Synthesis & Annotated Bibliography

RQ: What barriers stand between environmentally sustainable building practices from reaching urban communities?

In my research, I aimed to uncover the challenges we as a society face in implementing environmentally sustainable building practices . I discovered that a big part of the problem is that people don't know enough about sustainable building practices. Cost is a major issue, and while government funding can help, it isn't always enough and budget changes take time and resources. There's also the risk that urban renewal could lead to further gentrification. With pushing out low-income residents. My research showed that many people in communities don't fully understand the benefits of eco-friendly changes, leading to resistance. I found that educating both young people and local businesses in these areas is key. By making sure everyone understands and gets involved, we can make cities more sustainable and fair. I also emphasized the importance of learning from past mistakes, like unfair housing policies, to make sure we don't repeat them. Overall, my research highlighted that educating the public and involving the affected communities are crucial for making cities greener.

Full Synthesis

Synthesis

The objective of my research is to identify the barriers that stand between environmentally sustainable building practices from reaching urban communities. Within each peer-reviewed study, one significant trend or commonly identified barrier arose as a hindrance to the expansion of green/sustainable building practices and infrastructure. If sustainable building practices are going to advance, especially in urban communities, an expansion of education is imperative. When bringing sustainable building to urban communities, a few aspects of importance revolve around the successful and ethical implantation and education of sustainable practices. Two challenges were identified as the main factors that block the education and implementation of environmentally sustainable building practices from reaching urban communities: economic barriers and social/environmental justice barriers.

Economic struggles were identified by each study, one prominent example being the cost of building or rebuilding a community with urban green infrastructure. The popular vote is with government funding: Some of the cases studied such as that of Craigmillar, Scotland saw success in urban renewal after the city approved the Craigmillar Joint Venture Company (Deakin, 2012). The parties and policies of political powers, however, act and change with different levels of efficiency, and every city, state, or country, views environmental justice and renewal on different levels of importance according to studies done in Sweden (Dalirazar & Sabzi, 2022), the U.S. (Maxim & Grubert, 2022), England (Deakin, 2012), and Singapore (Hwang, 2018). On top of funding issues the aftermath of the economic burden that becoming a community with sustainable infrastructure comes with, could go many ways. Poverty and gentrification concerns are undoubtedly present in urban communities on a global scale (Deakin, 2012). Urban renewal brings cleaner neighborhoods/communities, new housing, an increase in businesses, and job opportunities. The positives cannot however be accepted without the negatives. Urban renewal could also be called urban gentrification, as the revitalization of urban neighborhoods may bring adverse impacts on the community's social and physical surroundings. When low-income communities become more “desirable” to stakeholders, wealthier classes, and possible investors, the lives of low income residents of revitalized communities may be turned upside down. Unsustainable and unaffordable rises in property values and the cost of living would result in further social and economic marginalization, wealth disparities, and gentrification, all which lead to their eventual displacement (Maxim & Grubert, 2022).

The assessment of questionnaire results of Kumpula residents perceptions on UGI in relation to climate change showed a lack of demand/investment and a resistance to change in the community: mostly due to a lack of understanding and education on the effects of implementing sustainable infrastructure and practices (Lampinen et al., 2022). These barriers have directly limited abilities to begin the development of environmentally sustainable building practices in urban communities (Maxim & Grubert, 2022; Lampinen et al., 2022). According to research on the LEED certified building, Brody, where a plaque was placed on a U.S. campus building as means to provide effective communication and awareness on its sustainable infrastructure and green design, was found ineffective in educating the occupants (Park et al., 2017). This does not mean all hope of educating the public on sustainable practices and green infrastructure is lost. If the impacts of climate change and effective solutions on revitalizing our communities with sustainable/green infrastructure can be taught and communicated to young minds, for instance in schools, an entire generation of people correctly educated on sustainable practices and green infrastructure will blossom. Including the youth and children of the future on urban green planning and sustainable practices would create a positive feedback loop of sorts between urban communities, investors, stakeholders, and local contractors who can communicate their new found sustainable practices and education on green construction to the following generations.

Emphasizing the importance of environmental justice will lead to not only identifying social needs of urban communities but also bringing them into the center of the urban regeneration development strategies to come (Hwang et al., 2022; Maxim & Grubert, 2022; Deakin, 2012). In an effort to avoid mistakes of the past, we can not forget the historical injustices marginalized populations endured. By discussing infrastructure policies and practices of the past, such as redlining, and gentrification, we can better identify past wrongdoings and see how they have contributed to the marginalization and wealth disparities of urban communities that are seen today. The solution is the proper implementation of environmental justice, when discussing green infrastructure decisions and policy making, the inclusion and perspective of the community is crucial. This was proven not only possible, but successful in the Craigmillar case (Deakin, 2012). The study successfully identified the community's problems, where lack of awareness of the issues and needs of the community were not being communicated. A structured approach was taken to address the issues, involving the collaboration of stakeholder groups and occupants of the Craigmillar community. From here community members were involved in developing a vision for regeneration, ensuring their needs were considered. The better educated the community members are on sustainable practices the easier it will be for them and surrounding communities to implement such practices in the future (Lye et al., 2018; Deakin, 2012; Park et al., 2017; Maxim & Grubert, 2022; Lampinen et al., 2022; Dalirazar & Sabzi, 2022).

With educational workshops and investments on urban green infrastructure focused towards smaller businesses and contractors who reside in or work in these marginalized communities, urban renewal can be accomplished (Lye, et al., 2018). By educating the community and smaller/local contractors on urban green infrastructure practices whose preliminary work is done in and around the urban communities, a true sense of environmental justice may finally be felt. A positive feedback loop of generational education, environmentally mindful practices, compared to non renewable and wasteful practices, and economic security within the community becomes possible. The lack of environmental education, in regards to sustainable building practices, can be seen clear as day in the results of both the quantitative and qualitative surveys distributed for research in each article. Throughout my literature review all peer reviewed articles included research of various surveys and questionnaires. No matter the context of the survey, or the diversity of the samples, an educational barrier was identified.

Synthesis Highlights

Adopting Sustainable Building Technique Struggles per. study:

The case for socially inclusive visioning in the community-based approach to sustainable urban regeneration

The case study of Craigmillar in the City of Edinburgh illustrates how socially inclusive practices can support urban regeneration and address issues of poverty, social exclusion, and environmental degradation. Highlighting the challenges faced by communities like Craigmillar who've experienced and suffered poverty and deprivation of an environmentally clean and accessible environment underscores the importance of partnerships and planning with shared visions of the community. Some of the cases studied such as that of Craigmillar, Scotland saw success of urban renewal after the city approved the Craigmillar Joint Venture Company.

Deakin, 2012 (Annotated Source)

Adoption of sustainable construction for small contractors: major barriers and best solutions

Through extensive research, pilot interviews, and survey questionnaires, authors Hwang, Shan, and Lye, found potential reasonable and affordable solutions in the realm of education to bring such practices to urban communities without negatively impacting them economically. By including these small scale contractors in green job opportunities and education on urban green infrastructure their new education can directly impact a positive and sustainable transition to green infrastructure. However a lack of incentives were found during research to establish the much needed collaborative system between policy makers, industry associates, and small scale development companies.

Lye et al., 2018 (Annotated Source)

Envisioning carbon-smart and just urban green infrastructure

This study was conducted around an already green neighborhood called Kumpula, which is in Helsinki, Finland. Numerous challenges were identified, most surrounding environmental justice, and of course the need for further education on the topic. The assessment of questionnaire results of Kumpula residents perceptions on UGI in relation to climate change showed a lack of demand/investment and a resistance to change in the community: mostly due to a lack of understanding and education on the effects of implementing sustainable infrastructure and practices (Lampinen et al., 2022).

Lampinen et al., 2022 (Annotated Source)

Anticipating Climate-Related Changes to Residential Energy Burden in the United States: Advance Planning for Equity and Resilience.

Economic investments in green infrastructure are a necessary adaptation when anticipating the impact of climate change on residents of marginalized communities in the United States. Maxim and Grubert acknowledge the challenges of moving towards more sustainable infrastructure with the necessity for including equitable options that benefit marginalized communities. Authors of the article argue that because of climate change, more people in residential areas are running out of options and may have to move to new areas. This could make it harder for marginalized groups of people in the United States, especially those who are already struggling to make ends meet as they are continuously pushed out of communities due to many reasons, especially economic.

Maxim & Grubert, 2022 (Annotated Source)

Barriers to sustainable development: Critical social factors influencing the sustainable building development based on Swedish experts’ perspectives.

Based on results of the proposed questionnaire created after extensive literature review on previously identified and researched social factors, their study reveals that the most prominent social barriers to sustainable construction include poor communication among stakeholders, resistance to change, and a lack of market demand for sustainable buildings. Overall the argument made through the conclusion of this study demonstrates a direct cause and effect relationship between the economic significance of the construction industry and its impact on the environment and society. Noticeable difficulties mentioned in the article also include the unwillingness and lack of motivation seen in developers and contractors in green/sustainable construction.

Dalirazar & Sabzi, 2022 (Annotated Source)

How Do Green Buildings Communicate Green Design to Building Users? A Survey Study of a LEED-Certified Building

The authors aim to understand whether or not the building promotes awareness, knowledge, and how the perception of green design elements used were taken into account by its users. Overall the article aims to identify the most effective communication mediums and methods to best educate those who inhabit the building.

Park et al., 2017 (Annotated Source)

Works Cited: Annotations and Sources

RQ: What barriers stand between environmentally sustainable building practices from reaching urban communities?

Dalirazar, S., & Sabzi, Z. (2022, July). Barriers to sustainable development: Critical social factors influencing the sustainable building development based on Swedish experts’ perspectives. Sustainable Development, 30(6), 1963–1974. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2362

Dalirazar and Sabzi’s article aims to investigate and highlight the most impactful social factors affecting sustainable building development in Sweden based on experts in the industry. From the perspective of authors Dalirazar and Sabzi, their paper emphasizes that sustainable construction is vital for sustainable development, highlighting its economic, environmental, and social significance. Based on results of the proposed questionnaire created after extensive literature review on previously identified and researched social factors, their study reveals that the most prominent social barriers to sustainable construction include poor communication among stakeholders, resistance to change, and a lack of market demand for sustainable buildings. Overall the argument made through the conclusion of this study demonstrates a direct cause and effect relationship between the economic significance of the construction industry and its impact on the environment and society. Noticeable difficulties mentioned in the article also include the unwillingness and lack of motivation seen in developers and contractors in green/sustainable construction.

Although the study is well structured, as it starts with literature review on identifying social risks and challenges in sustainable construction, limitations of the study still apply. Whilst proposing solutions and strategies of adaptation toward sustainable development throughout the article: for example, proposing stakeholders better communication with monthly or weekly meetings as a means to initiate projects, authors call for further examination for stronger solutions. Limitations/shortcomings include but are not limited to; sample size, geographic focus, selection bias, and limited social factors. With a rather small sample size and geographic location of the study taking place in Sweden, limitations on the future application of their findings to areas outside the study can be found. However by addressing the limitations of their study the authors’ credibility of analysis also increases.

In application to my question of research the findings and propositions found in my analysis of the Swedish study which involved great background knowledge surrounding the barriers between sustainable building practices from reaching urban communities. Additionally the limitations of this study do not negatively impact the end result as each barrier faced in Sweden can be found in sustainable construction efforts around the globe, especially economically. In summary, while the article's direct applicability to urban communities is limited due to its geographic focus in Sweden, it still offers valuable insights surrounding the understanding of social barriers and potential solutions towards sustainable construction. Barriers such as lack of demand/investment and resistance to change still apply to regions outside of Sweden in relation to sustainable infrastructure in marginalized communities, especially in the United States.

Maxim, A., & Grubert, E. (2022, June 1). Anticipating Climate-Related Changes to Residential Energy Burden in the United States: Advance Planning for Equity and Resilience. Environmental Justice, 15(3), 139–148. https://doi.org/10.1089/env.2021.0056

The focus of this article underscores the importance of economic investments in green infrastructure that is necessary for adaptation when anticipating the impact of climate change in residents of marginalized communities in the United States. Maxim and Grubert acknowledge the challenges of moving towards more sustainable infrastructure with the necessity for including equitable options that benefit marginalized communities. Authors of the article argue that because of climate change, more people in residential areas are running out of options and may have to move to new areas. This could make it harder for marginalized groups of people in the United States, especially those who are already struggling to make ends meet as they are continuously pushed out of communities due to many reasons, especially economic. Education and planning efforts are deemed crucial for proactive planning and design in housing and energy infrastructure in the context of environmental justice. In an effort to avoid mistakes of the past I noticed a focus on historical injustices mentioned throughout the article. By discussing infrastructure policies and practices of the past, such as redlining, it is clear how they have contributed to the marginalization and wealth disparities of urban communities that are seen today. The solution identified by the article to avoid mistakes of the past is to focus green infrastructure decisions and policy making with the inclusion and perspective of the community.

As an excerpt from an academic article this source lacks an outlining of methodology and with its focus on environmental justice could be seen as biased toward advocating for certain policy approaches. However figures and statistics are shown in an academically acceptable format that presents data on the disparities low-income households face in regards to climate change. By relying on observations and trends recorded in the context of climate change affecting rising energy costs, I am confident in the reliability of their research and the study's conclusions.

This article addresses one of the focal challenges observed in my research that persists in the adoption of green-infrastructure, the wealth disparity it causes. Sustainable development is not a cheap practice and continues to be an underlying factor of deciding to integrate such practices. With the concluding observations of this article being the direct inclusion and acknowledgments of the marginalized communities who will be affected by such changes shows economic and social barriers. These barriers have directly limited abilities to begin the development of environmentally sustainable building practices in urban communities.

Susie Ruqun Wu, Suk-Kyung Kim, Hogeun Park, Peilei Fan, Arika Ligmann-Zielinska, Jiquan Chen; HOW DO GREEN BUILDINGS COMMUNICATE GREEN DESIGN TO BUILDING USERS? A SURVEY STUDY OF A LEED-CERTIFIED BUILDING. Journal of Green Building 1 September 2017; 12 (3): 85–100. doi: https://doi.org/10.3992/1943-4618.12.3.85

This study aims to evaluate whether or not a LEED-certified university campus building effectively communicates the sustainable innovation and green design to its users. The LEED-certification plaque on a campus building was used as means to provide successful communication and awareness on its sustainable infrastructure and green design to its occupants/users, a general understanding on the building's purpose could be established. By using affordance theory as a framework of investigation. The chosen context of approach by authors was affordance theory, which was applied as a means to evaluate how effectively the green building’s designs and features communicated/engaged its ideas and sustainable practices. The authors aim to understand whether or not the building promotes awareness, knowledge, and how the perception of green design elements used were taken into account by its users. Overall the article aims to identify the most effective communication mediums and methods to best educate those who inhabit the building.

A few central limitations of this study should be taken into consideration. A potential sampling bias can be argued in regards to their quantitative approach, as only one green building’s users and occupants were surveyed through a questionnaire. Another being the lack of correlation seen with cause and effect in the signage and educationally abilities. However authors acknowledged the green campus building’s limited success in promoting awareness and knowledge on its “x-abilities” when evaluated by a framework of perceived affordance. Also recognized was the need for further research and approaches to address limitations and improve sustainability communication and education within green buildings. Although the scope of this study was limited, only addressing one green building on a university campus and its level of effective communication, I can still appreciate the depth and diverse analysis of the study itself. By focusing on the “aware-ability” (awareness), “know-ability” (knowledge), and ‘perceive-ability” (how users perceive the green design), authors successfully identified barriers of education, areas of failure and successfulness of the LEED-certification plaque. As innovative as the LEED-certified green building is, the signage is insufficient in educating and ineffectively addresses the infrastructure's importance, purpose/affordance.

In respect to my research question this article was included as it was prompted by challenges that both USGBC and LEED face in expanding their green and sustainable building practices. If sustainable building practices are going to advance, especially in urban communities, an expansion of education is detrimental. The importance of knowledge on such practices is an easily breakable barrier when done effectively. In the United States stakeholders and investors need to be provided the necessary education in order to understand the importance of bringing green buildings to marginalized/urban communities.

Deakin, M. (2012, July). The case for socially inclusive visioning in the community-based approach to sustainable urban regeneration. Sustainable Cities and Society, 3, 13–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2011.12.001

The main purpose of this article, from the authors' perspective, is to advocate the importance for socially inclusive visioning/practices as a vital component of the community-based approach to sustainable urban regeneration. The article draws on the case study of Craigmillar in the City of Edinburgh to illustrate how socially inclusive practices can support urban regeneration and address issues of poverty, social exclusion, and environmental degradation. By highlighting the challenges faced by communities like Craigmiller who've experienced and suffered poverty and deprivation of an environmentally clean and accessible environment underscores the importance of partnerships and planning with shared visions of the community. Overall, the authors argue that socially inclusive visioning is a critical tool for addressing complex urban challenges and promoting inclusive, sustainable development that works in favor of their community.

Although the article fails to mention any observable limitations in their methodology, there are however mentions of many challenges that were faced in regards to implementing participation from the community. Some of the struggles faced were due to community concerns. During visioning exercises concerns surrounding gentrification of their community arose as well as the need for interim planning measures. As most of these findings were from observational study the limitations surrounding the authors work may include geographical location as well as a lack of diverse viewpoints as Deakin is the only listed author. This limits the applicational abilities of the author’s argument to other geographical locations as every struggle/struggles will be affected by location, especially in other countries.

Although the focus of study is located in Europe, Deakins’ observable limitations correlate with the extent of poverty and deprivation in Craigmillar. Poverty and gentrification concerns are undoubtedly present in urban communities on a global scale and therefore apply to my inquiry. In order to break down economic struggles that sustainable urban regeneration comes with, a direct line of education and communication with affected communities is necessary. Emphasizing the importance of socially inclusive visioning will lead to not only identifying social needs of urban communities but also bringing them into the center of the urban regeneration development strategies to come.

Hwang, BG., Shan, M. & Lye, JM. Adoption of sustainable construction for small contractors: major barriers and best solutions. Clean Techn Environ Policy 20, 2223–2237 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-018-1598-z

With an extensive literature review and collection of both qualitative and quantitative data, authors of this study sought to identify the barriers that prevent small scale contractors from the adoption of sustainable infrastructure and building practices. Through extensive research, pilot interviews, and survey questionnaires, authors Hwang, Shan, and Lye, found potential reasonable and affordable solutions in the realm of education to bring such practices to urban communities without negatively impacting them economically. By including these small scale contractors in green job opportunities and education on urban green infrastructure their new education can directly impact a positive and sustainable transition to green infrastructure. However a lack of incentives were found during research to establish the much needed collaborative system between policy makers, industry associates, and small scale development companies. In addition to highlighting the importance of educating smaller businesses and contractors on urban green infrastructure, many of the mentioned incentives, for example financial assistance, competitive advantages, demand, etc, may be eliminated with effective education.

I do have concerns regarding the response rate of the presented questionnaire as it was only 21%. With such a low response rate a larger and more diverse sample could more effectively support the study’s results. Selection of “small contractors” who were sampled fell between a certain bracket of criteria: annual salessales turnover, local shareholding, and employment size. However this criteria limits the characteristics of small contractors who face other challenges and with wider criteria could have been included in the sample. The amount of quantitative data gathered from the questionnaires and literature review makes up for the lack of qualitative information presented on results of pilot interviews of “experts” in the field.

When bringing sustainable building to urban communities a few aspects of importance revolve around successful and ethical implantation of them. One being the cost to build or rebuild and the aftermath of the economic burden that becoming a community with sustainable infrastructure comes with. With smaller businesses and contractors educated on urban green infrastructure whose preliminary work is done in and around urban communities, economic and environmental benefits will be felt throughout the community.

Lampinen, J., García-Antúnez, O., Olafsson, A. S., Kavanagh, K. C., Gulsrud, N. M., & Raymond, C. M. (2022, September). Envisioning carbon-smart and just urban green infrastructure. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 75, 127682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2022.127682

Exploration on the opinions and perceptions of older generations have been widely examined and the focus of many studies in the context surrounding UGI (Urban Green Infrastructure) with growing climate change concerns. The many authors of this study however chose to focus on not only the residents of urban communities, but also the youth. This study was conducted around an already green neighborhood called Kumpula, which is in Helsinki, Finland. Between March 26th and May 26th, 2021, 5,231 residents were surveyed. Numerous challenges were identified, most surrounding environmental justice, and of course the need for further education on the topic.

With both adult residents, and highschool students between the ages of 16-19, their survey sampling process used many methods to distribute the survey, including posted surveys to a random sample of 1,500 homes, and even presented the students to the survey through classes. With the mix of both personal and online surveying of different demographics in the neighborhood, a diverse and comprehensive understanding of the Kumpula residents perceptions on UGI in relation to climate change was gathered. With a diverse sample group and a collective understanding of the community's wants and needs in relation to UGI, surveyors are able to address methods to approach the difficulties identified. This is necessary to ensure everyone feels the benefits and implementations of future green infrastructure.

Not only is understanding the wants and needs of residents in urban green spaces important, but including them in the implementation process of green building is crucial. The better educated the community members are on sustainable practices the easier it will be for them and surrounding communities to implement such practices in the future. Again education on the subject seems to be a considerable barrier that stands between environmentally sustainable building practices from reaching urban communities. Although the study took place in Finland, it would not be difficult to apply similar survey methods in the United States to gauge the levels of environmental education understood by residents in urban communities.

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