Architecture, Building and Planning - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview AvailableWater sensitive outcomes for infill development: final report(Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities, 2021)Australian cities have experienced significant growth recently, a trend that is expected to continue. One response from governments has been to promote ‘infill development’, which increases urban density, but also has significant adverse effects on urban water cycles, resource use efficiency, and the amenity and liveability of urban areas.
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ItemGTALK Report Series: Safer Cities in Asia: Metro Manila, Philippines(Women in Transport Leadership Knowledge Network (WITL), The University of Melbourne, 2021)
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ItemInvestigating the Treatment of Target Adjustment Events in Alliance Projects( 2020-12-03)Largescale, complex, engineering infrastructure projects often, but not always, end up costing more, and taking longer to deliver than that anticipated, planned for and authorised. However, research studies into delivery choices for these types of projects provide evidence that while many traditionally procured projects do fail to meet expectations, alliancing projects in Australia tend to deliver at or below their target outturn cost (TOC) and time as well as substantially meeting other project key result areas. This raises the question about why are alliance projects seemingly better at meeting expectations? Is the process for delivering a project as alliances more effective than traditional approaches such as design and construct or design-bid-build? Are alliancing project cost, time and other key result areas more accurately framed and planned? Could there be a mixture of more effective planning/estimating together with the delivery approach for alliance projects than their traditional counterparts? If so, how can this explanation be best visualised and explained? The key to explaining this phenomenon appears to be focussed around the mechanisms for arriving at a realistic and reasonably achievable TOC and then an ability to deliver the project to that target. A realistic and reasonably achievable target is central but so are the inter-team competencies, capabilities and commitment to deliver the promised result. Also, any realistic and reasonably achievable target is subject to unanticipated events that need to be catered for in a way that prevents opportunistic behaviour by either the project owner or delivery team. The Target Adjustment Event (TAE) process in alliancing does this in a reasonable and effective manner. Currently, the TAE process is ignored in the academic literature. This study is focussed on how some complex Australian engineering infrastructure projects are delivered through an alliancing process. It draws upon a body of research into alliancing projects and integrated project delivery approaches, undertaken over the past 20 plus years, and insights gained from interviews with five practitioner experts in this field who have had decades of experience of alliancing projects. More specifically, the insights are centred on how a realistic and reasonably achievable target (cost, time and other key result areas) and risk/uncertainty contingency is derived, and how the alliance process supports delivering the promise. It also explains the TAE process. The study explores the process of developing the TOC of Australian alliancing infrastructure projects. The central difference between an alliance approach and more traditional forms of project delivery is that alliancing enhances the ability of project delivery participants (including the project owner and facilities operator) to more comprehensively understand the project scope and requirements. This results in a more realistic TOC and an agreed well understood approach for dealing with unanticipated events, This study draws upon extensive alliancing practitioner experience, five experts were interviewed, and prior research into the alliancing approach spanning two decades. In summary, research results suggest that: 1. effective engineering construction cost/time outcomes result from: initial robust critical thinking about the project’s purpose; the project owner’s, and project delivery team’s, competence and expertise and their ability to successfully shape the project journey from plan to execution; developing a reasonable and effective TAE criteria and process to deal with unforeseeable surprises (critical thinking and analysis is a crucial feature); 2. this project journey is best undertaken by an integrated collaborative collection of teams that act as a united entity, through shared collective action with a well understood result in mind (concerted, purposeful collective action based on mutual understanding of what constitutes project success); 3. project participants skilfully develop a carefully considered contingency cost reserve that they effectively manage through project delivery (realistic and reasonable reserves); 4. both the project owner and delivery team rely on an effective support system and they demonstrate resilience to unexpected events by deploying effective coping mechanisms. Ideally, the project owner and the AT demonstrate strong resolve and ability to achieve successful project delivery (genuine organisational support); and 5. project key result area success is possible if either the project owner or delivery team is strong and is willing to, and can, raise the strength of a weaker partner. When both parties are weak then an alliancing approach tends to lead to a business-as-usual result (technical project delivery capability, expertise and leadership commitment strength). This report also provides insights and suggestions about the knowledge, skills, attributes and experience that are required to successfully deliver complex infrastructure projects using a collaborative integrated project delivery approach.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableProject 5: A weekend for every worker: Final report(UNSW Sydney, 2021)Project 5 examined whether changing construction workers’ schedules to include a full weekend would make a positive difference to their wellbeing in a sector characterised by long and unpredictable working hours, which have an impact on physical and mental health. An economic analysis was included to determine the costs or savings of shifting to a five-day work week. This full report presents the findings of surveys and interviews with the workers who participated, the next of kin who participated, and construction industry stakeholders who were interviewed for their views on the five-day work week. Project 5 also inquired into the effects of construction sector conditions on the community more broadly, by interviewing the next of kin of construction workers about how working hours and conditions impacted family life. Project 5 contributes a much-needed contemporary case study of how a work schedule modification can change work-life balance and the flow-on effects to wellbeing, not only for workers but for their partners.
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ItemThe Evaluation of the Victorian Women in Construction Strategy Program(Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne, 2021)This research led report evaluated the Victorian Government Women in Construction Strategy. Qualitative and quantitative research approaches were deemed appropriate; however, the evaluation adopted a primarily qualitative approach due to the context and timing. Data collection used specific protocols and included key informant interviews, participant interviews, observations, surveys and focus groups, with interviews and focus groups transcribed verbatim. Participants included female school students, careers teachers, female trainees, and industry representatives. Data analysis was conducted at both the individual and cohort level, with qualitative and quantitative data analysed separately and, where appropriate, brought together to produce themes. The evaluation found that "The Women in Construction" Strategy achieved its goals. While the original scope of work was affected by the COVID‐19 situation, modifications were made, and the intended parties received the various pilot programs well. The programs enacted as a part of this strategy have been beneficial in increasing the knowledge of young women looking to enter careers in the construction industry, supporting those in the industry or encouraging cultural change in the workplaces women inhabit. Therefore, their continuation is supported so that longer‐term effects can transpire.
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ItemFinancing the Ocean Back to Health in Southeast Asia:(Asian Development Bank, 2021)The ocean’s contribution to the economy has been described as the “blue economy,” the sustainable use of ocean and coastal resources to drive economic growth and improve livelihoods, while protecting and nurturing healthy marine ecosystems. The importance of ocean health is recognized by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) through SDG 14: Life Below Water, which is focused on the inclusion of conservation and sustainable use of the ocean. Despite the environmental and economic benefits, a growing number of natural and human-induced threats to this precious resource continues unabated. Climate change, environmental pollution, unsustainable fishing and mining practices, unregulated coastal development, and dumping of solid and liquid wastes pose a grave threat to marine life and humanity, undermining the productivity of our ocean. Recognition of the growing threats to the ocean have resulted in an increase in global “blue” initiatives.
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ItemRegional Research and Innovation for City Climate Action: Global Synthesis Report(Connected Cities Lab (Melbourne Centre for Cities), the University of Melbourne, 2021)
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ItemThe power of cities in migration governance: pilot project report(University of Melbourne, 2021-09-01)This project adapted and piloted a framework to assess the power that local governments have over governing the inclusion of migrants and refugees. The adapted framework is based on the ‘Governability Grip Assessment Framework’ developed by the City Leadership Lab at University College London, which has previously been employed to assess the powers and urban governance dimensions of city infrastructure in collaboration with Arup and C40 Cities. This study developed a survey questionnaire and piloted the instrument on three mayor–council local governments in federal systems: the cities of Seattle, USA, São Paulo, Brazil and Sydney, Australia. The research aimed to test the feasibility of the survey instrument and the value of the assessment framework, as well as the potential for scaling up to a larger group of participant cities to aid comparative urban analysis.
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ItemEvidence to Action Dialogue Series: Young Peoples’ Wellbeing in Southern Cities(Melbourne Centre for Cities, University of Melbourne, 2021)
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ItemPrimary prevention of violence against women with disability: Evidence synthesis(University of Melbourne, 2021-02-01)