Accelerating low-carbon building in high-rise high-density cities through socio-technical systems approaches and proactive stakeholder partnerships

Abstract

Despite a broad international consensus on the urgency of addressing global warming, the practicality of accelerating the delivery of low-carbon buildings (LCBs) in high-rise high-density cities is still hindered by various interdependent constraints. Despite various action plans and commitments to accelerate the delivery of LCBs in high-rise high-density cities, the implementation has been slow. Moreover, no previous study has been carried out to specifically identify the constraints to delivering LCBs and analyse their complex interdependencies from the perspectives of high-rise high-density cities. Furthermore, there has been no specific identification of the stakeholders’ engagement and collaboration that is needed to address these constraints. Having identified the knowledge gaps, this research aimed to explore the stakeholder engagement and collaboration that is required to overcome the interdependent constraints to delivering LCBs, from the perspectives of high-rise high-density cities. To achieve this aim, ‘common and significant’ constraints to delivering LCBs were first identified via a systematic literature review of journal articles published during the period from 2001 to 2020, followed by a comprehensive questionnaire survey with experienced professionals in industry and academia which yielded 161 effective responses targeting seven high-rise high-density cities in five different regions/countries, i.e. United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Subsequently, 19 stakeholders/stakeholder classes were identified through a literature review, as those who have the ability to help overcome the constraints. Then, the overall relational structure among the constraints and the required involvement of the identified stakeholders in addressing the constraints were identified through a two-round Delphi survey conducted with 15 experienced professionals in industry and academia. By utilising the relational structure identified through the Delphi survey, this study further analysed the interdependencies among the constraints using the Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM), Social Network Analysis (SNA) and Matriced’ Impacts Croise's Multiplication Appliquee a UN Classement (MICMAC) techniques. Delphi survey findings relating to stakeholder involvement with the constraints were utilised to develop SNA based network structures and generate corresponding statistical outputs to explore the stakeholder engagement and collaboration attributes. Finally, suitable strategies to accelerate the delivery of LCBs were identified from the findings of six semi-structured interviews with experts in industry and academia. This research contributes to important theoretical and methodological knowledge domains by extending the applications of ISM, SNA and MICMAC approaches to explore the connection patterns among the constraints to delivering LCBs and also by providing useful insights into developing suitable SNA structures to analyse stakeholder engagement and collaboration. It contributes to a critical aspect of practice by identifying common constraints to delivering LCBs in high-rise high-density cities and analysing their interdependencies. Thus, the responsible stakeholders can be better informed in accelerating the delivery of LCBs by prioritising their strategies to address and synergise the interdependencies among the constraints. This study also contributes to practice by identifying the stakeholders who can contribute to addressing the identified constraints and then alerting them to address these imperatives and by suggesting suitable modalities for their engagement and collaboration to strengthen the delivery of LCBs in high-rise high-density cities.