A Policy Management Framework to Mitigate the Impacts of Building Construction on Urban Climate

A Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation in Engineering Systems Management by Ragad Almashhour entitled, “A Policy Management Framework to Mitigate the Impacts of Building Construction on Urban Climate”, submitted in March 2024. Dissertation advisor is Dr. Jerry Kolo. Soft copy is available (Dissertation, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).

Abstract

The construction industry is the largest and fastest growing industry in the world for reasons such as population increase, rising standards of living, and the constant demand for infrastructure. Buildings are a category of infrastructure and a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Directly and or indirectly, therefore, buildings make cities warmer, turn cities into urban heat islands (UHI), and contribute to the climate crisis. There is currently no discernable strategic policy and management approach in the extant literature and in practice, which municipalities worldwide use to permit or approve buildings based on the heat or GHG they emit into the atmosphere. This purpose is not served by the various existing voluntary compliance environmental audit systems. Unanimity on the impacts of buildings on urban microclimate requires that cities take decisive measures to address how buildings make cities hotter. In this light, this dissertation aims to draw on the technical and experiential knowledge of construction experts, professionals, and key actors, in order to formulate a policy and management framework that municipalities can use to mitigate the impacts of construction on climate change. The research employed a hybrid method consisting of the Delphi Technique and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to identify the main structural building factors that contribute to the UHI. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed in order to answer the research questions and achieve the research aim and objectives. The research also resulted in the design of a dynamic framework which municipalities worldwide can use to approve buildings based on their propensity to emit heat into the atmosphere. The framework is versatile and adaptable to local contexts worldwide. The research fills an environmental audit gap in the construction industry; contributes to research discourse on climate change; and, most importantly, provides municipalities with a pragmatic and cost-effective policy tool to address the challenges of UHI.