Urban Futures Abstracts
School of Property, Construction and Project Management
Second Milestone Review
'Transforming Australia's Mid-Rise Housing Sector: The Integration of Circular Building Adaptability, Open Building, and Mass Timber Construction'
Australia is facing an escalating housing crisis coupled with an urgent need to decarbonise its construction sector, particularly within the mid-rise residential market. This thesis aims to develop and evaluate an integrated construction framework that combines Circular Building Adaptability (CBA), Open Building (OB), and Mass Timber Construction (MTC) to address these dual challenges of housing supply and sustainability. A mixed methods approach was adopted, including a systematic literature review, an international industry survey (n > 150), semi-structured interviews with Australian stakeholders, and validation focus groups to co-develop a Technology Roadmap (TRM) for the Australian construction context. Quantitative findings revealed strong international support for MTC as a low-carbon alternative, yet lower awareness and endorsement of OB and CBA, particularly in terms of feasibility and implementation. Qualitative themes highlighted key barriers including policy inertia, fragmented supply chains, and the cultural conservatism of the sector, while also identifying opportunities through modularity, prefabrication, and participatory design. The research culminates in the creation of the OCAB (Open Circular Adaptive Building) framework and a detailed TRM, which together offer a scalable, low-carbon, and socially responsive solution for Australia’s mid-rise housing sector. The OCAB model challenges dominant standardised, high-emissions construction paradigms, proposing instead a lifecycle approach to building that integrates flexibility, disassembly, and community co-design. This work makes a practical and timely contribution to the transition toward circular, adaptive and regenerative housing. It aligns with global sustainability goals, responds directly to policy and market gaps, and offers a clear roadmap for change - bridging theory, technology, and industry need.
School of Property, Construction and Project Management
Second Milestone Review
'Optimizing construction project management by integrating value management and risk management using machine learning'
The Sri Lankan construction industry has experienced notable growth, particularly in the post-conflict era marked by economic revitalization and increased infrastructure development. However, this expansion has been accompanied by persistent challenges, including cost overruns, project delays, and compromised quality. A significant contributing factor to these issues is the inadequate implementation of systematic management techniques such as Value Management (VM) and Risk Management (RM) practices, approaches that have demonstrated substantial success in more advanced economies. This research aims to address these gaps by developing an integrated VM and RM framework enhanced through Machine Learning (ML) techniques, with the goal of optimizing project performance in the Sri Lankan context. Adopting a mixed-methods research design, the study will commence with a comprehensive literature review and exploratory investigations to assess current VM and RM practices, identify barriers to implementation, and explore the potential of ML in this domain. The findings will inform the development of a theoretical framework, which will be operationalized into a practical ML-based model. This model will be validated through expert interviews and real-world case studies within the Sri Lankan construction sector. The research is expected to offer a novel, context-sensitive framework for VM and RM integration, advance scholarly understanding of their synergies, and provide practical guidance on the application of ML in construction project management to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve overall quality.
School of Global, Urban and Social Studies
Second Milestone Review
'Evaluating the trustworthiness of cadastral systems to support urban land development and regulation in Rwanda'
Rwanda implemented an innovative cadastral system in 2013 to address complex land ownership issues arising from historical land conflicts and rapid urbanisation. Developed through a large-scale land tenure regularisation program, this system plays a key role in urban land development. It is widely used in Rwanda’s urban development policies, which focus on city renewal and structured urban growth through practices such as expropriation, settlement upgrading, resettlement, and land readjustment. Trust is crucial for public governance, as it strengthens stakeholder cooperation and enhances policy implementation effectiveness. However, trust is a multifaceted and context-dependent concept shaped by factors like ability, benevolence, and integrity. This research primarily focuses on the ability of Rwanda’s cadastral system—both in terms of system reliability and the competency of those involved in the land administration chain to support urban land development. Given concerns about public confidence in the system despite its widespread use in urban planning, this study explores whether it effectively supports urban land development and whether local authorities and the public trust it to ensure fair urban land management. The findings highlight the strengths and limitations of Rwanda’s cadastral system, contributing to the broader discussion on adapting cadastral frameworks to the African urban context.
School of Global, Urban and Social Studies
Confirmation of Candidature
'Navigating impact in the environment Profession'
Numerous disciplines have recently begun using the concept ‘eco-emotion’ to categorise emotions related to negative environmental events and declining environmental trends. Natural Resource Management (NRM) consultancies are involved in deploying ecological expertise to progress sea/landscape modification, regulated by processes such as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Whilst environmental professions are known to be roles with heightened ecological understanding, and experiencing increased exposure to and involvement in environmental change, the emotional affects of this exposure is under-explored. This research will shed light on eco-emotions experienced in NRM, that speak to the emotional risk in roles and the responsibility of employers. Raising eco-grief literacy may contribute to improvements in staff attenuation and job satisfaction, whilst cleaving away non-appropriate responses. Theoretically, the project will contribute to an advancement of the sociology of eco-emotions, particularly concerning eco-emotion presence and emergence in environmental work, as well as the emotional orientation of the profession at large.
School of Property, Construction and Project Management
Confirmation of Candidature
'Physiological data-based emotion detection to measure the effectiveness of safety training in the construction industry: Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and electroencephalogram (EEG)'
The construction industry, which contributes to the global and Australian economies and employs over a million workers, faces intertwined challenges such as on-site hazards and mental health concerns, with an increase in work-related safety hazards, psychological claims, and suicides. Existing awareness programs and emerging industry 4.0 technologies offer partial solutions but remain costly, inaccurate, and impractical. Machine learning models using physiological signals hold significant promise for advancing emotion recognition accuracy and reliability. Developing a low-cost, standalone wearable that integrates sensors with on-device ML models could enable actionable insights directly on the worksite. The research aims to implement machine learning models to analyse EEG and HRV signals and estimate the emotion, attention, and stress level of construction workers to measure the effectiveness of safety training sessions in the industry. The best-performing models will be optimized for deployment in microcontrollers or microcomputers with limited resources. The expected outcomes of this research project include a machine learning model that accurately identifies and visualizes emotions, stress, and attention of construction workers, better machine learning model optimization methodologies for microcontrollers and microcomputers, and an embedded system with optimized machine learning models for emotion, stress, and attention recognition. This research could be adapted across other high-risk industries, setting new standards for personalised, context-aware occupational health and safety.
School of Global, Urban and Social Studies
Second Milestone Review
'Social Protection and Climate Resilience: A Case Study of Vulnerable Multigenerational Households in Cambodia’s Informal Urban Settlements'
This study explores the lived experiences of the most vulnerable multigenerational households residing in Cambodia’s informal urban settlements, and how their participation in social protection affects their climate vulnerabilities and household climate resilience. Using a case study design through the lens of climate precarity and a climate resilience framework (3P+T with 3A capacities), preliminary findings include: 1) absence of informal social protection, 2) discrimination against access to official financial services, 3) history of displacement, civil war, internal strife, and consequential poverty, 4) housing insecurity and relocation concerns, 5) informal employment and limited social protection in informal economies, 6) the intersectional challenges of age, health, and disabilities, 7) lack of household savings and intergenerational factors, 8) the predatory nature of rotating monetary schemes, and 9) limited capacity of local authorities for climate adaptation response. The social cash transfer program contributed to 1) strengthening women’s roles within their households, 2) promoting access to food and capital for livelihood diversification, 3) improving asset acquisition, 4) generating partial savings, 5) meeting out of pocket expenses for children’s education and health, 6) supporting mobility, 7) repaying debts, and 8) improving access to health services. The program achieved indicators of household climate resilience with absorptive capacities and adaptive capacities, but not anticipatory capacities due to a lack of specific design. Despite the benefits, many of the most vulnerable communities were not able to access the social cash transfer program.
School of Architecture and Urban Design
Third Milestone Review
'From the Emergency to Resilience through Urban Acupuncture Strategies in Refugee Camps: A Case Study of Za’atari Refugee Camp'
Worldwide, the number of refugee camps has increased significantly. The refugee population increased from 10.4 million in 2011 to 36.4 million (2023), the latest data from UNHCR statistics signifies the largest annual increase in forced displacement to date, rising 21% from 2022 to 2023. War in Ukraine and conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar, drought, floods, and insecurity in Somalia, as well as a prolonged humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, have been the main drivers of this alarming new total. This disconcerting trend is further intensified by occurrences such as the 2023-2024 Gaza War, which has seen the relocation of about 1.9 million people, or 85 per cent of the entire population of Gaza. The refugee camp planning issue is one of the most critical global problems and one of the results of migration movements around the world. Living conditions in such camps are far from ideal. Most people live in very temporary, impermanent shelters, depending upon humanitarian agencies for food and water, relatively unprotected from predation, and lacking social and economic opportunities to advance their own well-being. Nevertheless, many refugee camps in different countries have become long-term settlements, indeed ‘nascent cities. Due to the increase in the number of people staying in these settlements, many urban planners have started to think about finding resilient and durable design solutions for the refugee camps. This resilience planning approach views refugee settlements as "nodes"— connected to neighbouring territories' physical, social, and economic life—rather than as separated "islands”. While this is a more accommodating concept for both short-term planning and strategically organising longer-term interventions, the challenge they face in this endeavour is to provide settlement and infrastructure plans that accommodate emergency needs but lay the foundations for the longer term. Unfortunately, resources, skills, and funding for this are not often available, and the need for resilience-focused ‘urban upgrading’ is necessary. The shortage of necessary funds means that this cannot be achieved at a whole- of-settlement scale. Literature suggests that the ‘urban acupuncture’ approach used for precinct-scale urban upgrading in informal settlements may provide an alternative approach to supporting the transition of emergency settlements to resilient and liveable towns and cities. However, there are very limited examples of this. Taking precincts of the Za’taari refugee camp in Jordan as case studies, this research project will identify in what ways and explain under what conditions urban acupuncture can promote sustainable human security and development by supporting the transition of emergency settlements to resilient and liveable towns and cities.
School of Property, Construction and Project Management
Second Milestone Review
'Risk management of Public-Private-Partnerships using Artificial Intelligence'
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have become an increasingly important model for delivering infrastructure projects globally, particularly in response to fiscal constraints experienced by governments. The inherent complexities of project agreements, coupled with long-term investment risks, necessitate advanced risk management frameworks. This research endeavours to apply Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to enhance risk management of PPP projects. Risk-related documents contain extensive and varied descriptions of potential risks and the mitigation strategies to address them. Manual extraction of these mitigations can be challenging and time-consuming, and there might be human errors that reduce consistency and efficiency. Automating this process using NLP models can significantly improve the quality and reliability of extracted risk insights. In this study, transformer-based NLP models including BERT, ALBERT, RoBERTa, DeBERTa and DistilBERT are applied to extract mitigation strategies from risk-related texts. The performance of these models is compared using evaluation metrics to identify the best-performing model in this task. Validation techniques are also applied to ensure the extracted strategies are accurate and meaningful. The expected outcomes include better risk management for PPP projects through the use of relevant mitigations suggested by the documents. Additionally, this approach aims to improve the accuracy and efficiency of risk analysis, which can lead to more informed and strategic planning decisions. By providing timely and reliable mitigation strategies for potential project risks, this research supports more effective risk management and contributes to improving the successful implementation of infrastructure projects and meeting their long-term objectives.
School of Architecture and Urban Design
Third Milestone Review
'Towards Smart Resilience in Urban Planning and Design: Integrating Smart City Technologies and Urban Resilience Strategies'
This research explores how smart city technologies, such as IoT sensors, AI analytics, and digital twins, can enhance urban resilience in the face of climate pressures, rapid urbanisation, and infrastructure vulnerabilities. By adopting a qualitative, multi-method research design, this study compares Tier 1 cities (Sydney, Melbourne) with Tier 2 centres (Geelong, Newcastle, Hobart, and others) to understand how distinct resource capacities, governance structures, and policy frameworks shape technology-driven resilience efforts. Sydney is examined in detail, highlighting initiatives such as the NSW Spatial Digital Twin and SIMPaCT (Smart Irrigation Management for Parks and Cool Towns). Findings indicate that while Tier 1 cities benefit from substantial funding and advanced digital infrastructure, they frequently encounter bureaucratic complexities. Tier 2 municipalities, which are generally more agile and community-focused, struggle with scalability and resource limitations. Across both tiers, cybersecurity, data privacy, and equitable access remain crucial issues. In response, this thesis proposes the Smart Urban Resilience Framework (SURF), which includes six interconnected modules that address policy alignment, technology integration, infrastructure optimisation, community equity, environmental sustainability, and ongoing evaluation. SURF provides a flexible, tier-sensitive roadmap, guiding policymakers and practitioners in harnessing smart city innovations for transformative and inclusive urban resilience.
School of Property, Construction and Project Management
Second Milestone Review
'Integrating circular economy principles in the whole-life cycle of residential properties in Australia'
The built environment, particularly residential housing, is a major contributor to resource consumption, waste generation, and pollutant emissions, highlighting its role in the interconnected challenges of the triple planetary crises. Housing is a fundamental human need, providing shelter, comfort, and social connection. However, Australia faces increasing resource demand driven by population growth and the construction of new homes. The prevailing linear model of designing, constructing, using, and disposing of housing is misaligned with the requirements of a low-carbon, sustainable future and lags behind global best practices. This underscores the urgent need to adopt circular economy principles that promote a closed-loop system, extending asset life, optimising resource use, and minimising waste and pollution. This research investigates the integration of circular economy strategies across the whole-life cycle of residential properties in Australia, addressing a critical knowledge gap in transitioning from linear to circular practices. A mixed-methods approach will be employed, combining qualitative interviews, life cycle assessment (LCA), and the development of practical guidelines. The findings aim to deliver actionable recommendations for practitioners and policymakers to facilitate the adoption of circular economy interventions within the residential sector.
School of Property, Construction and Project Management
Second Milestone Review
'The Impact of Nature-based Solutions on Sustainability Outcomes for Urban University Campuses: A case study of RMIT's urban campuses, Melbourne'
This research investigates the impact of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) on social sustainability—specifically through the lens of student belonging—and their environmental contributions within urban university campuses, using RMIT University in Melbourne as a case study. NbS, which leverage natural processes to address environmental challenges, are assessed for their capacity to enhance urban sustainability and improve students’ sense of connection to campus. The primary aim is to evaluate both the environmental and social benefits of NbS by closely examining the O’Grady Pl site on RMIT’s city campus as a testbed for tailored interventions. Student perceptions of the proposed design strategies are used to assess the broader relevance and applicability of these solutions. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study integrates spatial analysis, multi-criteria decision-making, and innovative tools such as virtual tours embedded within online surveys to gather both qualitative and quantitative data. The research questions centre on identifying the actual and perceived benefits of NbS for students and the wider university community, with a focus on how these interventions support sustainability targets and foster a stronger sense of belonging. The visualised scenario enables a situated, context-specific evaluation of student responses to NbS strategies. Expected outcomes include a clearer understanding of how NbS contribute to ecological resilience and social cohesion on campus. The findings aim to inform policy, provide a replicable framework for other Australian universities, and support the broader goal of creating sustainable and inclusive urban learning environments.
School of Property, Construction and Project Management
Second Milestone Review
'Exploring the indoor air quality in dwellings in current and future climates – A case study in inner west Melbourne'
In Australia, air pollutants significantly contribute to coronary heart disease, the leading cause of disease burden in 2018 and 2021. PM2.5 and ozone levels are rising in major Australian cities. Outdoor pollutants may infiltrate indoor environments where Australians spend 90% of their time. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) may worsen due to emissions from indoor materials and fossil-fuel appliances, occupant behaviours, and climate change. Vulnerable groups including adults over 65, children under 9, and increased remote workers spend significant amount of time at home, highlighting the need to understand IAQ in dwellings. This research addresses the lack of understanding on factors influencing residential IAQ and impacts of climate change on IAQ within the Australian context using the Socio-Ecological- Systems framework. A case study design using mixed methods approach was adopted focusing on Melbourne's inner west as the case-study, an area with disproportionately high outdoor pollution. Detached homes were chosen as they are the most common type of dwelling in the region. Four households, selected based on airtightness and appliance type, will be studied through interviews, tours, and field measurements in summer and winter 2025. Simulations will explore the impact of future climate scenarios and strategies that may improve IAQ. The research outcomes will aid homeowners, designers, builders/developers, and policymakers in making decisions about retrofitting and designing homes to withstand current and future climates. The research outcomes could inform amendments to the National Construction Codes for existing homes, reducing health impacts due to poor IAQ.
School of Global, Urban and Social Studies
Second Milestone Review
'On Floods, (Im)mobilities and Production of Places in Bihar, India'
To pluralise the debate on climate mobilities, this study examines mobilities in Kosi River basin in Bihar, India. The Kosi, infamous for its frequent and devastating flooding, has a history of being subjected to technocratic controls, dating back to before the British Empire took over India. The good-intended decision to embank the river, however, mutated with local politics in the state. This led to the entrapment of 300 villages with more than 30,000 families located between the embankments. After realising the consequences, the state decided to relocate those trapped between the embankments, by launching a relocation program in 1958. Even after decades, only 6650 families out of 35000 were relocated (Mishra, 2008). These figures raise several questions: Why were only some families relocated? Who made the decisions? Was the decision an independent choice of families or forceful will, just like the embankments? If it was an independent decision, what was the reason that families decided to move or not to move? In this thesis, I reflect on some of these questions, relying on Michel Foucault’s historical vicissitude of reasons and, its interaction with the history of science, narratives and the possible production of hybridity. The research deploys plural qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews, participations, informal conversations, archives (1895 to the 1970s), and classic fictions from the region. In conclusion, I provoke the questions of multispecies intergenerational mobility justice for Kosi dwellers and Kosi itself, whose flow was reviled, retraced, and reduced for centuries now.
School of Property, Construction and Project Management
Third Milestone Review
'Uncommon Scents: An Exploration into the Effects of Planting Scents in Enabling and Enhancing Restorative Experiences for Users of Urban Green Spaces'
Urban green spaces (UGS) have been identified and promoted as an approach to ‘adapt’ (adjust to) and mitigate the challenges associated with rapid urbanisation (population growth, climate change and human health and wellbeing). The benefits remain largely unquestioned by academic researchers and urban development professionals. As a result, there is a disconnect between the way in which they are designed and implemented. Often it is assumed that UGS will provide all the claimed benefits without necessarily being designed to do so and more importantly, consider the specific needs of the users. There are many studies focussing on the restorative effects of nature, however it is argued here that to achieve restorative experiences for users of UGS, the design of the landscape requires deep memory prompts and connection to nature from a sensory perspective to better enable this to occur. Contemporary UGS design often prioritises the visual sense, with a recent shift to include auditory experiences. Whilst this inclusion is a positive change towards incorporating sensory design in UGS, the sense of touch, taste, and smell, are rarely considered, which can lead to sensory deprivation when seeking restorative experiences in UGS. When considering sensory experiences in UGS settings, the sense of smell is important for several reasons including survival, navigation, communication, and enjoyment and is closely linked to emotions and memories. A recent shift in urban place-making theories recognise the need for people’s emotions and experiences to be influenced by different sensory cues, enabling a better relationship with the surrounding environment, ultimately leading to the creation of better quality and more inclusive places with greater opportunities for restorative experiences. This research project will explore the ways in which planting scents can affect and enhance the restorative experiences for users of UGS and utilise this knowledge to inform better planting designs of UGS that consider user-specific needs from a sensory perspective.
School of Property, Construction and Project Management
Second Milestone Review
'Towards an Equitable Transition to Electric Vehicles: An Analysis of Local Government Climate Policies in Victoria, Australia'
Cities, particularly local government areas (LGAs) in Australia, are at the forefront of climate mitigation and adaptation. As of 2020, over 800 cities globally have pledged to become net zero, with many integrating these targets into climate emergency declarations. This thesis explores how and whether equity and climate justice principles are embedded within climate policies of Victorian LGAs that have declared or acknowledged a climate emergency. Climate change disproportionately affects socio-economically disadvantaged populations, and this research focuses on how electric vehicles (EVs) are represented in such policies. EVs are primarily promoted for their emissions reduction potential. However, their multifunctionality, as both transport and mobile battery storage, can offer significant cost-saving benefits for early adopters, raising concerns about deepening socio-economic divide. This study examines the paradox faced by local governments who promote adoption of EVs within climate action plans to curtail transport emissions while simultaneously championing social equity. While existing research emphasises the technical and environmental benefits of EVs, this thesis expands the discussion to include dimensions of energy justice. It investigates whether current policy addresses these justice principles and how they influence the fairness of EV transitions. Adopting a systematic methodological approach, the study includes a comparative policy analysis alongside interviews with local government officers who are responsible for implementing respective climate policies and action plans. It examines whether clearly defined roles exist across government tiers and how equity in EV adoption strategies can be better integrated and embedded within policy framework and action setting.
School of Architecture and Urban Design
Third Milestone Review
'Sustainable ‘Smart Villages’: Exploring the Role of Smart Frameworks and Strategies in Enhancing Sustainability in Rural and Regional Australia'
In recent years, smart initiatives such as Smart Villages have gained traction as strategic approaches to rural and regional development, aligning with global agendas like the UN 2030 Agenda, the EU Green Deal, and the Cohesion Policy. While widely adopted across Europe, the applicability of the Smart Villages model in non-European contexts—particularly in Australia—remains underexplored. In response to ongoing economic and environmental challenges, Australian governments have introduced smart strategies, notably the Gippsland Smart Specialisation Strategy (GS3), to support regional sustainability and economic transition. However, despite their focus on innovation and growth, questions remain about their contribution to long-term Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This research uses GS3 as a case study to examine the role of smart strategies in promoting sustainable regional development. Adopting a three-phase mixed-methods approach, the study (1) reviews current smart initiatives in Australia and their alignment with Smart Village principles, (2) conducts key informant interviews to explore the design and outcomes of GS3, and (3) develops an operational framework for a Smart Sustainable Strategy adapted to the Australian context. The research contributes to wider discussions on place-based sustainability and provides policy recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of smart frameworks in rural and regional Australia. It advocates for more inclusive, adaptive, and sustainability-oriented approaches that extend beyond economic competitiveness to address long-term community resilience and environmental challenges.
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.
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