Eoin O'Neill - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Eoin O'Neill

Sustainability

Recent history has been marked by a shift from rural to urban living. Studies show that urbanizat... more Recent history has been marked by a shift from rural to urban living. Studies show that urbanization is most prevalent at coastal areas and river basins and these are the locations where most megacities are established. However, in the African context, there is a deficit of research in this area. The focus of studies in the ‘urban’ field show the expansion of cities towards waterbodies but with little or no attention to the implications of this expansion—‘the rural to urban shift’—particularly as they concern lakes as commons in a rapidly urbanizing world, such as African countries and the Global South. Thus, using the case of lakes in Ethiopia, this study explores the trend of urbanization vis-à-vis lakes and its implications for the management of lakes, where historically the Ethiopian urban system has been characterized by settlements on mountain areas as strategic places located far from water bodies, particularly lakes. Using secondary data on population of urban centers and di...

Water, 2021

Flooding events can inflict major disruption on society and cause significant infrastructural and... more Flooding events can inflict major disruption on society and cause significant infrastructural and environmental damage. However, the adverse health impacts of flooding, particularly as they pertain to private groundwater resources used for consumption, are frequently overlooked. Whilst the literature has previously found a lack of well stewardship among private well owners under ‘normal’ conditions, our understanding of private well owners’ perceptions of and preparedness for the risks posed by flooding to their domestic well-water supply is limited. This study advances the qualitative literature on this subject. It is amongst the first qualitative studies employing focus groups to examine private well owners, and the first in an Irish context. Six focus groups were conducted in four counties in Ireland, with the themes emerging from the focus groups refined, organised, and interpreted in the context of the Health Belief Model. Most focus group participants expressed awareness of th...

EPA-ReportCover-167-Jan16-v7.indd 1 15/02/2016 14:05 www.epa.ie The report examines the elements ... more EPA-ReportCover-167-Jan16-v7.indd 1 15/02/2016 14:05 www.epa.ie The report examines the elements required for the preparation, implementation, and monitoring of an engagement strategy aimed at communicating risk-based environmental regulation of domestic wastewater treatment systems to owners of such systems. The report is aimed at regulators, national and local authorities, and policy makers, particularly those involved in environmental risk communication, management and assessment.

Economic and Social Review, 2019

The European Union recently celebrated 60 years since the Treaties of Rome were agreed. To foster... more The European Union recently celebrated 60 years since the Treaties of Rome were agreed. To foster debate about its future direction given the rise of populism and Brexit, the European Commission published the White Paper on the Future of Europe that identifies five alternative scenarios that inform how Europe could develop. Notwithstanding the European Union’s (EU) strong environmental credentials, the potentially significant climate and environmental implications arising from each of these scenarios for the EU27 Member States is not elaborated and there is no serious reflection on possible environmental implications. The implications of two scenarios could result in lower environmental standards. This policy commentary examines the consequences of a loss of EU competency concerning environmental policy.

Journal of the American Planning Association, 2018

Local jurisdictions in 36 US states have implemented Transferable Development Rights (TDR) progra... more Local jurisdictions in 36 US states have implemented Transferable Development Rights (TDR) programs to provide a market-based approach to preserving farmlands and open space while redirecting future development to targeted areas. Participation in TDR programs involves transaction costs which are costs over and above paying for TDR credits. Planners know little about the magnitude of transaction costs, who, if anyone, incurs a disproportionate share of these costs, or how transaction costs impact TDR participation. We estimated the magnitude and distribution of transaction costs incurred by participants in four county-wide TDR programs in Maryland, a TDR pioneer, by interviewing multiple participants in these programs. We found that total transaction costs were high and borne largely by private sector participants, although we excluded initial public-sector costs of establishing the programs. Total transaction costs ranged from 13% to 21% of total TDR costs per transaction. Our findings were based on data reported by participants and may not be scalable; transaction costs, however, might deter landowners from participating in TDR programs, thus thwarting the land-use goals of planners. Takeaway for practice: Planners should work to reduce transaction costs by better constructing TDR programs and providing greater information on TDR sale prices and potential buyers and sellers. Lowering, and more fairly, distributing transaction costs will make the TDR program a more successful approach to achieving land-use goals and addressing the externalities arising from land-use markets.

Land Use Policy, 2018

The costs incurred in the design and implementation of planning policy instruments are not always... more The costs incurred in the design and implementation of planning policy instruments are not always considered sufficiently. In order to increase the efficacy of planning policy instruments, these transaction costs need to be taken into account. While such transaction costs are expected to vary according to their institutional design and arrangements, up to now there has been no systematic research concerned with how planners should consider transaction costs, and other institutional aspects, as evaluation criteria in planning policy analysis. This paper investigates how, and in which stages, these costs can be included in planning policy design and analysis. Using the literature of transaction costs and new institutional economics, this paper proposes a framework for integrating these costs into evaluating planning policy instruments. This framework consists of different factors that influence transaction costs in designing and implementing a planning policy instrument. Although some researchers have discussed the influence of factors concerning the characteristics of transactions and transactors, there has been limited consideration of the importance of factors related to the characteristics of a policy. This paper argues that policy characteristics, such as, simplicity, age of the policy, precision of the policy, policy approach, public involvement and participation, and policy credibility and consistency, can affect transaction costs in any policy. Therefore, the paper concludes that, in addition to transaction and transactor characteristics, a 'policy characteristics' category should be included to emphasise the importance of policy selection and design in transaction costs of a planning policy instrument.

Science of The Total Environment, 2019

• Comparison of two models of "health behaviour" following flooding • 'Intervention Potential' sc... more • Comparison of two models of "health behaviour" following flooding • 'Intervention Potential' scoring component to assess the Health Belief Model • RANAS predicts health behaviours among those with flooding experience. • RANAS predicts health behaviours among those with indirect flooding experience. • HBM predicts health behaviours among those with no flooding experience.

Journal of Hydrology, 2018

A significant body of research has focused on the role of domestic wastewater treatment systems (... more A significant body of research has focused on the role of domestic wastewater treatment systems (DWWTSs) as sources of human-specific aquatic contaminants in both developed and developing regions. However, to date few studies have sought to investigate the awareness, attitudes and behaviours of DWWTS owners and the efficacy of associated communication initiatives. The current study provides an examination of a public national engagement campaign undertaken in the Republic of Ireland which seeks to minimise the impact of DWWTSs on human and ecological health via concurrent inspection and information dissemination. Overall, 1634 respondents were surveyed using a ''before and after" study design to capture if and how awareness, attitudes and behaviours evolved over time. Findings suggest that whilst the campaign provided a modest baseline to raise general awareness associated with the basic operational and maintenance requirements of DWWTS, there has been little or no behavioural engagement as a result, suggesting a significant awareness-behaviour gap. Accordingly, efforts to minimise potential human and ecological impacts have been unsuccessful. Moreover, results suggest that public attitudes towards water-related regulation and policy became increasingly negative over the study period due to parallel political and economic issues, further complicating future engagement. Future strategies, both in Ireland and further afield, should focus on health-based demographically-focused message framing to achieve significant knowledge and attitudinal shifts amongst specific population cohorts, and thus bring about significant behavioural change. Study findings and recommendations may be used by myriad stakeholders including local, provincial and national authorities to effectively engage with individuals and communities prior to and during implementation of legislative and policy-based instruments within numerous spheres including climate change adaptation, environmental quality, hydrological risk, and hydro-ecology.

Habitat International, 2018

Planners are required to evaluate planning policy instruments to develop a better understanding o... more Planners are required to evaluate planning policy instruments to develop a better understanding of how they can improve their policy design and implementation processes. Transferable Development Rights (TDR) programmes are one of the market-based policy instruments that have attracted considerable attention among planners and economists. Given that TDR programmes have been introduced as an alternative to traditional regulatory instruments in several jurisdictions on the basis that their implementation will result in better policy outcomes, evaluation of these alternative programmes is particularly important. Like all policy instruments, the activities concerned with the design and implementation of TDR programmes may involve significant transaction costs. These activities can be considered as a series of transactions from the perspective of Transaction Cost Economics (TCE). While transaction costs are expected to vary across the lifecycle of a policy instrument, up to now there have been no systematic research studies concerned with why, and how, such transaction costs occur and are distributed among parties involved in different phases of TDR programmes. In order to aid better design and implementation of TDR programmes, this paper analyses the effects of transaction costs throughout the life of four TDR programmes (Calvert, Montgomery, St. Mary's, and Charles Counties) in the US state of Maryland in order to gain a better understanding of the timing and distribution of such costs incurred by different parties involved.

Ecological Economics, 2019

Changes made as a result of publishing processes such as copy-editing, formatting and page number... more Changes made as a result of publishing processes such as copy-editing, formatting and page numbers may not be reflected in this version. For the definitive version of this publication, please refer to the published source. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite this paper.

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 2019

Keeping within the temperature limits set by the Paris Agreement on climate action will be a sign... more Keeping within the temperature limits set by the Paris Agreement on climate action will be a significant challenge. Nuclear power generation may contribute to achieving these targets, however, there are significant environmental, economic and health risks attached. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, this paper explores how nuclear power generation is framed in the Irish print media, and discusses the implications of these frames for how nuclear power is perceived within the context of climate change mitigation in Ireland. Two Irish broadsheet papers, the Irish Times and the Irish Independent were selected for data collection, focusing on Chernobyl and Fukushima incidents. The prevalence of informational and balanced articles suggest that to some extent, an open debate on nuclear is already occurring. Nevertheless, significantly more articles take an antinuclear stance (34% in 1986 and 27.5% in 2011) than pro-nuclear (2.1% in 1986 and 3.3% in 2011), reflecting the lack of public appetite for nuclear power. This may limit the potential for a wider debate to occur within the context of reducing domestic emissions. Considering the urgency of addressing climate change, a full and balanced societal debate on how nuclear power, other energy alternatives (e.g. wind) and the energy sector more generally, can contribute to national climate policy targets may be necessary.

Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 2017

Planning decisions have considerable impacts on both natural and built environments. The impacts ... more Planning decisions have considerable impacts on both natural and built environments. The impacts of these decisions may remain for many decades and many are irreversible. In order to gain a better understanding of these long-standing impacts, planners require a systematic approach to evaluate the planning policy instruments utilised. The literature on planning evaluation shows that most studies have taken a conformance-based evaluation approach, where the success of a planning policy instrument is based on the degree of conformity between the policy outcomes and its intended objectives. While evaluating such criteria is necessary, it is hardly ever sufficient largely because of unintended effects. This paper proposes an impact-based approach to planning evaluation that incorporates all the impacts, intended and otherwise, that a planning policy instrument may bring about, irrespective of the initial objectives of the policy. Using a number of economic and planning theories, this pap...

Journal of Hydrology, 2016

Environmental Hazards, 2016

ABSTRACT Environmental perceptions are central to individuals’ behavioural interactions with the ... more ABSTRACT Environmental perceptions are central to individuals’ behavioural interactions with the environment. Cognitive maps, portraying a spatial representation of an individual’s environmental perception, can be aggregated to gain insight into the collective environmental perception of groups and populations. This paper uses cognitive mapping techniques to examine one aspect of environmental perception, flood risk perception, within a residential population (n = 305). Flood risk perception was examined for the whole sample and six subgroup pairs. Using subgroups allowed examination of how factors previously shown to influence flood risk perception influence the cognitive map production in this population. We use a novel technique (slope analysis) to examine how the population’s perception of flood risk compares with expert assessments of flood risk, and compare the results of this novel technique with a commonly used cognitive map analysis technique (majority threshold method). Both methods identify areas where there is consensus within the population as to which areas are at risk of flooding. However, slope analysis usefully identifies areas where the population’s perception of flood risk lacks consensus, and is at odds with expert assessments of flood risk, without the loss of information inherent in the majority threshold method. Thus, this technique provides a novel approach to studies of environmental perception that can be widely applied within many fields.

Natural Hazards, 2014

ABSTRACT Modern flood risk management strategies have evolved from flood resistance to a holistic... more ABSTRACT Modern flood risk management strategies have evolved from flood resistance to a holistic approach incorporating prevention, protection and preparedness with the aim of reducing the likelihood and/or impact of flooding. This evolution has been driven by a trend of increasingly damaging and frequent flood events due to climate change. Populations at risk are required to be an active participant within modern flood risk management plans, resulting in management plan effectiveness being partially dependent on the relevant population’s flood risk perception. Thus, understanding how at-risk populations perceive their own flood risk, and how this compares to the reality of the situation, is a significant component of flood risk management. This paper compares subjective risk perception to an objective measure of risk within a specific case study area, where 305 residents were surveyed on their perception of flood risk. As part of the survey, respondents were asked to delineate the areas of the study area that they perceived would be at risk of inundation during a severe flood event. Using spatial statistical indicators, including Fuzzy Kappa comparison, it was possible to quantify the divergence between subjective and objective measures of risk extent, enabling an assessment of the ‘correctness’ of subjective perceived risk. This novel approach identified significant deviations between risk perception and objective risk measures at an individual level. The paper concludes by considering potential policy implications.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020

Extreme weather events including flooding can have severe personal, infrastructural, and economic... more Extreme weather events including flooding can have severe personal, infrastructural, and economic consequences, with recent evidence pointing to surface flooding as a pathway for the microbial contamination of private groundwater supplies. There is a pressing need for increasingly focused information and awareness campaigns to highlight the risks posed by extreme weather events and appropriate subsequent post-event actions. To date, little is known about the presence, directionality or magnitude of gender-related differences regarding flood risk awareness and behaviour among private groundwater users, a particularly susceptible sub-population due to an overarching paucity of infrastructural regulation across many regions. The current study investigated gender-related differences in flood risk perception and associated mitigation behaviours via a cross-sectional, national survey of 405 (168 female, 237 male) private groundwater supply users. The developed survey instrument assessed s...

Public understanding of science (Bristol, England), Jan 3, 2016

Societal adaptation to flooding is a critical component of contemporary flood policy. Using conte... more Societal adaptation to flooding is a critical component of contemporary flood policy. Using content analysis, this article identifies how two major flooding episodes (2009 and 2014) are framed in the Irish broadsheet news media. The article considers the extent to which these frames reflect shifts in contemporary flood policy away from protection towards risk management, and the possible implications for adaptation to living with flood risk. Frames help us make sense of the social world, and within the media, framing is an essential tool for communication. Five frames were identified: flood resistance and structural defences, politicisation of flood risk, citizen as risk manager, citizen as victim and emerging trade-offs. These frames suggest that public debates on flood management do not fully reflect shifts in contemporary flood policy, with negative implications for the direction of societal adaptation. Greater discussion is required on the influence of the media on achieving pol...

Regional Studies, 2009

Despite the impressive development of the field of spatial economics, some have criticised the la... more Despite the impressive development of the field of spatial economics, some have criticised the lack of policy applications. In addition, the literature has not yet identified the relevance of new economic geography, and spatial economics generally, for national spatial planning. This is surprising considering the interest in spatial planning policy in Europe. By combining old theories of trade and space with new economic geography, this paper applies spatial economics to national spatial planning and examines a case study of Ireland. The paper suggests that spatial economics provides a useful theoretical framework for the analysis of national spatial planning policy but suffers from deficiencies in respect of its consideration of social and environmental aspects of planning and development.

Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis, Jan 4, 2016

Natural hazards, such as major flood events, are occurring with increasing frequency and inflicti... more Natural hazards, such as major flood events, are occurring with increasing frequency and inflicting increasing levels of financial damages upon affected communities. The experience of such major flood events has brought about a significant change in attitudes to flood-risk management, with a shift away from built engineering solutions alone towards a more multifaceted approach. Europe's experience with damaging flood episodes provided the impetus for the introduction of the European Floods Directive, requiring the establishment of flood-risk management plans at the river-basin scale. The effectiveness of such plans, focusing on prevention, protection, and preparedness, is dependent on adequate flood awareness and preparedness, and this is related to perception of flood risk. This is an important factor in the design and assessment of flood-risk management. Whilst there is a modern body of literature exploring flood perception issues, there have been few examples that explore its...