Abstract: Environmentally sustainable building construction has experienced significant growth during the past 10 years. The public is becoming more aware of the benefits of green construction as prominent politicians, celebrities, documentarians, and journalists highlight the built environment's impact on greenhouse gas emissions and natural resource consumption. Other factors, including higher energy prices, increased costs of building materials, and regulatory incentives, are also pushing the green building market to grow and expand. However, barriers to green building continue to exist, including the ability to deliver a green project within acceptable cost constraints. In order for project managers to deliver sustainable construction according to clients' cost expectations, modifications must be made to traditional project management processes and practices. The objective of this paper is to suggest specific modifications to conventional building practices to optimize the delivery of cost-efficient green building projects. This paper presents an overview of research related to the costs and trends of green building and uses these research findings to make recommendations for greening project management practices for the construction industry. Our research results show that greening project management practices can add significant value to a sustainable construction project while delivering it within acceptable cost constraints. A detailed analysis using matrix present specific adjustments to traditional project management practices, with a premise that a green project improves its chances for financial success if a cross-discipline team is involved at the earliest stages and throughout the project.

Abstract: Smart growth is an approach to urban planning that provides a framework for making community development decisions. Despite its growing use, it is not known whether smart growth can impact physical activity. This review utilizes existing built environment research on factors that have been used in smart growth planning to determine whether they are associated with physical activity or body mass. Searching the MEDLINE, Psycinfo and Web-of-Knowledge databases, 204 articles were identified for descriptive review, and 44 for a more in-depth review of studies that evaluated four or more smart growth planning principles. Five smart growth factors (diverse housing types, mixed land use, housing density, compact development patterns and levels of open space) were associated with increased levels of physical activity, primarily walking. Associations with other forms of physical activity were less common. Results varied by gender and method of environmental assessment. Body mass was largely unaffected. This review suggests that several features of the built environment associated with smart growth planning may promote important forms of physical activity. Future smart growth community planning could focus more directly on health, and future research should explore whether combinations or a critical mass of smart growth features is associated with better population health outcomes.

Abstract: Reducing energy use in buildings is a critical component of meeting carbon reduction commitments. There are several ways of accomplishing this goal, each of which emphasizes actions by a different set of stakeholders. This paper argues that building users play a critical but poorly understood and often overlooked role in the built environment. In the face of climate change, the paper finds purely architectural solutions, such as those proposed by the 2030 Challenge, to be necessary but not sufficient. To fully address the task ahead, it argues that architects need to develop professional expertise and seek ways of integrating user involvement in building performance. Moreover, a system of professions standpoint suggests it may be wise for architects to claim this role before another group of building professionals does.

Abstract: Mobility restrictions in older adults are common and increase the likelihood of negative health outcomes and premature mortality. The effect of built environment on mobility in older populations, among whom environmental effects may be strongest, is the focus of a growing body of the literature. We reviewed recent research (1990–2010) that examined associations of objective measures of the built environment with mobility and disability in adults aged 60 years or older. Seventeen empirical articles were identified. The existing literature suggests that mobility is associated with higher street connectivity leading to shorter pedestrian distances, street and traffic conditions such as safety measures, and proximity to destinations such as retail establishments, parks, and green spaces. Existing research is limited by differences in exposure and outcome assessments and use of cross-sectional study designs. This research could lead to policy interventions that allow older adults to live more healthy and active lives in their communities.

Abstract: Over the last number of years there has been growing interest in the use of community-based participatory research (CBPR) for preventing and controlling complex public health problems. Photovoice is one of several qualitative methods utilized in CBPR, as it is a participatory method that has community participants use photography, and stories about their photographs, to identify and represent issues of importance to them. Over the past several years photovoice methodology has been frequently used to explore community health and social issues. One emerging opportunity for the utilization of photovoice methodology is research on community built and social environments, particularly when looking at the context of the neighbourhood. What is missing from the current body of photovoice literature is a critique of the strengths and weaknesses of photovoice as a method for health promotion research (which traditionally emphasizes capacity-building, community-based approaches) and as a method for revealing residents’ perceptions of community as a source of health opportunities or barriers. This paper will begin to address this gap by discussing the successes and challenges of using the photovoice methodology in a recent CBPR project to explore community perceptions of the built and social environment (with the ultimate goal of informing community-based chronic disease prevention initiatives). The paper concludes with methodological recommendations and directions for future research.

Abstract: Life cycle assessment enables the identification of a broad range of potential environmental impacts occurring across the entire life of a product, from its design through to its eventual disposal or reuse. The need for life cycle assessment to inform environmental design within the built environment is critical, due to the complex range of materials and processes required to construct and manage our buildings and infrastructure systems. After outlining the framework for life cycle assessment, this book uses a range of case studies to demonstrate the innovative input-output-based hybrid approach for compiling a life cycle inventory. This approach enables a comprehensive analysis of a broad range of resource requirements and environmental outputs so that the potential environmental impacts of a building or infrastructure system can be ascertained. These case studies cover a range of elements that are part of the built environment, including a residential building, a commercial office building and a wind turbine, as well as individual building components such as a residential-scale photovoltaic system. Comprehensively introducing and demonstrating the uses and benefits of life cycle assessment for built environment projects, this book will show you how to assess the environmental performance of your clients’ projects, to compare design options across their entire life and to identify opportunities for improving environmental performance.

Abstract: Features of the built environment are increasingly being recognised as potentially important determinants of obesity. This has come about, in part, because of advances in methodological tools such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GIS has made the procurement of data related to the built environment easier and given researchers the flexibility to create a new generation of environmental exposure measures such as the travel time to the nearest supermarket or calculations of the amount of neighbourhood greenspace. Given the rapid advances in the availability of GIS data and the relative ease of use of GIS software, a glossary on the use of GIS to assess the built environment is timely. As a case study, we draw on aspects the food and physical activity environments as they might apply to obesity, to define key GIS terms related to data collection, concepts, and the measurement of environmental features.

Abstract: Mountain hazards such as landslides, floods and avalanches pose a serious threat to human lives and development and can cause considerable damage to lifelines, critical infrastructure, agricultural lands, housing, public and private infrastructure and assets. The assessment of the vulnerability of the built environment to these hazards is a topic that is growing in importance due to climate change impacts. A proper understanding of vulnerability will lead to more effective risk assessment, emergency management and to the development of mitigation and preparedness activities all of which are designed to reduce the loss of life and economic costs. In this study, we are reviewing existing methods for vulnerability assessment related to mountain hazards. By analysing the existing approaches, we identify difficulties in their implementation (data availability, time consumption) and differences between them regarding their scale, the consideration of the hazardous phenomenon and its properties, the consideration of important vulnerability indicators and the use of technology such as GIS and remote sensing. Finally, based on these observations, we identify the future needs in the field of vulnerability assessment that include the user-friendliness of the method, the selection of all the relevant indicators, the transferability of the method, the inclusion of information concerning the hazard itself, the use of technology (GIS) and the provision of products such as vulnerability maps and the consideration of the temporal pattern of vulnerability.

Abstract: Walkability has been linked to quality of life in many ways. Health related benefits of physical exercise, the accessibility and access benefits of being able to walk to obtain some of your daily needs, or the mental health and social benefits of reduced isolation are a few of the many positive impacts on quality of life that can result from a walkable neighborhood. In the age of increasing energy costs and climate considerations, the ability to walk to important locations is a key component of sustainable communities. While the health and environmental implications of walkable communities are being extensively studied, the social benefits have not been investigated as broadly. Social capital is a measure of an individual’s or group’s networks, personal connections, and involvement. Like economic and human capital, social capital is considered to have important values to both individuals and communities. Through a case study approach this article argues that the generation and maintenance of social capital is another important component of quality of life that may be facilitated by living in a walkable community. Residents living in neighborhoods of varying built form and thus varying levels of walkability in three communities in New Hampshire were surveyed about their levels of social capital and travel behaviors. Comparisons between the more walkable and less walkable neighborhoods show that levels of social capital are higher in more walkable neighborhoods.

Abstract: The pursuit of happiness has a long history as a primary political end in Western political thought Along with traditional economic indicators, policy makers are increasingly concerned with the subjective well-being of a society as a measure for its success It is important to understand the nature of happiness and ask what can be done to improve it This article builds upon existing literature that consistently identifies health, wealth, and social connectedness as key predictors of happiness We find that the design and conditions of cities are associated with the happiness of residents in 10 urban areas Cities that provide easy access to convenient public transportation and to cultural and leisure amenities promote happiness Cities that are affordable and serve as good places to raise children also have happier residents We suggest that such places foster the types of social connections that can improve happiness and ultimately enhance the attractiveness of living in the city

Abstract: Making Healthy Places offers a comprehensive look at the human health implications of buildings, neighborhoods, and cities Based on the latest scientific evidence, this multidisciplinary collaboration offers built environment solutions for health, well being and sustainability

Abstract: As childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions, it is critical to devise interventions that target the root causes of obesity and its risk factors. The two main components of childhood obesity are physical inactivity and improper nutrition, and it is becoming increasingly evident that the built environment can determine the level of exposure to these risk factors. Through a multidisciplinary literature review, we investigated the association between various built environment attributes and childhood obesity. We found that neighborhood features such as walkability/bikeability, mixed land use, accessible destinations, and transit increase resident physical activity; also that access to high-caloric foods and convenience stores increases risk of overweight and obesity, whereas the presence of neighborhood supermarkets and farmers' markets is associated with lower childhood body mass index and overweight status. It is evident that a child's built environment impacts his access to nutritious foods and physical activity. In order for children, as well as adults, to prevent onset of overweight or obesity, they need safe places to be active and local markets that offer affordable, healthy food options. Interventions that are designed to provide safe, walkable neighborhoods with access to necessary destinations will be effective in combating the epidemic of obesity. Mt Sinai J Med 78:49-57, 2011. © 2011 Mount Sinai School of Medicine KW: SR2S Language: en

Abstract: Awareness of global warming and the extent of greenhouse gas emissions has focused more attention upon energy efficiency in building. Moreover, the inventory of “green” office space in the U.S. has increased dramatically since the introduction of rating schemes that attest to the energy efficiency or sustainability of commercial buildings. In some metropolitan areas, the supply of certified office buildings has more than doubled in the last decade, and there are a few metropolitan areas where “green” office space now accounts for more than a quarter of the total office stock. In this paper, we analyze the diffusion of buildings certified for energy efficiency across US property markets. Using a panel of 48 metropolitan areas (MSAs) observed over the last 15 years, we trace the diffusion of green building practices across the country. We then model the geographic patterns and dynamics of building certification, relating industry composition, changes in economic conditions, characteristics of the local commercial property market, and the presence of human capital, to the crosssectional variation in energy-efficient building technologies and the diffusion of those technologies over time. Understanding the determinants and the rate at which energyefficient building practices diffuse over space and time is important for designing policies to affect resource consumption in the built environment.

Abstract: There is renewed interest in the role of the built environment in public health. Relatively little research to date investigates its impact on healthy ageing. Ageing in place has been adopted as a key strategy for coping with the challenges of longevity. What is needed is a better understanding of how individual characteristics of older people's residential environments (from front door to wider neighbourhood) contribute to their wellbeing, in order to provide the basis for evidence-based housing/urban design and development of interventions. This research aimed to develop a tool to objectively measure a large range of built environment characteristics, as the basis for a preliminary study of potential relationships with a number of 'place-related' functional, emotional and social wellbeing constructs. Through a review of urban design literature, design documents, and existing measures, a new tool, the NeDeCC (Neighbourhood Design Characteristics Checklist) was developed. It was piloted, refined, and its reliability validated through inter-rater tests. A range of place-related wellbeing constructs were identified and measured through interviews with 200 older people living in a wide variety of rural-urban environments and different types of housing in England. The NeDeCC was used to measure the residential environment of each participant, and significant bivariate relationships with wellbeing variables were identified. The NeDeCC was found to have convincing face and construct validity and good inter-rater and test/retest reliability, though it would benefit from use of digital data sources such as Google Earth to eliminate the need for on-site survey. The significant relationships found in the study suggest that there may be characteristics of residential environments of potential relevance for older people's lives that have been overlooked in research to date, and that it may be worthwhile to question some of the assumptions about where and how older people want to live (e.g. villages seem to be positive). They also point to the importance of considering non-linear relationships. The NeDeCC provides the basis for generation of evidence-based design guidance if it is used in prospective controlled studies or 'natural experiments' in the future. Ultimately, this will facilitate the creation of better places for ageing in place.

Abstract: Research on the impact of the built environment on obesity and access to healthful foods often fails to incorporate information about how individuals interact with their environment. A sample of 198 low-income WIC recipients from two urban neighborhoods were interviewed about where they do their food shopping and surveys were conducted of food stores in their neighborhoods to assess the availability of healthful foods. Results indicate that participants rarely shop at the closest supermarket, traveling on average 1.58 miles for non-WIC food shopping and 1.07 miles for WIC shopping. Findings suggest that access to healthful foods is not synonymous with geographic proximity.

Abstract: The sharp increase in obesity in recent years has prompted researchers to examine the various pathways through which urban built environments influence population-level physical activity. Walking access to everyday destinations is one such pathway. This paper describes a measure of pedestrian access to neighbourhood destinations. Using eight domains of neighbourhood destinations (education, transport, recreation, social and cultural, food retail, financial, health, and other retail) we developed a GIS-based ‘Neighbourhood Destination Accessibility Index’ (NDAI) for four New Zealand cities. We found that the intensity of neighbourhood destination opportunities varied considerably among cities and between neighbourhoods within cities. Further, access to neighbourhood infrastructural support tends to be better in more socially deprived places. Potential explanations for the sociospatial distribution of neighbourhood destinations in New Zealand cities include historical processes of residential and economic d...

Abstract: The built environment can promote or hinder mental health. Place attachment refers to the psychological and social connections people feel with certain places—their homes, the settings in which they grew up, and others. The conditions of modern life place great demands on—and often exhaust—our ability to pay attention. Green settings have the capacity to alleviate mental fatigue and help restore a person’s capacity to pay attention. Crowded, noisy, and dangerous places have a variety of negative impacts on people and their psychological states, fostering, for example, stress, anxiety, depression, and violent behavior. Some places draw people together and thus support the development of social ties and enhance the development of social capital. Places that encourage physical activity can both prevent and treat depression.

Abstract: The emerging emphasis on disaster risk reduction has broadened the range of experts whose knowledge must be garnered to resolve complex socio-technical challenges. This paper examines the role and position of the construction sector for addressing these concerns. Specifically, it examines the recursive nature of practices within the built environment, which can be seen as deeply ingraining fragmented approaches to the development process. These, in turn, render the industry a difficult arena within which to enact structural and cultural change. Based on a wide body of literature on resiliency a set of overarching principles are proffered to help inform efforts to overcome some of the barriers to creating a more resilient built environment. It is argued that these principles offer a point of departure for embedding resilience considerations at both project and institutional levels, although real change would demand challenging some of the conventions that currently underpin construction development.

Abstract: This paper examines contradictory findings about elements of the built environment and their importance in shaping travel behavior. The author uses statistical meta-analysis. The findings have been applied by many New Urbanist and Neo-Traditional planners to argue for changes in population density, land use and street configurations. The article presents a history of the built environment-travel connection over the past two decades, which corresponded to a growing interest in neo-traditional planning. The main principles and procedures of meta-analysis are described, as well as the application of meta-analysis to transportation and urban planning. The findings of the comparison are given; population and employment density exert a strong influence on travel behavior. Land use was found to be even more influential than hypothesized. But the New Urbanist-preferred grid street layout does not seem as important. Seven travel variables were addressed in this analysis.

Abstract: Built environments that support walking and other physical activities have the potential to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD). Walkable neighborhoods—characterized by density, land use diversity, and well-connected transportation networks—have been linked to more walking, less obesity, and lower coronary heart disease risk. Yet ongoing research on pedestrian-friendly built environments has the potential to address important gaps. While much of the literature has focused on urban form and planning characteristics, additional aspects of street-scapes, such as natural and architectural amenities, should also be considered. Promising future directions include (1) integration of multiple built environment measures that facilitate an understanding of how individuals perceive and act within their environment; (2) examination of both the daily physical activities that are most feasibly influenced by the local environment and those more deliberate or vigorous patterns of physical activity that are most predictive of CVD; (3) consideration of multiple pathways that could mediate a link between walkability and CVD, including not only physical activity, but also air quality improvements from reduced vehicle mileage and enhanced neighborhood social cohesion from unplanned interactions; (4) testing competing hypotheses that may explain interactions of built environment characteristics with each other and with personal barriers to walking; (5) stronger conceptualization of the multiple neighborhoods or activity spaces that structure opportunities for physical activity throughout the day; (6) collecting and strategically analyzing longitudinal data to support causal inference; and (7) studying neighborhood preferences and selection to move beyond biased assessments of neighborhood health effects. While walkability has been linked to health-related behaviors and CVD risk factors, the implications of the observed correlations are not yet clear. New theoretical insights, measurement technologies, and built environment changes represent opportunities to enhance the evidence base for bringing health promotion and cardiovascular disease prevention into the conversation about how communities are planned and built.

Abstract: Beyond energy efficiency, there are now urgent challenges around the supply of resources, materials, energy, food and water. After debating energy efficiency for the last decade, the focus has shifted to include further resources and material efficiency. In this context, urban farming has emerged as a valid urban design strategy, where food is produced and consumed locally within city boundaries, turning disused sites and underutilized public space into productive urban landscapes and community gardens. Furthermore, such agricultural activities allow for effective composting of organic waste, returning nutrients to the soil and improving biodiversity in the urban environment. Urban farming and resource recovery will help to feed the 9 billion by 2050 (predicted population growth, UN-Habitat forecast 2009). This paper reports on best practice of urban design principles in regard to materials flow, material recovery, adaptive re-use of entire building elements and components (‘design for disassembly’; prefabrication of modular building components), and other relevant strategies to implement zero waste by avoiding waste creation, reducing wasteful consumption and changing behaviour in the design and construction sectors. The paper touches on two important issues in regard to the rapid depletion of the world’s natural resources: the built environment and the education of architects and designers (both topics of further research). The construction and demolition (CD it does not engage enough with waste minimization, waste avoidance and recycling. Education and research: It’s still unclear how best to introduce a holistic understanding of these challenges and to better teach practical and affordable solutions to architects, urban designers, industrial designers, and so on. How must urban development and construction change and evolve to automatically embed sustainability in the way we design, build, operate, maintain and renew/recycle cities? One of the findings of this paper is that embedding zero-waste requires strong industry leadership, new policies and effective education curricula, as well as raising awareness (through research and education) and refocusing research agendas to bring about attitudinal change and the reduction of wasteful consumption.

Abstract: About the Editors. List of Contributors. Foreword. Acknowledgements. 1 Introduction (Richard Haigh and Dilanthi Amaratunga). 1.1 A global challenge. 1.2 Why focus upon the built environment? 1.3 Resilience in the built environment. 1.4 Disasters as a window of opportunity. 1.5 Structure of the book. 2 Capacity Development for Post-Disaster Reconstruction of the Built Environment (Kanchana Ginige and Dilanthi Amaratunga). 2.1 Introduction. 2.2 Capacity needs for post-disaster reconstruction. 2.3 Capacity gaps in post-disaster reconstruction. 2.4 Capacity development framework. 2.5 Summary. 3 Capacity of the Construction Industry for Post-Disaster Reconstruction: Post-Tsunami Sri Lanka (Krisanthi Seneviratne). 3.1 Introduction. 3.2 Impact of tsunami. 3.3 Disaster risk management. 3.4 Role of the construction sector in post-disaster recovery. 3.5 Post-tsunami Sri Lanka: the role of the Sri Lankan construction industry. 3.6 Capacity of the construction industry in post-tsunami reconstruction. 3.7 Summary. 4 Resourcing for Post-Disaster Reconstruction: A Longitudinal Case Study Following the 2008 Earthquake in China (Yan Chang, SuzanneWilkinson, Regan Potangaroa and Erica Seville). 4.1 Introduction. 4.2 The impact of the 2008Wenchuan earthquake. 4.3 Wenchuan earthquake reconstruction process. 4.4 Resourcing forWenchuan earthquake reconstruction. 4.5 Key resourcing problems and solutions adopted by the Chinese reconstruction teams. 4.6 Summary. 5 Empowerment in Disaster Response and Reconstruction: Role ofWomen (Nirooja Thurairajah). 5.1 Introduction. 5.2 The concept of empowerment. 5.3 Women's empowerment. 5.4 Women in a post-disaster setting. 5.5 Women's empowerment in post-disaster reconstruction. 5.6 Summary. 6 Community-Based Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction: Examples from Indonesia (Taufika Ophiyandri). 6.1 Introduction. 6.2 Disaster vulnerability. 6.3 National policy. 6.4 Community participation in reconstruction. 6.5 Community-based reconstruction practices. 6.6 Summary. 7 Stakeholder Consultation in the Reconstruction Process (Nuwani Siriwardena and Richard Haigh). 7.1 Introduction. 7.2 Defining stakeholders. 7.3 Stakeholders and post-disaster reconstruction. 7.4 Classifying stakeholders. 7.5 Expectation gaps in post-disaster housing reconstruction. 7.6 Developing a stakeholder engagement strategy. 7.7 Summary. 8 ProjectManagement of Disaster Reconstruction (Udayangani Kulatunga). 8.1 Introduction. 8.2 Procurement and contract management. 8.3 Sourcing of labour, material and equipment. 8.4 Resource management. 8.5 Quality control. 8.6 Financing. 8.7 Governance. 8.8 Disaster risk reduction. 8.9 Summary. 9 Legislation for Effective Post-Disaster Reconstruction: Cases fromNew Zealand (James Olabode Rotimi, SuzanneWilkinson and Dean Myburgh). 9.1 Introduction. 9.2 Recovery and reconstruction. 9.3 Legislative and regulatory considerations post disaster. 9.4 Improving recovery through legislation. 9.5 Impediments to post-disaster reconstruction: the New Zealand Building Act (BA) 2004. 9.6 New Zealand Case Study 1: Manawatu-Wanganui Floods, 2004. 9.7 New Zealand Case Study 2: Matata (Bay of Plenty) Floods, 2005. 9.8 Lessons for post-disaster legislation changes. 9.9 Summary. 10 Conflict, Post Conflict and Post-Conflict Reconstruction: Exploring the Associated Challenges (Krisanthi Seneviratne and Dilanthi Amaratunga). 10.1 Introduction. 10.2 Conflicts. 10.3 Conflict circle. 10.4 Post conflict. 10.5 Post-conflict reconstruction. 10.6 Summary. 11 Private Construction Sector Engagement in Post-Disaster Reconstruction (Richard Sutton and Richard Haigh). 11.1 Introduction. 11.2 Challenges in post-disaster reconstruction. 11.3 What is the role of the private sector? 11.4 Business and humanitarian collaborations. 11.5 Corporate social responsibility. 11.6 Encouraging private sector participation. 11.7 Integrating private construction sector support for post-disaster reconstruction. 11.8 Summary. 12 KnowledgeManagement Practices and Systems Integration (Chaminda Pathirage). 12.1 Introduction. 12.2 Disaster management cycle. 12.3 Knowledge management in disaster management context. 12.4 Sharing and transferring disaster management knowledge. 12.5 Case studies of good practices and lessons learned. 12.6 Capacity enhancing and knowledge strategies: the ISLAND project. 12.7 Summary. 13 Restoration ofMajor Infrastructure and Rehabilitation of Communities (Kaushal Keraminiyage). 13.1 Introduction. 13.2 Impact of disasters on infrastructure. 13.3 Impact of the failure of infrastructure in disaster-affected communities and infrastructure interdependencies. 13.4 Post-disaster infrastructure reconstruction and restoring major infrastructure. 13.5 Post-disaster infrastructure reconstruction for improved quality of life. 13.6 Summary. 14 Sustainable Post-DisasterWasteManagement: Construction and Demolition Debris (Gayani Karunasena). 14.1 Introduction. 14.2 Construction and demolition debris management in post-disaster situations. 14.3 C&D debris management. 14.4 C&D debris management and sustainability. 14.5 Summary. 15 Linking Reconstruction to Sustainable Socio-Economic Development (Roshani Palliyaguru and Dilanthi Amaratunga). 15.1 Introduction. 15.2 Post-disaster reconstruction as a window of opportunity for development. 15.3 Millennium development goals as a framework of action for sustainable socio-economic development and infrastructure reconstruction. 15.4 Post-disaster infrastructure reconstruction as a sustainable socio-economic development strategy. 15.5 Summary. 16 Disaster Risk Reduction and its Relationship with Sustainable Development (Kanchana Ginige). 16.1 Introduction. 16.2 Disasters: a result of poor development. 16.3 Disasters: a barrier for development. 16.4 Disaster risk reduction for sustainable development and vice versa. 16.5 Summary. 17 Conclusion (Richard Haigh and Dilanthi Amaratunga). Reference. Index.

Abstract: In 2006, the Federal Collaboration on Health Disparities Research (FCHDR) identified the built environment as a priority for eliminating health disparities, and charged the Built Environment Workgroup with identifying ways to eliminate health disparities and improve health outcomes. Despite extensive research and the development of a new conceptual health factors framework, gaps in knowledge exist in areas such as disproportionate environmental and community hazards, individual and cumulative risks, and other factors. The FCHDR provides the structure and opportunity to mobilize and partner with built environment stakeholders, federal partners, and interest groups to develop tools, practices, and policies for translating and disseminating the best available science to reduce health disparities.

Abstract: Despite deep and vocal disagreements over health care reform, virtually everyone believes that the current system is not economically sustainable. We are spending too much and getting too little in return. This recognition has spurred health care leaders to examine every aspect of hospital operations. But what about the health care building itself, the physical environment within which patient care occurs? Too often, cost-cutting discussions have overlooked the hospital structure. Changes in the physical facility provide real opportunities for improving patient and worker safety and quality while reducing operating costs. The "Fable hospital," an imaginary amalgam of the best design innovations that had been implemented and measured by leading organizations, was an early attempt to analyze the economic impact of designing and building an optimal hospital facility. (1) The Fable analysis, published in 2004, showed that carefully selected design innovations, though they may cost more initially, could return the incremental investment in one year by reducing operating costs and increasing revenues. Reactions to the Fable paper varied. Many felt it presented a compelling case and stimulated health care leaders and architects to think differently about balancing onetime building costs with ongoing operating costs. Others voiced skepticism about whether the benefits were as great as described and asked for more evidence. Today, the Fable hospital is no longer imaginary. During the past six years, numerous hospitals have implemented many of its attributes and have evaluated their impact on patients, families, and staff. (2) Several are members of the Center for Health Design's Pebble Project, a group of organizations that apply evidence-based designs to improve quality and financial performance. Two Pebble hospitals are featured in essays accompanying this article. These and other pioneering organizations and their architecture/design teams are introducing such interventions as larger single-patient rooms, which reduce the incidence of health care-associated infections; wider bathroom doors, which reduce patient falls; HEPA filtration and other indoor air quality improvements, which reduce health care-associated infections; appropriate task lighting in medication dispensing areas, which reduces medication-related errors; hydraulic ceiling lifts in patient rooms and bathrooms, which reduce patient and staff lift injuries; and art and music, which reduce anxiety and depression and speed recovery. Since 2004, much has changed that affects decision-making about health care construction and design. It is time for a fresh look at the Fable hospital. Drawing on the latest design and health care knowledge, research, the 2010 health reform law's emphasis on value and quality improvement, and our collective experience, we present Fable hospital 2.0. The Changing Health Care Landscape Five major health care trends are relevant to our analysis: the growth of evidence-based design, the safety/ quality revolution, pay for performance and increasing consumer transparency, sustainability and green design, and access to capital. The growth of evidence-based design. The Center for Health Design's definition of evidence-based design is "the process of basing decisions about the built environment on credible research to achieve the best possible outcomes." That evidence is much more abundant. In 1998, a review found fewer than one hundred solid studies. (3) A 2004 analysis found more than six hundred worthy studies. (4) In 2008, a team found twelve hundred methodologically sound studies. (5) Facility design guided by credible research has become the standard for architects and designers, as witnessed by conferences focused on evidence-based design and the appearance of new publications. (6) More than five hundred health care and design professionals have been accredited by the Center's Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification program, which was launched in 2009. …

Abstract: Xuefei Ren’s (2011) Building Globalization is essential reading in cultural effects of globalization, historical built environment and urban politics. Ren looks at transnational architecture production of Chinese cities and presents her work in the literature of urban changes and globalization. Ren questions the extent to which the articulation of the urban built environment has contributed to the making of global cities in China. Ren begins with an exploration of two features of the global city discourse in China. One is the emphasis on infrastructure, signature buildings, and the visual image of a global city. The second is its emphasis on the role of the state in directing the development of global cities.