El-Anwar, Omar; El-Rayes, Khaled; Elnashai, Amr. (2010). Maximizing Temporary Housing Safety after Natural Disasters. Journal Of Infrastructure Systems, 16(2), 138 – 148.
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Abstract
In the aftermath of large-scale natural disasters, emergency management organizations are expected to provide safe temporary housing for a large number of displaced families and to ensure that these housing arrangements are not located in hazardous areas. Potential postdisaster hazards can take many forms such as earthquake aftershocks, landslides, postearthquake soil liquefaction, flooding, hazardous material releases, etc. This paper presents the development of a multiobjective optimization methodology to support decision-makers in emergency management organizations in optimizing postdisaster temporary housing arrangements. The developed methodology incorporates (1) a safety model to measure and quantify temporary housing safety in the presence of multiple potential postdisaster hazards; (2) a cost model to minimize total public expenditures on temporary housing; and (3) a multiobjective optimization model to simultaneously maximize temporary housing safety and minimize public expenditures on temporary housing. An application to a large region is presented to illustrate the use of the models and demonstrate their capabilities in optimizing postdisaster temporary housing arrangements.
Keywords
Earthquake; Landslides; Optimization; Temporary Housing; Postdisaster Hazards; Housing Safety; Postdisaster Recovery
Streatfield, David C. (2012). The San Francisco Peninsula’s Great Estates: Part II. Eden, 15(2), 1 – 17.
Abstract
This article discusses the landscaping of American country estates built in late 19th century in San Francisco Peninsula. These estates are mentioned to have been influenced by the growing popularity of gardening in Europe. Andrew Jackson, America's first landscape architecture practitioner, is cited for promoting garden styles derived from English precedents. Some of the noteworthy estates built during the first three decades of 20th century are also described like New Place and Green Gables.
Keywords
Landscape Gardening; Country Homes; Gardening; Landscape Architecture; Europe; Jackson, Andrew
Dossick, Carrie Sturts(1). (2014). Messy Work in Virtual Worlds: Exploring Discovery and Synthesis in Virtual Teams. Lecture Notes In Computer Science (including Subseries Lecture Notes In Artificial Intelligence And Lecture Notes In Bioinformatics), 8683, 134 – 142.
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Abstract
The challenges of engineering team collaboration—establishing trust, fostering productive informal communication, cultivating knowledge exchange—are often exacerbated in virtual teams by geographical separation as well as team members’ cultural and linguistic differences. Researchers have observed that powerful collaboration in collocated teams is supported by shared visualizations with which the team engages in informal, flexible and active ways. In studying virtual team interactions in a virtual world known as the CyberGRID, we see that just as with AEC collocated teams, shared visualizations were instrumental for the teams as they define, understand, and generate knowledge when working on interrelated tasks. Emerging from this analysis is an empirically supported theory that while avatar-model interaction supports mutual discovery, more messy interactions of brainstorming, knowledge exchange and synthesis requires flexible, active, and informal shared visualizations. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014.
Keywords
Communication; Flow Visualization; Information Technology; Knowledge Management; Visualization; Building Information Model; Bim; Collaboration; Geographical Separation; Global Virtual Teams; Informal Communication; Linguistic Differences; Virtual Team Interactions; Virtual Worlds
D’Incognito, Maria; Costantino, Nicola; Migliaccio, Giovanni C. (2015). Actors and Barriers to the Adoption of LCC And LCA Techniques in the Built Environment. Built Environment Project And Asset Management, 5(2), 202 – 216.
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Abstract
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the existing barriers to the slow adoption of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) in construction, and the main responsible actors. Design/methodology/approach - The research design is based on a two-phase approach. First, the existing literature was studied through a multiple-step content analysis (CA) approach, which combined unsupervised concept mapping with computer aided CA. Using a relational CA approach, statistical-based analysis tools were initially used to identify the relationships between actors and barriers. Later, a Delphi study was administered to a panel of experts, to triangulate, validate, and refine the initial results. Findings - The study revealed that organizational culture is the most relevant barrier, and that clients and professionals are the actors that predominantly influence the adoption of LCC and LCA in projects. Technical and financial barriers, such as the lack and quality of input data and the high costs of implementation are also deemed relevant. Research limitations/implications - The CA was performed by a single rater on a sample that included 50 papers in English language. Future research may focus on enlarging the sample, extending it to other languages, and linking the source (or the expert) to their professional context to evaluate geographical differences in barriers. Originality/value - The adopted approach gives new insights on the relationships behind the rejection of LCA and LCC suggesting that solutions at the organizational level may be more effective than technical ones.
Keywords
Construction; Innovation; Content Analysis; Sustainability; Organizational Culture; Lca; Lcc; Life Cycle Management; Innovations; Life Cycle Costs; Experts; Software; Corporate Culture; Concept Mapping; Urban Environments; Computer Aided Mapping; Life Cycles; Life Cycle Engineering; Decision Making; Organizational Aspects; Supply Chains; Research Design; Professionals; Construction Industry; Construction Costs; Life Cycle Analysis; Urban Areas; English Language; Barriers; Regulation Of Financial Institutions; Life Cycle Assessment
Drewnowski, Adam; Aggarwal, Anju; Tang, Wesley; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Scully, Jason; Stewart, Orion; Moudon, Anne Vernez. (2016). Obesity, Diet Quality, Physical Activity, and the Built Environment: The Need for Behavioral Pathways. BMC Public Health, 16.
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Abstract
Background: The built environment ( BE) is said to influence local obesity rates. Few studies have explored causal pathways between home-neighborhood BE variables and health outcomes such as obesity. Such pathways are likely to involve both physical activity and diet. Methods: The Seattle Obesity Study ( SOS II) was a longitudinal cohort of 440 adult residents of King Co, WA. Home addresses were geocoded. Home-neighborhood BE measures were framed as counts and densities of food sources and physical activity locations. Tax parcel property values were obtained from County tax assessor. Healthy Eating Index ( HEI 2010) scores were constructed using data from food frequency questionnaires. Physical activity ( PA) was obtained by self-report. Weights and heights were measured at baseline and following 12 months' exposure. Multivariable regressions examined the associations among BE measures at baseline, health behaviors ( HEI-2010 and physical activity) at baseline, and health outcome both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Results: None of the conventional neighborhood BE metrics were associated either with diet quality, or with meeting PA guidelines. Only higher property values did predict better diets and more physical activity. Better diets and more physical activity were associated with lower obesity prevalence at baseline and 12 mo, but did not predict weight change. Conclusion: Any links between the BE and health outcomes critically depend on establishing appropriate behavioral pathways. In this study, home-centric BE measures, were not related to physical activity or to diet. Further studies will need to consider a broader range of BE attributes that may be related to diets and health.
Keywords
Body-mass Index; Local Food Environment; Residential Property-values; Supermarket Accessibility; Park Proximity; Neighborhood Walkability; Vegetable Consumption; Atherosclerosis Risk; Restaurant Food; Associations; Built Environment; Physical Activity; Obesity; Diet Quality
Anderson, Anne; Dossick, Carrie Sturts; Iorio, Josh; Taylor, John E. (2017). The Impact of Avatars, Social Norms and Copresence on the Collaboration Effectiveness of AEC Virtual Teams. Journal Of Information Technology In Construction, 22, 287 – 304.
Abstract
A growing number of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms are outsourcing complex design and construction work to international vendors. Due to the significant geographic distances that can separate project team members in global design networks, much of this work is executed in virtual teams, defined as teams composed of geographically separated members who collaborate to accomplish organizational tasks mediated by technology. The challenges of working in geographically distributed networks have prompted the development of alternative, virtual workspaces. Questions remain on how these virtual workspaces support or hinder collaborative work. People are social beings that rely on body language and other non-verbal cues to communicate. What happens to team formation and collaborative effectiveness when non-verbal cues are mediated through avatar actions? In this paper, qualitative ethnographic data collected over four years from studies conducted in a 3D virtual world are used to examine collaboration effectiveness of global virtual engineering project teams. We found that avatar movement and position was effective at communicating nonverbal information, even when done so unintentionally. Avatar actions that map to established social norms in the physical world results in more efficient communication. Collaboration was also enhanced when gesture bubbles were used for backchannel communication and when text chat was used to avoid interrupting voice communication. We found collaboration was hindered when the learning curve was too steep for participants to adapt to tool use or avatar actions in the environment. These findings have important implications for the future of collaboration in virtual environments, particularly in the AEC industry where 3D models can be imported into the virtual environment and explored synchronously by a project team.
Keywords
Architectural Design; Human Resource Management; International Trade; Bim Coordination; Collaboration Technology; Distributed Teams; Social Norm; Virtual Worlds; Communication; Design; Technology; Dimensions; Teamwork; Behavior; Collaboration Technologies; Social Norms
Ibrahim, Amir; El-Anwar, Omar; Marzouk, Mohamed. (2018). Socioeconomic Impact Assessment of Highly Dense-Urban Construction Projects. Automation In Construction, 92, 230 – 241.
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Abstract
Dense-urban construction is reported to affect the social and economic welfare of surrounding residents and local businesses in various ways. However, research studies and practical methodologies aimed at assessing to what extent the choice of a construction plan that reduces such effect are very limited. The objective of this paper is to present the development of an automated assessment methodology to fill this research gap. To this end, two formulations are presented; one based on multi-attributed utility functions and the other based on monetary compensations for disruptions caused by construction operations. Both formulations assess the impacts of construction plans on (1) increased travel distance; (2) residents' relocation; (3) business loss; (4) business closure; and (5) noise inconvenience. The proposed automated methodology is implemented in five sequential phases and utilizes Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Visual Basic Application (VBA). Using the proposed implementation, the two alternative formulations are applied to an infrastructure upgrading project in Cairo, Egypt that had five possible construction scenarios. While the two formulations resulted in the same preference order for the five scenarios, they exhibited different performance in terms of their (1) assessment relative values; (2) required input data and robustness; (3) ease of results interpretation; and (4) comprehensiveness and scalability. The developed framework shows promising results in terms of identifying and sorting the major root causes of the socioeconomic disruptions caused by dense urban construction. Results show that using the proposed methodology informs decision-making and planning at the early stages of a project, which in turn helps to reduce cost overruns and schedule delays.
Keywords
Construction Projects; Socioeconomics; Social Services; Construction Project Management; Building Design & Construction; Geographic Information Systems; Infrastructure (economics); Dense-urban Construction; Gis; Socioeconomic Assessment; Decision Making; Economics; Plant Shutdowns; Tourism Industry; Automated Assessment; Construction Operations; Construction Plan; Socio-economic Assessments; Socio-economic Impact Assessment; Urban Construction; Utility Functions; Visual Basic Application; Pavement Construction; Road; Sustainability; Behavior; Industry; Highway; Models; Choice
Duncan, Glen E.; Avery, Ally; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Tsang, Siny; Turkheimer, Eric. (2019). Cohort Profile: Twins Study of Environment, Lifestyle Behaviours and Health. International Journal Of Epidemiology, 48(4), 1041.
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Keywords
Twin Studies; Neighborhoods; Native Americans; Normalized Difference Vegetation Index; Life Style; Twins; Body-mass Index; Physical-activity; Neighborhood Walkability; Waist Circumference; Built Environment; Causal Inference; Deprivation; Validation; Registry; Obesity
Tobey, Michael B.; Binder, Robert B.; Yoshida, Takahiro; Yamagata, Yoshiki. (2019). Urban Systems Design Case Study: Tokyo’s Sumida Ward. Smart Cities, 2(4), 453 – 470.
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Abstract
Meeting the needs of increasing environmental and systematic pressures in urban settlements requires the use of integrated and wholistic approaches. The Urban Systems Design (USD) Conceptual Framework joins the metric-based modeling of rationalized methods with human-driven goals to form a combined iterative design and analysis loop. The framework processes information for the fundamental element of cities-humans-to large-scale modeling and decision-making occurring in district- and ward-level planning. There is a need in the planning and design profession to better integrate these efforts at a greater scale to create smart communities that are inclusive and comprehensive in aspects from data management to energy and transportation networks. The purpose of this study is to examine the applicability of this method as it pertains to a model and design integrated approach. Northern Sumida Ward, located in Tokyo, exemplifies the contextualized needs of Tokyo, and Japan, while forming a coherent internal community. Focusing on methodology, our process explores the creation of typologies, metric-based analysis, and design-based approaches that are integrated into modeling. The results of the analyses provide initial evidence regarding the validity of the USD approach in modeling changes to complex systems at differing design scales, connecting various qualities of the built environment, building and urban forms, and diagnostic comparisons between baseline and change conditions. Because of some inconsistencies and the need for further evidence gathering, the methods and processes show that there is much work to be done to strengthen the model and to continue building a more productive field of USD. However, in this framework's continuing evolution, there is increasing evidence that combining the planning and design of urban systems creates a more resilient, economically viable, sustainable, and comfortable city.
Keywords
Urban Planning; Resilience; Sustainability; Economics; Human Factors; Tokyo; Planning Support System; Gis
Liu, Yue; Colburn, Alex; Inanici, Mehlika. (2020). Deep Neural Network Approach for Annual Luminance Simulations. Journal Of Building Performance Simulation, 13(5), 532 – 554.
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Abstract
Annual luminance maps provide meaningful evaluations for occupants' visual comfort and perception. This paper presents a novel data-driven approach for predicting annual luminance maps from a limited number of point-in-time high-dynamic-range imagery by utilizing a deep neural network. A sensitivity analysis is performed to develop guidelines for determining the minimum and optimum data collection periods for generating accurate maps. The proposed model can faithfully predict high-quality annual panoramic luminance maps from one of the three options within 30 min training time: (i) point-in-time luminance imagery spanning 5% of the year, when evenly distributed during daylight hours, (ii) one-month hourly imagery generated during daylight hours around the equinoxes; or (iii) 9 days of hourly data collected around the spring equinox, summer and winter solstices (2.5% of the year) all suffice to predict the luminance maps for the rest of the year. The DNN predicted high-quality panoramas are validated against Radiance renderings.
Keywords
Scattering Distribution-functions; Daylight Performance; Glare; Model; Prediction; Daylighting Simulation; Luminance Maps; Machine Learning; Neural Networks; Hdr Imagery; Panoramic View