Search Results (129)

Rural community development in China has made progress under the rapid implementation of the rural revitalization strategy; however, it has also revealed challenges such as an overemphasis on spatial construction, severe homogenization, and low sustainability. Existing research on rural community development lacks sufficient localized experience, and there is a limited understanding of how the development process is generated, maintained, and evolved. This study examines Xiongfan Village in Dawu County, Hubei Province, using an innovative methodological integration of Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and Social Network Analysis (SNA). This mixed-methods approach qualitatively traces the formation of networks involving both human and non-human actors, while quantitatively mapping the collaborative structure among human actors. Qualitative analysis of actor networks identifies both human actors (such as government departments, enterprises, social organizations, and villagers) and non-human actors (such as natural and cultural landscapes) as key participants. Through processes like recruitment, mobilization, and dispute resolution, various actors have formed interest alliances centered around the core issue of “revitalizing and sustainably developing rural community resources.” Quantitative social network analysis reveals a “core-periphery” structure, with government departments and social organizations occupying central roles, while business institutions and community villagers are positioned at the periphery. This distribution contrasts with the overarching goal of community development, which seeks to enhance villagers′ intrinsic motivation. The study suggests that rural community development in this area can be improved by diversifying co-construction forms, restructuring core groups, and empowering peripheral actors. These measures will facilitate a shift from single-space development to enhanced community capacity-building, ultimately promoting sustainable rural development. Full article

This paper critically examines the role of the concepts of agency and advocacy within contemporary social work, with specific reference to the integrated promotion of environmental justice. Agency is interpreted as a processual and relational dimension of human action, which social work professionals are called upon to recognize, support, and enhance within pathways of individual and collective empowerment. Advocacy is understood as a transformative practice oriented toward structural change. It activates spaces of mediation between community demands and institutional decision-making systems, particularly in contexts marked by environmental inequalities. Building on this theoretical framework, the paper addresses the following research question: How can social work help construct effective territorial alliances to counteract environmental injustices affecting vulnerable populations? To answer this, we developed a qualitative, two-phase study. It involved narrative interviews with Italian social workers and a participatory training and research program, organized with the Professional Association of Social Workers of the Veneto Region (Italy). The eco-social approach served as a key interpretative tool for integrating environmental and social justice dimensions. Full article

Ensuring accessibility in urban public spaces is a key challenge for contemporary cities, particularly in the context of ageing populations, socio-spatial inequalities, and the global call for inclusive urban development. Despite its importance, accessibility is often treated as a cross-cutting issue rather than as a central objective in planning practice. This study examines how accessibility can be addressed in participatory urban public space design through a geodesign workshop conducted with architecture students from the University of Alicante. Focusing on the area along Line 2 of the TRAM light-rail network in Alicante, Spain, the workshop applied the geodesign framework in four iterative phases: system analysis, stakeholder role-play, design negotiation, and consensus building. The workshop participants represented six stakeholder groups with varying objectives and priorities, proposing micro-interventions in vulnerable urban areas aimed at improving walkability, surface conditions, and access to services. The role-play phase highlighted contrasting views on accessibility, particularly emphasised by groups representing older adults and people with disabilities. Negotiation revealed both alliances and tensions, while the final consensus reflected a moderate but meaningful inclusion of wide accessibility concerns. The resulting proposals showed spatial awareness of socio-territorial inequalities. The findings suggest that geodesign fosters critical thinking, collaboration, and empathy in future urban professionals; however, challenges persist regarding inclusivity, contextual adaptation, and integration into practice. Future work should explore long-term impacts and co-creation of accessibility standards. Full article

The Battle of Rhode Island in 1778 was an important event in the revolutionary war leading to the international recognition of U.S. American independence following the 1776 declaration. It culminated in a month-long campaign against British forces occupying Aquidneck Island, serving as the first combined operation of the newly formed Franco-American alliance. The military fortification at Butts Hill in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, served as a strategic point during the conflict and remains well-conserved today. While LiDAR has assisted in the geospatial surface reconstruction of the site’s earthwork fortifications, it is unknown whether other historically documented buildings within the fort remain preserved underground. We therefore conducted a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey to ascertain the presence or absence of architectural features, hypothesizing that GPR imaging could reveal structural remnants from the military barracks constructed in 1777. To test this hypothesis, we used public satellite and LiDAR imagery alongside historical maps to target the location of the historical barracks, creating a grid to survey the area with a GPR module in 0.5 m transects. Our results, superimposing remote sensing imagery with historical maps, indicate that the remains of a barracks building are likely present between circa 5–50 cm beneath today’s surface, warranting future investigations. Full article

As climate change increasingly challenges corporate operations and sustainable development, the role of strategic alliances in managing environmental risks requires critical reassessment. While prior research highlights their benefits for innovation and performance, potential adverse consequences in the face of climate risks remain underexplored. Using panel data of Chinese A-share listed firms from 2010 to 2023, this study applies econometric models to evaluate the impact of strategic alliances on firms’ climate risk exposure. The findings show that strategic alliances significantly weaken firms’ resilience to climate risks by diverting executive attention from environmental issues, constraining sustainability capacity building, and reducing sensitivity to supply chain risks. These adverse effects are more pronounced for firms with poor carbon performance and lower firm value. Moreover, compared with contractual alliances, equity-based alliances create deeper binding and reduce flexibility in responding to climate change. The study contributes to theory and practice by suggesting that firms should optimize alliance structures, increase partner heterogeneity, and enhance executive awareness of climate risks to improve resilience in the context of climate governance. Full article

Global Value Chains (GVCs) have driven the worldwide dispersion of manufacturing but remain highly vulnerable to macro-level shocks, including financial crises, geopolitical tensions, and the COVID-19 pandemic. These shocks expose manufacturing supply chains (MSCs) to systemic risks, but limited research has explored how GVC reconfiguration mediates their impact on manufacturing supply chain resilience (MSCR). To address this gap, this study conducts an enhanced bibliometric–systematic literature review (B-SLR) of 120 peer-reviewed articles. The findings reveal that macro-level shocks induce GVC reconfigurations along geographical, value, and governance dimensions, which in turn trigger MSCR through node- and link-level mechanisms. MSCR represents a manufacturer-centered capability that enables MSCs to preserve, realign, and enhance value amid shocks. Building on these insights, this research proposes a multi-tier strategy encompassing firm-level practices, inter-firm collaborations, and policy interventions. This study outlines three key contributions. First, at the theoretical level, it embeds MSCR within a GVC framework, clarifying how GVC reconfiguration mediates SCR under macro-level shocks. Second, at the methodological level, it ensures corpus completeness through snowballing and refines bibliometric mapping with multi-dimensional visualization. Third, at the managerial level, it provides actionable guidance for firms, industry alliances, and policymakers to align MSCR strategies with the dynamics of global production networks. Full article

The 4th and 5th centuries marked a pivotal phase in the development of the Goguryeo regime. Its tomb murals epitomize the visual strategies of state-building, serving to establish a “sacred theater” of power. Taking Tomb No. 4 of the Wukui complex as a case in point, the murals reveal localized adaptations of the Fuxi–Nüwa imagery, blending the Central Plains’ sun-deity worship with Goguryeo’s ancestral mythology through the symbol of the sun-centered Three-Legged Crow, thereby legitimizing the sacred lineage of royal authority. The function of the Four Symbols (Sishen) imagery evolved from mere directional markers into guardians of sovereignty, reflecting deeper cultural transformations. The diachronic evolution of mural themes traces the trajectory of political change: in the 4th century, murals centered on wrestling and banqueting scenes, reinforcing ethnic identity and consolidating tribal alliances through ritualized displays of strength and hierarchical banquet etiquette. By the 5th century, the themes shifted to hunting, processions, and Buddhist rituals, where military metaphors and ceremonial norms underscored the rise of a centralized bureaucratic system and the imperatives of territorial expansion. Through three interlocking mechanisms—symbolic reconfiguration, spatial narrative, and sensory manipulation—Goguryeo tomb murals constructed a closed value system linking worldly authority to posthumous order, serving as material testimony to the enduring “covenant between humans and deities.” Full article

The Building Houses on Rented Land Model (BHRLM) was a pivotal land development model that drove Shanghai’s urbanization in the early modern era. This research examines the spatial generative mechanism of the Prepaid Building Houses on Rented Land Model (PBHRLM), prevalent during 1938–1941. It reveals how the wartime economic environment enabled interest alliances constituted with developers, landowners, and tenants to stimulate urban spatial growth. Firstly, we aim to analyze the features of architectural types linked to the PBHRLM using data-driven methods. Secondly, we aim to apply financial capital theory to investigate the innovations of financing methods. Finally, we draw on speculation theory to establish connections between the features of architectural types and the innovations of financing methods. The results include the following: (1) The PBHRLM’s dominant architectural types—new-styled lane houses, semi-shikumen lane houses, and garden houses—shared low-rise, high-density spatial features. (2) The PBHRLM’s innovations of financing methods lie in its convergence of financing and profitability, reflecting developers’ speculative intent. The research concludes that the PBHRLM operated as a spatial actuarial practice. Through risk games, the developers utilized the model to liberate land development from the control of financial capital and achieved multi-stakeholder synergy, generating small-scale, dispersed land development patterns. At the same time, surging housing demand thus perpetuated architectural types catering to the middle class with low-rise, low-tech tectonics and independent dwelling styles that continued to densely populate Shanghai concessions. Full article

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping global healthcare systems by offering innovative solutions to improve diagnostic accuracy, optimize treatment planning, and enhance public health management. This article provides a structured perspective on the role of international partnerships in accelerating the adoption of AI-driven healthcare, with a focus on advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being). Drawing on representative global initiatives, the paper explores best practices in technology transfer, ethical data sharing, and capacity building—key enablers for inclusive and equitable AI healthcare adoption. It further analyzes common challenges such as digital infrastructure gaps, regulatory fragmentation, and global inequities in data and talent. Through a synthesis of recent collaborations and policy frameworks, this article offers actionable insights for fostering global alliances that bridge innovation with healthcare accessibility. Full article

The successful deployment of sustainable building construction (SBC) is connected to sound knowledge sharing. Concerning SBC, knowledge sharing has been identified to directly and indirectly increase innovation, environmental performance, cost saving, regulatory compliance awareness and so on. The necessity of enhancing SBC practice globally has been emphasised by earlier research. Consequently, this study aims to investigate knowledge-sharing elements to enhance SBC in South Africa (SA). Utilising a questionnaire survey, this study elicited data from 281 professionals in the built environment. Data analysis was performed with “descriptive statistics”, the “Kruskal–Wallis H-test”, and “principal component analysis” to determine the principal knowledge-sharing features (KSFs). This study found that “creating public awareness of sustainable practices”, the “content of SBC training, raising awareness of green building products”, “SBC integration in professional certifications”, an “information hub or repository for sustainable construction”, and “mentoring younger professionals in sustainable practices” are the most critical KSFs for SBC deployment. These formed a central cluster, the Green Education Initiative and Eco-Awareness Alliance. The results achieved a reliability test value of 0.956. It was concluded that to embrace the full adoption of SBC, corporate involvement is critical, and all stakeholders must embrace the sustainability paradigm. It is recommended that the principal knowledge-sharing features revealed in this study should be carefully considered to help construction stakeholders in fostering knowledge sharing for a sustainable built environment. Full article

The current study investigates effects from a non-formal coach education program based on mentorship on the coach–athlete working alliance (CAWA), perceived coach performance (PCP), coaches’ perceptions of self (CPS), and social resources in sport (SRS). Fifty-four elite coaches from a variety of sports who participated in a non-formal coach education program based on mentorship over a period of 18 months, and 21 coaches from a control group, completed data collection at both the pre- and post-test. The results from regression analyses show that the group variable significantly explained the variance in the PCP and SRS at the post-test, whereas the group variable did not significantly explain any variance in CAWA and CPS at the post-test. Thus, the results in the current study indicate positive results from the coach education program on PCP and SRS. The current results are discussed based on the effect mentorship might have on coaches’ self-reflections based on their own experiences, and the importance of building social networks among their peer coaches. Full article

Amidst global efforts toward sustainable development, this research addresses underexplored academic dimensions by evaluating the transformative potential of intelligent, sustainable architecture. Employing bibliometric techniques and Citespace 6.4.R1, we analyze two decades (2005–2024) of the Web of Science literature to identify patterns and challenges. Findings demonstrate rising scholarly output, dominated by themes like energy-efficient design, Building Information Modeling integration, and circular economy principles in urban contexts. While Europe and North America lead research activity, systemic limitations persist—including duplicated methodologies, fragmented institutional networks, and incompatible smart technologies. This study advocates for three strategic priorities: fostering interdisciplinary innovation to break homogeneity, establishing cross-sector collaboration frameworks, and accelerating industry–academia knowledge transfer. Intelligent, sustainable architecture emerges as a dual solution—technologically enabling carbon-neutral construction practices while redefining human-centric spatial quality. This dual advantage positions the International Sustainability Alliance as critical infrastructure for achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals, reconciling ecological responsibility with evolving societal demands for resilient, adaptive built environments. Full article

The current article seeks to understand, and critically analyze the implications of, how youth custody workers understand the relationship between sport, physical activity, and health among youth who are incarcerated. Data was collected through surveys (n = 15) and semi-structured interviews (n = 16) with youth custody workers in Ontario, Canada. We present and analyze three themes emerging from participants’ narratives: the potential for sport and physical activity to contribute, in a holistic way, to the physical, mental, and social health of youth who are incarcerated; the possibility for sport and physical activity to create space for building “therapeutic alliances” between staff and youth, which can improve the mental and social health of youth who are incarcerated; and perceptions of health deficits among youth who are incarcerated and their implications for social inequality. Through an analysis of these themes, we deepen the limited scholarly analysis of sport, physical activity, and health among young persons who are incarcerated and connect these discussions to broader considerations of social determinants of health (that is, structural and social factors that create health inequities) as a matter of social justice. Full article

The built environment plays a critical role in achieving climate neutrality, yet the construction sector continues to contribute significantly to carbon emissions and resource depletion. This study evaluates the experimental phase of the New European Bauhaus Academy (NEBA) Alliance pilot project, which aims to support sustainable transformation in the built environment through the integration of circular economy principles, adaptive reuse, and nature-based solutions. Conducted at the Lodz University of Technology, the pilot study involved interdisciplinary modules combining Building Information Modeling (BIM), urban regeneration strategies, and sustainable material use. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including structured surveys and qualitative analysis of student projects, to assess the effectiveness of these interventions. The results indicate that the pilot project successfully enhanced the participants’ understanding of sustainable design practices and their application in real-world architectural and urban contexts. Participants demonstrated increased competence in using digital tools for low-carbon design and in proposing regenerative solutions for existing urban fabric. The findings suggest that targeted, design-led initiatives can contribute meaningfully to the transformation of the built environment, aligning with the goals of the European Green Deal and the New European Bauhaus. This study offers a replicable model for embedding sustainability into professional practice through applied, context-sensitive strategies. Full article

In today’s rapidly evolving global landscape, the need to cultivate innovation-ready, globally competent talent has become a strategic imperative. This study critically investigates how sustainable open innovation strategies—particularly within non-profit organizations and university alliances—can serve as a catalyst for global talent development. Responding to the growing demand for interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral collaboration, the research employs a robust mixed-methods approach, integrating the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) to evaluate and prioritize key strategic factors. The findings reveal that initiatives such as international internship programs, operational funding mechanisms, joint research ventures, and technology transfer are essential drivers in creating environments that nurture and scale global talent. Building on these insights, this study introduces a structured, sustainable innovation model that categorizes strategies into three tiers—collaborative, interactive, and foundational service-oriented actions—providing a practical roadmap for resource optimization and strategic planning. More than a theoretical exercise, this research offers actionable guidance for non-profit leaders, academic administrators, and corporate partners. It highlights the reciprocal value of multi-sector collaboration and contributes to a broader understanding of how mission-driven innovation ecosystems can foster resilient, future-ready workforces. By positioning non-profit–academic partnerships at the center of global talent strategies, the study sets a foundation for rethinking how institutions can co-create value in addressing pressing global challenges. Full article