海角视频

C40 Cities: Labour, Jobs and Cost Impact of a Transition to Clean Construction

Global – Bogota, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Nairobi, Oslo, Seattle

海角视频 led a global research project for C40 Cities, showing how clean construction practices can deliver new green job opportunities.

C40 Cities is a global network of mayors from almost 100 cities across the world who are united in efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Since 2021, 海角视频 has been supporting the organisation with its Clean Construction Accelerator. This commission built on a previous phase of work that focused on making the environmental case for a shift to clean construction.

The built environment is a key part of the fabric of our daily lives, but it is also one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. The engineering, architecture and construction industry has a huge role to play in bringing about positive change. Construction alone (excluding the operations of buildings) currently contributes more than 23% of the world鈥檚 greenhouse gas emissions鈥痑nd more than 30% of鈥痝lobal resource extraction and use. Failure to reduce the impact of construction in our cities poses a serious risk to the environment.

The research examined the economic benefits of a shift to clean construction processes, especially the creation of new jobs.

Construction alone (excluding the operations of buildings) currently contributes more than 23% of the world鈥檚 greenhouse gas emissions.鈥�

We found that across all cities, a shift to clean construction will generate more jobs than if status-quo, carbon-intensive construction practices remained over the period to 2050.

A shift to clean construction is projected to increase the number of construction sector jobs in each city from between 3 to 193%, depending on local conditions.

Challenge

Urban populations are growing, with an additional 2.5 billion people projected to inhabit the world鈥檚 cities by 2050. Consequently, demand for new housing and infrastructure is set to skyrocket. Meeting future demand for housing and infrastructure through business-as-usual construction materials and practices will unlikely be compatible with efforts to limit global temperature increases to 1.5C. Against this backdrop, 鈥渃lean construction鈥� is a critical paradigm shift.

Clean construction means creating a built environment system that is net zero carbon and tackles the global negative impacts of the construction sector in a just way. This relates to mitigating climate risks, greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion and socioeconomic inequalities.

The study sought to estimate the changes in job numbers and skills required to support the transition to a construction sector that is 鈥榗lean鈥�, as well as the potential co-benefits 鈥� e.g. increasing workforce diversity. It focused on seven cities: Seattle, Bogota, Mexico City, Nairobi, London, Madrid and Oslo.

Our experts needed to identify the clean (low carbon, circular) construction opportunities specific to each city and assess the impact on the number, type and quality of jobs associated with a transition to clean construction in each city, and the required investment to support this.

海角视频, with our sub-consultant the New Economics Foundation, was responsible for developing the tool and methodology to underpin this analysis. When developed we applied it to the seven cities, to produce a technical report. The technical report was based on the outcomes from the model but further informed by interviews with city officials and a cross-section of the construction value chain in each city.

Assessing the quantity, quality and type of jobs in each city was a key challenge. We needed to distil the construction methods and practices into datasets that could be modelled. This needed to account for two scenarios, business-as-usual and current.

While a significant body of material exists on job multipliers for retrofit (for example) very limited data is available for other shifts, such as timber construction. These data limitations also existed with regards to job quality and skills.

The uptake rates for each clean construction shift would also need to be tailored to the context of each city. This required the project team developing a rapid understanding of the residential construction sector in each city, including market maturity, development pipelines, available skills and training programmes, as well as public and private sector interest in clean construction practices.

Solution

The research study sought to analyse the quantity, quality and type of jobs created by shifting to clean construction versus maintaining traditional practices. It did this via modelling eight shifts (e.g. deconstruction rather than demolition) and two potential scenarios for meeting residential housing projections between 2023-2050: 鈥榖usiness as usual鈥� and 鈥榗lean construction鈥�. 

The team undertook a comprehensive global literature review to establish which 鈥榮hifts鈥� would be most transformative and where there was suitable baseline data to enable these to be modelled for the purpose of this study. Eight shifts were identified and integrated into the model. The shifts are: regular repair and maintenance; supporting building retrofit and encouraging adaptive reuse; prioritising industrialised construction; encouraging timber construction; specifying low-carbon products; promoting disassembly and deconstruction; and prioritising reused materials and structural components.  

We used a mixed methods approach, combining desktop studies with semi-structured stakeholder interviews. We developed a systems map that accompanies the model that illustrates the premise of the model and assumptions made within it. The baseline information identified through the global literature review was peer-reviewed by a panel of subject matter experts from across the industry. This global information was also supplemented by a city specific literature review and search for relevant datasets, for each city.  

By drawing on 海角视频 and C40鈥檚 extensive internal and external networks, we were able to engage a range of individuals and practices with deep local expertise and knowledge, interviewing more than 90 stakeholders throughout the course of the project.  

Following the quantitative modelling, we developed a series of key takeaways and associated recommendations for each city. These set out the findings of the model in a digestible way and outlined key institutional, legislative, financial and awareness raising actions that the city governments could take to accelerate the transition.

Value

The transition to a low carbon, circular built environment will require a systems approach and collective action across the value chain. Our team was able to navigate such complexity, to deliver a robust methodology.

City mayors increasingly understand the environmental case and imperative for a shift to low carbon, circular construction. This study aimed to equip them with the economic evidence base to further unlock this transition.

To the best of our knowledge, such a macro level analysis of the construction labour impacts associated with a shift to low carbon, circular construction has never been previously undertaken. It sits at the intersection of the need for deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, to provide affordable and decent homes and to secure safe, fulfilling employment.