Lozanovska, M., Pieris, A., Haghighi, F., Taylor, W. M., Hou, J., Smitheram, J., & Chee, L. (2020). Other Spaces of Quarantine. Fabrications : The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand, 30(3), 416–429. https://doi.org/10.1080/10331867.2020.1857609
Year: 2020
Guerrilla Urbanism: Urban Design and the Practices of Resistance
Hou, J. (2020). Guerrilla urbanism: urban design and the practices of resistance. Urban Design International (London, England), 25(2), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41289-020-00118-6
Abstract
Unsanctioned, unscripted, and seemingly “undesirable” activities have long appropriated urban spaces in routine and sometimes unexpected ways, bringing new meanings and unforeseen functions to those places. In the last decade or so, such practices have inspired a growing movement under the banner of DIY and tactical urbanisms. The growing acceptance of these practices creates important openings in the formalized planning systems for greater fexibility and expedient change. Yet, the institutionalization of previously informal and even subversive acts has resulted in concerns regarding co-optation and de-politicization. This special issue seeks to pivot a refocus towards these unsanctioned and unscripted urban activities as a form of counter-hegemonic spatial practices, distinct from its professionalized and institutionalized counterpart. A range of cases is examined here sharing similar characteristics as challenges against the prevailing social and political paradigm. Key findings include the scalability of guerrilla actions, the fuid shift between overt and covert actions, and the linkage between everyday struggles and organized resistance. This special issue is intended to advance our understanding of urban design by situating it in a broader social, economic, and political praxis that encompasses both formal and informal practices performed by a wide variety of individual and collective actors.
Keywords
Guerrilla urbanism; Tactical urbanism; Insurgent planning; Spatial practices; Everyday resistance
ACT²: Time–Cost Tradeoffs from Alternative Contracting Methods
Choi, Kunhee, Bae, Junseo, Yin, Yangtian, and Lee, Hyun Woo. (2014). ACT²: Time–Cost Tradeoffs from Alternative Contracting Methods. Journal of Management in Engineering, 37(1).
Abstract
Incentive/disincentive (I/D) and cost-plus-time (A+B) are two of the most widely used alternative contracting methods (ACMs) for accelerating the construction of highway infrastructure improvement projects. However, little is known about the effects of trade-offs in terms of project schedule and cost performance. This study addresses this problem by creating and testing a stochastic decision support model called accelerated alternative contracting cost-time trade-off (ACT2). This model was developed by a second-order polynomial regression analysis and validated by the predicted error sum of square statistic and paired comparison tests. The results of a descriptive trend analysis based on a rich set of high-confidence project data show that I/D is effective at reducing project duration but results in higher cost compared to pure A+B and conventional methods. This cost-time trade-off effect was confirmed by the ACT2 model, which determines the level of cost-time trade-off for different ACMs. This study will help state transportation agencies promote more effective application of ACMs by providing data-driven performance benchmarking results when evaluating competing acceleration strategies and techniques.
Keywords
Errors (statistics), Project management, Benefit cost ratios, Regression analysis, Construction costs, Infrastructure construction, Contracts and subcontracts, Construction methods
The Impact of Empowering Front-Line Managers on Planning Reliability and Project Schedule Performance
Kim, Yong-Woo, and Rhee, Byong-Duk. (2020). The Impact of Empowering Front-Line Managers on Planning Reliability and Project Schedule Performance. Journal of Management in Engineering, 36(3).
Abstract
This study applies empowerment theory to production planning at the level of frontline managers in a construction project. Using structural equation modeling, we investigate how empowering frontline managers impacts their planning performance. In contrast to prior studies, we find that although psychological empowerment of frontline managers has no direct effect on their production planning reliability or scheduling performance, it has an indirect effect on planning reliability and scheduling performance, as long as the organization supports the empowerment structurally during production planning. This implies that a project manager should provide frontline managers at the operational level with proper formal and informal authority over workflow development, shielding, and resource allocation when planning production in order to enhance job performance through psychological empowerment. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on construction management by exploring the impact of psychological and structural empowerment of frontline managers on their performance of production planning reliability and scheduling performance.
Keywords
Organizations, Managers, Structural models, Scheduling, Structural reliability, Construction management, Human and behavioral factors, Resource allocation
Handbook on Transport and Urban Transformation in China
Handbook on Transport and Urban Transformation in China. Edited by Chia Lin Chen et al., Edward Elgar Publishing, 2020.
Factors Influencing Teleworking Productivity – a Natural Experiment during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Shi, Xiao; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Lee, Brian H. Y.; Shen, Qing; Ban, Xuegang (Jeff). (2020). Factors Influencing Teleworking Productivity – a Natural Experiment during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Findings.
Abstract
Of 2174 surveyed adults who were teleworking following the implementation of a Covid-19 work-from-home policy, 23.8% reported an increase in productivity, 37.6% no change, and 38.6% a decrease in productivity compared to working at their prior workplace. After controlling for feelings of depression and anxiety likely caused by pandemic-related circumstances, the socioeconomic characteristics associated with no change or an increase in productivity after shifting to teleworking included being older; not employed in higher education; having lower education attainment; and not living with children. Respondents with longer commute trips in single-occupancy vehicles prior to teleworking were more likely to be more productive but those with longer commute by walking were not. Lifestyle changes associated with increased productivity included better sleep quality, spending less time on social media, but more time on personal hobbies.
Interpretations of Aftershock Advice and Probabilities After the 2013 Cook Strait Earthquakes, Aotearoa New Zealand
Doyle, Emma E. H.; McClure, John; Potter, Sally H.; Lindell, Michael K.; Becker, Julia S.; Fraser, Stuart A.; Johnston, David M. (2020). Interpretations of Aftershock Advice and Probabilities After the 2013 Cook Strait Earthquakes, Aotearoa New Zealand. International Journal Of Disaster Risk Reduction, 49.
Abstract
Probabilistic statements can be a valuable tool for natural hazard risk communication, including forecasts. However, individuals often have a poor understanding of such probabilistic forecasts caused by them distorting their interpretations of event likelihoods towards the end of the time window and discounting the risk today. We investigated the use of an 'anchoring' time statement to mitigate this bias via an opportunistic survey run after the 2013 Cook Strait earthquakes, near Wellington, New Zealand. Participants rated their interpretations of likelihoods for an immediate aftershock forecast, and for an earthquake in the future. We explored the influence of aftershock and information concern, emotions and felt shaking, gender and education, as well as preparedness actions. The anchoring time window statement mitigated the skew in interpretations for the short (24 h to within 1 week) aftershock forecast statement. However, the skew still existed for the longer future earthquake forecast (7 days to within 1 year). We also found that heightened sensory experience (felt shaking) or emotional reactions (nervousness, fear, alertness) during the earthquakes was associated with an increase in the perceived likelihoods of future events. Gender was found to significantly influence results, with females rating higher levels of information concern and anxiety, and recording higher perceived likelihoods for the immediate aftershock forecast. Findings, including the importance of 'anchoring' time windows within a forecast to encourage immediate preparedness actions, support recommendations for effective crafting of these forecasts and warnings.
Keywords
False Discovery Rate; Risk Perceptions; Natural Hazards; Communication; Uncertainty; Model; Preparedness; Information; Experiences; Intentions; Likelihood; Probabilities; Forecasts; Earthquakes; Emotions; Concern; Gender; Actions
The Impact of Empowering Front-Line Managers on Planning Reliability and Project Schedule Performance
Kim, Yong-Woo; Rhee, Byong-Duk. (2020). The Impact of Empowering Front-Line Managers on Planning Reliability and Project Schedule Performance. Journal Of Management In Engineering, 36(3).
Abstract
This study applies empowerment theory to production planning at the level of frontline managers in a construction project. Using structural equation modeling, we investigate how empowering frontline managers impacts their planning performance. In contrast to prior studies, we find that although psychological empowerment of frontline managers has no direct effect on their production planning reliability or scheduling performance, it has an indirect effect on planning reliability and scheduling performance, as long as the organization supports the empowerment structurally during production planning. This implies that a project manager should provide frontline managers at the operational level with proper formal and informal authority over workflow development, shielding, and resource allocation when planning production in order to enhance job performance through psychological empowerment. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on construction management by exploring the impact of psychological and structural empowerment of frontline managers on their performance of production planning reliability and scheduling performance.
Keywords
Psychological Empowerment; Work; Model; Variables; System; Job; Planning Reliability; Production Planning; Scheduling Performance; Structural Empowerment; Structural Equation Modeling
Climate-Driven Habitat Change Causes Evolution in Threespine Stickleback
Roches, Simone Des; Bell, Michael A.; Palkovacs, Eric P. (2020). Climate-Driven Habitat Change Causes Evolution in Threespine Stickleback. Global Change Biology, 26(2), 597 – 606.
Abstract
Climate change can shape evolution directly by altering abiotic conditions or indirectly by modifying habitats, yet few studies have investigated the effects of climate-driven habitat change on contemporary evolution. We resampled populations of Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) along a latitudinal gradient in California bar-built estuaries to examine their evolution in response to changing climate and habitat. We took advantage of the strong association between stickleback lateral plate phenotypes and Ectodysplasin A (Eda) genotypes to infer changes in allele frequencies over time. Our results show that over time the frequency of low-plated alleles has generally increased and heterozygosity has decreased. Latitudinal patterns in stickleback plate phenotypes suggest that evolution at Eda is a response to climate-driven habitat transformation rather than a direct consequence of climate. As climate change has reduced precipitation and increased temperature and drought, bar-built estuaries have transitioned from lotic (flowing-water) to lentic (still-water) habitats, where the low-plated allele is favoured. The low-plated allele has achieved fixation at the driest, hottest southernmost sites, a trend that is progressing northward with climate change. Climate-driven habitat change is therefore causing a reduction in genetic variation that may hinder future adaptation for populations facing multiple threats.
Keywords
Gasterosteus-aculeatus; Natural-selection; 3-spined Stickleback; Armor; Populations; Patterns; Reductions; Adaptation; Capacity; Package; Climate Change; Gasterosteus Aculeatus; Intraspecific Variation; Latitudinal Gradient; Rapid Evolution; Resurvey; Space-for-time
Participatory Infrastructures: The Politics of Mobility Platforms
Dunn, Peter T. (2020). Participatory Infrastructures: The Politics of Mobility Platforms. Urban Planning, 5(4), 335 – 346.
Abstract
Much of everyday life in cities is now mediated by digital platforms, a mode of organization in which control is both distributed widely among participants and sharply delimited by the platform's constraints. This article uses examples of smartphone-based platforms for urban mobility to argue that platforms create new political arrangements of the city, intermediating the social processes of management and movement that characterize urban life. Its empirical basis is a study of user interfaces, data specifications, and algorithms used in the operation and regulation of ride-hailing services and bike-share systems. I focus on three aspects of urban politics affected by platforms: its location, its participants, and the types of conflict it addresses. First, the programming forums in which decisions are encoded in and distributed through platforms' core digital architecture are new sites of policy deliberation outside the more familiar arenas of city politics. Second, travelers have new opportunities to use platforms for travel on their own terms, but this expanded participation is circumscribed by interfaces that presuppose individual, transactional engagement rather than a participation attentive to a broader social and environmental context. Finally, digital systems show themselves to be well suited to enforcing quantifiable distributional goals, but struggle to resolve the more nuanced relational matters that constitute the politics of everyday city life. These illustrations suggest that digital tools for managing transportation are not only political products, but also reset the stage on which urban encounters play out.
Keywords
Construction; Users; Digital Geographies; Infrastructure; Participation; Platform Urbanism; Shared-use Mobility