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Developing economies need to supply housing and ensure resource efficiency in the process. Industrialised construction, which increases productivity in construction, can be one means to deliver the needed housing. However, the resource efficiency of industrialised construction in developing economies is under-researched. This paper studies factors influencing resource efficiency in industrialised housing products from the perspective of value chain and environmental impact in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Nairobi, Kenya; and Cape Town, South Africa. Specifically, wall systems with varying degrees of industrialised construction implementation are studied. The study uncovers four main insights – first, the choice of materials influences the resource efficiency of industrialised wall systems; however, the current value chain does not promote the adoption of new materials. Second, products used for industrialised wall systems are imported and incur added transportation-related impacts and more. Third, industrialised construction wall systems often use lightweight materials and have the potential for disassembly; however, end users have reservations about such design strategies. Fourth, controlled production of wall systems reduces construction waste and increases the quality of products. Nevertheless, governments are currently promoting labour-intensive construction methods. Based on these insights, the paper concludes with recommendations, levers and action points for stakeholders to promote resource efficiency in industrialised construction adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the industrial revolution, the civil engineers who created a built environment for a civilisation that is based on fossil fuel have been admired. For over 250 years, engineers have been educated and trained for the 'upslope' of using ever more resources to fuel engineering needs. However, there is now an urgent requirement to enter an era that is an order of magnitude shorter, and which is on the steep 'downslope' towards net-zero carbon dioxide by 2050 or earlier. The difference between what it meant to be an engineer on the upslope and what it means to be engineer on the downslope is colossal. The first step for all educators is to realise this, to embrace it and to be part of the solution by instilling a downslope mentality in engineering students. The Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) has recently reviewed and updated its guidelines for universities. It has placed the climate emergency central to the education of future civil engineers. This paper describes the background to, and details of, the changes made by the JBM. Given that creativity is enhanced through these additional challenges, what could possibly be more exciting for today's engineering students than knowing that they will lead the profession in achieving massive reductions in emissions, to the benefit of all humanity? The JBM, and society, require of civil engineering education that this ambition is fulfilled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cement and concrete are essential for global development. However, cement manufacture is responsible for around 7–8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with significant growth anticipated. Beyond efficiencies in cement manufacturing, other strategies for using less cement in construction through applying the principles of efficient design, circular economy and reuse also have the potential to reduce emissions. A further option is to move towards cements with different compositions and inherently lower embodied carbon dioxide. This paper focuses on these materials and the challenges to their widespread adoption, drawing mainly on applied research, trials and standardisation activities conducted in the UK and the EU. In addition to modification of standards, basic technical and practical information such as strength development curves, durability, site considerations and a shared broad body of evidence are key for specifiers to consider when using any new cement. The paper describes the role of standards and specifications and the underpinning information (applied research, published case studies and experience) essential in getting any new cement adopted. It also shows how a range of evidence from research and application can feed into a simple conceptual model and evidence base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is resulting in higher temperatures and the problem of heat stress, which significantly affects urban population. Poor households living within low-income urban communities are disproportionately affected by these problems. This paper reports an investigation of coping strategies among residents in a low-income community within Lagos, Nigeria. The study utilised a mixed-method approach – community survey (sample size = 300 residents) and semi-structured interviews with 15 purposively selected residents. The survey data were analysed statistically, whereas content analysis was carried out on the interview transcripts. The findings indicate a range of personal/behavioural preventive and reactive strategies and building-related measures were utilised to address the challenge of increasing heat within the community. Notably, greening-related practices (for planting trees, cultivating gardens) did not rank high among the residents. They are willing to pay a modest amount towards greening and environmental features but not as much as housing modifications to enhance thermal comfort in the face of extreme heat. The study contributes to evidence of local coping strategies for heat exposure among disadvantaged urban residents, providing a pedestal on which heat adaptation initiatives can be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a list of paper related to water management that were given honors in 2005. The paper on Pehur high-level canal by A. Laycock and colleague was given the Overseas Prize awards. The paper on real-time hydro-power forecasting on the Victoria Nile by R. B. Wardlaw and colleague was given the Robert Alfred Carr Prize award. The article on the impact of climate change on Great Britain's flooding and future predictions by M. Dale was presented with the Telford Premium award.

A growing body of research is examining how nature-based solutions (NBS) are offering planners, politicians and engineers options to promote responses to a wide range of biophysical and socio-economic problems. However, despite the increasing popularity of NBS, there is limited analysis available on how these 'solutions' align with urban problems, at what scale they are most effective and what costs are associated with investment in urban nature. This paper analyses current approaches to urban sustainability through an examination of the EU Horizon 2020-funded project Urban GreenUP, in Liverpool (UK), to deconstruct how rhetoric translates to practical applications of NBS interventions. It interrogates the interactions of projects, policies and political buy-in for NBS and argues that an integrated understanding of scale, function and location is needed to successfully address issues of urban climate change vulnerability. This is contextualised against the wider discussions of NBS associated with other EU-funded projects. It concludes that although investment in NBS offers a useful approach to development, they cannot overcome existing barriers to investment in environmental improvements without attention to the same barriers that have always existed. Moreover, the paper argues that the promotion of NBS as solutions to problems is effective only when the problems are transparently and collaboratively defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and the need for weather-resilient infrastructure is introducing new safety, performance and financial challenges and opportunities to regulators and those that are regulated. As the safety and economic regulator for railways in Great Britain, the Office of Rail and Road is required to protect the interests of rail users and funders by improving the safety, value and performance of railways, today and in the future. The approach to and understanding of climate change and weather resilience is developing; however, there is an expectation of infrastructure managers to make their asset types more resilient to climate change. This paper explores potential gaps in industry knowledge, what is 'good' practice, how to assess safety and efficiency and how to measure value. Understanding these questions will inform an approach. Regulatory experience suggests that a spectrum of practice exists, from more resilient business as usual to technology adoption. Regional variation has implications for funding, accountability and stakeholders. In this paper, the authors have collected examples across the spectrum; these have been grouped into four themes and an accessible model created to optimise decision making. The authors conclude that proactive value-driven approaches to weather resilience are possible but will require organisational adaptability and recognition that there is no 'one-size-fits-all' approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does society engage public and community support for and co-create action on climate and environmental change, resilient water management and sustainable critical infrastructure? The answer to this often-asked question, as expected, is not simple yet also not complicated – just a complex layering of scales and dimensions from engineering, environmental and social sciences, science communication and intergenerational recognition that there is not a 'one-size-fits-all' approach – just as with technical infrastructures. With these perspectives in mind, this paper shares best practice on mobilising the co-creation of sustainable water-resilient communities in the south-west of England, UK. Consideration of evidence and engagement across multiple scales and dimensions is positioned through exploration and evaluation of projects undertaken through the Westcountry Rivers Trust's Water Resilient Communities programme in two counties (Devon and Somerset). The projects cover town-based sustainable drainage systems (Sudss) co-created with residents, school-based Sudss co-created with children and teachers and a Water Resilience Summit and associated hub co-created with communities and businesses. Over 400 people were directly engaged in exploring, planning and co-creating different aspects, which met the intended objectives. Learning points were uncovered and reflected on to take forward into future projects to enable further mobilisation of sustainable water-resilient communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among Asian countries, India has a vast potential to adopt a public bicycle-sharing system (PBSS) as a sustainable mode of transport after China. However, various barriers pose as hindrances in the implementation of PBSS in Indian urban areas. The primary objective of this paper is to identify and prioritise PBSS barriers, which inhibit the implementation of PBSS. For this study, a total of 31 barriers out of 41 reported barriers worldwide are shortlisted and ranked using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. A group of experts assisted in ranking the barriers by using a pair-wise comparison survey. The main contribution of this paper is to identify critical barriers and to rank them according to the Indian scenario. These findings can help practitioners, municipal engineers, urban planners and decision makers to formulate PBSS planning policy, which will overcome the PBSS implementation issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In complex networks such as road infrastructure systems, disruptive events have direct consequences (loss of lives, structural damage, economic losses, etc.) related to the sub-system level directly affected, as well as indirect consequences on the overall system level, such as loss of functionality and related monetary consequences. To quantify the influence of component failures on network performance, complex network analysis makes it possible to represent the relation between its components and the consequences to estimate the functionality of the system. The serviceability of a road network is the possibility to use it during a given time period, and represents the performance of the system. Thus, time to restored serviceability after a disruptive event is a measure of road transportation resilience. In this paper, network analysis performed by the OSMnx Python package, supplied by road network data from OpenStreetMap, is applied to a Spanish motorway case study. The loss of serviceability index is obtained, combining the results of road links failure scenarios based on shortest paths and travel times to estimate road network resilience. The proposed methodology allows a suitable evaluation of the influence of road links in the risk assessment and management strategies by road infrastructure owners and managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased temperature and carbon dioxide concentration caused by climate change will aggravate the creep shrinkage and structural durability of concrete bridges. Overloading also has a great impact on the time-dependent reliability of existing bridges. This research paper analyses the time-dependent reliability of bridges based on climate change and overload. By improving the concrete carbonation model and referring to the B4 model of concrete creep, the effects of ambient temperature and humidity on concrete under different emission-reduction scenarios were considered. At the same time, given the serious problems of vehicle overload in China, combining different overload scenarios with climate change led to the establishment of a time-dependent reliability model for precast-concrete bridges. The results showed that as the overload rate increased, the time-dependent reliability degradation rate of a case study bridge accelerated. Under the scenario considering both high greenhouse gas emissions and the maximum overload rate, the service life of the case study bridge decreased to 50% of its design life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate projections suggest that the UK will be increasingly affected by climate-induced hazards in the future, exacerbating the potential for multihazard events to occur. This paper explores the extent to which climate resilience is being embedded in current and future rail transport infrastructure projects in London through use of a multihazard approach. It concludes that a multihazard approach is a relatively new concept and is therefore not currently being considered widely. However, opportunities for decision makers to explore its value to mitigate climate risks through collaborative working and further research exist – this paper recommends that two main stages are required to achieve this. Route 1 requires climate/hazard experts to identify and characterise the different hazard interactions that could occur, including their impact on the UK/London. Following this, route 2 involves the creation of multidisciplinary workshops to identify any multihazard vulnerabilities associated with different rail assets – potentially highlighting areas where further research is required. The paper concludes that although a London rail context has been adopted in order to understand the relevance of a multihazard approach, there is opportunity for it to be considered across many different sectors in the UK and the wider civil engineering industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a part of the drive to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, embodied energy figures are under consideration for construction materials. One aspect that needs to be included is the loss of embodied energy associated with corrosion and degradation throughout the life of a structure. This paper presents a review of corrosion and protection methods from the point of view of whole-life embodied carbon. This paper presents the examples that provide the lowest embodied carbon option for different environments for steel and reinforced concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geotechnical constructions involve consumption of a vast amount of non-renewable natural resources and energy- and carbon dioxide-intensive materials (e.g. cement and steel) that contribute significantly to global warming and climate change. This paper uses drilled shafts as an example to illustrate the importance of environmental impact assessment in the design phase of foundations. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is used to quantify the environmental impacts of construction of single drilled shafts and groups embedded in sandy soil profiles. Parametric studies are conducted to investigate the effects of soil properties, design parameters and hauling distances of construction materials and equipment on the environmental impacts of single drilled shafts. For pile groups, different configurations, applied load, centre-to-centre spacing and thickness of pile cap are considered in the parametric study. The global warming impact and human toxicity of a typical drilled shaft are found to be 39 and 486% of annual world impact per person, respectively. Based on the study, charts and tables are developed that may be used for quick estimation of the global warming impact of drilled shafts without the use of specialised LCA software programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon-conditioning or chemical permeation methods can provide excellent microstructural improvements to recycled concrete and brick aggregate; however, the applications have their limitations. Further, recycled brick aggregate cannot be effectively carbon-conditioned with conventional methods as it contains only trace amounts of reactive materials. It is therefore a necessity to use hybrid methods involving dual technologies combining carbon-conditioning and chemical permeation for its improvement. This paper is focused on developing a novel hybrid method for improving the microstructural properties of recycled concrete aggregate and recycled brick aggregate for concrete usage. This study conducts particle density, water absorption and crushing value tests to measure the physical improvements achieved with the novel hybrid method, and utilises a variety of chemicals and a reaction chamber for carbon-conditioning for aggregate treatment. The study evinces that both the recycled concrete aggregate and recycled brick aggregate experienced significant improvements, with 10 mm and 20 mm recycled concrete aggregate and 10 mm recycled brick aggregate exceeding the density of virgin aggregate. Magnesium hydroxide plus carbon dioxide (Mg(OH)2 (s) + CO2 (g)) treatment for recycled concrete aggregate and calcium hydroxide plus magnesium hydroxide plus carbon dioxide (Ca(OH)2 (s) + Mg(OH)2 (s) + 2CO2 (g)) treatment for recycled brick aggregate can be considered as potential candidates for optimal hybrid treatment methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, the UN member countries, on mutual understanding, identified 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to be achieved by 2030. According to several reports, some countries are reflecting good progress, but overall, no country is on track towards achieving all the UN SDGs. This paper aims to show the progress and commitment of the UAE towards UN SDGs. A qualitative research approach using a systematic literature review complying with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses and a semi-structured interview was adapted to achieve the aim of this research. The results reflect that the Emirates has achieved only one goal. Most of the remaining goals are not on track to be achieved by 2030. In fact, some of the goals related to energy and climate are becoming riskier. The country under its different initiatives aims to invest a total of US$163·35 billion in different projects that target to achieve 50% clean energy by 2050. It is, however, not clear from the government strategy how these targets will be achieved. Similarly, the government needs to ensure a close relationship between organisations so that the action of one unit does not derail the plans of other organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change, diverse geohazards and structural deterioration pose major challenges in planning, maintenance and emergency response for transport infrastructure operators. To manage these risks and adapt to changing conditions, well-informed resilience assessment and decision making tools are required. These tools are commonly associated with resilience metrics, which quantify the capacity of transport networks to withstand and absorb damage, recover after disruption and adapt to future changes. Several resilience metrics have been proposed in the literature, but there is lack of practical applications and worked examples. The aim of this paper is to fill this gap and provide engineers and novice researchers with a review of available metrics on the basis of the main properties of resilience (robustness, redundancy, resourcefulness and rapidity). The main steps of resilience assessment for transport infrastructure such as bridges are discussed and the use of fragility and restoration functions to assess the robustness and rapidity of recovery is demonstrated. Practical examples are provided using a bridge exposed to scour effects as a benchmark. An illustrative example of a system of assets is provided and different aspects of resilience-based decision making are discussed, with the aim of providing a comprehensive, yet straightforward, understanding of resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many communities around the world are facing increasing flood-induced damage to bridges due to climate change and rising urbanisation. It is thus crucial to understand how different bridge types suffer from flooding and how this may affect surrounding networks. Despite the large body of literature for seismic and hurricane taxonomies, few classifications exist for bridges at flood risk. In this work, existing global bridge classifications were reviewed in order to derive a bridge–flood taxonomy. The review revealed that existing studies mainly classify bridges according to the superstructure material, whereas subclasses consider superstructure and substructure components. A taxonomy of 20 attributes for riverine roadway bridges susceptible to flood hazards is proposed in this paper. Its applicability for three bridge datasets in the UK was verified. The results showed that the considered datasets have data for 13 attributes, which can be used to derive regional bridge classes. In general, the taxonomy is functional for standardising different bridge datasets and applying/developing damage models for given bridge portfolios of flood-prone countries. Future works could apply the taxonomy to additional bridge datasets within a network for risk assessments; the proposed taxonomy could also be extended to allow integration with functionality and restoration models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy is crucial to economic and social development and improves quality of life. However, fossil fuel energy produces greenhouse gases (GHGs) and cannot be sustained for a long time. It is essential to tackle these problems by moving towards renewable and sustainable energy. Some countries, including those in the Arabian Gulf region, are still in the appraisal stage of adopting different forms of renewable energy. This paper reviews the business potential and likely GHG reductions associated with adopting renewable energy in Oman. It is revealed that 1·9 Mt of annual carbon dioxide emissions could be cut by producing 10% of the country's electricity from renewables. The paper further discusses the global sustainable energy commitment under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and reviews the 2030 targets of some countries that are high producers of GHGs. It is anticipated that if all these planned targets are achieved, the total sustainable energy contribution could grow by nearly 11 000 TWh by 2030. These plans provide guidance for those countries still preparing to submit their plans to the UN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an experimental methodology using a geotechnical centrifuge and an environmental chamber to explore long-term embankment performance in light of the more severe conditions expected due to global climate change. The environmental chamber applies water and air input to control inundation and evaporation conditions at the soil surface. Example results show that a well-compacted intermediate-plasticity model embankment performs well when subjected to 19 years of alternating wet and dry periods. Finally, the paper reports an experimental methodology that will allow further model tests to be conducted to examine how different climate scenarios, soil types and compaction levels may affect long-term embankment response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El Niño/southern oscillation (ENSO) activity is known to affect weather patterns in many parts of the world. This paper develops an approach to identifying signals and incorporating associated impacts on hydrological risk into water resources planning and management. The paper builds on earlier research reported in the climatology literature, and brings this to the engineering domain. An evaluation of seasonal rainfall in Guyana clearly demonstrates that distinct rainfall distributions are associated with La Niña and El Niño events. Forecasts of these events are made by a number of organisations at lead times of up to eight months. If these are coupled with the precipitation analysis presented in this paper, an objective hydrological risk assessment can be made. The methodology applied in Guyana has been repeated with data on net basin supply to Lake Victoria. There is a clear indication of a link between ENSO activity and net basin supply to Lake Victoria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is leading to more frequent and intense extreme weather events, putting years of progress in developing countries at risk. The emerging discourse at the international policy level calls for a 'resilience-based' response to climate adaptation and infrastructure planning. This paper reviews the relevance of resilience theory in the context of infrastructure in developing countries and finds that 'resilience thinking' offers a way to improve engineers' understanding of the adaptation needs of vulnerable communities. The paper develops a conceptual framework based on resilience thinking, and applies it to the case of a vulnerable coastal community in Honduras where primary fieldwork was undertaken to assess infrastructure planning. The analysis exposes the unintended consequences of traditional planning that exacerbates climate vulnerability and adversely impacts the long-term preparedness of vulnerable communities. Civil engineering scholars and practitioners concerned with sustainable development in developing countries may gain a superior understanding of climate adaptation by integrating resilience thinking into infrastructure planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is affecting flow volumes and regimes in glacier- and snow-melt-fed catchments. Together with increasing demands for water, this is putting many water users under increasing water security risk. The mines of the high Andes are one user group experiencing increased water stress. This paper illustrates the climate change problem using a 40 year hydro-climate data set from the headwaters of the Aconcagua basin in central Chile and describes the integration of climate, hydrology, mine water system and financial risk models to evaluate potential water supply solutions. It is concluded that existing water supplies are not sufficiently secure under baseline conditions and less secure under future climate scenarios. Recirculating water from the tailings storage facility, despite the large capital and operations costs involved, is considered the optimal climate-resilient solution and also offers social and environmental advantages. However, considerable modelling uncertainties exist, primarily related to spatial precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The earth is experiencing unprecedented change driven by increasing population, industrialisation and urbanisation. This is leading to rapid climate change and scarcity of resources. There is growing agreement globally of the need to deliver sustainable development to improve the lives of millions of people in low and middle income countries through provision of clean water, sanitation, energy and transport solutions. The response of the international community to this challenge is via the United Nations programme (published in January 2016), which establishes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including response to climate change. These SDGs will guide decisions taken by nations and organisations over the next 15 years. This paper is the written version of the opening keynote lecture delivered to the 3rd Pan American Conference on Geosynthetics in Miami Beach, USA, in April 2016; it considers the role that geosynthetics can make in achieving the SDGs. Scientific evidence for climate change is presented, and the value and uncertainty in available climate change information is discussed to inform its use in design. International agreements on reducing greenhouse gas emissions are based on country specific action plans for mitigation and adaptation against climate change, and the potential for geosynthetics to help achieve these targets is identified. Finally, approaches for calculating embodied carbon for solutions incorporating geosynthetics are introduced and case studies that provide evidence for the 'sustainability' case for geosynthetics are summarised. The geosynthetics community is challenged to play a leading role in helping to deliver the SDGs and hence a better future for populations worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weather-related disruption is a pressing issue for transport infrastructure in the UK, which is expected to aggravate due to climate change. Infrastructure managers, such as Network Rail, need to adapt to these changes, tackling the challenges brought about by wide-ranging uncertainties from various sources. This paper explores the relationship between climate change and bridge scour, identifying barriers to sustainable adaptation. Scour is the removal of riverbed material at bridge foundations due to hydraulic action and is the foremost cause of bridge failure in the UK and worldwide. A model is developed that simulates the causal chain from climate change to scour risk. This is applied to four case study bridges in Wales and the south-west of England, quantifying the effects of climate change and tracing key uncertainties in the process. Results show that the current scour risk models in Network Rail may be insensitive to increases in risk due to climate change. One way to tackle this may be to introduce models to assess absolute risk; current scour risk models are used only for the prioritisation of vulnerable sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an introduction to the June 2015 issue of the journal that contains are four papers covering topics ranging from the sustainable delivery of Crossrail Ltd., to the impact of climate change on passive building design and dynamic modelling for sustainable dwellings.

Urban water managers need to adopt water demand management (WDM) as one of the ways to provide for the needs and demands of escalating urban populations, amidst the negative impacts of increased pollution loads and climate change on finite water resources. This paper reviews how urban water tariff structures could be designed to promote water conservation in households while also ensuring revenue sufficiency for the service providers and affordability for low-income households. As an example, the paper describes the case of Zaragoza (Spain), a city where implementation of a water-conserving tariff and providing economic incentives largely contributed to a 27% reduction in overall water consumption between 1996 and 2008, although the population of the city increased by 12%. Similar principles were adapted to model a water-saving, socially equitable tariff for the city of Kampala (Uganda). The proposed tariff for Kampala can save over 2·5 million m of water and generate an extra US$ 0·68 million of revenue per year, which could be used to extend water services to currently unserved households in low-income settlements. If implemented, the tariff could enhance economic efficiency, revenue sufficiency, social equity and service coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information about the December 2005 issue of the journal "Engineering Sustainability." There are four papers in this issue. Helen Bartlett and Peter Guthrie of the University of Cambridge, England, are concerned with the way sustainability is defined and interpreted in relation to the built environment. A paper by researcher Peter Guthrie and Jay Golden focuses on the implications of rapid urbanization and consequent summertime local climate change, as a result of the differential heating of hard urban surfaces.

In the established climate, evaporation dominates eastern England's water regime, taking it near to desiccation in dry summers. Now, hotter drier summers are predicted - even more evaporation, coupled with less rainfall. If true, the reduction in summer water will be very large - far more than all abstractions put together, even by the 2020s. Thereafter, summer droughts will intensify and spread westwards, threatening river flows, agriculture and natural vegetation. In particular, irrigation need will escalate, with no summer water to meet it - a climate change impact that is being underperceived. This paper explores the scale of the issues and the adaptation options. It demonstrates synergy between the interests of agriculture and of water supply and calls for integrated strategic planning, with reservoirs and reuse high on the adaptation agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a suite of exercises that have been devised to help civil and structural engineering students develop a deeper understanding of the relevance of sustainable development to structural design. The exercises are based on a new tool called System for Appraising the Sustainability of Structures, which was designed to appraise the sustainability of bridge structures. Specifically, the exercises compare the sustainability of three alternative bridge designs for a motorway crossing, highlighting relevant performance indicators including climate change, resource use, noise, dust, vibration, aesthetics, cost of construction, cost of maintenance and traffic delay costs, together with methods for their evaluation both individually and in combination. The exercises primarily show that the choice of construction material and structural form can have a significant effect on the economy, society and environment and demonstrate the interconnectedness of the three themes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Practical examples of adapting to coastal change have been relatively rare in the UK, with a general historic preference for 'protection' of assets rather than their removal or relocation. This paper presents a case study fromTyne & Wear in North East England where practical decisions had to be made with only limited monitoring data about whether to protect a cliff top car park or alternatively to adapt the cliff top land use in line with the ongoing coastal change. The paper places the contemporary problemwithin the context of local social changes, coastal changes and climate changes at the site and explains the ongoing coastal erosion and management problems this issue presents. The preferred adaptation response is described, including how the project presents opportunities for local community engagement. The local case study is then used as a means of setting the context of current thinking and future planning amongst decision makers and the local community for a larger scale project involving re-alignment - rather than protection - of the nearby coastal highway in future decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]