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Social Impact Assessment of Circular Construction: Case of Living Lab Ghent

Author

Listed:
  • Nuri Cihan Kayaçetin

    (Building Physics and Sustainable Design Unit, Department of Engineering Technology, Ghent Technology Campus, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 9000 Ghent, Belgium)

  • Chiara Piccardo

    (Building Physics and Sustainable Design Unit, Department of Engineering Technology, Ghent Technology Campus, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 9000 Ghent, Belgium)

  • Alexis Versele

    (Building Physics and Sustainable Design Unit, Department of Engineering Technology, Ghent Technology Campus, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 9000 Ghent, Belgium)

Abstract

The construction industry is considered to have a high potential in achieving the sustainable development goals. The circular economy is a promising framework that supports the shift from a linear-construction industry to an environmental-friendly and efficient sector. On the other hand, there is a lack of effort in measuring the impact of construction-related activities on users and society. The gap is greater when the context of social impacts is related to circular and bio-based construction. For this purpose, a social impact assessment framework was developed in the Interreg 2 seas CBCI project and tested on a residential prototype: Living Lab (LL) Ghent. Under 13 impact categories relevant to 4 stakeholder categories, circular and bio-based construction materials and methods were assessed for production and construction phases. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected through expert workshops and questionnaires. The results include identification of new indicators (urban mining, social economy, and post-intervention manuals) for several circular construction methods. The social impacts of the LL were discussed depending on each stakeholder category. It was seen that there are several positive impacts related to workers and the local community. Certain recommendations were also provided specifically on a construction-sector basis which may be integrated into existing social impact assessment guidelines.

Suggested Citation

  • Nuri Cihan Kayaçetin & Chiara Piccardo & Alexis Versele, 2022. "Social Impact Assessment of Circular Construction: Case of Living Lab Ghent," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2022:i:1:p:721-:d:1021234
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Kang Liu, 2025. "Contested circular economy and mixed social implications from practice: A scoping review," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(2), pages 2154-2170, April.

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