Large-scale Development Projects Research Articles

Digital Application of BIM Technology in the Architectural Design Stage

This paper discusses the digital application of building information model (BIM) technology in the architectural design stage. Taking the large-scale comprehensive development project of Guangxi headquarters base as an example, this paper analyzes in detail how BIM technology promotes the intelligence and refinement of the design process. Through the three-dimensional modeling and simulation analysis of BIM technology, the project design has realized the accurate transformation from concept to operation, which not only improves the design efficiency, but also ensures the construction quality and economic benefits. This paper focuses on the application of BIM in the digital design of building structure, the deepening design of steel nodes, as well as the remarkable results in the comprehensive layout optimization of mechanical and electrical pipelines. Through the collision detection and optimization design of the BIM model, the potential design conflicts and construction problems were found and solved at the initial stage of the project, ensuring the efficient promotion and smooth implementation of the project. The research results show that BIM technology, as the core digital tool in the architectural design stage, is of great significance for improving the overall design level of the construction industry and realizing intelligent construction.

Does self-containment of spatial scale and land use function contribute to mitigate urban heat island effects? Lessons from new towns in Shanghai

The concept of self-containment in new towns has been widely discussed from social and economic perspectives. However, localized interpretations within the context of China's development, particularly regarding climate adaptability and urban heat island (UHI) mitigation, are scarce. To fill this gap, our research analyzed self-containment from the perspectives of urban spatial scale and land use function. Focusing on Shanghai’s five new towns, we empirically demonstrated how self-containment influenced the UHI effects from 2005 to 2020, employing the Geodetector method. The findings reveal that during the daytime, the intensity of UHI in new towns decreased, serving as vital connectivity nodes of UHI within the region. Conversely, during the nighttime, both the intensity and area of UHI showed an increasing trend. The research confirmed that expanding the urban scale and functional diversity are effective strategies for mitigating the UHI. Based on these findings, we offer practical suggestions for the development of new towns: Increase population size while ensuring coordination with development scale; enhance mixed-use functions in large-scale development projects like university towns and industrial parks; and be vigilant of potential functional decline in central areas and increasing thermal impact due to new town development. Overall, this study enriches our understanding of self-containment in Chinese new towns and provides valuable insights for mitigating UHI in other similar contexts.

Navigating social debt and its link with technical debt in large-scale agile software development projects

Navigating social debt and its link with technical debt in large-scale agile software development projects

Schistosomiasis mathematical model in a spatially heterogeneous environment

Schistosomiasis is classified by WHO as a neglected tropical disease. Recent research works have shown that large-scale development projects involving massive population displacement and water irrigation, such as the construction of dams, lakes, and the development of agricultural areas, favour the proliferation of bilharzia. These observations motivate us to propose a reaction–diffusion model to assess the role of the displacements of humans, snails, cercaria, miracidia in the transmission dynamics of Schistosomiasis. The model incorporates a general non-linear contact functions and density-dependent parameters. The aim is to better understanding the role of spatial interactions on the spread of Schistosomiasis, in order to propose appropriate recommendations for the control of that silent threat. We characterize the basic reproduction number R0 of the model. The uniform persistence theory, the maximum principle are used to conduct an in-depth analysis of both the homogeneous and heterogeneous models. Theoretical results are illustrated through numerical simulations.

Digital Trio: Integration of BIM–EIR–IoT for Facilities Management of Mega Construction Projects

Facility Management (FM) has increasingly focused on integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM) with the Internet of Things (IoT), known as digital twins, in large-scale development projects. Effective BIM integration in FM requires improved cooperation among participants across various project stages. This digital revolution aims to enhance planning, construction, and asset management efficiency, benefiting all parties. However, BIM utilization in FM is limited by incomplete owner understanding, insufficient data accessibility, and stakeholders’ unfamiliarity with BIM procedures and standards. Despite recognizing BIM’s significance, the FM industry faces significant implementation challenges. Facility managers often lack a comprehensive understanding of BIM’s benefits in streamlining operations and enhancing cost efficiency, as well as the necessary skills for its use. Addressing these barriers requires developing an Employer’s Information Requirements (EIR) document at a project’s outset, providing a strategic plan and vision for all involved parties. BIM and IoT are pivotal technologies for transitioning to efficient building operations and crucial for reducing time, costs, and operational challenges throughout any project. This research aims to establish a digital trio workflow, integrating BIM, EIR, and IoT to maximize stakeholder benefits. It explores how preparing the EIR through stakeholder communication can improve design processes, sustainability, efficiency, cost, and time, especially for megaprojects.

Mangroves trend and their impact on surface temperature in Al-Wajh Lagoon: a study aligned with Saudi Arabia's vision 2030

Mangrove ecosystems are vital to arid environments like Saudi Arabia, offering crucial ecological services and enhancing biodiversity. This study investigates the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of mangrove coverage in the Al Wajh lagoon area, crucial for crafting effective conservation and management strategies. Employing high-resolution Landsat and Sentinel imagery, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) were analysed across 35 mangrove clusters. By 2023, mangroves covered approximately 24.5 km2. Kendall Tau-b Correlation Coefficients confirmed a significant positive trend. The study further explored the relationship between NDVI and surface temperature, revealing an inverse correlation with slope values ranging from −4.03 to −44.1, suggesting that increased mangrove coverage significantly contributes to local cooling, thereby underscoring the climate regulation benefits of mangrove conservation. This positive change in NDVI post-2020 is directly attributable to the conservation efforts embedded within the Red Sea Project, Vision 2030, development phases, demonstrating the critical role of designated conservation zones in mitigating the environmental impacts of large-scale development projects. The findings underscore the need for targeted policies to protect and expand mangrove habitats as part of broader environmental sustainability goals in the region.

Complementary assistance: multilateral exchanges between the Soviet Union, China and Eastern European countries in Cold War Mongolia

ABSTRACT During the Cold War, large-scale urban development projects were launched in Mongolia with technical assistance from various socialist countries – China, East Germany (the GDR), Poland, Czechoslovakia and, above all, the Soviet Union. Looking at the involvement of these dissimilar countries to Mongolia, this article challenges simplistic narratives about bilateral East-South exchanges, and frames socialist development assistance as multilateral, asymmetric and complementary. It argues that some of the iconic projects of socialist development in Mongolia could hardly be called products of any one donor’s aid programme, and instead required the cooperation of various providers, collaborating on multiple, interconnected fronts. Such multilateral assistance was marked by highly hierarchical racialised divisions of labour, and created strong interdependencies between various countries involved in Mongolia.

Radio-astronomical image reconstruction with a conditional denoising diffusion model

Context. Reconstructing sky models from dirty radio images for accurate source extraction, including source localization and flux estimation, is a complex yet critical task, and has important applications in galaxy evolution studies at high redshift, particularly in deep extragalactic fields using for example the Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA). With the development of large-scale projects, such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), we anticipate the need for more advanced source-extraction methods. Existing techniques, such as CLEAN and PyBDSF, currently struggle to effectively extract faint sources, highlighting the necessity for the development of more precise and robust methods. Aims. The success of the source-extraction process critically depends on the quality and accuracy of image reconstruction. As the imaging process represents an “information-lossy” operator, the reconstruction is characterized by uncertainty. The current study proposes the application of stochastic neural networks for the direct reconstruction of sky models from “dirty” images. This approach allows us to localize radio sources and to determine their fluxes with corresponding uncertainties, providing a potential advancement in the field of radio-source characterization. Methods. We used a dataset of 10 164 images simulated with the CASA tool based on the ALMA Cycle 5.3 antenna configuration. We applied conditional denoising diffusion probabilistic models (DDPMs) to directly reconstruct sky models from these dirty images, and then processed these models using Photutils to extract the coordinates and fluxes of the sources. To test the robustness of the proposed model, which was trained on a fixed water vapor value, we examined its performance under varying levels of water vapor. Results. We demonstrate that the proposed approach is state of the art in terms of source localisation, achieving over 90% completeness at a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of as low as 2. Additionally, the described method offers an inherent measure of prediction reliability thanks to the stochastic nature of the chosen model. In terms of flux estimation, the proposed model surpasses PyBDSF in terms of performance, accurately extracting fluxes for 96% of the sources in the test set, a notable improvement over the 57% achieved by CLEAN+ PyBDSF. Conclusions. Conditional DDPMs are a powerful tool for image-to-image translation, yielding accurate and robust characterization of radio sources, and outperforming existing methodologies. While this study underscores the significant potential of DDPMs for applications in radio astronomy, we also acknowledge certain limitations that accompany their use, and suggest directions for further refinement and research.

Integrating Minimum Spanning Tree and MILP in Urban Planning: A Novel Algorithmic Perspective

This paper presents a novel eight-step iterative algorithm for optimizing the layout of a neighborhood, focusing on the efficient allocation of houses to strategically placed facilities, herein referred to as ’points of interest’. The methodology integrates a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) approach with a heuristic algorithm to address a variant of the facility location problem combined with network design considerations. The algorithm begins by defining a set of geographic coordinates to represent houses within a predefined area. It then identifies key points of interest, forming the basis for subsequent connectivity and allocation analyses. The methodology’s core involves applying the Greedy algorithm to assign houses to the nearest points of interest, subject to capacity constraints. The method is followed by computing a Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) among these points to ensure efficient overall connectivity. The proposed algorithm’s iterative design is a key attribute. The most promising result of this approach is its ability to minimize the distance between houses and points of interest while optimizing the network’s total length. This dual optimization ensures a balanced distribution of houses and an efficient layout, making it particularly suitable for urban planning and infrastructure development. The paper’s findings demonstrate the algorithm’s effectiveness in creating a practical and efficient neighborhood layout, highlighting its potential application in large-scale urban planning and development projects.

Evaluating large-language-model chatbots to engage communities in large-scale design projects

Abstract Recent advances in machine learning have enabled computers to converse with humans meaningfully. In this study, we propose using this technology to facilitate design conversations in large-scale urban development projects by creating chatbot systems that can automate and streamline information exchange between stakeholders and designers. To this end, we developed and evaluated a proof-of-concept chatbot system that can perform design conversations on a specific construction project and convert those conversations into a list of requirements. Next, in an experiment with 56 participants, we compared the chatbot system to a regular online survey, focusing on user satisfaction and the quality and quantity of collected information. The results revealed that, with regard to user satisfaction, the participants preferred the chatbot experience to a regular survey. However, we found that chatbot conversations produced more data than the survey, with a similar rate of novel ideas but fewer themes. Our findings provide robust evidence that chatbots can be effectively used for design discussions in large-scale design projects and offer a user-friendly experience that can help to engage people in the design process. Based on this evidence, by providing a space for meaningful conversations between stakeholders and expanding the reach of design projects, the use of chatbot systems in interactive design systems can potentially improve design processes and their outcomes.

Ontological foundations of urban health policy ideas: the case of planning Sydney’s Western Parkland City

ABSTRACT This case study examines the ontological backgrounds of urban health policy ideas in planning the Western Parkland City, a large-scale regional development project in Sydney, Australia. Using an empirical approach, the study identifies seven key urban health policy ideas and analyses the nature of these ideas using urban health ontological frameworks. The dominant ontological paradigms appear as the medical-industrial and urban health science paradigms with strong alignment with the sustainable urban development and healthy urban planning research traditions. Additionally, the dominant ideas adopt a view of systems that is complicated more than complex, favour change driven by structure rather than agency, and involve perspectives that transcend across multiple scales. These findings highlight the importance of recognising the influence of paradigms in shaping policies and the need for transdisciplinary approach to policymaking.

A Sustainability-driven Integrated model of strategic management for coastal urban projects

ABSTRACT Amidst today’s climate change-related environmental risks, both new and experienced investors may face uncertainty and lack of direction when preparing for investments, particularly in large-scale urban development projects. Therefore, guidance in construction investment, especially during the planning stage, becomes crucial to enhance the likelihood of success in coastal urban development projects and promote sustainable development. This study offers a valuable tool that integrates quantitative approaches like the “Balanced Scorecard” (BSC), “Analytical Network Process” (ANP), fuzzy theory, and “Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory” (DEMATEL) to create a strategic performance management framework focused on sustainable development. The model emphasizes the significance of investing in human resources, IT systems, and enterprise culture to foster business growth and development in urban coastal projects. Additionally, the study underscores the importance of internal control over project time, technology, quality, legal compliance, and resources, which serve as the driving forces behind operational processes. Furthermore, effective and flexible management of financial, social, and environmental activities is vital to ensure enterprise success while adhering to environmental, health, and safety requirements.

우리나라 행정계획 및 관련 법제의 쟁점과 몇 가지 개선방안

Administration in modern countries is largely comprised of planned administration, and administrative planning is a key means of so-called ‘infrastructural administration’ and the cornerstone of state activities in a country ruled by law. In general, administrative planning has a wide range of autonomy in selecting the means to achieve its goals, and legislatively, administrative planning laws and regulations require the relevant administrative agencies to select the means due to the need for technical expertise, responsiveness, and flexibility. There is no choice but to grant broad discretion. For that reason, the Administrative Planning Act is inevitably governed by a purpose-and-means structure, so prior regulation through legislation is bound to be insufficient, and there are certain limitations in judicial control ex post by the courts, etc. Nevertheless, as we enter the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, the administrative planning legislation must be based on the momentum of ‘sustainable development and harmony with the social and natural environment.’ In order for the administrative planning legislation to respond to the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, the use of spatial information, national land monitoring system, smart Although communities, etc. are being introduced, if we follow the national strategy of a leading economy or inclusive society that our country should pursue in the future, the Administrative Planning Act will enable more detailed, efficient, and sustainable management than large-scale development projects such as the conventional catch-up economy. There is a need to establish and implement. Meanwhile, appropriate control measures for these administrative planning laws and administrative plans must be prepared, and in order to achieve appropriate judicial control over administrative plans, it is necessary to construct planning-specific control laws. In this regard, the formation of legal principles such as the expansion of the disposition of plans, planning discretion theory, sentencing order theory and sentencing defect theory, preventive prohibition lawsuits, planning guarantees, and guarantees of abolition claims can be evaluated as a great development in administrative law theory. It is significant that participatory democratic prior control should be implemented from the plan confirmation stage before legal control is confirmed.

Business Group Spillovers

Abstract We compare the investment of standalone firms across regions after a positive shock to the investment opportunities generated by a large-scale highway development project. We show that the standalones’ investment sensitivity is lower in regions with a higher density of business groups in the local area. We investigate mechanisms driving our results and find support for a financing mechanism whereby banks allocate capital preferentially to group-affiliated firms in responding to the increase in credit demand. Overall, our study documents that business groups have spillover effects on standalone firms. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online

골프산업 활성화를 위한 부동산 법제 개선방안

Recently, the demand for golf has increased significantly. This provides an opportunity for the golf industry to develop further. However, golf courses are in short supply compared to golf demand. As a result, various problems such as unfair business practices of golf course operators are occurring. One of the ways to solve this problem is to expand the installation of golf courses. Currently, Korea stipulates that private businesses can install golf courses only when they meet public needs. In this regard, it is necessary for public entities such as the state to expand the supply of golf courses by installing public golf courses using idle spaces or adjacent development restricted areas. However, since the installation of a golf course is a large-scale development project, conflicts with stakeholders such as residents frequently occur, so it is necessary to carry out projects using systems such as public debate. If golf is activated as one of the general sports for all, it can secure financial support from local governments based on the provisions of related laws, contributing to the effect of lowering golf course fees and revitalizing the local economy.

몽골과 러시아 간의 경제협력 현황과 주요 과제

Diplomatic between Mongolia and Russia has developed rapidly from “Good Neighbor Relations” in 1993 to “Comprehensive strategic partnership” in 2019 while overcoming the stagnation during the 1990s through active political exchanges. In order to strengthen strategic cooperation, they have actively promoted policy sharing, which could lead to economic viability. With shared policies and political support, the two countries could increase bilateral trade to $10 billion. Infrastructure, such as the railroad and road transmission networks linking the two countries, was also expected to improve. Mongolia expected to increase exports of key commodities such as meat and knitted fabrics. And Russia has several key fields that it considers important in order to maintain its influence on Mongolia including the transportation sector such as railways, fuel supply and distribution, energy industry such as electricity, and mining industry such as uranium. In recent high-level talks between the two countries, the main agenda is to strengthen economic cooperation in these areas, namely, cooperation between state-owned enterprises, promotion of large-scale projects, human resources training, and expansion of capital investment. In some cases, they have restricted investment by foreign companies or private entities in related businesses. However, bilateral trade between the two countries barely reached to 2 billion US$. It seems that a different approach is needed to visualize the results of large-scale development projects and lead to trade expansion. The purpose of this paper is to review the recent trade relationship between Mongolia and Russia and major policy projects under the premise that the outcome of economic cooperation between the two countries will be shown in trade and investment relations.

Governance Discourses and Image Management Strategies in Large-Scale Urban Development Projects—How a Shifting Context and Actor Relations Influence Planning

Governance processes and image management strategies in large-scale urban development projects are exposed to a range of contextual and internal actor-network-related influences. These relations are complex and, due the long realization time of these projects, cannot be entirely anticipated by management strategies. This research investigates how organizations manage these complexities and uncertainties, what strategies they employ, and how these strategies adapt over time. The research analyzes the empirical case of the Amsterdam Zuidas development through a series of interviews conducted with key stakeholder group representatives and an extensive study of the development visions at different milestones of the development. The study relates these findings to the theoretical framework of Henry Mintzberg on strategy formation and finds that large-scale urban development projects need to employ overlapping strategies and engage in adaptive learning to balance development ambitions with the internal and external influences affecting the strategies.

Influence of climate finance and natural resource consumption on the mitigation of climate change in developed countries in the Pre-COP26 era

With the crippling effects of climate change, environmental consciousness is advancing to the stage where economies are being asked to make efforts to mitigate the challenges. Advanced economies, due to their large-scale development projects, are a major contributor to environmental devastation, and are thus obliged to provide the costs associated with climate change mitigation. Recent climate arbitration declares that climate finance is essential for climate change mitigation, which is viewed as a viable and sustainable mechanism to help mitigate harmful carbon pollution generation. This study takes 10 high emitter advanced economies to explore the simultaneous role of natural resource rent, climate financing, industrialization, economic growth and population growth in carbon emissions. Data extracted from recipient countries covers the period from 2009 to 2020, and Cup-FM and Cup-BC techniques are used for long-run analysis to assess the relationships outlined. The results show that special climate change funds and green bonds, which are indicators of climate finance, decreases carbon emissions. The same is the case for natural resource consumption, possibly due to the consumption of renewable resources which balances the resource equation. Finally, as envisioned, industrialization, economic growth, and population growth affect the environment to a greater degree. In light of this evidence, policy implications are drawn to provide a path for future researchers to bring interesting insight to the existing model.

Identifying and Categorizing Challenges in Large-Scale Agile Software Development Projects: Insights from Two Swedish Companies

We conducted a case study to examine the challenges encountered in large-scale agile development (LSAD) within two Swedish software companies. While agile methodologies have proven successful in small and medium-sized projects, their implementation in large-scale software development projects can be problematic. To identify these challenges, we employed thematic analysis, which revealed a total of 26 distinct challenges. These challenges were categorized into three main themes: Processes and practices, Teams, and Organizational-level challenges in LSAD. By recognizing and addressing these challenges, projects operating in similar contexts can synchronize their activities and harness the advantages of agile methodologies at a large scale. The article delves into comprehensive discussions on these challenges, offering valuable insights and directions for future research endeavors.

Identifying and Categorizing Challenges in Large-Scale Agile Software Development Projects: Insights from Two Swedish Companies

We conducted a case study to examine the challenges encountered in large-scale agile development (LSAD) within two Swedish software companies. While agile methodologies have proven successful in small and medium-sized projects, their implementation in large-scale software development projects can be problematic. To identify these challenges, we employed thematic analysis, which revealed a total of 26 distinct challenges. These challenges were categorized into three main themes: Processes and practices, Teams, and Organizational-level challenges in LSAD. By recognizing and addressing these challenges, projects operating in similar contexts can synchronize their activities and harness the advantages of agile methodologies at a large scale. The article delves into comprehensive discussions on these challenges, offering valuable insights and directions for future research endeavors.