Asanga Gunawansa

Strategies for potential owners in Singapore to own environmentally sustainable homes

Purpose – With global climate change, it is increasingly necessary to develop the built environment in an environmentally sustainable way. The aim of this study is to investigate the strategies that are needed to enable potential owners to own environmentally sustainable homes. The specific objectives are to: determine the extent to which potential homeowners are willing to pay for homes that are environmentally sustainable; uncover the green features that potential homeowners are willing to pay for; and provide recommendations on how more green features can be incorporated in homes.Design/methodology/approach – The survey research method was adopted and data were collected using a specially designed structured questionnaire. Self‐administered questionnaires were distributed to randomly selected potential homeowners in Singapore.Findings – Based on the data received, the findings show that the majority of the respondents are willing to pay more to own an environmentally green building. However, they are v...

Some key barriers to technology transfer under the clean development mechanism

Technology transfer is not an explicit objective of the clean development mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol, but if well structured, it could be a vehicle for transferring environmentally sustainable technologies from Annex I countries to non-Annex I countries. In this paper, a few key barriers to technology transfer which concern the conflicts between CDM and international investment laws, protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) of the project developers and the capacity of developing countries to accept and benefit from technology transfer are examined. The paper makes suggestions on how to address these barriers in order to create an investment and project development environment that would encourage the developed countries to participate in sustainable development projects in developing countries without fear of their IPR being violated. Furthermore, the paper makes suggestions on how the developing countries could benefit from investment inflows and technology transfer that would boost sustainable development in their jurisdictions.

Effect of adoption of relational contracting practices on relationship quality in public projects in Singapore

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate relational contracting (RC) practices that give rise to higher quality interpersonal relations between these pairs of stakeholders at the end of public projects: clients and contractors; contractors and consultants; and clients and consultants. It developed models to predict the level of quality of interpersonal relations between the stakeholders at the completion of public projects. Design/methodology/approach – Using a set of questionnaire, data were collected from randomly selected construction industry practitioners who have had experience in public projects in Singapore. The data were analysed to identify association between the use of RC practices and quality of interpersonal relations between stakeholders. In-depth interviews with experts were conducted. Findings – It was found that when certain RC practices were adopted to a larger extent, public projects also have significantly higher quality of interpersonal relations between clients, contrac...

Urban Water Infrastructure Development in the Third World: Quo Vadis PPP?

For the last couple of decades, developed as well as developing countries have relied on procurement models such as public-private partnerships (PPP) to finance, develop, manage and operate water infrastructure facilities. However, as in the case of other public infrastructure projects, not all PPPs in the water sector have been successful. Using cases of both successful and failed PPP projects from selected countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia, this paper discusses the effectiveness and outcomes of PPPs under different contractual models and local scenarios. Moreover, an interesting trend that has been noted recently in some developed countries is the remunicipalization of water facilities where public sector entities, mostly local authorities, have begun to reclaim control of water utilities from the private sector. Given this trend, a key issue examined in this paper is whether developing countries have blindly followed developed countries in procuring water infrastructure projects with private sector participation and whether PPPs have a future in water infrastructure development in developing countries.

Urban Water Supply Challenges in Dhaka: Potential for Residential Water Conservation Using Water Efficient Fixtures

Population and economic growth are increasing the demand for water, while climate change, pollution and over extraction of groundwater are decreasing the world’s supply of fresh water. While technological and management reforms can increase supply, sustainable development calls for water conservation. This paper explores the potential of residential water conservation in Dhaka using water efficient fixtures. Primary data collected from 60 households in Dhaka reflects that on average households spend 1.15 percent of their monthly expenditures on water bills with a median of Tk. 350/month (USD 4.40/month). A typical household of 4-6 people living consumes about 2000 litres/day. Water conservation is a neglected concept in Dhaka, and despite the wide availability of efficient fixtures in the market, very few households have installed them. Under this scenario, more accurate pricing through 100 percent metering, implementation of regulations and greater awareness are necessary to promote domestic water conservation using water efficient fixtures.

Editorial: Policy and legislative architecture to deal with climate change and sustainable development in a post-Kyoto framework

This Editorial identifies challenges that need to be addressed post-Kyoto, which include the continuing debate between the developed nations and developing nations on the responsibility for climate change and the impacts mitigatory action would have on economic development. Despite the ongoing debate on who should be more responsible in leading the battle against climate change, the evidence available shows the need for urgent action. It then introduces the papers, presented during the 14th International Sustainable Research Conference, by highlighting a common theme which runs across them: that greenhouse gas emission abatement should be achieved within the larger and more far-reaching framework of sustainable development.

A review of some key climate change legislations and policies: lessons for Singapore's construction industry

There is overwhelming scientific consensus that the climate is changing due to primarily human-induced activities. Emission of greenhouse gases from the energy and construction sectors is one of the main human induced causes. Most legislative and policy initiatives by countries to deal with climate change will have a significant impact on the energy and construction sectors. In proposing the appropriate sustainability lessons for Singapores construction industry, this paper briefly examines the international framework for dealing with climate change and the key legislative and policy initiatives in the USA and Australia, two of the largest GHG emitters in the world. This paper argues that the relevant mechanism introduced in all three countries is insufficient to deal with the impacts of climate change, as their main focus is on mitigation. The most rigorous mitigation efforts currently might not be able to prevent climate changes in the near future; hence, adaptation to climate change should become an integral part of the planning process, especially in the construction sector.