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Hyperloop ultra-high-speed transport presents a transformative opportunity for future mobility systems in smart cities. However, assessing its socio-economic impact remains challenging due to Hyperloop’s unique technological, modal, and operational characteristics. As a novel, fifth mode of transportation—distinct from both aviation and rail—Hyperloop requires tailored evaluation tools for policymakers. This study proposes a custom-designed framework to quantify its macroeconomic effects through changes in gross domestic product (GDP) at the city level. Unlike traditional economic models, the proposed approach is specifically adapted to Hyperloop’s multimodality, infrastructure, speed profile, and digital-green footprint. A Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood (PPML) model is developed and applied at two technology readiness levels (TRL-6 and TRL-9). Case studies of Glasgow, Berlin, and Busan are used to simulate impacts based on geo-spatial features and city-specific trade and accessibility indicators. Results indicate substantial GDP increases driven by factors such as expanded 60 min commute catchment zones, improved trade flows, and connectivity node density. For instance, under TRL-9 conditions, GDP uplift reaches over 260% in certain scenarios. The framework offers a scalable, reproducible tool for policymakers and urban planners to evaluate the economic potential of Hyperloop within the context of sustainable smart city development. Full article

Wellington, New Zealand, is highly vulnerable to disaster-induced food security crises due to its geography and geological characteristics, which can disrupt transportation and isolate the city following disasters. Urban agriculture (UA) has been proposed as a potential alternative food source for post-disaster scenarios. This study examined the potential of urban agriculture for enhancing post-disaster food security by calculating vegetable self-sufficiency rates. Specifically, it evaluated the capacity of current Wellington’s community gardens to meet post-disaster vegetable demand in terms of both weight and nutrient content. Data collection employed mixed methods with questionnaires, on-site observations and mapping, and collecting high-resolution aerial imagery. Garden yields were estimated using self-reported data supported by literature benchmarks, while cultivated areas were quantified through on-site mapping and aerial imagery analysis. Six post-disaster food demand scenarios were used based on different target populations to develop an understanding of the range of potential produce yields. Weight-based results show that community gardens currently supply only 0.42% of the vegetable demand for residents living within a five-minute walk. This rate increased to 2.07% when specifically targeting only vulnerable populations, and up to 10.41% when focusing on gardeners’ own households. However, at the city-wide level, the current capacity of community gardens to provide enough produce to feed people remained limited. Nutrient-based self-sufficiency was lower than weight-based results; however, nutrient intake is particularly critical for vulnerable populations after disasters, underscoring the greater challenge of ensuring adequate nutrition through current urban food production. Beyond self-sufficiency, this study also addressed the role of UA in promoting food diversity and acceptability, as well as its social and psychological benefits based on the questionnaires and on-site observations. The findings indicate that community gardens contribute meaningfully to post-disaster food security for gardeners and nearby residents, particularly for vulnerable groups with elevated nutritional needs. Despite the current limited capacity of community gardens to provide enough produce to feed residents, findings suggest that Wellington could enhance post-disaster food self-reliance by diversifying UA types and optimizing land-use to increase food production during and after a disaster. Realizing this potential will require strategic interventions, including supportive policies, a conducive social environment, and diversification—such as the including private yards—all aimed at improving food access, availability, and nutritional quality during crises. The primary limitation of this study is the lack of comprehensive data on urban agriculture in Wellington and the wider New Zealand context. Addressing this data gap should be a key focus for future research to enable more robust assessments and evidence-based planning. Full article

Background: School-based tobacco control policies are critical for preventing youth tobacco use. While many districts adopt formal policies to create smoke- and vape-free environments, the degree to which these policies are enforced at the school level may vary, influencing their effectiveness. Little is known about how consistently such policies are implemented across schools within urban school districts. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the existence and enforcement of school-level tobacco control policies in an urban public school system, using Baltimore City schools as a case example. Methods: We conducted a survey of school personnel from 20 high schools in Baltimore City in 2024. The survey instrument assessed the presence and enforcement of policies related to tobacco use prevention, communication, signage, disciplinary actions, and institutional support. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) were used to summarize responses. Spearman correlations were also used for bivariate correlations. Additional school-level and neighborhood-level contextual data were collected from the internet (neighborhood socioeconomic status and school performance). Results: While many policies existed across the 20 participating schools, their enforcement was widely inconsistent. Most schools reported the existence of policies prohibiting tobacco use in school buildings (60%) and vehicles (55%). However, few schools had visible tobacco-free signage (35%) or offered cessation programs (15%). Communication of policies to students (70%) and staff (65%) was the most commonly enforced aspect of tobacco control policies. Conclusions: Findings suggest that while tobacco control policies may be adopted across urban school systems, their enforcement at the school level remains uneven. Greater attention may be needed to support policy implementation and to reduce variability in school-level practices. Baltimore City serves as a useful case study to understand these challenges and identify opportunities for strengthening school-based tobacco prevention efforts. Full article

With the rapid pace of urbanization, cities are increasingly facing severe challenges related to environmental pollution, ecological degradation, and climate change. Extreme climate events—such as heatwaves, droughts, heavy rainfall, and wildfires—have intensified public concern about sustainability, environmental protection, and low-carbon development. Ensuring environmental preservation while maintaining residents’ quality of life has become a central focus of urban governance. In this context, evaluating green indicators and predicting urban greenness is both necessary and urgent. This study incorporates international frameworks such as the EU Green City Index, the European Green Capital Award, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to assess urban sustainability. The Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithm is employed to predict the green level of cities and to develop multiple optimized models. Comparative analysis with traditional models demonstrates that XGBoost achieves superior performance, with an accuracy of 0.84 and an F1-score of 0.81. Case study findings identify “Greenhouse Gas Emissions per Person” and “Per Capita Emissions from Transport” as the most critical indicators. These results provide practical guidance for policymakers, suggesting that targeted regulations based on these key factors can effectively support emission reduction and urban sustainability goals. Full article

In the context of global climate governance and the green transition, digital infrastructure serves as a critical enabler of resource allocation in the digital economy, offering strategic value in tackling synergistic pollution and carbon reduction challenges. Using panel data from 280 prefecture-level cities, this study employs a multiperiod difference-in-differences (DID) approach, leveraging smart city pilot policies as a quasinatural experiment, to assess how digital infrastructure affects urban synergistic pollution-carbon mitigation (SPCM). The empirical results show that digital infrastructure increases the urban SPCM index by 1.5%, indicating statistically significant effects. Compared with energy and income effects, digital infrastructure can influence this synergistic effect through indirect channels such as the energy effect, economic agglomeration effect, and income effect, with the economic agglomeration effect accounting for a larger share of the total effect. Additionally, fixed-asset investment has a nonlinear moderating effect on this relationship, with diminishing marginal returns on emission reduction when investment exceeds a threshold. Heterogeneity tests reveal greater impacts in eastern, nonresource-based, and environmentally regulated cities. This study expands the theory of collaborative environmental governance from the perspective of new infrastructure, providing a theoretical foundation for establishing a long-term digital technology-driven mechanism for SPCM. Full article

In the digital transformation era, understanding the relationship between digital and real economies is vital for regional development. This study analyses the interaction between these two economies in Henan Province using panel data from 18 cities (2011–2023). It incorporates policy support intensity through fuzzy set theory, applies an integrated weighting method to measure development levels, and uses regression models to assess the digital economy’s impact on the real economy. The coupling coordination degree model, kernel density estimation, and Gini coefficient reveal the coordination status and spatial distribution, while the ecological Lotka–Volterra model identifies the symbiotic patterns. The key findings are as follows: (1) The digital economy does not directly determine the state of the real economy. For example, cities such as Zhoukou and Zhumadian have low digital economy levels but high real economy levels. However, the development of the digital economy promotes the real economy without signs of diminishing returns. (2) The two economies are generally coordinated but differ spatially, with greater coordination in the Central Plains urban agglomeration. (3) The digital and real economies exhibit both collaboration and competition, with reciprocal mutualism as the dominant mode of integration. These insights provide guidance for policymakers and offer a new perspective on the integration of both economies. Full article

Forests are considered one of the most valuable natural areas in metropolitan region landscapes. Considering the sensitivity and ecosystem services provided by trees, the definition of urban forest ecosystems is nowadays based on a comprehensive understanding of the entire urban ecosystem. The effective capturing of particulate matter is one of the ecosystem services provided by urban forests. These ecosystems function as efficient biological filters. Plants accumulate pollutants passively via their leaves. Therefore, another ecosystem service provided by city forests could be the use of tree organs as bioindicators of pollution. This paper aims to estimate differences in trace metal pollution between the wooded urban areas of Vienna and Krakow using leaves of evergreen and deciduous trees as biomonitors. An additional objective of the research was to assess the ability of the applied tree species to act as biomonitors. Plant samples of five species—Norway spruce, Scots pine, European larch, common white birch, and common beech—were collected within both areas, in seven locations: four in the “Wienerwald” Vienna forest (Austria) and three in the “Las Wolski” forest in Krakow (Poland). Concentrations of Cr, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Zn in plant material were determined. Biomonitoring studies with deciduous and coniferous tree leaves showed statistically higher heavy metal contamination in the “Las Wolski” forest compared to the “Wienerwald” forest. Based on the conducted analyses and the literature study, it can be concluded that among the analyzed tree species, only two: European beech and common white birch can be considered potential indicators in environmental studies. These species appear to be suitable bioindicators, as both are widespread in urban woodlands of Central Europe and have shown the highest accumulation levels of trace metals. Full article

Resource-exhausted cities have long played a key role in national energy development. Urban renewal projects, such as the renovation of old underground commercial spaces, can improve urban vitality and promote sustainable development. However, in resource-based cities, traditional industries dominate, while new industries such as modern commerce develop slowly. This results in low economic dynamism and weak motivation for urban development. To address this issue, we propose a systematic method for analyzing construction risks during the decision-making stage of renovation projects. The method includes three steps: risk value assessment, risk factor identification, and risk weight calculation. First, unlike previous studies that only used SWOT for risk factor analysis, we also applied it for project value assessment. Then, using the Work Breakdown Structure–Risk Breakdown Structure framework method (WBS-RBS), we identified specific risk sources by analyzing key construction technologies throughout the entire lifecycle of the renovation project. Finally, to enhance expert consensus, we proposed an improved Delphi–Analytic Hierarchy Process method (Delphi–AHP) to calculate risk indicator weights for different construction phases. The risk analysis covered all lifecycle stages of the renovation and upgrading project. The results show that in the Fushun city renovation case study, the established framework—consisting of five first-level indicators and twenty s-level indicators—enables analysis of renovation projects. Among these, management factors and human factors were identified as the most critical, with weights of 0.3608 and 0.2017, respectively. The proposed method provides a structured approach to evaluating renovation risks, taking into account the specific characteristics of construction work. This can serve as a useful reference for ensuring safe and efficient implementation of underground commercial space renovation projects in resource-exhausted cities. Full article

The ongoing decade of UN restoration matches with the European goal of bringing nature back into our lives, including in urban systems, and Nature Restoration Regulation. Within such a framework, this work is aimed at highlighting the ecological rationale and strategic value of an NRRP measure devoted to forest restoration in Italian Metropolitan Cities, and at assessing respective preliminary results. Therefore, the measure’s overarching goal (not to create urban parks or gardens, but activate forest recovery), geographic extent and scope (over 4000 ha and more than 4 million planted trees and shrubs across the country), plantation model (mandatory use of native species consistent with local potential vegetation, density of 1000 seedlings per ha, use of at least four tree and four shrub species in each project, with a minimum proportion of 70% for trees, certified provenance for reproductive material), and compulsory management activities (maintenance and replacement of any dead plants for at least five years), are herein shown and explained under an ecological perspective. Current implementation outcomes were thus assessed in terms of coherence and expected biodiversity benefits, especially with respect to ecological and biogeographic consistency of planted forests, representativity in relation to national and European plant diversity, biogeographic interest and conservation concern of adopted plants, and potential contribution to the EU Habitats Directive. Compliance with international strategic goals and normative rules, along with recognizable advantages of the measure and limitations to be solved, are finally discussed. In conclusion, the forestation model proposed for the Italian Metropolitan Cities proved to be fully applicable in its ecological rationale, with expected benefits in terms of biodiversity support plainly met, and even exceeded, at the current stage of implementation, especially in terms of the contribution to protected habitats. These promising preliminary results allow the model to be recognized at the international level as a good practice that may help achieve protection targets and sustainable development goals within and beyond urban systems. Full article

Rapid urbanization and demographic shifts present significant challenges to spatial justice in green space provision. Traditional static assessments have become increasingly inadequate for guiding park planning, which now requires a dynamic, future-oriented analytical approach. To address this gap, this study incorporates population dynamics into urban park planning by developing a dynamic evaluation framework for park accessibility. Building on the Gaussian-based two-step floating catchment area (Ga2SFCA) method, we propose the human-population-projection-Ga2SFCA (HPP-Ga2SFCA) model, which integrates population forecasts to assess park service efficiency under future demographic pressures. Using neighborhood-committee-level census data from 2000 to 2020 and detailed park spatial data, we identified five types of population change and forecast demographic distributions for both short- and long-term scenarios. Our findings indicate population decline in the urban core and outer suburbs, with growth concentrated in the transitional inner-suburban zones. Long-term projections suggest that 66% of communities will experience population growth, whereas short-term forecasts indicate a decline in 52%. Static models overestimate park accessibility by approximately 40%. In contrast, our dynamic model reveals that accessibility is overestimated in 71% and underestimated in 7% of the city, highlighting a potential mismatch between future population demand and current park supply. This study offers a forward-looking planning framework that enhances the responsiveness of park systems to demographic change and supports the development of more equitable, adaptive green space strategies. Full article

Promoting sustainable development requires a clear understanding of how short-term fluctuations in anthropogenic emissions affect urban environmental quality. This is especially relevant for cities experiencing rapid industrial changes or emergency policy interventions. Among key environmental concerns, variations in ambient pollutants like ozone (O₃) are closely tied to both public health and long-term sustainability goals. However, traditional chemical transport models often face challenges in accurately estimating emission changes and providing timely assessments. In contrast, statistical approaches such as the difference-in-differences (DID) model utilize observational data to improve evaluation accuracy and efficiency. This study leverages the synthetic difference-in-differences (SDID) approach, which integrates the strengths of both DID and the synthetic control method (SCM), to provide a more reliable and accurate analysis of the impacts of interventions on city-level air quality. Using Shanghai’s 2022 lockdown as a case study, we compare the deweathered ozone (O₃) concentration in Shanghai to a counterfactual constructed from a weighted average of cities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) that did not undergo lockdown. The quasi-natural experiment reveals an average increase of 4.4 μg/m³ (95% CI: 0.24–8.56) in Shanghai’s maximum daily 8 h O₃ concentration attributable to the lockdown. The SDID method reduces reliance on the parallel trends assumption and improves the estimate stability through unit- and time-specific weights. Multiple robustness checks confirm the reliability of these findings, underscoring the efficacy of the SDID approach in quantitatively evaluating the causal impact of emission perturbations on air quality. This study provides credible causal evidence of the environmental impact of short-term policy interventions, highlighting the utility of SDID in informing adaptive air quality management. The findings support the development of timely, evidence-based strategies for sustainable urban governance and environmental policy design. Full article

One of the fundamental goals of contemporary mobility is to optimize transport processes in urban areas. The solution in this area seems to be the implementation of the idea of sustainable transport systems based on the Smart City concept. The article presents a case study—an assessment of the possibilities of changing mobility habits based on the idea of sustainable urban transport, taking into account the criterion of energy consumption of individual means of transport. The analyses are based on a comparison of selected means of transport occurring in the urban environment according to several key parameters for the optimization and efficiency of transport processes, i.e., cost, time, travel comfort, and impact on the natural environment, while simultaneously linking them to the criterion of energy consumption of individual means of transport. The analyzed parameters currently constitute the most important group of challenges in the area of shaping and planning optimal and sustainable urban transport. The presented research was used to indicate the connections between various areas of optimization of the transport process and the energy efficiency of individual modes of transport. Analyses have shown that the least time-consuming process of urban mobility is associated with the highest level of CO₂ emissions and, at the same time, the highest level of energy efficiency. However, combining public transport with other means of transport can meet most of the transport expectations of city residents, also in terms of energy optimization. The research results presented in the article can contribute to the creation of a strategy for the development of the transport network based on the postulates of increasing the optimization and efficiency of individual means of transport in urban areas. At the same time, recognizing the criterion of energy intensity of means of transport as leading in the development of sustainable urban mobility. Thus, confirming the important role of existing transport systems in the process of shaping and planning sustainable urban mobility in accordance with the idea of Smart City. Full article

Background/Objectives: Vertical jump is considered a reliable and valid method of assessing the level of muscular power and coordination across one’s lifespan. The main aim of the present study was to establish sex- and age-normative data for vertical jump outcomes in pre-school children. Methods: We recruited 411 boys and girls aged 3−6 years from four major cities in Croatia and Slovenia. Vertical jump was assessed with two tests: countermovement jump (CMJ) without and with arm swing using a reliable and valid Optojump measuring platform. Data were presented for the 5th, 15th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th, 90th, and 95th percentile. Results: No significant differences were observed in multiple vertical jump outcomes between boys and girls. The mean values for CMJ without and with arm swing between boys and girls were as follows: contact time (1.4 vs. 1.4 s/1.8 vs. 1.7 s), flight time (0.32 vs. 0.31 s/0.33 vs. 0.32), height (12.3 vs. 12.2 cm/13.0 vs. 12.5 cm), power (9.4 vs. 9.5 W/kg/9.3 vs. 9.1 W/kg), pace (0.7 vs. 0.7 steps/s/0.6 vs. 0.6 steps/s), reactive strength index (RSI; 0.10 vs. 0.09 m/s/0.08 vs. 0.08 m/s), and verticality (2.5 vs. 2.3/1.9 vs. 1.9). A gradual increase in all measures according to ‘age’ was observed (p for trend < 0.05). No significant ‘sex*age’ interaction was observed (p > 0.05). Conclusions: This is one of the first studies to provide sex- and age-normative data for complete vertical jump outcomes in pre-school children. These data will serve as an avenue for monitoring and tracking motor development in this sensitive period. Full article

Urban infrastructure, such as water supply networks, sewage systems, and electricity networks, is essential for the functioning of cities and, consequently, for the well-being of citizens. Despite its essentiality, the distribution of infrastructure in urban areas is not homogeneous, especially in cities in developing countries. Socially vulnerable areas often face significant deficiencies in sewage and road paving, exacerbating urban inequalities. In this regard, urban planners must consider the multiple elements of urban infrastructure and assess the compensation levels between them to reduce inequality effectively. In particular, the complexity of the problem necessitates considering the multidimensionality and heterogeneity of urban infrastructure. This complexity qualifies the operational framework of composite indicators as the natural solution to the problem. This study develops a new weighting system for the balanced expansion of urban infrastructures through composite indicators constructed by the Ordered Weighted Average operator. Implementing these weighting systems provides an opportunity to analyze urban infrastructure from different perspectives, offering transparency regarding the weaknesses and strengths of each perspective. This prevents unreliable representations from being used in decision-making and provides a solid basis for allocating investments in urban infrastructure. In particular, the study suggests that adopting weighting systems that prioritize intermediate values and avoid extreme values can lead to better resource allocation, helping to identify areas with deficient infrastructure and promoting more equitable urban development. Full article

Background/Objectives: Accurately assessing the independence level of older adults using useful assessment tools is an important step toward providing them with the necessary care while preserving their dignity. These tools allow older adults to receive effective, personalized home care, which improves their quality of life. This study aimed to clarify the current prevalence of severe and complete functional dependence and associated factors among Kazakhstan’s older adults aged >60 years. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in several polyclinics and geriatric service care centers in two cities of Kazakhstan from March to May 2024. Functional status was assessed by the Barthel Index. We combined the selection into two categories: total dependency and severe dependency in the category “dependent”, and moderate dependency, slight dependency, and total independence in the category “active patients”. Results: Among the 642 older people in this study, 43.3% were dependent patients, and 56.7% were active patients. The odds of severe and total functional dependence are significantly higher for frail participants (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.96, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.70, 5.16], p < 0.001) compared to those that are not frail; eleven times higher for those at home (AOR =11.90, 95% CI [5.77, 24.55], p < 0.001) than those in nursing homes; two times higher for participants with sarcopenia (AOR =2.61, 95% CI [1.49, 4.55], p < 0.001) compared to those with no sarcopenia; and three times higher for participants with high risk of fracture (AOR =3.30, 95% CI [1.94, 5.61], p < 0.001) compared to those with low risk. The odds of having severe and total functional dependence are significantly higher for participants with low dynamometry (AOR =1.05, 95% CI [1.03, 1.07], p < 0.001) compared to those with normal dynamometry. Conclusions: Old age, low dynamometry (for men ≤ 29 kg, for women ≤ 17 kg), frailty, being at home, high risk of fracture and osteoporosis, and sarcopenia were associated with increased risk of severe and total functional dependence. Full article