Sustainability Assessment System Research Articles

Conducting water-energy-food nexus studies: what, why, and how

The increasing pressure on resources and the persistent failure to address global malnutrition are evident challenges. A significant contributing factor is the decline in the quality of production resources, particularly water. As a result, many countries and their experts have prioritized the need to balance resource consumption. To address the research gap regarding balanced and optimal resource use, various methodologies have been developed over time, culminating in nexus studies. This study aimed to investigate the what, why, and how of conducting water-energy-food nexus (WEFN) studies. The research employed a sequential mixed-methods approach, integrating content analysis with the Analytical Network Process (ANP). The findings reveal that the objectives of WEFN studies encompass a wide range of interests, which can be systematically categorized into seven principal domains: system sustainability assessment, integration of planning and decision-making processes related to resource consumption, optimization of resource use, management of resource consumption systems, development of theoretical frameworks for the nexus, evaluation of the impacts of resource consumption, and assessment of associated risks. Notably, the results indicate that system sustainability assessment is the most critical reason for conducting WEFN studies. Furthermore, the analysis of WEFN methodologies identified simulation as the most effective technique within the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) framework. In the context of the ANP technique, statistical analysis and simulation emerged as the most important methods. This research advocates for using a diagram to facilitate the selection of the optimal method for conducting a WEFN study.

Resilient Sustainability Assessment Framework from a Transdisciplinary System-of-Systems Perspective

The vital role of extensive information exchange among stakeholders across diverse sectors and the interconnection of various scientific fields with nonhomogeneous technology readiness levels has created a new form of a complex engineering problem in the climate change era. Comprehensive sustainability assessment to enable the realization of needs requires transdisciplinary thinking to achieve systematic solutions that bridge the gap between multiple collaborative systems in a portfolio. Although the principal aim of dedicated sustainability regulations is to force companies to move toward sustainability development, general and non-engineered metrics that have not defined clear thresholds for evaluation have encountered severe challenges regarding implementation and economic viability. Therefore, adopting a transdisciplinary systems engineering approach can address multifaceted challenges like sustainability by overcoming collaboration barriers, and traditional disciplinary limits. This paper systematically reviews sustainability-dictated regulations from a transdisciplinary perspective. Different standards are compared, raised opportunities and challenges are discussed, and future remarks are highlighted. The sustainability problem is analyzed from a transdisciplinary systems engineering lens. Finally, a two-level resilient system sustainability assessment framework is proposed to effectively handle and enhance the resilience of companies’ sustainability development roadmaps by enabling decision makers to find robust and highly reliable solutions regarding sustainable system design. The impact of this research is to create a new insight into addressing climate change which not only assesses the current situation but also considers uncertainty sources that affect decision making for the future.

Transformative territorial assessment of food systems: A post-normal science perspective

The importance of food systems’ transformations worldwide in order to achieve sustainability is recognised at all levels and scales, and the assessment of the said sustainability appears as a central element to understand the very aspects that need transforming. In parallel, the territorial scale is increasingly seen as the right one to produce such transformations, both in the scientific literature and in policy debates. There has been a proliferation of sustainability assessment methods and tools over the past couple of decades. Yet, researchers agree that these have been mostly unable to support the aforementioned transformations. A post-normal outlook may help in doing so, and it is of interest to identify the aspects that can help rendering assessment coherent with post-normal science. We identify three central categories that can help in doing so, and should thus be considered as central elements in sustainability assessment of Food Systems. These are interdependencies between system components, the system’s trajectories and actors’ participation. We draw elements from the scientific literature to justify the importance of these elements, and carry out a focused literature review of Food System sustainability assessment at the territorial scale to see the extent to which the methodologies proposed incorporate them.

Developing a Sustainability Assessment System for an Educational Building in the Iraqi Environment

Sustainability principles are considered one of the vital challenges facing developing countries (including Iraq), which are trying vigorously to implement sustainable development in most of their development projects. The projects of constructing educational buildings, such as schools and universities, are among the most important development projects to be established in Iraq. This study aims to develop standards to help improve the understanding of the sustainability requirements of educational buildings in Iraq. Through a series of studies, this study has developed a system that can be used to measure the sustainability of these buildings. First, information about sustainability assessment systems was gathered from the literature and references. Second, personal interviews with specialists, field questionnaires, and the software Analytical Hierarchal Process (AHP) to identify the weights of the main categories and factors for sustainable educational buildings. The results showed that the criteria of Energy Efficiency received the greatest weight (29.6%). On the other hand, less weight was obtained from the Precious Water and Waste (3.6%). Finally, the study developed a rating system model, "Educational Building Sustainability Rate (EBSR)," under Iraqi environmental conditions.

Enhancement of the impacts 2050 model to enable a whole system sustainability assessment of rideshare

Emerging concepts, such as Mobility as a Service (MaaS), could evolve to provide sustainable mobility, especially in densely populated urban areas. However, recent studies highlight the challenge of evaluating how the complex interactions of user demographics, mode choice, vehicle automation, governance, and efficiency will impact the sustainability of future mobility. Given this challenge, this research identifies a whole system (STEEP - social, technical, economic, environmental, and political) framework as essential to assess the overall sustainability of emergent urban mobility systems such as rideshare. The need is a single tool that can rapidly explore the long-range sustainability impact of such alternative future mobility scenarios for a given city region. This paper documents enhancements made to Impacts 2050, a strategic-level model of urban mobility, to address this need, including updates to the statistical travel behavior model and the addition of rideshare including trip occupancy. Results obtained with the enhanced Impacts 2050 showed that, while rideshare use increased significantly for some scenarios, its overall mode share remained limited. In addition, though rideshare enabled users to shed car ownership, the overall percentage increase of “no car ownership” was low. An urban mobility sustainability scorecard based on STEEP and generated by output from the enhanced Impacts 2050 is presented.

Navigating urban human settlement sustainability: A multi-indicator assessment based on sustainable development goal 11

The sustainability of cities determines human sustainable development. Human settlement is an important element of cities, and scientific monitoring and assessment of it can help cities accurately identify unsustainable issues. Taking Sustainable Development Goal 11 as the basic framework, the study constructs a global development goal-oriented sustainability assessment system for urban human settlement (UHS), including 7 fields and 26 indicators, which serves as a reference for cities globally. And an empirical analysis is conducted using panel data of 143 typical cities in China from 2015 to 2019. The results show that: (1) the score of China's UHS sustainability improved from 54.84 to 58.52, with some cities already achieving the goal of sustainable UHS. More than 50% of the cities were on track to achieve the goal by 2030. (2) Regional scores varied, being higher in the south and lower in the north, with the highest score in the eastern coastal region and the lowest score in the northeastern region. (3) Economy size is significantly and positively correlated with UHS sustainability, which is consistent with the regional performance, but with a marginal decreasing trend. (4) The performance of cities with different population size varied more significantly. The scores of UHS sustainability showed a U-shaped relationship with population size. In response to these findings, this study proposes corresponding strategic measures. The insights gained from the empirical analysis of Chinese cities can inform global policymaking.

Can Korea maintain environmental standards? The implications of shifting EIA review privileges to ministerial affiliates

South Korea's environmental assessment (EA) system previously relied on the Korea Environment Institute for independent reviews of environmental impact statements. In mid-2022, review privileges were expanded to five institutions including four new organizations that are direct affiliates or subsidiaries of the Ministry of Environment. This diversification aims to improve the EA process, but concerns exist regarding the adequacy of the plans and the lack of prior preparation. The current expansion, focusing on Ministry of Environment affiliates, raises concerns about diminished autonomy and a potential regression in independent review. The authority's initiative to enhance the efficiency of the EA system through diversifying review institutions does not fundamentally address current needs in Korea. This paper argues the most urgent issues in the evolution of the current EA system in Korea. To ensure an effective EA system in the face of climate change and broader environmental challenges, reforms are needed. These reforms should prioritize strengthening consultant capabilities, ensuring independent reviews, reinstating the strategic EA function, and transitioning to a sustainability assessment system.

Construction of a sustainable design competency assessment system for fashion designers in China

Construction of a sustainable design competency assessment system for fashion designers in China

Always with the Best Intentions? Interrogating the Use of Sustainable Building Assessment Systems in Developing Countries: Kenya

Assessment methodologies such as BREEAM and LEED allocate points based on prescribed interventions that promote design features or strategies considered to be more sustainable than others. A focus on accumulating numerical scores, however, often fails to address pertinent contextual issues, particularly within developing countries. This paper examines the use of four assessment systems in Kenya—two international systems, LEED-US and Green Star SA-Kenya; and two locally developed systems, Green Mark Kenya and the Safari Green Building Index. The paper compares the relative weighting of different categories under each system, and assesses their appropriateness to a Kenyan context, with reference to the suitability of active technology versus passive design approaches. The paper examines selected examples of ‘green’ buildings in Nairobi, reflecting on the influence of different methods of assessment on the adopted design approaches. The paper argues that international rating systems, such as LEED, often focus on a Western construct of sustainability featuring a systematic bias towards global rather than local perspectives, with an emphasis on physical environmental factors. In pursuit of objectivity, the measurement of non-contextual parameters untailored to local circumstances (e.g., energy performance) is prioritised at the expense of those contingent on local conditions or climate.

Has the poverty alleviation resettlement projects achieved just transition in Nujiang Prefecture of Southwest China?: A way to achieve SDGs

From 2016 to 2020, China successfully assisted 9.6 million people below poverty line, making a making a substantial contribution to both the UN-defined Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the global effort to reduce poverty. The literature reveals a focus on resettlement justice concerning livelihood transformation, re-siting, and public participation. However, a dearth of scholarly perspectives exists regarding migrants' comprehensive satisfaction indicators of just transition, particularly on sustainable assessment. Therefore, the study regards migrants as “customers” of PAR projects and assesses the degree of realization of a just transition of resettlement through their satisfaction. A multilayered comprehensive evaluation model is being formulated using the survey data of 515 migrants residing in three county-level cities in Nujiang Prefecture of southwest China. The results show that there is an increase in satisfaction with the impact of PAR on the migrant households' income, material assets, housing conditions, infrastructure, natural environment, children's educational level and ethnic cultures. Moreover, satisfaction with migrants' employment stability, social networking level, and the succession of local customs decreased. The results help to show that the PAR project does affect various aspects of migrants' lives, as well as contributing to the SDGs of social, economic, and environmentally sustainable development. The construction of a sustainable assessment system oriented to the combination of different dimensions of migrants' satisfaction and importance can help reduce the inequalities that may arise from the project. Boosting migrants' overall satisfaction is the most significant factor to consider when developing robust policies to increase poverty alleviation achievements and promote sustainable livelihood development.

Construction and evolutionary pattern of the coupling relationship network of regional sustainable development in China

Climate change poses a serious threat to the survival and development of humankind. Accordingly, sustainable socioeconomic transformation has become a major global concern. This study quantitatively assesses the process and speed of regional-level sustainable development in China, as well as the degree of coupling and the degree of coupling coordination among Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To this end, based on regional development and data monitoring in China, we construct a regional sustainable development assessment system containing 111 indicators, which combines existing sustainable development assessment indicators with the indicators of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. On that basis, using network topology construction and modal transformation, we propose a framework for analyzing the coupling relationships and evolutionary patterns of regional sustainable development. The study found that the score for SDGs at the national level increased from 50.80 in 2010 to 60.86 in 2020, showing a good development trend and the differences between provinces and regions was gradually reduced. The development speed of regional sustainable transformation shows a change from decreasing to increasing. In recent years, there is a significant change in the acceleration of regional sustainable development in China, with the vast majority of provinces having positive acceleration and only three provinces having negative acceleration. China's regional sustainable development shows that mutual coordination and promotion among provinces was higher in the eastern area than in the central region, which was higher than in the western area. The sustainable processes of each region and the coordination of sustainable development steadily increased toward a high level of coupling, all achieving coordinated development. The degree of coupling coordination and the SDG scores in each region were positively correlated with economic development, reflecting the role of economic development in the promotion of sustainability. However, this positive correlation showed a tendency of strengthening and then weakening. The correlation of the evolution patterns in the eastern–central, eastern–western, and central–western regions over time presented a trend of first weakening, then strengthening, and then weakening. Although the process of promoting sustainable development in western and central regions over time is weak synergistic consistency with that in eastern regions, overall, China's regional sustainable development presents a development model of multi-province linkage and multi-goal coordination.

Campus sustainability, organizational learning and sustainability reporting: an empirical analysis

Purpose Studies have shown that higher education institutions (HEIs) need to achieve deep organizational learning to develop and implement long-term strategies for responding to the climate crisis. This study aims to analyze the sustainability efforts of HEIs, in particular those who use the sustainability tracking, assessment and rating system (STARS), to ascertain what type of organizational learning is being achieved. Design/methodology/approach This paper does this by analyzing perceptions of learning amongst this group of HEIs. More specifically, it analyzes survey data regarding perceptions of types and system levels of organizational learning achieved by 116 HEIs in the USA that currently use or have used STARS in the past. The approach also aims to develop a macro view of the relationships between practicing campus sustainability, using sustainability reporting tools and learning as an organization. Findings An examination of the practice of campus sustainability and its relationship to organizational learning reveals that the use of sustainability reporting promotes broad learning, but deep learning at the level of the organization is seldom achieved. Practical implications Given the success of using sustainability reporting tools to diffuse knowledge and foster broad learning, this paper argues that such tools should incorporate more metrics relative to soft organizational characteristics of HEIs to shift organizational cultures and foster deeper organizational learning. Originality/value This work constitutes one of the few studies analyzing empirical data on campus sustainability, sustainability reporting and organizational learning for a large number of HEIs.

Assessment of system sustainability: a critical review of the combined application of system dynamics and life cycle assessment

Assessment of system sustainability: a critical review of the combined application of system dynamics and life cycle assessment

Modeling the Environmental Impact of Passenger Cars Driven on Hilly Roads in Austria: A More Accurate Valuation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Further Environmental Indicators for Integral Life Cycle Assessments of Road Infrastructures

Previous studies of road or railway infrastructures have shown that traffic emissions outweigh the environmental impacts of the product stage and construction stage over the entire life cycle. Traffic usage is therefore the main emitter over the life cycle (A1–C4). Due to the small number of sustainability assessment systems, the question of how to consider traffic emissions in detail in an integral life cycle assessment has arisen. This study examines Austrian car traffic and investigates environmental impacts beyond the scope of carbon dioxide and particulate matter. The results were determined for a selection of common impact indicators. In addition to driving in flat terrain, an approach is presented that enables the evaluation of emissions due uphill and downhill driving. Thus, route options and route closures/detours due to maintenance work can be evaluated in a simple way. During the analyses, a traffic calculator was developed, which can currently assess different cars depending on the route specifics (flat/hill). The tool can be expanded to include other road vehicles (buses, trucks, motorcycles) and trains as well. This will simplify evaluations and decision-making processes and provide optimal support for a future-proof sustainable built environment.

The suitability of the MOSTADAM system with the global systems of sustainability in the desert city, Case study ( North Narjes project in KSA)

Sustainable building practices are becoming increasingly important today, especially in desert areas with more severe environmental challenges. Numerous sustainable building assessment systems are available globally and locally, but their effectiveness and applicability in desert areas are poorly understood[1]. The world’s desert regions are facing unique environmental challenges, and sustainable building practices are becoming more important than ever. By comparing various assessment systems, we hope to identify the most effective and applicable methods for sustainable building in these areas. This research aims to compare global and local sustainable building assessment systems in desert areas to identify the most effective and suitable systems.Applying this to a sustainable program, which is one of the programs offered by the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing (MOMRAH) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)[1], where the research will mean studying its suitability within desert Areas.

Sustainable Financial Risk Assessment and Management System Construction based on Big Data Analysis

In today's financial industry, traditional risk assessment models can no longer meet the needs of complex and dynamically changing financial markets. Therefore, building a sustainable financial risk assessment and management system based on big data analysis is particularly important. This system can predict and mitigate financial risks by analyzing large-scale datasets, improving the risk management capabilities of financial institutions, and providing the scientific basis for formulating relevant policies. Applying big data technology can greatly enrich the dimensions and depth of risk assessment. By collecting and processing a large amount of data from different channels, including social media, transaction records, market dynamics, etc., risk signals that traditional methods cannot observe can be revealed, allowing financial institutions to more accurately identify and predict potential risk points. The analysis model based on big data can achieve real-time risk monitoring. These models can automatically process real-time data promptly and alert potential risks, allowing financial institutions to quickly respond to market changes and take appropriate risk control measures. Building such a system is not without challenges. The quality and integrity of data, privacy protection, and the accuracy and transparency of analytical models are all issues that need to be focused on.

Modeling Sustainability Standards and Assessment Systems in High-Rise Buildings

Modeling Sustainability Standards and Assessment Systems in High-Rise Buildings

Sustainability assessment of small hydropower from an ESG perspective: A case study of the Qin-Ba Mountains, China

Small hydropower (SHP) has made significant contributions to economic and social development in rural and remote mountainous regions. However, the adverse ecological-environmental impacts resulting from the SHP sector and challenges in hydropower management have become major areas of concern. From an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) perspective and using three SHP stations (GXD, WZL, and SJB) in the Qin-Ba Mountains as case studies, we constructed a sustainability assessment system comprising 18 indicators across three dimensions. The hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets (HFLTSs) and cloud models were employed to determine the sustainability level of SHP by characterizing the hesitancy of the evaluator and the uncertainty of the evaluated data. (1) The ecological-environmental protection (E) dimension was assigned the greatest weight, followed by the dimensions of social responsibility contribution (S) and corporate governance management (G). The weights of certain indicators, including the water qualification rate, river morphology maintenance, guaranteed rate of instream flow, comprehensive utilization, and production safety standardization grade were relatively high, conforming to the current context of green development prioritization in which ecological-environmental protection is of the utmost importance. (2) The overall sustainability levels of all three SHP stations were “good”, with the E-dimension contributing the most and the G-dimension contributing the least to the sustainability goal. (3) The GXD, WZL, and SJB stations were ranked first, second, and third, respectively, in terms of their sustainability scores. This study provides an innovative perspective for the sustainability assessment of SHP. The evaluation method can be generalized to encompass multi-attribute decision-making problems. The findings of this study can aid in addressing the shortcomings associated with SHP development and promote sustainability within the SHP industry.

A four-level hierarchical framework for reviewing infrastructure sustainability assessment systems

Infrastructure sustainability assessment (ISA) has become increasingly important for achieving sustainable development goals. ISA systems are widely adopted by different stakeholders such as governments, architects, engineers, and academics to assess the manner in which sustainability is incorporated in infrastructure projects. However, a systematic understanding of ISA systems is lacking, and the multifaceted and complicated features of such systems were overlooked in the literature. Thus, this study aims to develop a four-level hierarchical framework (covering the levels of contexts, methods, measures, and results) based on the dialectical system theory, and to use this framework for a comprehensive review of international ISA systems. Fourteen existing ISA systems were reviewed, and six were carefully selected and examined in detail. An enhanced five-pillar concept (i.e. technology, economy, environment, society, and institution) of infrastructure sustainability is proposed to evaluate the measures included in the ISA systems. The results show that dialectics exist within, and encounter challenges at, all four levels of the systems. This study suggests four recommendations to improve the ISA systems: enhancing the balanced concept of sustainability, advancing the promotion of ISA systems, pursuing user-friendliness, and considering the synergies between the assessment components of ISA systems. The developed framework with its dialectical considerations provides a new approach to understanding the complexity and dynamics of ISA and will help raise practitioners' awareness of the dialectical connections in ISA systems and support practitioners’ management practices. In addition, the five-pillar concept of sustainability is beneficial for stakeholders in appraising infrastructure more comprehensively.

Sustainability assessment of bridge structures in the operation phase based on a digital twin

AbstractThere are about 65,000 bridge structures in the infrastructure network of the Federal Republic of Germany. Due to the long operating phase of bridges, they have an influence on sustainability. To evaluate the sustainability of bridges in the operational phase, digital building models can serve as a consistent and structured database to increase the efficiency and transparency.In this article, an innovative evaluation system for measuring and assessing the sustainability of a bridge structure in the operational phase based on a digital bridge twin is developed. First, the workflow is presented in a process model and the necessary requirements for the digital twin of the bridge structure are defined. In addition, the semi‐automatic sustainability assessment system is described and the linkage via an interoperable interface to the digital twin is designed. The approach is tested and validated using a real demonstrator. The result of the paper shows an approach to use digital twins for a novel and semi‐automatic sustainability assessment in the operation of bridge structures.