Michael Ward
Current Organizations / Institutes
The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article
Research Subjects
Research Interests
Michael Ward has a total of 7 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:
Cristina Poleacovschi
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State Univ., 394 Town Engineering Bldg., Ames, IA 50011
2 shared publications- Kasey M. Faust
The University of Texas at Austin
2 shared publications Carl F. Weems
Professor, Dept. of Human Development and Family Studies, Iowa State Univ., 4380 Palmer Bldg., Ames, IA 50011
1 shared publication- Cristina Poleacovschi
Iowa State Univ
1 shared publication Joseph Svec
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Human Development and Family Studies, Iowa State Univ., Palmer Bldg., 2222 Osborn Dr., Ames, IA 50011
1 shared publication- Michael Alexander Perez
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
1 shared publication
Latest Publications
- 1 June 2021
- Published by American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
- Vol. 147 (6) , 04021039
Modeling Public Support for Utility Expansions in Displacement Situations
In Germany in 2016, over 722,000 people applied for asylum. That is, in a single year close to three-quarters of a million people were displaced. The struggles displaced people face are numerous. For host communities trying to provide them water and wastewater services, the challenges are also numerous. To account for increased users, utility managers may need to expand the capacity of their systems temporarily, if not permanently. The financial burden of these expansions is largely shouldered by the hosting community. If a community is opposed to such expansion, it can adversely impact a project’s schedule, resources, and budget. Hence, it is critical for utility managers to understand the hosting community’s public support for proposed expansion plans. As such, there is a need to evaluate what factors influence public support in displacement situations. To address this need, this study uses place attachment theory to assess what personal beliefs, demographic factors, and geographic parameters are associated with public support. Enabling this study is data gathered through a survey distributed to all 16 German States in 2016 ( ). Multinomial logistic analysis revealed three key drivers of public support: trust in the utility provider, willingness to participate in utility decisions, and willingness to provide utilities to those who cannot pay. The findings suggest that utility managers should build trust with the host community and foster participation to increase public support. In addition, this work shows how, in displacement scenarios, public support can be explained with place attachment theory.- 1 June 2021
- Published by American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
- Vol. 147 (6) , 04021039
Modeling Public Support for Utility Expansions in Displacement Situations
In Germany in 2016, over 722,000 people applied for asylum. That is, in a single year close to three-quarters of a million people were displaced. The struggles displaced people face are numerous. For host communities trying to provide them water and wastewater services, the challenges are also numerous. To account for increased users, utility managers may need to expand the capacity of their systems temporarily, if not permanently. The financial burden of these expansions is largely shouldered by the hosting community. If a community is opposed to such expansion, it can adversely impact a project’s schedule, resources, and budget. Hence, it is critical for utility managers to understand the hosting community’s public support for proposed expansion plans. As such, there is a need to evaluate what factors influence public support in displacement situations. To address this need, this study uses place attachment theory to assess what personal beliefs, demographic factors, and geographic parameters are associated with public support. Enabling this study is data gathered through a survey distributed to all 16 German States in 2016 ( ). Multinomial logistic analysis revealed three key drivers of public support: trust in the utility provider, willingness to participate in utility decisions, and willingness to provide utilities to those who cannot pay. The findings suggest that utility managers should build trust with the host community and foster participation to increase public support. In addition, this work shows how, in displacement scenarios, public support can be explained with place attachment theory.- Open Access
Using AHP and Spatial Analysis to Determine Water Surface Storage Suitability in Cambodia
Cambodia suffers from devastating droughts in the dry season and floods in the wet season. These events’ impacts are further amplified by ineffective water resources infrastructure that cannot retain water during the dry season. Water harvesting (the collection and management of floodwater or rainwater runoff to increase water supply for domestic and agricultural use) is an approach that could improve Cambodia’s resiliency against droughts and floods. Despite the known benefits of water harvesting, there are currently few studies on water harvesting suitability in Cambodia. This research argues that suitable water harvesting sites can be identified by combining various expertise and evaluating hydrologic site conditions. Thirty-one local and USA water infrastructure experts made pairwise comparisons between essential engineering criteria: soil drainage, geologic porosity, precipitation, land cover, and slope. Then, model weights were calculated based on the comparisons. Using the model weights, a water harvesting suitability model showed that 19% of Cambodian land has high suitability, and about 13% of the land has the best suitability. This water harvesting model can help guide future water infrastructure projects to improve climate resiliency by identifying suitable sites for water harvesting reservoirs.
Open AccessUsing AHP and Spatial Analysis to Determine Water Surface Storage Suitability in Cambodia
Cambodia suffers from devastating droughts in the dry season and floods in the wet season. These events’ impacts are further amplified by ineffective water resources infrastructure that cannot retain water during the dry season. Water harvesting (the collection and management of floodwater or rainwater runoff to increase water supply for domestic and agricultural use) is an approach that could improve Cambodia’s resiliency against droughts and floods. Despite the known benefits of water harvesting, there are currently few studies on water harvesting suitability in Cambodia. This research argues that suitable water harvesting sites can be identified by combining various expertise and evaluating hydrologic site conditions. Thirty-one local and USA water infrastructure experts made pairwise comparisons between essential engineering criteria: soil drainage, geologic porosity, precipitation, land cover, and slope. Then, model weights were calculated based on the comparisons. Using the model weights, a water harvesting suitability model showed that 19% of Cambodian land has high suitability, and about 13% of the land has the best suitability. This water harvesting model can help guide future water infrastructure projects to improve climate resiliency by identifying suitable sites for water harvesting reservoirs.
- 1 May 2020
- Published by American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in Journal of Management in Engineering
- Vol. 36 (3)
Evaluating the Role of Infrastructure Components and Demographics on Social Capital in Refugee Camps
An important asset for displaced people residing in refugee camps is social capital. Social capital, which represents the social networks built among displaced people, the host community, and government actors, helps displaced people access services not adequately provided by camp managers. Despite the known importance of social capital for displaced people, researchers do not fully understand how it is fostered or inhibited by the design of a refugee camp. This research thus explores the following question: which salient infrastructure components and demographic characteristics in a refugee camp foster social capital? At a Greek refugee camp, researchers distributed 68 surveys to evaluate how salient infrastructure components in the camp environment affect bonding, bridging, and linking social capital. Salient infrastructure components represent, in this study, what the displaced persons identify as the most important infrastructure components in the camp environment. Linear regression is used to identify demographics (e.g., gender, nationality, age, asylum status, family status, and marital status) and salient infrastructure components (e.g., internal lighting and kitchen utensils) that influence bonding and bridging social capital. Interestingly, the research team found that demographics and salient infrastructure components had no relationship with linking social capital. This research proposes methods for policymakers and camp managers to identify the factors that drive the formation of social capital. Once these factors are identified, camp managers will be able to make targeted changes in the camp environment that could foster the formation of social capital.
- 1 May 2020
- Published by American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in Journal of Management in Engineering
- Vol. 36 (3)
Evaluating the Role of Infrastructure Components and Demographics on Social Capital in Refugee Camps
An important asset for displaced people residing in refugee camps is social capital. Social capital, which represents the social networks built among displaced people, the host community, and government actors, helps displaced people access services not adequately provided by camp managers. Despite the known importance of social capital for displaced people, researchers do not fully understand how it is fostered or inhibited by the design of a refugee camp. This research thus explores the following question: which salient infrastructure components and demographic characteristics in a refugee camp foster social capital? At a Greek refugee camp, researchers distributed 68 surveys to evaluate how salient infrastructure components in the camp environment affect bonding, bridging, and linking social capital. Salient infrastructure components represent, in this study, what the displaced persons identify as the most important infrastructure components in the camp environment. Linear regression is used to identify demographics (e.g., gender, nationality, age, asylum status, family status, and marital status) and salient infrastructure components (e.g., internal lighting and kitchen utensils) that influence bonding and bridging social capital. Interestingly, the research team found that demographics and salient infrastructure components had no relationship with linking social capital. This research proposes methods for policymakers and camp managers to identify the factors that drive the formation of social capital. Once these factors are identified, camp managers will be able to make targeted changes in the camp environment that could foster the formation of social capital.