Sustainable Infrastructure Projects Research Articles

The state of sustainable and disaster-resilient infrastructure in Indonesia

This paper discusses the paradigm shift in the way we think about disaster resilience and sustainability in the context of infrastructure, particularly in lower-income and disaster-prone countries like Indonesia. We highlight the importance of resilience as a critical component of sustainability, as it improves the agility and flexibility of infrastructure against future climate-related and other hazards. We discuss the potential trade-offs between disaster-resilient infrastructure and sustainable infrastructure and suggest that decision-makers can use a comprehensive approach that considers the overlap between the physical environment, social dynamics, metabolic flows, and governance networks to address these challenges. To obtain research objectives, a combination of three methods was used, namely policy analysis, case study, and comparative approach. This combination is to get a holistic picture of Indonesia’s conditions. This paper also presents several approaches that can be used to prioritize both resilience and sustainability in infrastructure projects.

Augmenting the cities’ and metropolitan regional demands for mega rail infrastructure: the application of SWOT and factor analysis

PurposeIn successfully meeting city and metropolitan growth, sustainable development is compulsory. Sustainability is a must-focus for any project, particularly for large and mega rail infrastructure. This paper aims to investigate to what degree social, environmental and economic factors influence the government when planning sustainable rail infrastructure projects. To respond to such a matter, this paper focuses on two Australian mega-rail projects: the South West Rail Link (SWRL) and the Mernda Rail Extension (MRE).Design/methodology/approachAs the basis of an experimental evaluation framework strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) and factor analysis were used. These two methods were specifically selected as comparative tools for SWRL and SWRL projects, to measure their overall sustainability effect.FindingsUsing factor analysis, in the MRE, the factors of network capacity, accessibility, employment and urban planning were seen frequently throughout the case study. However, politics and economic growth had lower frequencies throughout this case study. This difference between the high-weighted factors is likely a key element that determined the SWRL to be more sustainable than the MRE. The SWOT analysis showed the strengths the MRE had over the SWRL such as resource use and waste management, and natural habitat preservation. These two analyses have shown that overall, calculating the sustainability levels of a project can be subjective, based on the conditions surrounding various analysis techniques.Originality/valueThis paper first introduces SWRL and MRE projects followed by a discussion about their overall sustainable development. Both projects go beyond the traditional megaprojects' goal of improving economic growth by developing and enhancing infrastructure. Globally, for such projects, sustainability measures are now considered alongside the goal of economic growth. Second, SWOT and factor analysis are undertaken to further evaluate the complexity of such projects. This includes their overall sustainable development vision alignment with environmental, economic and social factors.

Aspek Hukum Dan Perjanjian Kerjasama Pemerintah Dan Swasta Dalam Proyek Infrastruktur

This research aims to investigate the legal aspects involved in the collaborative agreements between the government and the private sector in infrastructure projects. Infrastructure projects play a crucial role in a country's development, and collaboration between the public and private sectors is often the primary foundation for realizing it. Legal analysis includes an in-depth study of regulations and laws governing these partnership agreements. Legal factors such as responsibilities, risk-sharing, and the rights and obligations of both parties are the primary focus. Furthermore, the research also considers contractual aspects within these agreements by assessing their structure, provisions, and dispute resolution mechanisms. By analyzing the legal role in the relationship between the government and the private sector in the context of infrastructure projects, this research is expected to provide a deeper understanding of the dynamics and challenges faced in implementing such collaborations. The implications of the research findings are expected to contribute to the development of more effective and reliable regulations to support the sustainability of infrastructure projects in the future.

Assessing the effect of lime-zeolite on geotechnical properties and microstructure of reconstituted clay used as a subgrade soil

This study investigates the replacement of conventional stabilizers with eco-friendly alternatives, with a specific focus on enhancing pavement subgrade applications. This research aims to evaluate the impact of lime-zeolite treatment on the properties of clayey subgrades and its potential to outperform traditional stabilization methods. Various tests, such as Proctor compaction, Atterberg limits, swelling, and unconfined compressive strength (UCS), were performed considering the plasticity index variation. Optimal zeolite replacement led to significant improvements in the clayey soils' behavior. It reduced the plasticity index by up to 9.4% and almost eliminated swelling. Furthermore, unconfined compressive strength (UCS) values were enhanced by up to 7.56 times when compared to untreated soil. Ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) tests indicated substantial increases in primary wave velocity (Vp) and constrained modulus (Mv), reaching values of 2650 m/s and 9600 MPa, respectively, representing improvements of around 6.5 times and 50 times over untreated clay. The results highlight the remarkable efficacy of lime-zeolite substitution, particularly at a 25% replacement level. The improvements in plasticity, swelling, and strength characteristics signify the potential of this eco-friendly approach in pavement subgrade enhancement. The significant increases in UPV parameters provide insights into the improved structural integrity of the treated soils. This innovative approach offers valuable contributions to pavement subgrade design by addressing plasticity, swelling, and strength issues in clayey soils, ultimately leading to more sustainable and effective infrastructure projects.

The Identification of Sustainability Assessment Indicators for Road Infrastructure Projects in Tanzania

The performance of sustainability in infrastructure projects continues to face challenges in its implementation and attainment in developing countries, one of which is the lack of appraisal tools and indicators for the assessment of sustainability. Studies indicate that there are no formal indicators for sustainability assessment on road infrastructure projects in Tanzania, the lack of which limits the determination of whether projects implemented are sustainable or not. Therefore, this study aimed at determining the key sustainability assessment indicators used for road infrastructure projects in Tanzania. A concurrent mixed research approach was adopted in which the sample was purposively selected. A content analysis and descriptive statistics using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 20.0) were used to analyze qualitative and quantitative data, respectively. The findings indicate that 24 indicators are applicable to Tanzania. Among the highly ranked include “health and safety training to workers”, “health and safety personnel in the project team”, “site barriers and safety warning signs”, “personal protective equipment (PPE) provision”, and “waste collection”. The qualitative results further support the identified sustainability assessment indicators on road infrastructure projects in Tanzania, with one new indicator of “air quality” emerging. The findings inform the government and other relevant stakeholders in the construction industry including planners, designers, and project managers of the key sustainability assessment indicators for roads, which would influence regulation as well as policies to improve the sustainability performance of road projects in Tanzania.

Driving Factors of Concession Period in Healthcare Public Private Partnerships

Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) play a vital role in infrastructure development and public service delivery, with government entities collaborating with private sector organizations to achieve shared goals in the long term. An essential aspect of PPP contracts is the concession period, during which Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) are responsible for financing, building, operating, and maintaining public assets. The concession period has significant implications, associated with project risk, revenue, operations expenses, profitability, and bankability. While numerous studies focus on determining “optimal” concession periods, fewer explore the factors driving concession periods in national PPP programs, especially for social infrastructure projects relying primarily on availability payments. To fill this gap, this research aims to identify and analyze the effect of various potential factors on the length of the concession period, using linear regression analysis on a data set of healthcare PPP projects in Italy. This research theoretically contributes to understanding the driving factors of concession periods in PPP projects and provides insights for a balanced approach to PPP project planning and regulation and related strategies. On the practical side, decision makers can negotiate optimized concession periods, ensuring successful and sustainable public infrastructure projects.

Sustainable Construction Understanding among Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Professionals in Abuja

Globally, there is a growing desire to deliver sustainable infrastructure projects. However, the implementation of sustainable construction  in Nigeria is still in its early stages. It is believed that the successful adoption of sustainable construction in Nigeria depends,  in part, on the understanding of sustainable construction among professionals in the architecture, engineering, and  construction (AEC) industry. This study argues that the extent to which AEC professionals demonstrate a clear understanding of  sustainable construction reflects their knowledge and provides a starting point for effective implementation in the future. By focusing on  the current efforts of the Nigerian AEC industry to embrace sustainability, this study aims to identify key factors that exemplify the  understanding of sustainable construction among professionals. A survey was conducted among 290 registered construction  professionals in Abuja. The data was analysed using factor analysis and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM)  approach. The result from the analysis shows seven factors: awareness, political factors, passive culture, knowledge, demand, financial,  and attitude. These factors characterise sustainable construction practices understanding among AEC professionals in Abuja. This serves  as a foundation for future implementation of sustainable construction practices in Nigeria in line with the views of many sustainable  construction researchers. 

Dynamic approach for investigating delivery system effects on infrastructure project performance

PurposeInnovative design and execution approaches are employed in infrastructure sectors and planning to enhance the integrated project delivery system, assure the sustainability of infrastructure projects, and meet the demands of the dynamic, changing environment. Delivery methods must incorporate new technologies. By combining digital technology, teamwork, and mass manufacturing, a greater degree of exceptional quality, sustainability, and resilience in the environment will be generated. As a result, a new approach does not rely on the reaction policy, but instead considers alternative scenarios and employs a simulation model to determine the best course of action.Design/methodology/approachIn the paper, the system dynamics approach to construction management is validated in light of pertinent research. Additionally, it describes the difficulties facing the infrastructure projects' delivery system. Additionally, the strategy for system dynamics creation is described. This strategy includes a causal loop diagram, generates a stock-flow diagram, and simulates forecasts of model behavior over time. Next, the optimization model's validation process is used to create a system dynamics model for choosing the best infrastructure project delivery system project and controlling it to maximize sustainability, mass production, digital integration, and team integration. The dynamic complexity of project management is growing.FindingsThe primary goal is to present a system dynamics (SD) simulation to look at how well infrastructure projects perform in terms of choosing the best method for delivering infrastructure projects. One of the most ideal methods for delivering projects is integrated project delivery. An effective methodology for making strategic decisions on the choice of the best project delivery method. In order to enhance certain infrastructure project delivery system metrics for sustainability, mass production, digital integration, and team integration, the model included building strategy and sophisticated system dynamics simulation. According to the construction strategy, the outcomes have been satisfactory.Originality/valueSystem dynamics research has been done to replicate the idea of contemporary construction in order to determine the best approach for delivering infrastructure. The government and decision-makers would benefit from understanding this research as they decide on the best delivery method for boosting the sustainability and productivity of infrastructure projects in Egypt.

Urban sustainability transition in Turkey: drivers and barriers

ABSTRACT This paper examines the drivers and barriers of urban sustainability policy transfer through a case study in Turkey. We show that increased opportunities for collaboration between the international and local actors, when local demand exists, can encourage municipalities to espouse sustainability discourse and in turn implement sustainable infrastructure projects, breaking institutional inertia. However, we argue these bottom-up attempts have limited transformative impact unless the central government enacts the necessary legislation and regulation to provide local governments with the authority and tools to pursue urban sustainability. These findings provide an important perspective into forces driving the localization of sustainable development goals.

Exploring social value and their enablers as business models for sustainable water supply projects

PurposeThis work aims to understand how social value is created and delivered using community-based water supply projects. It examines social value creation given the enabling concepts – value co-creation and service ecosystems as business models for infrastructure.Design/methodology/approachInductive reasoning, including qualitative research design, was applied to two water supply projects. The qualitative stage created social value co-creation features using the purposive sampling of 72 semi-structured interviews.FindingsThe qualitative analysis features social value co-creation, which includes a sense of social unity, end-user empowerment, Behavioural transformation, and knowledge transfer. Although value destruction also emerged while examining social value co-creation, the research identifies the “red flags” and value contradictions that must be avoided.Research limitations/implicationsThe enablers of sustainable infrastructure projects should include social value, service ecosystems and value co-creation.Practical implicationsThere is a need for the government and non-governmental organisations to create enabling platforms that involve a planned dialogical communication process supporting the development and enhancement of relationships of stakeholders to maximise social value from infrastructure projects.Originality/valueThe work offers a widened perspective of social value creation and a new framework called “Social value co-creation/destruction” (SVCC/SVCD) as the business model for sustainable infrastructure projects. It is the first attempt to illustrate social value creation in construction from service ecosystems and value co-creation perspectives.

Multi-objective optimization for the sustainability of infrastructure projects under the influence of climate change

ABSTRACT Infrastructure asset management is concerned with the efficient and sustainable utilization of resources. There are numerous sources of uncertainties associated with the physical state of the infrastructure, climate change, and the economy. Thus, the most appropriate decision-making process to select maintenance and replacement strategies that are sustainable, economical, and safe should also be well informed in terms of risks. The decision process is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem and exemplified the case for targeted performance levels and total costs, and solved using both Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO) and a Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II). The results indicate that annual budget constraints have a significant effect on the Pareto front and the schedule associated with individual solutions. The proposed approach provides a useful and flexible decision-analysis tool for managers by allowing for multiple objective optimization in scheduling future interventions towards the sustainability of infrastructure.

The Social Sustainability of the Infrastructures: A Case Study in the Liguria Region

One of the indicators that measures the economic development of a territory is its infrastructural endowment (road, rail, etc.). The presence of roads, railways, and airports are essential elements in creating the optimal conditions for the establishment or development of productive activities and economic growth; and also to generate benefits. However, the presence of infrastructure can have strong impacts on the environment and the living conditions of the population and infrastructure can be subject to actions related to contrast and opposition. Therefore, in parallel with the economic and environmental sustainability assessment, it is essential to decide whether or not to build new infrastructure. In addition, social sustainability is also pursued on the basis of an assessment that takes into account various aspects that relate the work to the population, also in order to identify the most satisfactory design solution. Alongside the adopted methodology, the assessment must be identified suitable criteria which are capable of taking into account the various impacts generated by the infrastructure, not only of an economic and environmental type, but also social and attributed relative importance (or weight) that is congruous with the correct balance of the three aspects of sustainability. This contribution deals with the identification of criteria for assessing the social sustainability of infrastructure projects, by taking as reference the 24 infrastructure projects in the planning and construction phase in the Liguria Region that make use of the Regional Law n. 39/2007 on the “Regional Strategic Intervention Programs—P.R.I.S.” (Regional Strategic Intervention Programs); which guarantees citizens affected by the infrastructure. In this research work, the selection is performed through the involvement of local stakeholders as well as the subjects and institutions that operate within the decision-making process of a work (designers, technicians from public administrations). The selected criteria are then weighted through the pairwise comparison method used in the multi-criteria technique of ThomasSaaty—Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The goal is to identify the useful criteria for assessing social sustainability and the weights attributed by the various parties involved in the decision-making process by citizens directly or indirectly affected by the infrastructure.

Opportunities in the Sustainable Built Environment: Perspectives on Human-Centric Approaches

Climate change and natural disasters have brought threats to humanity greater than ever. The built environment is a critical part of the climate action plan in terms of its resilience and sustainability. The growing awareness of sustainability in the built environment has led to the increased uptake of sustainable buildings and infrastructure projects. However, a growing number of studies reported some forms of performance gaps in achieving sustainability, in which the actual outcomes and performance of buildings were far from the expected goals. Researchers started to question the alleged benefits of the sustainable built environment. Apart from being overoptimistic in setting the environmental goals, some studies suggested that the gaps could arise from a negligence of the interplay between humans and the environment for delivering the sustainability goals. Hence, this paper intends to highlight opportunities in optimizing sustainability performance in the built environment via human-centric approaches. By placing human needs at the focal point, human-centric solutions would empower stakeholders to harness sustainable goals in the built environment effectively. A conceptual framework has been proposed to consolidate the findings and highlight human-centric solutions in between research gaps and opportunities in sustainable built environment research.

Ensuring Environmental Sustainability of Infrastructure Projects: A Perspective Review in A Case Of Indonesia

Infrastructure is crucial to the development process and is intimately related to productivity, economic growth, and well-being. Infrastructure also plays a vital role in environmental contamination and degradation which leads to high financial cost to recover. This article aims to highlight how a green bond is a potential tool to be used as an alternative source of financing for infrastructure development which can also ensure environmental sustainability in Indonesia. Using a literature review from various available sources, green bond positively impacts environmental sustainability. Indonesia is on the right track in directing future development to maintain the balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability. The green bond ecosystem also has been established to support the growing market. The green bond is a promising financing tool in Indonesia due to its attention to the environmental aspect, the established framework and regulation, and its opportunity to finance potential green projects available in Indonesia.

Corporate green Sukuk issuance for sustainable financing in Indonesia

Green Sukuk is a source of financing that supports the SDGs. Climate change, the growth of the Islamic finance industry, and the rise of socially responsible investing could make green Sukuk a vital tool for financing clean energy and sustainable infrastructure projects. Many studies have identified its potential and advantages. However, no companies have issued green corporate Sukuk in Indonesia yet. The purpose of this study is to determine the potential and main problems of issuing corporate green Sukuk in Indonesia, along with possible solutions and strategies. The research method used is the analytic network process (ANP). In this study, respondents are experts in the field of green Sukuk (involved experts were from academia, project actors, and regulators). The results of the study indicate that the first destination that has the potential to be financed with green corporate Sukuk is renewable energy. At the same time, the main problem is the lack of understanding from market participants. In terms of solutions, the incentive provided by the government is the best to encourage the issuance of green corporate Sukuk. Moreover, the first strategy is to issue green corporate Sukuk with ijarah contracts. From the research results, it is hoped that the Indonesian government can be more aggressive in providing incentives to green project actors.

Stakeholder Perceptions of Sustainable Infrastructure Project Delivery: A Comparative Analysis between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao.

China is experiencing the rapid development of infrastructure projects throughout the country, especially in the Guangdong-Hong Kong SAR-Macao SAR Greater Bay Area. This is placing the Chinese construction industry under tremendous pressure to transition to a sustainability orientation due to the various economic, social, and environmental challenges involved. The transition to more sustainable infrastructure projects requires the involvement of more stakeholders, while the multistakeholder context is of less importance when making project decisions, and this may create an adverse effect on the sustainability level of infrastructure projects. Based on the questionnaire data collected, this study addresses this issue by comparatively analysing stakeholder perceptions of sustainable infrastructure delivery between Guangdong province, Hong Kong SAR, and Macao SAR. Through independent sample t-tests, the disparity in perceptions between paired stakeholder groups in the Greater Bay Area (as a whole) is revealed. Three pairs, i.e., government department and supervising engineers, owners and designers, and supervising engineers and operators, are found to be the most conflicting, while contractors and supervising engineers are the least. Of the 18 sustainability items analysed, shaped local identity and international reputation (SOC, social factor 8) is the most controversial, while value-for-money of the proposed project during its lifecycle (EOC, economic factor 5) and green design and construction (ENV, environmental factor 2) have the greatest consensus towards their roles in achieving project sustainability. Significantly, different stakeholder perceptions between the three are also identified, and the contractor group is found to share the least consensus geographically, while the operators have the least conflict rating of the relevant importance of various sustainability factors. The thorough analysis of sustainability-related items of economy, society, and environment contributes to understanding the attitudes of the various stakeholder groups involved, which then helps reduce their conflicts during sustainable infrastructure delivery.

Optimizing sustainability of infrastructure projects through the integration of building information modeling and envision rating system at the design stage

With infrastructure services demand rising, a significant contributor to sustainable development goals, infrastructure systems have to evolve and adapt effectively, efficiently, and sustainably. The broad set of decision variables coupled with the trade-off among the economic, social, and environmental aspects complicate sustainability assessment and optimization during the design stage. Thus, this paper presents a Building Information Modeling (BIM)-based automated framework for real-time evaluation and optimization of sustainability in infrastructure projects. The proposed framework benefits from infrastructure sustainability rating systems that provide a systemic and balanced set of indicators for careful consideration of sustainability. On the other hand, to automate the process, BIM, with its 3D shared environment, is used as an integrated platform for dynamic sustainability analysis. The proposed framework integrates both novelties in real-time during the early design stages, which helps designers to select the most sustainable alternative. A prototype and a hypothetical case study are conducted to validate the framework's applicability through Infraworks 360 as the operating BIM platform and Envision as the baseline rating system. The results confirm that adopting the suggested method simplifies the inclusion of sustainability into design decisions while facilitating documentation of compliance with credit assessment for both project teams and verification agencies.

Developing an effective front-end planning framework for sustainable infrastructure projects

Front-End Planning (FEP) is a crucial part of project management that ensures successful project delivery and improved project performance of construction projects. With the increasing demand for sustainable development, particularly for infrastructure projects, diligent FEP is required for such projects to ensure achieving sustainability goals while improving project outcomes. This paper investigates the use of an infrastructure sustainability rating system, i.e., the Envision™ rating system in FEP of sustainable infrastructure projects by developing pragmatic frameworks that combine Envision™ credits, and a widely used FEP tool for infrastructure projects, Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI). This research conducted a manual comparison between 59 Envision™ credits and 46 PDRI elements to develop Envision-PDRI frameworks for small and large infrastructure projects. The study validated the frameworks by surveying 109 construction stakeholders. The frameworks conclude that linking the Envision™ credits with FEP can support stakeholders to improve the decision-making process of infrastructure projects.

A Pedagogical Paradigm to Support Infrastructure Projects through Coupling Front-End Planning Techniques with Sustainability Practices

ABSTRACT Effective project management of sustainable infrastructure projects is critical for successful project delivery and improved project performance of construction projects. Coupling and integrating Front-End Planning (FEP) techniques and sustainability rating systems such as the EnvisionTM rating system in the curricula can equip our construction workforces with advanced skills in planning and managing such projects. Therefore, this study investigates the existing synergies between FEP and EnvisionTM and establishes the necessity of incorporating these concepts into the Construction Management (CM) curricula. The research methodology included (1) surveying infrastructure experts to investigate the nexus between EnvisionTM credits and FEP; (2) investigating the use of pre-project planning tools in the industry; and (3) implementing a Problem Based Learning (PBL) activity to enhance construction students’ knowledge of FEP and sustainability. The results highlighted that sustainability practices greatly align with FEP. Moreover, the knowledge improvement through the PBL activity demonstrates that such an active learning method can be a strong candidate for effective pedagogical design to teach these concepts. The novelty of this study encompasses highlighting the necessity to link and incorporate EnvisionTM with FEP in construction curricula to support CM students to become adept in both planning and delivering sustainable infrastructure projects.

Shareholder Option Valuation in Mezzanine Financing Applied to CO2 Reduction in Sustainable Infrastructure Projects: Application to a Tunnel Road in Medellin, Colombia

This research uses real options analysis (ROA) to examine a lender’s conversion option in a mezzanine debt for a sustainable infrastructure project. We examine a transport infrastructure case in Medellin, Colombia, called “Tunel del Oriente” (Eastern tunnel), which meets sustainable criteria to allow the access to credit through a sustainable bond. This study proposes a model to evaluate the right to exercise the conversion option by employing ROA with a binomial approach under the concept of a call option. The underlying assets are based on revenues from the forecast of estimated demand and the alternative sales of carbon credits as the sustainable factor. The results indicated that the financial captured value (FCV), with one as the conversion ratio, could be up to 39.10% of the investment when the lender decides to become a shareholder. Furthermore, the FCV can increase by 6% more if the project sells TonCO2e saved by the sustainable factor, highlighting that the tax benefits are approximately 11% of the FCV if the project is sustainable. Additionally, the option value is 39.09% of the debt amount. Finally, this study demonstrates that project finance using mezzanine debt proves to be an effective and attractive method for any lender wanting to boost profit while supporting stakeholders and the environment with sustainable projects and responsible investment.