Impact of EDDS Dosage on Lead Phytoextraction in Contaminated Urban Residential Soils

Lead (Pb) contamination in soils of residential properties due to peeling and chipping of Pb-based paint can cause human health problems. Phytoextraction is a green technology that has the potential to remediate soil Pb. The efficiency of phytoextraction is dependent on the geochemical forms of Pb in soil. A biodegradable chelating agent, ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (EDDS), was previously shown to enhance Pb removal by facilitating phytoextraction. In this study, EDDS was tested at various concentrations for its potential in mobilizing Pb in urban residential soils in Jersey City, New Jersey, and San Antonio, Texas. Results show that the concentrations of plant-available forms of Pb increased with the increasing dosage of EDDS from 2 to 30 mmol/L. The addition of EDDS at 30 mmol/L resulted in the conversion of up to 61.2% and 68.9% of the total Pb to plant-available forms in Jersey City and San Antonio soils, respectively. Further analysis showed that, after EDDS application, carbonate-bound Pb, oxide-bound Pb, organic-bound Pb, and residual silicate-bound Pb were transformed to plant-available forms. Higher doses of EDDS performed better than lower doses in transforming soil Pb forms, especially for the oxide-bound Pb. Strong correlations between Pb concentrations measured on-site using a portable X-ray Fluorescence Analyzer (p-XRF) and those obtained in the laboratory using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) confirmed that p-XRF is a reliable rapid, convenient technology to measure Pb levels in situ.

Calibration of impact of attributes in the real estate mass appraisal

PurposeOur research aims in designation of a hybrid approach in the calibration of an attribute impact vector in order to guarantee its completeness in case when other approaches cannot ensure this.Design/methodology/approachReal estate mass appraisal aims at valuating a large number of properties by means of a specialised algorithm. We can apply various methods for this purpose. We present the Szczecin Algorithm of Real Estate Mass Appraisal (SAREMA) and the four methods of calibration of an attribute impact vector. Eventually, we present its application on the example of 318 residential properties in Szczecin, Poland.FindingsWe compare the results of appraisals obtained with the application of the hybrid approach with the appraisals obtained for the three remaining ones. If the database is complete and reliable, the econometric and statistical approaches could be recommended because they are based on quantitative measures of relationships between the values of attributes and properties' unit values. However, when the database is incomplete, the expert and, subsequently, hybrid approaches are used as supplementary ones.Originality/valueThe application of the hybrid approach ensures that the calibration system of an attribute impact vector is always complete. This is because it incorporates the expert approach that can be used even if the database excludes application of approaches that are based on quantitative measures of relationship between the unit real estate value and the value of attributes.

Synthesis of Construction Quality Assessment Model in Construction Industry

The achievement of quality is an important component in every handover of a residential project. Good quality plays an important role in creating a good identity for the developer as well as fulfill customer’s satisfaction level. Thus, Malaysian developers have started to implement quality assessment in their residential projects. Quality assessment is carried out to evaluate quality of project. However, even though quality assessment is implemented in most of construction projects, it is still a struggle to reach customer’s satisfaction level due to the number of defects in their residential properties. Therefore, this research carries the objective of investigate lacking of construction quality assessment and developing a framework on quality assessment to reduce defects in residential projects. This paper review requirements on construction quality assessment models which has been proposed by different researchers. The result of this study used to develop a framework on construction quality assessment to fulfil the important indicators which should be included in a quality assessment. The significance of this study may help contractors to develop projects with less defects and quality residential project.

Leveraging Hazard, Exposure, and Social Vulnerability Data to Assess Flood Risk to Indigenous Communities in Canada

This study integrates novel data on 100-year flood hazard extents, exposure of residential properties, and place-based social vulnerability to comprehensively assess and compare flood risk between Indigenous communities living on 985 reserve lands and other Canadian communities across 3701 census subdivisions. National-scale exposure of residential properties to fluvial, pluvial, and coastal flooding was estimated at the 100-year return period. A social vulnerability index (SVI) was developed and included 49 variables from the national census that represent demographic, social, economic, cultural, and infrastructure/community indicators of vulnerability. Geographic information system-based bivariate choropleth mapping of the composite SVI scores and of flood exposure of residential properties and population was completed to assess the spatial variation of flood risk. We found that about 81% of the 985 Indigenous land reserves had some flood exposure that impacted either population or residential properties. Our analysis indicates that residential property-level flood exposure is similar between non-Indigenous and Indigenous communities, but socioeconomic vulnerability is higher on reserve lands, which confirms that the overall risk of Indigenous communities is higher. Findings suggest the need for more local verification of flood risk in Indigenous communities to address uncertainty in national scale analysis.

An analysis of the Causes of Building Defects in Residential Properties in Diobu area of port Harcourt, River State, Nigeria.

Currently, derelict buildings with little or no amenities have remained a challenge to the physical fabric of properties in Diobu in Port Harcourt. These derelictions are observed to be affecting the economic and physical functionality of these buildings. Therefore, the paper aims to investigate the causes of the dereliction in the buildings in Diobu area in Port Harcourt Rivers State of Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted where 153 questionnaires was administered to the resident of the study area and another 56 questionnaires to property managers in Port Harcourt. Out of the 209 (Nr) questionnaires administered, a total of 197 was retrieved representing a response rate of 94%. Data gathered were analyzed using Relative Important Index, mean and percentages and presented in tabular and pictorial formats. The paper’s finding revealed and confirmed that wall cracks, wall/floor dampness, roof leakages, faulty plumbing fittings, poor ventilation and peeling/faded wall paints are some of the defects in the properties in Diobu. A further investigation revealed that poor building designs, old age, poor maintenance culture, adverse climatic condition, misuse, overcrowding and insect attack are among the causes of these defects on the buildings. This research work is original and has not been previously published anywhere; its reflection is that effective maintenance culture, good occupancy ratio, use of skilled personnel and quality building materials should be encouraged by residents, property managers and landlords in order to check the menace of building defects in the study area. Keywords: Residential Buildings, Defects, causes, Analysis, Diobu.

Impact of public water supply unreliability on residential property prices in Marion County, West Virginia

Water supply unreliability in many public water systems stems from aging infrastructure. We measure unreliability by the issuance of boil water notices (BWNs) within one year prior to single-family residential sale observations. Using a spatial quantile regression framework on transactions between 2012 and 2017, we find statistically significant, negative relationships between BWNs and residential properties. The estimated impacts of unreliability on residential housing prices, however, are not uniform across the distribution of prices. Specifically, we find that BWNs have a larger impact on medium- to low-priced houses (at or below the 60 percent quantile) compared with high-priced houses. An aggregate marginal willingness-to-pay value of $4.2 million was computed for a one-day reduction in annual BWN throughout Marion County.

PURCHASING DECISION OF PROPERTY BUYERS: THE HOUSING QUALITY, FINANCIAL CAPABILITIES, AND GOVERNMENT POLICIES STUDIES

There are generally three types of house buyers called owner-occupiers, investors,and speculators. However, various factors that affect their decision to purchase a house. The research aims to identify the main factors that will affect the purchase decision of property buyers. Factors such as environmental factors, financial factors, governmental factors, subjective norms, and physical design factors will affect their decision to purchase. The research technique used is quantitative research. Descriptive analysis and inferential analysis to analyse the hypothesis. Based on the findings, the factors that showed to be statistically significant are the environmental, governmental, and subjective norm factors. Environmental factor has a positive influence towards the purchasing decision of dwelling while governmental and subjective norm factor has a negative influence onthe purchasing decision of residential properties. The regression model findings from this research show not only governmentimposed regulation could significantly affecting the purchasers’ decision, however, environmental and subjective norm factors play a major role in this matter. This information is beneficial to developers that have the intention to construct dwellings in the future. Developers can take into consideration all the significant factors before deciding on the location for their future development.

Transport infrastructure, accessibility and residential property values: evidence from Hong Kong

PurposeHong Kong, like many other developed cities and countries, invests heavily in transport development. This study investigates whether the speculative benefits of future improvements in accessibility, brought about by impending transport development, will be capitalized into nearby residential property values even prior to the opening of the development.Design/methodology/approachDeviating from the standard hedonic price approach, the present study employed a fixed-effects model with a large data set of residential property transactions in the vicinity of three-stations situated along a newly proposed mass-transit-railway line in Hong Kong.FindingsThe results suggest that the values of residential properties close to stations do reflect the accessibility enhancements to be brought about by transport improvements even before the opening of the line. Results revealed a 6.5% of property value premium after the announcement of construction; and higher up to 6.7% after the operation of the line. This indicates that forthcoming new transport-infrastructure development produces changes in spatial price-gradients for neighbouring residential properties. Findings indicate that potential buyers/investors recognized the positive benefits of the planned transportation development, even before completion of the project, and are ready to pay a premium for those properties close to railway stations, representing clear evidence that residential property prices/values, near stations, reflect anticipated accessibility enhancements brought about by transport improvements.Originality/valueThis study, using a novel approach – a fixed-effects model to capture the speculative benefits of future improvements in transport infrastructure – provides a positive hypothesis that expected benefits of future improvements in accessibility are capitalized into property values.

If you build it, they will change: Evaluating the impact of commuter rail stations on real estate values and neighborhood composition in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, the Netherlands

In many metropolitan regions, transit-oriented developments are built to motivate the use of sustainable travel by promoting urban growth within walking distances of public transport stations. Changes in residential property values are a common way to assess the success of transit-oriented developments. However, studies that focus on property values alone have reported mixed effects. This paper attempts to evaluate the land value impact around commuter rail stations by analyzing the change in property values within the context of the transformation of socio-spatial neighborhood attributes. The study sets out to estimate the effect of Randstad Rail stations using real estate transaction data of residential properties and neighborhood socio-spatial attributes in the Rotterdam–the Hague metropolitan area of the Netherlands covering a period from 1985 to 2018. Adopting a quasi-experimental design, the effect is estimated for properties within different catchment zones around three commuter rail stations using a Difference-in-Differences Model and Multivariate Analysis of Variance. The results demonstrate the overall negative effect of the Randstad Rail on the value of residential properties at a distance equal to or less than 400 meters from the selected rail stations in the range of -18.8% to -11.5%. In contrast, a positive effect is observed for the residential properties located within a radius of 400 to 800 meters from the rail stations, which is estimated to be +15% to +33.2%. The findings also indicate a considerable socio-spatial transformation in the neighborhood composition after the opening of the rail stations in terms of neighborhood population density, land-use density, housing characteristics, and car ownership, which significantly affect the magnitude and direction of the impact.