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Performance assessment of Small and Medium-Sized Water Systems (SMWSs) is important for operational, tactical, and strategic decision-making. In this study, a performance assessment method has been developed and applied to five drinking water, three wastewater, and two stormwater utilities using 39, 30 and 27 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in a semi-arid region. The KPIs were aggregated to determine a performance index using a Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution method. K-nearest neighbors and penalty methods were used to estimate missing KPIs data. The results indicated that only two drinking water utilities and one wastewater utility had been rated as 'high' performance. None of the utilities in stormwater performance was rated as 'high'. The developed method can assist decision-makers in evaluating SMWSs performance holistically, build operational management strategies, and identify necessary interventions in overcoming water systems challenges across each urban water system component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building sector is material-intensive and is responsible for consuming large quantities of local and international resources. In extreme climates, the consumption of these resources increases manifold to ensure comfortable indoors. Contemporary buildings have predominantly used energy efficiency as the main criterion to define sustainability, which has led to the consumption of more abiotic materials. In contrast, indigenous buildings are based on local context and are guided by geographical, environmental, and economic constraints. This work aims to critically review indigenous architectural practices across four climatic zones, focusing on their resource efficiency, and identify practices that can be reintroduced in contemporary construction in extremely cold climates. To achieve this objective, literature from 1960 to 2022 was comprehensively reviewed. In addition, contemporary building construction and codes in cold climatic regions were analyzed to assess the current state of practices. Specific case studies from each climatic region were evaluated to assess applicability in residential buildings in cold climates. The main findings from this review and analysis indicate that indigenous practices have the potential to optimize the use of natural resources to create more sustainable climate-resilient buildings. In addition, more empirical studies are needed to tailor these practices and quantitatively assess resource efficiency for large-scale implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freight trucks powered by alternative low-emissions fuel sources such as electricity or hydrogen have gained significant attention as replacements for their fossil fuel-operated counterparts. Even though this shift to alternative fuels can reduce the operational emissions at the vehicle tailpipe, there can be significant emissions throughout their supply chains. A thorough review of the published literature highlights that a comprehensive investigation is lacking on the well-to-wheel life cycle impacts of hydrogen fuel used for freight transportation. Furthermore, a comparison between hydrogen-fueled and electric freight transport is unavailable in the published literature. This study comprehensively investigated the life cycle environmental and economic impacts of alternative fueled freight transport based on vehicle types and relevant supply chains. A life cycle impact database was developed for key electric and hydrogen fuel supply chain scenarios and was ranked based on the economic and environmental performance under different decision-maker perspectives. The life cycle emissions of delivering hydrogen fuel range from 2.2 to 12.6 kgCO2eq./kg of hydrogen whereas electric grid emissions range from 0.005 to 0.315 kgCO2eq./MJ. However, hydrogen systems that use electrolysis to produce hydrogen show better environmental performance over the complete vehicle life cycle compared to electric systems that are highly dependent on nonrenewable energy sources. The cost of ownership of a hydrogen and electric freight truck is approximately 2.15 and 0.54 CAD/km respectively. However, with investments from governments and private institutions to develop hydrogen refueling infrastructure, hydrogen-fueled freight vehicles have the potential for reducing GHG emissions in the road transportation sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New district energy projects facilitate to decentralize their energy supply, create efficiency in the production and distribution of energy, and enable the use of renewable fuels. Selection of an appropriate project delivery and contracting strategy is essential to achieve owner's key objectives over the lifecycle of a district energy facility. The goal of this paper is to identify objectives of the owners in Canadian district energy projects, and then align those with project delivery and contracting strategy (PDCS) alternatives. The paper also provides a practical tool to assist owners in the selection of an appropriate PDCS for their district energy projects. This research has identified and validated key PDCS selection factors for Canadian district energy projects using Delphi based research method. The paper contributes to the body of knowledge by identifying PDCS alternatives, specifically for Canadian district energy projects, and selecting PDCS alternatives in the context of the project lifecycle. Key words: district energy projects, project delivery methods, contract strategies. Les nouveaux projets energetiques de quartier facilitent la decentralisation de leur approvisionnement energetique, creent l'efficacite en matiere de production et de distribution de l'energie, et permettent l'utilisation de carburants renouvelables. La selection d'une realisation de projet et d'une strategie contractuelle (RPSC) appropriees est essentielle a l'atteinte des principaux objectifs du proprietaire au cours du cycle de vie de l'amenagement energetique de quartier. Le but de cette etude est de determiner les objectifs des proprietaires de projets energetiques de quartier au Canada, et ensuite de cadrer ces objectifs avec les alternatives en matiere de RPSC. Cet article fournit aussi un outil d'aide pratique aux proprietaries dans le choix d'une RPSC qui convient a leurs projets energetiques de quartier. Cette etude a determine et valide les facteurs cles de selection d'une RPSC pour des projets energetiques de quartier au Canada en utilisant la methode de recherche fondee sur Delphi. L'article contribue a l'ensemble des connaissances en determinant des alternatives en matiere de RPSC, specifiquement pour les projets energetiques de quartier au Canada, et en choisissant des alternatives de RPSC dans le contexte du cycle de vie du projet. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: projets energetiques de quartier, methodes de realisation de projet, strategies contractuelles., Introduction New energy systems are emerging as a viable way to supplement the traditional energy infrastructure in urban communities across North America. British Columbia has district energy projects located throughout [...]