Teo, M and Loosemore, M (2006) Community protest groups' perceptions of environmental risks using social contagion theory. In: Boyd, D (ed.) Proceedings of 22nd Annual ARCOM Conference, 4-6 September 2006, Birmingham, UK.
Abstract
Local communities are vulnerable to the potential environmental risks associated with construction activity. Currently, little is understood about how perceptions of environmental risks are shaped and spread within a community. A better understanding of this process can help bridge the gap between developers and communities and bring about more sustainable development practices. This paper reports a research methodology which uses social contagion theory to investigate this process. The research adopts a single case study approach of a highly controversial housing project in the greater Sydney metropolitan area. The case study is particularly significant as it investigates an extensive and on-going community-based protest campaign (dating back almost 20 years) that has generated the longest standing 24 hour community picket in the New South Wales.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | collective action; construction projects; environmental risk perceptions; social contagion |
| Index terms: | community-based, case study, construction activity, sustainable development, housing project, construction project, collective action, research methodology, New South Wales, environmental risk |
| Subjects: | research design and methodology, data collection methods, construction operations, financial risk, production management, Geography, health safety and environment, housing and residential development, communities and social development |
| Topics: | Stakeholder Management, Research Practice, Project Management, Geographical Context, Cost Management, Health and Safety, Site Management, Urban Studies |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here