Major Infrastructure Projects Research Articles

Rhythms, dressage and pacemaking in South Side Chicago: examining the construction site of the Obama Presidential Center

ABSTRACT This article examines the effects of a major civil project, the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side, on the everyday rhythms of this part of the city. In particular, we examine the construction site of this center and its impact on the production of rhythms. We focus on the notion of “dressage” in Lefebvre’s Rhythmanalysis, suggesting a critical reading of this notion through the theory of pacemaker. Theorizing the interrelation between rhythms, dressage and pacemaking, our article investigates the interface of the built environment and everyday rhythms. We employ the chronoanalysis concept of the “pacemaker” to analyze the OPC construction site’s disruption and introduction of new rhythms which transform the park. The discussion provides reflections on how Lefebvre’s concept of dressage can be theoretically advanced through pacemaking and thereby made fruitful for empirical inquiry. The examination of the OPC construction site draws attention to how major infrastructural projects change the rhythms of urban spaces and can provide concrete perspectives on how capitalist urban redevelopment becomes manifest in people’s lived everyday experiences and routines.

Prevention of flash floods in the town of Kokrajhar through efficient drainage network design

Flash floods are common in the town of Kokrajhar in north-eastern Indian state of Assam. Many areas in the town of Kokrajhar are submerged in water almost every year due to floods during rainy season. These floods cause heavy damage to roads, agricultural production and halt the progress of major infrastructural development projects. Hence, prevention of floods has become an important concern in the town of Kokrajhar. This study investigated the causes of floods and offered a solution for their elimination. The investigation showed that inadequate and inefficient network of storm drains was the reason for the flash floods. A new drainage network for the town of Kokrajhar has resulted from studying the shortcomings of the existing network of storm drains. The new network is designed in accordance with the recommendations stated in the “Manual on storm water drainage systems” prepared by the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organization in 2019.

Smart and Sustainable City Experience on Smart Campus: A Case Study from Hassan Ist University

The desire to meet the demands of regional competition requires cities to adopt new patterns of urban management. In this sense, the trend at the global level is to use smart city standards by investing in the digital transformation of various public services in cities. In recent years, many efforts have been made in many Moroccan cities to improve their attractiveness by being part of the process of upgrading and enhancing their territories through the implementation of major infrastructure projects and the digitalization of urban administrations.
 This study was conducted to examine the feasibility of a smart campus as a discounted smart city, and it relies on the dissemination of a quantitative survey, via a questionnaire (live and online), supplemented by a qualitative survey based on focus group methodology. We have gained a broader perspective that allowed us to understand the reality of things on campus. The study also showed that there are many efforts that the university must take in conjunction with developing its plan to advance Hassan I University to the ranks of smart universities.
 This article is part of a study proposing a strategy for developing the campus of Hassan I University of Settat to be a smart one.

Chinese investments as part of infrastructure-led development: multi-scalar contestations around Georgia’s flagship infrastructure projects

ABSTRACT Drawing on an analysis of major infrastructure projects in Georgia, we propose a reconceptualization of infrastructure-led development as constituted by multi-scalar contestations. We illustrate that actors associated with different great powers more often pursue similar rather than significantly different strategies and tend to collaborate when financing and developing particular infrastructure projects. We find that hegemonic rivalry is either similarly important or at points even less significant than contestations at other scales in defining the fate of infrastructure projects. We suggest that environmental and class struggles should be considered as integral to the analysis and theorization of infrastructure-led development.

3D fault model and seismotectonics indicate the potential seismic risk in the Daliang Mountains, southeastern Tibetan Plateau

Areas of active tectonics host many active faults and frequently experience moderate to large earthquakes. The possibility of devastating earthquakes makes the development of major infrastructure projects in these areas risky. World-class large-scale step hydroelectric projects have been built along the Jinsha River, such as the Xiangjiaba, Xiluodu, Baihetan and Wudongde reservoirs in the Daliang Mountains of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Using the SKUA-GoCAD modelling platform, we created a thorough 3D model of the active faults. Regional geological information, historical strong earthquake catalogues, small earthquakes with fine displacement and 3D seismic tomography are all integrated in this model. The Mabian–Yanjin fault belt consists of a number of discontinuous faults that are either exposed on the surface or concealed, according to the 3D fault model. Some destructive earthquakes, including two enormous M s 7 and many moderate earthquakes, have occurred along this fault belt. Some pre-existing thrust faults, together with numerous immature faults in specific areas, may have been reactivated and changed into strike-slip faults. The Jinsha River basin's seismic and geological concerns must be carefully considered given the existence of such intricate fault networks and seismic activity. Supplementary material: A video of the 3D fault model is available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6949201

Environmental, economic, and social impacts of sugar cane bagasse and eggshell wastes for soil stabilization.

Sustainability is a core topic for all sectors including geotechnical engineering (e.g., design of foundations, earthworks structures, and pavements for major infrastructure and building projects). Despite being comprised of environmental, economic, and social pillars, most sustainability studies in this area have focused on the first. Furthermore, social impacts and the three pillars integration are little explored. As a result, there is a lack of systemic and holistic assessments of innovative geotechnical alternatives. This research advances in this area by performing a complete sustainability assessment and integration of the environmental, economic, and social pillars of two expansive soil stabilization alternatives: (i) sugar cane bagasse ash combined with hydrated eggshell lime alkali-activated by sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and (ii) Portland cement. Individual analyses were carried out to determine the environmental, economic, and social impacts, and the single sustainability index. Alkali-activated binder dosages showed higher impacts in 4 out of 10 environmental categories. For both binders, high-density/low-binder dosages contributed to environmental and economic sustainability as they require lower quantities of raw materials and diesel for materials transportation. The total costs of alkali-activated binder dosages ($189.79 and $154.45) were higher than that of Portland cement ($72.49 and $54.04), mainly due to the high cost of NaOH acquisition. However, the alkali-activated binder dosages implied lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and thus lower social cost of CO2. The alternative binder presented a higher positive social impact. The alkali-activated high-density/low binder dosage is the most sustainable soil stabilization strategy.

Viewpoint: Realising carbon-reduction benefits from DfMA/MMC – reflections from a major infrastructure project

Drawing on their project experience, Alice Berry, Sahil Limbu and Heleni Pantelidou share tips on how to ensure that modern methods of construction deliver carbon savings.

Technologies of a humble natural resource: The sand mining industry and marginal value in Bombay/Mumbai, 1920-2020

ABSTRACT Like many other natural resources, sand has become integral to technologies that symbolize modernity and development, but that depend upon an imperative of low cost. In India, sand began to be commoditized in the early twentieth century as an input in a powerful new building technology, reinforced cement concrete (RCC). With the expansion of cities and major infrastructure projects since independence and especially since the 1990s, sand mining has nonetheless remained characterized by small-scale enterprises and small technologies; it is also controlled by regional powerholders who operate on the legal margins, widely referred to as ‘sand mafias’. This article draws upon archival and ethnographic research on sand mining for construction in the city region of Bombay/Mumbai to show that the sand mining industry there has effectively come to operate over time through various methods of drawing marginal value from devalued labour techniques and delegitimized or tactical modes of operation. These destructive-productive activities, at a broad level, constitute micro-practices of contemporary capitalism (modes of flexible accumulation) on a resource frontier. But equally, for many of the people involved in them, their value lies in their unpredictable excesses and terrains of resource-making that likewise buoy changes in the technological assemblage.

Hamilton Based the Central Banking of the U.S. Bank upon the Notion that there is No Political Independence without Economic Independence

The Continental Congress foray into printed money during the American Revolution was so disastrous that the United States printed no more money for nearly a century, the one exception being a brief period during the War of 1812. After that Congress chartered and unchartered its national bank twice. The American economy henceforth (1816–1836) was often structurally short of coins, and without any national coinage Americans had to find substitute forms of currency to finance the burgeoning economy. The Supreme Court ruled that sovereign States and individuals could authorize both State and private banks to issue their own notes. In consequence, nearly all paper money in circulation was either State or private banknotes based on a limited reserve of gold. This generally proved insufficient to adequately fund major infrastructure projects. The federal government also had no institution for raising or transferring large amounts of money to fund these national improvements. Nonetheless, Hamilton’s U.S. Bank, without the help of a national currency, was an institutional precursor for what would not take final form until 1913. There would be no Federal Reserve today without the Whig-Republican agenda institutionally incarnated in the First and Second U.S. Bank.

Smart Rainwater Harvesting Service Design

Megacities expansion around the globe have significantly increased the demand for resources to the point of depleting available reservoirs and requiring importing resources from nearby locations sometimes implementing major infrastructure projects for guaranteeing access to resources. This is particularly true for one of the largest Megalopolis in the world, Mexico City, that imports 40% of its water supply from neighboring states. Despite of being a city holding important hydric resources, the lack of strategies, technological innovation, user-centered service design, consistent data acquiring, and optimization tools have led to a poor water management that maintains the metropolis with a constant scarcity of the resource. Therefore, the aim of the current paper is to present a conceptual service design for smart rainwater harvesting in urban settlements that provides an alternative source for citizens to reduce the local hydric stress, diminish aquifer overexploitation and increase water well recovery contributing to more sustainable cities.

Whether and When to Invest in Transportation Projects: Combining Scenarios and Real Options to Manage the Uncertainty of Costs and Benefits

Transportation infrastructure projects are a cornerstone of economic growth. However, the issue of whether new transportation infrastructure projects deliver the expected benefits has come under considerable scrutiny. The growing economic uncertainty and the tightening of budget constraints have made the design, evaluation, and selection of such high-cost projects particularly critical. There are disagreements as to how project decision-makers can evaluate the long-term costs and benefits of infrastructure projects. The objective of this article is to address such disagreements. We develop and apply an innovative methodological approach that combines real options with scenarios to help policymakers assess the costs and benefits of transportation projects. While these techniques have been widely adopted in corporations, there is little empirical evidence regarding their combined use by project decision-makers dealing with complex infrastructure projects. In this article, we fill this gap in the planning and project studies literature. We show that scenarios and real options can be very helpful in developing a more comprehensive understanding of long-term impacts of major infrastructure projects and thus in selecting the most relevant projects. Overall, our article assists the debate on the management of the uncertainty of long-term costs and benefits of infrastructure projects and helps cope with such uncertainty.

Current Issues of International Legal Regulation of the Convergence of Transport and Logistics Systems within the EAEU

With the development of integration processes on the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union, the convergence of transport and logistics systems is a  necessary condition for both transport connectivity and the development of trade relations. The current geopolitical situation, which led to an increase in traffic and within the EEU and the redirection of transport flows to the East, requires a change in  the paradigm of the legal regulation of the transport industry at the interstate level.Aim . Reveal the main problems of international legal regulation of the convergence of transport and logistics ecosystems in the Eurasian region.Tasks. It is proposed to consider the main trends of the formation of an array of legal regulation of the transport and logistics industry in the EAEU as part of the implementation of a  common transport policy and the implementation of major infrastructure projects, such as the Eurasian transport framework, to analyze the relevance of the main EAEU documents in the field of transport and logistics, to present the basic elements of the new paradigm of the EAEU unified transport system, including railway transport.Methods. When conducting the research, comparative-legal, formal-legal methods, synthesis, deduction, induction, as well as abstraction and the systematic method were used.Results . The necessity of a   significant change in the approach to the formation of an effective model of international legal regulation of transport integration within the EAEU, clarification of the main directions of a common transport policy of the member states of the association, ensuring its competitiveness at the world level, transport and technological sovereignty of Russia and other partner countries, full realization of the transit potential of the union, as well as the effective functioning of the industry in the conditions of Industry 4.0 is substantiated.Conclusions . The proposed integrated approach will make it possible to fully implement the adopted Strategic Directions for the development of Eurasian economic integration until 2025, to lay the foundations for a   new stage of integration of transport and logistics systems within the EAEU with the achievement of the set significant milestones in the interests of the countries and peoples of our integration association.

Aligning Stakeholders and Actors: A New Safety and Security-Based Design Approach for Major National Infrastructures

This study introduces a systems-theoretic methodology to meet the requirements of a major national infrastructure for safety and security-based design by enhancing the alignment of stakeholders and actors in the project. Safe-by-Design (SbD) is an engineering concept for risk management that considers safety as much as possible in the design phase. The article presents the results of a case study conducted to investigate the efficacy of recent system safety models and analysis techniques in the major national infrastructure of a Waste-to-Energy (WtE) project under consideration in Iceland. The structures and roles within the system responsible for constructing the WtE plant, given the sustainability and circular economy restrictions, are addressed in the study. Stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities are analyzed, yielding their feedback on potential risks and creating a positive image of the project. Also, suitable ways to enter the project and finance it are devised. In essence, this enables the creation of a safety and security-based design approach. Furthermore, detailed documentation of the system model development is presented. The novelty of the study lies in the application of STAM, STPA, and STECA as an SbD approach for a major infrastructure project. Also, the methods discussed here have not been used in a WtE project as far as we know.

Risk factor prioritization in infrastructure handover to operations

Worldwide, there are numerous reports of major infrastructure projects failing at handover to the operations phase following completion of the project development and delivery phase. While poor risk identification and prioritization has been identified as one of the causes of this failure, we know little about the specific risk factors project beneficiaries consider most important at this point of handover. With these issues in mind, we draw on a survey of key dry port project beneficiaries in Brazil to examine and prioritize the risks considered most important at handover to operations. Paying particular attention to project beneficiary heterogeneity and incongruence, we find eight key risk factors – ‘Cost’, ‘Location’, ‘Infrastructure’, ‘Accessibility’, ‘Operational’, ‘Economic’, ‘Political and social’, and ‘Environment’ that warrant emphasis. We reveal congruence among some project beneficiaries in terms of prioritization. We also find variations in handover to operations risks based on project characteristics. However, these characteristics appear to have very limited impact on prioritization. Our findings further point to risk blind spots at critical moments of project handover to operations. Overall, this paper contributes to project risk management/prioritization literature in the context of handover to operations.

Challenges in predicting and managing construction noise impacts in urban environments. Case studies from Sydney, Australia

Approval of major infrastructure projects in Australia is contingent on a vigorous environmental assessment process demonstrating that the impacts from such proposals are acceptable and can be satisfactorily managed. As part of this process, an assessment of construction noise is undertaken by predicting the level and duration of impact. Given the scale, complexity and programs for delivery of major infrastructure projects such as the Sydney Metro, the approach to assessment of environmental impacts is typically undertaken based on early concept designs, and assumptions which enable potential worst-case impacts to be considered. Ongoing design development and construction methodologies continue to occur, and are finalised by the contractor responsible for delivering the package of works for the project. Layers of conservatism could therefore be built into the process to ensure that environmental impacts are understood, and appropriate mitigation measures are considered. Moreover, common predictive noise modelling tools are believed to under-estimate the level of barrier insertion loss provided by residential buildings in urban scenarios, further exacerbating the over-prediction of construction noise impacts. By use of case studies, the present paper examines the challenges of assessing and managing construction noise associated with a major infrastructure project in Sydney, Australia.

A train reaction: the infrastructural politics and mobility injustices accompanying Hanoi's new urban railway Line 2A

In 2008, Vietnam's Prime Minister approved the construction of the ‘Hanoi Urban Railway System’, a major infrastructure project for the country's capital city. The construction of Line 2A, the first line of this 8‐line railway, took ten years to complete, and was finally inaugurated in November 2021. Spanning 13 km across the city centre, Line 2A encountered more than just construction setbacks, with its reputation tarnished by contractor choice, accidents, and public scepticism over safety and accessibility. Sowing further seeds of doubt in the minds of many Hanoi residents is the fact that two‐thirds of the original financing came from preferential loans from Vietnam's large northern neighbour, conditional on the contractor and key materials being sourced from Vietnam's large, northern neighbour. Moreover, the project is informally categorized as part of Vietnam's large northern neighbour's Belt and Road Initiative. Drawing from conceptual literature regarding infrastructural politics and mobility (in)justice, we analyse how Hanoi residents have experienced and negotiated the construction of this Chinese‐Vietnamese infrastructure project. In particular, we consider how the livelihoods of those directly affected by the railway's operations, namely motorbike taxi‐drivers, have been impacted to date.

Deep histories of food systems in eastern Africa and current patterns of food insecurity.

Central to successful attempts to address food insecurity in Africa are understandings of the historical contexts and meanings of food systems. However, much research into current challenges remains separated from deeper agrarian and alimentary histories. Using qualitative data on food within the historical record alongside the wider multidisciplinary record of the past, this Review traces long-term patterns and drivers of continuity and change in eastern African food systems. Considerable dynamism in place-based and regional trends in the integration of new foodstuffs, agricultural commercialization, resistance and transformations in diets, and diversification and specialization as livelihood strategies is found-each of which emerged within imbricated contexts of African agency, transoceanic exchanges and colonial incursions. Such historical data provide important deep-time perspectives for interventions to address modern food insecurity, as demonstrated through examples of agricultural value chains, 'under-utilized' crops and major infrastructure projects in southeast Africa.

The development of roadside green swales in the Chinese Sponge City Program: Challenges and opportunities

Roadside green swales have emerged as popular stormwater management infrastructure in urban areas, serving to mitigate stormwater pollution and reduce urban surface water discharge. However, there is a limited understanding of the various types, structures, and functions of swales, as well as the potential challenges they may face in the future. In recent years, China has witnessed a surge in the adoption of roadside green swales, especially as part of the prestigious Sponge City Program (SCP). These green swales play a crucial role in controlling stormwater pollution and conserving urban water resources by effectively removing runoff pollutants, including suspended solids, nitrogen, and phosphorus. This review critically examines recent research findings, identifies key knowledge gaps, and presents future recommendations for designing green swales for effective stormwater management, with a particular emphasis on ongoing major Chinese infrastructure projects. Despite the growing global interest in bioswales and their significance in urban development, China’s current classification of such features lacks a clear definition or specific consideration of bioswales. Furthermore, policymakers have often underestimated the adverse environmental effects of road networks, as reflected in existing laws and planning documents. This review argues that the construction and maintenance of roadside green swales should be primarily based on three critical factors: Wellthought- out road planning, suitable construction conditions, and sustainable long-term funding. The integration of quantitative environmental standards into road planning is essential to effectively address the challenge of pollution from rainfall runoff. To combat pollution associated with roads, a comprehensive assessment of potential pollution loadings should be carried out, guiding the appropriate design and construction of green swales, with a particular focus on addressing the phenomenon of first flush. One of the major challenges faced in sustaining funds for ongoing maintenance after swale construction. To address this issue, the implementation of a green finance platform is proposed. Such a platform would help ensure the availability of funds for continuous maintenance, thus maximizing the long-term effectiveness of green swales in stormwater management. Ultimately, the findings of this review aim to assist municipal governments in enhancing and implementing future urban road designs and SCP developments, incorporating effective green swale strategies.

Bridging the evidence gap in spatial planning

The article focuses on how the use of evidence in spatial planning could bridge the gap between vision and reality through the continuous evaluation of the spatial impacts of the proposed interventions. The introduction sets the theoretical, institutional, and practical context on how evidence is used to assess these impacts in relation to both the expected outcomes and the pursued policy priorities. The research section addresses these issues based on the empirical and methodological background derived from a series of successive studies carried out between 1999 and 2014. These studies are related to the establishment and operation of the spatial impact observatory of the Egnatia motorway, a major European transport infrastructure project in northern Greece. The results section introduces a methodological approach, succinctly referred to as the IRIS model in which spatial planning is conceived as an adaptive process, and the use of evidence aims to enhance its flexibility and preparedness in dealing with the uncertainties that arise from dynamic conditions, rather than relying solely on predetermined solutions. It comprises three key components: a theoretical model that simulates the relationship between transport infrastructure and spatial development, an intermediate data model in which raw data were constructed as evidence indicators, and a combination of inductive and deductive paths in which evidence is used to assess the anticipated impact of spatial plans and to evaluate the actual spatial outcomes after their implementation. Finally, the conclusions underline the value added of the IRIS approach as a comprehensive and integrative methodology that aims to improve the efficacy of spatial planning by establishing a link between theoretical models, policy objectives, and evidence-based decision-making.

NEWS TREATMENT ON THE PADMA BRIDGE INAUGURATION: A STUDY ON GLOBAL MEDIA PERSPECTIVE

The Padma Bridge inauguration, a landmark infrastructure project, has garnered significant attention from media outlets worldwide. This study delves into the diverse global media perspectives surrounding the inauguration of the Padma Bridge. The study's main objective is to evaluate and quantify the global media coverage of the Padma Bridge's inauguration on June 25, 2022 with a focus on how the international media views the event. About 40 news articles from various globally famous news media were chosen to be used in the study's qualitative and quantitative analysis. This study attempts to move forward with data gathered from various international news media through purposive sampling by using Google Search Engine Customization from June 24 to 30, particularly the 25th, which is the date of Padma Bridge's inauguration searching by using keywords like ‘Padma Bridge inauguration related news coverage in global media’. By employing a comprehensive content analysis approach, this study examines how the event was covered by media outlets across the globe. Findings reveal that media treatment of the Padma Bridge inauguration varies significantly based on geographical location, political affiliations, and cultural factors. While some media outlets highlighted the inauguration as a symbol of economic progress and regional connectivity, others critiqued the project's cost and environmental impact. The chosen reports' most focused subject, as shown through analysis is Bangladesh's potential and audacity to fulfill its’ people’s dream. Additionally, it provides insights into the complex interplay between media, politics, and public perception of major infrastructure projects. This study also contributes to the fields of media studies, international relations, and infrastructure development, shedding light on the intricate dynamics that influence global media coverage of significant events like the Padma Bridge inauguration.