Method for estimating the social sustainability of infrastructure projects

Poverty and transport in the global south: An overview

Characterizing the relationship between road infrastructure and local economy using structural equation modeling

There is a lack of theoretical and empirical studies regarding concepts of social sustainability based on social infrastructure. The idea of understanding this paper is that quality social infrastructure leads to the general quality of people’s life in the built environment and that is rounded up to social sustainability. This paper aims to integrate these concepts into the network, hereinafter referred to as a social sustainability model.,The methodology used in this paper is desk research. The authors follow methodological steps in the building of conceptual network: setting up a research problem; choice of databases; reviewing the literature and categorizing the selected data; identifying and default conceptual definition; integrating the concepts; synthesis and making it all make sense; and assembly and validating the concept. Through that, a large volume of bibliographic materials was scanned, and a limited number of documents have been reviewed and critiqued. The documents have been selected from varied disciplines, including social infrastructure, quality of life, social sustainability, urban sociology, housing policy as among the articles.,The result is the model which represents the links between social infrastructure (utility equipment, public infrastructure, vital objects and fundamentals) and further between factors inside quality of life structure (users, quality of life, reflections). The result is the model which representing the links between social infrastructure (utility equipment, public infrastructure, vital objects and fundamentals) and further between factors inside well-being structure (users, quality of life, reflections).,There is a potential risk of errors arising from the use of assumptions, limited desk reviews and data from secondary resources.,The authors portray the development of social sustainability model. Within this model, the authors can critically observe all levels within the existing built environment: user responses to the built environment, their satisfaction, social inclusion, health, etc. Within this model, they can observe the links between existing research, their frequency, capture, direction and not least to determine which areas have not been explored and where the lacks of research are. The conclusion outlines the framework and its main concepts of social sustainability based on social infrastructure and well-being, including their theoretical premises and components.

Concepts of social sustainability based on social infrastructure and quality of life

China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) development projects and entrepreneurial potential of locals

Roads are the predominant mode of transport in African countries, and represent a critical element for economic development. In Ghana, this reliance has led to major investments in road construction, including an initiative—the Ghana Transport Sector Program Support—that focuses on revitalizing rural economies and reducing poverty by prioritizing the improvement and maintenance of rural feeder road systems. This research employs a case study approach to assess the socio-economic impacts of rural road improvements in the three northern regions of Ghana. The study measured ex ante/ex post changes in household income and expenditures, crop production, the usage of motorized vehicles, access to markets, school and health facilities, and transport charges. The analysis revealed that road improvements led to dramatic growth in these indicators along each subject road corridor during the initial phase of the program. However, indicators grew to a minor degree or declined during the second phase. The analysis attributes this change to soaring fuel prices impacting freight and passenger charges. These findings suggest that Ghana should better coordinate road maintenance programs with the development of alternative fuels. This strategy would include utilization of natural gas reserves of the Jubilee oil field with a program that would develop natural gas fuels and alternative fuel vehicles. The use of alternative fuel vehicles in concert with rural road improvements could improve access and make transport less vulnerable to petroleum market fluctuations.

Frank Adarkwa

Papers

Assessing the socio-economic impacts of rural road improvements in Ghana: a case study of Transport Sector Program Support (II)