Architecture, Building and Planning - Research Publications
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 10 of 58
-
ItemNo Preview Available
-
ItemNo Preview Available
-
Item'Rethinking the way we practice our professions': social-ecological resilience for built environment professionals(ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2023-01-02)Urbanisation and industrialisation have contributed to significant and detrimental changes in the earth’s natural environments. The concept of social-ecological resilience can assist this problem, by integrating the consideration of human and ecological systems in decision-making. An implication is that built environment professionals must be competent in social-ecological resilience knowledge and skills to ensure cities are well adapted to current environmental challenges, and do not further contribute to them. Yet the capabilities of built environment professionals to incorporate resilience thinking (theory and knowledge) into their work (skills and practice), is not well understood and is not well addressed in education theory. This paper contributes to this gap by: exploring the social-ecological resilience knowledge, skills, and practical experience of Australian built environment professionals, thereby identifying gaps to address in further and higher education. Results indicate that built environment professionals’ know about social-ecological resilience, but they identify their practical experience is low. Additionally, respondents are more confident with their abilities, compared to colleagues, and their profession at large. The results indicate that further and higher education offerings (e.g. university education, continuing professional education, and practice) must assist built environment professionals to further develop social-ecological skills. As one respondent stated–it will require ‘rethinking the way we practice our professions’.
-
ItemNew approaches to learning for facilitating resilience in the built environment(Planning Institute of Australia, Victoria Division, 2017)
-
ItemClimate change preparedness across sectors of the built environment-A review of literature(ELSEVIER SCI LTD, 2022-02)Cities (built environments) produce a significant proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions, making a significant contribution to climate change. They are home to the majority of the world's population and economic activity yet face increasing risks from climate change impacts. Thus, it is critical that those involved in producing and managing built environments are prepared for climate change. This paper presents a review of literature focused on two key components of professions and professional practice across the built environment sectors urban planning, construction, property, and design (architecture, landscape architecture, urban design): 1) barriers to and facilitators of climate change action (mitigation and adaptation); and 2) climate change preparedness. Barriers to and facilitators of climate change action were found to vary across sectors, with some overlap. A limited understanding of preparedness to address climate change action was found across the sectors reviewed. These findings are important. A limited understanding of climate change preparedness across these sectors may limit capacity to achieve global goals such as the Paris Agreement which seeks to limit global warming to 1.5 oC, and to be well adapted to the changes that will occur. Significant social and economic impacts could result from a lack of preparedness. The published research reviewed lacked a holistic and integrated view of: the built environment; and of climate change action within it. It is recommended that these gaps in research and practice are addressed to facilitate effective climate change action in cities, to avoid further economic, social and environmental impacts of climate change.
-
ItemNo Preview AvailableTowards the transformation of cities: A built environment process map to identify the role of key sectors and actors in producing the built environment across life stages(Elsevier, 2022-02-01)Cities must transform in order to address the challenge of climate change and to achieve societal ambitions such as the sustainable development goals. However, a key impediment to achieving transformation is underdeveloped understandings of how key actors and sectors within the built environment work together to achieve goals. This paper addresses these gaps by developing and visually presenting a process map to describe: the key processes involved in producing the built environment across its life stages; key sectors of the built environment, their key actors, and the activities coordinated between them. The process map was peer reviewed by an expert reference group of built environment professionals active in Australia and the UK. The motivation for developing this process map is to facilitate future research to identify and expedite opportunities for coordinated action to address significant societal challenges such as climate change action, and the sustainable development goals – which require transformative action in cities.
-
ItemClimate change transformation: A definition and typology to guide decision making in urban environments(ELSEVIER, 2021-07)Climate change presents a threat to the sustainability of cities and their societies, and must be adequately addressed. Urban environments (cities) are responsible for the creation of a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions which are the source of climate change. Cities have been increasingly the focus of action to address climate change, yet emissions are not significantly reducing. Additionally, there a lack of integration between adaptation and mitigation. This prevents responses adequate to limit global warming to 1.5OC, and to be well adapted to anticipated changes. This paper critically analyses existing definitions and typologies of climate change actions. A definition of ‘climate change transformation’ is proposed which includes the integration of adaptation and mitigation goals to enable a new regime in which global warming is limited to 1.5OC. A new three-part typology: ‘coping, malaction and transformation,’ is presented for categorising climate change actions by the extent to which they integrate adaptation and mitigation, and define a new regime. The typology is accompanied by illustrations to demonstrate the relationship between adaptation and mitigation. The definition, typology and illustration serve to guide effective climate change decision making, and provides principles to guide application in urban environments.
-
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.
-
ItemTowards fair local outcomes in adaptation to sea-level rise(SPRINGER, 2015-06)
-
ItemNo Preview AvailableClimate change frontrunners in the Australian property sector(ELSEVIER, 2021)