Mainstreaming Green Infrastructure in the Planning System The potential benefits of green infrast... more Mainstreaming Green Infrastructure in the Planning System The potential benefits of green infrastructure (GI) to new neighbourhood developments are the focus of a growing body of research. 1 Such benefits include supporting wellbeing, raising property values, reducing flood risk, and improving biodiversity. There has been less research, however, examining how GI is evaluated by practitioners during large-scale masterplan processes, and whether formal GI evaluative practices affect what is ultimately designed and delivered. The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method for Communities (BREAM Communities) sustainable neighbourhood lost in transition? examining GI evaluation in neighbourhood masterplanning Rosalie Callway, Tim Dixon and Dragana Nikolic discuss the findings of recent research on how green infrastructure was evaluated and what was constructed onsite following the adoption of the BREEAM Communities standard in six sample neighbourhood-scale development projects
and references). Introduction This article describes a social sustainability measurement framewor... more and references). Introduction This article describes a social sustainability measurement framework developed jointly in a project carried out by Social Life and the University of Reading, commissioned by the Berkeley Group. 1 The article sets out in detail how social sustainability can be defined, how it can be measured, and the resultant implications of the research findings for policy and practice. What is social sustainability, and why is it important to the housebuilding industry? Previous academic work has identified that social sustainability brings together a number of different ideas about ideas about social equity, well-being, social needs and the sustainability of communities (see Table 1), often described in terms of social capital, social cohesion and wellbeing. 2-6 Housing and urban regeneration are strong themes throughout this work, as is the idea that the neighbourhood or local community is an appropriate scale for measurement. 7 Importantly, this work acknowledges t...
Saudi Arabia is a developing country that is experiencing a rapid growth in its population and le... more Saudi Arabia is a developing country that is experiencing a rapid growth in its population and level of urbanisation. Higher education (HE) in the country has developed rapidly over the last ten years, and it is still moving through numerous major reforms. Largely, the concept of sustainability has not yet been formally adopted in public institutions in a way that could sufficiently remedy the range of activities that currently impact negatively on the environment. The central aim of this paper is to examine the extent to which planning and action for sustainability is currently being taken on university campuses in Saudi Arabia, and to review the opportunities and challenges for encouraging and enabling further progress to this end. The research that the paper draws on specifically investigated the influence of decision makers’ personal knowledge and perceptions within Facilities and Project Management (FPM) departments at selected Saudi universities, and the constraints faced by F...
Improving the environmental performance of non-domestic buildings is a complex and 'wicked' probl... more Improving the environmental performance of non-domestic buildings is a complex and 'wicked' problem due to conflicting interests and incentives. This is particularly challenging in tenanted spaces, where landlord and tenant interactions are regulated through leases that traditionally ignore environmental considerations. 'Green leasing' is conceptualised as a form of 'middle-out' inter-organisational environmental governance that operates sideways between organisations, alongside other drivers. This paper investigates how leases are evolving to become 'greener' in the UK and Australia, providing evidence from five sources: a UK study of office and retail leases; a UK research project exploring energy management in the retail sector; a case study of a major UK retailer; a Sydney office sector study; and expert interviews on green leases in Australian retail. With some exceptions, the evidence reveals an increasing trend towards green leases in prime offices in both countries, but not in retail or sub-prime offices. Green leasing practices are generally introduced by landlords rather than tenants. Adopted green leases contain a variety of ambitions and levels of enforcement. As an evolving form of private-private environmental governance, green leases form a valuable framework for further tenant/landlord cooperation within properties and across portfolios. 2 This increased cohesion could create new opportunities for polycentric governance, particularly at the interface of cities and the property industry.
Environmental building assessment tools have been developed to measure how well or poorly a build... more Environmental building assessment tools have been developed to measure how well or poorly a building is performing, or likely to perform, against a declared set of criteria, or environmental considerations, in order to achieve sustainability principles. Knowledge of environmental building assessment tools is therefore important for successful design and construction of environmentally friendly buildings for countries. The purpose of the research is to investigate the knowledge and level of awareness of environmental building assessment tools among industry practitioners in Botswana. One hundred and seven paper-based questionnaires were delivered to industry practitioners, including architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, real estate developers and academics. Users were asked what they know about building assessment, whether they have used any building assessment tool in the past, and what they perceive as possible barriers to the implementation of environmental building assessment tools in Botswana. Sixty five were returned and statistical analysis, using IBM SPSS V19 software, was used for analysis. Almost 85 per cent of respondents indicate that they are extremely or moderately aware of environmental design. Furthermore, the results indicate that 32 per cent of respondents have gone through formal training, which suggests 'reasonable knowledge'. This however does not correspond with the use of the tools on the ground as 69 per cent of practitioners report never to have used any environmental building assessment tool in any project. The study highlights the need to develop an assessment tool for Botswana to enhance knowledge and further improve the level of awareness of environmental issues relating to building design and construction.
Using Big Data to improve people's lives in cities 3 TIM DIXON Tim is Professor of Sustainable Fu... more Using Big Data to improve people's lives in cities 3 TIM DIXON Tim is Professor of Sustainable Futures in the Built Environment in the School of Construction Management at the University of Reading. He leads the Sustainability in the Built Environment network and is co-director of the EPSRC Doctoral Centre for Technologies for Sustainable Built Environments (TSBE). His research revolves around the interface between the sustainability agenda and its impact on property development, investment and occupation. The research is based on a strong interdisciplinary approach which incorporates policy and practice impacts and futures thinking, and focuses on cities, neighbourhoods and buildings. SUE GRIMMOND Sue is professor of Urban Meteorology in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading and is interested urban heat, water, carbon, and wind exchanges. Her research includes both measurement and numerical modelling.
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Feb 1, 2014
Cities may be responsible for up to 70% of global carbon emissions and 75% of global energy consu... more Cities may be responsible for up to 70% of global carbon emissions and 75% of global energy consumption and by 2050 it is estimated that 70% of the world's population could live in cities. The critical challenge for contemporary urbanism, therefore, is to understand how to develop the knowledge, capacity and capability for public agencies, the private sector and multiple users in city regions systemically to re-engineer their built environment and urban infrastructure in response to climate change and resource constraints. Re-Engineering the City 2020–2050: Urban Foresight and Transition Management (Retrofit 2050) is a major new interdisciplinary project funded under the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council's (EPSRC) Sustainable Urban Environments Programme which seeks to address this challenge. This briefing describes the background and conceptual framing of Retrofit 2050 project, its aims and objectives and research approach.
About this report This report describes the findings of a research project exploring how the Acto... more About this report This report describes the findings of a research project exploring how the Acton Gardens regeneration programme is affecting people living in South Acton, in Ealing, West London. Acton Gardens LLP, a joint partnership between Countryside Properties and London & Quadrant (L&Q) Housing Association, commissioned this research. The aim was to explore the social impacts of regeneration as the development progresses, and to understand how local priorities and needs can influence future phases of planning, design and management.
Evaluative practice is described as an embedded part of urban design processes, where evaluation ... more Evaluative practice is described as an embedded part of urban design processes, where evaluation can establish, trace and refine design intentions. The assumption that evaluative practice may shape decision-making is also central to standardised evaluative frameworks, such as the UK sustainable neighbourhood masterplan standard, BREEAM Communities. There is a need to examine the relationships between evaluation, design and construction in real-world practice in order to better understand this concept of 'embedded evaluation', considering whether and how these relationships change in the transition from design to construction. Adopting an empirical lens of green infrastructure evaluation in masterplanning and an analytical framework of Strategy-as-Practice, the enactment of formal evaluative practices is examined. Using interviews, observations and document analysis, a single evaluative episode is presented, from a larger set of six UK case studies, to illustrate how different actors structure, enact and respond to evaluative practices. The analysis highlights dynamic relationships between different evaluation, design and construction practices. Four themes are identified that may affect these interactions: external drivers; agency and control; evaluative negotiation and reflexive response. Potential implications for green infrastructure evaluation and BREEAM Communities include the need to address dominant evaluative intentions, such as financial value, and to assign reflexive responsibility.
This book has been developed in partnership with Barton Willmore and Reading UK. Contents Forewor... more This book has been developed in partnership with Barton Willmore and Reading UK. Contents Foreword 3 1 Introduction: The Reading 2050 Public Lecture Series 4 Part 1: Place and environment 2 Reading 2050 vision 8 3 Reading's history and heritage 15 4 The Urban Room at the School of Architecture, University of Reading 19 5 The future of energy in Reading 22 6 The future of transport and mobility in Reading 27 7 Climate change and the zero carbon challenge in Reading 35 Part 2: People and lifestyle 8 Transforming the Museum of English Rural Life: past, present and future 41 9 Nature and people in our urban future 44 10 Measuring Reading's resource consumption-an application of urban metabolism 48 Part 3: Economy and employment 11 Developing a Smart City Cluster in Thames Valley Berkshire 57 12 What Reading's history teaches us about its ability to harness green technology to drive its future 61 13 The Future of Reading in the greater south east in a changing economic landscape 66 14 Delivering national growth, locally: the role of Thames Valley Berkshire LEP 72 15 What impact will population change, and other factors have on housing in Reading by 2050? 77 2 Reading 2050 vision
Many studies investigated the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on urban air quality, but their adopted... more Many studies investigated the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on urban air quality, but their adopted approaches have varied and there is no consensus as to which approach should be used. In this paper we compare three of the main approaches and assess their performance using both estimated and measured data from several air quality monitoring stations (AQMS) in Reading, Berkshire UK. The approaches are: (1) Sequential approach-comparing pre-lockdown and lockdown periods 2020; (2) Parallel approach-comparing 2019 and 2020 for the equivalent time of the lockdown period; and (3) Machine learning modelling approach-predicting pollution levels for the lockdown period using business as usual (BAU) scenario and comparing with the observations. The parallel and machine learning approaches resulted in relative higher reductions and both showed strong correlation (0.97) and less error with each other. The sequential approach showed less reduction in NO and NOx, showed positive gain in PM10 and NO2 at most of the sites and demonstrated weak correlation with the other two approaches, and is not recommended for such analysis. Overall, the sequential approach showed-14, +4,-32, and +56 % change, the parallel approach showed-46,-43,-43 and +7 % change, and the machine learning approach showed-47,-44,-38 and +5 % change in NOx, NO2, NO and PM10 concentrations, respectively. The pollution roses demonstrated that the UK received easterly polluted winds from the central and eastern Europe, promoting secondary particulates and O3 formation during the lockdown. Changes in pollutant concentrations vary both in space and time according to the approach used, environment type of the monitoring site and the data type (e.g., deweathered vs. raw data). Therefore, the reported results (here or elsewhere) should be viewed in light of these factors before making any conclusion.
policy 1.The challenge of urban retrofit We live in an urban age. A majority of the world's popul... more policy 1.The challenge of urban retrofit We live in an urban age. A majority of the world's population (3.9b or 54%) lives in cities and this is set to grow to 66% by 2050 (UN, 2014). On the one hand, this urban growth provides us with huge opportunities, because cities can act as centres of knowledge and innovation, enterprise and jobs, and as the focus for creating economies of scale in rolling out new technologies. However, this can also provide us with big challenges, because as urbanisation continues rapidly it creates more greenhouse gas emissions, depletes resources, consumes more energy and can create socioeconomic polarisation. Although 'cities' are only explicitly mentioned twice in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, the agreement did give a strong mandate to the global buildings and construction sector to help keep global warming below 2 degrees C, and to limit the increase even further to 1.5 degrees C. Moreover, cities are implicitly seen as a strong focus for mitigation and adaptation activities to tackle climate change impacts (UN Habitat, 2016). An important challenge is to be able to develop the knowledge, capacity and power for public bodies, businesses and other users in urban areas, particularly in the developed world, to systemically retrofit built environment and city infrastructure to respond to climate change, resource depletion and socio-environmental problems (Dixon et al, 2014a; Eames et al, 2017). Indeed, over the last decade, the drive to 'retrofit' existing buildings and the built environment in response to the long-term challenges of climate change and resource constraints has gained increased discussion and debate (Dawson, 2007; Kelly, 2009; Eames et al, 2013). In the UK, the Climate Change Act and related 80% emissions reduction target for 2050 have focused considerable attention on the impact of the built environment in cities on greenhouse gas emissions. In the UK there is a strong focus on retrofitting existing buildings and infrastructure. Because building stock turnover in the UK is relatively sluggish, only about 1-2% of total building stock each year can be defined as 'new build' (Dixon, 2009; Stafford et al, 2011), and approximately 70% of total 2010 building stock is expected to still be standing in 2050 (Better Buildings Partnership, 2010). The concept of 'retrofitting' has the literal meaning of 'adding (a component or accessory) to something that did not have it when manufactured' (Oxford English Dictionary), but the term has also often also been used synonymously in the built environment with terms such as 'refurbishment' or 'conversion' (Dixon, 2014a). At a city-scale, however, retrofit is seen as more comprehensive and wider in scope. For example, 'sustainable urban retrofitting' can be seen as the directed alteration of the fabric, forms or systems that comprise the built environment to improve water, energy and waste efficiencies (Eames, 2011). Research on retrofitting in the built environment has traditionally focused on either individual buildings (or building components), or neighbourhood or district level, as opposed to city scale. However, we often think of this kind of large-scale transforming change in relation to 'what' is needed, and 'how' it can be implemented, without thinking about the way in which to address both together (
She is a chartered valuation surveyor and has worked in academia for over 25 years. She has resea... more She is a chartered valuation surveyor and has worked in academia for over 25 years. She has researched and written papers on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications within Europe, and on rating and land taxation. She has supervised PhD research into residential issues, among others. She is the RICS delegate to FIG's Commission 2 (Professional Education), a member of the editorial board of Journal of Tax Assessment & Administration and is the Editor of Property Management.
Scaling up retrofit presents a number of critical challenges for the transition to urban sustaina... more Scaling up retrofit presents a number of critical challenges for the transition to urban sustainability. Drawing together insights from the EPSRC Retrofit 2050 project this briefing sets out key success factors that need to be in place to deliver sustainable futures for UK cities.
The findings of the Barker review, which examined the reasons for the undersupply of UK housing, ... more The findings of the Barker review, which examined the reasons for the undersupply of UK housing, have important implications for the devolved constituents of the UK, including Scotland. This paper traces the emergence of the brownfield regeneration policy agenda across the UK and examines how the Barker review connects with this brownfield policy focus. The paper compares housing and brownfield policies and practices in England and Scotland, places them in an international context and elicits wider lessons for devolved governance in relation to housing policy, in terms of `centrist—local' tensions. Estimates based on published data suggest that Barker's emphasis on increased housing supply cannot easily be reconciled with the current emphasis on brownfield development and is likely to require a return to greenfield development in both countries.
25th Annual European Real Estate Society Conference, 2016
The RICS Research Trust, a registered charity established by RICS in 1955 to support research and... more The RICS Research Trust, a registered charity established by RICS in 1955 to support research and education in the field of surveying.
Mainstreaming Green Infrastructure in the Planning System The potential benefits of green infrast... more Mainstreaming Green Infrastructure in the Planning System The potential benefits of green infrastructure (GI) to new neighbourhood developments are the focus of a growing body of research. 1 Such benefits include supporting wellbeing, raising property values, reducing flood risk, and improving biodiversity. There has been less research, however, examining how GI is evaluated by practitioners during large-scale masterplan processes, and whether formal GI evaluative practices affect what is ultimately designed and delivered. The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method for Communities (BREAM Communities) sustainable neighbourhood lost in transition? examining GI evaluation in neighbourhood masterplanning Rosalie Callway, Tim Dixon and Dragana Nikolic discuss the findings of recent research on how green infrastructure was evaluated and what was constructed onsite following the adoption of the BREEAM Communities standard in six sample neighbourhood-scale development projects
and references). Introduction This article describes a social sustainability measurement framewor... more and references). Introduction This article describes a social sustainability measurement framework developed jointly in a project carried out by Social Life and the University of Reading, commissioned by the Berkeley Group. 1 The article sets out in detail how social sustainability can be defined, how it can be measured, and the resultant implications of the research findings for policy and practice. What is social sustainability, and why is it important to the housebuilding industry? Previous academic work has identified that social sustainability brings together a number of different ideas about ideas about social equity, well-being, social needs and the sustainability of communities (see Table 1), often described in terms of social capital, social cohesion and wellbeing. 2-6 Housing and urban regeneration are strong themes throughout this work, as is the idea that the neighbourhood or local community is an appropriate scale for measurement. 7 Importantly, this work acknowledges t...
Saudi Arabia is a developing country that is experiencing a rapid growth in its population and le... more Saudi Arabia is a developing country that is experiencing a rapid growth in its population and level of urbanisation. Higher education (HE) in the country has developed rapidly over the last ten years, and it is still moving through numerous major reforms. Largely, the concept of sustainability has not yet been formally adopted in public institutions in a way that could sufficiently remedy the range of activities that currently impact negatively on the environment. The central aim of this paper is to examine the extent to which planning and action for sustainability is currently being taken on university campuses in Saudi Arabia, and to review the opportunities and challenges for encouraging and enabling further progress to this end. The research that the paper draws on specifically investigated the influence of decision makers’ personal knowledge and perceptions within Facilities and Project Management (FPM) departments at selected Saudi universities, and the constraints faced by F...
Improving the environmental performance of non-domestic buildings is a complex and 'wicked' probl... more Improving the environmental performance of non-domestic buildings is a complex and 'wicked' problem due to conflicting interests and incentives. This is particularly challenging in tenanted spaces, where landlord and tenant interactions are regulated through leases that traditionally ignore environmental considerations. 'Green leasing' is conceptualised as a form of 'middle-out' inter-organisational environmental governance that operates sideways between organisations, alongside other drivers. This paper investigates how leases are evolving to become 'greener' in the UK and Australia, providing evidence from five sources: a UK study of office and retail leases; a UK research project exploring energy management in the retail sector; a case study of a major UK retailer; a Sydney office sector study; and expert interviews on green leases in Australian retail. With some exceptions, the evidence reveals an increasing trend towards green leases in prime offices in both countries, but not in retail or sub-prime offices. Green leasing practices are generally introduced by landlords rather than tenants. Adopted green leases contain a variety of ambitions and levels of enforcement. As an evolving form of private-private environmental governance, green leases form a valuable framework for further tenant/landlord cooperation within properties and across portfolios. 2 This increased cohesion could create new opportunities for polycentric governance, particularly at the interface of cities and the property industry.
Environmental building assessment tools have been developed to measure how well or poorly a build... more Environmental building assessment tools have been developed to measure how well or poorly a building is performing, or likely to perform, against a declared set of criteria, or environmental considerations, in order to achieve sustainability principles. Knowledge of environmental building assessment tools is therefore important for successful design and construction of environmentally friendly buildings for countries. The purpose of the research is to investigate the knowledge and level of awareness of environmental building assessment tools among industry practitioners in Botswana. One hundred and seven paper-based questionnaires were delivered to industry practitioners, including architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, real estate developers and academics. Users were asked what they know about building assessment, whether they have used any building assessment tool in the past, and what they perceive as possible barriers to the implementation of environmental building assessment tools in Botswana. Sixty five were returned and statistical analysis, using IBM SPSS V19 software, was used for analysis. Almost 85 per cent of respondents indicate that they are extremely or moderately aware of environmental design. Furthermore, the results indicate that 32 per cent of respondents have gone through formal training, which suggests 'reasonable knowledge'. This however does not correspond with the use of the tools on the ground as 69 per cent of practitioners report never to have used any environmental building assessment tool in any project. The study highlights the need to develop an assessment tool for Botswana to enhance knowledge and further improve the level of awareness of environmental issues relating to building design and construction.
Using Big Data to improve people's lives in cities 3 TIM DIXON Tim is Professor of Sustainable Fu... more Using Big Data to improve people's lives in cities 3 TIM DIXON Tim is Professor of Sustainable Futures in the Built Environment in the School of Construction Management at the University of Reading. He leads the Sustainability in the Built Environment network and is co-director of the EPSRC Doctoral Centre for Technologies for Sustainable Built Environments (TSBE). His research revolves around the interface between the sustainability agenda and its impact on property development, investment and occupation. The research is based on a strong interdisciplinary approach which incorporates policy and practice impacts and futures thinking, and focuses on cities, neighbourhoods and buildings. SUE GRIMMOND Sue is professor of Urban Meteorology in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading and is interested urban heat, water, carbon, and wind exchanges. Her research includes both measurement and numerical modelling.
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Feb 1, 2014
Cities may be responsible for up to 70% of global carbon emissions and 75% of global energy consu... more Cities may be responsible for up to 70% of global carbon emissions and 75% of global energy consumption and by 2050 it is estimated that 70% of the world's population could live in cities. The critical challenge for contemporary urbanism, therefore, is to understand how to develop the knowledge, capacity and capability for public agencies, the private sector and multiple users in city regions systemically to re-engineer their built environment and urban infrastructure in response to climate change and resource constraints. Re-Engineering the City 2020–2050: Urban Foresight and Transition Management (Retrofit 2050) is a major new interdisciplinary project funded under the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council's (EPSRC) Sustainable Urban Environments Programme which seeks to address this challenge. This briefing describes the background and conceptual framing of Retrofit 2050 project, its aims and objectives and research approach.
About this report This report describes the findings of a research project exploring how the Acto... more About this report This report describes the findings of a research project exploring how the Acton Gardens regeneration programme is affecting people living in South Acton, in Ealing, West London. Acton Gardens LLP, a joint partnership between Countryside Properties and London & Quadrant (L&Q) Housing Association, commissioned this research. The aim was to explore the social impacts of regeneration as the development progresses, and to understand how local priorities and needs can influence future phases of planning, design and management.
Evaluative practice is described as an embedded part of urban design processes, where evaluation ... more Evaluative practice is described as an embedded part of urban design processes, where evaluation can establish, trace and refine design intentions. The assumption that evaluative practice may shape decision-making is also central to standardised evaluative frameworks, such as the UK sustainable neighbourhood masterplan standard, BREEAM Communities. There is a need to examine the relationships between evaluation, design and construction in real-world practice in order to better understand this concept of 'embedded evaluation', considering whether and how these relationships change in the transition from design to construction. Adopting an empirical lens of green infrastructure evaluation in masterplanning and an analytical framework of Strategy-as-Practice, the enactment of formal evaluative practices is examined. Using interviews, observations and document analysis, a single evaluative episode is presented, from a larger set of six UK case studies, to illustrate how different actors structure, enact and respond to evaluative practices. The analysis highlights dynamic relationships between different evaluation, design and construction practices. Four themes are identified that may affect these interactions: external drivers; agency and control; evaluative negotiation and reflexive response. Potential implications for green infrastructure evaluation and BREEAM Communities include the need to address dominant evaluative intentions, such as financial value, and to assign reflexive responsibility.
This book has been developed in partnership with Barton Willmore and Reading UK. Contents Forewor... more This book has been developed in partnership with Barton Willmore and Reading UK. Contents Foreword 3 1 Introduction: The Reading 2050 Public Lecture Series 4 Part 1: Place and environment 2 Reading 2050 vision 8 3 Reading's history and heritage 15 4 The Urban Room at the School of Architecture, University of Reading 19 5 The future of energy in Reading 22 6 The future of transport and mobility in Reading 27 7 Climate change and the zero carbon challenge in Reading 35 Part 2: People and lifestyle 8 Transforming the Museum of English Rural Life: past, present and future 41 9 Nature and people in our urban future 44 10 Measuring Reading's resource consumption-an application of urban metabolism 48 Part 3: Economy and employment 11 Developing a Smart City Cluster in Thames Valley Berkshire 57 12 What Reading's history teaches us about its ability to harness green technology to drive its future 61 13 The Future of Reading in the greater south east in a changing economic landscape 66 14 Delivering national growth, locally: the role of Thames Valley Berkshire LEP 72 15 What impact will population change, and other factors have on housing in Reading by 2050? 77 2 Reading 2050 vision
Many studies investigated the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on urban air quality, but their adopted... more Many studies investigated the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on urban air quality, but their adopted approaches have varied and there is no consensus as to which approach should be used. In this paper we compare three of the main approaches and assess their performance using both estimated and measured data from several air quality monitoring stations (AQMS) in Reading, Berkshire UK. The approaches are: (1) Sequential approach-comparing pre-lockdown and lockdown periods 2020; (2) Parallel approach-comparing 2019 and 2020 for the equivalent time of the lockdown period; and (3) Machine learning modelling approach-predicting pollution levels for the lockdown period using business as usual (BAU) scenario and comparing with the observations. The parallel and machine learning approaches resulted in relative higher reductions and both showed strong correlation (0.97) and less error with each other. The sequential approach showed less reduction in NO and NOx, showed positive gain in PM10 and NO2 at most of the sites and demonstrated weak correlation with the other two approaches, and is not recommended for such analysis. Overall, the sequential approach showed-14, +4,-32, and +56 % change, the parallel approach showed-46,-43,-43 and +7 % change, and the machine learning approach showed-47,-44,-38 and +5 % change in NOx, NO2, NO and PM10 concentrations, respectively. The pollution roses demonstrated that the UK received easterly polluted winds from the central and eastern Europe, promoting secondary particulates and O3 formation during the lockdown. Changes in pollutant concentrations vary both in space and time according to the approach used, environment type of the monitoring site and the data type (e.g., deweathered vs. raw data). Therefore, the reported results (here or elsewhere) should be viewed in light of these factors before making any conclusion.
policy 1.The challenge of urban retrofit We live in an urban age. A majority of the world's popul... more policy 1.The challenge of urban retrofit We live in an urban age. A majority of the world's population (3.9b or 54%) lives in cities and this is set to grow to 66% by 2050 (UN, 2014). On the one hand, this urban growth provides us with huge opportunities, because cities can act as centres of knowledge and innovation, enterprise and jobs, and as the focus for creating economies of scale in rolling out new technologies. However, this can also provide us with big challenges, because as urbanisation continues rapidly it creates more greenhouse gas emissions, depletes resources, consumes more energy and can create socioeconomic polarisation. Although 'cities' are only explicitly mentioned twice in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, the agreement did give a strong mandate to the global buildings and construction sector to help keep global warming below 2 degrees C, and to limit the increase even further to 1.5 degrees C. Moreover, cities are implicitly seen as a strong focus for mitigation and adaptation activities to tackle climate change impacts (UN Habitat, 2016). An important challenge is to be able to develop the knowledge, capacity and power for public bodies, businesses and other users in urban areas, particularly in the developed world, to systemically retrofit built environment and city infrastructure to respond to climate change, resource depletion and socio-environmental problems (Dixon et al, 2014a; Eames et al, 2017). Indeed, over the last decade, the drive to 'retrofit' existing buildings and the built environment in response to the long-term challenges of climate change and resource constraints has gained increased discussion and debate (Dawson, 2007; Kelly, 2009; Eames et al, 2013). In the UK, the Climate Change Act and related 80% emissions reduction target for 2050 have focused considerable attention on the impact of the built environment in cities on greenhouse gas emissions. In the UK there is a strong focus on retrofitting existing buildings and infrastructure. Because building stock turnover in the UK is relatively sluggish, only about 1-2% of total building stock each year can be defined as 'new build' (Dixon, 2009; Stafford et al, 2011), and approximately 70% of total 2010 building stock is expected to still be standing in 2050 (Better Buildings Partnership, 2010). The concept of 'retrofitting' has the literal meaning of 'adding (a component or accessory) to something that did not have it when manufactured' (Oxford English Dictionary), but the term has also often also been used synonymously in the built environment with terms such as 'refurbishment' or 'conversion' (Dixon, 2014a). At a city-scale, however, retrofit is seen as more comprehensive and wider in scope. For example, 'sustainable urban retrofitting' can be seen as the directed alteration of the fabric, forms or systems that comprise the built environment to improve water, energy and waste efficiencies (Eames, 2011). Research on retrofitting in the built environment has traditionally focused on either individual buildings (or building components), or neighbourhood or district level, as opposed to city scale. However, we often think of this kind of large-scale transforming change in relation to 'what' is needed, and 'how' it can be implemented, without thinking about the way in which to address both together (
She is a chartered valuation surveyor and has worked in academia for over 25 years. She has resea... more She is a chartered valuation surveyor and has worked in academia for over 25 years. She has researched and written papers on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications within Europe, and on rating and land taxation. She has supervised PhD research into residential issues, among others. She is the RICS delegate to FIG's Commission 2 (Professional Education), a member of the editorial board of Journal of Tax Assessment & Administration and is the Editor of Property Management.
Scaling up retrofit presents a number of critical challenges for the transition to urban sustaina... more Scaling up retrofit presents a number of critical challenges for the transition to urban sustainability. Drawing together insights from the EPSRC Retrofit 2050 project this briefing sets out key success factors that need to be in place to deliver sustainable futures for UK cities.
The findings of the Barker review, which examined the reasons for the undersupply of UK housing, ... more The findings of the Barker review, which examined the reasons for the undersupply of UK housing, have important implications for the devolved constituents of the UK, including Scotland. This paper traces the emergence of the brownfield regeneration policy agenda across the UK and examines how the Barker review connects with this brownfield policy focus. The paper compares housing and brownfield policies and practices in England and Scotland, places them in an international context and elicits wider lessons for devolved governance in relation to housing policy, in terms of `centrist—local' tensions. Estimates based on published data suggest that Barker's emphasis on increased housing supply cannot easily be reconciled with the current emphasis on brownfield development and is likely to require a return to greenfield development in both countries.
25th Annual European Real Estate Society Conference, 2016
The RICS Research Trust, a registered charity established by RICS in 1955 to support research and... more The RICS Research Trust, a registered charity established by RICS in 1955 to support research and education in the field of surveying.
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Papers by Timothy Dixon