The Budget as a Basis for Ecological Management of Urbanization Projects. Case Study in Seville, Spain

María Rocío Ruiz-Pérez, María Desirée Alba-Rodríguez, Cristina Rivero-Camacho, Jaime Solís-Guzmán and Madelyn Marrero
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María Rocío Ruiz-Pérez: Department of Architectural Constructions II, School of Building Engineering, University of Seville, Avenue Reina Mercedes 4, 41012 Seville, Spain
María Desirée Alba-Rodríguez: Department of Architectural Constructions II, School of Building Engineering, University of Seville, Avenue Reina Mercedes 4, 41012 Seville, Spain
Cristina Rivero-Camacho: Department of Architectural Constructions II, School of Building Engineering, University of Seville, Avenue Reina Mercedes 4, 41012 Seville, Spain
Jaime Solís-Guzmán: Department of Architectural Constructions II, School of Building Engineering, University of Seville, Avenue Reina Mercedes 4, 41012 Seville, Spain
Madelyn Marrero: Department of Architectural Constructions II, School of Building Engineering, University of Seville, Avenue Reina Mercedes 4, 41012 Seville, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-19

Abstract: Urbanization projects, understood as those supplying basic services for cities, such as drinking water, sewers, communication services, power, and lighting, are normally short-term extremely scattered actions, and it can be difficult to track their environmental impact. The present article’s main contribution is to employ the project budgets of public urbanization work to provide an instrument for environmental improvement, thereby helping public procurement, including sustainability criteria. Two urban projects in Seville, Spain are studied: the first substitutes existing services, and the second also includes gardens and playgrounds in the street margins. The methodology finds the construction elements that must be controlled in each project from the perspective of three indicators: carbon, water footprints, and embodied energy. The main impacts found are due to only four construction units: concrete, aggregates, asphalt, and ceramic pipes for the sewer system, that represent 70% or more of the total impact in all indicators studied. The public developer can focus procurement on those few elements in order to exert a lower impact and to significantly reduce the environmental burden of urbanization projects.

Keywords: ecological management; urbanization; environmental product declaration; cost; carbon footprint; water footprint; embodied energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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