School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
J Environ Manage. 2021 Sep 15;294:113007. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113007. Epub 2021 Jun 10.
Developing regions experience rapid population growth and urbanisation, which require large quantities of materials for civil infrastructure. The production of construction materials, especially for urban transport systems, however, contributes to local and global environmental change. Political agendas may overlook the environmental implications of urban expansion, as economic growth tends to be prioritised. While elevating the standard of living is imperative, decision-making without careful environmental assessments can undermine the overall welfare of society. In this study, we evaluate the material demand and in-use stock productivity for the large-scale development plan for transport infrastructure in the city of Hanoi, Vietnam, from 2010 to 2030, combining geospatial and socioeconomic data with statistics on roads and railways. The results show that the total material stock could rise threefold from 66 Tg in 2010 to 269 Tg in 2030, which roughly translates to an addition of 30 Empire State Buildings per year by mass. The materials we account are required for construction exceed the availability of local sand and will need to be gathered farther away. Furthermore, the material stock productivity of the transport infrastructure appears to have been declining overall since 2010, and this trend may continue to 2030. These findings demonstrate the importance of informing urban planning with a comprehensive assessment of construction materials demand, supply capacity, and environmental impacts. Policy priorities for improving the in-use stock productivity are also recommended towards achieving a more efficient utilisation of natural resources.
发展中地区经历着快速的人口增长和城市化进程，这需要大量的土木工程材料。然而，建筑材料的生产，尤其是城市交通系统的建设，对当地和全球环境变化造成了影响。政治议程可能忽视了城市扩张的环境影响，因为经济增长往往被优先考虑。虽然提高生活水平是必要的，但如果没有谨慎的环境评估，决策可能会破坏社会的整体福利。在这项研究中，我们评估了 2010 年至 2030 年越南河内市交通基础设施大规模发展计划的材料需求和在用量产率，结合了地理空间和社会经济数据以及道路和铁路统计数据。结果表明，到 2030 年，总材料存量可能从 2010 年的 66 吨增加到 269 吨，这大致相当于每年增加 30 座帝国大厦的体量。我们考虑的用于建设的材料超过了当地沙子的供应量，并且需要从更远的地方采集。此外，自 2010 年以来，交通基础设施的材料存量产率似乎一直在下降，这种趋势可能会持续到 2030 年。这些发现表明，在进行城市规划时，需要全面评估建筑材料的需求、供应能力和环境影响，这一点非常重要。我们还建议优先考虑提高在用量产率的政策，以实现更有效地利用自然资源。
