Journal Articles

Preventive Actions and Risk Culture Are Key Drinking Water Microbial Risk Management Indicators: Evidence from Canadian Stakeholders

Prakriti Sardana — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 18:12:29 +0000

Preventive Actions and Risk Culture Are Key Drinking Water Microbial Risk Management Indicators: Evidence from Canadian Stakeholders Prakriti Sardana Tue, 07/01/2025 - 12:12 Emma Wells , Amy Javernick-Will

Risk management systems are increasingly implemented by drinking water utilities to prevent contamination events. While some Canadian provinces have mandated these systems, evaluating their success remains challenging due to uncertainty about which indicators accurately reflect risk management effectiveness across different regulatory approaches. This study explores perceptions of appropriate risk management indicators through interviews with 21 drinking water regulators and utility staff from four Canadian provinces with varied regulations. Using inductive and deductive qualitative analysis, we found that regulatory compliance, while vital for public health protection, was universally perceived as an insufficient standalone indicator due to limited risk coverage and context-specificity. Respondents identified preventive measures in the themes of─risk assessment, control barriers, and preventive maintenance─as more accurate indicators because they demonstrate proactive identification and mitigation of potential risks. However, respondents emphasized that these indicators must be interpreted through the lens of utility motivation and risk culture. Crucially, understanding risk culture among frontline operational staff emerged as essential for discerning risk management quality, highlighting the importance of better supporting these personnel in their critical role of protecting public health.

Wells, E. F., Fuller, M., Javernick-Will, A. N., & Linden, K. G. (2025). Preventive Actions and Risk Culture Are Key Drinking Water Microbial Risk Management Indicators: Evidence from Canadian Stakeholders. ACS ES&T Water.

Wells, E. F., Fuller, M., Javernick-Will, A. N., & Linden, K. G. (2025). Preventive Actions and Risk Culture Are Key Drinking Water Microbial Risk Management Indicators: Evidence from Canadian Stakeholders. ACS ES&T Water.

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Post-disaster in-situ aid: factors associated with housing beneficiaries’ perceived long-term recovery

Prakriti Sardana — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 22:35:23 +0000

Post-disaster in-situ aid: factors associated with housing beneficiaries’ perceived long-term recovery Prakriti Sardana Thu, 06/19/2025 - 16:35 Ilham Siddiq , Amy Javernick-Will

Post-disaster economic recovery remains a critical yet understudied aspect of long-term resilience, particularly at the individual beneficiary level. This study investigates the factors that enabled perceived long-term economic recovery among beneficiaries of in-situ housing and livelihood assistance after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia. While prior research has examined macroeconomic recovery and short-term outcomes of assistance, little attention has been given to beneficiaries' subjective perceptions of their economic recovery. Using mixed methods, we analyzed survey data from 92 in-situ housing beneficiaries to assess the influence of housing assistance, livelihood support, and social capital on their perceived long-term economic recovery. Statistical models indicated that housing assistance modality, material type, and satisfaction at move-in can significantly shape economic recovery. Livelihood assistance effectiveness varies based on alignment with beneficiaries’ skills, with cash assistance offering greater flexibility for self-sustained recovery. Social capital emerges as a crucial driver of economic resilience, with strong intra- and inter-household connections positively associated with higher perceived recovery. Our findings highlight the importance of balanced beneficiary involvement in housing reconstruction, contextually appropriate and disaster-resilient livelihood support, and the preservation of social networks in enabling long-term economic recovery.

Siddiq, I., Javernick-Will, A., & Kelly, K. (2025). Post-disaster in-situ aid: factors associated with housing beneficiaries' perceived long-term recovery. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 105653. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105653

Siddiq, I., Javernick-Will, A., & Kelly, K. (2025). Post-disaster in-situ aid: factors associated with housing beneficiaries' perceived long-term recovery. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 105653.

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Homeowner Priorities for Sustainability and Fire Resilience When Rebuilding Homes after Wildfire

Prakriti Sardana — Sat, 26 Apr 2025 18:09:46 +0000

Homeowner Priorities for Sustainability and Fire Resilience When Rebuilding Homes after Wildfire Prakriti Sardana Sat, 04/26/2025 - 12:09 Noah Gershon , Amy Javernick-Will

After a disaster, homeowners’ rebuilding decisions can reshape the built environment to mitigate hazards and global climate effects. In this study, we explore homeowners’ rebuilding priorities of fire resilience and sustainability, and what influences these priorities. We base this exploration on surveys conducted with over 300 homeowners rebuilding after the 2021 Marshall Fire near Boulder, Colorado. To determine what supports and inhibits the adoption of household sustainability and fire resilience measures for homes, we statistically analyzed survey data on homeowner rebuilding priorities and factors influencing the rebuilding priorities of sustainability and fire resilience. We found that homeowners prioritized cost the most, followed by aesthetics and sustainability, with fire resilience also highly prioritized; those that prioritized sustainability also prioritized fire resilience. However, financial factors did not significantly predict the prioritization of sustainability and fire resilience. We also found that beliefs about climate change and political ideology predicted the prioritization of sustainability, and support for fire resilience policy predicted the prioritization of fire resilience. These results suggest that homeowners consider the priorities of fire resilience and sustainability as related and indicate synergies that could be exploited if the most highly prioritized rebuilding priorities are combined.

Gershon, N., Liel, A. B., Javernick-Will, A., Albright, E., & Dickinson, K. L. (2025). Homeowner Priorities for Sustainability and Fire Resilience When Rebuilding Homes after Wildfire. Natural Hazards Review, 26(3), 04025022. https://doi.org/10.1061/NhrefO.NHENG-2147

Gershon, N., Liel, A. B., Javernick-Will, A., Albright, E., & Dickinson, K. L. (2025). Homeowner Priorities for Sustainability and Fire Resilience When Rebuilding Homes after Wildfire. Natural Hazards Review, 26(3), 04025022.

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Facilitators and Barriers of Global Water Reuse: A Systematic Literature Review

Prakriti Sardana — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:55:46 +0000

Facilitators and Barriers of Global Water Reuse: A Systematic Literature Review Prakriti Sardana Wed, 12/25/2024 - 11:55 Prakriti Sardana , Amy Javernick-Will

Centralized municipal water reuse implementation, particularly potable reuse, remains slow despite the need in many global locations to supplement conventional water supplies. Analyzing factors associated with implementation can enhance our understanding of successful water reuse design and implementation. We conducted a systematic analysis of 232 peer-reviewed journal articles on water reuse implementation, identifying and classifying influential factors as facilitators or barriers to success. The most cited facilitators included clearly defined and feasible regulations, public education and awareness programs, and drought conditions. Next, we analyzed case-level data by examining the relationships between factors, implementation outcome, and end use (potable vs nonpotable). The literature enabled analysis of 47 cases with data from 44 articles. When analyzing factor co-occurrence within similar cases (e.g., successful nonpotable cases), several unique combinations of factors resulted in implementation success (e.g., fostering partnerships with the industrial/agricultural sectors and increasing organizational capacity by improving existing infrastructure). Our analysis highlights preliminary recommendations for implementation success, as well as for future research to systematically collect data across cases. These recommendations will help to better understand the relative importance of each factor and causal relationships between factors, to ultimately identify comprehensive strategies for successful implementation.

Sardana, P., Javernick-Will, A., & Cook, S. M. (2024). Facilitators and Barriers of Global Water Reuse: A Systematic Literature Review. ACS ES&T Water, 5(1), 3-19.

Sardana, P., Javernick-Will, A., & Cook, S. M. (2024). Facilitators and Barriers of Global Water Reuse: A Systematic Literature Review. ACS ES&T Water, 5(1), 3-19. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsestwater.4c00778

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Should I stay or should I go?: Reasons beneficiaries decide to stay or leave aid-provided in-situ housing

Prakriti Sardana — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 19:48:05 +0000

Should I stay or should I go?: Reasons beneficiaries decide to stay or leave aid-provided in-situ housing Prakriti Sardana Wed, 09/18/2024 - 13:48 Ilham Siddiq , Amy Javernick-Will

Providing in-situ housing after a disaster is thought to prevent issues resulting in housing inoccupancy. In-situ housing, or housing built at the original site, aims to retain beneficiary connection to people, place, and livelihoods, addressing many noted challenges of building at relocated sites. However, beneficiaries have left thousands of aid-provided in-situ houses in post-tsunami Aceh, Indonesia. This research conducted and analyzed questionnaires administered to beneficiaries that both stayed and left their provided in-situ housing almost two decades post-tsunami, exploring the reasons for their decisions. Results show that while place- and community-based reasons can be reasons to remain in in-situ housing, these can also cause beneficiaries to leave their housing due to place-based trauma and disrupted social capital due to loss. In addition, economic and personal conditions influence decisions to stay or leave. Economic conditions, including opportunities for education and more formal livelihoods, particularly for those that were younger, were stated as reasons beneficiaries left, whereas older beneficiaries with less education, more intact social capital, and livelihoods tied to the land, such as farming and fishing, tended to remain. These findings reinforce the importance of aligning post-disaster housing strategies with the lived dynamics of the affected individuals, emphasizing the need for solutions that not only address immediate housing concerns but also foster social and economic resilience to enable long-term housing occupancy.

Siddiq, I., & Javernick-Will, A. (2024). Should I stay or should I go?: Reasons beneficiaries decide to stay or leave aid-provided in-situ housing. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 106, 104454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104454

Siddiq, I., & Javernick-Will, A. (2024). Should I stay or should I go?: Reasons beneficiaries decide to stay or leave aid-provided in-situ housing. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 106, 104454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104454

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Post-Fire Jurisdictional Decision-Making for Resiliency and Sustainability Outcomes

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Post-Fire Jurisdictional Decision-Making for Resiliency and Sustainability Outcomes Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 10/25/2023 - 18:00 Megan Ellery , Amy Javernick-Will

The increasing frequency and size of wildfires across the U.S. motivates the growing need to identify how affected communities can rebuild sustainably and resiliently. This study examines the jurisdictional decision-making process surrounding one important class of sustainability and resiliency decisions, focusing on energy and wildfire building codes for housing reconstruction. Through 22 interviews with staff and elected officials in three jurisdictions impacted by Colorado's Marshall Fire, we identify factors influencing decisions. Code decisions varied across jurisdictions and, in some cases, building codes were relaxed, while in other cases, increased resiliency and sustainability standards were adopted after the fire. Jurisdictions with more experience had more certainty regarding code costs and effectiveness, leading to more stringent code adoption. Thus, findings encourage jurisdictions to create rebuilding plans pre-disaster to reduce the impact of uncertainty in post-disaster decision-making. The data also indicate that while local jurisdictions are well-suited to work cooperatively with homeowners impacted by disasters to return to the community, the state can play a role by informing or mandating disaster plans or establishing minimum code requirements.

Ellery, M., Javernick-Will, A., Liel, A., and K. Dickinson (2023). “Post-Fire Jurisdictional Decision-Making for Resiliency and Sustainability Outcomes”. Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability. 10.1088/2634-4505/ad02b8.

Ellery, M., Javernick-Will, A., Liel, A., and K. Dickinson (2023). Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability. 10.1088/2634-4505/ad02b8.

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Characterizing modern bathrooms to support sanitation adoption

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Characterizing modern bathrooms to support sanitation adoption Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/21/2023 - 18:00 Rebecca Ventura , Amy Javernick-Will

Sanitation programming success depends on users being satisfied with the proposed sanitation system and bathroom design. Past studies have described some households being dissatisfied with their current bathrooms and unwilling to accept a new bathroom because it is not modern; however, few studies have investigated how households define modern. To best support households in adopting improved sanitation infrastructure, or infrastructure that hygienically separates human waste from human contact, there is a need to understand characteristics associated with modern bathrooms and if modern encompasses more than the sanitation infrastructure. This study systematically identified characteristics associated with modern bathrooms across multiple sanitation infrastructure types. 305 households near Cascas, Peru, an area with diverse bathroom designs that have unimproved and improved sanitation infrastructure access, were surveyed to capture perceptions of modern. Results demonstrate that households often perceive a modern bathroom as one with a sitting-style toilet, a sink, and a shower. Most households did not associate sanitation infrastructure type with their definition of modern; however, all modern bathrooms had improved sanitation infrastructure. Future work should expand and test this definition of modern in other contexts to support future adoption of improved sanitation.

Ventura, R., Javernick-Will, A., and N. Gonzales. (2023). “Characterizing modern bathrooms to support sanitation adoption”. Journal of Water, Sanitation & Hygiene for Development. 10.2166/washdev.2023.034/97035.

Ventura, R., Javernick-Will, A., and N. Gonzales. (2023). Journal of Water, Sanitation & Hygiene for Development. 10.2166/washdev.2023.034/97035.

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Capacity-Building to Support Safer Housing through Appropriate Hurricane Strap Use

Anonymous — Wed, 31 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Capacity-Building to Support Safer Housing through Appropriate Hurricane Strap Use Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 05/30/2023 - 18:00 Briar Goldwyn , Amy Javernick-Will

Amid rising global disaster risks, governmental and nongovernmental organizations have called for increased technical assistance to build capacity within communities to build safer housing. However, limited research has evaluated these approaches to building technical construction capacity. This study discusses the process of collaboratively designing an approach to build construction capacity for safer housing, evaluating this process through measures of builders’ self-efficacy and knowledge of mitigation measure efficacy. The capacity-building focuses particularly on the appropriate use of hurricane straps in wood roof construction in Puerto Rico, which was identified as an area where engineering recommendations did not align with many builders’ perceptions of safety. Three phases were used to design, implement, and assess this capacity-building approach. First, we interviewed staff in local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to identify propositions for building technical construction capacity in Puerto Rico. We then used these propositions as a framework to design the capacity-building approach. Finally, we piloted and evaluated this approach with existing trainers and community members who are building and repairing housing in Puerto Rico, interviewing them after implementation to analyze shifts in self-efficacy and knowledge of mitigation measure efficacy. The results reveal interviewees’ increased perceived self-efficacy and knowledge of mitigation measure efficacy following capacity-building, leading them to express increased willingness to mitigate hurricane risks to housing with appropriately installed hurricane straps. Overall, this study provides evidence that centering people’s perspectives is needed in technical construction capacity-building to influence builders’ self-efficacy and knowledge of mitigation measure efficacy and promote safer housing construction and suggests an approach that can be used to center these perspectives.

Goldwyn, B., Velasquez, C., Liel, A., Javernick-Will, A., and M. Koschmann (2023). “Capacity-Building to Support Safer Housing through Appropriate Hurricane Strap Use” Natural Hazards Review. 10.1061/NhrefO.NHENG-170.

Goldwyn, B., Velasquez, C., Liel, A., Javernick-Will, A., and M. Koschmann (2023). Natural Hazards Review. 10.1061/NhrefO.NHENG-1708

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Advancing Sustainable Development: Emerging Factors and Futures for the Engineering Field

Anonymous — Thu, 11 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Advancing Sustainable Development: Emerging Factors and Futures for the Engineering Field Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/10/2023 - 18:00 Amy Javernick-Will , Emma Stine

This study set out to identify emerging trends in advancing engineering for sustainable development, supporting the engineering workforce to address wicked problems, and strengthening pathways between engineering education, industry, and policy. The following question guided this work: What are the emerging factors impacting the future of global sustainability efforts within engineering, and how can these be amplified to increase the impact of engineering for sustainable development? Using an adapted Delphi method with surveys, focus groups, and member-checking interviews, we hosted the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) 2022 Engineering Global Development (EGD) Stakeholder Summit. The summit convened industry leaders, innovators, and academics to explore emerging factors impacting the future of global sustainability efforts in engineering. This manuscript synthesizes emerging trends and proposes recommendations for engineering, particularly in the specific focus area of engineering for sustainable development (e.g., ‘humanitarian engineering’, ‘global engineering’). Critical recommendations include the adoption of emerging cultural mindsets, which include: (1) take an interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder approach, (2) consider dynamic and interconnected systems, (3) increase humility and intercultural competence, (4) prioritize diversity and inclusion, (5) increase localization and center community perspectives, (6) challenge the perception that engineering is neutral, and (7) broaden the goals of engineering. Ultimately, this study highlights pathways forward for the broader engineering community to more effectively contribute to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Burleson, G., Lajoie, J., Mabey, C., Sours, P., Ventrella, J., Peiffer, E., Stine, E., Stettler Kleine, M., MacDonald, L., Austin-Breneman, J., Javernick-Will, A., Winter, A., Lucena, J., Knight, D., Daniel, S., Thomas, E., Mattson, C., Aranda, I. (2023). “Advancing Sustainable Development: Emerging Factors and Futures for the Engineering Field”. Sustainability. 10.3390/su15107869.

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Study design and baseline to evaluate water service provision among peri-urban communities in Kasai Oriental, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Study design and baseline to evaluate water service provision among peri-urban communities in Kasai Oriental, Democratic Republic of the Congo Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/12/2023 - 18:00

We present a study design and baseline results to establish the impact of interventions on peri-urban water access, security and quality in Kasai Oriental province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In standard development practice, program performance is tracked via monitoring and evaluation frameworks of varying sophistication and rigor. Monitoring and evaluation, while usually occurring nearly concurrently with program delivery, may or may not measure parameters that can identify performance with respect to the project’s overall goals. Impact evaluations, often using tightly controlled trial designs and conducted over years, challenge iterative program evolution. This study will pilot an implementation science impact evaluation approach in the areas immediately surrounding 14 water service providers, at each surveying 100 randomly-selected households and conducting water quality assessments at 25 randomly-selected households and five water points every three months. We present preliminary point-of-collection and point-of-use baseline data. This study is utilizing a variety of short- and medium-term monitoring and impact evaluation methods to provide feedback at multiple points during the intervention. Rapid feedback monitoring will assess the continuity of water services, point-of-consumption and point-of-collection microbial water quality, household water security, household measures of health status, ability and willingness to pay for water and sanitation service provision, and service performance monitoring. Long-term evaluation will focus on the use of qualitative comparative analysis whereby we will investigate the combination of factors that lead to improved water access, security and quality.

Kirsch, K.*, Nagel, C., Iribagiza, C., Ecklu, J., Akonkwa Zawadi, G., Mugaruka Ntabaza, P., Barstow, C., Lund, A., Harper, J., Carlton, E., Javernick-Will, A., Linden, K., and E. Thomas, (2023). “Study design and baseline to evaluate water service provision among peri-urban communities in Kasai Oriental, Democratic Republic of the Congo”. PLOS One. 10.1371/journal.pone.0283019.

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