Search Results (50)

Increasing urbanisation and the intensification of environmental and climate challenges require a review of governance models and tools supporting urban and territorial planning. The Twin Transition concept (green and digital) requires the integration of advanced monitoring and simulation systems. In this context, Digital Twins (DTs) have evolved from static virtual replicas to dynamic urban intelligence systems. Thanks to the integration of IoT sensors and artificial intelligence algorithms, DT enables the transition from a descriptive to a prescriptive approach, supporting climate uncertainty management and real-time territorial governance. The ability to integrate multi-source data and provide high-resolution site-specific representations makes these tools strategic for planning, resource management, and the assessment of urban and peri-urban resilience. The contribution comparatively analyses different digital twin frameworks, with particular attention to their applicability in highly complex environmental contexts, such as the city of Taranto. As a Site of National Interest, Taranto requires models capable of integrating industrial pollutant monitoring with urban regeneration and biodiversity protection strategies. The study assesses the potential of DT as predictive models to support governance for more sustainable, adaptive, and resilient cities. Full article

The beneficial effects of exposure to nature on health and well-being, including enhanced relaxation and improved mood and attention, are well-established. Less evidence exists on understudied outcomes related to clinical populations (e.g., substance use outcomes, decision-making), mainly from laboratory experiments warranting outdoor studies. The purpose of this scoping review was to review and summarize the rich experimental literature of nature exposure on psychological outcomes, and form updated methodological recommendations for future outdoor basic experiments isolating the effect of nature exposure. Four databases and ten systematic reviews were searched. From 6394 references, 60 articles (reporting experiments or secondary analyses) comparing natural versus control-built environments, utilizing short exposure in the environment, and examining psychological outcomes were included and synthesized. We discuss limitations and innovative approaches and provide methodological recommendations. Future research should recruit large and gender-balanced samples, expand to clinical populations, include baseline measurements, assess individual differences, and investigate behavioral and other outcomes that are sparse in the literature. Researchers might consider expanding the dichotomous green–gray environments, pay attention to the sense of safety and participant masking, and assess and report environmental conditions. These recommendations may facilitate investigating unique outcomes that are missing in the literature, which hold implications for nature-prescription and intervention programs. Full article

Street greening is widely recognized as influencing resident well-being and housing prices, and street-view imagery provides a fine-grained data source for quantifying urban microenvironments. However, existing research predominantly relies on single indicators such as the Green View Index (GVI) and overall green coverage/volume lacking a systematic analysis of how the hierarchical structure of trees, shrubs, and grass relates to housing prices. This study examines the high-density block context of Tianjin’s six urban districts. Using the Street Greening Space Structure (SGSS) dataset to construct greening structure configurations, we integrate housing-price data, neighborhood attributes, and 13,280 street-view images from the study area. We quantify how “visibility and hierarchical ratios” are capitalized on in the housing market and identify auditable threshold ranges and contextual gating. We propose an urban–forest structural system centered on visibility and hierarchical ratios that links street-level observability to ecosystem services. Employing an integrated framework combining Geographical-XGBoost (G-XGBoost) and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), we move beyond average effects to reveal structural detail and contextual heterogeneity in capitalization. Our findings indicate that tree visibility G_TVI is the most robust and readily capitalized price signal: when G_TVI increases from approximately 0.06 to 0.12–0.16, housing prices rise by about 8%–10%. Hierarchical structure is crucial: balanced tree–shrub ratios and moderate shrub–grass ratios translate “visible green” into functional green. Capitalization effects are environmentally conditioned—more pronounced along corridors with high centrality and accessibility—and are likewise common in dense East Asian metropolises (e.g., Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, and Tokyo) and rapidly motorizing cities (e.g., Bangkok and Jakarta). These patterns suggest parametric prescriptions that prioritize canopy-corridor continuity and keep ratios within actionable threshold bands. We translate these findings into urban greening strategies that prioritize canopy continuity, under-canopy permeability, and maintainability, providing sustainability-oriented, parameterized guidance for converting urban greening structure into ecological capital for sustainable cities. Full article

Background: Urban loneliness is rising worldwide and is a recognised public-health threat. Nature-Based Social Prescriptions (NBSPs), guided group activities in natural settings, are being piloted in six cities through the EU project RECETAS. However, in new contexts such as Marseille, its implementation is constrained by professionals’ limited knowledge of the concept. Objectives: (i) Exploring how professionals in Marseille (France) conceptualise NBSPs; (ii) Identifying perceived facilitators and barriers to implementing NBSPs among residents facing social isolation and loneliness. Methods: Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with health, social-care, and urban–environment professionals selected via network mapping and snowball sampling. Verbatim transcripts underwent inductive thematic analysis informed by Social Representation Theory, with double coding to enhance reliability. Results: Five analytic themes emerged: (1) a holistic health paradigm linking nature, community, and well-being; (2) stark ecological inequities with limited green-space access in deprived districts; (3) work challenges due to the urgent needs of individuals facing significant socio-economic challenges in demanding contexts; (4) a key tension between a perceived top-down process and a preference for participatory approaches; (5) drivers and obstacles: strong professional endorsement of NBSPs meets significant systemic and institutional constraints. Conclusions: Professionals endorse NBSPs as a promising approach against loneliness, provided programmes tackle structural inequities and adopt participatory governance. Results inform the Marseille RECETAS pilot and contribute to global discussions on environmentally anchored health promotion. Full article

As urbanization intensifies, the ecological area ratio (EAR) has become an essential tool for assessing ecological performance in urban development projects. However, conventional EAR systems remain largely prescriptive and surface-oriented, lacking adaptability to diverse planning contexts. This study proposes a probability-based EAR reference table developed from empirical data collected across six representative large-scale urban development districts. EAR values were statistically analyzed for 16 land-use types to construct a reference table using mean and quartile indicators. The table was then applied to seven newly planned towns to evaluate its predictive utility. The results showed that predicted EAR values closely aligned with institutional targets and revealed meaningful internal variation depending on land-use composition. Green space and parks showed the highest ecological contributions, while multi-family housing, despite moderate unit-area performance, played a key stabilizing role due to its large spatial footprint. Correlation analyses further demonstrated that EAR composition varied across housing supply types, shaped by differing regulatory frameworks and design priorities. By transitioning EAR from a uniform ratio to a data-driven, probabilistic guideline, this study offers both a practical estimation tool and a strategic planning aid. The findings provide actionable insights for more adaptive, equitable, and ecologically robust urban development practices. Full article

Spatial variability in vine vigour and yield components is a major challenge for vineyard management and consistent grape quality, particularly in hilly landscapes. This study evaluates the impact of on-the-go variable-rate fertilisation (VRA) in reducing within-vineyard variability in an 8.5 hectares commercial vineyard in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG region (Italy). Over two growing seasons, a proximal NDVI sensor (GreenSeeker) guided real-time fertiliser applications without prescription maps. Vine vigour, yield components, and grape quality were evaluated using geostatistical analysis and coefficient of variation (CV) metrics. VRA reduced total spatial variability (sill) by 55% and erratic variance (nugget effect) by 39% for NDVI measurements. Variability in yield components also decrease (−21.1% for cluster number, −6.25% for cluster weight), while grape composition parameters (total soluble solids, titratable acidity, and pH) was not significantly altered despite a slightly higher variability (in titratable acidity and pH), indicating that fertiliser modulation did not compromise grape quality. Nitrogen input was reduced by 50%, highlighting economic and environmental benefits (−302 kg CO₂). These results show that simplified, sensor-based, on-the-go VRA is a practical and sustainable precision viticulture tool, even in small and heterogeneous vineyards typical of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG area. Full article

This systematic review synthesizes evidence on economic instruments that mobilize renewable-energy investment in emerging economies, analyzing 50 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025 under PRISMA 2020. We advance an Institutional Capacity Integration Framework that ties instrument efficacy to regulatory, market, and coordination capabilities. Green bonds have mobilized roughly USD 500 billion yet work only where robust oversight and liquid markets exist, offering limited gains for decentralized access. Direct subsidies cut renewable electricity costs by 30–50% and connect 45 million people across varied contexts, but pose fiscal–sustainability risks. Carbon pricing schemes remain rare given their administrative complexity, while multilateral climate funds show moderate effectiveness (coefficients 0.3–0.8) dependent on national coordination strength. Bibliometric mapping with Bibliometrix reveals three fragmented paradigms—market efficiency, state intervention, and international cooperation—and highlights geographic gaps: sub-Saharan Africa represents just 16% of studies despite acute financing barriers. Sixty-eight percent of articles employ descriptive designs, constraining causal inference and reflecting tensions between SDG 7 (affordable energy) and SDG 13 (climate action). Our framework rejects one-size-fits-all prescriptions, recommending phased, context-aligned pathways that progressively build capacity. Policymakers should tailor instrument mixes to institutional realities, and researchers must prioritize causal methods and underrepresented regions through focused initiatives for equitable global progress. Full article

Background: Pain is a complex phenomenon characterized by unpleasant experiences with profound heterogeneity influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors. According to the National Health Interview Survey, 50.2 million U.S. adults (20.5%) experience pain on most days, with the annual cost of prescription medication for pain reaching approximately USD 17.8 billion. Theranostic pain nanomedicine therefore emerges as an attractive analgesic strategy with the potential for increased efficacy, reduced side-effects, and treatment personalization. Theranostic nanomedicine combines drug delivery and diagnostic features, allowing for real-time monitoring of analgesic efficacy in vivo using molecular imaging. However, clinical translation of these nanomedicines are challenging due to complex manufacturing methodologies, lack of standardized quality control, and potentially high costs. Quality by Design (QbD) can navigate these challenges and lead to the development of an optimal pain nanomedicine. Our lab previously reported a macrophage-targeted perfluorocarbon nanoemulsion (PFC NE) that demonstrated analgesic efficacy across multiple rodent pain models in both sexes. Here, we report PFC-free, biphasic nanoemulsions formulated with a biocompatible and non-immunogenic plant-based coconut oil loaded with a COX-2 inhibitor and a clinical-grade, indocyanine green (ICG) near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) dye for parenteral theranostic analgesic nanomedicine. Methods: Critical process parameters and material attributes were identified through the FMECA (Failure, Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis) method and optimized using a 3 × 2 full-factorial design of experiments. We investigated the impact of the oil-to-surfactant ratio (w/w) with three different surfactant systems on the colloidal properties of NE. Small-scale (100 mL) batches were manufactured using sonication and microfluidization, and the final formulation was scaled up to 500 mL with microfluidization. The colloidal stability of NE was assessed using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and drug quantification was conducted through reverse-phase HPLC. An in vitro drug release study was conducted using the dialysis bag method, accompanied by HPLC quantification. The formulation was further evaluated for cell viability, cellular uptake, and COX-2 inhibition in the RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line. Results: Nanoemulsion droplet size increased with a higher oil-to-surfactant ratio (w/w) but was no significant impact by the type of surfactant system used. Thermal cycling and serum stability studies confirmed NE colloidal stability upon exposure to high and low temperatures and biological fluids. We also demonstrated the necessity of a solubilizer for long-term fluorescence stability of ICG. The nanoemulsion showed no cellular toxicity and effectively inhibited PGE2 in activated macrophages. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first instance of a celecoxib-loaded theranostic platform developed using a plant-derived hydrocarbon oil, applying the QbD approach that demonstrated COX-2 inhibition. Full article

Evidence appears to be building that direct exposure to natural landscapes characterized by significant green cover, such as forests, can help to reduce chronic health conditions such as obesity, stress, hypertension, chronic cardiovascular conditions, depression, anxiety, cancer, and diabetes. One way to encourage greater exposure to nature may be through the use of nature prescriptions, whereby clinicians formally recommend (or prescribe) time in nature to their patients. Based on self-reported data, we describe the implementation and lessons learned from a pilot field experiment examining the clinical use of nature-based versus conventional exercise recommendations in rural Oregon. We discuss the potential benefits of such recommendations, as well as identify several challenges and opportunities associated with field experiments seeking to evaluate whether nature prescriptions, offered as one part of patients’ overall treatment plans, meaningfully improve human health outcomes in clinical settings. We conclude with several recommendations for practitioners and researchers interested in implementing and evaluating nature-based exercise programs to improve public health. Full article

This study coupled precision agriculture with agroecology to improve the agricultural systems’ sustainability in a climate variability context, characterized by fewer rainy days and more extreme events. A three-year comparative analysis was carried out in a durum wheat rotation, divided into two plots of 2.5 ha each, one managed with conventional methods (CP, sunflower as intermediate crop) and another managed with an agroecological approach (AE, field bean as green manure crop), featuring prescription maps for site-specific mineral fertilization. The statistical analysis of durum wheat parameters, soil characteristics, and economic variables was conducted alongside the examination of climatic data. In AE soil, the exchangeable calcium was statistically different from CP soil (6044 mg kg⁻¹ and 5660 mg kg⁻¹, respectively). Cation exchange capacity was significantly higher in AE (32.7 meq 100 g⁻¹), compared to CP (30.9 meq 100 g⁻¹). In AE, wheat yield (2.36 t ha⁻¹) was higher than in CP (2.07 t ha⁻¹), despite extreme rainfall causing flooding in some parts of the AE plot. The economic balance was only 6% in favor of CP (EUR + 2157), confirming the AE approach’s resilience (EUR + 2027), despite the higher costs of cover cropping and site-specific fertilization. The novelty of integration between “smartish” precision agriculture and agroecology allows for sustainable management. Full article

Health professionals have slowly integrated the environment and green areas into their prescriptions to connect patients with nature and outdoor activities. The World Health Organization recommends that everyone reside within 300 m of green regions to improve well-being and physical and mental health. The study aimed to explore the effects of urban and rural green areas on multiple physiological and functional variables, as well as evaluate the perception of individuals regarding the ease of use of these same spaces. Participants walked twice a week for six weeks, covering 1.6 km. Heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), oxygen saturation (SpO₂), physical capacity analysis (IPAQ), risk of falls (Morse Fall Scale), Mini Mental State Examination, physical performance test (PPT), and perception of accessibility (Pedestrian Accessibility Perception Scale for adults over 65 years old) were evaluated/administered. Variables such as noise, temperature, and air quality were also measured during the outdoor activities. Twenty-four individuals divided into two groups participated in the study: group 1 (urban route) and group 2 (rural route). We found impacts on body weight (p = 0.021), SpO₂ (p = 0.033), and Mini Mental State Examination (p = 0.041) scores in group 1 and SpO₂ and PPT scores in group 2. This study highlights the importance of incorporating green infrastructure in urban planning to support healthy aging and improve accessibility for older adults, and shows that outdoor activities provide various health benefits (physical, mental, and social well-being) and that walking in urban and rural environments seems to impact the health of elderly individuals positively and should be considered in physical therapy by health professionals. Full article

The objective of this research is to investigate the awareness and opinions concerning forest therapy within a public health institution, specifically as a green prescription for patients with stable chronic disease. Through qualitative preliminary analysis, this study compared the responses of a group to gather physical activity and wood frequentation insights, as well as forest therapy patients’ attitudes. The results underline a general predisposition among respondents to engage in moderate physical activity and visit natural environments for relaxation purposes. Emerging parallelly is how forest therapy is largely an unknown practice, although it draws considerable interest and a general predisposition to participate. This research outlines the ideal conditions that emerge for participating in forest therapy sessions, including the availability to pay, pointing toward environmentally and socio-economically sustainable reflections. Further studies should extend this preliminary investigation using appropriate statistical methodologies on larger samples, involving different regions and medical conditions. Full article

Precision agriculture (PA) technologies combined with remote sensors, GPS, and GIS are transforming the agricultural industry while promoting sustainable farming practices with the ability to optimize resource utilization and minimize environmental impact. However, their implementation faces challenges such as high computational costs, complexity, low image resolution, and limited GPS accuracy. These issues hinder timely delivery of prescription maps and impede farmers’ ability to make effective, on-the-spot decisions regarding farm management, especially in stress-sensitive crops. Therefore, this study proposes field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based hardware solutions and real-time kinematic GPS (RTK-GPS) to develop a real-time crop-monitoring system that can address the limitations of current PA technologies. Our proposed system uses high-accuracy RTK and real-time FPGA-based image-processing (RFIP) devices for data collection, geotagging real-time field data via Python and a camera. The acquired images are processed to extract metadata then visualized as a heat map on Google Maps, indicating green area intensity based on romaine lettuce leafage. The RFIP system showed a strong correlation (R² = 0.9566) with a reference system and performed well in field tests, providing a Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) of 0.8292. This study demonstrates the potential of the developed system to address current PA limitations by providing real-time, accurate data for immediate decision making. In the future, this proposed system will be integrated with autonomous farm equipment to further enhance sustainable farming practices, including real-time crop health monitoring, yield assessment, and crop disease detection. Full article

Nature prescription programs have become more common within healthcare settings. Despite the health benefits of being in nature, nature prescriptions within the context of Indigenous Peoples have received little attention. We therefore sought to answer the following question: What are circumpolar-based physicians’ and Indigenous Elders’ views on nature prescribing in the Northwest Territories, Canada? We carried out thirteen semi-structured interviews with physicians between May 2022 and March 2023, and one sharing circle with Indigenous Elders in February 2023. Separate reflexive thematic analysis was carried out to generate key themes through inductive coding of the data. The main themes identified from the physician interviews included the importance of cultural context; barriers with nature prescriptions in the region; and the potential for nature prescriptions in the North. Reflections shared by the Elders included the need for things to be done in the right way; the sentiment that the Land is not just an experience but a way of life; and the importance of traditional food as a connection with Nature. With expanding nature prescription programs, key considerations are needed when serving Indigenous communities. Further investigation is warranted to ensure that nature prescriptions are appropriate within a given context, are inclusive of supporting Land-based approaches to health and wellbeing, and are considered within the context of Indigenous self-determination. Full article

Buildings consume 30% of the total energy consumption around the globe and 29% of the energy consumption in Egypt, which in 2022 had a total population of 102 million, out of which 43% live in urban areas. The operation of buildings contributes to around 30% of global CO₂ emissions due to their high energy consumption. Among the efforts made towards improving the energy efficiency of buildings are Advanced Energy Design Guides (AEDGs), building rating systems, codes, and standards. Furthermore, numerous research studies that are either literature review studies, experimental studies, or computational studies addressed the topic of energy efficiency in buildings. In this paper, 124 articles are systematically reviewed with the purpose of identifying the research gap in available research with a focus on Egypt. The identified gap is the development of a prescriptive path for the Egyptian Green Pyramid Rating System (GPRS) energy efficiency category based on whole building energy simulations. Furthermore, recommendations for future research are given based on gaps in the existing literature. Full article