Making a business case for green housing investment in Lagos, Nigeria.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The construction and occupation of environmentally sustainable buildings, also known as green buildings, rather than the conventional high-energy type, are increasingly being widely accepted as modes of environmental degradation abatement in the built environment. In spite of this, green housing units are not a regular feature in the Nigerian city of Lagos. Global warming, climate change and environmental degradation are some of the most popular phrases in modern day political and non-political discourses. Erratic weather and increasing natural disasters are evidence of the importance of these phenomena and why they must be abated as a matter of urgency. Therefore, this study set out to create a framework for effective green housing investment, by examining the various factors affecting the feasibility and viability of such investment in the Lagos context and using the results as bases for creating the framework. Based in one of Africa’s largest cities, the study objectives included assessing the level of awareness of green housing, especially as a form of environmental degradation abatement, among housing stakeholders in Lagos. Having a largely private-sector driven housing sector, the study investigated the perception of private property developers and their behaviour towards green housing investment. The study also set out to identify the various green housing investment drivers, which are factors that can motivate investment in green housing. Various housing related policy instruments and documents were also reviewed to assess their efficacy in supporting green housing investment in Lagos. The study also assessed the cost and value of hypothetical green housing units, and their viability as housing investment options. The study used the ecological modernisation theory to explain the interrelationship of the state and the private sector to achieve environmental sustainability. It also used the theory of planned behaviour to examine property developers’ behaviour towards green housing investment. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative research instruments, including focus group discussions, to survey home users, estate surveyors and valuers, real estate developers, policy makers and architects, and subsequently establish a viable framework among the various property market players all located in Lagos. The quantitative data was analysed using various statistical tools including a structural equation modelling tool, while the qualitative data was analysed thematically. The findings of the study reveal that the paucity of green housing units in Lagos is attributable to a number of factors. These include a general lack of awareness of green buildings among parties that make up both the supply and demand sides of the housing market in Lagos. Also, property developers stated factors such as lack of demand for, and high cost of constructing green housing units as reasons for their lack of interest in such investments. The findings and results of the study were used to create a framework that recommends actions such as the formulation of green housing targeted policies and the creation or adoption of a local green building rating system. The study also recommends that the state government should identify environmentally responsible property investors, actively involve them in policy-making driven discussions and create an enabling investment environment for them in line with the investment drivers identified in this study

How does environmental efficiency impact on the rents of commercial offices in the UK?

The aim of this study is to investigate whether offices in the United Kingdom with an environmental label command price premiums when compared to non-labelled offices. The de facto standard for sustainability in the UK is the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). BREEAM is a building quality indicator that investigates a range of environmental criteria, awards credits based on the degree to which these criteria are represented in a building and then awards a rating based on the total number of credits that have been achieved. This research investigates the effect of BREEAM ratings on observed contract rents in the UK and as such provides a potentially stronger empirical test of the hypothesis than previous appraisal-based studies. The market impact of BREEAM ratings is investigated, using a control sample of non-BREEAM rated office buildings throughout the UK. To achieve this, a dataset is used that contains 19,509 commercial office lease transactions that were completed from 2006 to 2010. The results indicate that a premium exists for BREEAM-certified buildings. The results also indicate that the premium shows variations during the study period and that premiums vary depending on the year of construction and certification

European overview of sustainable policies and approaches in COST C25 member countries

The implementation of the principles and methods towards a Sustainable Construction varies across different countries in Europe. In some countries, the sustainability of the construction sector has been effectively taken into consideration over the last years, while in other its implementation is at an initial stage. Many reasons may be pointed out for this situation. Different countries have different understandings of what is entailed in Sustainable Construction. Different cultural and educational backgrounds, along with different priorities in each country, are also contributing for the lack of a common European approach. General frameworks, aiming to cover every aspect of Sustainable Construction and to provide a consistent and integrated approach, such as Agenda 21 for Sustainable Construction, gave a major advance in the search for a common approach for the construction sector. However, general agreed methodologies and tools to make this common approach operational are still missing.European Science Foundation - COST Action C2

Assessment of sustainable use of material resources in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry - a conceptual Framework proposal for Austria

Circular economy in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction requires consideration in the design, deconstruction-planning, and waste management. This paper aims to develop a Framework to evaluate the material sustainability of buildings by comparing the proportionality of costs to environmental impacts of construction waste flows. Therefore, an extensive literature review was conducted to find parameters needed, such as building certification, life cycle assessment, or material passports. Next, a distillation process was conducted to reduce the large number of parameters found to be manageable. Following the applicable legislation, procedures to be carried out at different stages, from dismantling to recycling or treatment, were defined. Practical applications were derived, such as support for deconstruction management, resource management, and conclusions for planning. The final parameters were assigned to these processes. Due to a lack of data, data collection and public data provision are essential for applicability

A multi-dimensional energy-based analysis of neighbourhood sustainability assessment tools: are institutional indicators really missing?

Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment Tools (NSATs) have become the modern day template for urban planners to achieve sustainable development in their communities, districts and cities. The popularity of the pioneering NSATs led to the creation of other tools in different regions. Also, with the popularity and replication of these tools came the replication of their limitations. The most notable limitation and motivation for this study is the inadequate recognition of the complexities of institutional dimensions (i.e. policies, laws and regulation) that contribute to mainstreaming and operationalising sustainable neighbourhood development. Studies that have investigated NSATs generally argue lack of coverage of the institutional dimension. However, there has been little consistent and explicit mention of the precise indicators and criteria sought out to make this claim. Also, there is a clear confusion as to what institutional indicators actually are, what characteristics they possess and how best they can be identified. This study, via the lens of energy-based indicators, expands on the role of the institutional indicator and its associated dimensions. This study also utilises a multi-dimensional approach to indicator analysis and draws out current trend or characteristics of institutional indicators in 15 currently existing NSATs. The results show a limited view on the classification of institutional indicators. The study also demonstrates that there are more institutional indicators than previously reported in prior studies. Additionally, this study confirms that an institutional indicator cannot be a single entity or identity but rather it must operate under the linkage of the other dimensions (environment, social and economic). Finally, this study, based on the analysis of 15 NSATs provides a definition of what can be considered an institutional indicator. In conclusion, it is recommended that future development of NSATs should ensure a constant institutional link to indicators, as this could provide an enhanced alternative to the development of NSATs, particularly for regions that are looking into developing their own assessment tools

Smart Cities: Towards a New Citizenship Regime? A Discourse Analysis of the British Smart City Standard

Growing practice interest in smart cities has led to calls for a less technology-oriented and more citizen-centric approach. In response, this articles investigates the citizenship mode promulgated by the smart city standard of the British Standards Institution. The analysis uses the concept of citizenship regime and a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods to discern key discursive frames defining the smart city and the particular citizenship dimensions brought into play. The results confirm an explicit citizenship rationale guiding the smart city (standard), although this displays some substantive shortcomings and contradictions. The article concludes with recommendations for both further theory and practice development

Emerging issues of environmental management in India

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