The spatial syntax of urban segregation

Purpose – Recent calls were launched worldwide for the “revival” of offsite production (OSP) (under numerous nomenclatures) in order to improve the construction industry, meet market demand; and furthermore, overcome the dependence on skilled labour. Despite the well‐documented benefits of OSP, the construction industry seems to be somewhat hesitant in effectively responding to those calls. Forming part of a triangulated research, this paper aims to explore the European Union (EU) construction industry main patterns of concern with regard to OSP. The findings from this paper are set to guide the development of an OSP training and education model (not reported in this paper).Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach using the content analysis technique was employed to analyse secondary data (transcripts) from 54 open‐ended questionnaires carried out under the ManuBuild EU research project, to deeply explore the EU construction industry main perceptions/concerns which may represent a barrier to t...

Offsite production: a model for building down barriers: A European construction industry perspective

District heating (DH) systems may contribute to reducing the use of fossil fuels for heating purposes since they enable the use of waste heat and facilitate the use of renewable energy sources. This paper focuses on the transformation of the Swedish DH systems with regard to energy supply in 1960–2011. Swedish DH production was completely dependent on oil until the late 1970s, while today it is dominated by biomass and other renewable energy sources. The objectives of this paper are to describe and explain the fuel transition in the context of the main events that have characterized the development of the Swedish DH sector. For this purpose, we employ theories and approaches grounded in the literature on systems of innovations, especially the Multi-Level Perspective. The study shows that the transition involved a series of steps. Initiated by the oil crises in the 1970s the oil-based regime collapsed rapidly, while the growth of the biomass-based regime was a steered process governed by actors and supported only by external events. The lessons learned from the transition towards low-carbon and more sustainable DH systems in Sweden could be useful in the challenging task of steering future energy transitions in other countries and sectors.

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Low-carbon district heating in Sweden – Examining a successful energy transition

District heating satisfies about 60% of the heat demand in Swedish buildings. Today, more than two thirds of the heat supply to the district heating systems is based on biomass and waste, and biomass alone accounts for about half of the heat supply. The purpose of this paper is to present the Swedish experiences of introducing and expanding the use of biomass in the district heating systems and to identify the main drivers behind this development. Our five research questions and the corresponding conclusions consider the driving forces from energy policy tools and local initiatives, the biomass prices, the established infrastructures in forestry and district heating, the technology paths for biomass conversion, and finally the future challenge of competing uses of biomass.

The introduction and expansion of biomass use in Swedish district heating systems

Classifying households for water demand forecasting using physical property characteristics

The first decades of the post‐war era saw a large and quickly growing need for new housing. In Sweden, rapid urbanization, growing prosperity and demands for higher housing standards led to years‐long housing queues. The housing shortage became a political liability for the ruling Social Democratic party. To end the housing shortage once and for all, the Swedish parliament decided that a million new dwellings should be built in the period 1965 to 1974 and this was achieved. When the Million Homes Programme, as it came to be called, had reached barely half‐way, the housing shortage was replaced by a housing surplus, partly caused by the rapid expansion of the housing stock and by the fact that economic growth gave way to stagnation. At the same time, criticism began to be heard about what some people perceived as uniform and poor architecture and, since then, the Million Homes Programme has never ceased to engage people and provoke debate. Most of the buildings and areas of this era have survived quite wel...

Sonja Vidén

Papers

The Million Homes Programme: a review of the great Swedish planning project