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Applied Sciences
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Future-Ready Sustainable Infrastructure Systems Ⅱ
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Future-Ready Sustainable Infrastructure Systems Ⅱ

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2020) | Viewed by 2518

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Lu Aye

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Infrastructure Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
Interests: complex systems modelling; energy engineering; HVAC&R; system dynamics; waste to resources
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Felix Kin Peng Hui

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Infrastructure Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
Interests: engineering management; green building; project delivery; lean construction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past few years, there have been considerable concerns raised about the capacity and capability of our current infrastructure systems to satisfactorily address the issues arising from population growth and environmental sustainability. Population distribution is also shifting towards older ages. There are positive and negative impacts of our ageing population that need to be considered. The increasingly harsh effects of climate change such as stronger storms, more common floods and droughts, and more intense heat waves call for infrastructure systems to be more resilient. The capability to mitigate the risks to critical infrastructure systems is also becoming more important. These issues combine to bring about a strain on our natural resources and on the wellbeing of the people who rely on such infrastructure systems for daily life.

Recent advances in enabling technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, renewable materials, lean manufacturing, and integrated project delivery create opportunities for innovative solutions for future infrastructure systems. They not only aid infrastructure development but also provide positive outcomes for people’s wellbeing. It would therefore be beneficial to explore how strategic applications of such enabling technologies, materials, or sustainable design and delivery can aid in creating future-ready sustainable infrastructure systems that incorporate scalability and resilience.

The purpose of this Special Issue is therefore to disseminate leading research findings and new knowledge in these research domains. We welcome high-quality and original works in these areas that have not been published. The selected proposed manuscripts will be subject to a careful peer review and editorial process.

Prof. Dr. Lu Aye
Dr. Felix Kin Peng Hui
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aging population
  • climate change
  • critical infrastructure
  • risk
  • resilience
  • wellbeing
  • enabling technologies
  • renewable materials
  • compact cities
  • energy
  • water
  • food
  • shelter
  • IoT
  • integrated project delivery
  • governance
  • policy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 2130 KiB  
Article
Reliability-Based Decision Support Framework for Major Changes to Social Infrastructure PPP Contracts
by Linna Geng, Nilupa Herath, Lihai Zhang, Felix Kin Peng Hui and Colin Duffield
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(21), 7659; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10217659 - 29 Oct 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2148
Abstract
In the operational phase of public-private partnership (PPP) contracts, undue delay in addressing real needs may lead to poor service outcomes; conversely, commencing variations to a PPP agreement on the whim of end-user runs the risk of reducing the value created by detailed [...] Read more.
In the operational phase of public-private partnership (PPP) contracts, undue delay in addressing real needs may lead to poor service outcomes; conversely, commencing variations to a PPP agreement on the whim of end-user runs the risk of reducing the value created by detailed structuring and considerations undertaken in establishing agreement. This difficulty is exasperated as there is generally a lack of understanding by the end-user as to the specifics of service delivery performance requirements contracted. In order to address this question, this study, for the first time, develops a reliability-based decision support framework (RDSF) that incorporates end-user’s perceived service quality (i.e., how satisfied it is with the space, operation and maintenance activities) with those specified in the PPP agreement, and further identifies when the gap between end-user’s expectations and contractual obligations warrants reconsideration. This developed framework is then implemented to test the data gathered from three PPP schools in Australia based on both a current snapshot of performance data, i.e., abatements as gathered through contract documents and end-user’s perception through in-depth interviews, and a projected scenario of the future as well. Reliability analysis used here compares time-dependent risk profiles of current and expected performance and thereby identifies major changes in a PPP contract that would sensibly require reconsideration. The specific results indicate there is no current difficulty between end-user’s perception and the contract. However, the projected long-term scenario demonstrates how the decision framework can identify areas for review and changes if end-users are more dissatisfied with the service being achieved. The RDSF is capable of quantifying current service performance, considering the engagement of the end-user. Thus it enriches theories in the field of performance management system (PMS), and also contributes to knowledge regarding an evidence-based test for justifying possible agreement modifications or additional works in social PPPs operations. In addition, guidance for performance improvement strategies in aspects of the dissatisfied area is also provided. Application of this approach would assist in maintaining the long-term value for money of social infrastructure PPP agreements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future-Ready Sustainable Infrastructure Systems Ⅱ)
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