Digital transformation powered by Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping renovation practices by addressing persistent challenges such as fragmented records, scheduling disruptions, regulatory delays, and inefficiencies in stakeholder coordination. This study explores the integration of these technologies through a case study of a Catholic church renovation (2022–2023) in Hong Kong, supplemented by insights from 10 comparable projects. The research proposes a practical framework for incorporating digital tools into renovation workflows that focuses on diagnosing challenges, defining objectives, selecting appropriate BIM/AI tools, designing an integrated system, and combining implementation, monitoring, and scaling into a cohesive iterative process. Key technologies include centralized BIM repositories, machine learning-based predictive analytics, Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, and robotic process automation (RPA). The findings show that these tools significantly improve data organization, proactive planning, regulatory compliance, stakeholder collaboration, and overall project efficiency. While qualitative in nature, this study offers globally relevant insights and actionable strategies for advancing digital transformation in renovation practices, with a focus on scalability, continuous improvement, and alignment with regulatory frameworks.

The rapid growth of Australia’s hydrogen economy highlights the pressing need for innovative regulatory strategies that address the distinct characteristics of hydrogen supply chains. This study focuses on the supply-side dynamics of the hydrogen energy sector, emphasizing the importance of tailored frameworks to ensure the safe, efficient, and reliable movement of hydrogen across the supply chain. Key areas of analysis include the regulatory challenges associated with various transportation and storage methods, particularly during long-distance transport and extended storage periods. The research identifies notable gaps and inconsistencies within the current regulatory systems across Australian states, which inhibit the development of a unified hydrogen economy. To address these challenges, the concept of Proactive Regulation for Hydrogen Supply (PRHS) is introduced. PRHS emphasizes anticipatory governance that adapts alongside technological advancements to effectively manage hydrogen transportation and storage. The study advocates for harmonizing fragmented state frameworks into a cohesive national regulatory system to support the sustainable and scalable expansion of hydrogen logistics. Furthermore, the paper examines the potential of blockchain technology to enhance safety, accountability, and traceability across the hydrogen supply chain, offering practical solutions to current regulatory and operational barriers.

This paper introduces the concept of sustainable transport and development partnership (STDP), a holistic approach integrating transit-oriented development (TOD), public–private partnership (PPP) and green building practices to address high carbon emissions from the building sector. Focusing on Hobart, Australia, the study explores the city’s urban context and potential for STDP implementation, proposing a comprehensive framework that incorporates green building practices across six key dimensions. Through in-depth interviews with PPP experts and on-site observations, the research identifies key transport challenges in Hobart, analyzes their interrelationship with potential STDP initiatives and proposes a set of STDP metrics to evaluate their efficacy. The findings contribute to the discourse on sustainable urban development, offering practical insights for policymakers, developers and researchers and providing a valuable reference for regional cities globally seeking to implement effective and sustainable STDP strategies, ultimately enhancing urban growth and reducing carbon emissions.

Road transport systems are central to sustainable mobility and the energy transition because they account for a large share of final energy use and remain heavily dependent on fossil fuels. With more than 90% of transport energy still supplied by petroleum-based fuels, improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions in road networks has become a strategic priority. This review compares Australia, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom to examine how road-design standards and emerging digital technologies can improve energy performance across planning, design, operations, and maintenance. Using Australia’s Austroads Guide to Road Design, Hong Kong’s Transport Planning and Design Manual (TPDM), and the UK’s Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) as core reference frameworks, we apply a rubric-based document analysis that codes provisions by mechanism type (direct, indirect, or emergent), life-cycle stage, and energy relevance. The findings show that energy-relevant outcomes are embedded through different pathways: TPDM most strongly supports urban operational efficiency via coordinated/adaptive signal control and public-transport prioritization; DMRB emphasizes strategic-network flow stability and whole-life carbon governance through managed motorway operations and life-cycle assessment requirements; and Austroads provides context-sensitive, performance-based guidance that supports smoother operations and active travel, with implementation varying by jurisdiction. Building on these results, the paper proposes an AI-enabled benchmarking overlay that links manual provisions to comparable energy and carbon indicators to support cross-jurisdictional learning, investment prioritization, and future manual revisions toward safer, more efficient, and low-carbon road transport systems.

Residential valuation under the comparison principle requires systematic adjustment for material differences between comparable units. In high-density, high-rise housing markets, however, visual amenities such as harbour and skyline views are often treated qualitatively or implicitly embedded in comparable evidence, reducing transparency and auditability. This study examines whether view quality is systematically capitalized into transaction prices in Hong Kong and whether such premiums vary across market conditions. Using 352 secondary market transactions from six prime high-rise estates (2015–2024), we estimate hedonic models with the logarithm of price per saleable area as the dependent variable. View quality is specified as an ordered categorical variable (nil, partial, full), constructed from listing descriptions and cross-validated using map and street-view evidence. Controlling for floor level, estate age, monthly market movements proxied by the Centa-City Index (CCI), and estate fixed effects, the pooled estimates indicate that partial views command an approximate 11% premium and full views an approximate 22% premium relative to nil view, with a clear incremental premium for full over partial views. Split-sample estimation using GDP-defined regimes reveals partial state dependence: full view premiums remain economically meaningful across market conditions, whereas partial view effects become less precisely identified during weaker periods. The findings demonstrate that view quality is a material and systematically priced attribute in Hong Kong’s vertically differentiated housing market. By providing transparent percentage-based adjustment benchmarks grounded in within-estate variation, the study enhances the consistency, transparency, and evidential rigor of comparable-based valuation practice.

Achieving long-term urban sustainability requires energy subsidy frameworks that evolve with changing technological conditions and system needs. Renewable energy subsidy regimes have played a decisive role in accelerating building-integrated solar photovoltaic deployment, but many were designed for an earlier expansion phase focused mainly on increasing generation capacity and reducing technology costs. As electricity systems move toward an integration phase characterized by higher renewable penetration, flexibility constraints, storage needs, and cross-sectoral coordination, generation-centric subsidy architectures may become increasingly misaligned with system-level requirements. This study conducts a structured comparative analysis of subsidy design in Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland, and Australia, examining legal foundations, target scope, incentive structures, and technology orientation across expansion and integration phases. Despite major differences in governance systems and market organization, the findings show a common pattern: Principal subsidy instruments remain anchored in output-based performance metrics, while storage, hydrogen, and hybrid technologies are generally supported through supplementary rather than core mechanisms. The study argues that this policy layering may limit technological inclusiveness and reduce alignment between subsidy design and evolving system needs. It therefore proposes a system-value-oriented comparative framework for subsidy redesign that recognizes flexibility, reliability, and integrated clean energy performance in the built environment.