Architecture, Building and Planning - Research Publications
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ItemNew approaches to learning for facilitating resilience in the built environment(Planning Institute of Australia, Victoria Division, 2017)
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ItemWater Experts' Perception of Risk for New and Unfamiliar Water Projects(MDPI AG, 2017-12)In the context of a changing urban environment and increasing demand due to population growth, alternative water sources must be explored in order to create future water security. Risk assessments play a pivotal role in the take-up of new and unfamiliar water projects, acting as a decision-making tool for business cases. Perceptions of risk ultimately drive risk assessment processes, therefore providing insight into understanding projects that proceed and those that do not. Yet there is limited information on the risk perceptions water professionals have of new and unfamiliar water projects. In this study, 77 water professionals were surveyed from across the Melbourne metropolitan water industry to examine risk perceptions over a range of different, unfamiliar water projects. The qualitative data was thematically analysed, resulting in a number of risk perception factors for each hypothetical project. Risk factors that recurred most frequently are those that relate to community backlash and to the reputation of the organisation. These social risk perceptions occurred more frequently than other more technical risks, such as operational risks and process-related risks. These results were at odds with the existing literature assessing risk perceptions of business-as-usual projects, which presented cost as the key risk attribute. This study sheds light on the perceived nature of new and unfamiliar processes in the water sector, providing an understanding that public perceptions do matter to experts involved in water infrastructure decision-making.
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ItemTowards fair local outcomes in adaptation to sea-level rise(SPRINGER, 2015-06)
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ItemPublic acceptance and perceptions of alternative water sources: a comparative study in nine locations(Taylor & Francis, 2016-07-01)Public acceptance of recycled water, desalinated water and rainwater is compared across nine international locations: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, Norway, United States of America (specifically in Los Angeles). An on-line study was conducted in 2012, with 200 participants recruited to be representative of their respective location (1800 in total). The study investigated participants’ intended use of and perceptions of alternative water sources. Results indicate that respondents clearly discriminate between alternative water sources. Water source preference varied between water use purpose. Significant differences were found in the percentage of respondents willing to use alternative water sources between locations. Additionally the study found that there were significant differences in perceptions held of five water sources across locations.
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ItemSustainable Urban Water Management under a Changing Climate: The Role of Spatial Planning(MDPI, 2018-05)The provision of a sustainable supply of water is an increasingly difficult task to achieve in many urban environments. This arises because of pressures related to population growth and increased per capita demand for water. Additionally, climate change is impacting the natural cycle of water in many locations, with a significant impact projected for the future. Many scholars advocate ‘sustainable urban water management’ (SUWM) as an approach that can address the root causes of these challenges. Yet the implementation of SUWM and adaptation to climate change in the urban water sector remains limited. This paper argues that spatial planning provides tools and processes that can facilitate the full implementation of SUWM goals, and adaptation to climate change. The potential of spatial planning to achieve SUWM, including sustainable urban water supply management through both supply and demand end initiatives, in light of climate change, is discussed. A framework is developed to consider a broad range of spatial planning interventions that can facilitate adaptation to climate change and SUWM concurrently. The paper provides information and tools to assist water planners achieve SUWM and a well-adapted water sector and urban environment, in an integrated, holistic and comprehensive manner, to meet future water supply needs. Achieving these goals will need collaborative activities across multiple built environment disciplines. Future research activities to advance these goals are outlined.
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ItemBarriers to climate change adaptation in the Australian construction industry–Impetus for regulatory reform(Elsevier, 2018)It is increasingly recognised that the risks associated with climate change must be addressed through both mitigation and adaptation. Buildings are vulnerable to climate change risk and are also the source of a significant proportion of greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change. The construction industry has significant potential to facilitate adaptation through actions that both reduce its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions across the construction and building lifecycle, and through physical adaptation of buildings and settlements to withstand present and future changes. However, there is limited evidence of significant adaptive action to date, and little is known about existing barriers to adaptation actions in the construction industry. This research explores barriers to climate change adaptation in the Australian construction industry through qualitative interviews with twenty-one key stakeholders. The barriers identified included: the use of inconsistent and unclear language, limited regulation, perceived unaffordability of initiatives, lack of awareness of climate change, and lack of client demand to implement initiatives. Recommendations to facilitate strategies for adaptation to climate change in the construction industry are provided. These focus on the need to a) address climate change through regulatory reform, and b) address the structure of the construction industry and its interrelationship with other built environment professions and processes.
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ItemCommunicating About Water Security Under a Changing Climate(Oxford University Press, 2019)Some of the most significant impacts of climate change are likely to be felt in water resources management, but climate change is not the only uncertainty facing water managers and policymakers. The concept of water security has emerged to address social, economic, political, and environmental factors, as well as the physical determinants of water availability. There are significant challenges for communicating about water security under a changing climate. Water security shares many of the characteristics of climate change with regards to communication. It is a complex concept involving interactions between dynamic human and natural systems, requiring public deliberation and engagement to inform political debate and to facilitate behavioral and cultural change. Knowledge and values about water and climate change are communicated through material experiences as well as through language. Communication about water security and climate change takes many forms, which can be characterized as five key modes—policy, communication campaigns, media, cultures, and environments. More effective communication about climate change and water is needed across these different modes to support meaningful participation and deliberation in policy decisions by a wide range of stakeholders. Integrating climate change into communication campaigns about water security provides opportunities to challenge and reframe traditional formulations of the role of water in society and culture and how to manage water in human settlements, the economy, and the environment. The central challenge for communicating the impacts of climate change on water scarcity lies in the complex interactions between society, policy, technology, infrastructure, the economy, and the environment in modern water systems. Different modes of communication are useful to enable public and stakeholder engagement in understanding the issues and making decisions about how to ensure water security in a changing society and environment
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ItemHow can The University of Melbourne best support career interruptions for male and female staff?(The University of Melbourne, 2016)This report was undertaken by a group of four researchers from the University of Melbourne (details in Appendix 1), as part of their participation in the Academic Women in Leadership course in 2016. The project brief was to explore how the University of Melbourne can best support career interruptions for male and female staff. Within this broad project brief, the team further refined the focus to aim to explore workplace cultures of career interruptions and towards career interruption policies at the University of Melbourne. In-depth face to face interviews were undertaken in October and November 2016 with a total of ten staff members, across two faculties at the university of Melbourne. One faculty was a Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) faculty, and the other was a non-STEM faculty. The results were analysed using qualitative methods. Five recommendations are presented. They are elaborated in the final section of the report: 1. Consider increasing research allocation for first 6 months on return to work 2. Provide guidance on 'Performance Relative to Opportunity' to managers and staff 3. Include strategies for re-entry and support in 'Performance Development Framework' discussion 4. Tailor career interruptions policies to accommodate different work patterns 5. Provide more bridging/transitional support such as fellowships for staff who have experienced career interruption/s
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ItemRisk and Resilience in the Built Environment: Symposium and Workshop Report(The University of Melbourne, 2017)THIS REPORT HAS BEEN COMPILED BY DR ANNA HURLIMANN, AMANDA LO CASCIO, PROFESSOR RUTH BEILIN, AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR ALAN MARCH, FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, WITH JOE RAVETZ FROM MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY. THE REPORT PROVIDES INFORMATION ABOUT THE SYMPOSIUM AND WORKSHOP ‘RISK AND RESILIENCE IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT’ HELD IN MELBOURNE, 27-28 APRIL 2017. The symposium and workshop were one activity undertaken as part of a larger project ‘Experiential Adaptive Learning Tools for a Resilient Built Environment,’ funded by the University of Melbourne’s Learning and Teaching Initiatives Fund in 2017. The project is a collaboration between the Faculty of Science and the Melbourne School of Design at the University of Melbourne. The larger project is a response to the increasing need to provide skills and knowledge to built environment discipline professionals and students regarding socio-ecological resilience. This need is driven by the increasing frequency and impact of natural disasters over the past decades. These events have largely been driven by changes to the natural and built environment through human activities. Cities and towns represent significant long-term human investments, and are increasingly the main site of catastrophic events. The concept of resilience is a key principle to act on these challenges. It requires a paradigm shift in approaching disasters, and managing cities, for professionals working across many disciplines. The larger project aims to utilise the reflexive attributes of experiential learning as a key way of integrating resilience in the education of built environmental professionals. The aim is to facilitate a highly adaptable professional skill set that can be applied in a variety of other contexts over time. Through the symposium and workshop, the project aims to use group learning to build and improve resilience knowledge and skills. This will be complemented by the development of a living learning repository (interactive web archive) later in 2017. The symposium and workshop acted as a pilot for the development of a future subject on risk and resilience in the built environment, which is planned to be offered at the University of Melbourne from 2019. Thirty four participants took part in the workshop and symposium. In brief, the program consisted of a two day symposium and workshop. On day one, a symposium with keynote speakers was held, followed by Part one of a workshop facilitated by Joe Ravetz, employing his proposed Resilience III approach. On day two, a site visit to the Southbank area of Melbourne City was undertaken as an experiential activity (exploring resilience issues including flood, sea level rise, and increasing development intensity). This was followed by two presentations by key stakeholders of the case study site, and then part two of the workshop. This report provides an overview of the symposium and workshop activities, the processes undertaken and the future activities planned. Background papers for the workshop, and information about follow-up activities can be found on the project web site: msd.unimelb.edu.au/experiential-adaptive-learning-tools-for-a-resilient-built-environment.
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ItemWater alternatives-who and what influences public acceptance?(WILEY, 2011-02)