Social Sustainability Indicators in Mass Housing Construction

Authors

Ali Karji, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Asregedew Woldesenbet, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Mostafa Khanzadi, Iran University of Science and Technology

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2017

Citation

53rd ASC Annual International Conference Proceedings (2017), pp 762-769.

http://www.ascpro.ascweb.org

Comments

Copyright 2017 by the Associated Schools of Construction

Abstract

In the construction industry, buildings constitute more than half of the new construction built in the world. With the rapid growth of population in urban areas and high-energy consumption of buildings, considerable attention and efforts have been devoted to creating a sustainably built environment. As a result, various sustainable rating systems, principles and tools have been developed in recent years. This paper presents efforts underway for evaluation of sustainability in mass housing construction projects in the Middle East from a social aspect. The study reviews reports, guidelines and best practices at national and international levels to detect key sustainability indicators. The paper analyzes and evaluates the social perspective of sustainable rating systems of Envision, LEED, BREEM, CASBEE and Green Globes. The research team fine-tuned and assessed the indicators extracted from these guidelines through surveys and content analysis. Based on the analysis, four major categories are identified as critical indicators in the decision-making and planning of mass housing construction. This set of criteria aim toward creating a more sustainable society, which have better community and construction interactions; improved health, safety, and livability; lower risk; and neighborhood characteristics from a project life cycle standpoint.