Wang, Ze (2025) Advancing circular construction in sydney: Integrating system dynamics, evolutionary game theory, and robust optimization for construction and demolition waste management. PhD thesis, University of Sydney, Australia.
Abstract
The construction sector not only drives global economic growth but also ranks among the world's largest consumers of natural resources and producers of waste. With construction activities responsible for 30–50% of the world's raw material use and nearly 37% of energy-related emissions, there is an urgent need to pivot from the linear "take-make-dispose" model to a circular economy that emphasizes resource efficiency and closed-loop processes. However, implementing such circular strategies is particularly challenging in dense urban contexts like Sydney, where construction and demolition waste levels remain critically high. This dissertation tackles these challenges by proposing and evaluating innovative approaches to circular construction. Employing a multi-method framework that integrates System Dynamics modeling, evolutionary game theory, and distributionally robust optimization, the research pursues three interrelated objectives. First, it explores the economic and operational drivers affecting concrete recycling in Sydney. Second, it assesses how stakeholder interactions and targeted policies can accelerate the adoption of sustainable construction practices. Third, it optimizes skip-based waste collection under uncertainty, offering more resilient and efficient logistics for construction and demolition waste management. The findings contribute both theoretically and practically to the field of circular construction. They highlight key leverage points to increase recycling rates, offer evidence-based policy insights for promoting sustainable practices, and present robust operational solutions for waste management. Taken together, these results furnish actionable guidance for policymakers and industry professionals eager to operationalize circular economy principles, thus bridging a crucial gap between sustainability concepts and on-the-ground construction practices.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Bell, Michael |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | circular construction; system dynamics modeling; evolutionary game theory; and distributionally robust optimization |
| Index terms: | evolutionary game, modelling, interaction, economic growth, dissertation, resource efficiency, circular economy, natural resource, recycling, construction activity, sustainable practice, construction sector, waste management, system dynamics, evidence-based policy, strategy, construction and demolition, sustainable construction practice |
| Subjects: | behavioral psychology, sustainable design, sustainable construction, economic development, construction operations, analytical methods, public policy, environmental resource management, waste management, research dissemination and communication, industry analysis, economic theory, sustainable practices, management, computing systems |
| Topics: | Site Management, Digital Applications, Governance, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Sustainability, Engineering Principles |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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