The process of constructing green roofs: Sustainability and stakeholder engagement
Meriläinen, Riina (2020)
Meriläinen, Riina
2020
Kauppatieteiden maisteriohjelma - Master's Degree Programme in Business Studies
Johtamisen ja talouden tiedekunta - Faculty of Management and Business
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2020-05-25
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202004294531
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202004294531
Tiivistelmä
Urbanization is rising on a global scale creating both environmental and socioeconomic challenges and increasing threats to human health and the environment. When looking at a traditional city view, buildings’ roofs have so far been unused spaces. However, if turned into green roofs they could offer benefits for the urban environment and human quality of life. Despite the known benefits of green roofs, they do not appear widely. In addition, green roofs have been commonly examined through their technical requirements without examining stakeholders and their engagement. Thus, there is a lack of both theoretical and practical research on the process of constructing green roofs from a stakeholder engagement perspective.
The objective of this research is to examine how the process of constructing green roofs can be enhanced through stakeholder engagement. This process consists of the designing, installing and maintaining of green roofs requiring the involvement of multiple stakeholders. The stakeholder engagement perspective focuses on the stakeholders and their relations in this process. Sustainability is closely linked to the process since green roofs are examined as a solution to contributing to sustainability in urban areas.
The theoretical framework utilises previous literature on sustainability, stakeholder engagement and green roofs. It focuses on drawing a synthesis between green roofs and sustainability and stakeholder engagement and sustainability.
This study is based on the qualitative research tradition as the empirical data and its analysis are qualitative in nature. The empirical data consists of six semi-structured interviews of seven green roof stakeholders. The analysis is conducted using an inductive qualitative content analysis.
The empirical observation focuses on the characteristics of the process of constructing green roofs in Finland, examining stakeholder relations and stakeholder engagement in that process.
The empirical findings suggest that city planning is a powerful instrument affecting the process of constructing green roofs. The identified obstacles indicate stakeholder relations and interests slowing down the process of constructing green roofs or preventing it from happening at all. The identified drivers indicate factors which are enabling the process of constructing green roofs whilst contributing to sustainability. Stakeholder engagement ensures that the benefits of green roofs are better understood among stakeholders and taken into account in the different phases of the process. Thus, stakeholder engagement can help to overcome stakeholder conflicts and create mutual stakeholder interest.
This study contributes to increasing understanding of sustainability and stakeholder engagement in the process of constructing green roofs. Since previous literature on green roofs has not examined the process of constructing green roofs from the stakeholder engagement perspective, this study adds valuable knowledge into existing literature and practical research. In addition, this study contributes to examining green roofs’ ability to contribute to urban sustainability and possible reasons why green roofs are not common despite their known benefits. This study targets managers and policy makers to understand the process of constructing green roofs from a stakeholder engagement perspective in contributing to sustainability.
The objective of this research is to examine how the process of constructing green roofs can be enhanced through stakeholder engagement. This process consists of the designing, installing and maintaining of green roofs requiring the involvement of multiple stakeholders. The stakeholder engagement perspective focuses on the stakeholders and their relations in this process. Sustainability is closely linked to the process since green roofs are examined as a solution to contributing to sustainability in urban areas.
The theoretical framework utilises previous literature on sustainability, stakeholder engagement and green roofs. It focuses on drawing a synthesis between green roofs and sustainability and stakeholder engagement and sustainability.
This study is based on the qualitative research tradition as the empirical data and its analysis are qualitative in nature. The empirical data consists of six semi-structured interviews of seven green roof stakeholders. The analysis is conducted using an inductive qualitative content analysis.
The empirical observation focuses on the characteristics of the process of constructing green roofs in Finland, examining stakeholder relations and stakeholder engagement in that process.
The empirical findings suggest that city planning is a powerful instrument affecting the process of constructing green roofs. The identified obstacles indicate stakeholder relations and interests slowing down the process of constructing green roofs or preventing it from happening at all. The identified drivers indicate factors which are enabling the process of constructing green roofs whilst contributing to sustainability. Stakeholder engagement ensures that the benefits of green roofs are better understood among stakeholders and taken into account in the different phases of the process. Thus, stakeholder engagement can help to overcome stakeholder conflicts and create mutual stakeholder interest.
This study contributes to increasing understanding of sustainability and stakeholder engagement in the process of constructing green roofs. Since previous literature on green roofs has not examined the process of constructing green roofs from the stakeholder engagement perspective, this study adds valuable knowledge into existing literature and practical research. In addition, this study contributes to examining green roofs’ ability to contribute to urban sustainability and possible reasons why green roofs are not common despite their known benefits. This study targets managers and policy makers to understand the process of constructing green roofs from a stakeholder engagement perspective in contributing to sustainability.