Sustainability

Recreational spaces in industrial parks are essential components of sustainable urban development, as they contribute to environmental quality, social well-being, and the transformation of production-oriented areas into livable urban environments. This study aims to develop a spatial attractiveness evaluation framework tailored to recreational spaces in industrial parks, to identify and compare the key factors influencing attractiveness across different recreational space types, and to reveal the functional complementarity and underlying mechanisms among these spaces. Taking Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) as a case study, a three-dimensional evaluation framework integrating spatial attributes, experiential perception, and place identity was constructed using GIS-based spatial analysis, questionnaire surveys, and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The spatial attractiveness of nature-dominated, mixed-type, and artificial-dominated recreational spaces was systematically evaluated and compared. The results show that experiential perception and place identity exert a stronger influence on spatial attractiveness than objective spatial attributes. Nature-dominated spaces primarily support ecological restoration and psychological recovery, mixed-type spaces facilitate diverse social and leisure activities, and artificial-dominated spaces are more suited to short-duration, high-frequency use, demonstrating clear functional complementarity. These findings highlight the necessity of type-specific strategies for enhancing recreational spaces in industrial parks and emphasize their role in supporting environmentally, socially, and functionally sustainable urban development. The proposed framework provides a transferable approach for evaluating and optimizing recreational spaces in other functionally mixed urban contexts.

Although product returns present significant challenges for retailers, the service recovery paradox suggests they can also generate value. When return services are managed effectively, they can offset initial customer dissatisfaction and increase repurchase likelihood beyond what would occur without a return. However, prior research often treats returns as homogeneous, overlooking how different return types trigger distinct customer responses. Using transaction-level data from 27,178 orders at a major U.S. online apparel retailer between 2016 and 2019, this study investigates how customer-reported return reasons influence subsequent repurchase behavior. Return reasons are categorized by locus of responsibility—customer-, retailer-, or intermediary-attributed—and analyzed using logistic regression. The findings reveal substantial heterogeneity in post-return outcomes: customer-attributed returns are positively associated with repurchase, retailer-attributed returns are negatively associated, and intermediary-attributed returns show no significant effect. By demonstrating that return recovery effects depend on attribution, this study provides both theoretical insights and practical guidance for managing returns in a sustainable manner that enhances customer retention, improves operational efficiency, and strengthens the long-term sustainability of retail return management systems.

The transition toward sustainable energy systems necessitates innovative solutions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions while improving fuel efficiency in existing combustion technologies. Hydrogen has emerged as a promising clean energy carrier; however, its widespread deployment is limited by challenges associated with large-scale transportation and storage. This study investigates a practical alternative in which hydrogen-rich syngas produced via steam methane reforming (SMR) is directly integrated into the diesel engine intake, thereby eliminating the need for fuel transport, storage, and separation while supporting a more sustainable fuel pathway. A validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to examine the effects of varying SMR gas mixture ratios (0–20%) on engine combustion, performance, and emissions. The findings reveal that increasing the SMR fraction enhances in-cylinder pressure by up to 15.7%, heat release rate by 100%, and engine power output by 102.5% compared to conventional diesel operation. Additionally, under SMR20 conditions, CO₂ emissions are reduced by approximately 12%, demonstrating the potential contribution of this approach to decarbonization and climate mitigation efforts. However, the rise in in-cylinder temperatures was found to increase NO_x formation, indicating the necessity for complementary emission control strategies. Overall, the results suggest that direct SMR syngas integration offers a promising pathway to improve the environmental and performance characteristics of conventional diesel engines while supporting cleaner energy transitions.