Search Results (2,097)

Tropical forests of the Amazon support exceptional biodiversity while sustaining the livelihoods, cultures, and food systems of Indigenous communities. In Loreto, Peru, hunting remains central to both subsistence and market economies, yet its sustainability depends on ecological dynamics and sociocultural systems that shape harvest behavior. Here, we evaluate the potential for sustainable wildlife management in the Maijuna–Kichwa Regional Conservation Area (MKRCA) by integrating a spatially explicit biodemographic model of hunting with a targeted review of Maijuna hunting practices, governance, and economic context. Using participatory mapping data from 19 hunters in the community of Sucusari, we parameterized a model to estimate species-specific depletion under current and projected hunting scenarios. Model results suggest that current harvest rates are largely sustainable, with localized depletion near settlements but relatively intact populations across the broader landscape, supported by access to remote hunting areas and nearby source populations. The literature review reveals that Maijuna sociocultural systems, including territorial hunting norms, seasonal mobility, food-sharing practices, and species-specific taboos, may function as informal management institutions that distribute hunting pressure and limit overexploitation. Together, these findings suggest that both ecological conditions and sociocultural institutions in Sucusari are conducive to sustainable wildlife management if supported by adaptive co-management approaches. However, external pressures, particularly a proposed highway, may fragment existing source–sink dynamics and pose a significant risk to long-term sustainability. Full article

In the epistemological constellation of contemporary visual education, web comics establish themselves as semiotic devices with a dual pedagogical value. On the one hand, they represent the advanced synthesis of multimodal codes (visual, textual, sound); on the other, they structure participatory learning environments typical of digital culture. This contribution starts from the theoretical premise that digital comic narratives, in their hypertextual and algorithmic essence, constitute true liminal spaces where ontological meanings are negotiated and transformative visual literacy skills are developed. The research, conducted according to the methodological paradigm of design-based research and rooted in the framework of multimodal social semiotics, demonstrates how sequential narrative structure and visual metaphors reduce cognitive load, through scaffolding. The interactive mechanisms typical of the medium (comments, sharing, remixes) promote an aesthetic of participation, transforming students from passive users to producers of knowledge, according to the principles of connected learning. The analysis focuses on: Panda Likes Bevilacqua, Totally Unnecessary Comics by Leone; Rossoni’s Rouge Worms, Lele Corvi’s strips, Natangelo’s cartoons. The limitations of the study lie in the limited sample and its preliminary nature, as it analyses the device itself without evaluating its implications in the classroom or the professional skills (TPACK) necessary for teachers. Large-scale teaching feasibility remains to be investigated in future applied experiments, which involve the direct involvement of classes and teachers. From a pedagogical perspective, web comics are effective teaching tools for students with ASD. Their community-based nature requires a recalibration of traditional pedagogical frameworks towards more ecological approaches. Full article

This study analyzes the impact of socio-demographic factors on citizens’ perceptions of the functioning of local-level inclusion mechanisms, focusing on four dimensions: information, participation, transparency, and effectiveness. A mixed-methods approach is employed, combining: (1) a large-scale survey with 885 residents in three municipalities (Patos, Elbasan, and Mat) and (2) in-depth interviews with mayors, municipal councilors, and social service managers. The quantitative analysis was conducted through binary logistic regression models in SPSS version 27, as well as ordered logistic regression, examining the impact of socio-demographic factors such as age, education level, gender, employment status, and area of residence on the four dimensions of the study and the Inclusion Index. The qualitative component analyzes how local officials address citizen inclusion in key social policy areas such as employment, education, housing, social assistance, and social services. The results show that residence is the strongest predictor, with citizens in urban areas reporting higher levels of information, transparency, and effectiveness of participatory processes. Employment status is also associated with more positive perceptions, while gender and educational level show limited and inconsistent effects. Qualitative findings suggest that these differences are mediated by structural and institutional factors, such as infrastructure, administrative capacity and access to information. The study contributes to the literature on democratic innovation and participatory governance by showing that the impact of demographic factors on civic engagement is mediated by institutional and territorial conditions, particularly in developing countries. Full article

Rapid urbanization has intensified congestion, environmental pressures, and transport inequities, thereby increasing interest in Smart Urban Mobility (SUM) as an approach that combines digital technologies, sustainable transport strategies, and data-informed decision-making to respond to these challenges. However, the evaluation of SUM remains fragmented due to the absence of harmonized assessment frameworks and the diversity of methodologies applied across smart city contexts. This study presents a systematic literature review of evaluation approaches and indicator architectures for SUM in smart city contexts. Using a PRISMA-guided screening process, 33 eligible studies were selected from 412 retrieved records. Three main methodological groups were identified: quantitative approaches, multi-criteria decision-making methods, and qualitative or participatory frameworks. A total of 273 indicators were organized into eight factor categories, confirming the multidimensional nature of smart mobility assessment while also revealing limited consistency in indicator selection and application across studies. Across the selected studies, current evaluation practices are increasingly linked to project prioritization, planning, and decision support; however, their effectiveness remains constrained by data inconsistencies, governance fragmentation, and insufficient user inclusion. These findings highlight the need for assessment frameworks that are sufficiently comparable to enable cross-city learning, yet flexible enough to reflect local contexts and institutional realities. Full article

In the face of rapid urbanization and spatial constraints in compact cities, the function of mosques in Kuala Lumpur has evolved significantly beyond their traditional religious roles. No longer solely places for ritual prayer, mosques are increasingly being reimagined as dynamic community hubs that serve a broader civic purpose. This paper explores how selected mosques in Kuala Lumpur have adapted architecturally, functionally, and socially to meet the diverse needs of urban Muslim populations. Through a qualitative case-study approach involving spatial analysis, semi-structured interviews, and documentary reviews, this study examines how vertical spatial arrangements, multifunctional space use, and socially inclusive programs have emerged in response to the demands of dense urban environments. Furthermore, this study evaluates how contemporary mosque designs navigate between the sacred and the secular, integrating civic utility with spiritual ambiance. The findings reveal that these architectural and institutional transformations are not only reactive to urban limitations but also proactive in fostering community resilience, interfaith interaction, and urban social sustainability. This research culminates in a strategic design framework that incorporates accessibility, environmental sustainability, and participatory governance into future mosque planning. The implications are far-reaching: by redefining the mosque as a multifunctional and inclusive civic node, urban planners and architects can contribute meaningfully to the evolving spiritual and social fabric of the compact city. Full article

Adopting a circular economy approach requires new business models, multi-stakeholder engagement, and tailored financial models and mechanisms as core pillars. This paper examines the conditions needed to scale circular economy initiatives in Europe by analysing insights collected from the DECISO project and conducting a comparative analysis of 38 European projects. The study adopts a mixed methods approach that integrates an online stakeholder survey with inputs generated through participatory workshops and discussions of selected use cases. This combined approach is used to identify the main structural barriers limiting the maturity and investment readiness of circular economy projects, such as regulatory complexity, difficulties in accessing funding, and weak stakeholder dialogue mechanisms. The approach was also used for enabling factors that can support development of circular economy. Particular attention is given to the role of project development assistance, modular financing strategies, and de-risking tools, which are highlighted as crucial elements for supporting the technical and economic credibility of projects and attracting public and private investors. The article also identifies and addresses seven unresolved research gaps in the literature, including the lack of interoperable policy instruments, the absence of business models capable of integrating investor expectations, the paucity of integrated methodologies for assessing technical and economic regulatory feasibility, and the need for trust-building procedures. The findings suggest that the transition to a regenerative economy requires a systemic approach based on coherent policies, de-risking financial instruments, collaborative governance, and strategic technical support throughout the project development cycle. Full article

Large-scale cultural complexes serve significant numbers of child users, yet existing spatial assessment approaches are predominantly developed from adult perspectives and rarely consider child-height environmental exposure conditions at children’s own eye level. To address this gap, this study introdus a novel dual-height proxy assessment framework that integrates semantic segmentation with explainable machine learning, enabling scalable proxy-based spatial diagnosis without requiring direct child participation. This study proposes a proxy-based assessment framework combining dual-height street-view imagery (adult: 1.6 m; child: 1.2 m), semantic segmentation (DeepLabV3+ and PSPNet), GIS analysis, literature-informed proxy perceptual indices, and explainable machine learning (XGBoost with SHAP) applied across 480 sampling locations at the Longgang Cultural Centre, Shenzhen. The results reveal substantial differences in environmental exposure characteristics between adult-height and child-height viewpoints, with child-height imagery exhibiting 34% lower signage visibility and 30% higher spatial enclosure. Exploratory associations between environmental features and proxy perceptual indices yielded R²values ranging from 0.14 to 0.39, with walking distance, openness, and visual complexity emerging as the most influential variables within the proxy models. SHAP analysis identified non-linear relationships between environmental characteristics and proxy perception-related outcomes, and spatial mismatch mapping identified 120 locations warranting design attention. The study proposes a scalable and data-driven spatial proxy assessment framework to support child-friendly environmental screening and spatial diagnosis. The proposed proxy indices are grounded in developmental psychology literature and are not intended to substitute for children’s direct perceptual responses; rather, they are intended to characterise comparative child-height environmental exposure patterns within large-scale cultural environments. Validation using child-reported perception data, behavioural observation, participatory methods, and experimental wayfinding studies remains an important direction for future research. Full article

Smartphone colorimetry has emerged as a low-cost and accessible approach for participatory environmental monitoring. In this feasibility study, mangrove soil samples collected at two depths (approximately 0 and 30 cm) and three distances from the shoreline (−10, 0, and 10 m) were analyzed using smartphone colorimetry. The redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) tended to decrease from the seaward side toward the landward side. The lightness (L*) showed a strong agreement with measurements obtained from a standard spectrophotometer, whereas systematic deviations were observed for chromatic coordinates, with underestimation of a* and overestimation of b* by the smartphone measurements. Soil colors were further examined alongside mineral composition determined by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and organic matter characteristics obtained from thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). No systematic relationships were identified between color parameters and mineral composition or organic matter weight loss, highlighting the complex and multi-factorial nature of mangrove soil color. Although wetting generally reduced L* and b* values, the responses to increasing water content were not monotonic. These findings indicate that smartphone colorimetry is effective for capturing relative variations in soil lightness under controlled conditions, while emphasizing the need for calibration and cautious interpretation. The accessibility of smartphone-based measurements also suggests potential in public engagement. Full article

This Editorial introduces the Special Issue “Spatial Planning and Land-Use Management: 2nd Edition” and discusses the eight articles published in it. Taken together, these contributions demonstrate that contemporary spatial planning and land-use management can no longer be understood as narrowly regulatory or sector-specific activities. Rather, they must be approached as integrative and adaptive practices capable of mediating between ecological integrity, territorial cohesion, infrastructure provision, social justice, public health, and participatory governance. The Special Issue brings together case studies from China, the United States, Australia, Iran, Portugal, Slovakia, and Belgium, as well as comparative evidence from peri-urban landscapes, and spans a wide range of spatial scales, from neighbourhoods and urban forests to metropolitan green belts, urban agglomerations, peri-urban territories, and ecoregions. Several major lines of inquiry emerge across the volume. First, the articles reaffirm the need for multiscale planning frameworks able to connect local action with regional and supra-regional structures. Second, they broaden the understanding of infrastructure by including not only transport and urban facilities, but also ecological, green, and even nocturnal infrastructures. Third, they show that many of today’s most difficult planning questions arise in spaces of transition and overlap, especially peri-urban areas, where conflicts among land uses, ecosystem services, development pressures, and governance arrangements become particularly acute across sectors and across spatial and temporal scales. Fourth, they underline that planning effectiveness increasingly depends on participation, co-design, and cooperation among diverse actors, including civic initiatives and local communities. Overall, the Special Issue highlights spatial planning as a strategic field of action through which societies can address land-use conflicts, reconcile environmental and social objectives, and design more sustainable, resilient, and liveable territories. Full article

Opera Out of Opera 2 (OOO2) is a Creative Europe cooperation project that experiments with digital, participatory strategies to reconnect opera with younger audiences and to reshape professional capacity for conservatory students. Rather than treating opera as a fixed repertoire to be transmitted, the project frames it as a site of co-creation, where youth and emerging professionals share agency in how the art form is presented, mediated and discussed. This article has two related aims. First, it examines how OOO2’s digital-first Audience Engagement Strategy (AES) may contribute to audience development among 18–25-year-olds, focusing on reach, participation patterns and perceived accessibility. Second, it investigates how participation in the project appears to affect conservatory students’ entrepreneurial self-efficacy and their understanding of their potential social role as musicians. Methodologically, the study combines a participatory action research (PAR) framework with an embedded single-case design. Quantitative data include pre- and post-intervention questionnaires with 132 higher music education students. An audience survey completed by 1256 spectators, complemented by social media and web analytics, is also embedded. Qualitative material derives from semi-structured interviews (n = 30), focus groups with project stakeholders and direct observation of workshops, rehearsals and performances. Results indicate a marked digital reach among younger audience and suggest that shorter formats, informal settings and second-screen mediation can lower perceived barriers to opera attendance for first-time or occasional spectators. Among students, mean scores for entrepreneurial self-efficacy increased from 3.2 (SD = 0.8) to 4.1 (SD = 0.7), corresponding to a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 1.20, p < 0.01), a pattern broadly consistent with research on self-efficacy and capacity creation in music and arts-based entrepreneurship education. The discussion connects these findings with a bibliometric mapping of audience development in opera, conducted on 147 Scopus-indexed documents, and argues that OOO2 occupies a still under-theorized intersection between youth-centred cultural participation and entrepreneurial capacity-building in higher music education. While the single-case design and the use of self-constructed survey items limit generalizability, the project may offer a useful reference point for institutions seeking to rethink opera’s approach as a digitally mediated, socially engaged and educationally meaningful practice. Full article

Background: Schools are widely recognized as key settings for promoting healthy eating behaviors and supporting childhood obesity prevention. In recent years, increasing attention has been devoted to experiential and interactive nutrition education strategies designed to actively engage children and adolescents in food-related learning processes. These approaches move beyond traditional didactic teaching and include practical and participatory formats, such as cooking activities, school gardening, digital or app-based learning tools, workshops and educational camps, and game-based learning interventions. Objective: This narrative review aims to provide an overview of experiential school-based nutrition education interventions, describing the main types of programs implemented in school settings and summarizing their reported effects on nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and eating behaviors among children and adolescents. Results: Across intervention studies and systematic reviews, hands-on and interactive educational models, including cooking classes, gardening programs, digital learning tools, workshops or camps, and board game-based interventions, frequently report improvements in nutrition knowledge, attitudes toward food, food-related skills, and self-efficacy. These programs seek to strengthen food literacy by combining experiential learning with educational content delivered within the school environment. Evidence regarding changes in dietary intake, diet quality, and anthropometric outcomes is more heterogeneous, with some studies reporting improvements in eating behaviors and others showing more modest or short-term effects. Program outcomes appear to be influenced by several contextual factors, including intervention duration, curriculum integration, teacher involvement, and the availability of resources supporting implementation. Conclusions: Experiential and interactive approaches represent an increasingly adopted strategy in school-based nutrition education. Their effectiveness appears to depend on the quality of implementation, the degree of integration within the school curriculum, and the broader educational context. Future research should further explore how different experiential formats can be optimally integrated into school systems to support the development of food literacy and sustainable healthy eating behaviors among children and adolescents. Full article

Heritage-led urban redevelopment is increasingly adopted to advance cultural continuity and social vitality; however, its long-term sustainability is often compromised due to the absence of user-oriented assessment methods. Conventional Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) approaches are limited in their ability to capture experiential, social, and participatory dimensions of architectural and urban spaces. This study examines the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) as a participatory POE tool for sustainable heritage redevelopment through the case study of Souq Al Muharraq in Bahrain. A convergent mixed-method approach is employed, integrating immersive VR 360-degree walkthroughs, structured questionnaires, qualitative semi-structured interviews, and expert evaluation. The findings reveal significant discrepancies between design intentions and lived experience, specifically in thermal comfort, circulation, social usability, and informal spatial practices. The study demonstrates that VR supports a user-centered and experiential approach aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 9, 11, and 16. It further proposes a sustainable and cost-efficient framework for architecture and urban projects’ evaluation by enabling early and post-user-centered evaluation of projects to reduce costly revisions and the creation of inclusive, adaptive, and resilient architecture and urban spaces. Full article

With the 2030 deadline for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) approaching, there is a growing global urgency to identify innovative, scalable, and inclusive AI-based or AI-enabled solutions capable of accelerating progress across sectors. Yet the benefits of AI remain unevenly distributed, particularly in low-resource settings where limited infrastructure, cost barriers, and unequal access to skills constrain adoption. This paper explores how Tiny Machine Learning (TinyML)—a low-power, low-cost edge AI paradigm—offers a concrete technological pathway aligned with the principles of Frugal AI, providing accessible, energy-efficient, and context-adapted tools for sustainable development. We evaluate how participatory citizen science, when combined with TinyML, enables communities to co-create AI applications that address locally defined challenges in environmental monitoring, agriculture, and public health. Drawing on early outcomes from workshops, collaborative projects, and innovation competitions, the paper examines how TinyML-enabled participatory approaches cultivate technical skills, stimulate grassroots entrepreneurship, and generate prototypes suited to low-resource environments. Using a qualitative multiple-case study of 50 participatory TinyML initiatives across 22 countries, we analyse how frugal edge-AI practices support skills formation, prototype development, and early entrepreneurial engagement. The analysis identifies the pedagogical, technical, and institutional frameworks that support successful participatory AI initiatives, emphasizing open educational resources, cross-sector partnerships, and community-driven problem formulation. We introduce the Frugal Edge AI Lean Canvas to help innovators identify novelty, ethical implications, and measurable impact. TinyML-based participatory innovation offers a promising route for accelerating SDG progress by expanding who can create, deploy, and benefit from AI. Full article

There is clear evidence that non-safety-related concerns abound in child protection hotline calls. In the United States, over half of Child Protective Services (CPS) calls are screened out because they do not meet criteria for a child welfare investigation. While reporter bias is one factor theorized to contribute to this level of screened out calls, the field has neither used methods that account for culturally specific socialization processes involved in bias nor analyzed hotline calls to determine if these biases were present. This paper describes cultural domain analysis (CDA) as an innovative method to inform the measurement and assessment of bias in reporters’ narratives about children and families during calls to a CPS hotline. We describe CDA, which involves a rapid interviewing technique (freelisting), a participatory method for coding (pile sorting) and how the resultant findings can be used to inform the development of a measurement framework (codebook and scale), which may be tested using recorded hotline calls. Together, these methods provide a useable framework that can help surface common and shared ways bias is conceptualized and defined in the context of CPS hotline calls. This proposed approach provides a socially valid and reliable way for measurement to make generalizable inferences across a jurisdiction. When applied in practice, data collected and analyzed from the proposed measurement framework can inform jurisdictional CPS hotline policy, practice, and training. Full article

Drawing on an extensive literature review, this paper identifies key dimensions of social impact and land management in surface mining areas, including settlement relocation, long-term land occupation, limited economic diversification, demographic decline, and stakeholder distrust. These findings are then critically applied to the Ptolemais lignite basin, where six decades of large-scale surface mining reshaped land use patterns, displaced settlements, and structured a highly specialized regional economy. The research combines qualitative literature analysis with a case study approach, supported by socioeconomic and demographic indicators. Results show that (i) lignite exploitation generated employment, infrastructure, and regional income multipliers but also structural vulnerabilities and other impacts, (ii) land occupation and settlement relocation as an impact of mine expansion created long-term spatial constraints, and (iii) the energy transition phase intensified demographic, unemployment, and governance challenges. The paper argues that effective post-lignite restructuring is related to systematic reclamation strategies, integrated land-use planning, optimal exploitation of reclaimed land, diversification beyond energy production, and participatory governance frameworks. By linking international theoretical insights with empirical evidence from Western Macedonia, the study contributes to the debate on socially just and spatially balanced transitions in former coal and lignite regions. Full article