scholarly journals The rising stars of social innovations: How do local governments facilitate citizen initiatives to thrive? The case of waste management in Brussels and Hong Kong

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wing Yee Chin ◽  
Heleen L.P. Mees
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Social Innovations ◽  
Citizen Initiatives

DRIVING FACTORS FOR CONSTRUCTION WASTE MINIMIZATION: EMPIRICAL STUDIES IN HONG KONG AND SHENZHEN

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 155-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zezhou Wu ◽  
Ann T.W. Yu ◽  
Hao Wang ◽  
Yigang Wei ◽  
Xiaosen Huo
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Driving Factors ◽  
Waste Minimization ◽  
Economic Viability ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Affecting Factors ◽  
Construction Waste

Effective waste management is an important aspect of green building development. However, a number of studies find that construction waste minimization actions are not satisfactorily performed in practice. Thus, it is of significance to identify the driving factors that influence construction practitioners' waste minimization behavior. This paper aims to explore the driving factors by comparing the affecting factors and construction waste minimization behavior between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Firstly, through a comprehensive literature review, potential affecting factors were categorized into five groups: background information variables, construction waste minimization intentions, economic viability, governmental supervision, and project constraints. Based on the identified factors, a questionnaire was initially designed and then refined through a focus group meeting with three experienced experts. A total of 166 questionnaires were collected and non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U Test and Kruskal-Wallis Test) were conducted to investigate the underlying driving factors. Results revealed that background information variables play insignificant roles in construction waste minimization. Compared with other affecting factors (i.e., waste minimization intentions, governmental supervision, project constraints), economic viability is the most important driving factor that determines construction waste minimization. Results suggested that local governments should make policies that increase practitioners' profit, rather than just increasing their intentions or regulating waste management behavior.

scholarly journals Municipal Urban Waste Management—Challenges for Polish Cities in an Era of Circular Resource Management

Resources ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Agata Mesjasz-Lech
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Municipal Waste ◽  
City Management ◽  
Environmental Orientation ◽  
Material Cycles ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Urban Waste Management

Municipal authorities increasingly view environmental protection as one of the goals of city management. The pro-environmental orientation of cities can, therefore, foster the creation of new management methods and instruments and promote reorganization of determining material flows in a municipal system. Activities of this kind should result not only in the reduction of generated waste but also in the creation of closed material cycles. Considering the tasks of Polish local governments, municipalities should pay the most attention to municipal waste. Accordingly, the goal of this study was to identify the problem of mixed municipal waste in cities and assess the influence of investments into fixed assets for environmental protection in the scope of waste management on the quantity of mixed municipal waste in cities. This article also identifies activities for circular resource management that need to be realized by Polish municipalities. The analysis was performed using the panel model, dynamic indexes, and critical analysis of city documents. The conducted research revealed positive trends in cities with respect to the amount of waste collected non-selectively that is conducive to circular resource management. The fact that municipal waste quantity is on the increase should encourage urban authorities to promote pro-environmental waste management behaviors among city dwellers.

Towards flexible evaluation schemes in areas with lacking information: a case of waste governance in Mexico

2021 ◽  
pp. 002085232110179
Author(s):  
Dolores Elizabeth Turcott Cervantes ◽  
Beatriz Adriana Venegas Sahagún ◽  
Amaya Lobo García de Cortázar
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Municipal Solid Waste ◽  
Solid Waste ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Solid Waste Management ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Municipal Solid Waste Management ◽  
Stage Of Development

Local governments face the need to achieve sustainability in the provision of public services, and to do so, proper governance is essential. This work proposes a method to assess governance in local waste management systems based on a set of indicators that are flexible and robust enough to allow objective and reliable evaluation even where the information that is available is deficient. The proposal is based on a set of indicators divided into six categories that represent an increasing order of governance maturity: institutional framework; government effectiveness; transparency and accountability; network creation; participation; and corruption control. The article presents the proposal and a first test in two Mexican municipalities, which are an example of municipal solid waste management systems in an incipient stage of development, where there may be serious limitations in terms of access to information. The results show that the methodology can be replicated in different contexts and can be useful for making decisions about improvements in municipal solid waste management systems or for comparing them with others. In addition, sufficient information was obtained for a first diagnosis of the cases studied, which indicates the coherence of the proposed framework. Points for practitioners Proper governance is essential to achieve sustainability in the provision of public services. The assessment of local governance must be robust enough to motivate changes and, at the same time, flexible enough to allow reliable evaluation where the quality of service and the availability of information may be scant. We propose a new framework for the assessment of governance in municipal solid waste management systems that meets these requirements, based on a set of indicators clustered according to governance maturity.

scholarly journals Strategies for Effective Waste Reduction and Management of Building Construction Projects in Highly Urbanized Cities—A Case Study of Hong Kong

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 214
Author(s):  
Ann T. W. Yu ◽  
Irene Wong ◽  
Zezhou Wu ◽  
Chi-Sun Poon
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Construction Waste ◽  
Waste Management Practices

Hong Kong is a densely populated city with high-rise developments, and as in other metropolitan cities, the amount of waste generated from construction projects in the city is increasing annually. The capacity of existing landfills is expected to be saturated by the 2020s. Construction waste management has been implemented for years but the performance is still not satisfactory. The aim of this research paper is to explore and formulate strategies and measures for effective construction waste management and reduction in highly urbanized cities such as Hong Kong. A desktop study on construction waste management practices was carried out for a preliminary understanding of the current situation in Hong Kong. Semistructured interviews and focus group meetings were further conducted to shed light on how to improve construction waste reduction and management in Hong Kong. The main contributions of this research study are the potential short-term, medium-term, and long-term strategies, which are related to the design stage, tender stage, construction stage, and government support. The five major strategies recommended are financial benefits to stakeholders, public policies in facilitating waste sorting, government supports for the green building industry, development of a mature recycling market, and education and research in construction waste minimization and management.

CROSS-BOUNDARY AIR POLLUTION CONTROL UNDER “ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS”: PERSPECTIVES FROM HONG KONG–GUANGDONG COLLABORATION

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (03) ◽  
pp. 601-625
Author(s):  
TING YIN TIFFANY WONG ◽  
YUAN XU ◽  
YOUNGHO CHANG
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Pollution Control ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Necessary Conditions ◽  
Air Pollution Control ◽  
Two Systems ◽  
One Country Two Systems ◽  
Effective Collaboration

This study aims to examine how “One Country, Two Systems” has shaped and influenced the collaboration on cross-boundary air pollution control between the governments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Guangdong province. The presence of the Chinese central government significantly fostered the start of this collaboration, but the implementation and collaborative relationship were relatively weak and unsustainable due to the two local governments’ largely different interests, goals and political demands. We found that the emphasis on “One Country” especially after 2003 led to the signature of more joint agreements in comparison with what the emphasis on “Two Systems” did between 1997 and 2003. Joint agreements appear to be necessary conditions for effective collaboration, but too many of them without satisfying implementation could have resulted in less concrete benefits. A balanced stress on “One Country” and “Two Systems” might bring an appropriate number of joint agreements with good implementation for more effective collaboration.

scholarly journals Analisis Daya Tampung Beban Pencemaran Kali Asem di Sekitar TPST Bantar Gebang dan TPA Sumur Batu

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Opy Kurniasari ◽  
Lina Aprianti
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Solid Waste Management ◽  
River Pollution ◽  
Sampling Point ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Environmental Capability ◽  
Business Entities ◽  
Initial Sampling

The amount of waste management, especially in big cities and metropolitan areas, forms the basis for various policies. One of them is the Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 18 Year 2008 concerning Solid Waste Management which mandates cooperation and partnerships between local governments, business entities, and the community in carrying out waste management. The carrying capacity of the environment should be one of the considerations in the preparation and determination of environmental management and recovery plans. However, in its implementation, the calculation of environmental carrying capacity is not easy. Therefore, planning is not based on environmental capability, but existing conditions, which are likely to have experienced degradation or exceeded carrying capacity. This condition is expected to cause a decrease in the carrying capacity of the environment around the Bantar Gebang TPST and Sumur Batu TPA, one of which is the Kali Asem river. Based on this, it is necessary to analyze the assimilative capacity of Kali Asem pollution around the TPST and TPA. The purpose of this study was to analyze the capacity of Asem River pollution load so that the ability of the environment in the area around TPST Bantargebang, Bekasi City to support the lives of humans and other living things. The results of laboratory analysis showed that at the initial sampling point, Kali Asem was already in a polluted condition which is characterized by high levels of BOD and COD.

Hong Kong’s “Rail-plus-Property” Development

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clément Musil
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Original Model ◽  
Land Value ◽  
Property Development ◽  
Sustainable City ◽  
Value Capture ◽  
Transit Systems ◽  
Developing Cities ◽  
International Donors

Many Southeast Asian developing cities are facing traffic and pollution issues. In order to produce a more sustainable city, local governments often opt for developing modern public transit systems. Because of a lack of finance, developing cities are supported by international donors while also looking for self-sufficient financing approaches like land value capture mechanisms. The Hong Kong “Rail plus Property” (R+P) model is seen as a reference. This chapter stresses the advantages of such a model, points out the particularities that make this model very unique and argues that adjustments that have recently been made are distorting the original model. Hence, the R+P model appears not as evident and straightforward as its advocates would like it to be.

Social Innovation as a New Social Policy Tool for Regional Government Institutions in Smart Territories

2020 ◽  
pp. 53-66
Author(s):  
Muradiye Ates
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Direct Contact ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Regional Government ◽  
Policy Tool ◽  
Spare Time ◽  
Social Innovations

By aiming at improving social welfare and well-being, social policies, social innovation, and smart territories are closely related to each other. Local authorities are in direct contact with citizens and regional needs, which makes them an important actor in overcoming challenges ranging from housing, spare-time activities to education to improving democratic standards. There are many successful examples of social innovations, including FixMyStreet.com, participatory budgeting, and Open Government Vienna, which are supported by local governments that can contribute to the formation of smart cities and territories. By elaborating related examples from various perspectives, this chapter highlights the relation between social policy, social innovation, and smart cities.

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