World

Sustainability has become a central pillar of public policy and higher education, with university students playing a key role both as recipients of knowledge and as agents of change toward more responsible practices. Existing literature shows that students’ attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to sustainability are shaped by multiple explanatory factors; however, prior research has often addressed these factors in isolation, resulting in a fragmented understanding of how sustainability is constructed within the university context. Students’ engagement with sustainability emerges from the interaction of several interconnected dimensions, including conceptual clarity, everyday lifestyle practices, academic experiences, institutional environments, and sustainability-related training. This study provides a descriptive and exploratory empirical overview of the dimensions that shape university students’ understanding of sustainability, enabling the identification of patterns, trends, and key influences on attitudes, intentions, and sustainable behaviors. Data were collected from a sample of university students in Spain using a structured questionnaire designed to capture perceptions, behaviors, and experiences related to sustainability. The data were analyzed using quantitative descriptive techniques. The findings reveal distinct sustainability dimensions and highlight the interplay between conceptual understanding, educational experiences, institutional initiatives, and lifestyle practices in shaping students’ engagement with sustainability. By offering a comprehensive, non-manipulative empirical perspective, the study lays the groundwork for the development of more effective educational and university management strategies aimed at strengthening student commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals. Beyond its descriptive contribution, the study proposes an integrated conceptual model of sustainable education that brings together conceptual, attitudinal, educational, and institutional dimensions from the students’ perspective. This holistic framework provides actionable guidance for universities seeking to adapt curricula, pedagogical approaches, and institutional initiatives to foster more coherent, inclusive, and effective sustainability education.

This paper examines the critical role of youth engagement in building urban climate resilience in secondary cities of West Africa, with a specific focus on Bo City, Sierra Leone. As one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, Sierra Leone faces significant challenges exacerbated in urban environments where infrastructure gaps, rapid population growth, climate migration, and limited resources intersect with intensifying climate impacts (rising temperature, extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and socio-economic health impacts). We describe a pathway to invest in the adaptive capacity of this community by developing and implementing a Youth Climate Science Hub designed to inform and empower secondary school students as future climate leaders. Drawing on theories of social–ecological resilience and transformative education, we analyze how youth-centered approaches can bridge the knowledge–action gap in urban climate adaptation. The initiative represents an innovative practice-based example for building resilience in secondary cities expected to receive climate migrants while demonstrating the power of youth mobilization in creating locally appropriate climate solutions.

Visual Impression in Architectural Space (VIAS) plays a central role in user response to environments, yet designer-controlled spatial variables often produce uncertain perceptual outcomes across cultural contexts. This study develops a multi-modal framework integrating VIAS theory, spatial documentation, and sentiment-aware NLP to evaluate temporary event spaces. Using a monthly market in Matsue, Japan as a case study, we introduce (1) systematic documentation of controlled spatial variables (layout, visibility, advertising strategy, (2) culturally balanced datasets comprising native Japanese and international participants across onsite, video, and virtual interviews, and (3) an adaptive sentiment-weighted keyword extraction algorithm suppressing interviewer bias and verbosity imbalance. Results demonstrate systematic modality effects: onsite participants exhibit festive atmosphere bias (+18% positive sentiment vs. video), while remote modalities elicit balanced critique of signage clarity and missing amenities. Cross-linguistic analysis reveals native participants emphasize holistic atmosphere, whereas international participants identify discrete focal points. The adaptive algorithm reduces verbosity-driven score inflation by 45%, enabling fair cross-participant comparison. By integrating spatial variable documentation with sentiment-weighted linguistic patterns, this framework provides a replicable methodology for validating architectural intent through computational analysis, offering evidence-based guidance for inclusive event space design.