Analysis of building environment assessment frameworks and their implications for sustainability indicators

Green construction is gaining increasing attention in the global context. However, the construction of sustainable green buildings and environments involves different tools and systems and diverse perspectives. Therefore, the development of environmental assessment tools is an important task for managing green housing and green building projects. In this paper, we discuss the benefits, limitations, and future directions of the assessment framework. There are four characteristics of building environmental assessment, i.e., comprehensiveness, design guideline, signaling, and communication tools, which afford both benefits and limitations. We illustrate the role of the assessment framework as a hub promoting integration of diverse knowledge, as a design guideline encouraging better design and action, as signaling environmentally friendly design and action, and as a communication tool. On the other hand, there are limitations, such as the use of a mixture of quantitative and qualitative measures, ambiguity of weighing, lack of financial evaluation, and lack of involvement of diverse disciplines and stakeholders. To develop an effective assessment framework, the following three factors must be considered: knowledge, power, and implementation. We propose that knowledge innovation, a credible approach for a salient solution, and collective action represent the future challenges of the assessment framework.     

向家坝工程扰动区的景观变化及其生态恢复

大型水利水电工程扰动常造成土地利用的显著变化。为研究工程扰动对景观的影响以及采取修复措施后的景观生态效果,以向家坝水利水电工程建设为例,以工程扰动区的航空摄影图像分析和野外样地调查为手段,分别针对工程区域在被扰动前（2004年）、扰动后（2006~2007年）和进行恢复重建之后（2008年）的3个代表年份展开了区域景观变化及现有生态恢复工程对生态景观恢复效应的研究。选取景观破碎化指数、多样性、优势度和景观形状指数4个参数,量化分析了向家坝工程建设区整体景观结构特征,包括不同阶段景观格局变化、景观斑块类型面积与斑块数量变化、斑块破碎化和斑块形状变化,以及各年份景观指数和各景观类型破碎化指数变化等。此外,从景观生态学原理的角度,提出了向家坝工程扰动区将来实施生态恢复重建的对策措施。其中特别强调扰动区今后的生态恢复工作应在科学规划扰动区景观格局和功能的基础上,注重景观连接性的建设,同时不断改善群落结构和丰富物种多样性     

Accounting for human behavior,local conditions and organizational constraints in humanitarian development models

The current trend in foreign aid is toward small-scale sustainable development projects in partnership with defined communities. However, these projects are subject to the influences of self-interested human behavior, poorly defined community structures and resources and organizational constraints that can prevent full realization of development models. Under these constraints, attempting participatory community development models to the exclusion of other techniques may not be the most effective way to achieve positive change. Instead, development agencies should consider adopting other proven elements of development in combination with the spirit of community development to achieve a positive impact within the community and organizational structures and ensure accountability for success. A small-scale attempted, sustainable development case study in Rwanda is reviewed, as well as a new concept for larger scale development integrating ‘carbon credits’. Additionally, a development accreditation organization is proposed to ensure additional accountability in this field.     

Community partnered projects: a case study of a collaborative effort to improve sanitation in a marginalized community in northwest Mexico

There is a growing recognition in developing countries that community participation in water and sanitation projects is a necessary strategy in sustainable development. The main advantage of following such an approach is that, if participation can encourage a sense of ownership of the projects, the benefits of the project are more likely to extend over the long term. The case study at hand focuses on the challenges faced in implementing a wastewater treatment system to solve an environmental and public health problem in a rural community, Rosario de Tesopaco, in northwest Mexico. Until recently, the community has been unable to implement an effective plan to treat the wastewater generated in the community. The problems faced by the community can be attributed to the political arrangement of water and sanitation decentralization in Mexico that occurred in the mid 1980’s, whereby communities were required to meet wastewater treatment standards, but were not given the technical and political guidance needed to achieve this goal. However, in this instance, cooperation between the authorities in Rosario de Tesopaco, the federal agency for social development, and an academic institution has led to the successful design and approval of a wastewater treatment project. This achievement can be attributed to the use of an effective collaborative strategy, tailoring the project to the needs and capacity of the local community, positioning the community as the leaders and owners of the project. A model for following this strategy for developing rural sanitation projects in Mexico is proposed. Readers should send their comments on this paper to BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Time and cost characterisation of emissions from non-road diesel equipment for infrastructure projects

The construction process contributes to pollutant emissions, particularly through the operation of diesel- and gasoline-powered equipment. In the past decade, a series of investigations were undertaken to quantify these emissions for a variety of non-road construction equipment performing different activities and undergoing different duty cycles, and a model to estimate quantities of six types of pollutant was developed. This paper uses that model to estimate emissions for four street and utility construction projects which no one has done previously. We combined information from company records with standard construction industry manuals to estimate total emissions for the projects and to examine the pollution patterns and magnitudes. The street construction projects all had similar emission profiles with a large peak at the beginning and a steady output of emissions throughout the duration of the project. For example, in two of the projects studied, half of all CO₂ emissions were produced before the projects were 40% completed. Results showed that demolition and earthwork are the activities with the largest contribution. The equipment types with the largest contribution are backhoes, front-end loaders, bulldozers and trenchers. Trenchers, for example, produced 30% of all emissions on the projects on which they were used.     

重庆市2000~2015年土地利用变化时空特征分析

研究区域土地利用变化及其时空特征,可以为将来的区域土地利用规划和管理提供基础。基于2000年、2005年、2010年和2015年4期土地利用遥感影像解译数据,结合GIS空间分析方法,从土地利用变化速度、转移方向、利用程度3个方面定量分析了重庆市2000~2015年土地利用变化的时空特征。结果表明：（1）研究期内,耕地、草地和未利用土地持续减少,且耕地减少速度呈增大趋势,主要减少区域分布在主城及周边区县;林地、水域和城乡建设用地面积增加。（2）区县之间各类土地利用变化的相对速率差异较大,其中草地的相对变化率相差最大,其次为水域、耕地和林地。耕地变化最大的区域主要集中在主城区,城乡建设用地在各区县均有较大变化;水域发生较大变化的区县均与大型水利工程的修建有关。（3）重庆市在2000~2005年土地利用变化最剧烈,随后朝着越来越稳定的方向发展;区县间土地利用变化剧烈程度差异明显,但这种差异朝着缩小的方向发展。（4）渝东北、东南区域耕地、林地、草地之间转换活跃,但活跃度随时间后移递减;耕地一直是其他地类最主要的转入来源之一,城乡建设用地越来越成为其他地类的主要转出方向。（5）重庆市土地利用水平总体上处于发展期,土地利用程度的区域分布格局基本上保持不变,但差异明显,越往东北、东南区域,土地利用程度越低;全市土地利用程度变化量的分布格局呈现为以渝中区为核心从内到外依次为“弱变化——剧烈变化——较强变化——较弱变化”的圈层扩展形态。     

Mapping out the design opportunities: pathways of sustainable behaviour

To advance the area of design for sustainable behaviour (DfSB), a common behaviour terminology is needed to enable comparisons of studies across application areas. Thus, the map of pathways of sustainable behaviour was created with the aim of charting different paths that users can follow to reduce environmental impact when interacting with artefacts. The construction of the map results from a comparative analysis of sustainable behaviours identified in previous studies in conjunction with a review of existing behaviour classifications. The proposed map of pathways gives a comprehensive overview of all artefact-related resource-consuming usage behaviours, organised according to a design perspective and divided with regard to aspects of use and obtainment, primary and secondary artefact, duration and type of effort. Through design, the user can be encouraged to take any of the five identified paths: choice of artefact, changed use, maintenance and repair, mediated use and regulated artefact. Using the map in a DfSB process can guide the exploration phase and highlight potential design opportunities when choosing target behaviour. If adopted by the DfSB community, the united typology of the map also provides means necessary to make rigorous comparisons and develop the field and its tools.     

Educational initiative of Osaka University in sustainability science: mobilizing science and technology towards sustainability

One of the most important and yet difficult challenges that modern societies face is how to mobilize science and technology (S&T) to minimize the impact of human activities on the Earth’s life support systems. As the establishment of inter-disciplinary education programs is necessary to design a unified vision towards understanding the complexity of human nature, the Research Institute for Sustainability Science (RISS) launched a new program on sustainability science in April 2008. The program expects to address the issue of how to use knowledge more effectively to understand the dynamic interactions between nature and human society. This paper first offers an overview of international and Japanese initiatives on sustainability education in which we highlight the uniqueness of the attempt by the Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S). The paper then introduces the RISS program for sustainability science, addressing the principles and curriculum design of the program. The paper discusses the main problems and constraints faced when developing the program, such as institutional barriers in building a curriculum and obtaining cooperation from faculty. To challenge these barriers and limitations, the RISS uses the program as a platform to disseminate the idea of sustainability science across the university. This attempt helps us to obtain the continuing cooperation necessary to improve and maintain the program.

Experiences with restoration of inland freshwater wetlands in the Netherlands: lessons for science and policy-making

The past decade has seen important changes in the approach to water management issues in the Netherlands. Urban development, recreational demands, agriculture, nature conservation and other space demanding functions compete with water management objectives in their claims for space. An analysis of some recent water management projects illustrates that the implementation of the new water management approach is not always easy. Catchment-based multifunctional projects encounter major constraints. These constraints are: 1) national goals versus local constraints; 2) limited sense of urgency; 3) lack of institutional coordination in the water management community; 4) unclear views over nature conservation, and; 5) limited understanding of wetland functioning in relation to flood risk management. We promote platforms for collaborative planning as a way to improve stakeholder participation in early stages of decision-making. Negotiation and mediation support tools can enable stakeholders and mediators to formulate the problems that need to be addressed more effectively. Early involvement of stakeholders in the planning process is almost a condition for successful implementation; however, it is no guarantee of success, and not all conflicts can be solved. Therefore assessment of the costs and benefits of different parties is important for compensation schemes to gain broad social acceptance.     

山水林田湖生命共同体健康评价——以红枫湖区域为例

了解、掌握山水林田湖生命共同体健康情况能为共同体修复工作提供参考。以红枫湖所在地为研究区,借鉴VOR生态模型建立山水林田湖生命共同体健康评价的SC模型。评价体系中27个指标等级设定参考国际、国家行业标准、相关文献,未有明确标准的指标采取标准化或者自然断点发划定等级,权重采用AHP确定。结果表明：（1）研究区山水林田湖生命共同体健康整体属于亚健康状态;（2）因2010年百年一遇大旱,生命共同体健康（H）指数在2010年最低;（3）山的基本状态指数与评价其他子系统基本状态的多个指标存在相关性;（4）生命共同体基本状态（S）指数与林、湖强度相关;（5）2005～2015年H指数增加得益于湖的基本状态得到改善。以相关性分析结果与实地实施的方针政策相结合,确定影响生命共同体健康的主要因子有地形地貌、极端雨量、水利工程以及生态环境保护措施。最后,从重点湖泊区保护、水库生态环境优化、抗旱防汛水利工程实施、重点工业区、土地开发建设、水土流失治理等5个方面提出生命共同体健康维护建议。     

Temporal-spatial Characteristics of the Urbanization of Rural Land in Xinjiang

Relying on remote sensor technology, GIS and Land-sat TM digital images, the authors use spatial and statistical analysis to examine the temporal-spatial characteristics of the change caused by urban Construction in Xinjiang＇s rural areas from the end of the 1980s to the end of the 1990s. The primary findings show the following： 1） The urban construction in rural areas has increased drastically. The expansion speed of urban land use has accelerated over the past decade. The sub-land use changes caused by the urbanization of rural are characterized by salient regional differentiation among the three main regions and among the 85 counties of Xinjiang. 2） The shift of land use is mostly characterized by cultivated land and grassland being used for urban and industrial projects. Moreover, this change of land use is characteristic of regional differences. 3） Factors of rural-urban construction land use changes in Xinjiang, are undoubtedly affected by natural environment, social, economic conditions, and to a larger degree by population growth, GDP development and industrial development.     

Building climate change resilience through local cooperation: a Peruvian Andes case study

Many of the problems faced by international projects intending to create adaptive social–ecological systems for climate change stem from lack of stakeholder engagement, limited understanding of local political, economic, and environmental complexities, and restricted time. Local organizations focused on conservation and development might have an advantage in creating adaptive social–ecological systems because they understand local processes and are involved with communities for extended periods of time. A local non-governmental organization, Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos (ECOAN), works in twenty-one communities in the Andean highlands outside of Cusco to conserve the endangered Polylepis forests. As part of the conservation project, ECOAN supports community-led development projects such as building greenhouses. Data for this project were gathered through interviews (with community members in three different communities, ECOAN staff, and donors) and participant observation. This paper shows that ECOAN’s extensive use of participation has led to community ownership of the conservation and development projects. The communities’ close connections to the Polylepis project contribute to resilience through creating networks, extending the local environmental ethic to the Polylepis trees, supporting projects that diversify and strengthen community sustenance, and contributing to the growth of economic activities. This case study provides a positive example of the potential for local organizations and people to take charge of their own resiliency efforts where international projects and protocols may otherwise prove ineffective.     

Conditions for successful local resource management: lessons from a Brazilian small-scale trawling fishery

Conditions for successful common-pool resources management institutions have been systematized by Elinor Ostrom as a set of “design principles for robust governance”. The comparison of two attempts to developing a local informal managing institution for shrimp trawling, 30 years apart (the late 1970s and 2010 attempts), and in the same community (therefore, the same socioecological system—SES) in Southern Brazil, provides a convenient ground to test the hypothesis that the degree of success of each attempt is related to the degree of adherence to Ostrom’s principles. Moreover, the comparison allows investigating how conditions and changes in the SES affect management institutions. Our institutional analysis showed that the 1970s attempt followed a local rule that best fitted almost all principles, which may explain its relative success and longer-lasting activity. However, changes such as the emergence of new technologies and increased fishing activity gradually led to an erosion of the local rule. A low level of group cohesion, regional socioeconomic changes, increased fishing effort, and lack of legal provisions for fishers to develop local managing institutions were the main factors that led to institutional failure in the two evaluated attempts. Additionally, the lack of ability to adapt to changing conditions weakened the continuity of the management regime. Although Brazil has created new fishery co-management policies, strategies to enable institutions at local levels are urgently needed for improved performance.     

基于CVM调查法评估城市公共绿地服务价值 ——以西部省会城市为例

随着人口增长和城市化程度越来越高,作为城市土地利用类型之一的公共绿地往往最容易被改变性质和用途。开展城市公共绿地价值评估,是当前城市规划、绿地保护与建设中迫切需要解决的问题。通过梳理西部城市群中典型的甘青宁3个省会城市的公共绿地存在的主要问题,并采用CVM调查法评估城市公共绿地的服务价值。研究表明：兰州市城市公共绿地提供的生态服务总价值约为 3 324~3 761 万元之间,西宁、银川两市因城市规模相对较小,城市公共绿地提供的生态服务总价值较兰州市略低;分析社会因素对支付意愿的影响,得出职业、收入、性别等变量对支付意愿的正向影响作用较大;比较单位公共绿地面积的生态服务价值产出可以发现,兰州市单位公共绿地面积的生态服务价值产出最高约为1.57~1.77元/m²,兰州市城市公共绿地的生态服务价值产出效率较高。     

合肥城市绿地系统的景观生态评价

城市绿地作为城市结构中的自然生产力主体,在城市生态系统中起着重要的作用。为科学合理地评价合肥城市绿地系统的景观生态现状,建立较为全面、科学的评价指标体系,运用景观生态学的原理和方法,选取多样性指数、均匀度指数、破碎度指数、分离度指数、分维度指数、连通性指数等8个景观指数对合肥市城市绿地系统的景观格局进行研究和分析。研究结果表明,合肥市城市绿地生态格局总体上较好,绿地率和人均公园绿地面积较高;但也存在绿地分布不均,各种类型相差较大,破碎度较高,多样性程度不高,分形维数指数偏低,绿地景观的自然性和复杂性不够,连通度较低等问题。针对存在的问题,提出了合肥城市绿地景观生态规划的优化建议。研究结果为合肥市城市绿地景观生态系统的规划、设计提供了生态学依据,为“生态园林城市和森林城市”建设提供了理论依据     

基于主体功能区划的规划布局优化调整方法——以博鳌亚洲论坛特别规划区规划环评为例

针对规划环境影响评价所面临的关键问题之一,即规划布局的优化调整问题,以海南博鳌亚洲论坛特别规划区为研究对象,综合考虑该地区的功能定位及其生态环境特征,筛选出具有代表性的生态适宜性评价因子和生态敏感性评价因子,利用地理信息系统空间分析工具对该地区生态适宜性和敏感性进行评价。根据生态适宜性与敏感性评价结果,进行案例区主体功能区划分。在此基础上,通过比较主体功能区划与案例规划布局,从建设用地地块层面提出具体的规划布局优化调整建议。研究结果表明:规划的141个建设用地地块中,约四成位于禁止开发区和限制开发区,建议控制项目规模或者取消项目。通过基于主体功能区划的规划布局优化调整方法及其案例研究,从环境保护与生态建设角度指导该地区规划布局,同时也丰富和发展了规划环境影响评价技术方法。     

基于土地覆被变化的安徽省生境质量时空演变特征

基于InVEST模型的生境质量模块,采用1995～2018年安徽省3期的土地覆被数据,分析省域生境质量时空演变特征及其对土地覆被变化的响应。结果表明:安徽省土地覆被变化主要是农田转向建设用地和林草地,以及农田和湿地之间的相互转化;23年间,安徽省生境质量整体呈单边小幅下降趋势;由于作为生境质量威胁源的建设用地急速扩张和蔓延,引发合肥和沿江5市城区及周边生境质量的显著下降;部分保护地及周边开展了有效的退田还湖(湿)和退耕还林(草),局域生境质量有明显改善,但多数生态源地生境质量的区域性变化并不明显;最后,对省域生境质量优化提出了相应的对策建议。     

土地整治驱动下土地利用和景观格局变化研究——以上海市合庆镇为例

基于上海市合庆镇土地整治项目,通过土地利用指数、空间自相关性以及景观格局指数的分析:(1)土地整治带来的区域土地利用变化情况;(2)验证土地整治是否能起到土地集聚的作用;(3)使用景观格局指数分析土地利用空间配置关系。结果表明,整治后的项目区内建设用地明显减少,耕地数量明显增加,并且土地利用程度综合指数等土地利用指数同土地整治活动之间存在相关性。使用全局空间自相关分析方法能够很好地验证土地整治活动对土地产生的集聚效应,并且在5~10m的格网尺度下采用土地利用程度修正模型能很好地反映建设用地和耕地的局部集聚效应。此外,区域由以农业活动和非农业活动并存转向以农业活动为主,"斑块-廊道-基质"的景观结构变化显著。     

南京市2000~2014年城市建设用地变化及驱动因子研究

基于土地利用模型测度2000~2014年南京市城市建设用地的动态变化,再运用典型相关分析、主成分分析及逐步回归分析组合的偏最小二乘回归法对南京市城市建设用地的驱动因子进行分析。结果表明：（1）2000~2014年南京市城市建设用地面积总体上呈上升趋势,年均增长率为11.73%;（2）南京市用地结构信息熵呈波动下降趋势,城市建设用地系统结构性增强,但是用地扩展的综合效益趋降;（3）人口增长、道路扩展、投资水平提高及文化产业发展等能够较好的解释南京市城市建设用地的增长,这4类因子对城市建设用地变化具有正向作用;（4）逐步线性回归结果表明,园林绿地面积的增加相对其他因子对南京市建设用地规模增长的作用最大,其次是道路长度和公路里程。     

An assessment of the attitudes of the inhabitants of Northern Karpathos, Greece: towards a framework for ecotourism development in environmentally sensitive areas

This paper is a case study that sets out to explore the extent to which the local residents of the region of Northern Karpathos and Saria in the southeast corner of the Aegean have positive attitudes and perceptions towards ecotourism ventures for sustainable development. The area is included in the European Ecological Network Natura 2000 and was chosen for studying since it constitutes an ideal location for the promotion of soft and alternative forms of tourism. The investigation of the attitudes of the inhabitants of the Community of Olympos, in Northern Karpathos was carried out using as research tool a questionnaire that was drawn up specifically for the needs of the present work. The attempt to provide a systematic way of studying the inhabitants’ attitudes led to the proposition of a framework that contains the necessary conditions for sustainable ecotourism development. This is based on three fundamental factors, namely: (a) environmental conservation, (b) environmental education and (c) empowerment of local community. The main conclusion drawn was that the perceptions of the local people accord with the basic principles of ecotourism. Residents (a) showed a high degree of awareness and sensitivity regarding environmental conservation issues in the area, (b) recognised the need for environmental education concerning ecotourism activities and (c) had a favourable attitude towards the implementation of initiatives in the ecotourism field aimed at their empowerment and at promoting sustainable development in the area. The participants’ place of permanent residence and level of education appeared to influence significantly their perceptions of this alternative form of tourism.