Zhang, J (2018) Building a sustainability assessment model for highway infrastructure projects in Yunnan, China. PhD thesis, University of Greenwich, UK.
Abstract
Highway infrastructure development in Yunnan Province remains a top priority for the Chinese Government, the aim is to improve access to neighbouring countries and support economic growth and social development in the province. While the social and economic benefits of highway infrastructure projects are indisputable, sustainable performance still leaves room for improvement in Yunnan. In an effort to promote a more sustainable approach to decisions relating to highway infrastructure projects, this research develops a model to assess sustainability in highway infrastructure projects in Yunnan Province. The research results indicate that although China has made great progress in sustainable development, and studies have suggested various frameworks for evaluating sustainability in highway infrastructure projects, an effective assessment model is not available for the local context of Yunnan. Therefore, this research builds an indicator-based assessment model for highway infrastructure project sustainability by addressing local conditions. The data used for analysis in this research is collected from questionnaires and interviews of three groups of experts in Yunnan, including government officers, academic professionals, and construction engineers in the construction industry. Data collected by questionnaires is used to determine the indictors, and the Analysis Hierarchy Process (AHP) method is used to assign indicators weightings. The opinions from the experts' interviews are used to refine the model, and the content analysis is used to analyse interview data. This research identifies a highway project in Yunnan as a case study to test the applicability of the developed model, and the results indicated that the sustainability assessment model for highway infrastructure projects in Yunnan is reasonable. However, in practice, it faces extensive challenges in assessing sustainability in highway infrastructure projects in Yunnan. This study demonstrates the importance of sustainability assessment and strives to build a comprehensive indicator system with consideration of all influential factors, as a positive step towards dealing with these challenges.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Lundy, S and Isaac, D |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | case study; China; content analysis; government; economic growth; infrastructure project; interview; sustainable development |
| Index terms: | engineer, case study, economic growth, infrastructure project, highway infrastructure, construction industry, highway construction, face, content analysis, sustainable development, sustainability assessment, interview, China, questionnaire, influential factor |
| Subjects: | civil engineering, industry analysis, infrastructure and transport systems, risk assessment, profession, data collection methods, data analysis and analytics, economic development, sustainability assessment, health safety and environment, Geography, psychology |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Risk Management, Geographical Context, Engineering Principles, Health and Safety, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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