Contribution of capital goods production to social impacts: A life cycle perspective for a circular desalination plant

The production of capital goods is often ignored in the life cycle inventory phase of life cycle assessment studies. In this study, we investigated whether capital goods production, i.e., manufacturing of capital equipment and construction of infrastructure, and operation affect the results of the social life cycle assessment (S-LCA), using a...

Resistance towards autonomous vehicles (AVs)

The resistance towards automated vehicles (AVs) is little understood. The main objective of this study is to examine the resistance towards AVs, identifying the factors explaining resistance. Comments submitted by residents of California to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on the fared deployment of AVs were analyzed. In...

Clustered Multi-Target Search in Unknown Large Environments Using Modified Bee Swarm Optimization

Swarm robotics (SR) is an emerging field of research that utilizes a swarm of robots that work together as a team to solve complex problems. One such challenge in SR is the exploration of unknown environments to find multiple targets. This problem finds applications in various domains, such as archaeology, underground exploration, signal source...

Participatory Design Going Digital: Challenges and Opportunities for Distributed Place-Making

COVID-19 has urged researchers to explore new options for distributed participatory design, as physical meetings and workshops became unfeasible. This situation posed new challenges but also opportunities, in particular with respect to engagement and inclusion. This paper focuses on distributed PD with Irish teenagers to support place-making...

Local Community Centre as Utilitarian, Governing and Social Space: The Case of New Belgrade CMZ

The paper studies local community centres (Serbian: centar mesne zajednice - CMZ) of post-war mass housing neighbourhoods in New Belgrade. Those were designed and built in 1970s as multifunctional centres with facilities and programmes complementary to the housing blocks: socio-cultural, commercial (grocery stores), daily services (post...

Local Community Involvement for Indonesian National Bridge Management Systems

Within the Indonesian national road network, Bina Marga, assisted by regional offices (Balai), manage nearly 18,000 bridges scattered across 34 provinces. Maintaining its reliability is vital as inland transportation remains the most effective mobility means for ± 270 million inhabitants. Therefore, as a road service provider under the Ministry...

Erbil city built heritage and wellbeing: An assessment of local perceptions using the semantic differential scale

Community perceptions and experiences of built heritage are essential in understanding the built heritage and effect in individual and community wellbeing. Subsequently, local perceptions of built heritage directly influence the conservation and heritage-led interventions. This study investigated local perceptions of built heritage in Erbil...

Cost allocation in integrated community energy systems - A review

Integrated community energy systems (ICESs) emerged in the reform of local energy systems during the energy transition. Cost allocation within an ICES is one of the key issues determining the success of ICESs. The costs should be allocated fairly among the members of a local energy community. However, not much research has been directed...

Join the Park!: Exploring Opportunities to Lower the Participation Divide in Park Communities

The current work explores the participation divide that is oftentimes at play within local citizen communities. The studied case illustrates a common situation where the majority of local citizens does not participate in public space improvement and maintenance activities organised by local community activists. The presented research involved...

Places for Freedom: revalue of unfinished landscapes through architectural structures

The research and graduation project are about the revalue of unfinished, abandoned landscapes through architectural structures. Nowadays it is almost rare to find places and landscapes in cities that have no function, are left behind or not taken care of. Even in the city of Rotterdam, which is less dense than Amsterdam, every square meter is...

The interaction between an industry revitalised through Industrial Symbiosis and its local workforce: A socially aware exploratory agent-based model of the sugar industry in Norte Fluminense, Brazil

This thesis researches the interaction between the revitalisation of an industry through industrial symbiosis and its local workforce, via a case study on the sugar industry in Norte Fluminense, Brazil. Agent-based modelling is used to gain insights in the case study with regards to the workers’ perception of their own status, power, their...

Local Potential: Hackney

Analysis and current issues of urban development system in Hackney, London. Intensifying operation of the urban renewal by integrating new management and communication system within the area. Testing the system by simulating new management tools and communication devices to redesign an urban block within Hackney.

Living next to a flagship development: Research on creating mutual, local benefits between the residential neighbourhood Van der Pekbuurt and the contemporary flagship area Overhoeks Amsterdam, in socioeconomic and spatial terms

Since the 1980s, many flagship developments appeared in de-industrialised cities: high-profile and prestigious land and property developments which play an influential and catalytic role in urban regeneration. The research focuses on the flagship development Overhoeks in Amsterdam and its effects on the adjacent neighbourhood Van der Pekbuurt....