Potential advantages in combining smart and green infrastructure over silo approaches for future cities

Cities are incorporating smart and green infrastructure components in their urban design policies, adapting existing and new infrastructure systems to integrate technological advances to mitigate extreme weather due to climate change. Research has illustrated that smart green infrastructure (SGI) provides not only climate change resilience but also many health and wellbeing benefits that improve the quality of life of citizens. With the growing demand for smart technology, a series of problems and challenges, including governance, privacy, and security, must be addressed. This paper explores the potential to transition from grey, green, or smart silos to work with nature-based solutions and smart technology to help change cities to achieve considerable environmental and socio-economic benefits. The concepts of grey, green, and smart infrastructure are presented, and the needs, benefits, and applications are investigated. Moreover, the advantages of using integrated smart, green nature-based solutions are discussed. A comprehensive literature review is undertaken with keyword searches and included journal papers, stakeholder and case study reports, and local authority action plans. The methodology adopted multimethod qualitative information review, including literature, case studies, expert interviews, and documentary analysis. Published data and information were analysed to capture the key concepts in implementing SGI systems, such as storm-water control, flood and coastal defence, urban waste management, transportation, recreation, and asset management. The paper investigated the elimination of silo approaches and the alleviation of the destructions caused by extreme weather events using these interdependent SGI systems supported by novel data-driven platforms to provide nature-based solutions to boost the health and wellbeing of the residents

The ANDROID Case Study; Venice and its territory: A general overview.

The Work Package 7 (Research Futures & Special Interest Groups) of the ANDROID project, selected Venice and its territory as an emblematic case study of a region that could be affected by cross-border disastrous events. The paper provides a general overview on the topic, trying to organise the large amount of available scientific literature in some strategic cores, identifying undoubted milestones, open questions and future research needs, following a holistic approach to risk assessment. This case study is carried out not only as an engaging exercise, but with the purpose to provide a reference point for scientists and teachers interested to translate multifaceted knowledge into specific solutions. In fact, the paper is strongly linked as a whole to other three ones (presented at the 4th International Conference on Building resilience), which deepen respectively hazard, vulnerability/resilience, and mitigation about the site taken into consideration. Furthermore, the City of Venice takes part to the UNISDR Program “Making Cities Resilient”, and planned a robust intervention, consisting in the realisation of mobile dikes located at the openings of the lagoon (MOSE project, almost terminated), which has been strongly debated since the beginning, due to possible negative consequences on the environment. At last, the paper analyses drawbacks and benefits of the above said intervention, and suggests further proposals for the global safeguard of Venice and its lagoon

The Influence of Lighting Settings on Museum’s Brand Image and Human Satisfaction in Exhibition Halls Using Virtual Reality

This paper analyses the influence of museum lighting design on the brand image and human satisfaction inside exhibition halls, taking Birmingham museum and art gallery as the case study of this research focusing on the exhibition that included the ancient Egyptian displays. Four different generated lighting scenes using virtual reality were generated. The results showed that the lighting had an impact on the brand image and affect the willingness of people to revisit the museum and recommend it to family and friends. This research considers the museum’s visitors as active participants not just passive recipients of environmental stimuli. The research tried to provide a better understanding of how the exhibition environment in terms of lighting is perceived and provide further insight into how exhibition lighting design can enhance the visitor’s experience and create a brand image. According to the research results, visitors tend to be willing to return and stay longer in the presence of diverse and exciting lighting settings

Implementing Data-Driven Smart City Applications for Future Cities

Cities are investing in data-driven smart technologies to improve performance and efficiency and to generate a vast amount of data. Finding the opportunities to innovatively use this data help governments and authorities to forecast, respond, and plan for future scenarios. Access to real-time data and information can provide effective services that improve productivity, resulting in environmental, social, and economic benefits. It also assists in the decision-making process and provides opportunities for community engagement and participation by improving digital literacy and culture. This paper aims to review and analyze current practices of data-driven smart applications that contribute to the smooth functioning of urban city systems and the problems they face. The research methodology is qualitative: a systematic and extensive literature review carried out by PRISMA method. Data and information from different case studies carried out globally assisted in the inductive approach. Content analysis identified smart city indicators and related criteria in the case study examples. The study concluded that smart people, smart living, and smart governance methods that have come into practice at a later stage are as important as smart mobility, smart environments, and smart economy measures that were implemented early on, and cities are opening up to new, transparent participatory governance approaches where citizens play a key role. It also illustrates that the current new wave of smart cities with real time data are promoting citizen participation focusing on human, social capital as an essential component in future cities

Critical success factors, barriers and challenges for adopting offsite prefabrication: a systematic literature review

Egypt suffers from a huge deficit in low-income housing despite several mitigation attempts. The housing deficit has reached 3.5 million units in 2017 due to several issues including high population increase rate, overcrowding, slum dwellings, poor housing stock and poor performance of the construction sector. In order to address these challenges, offsite prefabrication has been proffered as an innovative solution to provide decent housing to the least advantaged households. This paper presents the findings of a systematic review of selected literature on adopting offsite prefabrication in several developing and developed countries. The review concluded that the housing deficit would not be reduced through conventional construction methods; hence, a new construction approach is needed that integrates manufacturing with construction. On the other hand, the critical success factors for successful adoption of offsite prefabrication include governmental support, adopting new building codes, integration of the private sector, industrial capabilities and social and cultural factors. It is concluded that offsite prefabrication can leverage low-income houses delivery in addition to improving the performance of the Egyptian construction sector

Gender and Disability Inclusion in Post-Disaster Rebuilding ‘Build Back Better’ Programmes in Sri Lanka: A Literature Review

In the last decade, many South Asian developing countries have suffered natural dis-asters. Severe disaster destruction results in an overwhelming need to rebuild hous-ing and infrastructure within a brief amount of time. United Nation Development Programme has sought to make this reconstruction program a "Build Back Better (BBB)" opportunity, hence gender inequality and marginalisation of people with disa-bilities remain a problem in many countries. Although the international community has sought to promote this resilience and inclusion, the Post-Disaster Rebuilding (PDR) process still overlooks these sectors of society and their needs. Therefore, this paper aims to bring in literature synthesis addressing gender and disability inclusion in PDR ‘BBB’ programmes in Sri Lanka. Besides, involvement in the mitigation of vulnerability and community resilience to disaster risks and relocation was found to play a significant role. Vulnerability and the risk of disasters can be dramatically re-duced by ensuring a culture of disaster prevention and resilience for all segments of populations, particularly rural areas, girls and women, and the disabled. All aspects of socially inclusive, formal, and non-formal commitments are important to take their desires and requirement into consideration

Evolutionary Designed Building Skins with Embedded Biomimetic Adaptation Lessons

The ambition of this study is to create a computational design engine that develops testable simulated models that can adapt to various situations or environments by abstracting some adoption lessons from biology and their relationship to the evolutionary growth of natural systems. With an emphasis on the optimisation of thermal and visual comfort across specific floor areas, the abstracted principles of biology are used to develop building skin tissues. These designs, evaluations, and implementation principles are conceptualised and computationally simulated. The idea of nature as a repository of interconnected dynamic processes that are open to investigation and simulation has changed from a formal metaphor to credible applications that can be implemented to improve the built environment. Environmental catastrophes during the past 20 years have accelerated efforts to gain a deeper understanding of natural systems and processes. A greater congruence between architecture and nature is believed to be possible with the help of applying the principles of natural systems and processes to the construction of buildings. Examining and reflecting on the interrelations of forms, processes, and behaviours can yield useful strategies to develop architectural morphologies that require significant environmental performance enhancements. This paper aims to propose an evolutionary design process with embedded biomimetic principles to generate building skins with morphological characteristics that can be applied in the context of excessive solar radiation e.g. the Persian Gulf region, to maximise thermal comfort by blocking unwanted the solar radiatio

The ANDROID Case Study; Venice and its territory: Existing mitigation options and challenges for the future

The Work Package 7 (Research Futures & Special Interest Groups) of the ANDROID project, within a specific working group, selected Venice and its territory as an emblematic case study of a region that could be affected by cross-border disastrous events. The paper provides a general overview on the topic, trying to organise the large amount of available scientific literature in some strategic cores, identifying undoubted milestones, open questions and future research needs, following a holistic approach to risk assessment. This case study is carried out not only as an engaging exercise, but with the purpose to provide a reference point for scientists and teachers interested to translate multifaceted knowledge into specific solutions. In fact, the paper is strongly linked as a whole to other three ones (presented at the 4th International Conference on Building resilience by WP7 group participants), which deepen respectively hazard, vulnerability/resilience, and mitigation about the site taken into consideration. Furthermore, the City of Venice takes part to the UNISDR Program “Making Cities Resilient”, and planned a robust intervention, consisting in the realisation of mobile dikes located at the openings of the lagoon (MOSE project, almost terminated), which has been strongly debated since the beginning, due to possible negative consequences on the environment. At last, the paper analyses drawbacks and benefits of the above said intervention, and suggests further proposals for the global safeguard of Venice and its lagoon

Inclusion of marginalised communities during post-disaster context in Sri Lanka: what methodology?

Research methodology is a general research strategy that defines how research should be carried out. It includes a system of beliefs and philosophical assumptions that shape the understanding of the research questions and underpins the choice of research methods. Additionally, research methodology is an integral part of any research and helps to ensure consistency between chosen tools, techniques, and underlying philosophy. Therefore, this article shows the perspectives to choose the most effective methodology to increase the inclusion of marginalised communities during the post-disaster phase in Sri Lanka. A systematic literature review comprising of 61 articles adopted as the best-suited methodology for this research. The philosophical position of this research is interpretivism, whereas the abductive approach is utilised for theory development. Hence, more than one qualitative data collection method is used, and this research adopts a multi-method qualitative approach. Furthermore, case study and survey strategies are chosen as the most suitable strategies for this research. Two Grama Niladhari divisions affected by natural disasters in Sri Lanka are selected as the cases. Data collection techniques adopted in this research are literature review, structured interviews, desk study, stakeholder interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and expert validation interviews. Data analysis techniques are literature synthesis, relative importance index, stakeholder analysis, and code-based content analysis. Furthermore, the article discusses how researchers achieve the reliability and validity of research findings and ethical considerations

How the construction industry can improve the health and well-being of their workers in a post COVID-19 era

UK Construction industry employs 2.7m employees and can lead the economic recovery by adapting to the current crisis. It accounts for a 6.02% share of the GDP and was hit strongly by the COVID-19 pandemic. Research has revealed that construction workers are at an increased risk of suffering from mental health conditions and data shows that male construction workers are three times more likely to commit suicide than the average male in the UK. Job insecurity, long hours, time away from families, lack of support from organisations and late payments are all known to contribute to this crisis. This paper explores how the construction industry can improve the mental health of its work force in the post pandemic era and what measures organisations can take to tackle the mental health crisis that the industry is facing, and which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. The research methodology used is a qualitative systematic literature review of published material including research journal papers, government and industry reports and articles that explore mental health challenges faced by the construction industry before and after the pandemic. The paper identifies the indicators of mental health and the existing initiatives currently operational within the construction sector and examines how mental health issues can be mainstreamed and be incorporated into construction industry policies and programmes to result in a healthy and balanced workforce