BUILDING DAMAGES - Building damages due to road and rail transport in Switzerland: Update of external costs in 2000
Overview
Background & policy context:
The Swiss Federal Office for Spatial Development is currently reconsidering all the external effects caused by road and rail traffic. The available data were partly based on relatively old calculations which are now brought up to date. Thus safety (accident costs), health costs and damage to buildings due to air pollution as well as noise costs are evaluated.
Objectives:
Air pollution (e.g. particulate matter) due to traffic causes different types of building damages:
- Effective renovation costs due to increased renovation work on locations exposed to heavy traffic volumes.
- Costs due to deterioration of facade conditions on and off locations exposed to heavy traffic volumes, without direct renovation impact. The resulting reduced lifespan will lead to additional capital costs.
- Increased cleaning expenses on locations exposed to heavy traffic volumes.
The study relates to costs of building facades. It does not include possible damages to art and architectural monuments. The aim of this study is to quantify these (external) costs relating to building damages due to traffic in Switzerland in 2000.
Methodology:
A.
Analysis of the empirical evidence: Analysis of an older study from 1992 by Wüest & Partner - literature evaluation - expert interviews - own in-depth data evaluations.
B.
Extrapolation for Switzerland: The empirically realisable basics can be used to extrapolate total costs in Switzerland. The procedure includes several steps:
- The quantity structure is based on the building database of Wüest & Partner. This database includes all building facade surfaces, differentiated according to important types of material and can be called a solid empirical foundation. The buildings are differentiated according to different spatial types to better account for exposure loads.
- The cost rates for the different types of work will be updated through interviews with experts. Component-specific cost for construction work, renovation and cleaning work by surface unit are its central aspect.
- Renovation costs on locations exposed to heavy traffic volume can be calculated based on in-creased renovation work (reduced renovation cycles), on facade surfaces exposed to heavy traffic volumes and on the cost rates of the renovation work. Cost will completely be allocated to transport.
- Increased capital costs due to reduced life spans of facade surfaces under the influence of pollutant exposure will be calculated on the basis of land registry data, on facade surfaces not exposed to heavy traffic volumes and on cost rates for the construction of facade components. These costs will be allocated to transport and other sources.
- Cleaning costs on locations exposed to heavy traffic will be extrapolated based on exposed win-dows and glass/metal facade surfaces and specific cleaning work costs.
- Allocation of damages to the different sources and transport means take place, as a first step, based on exposure shares differentiated according to space respectively agglomeration type and as a second step according to their share of PM10 emissions.
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