This course introduces key concepts, definitions, and performance metrics for evaluating and improving pavement systems from a life-cycle perspective. It emphasizes energy efficiency, responsible material use, and long-term performance across all stages of the pavement life cycle, from material production and construction to maintenance, rehabilitation, and end-of-life.

Course participants will explore strategies tailored to different project contexts, agency priorities, and performance objectives, with attention to how design and maintenance decisions influence resource consumption and operational efficiency over time. The course also examines economic and social considerations that inform practical decision-making.

Emerging tools, data frameworks, and evolving policies will be reviewed, along with methods to critically assess whether proposed innovations are likely to deliver measurable improvements in resource efficiency and overall system performance. 

Additional course detail is provided in the sections below.

• Course Topics
  • Sustainability: What is it and why should we care?
  • Pavement life cycle and life cycle thinking
  • Strategies for Improving Energy and Resource Efficiency Across the Life Cycle
  • Economic and Social Dimensions in Decision-Making
  • Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
  • LCA development and where it can be used
  • LCA examples comparing alternative strategies for informed decision making
  • Demonstration of Environmental LCA for Pavements (eLCAP)
  • Environmental Product Declarations (EPD)
  • Assessment of proposed "green" technologies
  • Prioritization of strategies using LCA and LCCA
  • Multicriteria Decision Analysis
• Course Outline

  Session 1:

  • Definitions, issues, metrics of sustainability
  • Impacts of the pavement life cycle on the environment and finite resource use
  • Basics of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
  • How LCA is being used now, and expected further tools
  • Pavement life cycle and life cycle thinking and how to use now
  • Overview of social and financial sustainability indicators and approaches for qualitative and quantitative consideration
  • Summary and questions 

  Session 2:

  • Specific considerations and strategies for local government for improving environmental sustainability in each stage of the pavement life cycle
  • Use of LCA and life cycle cost information to help quantify and prioritize alternative approaches to improve sustainability
  • Expected trends in improving the sustainability of pavement
  • Questions and discussion
• What you will learn
  • How pavement contributes to environmental impacts and finite resource use and magnitudes of contributions
  • How those impacts differ for different contexts
  • What life cycle thinking involves
  • How life cycle assessment (LCA) works to define systems and life cycles and quantify impacts
  • International, federal, state, local, and industry initiatives for using LCA
  • Brief overview of how social and financial sustainability indicators and approaches can be considered with environmental impacts to support decision making
  • Practical approaches to improve performance and resource efficiency through design, material, and construction specifications, procurement methods, pavement management, and maintenance and rehabilitation tailored to different project contexts and agency objectives
  • Use of LCA and life cycle cost analysis to help evaluate and prioritize alternative strategies, and how to do this in a simple way with available resources
  • What are the expected near-term actions by agencies and industry to advance life cycle-based decision-making, improve energy efficiency, and support more responsible resource use in pavement systems
• Who should attend

  Anyone involved in:

  • Pavement engineering, specifications, construction management
  • Pavement management
  • Civil infrastructure materials procurement
  • Policy and planning for streets, roads, active transportation
  • Sustainability planning and policy in any area
• Course Prerequisites

  [no prerequisites identified]

   

• Course Instructors

  Ali Butt, PhD, Associate Project Scientist, Pavement Research Center, UC Davis

  Dr. Ali Butt is an Associate Project Scientist working at the University of California Pavement Research Center, UC Davis. Currently, he is doing research and project managing number of federal and state funded sustainable transport infrastructures projects.

  Some of the projects include pavement structural responsiveness; development of transport infrastructures life cycle assessment (LCA) guidelines, frameworks and tools; development of LCA frameworks for complete streets and urban metabolism; and several others. Dr. Ali Butt acquired BE degree in Civil Engineering from National University of Sciences and Technology (Pakistan) and, MSc and PhD from KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden).

• Registration Information

  Registration for this course occurs at the TechTransfer training host site. Use the button to the right to directly access the course page and registration portal. You will be asked to create a user account as part of the registration process.

  A confirmation email will be sent to you within two business days of TechTransfer receiving your paid registration.

  If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the TechTransfer Registrar at (510) 643-4393 or registrar@techtransfer.berkeley.edu.

• For more information

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  Cancellation Policy:

  The cancellation fee for this course is $75. At TechTransfer, there are no refunds for classes with registration fees of $75 or less. For all other classes, you may cancel your enrollment and receive a refund of your registration fee less $75, provided they receive your written request to cancel at least 5 full working days before the class is scheduled to begin. In lieu of canceling your registration, you may (1) transfer your registration to another TechTransfer class, (2) receive a tuition credit for the full amount, useable toward a future class, or (3) send a substitute in your place.

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