A LITERATURE REVIEW ON – Sustainable site analysis and planning

Muhammad Dastur1,a
1
School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Abstract. The influence of civilization on Earth's ecosystems grows along with the human population. A
sustainable site planning strategy aims to reduce development's negative effects. The site planning approach
enables us to consider any issue that can arise while expanding the property or changing how it is used.
Understanding and mapping the surrounding environment is the first step in sustainable site planning. From an
environmental and development standpoint, the site assessment process highlights site restrictions and
potential. A well-executed site evaluation is critical for developing cost-effective, ecologically friendly,
rational sustainable projects. Sustainable site planning identifies a site's natural traits, evaluates natural
processes, and respects the intrinsic elements that make a place unique. Making judgments regarding how to
effectively plan the layout of a piece of land necessitates consideration of the physical, ecological, and social
environments. Sustainable site planning may be accomplished by a multidisciplinary team led by a person
educated to organize information from many specialists and design regulations governing sustainable site
planning.

1 Introduction
Rapid population expansion and development in a 2 Site planning process
region will have an impact on changes in that area. The
The site planning process allows us to consider all
conversion of green open land to built-up land results in a
potential challenges associated with developing or
shift in land use. These changes have the potential to
modifying the property's usage. The intricacy of the
degrade the ecosystem, reducing environmental quality
human-environment relationship necessitates a
and depleting existing natural resources.
methodical approach to interactions. A site exists as part
Analysis and evaluation of site characteristics in
of a wider landscape and ecosystem, and sustainable site
terms of their ability to provide natural resources such as
design must take into account the site's environmental
light, air, and water, as well as the extent to which
function as well as the program or project objectives. A
existing natural systems will be required to support
thorough and ecologically oriented plan that helps
development, so that sustainable site planning is required
conserve and develop the current site system is required
to aid land development while also protecting the natural
to build a sustainable site. [2] proposed a site planning
environment's integrity. According to [1], site planning is
and design methodology, and its application assures that
a time-consuming process that necessitates the collection
land use planning evolves toward a sustainable built
and evaluation of all relevant information. Steps such as
environment.
site selection, inventory, analysis, and development
The site planning process is quite beneficial when it
approaches are all part of the process. During the site
comes to handling the financial aspects of planning. This
preparation phase. This method is founded on the notion
enables for a thorough description of all work that must
of interconnected natural systems, which connect various
be done on site, including site preparation, building of
geological, hydrological, topographical, ecological,
site-built features, vegetation planting, and maintenance
climatic, and cultural features. The ideal site system is a
requirements. This data provides for a full assessment of
design of roads, buildings, and related uses based on site
the scheme's implementation and design costs, as well as
data and macroenvironmental information, such as
an estimate of the environmental effect of each cost-
sociocultural patterns and settlement history.
cutting option.
Before beginning site design, techniques of site
A detailed grasp of the appropriateness of the site
planning build a comprehensive grasp of local region
for the planned program is required for sustainable and
elements such as water, soil, and climate. A reduction in
context-sensitive site planning. This analytical and
the negative effects of projects, structures, and
creative process is frequently initiated by site selection
infrastructure on natural ecosystems such as wetlands and
and programming.
coasts, as well as the water cycle, may be achieved by the
implementation of site design that is strategically
sustainable. 2.1 Pre project phases
The pre-project phase is described as the process of
gathering enough strategic information for the customer
to handle risks and select which resources to utilize to

a
Muhammad Dastur: muhammaddastur@student.usm.my
 REG564 Sustainable Building Semester 1-2022/2023
optimize the odds of success in creating a sustainable site.
The customer begins a project for site planning. In such
circumstances, the customer may simply select a firm
with which he has previously worked. Alternatively, the
firm may be selected based on its reputation, specialty, or
closeness to the customer or location.
2.1.1 Programming
Not only do site planning projects vary in terms of
site space and position along the urban-rural continuum,
but they also differ in terms of the intended use of the
site. The construction of buildings, roads, and other forms
of physical infrastructure could all be part of a single
project. It's possible that some projects won't involve any
new building at all, but will instead center on the
preservation, restoration, and management of natural
regions or cultural treasures. The objectives and
functional needs of the project are defined by the
programming, which also outlines the planned activities,
the areas that will be allotted to each activity, and the
functional or geographical linkages among those
activities.
This program focuses on further analysis and design
activities. Programs for multi-family housing projects, for
example, may include the number, type, and density of
housing units to be built on the site.
2.2 Site assessment phases
In terms of the environment and development, the
site assessment process finds the site's limitations and
opportunities. A well-done site assessment, which
includes site selection, site inventory, and site analysis, is
important because it lets us develop sustainable projects
in a way that is cost-effective, environmentally, and
rational approach [3].
2.2.1 Site selection
Site selection is critical to long-term growth. Using
land effectively and according to the appropriateness of
the location for the intended purpose is a key tenet of
"smart" growth, or sustainable development. Sustainable
development necessitates fewer energy and material
inputs while producing fewer negative outputs such as
water and air pollution.
The appropriateness of a location is determined by
site features, contextual considerations, and predicted
expenses. The objective of site selection criteria is to
choose a suitable and, preferably, the best site. A group
of possible locations may be efficiently screened using
judiciously chosen selection criteria. Site appropriateness
is mostly determined by the site's capacity to supply the
requisite circumstances for the planned use [4].
2.2.2 Site inventory
Designing a sustainable built environment requires a
site study that summarizes the appropriateness of a
location for programmatic use. Numerous physical,
ecological, and cultural characteristics (table 1) might
impact the appropriateness of a location for the project
under discussion. The site and surrounding
characteristics, as well as the project schedule, define the
attribute data gathered for the site inventory. The
information contained in site inventory maps can be
combined to generate one or more maps assessing a site's
appropriateness for development in general or for specific
program objectives. The appropriateness of a site for a
given project is determined by the area's assets and
liabilities, as well as its opportunities and limitations.
Unique natural or cultural resources linked with a
location may need to be protected.
Table 1. Site inventory
Physical Biological Cultural
attributes attributes attributes
 Topography  Ecological  Land use
 Hydrology communities  Open space
 Soils  Vegetation  Regulations
 Geology  Wildlife  Property
 Microclimate  Sensory
perception
 Infrastructure
2.2.3 Site analysis
In site analysis, all on-site and off-site determinants,
including environmental, cultural, historical, urban, and
infrastructure factors, which impact site development and
development programs are evaluated and analyzed. The
primary objective of this plan is to assign and decide the
use of various portions of the site in a manner that is
optimally suited to the particular activities that are going
to be carried out on the site [5].
The purpose of site analysis is to characterize the
site's appropriateness for programmatic usage. An
investigation of the site helps determine whether or not
environmental cleanup is required, what precautions need
to be taken to safeguard neighbouring properties from
pollution, and what kinds of structures and infrastructure
can be used or recycled [6]. The examination of the site
also takes into account a variety of legal limitations, such
as zoning and other land use controls. Mapping the
potential and limitations of a site is a key step in the
process of sustainable land planning and design. Site
analysis may be helpful for relevant professions that are
involved in the processes of land development and
damage mitigation since it provides a knowledge of a site
in its biophysical and sociocultural context [2].
In most instances, during the process of site planning
or design, the site analysis step can be the first and most
important step because it seeks to collect information
related to the site, evaluate the suitability of the site's land
use, and determine whether or not the site is suitable to
the proposed site. land usage and the environment in the
surrounding area, as well as an understanding of the
administrative needs for the project on-site, such as
building licenses and other permissions. [7] provides a
list of information that is involved in the site assessment
stage at the site assessment stage. This list includes Site Environment  Energy-saving
conditions, Land development regulations, Utilities,  Protects biodiversity
Topography, Vegetation and wildlife, Historical/cultural  preserves important natural places
features and community of interest, and environmental and processes
concern [8].  Reduces air and water pollutants, as
well as urban heat islands
3 Sustainable site planning
Sustainable site planning identifies a site's natural 4 Decision-making factors in sustainable
traits, evaluates natural processes, and respects the site planning
intrinsic elements that make a place unique.
With the goal of incorporating local actions into
Understanding and documenting the local characteristics
sustainability measurements, [8] identifies a set of
surrounding the property is the first step in developing a
common local sustainability indicators, including: citizen
sustainable site plan. It examines and sketches the current
satisfaction with local communities; local mobility and
circumstances on the site before making final designs for
passenger transport; availability of local public open
development. Long-term and short-term costs, human
areas and services; local air quality; noise pollution; and
safety, and natural ecosystems are all factors in
sustainable land use. Sustainability, in reality, has a very
sustainable site development. This method differs from
different meaning at the local level than it does when
traditional site planning in that it emphasizes how
applied to the whole. Social qualities, environmental
residential areas integrate with natural land features and
concerns, and abstract percepts like beauty are
processes [9].
considerably harder to quantify and link to the notion of
Correcting mistakes and reducing the effects of sustainability for local people [8].
earlier site usage are critical components of sustainable
site planning. Ecological restoration may have the most Table 3. A set of factors affecting land-use decision-
positive influence on the environment if it is intelligently making in site planning.
focused to ecologically crucial places [2]. Riparian
restorations, for example, are exemplary instances of Category Sub-category Factor
focused remediation that produces significant effects. Environmental Vegetation Vegetation rate
Ongoing site planning should also ensure that project Environmental Local air quality
implementation avoids negative consequences and indicator Local water quality
incorporates suitable recovery measures. A planted buffer Noise pollution
zone, for example, can protect sensitive environmental Light pollution
regions from toxic runoff while still facilitating
groundwater penetration and recharge. Native and Social Local population
Local employment
naturalized plant materials greatly minimize growth
Neighborhood identity
expenses as well as maintenance expenditures for
watering, cutting or pruning, and insect management. In Economic Local GDP
the Midwest, for example, sustaining irrigated turfgrass Property values
might cost up to six times as much as maintaining native Rents
prairie or wetland ecosystems [2]. Political Property Political boundaries
legality Land ownership
Table 2. The advantages of sustainable site planning Land use Easements and deed
regulations restrictions
Society  safety Utilities Land use Former land uses
 Friendly atmosphere Current land uses
Neighboring land uses
 Environment
Transportation Road network
 Proximity to public services Traffic volume
 minimize damage to surrounding Internal circulation
property Service utilities Access to major living
 protect cultural and historical assets service
Utilities for basic
Economy  Encourages investment housing
 Visitor-friendly Cultural/historic Sensory Esthetics
 property value satisfaction Visibility
 Produces commercial "experiences" Visual quality
 optimizes land use Odors
 Attracts highly skilled workers and Historical Heritage landmark
companies features
Local built landscape uniqueness
 Spending less time commuting
environment
 REG564 Sustainable Building Semester 1-2022/2023

Physical Topography Elevation Urban L., vol. July, pp. 30–35, 2003.
Slope gradient [7] Thomas. H. Ruse, “Site Planning and Design
Slope aspect handbook,” pp. 436–437, 2002.
Climate Solar access [8] H. Wang, Q. Shen, B. sin Tang, C. Lu, Y. Peng, and
Wind direction
L. Y. Tang, “A framework of decision-making
Geology Terrain
factors and supporting information for facilitating
Seismic hazards
Landslide hazards sustainable site planning in urban renewal projects,”
Cities, vol. 40, no. PA, pp. 44–55, 2014, doi:
10.1016/j.cities.2014.04.005.
5 Conclusion and recommendations [9] X. Huo, A. T. W. Yu, A. Darko, and Z. Wu, “Critical
factors in site planning and design of green
Every site has its own collection of physical, buildings: A case of China,” J. Clean. Prod., vol.
biological, and cultural characteristics, and some of these 222, pp. 685–694, 2019, doi:
characteristics significantly limit a site's appropriateness 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.123.
for a specific application. If the present site
characteristics are not well recognized, site development
may have negative environmental, social, and economic
consequences. Choosing which site to analyze and which
contextual factors to examine is heavily influenced by the
site's intended usage. Site planning is a multi-phase
activity carried out by skilled specialists to guarantee that
the land is used in a functionally effective, aesthetically
beautiful, and ecologically sustainable manner.
When deciding how to effectively design the layout of
an area of land, it is necessary to take into consideration
not only the natural and social environments, but also the
economic, legal, and political environments as well. No
single person can realistically hope to be knowledgeable
enough to comprehend the consequences of all the
aspects that have to be examined as well as the interplay
among them, with very few exceptions, when very tiny or
modest sites are included in the discussion. Therefore, a
multidisciplinary team working under the leadership of a
person who is trained to coordinate information from
various experts and develop it into policies to govern site
planning is the most effective way to carry out site
planning. This is because the person leading the team is
trained to develop policies to govern site planning

References
[1] R. G. Brooks, “Site planning : environment, process,
and development,” pp. xiv, 322 p., 1988.
[2] James A. Lagro, “Site Analysis : A Contextual
Approach to Sustainable Land Planning and Site
Design,” John Wiley Sons, Inc., vol. 1999, no.
December, pp. 1–386, 2006.
[3] M. Azouz and A. Galal, “Sustainable Site
Assessment: A way to Sustainable Hospitality in
Egypt,” Procedia Environ. Sci., vol. 34, pp. 360–
374, 2016, doi: 10.1016/j.proenv.2016.04.032.
[4] X. Huo, A. T. W. Yu, and Z. Wu, “An empirical
study of the variables affecting site planning and
design in green buildings,” J. Clean. Prod., vol. 175,
pp. 314–323, 2018, doi:
10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.12.091.
[5] M. I. Morris, M. T. Student, and G. College, “Energy
Conservation in Development and Planning Through
Sustainable Site Planning Considerations ( Adjunct
Professor in Planning : Govt College of Engineering ,
Pune ),” no. July, 2022.
[6] K. Platt and P. Curran, “Green land planning,”
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Submission date: 22-Jan-2023 11:58PM (UTC-0500)

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 Cities 40 (2014) 44–55

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Cities
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cities

A framework of decision-making factors and supporting information

for facilitating sustainable site planning in urban renewal projects
Hao Wang a,⇑, Qiping Shen b,1, Bo-sin Tang c, Chen Lu d, Yi Peng e, LiYaning Tang f
a
School of Management Science and Engineering, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China
b
Department of Building and Real Estate, Research Institute of Sustainable Urban Development, Faculty of Construction and Environment,
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
c
Department of Urban Planning and Design, Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
d
School of Management, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
e
Department of Building and Real Estate, Faculty of Construction and Environment, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
f
Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Urban renewal is an emerging issue in almost all developed cities with a long history. To revitalize the
Received 17 November 2013 landscape and functions of old areas in these cities, many urban renewal projects have been launched
Received in revised form 20 January 2014 by local governments in recent years. Site planning of renewal projects is the premise of redevelop-
Accepted 19 April 2014
ment and is related to the success of future developments. This paper develops a framework of factors
identified from relevant literature, which affect the decision-making process for sustainable land use
planning of urban renewal projects. Three typical redevelopment projects in Hong Kong are studied
Keywords:
to help provide an understanding of the practical operations of such projects and the actual factors
Decision-making factors
Urban renewal
involved. Based on the differences between the factors in the theoretical framework and the factors
Sustainability found in the real life cases, the work necessary for improving sustainable site planning in urban
Site planning renewal projects is discussed.
Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Introduction elements of location and transportation. The decision-making pro-

Urban renewal is a hot urban studies topic. More and more
central areas need to be redeveloped or rehabilitated as cities grow
older (Wang, Shen, Tang, & Skitmore, 2013; Zheng, Shen, & Wang,
2014). To revive old areas and dilapidated buildings, urban renewal
projects are increasingly taking place in cities all over the world
(Adams & Hastings, 2001). For example, over 50 redevelopment
projects have been undertaken by Hong Kong’s Urban Renewal
Authority since it was established on 2001 (Development Bureau,
2011). When a redevelopment project takes place, the land within
the boundary of the project is inevitably re-planned for future use
(Bagaeen, 2006). Just like conventional land use planning for a city
or region, relatively smaller-scale site planning is not an easy job.
Especially in urban renewal projects, the impact of land rezon-
ing/redevelopment on residents and the surrounding environment
must be taken into account, apart from the classic planning theory
⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 13581859827.
E-mail addresses: holy.wong@connect.polyu.hk (H. Wang), bsqpshen@polyu.
edu.hk (Q. Shen), bsbstang@hku.hk (B.-s. Tang), 11902652r@connect.polyu.hk
(C. Lu), pengyihz@gmail.com (Y. Peng), tlyn.tang@connect.polyu.hk (L. Tang).
1
Tel.: +852 27665817.
cess of land-use plans for sites to be redeveloped is complex and
does not gain enough attention from practitioners (Juan, Roper,
Castro-Lacouture, & Kim, 2010). Therefore, as land-use decision-
making for renewal projects is more complicated (Alshuwaikhat
& Nkwenti, 2002), some new approaches or tools are needed to
facilitate the decision-making process.
Sustainable development has become a universal mantra for
those involved in urban planning and development (Bruff &
Wood, 2000). Many researchers have investigated the sustainabil-
ity of urban development, land use planning, and urban renewal
(Chan & Lee, 2008a, 2008b; Musakwa & Niekerk, 2013; Pearson,
Park, Harman, & Heyenga, 2010; Shen et al., 2009; Thinh, Arlt,
Heber, Hennersdorf, & Lehmann, 2002). Although on a smaller
scale, site-level planning is a form of land use planning. At this
level, planning tasks tend to be more specific, such as making
land-use decisions for each site and locating main facilities on
the site. This paper contributes to the study of sustainable site
planning by providing a framework of decision-making factors,
along with supporting information, for use during urban renewal
projects. In the paper, sustainable site planning is defined as a rea-
sonable land-use planning mode, in which the most suitable land
use is assigned to a site while addressing economic, social and

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2014.04.005
0264-2751/Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 H. Wang et al. / Cities 40 (2014) 44–55
environmental concerns in the planning process. Sustainability in
planning as well as urban renewal is discussed before the frame-
work, consisting of factors and information, is proposed. Then, an
empirical study based on real redevelopment projects in Hong
Kong is carried out to investigate what key factors with regard to
site planning (i.e. land-use decision-making) are taken into consid-
eration in practice. Finally, the difference between planning
practices and the theoretical framework is analyzed, and recom-
mendations are made for land redevelopment in urban renewal
projects.
Sustainability in planning
Sustainability and the environment
The environment is one element of the three Es (Environment,
Economy, and Equity) and concern over its protection has been
increasing since the last part of the twentieth century (Newell
et al., 2013); issues of concern include air and water quality, chem-
ical hazards, energy use, environmental justice, urban growth, and
global climate change. In terms of planning practice, incorporating
environmental goals with planning activities implies that plans are
made based on as many considerations as possible about local
ecosystems and their environmental laws and regulations, as well
as environmental planning tools such as Environmental Impact
Assessment, ecological planning and restoration (Jepson, 2001).
With respect to urban development, environmental principles
associated with sustainability include compact urban form, tran-
sit-oriented development, close-loop resource cycles, environmen-
tal justice, pollution prevention, and the restoration of streams,
coastlines, habitat, visual corridors, and other ecosystem compo-
nents within cities (Wheeler, 2004).
Sustainability and economics
From a sustainable point of view, a market-based economic
system can be regarded as a sustainable way of economic devel-
opment for it is good at regulating market demand and supply,
allocating resources, and providing incentives for entrepreneur-
ship and innovation. However, market-based capitalist economics
has some drawbacks from a sustainability perspective, such as
difficulties in valuation for public goods and examination for
externalities, which are highly related to social and environmen-
tal impacts of production and consumption, inflation discounting
the future, concentration of wealth and monopoly of power
undermining social equity, and continuous expansion in material
consumption conflicting with the environmental notion of ‘‘limit’’
(Wheeler, 2004). Environmental economics was proposed in the
1970s to reconcile environmental and economic goals, aiming to
use economic measures to reduce pollution, resource consump-
tion, and other environmental impacts of production. Further-
more, ecological economics can be seen as a more fundamental
reform within the field of economics that is observed in the larger
context of ecological interactions with economic activities using
economic tools and the language of neoclassical economics. In
addition to environmental concerns, other economic approaches,
such as local self-reliance and socially/collectively responsible
investment, are incorporated into economic mechanisms to
improve social sustainability. In the long run, changes and adjust-
ments in economic values and processes are necessary to accom-
modate environmental and equity goals (Wheeler, 2004). It is still
a long journey to reach a better balance with the other two Es
and simultaneously motivate an efficient growth-oriented econ-
omy without displacing values of environmental protection and
social equity.
45
Sustainability and equity
Social equity is by far the least well-developed and the farthest
from sustainability among the three Es (Wheeler, 2004). Unlike
concerns over environmental or economic development, equity is
often poorly understood by decision-makers and as such take a
back seat in planning and administrative discussions. In general,
a growing imbalance between rich and poor communities is the
root of social disparities. To improve the living condition of poor
communities, more resources are needed to provide social services
for vulnerable groups, to repair aging infrastructure, and to deal
with problems of urban renewal such as brownfield treatment,
provision of affordable housing, and distribution of public trans-
portation (Fischer & Amekudzi, 2011). In terms of planning pro-
cesses, another inequity is that some lower-income and minority
groups have not been included at the public consultation stage
(Mizuuchi & Jeon, 2010). In short, the biggest question facing social
equity is how to advance equity objectives while the political and
economic leadership is not paying enough attention to them.
Sustainability in urban renewal
Land redevelopment for urban renewal is one kind of resource
re-use intrinsically reflecting the thinking of sustainable develop-
ment. In pace with urban development and increasing demands
for a better living environment, the target of urban renewal has
moved from the oversimplified clearance of large-scale slums to
the improvement and rehabilitation of older areas (Couch, 1990).
In particular, housing improvement became an element of urban
renewal policy several decades ago for the sake of improving the
sustainability of urban services development.
Economic perspective
To discuss the urban renewal processes using a traditional eco-
nomic theory, the general demand for buildings or land can be
regarded as the derivative of the needs of producers and consum-
ers for urban space and their payment ability for such space
(Couch, 1990). From this viewpoint, the internal mechanisms and
dynamics of urban space allocation can be examined based on
some economic concerns, such as the demand for construction
and housing, the construction industry and the supply of urban
renewal, the economic life of a building and the timing of redevel-
opment, the economics of urban vacant and derelict land, and the
economics of urban regeneration (Gao & Asami, 2007). Regarding
economic considerations of urban renewal in high-density cities,
six factors affecting economic sustainability were identified by
Lee and Chan (2008). They are Quality welfare planning and
provisions, Conservation and preservation, Land strategic utiliza-
tion, Community contributions, Integrated design, and Transport
arrangement.
Social perspective
The aim of urban renewal is ultimately to improve the environ-
ment of certain densely populated urban areas by bringing about
changes in the use of urban land and buildings. People are the
principal part of urban renewal and the outcomes of renewal
projects serve mainly to improve living conditions (Savini, 2011).
Therefore, the population trends, household structures, commu-
nity and neighborhood changes, and social needs of certain vulner-
able groups including women, minority races and the elderly often
need to be discussed to examine the social impacts of urban
renewal (Lelévrier, 2013; Uysal, 2012). As urban renewal projects
take place in older urban areas, the preservation of historical and
46 H. Wang et al. / Cities 40 (2014) 44–55
cultural heritage is one of the greatest concerns of urban renewal/
regeneration. In terms of social considerations of urban renewal,
Lee and Chan (2008) recognized underlying factors such as Image
building, Daily living provisions, and Open space design and provi-
sions for looking into social sustainability of urban renewal
projects. Six critical factors including Satisfaction of welfare
requirements, Conservation of resources and surroundings, Crea-
tion of harmonious living environment, Provisions facilitating daily
life operations, Form of development, and Availability of open
space for improving social sustainability of urban renewal projects
were also identified (Chan & Lee, 2008b).
Physical/functional perspective (urban design)
Urban renewal makes changes in the physical fabric of cities.
These changes may make the city look better or worse and may
make the urban function better or worse (Couch, 1990). Urban
design plays an important role in both building and rebuilding an
urban environment (Meijer, Adriaens, van der Linden, & Schik,
2011). In terms of urban design in the built environment, two
issues are often highlighted: the appearance of the city in terms
of whether it is esthetically pleasing, and the efficiency of urban
physical infrastructure. To explore the physical potential of exist-
ing buildings and areas, re-designing the city in urban renewal or
rehabilitation is an effective tool (Evans & Jones, 2008). During
the process of urban design, some design specifications and
development controls including both physical and visual criteria
regulate the implementation of the design to ensure a more livable
and ecological urban space. Chan and Lee (2008a) suggested a
number of urban design considerations that contribute to sustain-
able development and identified key design factors for improving
the economic sustainability of urban renewal projects in Hong
Kong.
A framework of decision-making factors and supporting
information
Methodology
This research is an empirical study for investigating site
planning process of urban renewal projects in Hong Kong. The pro-
posed framework is developed using several research methods
such as literature review, case study, and document analysis. Spe-
cifically, literature review is used to identify factors mainly affect-
ing the decision-making process of site planning and the required
data/information. Case study is employed to inspect three real
cases in Hong Kong, in order to examine how the framework fits
ongoing redevelopment projects. Document analysis is adopted
to dig out useful information from documents concerning the three
real projects, so as to integrate and compare practice with theory in
this study.
Factors affecting land-use decision-making
In terms of sustainability indicators, Ambiente Italia (2003)
identified ten common local sustainability indicator groups by
integrating local actions into sustainability measurements, such
as Citizen satisfaction with the local community, Local mobility
and passenger transportation, Availability of local public open
areas and services, Quality of local air, Noise pollution, and Sustain-
able land use. In fact, the interpretation of sustainability at the
local level (small-scale) is quite different from the large-scale sus-
tainability analysis. For local communities, it is much more difficult
to measure and relate social attributes (e.g. local employment
demand), environmental concerns (e.g. local air quality), and
abstract perceptions like esthetics to the concept of sustainability.
Site planning represents the smallest scale of controlled urban
development. Since a renewal project usually covers one or two
sites/lots, techniques of site planning are considered in the plan-
ning process. Lynch (1971) defined site planning as follows: Site
planning is the art of arranging the external physical environment to
support human behavior. It lies along the boundaries of architecture,
engineering, landscape architecture, and city planning, and it is prac-
ticed by members of all these professions. Site plans locate structures
and activities in three-dimensional space and, when appropriate, in
time. It is an active domain overlapping with planning, design/
architecture and engineering, in which the outcomes of design
decisions of site and building are directly experienced by people
every day. At the site level, the concern regarding sustainability
emphasizes ‘‘design with nature’’, that raises some issues in sus-
tainable site design including how development affects the land-
scape, how it influences the neighborhood interaction, and how
it affects the daily lives of residents (Wheeler, 2004).
Wheeler (2004) discussed the role of planning and the relation-
ship between planning and sustainability. Generally, the word
‘‘Planning’’ refers to a wide range of systematic activities designed
to make sure that goals can be achieved. These goals may include
urban development, environmental protection, forms of economic
activity, social justice, and many other expectations consisting of
sustainability. According to the theory of sustainability planning,
five elements of the approach to sustainability planning are: (1) a
long-term perspective, (2) a holistic outlook, (3) acceptance of
limits, (4) a focus on place, and (5) active involvement in prob-
lem-solving.
At the site level of land use planning, neighborhood develop-
ment is highly related to planning implementation. According to
the Leadership Energy Efficiency Design (LEED) rating system for
neighborhood development (USGBC, 2009a), indicators for assess-
ing the sustainability of neighborhood development are identified
from five specific aspects: Smart location and linkage, Neighbor-
hood pattern and design, Green infrastructure and buildings,
Innovation and design process, and Regional priority credit. From
the viewpoint of buildings on the site, the LEED rating system also
provides two sets of indicators for rating green/sustainable build-
ings, one for new construction and major renovations (USGBC,
2009b) and the other for existing building maintenance (USGBC,
2009c), and the first section – sustainable sites is a major consider-
ation in both of them.
According to the planning elements normally considered in site
analysis and existing sustainability indicators given in the above
literature, a general list of factors affecting land-use decision-mak-
ing in site planning is shown in Table 1. These factors affect the
decision-making process from different perspectives. For example,
an environmental factor – ‘‘Noise pollution’’ constrains site selec-
tion for residential or G/IC use; economic factors – ‘‘Property
values’’ and ‘‘Rents’’ help determine the financial feasibility of
redevelopment projects; locational factors – ‘‘Road network’’ and
‘‘Access to major living services’’ influence almost all land-use allo-
cation, especially commercial and residential use.
Information involved in site planning
According to the description of planning data needs in Campbell
and LeBlanc (1967), five sorts of information are usually involved:
(1) statistics related to local population, (2) financial conditions of
citizens and government, (3) physical conditions of the land/loca-
tion, (4) internal structure and functional relationships within
the city, and (5) relationship between the city and others.
The population-related information means the current and pro-
jected demographic information such as population, employment,
 H. Wang et al. / Cities 40 (2014) 44–55 47

Table 1
A set of factors affecting land-use decision-making in site planning.

Category Sub-category Factor

Environmental/ecological Vegetation Vegetation rate

Environmental indicators Local air quality
Local water quality
Noise pollution
Light pollution

Social – Local population

– Local employment
– Neighborhood identity

Economic – Local GDP

– Property values
– Rents
Political/legal Property legality Political boundaries
Land ownership
Easements and deed restrictions
Land use regulations Statutory requirements for development
Utilities/accessibility (locational) Land use Former land uses
Current land uses
Neighboring land uses
Transportation Road network
Traffic volume
Internal circulation
Service utilities Access to major living services (e.g. transport hub, medical center, open space)
Utilities for basic housing (e.g. sewer, electric, gas)
Cultural/historic Sensory satisfaction Esthetics
Visibility
Visual quality
Odors
Historical features Heritage landmarks
Local built environment Architectural/landscape uniqueness
Physical Topography Elevation
Slope gradient
Slope aspect
Climate Solar access
Wind direction
Geology Terrain
Seismic hazards
Landslide hazards

Note: Factor categories underlined contain sustainability factors.

and number of households. The financial condition of people and
government include income characteristics of the population,
property values, and GDP. Physical conditions of the location refer
to the topographic and spatial information of the land such as
slope, terrain, and soil. Urban internal structure and functional
relationships are the most complex information required in the
planning, which are a series of considerations and criteria in terms
of internal accessibility and functional distribution for identifying
particular uses for each piece of land according to its size, value
and location. The relationship between the city and others focuses
on the impacts of economic activities from other surrounding cities
and the coordinated development among the cities.
Base data, including base maps, demographics, regulations and
standards, etc., are commonly categorized into Site, Transportation,
Market, Economics, Politics, Environment, Planning, History, and
Project program (Lennertz & Lutzenhiser, 2006). During the period
of data preparation, the planning project manager has the respon-
sibility to initially request and collect all existing reports, plans and
studies from the project sponsor, local planning agencies, local uni-
versities, and community advocacy groups. The project manage-
ment team will then analyze this information and decide if new
studies are necessary or if existing studies can be updated to cater
for the feasibility analysis.
A process of site planning and design was introduced in LaGro
(2008), and its implementation ensures that land use planning
moves toward sustainable built environments (Fig. 1). During the
process of site planning or design, in many cases, site analysis
can be the first and the most important step as it aims to collect
information related to the site, assess the land-use suitability of
the site and the compatibility with the proposed land use and
surrounding environment, and understand the administrative
requirements of the on-site project(s) such as building permits
and other approvals. In the phase of site assessment, Russ (2002)
gave a checklist of information involved in site analysis, including
Site condition, Land development regulations, Utilities (access dis-
tance and connection requirements), Topography, Vegetation and
wildlife, Historic/cultural features and community interests, and
Environmental concerns.
Similarly, Brooks (1988) provided a checklist of information
required in site planning which was divided into three categories,
including legal considerations, planning data, and environmental
concerns. According to Brooks (1988), site planning is a non-
short-circuit process, and every piece of crucial information should
be collected and studied in depth as if we are ignorant of the site.
To provide sufficient information for site analysis, according to
Fig. 1, three types of site inventories are involved. They are physi-
cal, biological, and cultural attributes of the site, and the attributes
may be mapped if necessary. The relationship between the three
attributes and mapping and land use (site) suitability analysis, is
that three types of inventory maps containing site information will
be synthesized to create land-use suitability maps for site analysis.
Based on the existing literature and site planning standards, a
48 H. Wang et al. / Cities 40 (2014) 44–55
Site
Inventory
(Physical)
Programming
Site Site
Inventory Analysis
(Biological)
Site
Selection
Site
Inventory
(Cultural)
Note: the area circled by dashed line is investigated intensively in this research.
Fig. 1. Site planning and design process (source: LaGro, 2008).
tentative list of information involved in the database associated
with the planning support model proposed in this research is pro-
vided in Table 2.
Case studies – three redevelopment projects in Hong Kong
In order to look into how land-use decisions are made and what
key factors are considered in practice, three real redevelopment
projects undertaken by the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) are
studied. The three projects are all located in East Kowloon of Hong
Kong and are: Kowloon City Road/Sheung Heung Road Project; Ma
Tau Wai Road/Chun Tin Street Project; and Pak Tai Street/San Shan
Road Project. Through the case studies, the characteristics of urban
renewal practices and the differences between the theory and the
practice of site planning are identified.
Kowloon City Road/Sheung Heung Road Project
This project commenced in November 2011 and is targeted to
be completed by 2019/2020. It is currently at the stage of property
acquisition and the redevelopment plan for this project has been
confirmed based on a comprehensive study of the project, includ-
ing a 2-month gazette period (URA, 2012c). As displayed in the site
plan (Fig. 2), a major part of the area affected by the project is cur-
rently zoned ‘‘Residential (Group A)’’ and the minor is recognized
as ‘‘Road’’ on the approved Outline Zoning Plan (OZP). Existing
buildings within the project boundary were built around 60 years
ago and the building height ranges from 4 to 8 storeys. Most of
the buildings are residential plus commercial premises on the
ground floor. Because of the absence of proper management and
maintenance, the majority of the buildings are in a poor physical
condition and suffering from gradual deterioration. According to
the statistics from the freezing survey, it is estimated that about
550 residents in around 213 households are included in the project
area (the background information can be found in Table 3).
During the process of site planning (i.e. land-use decision-
making) in the project, the URA paid more attention to the finan-
cial measures for effective property acquisition and resettlement
of the residents, in addition to the traditional concerns and
considerations in planning such as transportation accessibility,
industrial layout, and land-use compatibility with the surround-
ings. Specifically, two ways to securing successful acquisition of
the properties, namely cash compensation and re-housing, are pro-
vided to eligible tenants. With the help of these flexible economic
measures, the resettlement of the domestic owners can also be
facilitated by providing an alternative option, named Flat-for-Flat
Conceptual Design Construction Project
Design Development Documentation Implementation
Initiatives, to cash compensation. That is to say, the occupiers have
more options in the re-housing process in which they not only can
take cash compensation as usual, but also can consider buying a
new flat in situ in the redevelopment or in another location – the
Kai Tak development (URA, 2012c). Apart from economic and
social considerations in property acquisition and resident resettle-
ment, the URA also assessed the possible environmental impact of
the project’s implementation. Public inspection was adopted
through disseminating related information of the project to the
public, and no objection to the project was received during the
publication period.
Based on the actual conditions of the project and the above
considerations from the government as well as the general public,
this project is proposed to be redeveloped into two residential
blocks with a retail podium (URA, 2012a). The land use is in line
with the ‘‘Residential’’ zoning of the OZP without any major
amendment.
Ma Tau Wai Road/Chun Tin Street Project
This project was kicked off by the URA in February 2010 shortly
after the tragedy of a building collapse in the area in January. The
current status of the project is acquisition in progress and the
project is on target to be completed by 2018/2019. Like the previ-
ous project, this project involves a cluster of over 50-year-old ten-
ement buildings and the condition of these old buildings is
predominantly poor. Even worse, one of these dilapidated build-
ings collapsed before the commencement of the redevelopment
project, resulting in casualties, homeless families, and a deep
impact on the residents living within the cluster (URA, 2012d).
As shown in the site plan (Fig. 3), the majority of the land within
the project area is currently zoned as ‘‘Residential (Group A)’’
and the peripheral area of the project is categorized as ‘‘Road’’ on
the OZP. The existing buildings within the project area are largely
residential with building heights of 4–6 storeys, including com-
mercial uses at the ground level. An estimated population of 770
residents in about 317 households is involved in the project (the
background information can be found in Table 4).
The project distinguishes itself from other redevelopment
projects in Hong Kong because of a building collapse within the
project area just prior to commencement of the project. Within
1 month of the accident, the government appointed the URA to
commence redevelopment of the site, and took prompt action to
deal with the needs of re-housing and compensation for the
occupants as well as helping the remaining residents who were
still living in the cluster to alleviate the psychological burden
 H. Wang et al. / Cities 40 (2014) 44–55 49

Table 2
Supporting information and data sources involved in site planning.

Category Sub-category Information Data source

Physical Topography Elevation Topographic maps
Slope gradient Topographic maps
Slope aspect Topographic maps
Geology Terrain Topographic maps
Seismic hazards Geological report
Landslide hazards Geological report
Depth to bedrock Geological report
Climate Solar access Local climate study
Wind direction (prevailing) Local climate study
Soil – –
Hydrology Depth to water table Hydrological report
Drainage patterns Hydrological report

Ecological/environmental Vegetation Vegetation rate Remote sensing images

Wildlife – –
Environmental impacts Air quality Environmental assessment
report
Water quality Environmental assessment
report
Noise Environmental assessment
report
Light pollution Environmental assessment
report

Political/legal Legal properties Political boundaries Land registry

Land ownership Land registry
Easements and deed restrictions Land registry
Land use regulations Statutory requirements for development Statutory regulations

Social Local population Population trends Census projection

Household size Census statistics
Local employment Employment structures Census statistics
Employment needs Employment prediction
Neighborhood/community Community characteristics Archives/survey
changes
Neighborhood identity Archives/survey

Economic Production Local GDP Socio-economic statistics

Consumption Property values Transaction records

Rents Lease records

Cultural/historic Sensory satisfaction Esthetics Survey

Visibility Survey
Visual quality (e.g. corridor) Survey
Odors Survey
Local built environment Architectural styles Archives/expert interviews
Unique landscape Archives/expert interviews
Historical features Historical buildings/landmarks Heritage study
Archeological sites Heritage study

Utilities/accessibility
(locational)
Land use Former and current land uses Land registry and survey
Neighboring land uses Land registry and survey
Transportation Road function Traffic design
Internal circulation Traffic design
Traffic volume Traffic survey
Service utilities Utilities for basic housing (e.g. sewer, electric, gas) Detailed location maps
Access to major living services (e.g. transport hub, medical center, Detailed location maps
open space)

Note: ‘‘Soil’’ and ‘‘Wildlife’’ are not considered in land redevelopment within urban developed areas; categories underlined relate to the information of sustainability factors.

caused by the tragedy. The tragedy sped up the pace of old building
redevelopment in Hong Kong, and an increasing number of rede-
velopment projects were carried out after that. In addition to the
increasing number of redevelopment projects, immense social
awareness of the serious problem of aging private housing has
been aroused. In the planning process of this project, rebuilding
affordable flats for the residents is one of the most important con-
cerns. Owing to the special nature of the project, existing domestic
owners will be offered an enhancement measure called Expression
of Interest on Purchasing Arrangement (EIPA) for their re-housing
50 H. Wang et al. / Cities 40 (2014) 44–55

Fig. 2. Site plan of Project 1 (source: URA, 2012a).

Table 3
Background information of Project 1 (adapted from URA, 2012c).

Project site information Project development information

Location 66–82 Kowloon City Road, Ma Tau Kok Total GFA About 12,456 square meters
Site area About 1622 square meters No. of flats About 175
Affected no. of buildings 16 Street numbers of buildings Commercial GFA About 2076 square meters
Affected population About 550 – –
Affected property interests About 118 – –
Affected households About 213 – –

in situ (URA, 2010). Both cash compensation and re-housing are the redevelopment, a 2-month consultation period with relevant
applicable to acquisition of the properties, and the eligible tenants information available for the public was arranged following the
can choose any one of them. In order to call for public comments commencement of the project. Fifty-four statements/objections
on the social and environmental impact of the implementation of to the project, mainly focusing on re-housing arrangements and
 H. Wang et al. / Cities 40 (2014) 44–55 51

Fig. 3. Site plan of Project 2 (source: URA, 2010).

Table 4
Background information of Project 2 (adapted from URA, 2012d).

Project site information Project development information

Location 43–45 J Ma Tau Wai Road, 6–8 Hok Yuen Street and 1–23 Total GFA 22,640 Square meters
Chun Tin Street, To Kwa Wan
Site area 3377 square meters No. of flats About 420
Affected no. of buildings 17 Commercial GFA About 1900 square meters
Affected population 770 Open space About 500 square meters
Affected property interests 159 Community facilities GFA About 1000 square meters

environmental influence, were received by the URA during the with the development project without any amendments.
inspection period. Regarding the project extent, the area to be redeveloped is zoned
Based on deliberation of the project itself and statements/ as ‘‘Residential (Group A)’’, excluding the surrounding public
objections from the public, the URA was authorized to proceed pavements shown as ‘‘Road’’. In accordance with the land-use
52 H. Wang et al. / Cities 40 (2014) 44–55
zoning on the OZP, the new development is proposed to provide
residential use with retail, Government, Institution and Commu-
nity (G/IC) uses, and public open space. In detail, this redevelop-
ment aims to create more small-sized and affordable housing
units in the district. The first two storeys of the future development
will be used for commercial purpose, and small shops will be
mainly placed there to recreate an ambience at street level and
make it more compatible with the surroundings. Furthermore,
sizable G/IC facilities and an open space for public use will be intro-
duced to further integrate the redevelopment with the local com-
munity (URA, 2012d).
Pak Tai Street/San Shan Road Project
The URA commenced this project in March 2011, and the pro-
ject is scheduled for completion by 2019/2020. After opening the
project information to the public and reconsidering the project as
well as the appeals from the public, the URA was authorized to
carry on the project in January 2012 and the property acquisition
for the project is currently ongoing (URA, 2012e). Similarly, the
buildings existing in the project area were all built in the 1950s
and are 8 storeys in height. These buildings are used mostly for res-
idential, including a small part for commercial use at ground floor.
Due to a lack of proper maintenance, the majority of these aging
buildings are dilapidated or deteriorating. According to the site
plan delineating the boundaries of the project (Fig. 4), most of
the project area is classified as ‘‘Residential (Group A)’’ and the
remaining part falls into ‘‘Road’’ category. Regarding the popula-
tion affected by this redevelopment, the estimation based on a
freezing survey is 380 residents in about 154 households (the
background information can be found in Table 5).
During the decision-making process of this redevelopment pro-
ject, the resettlement of the affected residents, as well as the social
and environmental effect of the project, were taken into account by
the URA. In terms of the resettlement arrangements, just like the
Kowloon City Road/Sheung Heung Road Project, Flat-for-Flat strat-
egy is offered as an alternative to cash compensation to the owner-
occupiers, so that they can have more options for tackling their
housing problems. To succeed in acquiring the properties at the
early stage of the redevelopment, either cash compensation or
re-housing is applied to the compensation policy for eligible
tenants. In addition to an assessment on the likely impact of the
implementation made by the URA, information related to the
project was published for public inspection for 2 months, and an
objection to the project concerning pricing mechanism for Flat-
for-Flat scheme was raised during the consultation period.
Based on a careful and repeated deliberation on the conditions
of the project and the objections or views from the public, the rede-
velopment plan, including future land use, was confirmed without
any further amendment in early 2012. In view of the impact on
adjacent people during the construction period, the surrounding
area shown as ‘‘Road’’, which is currently serving as public
pavements, is no longer included in the redevelopment area. As
proposed in the authorization of the redevelopment project, a res-
idential building with a podium containing retail facilities will be
built on the main area zoned as ‘‘Residential (Group A)’’ as its
actual use. For the purpose of re-housing provision, about 140 res-
idential units with flat size of around 35–65 square meters will be
provided (URA, 2012b).
Findings and discussions
Generally speaking, the three ongoing projects are all typical
redevelopment projects in Hong Kong, and reflect the general char-
acteristics of urban renewal projects to a large extent. As one kind
of construction work, economic feasibility and means of financing
should be the first consideration in redevelopment projects. With-
out solid financial support, any one development cannot be
brought to completion. In practice, the URA paid much attention
to the analysis of economic feasibility and financing modes of these
projects. Taking Case One – Kowloon City Road/Sheung Heung
Road Project – as an example, the URA estimated and calculated
the total cost of the project carefully including the acquisition
and re-housing cost, construction cost and interest on the budget,
before officially undertaking the project. In addition, the policy of
financial aid to the affected residents was emphasized in the
process of property acquisition. A set of special compensation
schemes, such as a variety of allowances or ex-gratia payments,
was offered to financially help the owner–occupiers repossess their
flats. For example, in Case Three – Pak Tai Street/San Shan Road
Project – several new strategies, including Home Purchase Allow-
ance policy (HPA), Supplementary Allowance (SA), Incidental Cost
Allowance (ICA), Ex-gratia Business Allowance (EGBA), and the
Flat-for-Flat option, were applied to its property acquisition. Look-
ing back at the land use plans for these projects, the economic bot-
tom line of site planning is that the new development in
accordance with the proposed land-use plan will be able to make
a profit to fully cover the cost of the redevelopment.
Apart from economic considerations, the improvement of living
conditions, revitalization of community ambience, and provision of
public resources, was highlighted in the deliberation of these rede-
velopment projects. These redevelopments are not only for resi-
dents living in the dilapidated flats, but also for the surrounding
communities and Hong Kong society as a whole. As a result, the
government attached great importance to the expected effects of
these projects on the local communities involved. Under the prin-
ciple of planning for people and with people, G/IC facilities and an
open space, in addition to traditional residential units and com-
mercial space, will be provided to enrich the use of the site in
the Ma Tau Wai Road/Chun Tin Street Project. People living in
the district will benefit much from the mixed land use planned
for this redevelopment. For the sake of fully achieving public par-
ticipation, public consultation was arranged for each project to col-
lect the various views and even objections from the general public.
During the period of public consultation, all information related to
these projects was open to the public and any one could inspect as
well as appeal against the projects. A whole process of public
consultation normally takes a long time (more than 8 months on
average), and sometimes faces some difficulties in special cases.
For instance, as Case Two – Ma Tau Wai Road/Chun Tin Street Pro-
ject – is regarded as an exceptional one due to the tragedy of the
building that collapsed within the project area, a series of special
arrangements and measures were adopted to help the affected res-
idents in advance of planning approval of this project, including
financial aid for resettlement and psychological counseling by pro-
fessional social workers.
The probable impact of the implementation of these projects,
including the environmental and social impact on the surrounding
community, was also assessed by the URA. Such a construction
impact assessment is always followed by a public consultation per-
iod. Information related to these projects was published to collect
comments and even objections from the general public during the
consultation period. Usually, environmental impact of the project
implementation includes noise and light pollution from the con-
struction work, as well as air and water quality within the local
community. The social impact focuses on the number of popula-
tion (and households) affected and the structure of employment
influenced.
Compared with the factors identified from planning theory
which affect land-use decision-making during site planning, con-
siderations for the implementation plans (including land-use
plans) of the three real projects do not exactly follow the same
 H. Wang et al. / Cities 40 (2014) 44–55 53

Fig. 4. Site plan of Project 3 (source: URA, 2012b).

Table 5
Background information of Project 3 (adapted from URA, 2012e).

Project site information Project development information

Location 30–40A Pak Tai Street, Ma Tau Kok Total GFA About 9782 square meters
Site area About 1277 square meters No. of flats About 138
Affected no. of buildings 12 Street numbers of buildings Commercial GFA About 1630 square meters
Affected population About 380 – –
Affected property interests About 108 – –

framework. Slightly different emphases were put on the
arrangements of these projects in accordance with the characteris-
tics of the three different projects. In regard to the land-use plans
for the sites to be redeveloped, the decision-making was based
on the specific factors shown in Table 6. Table 6 provides a
comparative description of the considerations based on the theo-
retical framework presented earlier.
With respect to economic considerations, property values and
rents were precisely valuated in all of the three projects, as they
are the basis of a feasible financing mode for a construction project.
54 H. Wang et al. / Cities 40 (2014) 44–55

Table 6 consider all aspects of practical operations due to the limitation

Considerations on land-use decision-making in the three projects. of time and resources. There is still a long way to make the
Factor Project Project Project decision-making practices more comprehensive and be of higher
1 2 3 standards. Meanwhile, some factors such as terrain and geologic
Vegetation rate – U – conditions (e.g. seismic and landslide hazards) may not be impor-
Local air quality – – – tant in urban renewal areas, and some of them such as esthetics,
Local water quality – – – odors, and heritage landmarks may not be concerned in all redevel-
Noise pollution U U U
Light pollution – – –
opment projects.
Local population U U U The significance of identifying the differences between theory
Local employment U U U and practice is to examine the key considerations usually taken
Neighborhood identity – – – in real cases rather than academia only, so that the research find-
Local GDP – – –
ings i.e. the decision-making factors and supporting information
Property values U U U
Rents U U U can facilitate the planning process in practice and direct the way
Legal boundaries U U U to better site planning in urban renewal projects.
Land ownership U U U
Easements and deed restrictions – – –
Conclusions
Statutory requirements for development U U U
Former land uses – – –
Current land uses U U U This paper presents a theoretical framework for sustainable
Neighboring land uses U U U land-use decision-making in urban renewal projects that was
Road network U U U
developed to facilitate the decision-making process of land devel-
Traffic volume U U U
Internal circulation – U – opment plans. The framework, based on an in-depth and compre-
Access to major living services (e.g. transport – U – hensive literature review of site planning and sustainability
hub, medical center, open space) principles for urban renewal, consists of a set of factors affecting
Utilities for basic housing (e.g. sewer, electric, U U U decision-making in site planning for urban renewal projects along
gas)
with data sources of specific information associated with the fac-
Esthetics – – –
Visibility – – – tors. In addition, three typical redevelopment projects undertaken
Visual quality – U – by the URA are used as real-life case studies to help reveal how
Odors – – – redevelopment plans (including land-use plans) are actually made
Heritage landmarks – – –
in practice. A comparison is made between the factors considered
Architectural/landscape uniqueness – – –
Elevation (relative to surroundings) – – –
in the three case study projects and those identified by the theoret-
Slope gradient – – – ical framework. Finally, findings from a discussion of the differ-
Slope aspect – – – ences between theory and practice suggest that the framework
Solar access U U U can serve as a guide for improving sustainable site planning in
Wind direction U U U
urban renewal projects.
Terrain – – –
Seismic hazards – – –
Landslide hazards – – – Acknowledgements
Note: A tick indicates that the factor was mainly considered in the corresponding
project. The authors wish to express their sincere gratitude to The Hong
Kong Polytechnic University for its funding of the research project
on which this paper is based, and to Dr. Martyn Hills for his kind
Local GDP was not directly used in economic feasibility analysis, help in proofreading the manuscript. Appreciation should also
but redevelopment costs were fully estimated. Social aspects were be given to the group members in our research team for their
also considered to formulate proper redevelopment arrangements unfailing support and constructive comments.
for these projects, including legal issues, population, and employ-
ment affected by the redevelopments. Land boundaries, ownership, References
and statutory requirements were all taken into account in the three
projects. Principles of classic site planning were adopted by consid- Adams, D., & Hastings, E. M. (2001). Urban renewal in Hong Kong: Transition from
ering current land use of the site, neighboring land uses, road development corporation to renewal authority. Land Use Policy, 18(3), 245–258.
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 Journal of Cleaner Production 222 (2019) 685e694

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Journal of Cleaner Production

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro

Critical factors in site planning and design of green buildings: A case of

China
Xiaosen Huo a, Ann T.W. Yu a, *, Amos Darko a, Zezhou Wu b
a
Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
b
Department of Construction Management and Real Estate, School of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shen Zhen, China

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Site planning and design (SPD) are critical steps in forming a sustainable site, but few studies have
Received 13 April 2018 examined the important considerations of SPD in green buildings. Consequently, this study aims of
Received in revised form identifying the critical factors of SPD in green buildings within the context of China. A questionnaire
14 December 2018
survey was conducted to collect practitioners’ opinions about the critical factors of SPD in green
Accepted 11 March 2019
Available online 12 March 2019
buildings. Respondents from mainland China and Hong Kong provided generally similar rankings of the
top five most important items in the SPD of green buildings as follows: water pollution reduction, human
health issues protection, dust and air emission mitigation, sufficient green space consideration, and
Keywords:
Green building
construction noise mitigation. Five underlying critical factors of SPD in green buildings were identified
Site planning and design via factor analysis: environmental protection consideration, effective use of space, use of natural and
Critical factors existing resources, green parking and thermal environment, and use of land resources. Practical guide-
China lines can be devised for effective and efficient implementation of SPD based on the critical factors
identified. Thus, the findings of this study should not only help academics and practitioners to better
understand the critical factors of SPD in green buildings, but also provide a basis for effective SPD in
future green building development.
© 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

1. Introduction
Green building is a practice that focuses on minimizing the total
environmental impact of a building while simultaneously
enhancing its environmental, economic, and social efficiency
(Glavinich, 2008; Kruger and Serville, 2012). In green building
practice, a sustainable site is an important issue, in which site
planning and design (SPD) are critical steps in the formation of a
sustainable site (Russ, 2009; Lee, 2013). Furthermore, the operation
and maintenance cost of a site is influenced by SPD (Mawdesley
et al., 2002). As stated by Hwang et al. (2016), green buildings
adopt an integrated design, which has a great effect on cost.
Therefore, special green design factors should be considered early
in the design stage. In the planning process for a construction
project, one of the most challenging tasks is site planningda
suitable site layout should be identified to facilitate construction
* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: xiaosen.huo@connect.polyu.hk (X. Huo), bsannyu@polyu.edu.
hk (A.T.W. Yu), amos.darko@connect.polyu.hk (A. Darko), wuzezhou@szu.edu.cn
(Z. Wu).
activities (Tawfik and Fernando, 2001). If green site design strate-
gies are adopted during the site planning process, then construc-
tion problems related to transportation, urban heat island effects,
and excessive energy and water use can be dealt with in the early
stages of construction. In addition, green building developers
should involve green-skilled architects and consultants in the site
design process (Wheeler, 2013). Ozdemir (2008) suggested that a
sustainable site design requires comprehensive and eco-based
strategies to create projects that can help to preserve and restore
existing site systems instead of altering or impairing them. Sus-
tainable SPD can allow the connection between people and nature
to be rebuilt. In addition, the science of ecology and the art of design
can be blended in any type of development. Therefore, a green-SPD
strategy is required to not only improve site management but also
serve as a reference for new building developments.
Site planning occurs at the smallest scale of controlled urban
development. Wedding and Crawford-Brown (2007) identified 40
indicators that determine the success of brownfield redevelop-
ment, including environmental health, finance, livability, and so-
cioeconomic factors. A partially automated tool was developed
based on these indicators to help stakeholders assess the potential

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.123
0959-6526/© 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
686 X. Huo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 222 (2019) 685e694
success of a brownfield redevelopment. Jeong et al. (2013) pro-
posed factors involved in site selection process from physical,
environmental, and economic aspects. They also assessed the siting
process of a new building based on a geographic information sys-
tem. Wang et al. (2014) identified a set of factors that affect site-
planning decisions in urban renewal projects. Huo et al. (2018)
analyzed the top five important variables and items while con-
ducting SPD in green buildings in mainland China; their study was
based on a questionnaire survey. However, there is a lack of a
comprehensive analysis of the underlying critical factors in the SPD
process of green buildings. Systematic categorization of the pro-
fessionals’ views of the relative importance of these items may help
to define priorities when realizing effective SPD in green buildings.
Huo et al. (2017) identified a set of items for effective SPD based
on a review of five well-recognized international green building
rating tools. However, the relative importance of these items has
received scant attention. The objective of the present study is to
identify the underlying critical factors of SPD in green buildings
within the Chinese context based on a questionnaire survey and
factor analysis. The findings of this study should help to improve
the understanding of the critical SPD factors in green buildings.
Therefore, they should help practitioners and policymakers to
effectively realize its implementation.
2. SPD variables in green buildings
The first step in developing the survey questionnaire was a
comprehensive literature review. Huo et al. (2017) conducted a
comparative analysis of five major internationally recognized green
building rating tools: Building Research Establishment Environ-
mental Assessment Method (BREEAM), Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED), Building Environmental Assessment
Method (BEAM) Plus, Green Mark (GM), and Assessment Standard
for Green Building (ASGB). Their study focused on new residential
buildings. In addition, Huo et al. (2017) established 15 major cate-
gories of variables in the green building SPD process. They are
discussed in the following subsections.
2.1. Land use
Land use is closely related to sustainable development in terms
of natural resource availability and ecosystem and biodiversity
protection (H€akkinen et al., 2013). Economic and intensive land use
can help society to realize a harmonious relationship between
humans and nature. Furthermore, encouraging brownfield rede-
velopment is beneficial for economic, community, recreational,
ecological, health, and cultural dimensions (Loures, and Vaz, 2016).
Another strategy to mitigate the detrimental effects of land use is to
increase the amount of green space in urban areas, which can
reduce runoff and the heat island effect while also providing cul-
tural and leisure facilities that have positive effects on human
health and well-being (Jim, 2004; Schipperijn et al., 2010). In
addition, on-site underground developments can minimize envi-
ronmental hazards and increase the functional diversity of an urban
structure (Ro€nka€ et al., 1998).
2.2. Site assessment
The site assessment process identifies on-site constraints and
opportunities from the environmental and development perspec-
tives. A well-executed site assessment is important because it al-
lows us to adopt a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and
rational approach to project development. In green SPD, designers
must fully consider climate and site factors, such as orientation,
position, building layout, topography, and the natural conditions
that surround the construction site. These may have a huge impact
on how the site should be developed. In addition, culturally or
architecturally significant features on or around the site should also
be taken into consideration because they may affect the “sense of
place” (LaGro, 2013). Moreover, when conducting green SPD, air
ventilation at the site level and the effects of air pollution on human
health should be mitigated (Kampa and Castanas, 2008).
2.3. Passive building design
Passive design takes advantage of the climate and natural ele-
ments of a site to maintain a comfortable temperature and to
improve the energy efficiency of a building (Su, 2008). Conse-
quently, passive design is widely seen as an economically effective
strategy to improve the indoor thermal environment (Zhu and Lin,
2004). For example, Chen et al. (2015) found that a building’s layout
can create self-shading effects. In addition, the building’s parame-
ters (e.g., window location, the ratio of window to wall, and solar
shading) can influence its thermal performance. Insulation pre-
vents heat flow, which is essential for keeping buildings warm in
winter and cool in summer. Therefore, considering sufficient
insulation in building design is another aspect of a good passive
design (Gong et al., 2012). If buildings are well insulated, they can
provide year-round comfort, reduce cooling and heating bills, and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. There are two main categories of
insulation products: bulk and reflective insulation. While bulk
insulation keeps heat in, reflective insulation keeps heat out
(Abdulmouti et al., 2018).
2.4. Open space
Open space is defined as any undeveloped piece of land (i.e.,
land with no buildings or other structures) that is accessible to the
public. Open spaces provide citizens with recreational areas and
high environmental quality and can provide leisure, ecological, and
aesthetic value (Anderson and West, 2006). Giles-Corti et al. (2005)
confirmed that a public open space is an important feature of a
community, while good access to attractive and large-sized open
spaces is associated with a higher level of walking. During site
planning, an open space strategy requires consideration of the
current and future uses of open space within a municipality. A
comprehensive open space strategy lays a foundation for planning
and action. Preparing this strategy encourages developers to
examine methods to effectively manage existing open spaces. For
example, Brander and Koetse (2011) calculated the value of an ur-
ban open space and provided references for open space strategy
decisions, such as increasing or retaining open spaces in urban
areas and allocating residential land and open spaces.
2.5. Neighborhood amenities
The neighborhood concept includes geographic (place-oriented)
and social (people-oriented) components. Given that neighborhood
amenities are provided to facilitate residents and building users,
human-scale building development within the immediate neigh-
borhood is encouraged, such as within a 5- or 10-min walking
distance, or 400 and 800 m, respectively (Maleki and Zain, 2011).
Talen and Koschinsky (2013) stated that a walkable distance to
neighborhood goods, services, and facilities has economic benefits
for green buildings because the energy consumed while travelling
to those buildings is much larger than that for operating green
buildings. Basic services are one of the most important components
of neighborhood amenities, including public services that are
essential for healthy human settlement, such as banks, restaurants,
schools, and shops. In addition, adequate recreational facilities and
 X. Huo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 222 (2019) 685e694
open spaces for the building’s users should be provided in the SPD
of green buildings (Hughey et al., 2016).
2.6. Local transport
To reduce the air pollution caused by traffic, the use of private
vehicles and taxis should be discouraged and sustainable transport
systems should be encouraged. Sustainable transportation, which
means meeting current transportation needs without compro-
mising future needs, can offer many types of transport, support a
competitive economy, and balance regional development
(Richardson, 2005). In urban areas, public transport can resolve air
pollution problems and thus should be encouraged. In addition,
well-functioning pedestrian access to major public transport sys-
tems and nearby facilities should be highlighted to build a compact
and eco-friendly city (Haaland and van den Bosch, 2015). Easy ac-
cess to public transport is regarded as one of the most important
characteristics of a healthy place (Gardner, 2011). Therefore, the
development of green buildings should be encouraged on sites that
have convenient pedestrian access to public transport.
2.7. Green vehicle parking
Green vehicles are considered eco-friendly because, like con-
ventional vehicles, they use alternative fuels instead of gasoline or
diesel. Vehicle pollutants create many health problems, and
therefore limiting the pollution caused by the transportation sector
can improve the environment. In addition, the fuel costs for hybrid
and plug-in electric vehicles are lower than for similar conventional
vehicles. The initial green vehicle costs can be offset by fuel cost
savings, federal tax credits, and government incentives. Neumann
et al. (2012) analyzed the application of solar car chargers placed
over parking lots and found that it can meet part of the energy
requirements of the passenger transportation system in a city.
Therefore, green SPD should reserve a proportion of parking spaces
as preferred parking for green vehicles. In addition, electric vehicle
supply equipment should be installed or alternative fuel fueling
equipment should be provided.
2.8. Reduced parking footprint
Green parking has many benefits for the natural environment
because less paving means fewer areas leading to urban heat island
effects. The reduced parking footprint also reduces the total area of
covered and impervious surfaces. This allows storm water, melted
snow, and ice to flow into vegetation, to form surface water, or to
naturally filter into the soil (Cook, 2007). The environmental haz-
ards related to parking facilities can also be minimized, including
vehicle dependence, land consumption, and storm water runoff. For
instance, Al Shawabkeh. (2018) argued that surface parking spaces
should be minimized and shared parking spaces should be pro-
vided instead. Uda and Kennedy (2018) demonstrated that the
reduced parking footprint of green parking can reduce rainwater
runoff in extreme rainfall events. In addition, covered or sheltered
parking lots for non-motorized vehicles should be designed to
reduce the increased ground temperature caused by car parking
(Huo et al., 2017).
2.9. Ecological value and protection
In terms of land use, developers are encouraged to place green
buildings on sites with limited ecological value and where no
habitats of ecological value are affected. No mature or semi-mature
trees, plants, or wildlife should be located within the construction
zone. During site clearance and construction, any features of
687
ecological value (such as old trees) on site should be retained.
Furthermore, Connery (2009) stated that biodiversity conservation
is an essential program objective of proactive SPD practices. Borsje
et al. (2011) considered that incorporating ecological value
enhancement into coastal protection can effectively mitigate the
negative ecological impact of construction activities. In addition,
when developing a sustainable site, the ecological value is high-
lighted in BREEAM and LEED, including mitigating the ecological
impact, enhancing site ecology, and protecting biodiversity (Alyami
and Rezgui, 2012).
2.10. Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage reflects the way of life in a community
development, which can be tangible or intangible and can include
cultural relics, architecture, places, practices, and artistic expres-
sion. As a feature of human activity, cultural heritage provides
representations of a community’s value systems, beliefs, traditions,
and lifestyles and can be passed from generation to generation. For
example, Williams (2001) stated that preserving cultural heritage
resources is essential in sustainable development. Wu et al. (2016)
highlighted the importance of green buildings in cultural identity
because buildings reflect the local history and character of a place.
Furthermore, the sense of place can be realized through buildings.
It is essential for sustainable site development to take proper
measures to protect and preserve the local and regional cultural
heritage, both on site and in the surrounding areas. The develop-
ment of new buildings should also be set away from existing cul-
tural heritage features or be compatible with them.
2.11. Landscaping and irrigation
Landscaping refers to activities that modify the visible features
of the land on a site and can involve living and natural elements. To
improve the living conditions for plants and soil microorganisms in
urban ground, a certain percentage of recycled and pervious ma-
terials should be used in hard-landscaped areas. For example, Cetin
(2015) reported that a permeable recyclable plastic pavement can
be an economic and environmental way to design pavement and
public transportation. For soft landscaping, appropriate plants
should be chosen to minimize water use and to meet green re-
quirements. In particular, native plants are promoted in a soft
landscape because they are easily adapted and are a key part of the
local cultural heritage (Butler et al., 2012). Landscape irrigation can
help to maintain lawns, gardens, or other customized landscape. In
green landscape irrigation, an appropriate system that can reuse
rainwater or other non-potable water should be installed. For
landscape irrigation, the water quality requirement for grass and
plants is lower and plant beds can benefit from the residue nutri-
ents found in graywater. Therefore, the use of non-potable water is
encouraged because it can save water resources (Snyder et al.,
2015).
2.12. Microclimate around buildings
Rosenberg et al. (1983) defined a microclimate as the climate
near the ground, in which most plants and animals live. A site’s
topology can significantly amplify wind at the pedestrian level,
resulting in discomfort and fatigue for pedestrians, the destruction
of plant life, and debris accumulation. To ensure pedestrian com-
fort, wind velocities in pedestrian areas should be reduced by
simulation and optimization in SPD. Blocken et al. (2012) simulated
and evaluated pedestrian wind comfort and wind safety by inte-
grating the existing best practice guidelines with computational
fluid dynamics (CFD), which helped to provide a high quality of
688 X. Huo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 222 (2019) 685e694
wind comfort. Furthermore, urban heat islands lead to local
discomfort and have a detrimental effect on-site vegetation and
wildlife. To mitigate this effect, proper strategies and designs
should be used in the SPD in green buildings. For example, Susca
et al. (2011) proposed that applying a highly-reflective white roof
or vegetated green roof on a building can have positive effects on
thermal resistance. Natural air ventilation is also very attractive to
designers and owners because it can improve indoor air quality and
lower input and operating costs (Niu, 2004).
2.13. Neighborhood daylight access
Tall buildings can substantially overshadow neighboring de-
velopments and amenities, which can directly or indirectly affect
the amount of light from the sky. When developing new buildings,
the impact on the existing or planned neighboring buildings’ access
to sunlight should be assessed. The neighboring sensitive buildings’
access to sunlight should be considered and maintained. This is
stressed in several green building rating tools, such as ASGB, BEAM
Plus, and LEED (Huo et al., 2018). In addition, light reaches buildings
directly from the sun, from the sky, and from light reflected be-
tween and around buildings, which is an important concern in
green buildings and can be beneficial to the indoor environment
and energy efficiency (Chen and Yang, 2015; Lim et al., 2017).
Therefore, green SPD should ensure that the building’s light and
light trespass requirements are met.
2.14. Storm water management
Storm water is defined as water from rainfall and melted snow
or ice. It can leach into the soil, be held on covered pavement and
evaporate, or run off and finally flow to nearby streams, rivers, or
other water bodies. When planning new developments in urban
areas, proper storm water management measures are required to
manage storm water and prevent flooding, such as mimicking the
predevelopment balance, dealing with rain events, and proper
application to impervious surfaces (Walsh et al., 2016). To manage
surface runoff on construction sites, proper storage devices such as
detention ponds, retention ponds, and green roofs or proper infil-
tration type devices such as grass filter stripes and pervious pave-
ments should be carefully planned. For instance, Morgan et al.
(2012) confirmed that green roofs can reduce storm water runoff
volume effectively, and that the performance of green roofs relies
on the growth media type and depth and is affected by the con-
straints of the site. Steffen et al. (2013) also highlighted the effec-
tiveness of rainwater harvesting in reducing storm water runoff as
part of a green infrastructure storm water control measure.
2.15. Environmental management plan
Construction and demolition can have significant effects on site
ecology; air, noise, and water quality; and waste nuisance within
and outside the site. Therefore, contractors should take appropriate
measures to reduce the effects of these activities on the sur-
rounding environment. As highlighted by Tam et al. (2004), envi-
ronmental planning is significant in green construction because
making a good plan before the commencement of construction
works can improve performance more than taking remedial mea-
sures after problems occur. Therefore, an on-site environmental
management plan can help to control environmental nuisance and
related pollution. In green building development, a proper and
comprehensive environmental management plan should be
developed in the SPD stage, which should include adequate mea-
sures to reduce noise, air emissions, and water pollution and pro-
tect human health issues.
Although the findings of this literature review provide a good
understanding of the SPD variables in green buildings, the lack of
empirical evidence is a major limitation that must be addressed.
Because many variables and items affect the SPD process of green
buildings, it is necessary to understand practitioners’ perceptions of
these variables to prioritize them and identify critical factors that
can assist in achieving effective SPD in green buildings. In addition,
policymakers can generate relevant SPD regulations and provide
incentives for practitioners from the early stages of green building
implementation.
3. Research methods
3.1. Questionnaire survey
The review study of Huo et al. (2017) served as the starting point
for our questionnaire survey, which aimed to identify the potential
items involved in the SPD of green buildings. Based on the 15 var-
iables discussed in the preceding literature review, 40 items were
initially identified. Face-to-face interviews with three green
building experts were conducted to assess the suitability and
relevance of these items. The identified SPD variables and items
were presented to them, and they were then asked to propose their
comments. Consequently, items for the “neighborhood amenities”
and “local transport” variables were deleted because they were pre-
existing ambient conditions around construction sites and should
be regarded as references for SPD. Thus, 13 variables and 38 items
were confirmed and used in the design of the survey questionnaire.
Table 1 lists these variables and items, along with the corre-
sponding references.
A questionnaire survey was conducted to identify the impor-
tance of the selected SPD items in green building implementation
in practice. The respondents were asked to assess the importance of
each item, based on their knowledge and experience in SPD of
green buildings. A 5-point Likert scale was used (1 ¼ extremely
unimportant, 2 ¼ unimportant, 3 ¼ neutral, 4 ¼ important,
5 ¼ extremely important). To gain a comprehensive understanding
of SPD in the Chinese context, practitioners and policymakers in
both Hong Kong and mainland China were asked about their per-
ceptions of SPD in green buildings through the questionnaire.
Potential respondents in Hong Kong were randomly identified
from the Building Department, the Housing Department, the Hong
Kong Green Building Council, and the Builders Directory in Hong
Kong. The distribution size was 374, which was sufficient consid-
ering the size of Hong Kong’s building industry (Yu and Shen, 2013).
By using random sampling, each sample had the same probability
of being selected. This provided an unbiased representation of the
total population. Practitioners in the building industry who worked
on green projects and policymakers involved in green building-
shelped to identify potential respondents in mainland China. The
respondents were mainly drawn from developed cities or provinces
including Chongqing, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou,
Chengdu, and Jiangsu. The “snowball sample” strategy was applied
in the questionnaire’s distribution, and the participants were
invited to send the questionnaire to colleagues who worked on
green buildings (Huo et al., 2018). All of the potential respondents
were guaranteed anonymity and confidentiality and were assured
that the collected information would only be used for academic
purposes. Finally, 70 valid responses were received from Hong
Kong and 188 were received from mainland China. The total
number of responses was 258. Although this Hong Kong sample
size was relatively low, it was reasonable considering that Hong
Kong’s building industry is small, and that practitioners and poli-
cymakers might have been reluctant to participate in questionnaire
surveys due to their busy schedules. For example, only six Hong
 X. Huo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 222 (2019) 685e694 689

Table 1
SPD variables and items identified from the literature.

Variables and Items (ITs) References

1. Land Use Huo et al. (2018)

IT1. Economical and intensive land use should be the first and foremost concern. ASGB, H€akkinen et al. (2013)
IT2. Construction projects should preferably be developed on brownfield land. ASGB, BEAM Plus, LEED, Loures and Vaz (2016)
IT3. Enough green space should be included in the SPD in green buildings. ASGB, Schipperijn et al. (2010)
IT4. Rational underground space utilization should be considered. ASGB, Ro€ nk€
a et al. (1998)
2. Site Assessment Huo et al. (2018)
IT5. SPD in green buildings should be designed according to the natural conditions on site. ASGB
IT6. Culturally and architecturally significant features should be incorporated into SPD. BEAM Plus
IT7. Air ventilation issues at site level should be considered properly. ASGB, BEAM Plus, Kampa and Castanas (2008)
3. Open Space Huo et al. (2018)
IT8. Enough open space should be designed for attractive surroundings. LEED, Hughey et al. (2016)
IT9. A comprehensive open space strategy should be formed to lay a foundation for open space planning and action. LEED
4. Passive Building Design Huo et al. (2018)
IT10. Passive building design should be used in accordance with the natural elements. BEAM Plus
IT11. Summer temperatures should be reduced by providing overhangs and shading. BEAM Plus, Chen et al. (2015)
IT12. Solar heating and cooling systems should be designed to reduce energy use. GM
IT13. Bulk insulation and reflective insulation should be used to improve living comfort. BEAM Plus, LEED, Chen et al. (2015)
5. Green Vehicle Parking Huo et al. (2018)
IT14. A certain percentage of parking spaces for green vehicles should be provided. LEED
IT15. Electric-vehicle charging or fueling facilities for green vehicles should be designed. LEED
6. Landscaping and Irrigation Huo et al. (2018)
IT16. Non-potable water should be used for landscape irrigation. GM
IT17. Pre-existing materials should be used for hard-landscaped areas. BEAM Plus, LEED, GM, BREEAM
IT18. Appropriate plantings should be provided on construction site. BEAM Plus, GM
7. Storm Water Management Huo et al. (2018)
IT19. Proper storm water management measures should be taken to manage surface runoff. ASGB
IT20. Storm water storage devices should be installed rationally. ASGB
IT21. Storm water infiltration devices should be installed rationally. ASGB
8. Neighborhood Daylight Access Huo et al. (2018)
IT22. Reasonable building density should be ensured on construction sites. ASGB
IT23. Access to daylight for neighboring sensitive buildings should be maintained. BEAM Plus
IT24. Daylight and light trespass requirements should be met. BEAM Plus, LEED, Chen et al. (2015)
9. Cultural Heritage Huo et al. (2018)
IT25. Proper measures should be taken to protect and preserve cultural heritage on site. BEAM Plus, Williams (2001)
IT26. New buildings should be compatible with the heritage features. LEED, BEAM Plus
10. Microclimate Around Buildings Huo et al. (2018)
IT27. Wind velocities in pedestrian areas should be reduced to ensure pedestrian comfort. BEAM Plus
IT28. Proper measures should be taken to mitigate elevated temperatures. BEAM Plus
IT29. Natural ventilation should be encouraged for higher indoor air quality. BREEAM
11. Reduced Parking Footprint Huo et al. (2018)
IT30. The amount of land area dedicated to surface parking should be limited. BEAM Plus
IT31. Covered or sheltered parking spaces should be designed to reduce parking footprint. LEED, BEAM Plus
12. Ecological Value and Protection Huo et al. (2018)
IT32. Developing green buildings on land of low ecological value should be encouraged. BREEAM
IT33. Appropriate design measures should be implemented contributing to the ecological value. BREEAM, Connery (2009)
13. Environmental Management Plan Huo et al. (2018)
IT34. An environmental management plan should be implemented on site. BEAM Plus
IT35. Adequate mitigation measures for construction noise should be provided on site. BEAM Plus, ASGB
IT36. Adequate mitigation measures for dust and air emissions should be applied on site. BEAM Plus, ASGB, Shen and Tam (2002)
IT37. Adequate measures to reduce water pollution should be undertaken on site. BEAM Plus, ASGB
IT38. Adequate measures for human health issues should be implemented on site. BEAM Plus

Kong construction practitioners responded to the international
survey conducted by Chan et al. (2016). Although a large sample
size was important, the most important issue in this study was the
respondents’ working and green building experience. Therefore,
insights from the 70 experienced Hong Kong practitioners and
policymakers were assumed to be useful in examining SPD issues in
green buildings. Complementing this with the sample from main-
land China resulted in an adequate overall sample size for statistical
analysis of 258.
The respondents’ background information indicated that the
survey results were reliable. However, the organization types in
Hong Kong and mainland China exhibited slight differences. Hong
Kong has architecture firms, whereas mainland China has design
institutes. Overall, 28% of the respondents worked in these archi-
tecture firms and design institutes, whereas 22% worked in con-
struction organizations and 18% worked in real estate
organizations. Therefore, the opinions of practitioners, particularly
of architects and designers, were considered. Architects and de-
signers play a key role in SPD and also in the environmental per-
formance of building projects because they are directly involved in
the process (Russ, 2009; Li et al., 2014). In terms of work experi-
ence, 43% of the respondents had more than 6 years of experience
in green building development. All of the respondents had been
involved in at least one green building project and were thus
assumed to have the necessary knowledge and experience to
address the research problem of this study.
3.2. Data analysis
The data collected from the survey were analyzed using Statis-
tical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 22.0. Reliability was
measured as the degree to which a test or procedure produced
consistent results if repeated several times (Fellows and Liu, 2015).
The internal consistency of the items was checked with Cronbach’s
690 X. Huo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 222 (2019) 685e694

alpha coefficient, which assessed the reliability of the 5-point Likert Table 2
scale. The nonparametric technique of the Mann-Whitney U test Mean ranks and Mann-Whitney U test results.

was used to test the null hypothesis (H0 ), which stated that “the Items Total sample Hong Kong Mainland Mann-Whitney U p-value
differences between mean scores from two groups are not statis- Mean Rank Mean Rank Mean Rank
tically significant.” When applying this technique, there is no
IT1 3.90 12 3.51 35 4.04 7 4844.500 .001
requirement to make assumptions about the data distribution and
IT2 3.38 36 3.01 38 3.52 32 4672.500 .000
the sample size for each group can vary. Furthermore, the Mann- IT3 4.12 4 4.14 2 4.11 4 6217.000
Whitney U test has been applied in similar research (Lam et al., IT4 3.83 18 3.46 36 3.97 11 4554.000 .000
2015; Darko et al., 2017). In this study, this test was used to IT5 3.89 13 4.09 6 3.81 19 5578.500 .048
IT6 3.51 33 3.74 25 3.43 35 5398.000 .021
determine significant differences between the respondents in
IT7 3.86 16 4.14 2* 3.76 23 4941.000 .001
mainland China and Hong Kong. At a 95% confidence interval, the IT8 3.83 18* 4.03 9 3.75 24 5196.500 .005
significance level is 0.05. If the computed p-value is less than 0.05, IT9 3.78 23 4.09 6* 3.66 28 4613.500 .000
then the null hypothesis (H0 ) should be rejected, and it can be IT10 3.70 28 3.84 19 3.65 29 5729.000
concluded that there are differences between the mean scores on IT11 3.66 29 3.99 12 3.53 31 5002.500 .002
IT12 3.77 24 3.67 28 3.80 21 5806.000
the items from the two groups.
IT13 3.82 21 3.84 19* 3.81 19* 6575.000
Factor analysis is a statistical method used to describe unob- IT14 3.43 35 3.59 30 3.37 36 5885.000
served factors by reducing the number of observed, correlated IT15 3.56 32 3.87 18 3.45 34 5174.500 .006
items, which according to Kim and Mueller (1978) is achieved by IT16 3.88 15 3.89 17 3.88 18 6485.000
IT17 3.64 31 3.54 34 3.67 26 5949.000
calculating the scores of each underlying dimension. This method
IT18 3.71 27 3.19 37 3.91 14 4090.000 .000
has been widely used in construction management and green IT19 3.94 11 3.84 19* 3.97 11* 6167.000
building (Mao et al., 2013; Chan et al., 2016). In this study, factor IT20 3.86 16* 3.74 25* 3.90 16 5781.000
analysis was used to identify common trends in the SPD items and IT21 3.83 18* 3.69 27 3.89 17 5658.000
to reduce the items to a smaller set of factors. Before factor analysis IT22 4.02 6* 3.91 15 4.05 6 6076.000
IT23 3.89 13* 3.83 22 3.91 14* 6261.000
was applied, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value was used to
IT24 3.95 9 3.81 23 4.01 9 5875.000
measure the adequacy of the sample. The value of KMO varied from IT25 3.80 22 3.81 23* 3.80 21* 6497.500
0 to 1, with values near 0 indicating large partial correlations IT26 3.66 29* 3.56 33 3.70 25 6220.500
compared to the sum of correlations, meaning that factor analysis IT27 3.34 37 3.57 31 3.25 37 5381.000 .019
IT28 3.72 26 3.90 16 3.65 29* 5511.000 .034
would not be appropriate. A value close to 1 implied that the cor-
IT29 4.02 6 4.01 10 4.02 8 6490.000
relation pattern was compact and hence that factor analysis would IT30 3.50 34 3.57 31* 3.48 33 6274.000
produce reliable factors. According to Kaiser (1974), a KMO value IT31 3.32 38 3.61 29 3.21 38 5190.000 .007
larger than 0.5 is acceptable. In addition, Bartlett’s test of sphericity IT32 3.74 25 3.94 13 3.67 26* 5516.000 .036
was conducted to examine whether the original correlation matrix IT33 3.97 8 3.93 14 3.99 10 6295.000
IT34 3.95 9* 4.01 10* 3.92 13 6126.000
was an identity matrix (Field, 2009). In this test, a significance level
IT35 4.09 5 4.09 6* 4.10 5 6515.500
of less than 0.05 indicated that the correlation matrix was not an IT36 4.15 3 4.14 2* 4.15 3 6461.500
identity matrix and thus that factor analysis would be appropriate IT37 4.21 1 4.13 5 4.24 1 6133.000
(Pallant, 2013). The extraction method is principal component IT38 4.17 2 4.19 1 4.16 2 6539.000
analysis, and the rotation method is varimax with Kaiser normali- Note: * means an equal rank, the next rank is skipped.
zation (Chan et al., 2016). Only the significant results of the Mann-Whitney U test are shown.

4. Results and discussion

The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the 38 SPD items was 0.950,
much higher than the acceptable threshold of 0.70, indicating high
data reliability (Nunnally, 1978). The perceptions of the re-
spondents on the 38 items in SPD in green buildings are summa-
rized in Table 2. Within the total sample, water pollution reduction
(IT37), human health issues protection (IT38), dust and air emission
mitigation (IT36), enough green space consideration (IT3), and
construction noise mitigation (IT35) were considered to be the five
most important items in SPD in green buildings. These results
indicate that the respondents’ major concern was to minimize the
environmental footprint, particularly because four out of the top
five items belonged to the environmental management plan vari-
able group.
4.1. Comparison of results between mainland China and Hong Kong
The perceptions of the respondents from mainland China and
Hong Kong were compared and the mean values showed slight
differences in the rankings of the five most important items. For
most of the itemsdfor example, human health issues protection
(IT38), dust and air emission mitigation (IT36), enough green space
consideration (IT3), and water pollution reduction (IT37)dthe
Hong Kong rankings were similar to those of the total sample. The
respondents in Hong Kong regarded environmental protection on
site as an important concern. They also viewed the issue of air
ventilation on site (IT7) as an important consideration. Within the
mainland China group, the top five most important items were
water pollution reduction (IT37), human health issues protection
(IT38), dust and air emission mitigation (IT36), enough green space
consideration (IT3), and construction noise mitigation (IT35) (Huo
et al., 2018). The top five items from mainland China were the
same as those in the total sample, probably because most of the
respondents were from mainland China. Generally, our study’s re-
sults imply that the respondents had similar views on the top five
most important items in the SPD of green buildings.
As a supplement to the overall perceptions of the respondents in
Hong Kong and mainland China, a Mann-Whitney U test was con-
ducted to analyze the differences between the overall rankings of
the respondents in Hong Kong and in mainland China. The Mann-
Whitney U test results in Table 2 show significant differences be-
tween the two groups of respondents on 15 of the items: IT1, IT2,
IT4, IT5, IT6, IT7, IT8, IT9, IT11, IT15, IT18, IT27, IT28, IT31, and IT32.
The variables are “land use,” “site assessment,” “open space,” and
“microclimate around buildings.” The respondents in mainland
China showed more concern for land use than those in Hong Kong
(e.g., IT1, IT2, and IT4). Generally, the respondents from mainland
China regarded economic land use and brownfield development as
the first considerations before developing a green project. The use
of underground space was also considered to be more important in
 X. Huo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 222 (2019) 685e694
mainland China, which was regarded as a policy issue brought
about by land use pressure and climate considerations (Hunt et al.,
2016). In landscaping and irrigation, the selection of appropriate
planting on site (IT18) also drew more attention from respondents
from mainland Chinadbecause China has such a vast territory,
which ranges from tropical to cold temperatures, its regional cli-
mates should be carefully considered. Meanwhile, the respondents
in Hong Kong gave more priority to the site assessment at the
beginning of SPD and open space planning issues (e.g., IT5, IT6, IT7,
IT8, and IT9). The respondents from Hong Kong were also more
concerned with the future needs of the residents and the com-
munity, such as summer temperature reduction (IT11) and electric
charging or fueling facilities (IT15), in addition to mitigating heat
with overhangs or other proper measures (IT27, IT28, IT31). Due to
the high density of Hong Kong, the urban island effect is an
important issue. In addition, the respondents from Hong Kong
favored the development of green buildings on land with low
ecological value (IT32). The results of the Mann-Whitney U test
showed that the respondents from mainland China and Hong Kong
disagreed on the importance level of 15 items and agreed on the
remaining 23. One possible reason for these differences in the re-
spondents’ views stemmed from the different ideas and levels of
green building development in the building industrydthe re-
spondents from Hong Kong might have been more concerned
about the future use of green buildings than the respondents from
mainland China.
4.2. Factor analysis results
The KMO value was 0.905, indicating that the items were
strongly correlated, and this made the sample suitable for factor
analysis (Kaiser, 1974). The result of Bartlett’s test of sphericity was
3105.278, with an associated significance level of 0.000. This indi-
cated that the correlation matrix was not an identity matrix
(Pallant, 2013). This study suppressed small coefficients with ab-
solute values below 0.5. In addition, those items that did not belong
to any of the extracted factors and those that belonged to more than
one factor were deleted (Hair et al., 1998; Chan et al., 2016).
Through principal component analysis with varimax rotation, five
factors were extracted, representing 61.289% of the total variance.
The rotated component matrix of the five factors showed that the
questionnaire had good validity (Table 3). Eventually, 24 items were
involved in the factor analysis for a better understanding of the
issues that affect SPD in green buildings.
Based on the cross-factor loadings in the rotated component
matrix and the items in each factor, the five extracted factors were
(1) environmental protection consideration, (2) effective use of
space, (3) use of natural and existing resources, (4) green parking
and thermal environment, and (5) use of land resources. These five
factors are interpreted and discussed in the following subsections.
4.2.1. Factor 1: environmental protection consideration
The following five items were loaded onto this factor: adequate
measures for reducing dust and air emissions, water pollution
reduction measures, a comprehensive environmental management
plan, adequate measures to protect human health, and construction
noise control measures (IT36, IT37, IT35, IT38, and IT34). Shen and
Tam (2002) stated that construction activity is a major source of
environmental pollution and results in water pollution, dust and air
emission, noise pollution, and construction waste generation.
Mismanagement of a construction site may cause a serious envi-
ronmental nuisance and related pollution and can lead to adverse
effects for on-site workers, neighbors living around the site, and
public health. Therefore, an environmental management plan that
includes environmental monitoring and auditing should be
691
formulated during the design stage to encourage a higher level of
environmental management during the construction stage (IT34).
Reducing dust and air emissions caused by construction can
significantly improve the quality of the environment and promote
sustainable development (Zhang et al., 2013). This is in line with the
current study, which finds that adequate measures should be
considered before construction to mitigate dust and air emissions
(IT36). Proper management of water quality on construction sites is
vital in green construction (Tam et al., 2004), and thus planning
adequate measures to reduce water pollution and control pollution
from the source are also important (IT37). Noise pollution on site
cannot be ignored during construction because of the high level of
complaints. Consequently, proper preventive measures should be
formulated in advance (IT35). To avoid risks to human health on a
construction site, proper waste management measures should be
planned and conducted to reduce any potential source of pollution
(IT38).
4.2.2. Factor 2: effective use of space
The following six items were loaded onto this factor: IT7, IT8,
IT6, IT9, IT5, and IT26. To provide natural ventilation and improve
the living comfort level, air ventilation around the building should
be evaluated early in the site design stage through a review of the
wind climate, the building’s mass and orientation, the site’s
topography, and the surrounding buildings (IT7). Because open
space provides recreational areas for residents and helps to
improve environmental quality and the aesthetics of the neigh-
borhood, sufficient open space consideration and a comprehen-
sive strategy should also be provided when designing an attractive
living environment (IT8, IT9). To take advantage of site conditions
and the surrounding environment, architecturally and culturally
significant features in the regional development should also be
incorporated into the SPD (IT6). Cultural heritage helps to identify
and interpret social, cultural, and economic changes and can
enhance our understanding of the past. The creative integration of
old and new developments makes cities interesting and preserves
their historical integrity and early development patterns for
future generations to experience and appreciate. Maintaining the
local and regional cultural heritage requires developers to
conserve and protect archaeological remains, historic buildings,
and monuments. To promote the continuation of cultural heritage
in green building development, cultural heritage resources should
be integrated into community development by encouraging resi-
dents to protect the heritage (IT26). Any cultural heritage char-
acteristics on and around the site should also be preserved and
protected (IT25).
4.2.3. Factor 3: use of natural and existing resources
The following five items were loaded onto this factor: provision
of storm water storage devices, provision of storm water infiltration
devices, proper storm water management measures, non-potable
water irrigation, and use of pre-existing materials, which are rele-
vant to the use of natural and existing resources (i.e., IT20, IT21,
IT19, IT17, and IT16). Rainwater, as a reusable natural resource,
should be considered and collected in green buildings as a means of
saving water resources. When planning a new green development,
storm water infiltration or storage devices should be set appro-
priately, or proper storm water management measures should be
taken to manage surface runoff (IT20, IT21, and IT19). In hard-
landscaped areas, construction materials can be used to improve
the landscape by design. The use of recycled aggregates in a hard
landscape can promote material efficiency. The use of pervious
materials such as gravel and brick can promote rapid infiltration of
storm water into the ground, and can supplement soil water and
groundwater (IT17). Systems that use rainwater or recycled water
692 X. Huo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 222 (2019) 685e694

Table 3
The results of factor analysis of SPD items in green buildings.

Groupings Factor

1 2 3 4 5

Factor 1: Environmental protection consideration

IT36. Adequate mitigation measures for dust and air emissions should be applied on site. .835
IT37. Adequate measures to reduce water pollution should be undertaken on site. .804
IT35. Adequate mitigation measures for construction noise should be provided on site. .755
IT38. Adequate measures for human health issues should be implemented on site. .738
IT34. An environmental management plan should be implemented on site. .725
Factor 2: Effective use of space
IT7. Air ventilation issues at the site level should be considered properly. .739
IT8. Enough open space should be designed for attractive surroundings. .688
IT6. Culturally and architecturally significant features should be incorporated. .667
IT9. A comprehensive open space strategy should be formed to lay a foundation for open space planning and action. .642
IT5. SPD in green buildings should be designed according to the natural conditions on site. .557
IT26. New buildings should be compatible with the heritage features. .530
Factor 3: Use of natural and existing resource
IT20. Storm water storage devices should be installed rationally. .845
IT21. Storm water infiltration devices should be installed rationally. .816
IT19. Proper storm water management measures should be taken to manage surface runoff. .700
IT17. Pre-existing materials should be used for hard-landscaped areas. .551
IT16. Non-potable water should be used for landscape irrigation. .504
Factor 4: Green parking and thermal environment
IT31. Covered or sheltered parking spaces should be designed to reduce parking footprint. .701
IT14. A certain percentage of parking spaces for green vehicles should be provided. .653
IT27. Wind velocities in pedestrian areas should be reduced to ensure pedestrian comfort. .652
IT28. Proper measures should be taken to mitigate elevated temperatures. .555
IT15. Electric vehicle charging or fueling facilities for green vehicles should be designed. .543
Factor 5: Use of land resource
IT2. Construction projects should be recommended to be developed on brownfield or contaminated land. .754
IT1. Economical and intensive land use should be the first and foremost concern. .657
IT4. Rational underground space utilization should be considered. .599

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization.

should be provided for landscape irrigation, and plants with fewer
irrigation needs should be used to reduce the consumption of
potable water. In the irrigation systems and landscaping of green
buildings, the use of non-potable water such as rainwater for
landscaping irrigation and the use of an automatic water-saving
irrigation system with rainwater sensors (IT16) should be
considered.
4.2.4. Factor 4: green parking and thermal environment
Five items focusing on green parking and a comfortable thermal
environment on site were loaded onto this factor (IT31, IT14, IT27,
IT28, and IT15). Several measures can be used to effectively mitigate
temperature, including providing shade for non-roof impervious
surfaces by using light-colored high-albedo materials, covering
roofs with materials with a high solar reflectance index, or
providing vegetation for more than half of the roof area, which is
also applicable when providing covered or sheltered parking spaces
to reduce the parking footprint (IT31). The design of a site’s thermal
environment should carefully balance the wind, sunlight, temper-
ature, and air quality. To ensure pedestrian comfort on site, wind
velocities should be reduced in pedestrian areas (IT27). When
designing, constructing, or remodeling new buildings, strategies
and design solutions should be proposed to effectively mitigate
temperatures (IT28). Because green vehicles are beneficial to the
environment, air quality, human health, and energy use and cost,
their use should be encouraged for sustainable development.
Therefore, parking spaces for green vehicles should be properly
considered in the SPD of green buildings. A certain percentage of all
parking spaces in green buildings should be allocated to electric
vehicle supply equipment. These spaces should be clearly reserved
for the use of plug-in electric vehicles. In addition, liquid or gas
alternative fuel refueling facilities or battery switching stations
should be installed in such a manner to ensure that they can
accommodate a reasonable number of vehicles (IT14 and IT15).
4.2.5. Factor 5: use of land resource
Three items focusing on effective land resource use were loaded
onto this factor (IT2, IT1, and IT4). Land use is not only an economic
consideration of land resources but also related to reducing the
environmental impact of developments with limited land. To
realize the harmonious development of human society and nature,
economic land use is recommended to meet the living re-
quirements of residents within limited land in an urban area (IT1).
Development on brownfield or previously used land, which has low
ecological value on site, is encouraged to save land resources and to
protect local biodiversity and the local environment. To reuse
contaminated sites, proper assessment and rehabilitation should be
conducted (IT2). The effective use of underground space creates
more compact communities without leading to adverse environ-
mental effects. The construction of a facility underground may be
an option if a surface facility is not possible or if it is not acceptable
to the community (IT4).
5. Conclusions
Site planning and design (SPD) plays an important role in
forming a sustainable site in green buildings. Literature has re-
ported effective technologies for site layout design, and the factors
and indicators involved in site selection and brownfield redevel-
opment. However, there is still a lack of a comprehensive analysis of
the items and critical factors for effective SPD in green buildings.
Consequently, this study aimed to identify the critical SPD factors in
green buildings. A list of 13 variables and 38 items involved in SPD
in green buildings was developed based on the literature review. A
 X. Huo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 222 (2019) 685e694
questionnaire survey was conducted to collect the opinions of
participants in green buildings in the context of China, including
Hong Kong and mainland China. The results show that both groups
of respondents had similar perceptions of the top five important
SPD items, including water pollution reduction, human health is-
sues protection, dust and air emission mitigation, sufficient green
space consideration, and construction noise mitigation. As a sup-
plement to the overall perceptions on SPD items in Hong Kong and
mainland China, a Mann-Whitney U test found no significant dif-
ferences between the views of the respondents from mainland
China and Hong Kong. Based on factor analysis, the following five
critical factors in the SPD in green buildings were identified:
environmental protection consideration, effective use of space, use
of natural and existing resources, green parking and thermal
environment, and use of land resources. The results of this study
may help to broaden the understanding of industry practitioners in
terms of SPD-related items. They may also identify and prioritize
the critical factors that help to achieve effective SPD in green
buildings. In addition, the identified variables, items, and critical
factors of SPD in green buildings can provide a basis for effective
SPD implementation in green buildings. For green building certi-
fication organizations, the identified critical factors can be high-
lighted and the rating tools can be improved by giving higher credit
to these critical factors. Moreover, policymakers can improve
related SPD guidance and regulations to promote green building
development from the early stages of a project’s implementation.
This study had several limitations. First, the critical factors were
identified based on a sample of 258 participants, who were expe-
rienced in green building and came from Hong Kong and mainland
China; however, the sample size for Hong Kong was relatively
small. Therefore, it is recommended that further studies validate
the reliability and applicability of these critical factors through a
series of in-depth case studies. Second, this study was conducted in
the context of China. Therefore, it is recommended that future
research list the SPD variables and items that can be applied in
other countries. The importance of these variables and items can
then be investigated to achieve a better understanding of SPD in
green buildings in the context of these countries.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Department of Building and
Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The authors also
would like to express their gratitude to all of the respondents who
participated in the questionnaire survey.
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 Journal of Cleaner Production 175 (2018) 314e323

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Journal of Cleaner Production

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro

An empirical study of the variables affecting site planning and design

in green buildings
Xiaosen Huo a, Ann T.W. Yu a, *, Zezhou Wu b
a
Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
b
Department of Construction Management and Real Estate, School of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shen Zhen, China

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Site planning and design (SPD) is a key issue for site sustainability in green building development. This
Received 5 September 2017 research study explores participants’ perception of SPD in green buildings. A questionnaire survey was
Received in revised form conducted to investigate how the participants rated the importance and difficulty of SPD-related vari-
7 December 2017
ables and items. The Kendall concordance test and ManneWhitney U test were used to analyse and
Accepted 11 December 2017
Available online 22 December 2017
compare the responses of participants involved directly and indirectly in SPD, where the participants
were divided into Group 1 and Group 2 respectively. The results showed a good consensus between the
rankings provided by the two groups. The Relative Importance Index was used to calculate the scores and
Keywords:
Site planning and design (SPD)
rankings. The top 5 most important variables and the most difficult ones to realize, and the top 5 most
Variable important items and the most difficult ones to realize, were identified and analysed respectively. Envi-
Green building ronmental protection was regarded as the most important variable, and open space was considered as
Perception of participants the most difficult one to achieve. The most important item was water pollution reduction, and the most
China difficult one was rational underground space utilisation. When considering the correlation between the
importance and difficulty of the items and variables, the participants show different concerns on the
most important and most difficult items while hold similar opinions on the most important and most
difficult variables. The findings deepen the understanding of variables which are most important and
which are most difficult to achieve in the SPD of green buildings, which helps the practitioners to
implement effective SPD in green buildings.
© 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

1. Introduction in the initial stage of construction projects. SPD is a multi-phase

Sustainable development is commonly defined as ‘development
that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Brundtland,
1987). Green construction is regarded as the implementation of
sustainable design (Montoya, 2010). The design and construction of
green buildings are based on the principles of sustainable devel-
opment to conserve resources and energy, recycle materials and
minimise emissions from the buildings throughout their life cycle.
The location of a project is the foundation of its sustainability.
Therefore, site planners must consider how to minimise the
disturbance to the construction site. Site planning and design (SPD),
i.e. the process of bringing a vision to implementation, is a key issue
* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: xiaosen.huo@connect.polyu.hk (X. Huo), bsannyu@polyu.edu.
hk (A.T.W. Yu), wuzezhou@szu.edu.cn (Z. Wu).
activity conducted by qualified professionals to ensure that the
site is used in ways that are functionally efficient, aesthetically
pleasing and environmentally sustainable (LaGro, 2011).
A number of green building rating tools have been developed to
assist green development. BREEAM (Building Research Establish-
ment's Environmental Assessment Method), launched in 1990, was
the world's first green building rating system. LEED (Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design), issued in 1998 by the U.S. Green
Building Council, is currently considered among the most
comprehensive and influential green building rating systems.
China, which now has the largest construction market in the world,
established ESGB (Evaluation Standard for Green Building) in 2006.
In the context of SPD, various relevant issues are considered in
these green building rating tools. According to Huo et al. (2017), the
average percentage of SPD-related items in major green building
rating tools around the world is about 20%. Relevant items are
distributed among various sections, including ‘land use’, ‘location
and transportation’, ‘environmental protection’, and ‘energy saving

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.12.091
0959-6526/© 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
 X. Huo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 175 (2018) 314e323
and energy utilisation’, which indicates the importance of SPD in
green building development.
In previous studies, researchers have explored SPD from
different perspectives and at different stages, including site selec-
tion, site analysis and site layout planning. Researchers have also
investigated several green strategies on site in construction pro-
jects such as brownfield redevelopment, storm water management
and urban heat island reduction, in addition to a number of studies
focusing on site layout planning and optimisation (Wedding and
Crawford-Brown, 2007; Cook, 2007; Guillette, 2010; Hammad
et al., 2015). However, few studies have investigated the behav-
iours of participants in green building projects and their perception
of the variables of SPD. To fill this research gap, this study identifies
a comprehensive list of variables and items in SPD of green build-
ings based on five well-known green building rating tools,
including BREEAM, LEED, Building Environmental Assessment
Method (BEAM), Green Mark (GM) and the Assessment Standard
for Green Building (ASGB), and investigates how participants un-
derstand these variables and items. The findings of this study not
only make contribution to the existing research on green buildings
by deepening the understanding on the most important and most
difficult variables and items in SPD of green buildings, but also
encourage practitioners in construction industry to conduct more
effective SPD in green building development and shape a sustain-
able built environment.
2. Literature review
The SPD stage is a key process for planners and designers to re-
organize the site layout, to re-locate facilities, materials ware-
houses, car parking space, and offices in the project site. In sus-
tainable site design, on-site information is gathered, investigated,
and composited in a creative and analytical way, leading to the
connection of natural environment and building systems in a
mutually beneficial way. (Venhaus, 2012). Ozdemir (2008) illus-
trated that in the early stages of on-site development, sustainable
site design is helpful in dealing with natural disaster risks for
planners, designers and policy makers. That study identified a
number of principles and approaches in sustainable site design:
assessing site resources in site selection, blending with the existing
topography, defining the existing vegetation use, designing
planting for site protection and engineering, understanding the
topographic conditions of the site, minimising disruption to land-
forms and drainage patterns and minimising the paved area.
Calkins (2011) argued that sustainable sites in cities play important
roles in providing ecosystem services and habitat, forming pro-
ductive workplaces and sustaining cultural connections with
nature.
A site exists as part of a larger landscape and ecosystem, and
sustainable site design must include broad considerations of the
environmental role of the site as well as the programme or inten-
tion of the project. To form a sustainable site requires compre-
hensive and ecologically based strategies which help to reserve and
repair existing site systems instead of altering and damage them
(Ozdemir, 2008; Russ, 2009). Sustainable and context-sensitive site
planning requires a thorough understanding of the site's suitability
for the proposed programme. This analytical and creative process
often begins with site selection and programming (LaGro, 2011).
Wang et al. (2014) developed a framework of variables affecting the
decision-making process for sustainable land use planning in urban
renewal projects. They compared variables that were abstracted
from a literature review with those found in practical case studies.
The results showed that a number of variables relevant to sus-
tainable site planning had not yet been put into practice, including
environmental indicators (such as air and water quality), social and
315
cultural concerns (such as community identity, accessibility of
service facilities and landscape uniqueness) and physical con-
straints (such as slope gradient and relative elevation).
To create an environmentally friendly worksite and protect the
habitat and environment around buildings, some researchers have
focused on site-related green construction. To reduce the genera-
tion of waste on site, Jaques (2000) concluded that ‘attention at
design stage’ can be effective, as well as ‘fully complete drawings’
and ‘modular construction’. ‘Smart design’ and ‘total design
involvement’ are the most favoured methods to reduce material
waste. Gwaze and Woolliams (2001) proposed a number of plan-
ning, design and construction strategies in green buildings,
including green strategies for site design. Important priorities of
green site design strategies include biodiversity, water use reduc-
tion, urban heat island reduction and provision of multiple trans-
port modes. According to Montoya (2010), in site layout and land
use, green construction should aim to minimise on-site distur-
bance, heat island effects and construction waste from buildings
and sites. Sillah (2011) pointed out that important considerations in
the selection of new construction sites include the provision of
adequate and renewable water resource, and the access to renew-
able energy such as solar energy, wind energy, and geothermal
energy. Gonzales and Romero (2014) found that good site planning
was an important component of a building's relationship with the
community, and that desirable aspects included socio-cultural
variables such as a sense of community and the need for and ac-
cess to open spaces and outdoor activities. Wedding and Crawford-
Brown, 2007 assessed the performance of brownfield redevelop-
ment at the site level with respect to sustainable development and
green buildings. Cook (2007) proposed various strategies for storm
water management in green site design, including ‘green roof’,
‘green parking’, permeable paving and alternative paving systems.
Low impact development (LID) is a sustainable storm water man-
agement strategy to prevent degradation of groundwater quality,
manage storm water more efficiently and protect drinking water
supplies. LID has proven to be a dynamic and adaptable strategy to
minimise operational and maintenance costs and improve the
marketability of projects. The current challenge for LID is how to
implement the underlying technologies in novel configurations
(Guillette, 2010).
Construction site layout planning is a decision-making process
that involves the identification of problems and opportunities,
development of solutions, and selection and implementation of
optimal options (Ning et al., 2011). To optimise the construction site
layout requires balancing conflicting objectives, i.e., maximising
construction safety while minimising the cost of material transport,
and satisfying all practical layout constraints (Mawdesley et al.,
2002). Considering the importance of construction safety, El-
Rayes and Khalafallah (2005) developed a robust site layout plan-
ning model to provide optimal trade-offs between construction
safety and the cost of resource transport on site, while meeting all
practical constraints on the construction issues. Hammad et al.
(2015) presented an estimation framework in which the travel
frequency parameter can be estimated based on the information
provided by building information models and project schedules.
The estimated frequencies can be used as parameters in optimisa-
tion models for site layout planning.
This section summarises the existing literature relevant to SPD
in green buildings. The importance of SPD is emphasised, and
several SPD issues relevant to green buildings explored, such as
brownfield redevelopment, low-impact development and storm
water management. In addition, it is shown that increasing atten-
tion has been paid to site layout planning and optimisation. How-
ever, previous analyses of SPD issues in this context remain
incomplete. Therefore, in the present study, a comprehensive and
316 X. Huo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 175 (2018) 314e323
holistic investigation of the SPD of green buildings was conducted,
and the understanding of these issues among participants in green
construction was explored.
3. Research methods
3.1. Identification of variables and items in SPD
To identify the variables and items in SPD relevant to green
buildings, this study refers to the research conducted by Huo et al.
(2017). The variables and items were identified based on major
green building rating tools. The selection of rating tools from
among those used worldwide was based on the criteria proposed
by Wu et al. (2016a), in that the most relevant, available, up-to-date
and measurable were selected. Huo et al. (2017) chose five main-
stream green building rating tools to compare their SPD-related
items, including BREEAM, LEED, BEAM, GM and ASGB. Through a
comparative analysis, a list of 15 variables in SPD of green buildings
was developed, including ‘Land use’, ‘Site assessment’, ‘Passive
building design’, ‘Open space’, ‘Neighbourhood amenities’, ‘Local
transport’, ‘Green-vehicle parking’, ‘Reduced parking footprint’,
‘Ecological value and protection’, ‘Cultural heritage’, ‘Landscaping
and irrigation’, ‘Microclimate around buildings’, ‘Neighbourhood
daylight access’, ‘Storm water management’ and ‘Environmental
management plan’. The corresponding items were subsequently
identified, numbering 40 in total. After discussion with three
experienced researchers in green building, the items related to the
neighbourhood and local transport were excluded, as they were
regarded as pre-existing conditions on or around sites, preceding
the implementation of SPD itself. Finally, a list of 13 variables and
38 items in SPD of green buildings was developed, as presented in
Table 1.
3.2. Questionnaire survey
A questionnaire survey was conducted to measure how partic-
ipants in the construction of green buildings rate the importance
and difficulty of SPD-related items. Based on the variables and
items identified above, the questionnaire was designed to include
three major sections. The first section provided a brief introduction
to the research aim, and explained the anonymity of the ques-
tionnaire and the planned academic use of the results. The second
section collected background information from the participants,
including organisation type, years of experience, types of work
performed, the number of projects in which they had been involved
and the number of on-site construction workers. There is a multiple
question for types of work performed as for different participants
they may have different working experiences, and the multiple
choices make the participants flexible to make their choices. The
third section investigated the perceptions of the participants
regarding the importance and difficulty of each item. The impor-
tance of each item was measured on a scale of 1e5, where
1 ¼ extremely unimportant, 2 ¼ unimportant, 3 ¼ neutral,
4 ¼ important and 5 ¼ extremely important. Likewise, the difficulty
in realising each item was measured as 1 ¼ extremely easy,
2 ¼ easy, 3 ¼ neutral, 4 ¼ difficult and 5 ¼ extremely difficult.
Before sending out the questionnaire, a pilot study was conducted
to test its appropriateness and comprehensiveness (Li et al., 2011).
The participants in the pilot study were two professors, one asso-
ciate professor, two assistant professors and a postgraduate
researcher, all of whom were experienced in this research field. The
finalised questionnaire was designed as a Web-based interface
using the software Sojump. Links to the questionnaire were sent to
participants in the construction industry working on green building
projects in mainland China. When identifying the potential
respondents, practitioners who were involved in green construc-
tion projects were considered based on their knowledge and
experience in green buildings. All participants were contacted in
advance to ensure that they were willing to participate in the sur-
vey, and they were invited to distribute the questionnaire link to
their colleagues. The questionnaire survey was online for one
month, during which a total of 188 valid responses were obtained.
The response rate could not be calculated because the link to the
questionnaire survey was sent out by a strategy known as ‘snowball
sampling’, in which participants were asked to distribute the
questionnaire link to their colleagues, and the total number of links
distributed was unknown (similar to the research conducted by
Darko et al., 2017).
The background information of the respondents is shown in
Table 2. In terms of their organisation type, more than 40% were
from design institutes or green consultation companies directly
involved in SPD. About half of the respondents had 2e5 years’
experience in green building development, followed by those with
less than 2 years, then those with 6e10 years. Most of the re-
spondents had previously participated in less than 5 green projects,
and most of the projects in which they had been involved were not
large-scale.
3.3. Data analysis
The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 22.0) was
used to analyse the data collected from the survey. Firstly, the
reliability of the data was tested. In general, if the Cronbach's alpha
coefficient of each item in a survey is greater than 0.7, then the
individual reliability of the variables can be considered satisfactory
(Xiang et al., 2015). Here, for the questions on the importance of
SPD in green buildings, the Cronbach's alpha value was 0.943, and
for the questions on difficulty, the value was 0.908. Both values are
above 0.7, indicating that the scale was reliable within the tested
sample. To facilitate the statistical analysis, the respondents were
divided into two groups. Group 1 (stakeholders participating in SPD
directly) included the organisation types ‘Design institution’ and
‘Green consultation’, and numbered a total of 77. Group 2 (stake-
holders participating in SPD indirectly) included all other organi-
sation types, and numbered a total of 111. As the respondents in
these two groups had different degrees of participation in SPD, it
was reasonable to assume that they might show differences in their
understanding of these variables and items. Two non-parametric
techniques (Kendall's coefficient of concordance and the Man-
neWhitney U test) were undertaken to test for statistically signif-
icant differences within each group and between the groups. The
results of the non-parametric tests were as follows.
3.3.1. Kendall's coefficient of concordance (Kendall's W)
Kendall's W is a measure of agreement among several judges
who have rank-ordered a set of entities (Field, 2005). The value of
W ranges from 0 to 1, indicating no agreement to perfect agree-
ment. Kendall's W was applied to test the agreements within the
whole group, within Group 1, and within Group 2. In these tests, the
null hypothesis (H0 ) was ‘there is no agreement among the rank-
ings of the items given by the respondents’. If the value of Kendall's
W is below the threshold for significance (defined as p  0.001), the
null hypothesis (H0 ) should be rejected, meaning that there is
agreement among the rankings given by the respondents.
The results of Kendall's W are shown in Table 3. For the ques-
tions on the importance of each variable in SPD of green buildings,
the values of Kendall's W were 0.103 and 0.090, respectively, for
Group 1 and Group 2. The chi-square values were 293.454 and
368.706, respectively, at DF ¼ 37, with the probabilities of occur-
rence p < 0.001 (asymp. sig. ¼ 0.000). For the questions on the
 X. Huo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 175 (2018) 314e323 317

Table 1
List of variables and items in SPD of green buildings.

Variable Item in SPD Source

V1. Land Use I1. Economical and intensive land use should be the first and foremost concern in SPD of green buildings ASGB
I2. The construction project should be recommended to be developed on brownfield or contaminated land ASGB, BEAM Plus,
LEED
I3. Enough green space should be considered in SPD of green buildings ASGB
I4. Rational underground space utilisation should be involved in SPD of green buildings ASGB
V2. Site Assessment I5. SPD in green buildings should be designed according to the natural conditions on site ASGB
I6. Culturally and architecturally significant features should be incorporated in SPD BEAM Plus
I7. Air ventilation issues at the site level should be considered properly ASGB, BEAM Plus
V3. Open Space I8. Enough open space should be designed for attractive surroundings LEED
I9. A comprehensive open-space strategy should be formed to lay a foundation for open-space planning and LEED
action
V4. Passive Building Design I10. Passive building design should be used in accordance with the natural elements in SPD of green buildings BEAM Plus
I11. Summer temperatures should be reduced by providing overhangs and shadings BEAM Plus
I12. Solar heating and cooling systems should be designed to reduce energy use GM
I13. Bulk insulation and reflective insulation should be used to improve living comfort BEAM Plus, LEED
V5. Green-Vehicle Parking I14. A certain percentage of parking spaces for green vehicles should be provided LEED
I15. Electric vehicle charging or fuelling facilities for green vehicles should be designed in SPD of green BEAM Plus
buildings
V6. Landscaping and Irrigation I16. Non-potable water should be used for landscape irrigation GM
I17. Pre-existing materials should be used for hard-landscaped areas BEAM Plus, LEED, GM
I18. Appropriate plantings should be provided on construction site BEAM Plus, GM
V7. Storm Water Management I19. Proper storm water management measures should be taken to manage surface runoff ASGB
I20. Storm water storage devices should be installed rationally ASGB
I21. Storm water infiltration devices should be installed rationally ASGB
V8. Neighbourhood Daylight Access I22. Reasonable building density should be ensured on construction sites ASGB
I23. Access to daylight for neighbouring sensitive buildings should be maintained BEAM Plus
I24. Daylight and light trespass requirements should be met BEAM Plus, LEED
V9. Cultural Heritage I25. Proper measures should be taken to protect and preserve cultural heritage on site BEAM Plus
I26. New buildings should be compatible with the heritage features LEED, BEAM Plus
V10. Microclimate around Buildings I27. Wind velocities in pedestrian areas should be reduced to ensure pedestrian comfort BEAM Plus
I28. Proper measures should be taken to mitigate elevated temperatures BEAM Plus
I29. Natural ventilation should be encouraged for higher indoor air quality BREEAM
V11. Reduced Parking Footprint I30. The amount of land area dedicated to surface parking should be limited BEAM Plus
I31. Covered or sheltered parking spaces should be designed to reduce parking footprint LEED
V12. Ecological Value and Protection I32. Developing green buildings on land of low ecological value should be encouraged BREEAM
I33. Appropriate design measures should be implemented contributing to the ecological value BREEAM
V13. Environmental Management I34. An environmental management plan should be implemented on site BEAM Plus
Plan I35. Adequate mitigation measures for construction noise should be provided on site BEAM Plus, ASGB
I36. Adequate mitigation measures for dust and air emissions should be applied on site BEAM Plus, ASGB
I37. Adequate measures to reduce water pollution should be undertaken on site BEAM Plus, ASGB
I38. Adequate measures for human health issues should be implemented on site BEAM Plus

difficulty of realising each variable in SPD of green buildings, the
Kendall's W values were 0.099 and 0.077 respectively. The chi-
square values were 281.220 and 317.172, respectively, at DF ¼ 37,
with probabilities of occurrence p < 0.001 (asymp. sig. ¼ 0.000).
The results in Table 3 indicate a good consensus in each case, i.e.,
within the whole group, within Group 1 and within Group 2,
regarding both the importance and the difficulty of the items in SPD
of green buildings.
3.3.2. ManneWhitney U test
The ManneWhitney U test is another non-parametric test to
examine the differences between two samples, and has previously
been adopted in similar surveys (Yu et al., 2007; Darko et al., 2017).
The test was applied here to identify significant differences be-
tween Group 1 and Group 2 concerning the rankings of the various
items in SPD of green buildings. Table 4 presents the value of the
ManneWhitney U, the Z-value and the corresponding p-value of
each of the 38 items from the perspectives of importance and dif-
ficulty. The null hypothesis (H0 ) in this test is ‘there are no differ-
ences in the ranking between the two groups’. At the 95%
confidence interval, the null hypothesis (H0 ) should be rejected if
the significance level is less than 0.05 (p < 0.05). Concerning the
importance of the variables in SPD of green buildings, the proba-
bility values (p) for all of the variables and items were greater than
0.05. This indicates no significant differences between the rankings
of the 38 items by Group 1 and by Group 2. Thus, an encouraging
level of agreement was found between those stakeholders
participating in SPD of green buildings directly and those involved
indirectly.
Regarding the difficulty of the 38 items, with the exception of I9
(p ¼ .046), the p-values for the other 37 items were all greater than
0.05. For I9, ‘A comprehensive open-space strategy should be
formed to lay a foundation for open-space planning and action’,
Group 1 regarded this item as less difficult to realize than Group 2,
with mean values of 3.34 and 3.59, respectively (Table 3), possibly
indicating that stakeholders with no direct involvement in SPD
have less understanding of open-space planning and strategies.
3.3.3. Relative importance index (RII)
To calculate the importance and difficulty of each item and
variable in SPD, the relative importance index (RII) was adopted
based on similar research by Gündüz et al. (2012), as shown in
Equation (1):
P
W
RII ¼ (1)
A*N
where W ¼ weighting given to each item in this research by the
respondents, ranging from 1 to 5; A ¼ the highest weighting (5 in
this research); N ¼ total number of responses.
318 X. Huo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 175 (2018) 314e323

Table 2 Table 3
Background information of the respondents. Mean values of ratings for each item and the results of Kendall's coefficient of
concordance.
Category Respondents
Items Importance Difficulty
Number Percentage (%)
Mean Mean 1 Mean 2 Mean Mean 1 Mean 2
Organisation type 188 100
Government sector 9 5 I1 4.04 4.10 4.00 3.39 3.44 3.35
Real estate development organisation 41 22 I2 3.52 3.69 3.41 3.19 3.08 3.26
Design institute 43 23 I3 4.11 4.12 4.11 3.05 3.09 3.03
Construction organisation 47 25 I4 3.97 4.03 3.93 3.62 3.66 3.59
Supervision company 6 3 I5 3.81 3.94 3.73 2.76 2.74 2.77
Green consultation company 34 18 I6 3.43 3.48 3.39 3.18 3.14 3.20
Others 8 4 I7 3.76 3.73 3.78 3.21 3.23 3.19
I8 3.75 3.77 3.74 3.45 3.57 3.36
Years of experience 188 100 I9 3.66 3.69 3.64 3.49 3.34 3.59
Less than 2 years 36 19 I10 3.65 3.70 3.61 3.32 3.30 3.33
2 to 5 years 93 50 I11 3.53 3.53 3.53 2.73 2.70 2.76
6-10 years 34 18 I12 3.80 3.97 3.68 3.23 3.21 3.25
11-15 years 15 8 I13 3.81 3.84 3.79 3.39 3.40 3.39
More than 15 years 10 5 I14 3.37 3.39 3.36 2.89 2.75 2.98
I15 3.45 3.47 3.43 3.07 2.96 3.14
Types of work performed (Multiple answers allowed) I16 3.88 3.87 3.89 2.68 2.68 2.68
Planning approval 9 N/A I17 3.67 3.74 3.62 2.85 2.79 2.88
Project management 66 N/A I18 3.91 3.90 3.92 2.49 2.44 2.52
Green design 37 N/A I19 3.97 4.10 3.88 2.96 2.92 2.99
Construction management 48 N/A I20 3.90 4.03 3.82 3.09 3.14 3.05
Surveying management 12 N/A I21 3.89 4.04 3.78 3.05 3.12 3.01
Green consultation 26 N/A I22 4.05 4.10 4.02 3.22 3.31 3.15
Others 21 N/A I23 3.91 4.01 3.85 3.32 3.35 3.31
I24 4.01 4.01 4.00 3.18 3.30 3.10
I25 3.80 3.77 3.82 3.35 3.23 3.42
Number of projects participated in 188 100
I26 3.70 3.68 3.71 3.43 3.42 3.43
Less than 5 133 71
I27 3.25 3.36 3.17 3.36 3.38 3.34
6e10 33 18
I28 3.65 3.66 3.65 3.33 3.31 3.34
11e20 10 5
I29 4.02 3.96 4.06 3.21 3.31 3.14
More than 20 12 6
I30 3.48 3.49 3.47 3.11 3.01 3.17
I31 3.21 3.25 3.19 2.76 2.77 2.75
Staff number in current project 188 100 I32 3.67 3.73 3.63 3.24 3.14 3.31
Less than 50 137 73 I33 3.99 4.10 3.91 3.55 3.40 3.65
51e100 30 16 I34 3.92 3.86 3.96 3.09 3.05 3.11
101e200 12 6 I35 4.10 4.12 4.08 3.31 3.30 3.32
More than 200 9 5 I36 4.15 4.18 4.13 3.38 3.38 3.39
I37 4.24 4.21 4.26 3.35 3.47 3.26
I38 4.16 4.18 4.14 3.45 3.45 3.45
N 188 77 111 188 77 111
4. Results and discussions
Kendall's Wa 0.091 0.103 0.090 0.081 0.099 0.077
Chi-square 635.246 293.454 368.706 562.838 281.220 317.172
The results of RII and the rankings of the items are summarized DF 37 37 37 37 37 37
in Table 5. For the top 5 most important items, participants within Asymp. sig. 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
the total sample, Group 1, and Group 2 holds similar views, which is Note: ‘Mean’ is from all respondents, ‘Mean 1’ is from Group 1, ‘Mean 2’ is from
consistent with the results of Mann-Whitney U test. For the most Group 2.
difficult items, participants from different groups shows some
different opinions. Participants in Group 1 considers economic and
intensive land use (I1), enough open space design (I8) and water questionnaire survey. With the rapid expansion of urbanisation,
pollution reduction measures (I37) in the top 5 difficult items, problems associated with water resources and urban water-logging
while participants in Group 2 concerns more about the compati- are increasing. In urban construction environments, due to the high
bility with cultural heritage (I26) and ecological value-added proportion of impermeable materials, rainwater pooling is a major
design (I33) in the top 5 most difficult items to realize. It shows cause of water damage. Site design should aim to preserve as much
that stakeholders involved in SPD of green buildings directly con- of the site as possible in an undisturbed condition, for which pur-
cerns more about the detailed design measures while stakeholders pose LID is an alternative to traditional storm water management
involved indirectly shows difficulties in understanding on abstract (Dietz, 2007). Based on the principles of LID, China introduced the
concepts. Based on the calculated RII results and rankings in Table 5, ‘Sponge City’ construction programme in 2014, aiming to manage
the top 5most important and most difficult items of the total storm water in urban areas through absorption, storage, penetra-
sample are analysed in Section 4.1 and 4.2. The scores for each tion and purification (Shao et al., 2016).
variable were calculated based on the mean value of the corre- ‘Adequate measures for human health issues should be imple-
sponding items, and are shown in Table 6. Detailed analysis of the mented on site’ ranked in second place. Construction practices have
top 5 most important and most difficult variables was conducted in direct and indirect effects on health issues for construction workers
Section 4.3 and 4.4. and occupants. Green building is people oriented, and therefore
prioritises human health issues. Risks to human health on site
should be minimised through controlling exposure to toxic sub-
4.1. Importance of items in SPD of green buildings
stances, such as providing safe materials, minimising long-term
release of volatile products and storing materials appropriately
‘Adequate measures to reduce water pollution should be un-
(Cole, 2000). In addition, stricter control of working conditions and
dertaken on site’ received the highest importance score in this
 X. Huo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 175 (2018) 314e323 319

Table 4
Results of the ManneWhitney U test.

Item Importance Difficulty

ManneWhitney U Z p-value ManneWhitney U Z p-value

I1 3946.000 0.950 .342 4126.500 0.427 .669

I2 3634.500 1.840 .066 3780.500 1.414 .157
I3 4165.000 0.318 .751 4024.500 0.716 .474
I4 4127.000 0.420 .674 4168.500 0.300 .765
I5 3749.000 1.505 .132 4147.000 0.369 .712
I6 4052.000 0.628 .530 4183.500 0.257 .797
I7 4150.000 0.355 .723 4215.000 0.171 .864
I8 4211.000 0.186 .852 3801.000 1.374 .169
I9 4172.000 0.294 .769 3580.500 1.991 .046a
I10 4089.500 0.530 .596 4089.500 0.532 .595
I11 4145.000 0.366 .715 4265.500 0.023 .982
I12 3894.500 1.079 .281 4088.500 0.524 .600
I13 4265.000 0.024 .981 4228.500 0.129 .897
I14 4261.500 0.034 .973 3765.500 1.428 .153
I15 4246.500 0.076 .939 3847.000 1.201 .230
I16 4234.000 0.114 .909 4215.000 0.167 .868
I17 4067.000 0.593 .553 4164.000 0.320 .749
I18 4128.000 0.418 .676 4155.500 0.337 .736
I19 3686.000 1.705 .088 4110.000 0.468 .640
I20 3779.500 1.415 .157 3989.500 0.810 .418
I21 3621.000 1.891 .059 3924.500 1.005 .315
I22 4091.500 0.532 .595 3944.000 0.945 .344
I23 3915.500 1.031 .302 4183.000 0.258 .796
I24 4229.000 0.130 .897 3760.000 1.482 .138
I25 4165.000 0.308 .758 3820.000 1.286 .199
I26 4131.000 0.410 .682 4261.500 0.034 .973
I27 3867.500 1.161 .246 4217.000 0.162 .871
I28 4203.500 0.201 .841 4091.500 0.523 .601
I29 4021.500 0.734 .463 3920.500 1.019 .308
I30 4268.500 0.014 .989 3875.000 1.126 .260
I31 4210.000 0.180 .857 4247.000 0.075 .940
I32 4006.500 0.768 .443 3887.000 1.119 .263
I33 3837.500 1.254 .210 3627.500 1.849 .064
I34 4045.500 0.659 .510 4130.000 0.422 .673
I35 4108.000 0.482 .630 4202.500 0.205 .837
I36 4188.500 0.250 .803 4257.000 0.048 .962
I37 4082.500 0.568 .570 3813.500 1.318 .188
I38 4200.500 0.214 .831 4223.000 0.145 .885

Note.
a
indicates statistical significance according to the ManneWhitney U test.

health care for construction workers is necessary, such as strict
monitoring of working hours and water intake during work
(Morioka et al., 2006).
The third most important consideration concerned air pollution
reduction, i.e., ‘Adequate mitigation measures for dust and air
emissions should be applied on site’. According to Uher (1999) and
Shen and Tam (2002), physical facilities construction on site can
result in air pollution, water pollution, traffic problems and con-
struction waste generation. Dust and air emissions during con-
struction on site have serious impacts on environmental quality
and the health of construction workers and occupants. Enhancing
the quality of indoor and outdoor air affected by construction is one
of the most important aspects in reducing environmental pollution
and improving environmental quality. Wu et al. (2016b) explored
the importance of identifying, at the project level, the source(s) of
construction dust to enable effective measures to mitigate dust
generation. Additionally, in developing construction management
plans for indoor and outdoor air quality, the selection of less volatile
materials also facilitates the control of air pollution on site.
‘Enough green space should be considered in SPD of green
buildings’ took fourth place. Green spaces offer a relatively inex-
pensive and widely popular cultural and leisure facility, and have a
positive effect on the health and wellbeing of a large segment of the
population (Schipperijn et al., 2010). The recognised benefits of
urban green space also include providing a series of ecosystem
services that help the local climate, biodiversity, water conserva-
tion, wellbeing of citizens and entertainment opportunities
(Lafortezza and Chen, 2016; Mattijssen et al., 2017). Moreover, Yang
et al. (2017) argued that green spaces have a close relationship with
the urban thermal environment, and improving urban green-space
planning can prevent the deterioration of thermal environments.
Enhancing green spaces in cities has the potential to reduce the
adverse effects caused by urbanisation in a sustainable manner,
making cities more attractive to live in, reversing urban expansion
and reducing transport demand (De Ridder et al., 2004).
The fifth most important issue selected by the respondents was
‘Adequate mitigation measures for construction noise should be
provided on site’. Noise pollution caused by construction activities
is an inherent social and environmental variable in construction.
Various effective solutions exist to mitigate construction noise on
site, such as considerate scheduling of working hours, imple-
mentation of closed construction and the use of isolated protective
equipment and low-noise and low-vibration machinery. In addi-
tion, the sound level audible in the vicinity of the construction site
is greatly influenced by the site layout plan, which is an important
aspect of SPD of green buildings (Hammad et al., 2016).
4.2. Difficulty of items in SPD of green buildings
The most difficult item identified by the respondents was
320 X. Huo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 175 (2018) 314e323

Table 5
RII and ranking of items in SPD of green buildings.

Variables in SPD Items Total sample Group 1 Group 2

RII-I Rank RII-D Rank RII-I Rank RII-D Rank RII-I Rank RII-I Rank

V1. Land Use I1 0.814 7 0.680 7 0.821 6 0.688 5 0.800 8 0.670 10

I2 0.706 33 0.639 21 0.738 28 0.616 27 0.681 34 0.652 17
I3 0.827 4 0.619 25 0.823 4 0.618 26 0.822 4 0.605 29
I4 0.792 13 0.722 1 0.805 11 0.732 1 0.786 11 0.719 2
V2. Site Assessment I5 0.770 20 0.564 34 0.787 17 0.548 35 0.746 23 0.555 34
I6 0.687 35 0.638 22 0.696 34 0.629 22 0.677 35 0.640 20
I7 0.765 23 0.638 23 0.745 25 0.647 19 0.757 20 0.638 21
V3. Open Space I8 0.758 24 0.694 4 0.753 22 0.714 2 0.748 22 0.672 9
I9 0.744 27 0.700 3 0.738 29 0.668 12 0.728 27 0.719 3
V4. Passive Building Design I10 0.740 30 0.664 14 0.740 27 0.660 16 0.723 30 0.667 13
I11 0.721 31 0.549 36 0.706 32 0.540 36 0.706 31 0.551 35
I12 0.771 19 0.644 19 0.795 15 0.642 21 0.737 25 0.650 19
I13 0.770 21 0.672 9 0.769 21 0.681 7 0.759 19 0.677 7
V5. Green-Vehicle Parking I14 0.679 36 0.577 32 0.678 36 0.551 34 0.672 36 0.596 32
I15 0.706 34 0.610 29 0.694 35 0.592 30 0.686 33 0.629 24
V6. Landscaping and Irrigation I16 0.787 15 0.540 37 0.774 19 0.535 37 0.778 14 0.537 37
I17 0.744 28 0.574 33 0.748 24 0.558 32 0.724 29 0.577 33
I18 0.781 16 0.499 38 0.779 18 0.488 38 0.784 12 0.505 38
V7. Storm Water Management I19 0.796 12 0.591 31 0.821 7 0.584 31 0.777 15 0.598 31
I20 0.778 17 0.616 27 0.805 12 0.629 23 0.764 17 0.609 28
I21 0.778 18 0.608 30 0.808 10 0.623 25 0.757 21 0.602 30
V8. Neighbourhood Daylight Access I22 0.816 6 0.642 20 0.821 8 0.662 13 0.804 7 0.631 23
I23 0.789 14 0.666 11 0.803 13 0.670 11 0.769 16 0.661 15
I24 0.804 9 0.638 24 0.803 14 0.660 17 0.800 9 0.620 27
V9. Cultural Heritage I25 0.768 22 0.674 8 0.753 23 0.647 20 0.764 18 0.685 6
I26 0.744 29 0.689 5 0.735 30 0.683 6 0.742 24 0.686 5
V10. Microclimate around Buildings I27 0.660 37 0.666 12 0.673 37 0.675 9 0.634 38 0.668 11
I28 0.745 25 0.666 13 0.732 31 0.662 14 0.730 26 0.668 12
I29 0.812 8 0.646 18 0.792 16 0.662 15 0.813 6 0.629 25
V11. Reduced Parking Footprint I30 0.707 32 0.619 26 0.699 33 0.603 29 0.694 32 0.634 22
I31 0.656 38 0.557 35 0.649 38 0.553 33 0.638 37 0.550 36
V12. Ecological Value and Protection I32 0.745 26 0.647 17 0.745 26 0.629 24 0.726 28 0.661 16
I33 0.799 10 0.710 2 0.821 9 0.681 8 0.782 13 0.730 1
V13. Environmental Management Plan I34 0.797 11 0.613 28 0.771 20 0.610 28 0.793 10 0.622 26
I35 0.825 5 0.657 16 0.823 5 0.660 18 0.816 5 0.663 14
I36 0.840 3 0.672 10 0.836 2 0.675 10 0.825 3 0.677 8
I37 0.857 1 0.660 15 0.842 1 0.694 3 0.852 1 0.652 18
I38 0.843 2 0.681 6 0.836 3 0.691 4 0.829 2 0.690 4

Note: RII-I means the relative importance index of the importance; RII-D means the relative importance index of the difficulty.

Table 6 obstacles for underground space development, and increased the

Rankings of variables in SPD of green buildings. costs. Moreover, as described by Li et al. (2016), underground space
Variables RII-I Rank RII-D Rank development often conflicts with groundwater management and
geothermal energy development.
V1. Land Use 0.785 3 0.665 4
V2. Site Assessment 0.741 10 0.613 9 ‘Appropriate design measures should be implemented contrib-
V3. Open Space 0.751 9 0.697 1 uting to the ecological value’ took second place. At the site level,
V4. Passive Building Design 0.751 8 0.632 8 green buildings encourage the creation or retention of habitats for
V5. Green-Vehicle Parking 0.693 12 0.594 11
indigenous species, thus maintaining or increasing the local di-
V6. Landscaping and Irrigation 0.771 6 0.538 13
V7. Storm Water Management 0.784 4 0.605 10
versity. Conservation of biodiversity is also an essential objective in
V8. Neighbourhood Daylight Access 0.803 2 0.649 7 proactive SPD practices (Connery, 2009). Measures that can be
V9. Cultural Heritage 0.756 7 0.682 2 taken to enhance site ecology include incorporating green walls
V10. Microclimate around Buildings 0.739 11 0.659 5 and green roofs, using locally native species and creating habitat
V11. Reduced Parking Footprint 0.682 13 0.588 12
links and corridors. However, due to their limited awareness of
V12. Ecological Value and Protection 0.772 5 0.679 3
V13. Environmental Management Plan 0.832 1 0.657 6 environmental protection, participants in the construction industry
remain at the stage of merely trying to avoid damage to the envi-
ronment, and do not generally seek ways to actively enhance the
existing ecological value and design buildings symbiotically with
‘Rational underground space utilisation should be involved in SPD
the environment.
of green buildings’. One significant difficulty in this context is
The item rated third most difficult in this survey was ‘A
multi-sectoral management. Underground space management is an
comprehensive open-space strategy should be formed to lay a
issue relevant to a number of areas of the construction industry,
foundation for open-space planning and action’. Traditionally,
including land resource, urban planning and construction de-
closed communities lead to excessive spacing between roads and a
partments. No unified institutions exist to coordinate, develop and
decrease in road density. Formulating an open space-strategy en-
plan underground space utilisation, and legislation in the relevant
courages an examination of how to manage existing open space
areas is also inadequate. In addition, the development of high-rise
effectively. It also provides an opportunity to consider the current
buildings, especially those with pile foundations, has created new
assets and actively anticipate future needs for additional open
 X. Huo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 175 (2018) 314e323
space. In China, however, the development of open space in urban
areas has so far been neglected, and a mature theoretical system for
open-space strategy has yet to be developed. Open spaces are
frequently either overburdened or, conversely, fall into disuse, and
are generally not planned and designed from the perspective of the
public.
‘Enough open space should be designed for attractive sur-
roundings’ was regarded as the fourth most difficult item. Open
space provides recreational opportunities, aesthetic enjoyment and
environmental functions, which benefit public health and the
financial sustainability, physical stability and attractiveness of
buildings (Bates and Santerre, 2001; Brander and Koetse, 2011). The
prospect of open housing estates in China promises to increase the
amount of open space, although their implementation has
encountered various difficulties. One such obstacle is related to
awareness among residents of these communities, who may be
unwilling to share open spaces with the public due to concerns
about public safety and cleanliness. Another difficulty concerns the
behaviours of the developers and property management units to-
wards local communities. Even if the building of open spaces in
communities, and their opening up to public access, are not sig-
nificant technical challenges, developers may be reluctant to
consider them due to the associated management costs and the fear
of opposition from residents.
‘The new building should be compatible with heritage features’
was ranked in fifth place by the respondents. In China, green
building should ideally be realised in harmony with local ecological
conditions, and ‘green-ness’ should be achieved in low-cost and
low-technological ways, such as Taiwanese traditional architecture,
cave dwellings and stilted buildings. However, in urban areas, the
importance of traditional cultural heritage is generally not fully
recognised: instead, the development of green buildings seems to
have pursued Western trends. Green buildings that respect and
integrate regional cultural features should be encouraged in future
urban planning.
4.3. Top 5 important variables in SPD of green buildings
The most important variable was recognised as ‘Environmental
Management Plan’, with a mean value of 0.832. The purpose of an
environmental management plan is to minimise noise pollution, air
pollution, water use and construction waste, and improve human
health on construction sites. As argued by Hwang and Ng (2013),
green buildings can satisfy stricter building performance re-
quirements while minimising disturbance to local ecosystems.
Environmental protection has come to be regarded as a significant
feature of green buildings by the stakeholders in their
development.
‘Neighbourhood Daylight Access’, which scored 0.803, was the
second most important concern. This variable concern about the
daylight access and daylight requirements for neighbourhood
buildings. Natural daylight provides immediate information about
time and weather, and has a powerful influence on people's moods
and energy levels. Tall buildings cause substantial overshadowing
of neighbouring developments and amenities, which directly and
indirectly affects the ingress of sunlight and light from the sky.
When developing new buildings in areas where existing residential
buildings benefit from access to daylight and sunlight, the impact of
the new building on all existing or planned neighbouring buildings
should be assessed.
The respondents regarded ‘Land Use’ as the third most impor-
tant consideration, with a mean value of 0.785, which includes
economical land use and appropriate space utilisation. Land use is
arguably the first and most important concern in site planning and
site design, as it involves interdependencies among individuals and
321
communities that have significant impacts on economic and social
wellbeing. A fruitful approach to urban planning is to configure
land use for greater support of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
‘Storm Water Management’, which scored 0.784, was consid-
ered as the fourth most important variable. Storm water manage-
ment refers to proper storm water recycle measures and facilities
on site. The number of impermeable surfaces in urban areas is
increasing rapidly, which has a negative impact on water quality
and urban runoff. Green storm water management techniques have
been found to reduce costs while safeguarding the environment
(Cook, 2007). Storm water management in SPD of green buildings is
mainly focused on the protection of the native ecology, the
reduction of rainwater pollution and runoff and the preservation of
the ecological water system. Meanwhile, storm water management
is also the first and foremost consideration in the Sponge City
initiative.
The last of the top 5 most important variables was ‘Ecological
Value and Protection’, with a mean value of 0.772. Development on
low ecological-value land and ecological value-added design are
involved in this variable. Green land use encourages the develop-
ment of green buildings on land that already has limited value to
wildlife, thus protecting existing ecological features from sub-
stantial damage during site preparation and after completion of
construction. In green SPD, the long-term impact on the biodiver-
sity on and around the project site should be minimised and the site
ecology should be enhanced as far as possible.
4.4. Top 5 difficult variables in SPD of green buildings
The most difficult variable was considered as ‘Open Space’, with
a mean value of 0.697, including open space design and open space
strategy. As stated above, the two items of this variable were both
regarded among the top 5 difficult issues. Therefore, it emerged as a
particularly significant concern in green SPD. The difficulty of this
variable lies in planning and designing adequate open space in
urban areas, and promoting open communities and the sharing of
open space with the general public. To enhance support for open
communities among residents will require the extensive applica-
tion of intelligent-technology-based security measures.
‘Cultural Heritage’ was ranked in second place with a score of
0.682, which covers cultural heritage protection and the cultural
consistency of new buildings. As an aspect of human activity, cul-
tural heritage produces tangible and intangible representations of
value systems, beliefs, traditions and lifestyles. In the process of
rapid urbanisation, green building development has generally fol-
lowed Western trends, and has neglected to integrate traditional
Chinese cultural characteristics into buildings. Green building
design inherently depends on local conditions, and the cultural
features expressed in local architecture should be retained where
these features are also environmentally friendly.
The third most difficult concern was ‘Ecological Value and Pro-
tection’, whose mean value was 0.679. Here, implementing
appropriate design measures to enhance ecological value was the
most significant item. The conservation of nature in urban envi-
ronments has a direct impact on people. However, the participants
in this survey considered it difficult to understand which measures
are actually effective in protecting ecological value on and around
construction sites. In practice, measures such as incorporating
green roofs and walls, creating habitat links and incorporating
native species have proven effective and convenient ways to
enhance ecological value.
‘Land Use’ took fourth place with a score of 0.665. Here, the most
significant item was rational underground space use. Current
extensive land-use practices may have negative impacts on
ecosystem services in the long run, both at the regional and global
322 X. Huo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 175 (2018) 314e323
levels. Economical and intensive land use not only means devel-
oping on as little land area as possible (Deng et al., 2006), but also
refers to enhancing green space in cities, and effectively using
underground space. Efficient underground space utilisation is
hampered by the complexity in coordinating the different de-
partments responsible, which makes it difficult to ensure compact
communities and intensive land use.
‘Microclimate around Buildings’ scored 0.659, making it the fifth
most difficult concern, which includes pedestrian area wind
reduction, elevated temperature mitigation and natural ventilation
encouragement. The microclimate around buildings includes
frequently accessed areas, for example, the entrances and exits to
buildings, pedestrian routes, open spaces, streets, podium gardens,
walkways, outdoor seating areas and playgrounds. When designing
the microclimatic conditions of the site, the wind, sunlight, tem-
perature and air quality should be taken into consideration thor-
oughly and harmoniously.
4.5. Correlations between the top 5 most important and most
difficult items and variables in SPD of green buildings
Considering the top 5 most important items in SPD of green
buildings, items related to water pollution reduction, human health
issues protection, dust and air emission reduction, enough green
space consideration, and design according to the natural conditions
were concerned. In the top 5 difficult items, rational underground
space utilisation, ecological value-added design, a comprehensive
open space strategy, enough open space design, and compatibility
with surrounding cultural heritage were involved. In the most
important consideration, the major concern is in environmental
management plan issues, which means the participants regard
minimising environmental disturbance as a big issue in SPD of
green buildings. While when considering the most difficult items,
major concerns were distributed in open space, land use, and cul-
tural and ecological value protection issues, which implies the
application of SPD of green buildings needs to be further improved.
When it relates to the top 5 most important and most difficult
variables, there are some overlap on the understanding of the
participants. For instance, variables of “Land use” and “Ecological
value and protection” were both mentioned. For land use, it is
important to maximize construction site potential and design
enough green space for better living environment, while it is
difficult to deal with multi-sectoral management in underground
space utilisation. In ecological value and protection, an important
concern is implementation of ecological value-added design on
construction site, while the difficult part is to understand the
appropriate and effective measures to protect and improve
ecological value on and around construction sites.
5. Conclusions
Site Planning and Design (SPD) is a set of critical steps for
forming sustainable sites in green building development. Effective
SPD ensures that the site is used in ways that are functionally
efficient, aesthetically pleasing and environmentally sustainable.
SPD-related requirements are included in green building rating
tools. Little research has previously explored the understanding of
SPD issues among participants in construction. In this study, a
comprehensive list of SPD-related items was developed, containing
13 variables and 38 corresponding items, and a questionnaire sur-
vey was circulated among participants in green building develop-
ment in China to measure their assessment of these issues.
To compare the perceptions of different stakeholders, the
collected data were divided into two groups according to the re-
spondents' organisation type, where Group 1 included those who
participated in SPD directly (including the organisation types of
‘Design institution’ and ‘Green consultation company’), and Group
2 included those who participated in SPD directly (comprising all
other organisation types). Two non-parametric techniques, Ken-
dall's coefficient of concordance and the ManneWhitney U test,
were applied to test the agreement of the opinions within and
between these groups. A good consensus was found among re-
spondents from these different organisation types. Furthermore,
the scores for each item were calculated from the perspective of
importance and difficulty using the technique of Relative Impor-
tance Index. According to the results of RII, participants in Group 1
and Group 2 showed similar opinions on the most important items
while had some different understandings on the most difficult
ones. The top 5 items considered most important in SPD within the
total sample were identified and analysed, where the most signif-
icant variable concerned water pollution reduction. In addition, the
top 5 most difficult items within the total sample and the under-
lying reasons for their difficulty were explored, where the most
difficult was rational underground space utilisation. The top 5 most
important variables and the top 5 most difficult variables were
identified and analysed, where the most important one is envi-
ronmental management plan, and the most difficult one is open
space. When considering the correlations between the importance
and difficulty of these variables and items, the participants have
different concerns on the most important and most difficult items,
while they show similar opinions on the most important and most
difficult variables generally.
The significance of this research study is not only can expand the
knowledge body of SPD of green buildings, but also the analysis and
results can help practitioners implement effective SPD in green
buildings by considering the most important and most difficult
variables and items, which will contribute to promoting green
building development and sustainable built environments.
Although the sample size in this study was adequate for analysis, a
larger sample size in future research will be useful to see whether
there are any significant differences between the results. In future
research, the knowledge of which variables and items most
strongly affect the success of SPD in green buildings can be
exploited in developing a novel framework for green SPD.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Department of Building and
Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The authors are
also grateful to all of the respondents in the questionnaire survey.
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International Congress of Environmental Research ICER-11
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Energy Conservation in Development and Planning Through
Sustainable Site Planning Considerations

Prof. Narkhede Parag Govardhan

(Adjunct Professor in Planning: Govt College of Engineering, Pune)
Ms. Imelda Morris
(M.Tech Student, Govt College of Engineering, Pune)

Abstract:

The paper aims at understanding the importance of sustainable planning considerations in relation to energy
consumption. It further studies the appropriate procedures of site planning in development planning which is also
eco friendly and contributor to sustainable development. Guidelines for site selection, site assessment, site analysis
are also provided as a part of study. Estimation of energy generation potential from wastes is also explained further
with importance of appropriate solid waste management systems in developing rural areas. Resource recovery and
recycling is an important part of this system which is elaborated in this paper. Checklist is prepared to assess and
check the site characteristics of site which may be useful in decision making process. In general the need of
including all these aspects in site planning process is explained in detail and comprehensive approach is suggested as
a integral part of development process. Measuring the site in terms of natural resources, accommodating present and
future patterns of use, incorporating construction methods that minimize site disruption, and making effective
savings in resource materials and capital investments form the baseline of a sustainable site plan. The aim is to
integrate an architecturally sustainable design with a complementary energy design by modifying the site and
building to achieve greater human comfort, energy savings, and operational efficiency. One can then arrive at an
appropriate design strategy and construction sequence.

Key Words: Site Planning, Development, Site Assessment, Solid Waste Management

INTRODUCTION
Sustainable site planning begins with the assessment of the building site. Analysis and
Assessment of the site characteristics in terms of its capacity to provide natural resources, such as light,
air, and water, and the extent to which the existing natural systems will be required to support building
development - form the first activities in the sequence of events in a sustainable site planning process. The
process encompasses many steps, such as site selection, inventory, analysis, and development procedures.
During site planning, a tract of land or landscape is assessed vis-à-vis its intended use and is subdivided in
a manner that would render it most suitable for undertaking specific activities associated with that use.
The process is based on the concept of an interdependent natural system that links a series of
interconnected geological, hydrological, topographical, ecological, climatic, and cultural attributes. An
ideal site system would be one in which the arrangement of roads, buildings, and associated usage is
developed by using site data and information from the larger macro-environment, including the socio-
cultural and historical patterns of the settlement.

Site assessment
Site assessment is a process that helps recognize the potential factors that affect the sustainability of a site,
providing the platform to gather and examine data in the site analysis, assigning the order of importance
to the hierarchy of these factors, and hence identifying (if relevant) the scope of interactive relationships

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among them. Figure 1 expresses the cycle of site assessment. For example, an analysis may identify
vegetation types, specific soil types and their properties, or siting and orientation conditions, as few
potential site factors but during assessment one would provide the criteria for evaluation on the basis of
which an analogy could be drawn-this analogy could map a site suitability for a specific use.

Site assessment is done at three levels.

1. Site selection
2. Site analysis
3. Site development and layout

Site selection

The process of site selection for sustainable development involves identifying and weighing the
appropriateness of the site with respect to sustainable building design criteria. This often needs to be done
long before the project's design phase commences. Thus, the necessary time can be found at this stage to
identify the suitability of the site in the light of sustainable design goals.

Recommended checklist for site selection

 Select a site taking into account its proposed and existing land use
Select a site that is neither a farmland nor a land that serves to preserve the habitat of any
endangered species of plants or animals. The land should not come under the preservation or heritage
belt of the city and should also not be a public parkland, community land, or wetland.
 Reuse negative urban spaces or industrial sites
This should be done when existing urban amenities and infrastructure can be utilized, thus reducing
the pressure on undeveloped land. If possible and justified in terms of sustainable design goals, select
a site that offers a possibility of urban redevelopment, (or where development is constrained due to
environmental pollution or increasing urban pressure), or which uses existing urban infrastructure
confirming the desired density goals. This would help reduce the perennial pressures on the
undeveloped land to some extent
 Identify the site characteristics in light of the sustainable goals of the project
The design team should gauge whether the site takes maximum advantage of natural resources, such
as solar energy, natural vegetation, and geographical features, and should also analyse the proximity
or remoteness of the site from existing transportation corridors, and its ability to match the needs of
the building owner, users, and their occupancy patterns. Resource and needs' assessment of the
project should be done at this pre-design stage.
 Identify and balance the site inputs available in the form of resources against the environmental cost
inherent in its development
The design team should measure the scale and amount of energy, labour, and material inputs available
on-site - in the form of natural resources or feature against the cost output in the site development cycle.
The team should also see whether the waste output can be dealt with acceptable environmental costs,
and whether development impacts can be minimized on-site.

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Site analysis

The site analysis evaluates all the on and off-site determinants - whether environmental, cultural,
historical, urban, or infrastructural - that affect the development of the site and its building programme.
The main objective is to allocate and define the use of various parts of the site in a manner that is most
appropriate to the specific activities to be carried out on the site.
The purpose of site analysis is to determine the site characteristics so that proper drainage systems,
circulation patterns, landscape design, and other site development features can be considered in relation to
building design parameters, such as building form, solar orientation, shape, skin-to-volume ratio,
materials, and structural -and mechanical systems.

A site analysis can be done on the basis of the following considerations (in order of significance).
 Environmental
 Utility/infrastructural
 Cultural/historical
 Urban
Data collection is done for each of the components, and its relevance is identified against the
degree of influence in the design process.

Recommended checklist for identifying site characteristics

Render a site analysis on the basis of site inventory characteristics and establish a list of factors
affecting the sustainable design
These considerations depend on the morphology of the on-site building clusters, and hence can
again be reviewed at a combined scale.
 Density and size
The density and size of the built area affect the degree to which the microclimate can be modified in
terms of wind conditions, air temperature, radiation balance, and natural lighting. This density
depends on the proportion of the land covered by the buildings and the average height of the
buildings (the effect of which can be modified by the relative height of individual buildings on-site).
 Air movement
Large built volumes perpendicular to the wind divert the latter and tend to create a wind shadow of a
length equal to 15 times the building's height (with wind velocity halved down). Buildings suffer
from poor ventilation and high wind intake at the openings, if placed parallel to the wind's direction.

 Heat island effect

Dense urban areas tend to have higher air temperatures as compared to the surrounding low-rise
rural areas because of the absorption and storage of a high percentage of radiation received by the
built mass and minimized radiation heat losses from it. The correlation of heat island intensity to the
size of urban population, as worked out for North American cities, is dT = P114j(4 x U)lfl. The
denser parts of the cities (or dense developments) may reach temperatures more than 1-2 °C that of
the surrounding areas.
 Solar access
This would indicate the utilization of direct (and not reflected or diffused) solar radiation, mainly for

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day lighting and heat gain. This would control minimum distances to be kept between the built-up
and open space.
The design of the layout should allow for wind protection and solar access in winter, and at the same
time provide adequate sun protection and ventilation in summer. The design should be such that it
control to the heat island effect, size and density of the layout, and provides the desired comfort
conditions. This would also help to decide the alternatives for the type of the layout and the
proportion of the built volume and open space in the layout.

Analysis of utility/ infrastructural considerations

 Review the potential of the existing utility and transportation infrastructure and capacity
Integrate the existing utility and infra structural network into the proposed development project.
Assess the planned capacity of the existing utility lines and infrastructure, and identify whether
additional infra- structure needs to be planned for the proposed project. Whatever the case may be,
the additional cost or the associated disruption to the environmental or surrounding system may
sometimes question the project's integrity. Take into consideration the impact of proposed future
development on the infrastructure. Sharing existing transportation or parking facilities may minimize
the budget for infrastructure.

Analysis of cultural/historical considerations

 Review the traditional or vernacular architecture of the region
The regional architectural style may be revealed through the use of vernacular architecture to form a
design that is responsive to the local cultural characteristics, thus enhancing community values.
 Restore historical or cultural resources on-site
Historical features on-site can be integrated by either modifying or incorporating parts of the existing
structure into the proposed design, thus adding to the cultural fabric of the area provided that these
structures are not legally protected.
 Use of historical, energy-efficient building techniques
Historical, energy-efficient building techniques that have been evolved and sustained in response to
local climatic or cultural characteristics can be used or modified to suite the proposed sustainable
design.

Efficient water management and waste water treatment techniques

INTRODUCTION

The increased demand and limited resource availability make it essential to have an efficient water
management system as well as strategies for efficient water reuse. Major water resources include surface
water; groundwater; and precipitation. Despite several sources of water such as rivers and lakes, water
shortage does exist due to increased consumption by the agricultural and industrial sectors. In India, the
average domestic water consumption is 38 737 million litres per day, which is 4.1 % of the total water
used. As per a study by Central Ground Water Authority, nearly two fifths of Haryana is water-starved
due to water-intensive agriculture. This has led to an increased exploitation of groundwater to meet the
growing demands of water consumption, making it essential to decrease the demand by increasing user
efficiency.

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CLIMATE CHANGE AND WATER CONSERVATION
Construction professionals need to be aware of the changing climate of the world and its response to the
earth's natural resources. Its biggest impact would be on water supply.
According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Climate Change Scenarios for the
United Kingdom, April 2002, UK's climate has changed in the past century, with the temperature in
central England rising as much as 1 0c. Other factors related to climate change that they have noted are
 frequent hotter and drier summers,
 increasingly rare cold winters,
 decreasing amounts of snowfall, and
 Rise in the sea level.

With warmer and drier summers due to global warming, there will be an increase in the use of water.
Areas, such as gardens and the agricultural sector, will account for this rise in water use. Therefore,
consideration needs to be placed on how to alleviate the need for this change.1

The need for conservation

India's annual per capita water use is 600 084 litres and is next to the US, Canada, and Belgium.
Water availability and coverage even in metropolitan cities is less than 70 LPCD (litres per capita per
day) and supply time ranges from three to ten hours. This leads to an urgent need for an appropriate and
efficient water management in buildings. Increasing water use efficiency has indirect financial benefits,
due to savings in water treatment and transportation cost.

Measures for reuse and conservation

Natural infiltration and purification techniques are used for purification of water run-off from the
site, the roof, and drainage systems before recharging into the ground for improving the water table.
These can be integrated with the waste water treatment and water-harvesting systems at the stage of site
planning for making it more economical as well as for maximum conservation and recovery of water. A
natural purification system comprises wetlands and purification ponds.

Solid waste management

INTRODUCTION:

Increasing urbanization and consequent rise in the generation of solid wastes in cities has made
solid waste management an important area of concern. The environmental impacts associated with
improper management along with an increased awareness on the resourceful potential of wastes has
created an urgent need to develop systems for recovery of useful resources as well as safe disposal of
wastes.

The average per capita generation of solid waste in India is 0.4 kg/day. The solid waste generated in
Indian cities has a higher organic content as compared to the developed countries as indicated by the
biodegradable content of 52%. While the percentage of paper and plastics is about 6%, metal scrap,

Journal Of Environmental Research and Development (JERAD)

International Congress of Environmental Research ICER-11
T-1118
rubber, cloth, and other such products is higher, at 11 %. An EU (European Union) citizen produces 500
kg/year (1.36 kg/day) of MSW (municipal solid waste).

Guidelines for waste minimization

The basic steps in solid waste management begin with the strategies to be adopted for waste
minimization.
 Use material that can minimize waste generation. For example,
 use cloth for cleaning instead of tissue paper, and
 Use a large cloth shopping bag when purchasing goods rather than plastic or paper bags.
 Minimize the use of packaged goods and disposable items, such as paper plates, paper cups, paper
napkins, plastics, etc.
 Purchase refillable items to avoid packaging materials.
 Use containers that can be washed and reused to store things rather than disposable ones.
 Use rechargeable batteries as the disposal of non-rechargeable batteries in landfills can result in
groundwater contamination.

Segregation of waste:
The next stage in waste management is the segregation of collected waste for recycling and
recovery of useful products. For efficient resource recovery and appropriate treatment for each section of
the waste, segregation of waste at source is essential. This can be achieved through the multi-bin system
at every waste-generation source. Local authorities should provide different colored bins for different
categories of wastes.

Resource recovery or recycling

 Explore the possibility of recycling items that cannot be reused.

 Avoid disposing paper and cardboard wastes along with other organic waste such as vegetable and
food waste items. Facilitate recycling of these items through the local person engaged in these
activities.
 Recycle glass bottles and jars; plastic bottles; containers made of PET (polyethylene ere phtha-
late), aluminum cans, and foils; metallic items such as steel cans; scrap such as old pipes; and
appliances made of steel, copper, and brass.

Processing of waste

The quantity and characteristics of the solid waste determines the type of treatment system that needs
to be adopted. In addition, the site and climatic conditions of a particular region also influence the
decision to follow a particular system. The moisture and carbon contents of the waste are essential to
evaluate whether a particular technology or combination of treatment systems is appropriate for a
particular section of waste.

Journal Of Environmental Research and Development (JERAD)

 International Congress of Environmental Research ICER-11
T-1118
Estimation of energy generation potential from wastes
Energy generation depends on the following factors of MSW
 Size
 Moisture content
 Density
 Fixed carbon
 Volatile solids
 Calorific value

The suitability of a particular technology and the estimation of energy recovery from wastes of different
characteristics is given in Table. Summary of the requirements for energy recovery from wastes using
different treatment methods

All these site planning considerations are important and extremely necessary as a part of sustainable
approach in Architecture, Planning and development control.

References:

Milorad Bojic: Renewable Energy, Volume 29, Issue 10, August 2004, Pages 1631-1642
Donald L Klass: Biomass for Renewable Energy, Fuels and Chemicals pp-67-98
Twidell John, Weir: Renewable Energy Resources pp-17-28
Volker Quaschning Anthony D:Understanding Renewable Energy Systems pp-72-87
Ted Trainer:Renewable Energy Cannot Sustain a Consumer Society - pp-04-09

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Journal Of Environmental Research and Development (JERAD)

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 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

ScienceDirect
Procedia Environmental Sciences 34 (2016) 360 – 374

Improving Sustainability Concept in Developing Countries

Sustainable Site Assessment: A way to Sustainable Hospitality in

Egypt
Mona Azouza * , Abeer Galala
a
Housing and Building National Research Center (HBRC), 87 El Tahrir Street, Giza 11511, Egypt

Abstract

Tourism being a major sector of the Egyptian economy and with the increasing awareness of humanity's negative effect on the
planet, the shift towards sustainability became a must. Egypt being blessed with a variety of sites, the research focuses on
developing a tool for sustainable sites assessment for hotels to reduce negative impacts on the environment; maximize social and
economic benefits for the local community. The research was based on an inductive approach through studying sustainable sites
in different International Certification Systems. As a result, an excel sheet for site assessment for hotels is developed that could
locally be applied.
©©2016
2016TheTheAuthors.
Authors. Published
Published by Elsevier
by Elsevier B.V. B.V.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Peer-review under responsibility of IEREK, International experts for Research Enrichment and Knowledge Exchange.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of IEREK, International experts for Research Enrichment and Knowledge Exchange
Keywords: Sustainable Sites; Sustainable Sites Assessment; Sustainable Hotel; Sustainable Rating Systems for Hospitality;Sustainable Tourism.

1. Introduction

Nowadays, tourists around the world are becoming increasingly aware of and concerned about environmental
protection, a trend that is expected to continue and will influence future choices of tourism destination worldwide.
Because of the significant role of tourism in the national economy of Egypt, Egyptian government is creating new
policies to encourage sustainable practices in tourism to become globally competitive and to make Egypt a
sustainable destination.
In order to realize sustainable development in the construction industry, an environmental rating system has been
considered as an effective tool. For that reason The Green Pyramid Rating System (GPRS)-Hotels has been
developed by Housing and Building Research Center's (HBRC) team with the technical assistance of consultants and

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +2 0100 0914211; fax: +2 02 33367179.

E-mail address: mona.azouz@yahoo.com

1878-0296 © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of IEREK, International experts for Research Enrichment and Knowledge Exchange
doi:10.1016/j.proenv.2016.04.032
 Mona Azouz and Abeer Galal / Procedia Environmental Sciences 34 (2016) 360 – 374 361

auditors with practical experience in the application of the German Certificate for Sustainable Buildings (DGNB)
System. The developed rating system could be used as a technical guide for qualified and licensed GPRS_H
Assessors to complete the assessment, as an aid for GPRS_H Auditors to achieve the desired GPRS_H rating and as
a reference for the client whose proposed hotel is to be assessed.

2. The aim of the research

Egypt has a diverse of natural heritage as well as being blessed with a rich cultural and historical heritage sites
and the preservation of these sites is essential for tourism, that's why the research focuses on developing a tool for
sustainable sites assessment over the whole life-cycle of the building based on the three pillars of sustainability:
ecology, economy and social aspects in pre-design, design, construction and operation stages to reduce negative
impacts on the natural environment; maximize social and economic benefits for the local community.

3. Method

The research was based on an inductive approach through studying sustainable sites in three International
Certification Systems: the German Certificate DGNB for Hotels as the first sustainable assessment certificate for
hotels, LEED for Hospitality as the most famous and widely applicable system worldwide and Estidama as the first
rating system in the Middle-East.

3.1. The German Certificate for Sustainable Buildings (DGNB for Hotels)

The “German Sustainable Building Certification” emphasizes an integrated view over the whole life-cycle of the
building and is based on the three classic columns of sustainability: ecology, economy and social aspects in
planning, construction, and operation of buildings. In addition, two cross section categories were created targeting
aspects of the technique and of the process1. The location is assessed in an extra grade. The assessment relies on 63
criteria (there are currently 49 from 63 criterions activated) and distributed into six categories. In the criteria are
listed the indicators that are evaluated either qualitatively or quantitatively. Each criterion has a value of ten points.
The quality of the site is not included in the total performance index and considered separately. The total score for
the project is calculated from the other five quality sections.

3.2. The Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED V4 BD+C: Hospitality)

LEED V4, includes the very first LEED rating system for hospitality. Protection of ecosystem & restoration
biodiversity and enhancing social equity, environmental justice & community quality of life were two of the main
LEED's goals which were referred to as "impact categories" that have been selected to provide the framework for
the technical development of LEED version 4. LEED BD+C: Hospitality system is subdivided into six categories
and weighted by points. Categories contain prerequisites that are obligatory and credits which are free to be
achieved. Altogether there is a gain of 110 points in 43 credits. Additionally 12 prerequisites have to be fulfilled.
In LEED V4- Hospitality: The Location and Transportation (LT) category in this version was separated from
Sustainable Sites (SS) category and is considered as an outgrowth of the Sustainable Sites, which formerly covered
location-related topics2. Whereas the SS category now specifically addresses on-site ecosystem services, the LT
category considers the existing features of the surrounding community and how this infrastructure affects occupants’
behavior and environmental performance.

3.3. The Pearl Rating System for Estidama V.1(PBRS)

PBRS for Estidama addresses the sustainability of a given development throughout its lifecycle from design then
construction to operation3. The Pearl Rating System is organized into seven categories, two of them relate to site
assessment: the Natural Systems and Livable Buildings.
362 Mona Azouz and Abeer Galal / Procedia Environmental Sciences 34 (2016) 360 – 374

3.4. Comparison between the importance of site assessment in the three rating systems

The categorization and criteria catalogue of the three assessment methods are radically different, and different
sustainability topics are allocated under different categories with different weightings, but in DGNB all the criteria
related to site assessment are dealt with in only one category which is the quality of the site and it does not play a
role in the assessment of a hotel’s overall quality meanwhile in the LEED V4- Hospitality the criteria related to site
assessment are dealt with in two categories which are Location and Transportation and Sustainable Sites. For LT
category there are 16 possible points and for SS there is a prerequisite requirement and 10 possible points and the
total possible points that could be achieved represent approx. 24% of the total. Also, Estidama has two categories
related to site assessment which are: Natural Systems and Livable Buildings. Livable Buildings criterion is divided
into (indoor & outdoor). The total possible points that could be achieved for hospitality sustainable sites represent
approx. 14% of the total points that could be achieved, as shown in Fig. 1. From this we conclude that the LEED
V4- Hospitality has given the criteria related to sustainable site assessment the largest proportion in the evaluation
process than the other two systems.

100%

80%
76%
60% 86%
100
40%

20% 24%
14%
0
0%
DGNB LEED PBRS

Series1 The Persentage of Sustainable Sites Criteria

Fig. 1. Comparison between Site Assessment in the three rating systems

From studying sustainable sites in the three International Certification Systems a matrix is developed that shows
the criteria and indictors developed for sustainable sites assessment in GPRS-H in the whole life cycle of the hotel
from pre-design stage to operation stage and how strong they are considered in the three rating systems and the
reason for adding some criteria to GPRS-H as shown in Table. 1.
 Mona Azouz and Abeer Galal / Procedia Environmental Sciences 34 (2016) 360 – 374 363

Table 1: The matrix shows the criteria and indictors developed for sustainable sites assessment in GPRS-H in the whole life cycle of the hotel and
how strong they are considered in the three rating systems

DGNB

LEED
GPRS

PBRS
Category of Sustainable Sites Why?

-H
1. Site Selection & Quality - Pre Design Stage
1.1 Risks in the micro-environment Objectives as DGNB but based on The Egyptian Risk Map
1.2 Conditions in the micro-environment Objectives as DGNB & LEED but based on local Egyptian's Laws
1.3 Location & Accessibility
1.3.1 Sensitive land protection Strongly based on LEED but modified to be locally applied
1.3.2 High priority site Strongly based on LEED but modified to be locally applied
1.3.3 Access to transportation
1.3.3.1 Accessibility of the nearest Strongly based on DGNB easy to apply
railway station / airport
1.3.3.2 Accessibility of public transport Strongly based on DGNB easy to apply & depends on walking distance
between the project and the mode of transportation
1.3.3.3 Bike routes Modified based on DGNB
1.3.3.4 Quality of the road connection Objectives as DGNB but greatly modified to be locally applied
1.3.4 Connection to infrastructure Strongly based on DGNB as it is easy to apply & depends on the
connection between the project and the infrastructure
1.3.5 Proximity to public services Strongly based on DGNB as it is easy to apply & depends on walking
distance between the project and the services
2. Site Protection & Development - Design Stage
2.1. Environmental Impact Assessment Objectives as LEED & PBRS but based on Egyptian Environmental Law
2.2. Restoration of habitat Strongly based on LEED but modified to be locally applied
2.3. Remediation of Contaminated Land Modified and strongly based on PBRS
2.4. Heat island reduction Strongly based on LEED as it addresses it in a clear way
2.5. Energy Added due to its significant importance worldwide
2.6. Water Added due to its significant local importance in Egypt
2.7. Design of waste collecting system Added as waste represents one of the major problems in Egypt
2.8. Reduction of pollution from Added as it has a direct effect on indoor air quality
building Materials
2.9. Human Health and Well-Being Build
strong communities
2.9.1. Respect historic heritage & Added to preserve the unique cultural and historical heritage in Egypt
culture
2.9.2. Open space Strongly based on LEED as it addresses it in a simple way but modified
to be locally applied
3. Construction Activity Pollution Prevention – Construction Stage
Construction Activity Pollution Strongly based on LEED as it addresses it in a simple way
Prevention
4. Management & Monitoring – Operation Stage
4.1. Water management Added due to its significant local importance in Egypt by applying locally
available techniques

4.2. Waste management Added as waste represents one of the major problems in Egypt

4.3. Minimize pollution during Added as it has a direct effect on outdoor air quality
landscape maintenance activities
4.4. Beaches and Marines management Added to reduce negative impact on the distinctive natural environment
in coastal regions in Egypt
4.5. Providing a Building User Guide & Added to ensure that the hotel will be operated responsibly and
a Periodic Maintenance Schedule maintained properly

Fully considered Partially considered Not considered

364 Mona Azouz and Abeer Galal / Procedia Environmental Sciences 34 (2016) 360 – 374

4. Result

As a result, a manual and an excel sheet for sustainable sites assessment in GPRS-H are developed based on
qualitative and/or quantitative criteria and indicators that address the sustainability of site of the hospitality building
through its entire life cycle, from Site Selection & Quality in the Pre - Design Stage, Site Protection & Development
in the Design Stage for the protection of the environment and the social and economic structure of local communities
near the hotel to be certified, Construction Activity Pollution Prevention in the Construction Stage to minimize the
environmental impacts associated with construction operations and management and monitoring of the site in the
Operation Stage to monitor performance of sustainable site design practices.

4.1. The manual for sustainable site assessment

The manual includes the description of each criterion regarding the objectives, requirements and the rating scale.

4.1.1. Site Selection & Quality - Pre Design Stage

Objectives: Assessment of risks to avoid the development of inappropriate sites, reduce the negative environmental
impact on the environment, conserve existing natural areas and promote biodiversity, assessment of existing features
of the surrounding community and the effect of infrastructure on occupants’ behavior and environmental
performance.

4.1.1.1 Risks in the micro-environment:

Objectives: Assessing risks in the micro-environment using risk maps. The risks of a location are natural hazards and
man-induced disasters. Natural hazards are classified in Egypt4 as Fig. 2.
Requirements: Demonstrate the implementation of the risk assessment of the site. This assessment includes: risks of
nuclear radiation, risks of slopes, environmental stress, earthquakes and the expected sinking land.
Rating scale: Mandatory in addition 7 credit points could be achieved.

Fig. 2. Constraint Patterns of Development and Environmental Sensitivity in Egypt 4

 Mona Azouz and Abeer Galal / Procedia Environmental Sciences 34 (2016) 360 – 374 365

4.1.1.2 Conditions in the micro-environment

Objectives: Description of the local conditions concerning contamination levels that cause stress and could be
harmful to health. It is not only the physical nature of the ground of relevance, but also the effects that arise in the
environment or result from its use.

First: Outdoor air quality

Requirements: Demonstrate that concentration of outside air pollutants (Micrograms /m3) do not exceed the
maximum allowable limits in accordance with The Egyptian Environmental Law5, as shown in the Table 2.
Rating scale: Mandatory in addition 1 credit point could be achieved.

Table 2: The Maximum of the outdoor pollutants (Microgram/m3)

Pollutants Maximum Exposure time Pollutants Maximum Exposure time
Sulfur 350 One Hour 150 24 hours
Suspended particles
dioxide 150 24 hours 60 One year
(Measured as black smoke)
60 One year
Carbon 30 Mg/m3 One Hour 230 24 hours
Suspended particles
monoxide 10 Mg/m3 8 hours 90 One year
Nitrogen 400 One Hour 150 24 hours
Particles (PM10)
dioxide 150 24 hours 70 One year
Ozone 200 One Hour 0.5 Average 24 hrs/ yr in Urban Zones
Lead
120 8 hours 1.5 Average 24 hrs/ 6 months in
industrial Zones

Second: Outdoor Noise

Requirements: Demonstrate that concentration the outdoor noise does not exceed the maximum allowable noise
levels in accordance with the Egyptian Environmental Law along the day 6. The Egyptian Environmental Law -
Implementing Regulations classified the maximum allowable noise level equivalent (a) as follows:
x 55 decibel LAeq in the morning (7 am: 6 pm).
x 50 decibel LAeq in the evening (6 pm: 10 pm).
x 45 decibel LAeq at the night (10 pm: 7 am).
Rating scale: Mandatory in addition 2 credit points could be achieved.

Third: Electromagnetic field

Requirements: Demonstrate that the site lies in the safe distance identified by “Electricity Law 87/2015”7, Chapter 5
for air lines and cables according to their voltage as shown in the Table 3.
Rating scale: Mandatory in addition 1 credit point could be achieved.

Table 3: Safe distances to build next to air lines and cables according to their voltage
Air lines Min. safe distance Cables Min. safe distance
Very high Voltage 25m Very high & high Voltage 5m
High Voltage 13m
Moderate & low Voltage 2m
Moderate Voltage 5m

Fourth: Soil contamination

Requirements: Soil assessment to ensure the absence of dangerous soil contaminants.
Rating scale: Mandatory in addition 2 credit points could be achieved.

4.1.1.3 Location & Accessibility

First: Sensitive land protection
Objectives: To avoid the development of environmentally sensitive lands and reduce the negative environmental
impact from locating a hotel on a site.
366 Mona Azouz and Abeer Galal / Procedia Environmental Sciences 34 (2016) 360 – 374

Requirements:
x Option 1:
Locate the development footprint on land that has been previously developed. In this case 2 extra points could be
achieved for the fulfillment of one of the two alternatives of the reuse of land:
Alternative 1: Demonstrate that at least 75% of the site area has been previously developed.
Alternative 2: Demonstrate and confirm that more than 75% of the site area has been previously developed.
x Option 2:
Locate the development footprint on land that does not meet the following criteria for sensitive land like: prime
farmland, floodplains and land that is identified as habitat.
Rating scale: 3 possible credit points for option 1and 2 possible credit points for option 2.

Second: High priority site

Objectives: To encourage project location in areas with development constraints and promote the health of the
surrounding area.
Requirements:
x Option 1: Locate the project on an infill location in a historic district.
x Option 2: Locate on a Brownfield where soil or groundwater contamination has been identified, and where the
local or national authority requires its remediation. Perform remediation to the satisfaction of that authority. In
this case at least one indicator of Remediation of Contaminated Land in DESIGN STAGE should be fulfilled.
Rating scale: 2 possible credit points.

Third: Access to transportation

Objectives: The assessment of accessibility of transportation for employees, suppliers and hotel guests.

a) Accessibility of the nearest railway station / airport

Requirements: The measurement of the travel time to the best available and commonly chosen mode of transport
(bus, tram, bicycle, on foot) with the exception of motorized private. It is measured by the actual distances (not
linear distances) in average walking or driving minutes. The evaluation is performed by measuring the time it takes
to travel a route in minutes or meters.
Rating scale: 2 possible credit points.

b) Accessibility of public transport

Requirements: The measurement to the nearest public transport stops by distance or time of walking with an average
speed of 5 km/h. which corresponds to a moderate pace for an average adult.
Rating scale: 2 possible credit points.

c) Bike routes:
Requirements: A proof for the accessibility of the site for pedestrians and / or cyclist.
x Option 1: The site is connected to extensive paths of network that do not exist yet, but exist as a resolution in the
planned part of the community.
x Option 2: The accessibility of the site for pedestrians and / or cyclist.
x Option 3: The accessibility of the site for pedestrians and / or cyclist virtually impossible or unreasonable.
Rating scale: 2 possible credit points.

d) Quality of the road connection

Requirements: A proof for the accessibility of the road connection.
Rating scale: Mandatory in addition 3 credit points could be achieved.

Fourth: Connection to infrastructure

Objectives: Serve ecological purposes, and encourage property owners to implement different alternatives, in order
to create real estate strategies for sustainable development.
 Mona Azouz and Abeer Galal / Procedia Environmental Sciences 34 (2016) 360 – 374 367

a) District cooling:
Requirements: Evidence of the connection to district cooling.
Rating scale: 3 possible credit points.

b) Renewable Energy:
Requirements: Evidence of the connection with a source of renewable energy.
Rating scale: 1 possible credit point.

c) Broadband Connection
Requirements: Evidence of the connection to internet access.
Rating scale: 2 possible credit points.

d) Water network:
Requirements: Evidence of the connection to water network whether Private, Local or National Grid.
Rating scale: 3 possible credit points.

Fifth: Proximity to public services

Objectives: Measuring the walking distance between a site and the surrounding community by the proximity of the
site to existing utilities, recreation areas, medical care, etc.

a) Gastronomy
Requirements: Measuring the walking distance to gastronomic supply including restaurants, cafes, bakeries, etc.
Rating scale: 2 possible credit points.

b) Medical care / Pharmacy

Requirements: Measuring the walking distance to all medical facilities including doctors, pharmacies, hospitals,
rehabilitation clinics, physiotherapists, laboratories, nursing homes, etc.
Rating scale: 2 possible credit points.

c) Local Stores
Requirements: Measuring the walking distance to local stores including supermarkets and grocery stores, clothing
and sports stores, etc.
Rating scale: 2 possible credit points.

d) Leisure and entertainment

Requirements: Measuring the walking distance to leisure and entertainment facilities including cinemas, theaters,
galleries, museums and spa centers, etc.
Rating scale: 2 possible credit points.

e) Business & Public services

Requirements: Measuring the walking distance to business and public services including office centers, banks and
industrial firms, etc.
Rating scale: 2 possible credit points.

4.1.2. Site Protection & Development - Design Stage

For protection, restoration and development of the natural environment and local communities in the selected site.
368 Mona Azouz and Abeer Galal / Procedia Environmental Sciences 34 (2016) 360 – 374

4.1.2.1. Environmental Impact Assessment

Objectives: Assessment of the site conditions before design especially in the Egyptian coastal and coral beaches to
evaluate sustainable options and inform related decisions about site design to minimize the negative impacts on the
environment, not only the natural environment but also the social and economic environment as well.
Requirements:
x Environmental Impact Assessment that complies with the Egyptian Environmental Law.
x Maps and site photographs should be included in the site assessment report and must clearly identify the extent of
different habitats and/or other significant features.
x For coastal conditions and coral beaches, Priority Habitats which are of exceptional value and are highly
threatened identified in Egyptian environmental law, Development Review Process, The Coastal Development
Guidelines, Environmental Impact Assessment, A Preliminary Environmental Review or A Strategic
Environmental Assessment should be considered for their significant importance:
Rating scale: Mandatory in addition 2 credit points could be achieved.

4.1.2.2. Restoration of habitat

Objectives: To enhance the ecological value and restore damaged areas and promote biodiversity.
Requirements:
x Restoration of at least 40% of the Greenfield area on the site (if such areas exist).
x Using native or adapted vegetation, restore 30% (including the building footprint).
x Restore all disturbed or compacted soils that will be re-vegetated within the project’s development to meet the
following requirements:
o Soils (imported and in situ) must be reused for functions comparable to their original function.
o Imported top soils or soil blends designed to serve as topsoil may not include the following:
ƒ Soils defined as prime farmland, unique farmland, or farmland of state-wide or local importance; or
ƒ Soils from other Greenfield sites, unless those soils are a by-product of a construction process.
Restored soil must have the same features of the original soil: organic matter, compaction, infiltration rates, soil
biological function and soil chemical characteristics.
Rating scale: 3 possible credit points.

4.1.2.3. Remediation of Contaminated Land

Objectives: To encourage and promote remediation of contaminated land for building development.
Requirements:
x Demonstrate the site is contaminated and an assessment report and remediation strategy has been prepared.
x Demonstrate that adequate remedial steps were taken to decontaminate or safely encapsulate the site prior to
construction.
Rating scale: 2 possible credit points.

4.1.2.4. Heat island reduction

Objectives: To minimize effects on microclimates, human and wildlife habitats.
Requirements: Choose one of the following options:
x Option 1: Depends on Solar Reflectance index (SRI), the index ranges from 0 (least reflective) to 100 (most
reflective). Using “cooler” materials helps prevent the urban heat island effect.

o Non roof and roof: Meet the following criterion:

AreaOf (1)
Area High AreaOf
Nonroof Re flec tan ce Vegetated
Measures Roof Roof
  t TotalSiteP avingArea  TotalRoofA rea
0.5 0.75 0.75
 Mona Azouz and Abeer Galal / Procedia Environmental Sciences 34 (2016) 360 – 374 369

o Non-roof measures
ƒ Use local plants or install plants that provide shade over paving areas.
ƒ Provide shade with structures covered by renewable energy generation systems, such as solar thermal collectors,
photovoltaics, and wind turbines.
ƒ Provide shade with architectural devices or structures that have a three-year aged solar reflectance (SR) value of
at least 0.28. If three-year aged value information is not available, use materials with an initial SR of at least 0.33
at installation.
ƒ Provide shade with vegetated structures.
ƒ Use paving materials with a three-year aged solar reflectance (SR) value of at least 0.28. If three-year aged value
information is not available, use materials with an initial SR of at least 0.33 at installation.
ƒ Use an open-grid pavement system (at least 50% unbound).
o High-reflectance roof
Use roofing materials that have an SRI equal to or greater than the values in Table 4. Meet the three-year aged SRI
value. If three-year aged value information is not available, use materials that meet the initial SRI value.
o Vegetated roof
Install a vegetated roof.

Table 4: Minimum solar reflectance index value, by roof slope

Slope Initial SRI OR 3- year aged SRI
Low-sloped roof < 2:12 82 64
Steep-sloped roof > 2:12 39 32

x Option 2: for parking under cover: Place a minimum of 75% of parking spaces under cover. Any roof used to
shade or cover parking must have a three-year aged SRI of at least 32 (if three-year aged value information is not
available, use materials with an initial SRI of at least 39 at installation), or be a vegetated roof, or be covered by
energy generation systems, such as solar thermal collectors, photovoltaic and wind turbines.
Rating scale: 2 possible credit points for option 1 and 1 possible credit points for option 2.

4.1.2.5. Energy
This criterion is rewarded in the Energy category which includes the use of renewable sources for landscape
electricity needs and reduction of outdoor energy consumption for all landscape and exterior operations.

4.1.2.6. Water
Objectives: To reduce the use of potable water, protect site hydrology from pollution, reduce runoff water volume,
the use of rainwater/storm water in the rain-fed areas on the north coast by the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea
and storm water areas in Upper Egypt, the Red Sea, North and South Sinai.
Requirements:
x Reduce potable water use for landscape irrigation.
x Protect and restore processes and systems associated with a site’s hydrology.
x Minimize Impervious Areas to protect site hydrology from pollution and reduce runoff water volume.
x Design rainwater/storm water features in the rain-fed areas on the north coast by the Mediterranean Sea and the
Red Sea1 as shown in Fig. 3 and in the storm water areas in Upper Egypt, the Red Sea, North and South Sinai,
taking into consideration :
o Projects in the storm water areas should take the governorates or the Egyptian General Survey Authority approval
for the site location to avoid the danger of flooding by being in the way of storm water drains and flash floods.
o A credit point would be given to projects that apply any innovative technologies for rainwater/storm water
harvesting or conservation, developing sustainable catchments at appropriate locations in the rain/storm fed as
well as applying cost effective technologies.
Rating scale: 5 possible credit points are available.
370 Mona Azouz and Abeer Galal / Procedia Environmental Sciences 34 (2016) 360 – 374

Fig. 3. Distribution Pattern of the annual Rainfall on Egypt (mean mm/yr)

4.1.2.7. Design of waste collecting system

This criterion is rewarded in the Waste category. Credit points are obtainable for providing proper access roads
for lorries, providing site storage areas, separation of flammable and toxic materials and prevention of soil pollution
in these areas.

4.1.2.8. Reduction of pollution from building Materials

This criterion is rewarded in the Material category for the protection of the environment from pollution resulting
from the building materials through the whole lifecycle of the project, including the materials to be used in the
hardscape, and the landscape.

4.1.2.9. Human Health and Well-Being Build strong communities

First: Respect historic heritage & culture

Objectives: To protect, respect and enhance the historic heritage, authentic culture, traditions, and distinctiveness of
host communities and maintain unique cultural and historical places.
Requirements: Demonstrate a suitable strategy for conserving and protecting historic or cultural sites.
Rating scale: A credit point could be achieved.

Second: Open space

Objectives: To provide outdoor spaces for social interaction and physical activities.
Requirements:
x Provide outdoor space greater than or equal to 30% of the total site area (including building footprint). A
minimum of 25% of that outdoor space must be vegetated (turf grass does not count as vegetation) or have
overhead vegetated canopy.
x The outdoor space must be physically accessible
x Wetlands or naturally designed ponds may count as open space.
x For projects that are part of a multitenant complex only Open space can be either adjacent to the building or
at another location in the site master plan.
Rating scale: A credit point could be achieved.

4.1.3. Construction Activity Pollution Prevention - Construction Stage

Objectives: To minimize the environmental impacts associated with construction operations by controlling soil
erosion, waterway sedimentation, and airborne dust.
 Mona Azouz and Abeer Galal / Procedia Environmental Sciences 34 (2016) 360 – 374 371

Requirements: Create and implement a control plan for all construction activities associated with the project. All
projects must apply this plan regardless of size. The plan must describe the measures implemented to:
x Control soil erosion, waterway sedimentation, and airborne dust and pollutants.
x Restore soils disturbed by previous development.
x Divert construction and demolition materials from disposal.
x Reuse or recycle vegetation, rocks, and soil generated during construction.
x Minimize generation of greenhouse gas emissions and exposure to localized air pollutants during construction.
Rating scale: A credit point is obtainable for demonstrating a strategy to minimize pollution from construction
operations.

4.1.4. Management & Monitoring - Operation Stage

Objectives: To ensure compliance with sustainable concepts. The monitoring impacts provide the project operators
with information of the impacts that the project has on the natural and social environments over time. When the
evaluation of impacts involves incorporating findings into management decisions, negative impacts can be
continuously minimized. Although the way to measure sustainability of a project is to monitor all aspects of
operations, we focus on monitoring the project’s environmental performance related to design.
Requirements:

4.1.4.1. Water management

First: Rain & Storm water management

Demonstrate a rain & storm water management plan which includes minimizing impervious areas, controlling
storm water, harvesting rain & storm water.

Second: Protecting in-site water sources from pollution

The Proof of safeguarding water sources from pollution arising from site operations.

4.1.4.2. Waste management

Demonstrate a project Waste Management Plan that includes strategies from reducing, re-using and recycling the
waste arising from site operations. Where the Project involves demolition work, a Method Statement with clear
evidence of the use of suitable methods of demolition.

4.1.4.3. Minimize pollution during landscape maintenance activities

Evidence for minimizing generation of air pollutants during landscape maintenance activities.

4.1.4.4. Beaches and Marines management in coastal regions

Evidence of being rewarded by any international eco-label (e.g. the Blue Flag) that works towards sustainable
development of beaches and marinas.

4.1.4.5. Providing a Building User Guide & a Periodic Maintenance Schedule:

Demonstrate the development of a Building User Guide and a Periodic Maintenance schedule to ensure that the
building will be operated responsibly and maintained properly.
Rating scale: 6 credit points could be achieved.

4.2. The Excel sheet for scoring

The excel sheet shows the total possible points that could be achieved for each individual criterion and the
weighting of the criteria collectively produce the score for sustainable site assessment for hotels. The score shows
the extent to which the requirements are fulfilled as shown in Table 5 (a), 5 (b), 5 (c).
372 Mona Azouz and Abeer Galal / Procedia Environmental Sciences 34 (2016) 360 – 374

Table 5 (a): The developed checklist for sustainable site assessment of hotels in Egypt
Hotels /Resorts -GPRS Criteria for Sustainable Sites
HOTEL NAME: M Points Score Reason
Available why
1. Site Selection & Quality - Pre Design Stage
1.1 Risks in the 1.1.1 The Risks of The site outside Nuclear Radiation zone M 1 Credit point
micro- Nuclear Radiation
environment 1.1.2 The Risks of case1 The site within Low hazard of slopes M 1 Credit point
Slopes case 2 The site outside of hazard of slopes 2 Credit points
1.1.3 Environmental The site outside environmental stress zone M 1 Credit point
stress
1.1.4 Earthquakes case 1 The site within Low hazard of earthquakes M 1 Credit point
case 2 The site outside the hazard of earthquakes 2 Credit points
1.1.5 The expected The site outside land expected to sink M 1 Credit point
sinking land
Max. Total points of Risks in the micro-environment : 7 Credit points
1.2 Conditions in 1.2.1 Outdoor Air Within the limits of The Egyptian Environmental Law M 1 Credit point
the micro- Quality
environment 1.2.2 Outdoor Noise case 1 55 decibel LAeq in the morning (7 am: 6 pm) M no credit points
50 decibel LAeq in the evening (6 pm: 10 pm) awarded
45 decibel LAeq at the night (10 pm: 7 am)
case 2 50 decibel LAeq in the morning (7 am: 6 pm) 1 Credit point
45 decibel LAeq in the evening (6 pm: 10 pm)
40 decibel LAeq at the night (10 pm: 7 am)
case 3 45 decibel LAeq in the morning (7 am: 6 pm) 2 Credit points
40 decibel LAeq in the evening (6 pm: 10 pm)
35 decibel LAeq at the night (10 pm: 7 am)
1.2.3 Elecromagnetic Within the limits of The Egyptian Law M 1 Credit point
fields
1.2.4 Soil case 1 No threats of explosives and ammunition M 2 Credit points
contamination
case 2 Hazardous wastes, contamination unlikely, explosives and ammunition not 1 Credit point
expected
case 3 Possibility of explosives according to available assessment or possibility of Hotel will not
contamination or explosives if assessment not available be certified
Max. Total points of Conditions in the micro-environment : 6 Credit points
1.3 Location & 1.3.1 Sensitive land Option A credit point for the location of the development footprint on land that 3 Credit point
Accessibility protection 1 has been previously developed. In this case max. of 2 points could be
achieved for the fulfillment of one of the two alternatives of the reuse of
land as follows:
• 1 credit point for the demonstration of at least 75% of the site area has
been previously developed
• 2 credit points for the Demonstration and confirmation of more than
75% of the site area has been previously developed
Option Locate the development footprint on land that does not meet the criteria 2 Credit points
2 for sensitive land
1.3.2 High priority Option Locate the project on an infill location in a historic district 1 Credit point
site 1
Option Locate on a Brownfield where soil or groundwater contamination has been 2 Credit points
2 identified and its remediation is required. In this case at least one
indicator of Remediation of Contaminated Land in DESIGN STAGE
should be fulfilled
1.3.3 Access to 1.3.3.1 Accessibility Option 1 10 min (800 m) 2 Credit points
transportation of the nearest railway
Option 2 30 min (2400 m) 1 Credit points
station / airport
Option 3 > 40 min no credit points
awarded
1.3.3.2 Accessibility Option 1 185 m or 3 min 2 Credit points
of public transport Option 2 325 m or 5 min 1 Credit points
Option 3 > 400 m or 7 min no credit points
awarded
1.3.3.3 Bike Routes Option 1 The site is connected to an extensive paths of 2 Credit points
network that do not exist yet, but exist as a
resolution in the planned part of the community

Option 2 The accessibility of the site for pedestrians and / 1 Credit points
or cyclist
Option 3 The accessibility of the site for pedestrians and / no credit points
or cyclist virtually impossible or unreasonable awarded
1.3.3.4.Quality of Option 1 Good access to highway road M 3 Credit points
Road connections Option 2 Direct access to major road 2 Credit points
Option 3 Connection with secondary road 1 Credit points
1.3.4 Connection to 1.3.4.1 District Option 1 Connecting to district cooling and natural gas 3 Credit points
infrastructure cooling Option 2 Connecting to district cooling 2 Credit points
Option 3 Connecting to natural gas 1 Credit points
1.3.4.2 Renewable Option 1 Connecting with Renewable energy off site or on 1 Credit points
energy site
Option 2 No Connection with Renewable energy no credit points
awarded
 Mona Azouz and Abeer Galal / Procedia Environmental Sciences 34 (2016) 360 – 374 373

Table 5 (b): The developed checklist for sustainable site assessment of hotels in Egypt
1.3 Location & 1.3.4 Connection 1.3.4.3 Option 1 The site has at least DSL 8.000 kbps available 2 Credit points
Accessibility to infrastructure Broadband
Connection Option 2 The site has at least DSL 6.000 kbps available 1 Credit points
Option 3 At the site there is no broadband connection no credit points
awarded
1.3.4.4 Water Option 1 Connecting with Private Grid 3 Credit points
network Option 2 Connecting with Local Grid 2 Credit points
Option 3 Connecting with National Grid 1 Credit points
1.3.5 Proximity to 1.3.5.1 Option 1 In max. 300 meters 2 Credit points
public services Gastronomy Option 2 In max. 750 meters away 1 Credit points
(Community Option 3 No service in less than 750 m away no credit points
connectivity) awarded
1.3.5.2 Medical Option 1 In max. 1000 meters 2 Credit points
care / Pharmacy Option 2 In max. 1500 m distance 1 Credit points
Option 3 No service in less than 1500 m away no credit points
awarded
1.3.5.3 Local Option 1 In max. 500 meters 2 Credit points
Stores Option 2 In max. 750 meters away 1 Credit points
Option 3 No service in less than 750 m away no credit points
awarded
1.3.5.4 Leisure Option 1 3 facilities in max. 1500 m distance 2 Credit points
and Option 2 2 facilities in max. 1500 m distance 1 Credit points
entertainment Option 3 No service in less than 1500 m away no credit points
awarded
1.3.5.5 Business Option 1 2 institutions in max. 500 meters or 3 2 Credit points
& Public institutions in max. 1000 m distance
services Option 2 2 institutions in max. 1500 m distance 1 Credit points
Option 3 No institution in less than 1500 m away no credit points
awarded
Max. Total points of Location & Accessibility : 33 Credit points
Max. Total points of Site Selection & Quality : 46 Credit points
2. Site Protection & Development - Design Stage
2.1. Environmental 1 Environmental Impact Assessment that complies with the Egyptian Environmental Law M no credit
Impact Assessment points
awarded
2 Maps and site photographs should be included in the site assessment report no credit
points
awarded
3 For coastal conditions and coral beaches, Priority Habitats which are of exceptional value and are 1 Credit point
highly threatened should be considered
Mandatory & Max. Total points of Environmental Impact Assessment : 1 Credit point
2.2. Restoration of 1 Restoration of at least 40% of the Greenfield area on the site 1 Credit point
habitat 2 Using native or adapted vegetation, restore 30% (including the building footprint) 1 Credit point
3 Restore all disturbed or compacted soils that will be re-vegetated within the project’s development 1 Credit point
Max. Total points of Restoration of habitat : 3 Credit points
2.3. Remediation of 1 Demonstrate the site is contaminated and an assessment report and remediation strategy has been 1 Credit point
Contaminated Land prepared
2 Demonstrate that adequate remedial steps were taken to decontaminate or safely encapsulate the site 1 Credit point
prior to construction
Max. Total points of Remediation of Contaminated Land : 2 Credit points
2.4. Heat island Option 1 Requirements as in the manual for : 2 Credit points
reduction • Non roof and roof
• Non-roof measures
• High-reflectance roof
• Vegetated roof
Option 2 Requirements as in the mannual for parking under cover 1 Credit point
Max. Total points of Heat island reduction : 2 Credit points
2.5. Energy This criterion is rewarded in the Energy category Rewarded in
Energy
Category
No credit points are rewarded for Energy in this category
2.6. Water 1 Reduce potable water use for landscape irrigation 1 Credit point
2 Protect and restore processes and systems associated with a site’s hydrology 1 Credit point
3 Minimize Impervious Areas to protect site hydrology from pollution and reduce runoff water volume 1 Credit point
4 Design rainwater/storm water features 2 Credit points
Max. Total points of Water : 5 Credit points
2.7. Design of waste This criterion is rewarded in the Waste category Rewarded in
collecting system the Waste
Category
No credit points are rewarded for design of waste collecting system
2.8. Reduction of This criterion is rewarded in the Material Category Rewarded in
pollution from the Material
building Materials Category
No credit points are rewarded for reduction of pollution from Building Materials
374 Mona Azouz and Abeer Galal / Procedia Environmental Sciences 34 (2016) 360 – 374

Table 5 (c): The developed checklist for sustainable site assessment of hotels in Egypt
2.9. Human Health and Well-
Being Build strong
communities
Create and implement a control plan for all construction activities associated with the project
4.1. Water management
4.2. Waste management
4.3. Minimize pollution
during landscape
maintenance activities
4.4. Beaches and Marines
management in coastal
regions
4.5. Providing a Building
User Guide & a Periodic
Maintenance Schedule
2.9.1. Respect historic Demonstrate a suitable strategy for conserving and protecting historic or 1 Credit point
heritage & culture cultural sites
2.9.2. Open space 1 Provide outdoor space greater than or equal to 30% of the total site area 1 Credit point
2 The outdoor space must be physically accessible 1 Credit point
3 Wetlands or naturally designed ponds may count as open space 1 Credit point
4 For projects that are part of a multitenant complex only open space can be 1 Credit point
either adjacent to the building or at another location in the site master plan
Max. Total points of Human Health and Well-Being Build strong communities : 5 Credit points
Max. Total points of Site Protection & Development : 18 Credit points
3. Construction Activity Pollution Prevention - Construction Stage
1 Credit point
Max. Total points of Construction Activity Pollution Prevention : 1 Credit point
4. Management & Monitoring - Operation Stage
4.1.1. Rain & Storm Demonstrate a rain & storm water management plan 1 Credit point
water management
4.1.2. Protecting in-site The Proof of safeguarding water sources from pollution arising from site 1 Credit point
water sources from operations
pollution
Demonstrate the development and implementation of a Project Waste Management Plan 1 Credit point
Evidence for minimizing generation of air pollutants during landscape maintenance activities 1 Credit point
Evidence of being rewarded by any international eco-label 1 Credit point
Demonstrate the development of a Building User Guide and a Periodic Maintenance Schedule 1 Credit point
Max. Total points of Management & Monitoring : 5 Credit points
Max. Total points of Sustainable Sites : 70 Credit points

5. Conclusion

As a conclusion, identifying comprehensive objectives, adopting proper strategies to realize these objectives,
applying certification systems to control the performed activities, and correcting the objectives and strategies with
the dynamic development and re-appraisal of the system will definitely guarantee sustainable development
achievements.
Moreover, the total points for sustainable sites in the developed GPRS-H are 70 credit points from which 46 are
for Site Selection & Quality in the Pre-design stage which is considered the base and a starting point to promote the
transformation of the hotels design process toward more sustainable practices.

Acknowledgments

The Egyptian Green Pyramid Rating System for Hotels has been made possible only through the efforts of the
members of Housing and Building National Research Center (HBRC) team, and the technical support of consultants
from Iproplan Planners Co. Ltd (Consulting Engineers & Architects Company) under the HBRC umbrella.
We extend our deepest gratitude to all our team members who participated in the development of this rating
system, for their tireless efforts and constant support of this mission.

References

1. German Sustainable Building Council. DGNB Certification System.

http://www.dgnb-system.de/en/system/certification_system/. Accessed 15.1.2015.
2. U.S. Green Building Council (2013). LEED BD+C: Hospitality-Indoor Environmental Quality.
http://www.usgbc.org/credits/hospitality---new-construction/v4/indoor-environmental-quality. Accessed 15.12.2015.
3. Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council. Pearl Building Rating System: Design & Construction. Version 1.0. April 2010.
4. Moslhy F. Faculty of arts. Geography Department. Cairo University. 2011.
5. Egyptian Environmental Law. Appendix 5.
6. Egyptian Environmental Law . Implementing Regulations. Annex 7. Table 4.
7. Electricity Law 87/2015. Chapter 5.
8. Abdel-Shafy I H, El-Saharty A A. Rainwater Issue in Egypt: Quantity, Quality and Endeavor of Harvesting. Mediterranean Marine Science
Journal. Published on line; 1 November 2010.