Contextualising mainstreaming of disaster resilience concepts in the construction process

Purpose: Construction industry and the built environment professions play an important role in contributing to society’s improved resilience. It is therefore important to improve their knowledge base to strengthen their capacities. This paper aims to identify gaps in the knowledge base of construction professionals that are undermining their ability to contribute to the development of a more disaster resilient society. The paper also provides a series of recommendations to key actors in the built environment on how to more effectively mainstream disaster resilience in the construction process. Design/methodology/approach: The paper reports the findings of 87 stakeholder interviews with: national and local government organisations; the community; non-governmental organisations, international non-governmental organisation and other international agencies; academia and research organisations; and the private sector, which were supplemented by a comprehensive analysis of key policies related to disaster resilience and management. The findings were validated using focus group discussions that were conducted as part of six organised stakeholder workshops. Findings: The primary and secondary data generated a long list of needs and skills. Finally, the identified needs and skills were combined “like-for-like” to produce broader knowledge gaps. Some of the key knowledge gaps identified are: governance, legal frameworks and compliance; business continuity management; disaster response; contracts and procurement; resilience technologies, engineering and infrastructure; knowledge management; social and cultural awareness; sustainability and resilience; ethics and human rights; innovative financing mechanisms; multi stakeholder approach, inclusion and empowerment; post disaster project management; and multi hazard risk assessment. The study also identifies a series of recommendations to key actors in the built environment on how to more effectively mainstream disaster resilience in the construction process. The recommendations are set out in five key themes: education, policy, practice, research and cross-cutting. Research limitations/implications: This study is part of an EU funded research project that is seeking to develop innovative and timely professional education that will update the knowledge and skills of construction professionals in the industry and enable them to contribute more effectively to disaster resilience building efforts. Originality/value: The paper provides an extensive analysis of the gaps in the knowledge base of construction professionals that are undermining their ability to contribute to the development of a more disaster resilient society. Accordingly, the paper recommends major changes in construction education, research, policy and practice with respect to mainstreaming disaster resilience within the construction process

Who’s responsible for food waste? Consumers, retailers and the food waste discourse coalition in the United Kingdom

Drawing on empirical research, including interviews with 38 key informants, this article examines how the challenge of food waste reduction has come to be framed, interpreted and responded to in the United Kingdom, focusing on household food waste and the interface between supermarkets and households. We identify a ‘discourse coalition’ arising from collective actors central to the issue that has achieved discursive hegemony over the framing of food waste as a problem. We analyse this discourse coalition – its core storylines, actors and practices – and the conditions that have enabled its emergence. Critical accounts of sustainable consumption commonly note the ‘responsibilisation of the consumer’: or the reduction of systemic issues to the individualised, behavioural choices of the ‘sovereign consumer’. We find, by contrast, that the ‘responsibilised consumer’ is by no means the discourse coalition’s dominant framing of the problem of household food waste. Instead, its dominant framing is that of distributed responsibility: responsibility distributed throughout the production–consumption system. The article also contributes towards understanding why retailers have embraced household food waste reduction as an object of intervention without framing the issue as one of, primarily, consumer responsibility

Proceedings - Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Issues for 1945-1951 accompanied by War emergency issues (1950-1951 called W.E.P.) which constitute alternate vols. of the Proceedings, v. 153-165.Individual numbers, Jan. 1915-Apr. 1921, called Journal.Physics abstracts. Science abstracts. Series AElectrical & electronics abstractsComputer & control abstractsInternational aerospace abstractsEnvironment abstractsEnergy information abstractsShip abstractsCoal abstractsFLUIDEXEngineering index energy abstractsEngineering index bioengineering abstractsEngineering index annual (1968)Proceedings for 1963/64-1969/70 (v. 178-184) called Part 1 (General proceedings). cf. Proceedings, v. 178, Pt. 1, no. 1.Proceedings for 1952-1953 issued in two sections: Section A, v. 166-167, 1952-1953, and Section B, v. 1, 1952-53.Issues for 1931-1977 called v. 120-191.Includes 4 supplementary no., June-Dec. 1914, with title: Journal.Mode of access: Internet.Brief subject and author index of papers (varies): 1847-90, with General index, 1847-73; 1847-July 1910, 1 v.; issued biennially 1926-36; annually 1937- (each vol. 1926-50 cumulative from 1937).General index: 1847-73, 1 v.; 1874-84 with General index, 1847-1873; 1885-1900, 1 v.; 1901-10; 1931-40; 1847-1947; issued decennially 1910-1940.Absorbed: Institution of Mechanical Engineers (Great Britain). Automobile Division. Proceedings - The Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Proceedings - Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Mode of access: Internet

Strategic metals and the United Kingdom A preliminary assessment by the materials forum

SIGLELD:f82/0107. / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo