Zeitschrift für Didaktik der Naturwissenschaften

This research examines the extent to which transportation utility (TUF) funds non-auto transportation modes in the US, factors that enable jurisdictions to use TUF to fund these modes, and specific ways in which TUF-levying jurisdictions support these modes. The paper finds that while the use of TUF is growing, it rarely funds non-auto transportation modes. Second, several factors enable jurisdictions to use TUF to fund non-auto transportation modes, including, strong local stakeholder support, broad powers provided by the states to the local jurisdictions to levy fees and taxes, and the local jurisdiction-level authorizing ordinances and policies explicitly allowing the use of TUF revenues for non-auto transportation modes. Third, the case study jurisdictions support non-auto modes in ways that are influenced by three, often interrelated, factors—the amount of fee revenue, whether a portion of the fee revenue is earmarked for non-auto uses, and whether the jurisdiction provides transit service.

This is the first comprehensive study of the adoption of project labor agreements on public works. Using data for about 450,000 California public projects (2012–2023), we find that PLAs are adapted to larger projects, more likely to be combined with design-build procurement, more likely to be adopted in wealthier counties with larger economies, more likely to be adopted by larger procurement agencies, are adopted during procyclical upswings, and along with design-build, PLAs are more likely to be adopted in more Democratic-leaning counties. Except for very large projects, PLAs are not combined with leased-back arrangements, which are more likely to be adopted in Republican-leaning counties. The prevalence of PLAs, design-build, and leased-back arrangements rises with project size, while traditional low-bid contracts and job-orders are more likely on smaller jobs. However, PLAs are more commonly found in combination with traditional low-bid contracts and job-orders projects when those projects are unusually large.

South Africa’s National Infrastructure Plan 2050 indicates an intention to augment the financial capacity and technical expertise of South Africa’s delivery agencies by engaging in strategic partnerships with the private sector through public-private partnerships (PPPs). The objective of this paper is to identify, measure and critically consider the critical success factors in the South African context necessary for the effective delivery of PPPs. Empirical data collection involved a triangulated case study analysis, a survey to measure contextual factors and in-depth interviews with local infrastructure specialists to review causes and consider solutions. Key findings include a need for PPP capacity building and addressing the lack of political will within the public sector while shifting towards a programmatic procurement and delivery model for infrastructure projects.

In coastal communities, green infrastructure can be part of the infrastructure investment strategy to revitalize existing infrastructure and provide protection from flooding, erosion, and other coastal hazards. This article asks the question: What are key equity considerations related to green infrastructure planning for coastal resilience? We answer this question using the voices of research experts, practitioners, and community members who participated in a virtual workshop designed to identify key questions and concerns about coastal resilience and social equity. These research and practice perspectives are synthesized using an integrative planning framework for green infrastructure implementation that was developed to answer the research question. Our findings identify equity touchpoints as they relate to four cross-cutting themes: (1) stakeholder engagement and public participation, (2) trade-offs and multiple benefits, (3) resources and capacity, and (4) data, metrics, and analysis.

The success of public-private partnerships (PPPs) often depends on the duration of a project’s concession period. Although experts have invested considerable efforts into optimizing these periods, few have examined the complex, interactive effects of project-specific risks and bankability criteria on concession durations. To overcome this gap, this study develops a System Dynamics (SD) model that allows decision-makers to estimate the optimal concession period terms based on causal interactions between a project’s main risks and bankability. The model is applied using data from recent PPPs in Italy. The results show variable interest rates, inflation, operational expenditures (OPEX), and debt repayment mechanisms all uniquely impact the concession period.

Road safety has progressed positively in many countries, one example being Finland where several major road safety policies were introduced in the 1970s. In Finland, the highest number of road fatalities (1156) was seen in 1972, while in 2003 the number was 379 and, in 2021, 225. This study presents the assessed impacts of 49 key policy actions and decisions related to traffic safety in Finland based on road safety experts’ views, with special focus on years 2004 to 2021, and 1970 to 2003 as background. During the first decade of this millennium, road fatalities reduced but, in the 2010s, safety did not develop as was targeted. Based on experts’ views, the policies during 2010s included controversial policy actions that aimed at reducing road users’ costs instead of going for road safety gains. Policies supporting safe road user behavior, speeds, vehicles and roads need to be further promoted.

This study provides an evaluation of the performance of alternative (AII) versus conventional (CII) intersection and interchange designs by examining claims and supplemental agreements. Claims and supplemental agreements are requests for more time or money due to changes or additional work that were not included in the initial contract, and they have the potential to negatively impact on the cost and schedule of these projects. Using North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) data, normalized for compensation and schedule, it compares claim and supplemental agreement frequency and identifies inhibitors that negatively impact the construction of AII and CII designs. The main inhibitors that were identified for AII designs are utility conflicts, construction sequencing, signals and signage, traffic control, and material estimate changes. Findings indicate CIIs incur more claims than AIIs, and recommendations are provided to aim to reduce claims and supplemental agreements and enhance project success.

Delays during the development of infrastructure projects are a common phenomenon that implies a lack of efficiency in using taxpayers’ money. Several studies were conducted to investigate the causes of these delays. However, they did not explore the reasons for the delays in each project phase. This research presents the results of a systematic literature review to identify the primary causes of delay in the phases of design, procurement, and construction of infrastructure projects. Thirty-seven (37) relevant papers published in peer-reviewed journals between 2010 and 2024 were selected and analyzed using a four-step process comprised of structured literature review, descriptive statistical analysis, content analysis, and reasons categorization. The study revealed that 80% of the reasons occur in the construction phase, while 20% are associated with the design and procurement phases. Identifying the reasons for the delay within each phase may aid public owners, design firms, and construction firms in developing specific measures to mitigate the delays in each phase.

The deferred maintenance practices for road infrastructure will result in increasing life-cycle costs and deteriorating economic productivity. Governments have addressed the issue by expanding revenue sources, but we don’t know much about the revenue allocation mechanisms. This research reviewed 50 states’ constitutions and statutes to find the similarities and differences in the institutional features of the funding mechanisms for road maintenance. As of 2020, it found that ten states had strict earmarking mechanisms for securing resources for road maintenance; four states had less strict earmarking mechanisms. Furthermore, this research found wide variations in the designs of 50 states’ transportation/highway trust funds and their uses. The research developed the eight propositions to examine the relationship between the funding mechanisms and state highway maintenance spending. Overall, this research contributes to the current literature and policymakers to enhance our understanding of the funding mechanisms of 50 states for road maintenance.

Construction projects are frequently used to boost local economic development without consideration of the long-term sustainability impacts. Via implementing circularity approach in public procurement, the research sought to identify best practices for greening construction projects by conducting in-depth interviews with stakeholders to collect their views about green public procurement (GPP) criteria in an EU country. The paper demonstrates how circular public procurement can be implemented for construction projects and which phases of procurement are more promising in terms of minimizing environmental impacts. Our results show that the design and build phases should be procured separately in order to successfully reduce environmental impacts in circular construction projects. The planning phase should ideally be carried out by an interdisciplinary team that establishes the right green public procurement criteria for selecting the designer, the construction firm and developing technical specifications.

The primary objective of this study is to create a novel research model to enhance our comprehension of accounting data analytics (ADA) and its influence on the green innovation ecosystem (GIE). This is achieved by examining the mediating effects of digital circular business model innovation (DCBMI) and internal control system (ICS) on the aforementioned variables. The data acquired from a convenience and snowball sample of respondents working in public sector organizations (PSOs) in Vietnam was analyzed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with the support of SmartPLS 4.1.0.2. The results demonstrated the substantial and positive impact of ADA on GIE. Additionally, the results ultimately showed that the relationship between ADA and GIE was partially mediated by DCBMI and ICS. This paper presents compelling pieces of evidence on the comprehension of ADA and its influence on GIE in PSOs. To that end, PSOs can utilize the knowledge acquired from this investigation to establish themselves as leaders in the implementation of ADA. Moreover, the study’s findings and discussion will assist the government in enhancing and systematically devising ways to promote the adoption of green innovation.

Local governments will be forced to navigate uncertain sea level rise projections as they fight to protect their key infrastructure systems from rising seas. As leaders in their departments, public works directors must make key project prioritization decisions as seas rise. So, how do they navigate the risk and uncertainty of sea level rise? This study tests if public works directors’ prioritization decisions align with the predictions of cumulative prospect theory, by inviting public works directors working in local governments on the United States coast to participate in a decision-making experiment. Results indicate that public works directors’ risk preferences differ from cumulative prospect theory because directors tend to be decreasingly sensitive to increases in assets’ criticality and probability of failure. As a result, public works directors are characterized as risk averse when prioritizing projects.