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Parti Shot: High Meadow Ranch by Richard Beard Architects

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Why Effective Project Management is Crucial for Home Renovation Projects

Embarking on a dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315274">home dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315268">renovation dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-menu-id-param="menu_term_289315274" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315274"> project is an exhilarating journey but one that can quickly become overwhelming. dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315267">Home renovations are almost always challenging at the baseline; without effective dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project management , the project can quickly spiral out of control.

This article will delve into the world of dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project management for custom homes and dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315276">home remodeling dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-menu-id-param="menu_term_289315276" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315276"> projects . We will unravel essential strategies to unlock the secrets of a successful project that will lead to life transformation. From meticulous planning and budgeting to navigating unforeseen challenges, this article will prepare you for the complex realities of home building and remodeling.

What is the Difference Between a dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">Project Manager and a Contractor for a Renovation?

Contractors come in various forms, from a small independent dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315279">general contractor who wears all the hats; to large-scale architecture, dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315271">interior design , custom building, and remodeling businesses.

While not all contractors are dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project managers , a reputable contractor will have dedicated, experienced dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project managers as part of their team. dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">Project managers serve as team leaders and primary liaisons with clients, focusing solely on the operation of a specific project. A dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315302">high-quality dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project manager will be a central leader representing both sides: both the dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315279">general contractor and the client. This ensures dedicated attention to client satisfaction, detail, and effective coordination.

The dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">Project Management Institute defines dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project management as the skill of guiding and coordinating resources throughout a project's duration. A reputable company assesses the need for a dedicated dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project manager based on the project's size and complexity.

Do I Need a dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">Project Manager for My dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315267">Home Renovation ?

Some dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315269">homeowners may feel that they’re capable of managing their own project, but typically, they don’t have the dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315297">know-how of dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315290">renovation processes or enough clarity into how much time and emotional energy will be needed to successfully accomplish the project - especially for dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315293">large projects . This is a full-time job.

A dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project manager is crucial for keeping the project on track. A reputable dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315279">general contractor with dedicated dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project managers ensures that the project meets or exceeds the client's expectations and adheres to dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315302">high-quality standards.

Good design-build contractors will have great relationships with their tradespeople and dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315273">subcontractors . These relationships are key to ensuring dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315274">home dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315268">renovation dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-menu-id-param="menu_term_289315274" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315274"> projects run smoothly. When independent dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315269">homeowners try to manage their own projects, they lack these relationships, which becomes a significant barrier to the overall success of the project.

It’s also not uncommon for dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315269">homeowners who have project managed in other capacities to think, “How hard can it be?” Just because you’re a dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project manager for another industry doesn’t mean you have the expertise that a dedicated construction dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project manager has. Construction projects are extremely complex and high-risk jobs to project manage. The bottom line is that dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project management across industries is not the same. For example, you may be a musician, but can you conduct an entire orchestra (coordinating the right timing, the right volume, and the right tempo)? Just because you’re an avid dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315278">DIY -er doesn’t mean you can properly construct your own dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315267">home renovation and direct dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315285">plumbers , dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315286">electricians , HVAC, etc. These remodeling projects are multi-faceted, and this is where coordination is critical over a long period.

It comes down to getting the project done vs. getting the project done well (on budget, on time, and at a dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315302">high quality ). 

What Does a dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">Project Manager Do for dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315267">Home Renovation ?

Your dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">Project Manager is responsible for thoroughly understanding the full dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315298">scope of work and keeping the dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315282">house dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315268">renovation dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-menu-id-param="menu_term_289315268" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315268"> project moving according to plan. One of the main goals of dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project managers at Better Builders is to always finish your project on time and within budget while meeting all dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315291">building permit codes and meeting or exceeding your expectations. Their job is to commit their time and efforts to you and your project, both dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315275">on-site and off.

Quality dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315279">general contractors will tell you that a thoughtful layout of the project and a dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315294">step-by-step guide to the dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315288">project plan before the dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315267">home renovation starts will save time in the long run. One of our mottos at Better Builders is the 5 Ps: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. A slow start to the project isn’t very exciting, but it will minimize many challenges, like dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315284">unexpected costs and delays, that come along with renovations.

Some of the basic dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">Project Management tasks include:

Safety Management

dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">Project managers will oversee the logistical safety of how work is being performed as well as the safety of the products being used (non-toxic). Most people think about safety relating to people, pets, dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315269">homeowners , and workers. A reputable design-build contractor will also include the safety of the dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315269">homeowner ’s existing spaces, furniture, flooring, and salvageable items that will be reused.  

dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315281">Project Cost Management

dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315302">High-quality dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project managers will know and thoroughly understand the budget of the project and reconcile actual costs vs. budgeted costs . For example, does the tile order for the specified spec and quality come in at or under the project budgeted amount for tile?

Time Management

dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">Project managers will coordinate material lead times to minimize the time between the product being delivered and when it is installed to ensure there is no downtime during the dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315277">home improvement project . They will also manage the dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315300">remodeling process including sequencing of the project phases to ensure work is being installed in the correct order to eliminate rework or going backward. 

Quality Management

Quality management means the dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project manager will ensure the final product meets or exceeds the plans for the client. A reputable design-build contractor who has dedicated dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project managers will have them regularly dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315275">onsite , making sure the work performed meets the highest standards.

A reputable design-build contractor will have a quality control checklist that they will use as their quality standard throughout the life of the project. Additionally, a dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315302">high-quality design-build contractor will work with vetted, reputable dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315273">subcontractors and tradespeople to ensure their work meets the contractor’s and the client's standards.

Vendor and Trade Relationship Management

Building and maintaining strong relationships with vendors and trade partners is critical to a successful project. dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315270">Home remodeling is an imitate experience, so knowing your contractor has trusted trade partners who are an extension of their business is crucial for a successful project. A regular dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315275">onsite dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project manager will coordinate the schedule between vendors and trade partners while holding them accountable for their timing and the quality of their work.

Cloud-Based dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">Project Management System

Utilizing a cloud-based dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project management system enhances team coordination, provides reliable backup, offers access from anywhere, and streamlines communication. Better Builders employs a cloud-based construction dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project management tool, allowing clients real-time access to project updates, schedules, daily logs, communication records, and progress photos.

The advantages of using a real-time, cloud-based program include:

Improved team coordination

Reliable backup

Access from anywhere

One stop communication

How Do I Find the Right dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">Project Manager for My dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315267">Home Renovation or Custom Build?

Hiring a reputable company with dedicated dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project managers and well-defined systems and processes is essential. The success of a dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project manager relies on the support and accountability provided by the company. Strong back-end support, training, and resources ensure dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">project managers can effectively manage dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315304">day-to-day client relationships and uphold quality standards.

Good dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">Project Management is the Key to Success

dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315266">Project Management is a significant aspect of the service you receive when working with Better Builders. Trust, transparency, and constant communication are the foundations of our client relationships. When choosing a partner for your dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315295">house remodel or custom home build , consider not only the final product but also the journey to the finish line.

For further insights on preparing for your next project, download our eBook: “ The dropdown#toggle" data-dropdown-placement-param="top" data-term-id="289315269">Homeowner ’s Guide to Planning a Remarkable Renovation .”

About Pete Baughman

Home renovation and custom home building have been a part of my life since birth. My great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were all Carpenters. It was only natural for me to be drawn to it as well. I worked as a Carpenter and Project lead helping him create and produce many extraordinary projects. My experiences have varied from Carpenter, Lead Carpenter, Project Manager, Production Manager, Project Developer, and Sales Manager. I started with Better Builders in 2011 and, in 2019, became an owner.

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Resurrection of Buildings: Case Analysis of Renovated Architecture

• Written by Diego Hernández
• Published on May 13, 2013

This book selects more than 50 excellent projects of renovated buildings worldwide. The architects adjust measures to local conditions and ingeniously carry out reposition and design for the buildings’ exterior, interior and landscape environment, thus creating some resurrection for them. Each project inside this book has its peculiar characteristics. Some focus on ecological and sustainable parts, such as rebuilding a factory neighboring to residential communities into a library, which decreases pollution, while at the same time produces some cultural atmosphere. 

Rainwater collection, recycled use of waste and reservation of plants are all the starting points for reconstruction. Some emphasize on the functionality of buildings, such as carrying out reconstruction towards historical administrative building, hence acquiring better functions and more attractive appearance and helping it become landmark architecture. Some stick to reservation and inheritance of historical culture, which integrates new elements while continuing the original historical style and features, thus bringing out new life for the buildings. 

Publisher: ThinkArchit Format: 965 x 1270mm (Hardcover) Pages: 336 Languages: Chinese / English ISBN:  978-7-5609- 8721-7

• Sustainability

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Whole House Renovation Case Study

For this project Kaja Gam Design was hired to do a house renovation starting with a kitchen that was more than 40 years old. Knowing that the client traveled often to the Far East for business, was the father of two children and was passionate about cooking, Kaja suggested a “family-friendly chef’s kitchen” with an open floor plan, lots of space, commercial grade modern appliances, and built mostly of bamboo.

The client was concerned that a bamboo kitchen might hurt the home’s resale value, but Kaja explained that it was actually a logical choice. All the kitchen cabinets, butcher block counter tops, shelving, floors and the combination island/breakfast bar are made of Southeast Asian bamboo. It has incredible strength and durability and, as it grows so quickly, it is more sustainable and eco-friendly than many traditional wood materials. In addition, bamboo shows its layers, strands and threads, creating a beautiful style reminiscent of the Asian countries the client visited often.

Bamboo kitchen before

Bamboo kitchen after

The client loved to cook and wanted a restaurant kitchen. The kitchen cabinets were raised off the floor on steel legs to provide for easy cleaning.

The appliances are professional grade and included a glass-door commercial refrigerator, an open burner restaurant range with shelving below for cookware, targeted recessed lighting for better vision, and an oven/broiler combination double oven on a separate wall to avoid traffic bottlenecks when preparing meals.

As this was to be a family kitchen, Kaja recommended an open floor plan with plenty of space for cooking, eating and general socializing.  Innovative design ideas ensured plenty of storage with a minimal number of cabinets, such as:

A  walk-in pantry with four carts to hold items used less often, such as a mixer and food processor. Carts can be rolled out and items easily accessed as needed. This walk-in pantry is the former laundry room, which was moved to the finished basement.  A window banquette with hidden storage cabinets below for platters and other bamboo kitchen bench-special occasion dinner ware. A combination island/breakfast bar with a sink, side shelving and a narrow cabinet to hold drinking glasses for the children is conveniently placed opposite the refrigerator.

Open Floor Plan

In order to maximize the openness and flow of the new kitchen floor plan, an entire wall was knocked down to create one large room that connected the kitchen and the dining areas.

As in many Asian homes, there are no thresholds between rooms, so screens and pockets doors define the spaces and their sizes, based on what is needed.

The narrow hallway from the garage, which is the natural entry point to the house, was lacking in storage space. In addition, a door to the powder room was creating a bottle neck.

Powder room pocket door locking peg

The hallway was redesigned to provide a more functional entry by:

• Adding a pocket door to the powder room.
• Placing a drawer unit in the wall to hold hats, gloves and shoes. These drawers also fill up the dead space in the kitchen corner cabinet adjacent to it.
• Installing a coat closet in the newly insulated and ventilated garage as a handy place to hang up outdoor clothing and to prevent clutter throughout the house.

Powder room

Kaja Gam Design and KG Home Construction renovated every room in this house over the summer of 2006 and continued to service the owner with interior design revisions and maintenance for several years. When the client sold the house during the lowest point of the housing market, he made a significant profit.

And so Kaja was correct. It certainly paid to use sustainable, universal design, both for the time the client lived in the home, and when he sold it later.

See Gallery below for the bamboo master bathroom renovation:

Another attractive feature of these kitchens includes its durability. The most famous kitchen refinishers and interior designers in the planet regard modular kitchen as the best possible route to renovate your kitchen to look neat, beautiful, tidy, and user friendly without compromising the highly significant component which is efficiency. This will make sure that your work is done smoothly and with good care.

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How to Remodel A Bathroom: A Case Study

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Case Studies  

Below you will find case studies that demonstrate the 'whole building' process in facility design, construction and maintenance. Click on any arrow in a column to arrange the list in ascending or descending order.

Many case studies on the WBDG are past winners Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building and Community Awards sponsored by the National Institute of Building Sciences.

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An interdisciplinary debate on project perspectives

• Research article
• Open access
• Published: 03 October 2022

Renovation programs in old and inefficient neighborhoods of cities with case studies

• Abdol Aziz Shahraki   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7211-8230 1  

City, Territory and Architecture volume  9 , Article number:  28 ( 2022 ) Cite this article

5307 Accesses

7 Citations

Metrics details

This article concerns urban renovation’s background, necessity, goals, methods, and outcomes. The addressed question is how shall renew and rehabilitate old and non-functional urban neighborhoods.

The aim is to build a model for cities’ renovation respecting general standards of town-building, local characteristics, requirements of inhabitants, and strategic development plans.

The applied research methods are theoretical and experimental, which analyze the situation of worn-out neighborhoods of the case study cities in housing, physical, socioeconomic, and environmental perspectives.

A problem-oriented, systematic, and step-by-step model evaluates the average magnitudes of damages caused by the nonfunctioning neighborhoods in 31 metropolitans of Iran. Certain indicators will introduce neighborhoods to renew them through a mother renovation program, which includes several projects. Simulating the program in the cities lead them to the best possible results in the renovation.

The renovation program is applicable in every other city, which faces inefficiently and nonfunctioning because of oldness.

Introduction

The history of urban renewal goes back to the results of the Industrial Revolution, in which cities such as Manchester in the United Kingdom with densely populated areas and Stockholm in Sweden had been renovated with effective programs (Metzger & Olsson, 2013 ). Singapore in the Far East also joined the renovation movement and achieved remarkable socio-economic results from its urban renovation plans (Zoohri, 1987 ).

Urban renovation has always been a necessity for communities because homes, buildings, and various infrastructures are old, destroyed, and nonfunctioning (Chahardowli & Sajadzadeh, 2022 ). Neighborhoods become inefficient due to various reasons, including poor management, lack of budget allocation for maintenance, the end of the shelf life of buildings, and disregarding standards of urban quality of life (Ragheb & El-Ashmawy, 2021 ). Recent economic savings have led to more neglect in urban renewal. The number of old buildings and dilapidated neighborhoods is increasing, creating many problems for citizens, particularly the disabled, elderly and children. Simultaneously, not enough attention is paid to discussing the urban renovation. Therefore, there is a great need for research on urban renovation programs. The need of cities for renovation stems from their nature, which must be taken care of so that they can reciprocally serve the citizens. However, there is no adequate research work on this subject. This study addresses this need by providing a generic urban renovation program. In the renovation of cities, issues like required healthcare facilities, modern urban transportation facilities, digital official bureaucratic services, electronic trade, modern infrastructure, and communication for distance education shall be studied.

This research builds a comprehensive renovation program with details for Iranian cities based on the physical, environmental, climatic, and socio-economic characteristics of every city and the needs of its inhabitants.

The questions addressed in this paper are how shall renew the old urban neighborhoods? What elements have a renovation program in the city?

Consequently, the following questions arise What is this situation in the city? Where will the city want to go? How shall the city achieve this goal?

This paper also must answer general questions concerning the renovation programs in every city as follows:

What are the strategic factors in an urban renovation program? What are the assets, privileges, and unique features of the city? What are the most significant projects to be included in the urban renovation program? Who are the forces behind an urban renovation program?

The methods applied in this research are both theoretical and experimental in a problem-oriented procedure. Theoretical studies concerning the theories and experiences of scholars have been conducted. A case study strategy concerning 31 metropolises in Iran has been conducted. Structured interviews with the help of a questionnaire ensure public participation in the process of strategic urban renovation planning. Further, the increasing negative impacts of old neighborhoods in the metropolitans as the average magnitude of the hazards have been assessed. Finally, with the help of the research methods, a step-by-step urban renovation program has been built.

The outcome of this research is a practical program to assist resolving urban renovation problems.

Theoretical studies

Purpose of theoretical studies.

This part reviews the literature concerning urban renovation to lead the old and inefficient neighborhoods toward sustainable and functioning outlooks.

The purpose is also to learn from global experience for the renovation of urban neighborhoods through reforms in their skeletons, infrastructures, and socio-economic features.

These ideas and experiences will be used in the case studies in this paper. The theoretical studies follow a problem-oriented method within certain time intervals. The problem-oriented model has been used earlier to assess the rate of sustainability in regional and urban developments (Shahraki, 2017 ). Other scholars have also used the problem-oriented method to provide solutions to complex and multi-level problems in cities (Smith et al. 2010 ).

Background of urban renovation

Modern attempts at urban renovation began in the late nineteenth century in developed countries and experienced a wider scope in the late 1940s (Chigbu, 2012 ). Urban renewal programs began in the industrial cities of the United Kingdom and Europe to meet the growing needs of citizens after the First and Second World Wars (Klemek, 2011 ). The cities of England, after the Industrial Revolution, and Germany, after the devastation of the war, used renovation programs. Scandinavia used urban renovation and socio-economic revitalization programs to improve their quality of life of the people (Metzger & Olsson, 2013 ). Urban renovation has been a program of land redevelopment in metropolitans everywhere in the world, from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe to the underdevelopment countries and post-war regions (Ragazzo, 2021 and Fuhg, 2021 ). The rapid increase in the population of the underdeveloped cities has resulted in inefficient and deprived urban neighborhoods, which have shortages of necessary urban spaces, services, and infrastructure (Boadi et al. 2005 ). The United Nations Center for Human Settlements (UNCHS) has been engaged in urban renewal programs in several cities, particularly in the underdevelopment countries since 1975 (Albuquerque & Guedes, 2021 ). According to this center, in 2001, 924 million people (approximately 30%) of the world's urban population lived in none standard settlements. These settlements are polluted, infectious, and unsafe that causing health and social problems and require renovation programs.

Today, international, national, regional, urban, public, and private organizations in cities in the United States, Latin America, Canada, Australia, Europe, Africa, and Asia are responsible for urban renewal programs.

Urban renovation is a global necessity

Many cities face numerous problems in terms of spatial aging, exhaustion, and inefficiency (Salthouse, 2000 ). Following the rapid physical expansion of old towns, many urban districts, particularly the central cores of the cities, plus marginal habitats have remained without infrastructure and services to common concerns, about climate change, increase in population, degradation of natural environments, and traffic emissions (Baer and Singer, 2016 ). The problems of tight spaces in homes, schools, buildings, infrastructure, and the challenges of public health protection in the old urban neighborhoods are visible. The aging and inefficiency of the mentioned urban spaces are among the challenges that urban renovation programs shall handle (Preiser, et al. 2017 ). The term of urban renovation has been used widely in the literature with a common concept that the worn-out urban neighborhoods are the outcome of long time use of buildings, which have been built by previous generations and the present inhabitants cannot afford to renew them (Liu et al. 2021 ). Additionally, scholars believe that cities need renovation plans since their land-uce policies, less investment in rebuilding projects, and incompetent management increase damage there (Shi et al. 2019 ).

General objectives of an urban renovation program

Cities with old and inefficient neighborhoods should set their renovation plans according to the latest climate, demographic, economic, technological, and cultural changes. An urban renovation program revised land-use policies to gather empty land from every worn-out neighborhood, building, street, and home (Nae et al. 2019 ).

New economic and livelihood activities also require sufficient urban land for new businesses. Regarding the need for land it will be rational to destroy old private and public buildings to use their lands for necessary businesses and production (Altshuler & Gomez-Ibanez, 2000 ). Additionally, an urban renovation program shall allocate adequate urban lands to supply homes for low-income groups in the cities. The renovation programs in every city should pay particular attention to the saving of natural resources and water supplied rather from local sources and not from far distant regions (Mayo et al. 1986 ).

The old, non-functioning, and deprived urban districts do not have adequate infrastructure such as adequate room for physical distances in the streets, transportation terminals and buildings. Therefore, the provision of those spaces should be an important part of the renovation program for the improvement of urban quality of life. An urban renovation program should ensure public participation, especially amomg the deprived and marginalized residents. They shall be included in the urban economy and in the process of making decisions about the conduction of the planned changes. The main policy of the urban renovation programs shall be development for all residents, regardless of color, race, gender, and rank (Klimova, 2010 ). Fighting administrative and official structural corruption in the municipalities and authorities shall be a priority too. Promoting and encouraging transparency with free and independent press is indispensable as well. Transparency in the planning, and conduction of the projects is necessary. Generally, the aim must be sustainable development in the cities. Sustainable development of the cities without the renovation of urban exhaustion and inefficiency is impossible, as Li and colleagues recognized too (Li et al. 2021 ).

Outcomes of urban renovation programs

Urban renovation programs have rehabilitated lands and planned new constructions in many cities. The new constructions used the market requirements, urban regulations, and building standards considering strategic macroprograms. The basic drivers for renovation projects have been legal and financial authorities. The authorities acquired urban lands and real estate and financed new construction according to the needs of the city. The permission to finance the new construction from the donations and to borrow and sell bonds, or increasing taxes to finance the operations are basic tools for urban renovation programs. Therefore, the urban renovation is a process in which first it identifies and selects properties located in urban blocks, neighborhoods, and areas based on certain indicators. Then, the municipalities' renovation agencies take over the lands, which need demolishing, renovation, and new construction.

The next step in this process is the selection of competent engineering companies to conduct necessary construction projects. World experience shows that property owners or tenants receive compensation directly from the national or local governments. The urban renovation programs have improved the urban and regional economy and created numerous job opportunities and an efficient urban management mechanism (Peiser & Anne 2003 ). The urban renovation programs have been used as a method of social reform in England to renew the industrial areas with a polluted environment. The urban gentrification program in Britain was practically successful, as it provided standard housing and a clean environment (Fuhg, 2021 and Smith, 2012 ).

Looking at the experiences of urban renovation in Singapore, shows that the urban renovation in that country was a priority and a national agreement (Kong & Yeoh, 1994 ). The renovation programs also changed the ugly and unsustainable Stockholm into the most beautiful and green capital in Europe (Metzger & Olsson, 2013 ). This miracle in Stockholm has been realized because of the decisive decision to renovate the cities, agreement, and collaboration between political parties, social groups, and the public. Thus, the renovation programs in advanced countries resulted in the aesthetics of the cities. The programs also played an important role in the demographic development of the cities.

An overview of the history of renovation programs in the cities of Iran showing failures. The renovation of the cities in Iran has only been in the discussion phase and it has not taken place in the field of operations (Mirzakhani et al. 2021 ).

Having accurate indicators to determine the rate of urban tissue erosion is important in deciding the type of renovation project. For this reason, it is obligatory to identify indicators that decide and introduce worn-out urban neighborhoods. The indicators will determine worn-out urban neighborhoods in detail, squares, streets, and other features of the cities.

Scholars have introduced indicators to determine the inefficient and non-functioning spaces. The introduction of indicators has benn discussions by scholars, scientists, and experts, i.e. (Peponi, et al. 2022 ) evaluated a multidimensional analysis in the perspective of urban ecosystem services with several indicators helpful for assessing the functioning of urban neighborhoods.

A sustainable urban renewal model for the high-density city of Hong Kong supplied indicators to contribute to sustainable urban regeneration and to evaluate local urban renewal projects (Lee, 2009 ).

Scholars have introduced multidimensional indicators to make a decision whether an urban neighborhood is exhausted and needs renovation projects. The indicators are differsnt, but the particular features of every city shall be respected too. The indicators which will be used for the assessment shall be in the context of the problem-oriented methodology. Table 1 shows indicators supplied by the literature review and workshop experiences.

Methodologies

Applied research methods.

Both theoretical and field studies are used in this research to supply a framework for the case studies. The case studies concern 31 metropolises, which are capitals of provinces in Iran with physical and socio-economic problems (Karimi, et al. 2020 ; Shahraki, 2020 ). Using a questionnaire concerning urban land-use policies, infrastructure, distribution of energies, water and wastewater, environment, building standards, and socio-economic situation of inhabitants realized public participation in the process of urban renovation planning.

The sample population was 400 respondents who have were idntified by random technique and included all social groups from 18 to 80 years old and engineers at road and town building offices. Out of 400 questionnaires, 314 people, or 78.5%, answered. A model has been developed in the context of the problem-oriented method and in a certain time interval to simulate the negative effects of worn-out neighborhoods inn 31 cities.

This research sets up a prospect for worn-out urban neighborhoods and introduces projects to renew the built environments.

A comprehensive urban renovation program includes groups of projects in terms of legislation and regulation in urban land-use policies, the physical design of urban skeleton, and socio-economic rehabilitation. The program also has projects for protecting natural resources and the environment, designing and building of the street network, and improvement of buildings and infrastructure.

Case studies

The case studies are about 31 metropolises in Iran with 83 million population (Iranian census organization). Figure  1 exhibits places of the cities in Iran.

The map shows the positions of the cities under study in Iran Source: https://www.mapsofworld.com/iran/iran-political-map.html . The following table shows the names of cities with their area and population

Iranian cities are mainly rooted in agricultural production and feudal social relationships. Following socio-economic reforms of the Pahlavi dynasty, manifestations of modernism, including the development of some buildings, emerged with the construction of some modern streets (Gharipour, 2019 and Davidson, 2019 ). However, the rest of the city remained undeveloped, and the culture of feudal relationships continued to dominate. Therefore, the inequality in civil rights such as unfair land-use policies and housing has continued similar to the powerful feudalism era. Urban development for people with no dependency on the authorities and poor has also been ignored due to lawlessness, corruption, and lack of competent urban management. Today, the cities of Iran have numerous problems such as no functioning and ugly perspectives. Iranian metropolitans have experienced a rapid increase in worn-out areas. In 2014, the old, marginal, and deprived urban districts were declared a national crisis and encompass one-third of Iran's urban population (Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, 2014 ). Workshops, field studies, and observations conducted by the author show that approximately 35% of people live in exhausted, nonfunctional, and deprived urban neighborhoods, please refer to Table 2 .

A renovation program for cities

The process of urban renovation planning.

The worn-out and neighborhoods are the two main groups:

Unauthorized and informal settlement.

Worn-out neighborhoods located within the legal boundaries of the metropolises. Nevertheless, both groups have the following characteristics:

Some urban neighborhoods are mainly places for illegal immigrants from rural areas of Iran and neighboring countries

Some are downtown neighborhoods mainly with native people, who have not afforded to renovate their homes and buildings during the past decades.

Residential blocks belong to government employees supported by banks, but they lose approximately one-third of their lives to building a home. In these areas, urban land has only for homes and buildings. The neighborhoods suffer from nonstandard buildings.

The next step introduces indicators to decide which neighborhoods are worn-out or nonfunctioning. However, the rates vary in intensity of worn-out and types of remedies in different urban neighborhoods that the Table 3 shows.

The process of urban renovation planning in the cities of Iran

The provisioning process for a renovation program is for every city step by step is as follows.

Step 1-Founding a responsible group for the mother renovation program.

Step 2-Definition of the strategic goals of the city.

Step 3-Definition and planning, design, and preparing urban renovation projects in the mother program. Some types of projects are.

Demolition projects

Urban land allocation projects

Street improvement projects

New street building projects

Renewing or new building of homes

Renewing or new building of schools

Renewing or new building of urban infrastructure

Economic empowerment projects for inhabitants

Social empowerment projects for poor people

Cultural projects to protect and renew the social heritages

Political projects to increase social solidarity and sustainable development of the city

Step 4-Provision of an album of executive maps for every project of the mother renovation program.

Step 5-Conduction of urban renovation projects.

Step 6-Auditing and evaluating the outcomes of a renovation program.

Note that every project of the mother program will have micro (user), medium (block), or macro (district and city) scales depending on the necessity.

Findings and discussions

Urban renovation experiences in the world showed that physical, spatial, and socio-economic renovations of cities were parallel to democratic socio-economic reforms. It has been understood that worn-out neighborhoods are hazardous and obstacles to social and economic development. The cities that meet construction standards and requirements of sustainable development have got major socio-economic, and physical crises (James, 2014 ) found it necessary to decline the hazardous effects of nonfunctioning urban neighborhoods in their cities and outcomes were tremendously positive.

The deterioration and inefficiency of urban neighborhoods in Iran have also caused damage, which has led to social riots. Studies by Iranian experts show that delays in urban renewal in suburban and old neighborhoods cause increasing damage to cities. The Ministry of Road and Urban Development evaluated the average magnitude of agglomerated damage caused by delaying renovation in the 31 metropolises from 1989–2017. The Table 4 shows the data obtained from the ministry have been retrieved according to the author's local cognition and experiences.

Table 4 shows that the entire metropolises of Iran experienced multifaceted crises due to the worn-out areas and inefficiency and no functioning of the urban neighborhoods, with magnitudes evaluated as \(M1,M2,M3,...,M\) in 15-time points of \(T1,T2,T3,...,T\) . The average magnitude of the losses of worn-out urban neighborhoods to cities is an indicator whose range is assumed to be from 1 to 100 and is determined based on the opinions of urban planning experts. In Table 3 , each \(T\) denotes a 2-year time and the unit of measurement is the same for all cities at all times. The following curve has been drawn based on the data in Table 3 and shows the increasing magnitude of the damages.

In Fig.  2 , the vertical axis on the left side shows the magnitudes of the harms, and the horizontal axis represents the interval time between 1989 and 2017 from the left to the right. The red-colored curve shows that the average magnitudes of harms caused by the worn-out neighborhoods have increased during the time, though there are some fluctuations in the curve. The increase proves that the renovation program and its projects should be started as soon as possible. So far, the efforts to renew the old urban neighborhoods have not been essential, effective, and institutional, and the magnitude of harm has risen from 2.1 to 65 in that period.

Average magnitude of damage caused by worn-out neighborhoods in the cities

Conclusions

This article discussed the hazardous impacts of worn-out and nonfunctioning urban neighborhoods in the development of cities. For this reason, the cities required physical and socio-economic renovation programs to improve their skeletal, spatial, and socio-economic characteristics.

The theoretical and experimental methods, which were problem-oriented conducted case studies in 31 metropolises in Iran to revise the increasing areas of worn-out urban neighborhoods. Indicators belonging to Geology, interior and exterior standards of the buildings, infrastructure, land-use policies, socio-economic, environmental, and aesthetics of cities were selected to evaluate the type of nonfunctioning and remedy to improve them.

The three-A, B, and C types of worn-out urban neighborhoods required different renewal projects. The step-by-step renovation program finally defined the projects to be implemented. The urban renovation program (mother program) introduced several projects to improve the physical and socio-economic features of the cities.

The achievement of this article, which was a step-by-step urban renewal program, can also be simulated in other cities with a similar situation.

The prospect of this research is to define and plan future development projects in urban renovation program details, particularly in group A cities, which are in intense crisis and urgently need renovation programs.

Availability of data and materials

All data used in this research are from free resources.

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Shahraki, A.A. Renovation programs in old and inefficient neighborhoods of cities with case studies. City Territ Archit 9 , 28 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40410-022-00174-1

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Exploring bim implementation challenges in complex renovation projects: a case study of ubc’s brdf expansion, 1. introduction.

• Utilizing BIM to create a digital mockup of the existing environment that can be seamlessly integrated with the designed model.
• Advantages gained in project implementation by using 4D simulations, i.e., 3D models plus project schedule (time).
• Improved project management and coordination among multiple disciplines that can result in efficient project financials and planning.
• Effectively conveying the renovation or expansion objectives to clients and project partners, including aspects such as comfort, aesthetics, and energy performance.
• Providing more reliable estimations of construction waste volume during the renovation or destruction process.
• Enabling the use of prefabrication, resulting in more efficiencies.
• The standardization of spaces for equipment and building components that can subsequently lead to optimizations in cost, time, and quality.
• Examining how BIM tools and processes were utilized throughout the construction project, including the types of model uses and information requirements.
• Identifying how the use of BIM tools and processes impacted the project management practices and project outcomes.
• Documenting the benefits, challenges, and lessons learned from the BIM implementation process.

2. Research Background and Related Works

2.1. bim for renovation projects, 2.2. assessing the impact of bim, 2.3. literature review conclusion, 3. research methodology and approach, 4. case study: ubc’s brdf expansion project, 4.1. understanding the project background and current status, 4.2. understanding specific project constraints and challenges that led to the use of bim, 4.2.1. complex spatial constraints.

“Having major limits on the amount of space that we have in order to maneuver some of these massive pieces of equipment like the boiler and the ESP (Electrostatic Precipitator), and they’ve been basically shoehorned into this building. That was a huge challenge that we faced on this project” —Owner’s Project Manager

4.2.2. Lack of Reliable As-Built Information

“A couple of existing conditions that were found along the way like the communication ducts under the High Head Lab certainly delayed that scope of work. The conveyor pit conflicted with the existing underground conduits, and it also resulted and impacted the installation of the conveyors on the other end of the building”. —General Contractor’s Project Manager

4.2.3. Lack of Clarity and Changes in the Scope of Work

“I think another major issue was basically the growth in scope, which is related to the definition of the scope. There is definitely creeping scope in terms of what the consultants recognize in the contract versus what the client expected”. —Design Consultant’s Project Engineer

4.2.4. Other Notable Project Constraints and Challenges

• The renovation project encompassed complex activities, including the removal of existing equipment before installing new components.
• Coordinating with various project stakeholders, including facility managers, presented challenges, as the facility continued normal operations throughout the expansion project.
• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the project. Restrictions resulted in reduced workforce, communication challenges due to virtual work arrangements, and delays in major equipment deliveries from countries affected by the pandemic.

4.3. Overview of the Research Implementation and Findings

5. project organizational context associated with bim implementation on the brdf expansion project, 5.1. organizational relationships and team experience with bim, 5.2. project team’s bim experience and expectations, 6. project bim uses, 6.1. reality capture (as-is model), 6.2. design authoring and modeling, 6.3. design review and coordination, 6.4. constructability review, 6.5. 4d simulation, 6.6. communication and documentation, 6.7. vr application: enhanced design review, 7. bim implementation technologies and processes, 7.1. technology used in the brdf expansion project, 7.2. bim-related processes in the brdf expansion project, 7.2.1. data accessibility process, 7.2.2. model federation process, 7.2.3. communication process, 7.2.4. issue management process, 8. bim implementation impacts: benefits and challenges, 8.1. overall satisfaction with bim implementation.

“It was tight, and without the BIM model, we would definitely have said no to allowing the High Head Lab to construct before the equipment is in place”. —Design Builder’s Project Manager

“So, it [BIM allowed us to understand what our constraints were, and what space and room we had to work with. So, from that perspective, that was a huge milestone, that was extremely critical. Now, could we have done that without BIM? Probably. But could we have done it with 100% accuracy and confidence? No, probably not”. —Client’s Project Manager

8.2. Benefits of BIM Implementation

“Some kinds of structures are not easy to understand in a 2D environment, it would take us some additional calculations to figure out where things are. [… It was easy to understand the shape in 3D. [… There’s less time spent to determine how things are set up. In 3D modeling, you can just see, it’s right there”. —Superintendent, General Contractor

“There’s been several situations where we’ve identified conflicts before it was built. And it allowed us to correct those problems. [… It was understood that we had to try to figure it out before we actually got in there to install that pipe”. —Project Manager, Owner

8.3. Challenges with BIM Implementation

“There’s a third party that is facilitating the model, and that means if we want to communicate to the rest of the team in the model, we have to have that service party there to manipulate the model for us. So that’s somewhat of an inconvenience as well as it has a cost to it”. —Project Manager, General Contractor

“Our concern was every time we do that (use BIM), it has a cost. So, we want it to regulate viewing the model and having to spend those funds to manipulate the model for things that were, in our minds, relatively minor that could be shown in 2D way. So, we were trying to manage the 3d resource and allocate it where the cost seemed appropriate. [… I think if we had a 3D central model that was part of the project from day one, we wouldn’t have worried about any of that. [… So, we wind up alternating between communication in 3D and communication in 2D, based on a risk versus dollars sort of assessment”. —Project Manager, General Contractor

“Getting buy-in from other subcontractors would be the major issue. The steel structure, for example, there was nothing available, and I don’t think there was an intent to provide 3d models”. —Project Lead, VDC Service Provider

9. Lessons Learned

9.1. the organizational perspective, 9.1.1. bim requirements are essential, 9.1.2. choosing a suitable procurement method, 9.1.3. engaging organizations with sufficient skills and expertise in bim, 9.1.4. bim needs the involvement of the entire team, 9.2. the process perspective, 9.2.1. it is essential to implement bim for the entire workflow, 9.2.2. the information exchange process needs formalization, 9.2.3. preventing fragmented information, 9.2.4. facilitating model accessibility, 9.3. the technological perspective, 9.3.1. clarity on model lod, 9.3.2. clarity on model content, 9.3.3. clarity on software infrastructure, 10. summary and conclusions.

• Having clear BIM requirements.
• Choosing a suitable procurement method that enables BIM.
• Engaging organizations that are BIM-capable or at least providing sufficient BIM training at the project’s outset.
• Engaging the entire team in the process.
• Implementing BIM for all major workflows.
• Formalizing the information exchange process.
• Preventing fragmented information.
• Facilitating model accessibility.
• Having clarity on model LOD, model content, and software infrastructure.

Author Contributions

Institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, data availability statement, conflicts of interest.

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Zadeh, P.A.; Han, S.; Staub-French, S. Exploring BIM Implementation Challenges in Complex Renovation Projects: A Case Study of UBC’s BRDF Expansion. Appl. Sci. 2023 , 13 , 12563. https://doi.org/10.3390/app132312563

Zadeh PA, Han S, Staub-French S. Exploring BIM Implementation Challenges in Complex Renovation Projects: A Case Study of UBC’s BRDF Expansion. Applied Sciences . 2023; 13(23):12563. https://doi.org/10.3390/app132312563

Zadeh, Puyan A., Seungho Han, and Sheryl Staub-French. 2023. "Exploring BIM Implementation Challenges in Complex Renovation Projects: A Case Study of UBC’s BRDF Expansion" Applied Sciences 13, no. 23: 12563. https://doi.org/10.3390/app132312563

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Case study: Office building’s smart potential

An office building renovation project included a host of considerations to retrofit the space into a smart building.

Contracted directly by the owner, the smart building consultant was involved in the planning, design and construction of a 30,000-square-foot office renovation project. To provide the best value to the owner, the smart building consultant delivered the smart building project within the framework of the overall construction project.

The concept is simple, shared data between traditionally siloed systems can make the entire ecosystem smarter, more informed and useful. In this project, lighting control data is communicating back and forth to the building automation system and to core business systems, allowing the organization to use data to make their employees happier, healthier and more productive.

Smart building planning

Observation: The consulting arm of the smart building consultant specialized in workplace strategy and took a deep dive into how the organization communicated and worked in its existing physical environment.

Visioning: The organization revisited many of its core values when weighing the commitment to pursue smart building applications. As the owner’s values aligned with many of the initiatives that the smart building consultant was proposing, specific use cases were developed based on the observations of the workplace strategy team. Ultimately, the smart building consultant secured buy-in from the owner with the understanding that the true return on investment of these solutions would be realized during operation.

• Productivity.
• Efficiency.
• Improvement and learning.
• Appraisals.

Financial modeling: Cost estimating was performed for each use case. Below is an example of how this was presented for the lighting control informs room scheduling use case.

Design of integrated systems

Use case tool: This tool provided helpful organization of integration sequences and smart building applications that everyone could discuss and discover. It became a guide for the team moving from visioning through design and into construction. Sorting use cases into energy, real estate and people helped the team identify the highest value solutions for the organization.

Energy efficiency (1 times value):

• Lighting informs heating, ventilation and air conditioning : Notification of occupancy status from the lighting control system triggers occupied or unoccupied sequence of control in the HVAC system for that room or zone.

Building performance (10 times value):

• Room scheduling informs HVAC: The HVAC system preheats/precools room 15 minutes before meetings start time based on accepted number of occupants as load setpoints versus design day setpoints.

People efficiency/human wellness (100 times value):

• Lighting informs room scheduling: Occupancy status from the building automation system feeds enterprise-level email and room scheduling application with real-time occupied or unoccupied status. The room scheduler displays real-time status as users interact with room scheduling tool.
• Circadian rhythm lighting: The lighting control platform initiates a correlated color temperature shift of tunable white power over Ethernet luminaires in relation to date and time.
• Space use studies: An HVAC zoned control adjusts setpoints based on actual occupancy versus design day occupancy conditions. The building automation system collects and stores trend data for every 15-minute interval for at least one year.

Smart building responsibilities

Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and technology drawings and specifications review (consultant):

• PoE lighting: A PoE lighting and control system was determined to be of highest value to support the integration needs of the project; it also aligned with the owner’s core values. The smart building consultant helped steer the design team through the entirety of the cross-disciplinary lighting system, with hardware and software specified from both Division 26 and 27.
• Division 23, 26 and 7 review: The smart building consultant coordinated requirements and reviews of these sections to comply with integration criteria.

Integration automation drawings (specifier):

• Integration drawings were issued to communicate design intent.

Division 25 specifications (specifier):

Specifications were issued to communicate products and services required to deliver the smart building solutions.

Construction is currently underway on this project and the smart building consultant is working to help deliver the use cases and smart building solutions identified above.

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Exploring stakeholder engagement in urban village renovation projects through a mixed-method approach to social network analysis: a case study of Tianjin

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• Complex networks
• Social policy

The stakeholder relationship network in urban village renovation projects is highly complex, exhibiting dynamic changes at different stages. Therefore, exploring the characteristics of the interaction networks among stakeholders at each stage and the changes in their role positioning is crucial for achieving collaborative governance involving multiple stakeholders. By employing a mixed research methodology comprising single-case analysis and social network analysis, this study aimed to explore stakeholder networks’ characteristics and evolution patterns at each stage of the renovation project. Moreover, it seeks to identify breakthroughs for collaborative governance. The research revealed that the main constraints to stakeholder collaboration in urban village renovation projects are low public participation in the early preparation stage, weak network situation of stakeholders during the demolition and resettlement compensation stage, and significant clique fragmentation during the development and construction implementation stages. This study recommended approaches such as transforming the development model, establishing public status, leveraging the resource-driving advantages of core stakeholders, and establishing a network-sharing platform. Through these means, various stakeholders could be guided to be effectively involved in the entire project construction process, leading to deep cooperation among multiple stakeholders.

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As China’s urbanization accelerates, cities are gradually shifting towards redeveloping existing assets. Urban village renovation has become an important initiative for enhancing high-quality urban development (Pan and Du, 2021 ). Researchers estimated that the investment scale in urban renewal would be expected to reach 9.2 trillion yuan by 2030, accounting for approximately 11% of gross fixed capital formation (Xu, 2021 ). However, urban villages, as non-standardized construction areas, present prominent challenges compared to typical urban renewal projects, including complex stakeholder interest, unclear property rights, diverse transformation goals, and weak governance levels. Moreover, the distinct demands of various stakeholders, such as the government, developers, and residents, can lead to severe negative impacts if mishandled (Yu et al. 2019 , Zhu et al. 2022 ). In the practice of urban village renovation, incidents like violent demolitions and mass protests are not uncommon (Mai et al. 2022 , Yu et al. 2017 ). The coordinative nature of stakeholder relationships plays an essential role in urban village renovation projects (Cao and Deng, 2021 ). Different stakeholders are not independent but interdependent and play diverse roles in decision-making in the process of urban village renovation (Zhuang et al. 2019 ). It has also been shown that collaborative governance among stakeholders is key to addressing management issues in urban village renovation (Li et al. 2020 , Liu et al. 2021 ). Therefore, clarifying the complex role of various stakeholders in renovation projects and exploring diverse collaborative governance models become crucial aspects of urban village renovation projects (Chen et al. 2022 , Wang et al. 2021 ).

Research on stakeholder relationships in urban village renovation projects mainly focuses on three aspects. The first one is the status and roles of stakeholders. For instance, The demands and role characteristics of key stakeholders, including the government, developers, and residents, play a decisive role in urban village renovation projects (He et al. 2023 , Liu et al. 2021 ). The second aspect is the stakeholders and their interrelationships, such as the mechanism on interest distribution (Jiang et al. 2020 , Zhou et al. 2017 , Zhuang et al. 2017 ), mechanism on conflict resolution (Panahi et al. 2017 , Wang et al. 2022 ), stakeholders’ behaviour and game theory (Chu et al. 2020 , Guo et al. 2018 , Zhu et al. 2022 ), and collaborative governance models (Li et al. 2022 , Liu et al. 2021 ). Furthermore, there are concerted efforts in exploring and innovating theoretical foundations and research methodology. Zhuang et al. ( 2019 ) innovatively combined qualitative and quantitative methods. Liu et al. ( 2021 ) expanded the theoretical foundation by integrating stakeholder theory with cooperative theory and symbiosis theory. Zhang et al. ( 2021 ) made a transition from individual analysis to network analysis. Current studies have discussed the status and role of stakeholders, their interrelationships, and theoretical approaches in urban village renovation. However, they have overlooked that the urban village renovation project is a dynamic process involving multiple stages, at each of which the composition and importance of stakeholders are different (Aaltonen and Kujala, 2010 , Antillon et al. 2018 ). Moreover, the studies on interaction networks and role positions among stakeholders at various stages during renovation projects are limited. Therefore, it is essential to initiate a comprehensive analysis of stakeholder collaborative relationships and role functional positioning from the perspective of the entire life cycle of the urban village renovation project (Wu et al. 2020 , Yu et al. 2019 ). This approach serves as a necessary prerequisite for a deeper understanding of stakeholders’ rights and responsibilities, intending to overcome the dilemma of “governance failure”, leverage the advantages of the leading resources, and achieve win-win collaboration among multiple stakeholders.

Based on the preceding analysis, this study employed stakeholder theory and social network analysis to conduct a case study on an urban village renovation project in Tianjin, China. The objectives of this study are to address specific inquiries within the urban village renovation project, such as identifying stakeholders at each project stage, analyzing their interactions, examining variations in roles and functions across stages, and exploring strategies for achieving multi-stakeholder governance.

Literature review

This section consists of four subsections. First, it describes the implementation challenges, international experience, and the main processes of urban village renovation projects. Second, it reviews previous studies on stakeholders and their interrelationships in urban village renovation projects. Next, the application of Social Network Analysis (SNA) methods and their relevance to the research questions in this paper are presented. Last, the gap in previous research is summarized, leading to this paper’s content and main contributions.

Urban village renovation and the life cycle of urban village renovation projects

Urban villages represent a typical urban challenge arising from China’s rapid urbanization, reflecting the legacy of the urban-rural dual land system (Zeng et al. 2022 ). Within these urban villages, numerous private residences and commercial facilities have been built to foster the growth of the rental economy, leading to limited urban space expansion and a deviation from regional planning and positioning (Chen et al. 2023 ). Recognizing the significance of these issues, the Chinese government has issued a series of policies and guidance documents to promote the optimization of urban spatial structure and enhance overall quality. However, due to the complexity of property rights, the diversity of functions, and the plurality of stakeholders, the governance of informal settlements, particularly in urban villages, remains highly complex and challenging (Paula et al. 2023 , Wei et al. 2022 ).

The urbanization trend in countries around the world indicated that even developed countries with 300 years of urbanization experience had been plagued with informal housing issues for more than a century (Chen et al. 2023 , Marques, 2016 ). Urbanization in the United Kingdom underwent a transition from government-led slum clearance movements to a gradual shift towards profit-oriented market operations (Banks and Carpenter, 2017 , Becker, 1951 ). Currently, the UK government incorporates social, economic, and environmental considerations into urban renewal decisions, achieving renewal goals through the coordinated efforts of government, market, and community (Huang and Liu, 2018 ). Singapore, evolving from a slum in the 1960s to a current global city, offered many successful lessons for other countries to learn from (Li, 2021 ), such as establishing dedicated urban renewal departments, attracting private funding, emphasizing historical and cultural preservation, and encouraging public participation (Tang, 2023 , Yeoh and Huang, 1996 ). Brazil, as a developing country undergoing urbanization, transformed large-scale demolition into inclusive in-situ upgrading (Annie and Greenlee, 2017 , Marques, 2016 ). Systematic institutional design and refined implementation strategies played a crucial role in Brazil’s diverse governance of informal housing (Hong and Chen, 2023 , Maria and Alvaro, 2019 ).

Based on international experience, despite the distinct development context of China’s urban village renovation compared to other countries, the core essence revolves around exploring the governance path characterized by pluralistic co-management, inclusiveness, and fairness. Drawing lessons from the urbanization development experience of other countries and exploring a renovation and governance path that aligns with China’s urban-rural dichotomy are key factors for the successful implementation of urban village renovation projects.

The categorization of the life cycle stages in urban renewal projects remains a subject of debate across various research perspectives. For example, to manage the risks in old residential renovation, Huo et al. ( 2023 ) divided the project into four stages: decision-making, design, construction, operation, and maintenance. Cui et al. ( 2021 ) divided the project cycle into demolition, construction, operation and maintenance, and re-retirement stages to quantify the energy consumption of different retrofit strategies. (Qin and Miao, 2015 ), studying the development process of public participation in urban village renovation, segmented the project cycle into three stages: pre-establishment, mid-term consultation, and demolition and commencement of construction. The demolition stage stands out as a unique stage in urban village renovation projects, characterized by highly complex interrelationships among stakeholders (Yu et al. 2017 ). Zhuang et al. ( 2019 ) focused on the decision-making stage and categorized it into seven stages: project application, plan development, field survey, etc. Although the names and subdivisions of the project stages varied based on the research questions, the study of South et al. ( 2018 ) found that all projects encompassed four stages throughout their life cycle, i.e., project initiation, organizational preparation, project implementation and project completion.

Stakeholders and their interrelationships in urban village renovation projects

Freeman ( 1984 ) originally introduced the concept of stakeholders, defining them as “groups without whose support an organization cannot exist”. Subsequently, scholars across diverse disciplines, including economics, sociology, and management, expanded and adjusted stakeholder definitions within their respective fields. This led to stakeholders being broadly defined as any group or individual capable of influencing or being influenced by the achievement of organizational goals (Magill et al. 2015 , Shah and Guild, 2022 , Uribe et al. 2018 , Zarghami and Dumrak, 2021 ).

As an interdisciplinary theory, stakeholder theory has been widely applied in urban village renovation projects, primarily focusing on the analysis of government, enterprises, and residents (Li, 2012 , Lin et al. 2022 , Liu et al. 2018 ). For instance, He et al. ( 2023 ) explored the role and influence of local governments in a multi-stakeholder context, identifying three types of government involvement: government-led incentive, government-regulated coordination, and government-operated coalition. Du et al. ( 2022 ) focused on resident satisfaction and emphasized the importance of “social networks and social protection,” “social reciprocity and trust,” “social participation and accessibility,” and “community cohesion” in enhancing resident satisfaction. Meanwhile, some scholars discovered that social organizations, planners, and news media, while not core stakeholders, also play an essential role in implementing urban village renovation projects (Li et al. 2022 , Li et al. 2020 , Priemus, 2006 ).

Different stakeholders exhibit significant differences in their demands (He et al. 2019 ). Coordinating diverse stakeholder relationships has become a focal point of urban village renovation studies (Liu et al. 2021 ). Mai et al. ( 2022 ) investigated the interactive relationships and their responses to social risks among residents, social organizations, local government, and developers. They found that “residents’ needs,” “cooperation status,” and “level of trust” are crucial for risk management, effectively leveraging China’s collectivist culture to reduce social risks. Wu et al. ( 2020 ), using the renovation of Putuo District in Shanghai as an example, explored the rights, interests, and knowledge of 42 stakeholders in the project decision-making process to deepen the comprehensive understanding of stakeholders and construct a decision-making matrix for land redevelopment. Zhou et al. ( 2022 ) argued that the collision of value among diverse stakeholders is the catalyst for value conflicts. They established an analysis framework combining Stakeholder Analysis (SA), Social Network Analysis (SNA), and the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) to identify key value conflicts and stakeholders, thus driving the successful implementation of the projects. Mi ( 2021 ) furthermore integrated stakeholders with the theory of collaborative governance, analyzing the influencing factors of stakeholder cooperation in urban village renovation projects under the principles of co-building, co-governance, and sharing.

Social network analysis: an effective method for analyzing stakeholder relationships

Social network analysis (SNA) originated in the 1930s as a quantitative analysis method (Moreno, 1934 ). Integrating mathematical and computational applications, SNA is utilized to analyze complex interdependencies among various elements and comprehend the characteristics and implications of these relationship structures (Dowding, 1995 ). As an effective method, SNA has been widely applied in sociology, psychology, economics, and organizational management (Yuan et al. 2021 , Zhang et al. 2022 ).

SNA has significant advantages in the study of stakeholder relationships (Wang et al. 2021 ). Firstly, SNA depicts the stakeholder relationship network by the interconnections among stakeholders, providing a more intuitive observation of their links and interactions (Lienert et al. 2013 ). Secondly, SNA situates individual stakeholders within the entire stakeholder network, offering a clear view of the collective characteristics of stakeholders in the relationship network (Leticia et al. 2017 ). Finally, SNA quantifies the importance of individual stakeholders in the stakeholder network and their key functional roles.

Given the advantages of SNA, using SNA to analyze project stakeholder relationships has become a significant trend in the field of project management (Luo et al. 2023 , Wang et al. 2021 ). For instance, Wang et al. ( 2020 ) employed SNA to construct a stakeholder network in BIM-delivered projects, analyzing the characteristics of stakeholder relationships and identifying the core stakeholders in BIM project applications. Zhang et al. ( 2021 ) compared and analyzed complex stakeholder behaviour in urban renewal projects in Shenzhen and Chongqing using SNA. According to their analysis results, they proposed corresponding governance strategies, such as optimizing the negotiation platform for urban renewal, increasing multi-stakeholder participation, and implementing policies to regulate participant behaviour. Seyed and Esmail ( 2023 ) emphasized the significant role of stakeholder management in lake restoration programs, using SNA to quantify the roles of stakeholders and enhance the management system of lake restoration projects. Clearly, SNA has accumulated extensive research outcomes in the field of project stakeholder relations. It provides a clearer understanding of the roles of various stakeholders in the project, allowing for the leverage of their respective resources advantages to improve project performance(Cook and Gerbasi, 2006 ; Zhuang et al. 2019 ).

Stakeholders in urban village renovation projects form a complex organizational structure with social network characteristics (Jin et al. 2023 ). Using SNA to quantitatively analyze the complex relationships among stakeholders in urban village renovation projects has significant advantages. Therefore, this study intends to employ SNA to analyze the interaction among diverse stakeholders. Consequently, it will offer a clearer understanding of the relationship dynamics among stakeholders in urban village renovation projects, as well as the individual stakeholder’s role and position during the implementation of the renovation.

Research gaps

The present literature has revealed two notable trends. Firstly, research about stakeholders is shifting towards diverse stakeholder participation and collaborative governance (Li et al. 2022 ). Additionally, characterizing and analyzing stakeholder relationships from a network perspective has become a novel research approach (Jin et al. 2023 ). However, existing studies have explored the interaction among multiple stakeholders from a static network perspective, lacking in-depth research on the evolution of stakeholder relationships at different stages of urban village renovation projects. Therefore, further identification of research gaps is warranted.

First of all, there is a limited amount of research that adequately considers the relationships among diverse stakeholders in urban village renovation projects. Previous studies indicate that in the new era, urban village renovation projects involve not only core stakeholders such as the government, developers, and the public. Coordinating relationships among diverse stakeholders has become a key factor in the successful implementation of the current urban village renovation projects (Mai et al. 2022 ). The collaborative governance model is the primary objective for establishing stakeholder cooperation in urban village renovation projects (Mi, 2021 ; Liu et al. 2021 ). Therefore, paying attention to the relationship among diverse stakeholders in urban village renovation projects is crucial for their successful execution. Moreover, constructing a stakeholder relationship network from a social network perspective proves to be more effective in quantifying stakeholder relationships than other methods.

Secondly, stakeholder relationships have rarely been explored in stages in previous studies. The urban village renovation projects are characterized by a lengthy project cycle, involvement of diverse stakeholders, and complex interest relationships (Zeng et al. 2022 ). The composition and significance of stakeholders vary at each stage of the project (Zhuang et al. 2019 ). However, existing research has rarely considered how stakeholder relationships and their roles evolve across different stages of urban village renovation projects. Therefore, examining stakeholder relationships in urban village renovation projects from a comprehensive life cycle perspective holds practical significance for promoting stakeholder cooperation.

As discussed in the preceding paragraphs, this study conducted a case study on the urban village renovation project in Tianjin, China. Taking a comprehensive life cycle perspective and employing the Social Network Analysis (SNA) method, this paper thoroughly analyzed the evolution characteristics of stakeholder networks and the patterns of role evolution at different stages of the project, thereby addressing the current research gap. This study not only provided an overall understanding of the interactive dynamics among stakeholders across various stages of the urban village renovation project but also provided clearer insights into the position and role of each stakeholder during different stages. Consequently, it opens the black box of stakeholder relations in the urban village renovation project, enabling stakeholders to leverage their resource advantages and enhance the project’s governance efficiency.

Materials and methodology

As shown in Fig. 1 , this study consisted of four main steps. Initially, stakeholders in the case project were identified and categorized through field research and expert interviews. Subsequently, a questionnaire survey was used to determine the strength of project stakeholders’ relationships and formulate a relationship matrix. Following this, the social network analysis method was applied to analyze the overall network characteristics of stakeholders, the group structure characteristics, and the evolutionary patterns of central roles throughout the entire process. Lastly, based on the analysis results, the dilemma issues of collaborative stakeholder governance are identified, and targeted countermeasures are proposed.

Research process.

This study utilized a mixed research approach, combining a single case study and social network analysis. On the one hand, single-case studies are inclined to distort behavioural patterns from complex phenomena, providing an opportunity to deepen the understanding of such phenomena, especially in multi-stage longitudinal studies (Eisenhardt and Graebner, 2007 ). Through the single case study method, this research tracked and observed the behavioural changes of stakeholders at each stage, capturing the characteristics of the stakeholder relationships at each stage and elaborating on their behaviours with primary data. On the other hand, social network analysis is a quantitative research method that combines graphical and mathematical models to analyze the positions and interrelationships of social members in a network (Koene, 1984 ). Exploring stakeholder interaction at each stage of the urban village renovation project from the social network perspective allows for a more comprehensive and objective portrayal of overall structural characteristics, group evolution characteristics, and node function evolution law in each stage (Mok et al. 2017 ). In conclusion, the mixed research method combining a single case study and social network analysis is well-suited for studying stakeholder relationships in urban village renovation projects. Leveraging the advantages and characteristics of each method, it contributes to a deeper understanding of stakeholder interactions and role characteristics.

This study used UCINET 6.0 to analyze the stakeholder network of the urban village renovation project and employed NETDRAW software to create the relationship diagram. To improve stakeholder collaboration, analyzing stakeholder relationships in urban village renovation projects involves examining the overall structure, group characteristics, and participant status. Network density and average node distance are commonly used indicators to evaluate the overall network characteristics of stakeholder networks (Liu, 2009 ). To further explore the interactions between stakeholders, core-periphery and small clique analyses were selected to investigate stakeholder groups in this study. Through core-periphery and clique analyses, it is possible to identify core stakeholders at each project stage and determine which stakeholder relationships are more closely related (Liu Fang, 2015 ). In addition, the authors applied three frequently used centrality measures to analyze the stakeholder network, including degree centrality, betweenness centrality, and closeness centrality (Wei et al. 2022 ). Centrality analysis provides a clearer understanding of the roles and major contributions of stakeholders in the urban village renovation process. Detailed descriptions and formulas for each indicator are tabulated in Table 1 .

This study selected an urban village renovation project in Beichen District, Tianjin, China (refer to Fig. 2 for the location map). Before the renovation, the area primarily consisted of bungalows with dilapidated houses, outdated infrastructure, lagging surrounding facilities, and inadequate road construction. Security issues, as well as hygiene and fire hazards, were prevalent (see Fig. 3 for pictures before renovation). The government launched the project in 2005 to improve the living environment for residents. However, due to the difficulties in negotiation regarding the demolition and relocation, the demolition and relocation work of the project gradually commenced only in 2015. The first batch of villagers successfully relocated back to their homes in 2021. Currently, more than 3,900 housing units have been completed, with 1307 units under construction. It is expected that the villagers will move in by early 2024. Figure 4 illustrates the overall layout after the completion of the project, showing a significant improvement in residents’ living environment. Based on the construction focus of the project and the characteristics of stakeholder stages, the project was divided into four stages: Preliminary Preparation stage (PP), Demolition and Relocation Compensation stage (DC), Development, Construction and Implementation stage (CI), and Post-Maintenance and Operation stage (MO).

Location map of Tianjin Beichen District urban village renovation.

Pictures of the project before renovation.

Pictures of the project after renovation.

The main reasons for selecting this case are as follows. (1) Representative development mode: The project adopts a mode characterized by government-led, village-enterprise collaboration and market-oriented operation. The government implements the urban village renovation project, with the construction unit responsible for demolition and relocation work and compensating the villagers. Currently, this development mode is widely applied in urban village renovation projects across most Chinese cities. (2) Complexity of stakeholder relationships: The project includes stakeholders at various government levels, developers, villagers, constructors, and other stakeholders with complex relationships. (3) Data accessibility: Due to geographic and relational advantages, the authors have been tracking this urban village renovation project since 2014, gaining information on the project’s progress and key details. Multiple in-depth interviews were conducted with stakeholders such as government officials, developers, and villagers, accumulating a large amount of material information for this case study. (4) Project lifecycle completeness: The renovation project went through the entire lifecycle from initiation to maintenance and operation, meeting the requirements for a comprehensive lifecycle analysis of the project.

Construction of stakeholder network in urban village renovation project

The stakeholder network consists of nodes (stakeholders) and connections (relationship strength between stakeholders). Therefore, to construct the stakeholder network in the urban village renovation project, it is essential to first identify the stakeholders in the case project. Subsequently, a stakeholder matrix was constructed based on the relationships between stakeholders to facilitate the subsequent analysis of network metrics.

Stakeholders identification

This study employed a combined approach of literature review and focus group interviews to identify stakeholders in urban village renovation projects. This approach ensured both the reliability of stakeholder identification and the enhanced practical relevance of the research outcomes. First of all, stakeholders in the urban village renovation project were systematically categorized through an in-depth literature review, summarizing the primary functions associated with each stakeholder. Subsequently, a group discussion was conducted with six individuals actively involved in the case project, including two government officials from the project’s district, the project manager from the developer, the project manager from the constructor, the manager from the design unit, and the manager from the consultant. Through this collaborative discussion, 11 stakeholders were identified and established as the initial stakeholder list. During the subsequent field research, based on the results obtained from semi-structured interviews with various project participants, two additional stakeholders, i.e. news media and the property management unit, were incorporated into the original list. Consequently, a final list of 13 stakeholders was established, with stakeholders systematically staged according to the practical conditions of the renovation (refer to Table 2 ).

Establishment of stakeholder relationship matrix

The questionnaire was designed to determine the strength of stakeholder relationships. The respondents were selected based on two criteria: (1) they represented one of the 13 stakeholders listed; (2) they had experience participating in urban village renovation projects. Before designing the questionnaire, the method for measuring relationship strength was determined in the first place. Due to the significant roles of rights and interests in stakeholder relationships in urban village renovation (Zhuang et al. 2019 ), this study used “the existence of contractual relationships,” “the existence of subordinate relationships or mutual interests,” and “the existence of communication opportunities” as the criteria to measure relationship strength, assigning “5,” “3,” and “1,” respectively. If none of the above relationships exist, a value of “0” is assigned. The questionnaire consisted of two main parts. The first part contains background information about the respondents filling out the questionnaire. The second part measures and scores the strength of the relationship between the stakeholders.

Questionnaires were distributed both online and offline to project stakeholders in four different periods: June to July 2014, September to October 2016, June to July 2018, and September to October 2021. These four time periods corresponded to different stages of project development. In 2014, 153 questionnaires were distributed, and 142 valid questionnaires were collected. In 2016, 136 questionnaires were distributed, and 130 valid questionnaires were collected. In 2018, 143 questionnaires were distributed, and 136 valid questionnaires were collected. In 2021, 162 questionnaires were distributed, and 152 valid questionnaires were collected. In total, 560 valid questionnaires were collected across the four periods, with a response rate of over 94%. Good reliability and consistency of all collected questionnaires were verified. Finally, this study constructed a four-stage “Stakeholder-Stakeholder” adjacency matrix based on the relationship strength data obtained from the questionnaires. The four-stage “Stakeholder-Stakeholder” adjacency matrix can be found in Supplementary Table S1 , Supplementary Table S2 , Supplementary Table S3 , and Supplementary Table S4 online.

Network characteristics and analysis

Network structure.

The interaction network among different stakeholders at different stages is shown in Fig. 5 , providing a visual presentation of stakeholder interactions during each stage. The nodes in the diagram represent stakeholders, and the connecting lines define the relationships between them. Based on the relation network diagram, this study further measured indicators such as network density and average distance to describe the evolution of the stakeholder relationship network in the project, which are tabulated in Table 3 .

a Collaborative network diagram in the PP stage; b Collaborative network diagram in the DC stage; c Collaborative network diagram in the CI stage; d Collaborative network diagram in the MO stage.

In the preliminary preparation stage (PP stage), the network density is the highest, and the average distance between nodes is the lowest, indicating a close connection among stakeholders in this stage, with efficient information transmission. This is because the government is responsible for coordinating relevant functional units, handling approval procedures such as reporting and project approval, organizing experts for feasibility consultations, identifying cooperation partners, and conducting in-depth public appeals and other preparatory work. In the demolition and resettlement compensation stage (DC stage), the network density is the lowest, and the average distance between nodes is the highest. This is because stakeholders such as financial institutions and legal institutions, although entering the relationship network at this stage, have low connectivity with other stakeholders. During the development, construction, and implementation stage (CI stage), the network density slightly increases compared to the previous stage but remains at a relatively low level, showing that the connections among various stakeholders are not very close. These results indicated that the constructor carried out the main work in this stage. Although stakeholders such as the government, construction management unit, and the public are involved in the CI stage, they mostly play a supervisory role with limited interactions among themselves. The overall network had a “center-periphery” characteristic. In the post-maintenance and operation stage (MO stage), the network connections are simpler, but the network density is higher. This indicated close connections among stakeholders in this stage. The comprehensive network had an “overall coordinated” characteristic.

Overall, the degree of collaboration in the stakeholder relation network showed a “U”-shaped trend, while the efficiency of information transmission showed an inverted “U”-shaped trend. In the PP and MO stages, there were relatively fewer stakeholders, but the connections were tight, resulting in fast information transmission efficiency. In contrast, the intermediate two stages involve a higher number of stakeholders, but the degree of closeness significantly decreases, leading to lower information transmission efficiency.

The evolution characteristics of each project stage in this study are attributed to the following reasons: (1) In PP stage, the government holds significant discourse power and has strong coordination capabilities. It can effectively and efficiently collaborate with other stakeholders to jointly complete the pre-project feasibility study. Additionally, each stakeholder shows a strong willingness to participate due to their interests. (2) The major conflict during the DC stage lies in coordinating the interests between the government and the public. Stakeholders face trust issues and information asymmetry due to disputes over interests. (3) The stakeholders in the CI stage are highly specialized, with clear divisions of labor. However, their business activities are singular, and opportunities for interaction are limited, leading to information barrier challenges. (4) During the MO stage, the formal contractual relationship between the property management unit and the public plays a crucial role in establishing strong connections.

Group structure characteristics

Stakeholder “core-periphery” analysis.

The previous section analyzed the collaborative network characteristics and evolution patterns of each stage from the perspective of the overall network. Nevertheless, it was difficult to precisely identify the “core-periphery” stakeholders in different stages. Therefore, this study used UCINET software to analyze the “core-periphery” structure of the collaborative network in each stage of the urban village renovation project. Stakeholders were classified into two categories based on the mean value of the core degree as the delineation criterion: core stakeholders and peripheral stakeholders. The analysis results are shown in Table 4 .

Generally, the core stakeholders in the relation network of the urban village renovation project have been changing across different stages. The core stakeholders in the collaborative network in the PP stage were the government, consulting service units and construction units, engaging in in-depth discussions on issues such as the feasibility study and design planning of the urban renovation project. In the DC stage, the core stakeholders in the collaborative network were the construction units, the public, and the land consolidation and acquisition units, mainly coordinating matters related to demolition, resettlement, and compensation between the government and the public. The core stakeholders in the collaborative network in the CI stage were the constructors, construction units, and consulting services, with construction becoming the primary goal of this stage. During the MO stage, property management units and the public became the core stakeholders in the collaborative network.

Small clique analysis

The clique phenomenon can not only affect the relationship changes within the clique but often has some driving or inhibiting effects on the overall structure of the collaborative network (Liu Fang, 2015 ). Therefore, in this study, the UCINET software’s iterative correlation convergence algorithm (CONCOR) function was used to analyze the clique phenomena existing in each stage of the urban village renovation project. Figure 6 shows the cohesive subgroup diagram in each stage of the urban village renovation project. This paper calculated the density matrix for each stage of cliques to provide a more in-depth analysis of the relationships within and between small cliques. The network density at each stage was used as the threshold value to obtain the binary matrix. If it is greater than the overall network density, the value is set to 1, indicating a close connection. If it is less than the overall network density, the value is set to 0, indicating loose connections within or between small cliques. The specific results are shown in Table 5 .

According to the small cliques diagram (Fig. 6 ) and the small cliques binary matrix (Table 5 ), there were three small cliques in the PP stage. C1 included the government, construction unit, and the public; C2 included the construction management unit and consulting service unit; and C3 included the community committee and the media. C1, driven by the core roles of the government and construction unit, has close ties with C2 and C3, while the connections between C2 and C3 are relatively sparse. During the DC stage, a new small clique C1 was formed by construction management units, such as the Planning Bureau and the Environmental Protection Bureau, acting as a separate entity and not directly connecting with other stakeholders. This indicates that during this stage, the government had assigned the expropriation and compensation affairs to construction management units. The frequency of information exchange among small cliques was low compared to the previous stage. In the CI stage, the government did not form an alliance, while stakeholders within C2 had relatively loose connections. However, the C1 and C2 cliques were exceptionally closely related. Meanwhile, C3 had little contact with other small cliques, leading to apparent clique fragmentation. The MO stage consisted of three small cliques. The media, as an independent clique, had less frequent connections with other stakeholders during this stage. Stakeholders within C1 and C2, as well as the connections between the two small cliques, had a high level of closeness.

Small cliques exist in the collaborative network in all stages of urban village renovation projects. During the PP and MO stages, there was a high degree of internal and inter-clique connectivity, while in the two intermediate stages, there was a noticeable phenomenon of information isolation and mutual fragmentation among small cliques. The core stakeholders, with their resource-driving advantage, form small cliques, showing significantly higher frequencies of internal and inter-clique connections compared to small cliques composed of peripheral stakeholders.

Individual role evolution

In the previous section, the “corer-periphery” structure confirmed the differences in the importance of stakeholders at various stages in the urban village renovation project. However, what differences exist in the roles and functions of the same stakeholders in different stages? Therefore, this paper selected stakeholders involved in the entire process as the research subjects: government, construction unit, the public, and the media. The evolutionary changes in the roles and functions of these four stakeholders at different stages were analyzed and presented in Fig. 7 . Due to variations in the number of stakeholders in each stage, the centralities were normalized before the analysis. The degree centrality can be found as Supplementary Table S5 online. The betweenness centrality can be found as Supplementary Table S6 online. The closeness centrality can be found as Supplementary Table S7 online.

The government had the highest degree centrality and betweenness centrality in the PP stage, indicating that it had the most direct connections with other stakeholders. Its interaction ability and control over resources were the strongest, establishing a prominent position and wielding significant power in the collaborative network. In the DC stage, the degree centrality and betweenness centrality of the government significantly decreased, while those of construction units rose to the highest level. This shift indicated that during this stage, the construction unit replaced the government in taking on the primary coordination and organizational responsibilities. The degree centrality of construction units during the CI stage remained much higher than that of the government, but the betweenness centrality was only slightly higher. This suggested that in this stage, there was no significant difference in the resource control capabilities between the construction units and the government. Combining these with the analysis results from the “core-periphery “ structure in Table 4 , it is clear that the construction units play a more crucial role in this stage. In the MO stage, the degree centrality and betweenness centrality of the construction unit and the government decreased. The property management unit and the public assumed central positions in this stage, while the construction unit and the government were mainly responsible for the post-project operational and maintenance supervision and resident satisfaction survey. The degree centrality and betweenness centrality of the public in the entire renovation project process exhibited an “N”-shaped trend, with the lowest points at the DC stages. Associated with analyzing small cliques in this stage, the public mainly consisted of surrounding residents, together with the media forming a small clique, which limited interactions with other stakeholders. In the MO stage, the degree centrality and betweenness centrality of the public reached the highest level, indicating that the public had the most direct connections with other stakeholders during this stage, demonstrating strong interactive capabilities and resource control. The closeness centrality of the media maintained at the lowest level throughout the entire project, which suggested the media in the collaborative network was less influenced by other stakeholders and exhibited a high degree of independence.

The preceding discussions indicated that there were differences in the functions of different stakeholders within the same stage, and the roles of the same stakeholder also vary across different stages. Throughout the entire lifecycle of the project, the government underwent a transformation from a “leader” to a “coordinator.” The public transitioned from a “passive recipient” to an “active participant.” Construction units had strong control over resources, assuming the role of a “resource controller.” Although the media operates as peripheral stakeholders, its high independence allows it to supervise project implementation effectively, with the attributes of an “edge supervisor.”

Results discussion and suggestions

The published literature finds that the success of urban village renovation projects is closely related to stakeholder coordination (Chen et al. 2022 ; Jiang et al. 2020 ). In addition, there are differences in the composition and importance of stakeholders at various stages of urban village renovation projects (Antillon et al. 2018 ; Zhang, 2022 ). Therefore, this study provides an in-depth analysis of stakeholder relationships in urban village renovation projects from an entire lifecycle perspective based on the Social Network Analysis (SNA) method. According to the social network analysis results from the previous section, this section provides a detailed discussion of the weakness in stakeholder collaboration and offers recommendations to enhance stakeholder cooperation in Chinese urban village renovation projects.

Results discussion: the weaknesses of stakeholder collaborative relationships

The connectivity of the stakeholder network at the dc stage needs to be improved.

There was limited interaction among stakeholders in the DC stages, and the overall network density was at a relatively low level, indicating a weak network structure. The reasons for the weak connectivity among stakeholders in this stage are multifaceted. Firstly, stakeholders such as the government, construction units, and demolished villagers have diverse interests, leading to potential conflicts and divergences with a lack of effective communication and coordination mechanisms, resulting in weak connections among them. Secondly, the government and construction units often hold more information and power, while the public, as a disadvantaged group, has relatively limited information. Hence, a predicament of information asymmetry and a lack of trust are created, leading to weakened connectivity.

Especially since the public, as a vulnerable group, has relatively limited information. Finally, this stage primarily involves a continuous negotiation process between construction units and displaced residents to seek a relatively balanced outcome. While financial institutions, legal institutions, and the media are stakeholders in this stage, they mainly serve supportive and supervisory roles, with limited opportunities for interaction with other stakeholders, contributing to weak network connectivity.

Small clique fragmentation is a significant difficulty in the CI stage

The phenomena of small cliques were present in the relationship networks in all stages of the renovation project. During the CI stages, there was a noticeable fragmentation among small cliques. This stage comprised four sub-cliques, with the government not forming an alliance. There was more frequent communication between C1 (construction units and constructor) and C2 (construction management units, consulting services units, suppliers, and financial institutions). In contrast, the communication frequency between C3 (the public and the media) and the other small cliques was significantly lower, with distinct fragmentation. Based on the analysis results, it is clear that the main task at this stage was construction. Thus, there was higher communication frequency among stakeholders related to on-site construction, such as construction units, constructors, and consulting service units. Oppositely, the external parties to on-site construction, such as the public and the media, were less connected to other stakeholders, showing a clear state of fragmentation.

The importance of the public in the PP stage is under-explored

Public participation has consistently been a hot issue in urban village renovation projects under people-oriented and livelihood-oriented construction goals. The network analysis results revealed high public participation in the DC and MO stages and low public participation in the PP and CI stages. In addition, empirical findings from field research and expert interviews revealed that understanding the public’s needs and incorporating them into the early decision-making system in the PP stage could help mitigate disputes among stakeholders in the later stages. There are two main reasons for the low level of public participation in the PP stage. Firstly, there are shortcomings in the public participation process, including insufficient effectiveness of information disclosure mechanism and policy promotion, imperfection of information feedback mechanism, and non-implementation of the feedback loop of public opinions. Secondly, the public’s willingness and capacity to participate are hindered and influenced by their comprehension of policies, available free time and physical health, negotiation and decision-making abilities, and proficiency in professional knowledge.

Recommendations to promote stakeholders’ collaboration

Fully consider villager needs and flexibly transform development mode.

In the past, the renovation of urban villages was usually carried out through land expropriation, transforming rural collective land into state-owned land for renovation. However, some villagers developed strong resistance due to factors such as unwillingness to change lifestyle habits and inadequate compensation amount, resulting in a “nailed-down” dilemma and generating huge time costs and economic pressure. Nowadays, with the continuous exploration of urban village renovation projects, the Chinese government has introduced a series of policies related to residential land use and collective-operated construction land. Without expropriation or forced demolition, these policies can still improve the living environment of urban villages. Therefore, during the PP stage of the renovation, the government should conduct a comprehensive investigation and interviews with villagers to understand their willingness to renovate. This enables the identification of more adaptable development patterns and effectively circumvents the effects of structural mismatches. Compared to rigid governance methods, this consultative approach can fundamentally solve the resistance to demolition and relocation and effectively shorten the time cycle of urban village renovation projects.

Facilitate two-way communication channels to ensure public participation

The public is the stakeholder and the ultimate beneficiary of the urban village renovation project. However, at the PP stage, public participation is primarily organized by village collectives, involving consultation and decision-making, where the public can only passively receive information about the renovation without influencing decisions in return. To address the low level of public participation, especially at the PP stage, the promotion by the government and the media should be increased first, clearly outlining the expected benefits of participation. This helps the public recognize the convenience in their lives after the renovation project, thereby enhancing their willingness to participate. Secondly, organizing the dissemination of professional knowledge and providing training can improve the public’s understanding of policies and the entire process of innovation projects, fostering their participation capabilities. Finally, improving public participation procedures can ensure effective public participation. The government should establish diverse channels for public participation, refine the procedures, and effectively obtain feedback from public opinions. Village collectives should act as liaisons between the government and the villagers, facilitating the connection between policy distribution and opinion feedback. By cultivating public awareness and capabilities in participation and facilitating two-way communication channels, the public can genuinely influence the entire decision-making process of the renovation project.

Utilize the resource-driven advantages of core stakeholders

In the urban village renovation project, the government should fully mobilize the enthusiasm of all stakeholders. As a strategy planner, the government has advantages in the governance of stakeholder relations with a high position and far-sighted perspective. In the new era of urban village renovation projects, the government should grasp the strategic direction of the project renovation and coordinate the interests of multiple stakeholders. As a market entity, the construction unit has a keen vision and flexible characteristics. In the process of implementing renovation, the effective allocation of resources and collaboration among stakeholders is inseparable from the consultation and exchange of construction units. In the new era of urban village renovation projects, the emphasis extends beyond the decisive role of the construction unit in allocating resources to a heightened focus on sustainable development. The future approach should break away from the traditional real estate development model of “one-time transactions” and instead integrate urban village renovation with guaranteed rental housing. This approach not only enhances residents’ living environment but also ensures the long-term operational sustainability of construction units.

Establish an online sharing platform to break the clique fragmentation dilemma

Strengthening informatization and network construction is essential to enhance stakeholders’ governance efficiency in the new situation. Establishing an interactive sharing platform could effectively integrate information resources among various stakeholders, such as the government, construction units, constructors, and the public. This breaks down communication barriers and addresses the fragmentation of governance systems, ensuring the realization of collaborative governance among multiple stakeholders in urban village renovation projects. Particularly during the CI stage, on-site construction is mainly carried out by core stakeholders with solid professionalism, such as construction units, constructors, and consulting services, with limited involvement from marginal stakeholders like villagers and the media. Establishing online sharing platforms could increase communication frequency among stakeholders and effectively alleviate the clique fragmentation phenomenon during this stage.

To leverage their respective resource advantages and achieve effective collaboration, stakeholders aim to implement collaborative governance in urban village renovation projects. This goal is pursued due to the complexity of stakeholder relationships in such projects and the variations in the composition and significance of stakeholders at different stages of project construction. Therefore, this study utilized a mixed research method, combining a single case study and social network analysis, to investigate the dynamics in stakeholder relationship networks during the construction of an urban village renovation project in Tianjin, China. By analyzing the evolution of stakeholder relationships, the study uncovered the challenges associated with achieving stakeholder collaboration. The findings revealed that the main constraints to achieving collaboration among stakeholders in the urban village renovation project were the limited public participation in the PP stage, the weak connections in the DC stage, and the apparent clique fragmentation in stakeholder networks during the CI stage.

How do we achieve the goal of collaborative governance among stakeholders? Firstly, it is essential to thoroughly understand the residents’ needs and align the development mode with their actual requirements. Secondly, increasing public participation in the PP stage is crucial. This could effectively minimize the negative impact of public dissatisfaction in the later stages and enhance overall public satisfaction with the project. Thirdly, the core stakeholders should leverage their resource-driven advantage and incorporate more stakeholders into the collaboration network. Finally, establishing a network-sharing platform proves to be an effective measure to overcome small clique fragmentation.

Although this study specifically focused on the urban village renovation in Tianjin, China, its theoretical, methodological, and practical implications extend beyond this context and could be applicable to other cities and countries. Firstly, from a theoretical perspective, the constructed theoretical knowledge system that combines stakeholder analysis with synergistic governance goals provides a clearer goal orientation for stakeholder research in urban villages. Secondly, in terms of methodology, the adoption of a mixed research method, combining a single case study with social network analysis, acknowledges the complementary nature of qualitative data and quantitative networks. This approach aids in gaining a more in-depth understanding of stakeholder interactions and role characteristics. The mixed qualitative and quantitative research methodological framework proves advantageous in stakeholder relations research and can be continued in future studies. Finally, in terms of practical significance, this study conducts a comprehensive examination of stakeholder relations throughout the entire lifecycle, aligning more closely with the current practices in implementing urban village renovation projects. The results of the analysis could help stakeholders, including the government, developers, the public, and the media, better understand their roles and critical strengths in the various stages of urban village redevelopment, thus enhancing decision-making efficiency and effectiveness.

At present, the renovation method of urban villages in the Beichen District of Tianjin is a typical model in China’s urban village renovation projects, and the research findings hold significant reference value. In addition, the stakeholder analysis model constructed in this study, from an entire lifecycle perspective, enables a more profound exploration of stakeholder interrelationships and is equally applicable in other project stakeholder studies. Future research could be further developed in the following areas: (1) The measurement of stakeholder relations could be improved. This study identified measures of “5”, “3”, “1,” and “0” mainly from the perspective of power and interests, where the actual stakeholder relationships are more complex. Future research could adopt a more comprehensive approach by assigning values to interaction intensity, communication frequency, and cooperation frequency. (2) A comparative study of stakeholder relations under different development modes could be conducted. This study found that differences in the development models, including government-led, government-enterprise cooperative, and village collective self-initiated, would lead to significant differences in stakeholder relationships. Future research could explore the variability of stakeholder relationships under different development models.

Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary files.

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This research was supported by the National Natural Science Fund of China (Grant No. 72072126).

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Zheng, X., Sun, C. & Liu, J. Exploring stakeholder engagement in urban village renovation projects through a mixed-method approach to social network analysis: a case study of Tianjin. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11 , 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02536-7

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Received : 07 July 2023

Accepted : 12 December 2023

Published : 02 January 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02536-7

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Early Stage analysis for Renovation Project

February 10th, 2023

Table Of Contents

Matching the Existing Geometry

Calibrate the model inputs to match the existing conditions of the building, modeling the energy conservation measures using cove.tool costvs energy optimization, understanding the results.

The first step to create an accurate energy model is to input proper values for the building geometry. Building geometry is composed of building height, orientation and areas of floor, roof, skylight, walls and glazing. cove.tool’s modeling software plugins (Revit, Rhino, Grasshopper and Sketchup) were created to streamline the import of building geometry. The custom data collector finds the project, collects the geometry and exports the correct values into the cloud database to run a fast and accurate energy analysis. If the 3D model is not created for the building considered for the renovation, then the data can be manually entered into cove.tool’s ‘Geometry’ tab.

The White Hall located at the Emory University, Atlanta, GA is an existing building with 3 floors and a mechanical room in the basement. The building was built in 1976 and most widely used as a classroom by the College of Arts and Sciences. The proposed renovation aimed for improved daylighting, interior flexibility, accessibility, and ultimately improving classroom utilization. The 3D model of the building was created in Rhino and the geometry was imported accurately into cove.tool web app using the plugin.

The main purpose of renovation projects is to restore the building to a former better state. Therefore, in order to map the impact of the proposed improvements, the model needs to accurately reflect the existing condition of the building. And, manipulating the input parameters of the energy model such as air infiltration, U-values of roof and walls, glazing properties, lighting power density, plug loads, HVAC system properties, etc. to match up the energy usage indicated by utility bills will really help to do that.

For the Emory White Hall, the baseline energy model was created based on information from a variety of sources including record drawings, site walk-through’s and consulting with the Emory University. The first cove.tool simulation was then conducted with known building parameters such as envelope, occupancy, temperature setpoints, lighting density/control, etc. The energy model was later tuned by utility category to reflect the known EUI of 101.67 kBtu/ft2/year mostly by manipulating the infiltration and fan energy.

The energy conservation strategies aim to reduce the consumption of energy by using energy more efficiently or by reducing the amount of service used. The Energy Conservation Measures (ECM) may include strategies like envelope material upgrades, switching to green energy, implementing shading strategies, etc. and bundles are created consisting of these strategies according to the targeted EUI for the renovated building. cove.tool prepares the automated bundles which will help the user to hit the target EUI. Also, the bundles can be easily customized using ‘Change Options’ tab within the cove.tool web app. Furthermore, cove.tool uses an advanced algorithm to optimize for the first cost and assist in making rigorous metric-based decisions on cost and energy.

After Recalculating:

The Emory White Hall project considered the ECM’s like installing exterior blinds, interior blinds, photovoltaic panels on the roof, glazing upgrades, etc. to meet an ambitious target of 30 kBtu/ft2/year. The project team utilized cove.tool to figure out top 26 design option bundles which resulted in 9216 possible combinations that are assessed for energy and first cost to find the cheapest way to hit the energy use intensity targets.

The important bundles prepared by running  cove.tool’s cost vs energy optimization  are discussed below. 

Bundle 1:  The cheapest way to reach an EUI below 100.

Bundle 2: Upgrading the VAV and some other parameters to get to an EUI of 82 kBtu/ft2/year with the cheapest first cost.

Bundle 3:  Upgrading the HVAC system to heat pump to hit the EUI of 49 kBtu/ft2/year with the cost optimal first cost.

Bundle 4: Upgrading the HVAC system to Geothermal along with other upgrades to hit the EUI of 30 kBtu/ft2/year with the cost optimal first cost.

ECM Bundle that will hit the EUI target of 30 kBtu/ft2/year.

After listing out the 26 different technology options, each possible combination of the options will impact the existing building EUI in a different manner. For example, upgrading only the HVAC system may have more impact on EUI than upgrading only the lighting and adding shades to the building. There may be some cases where all of these strategies will help to reduce the EUI according to the expectation but are really expensive for the project team. Cove.tool calculates all of these possible combinations considering cost as another parameter to reach the intended EUI targets after running the ‘cost vs energy optimization’. Moreover, it organizes the bundles from cheaper higher performing to expensive low performing ones. In previous section the some of the cheapest higher performing bundles are pointed out.

The renovation projects can test out various design technology options to upgrade their building to current standard or even exceed it by using cove.tool’s unique algorithm which sorts out cheaper options to achieve the ambitious energy performance goals. The important step to remember is to calibrate the model to reflect the existing conditions of the building considered for renovation to check the realistic impact of proposed Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs). The integration of cove.tool’s methodology into the renovation projects will save tremendous amount of money and time and allow design teams to be flexible in reaching the energy targets.

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Clashes arise over the economic effects of Louisiana’s $3 billion-dollar coastal restoration project

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Proponents of a nearly $3 billion project to restore part of southeast Louisiana’s rapidly vanishing coastline released a study Tuesday touting the expected economic benefits of its construction, even as the project faces pushback and litigation from communities who fear the environment and their livelihoods will be severely affected.

The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project broke ground in August last year. But construction was halted because of legal disputes , and since June the project has only partially resumed work.

The project is expected to spend around $1.6 billion inside the state over its five-year construction period, according to a new study funded by Restore the Mississippi River Delta, a coalition of environmental groups. During the building phase, the project expects to generate an average of 3,095 jobs across five parishes in Louisiana, mainly in construction and significantly higher-paying than average local wages, the study says.

“This project will bring more wetlands than any other individual restoration project in the world, and it will bring a whopping number of new earnings, jobs and revenue to coastal Louisiana,” said Simone Maloz, campaign director for Restore the Mississippi River Delta, at a Tuesday news conference announcing the study’s findings. “It is exactly the scale of the project we need to address the very serious challenge we face.”

The study estimates that for Plaquemines Parish, where the project is being built, the construction will lead to $308.2 million in total wage earnings, $65.4 million in tax revenue and an average of 540 jobs over a five-year period.

But Mitch Jurisich, a third-generation oysterman and parish council representative, was dismissive of the idea that the project would help more than hurt his community’s economy in the long term and described the study as “political propaganda.”

His oyster company is one of several plaintiffs, including an environmental group, suing to halt the project on the grounds it will alter water quality, endanger birds and sea life, and kill thousands of bottlenose dolphins in the Barataria basin.

The project, which went through years of assessment before being approved, will divert freshwater from the Mississippi River to bring sediment into the basin’s brackish and saltwater marshes.

The aim is to regenerate land in a state where the Gulf of Mexico eats the equivalent of a football field of land every 100 minutes as sea levels rise because of climate change, according to estimates from environmental groups.

Barataria and the neighboring Breton Basin have collectively lost an estimated 700 square miles of land. Leveeing of the Mississippi River is seen as one of the main forces that has disrupted the natural, restorative build-up of sediment. The diversion project is expected to add between 20 to 40 square miles of new land over the next five decades.

Jurisich, who is also chairman of the Louisiana Oyster Task Force, said he is concerned the project will irretrievably damage the oyster, fishing and tourism industries. His parish is home to 70 percent of all commercial landings for oyster, crab, finfish and shrimp. Statewide, the oyster industry alone earns around $317 million annually and provides nearly 4,000 direct jobs, according to the Oyster Task Force.

“The project is going to destroy our way of life,” Jurisich said. “What’s left? A skeleton of a local community which can’t support the local businesses because they can’t support themselves.”

The study did not analyze the economic benefits of the project once it begins operating. But it states that a total of $378 million has been set aside by the project to mitigate impacts on communities, including to construct bulkheads, elevate docks and homes and offer buyouts for residents seeking to relocate. Around $54 million within this budget has been earmarked for building new oyster beds and expanding old ones, along with gear improvements and marketing for the seafood industry.

While opponents of the project call for less-invasive responses to land loss in the basin such as rebuilding barrier islands, Maloz argues the project should be seen as part of a broader and necessary effort to address the scope of the state’s mounting land loss.

Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and Plaquemines Parish issued a joint statement in June saying they “are working toward a mutually acceptable path forward for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion.”

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NLIHC Releases Case Study on Just Cause Eviction Laws!

NLIHC’s State and Local Innovation (SLI) project released today a case study on just cause eviction laws . The publication highlights two successful efforts to pass just cause protections – one in Oregon and the other in Washington State. The case study is part of NLIHC’s State and Local Tenant Protection Series: A Primer on Renters’ Rights , a collection of resources aiming to shape the conversation about state and local tenant protections. Read the new case study .

Just cause eviction laws, which define the permissible reasons for which a landlord can evict a tenant or refuse to renew a tenant’s lease, are intended to prevent arbitrary, retaliatory, and discriminatory evictions. In addition to defining the allowable grounds for eviction, just cause laws often include notice requirements to ensure that tenants have advanced warning of an impending eviction and enforcement mechanisms to ensure landlords and property managers comply with the law.

The new case study explores a multi-year campaign by Stable Homes for Oregon Families that culminated in passage of “S.B. 608” and an effort in Washington that resulted in passage of “H.B. 1236.” The publication gives an overview of the two pieces of legislation, details advocacy efforts by state-level organizations, and explains the impacts of the protections on the lowest-income and most marginalized households. Like other materials in the State and Local Tenant Protection Series , the new case study is meant to help state and local advocates identify successful tactics for advancing, enacting, and implementing just cause protections in their own jurisdictions, as well as to offer insights into the challenges that can occur during the advocacy and legislative processes.

NLIHC will publish three more case studies this year highlighting additional tenant protections that can work in tandem with just cause protections to ensure housing stability and prevent evictions. Explore NLIHC’s State and Local Tenant Protections Database  to learn about the more than 600 tenant protections that have been enacted in states and localities around the country.

Download the new case study here .

Find a list of existing state and local “just cause” laws here .

Lear more about NLIHC's SLI project here .

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