organizaciones estatales, civiles y comunitarias, incluida la Agencia para la Reincorporación y Normalización del Gobierno colombiano, ARN, asociaciones de productores de café en el sur del Tolima, la comunidad indígena Nasa Wes\u27x y 150 excombatientes, así como profesores y estudiantes del Programa de Diseño de la Universidad de Ibagué, Colombia. El propósito de este artículo es demostrar cómo la formación en diseño puede transformarse orgánicamente de aprendizajes instrumentales a maneras creativas autónomas.
Este proyecto estableció procesos colectivos de reflexión-acción que funcionaron en conjunto con cuatro objetivos críticos de aprendizaje, según lo especificado por el Programa de Diseño. Se realizaron talleres para la co-creación de una marca colectiva de café, que reunió a víctimas y victimarios en un proceso conjunto de reconciliación e intercambio de memorias. A través de la generación de una marca colectiva de café especial, llamada El Tercer Acuerdo, la cual actualmente se comercializa, se está recuperando y construyendo memoria sobre los procesos de paz autónomos del territorio y sus propios esfuerzos de autovalidación. También, se desarrollaron habilidades críticas en estudiantes y comunidades para que pudieran comprender las implicaciones de producir un diseño que respondiera al mercado, al tiempo que se reconocía la importancia de construir caminos de transición para los participantes, especialmente en contextos de guerra y paz. Las reflexiones de los estudiantes condujeron a la construcción de distinciones para la praxis, como la plandisposición, escuchacción, síntesis honesta y sentipensar-actuar, que nos revelan una conciencia crítica de cómo el diseño puede abrir posibilidades para crear futuros en los que coexistan muchos mundos
Engaging a community for youth mental health and wellness: Reflections and lessons learned
Get PDFAs clinicians at a university-affiliated health centre faced with youth mental health and substance use concerns, we reached out to the local community for guidance. We partnered with community leaders to explore how to best understand the issues and engage with the community. Using a community-engaged research (CEnR) approach, we conducted a needs assessment to explore the issues and inform change. We formalised a partnership with the local school and community board, which led to the creation of a Community Alliance. Our engagement efforts allowed us to understand the community more deeply and establish more effective change. Our most successful outcome was the development of a youth mental health and wellness Action Plan which helped direct our strategies moving forward. This article highlights our community engagement activities, processes and lessons learned, which may be of benefit to other academic researchers and clinicians who are interested in CEnR
Early career women in construction: Are their career expectations being met?
Get PDFThe recruitment, retention and development of early career women have always been a challenge in the construction industry. With the focus on early career women or new female construction management degree graduate hires in construction, this study explores: (i) factors influencing their choice of career in construction; (ii) the extent of which their career expectations were met in their first few years of job experience; and (iii) how their met or unmet career expectations are related their overall job satisfaction. Data was collected using an online survey questionnaire. The results show that the top significant factors influencing the respondents’ career choice are career opportunities and belief of getting better pay. Their career expectations, on the other hand, were met or exceeded to a great extent for almost all the measurement items. The results also show that the respondents have a relatively high overall job satisfaction level. Although there is lack of evidence that their overall job satisfaction increased as met career expectations increased, there are statistically significant positive correlations among the career expectation measurement items. These findings have implications for human resource practices of construction employers that aimed to attract early career women into the industry, and to reinforce their met career expectations and job satisfaction
Critique of the functional assignment architecture of Punjab’s local governance legislation of 2013 & 2019
Get PDFIn 2013 and 2019, the local government legislation of the province of Punjab in Pakistan saw two rounds of major changes – each of which led to a new local government Act being passed. In 2013 the changes were driven by constitutional and judicial requirements and in 2019 by the political will of Pakistan’s new coalition government. This article analyses and compares the functional assignment (FA) architecture of the two Acts against a set of parameters. The study finds that marginal improvements to the FA architecture introduced by the 2019 Act are offset by continuing inconsistencies and lack of clarity over ‘who does what’ in the functions assigned to local governments. The authors suggest that improving the functionality of local governments requires full implementation of the design features of the new system, including institutional strengthening of provincial-level entities which regulate and oversee the local government system
Property rate in Ghana: a poor local revenue source or underexploited potential?
Get PDFThis article aims to assess whether or not property rates in Ghana are a good potential source of local revenue. Through detailed analysis of six local government case studies, we find that present prospects for most rural local areas to raise substantial rate revenue are circumscribed, but in urban councils they are more promising. Nevertheless, no council is able to collect rates fully and from all rateable properties. This is attributed to several factors: the politicisation of taxation; ethnic homogeneity; intergovernmental transfers; partisan local government elections; resistance caused by elite design; and the denial of public information. Although these factors have been identified in previous literature, the study includes new findings which challenge received academic thinking on how they affect local tax collection in developing countries
Networked Technopolitics: Immigrant Integration as City Branding
Get PDFThe article explores the role of network-led policymaking with a focus on immigrant integration. Drawing on the EUROCITIES Integrating Cities Charter, it sheds light on how immigration-related diversity governance plays a part in the city-branding strategies. The relevance of policy advocacy through the lens of cosmopolitan urbanism is instrumental for studying the governance of migration and diversity in the age of integration paradigm. Contemporary local policymaking in immigrant integration shaped by city-to-city cooperation tell us about policy models associated to cities’ image. Therefore, city branding strategies framed on behalf of networked technopolitics represent a challenging way to study the immigrant integration approach. This exploratory study is based on desk research with an emphasis on literature review and documentary analysis
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