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Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 July 2018) | Viewed by 96473

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Liyin Shen

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Guest Editor
1. School of Spatial Planning and Design, Zhejiang University City College, Hangzhou, China
2. School of Management Science and Real Estate, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
3. Department of Real Estate and Construction, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Interests: green building; sustainable urbanization; low carbon city; city carrying capacity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yongtao Tan

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Guest Editor
Department of Building & Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Interests: sustainable construction; green building; green retrofit
Dr. Jorge Ochoa

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Guest Editor
School of Natural and Built Environment, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
Interests: sustainable construction; sustainable urbanization; big data; smart construction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Gui Ye

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Construction Management and Real Estate, Chongqing University, Shapingba District Chongqing 400045, China
Interests: sustainable construction; safety management; healthy city

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable built environments have become a major discipline in terms of making contributions to the mission of sustainable development. Over previous years, researchers have been contributing great amounts of effort in seeking better and new solutions for addressing the challenges to sustainable built environments. The practice of sustainable built environments has been driven by both theory and innovation.

However, today, it is appreciated that the mission of sustainable development in developing countries encounters greater challenges than in its developed counterparts, as a result of the implementation of ambitious urbanization schemes. It is, therefore, more pressing to introduce strategies and solutions for developing countries to address these problems within the disciplines of sustainable design and construction, smart and healthy city, green building, low carbon city, sustainable urbanization, sustainability management, innovative systems, and developing economies.

This Special Issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) solicits original theoretical, methodological, and empirical research papers, best practice and implementation on issues relating to “the practice of sustainable built environment in developing countries”.

Prof. Dr. Liyin Shen
Dr. Yongtao Tan
Dr. Jorge Ochoa
Prof. Dr. Gui Ye
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

1. If you are a potential author of this Special Issue; or 2. If you are interested in this Special Issue, but cannot submit a paper at this time; We encourage you to join our reviewer database at: https://susy.mdpi.com/volunteer_reviewer/step/1 When you help to review other manuscripts in this Special Issue, you will be offered a voucher of reduction from the APC for each valid review, which can be used immediately for your current submission, or for your future submissions to any MDPI journal.

Keywords

  • Sustainable buildings
  • Low carbon city
  • Developing economies
  • Sustainable urbanization
  • Smart city
  • Green buildings
  • Sustainable infrastructures
  • Healthy city
  • Sustainable design and construction
  • Sustainable sourcing of materials
  • Innovative systems, technologies, products and practices
  • Management of information on sustainability
  • Communication, education and training of sustainability principles

Published Papers (16 papers)

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21 pages, 4731 KiB  
Article
Combining AHP-Entropy Approach with GIS for Construction Waste Landfill Selection—A Case Study of Shenzhen
by Zhikun Ding, Menglian Zhu, Zezhou Wu, Yanbin Fu and Xia Liu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(10), 2254; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15102254 - 15 Oct 2018
Cited by 40 | Viewed by 4523
Abstract
With the recent fast economy development and rapid urbanization, the huge generation of construction waste has become a threat to sustainable development in China. Though efforts have been made to promote reuse and recycling of construction waste, landfilling of waste remains the most [...] Read more.
With the recent fast economy development and rapid urbanization, the huge generation of construction waste has become a threat to sustainable development in China. Though efforts have been made to promote reuse and recycling of construction waste, landfilling of waste remains the most commonly adapted approach for construction waste disposal. As the space for landfills is limited and because of the negative issues in terms of environmental and social aspects that may be caused, the appropriate site selection of landfills is crucial. With this background, this paper aims to establish a framework for facilitating landfill selection for construction waste. To begin with, a total of sixteen factors that may influence landfill site selection were identified from a literature review. Then, based on the combined analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy method, the weights and the final comprehensive scores of the identified factors were calculated. According to the derived results, potential sites for landfills were divided into three levels, namely the most appropriate (0.38%), appropriate (17.58%), and inappropriate (82.04%). The proposed decision-making methods in this paper can provide a valuable reference for the selection of construction waste landfill sites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries)
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21 pages, 2218 KiB  
Article
Implementation Efficiency of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Construction Industry: A China Study
by Xuetong Wang, Wenyong Lai, Xiangnan Song and Chen Lu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(9), 2008; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15092008 - 14 Sep 2018
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5813
Abstract
Corporate social responsibility (CSR), as companies’ commitment to the sustainable development of the whole society, is an important approach for construction companies to respond to the emerging social and environmental issues. As the improvement of CSR efficiency leads to the reduction of CSR [...] Read more.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR), as companies’ commitment to the sustainable development of the whole society, is an important approach for construction companies to respond to the emerging social and environmental issues. As the improvement of CSR efficiency leads to the reduction of CSR cost, CSR efficiency is becoming increasingly prominent for construction companies. In this research, the three-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) model is adopted to analyze the CSR efficiency of Chinese construction companies in the period of 2012–2016. The findings of this research are as follows: (1) the efficiency of the Chinese construction companies in fulfilling CSR has not yet reached an optimal level; (2) the effect of institutional factors on CSR efficiency is complex and non-linear; and (3) the improvement of the CSR efficiency in the Chinese construction industry relies on both optimizing the institutional environment and enhancing the management capacity of CSR efficiency. These findings can not only provide empirical evidence for the government to formulate targeted policy-making regarding marketization to promote construction companies’ efficient commitment of CSR, but also provide construction company managers a valuable reference to benchmarking the CSR efficiency to help them find self-improvement ways to improve CSR efficiency performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries)
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19 pages, 2861 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Coordination of Industrial-Economic Development Based on Anthropogenic Carbon Emissions in Henan Province, China
by Jianjian He and Pengyan Zhang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(9), 1815; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15091815 - 22 Aug 2018
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3609
Abstract
The mechanism of interaction between economic development, industrial structure and anthropogenic carbon emissions has become one of the focuses of climate change research. In this investigation, Henan Province was studied as an example, wherein the calculation model of carbon emissions in the primary, [...] Read more.
The mechanism of interaction between economic development, industrial structure and anthropogenic carbon emissions has become one of the focuses of climate change research. In this investigation, Henan Province was studied as an example, wherein the calculation model of carbon emissions in the primary, secondary and tertiary economic sectors was built using the ArcGIS 10.1 software. The spatiotemporal difference of carbon emissions between 2006 and 2015 from the three sectors was studied. The relation between economic development and environmental protection is discussed, based on the construction of a coordination degree model. Conclusions drawn from this analysis are: (1) In 2015, China’s total carbon emissions reached 10,291.93 × 107 t and Henan’s carbon emissions accounted for 1.96% of China’s total carbon emissions. The total carbon emissions in Henan Province increased more than 25.00% between 2006 and 2015. (2) Carbon emissions from different economic sectors demonstrated varied patterns. The primary sector presented a gradual decreasing trend in carbon emission, while the secondary sector showed a fluctuating pattern and the tertiary sector had an inclining trend in carbon emission. (3) There are also disparities in the spatial distribution of carbon emissions from different economic sectors. The primary and tertiary sectors had higher emissions in the southeast and lower emissions in the northwest regions, while the secondary sector showed higher emissions in the northwest and lower emissions in the southeast Between cities at different prefecture levels, differences do not only lie on the quantity of carbon emissions from the three sectors of economy but also a larger variation with regards to the change in quantity of carbon emissions. (4) The coordination degree of economic development was low among different prefecture-level cities. The economic and environmental development appeared coordinated among cities at the same prefecture level; however, coordination degrees among different prefecture-level cities varies significantly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries)
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17 pages, 3208 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Urbanization Performance Evaluation Based on “Origin” and “Modernization” Perspectives: A Case Study of Chongqing, China
by Jing Bian, Hong Ren, Ping Liu and Yu Zhang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(8), 1714; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15081714 - 10 Aug 2018
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4253
Abstract
Although the acceleration of urbanization brings social and economic development, it also produces various problems. Accurate evaluation of sustainable urbanization performance can help local governments summarize experiences and solve problems. Sustainable urban development should focus not only on modern construction, but also on [...] Read more.
Although the acceleration of urbanization brings social and economic development, it also produces various problems. Accurate evaluation of sustainable urbanization performance can help local governments summarize experiences and solve problems. Sustainable urban development should focus not only on modern construction, but also on original natural ecosystems and traditional cultural protection. This paper develops a holistic framework based on an “origin” and “modernization” perspectives and uses the multilevel extension method and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method for accurately evaluating sustainable urbanization performance. A case study of Chongqing City in China demonstrates the process of using the holistic framework and evaluation method. The empirical results from this study indicate that Chongqing has a medium level of sustainable urbanization. The city is considered as a medium level in “origin” performance and the “modernization” performance is good, while uncoordinated. The case study reveals that the proposed framework and the method are effective theoretical bases for policy-makers and practitioners to understand the performance of urban sustainability and for promoting urbanization toward better sustainability. Beyond the application case, the holistic framework and method can be applied to other cities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries)
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20 pages, 929 KiB  
Article
A Framework of Industrialized Building Assessment in China Based on the Structural Equation Model
by Lei Jiang, Zhongfu Li, Long Li, Tiankun Li and Yunli Gao
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(8), 1687; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15081687 - 08 Aug 2018
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4206
Abstract
Compared with the conventional building, the industrialized building (IB) promotes the sustainable development of the construction industry, which will become a growth trend in the future. Nevertheless, the progress of industrialized building is intimately affected through the scientific evaluating mechanism, which still requires [...] Read more.
Compared with the conventional building, the industrialized building (IB) promotes the sustainable development of the construction industry, which will become a growth trend in the future. Nevertheless, the progress of industrialized building is intimately affected through the scientific evaluating mechanism, which still requires more research. Thus, this study establishes a conceptual framework of industrialized building assessment (IBA), which is validated through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The impact between efficiency and the other five dimensions are studied by the structural equations model (SEM). The findings indicated that the conceptual framework is valid, and the efficiency has a positive impact on economic factors, livability, safety, environmental factors, and social benefits. Consequently, the improvement of efficiency has turned out to be the primary issue for improving the growth of the industrialized building. This research explores the basic framework of industrialized building assessment and provides a basis to establish a comprehensive and precise industrial building evaluation mechanism in the near future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries)
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19 pages, 2951 KiB  
Article
Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for the Adaptive Reuse of Industrial Buildings in Hong Kong
by Yongtao Tan, Chenyang Shuai and Tian Wang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(7), 1546; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15071546 - 21 Jul 2018
Cited by 39 | Viewed by 8433
Abstract
With the economic restructuring during the 1980s and 1990s in Hong Kong, most manufacturing plants were relocated to China and many industrial buildings were left neglected or vacant. At the same time, owing to limited land supply, a shortage of affordable housing has [...] Read more.
With the economic restructuring during the 1980s and 1990s in Hong Kong, most manufacturing plants were relocated to China and many industrial buildings were left neglected or vacant. At the same time, owing to limited land supply, a shortage of affordable housing has been a problem in Hong Kong for many years. Adaptive reuse of industrial buildings may be a way of solving this problem. However, adaptive reuse is not an easy decision because there are many factors affecting adaptive reuse. Therefore, this paper examines the current situation of adaptive reuse of industrial buildings in Hong Kong and identifies a list of factors affecting the adaptive reuse of industrial buildings. Six factors are considered Critical Success Factors (CSFs). Based on a Principal Component Analysis, 33 factors are grouped into eight principal components, namely, sustainability, economics and finance, the market, changeability, location and neighborhood, culture and public interests, legal and regulatory matters, and the physical condition of the building. The identified CSFs and principal factors provide a useful reference for various stakeholders to have a clear understanding of the adaptive reuse of industrial buildings in Hong Kong, especially for the government to review current policies of adaptive reuse. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries)
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21 pages, 4509 KiB  
Article
Stampede Prevention Design of Primary School Buildings in China: A Sustainable Built Environment Perspective
by Kefan Xie, Yu Song, Jia Liu, Benbu Liang and Xiang Liu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(7), 1517; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15071517 - 18 Jul 2018
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4412
Abstract
In China, crowd stampede accidents usually take place within crowded areas in middle and primary schools. The crowd stampede risk is particularly related to the architectural design such as the staircase design, the layout of crowded places, obstacles, etc. Through the investigation of [...] Read more.
In China, crowd stampede accidents usually take place within crowded areas in middle and primary schools. The crowd stampede risk is particularly related to the architectural design such as the staircase design, the layout of crowded places, obstacles, etc. Through the investigation of building design in several primary schools, the relationship between the sustainable layout of crowded places (e.g., toilets, canteens, playgrounds, staircases) and the crowd stampede risk of students are introduced via agent-based simulations. In particular, different experimental scenarios are conducted on stairs in the primary buildings. The evacuation processes are recorded by video camera and spatial stepping characteristics (e.g., foot clearance, step length, mass center, the distance between the mass center and ankle, and etc.) are extracted from the video. Dynamic steady ability is investigated by adopting the margin of stability, quantified by the instantaneous difference between the edge of the base of support and extrapolated vertical projection of the mass center. Based on the sustainable built environment principles and historical data of students, this paper focuses on an in-depth analysis of the staircase design aiming at preventing the crowd stampede risk. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries)
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21 pages, 2277 KiB  
Article
Does the Effort Meet the Challenge in Promoting Low-Carbon City?—A Perspective of Global Practice
by Yingli Lou, Liyin Shen, Zhenhua Huang, Ya Wu, Heng Li and Guijun Li
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(7), 1334; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15071334 - 25 Jun 2018
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4130
Abstract
Global warming caused by carbon emissions has been recognized as a challenge to human sustainable development, and low-carbon city development is widely considered as an effective strategy to address this challenge. Numerous emission reduction measures have been implemented, and considerable efforts have been [...] Read more.
Global warming caused by carbon emissions has been recognized as a challenge to human sustainable development, and low-carbon city development is widely considered as an effective strategy to address this challenge. Numerous emission reduction measures have been implemented, and considerable efforts have been devoted in promoting low-carbon city. This paper examines whether sufficient efforts have been paid to these typical emission sectors, including Building, Industry, Energy Transformation, and Transportation by referring to the shared responsibility of each sector. The shared responsibility of individual emission sector is calculated by applying energy consumption data in 2014 World Energy Balance. The efforts contributed in emission reduction by each sector are examined by analyzing the low-carbon city work plans of 24 representative sample cities, which are selected globally. The research results demonstrate that sufficient emission reduction efforts have been paid in the Building sector and Transportation sector. But the Industry sector and Energy Transformation sector are less-attended in addressing emission reduction. The reason for the sufficient efforts paid in the Building sector and Transportation sector is considered as that the efforts for emission reduction in these two sectors can bring more co-benefits. However, emission reduction in Industrial sector is generally considered to have the effects of holding back economic growth, and the emission reduction in the sector of Energy Transformation will need enormous investment for advanced technologies. Policy for emission reduction in the Industry sector and Energy Transformation sector is indispensable to promote low-carbon city. This study appeals that (1) low-carbon city can be effectively implemented only if carbon reduction policy is adopted to all industrial activities; (2) multiple channels of financial resources should be established to support cities to mitigate carbon emissions in Industry sector; (3) cooperation on the development of clean energy technology between cities should be promoted; and (4) efforts should be paid to reduce carbon emission from using traditional energy transformation equipment by improving their efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries)
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25 pages, 2553 KiB  
Article
Social Risk Factors of Transportation PPP Projects in China: A Sustainable Development Perspective
by Jingfeng Yuan, Wei Li, Jiyue Guo, Xianbo Zhao and Mirosław J. Skibniewski
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(7), 1323; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15071323 - 24 Jun 2018
Cited by 61 | Viewed by 6737
Abstract
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have become increasingly important in improving the sustainability of society in China, with transportation being the largest investment area. However, the Social Risk Factors (SRFs) of transportation PPPs in China, which serve as a useful tool for distinguishing strengths and [...] Read more.
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have become increasingly important in improving the sustainability of society in China, with transportation being the largest investment area. However, the Social Risk Factors (SRFs) of transportation PPPs in China, which serve as a useful tool for distinguishing strengths and weaknesses for effective social risk management (SRM), have not been clearly identified. A conceptual model including 3 risk dimensions and 15 SRFs was proposed to mitigate social risks and improve the social sustainability of transportation PPP projects. A questionnaire survey conducted to investigate stakeholders’ opinions on the proposed SRFs demonstrated that all the SRFs were important. The SRFs can be used to evaluate social risks from economic, environmental, and social dimensions. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) verified the classification of the SRFs and indicated that all the risk dimensions contributed to social risks. The social and environmental impacts on social sustainability may contribute more to the generation of social risks. Furthermore, the concept of people-first PPPs was proposed to reduce social risks from the perspective of different stakeholders, with the interactions among different stakeholders being prioritized. The identified SRFs and their relationships can improve our understanding of SRM in the delivery of social sustainability and improve social resilience. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries)
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16 pages, 754 KiB  
Article
Impact of Indoor Physical Environment on Learning Efficiency in Different Types of Tasks: A 3 × 4 × 3 Full Factorial Design Analysis
by Lilin Xiong, Xiao Huang, Jie Li, Peng Mao, Xiang Wang, Rubing Wang and Meng Tang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(6), 1256; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15061256 - 13 Jun 2018
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 6118
Abstract
Indoor physical environments appear to influence learning efficiency nowadays. For improvement in learning efficiency, environmental scenarios need to be designed when occupants engage in different learning tasks. However, how learning efficiency is affected by indoor physical environment based on task types are still [...] Read more.
Indoor physical environments appear to influence learning efficiency nowadays. For improvement in learning efficiency, environmental scenarios need to be designed when occupants engage in different learning tasks. However, how learning efficiency is affected by indoor physical environment based on task types are still not well understood. The present study aims to explore the impacts of three physical environmental factors (i.e., temperature, noise, and illuminance) on learning efficiency according to different types of tasks, including perception, memory, problem-solving, and attention-oriented tasks. A 3 × 4 × 3 full factorial design experiment was employed in a university classroom with 10 subjects recruited. Environmental scenarios were generated based on different levels of temperature (17 °C, 22 °C, and 27 °C), noise (40 dB(A), 50 dB(A), 60 dB(A), and 70 dB(A)) and illuminance (60 lx, 300 lx, and 2200 lx). Accuracy rate (AC), reaction time (RT), and the final performance indicator (PI) were used to quantify learning efficiency. The results showed ambient temperature, noise, and illuminance exerted significant main effect on learning efficiency based on four task types. Significant concurrent effects of the three factors on final learning efficiency was found in all tasks except problem-solving-oriented task. The optimal environmental scenarios for top learning efficiency were further identified under different environmental interactions. The highest learning efficiency came in thermoneutral, relatively quiet, and bright conditions in perception-oriented task. Subjects performed best under warm, relatively quiet, and moderately light exposure when recalling images in the memory-oriented task. Learning efficiency peaked to maxima in thermoneutral, fairly quiet, and moderately light environment in problem-solving process while in cool, fairly quiet and bright environment with regard to attention-oriented task. The study provides guidance for building users to conduct effective environmental intervention with simultaneous controls of ambient temperature, noise, and illuminance. It contributes to creating the most suitable indoor physical environment for improving occupants learning efficiency according to different task types. The findings could further supplement the present indoor environment-related standards or norms with providing empirical reference on environmental interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries)
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17 pages, 1870 KiB  
Article
Carbon Emissions in China’s Construction Industry: Calculations, Factors and Regions
by Qiang Du, Xinran Lu, Yi Li, Min Wu, Libiao Bai and Ming Yu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(6), 1220; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15061220 - 10 Jun 2018
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 5305
Abstract
The production of construction projects is carbon-intensive and interrelated to multiple other industries that provide related materials and services. Thus, the calculations of carbon emissions are relatively complex, and the consideration of other factors becomes necessary, especially in China, which has a massive [...] Read more.
The production of construction projects is carbon-intensive and interrelated to multiple other industries that provide related materials and services. Thus, the calculations of carbon emissions are relatively complex, and the consideration of other factors becomes necessary, especially in China, which has a massive land area and regions with greatly uneven development. To improve the accuracy of the calculations and illustrate the impacts of the various factors at the provincial level in the construction industry, this study separated carbon emissions into two categories, the direct category and the indirect category. The features of carbon emissions in this industry across 30 provinces in China were analysed, and the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) model was employed to decompose the major factors, including direct energy proportion, unit value energy consumption, value creation effect, indirect carbon intensity, and scale effect of output. It was concluded that carbon emissions increased, whereas carbon intensity decreased dramatically, and indirect emissions accounted for 90% to 95% of the total emissions from the majority of the provinces between 2005 and 2014. The carbon intensities were high in the underdeveloped western and central regions, especially in Shanxi, Inner-Mongolia and Qinghai, whereas they were low in the well-developed eastern and southern regions, represented by Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang and Guangdong. The value creation effect and indirect carbon intensity had significant negative effects on carbon emissions, whereas the scale effect of output was the primary factor creating emissions. The factors of direct energy proportion and unit value energy consumption had relatively limited, albeit varying, effects. Accordingly, this study reveals that the evolving trends of these factors vary in different provinces; therefore, overall, our research results and insights support government policy and decision maker’s decisions to minimize the carbon emissions in the construction industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries)
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24 pages, 6960 KiB  
Article
The Impacts of Transportation Infrastructure on Sustainable Development: Emerging Trends and Challenges
by Luqi Wang, Xiaolong Xue, Zebin Zhao and Zeyu Wang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(6), 1172; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15061172 - 05 Jun 2018
Cited by 97 | Viewed by 16196
Abstract
Transportation infrastructure has an enormous impact on sustainable development. To identify multiple impacts of transportation infrastructure and show emerging trends and challenges, this paper presents a scientometric review based on 2543 published articles from 2000 to 2017 through co-author, co-occurring and co-citation analysis. [...] Read more.
Transportation infrastructure has an enormous impact on sustainable development. To identify multiple impacts of transportation infrastructure and show emerging trends and challenges, this paper presents a scientometric review based on 2543 published articles from 2000 to 2017 through co-author, co-occurring and co-citation analysis. In addition, the hierarchy of key concepts was analyzed to show emerging research objects, methods and levels according to the clustering information, which includes title, keyword and abstract. The results expressed by visual graphs compared high-impact authors, collaborative relationships among institutions in developed and developing countries. In addition, representative research issues related to the economy, society and environment were identified such as cost overrun, spatial economy, prioritizing structure, local development and land value. Additionally, two future directions, integrated research of various effects and structure analysis of transportation network, are recommended. The findings of this study provide researchers and practitioners with an in-depth understanding of transportation infrastructure’s impacts on sustainable development by visual expression. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries)
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16 pages, 11548 KiB  
Article
Measuring Land Change in Coastal Zone around a Rapidly Urbanized Bay
by Faming Huang, Boqiang Huang, Jinliang Huang and Shenghui Li
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(6), 1059; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15061059 - 23 May 2018
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3480
Abstract
Urban development is a major cause for eco-degradation in many coastal regions. Understanding urbanization dynamics and underlying driving factors is crucial for urban planning and management. Land-use dynamic degree indices and intensity analysis were used to measure land changes occurred in 1990, 2002, [...] Read more.
Urban development is a major cause for eco-degradation in many coastal regions. Understanding urbanization dynamics and underlying driving factors is crucial for urban planning and management. Land-use dynamic degree indices and intensity analysis were used to measure land changes occurred in 1990, 2002, 2009, and 2017 in the coastal zone around Quanzhou bay, which is a rapidly urbanized bay in Southeast China. The comprehensive land-use dynamic degree and interval level intensity analysis both revealed that land change was accelerating across the three time intervals in a three-kilometer-wide zone along the coastal line (zone A), while land change was fastest during the second time interval 2002–2009 in a separate terrestrial area within coastal zone (zone B). Driven by urbanization, built-up gains and cropland losses were active for all time intervals in both zones. Mudflat losses were active except in the first time interval in zone A due to the intensive sea reclamation. The gain of mangrove was active while the loss of mangrove is dormant for all three intervals in zone A. Transition level analysis further revealed the similarities and differences in processes within patterns of land changes for both zones. The transition from cropland to built-up was systematically targeted and stationary while the transition from woodland to built-up was systematically avoiding transition in both zones. Built-up tended to target aquaculture for the second and third time intervals in zone A but avoid Aquaculture for all intervals in zone B. Land change in zone A was more significant than that in zone B during the second and third time intervals at three-level intensity. The application of intensity analysis can enhance our understanding of the patterns and processes in land changes and suitable land development plans in the Quanzhou bay area. This type of investigation is useful to provide information for developing sound land use policy to achieve urban sustainability in similar coastal areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries)
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30 pages, 13040 KiB  
Article
A Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) Simulation of PM10 Dispersion Caused by Rail Transit Construction Activity: A Real Urban Street Canyon Model
by Yang Wang, Ying Zhou, Jian Zuo and Raufdeen Rameezdeen
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(3), 482; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15030482 - 09 Mar 2018
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 5196
Abstract
Particle emissions derived from construction activities have a significant impact on the local air quality, while the canyon effect with reduced natural ventilation contributes to the highest particulate pollution in urban environments. This study attempted to examine the effect of PM10 emissions [...] Read more.
Particle emissions derived from construction activities have a significant impact on the local air quality, while the canyon effect with reduced natural ventilation contributes to the highest particulate pollution in urban environments. This study attempted to examine the effect of PM10 emissions derived from the construction of a rail transit system in an urban street canyon. Using a 3D computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model based on a real street canyon with different height ratios, this study formulates the impact of height ratio and wind directions on the dispersion and concentration of PM10. The results indicate that parallel flow would cause the concentration of PM10 at the end of the street canyons in all height ratios, and the trends in horizontal, vertical and lateral planes in all street canyons are similar. While in the condition of perpendicular flow, double-eddy circulations occur and lead to the concentration of PM10 in the middle part of the street canyon and leeward of backwind buildings in all height ratios. Furthermore, perpendicular flow will cause the concentration of PM10 to increase if the upwind buildings are higher than the backwind ones. This study also shows that the dispersion of PM10 is strongly associated with wind direction in and the height ratios of the street canyons. Certain measures could, therefore, be taken to prevent the impact on people in terms of the PM10 concentration and the heights of street canyons identified in this research. Potential mitigation strategies are suggested, include measurements below 4 m according to governmental regulations, dust shields, and atomized water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries)
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16 pages, 674 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Driving Factors of Construction Industrialization Development in China
by Xiaer Xiahou, Jingfeng Yuan, Yan Liu, Yuchun Tang and Qiming Li
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(3), 442; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15030442 - 03 Mar 2018
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 5631
Abstract
Construction industrialization (CI) has been adopted worldwide because of its potential benefits. However, current research shows the incentives for adopting CI may differ in different regions. While the promotion of CI in China is still at the initial stage, a systematical analysis of [...] Read more.
Construction industrialization (CI) has been adopted worldwide because of its potential benefits. However, current research shows the incentives for adopting CI may differ in different regions. While the promotion of CI in China is still at the initial stage, a systematical analysis of the driving factors would help decision makers get a comprehensive understanding of CI development and select proper strategies to promote CI. This research combines qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the construction industrialization driving factors (CIDFs) in China. The grounded theory method (GTM) was employed to explore CI concepts among 182 CI-related articles published in 10 top-tier journals from 2000 to 2017. A total of 15 CIDFs were identified, including one suggested by professionals during a pre-test questionnaire survey. The analysis showed that the development of CI in China is pushed by macrodevelopment and pulled by the government and is also a self-driven process. The major driving factors for CI adoption in China are the transformation and upgrade of the conventional construction industry and the solution of development dilemmas. Our study also suggests that pilot programs are, currently, the most effective method to promote CI in China and to accumulate experience so to gain recognition by the society. This research is also of value for CI promotion in other developing countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries)
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Review

Jump to: Research

29 pages, 3668 KiB  
Review
Exploring the Emerging Evolution Trends of Urban Resilience Research by Scientometric Analysis
by Liang Wang, Xiaolong Xue, Yuanxin Zhang and Xiaowei Luo
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(10), 2181; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15102181 - 06 Oct 2018
Cited by 44 | Viewed by 7440
Abstract
Numerous studies in urban resilience have been published in the past decade. However, only a few publications have tracked the evolution trends of urban resilience research, the findings of which can serve as a useful guide for scholars to foresee worth-effort research areas [...] Read more.
Numerous studies in urban resilience have been published in the past decade. However, only a few publications have tracked the evolution trends of urban resilience research, the findings of which can serve as a useful guide for scholars to foresee worth-effort research areas and make the best use of precious time and resources. In order to fill the research gap, this study performed a scientometric analysis on the evolution trends of urban resilience research using a versatile software package-CiteSpace. The scientomentric analysis focuses on distribution of lead authors and their institutions, high frequency categories and keywords, high influential journals, author contribution, and evolutionary trends based on co-author analysis, co-word analysis, co-citation analysis and cluster analysis of documents. This study discoveries that first, the U.S., England, Australia, Canada, China and Sweden are the countries that make the most significant contributions in the advancement of urban resilience research; second, the existing urban resilience research focuses primarily on environmental studies, geography and planning development; third, hot topics of the urban resilience research keep shifting from 1993 to 2016; fourth, the knowledge body of urban resilience research consists of five clusters: resilience exploratory analysis, disaster resilience, urban resilience, urban resilience practice, and social-ecological systems; last, the emerging trends in urban resilience research include defining urban resilience, adaptation model, case studies, analytical methods and urban social-ecological systems, resulting in cutting-edge research areas in urban resilience. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Practice of Sustainable Built Environment in the Context of Developing Countries)
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