Jamie Mackee

Towards SEA for the developing nations of Asia

Abstract In the developing and transitional countries of Asia, environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been widely practiced as a planning tool that identifies the potential impacts associated with developments and determines their level of significance and the need for mitigating measures. Not withstanding its extensive use in many Asian countries, certain limitations are now being increasingly recognised with regard to achieving sustainable development within the planning process. It is also noted that the natural environment in Asia has continued to be severely degraded despite the adoption of EIA. This research project was undertaken at the National University of Singapore to review the status on the implementation of EIA procedures and to investigate the status and potential of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in Asia. The research project generally investigated the existing physical attributes of six countries including Hong Kong and Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam and discussed their prevailing environmental conditions. It more specifically reviewed policymaking and environmental planning, environmental legislation and the practice and procedures of environmental impact assessment. It also evaluated environmental assessment education and training activities. In some cases such as Hong Kong, an opportunity to analyse actual SEA practice was included. In other cases, the potential for possible take up of formal SEA was assessed. A comparative review assesses the degree to which EIA and SEA procedures have been utilized, considers how the use of SEA could overcome the deficiencies of the EIA project-based system and includes aspects of meeting sustainability criteria. Results show that the use and application of EIA is relatively strong across all countries with the possible exception of Singapore which relies more heavily on its planning and control system to address potential environmental impacts arising from development projects. Despite this, EIAs have been undertaken in every country due to aid and bank lending agencies requiring them and multinational companies and many local NGOs completing voluntary EIAs. Even though the mandatory introduction of EIA into some countries is fairly recent such as Hong Kong (1999) and Vietnam (1994), efforts to conduct such investigations may have started many years before. The country reviews highlight many common problems and adverse influences that give rise to inadequate EIA practice, and in some cases, recommendations for improvement are proposed. The potential for SEA is assessed on the basis of its present usage which is generally small except for Hong Kong and the environmental strategic decision-making that is being conducted in policy, plan and programme formulations. While the more comprehensive and well-refined westernized model of SEA is generally weakly implemented at present, there is evidence to suggest that Agenda 21, along with other international treaties such as the Biodiversity Charter and the Ramsar Convention, has motivated certain sustainability initiatives that are resulting in increased environmental considerations at a strategic level. In some cases, these may be reflected in National Plan policymaking or in the sector and area-based activities of various ministries and departments. It is concluded that SEA potential is generally strong in those countries with smaller centralized bureaucracies but that its successful implementation will be highly dependent on changing the mind-sets and motivations of top personnel at ministerial level.

Environmental assessment in Malaysia: a means to an end or a new beginning?

This paper reviews the current framework for, and practical application of, environmental impact assessment (EIA) in Malaysia and assesses the progress made towards adoption of strategic environmental assessment (SEA). EIA legislation was first introduced in 1987 and much progress has been made in enforcing compliance with the requirements. More recent moves towards devolution of EIA control to the states are an indicator of the influence that EIA is making, although there are still many practical constraints to be overcome. Even more recently, Malaysia has used SEA for area-wide schemes: the potential for this take up is evaluated. Despite many problems, the EIA process continues to function and evidence of an emerging commitment to SEA bodes well for the future.

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT IN SRI LANKA: ITS STATUS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

Sri Lanka is an island republic situated off the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent. It has a long and continuous recorded history dating back approximately 2,500 years, and claims to have one of the oldest nature reserves in the world. However, Environmental Assessment (EA) in the country has a much shorter history. This can be traced back to the early eighties and the dramatic change in economic policies when initial legislation was enacted. The final three amendments to this legislation making EAs mandatory came into force in 1993, although there were some EIAs predating this legislation that were voluntary and prepared for large infrastructure projects. Since then, a number of EAs and Initial Environmental Examinations (IEEs) have been prepared for a wide variety of projects with varying degrees of success. Despite this, the natural environment is still undergoing rapid deterioration, while proper implementation of good EIA practice is still needed. The research presented in this paper, which is ...

Recovering cultural built heritage after natural disasters: A resilience perspective

Purpose – This paper aims to propose an alternative strategy for preparing, recovering and conserving cultural built heritage (CBH) in the context of natural disasters. It presents the idea that disaster preparedness is integral to CBH protection and conservation. Design/methodology/approach – Building upon a review of existing scholarship on CBH, resilience and disaster management, a conceptual model is proposed to assist key stakeholders preparing for the recovery of CBH after natural disasters. It is argued that the protection and recovery of CBH in the wake of natural disasters require a holistic approach and that the theoretical framework of resilience thinking can support such an approach. Findings – The paper discusses how the process of adaptive cycles has a role to play in the development of a holistic understanding of the conservation process. It proposes an adaptive cycle model that is supported by four critical factors: reordering, conserving, shifting and transforming. Originality/value – Thr...

Environmental assessment in Singapore: an enigma wrapped up in a mystery!

This paper reviews the status of the environmental assessment (EA) system in Singapore and attempts to evaluate the potential for adoption of strategic environmental assessment (SEA). In Singapore, the colonial legacy of the planning system has resulted in similar processes being adopted to the British planning system and similar resistance to that previously experienced in the UK towards EA. This research indicates that the benefits of EA are not being achieved and that the demise of the natural environment in Singapore is being severely affected as a result. The terminology of SEA is not recognised, although it is claimed that environmental considerations are included in the sophisticated concept planning system that follows a ten-year cycle. Evidence collected suggests that other considerations perceived to be more important relating to economic, technical and social issues far outweighany emphasis on the environment.

An Integrated Research Design for Developing a Holistic Sustainable Decision Making Framework in Regenerating Chinese Cities

It has often been recognised that urban planning and regeneration play a crucial role in the achievement of urban sustainability. However, problems still exist with regards to the approaches for decision making in urban regeneration of Chinese cities. Significant limitations are identified and discussed in the context of sustainability, such as the reductionism within many of the approaches and the lack of holism in the evaluation. The identified deficiencies provide the motivation for the development of a new framework which can integrate the hierarchical structure and holistic utilisation of sustainability in the built environment. The framework helps decision makers identify the sustainability aspects involved in an urban planning project, guiding them in the evaluation on the basis of a number of problem solving methods. This paper describes the development of the research methodology. It is structured into four main sections. In order to address the research question and select the appropriate research methods for achieving the research objectives, the opening section provides information on the contemporary context of the study area. Existing inductive modelling approaches and their suitability to this research are discussed. Then the following section provides the research objectives and a justification for the chosen strategy. Both the selection of the research theory and the immediate context of the study are discussed. Subsequently, the logic linking the research design to the research objectives is considered. Finally, the detailed methodology for building an integrated sustainability evaluating framework will be introduced. Case studies are adopted to show the benefits of the framework in the urban projects and across different design processes. Practical applications of the framework are used to test the validity of this approach in different cultural regions and using different local practices. The resulting framework will provide a significant step forward in understanding and evaluating the built environment in the context of a sustainable urban development in China.

Mixed Messages: Tacit Communication Emanating from Non-human Actants in Disaster Contexts☆

Abstract Post-disaster reportage frequently focusses on catastrophic and harrowing human impacts together with heroic acts of mercy: aid agencies benefit from the subsequent mobilisation of donors. In the aftermath analytical reviews evaluate both success and failure to reflexively improve relief outcomes in future aid deployments. Both activities tend to concentrate on the experiences of key individuals in major organisations associated with disaster recovery and reconstruction. Little consideration is given to the influence of the non-human aid they deploy beyond the recognition that they are vital and necessary. Similarly, government and NGO policies and procedures are regarded as the mechanisms by which aid is distributed. None of this is counterintuitive or surprising, yet there may be another dimension. Actor Network Theory (ANT) was conceived as a problem-solving action research tool predicated upon the notion that non-human actants can play an equal role in problems, and while ANT has previously been utilised in monthly to consider the challenges faced when integrating high-level technology systems with humans this paper speculates that the technique could also reveal useful insights during disaster recovery and reconstruction. This paper uses a detailed case study to suggest that a) nonhuman actants in disaster contexts may exert influences that were not foreseen when they were deployed, and that b) human actants may exert unintended influences: critically these actants include researchers and reporters. The research concludes that ANT principles have the potential to surface new perspectives in complex post-disaster contexts, but that the conduct of a purist ANT investigation would be highly problematic and potentially disruptive to the reconstruction process.

From cities to districts: combined analysis on density variation of Chinese cities in different climate zones

In the analysis of the built environment, holistic analysis and hierarchical assessment of sustainability is strongly needed to avoid the isolation of the component parts and fragmented decision making. This paper presents an ongoing research based on the case study with a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis methods. The aim for this paper is to validate Holistic Sustainability Evaluation Framework for Asia-Pacific Regions (HSEFA), find out the influencing indicators of urban climate which is one of the sixteen modalities in the framework, and propose recommendations on best practice in urban form. The authors have analysed the density of 85 Chinese cities statistically according to the pre-defined climatic indicators. A close qualitative case study is followed on the districts of five representative Chinese cities located in four different climatic zones. The holistic sustainability evaluation framework established and validated aims to assist the design and decision making in urban design which is suitable for Chinese cities and other cities in the Asia-Pacific Regions.

Motivation to Engage: Piloting Assessment Techniques to Encourage Student Engagement

Abstract Problem based learning (PBL) requires that the educational experience be student-centred and situated in a real-world context. Further, the motivation to learn is largely driven by the student’s expectation and experience of assessment procedures. It is a challenge to design assessment processes that satisfy the simultaneous requirements of educational certification, quality assurance, problem realism and yet provide realistic outcomes whilst still encouraging creativity and deep learning. This paper reports on the implementation of a trial assessment strategy that seeks to address the challenge in a problem based learning context.