Search Results (218)

Japan’s 8.5 million vacant homes (Akiyas) represent a paradox of scarcity amid surplus: while rural depopulation leaves properties abandoned, housing shortages and bureaucratic inefficiencies hinder their reuse. This study proposes AKI2ALL, an AI-blockchain framework designed to automate the circular repurposing of Akiyas into ten high-value community assets—guesthouses, co-working spaces, pop-up retail and logistics hubs, urban farming hubs, disaster relief housing, parking lots, elderly daycare centers, exhibition spaces, places for food and beverages, and company offices—through smart contracts and data-driven workflows. By integrating circular economy principles with decentralized technology, AKI2ALL streamlines property transitions, tax validation, and administrative processes, reducing operational costs while preserving embodied carbon in existing structures. Municipalities list properties, owners select uses, and AI optimizes assignments based on real-time demand. This work bridges gaps in digital construction governance, proving that automating trust and accountability can transform systemic inefficiencies into opportunities for community-led, low-carbon regeneration, highlighting its potential as a scalable model for global vacant property reuse. Full article

There is a growing global interest in making existing buildings more energy-efficient. However, stakeholders seem to have differing views on the matter, especially in developing countries, thus raising the issue of awareness amongst key stakeholders at the operational stage of existing buildings. This study aimed to examine stakeholders’ awareness of the benefits of passive retrofit in residential buildings using a convergent mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data were collected from 118 property managers and 163 owners of residential buildings, and qualitative data were collected from six government officials in Lagos State, Nigeria. The quantitative data collected were analysed using fuzzy synthetic evaluation, which addresses the fuzziness in judgement-making on multi-criteria phenomena. The results revealed that property managers and owners had a moderately high level of awareness of the environmental, economic, and social benefits of the passive retrofitting of residential buildings. However, while property managers generally had a higher level of awareness than owners, a significant gap was found in their awareness of environmental benefits. Conversely, the qualitative analysis results showed that government officials demonstrated a strong awareness of environmental benefits (energy reduction, air quality, and natural lighting) and economic advantages (cost savings and lower implementation costs). In contrast, their awareness of social benefits was limited to health improvements. The findings have practical implications for policy development and awareness campaigns. Building agencies need to further reinforce their targeted awareness programmes for owners, who demonstrated fair awareness of environmental benefits while leveraging the intermediary role of property managers in promoting home retrofit practices. Economic benefits should also be an integral part of policy frameworks to drive wider adoption across all stakeholder groups. Full article

The increased uptake of Electric Vehicles (EVs) requires the installation of charging stations in parking lots, both to facilitate charging while running daily errands and to support EV owners with no access to home charging. Photovoltaic (PV) generation is ideal for powering up EVs, both for environmental reasons and for the benefit it creates for Charging Point Operators (CPOs). In this paper, we propose a centralised V1G Smart Charging (SC) algorithm for EV parking lots, considering real EV charging dynamics, which minimises both the EV charging costs for their owners and the CPO electricity provision costs or the related CO₂ emissions. We also introduce an innovative SC benefit-splitting algorithm that makes sure SC savings are fairly split between EV owners. Eight scenarios are described, considering costs or emissions minimisation, with and without a PV system. The centralised algorithm is benchmarked against a decentralised one, and tested in an exemplary workplace parking lot in Denmark, that includes includes 12 charging stations and one PV system, owned by the same entity. Reductions of up to 11% in EV charging costs, 67% in electricity provision costs for the CPO, and 8% in CO₂ emissions are achieved by making smart use of a 35 kWp rooftop PV system. Additionally, the SC benefit-splitting algorithm successfully ensures that EV owners save money when adopting SC. Full article

Assessing the seismic performance of buildings from various epochs is essential for guiding retrofitting policies and educating occupants about their homes’ conditions. However, limited resources pose challenges. Some approaches focus on detailed analyses of a limited number of buildings, while others favor broader coverage with less precision. This paper presents a seismic risk assessment method that balances and integrates the strengths of both, using a comprehensive building survey. We propose a low-cost indicator for evaluating the structural resilience of individual buildings, designed to inform both authorities and property owners, support building rankings, and raise awareness. This indicator classifies buildings by their taxonomy and uses analytical capacity curves (2D or 3D studies) obtained from consulting hundreds of studies to determine the ultimate acceleration (agu) that each building type can withstand before collapse. It also considers irregularities found during the survey (to the exterior and interior) through structural modifiers Δ, and adjusts the peak ground acceleration the building can withstand, agu, based on macroseismic data from past events and based on potential retrofitting, Δ+. Although this method may not achieve high accuracy, it provides a significant approximation for detailed analysis with limited resources and is easy to replicate for similar constructions. The final agu value, considered as resistance, is then compared to the seismic demand at the foundation of the building (accounting for hazard and soil conditions at the building location), resulting in a final R-value. This paper provides specificities to the methodology and applies it to selected areas of the City of Lisbon, clearly supporting the advancement of a more sustainable society. Full article

From 1940 to the present, Turkish seismic standards for masonry building have gradually evolved, culminating in the performance-based TBEC (2018). Unregulated tenant expansions and informal construction, especially in rural areas, continue to be a significant cause of seismic risk despite developments in ring beam design, mortar categorization, and capacity-based criteria. This paper critically examines the structural flaws caused by such expansions in partly built unreinforced masonry homes, focusing in particular on areas of moderate-to-high seismicity. The research shows that occupant changes often ignore necessary seismic protections by means of post-earthquake field observations, comparative code analysis, and recorded failure patterns. Among them are wall slenderness ratios, ring beam continuity, and masonry unit and mortar quality checks. Common ensuing failures include corner disintegration, roof–wall separation, and diagonal shear cracking. Relying on qualitative analysis of reoccurring damage mechanisms seen during field investigations, the results come from post-disaster evaluations of 2568 masonry dwellings after the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes. This paper emphasizes a continual gap between seismic rules and informal building practice and contends that without official acknowledgment of owner-built changes, code efficacy stays constrained. These results are also of worldwide importance for earthquake-prone areas struggling to control informal or self-built buildings. Full article

While the speed of the transition to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) depends on real-world driving behaviors and socioeconomic conditions, relevant predictions are often not based on real trip data. This study analyzes over 200,000 private car trips, tracked via onboard telematics across Italy, in order to assess the feasibility of replacing internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) with BEVs. Given that drivers are resistant to changing their habits, we introduce the E-Private Mobility Index, which quantifies the percentage of traditional cars at present that are functionally compatible with a medium BEV, assuming home charging. Nationwide, this index reaches 30%, but only 15% of car owners would also see financial benefits. By quantifying both the potential to replace traditional cars with electric ones and the associated economic impacts, our analysis supports sustainable mobility by offering insights into the rate of penetration of sustainable and green mobility, in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal. With its unprecedented statistical significance, the study not only provides a data-driven upper threshold of BEV penetration but also offers a flexible framework for shaping future policies, allowing the adaptation of parameters and assumptions to guide a scalable transition to electric private mobility. Full article

Although other studies have utilized demographic variables to characterize pet owners, this study incorporates a demographic framework that considers different family structures—couples and singles, with or without children—to better understand the place of pets within families. This article explores the extent to which pets fit into families in either substitute or complementary family roles, whether the inclusion of pets in families is subject to resource constraints or cultural proclivities. Data are from the 2023 Pew Research Social Trends study, a nationally representative telephone survey of 5073 respondents, analyzed using bivariate and multinomial models. Results indicate that couples without children are just as likely to be a dog-only household as are the traditional pet-owning families of couples with young children. They are also more likely to have cats, with or without dogs, compared to couples with young children. Homeownership makes pets, especially dogs, more feasible for families. The results suggest that pets are considered as substitutes and/or complements for other family members. Pets may be more affordable and attainable substitutes and/or complements for human family members, provided there are both human and spatial resources, filling a niche created by changes in family formation patterns, while providing affection, companionship and a sense of home. Full article

Heat pumps (HPs) are considered as a key technology in the future energy system. Besides technical and ecological aspects, user acceptance and user friendliness are also essential. The aim of the study was therefore to research which aspects are decisive for the purchase decision, which different types of HP owners can be distinguished, how their specific user behavior can be characterized in terms of control and operation, and what their respective requirements and wishes are for the functions and operation of their HPs. A mixed-methods approach in an exploratory sequential design was used. Based on nine qualitative interviews and a survey with 510 respondents, both conducted in Austria, it is observed that the most relevant arguments for the purchase decision of HPs are high environmental friendliness and efficiency, as well as resource independence. Respecting certain usage and requirement patterns, four user types could be identified and defined—the minimalist, the functionalist, the tech-savvy tinkerer, and the anxious user. In the future, intelligent control and regulation approaches and the integration of HPs into a holistic energy and building management system (smart home) will become more important. Based on the results, tailor-made system solutions can be developed, user friendliness optimized, and new services developed. Full article

Dogs and humans have shared a complex relationship throughout history, with law serving as an important tool to manage dogs’ integration into human societies. As dogs increasingly become regarded as family members in Western countries, and as similar trends emerge globally, it is vital to understand how legislation balances the interests of stakeholders. Existing studies often focus on localised disputes and fragmented legal areas, limiting understanding of how dog-related laws interact and potentially conflict. We developed a conceptual framework to systematically analyse dog-related legislation, using the United Kingdom as a case study. Identified through a systematic search, laws were evaluated using content analysis based on the benefits provided to stakeholders, the regulated aspects of dog ownership, and whether benefits afforded to stakeholders occur in public or private spaces. We found that the greatest legislative focus was on dog welfare, dangerous dogs, and dog control, with little emphasis on areas like the breeding and sale of dogs. Eighty-two percent of laws that manage dogs in public space predominantly benefit the general public, often disadvantaging dogs and their owners, while 81% of laws that govern dogs within the home favour dogs. Owners consistently face legal obligations, but gain few benefits. These findings highlight misalignments between the law and dogs’ evolving societal roles, potentially contributing to public space conflicts and low compliance. The framework offers a tool for cross-country comparisons and assessing legislation for other species with similarly shifting roles. Full article

Smart power grids (SGs) enhance efficiency, reliability, and sustainability by integrating distributed energy resources (DERs) such as solar panels and wind turbines. A key challenge in SGs is managing home battery charging during periods of insufficient renewable energy generation to ensure fairness, efficiency, and customer satisfaction. This paper introduces a secure reinforcement learning (RL)-based framework for optimizing battery charging coordination while addressing privacy concerns and false data injection (FDI) attacks. Privacy is preserved through Federated Learning (FL), enabling collaborative model training without sharing sensitive State of Charge (SoC) data that could reveal personal routines. To combat FDI attacks, Deep Learning (DL)-based detectors are deployed to identify malicious SoC data manipulation. To improve FL efficiency, the Change and Transmit (CAT) technique reduces communication overhead by transmitting only model parameters that experience enough change comparing to the last round. Extensive experiments validate the framework’s efficacy. The RL-based charging coordinator ensures fairness by maintaining SoC levels within thresholds and reduces overall power utilization through optimal grid power allocation. The CAT-FL approach achieves up to 93.5% communication overhead reduction, while DL-based detectors maintain high accuracy, with supervised models reaching 99.84% and anomaly detection models achieving 92.1%. Moreover, the RL agent trained via FL demonstrates strong generalization, achieving high cumulative rewards and equitable power allocation when applied to new data owners which did not participate in FL training. This framework provides a scalable, privacy-preserving, and efficient solution for energy management in SGs, offering high accuracy against FDI attacks and paving the way for the future of smart grid deployments. Full article

Approximately 3% of home-owners in Flanders (Belgium) are “locked-in”, residing in substandard dwellings with limited financial means for improvement. Under the European Urban Innovative Actions project ICCARus, 84 dwellings of locked-in home-owners in Ghent (Belgium) underwent renovations with an average budget of EUR 29,000. Their impact on housing quality, energy performance, indoor environmental quality (IEQ), and user satisfaction was assessed. The housing quality was evaluated using the Flemish Housing Code, and energy performance was calculated. A monitoring campaign in selected dwellings evaluated the IEQ. Interviews documented home-owners’ satisfaction. The results revealed a significant enhancement in housing quality, with post-renovation compliance reaching 83%. Energy performance notably improved, from a pre-renovation F-label prevalence (31% of the cases) to a post-renovation majority achieving a C-label (55%). The average indoor temperature in all rooms increased after renovation. A moderate correlation between enhancement in the living room and bathroom temperature and budget for energy performance measures was noted. The CO₂ concentration in the majority of the homes remained unchanged. A total of 61% of the participants reported increased satisfaction with their dwelling post-renovation, with more pronounced improvement in winter. This enhanced satisfaction was correlated with improved energy performance. Full article

Mothers in Amman Downtown frequently report feeling unsafe and excluded from public spaces. This study explores the impact of multiple layers of oppression, coupled with inadequate public spaces, on mothers’ perceptions. Using an intersectional lens, we examine how various identities intersect to shape the experiences and perspectives of motherhood in urban environments, helping us better understand the challenges faced by marginalized groups in public spaces. Ethnographic methods, including semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and field observations, were employed. The research highlights how the absence of care-supportive environments forces mothers to develop spatial tactics, such as cutting their trips short and returning home, seeking permission from shop owners to use private restrooms, or using their cars as temporary caregiving spaces, as a response to their exclusion. The findings offer deeper insights into the experiences of mothers, highlighting the need to address their specific needs and preferences in the design and management of public spaces. This study emphasizes the importance of fostering social and gender equity through interventions tailored to the diverse needs of mothers, with a particular focus on creating sustainable, care-supportive environments in public spaces. Full article

EU countries have committed to taking national measures to reduce the average energy use of residential buildings by 16% by 2030 and 20–22% by 2035. Each country has decided how to achieve this and which buildings to focus on. However, certain categories of residential buildings, including historical buildings but also second homes, may be exempt from these obligations. In Sweden, second homes constitute a substantial part of the housing stock and contribute to energy use for heating and hot water of 2.79 TWh, of which 2.16 TWh is electricity. Even if the owners of second homes are not obliged to take energy efficiency measures, quite simple and inexpensive measures may contribute to substantial energy savings. In this study, simulations of energy use in 862 second homes heated with direct electric heating were carried out for five energy efficiency measures (additional attic insulation, new windows, air-to air heat pump and decreasing the temperature during absence to 10 and 5 °C). With the assumption that the 862 second homes are representative of the entire stock of electric-heated second homes in Sweden, the energy saving potential was estimated to be 1.17 TWh per year if all homes install heat pumps and 0.99 TWh and 1.30 TWh per year if all lower the temperature to 10 °C or 5 °C when the house is not used. Full article

With an emphasis on pilots in Spain and Portugal, this study examines the connection between Efficient, Sustainable, and Inclusive Energy (ESIE) performance improvements, home renovations, and tenant/owner behavior within the framework of the FORTESIE project (CBDC-powered Smart PerFORmance contracTs for Efficiency, Sustainable, Inclusive, Energy Use). This paper investigates the relationship between tenant behavior along with energy consumption and renovation packages that also include digital technologies and energy efficiency measures. It studies the efficiency and effectiveness of the FORTESIE Common Impact Model (CIM) towards engaging homeowners/tenants, comprehending their driving forces, and implementing customized plans to encourage sustainable energy practices. This study presents applied case studies with different digital and energy literacy backgrounds and emphasizes the importance of considering elements such as cultural settings, energy poverty, and digital literacy when creating sustainable energy engagement approaches and putting them into practice. Taking into account these elements, this study investigates whether the CIM can be used effectively in diverse settings to engage with stakeholders and help create customized and appropriate energy behavior pathways. Full article

This paper introduces an innovative sell-type home reversion product aimed at monetizing Singapore’s public flats, serving as a new alternative to the existing Singapore Lease Buyback Scheme (LBS). This new product not only retains the LBS’s guaranteed period of residence in the property along with life annuity incomes but also enhances the product features to meet specific homeowner needs, including the ability to age in place, flexibility in retaining part of the property, options for bequests, and guaranteed principal return. By incorporating these additional features, the new product seeks to stimulate greater demand for monetizing public flats among asset-rich but cash-poor homeowners. An actuarial pricing model is developed to establish a transparent and fair framework for justifying the cost of each product feature. Additionally, we present a cost–benefit analysis from both the provider and consumer perspectives to highlight the major contributions of the new product when compared to the LBS. Full article