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Papers by Roderick J . Lawrence

Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, 2024

Purpose-Transdisciplinarity was the core subject of a special issue of Futures in 2004 including ... more Purpose-Transdisciplinarity was the core subject of a special issue of Futures in 2004 including numerous cases of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary architectural and urban research and professional practice in several countries. This paper takes stock of achievements during the last 20 years before presenting challenges about bridging persistent gaps between theory, research and practice. Design/methodology/approach-The special issue of Futures is a benchmark for numerous publications about transdisciplinarity in and beyond the multidisciplinary and intersectoral field of built environments. This paper presents a narrative literature review of publications about transdisciplinarity in architecture, urban design and planning since the 1970s. Findings-Transdisciplinarity is still being debated, is often contested, and is not mainstream in research or practice. Like design practice, transdisciplinary inquiry is a creative process involving border work by participants in collaborative projects. Transdisciplinary inquiry is broader in scope and purpose than public participation, participatory action research and team science. Originality/value-This paper discusses challenges that should be addressed by those in the field of built environments who endorse transdisciplinarity. Based on a half century of contributions about design theory and methods, the paper differentiates inquiry from research as fundamental to transdisciplinary projects.

Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health, Illness and Medicine, 2019

This article considers conceptual frameworks and models applied in research about the multiple re... more This article considers conceptual frameworks and models applied in research about the multiple relations between human contact with natural environments (specifically green public spaces), diverse kinds of human activities and uses of those spaces, and effects on physical and mental health. Conceptual frameworks are tools for thinking about such complex subjects. Conceptual models represent the multiple relations between key factors and variables. These models can be used to represent the mutual interactions between the core components of environmental conditions of specific green public spaces, the main kinds of human activities in those settings, and various impacts on health. A literature search showed that the authors of various conceptual models used a metaphor of pathways to represent relations between explanatory variables by linear cause–effect relations. Mutual interaction between key variables and feedback loops between different components of the model are rarely included...

This article considers the multiple dimensions of environmental issues and the failure to deal wi... more This article considers the multiple dimensions of environmental issues and the failure to deal with them effectively since the 1970s. The authors highlight that the complexity of environmental issues is still not well understood. A holistic or systemic conceptual framework has rarely been applied to understand the interconnected and multiple relationships between environmental concerns and cultural, economic, social and political issues that cross conventional disciplinary and professional borders. The challenges of addressing this complexity include dealing with multiple geo-political scales and time frames. The authors also argue that current environmental issues should not be defined only as scientific subjects, or political objectives, because they are much broader societal challenges (wicked problems)that should be addressed by actors and institutions from both the private and public sectors. This means that transdisciplinary initiatives should replace conventional contribution...

Environmental health perspectives, Aug 17, 2016

Aims and methods: The PHENOTYPE project explores the proposed underlying mechanisms at work (stre... more Aims and methods: The PHENOTYPE project explores the proposed underlying mechanisms at work (stress reduction/restorative function, physical activity, social interaction, exposure to environmental ...

Human Experience in the Natural and Built Environment: Implications for Research, Policy and Practice (IAPS 22 Conference, Abstracts of Presentations), Sep 23, 2010

2 Beyond Disciplinary Confinement to Imaginative Transdisciplinarity Roderick J. Lawrence Synopsi... more 2 Beyond Disciplinary Confinement to Imaginative Transdisciplinarity Roderick J. Lawrence Synopsis This chapter explores several ways and means of ... knowledge that not only addresses societal problems, but also contributes to their solution (Pohl and Hirsch Hadhorn, 2007). ...

Routledge eBooks, Jul 17, 2019

Wiley eBooks, Aug 3, 2009

2.4.1 Forced labour 2.4.2 Child labour 2.4.3 Inequality at work 2.4.4 Freedom of association 2.5 ... more 2.4.1 Forced labour 2.4.2 Child labour 2.4.3 Inequality at work 2.4.4 Freedom of association 2.5 Indicators of the social dialogue dimension 2.6 Synthesis Notes Local Authorities and the Construction Industry Mariana Paredes Gil and Edmundo Werna 3.1 Decent work in urban areas 3.1.1 Employment dimension 3.1.2 Social protection 3.1.3 Workers' rights 3.1.4 Social dialogue 3.1.5 Cross-cutting analyses 3.2 Local authorities 3.2.1 Evolution of the role of cities in the global economy 3.2.2 New roles for local authorities 3.3 The construction sector 3.3.1 The construction sector: definition and general characteristics 3.3.2 Implications for decent work 3.3.3 Recommendations for action 3.4 Local authorities and decent work in the construction sector and related services 3.5 Conclusion Note 4 Bulawayo Beacon Mbiba and Michael Ndubiwa 4.1 Introduction 4.2 National, regional and local context 4.2.1 The national context 4.2.2 Regional and local context 4.3 Decent work indicators 4.3.1 Indicators of employment 4.3.2 Social security indicators 4.3.3 Indicators of workers' rights 4.3.4 Indicators of social dialogue 4.3.5 Workers' rights and social dialogue in Zimbabwe 4.3.6 Synthesis: decent work indicators in Bulawayo 4.4 Decent work in Bulawayo: initiatives and evidence 4.4.1 Equality and the indigenization policy in the construction sector 4.4.2 Managing centre local relations

Elsevier eBooks, 2011

Theoretical and empirical research about the interrelations between health, quality of life (QOL)... more Theoretical and empirical research about the interrelations between health, quality of life (QOL), and exposure to environmental risk factors has grown rapidly since the 1970s. One of the main reasons for these contributions has been the widely shared concern about the impacts of environmental risk factors to health and QOL. The World Health Organization (WHO) has supported methodological contributions based on risk assessment, the global burden of disease (BoD), and a number of estimates of mortality and morbidity. This article reviews definitions and interpretations of environmental quality, supportive environments, QOL, and recent measures of mortality and morbidity including disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), disability-adjusted life expectancy (DALE), and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Today, the lack of standardized statistics and missing data are major obstacles to contributions using these measures.

Evaluation in Progress - Strategies for Environmental Research and Implementation (IAPS 18 Conference Proceedings on CD-Rom), 2004

Springer eBooks, Oct 11, 2006

Transdisciplinary journal of engineering & science, Oct 18, 2022

A daptability, resilience, and sustainability have become buzzwords that refer to notions about t... more A daptability, resilience, and sustainability have become buzzwords that refer to notions about the properties of something, and an objective to be achieved and maintained, as well as human intentionality in processes of change. They are notions that were transferred between and beyond academic disciplines in the health and medical sciences, natural and physical sciences, and human and social sciences; and they are currently used in everyday language. How these notions are used regarding ecological hazards, financial risks, health threats, and social perils is influenced by numerous variables including individual and communal human factors. This article rethinks common interpretations of adaptability and resilience in the context of sustainability. It posits that human ecology provides a conceptual framework incorporating the diversity of their meanings and uses in a complex and heterogenous world. The article highlights that many contributions from authors in various disciplines have borrowed concepts and ideas from ecology, biology, and systems analysis but they have discounted the fundamental nature of being human, even when socio-ecological systems are studied. Then, the article explains the ingredients of an anthropo-logic, a core constituent of human ecology, which includes cultural and societal variables while recognizing individual and group differences. These variables can account for the diverse sometimes conflicting ways people perceive, understand, and respond to risks and threats to their lives and habitats. The article applies core principles of human ecology to comprehend contrasting responses to global change (including extreme weather events and repeated flooding in cities) in an increasingly polarized world.

Environmental health perspectives, Sep 19, 2013

Professionals and policy makers have difficulty in explaining and measuring constancy, change and... more Professionals and policy makers have difficulty in explaining and measuring constancy, change and differences in health, built environments and ecological conditions in cities. This is not surprisi...

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Dec 2, 2022