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The study of urban and regional impacts of high-speed rail (HSR) has drawn much attention in the research literature over the last few years. Previous studies have mostly used traditional tools (cost–benefit analysis, hedonic models, discrete choice modeling, and so on) to conduct ex ante analyses of potential HSR impacts. However, little attention has been paid to know the views of representatives from different economic sectors and their potential contribution to the participatory phase of the planning process. To address this limitation, this paper developed an ex ante participatory approach for analyzing HSR's urban and regional impacts, which fed into and complement other traditional assessment tools. This approach was applied to the case study of San Sebastian and its province in Spain, which should be linked to the Spanish HSR network by 2025. The research found that different economic sectors agree on some economic impacts triggered by HSR but disagree on many social and regional equity impacts. The paper discussed the potential of this approach for policymaking, highlighting its value in complementing traditional impact assessment methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies suggest that the activity-travel patterns of parents who escort their children to school have both social and environmental impacts. This paper explores the interaction between distance and travel time levels (TTLs) for escorted trips to school. The interaction between travel time and distance was modeled by formulating a logit-multilevel model to determine the factors that influence adults' transport mode choice to escort children to school in metropolitan areas of Andalusia, Spain, where accompaniment is mainly by car or on foot for a maximum reported distance of 2 km. The findings indicate that (1) the interaction between distance and time improves the explanatory capacity of the model, and (2) the odds ratio of escorted trips to school by car is much higher when TTL is low (less than 5 min) than when TTL is high (more than 15 min). These results suggest that in order to encourage people to escort children to and from school on foot, urban policies should include time policy measures to increase the time dedicated to escorting and to improve the socialization of escorting time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is vital to select the right project bidders, as this affects the success of a project. Although there are numerous methods for assessing bidders, communication is rarely taken into account. This paper discusses the results of a survey on communication key performance indicators (KPIs) and the success of construction projects. Data were collected from 390 construction partners in Spain. The results indicate that the most significant communication KPI is the quality of information: basically, its accuracy and timeliness. In addition, experienced respondents placed less importance on communication flow structures and communication management than did inexperienced respondents. Experienced respondents distrusted new trends and/or management theories and mainly relied on experience. The findings also reveal that the communication flow structure, the communication and information management plan, and the channels of communication are relevant aspects for the success of a project. The results of this research can be used to assess bidders' communication abilities and systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to examine the degree of productivity change in the construction industry and relate these changes to variations in the business cycle. The activity of Spanish firms engaged in the construction of buildings, civil engineering, and specialized activities during the 2000s is used as a case study. Productivity change is estimated by creating a bilateral index using data envelopment analysis, complemented with bootstrapping. The results showed that Spanish firms in building construction experienced a fall in productivity because of a decline in technical and scale efficiencies, despite improvements in technology. The productivity change in civil engineering and specialized construction also was negative; however, the source of this decline was technical regress and negative scale efficiency change, although efficiency change and technology scale change contributed positively. The results further revealed that the firms reacted to the financial crisis of the late 2000s by introducing technological change, although the productive, technical, and scale efficiency changes all were negatively impacted during the economic downturn, suggesting an underuse of resources. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by being the first to analyze the impact of fluctuations in business cycles caused by the 2008 economic crisis on the productivity growth of construction firms representing three construction sectors, and by measuring productivity growth from a multidimensional perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a collaborative framework to couple historical records with expert knowledge and criteria to define a decision support system (DSS) that supports the seasonal operation of the reservoirs of the Jucar River system. The framework relies on the codevelopment of a DSS tool that is able to explicitly reproduce the decision-making processes and criteria considered by the system operators. Fuzzy logic is used to derive the implicit operating rules followed by the managers, and is based on historical decisions and expert knowledge obtained in the codevelopment process, combining both sources of information. Fuzzy regression is used to forecast future inflows based on the meteorological and hydrological variables considered by the system operators in their decisions on reservoir operation. The DSS was validated against historical records. The developed framework and tools offer the system operators a way to predefine a set of feasible ex ante management decisions, and to explore the consequences associated with any single choice. In contrast with other approaches, the fuzzy-based method used in this study is able to embed inflow uncertainty and its effects in the definition of the decisions on the system operation. Furthermore, the method is flexible enough to be applied to other water resource systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to some studies, flat roofs are one of the construction elements that most frequently suffer from damage and anomalies. It is important to carry out a verification of the execution processes of waterproofing membranes to reduce the number of failures as much as possible and prevent future associated damages. This paper details the 47 evaluation parameters that were applied to 61 construction projects, rated in terms of their quality in five levels of importance of the deficiencies, based on the supervision performed by quality control entities during the execution of the works. The results numerically demonstrate the importance of prior supervision of project design to produce more satisfactory results and reduce the probability of problems in the future. The most common problems in flat roofs with bituminous membranes are identified and rated, of which issues concerning the tail-ends with peripheral elements stand out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the extent to which engineers can influence the competitive behavior of bidders in best value or multiattribute construction auctions, in which both the (dollar) bid and technical nonprice criteria are scored according to a scoring rule. From a sample of Spanish construction auctions with a variety of bid scoring rules, it is found that bidders are influenced by the auction rules in significant and predictable ways. The bid score weighting, bid scoring formula, and abnormally low bids criterion are variables likely to influence the competitiveness of bidders in terms of both their aggressive/conservative bidding and concentration/dispersion of bids. Revealing the influence of the bid scoring rules and their magnitude on bidders' competitive behavior opens the door for the engineer to condition bidder competitive behavior in such a way as to provide the balance needed to achieve the owner's desired strategic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses technical efficiency and its determinants in the Spanish construction sector from a comparative perspective for the period 2000 to 2010 by using different parametric approaches in the form of stochastic frontier models. The main results reveal similar (no) influential factors on efficiency. For all models, the determinants found were capital intensity, prefinancial and postfinancial crisis periods, and workers' skills. There was no difference in terms of sign and statistical significance. Firm age was positively related to efficiency in two of the three models. Firm size was not significant in any model. Finally, the average efficiency values obtained by the models are 55.3, 69.2, and 91.0%, suggesting the possibility of significant improvements in resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of an innovative teaching experience in the area of structural analysis in the mechanical engineering program of the Universidad de Sevilla, Spain. The teaching methodology used is aimed at motivating students to learn by promoting the design, calculation, building, and testing of structures. This method not only trains students to make calculations, but also develops skills that allow them to understand how structures function. The project includes subjects taught in the third and fifth year of the course. In their third year, students begin their structural training studying structural analysis, where they learn the basics by designing, building, and testing balsa wood structures. Students have access to computer software when optimizing the design of their models before building and testing them in the laboratory. After this first approach to structural analysis, students receive training on more advanced concepts. A few examples of such concepts are the dynamic behavior of structures and instabilities in specific types of structures such as plates and laminar structures, and in structural materials such as steel and concrete. Before completing their studies, students are exposed to a project-based teaching methodology in the area of experimental structural analysis, where students deal with similar projects to those they will face as professionals after graduating. This paper explains the advantages of this methodology for teaching in engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporary work at height is one of the primary causes of construction accidents that result in serious injuries and fatalities. Many of these accidents occur because of falls from scaffolding and work platforms. In Europe, scaffolding equipment for temporary work at height is regulated by several directives. A directive is a legislative act of the European Union, which requires member states to achieve a particular result without dictating the means of achieving that result. In this sense, the European standard is of great interest because it facilitates compliance with the requirements of a directive regarding temporary work at height. This paper presents the results of a research study that was conducted in Spain between March 2003 and 2004, in which 146 construction sites were inspected with a view to examining the scaffolding surface at each site. The building sites with scaffolding that complied with a European standard were compared with those with older (nonstandard) scaffolding. Both types were qualitatively evaluated to ascertain their safety levels. The findings reported in this paper demonstrate that the standardization of scaffolding equipment had a direct and positive impact on work safety conditions at construction sites. Consequently, fomenting standardization of scaffolding equipment in the construction industry can contribute to improving work safety conditions as has occurred in Spain. The methodology in the authors' paper can also be applied in other countries to evaluate their regulations or codes regarding personal protective equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the beginning of 2006, the regional government of Madrid decided to expand the subway network to the new Terminal T-4 in Madrid-Barajas International Airport using a public-private partnership (PPP) approach. Owing to the peculiar characteristics of this new access as the enlargement of an existing subway line, the PPP approach was based on separating infrastructure management from transportation service operation. The PPP contractor was entrusted with the infrastructure construction and maintenance while Madrid’s public subway company remained in charge of operating the trains. This paper examines the theoretical foundation that justifies the implementation of different PPP approaches to deal with urban rail projects. The paper then explains the reasons why a nonintegrated PPP approach was ultimately adopted for the expansion of Madrid’s subway network to the airport. From the outcome of the tender and the present operation performance, we find that nonintegrated PPP contracts have important advantages for urban rail PPPs, particularly for conventional subway networks. These advantages are notable in terms of encouraging economies of scale and density, boosting competition, and reducing the financial costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time should be considered in carrying out the design and management of demand irrigation distribution systems. In this paper, a method to characterize the pumping flow in demand pressurized systems throughout the day and irrigation season is presented. This method considers the temporal evolution of water requirements during the irrigation season and water demand concentration in certain periods of the irrigation day due to different electrical energy charges. The model was established based on data from an actual water distribution network of an irrigation district in southern Spain. The results differed significantly from those obtained using approaches based on establishing a uniform working probability for the outlets of the water distribution network at all hours of the irrigation day, which underestimated the circulating flows or system capacity. The most probable pumping flow with uniform probability was 3.1 m3/s, a smaller value than those obtained in the off-peak and average energy tariff times (4 and 3.4 m3/s, respectively). The total energy head required at the booster pumping in each period of the irrigation season was simulated. 10,000 randomly chosen scenarios were simulated for each irrigation day and each energy tariff time. The heterogeneous vertical stratification between 50 and 103 m of the required piezometric head was obtained as a function of the demanded flow for the water distribution system. This paper includes a pump selection algorithm for recommending least cost or optimum pump combinations in the distribution network and to evaluate the system’s energy cost. The pump recommendations show that the optimal solution could have saved 41% of the pumping cost of the Fuente Palmera irrigation district. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to different studies, speed reduction is considered one of the major factors in contributing road safety. For that reason, several guidelines have been recommended for maximum desirable speed reductions from tangents to horizontal curves and for maximum differentials between design and operating speeds on horizontal curves. The Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM) Design Consistency Module presents an analysis of the relationship between speed reduction and crashes for horizontal curves on U.S. two-lane rural highways. This paper presents the relationship between speed reduction and crashes for horizontal curves on Spanish two-lane rural roads. A model for using regression analysis to predict crashes is presented. Exposure, curve length (CL), and difference in 85th-percentile speeds () between successive tangents and horizontal curves, as well as between successive curves, are used. The model's coefficients were different from the ones obtained for U.S. highways, although the values of the goodness-of-fit criteria were similar. In addition, the relationship between crashes and different speeds is analyzed, taking the difference in speed as a speed differential not exceeded by 85% of the drivers traveling under free-flow conditions (), instead of considering it as . The two models ( versus ) give very similar results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The canal delivery system in the Left Hemidelta area of the Ebro River in Spain consists of a tree-shaped net of open canals. The overall system can be quickly isolated in the case of an emergency by closing the upstream pool. Transients, in which the initial state is hydraulically far from the final state, are difficult to handle and cannot be made in only one gate movement in order to protect the canal lining. Therefore, they have to be as smooth as possible. GoRoSo is a feedforward control algorithm for irrigation canals based on sequential quadratic programming. With this tool, it is possible to calculate the gate trajectories that smoothly carry the canal from the initial state to the final state by keeping the water depth constant at checkpoints. The paper shows the efficient implementation of GoRoSo in both the closure and opening operations of the canal delivery system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Spain, the high levels of inexperienced workers and the long chains of subcontracting contribute to the poor quality of dwellings. Although the Ley reguladora de la subcontratación en el Sector de la Construcción (subcontracting law) has established quality measures, the number of customer complaints is still increasing. In this paper, a total of 2,351 posthandover defects derived from four Spanish builders and seven residential developments are classified according to their source and origin. The research reveals that the most common defects identified by customers at posthandover were derived from bad workmanship and were related to construction errors and omissions. Typical defects were found to include incorrect installation, appearance defects, and missing an item or task mainly related to finishing and considered to be minor. No defects were caused by poor design because they are mainly detected and resolved during construction or become apparent after some years of use. This study demonstrates the negative impact of redoing defective work during the final stages of construction and provides knowledge to define measures to improve the quality of the finished buildings, such as understanding customer expectations and preferences, training programs for workers, specialization of subcontractors, and tightening external controls prior to handover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides, for the first time, an insight into the influence of urban, political, demographic, and economic factors on several categories of municipal spending, after controlling for the spatial effects. The models of spatial two-step least squares (S2SLS), spatial lag, and spatial error are applied to a sample of 3,204 Spanish municipalities for the year 2005. The results show that the spending of a municipality is influenced by its neighboring municipalities' spending. Concerning geographical factors, population density has a negative impact on municipal expenditures per capita. The negative impact of population density on per capita total expenditures has policy relevance because it indicates that planning decisions aiming at increase population density will reduce per capita government expenditures, both in small and larger cities. Political ideology does not influence spending. Nevertheless, strong political governments do spend more. Therefore, it is not that the incumbents belong to left or right, but their strong majority which allows them to carry out their policies by spending more. The policy issue at stake here is whether municipal political majorities should be tempered, so that opposition surveillance keeps spending under control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University programs in Western countries must be accredited, and although several detailed conceptual methods have aimed to design new programs, no specific quantitative tools are currently available. The purpose of this paper is to describe a method to plan, design, or improve graduate degree programs based on selected requirements and market demands. This method involves two metrics, which are later combined into a final index. The first metric is the completeness index that evaluates the extent to which certain programs cover a discipline, in this case, construction management, according to a model using two variables: infrastructure life cycle and organizational breakdown. The second metric is the adequacy index, which measures how a program addresses the previously identified market demands. The final indicator (summary index) relates both indexes in a plot chart. In this study, the applicability of the method is illustrated by a sample of 21 construction management programs from prestigious universities and a survey of the Spanish construction industry. It can be applied in practice, not only in the construction management field, but also in other fields with an appropriate theoretical model that maps each field of knowledge and exploratory data that highlight the demands of each specific market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After joining the European Union in 1986, Spain experienced steady economic growth that enabled the country to grow at a greater pace than other European countries. During this period, the government of Spain opted for major investments in public infrastructure by taking advantage both of the funding provided by the European Union and of several types of public-private-partnership (PPP) approaches. Within this framework, the government of Spain between 1996 and 2004 procured a series of toll highway concessions. These concessions entered into operation a few years before the global economic recession made itself felt in Spain. The concession contracts signed between the government and some private consortia allocated most of the risks (expropriation, construction, and traffic) to the private sector. In this paper the impact that the economic recession has had on the business performance of the concessionaires is assessed, and the effectiveness of the measures adopted by the government to help the concessionaire to avoid bankruptcy is analyzed. It was found that some of the guarantees offered by the legal framework to the concessionaires in case of bankruptcy are prompting an outcome that could negatively affect the users. In addition to that, some suggestions as to how to better allocate risk in toll highway concessions in the future are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beach-nourishment requirements on the southwestern Spanish coast have led to a significant increase in offshore dredging. Following a new research line, assessment of changes recorded in physicochemical and biological parameters due to dredging and dumping operations was performed at the Cape of Trafalgar and Palmar Beach during June and July 2008. Turbidity, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and suspended-sediment data were collected at 10 stations. At the end of the study, a three-campaign monitoring program was implemented for 1 year to assess the possible effects on biological communities and sediment properties. The relevant results, such as the average extent of the sediment plume (<400 m) and its persistence in the environment (<10 min), are discussed in this paper. A precise correlation between turbidity and suspended sediments and the recovery time of ecological balance were also established. Furthermore, minimal and reversible effects caused by dredging and dumping operations in this type of marine environment were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Object-oriented Bayesian networks (OOBNs) have recently been introduced to model water systems that can be represented as repetitive patterns. This paper shows the way in which OOBNs can be used as a groundwater management decision support system in two Spanish case studies. The two areas, in the southern and eastern parts of inland Spain, are characterized by a semiarid climate, water scarcity, and frequent droughts; consequently, the agrarian economy in both cases depends on the provision of irrigation from groundwater sources. Both case studies are illustrative examples of conflict among various water actors, complexity, and uncertainty about the consequences of water management actions. Each study is approached from a different viewpoint: one from an agroeconomic and the other from a hydrogeological perspective. The sites display different degrees of aquifer overexploitation and agrarian profitability. This indicates that, in each case, the effects generated by water management interventions and the time needed for recovery to natural conditions are different. The processes governing both systems can be represented as a series of repeating patterns, which makes them good candidates for an OOBN analysis. The OOBNs developed have been constructed with the participation of stakeholders to help minimize conflicts and make management decisions more understandable and acceptable for all users. The innovative nature of this research lies with the implementation of OOBNs for groundwater management. Results of the study demonstrate that the OOBN tool is a powerful decision support system that can help managers make decisions in cases for which the consequences of alternative interventions are unknown. It provides the probabilities of obtaining certain outcomes from alternative management actions for the economy and for the state of the environment. OOBNs meet the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive as a simple, participative, and integrative tool. Finally, this research represents a starting point for additional applications to support the integrated groundwater management of other complex water resources systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a methodology to determine the optimum maintenance frequencies for the components of an electric railway overhead contact line system. This methodology is aimed at improving the reliability and availability of each component within its operational context and calculates the maintenance frequencies according to the criticality of each component, the importance of the area in which they are installed, and the component performance. The available maintenance team resources are also taken into account in order to optimize the frequencies and make them feasible for the maintenance team. The proposed methodology uses statistical and optimization tools to take advantage of the information obtained through the careful analysis of the historical data related to the system performance, which allows an objective determination of appropriate maintenance frequencies. Furthermore, it allows establishing the frequencies in a dynamic way through a feedback process. To prove the usefulness of the proposed methodology, a case study is presented in which maintenance frequencies of some components of the overhead contact line of the Spanish railway network are determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change will lead to changed demands on existing irrigation systems. This paper presents a methodology for investigating the performance of irrigation networks under climate change, and applies this to an irrigation network in Cordoba, southern Spain. The methodology uses emission scenarios (A2 and B2) developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. A global climate model (HadCM3) is used with downscaling to predict climate variables for 2050 and 2080 under the emission scenarios. European agricultural policy scenarios are used to predict future cropping patterns. Irrigation water requirements are then estimated for various combinations of these climate and cropping pattern scenarios, and the performance of the irrigation network is evaluated in terms of the equity and adequacy of pressure at the outlets, using EPANET. The methodology was applied to the Fuente Palmera irrigation district, which supplies water on-demand for drip irrigation. The results show that climate change would have a major impact on network performance with the existing cropping pattern, but that expected changes in cropping pattern would reduce this impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper quantifies the influence badly parked vehicles and on-street parking maneuvers have on average link journey times as a function of the duration of the events and the number of designated maneuvers and flow, by applying an M/M/∞ queueing model in which arrival and departure are all Poisson processes. The method has been validated using microsimulations calibrated by in-situ measurements taken in the streets of the city of Santander (Cantabria, Spain). The analysis on the delays shows a good fit for the M/M/∞ model for flows of 60–70% of capacity where the error is always lower than 5%. This demonstrates the efficiency of the M/M/∞ model for studying how on-street parking maneuvers and badly parked vehicles influence traffic flow and avoids the need to use generally more laborious microsimulation models. Microsimulations are used to calculate the reduction in link capacity for each case in the study and the increases in average journey times for the rest of the road users. This shows the effect that allowing on-street parking on arterial or main roads has on the rest of the traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an application of a coupled hydromechanical formulation for compacted and rockfill materials to simulate the construction and impoundment of a zoned earth dam. The constitutive relation used to model the mechanical behavior of the shoulder, filter and core materials is the Barcelona Basic Model for unsaturated materials. The hydraulic behavior of dam materials requires the specification of their water retention characteristics and their permeabilities, which will be expressed as a function of porosity and degree of saturation. The model was used in the design stage of Lechago’s dam (Teruel, Spain), currently under construction. Soil parameters were obtained by laboratory tests performed on materials to be used in the dam. The step-by-step construction (following the sequence construction of nine horizontal layers, besides the downstream preloading layers) and subsequent impounding of the reservoir was simulated in a prediction exercise, which will be hopefully confronted with actual construction measurements in the near future. A parametric study was also performed to evaluate the effects of the compaction water content of the core material on the behavior of the dam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modernization of irrigation districts in Spain is based on the construction of collective pressurized networks equipped with remote control systems. In this paper, a simulation approach is used to explore the benefits of introducing a collective solid-set irrigation control software. The controller works in combination with a district management database, real-time evapotranspiration and meteorology information, and a remote control system. Controller decisions are based on the simulation of sprinkler irrigation performance and on crop–water balance. The decision to irrigate a plot can be guided by the use of two simulation parameters: the estimated application efficiency of the irrigation event (heavily affected by wind speed) and a crop–water stress index. Simulation experiments were performed in a district located at the Ebro basin of Spain. The collective controller resulted in water conservation (with respect to the current situation) of 2,234 and 4,664 m3 ha-1 for corn and alfalfa, respectively, and in an increase in water productivity of up to 91%. Although additional research is needed to produce a reliable collective controller, these preliminary results are encouraging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2002 the construction of a new line of the Barcelona Subway System was approved. In contrast with the one-level traditional solution adopted in the recently constructed extension of the Madrid Subway System, an innovative two-level cross-section design was adopted in Barcelona, Spain. Obviously, such a decision has paramount importance in both the construction and the future use of the infrastructure. In this paper, the various aspects of this decision are analyzed and an integrated evaluation of both alternatives is carried out. The vast scope of the impact of this decision as well as the difficult evaluation of some of the criteria considered suggests the need for a rigorous methodology to objectively analyze this problem. With this objective, a decision-making tool created by the writers is applied, the denominated Integrated Decision System. In this framework, the economic, social, and environmental consequences of the decision are thoroughly discussed and quantified. All of these factors are assessed in order to integrate them into a value index, with the objective of evaluating this new design through a contrast with the traditional solution adopted in similar projects. Furthermore, this study is intended to help practitioners gain insight into the decision-making process they use when facing this kind of decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the relevance of different driving terms that contribute to the winter circulation in the Barcelona Harbor are analyzed. Data from a field campaign are analyzed in order to characterize the most relevant hydrodynamic events. This field campaign covers wind, waves, currents, and water quality parameters under winter conditions (Nov–Dec 2003). These events are related to the velocity response at a control point inside the harbor. Characteristic scenarios are simulated through numerical modeling in order to obtain the corresponding velocity field in the studied domain. The characteristic measured events and the numerical results are compared for velocity and show reasonable agreement under similar conditions. According to these results, the wind- and wave-driven circulations seem to control winter circulation in the Barcelona Harbor. The results obtained increase the knowledge of harbor hydrodynacmics and could be used as a tool to solve certain water quality problems in the Barcelona Harbor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the work summarized here was to improve the efficiency of the construction project management processes performed by the Spanish civil service, identifying and analyzing the main risks in these kinds of projects, and also establishing potential risk responses. The scope of this effort included a list of 96 risk events, categorized and prioritized first by impact, then by frequency. The most relevant ones are related to issues such as an inadequate prequalification system, insufficient training of public servants, or political considerations prevailing over real needs, among others. A total of 117 potential risk responses were identified, categorized, and prioritized by potential efficiency and difficulty of implementation. Each risk event was associated to a set of potential responses. The paper includes the top 15 risk events with its main potential responses, including qualitative assessments. A survey was carried out among Spanish public servants working in construction projects, to validate risk identification and to obtain a qualitative assessment. Moreover, a Delphi analysis was developed to validate the risk response identification and obtain a qualitative assessment. One of the conclusions is that small and medium-sized Spanish civil service agencies should work toward increasing their maturity in managing projects and, mainly, project risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of the real-time behavior of a city would encourage making decisions in urban design in a dynamic way, adapting to what the city constantly needs, without further large periodic studies. This paper proposes a system for gathering heterogeneous real-time traffic data coming from several sources of information and making decisions in urban design in a dynamic way. This innovative tool, based on new Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs), allows an iterative design, surpassing classical urban planning. This methodology evaluates, diagnoses, and redesigns street sections with the aim of achieving an optimized mobility system. In case of cities without an urban mobility plan, the tool will assess the adequacy of the current street design. In cities with an urban mobility plan, the system becomes an effective tool to verify the guidelines of the plan before being applied. A prototype has been tested in Málaga, Spain, showing the feasibility and usefulness of the tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes the state of knowledge in relation to advances in education for sustainable development focused on higher education and in generic competencies, reviewing some of the existing proposals in the literature and analyzing other university approaches. It has focused on the curricula, applying a participatory methodology based on surveys and expert consultation for the identification and selection of generic competencies related to sustainability in a civil engineering degree at Universidad Europea (Spain). From the literature review, 17 generic competencies were preselected. A set of five weighted transversal competencies and their acquisition level have been obtained through surveys to stakeholders and interviews with experts. Critical thinking, adaptation to change, decision making, problem solving, and multidisciplinary team-working were chosen in order of importance. Competence acquisition level was addressed as not easy to rate or it seems to be exigent for graduate students. Problem-based learning is also selected as the best choice for the development of these sustainability generic skills in the entire civil engineering degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to determine the potential of the bicycle as a sustainable mode of transport in a medium-sized Spanish city (Santander, in northern Spain) with strong inclines and relatively inclement weather. For this purpose, a general methodology has been designed that could serve as an example for other areas. First, potential bicycle users in the city are characterized and identified through a household survey, which included a complete travel diary. Then they were asked to participate in a stated preference survey designed to find out the relative importance of certain key variables, previously identified, associated with making bicycle journeys. These data were used to estimate mixed logit models allowing to correctly treat the pseudopanel nature of the data. The results indicate that the most important variables among potential users are the cost and the climate, followed by the availability of infrastructure such as cycle paths and an extensive network of both public and private bicycle docking stations. Finally, the willingness to change from traditional modes of transport, such as car and bus, to bicycle has been examined according to various policies designed to encourage more sustainable mobility (such as bicycle and bus lanes and a city center congestion charge for private cars). The main finding of this research has been the identification of the conditions under which the bicycle could increase its market share from its current 0.30% up to 5.52% in a city with the characteristics of Santander (i.e., not in principle conducive to expect high bicycle use). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]