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Developing a Framework for Post-Demolition Material Flow Analysis in Urban Residential Buildings
Book chapter

Developing a Framework for Post-Demolition Material Flow Analysis in Urban Residential Buildings

Cagla Keles, Simi T Hoque and Fernanda Cruz Rios
AEI 2025: Delivering Future Ready Buildings—An Integrated Approach, pp 311-322
19 Feb 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784486610.027

Abstract

Current estimates indicate that urban populations will comprise 68% of the global total by 2050, intensifying demand for limited ecological resources and materials to support this growth. The building sector in urban areas is the primary consumer of raw materials and generator of waste from construction and demolition activities. This global increase in material utilization and waste production correlates with escalating environmental impacts, including carbon emissions. As operational carbon emissions decrease due to extensive research and innovation toward Net-Zero buildings, embodied carbon from material extraction, transportation, construction, maintenance, and end of life is becoming an increasingly significant proportion of buildings’ total life cycle carbon emissions. CE strategies, including reuse, repair, repurposing, remanufacturing, and recycling of building materials, can potentially mitigate embodied carbon emissions and promote sustainable management of construction, renovation, and demolition waste. However, there is a lack of reliable data regarding post-demolition material information in the United States. This study aims to develop a methodology for collecting data on material flows from demolished residential buildings in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, starting at a neighborhood scale. We first used publicly available resources to identify the building envelope materials of demolished residential buildings. Then, we combined photogrammetry and GIS-based spatial analysis to develop an archetype-based bottom-up model to quantify the mass of materials generated from building demolitions. The scope of this study is centered around residential single-family, multi-family, and commercial mixed-use buildings that were demolished between 2007 and 2024 in the neighborhood of Fishtown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In this paper, we present our methodology and preliminary results for three building archetypes. The methodology represents a scientific contribution to the field of material stocks and flows analyses and can be adapted to other neighborhoods and cities. Findings from this study can inform policymakers when making decisions about CE policies in cities.

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