The construction project management sector I work in relies primarily on the Scholar-Practitioner Model for societal change. According to Jeffrey R. Schultz, applying the scholar-practitioner model means letting go of an individualistic view, searching for the right connections, building effective bridges between theory and practice, and accessing comprehensive knowledge in specialization (Schultz, 2010).
In this paper, I will discuss the application of the scholar-practitioner model to societal change in New York City.
Background:
The Energy Conservation Code: In 2016, New York City was approved to start implementing several legislation to reduce gas emissions from government buildings, which have been considered a significant factor in Global Warming (NYC Buildings, 2016). Since then, huge budgets have recently been set, amounting to 20 billion dollars, to combat climate change and global warming (MIT Technology Review, 2019). In the construction sector, work is based on changing the HVAC units, insulating roofs, and changing the windows of government buildings, although functional defects still need to be discovered (NYC Buildings, 2016).
I now work for a construction company with several government contracts to rehabilitate these buildings. I am always amazed at the quality and efficiency of the new materials we have to replace.
Important Definitions:
Global warming: The increase in the average surface temperature in the world with the rise in the amount of carbon dioxide, methane, and some other gases in the atmosphere (Masson-Delmotte et al., 2018)
Societal change: It is defined as one of the social phenomena with continuous influence, which depends on a group of human ideas, theories, opinions, and ideologies that aim to make a change for the benefit of society (Molnar, 2010).
Examples of Societal Change include (Reform - Civil Rights - and Green Architecture).
Green Architecture is the science, style, and system of designing and constructing buildings that respect the environment and value natural resources (Wines & Jodidio, 2000).
The Problem:
The administrative buildings in New York City are one of the sources of harmful gases through the HVAC units and the old insulation of the roofs, in addition to the quality of window glass that preserves the heat inside the building more and requires more air conditioning operation, which leads to greater energy consumption and the emission of harmful gases (NYC Buildings, 2016).
Scholar's approach:
The New York City Global Warming Survey was designed and funded by the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions (CRED), the Center for Energy, Shipping and Public Policy at Columbia University, and the Yale Project on Climate Change at Yale University. The surveys were conducted at Princeton Global Investigative Research, and interviews were conducted by Princeton Data Source, LLC, in English and Spanish, by telephone from November to December 2007 (Leiserowitz et al., 2008).
Practitioner's Approach:
Based on the Scholar's approach, the rates of gas emissions from buildings, which are Scholar'suse of high global warming in New York City, were confirmed, so it was approved to start implementing the Energy Conservation Code for the year 2016 (NYC Buildings, 2016), which aims to change this situation through the following:
- Addressing problems at their roots: The measures taken to implement the law are long-term, such as rehabilitation projects for administrative buildings in New York City, which protect the environment and save energy and resources.
- The goal is to make life better for future generations. This approach recognizes that healing the planet takes time and effort and that battles must be fought now on behalf of those who are not yet born to create a society that can succeed in the future.
- Helping the environment: encouraging individual responsibility and spreading awareness about global warming and climate change issues.
Conclusion
Integrating the scholar and practitioner approach to bring about society will significantly benefit the community and the surrounding environment. Scholars put their hands on the problem and put forward appropriate alternatives, and practitioners play their part in finding and implementing solutions. This example, which I presented, represents a concerted effort between several American universities and research centers with the government of New York City to bring about a societal change that will last for future generations.
References
Leiserowitz, A., Shome, D., Marx, S., Hammer, S., & Broad, K. (2008). The New York City Global Warming Survey.
Masson-Delmotte, V., Zhai, P., Pörtner, H. O., Roberts, D., Skea, J., Shukla, P. R., ... & Waterfield, T. (2018). Global warming of 1.5 C. An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1(5).
MIT Technology Review. (2019). New York City has big plans—and $20 billion—to save itself from climate change.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/09/19/132942/new-york-city-has-big-plansand-20-billionto-save-itself-from-climate-change/
Molnar, J. J. (2010). Climate change and societal response: Livelihoods, communities, and the environment. Rural Sociology, 75(1), 1-16.
NYC Buildings. (2016). NYCECC HVAC 1 OVERVIEW: 2016 NYC Energy Conservation Code.
https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/pdf/2.1.14-Commercial_HVAC-1_Module.pdf
Schultz, J. R. (2010). The scholar-practitioner: A philosophy of leadership. Scholar-Practitioner Quarterly, 4(1), 52-64.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ942498.pdf
Wines, J., & Jodidio, P. (2000). Green architecture (Vol. 240). Köln: Taschen.