Fostering Sustainability and Resilience in Engineering Education and Practice: Lessons Learnt from the 2023 Kahramanmaras Earthquakes

Abstract

Sustainability involves continuously enhancing processes to yield long-term environmental, economic, and social benefits. The construction industry necessitates innovative and practical approaches in both education and construction practice to foster sustainable development. This study contributes to the discourse on sustainability in engineering education and construction practice by presenting the outcomes of the European-funded project CLOEMC VI-Common Learning Outcomes for European Managers in Construction. The main aim of this study is to investigate construction practices and civil engineering education from the perspective of sustainability considering the impact of earthquakes on the construction sector. This study incorporates insights from interviews conducted with construction professionals in the region affected by the February 2023 Kahramanmaras earthquakes in Turkey. The interviews examine reflections on building sustainable cities through earthquake-resilient practices. This study also conducts a questionnaire survey targeting academics in civil engineering departments in Turkey. The questionnaire survey evaluated the integration of sustainability and resilience into civil engineering curricula. The key contribution of this research lies in demonstrating how the manuals developed under the EU-funded project can be effectively integrated into engineering education and how insights from disaster-affected communities can inform a more robust framework for sustainability. This study provides valuable guidance for policymakers and researchers in developing strategies for implementing sustainability in engineering education and the construction industry, ultimately contributing to the advancement of sustainable development practices.