Pub Date : 2024-01-24DOI: 10.1080/10286608.2023.2279078
Tonatiuh Rodriguez-Nikl, Kory P. Schaff
Ethics is receiving increased emphasis in civil and environmental engineering. However, despite the proliferation of college textbooks and courses encouraging ethical reasoning, engineers in practi...
{"title":"Practical ethical frameworks for civil engineering and environmental systems","authors":"Tonatiuh Rodriguez-Nikl, Kory P. Schaff","doi":"10.1080/10286608.2023.2279078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10286608.2023.2279078","url":null,"abstract":"Ethics is receiving increased emphasis in civil and environmental engineering. However, despite the proliferation of college textbooks and courses encouraging ethical reasoning, engineers in practi...","PeriodicalId":50689,"journal":{"name":"Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems","volume":"177 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139553481","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-12-06DOI: 10.1080/10286608.2023.2288611
Emma Houiellebecq, Kristen MacAskill, Federico Sittaro
The global risk landscape is evolving, leading to more protracted and complex crises. The eventual degradation of critical infrastructure in such contexts often results in insufficient access to es...
{"title":"Using systems-thinking approaches to evaluate impacts to essential services in fragile contexts: a case study on Venezuela","authors":"Emma Houiellebecq, Kristen MacAskill, Federico Sittaro","doi":"10.1080/10286608.2023.2288611","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10286608.2023.2288611","url":null,"abstract":"The global risk landscape is evolving, leading to more protracted and complex crises. The eventual degradation of critical infrastructure in such contexts often results in insufficient access to es...","PeriodicalId":50689,"journal":{"name":"Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138515921","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-11-23DOI: 10.1080/10286608.2023.2286248
Mohammad Pourhomayoun, Mehran Mazari, Luis Fisher, Kabir Nagrecha, Tonatiuh Rodriguez-Nikl, Michael Mooney, Ehsan Alavi
Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) are large-scale excavation tools used commonly in transportation tunnel construction. While tunnelling, TBMs generate data at large scales, often at levels difficult t...
{"title":"Prediction of geological composition using recurrent neural networks and shield tunnel boring machine data","authors":"Mohammad Pourhomayoun, Mehran Mazari, Luis Fisher, Kabir Nagrecha, Tonatiuh Rodriguez-Nikl, Michael Mooney, Ehsan Alavi","doi":"10.1080/10286608.2023.2286248","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10286608.2023.2286248","url":null,"abstract":"Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) are large-scale excavation tools used commonly in transportation tunnel construction. While tunnelling, TBMs generate data at large scales, often at levels difficult t...","PeriodicalId":50689,"journal":{"name":"Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems","volume":"183 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138515924","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-11-21DOI: 10.1080/10286608.2023.2283708
Lingna Lin, Jiacheng Zhong
This review aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of multi-system and multi-dimensional characteristics of learning from incidents (LFI) and improve the ability to learn from incidents effe...
本文旨在全面认识事件学习(LFI)的多系统、多维特征,提高事件学习能力。
{"title":"Analysis of the systems nature of safety incidents in the construction industry from a post-2010 literature review","authors":"Lingna Lin, Jiacheng Zhong","doi":"10.1080/10286608.2023.2283708","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10286608.2023.2283708","url":null,"abstract":"This review aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of multi-system and multi-dimensional characteristics of learning from incidents (LFI) and improve the ability to learn from incidents effe...","PeriodicalId":50689,"journal":{"name":"Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138515920","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-25DOI: 10.1080/10286608.2023.2263746
Erik Porse
Water reuse with Advanced Water Treatment (AWT) is increasingly appealing for urban areas seeking water supply reliability. In cities facing water scarcity, how can large-scale reuse support reliability and how do reuse operations affect water quality, energy use, and water conservation? This paper presents a systems analysis of metropolitan-scale water reuse and its effects on water supply and quality. For the case study of Los Angeles County, California, USA, hydroeconomic modeling is used to evaluate reuse as a contributor to water supply given urban water conservation, drought-induced water scarcity, and costs and benefits for supply and demand. Results indicate that AWT can be a viable source of supply especially when coupled with conservation. Across modeled scenarios, reuse provides as much as 30% of regional supplies. New water reuse with AWT becomes viable when imported water availability is 50% or less of historic values. Existing indirect potable reuse operations in the county remain important. Systemwide energy intensity of operations increases with greater reuse in the absence of water conservation. Modeled influent flow rates to wastewater treatment plants resemble historical values, but extreme flow events could pose risks. The paper offers a holistic framework to evaluate water reuse as a component of urban water management.
{"title":"Systems analysis of metropolitan-scale reuse with effects on water supply resilience and water quality","authors":"Erik Porse","doi":"10.1080/10286608.2023.2263746","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10286608.2023.2263746","url":null,"abstract":"Water reuse with Advanced Water Treatment (AWT) is increasingly appealing for urban areas seeking water supply reliability. In cities facing water scarcity, how can large-scale reuse support reliability and how do reuse operations affect water quality, energy use, and water conservation? This paper presents a systems analysis of metropolitan-scale water reuse and its effects on water supply and quality. For the case study of Los Angeles County, California, USA, hydroeconomic modeling is used to evaluate reuse as a contributor to water supply given urban water conservation, drought-induced water scarcity, and costs and benefits for supply and demand. Results indicate that AWT can be a viable source of supply especially when coupled with conservation. Across modeled scenarios, reuse provides as much as 30% of regional supplies. New water reuse with AWT becomes viable when imported water availability is 50% or less of historic values. Existing indirect potable reuse operations in the county remain important. Systemwide energy intensity of operations increases with greater reuse in the absence of water conservation. Modeled influent flow rates to wastewater treatment plants resemble historical values, but extreme flow events could pose risks. The paper offers a holistic framework to evaluate water reuse as a component of urban water management.","PeriodicalId":50689,"journal":{"name":"Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems","volume":"33 3","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135112623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-17DOI: 10.1080/10286608.2023.2233910
A. Brooke, R. Fenner
{"title":"Improving urban water management and building water supply resilience in the city of Harare, Zimbabwe – a systems view","authors":"A. Brooke, R. Fenner","doi":"10.1080/10286608.2023.2233910","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10286608.2023.2233910","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50689,"journal":{"name":"Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems","volume":"73 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78643101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/10286608.2023.2211516
Mei Cai, Yu Gao, Chen Yang, Jin-bang Xiao, Qiuhan Wang
ABSTRACT China is a large industrial country where tropical meteorological disasters occur frequently. Therefore, natural-technological (Natech) risk cannot be ignored. Assessing the social vulnerability of an industrial city prone to tropical meteorological disaster-induced Natechs is urgent. To analyze the social vulnerability of such cities, we propose a Bayesian network (BN)-based method to model the social vulnerability framework. Natech is characterised by high-consequence and low-probability. The industrial cities in Southeast China are selected as a case study. The Monte Carlo method simulates the data generated in industrial cities suffering from tropical disaster-induced Natechs, and the conditional probability tables of BN descendant nodes are obtained by the expert scoring method. After sensitivity analysis, we conclude that the ‘catastrophic index of tropical cyclones,’ ‘population density,’ and ‘prevention capacity’ have important impacts on social vulnerability. Human traits, the social environment, and the economy play important roles in social vulnerability assessments. Therefore, reducing the catastrophic index of tropical cyclones and population density and strengthening prevention capacity management measures are necessary. Some suggestions obtained after sensitivity analysis can assist governments in improving disaster prevention and mitigation abilities and formulating urban planning policies for sustainable development. Highlights Industry city’s vulnerability analysis for Natural-technological (Natech) accidents A social vulnerability assessment framework for sustainable development A Bayesian network combined with the Monte Carlo simulation data and expert judgment Risk management for high-consequence and low-probability events
{"title":"Social vulnerability assessment for an industrial city in Natech accidents: A Bayesian network approach","authors":"Mei Cai, Yu Gao, Chen Yang, Jin-bang Xiao, Qiuhan Wang","doi":"10.1080/10286608.2023.2211516","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10286608.2023.2211516","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT China is a large industrial country where tropical meteorological disasters occur frequently. Therefore, natural-technological (Natech) risk cannot be ignored. Assessing the social vulnerability of an industrial city prone to tropical meteorological disaster-induced Natechs is urgent. To analyze the social vulnerability of such cities, we propose a Bayesian network (BN)-based method to model the social vulnerability framework. Natech is characterised by high-consequence and low-probability. The industrial cities in Southeast China are selected as a case study. The Monte Carlo method simulates the data generated in industrial cities suffering from tropical disaster-induced Natechs, and the conditional probability tables of BN descendant nodes are obtained by the expert scoring method. After sensitivity analysis, we conclude that the ‘catastrophic index of tropical cyclones,’ ‘population density,’ and ‘prevention capacity’ have important impacts on social vulnerability. Human traits, the social environment, and the economy play important roles in social vulnerability assessments. Therefore, reducing the catastrophic index of tropical cyclones and population density and strengthening prevention capacity management measures are necessary. Some suggestions obtained after sensitivity analysis can assist governments in improving disaster prevention and mitigation abilities and formulating urban planning policies for sustainable development. Highlights Industry city’s vulnerability analysis for Natural-technological (Natech) accidents A social vulnerability assessment framework for sustainable development A Bayesian network combined with the Monte Carlo simulation data and expert judgment Risk management for high-consequence and low-probability events","PeriodicalId":50689,"journal":{"name":"Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems","volume":"53 1","pages":"32 - 49"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72861706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/10286608.2023.2234305
A. Jessop
ABSTRACT Two different applications of Jaynes’ maximum entropy framework, maxEnt, are given. The purpose is to show how maxEnt stimulates questions about the relations between the formal structure of the maxEnt model and the practical, possibly political, considerations which arise when deciding the objective function and the constraints. While these points do not lead to computationally complicated models they do raise important questions about the relationship between model form and the environment in which it is used. The first example is from urban and transportation planning. The use of maxEnt to derive the allocation of trips, the gravity model, brought benefits of clarity but also raised an important question with policy implications: should journey cost rightly be a behavioural constraint in the model or should it be considered an output? The policy implications are discussed. The second case was initially stimulated by personnel selection and raises the possibility that it is not always clear what maxEnt should be optimising, what should we be minimally discriminating about? The issue is quite general and is illustrated by the choice of a scheme for water resource allocation.
{"title":"Some reflections on maxEnt","authors":"A. Jessop","doi":"10.1080/10286608.2023.2234305","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10286608.2023.2234305","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Two different applications of Jaynes’ maximum entropy framework, maxEnt, are given. The purpose is to show how maxEnt stimulates questions about the relations between the formal structure of the maxEnt model and the practical, possibly political, considerations which arise when deciding the objective function and the constraints. While these points do not lead to computationally complicated models they do raise important questions about the relationship between model form and the environment in which it is used. The first example is from urban and transportation planning. The use of maxEnt to derive the allocation of trips, the gravity model, brought benefits of clarity but also raised an important question with policy implications: should journey cost rightly be a behavioural constraint in the model or should it be considered an output? The policy implications are discussed. The second case was initially stimulated by personnel selection and raises the possibility that it is not always clear what maxEnt should be optimising, what should we be minimally discriminating about? The issue is quite general and is illustrated by the choice of a scheme for water resource allocation.","PeriodicalId":50689,"journal":{"name":"Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems","volume":"53 1","pages":"60 - 71"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87478206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/10286608.2023.2198767
R. Hingorani, J. Köhler
ABSTRACT Engineering structures consume a significant fraction of resources and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. A conducted literature review shows that most existing approaches to improve the environmental performance of structures concern the adoption of decisions during the conceptual design stage (e.g. on the choice of material), often in connection with life cycle assessment. However, approaches for addressing environmental objectives in practice are often hampered by economic interests pursuing short-term profit. Moreover, such approaches are rather descriptive and lack criteria for assessing the acceptability of specific solutions. Sustainable development of our built environment requires hence a shift of paradigm on how engineering structures are designed. In this paper it is claimed that this should be approached at the strategical level of structural design codes, which contain the rules that support everyday engineering decisions in regard to structural safety and functionality. The paper discusses the reasons why these rules as conceived do not foster an optimal use of materials and explores possibilities for savings of resources and greenhouse gas emissions through modifications of these rules. The potential of risk-informed decision approaches in this context is highlighted and illustrated by a case study – the design of steel beams in building structures.
{"title":"Towards optimised decisions for resource and carbon-efficient structural design","authors":"R. Hingorani, J. Köhler","doi":"10.1080/10286608.2023.2198767","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10286608.2023.2198767","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Engineering structures consume a significant fraction of resources and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. A conducted literature review shows that most existing approaches to improve the environmental performance of structures concern the adoption of decisions during the conceptual design stage (e.g. on the choice of material), often in connection with life cycle assessment. However, approaches for addressing environmental objectives in practice are often hampered by economic interests pursuing short-term profit. Moreover, such approaches are rather descriptive and lack criteria for assessing the acceptability of specific solutions. Sustainable development of our built environment requires hence a shift of paradigm on how engineering structures are designed. In this paper it is claimed that this should be approached at the strategical level of structural design codes, which contain the rules that support everyday engineering decisions in regard to structural safety and functionality. The paper discusses the reasons why these rules as conceived do not foster an optimal use of materials and explores possibilities for savings of resources and greenhouse gas emissions through modifications of these rules. The potential of risk-informed decision approaches in this context is highlighted and illustrated by a case study – the design of steel beams in building structures.","PeriodicalId":50689,"journal":{"name":"Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems","volume":"73 1","pages":"1 - 31"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80647641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/10286608.2023.2212608
D. Forcellini
ABSTRACT Numerical modelling consists of simulating with informatic technologies the conditions of experiments that would require big resources in terms of time and costs. For example, structural engineering considers numerical models of structures because otherwise it would be too expensive to build and destroy a building to study its behaviour under collapse conditions. In this regard, numerical modelling has become a valid alternative to physical experiments since they fall within the scientific method as they need validation that consists in discarding models when the results are not considered reliable. The criterion of falsification is therefore the basis of the selection process not of the ‘most truthful’ model, but of the ‘model least’, that is, less affected by errors. The paper discusses the sources of errors at the base of numerical models by proposing the importance of validation as the application of the falsification method proposed by Karl Popper.
{"title":"The role of falsification in the validation of numerical models","authors":"D. Forcellini","doi":"10.1080/10286608.2023.2212608","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10286608.2023.2212608","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Numerical modelling consists of simulating with informatic technologies the conditions of experiments that would require big resources in terms of time and costs. For example, structural engineering considers numerical models of structures because otherwise it would be too expensive to build and destroy a building to study its behaviour under collapse conditions. In this regard, numerical modelling has become a valid alternative to physical experiments since they fall within the scientific method as they need validation that consists in discarding models when the results are not considered reliable. The criterion of falsification is therefore the basis of the selection process not of the ‘most truthful’ model, but of the ‘model least’, that is, less affected by errors. The paper discusses the sources of errors at the base of numerical models by proposing the importance of validation as the application of the falsification method proposed by Karl Popper.","PeriodicalId":50689,"journal":{"name":"Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems","volume":"8 1","pages":"50 - 59"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85691527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}