Search Results (124)

Japan’s 8.5 million vacant homes (Akiyas) represent a paradox of scarcity amid surplus: while rural depopulation leaves properties abandoned, housing shortages and bureaucratic inefficiencies hinder their reuse. This study proposes AKI2ALL, an AI-blockchain framework designed to automate the circular repurposing of Akiyas into ten high-value community assets—guesthouses, co-working spaces, pop-up retail and logistics hubs, urban farming hubs, disaster relief housing, parking lots, elderly daycare centers, exhibition spaces, places for food and beverages, and company offices—through smart contracts and data-driven workflows. By integrating circular economy principles with decentralized technology, AKI2ALL streamlines property transitions, tax validation, and administrative processes, reducing operational costs while preserving embodied carbon in existing structures. Municipalities list properties, owners select uses, and AI optimizes assignments based on real-time demand. This work bridges gaps in digital construction governance, proving that automating trust and accountability can transform systemic inefficiencies into opportunities for community-led, low-carbon regeneration, highlighting its potential as a scalable model for global vacant property reuse. Full article

Corporate environmental claims often neglect the substantial ecological impact of land-use changes. This case study examines the spatial dimension of retail-driven land-use transformation by analyzing supermarket expansion in the Veneto region (northern Italy), with a focus on a large grocery retailer. We evaluated its corporate environmental claims by assessing land consumption patterns from 1983 to 2024 using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The GIS-based methodology involved geocoding 113 Points of Sale (POS—individual retail outlets), performing photo-interpretation of historical aerial imagery, and classifying land-cover types prior to construction. We applied spatial metrics such as total converted surface area, land-cover class frequency across eight categories (e.g., agricultural, herbaceous, arboreal), and the average linear distance between afforestation sites and POS developed on previously rural land. Our findings reveal that 65.97% of the total land converted for Points of Sale development occurred in rural areas, primarily agricultural and herbaceous lands. These landscapes play a critical role in supporting urban biodiversity and providing essential ecosystem services, which are increasingly threatened by unchecked land conversion. While the corporate sustainability reports and marketing strategies emphasize afforestation efforts under their “We Love Nature” initiative, our spatial analysis uncovers no evidence of actual land-use conversion. Additionally, reforestation activities are located an average of 40.75 km from converted sites, undermining their role as effective compensatory measures. These findings raise concerns about selective disclosure and greenwashing, driving the need for more comprehensive and transparent corporate sustainability reporting. The study argues for stronger policy frameworks to incentivize urban regeneration over greenfield development and calls for the integration of land-use data into corporate sustainability disclosures. By combining geospatial methods with content analysis, the research offers new insights into the intersection of land use, business practices, and environmental sustainability in climate-vulnerable regions. Full article

Bagheria, located on the northern coast of Sicily, is home to one of the Mediterranean’s most remarkable ensembles of Baroque villas, constructed between the 17th and 18th centuries by the aristocracy of Palermo. Originally situated within a highly structured rural landscape of citrus groves, gardens, and visual axes, these monumental residences have undergone substantial degradation due to uncontrolled urban expansion throughout the 20th century. This study presents a diachronic spatial analysis of Bagheria’s territorial transformation from 1850 to 2018, integrating historical cartography, aerial photography, satellite imagery, and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. A total of 33 villas were identified, georeferenced, and assessed based on their spatial integrity, architectural condition, and relationship with the evolving urban fabric. The results reveal a progressive marginalization of the villa system, with many heritage assets now embedded within dense residential development, severed from their original landscape context and deprived of their formal gardens and visual prominence. Comparative insights drawn from analogous Mediterranean heritage landscapes, such as Ortigia (Siracusa), the Appian Way (Rome), and Athens, highlight the urgency of adopting integrated conservation frameworks that reconcile urban development with cultural and ecological continuity. As a strategic response, the study proposes the creation of a thematic cultural route, La città delle ville, to enhance the visibility, accessibility, and socio-economic relevance of Bagheria’s heritage system. This initiative, supported by adaptive reuse policies, smart heritage technologies, and participatory planning, offers a replicable model for sustainable territorial regeneration and heritage-led urban resilience. Full article

Rural landscapes play a key role in preserving ecological processes, cultural identity, and socio-economic well-being, yet these areas often face challenges such as land degradation, water scarcity, and an inadequate road network. A sustainable approach to rural landscape and tourism planning is essential for enhancing both environmental resilience and socio-economic vitality in areas facing degradation and global change. This study aims to develop and validate an integrated methodological workflow that combines Landscape Character Assessment (LCA), ECOVAST guidelines, SWOT analysis, and open-source GIS techniques, complemented by a bottom-up approach of spontaneous fruition mapped through Wikiloc heatmaps. The framework was applied to a case study in Paternò, Eastern Sicily, Italy—a territory distinguished by its key local values such as Calanchi formations, proximity to Mount Etna, and cultural heritage. Through this application, eight distinct Landscape Units (LUs) were delineated, and key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for sustainable development were identified. Using open-access data and a survey-free protocol, this approach facilitates detailed landscape assessment without extensive fieldwork. The methodology is readily transferable to other rural Italian and Mediterranean contexts, providing practical guidance for researchers, planners, and stakeholders engaged in sustainable tourism development and landscape management. Full article

This work underlines an analogy between urban and biological systems. The dialogic approach of systems biology showed us that parts constitute a whole and, in turn, the whole constitutes the parts. The development of a biological system such as an animal or a plant does not unfold by means of an autonomous internal program. Rather, it stems from the interaction of the organism’s internal response pattern and its external environment. The wide scientific literature on the genome–environment interaction confirms this. Nevertheless, the scientific community still tends to consider the environment as a mere external factor which simply modulates the organism’s program. On the contrary, the environment has a key role in development. For example, when a seed germinates after heavy rain, it does not simply react to an external signal indicating favorable conditions for germination. Rather, it interacts directly with rainwater, which becomes a developmental factor no less important than the seed coat proteins. Similar to what happens during the development of an organism, the interface between any complex system and its environment determines its structural and functional fate. We argue that large cities have blurred the interface with their natural environment and depend on delocalized global sources. They are like organisms kept alive by external devices. Hence, we propose to regenerate a vital interface between cities and their rural and natural environment as the main and promising path towards future urban civilization. Full article

Communities are fundamental to national development, functioning as essential social units where local cultural identity and public participation play a crucial role. However, rapid urbanization has led to a decline in interpersonal interactions, weakened community bonds, and increased social divides, which in turn reduce residents’ engagement in public affairs. This study aims to explore the relationship between cultural identity and community revitalization to promote sustainable community development. We will achieve this by analyzing the implementation experiences of two rural Taiwanese communities: Huanan Community in Gukeng, Yunlin, and Chenggong Community in Dadou, Taichung City. Using exploratory factor analysis and regression analysis as our methodologies, we seek to understand how cultural identity fosters cohesion, enhances participation, and supports sustainable development in community revitalization. Our research findings indicate that cultural identity is composed of cultural engagement, cultural belonging, and cultural integration. Conversely, community revitalization encompasses aspects of daily life, life experiences, personal economic evaluation, community industry development, and residents’ environmental awareness. The overall research framework demonstrates that cultural identity has a strong influence on community revitalization, identifying strategies to improve residents’ quality of life and foster vibrant communities. Full article

With rapid urbanization and modernization, the deterioration of historical areas has become an increasing concern. While heritage-led regeneration has proven effective, most studies have focused on urban contexts. Rural traditional villages, particularly in developing countries such as China, face even greater challenges and remain understudied. This study addresses this gap by developing a framework for heritage-led rural regeneration, grounded in community-building theory and highlighting heritage capacity as a key driver of village revitalization. Using a two-round systematic literature review, 64 papers from Web of Science and Scopus were analyzed to construct the framework. It consists of two levels: a preliminary framework identifying five key dimensions—public participation, media platform construction, adaptive reuse, heritage industry development, and landscape maintenance—and an integrated framework further detailing 13 sub-dimensions within these areas. Expert interviews were then conducted to validate the framework and examine its practical implementation challenges and future development directions. This framework integrates community-building theory with heritage-led regeneration, offering both theoretical insights and practical guidance for revitalizing traditional villages in China and beyond. Full article

Tourism gentrification and lifestyle migration are reshaping both urban and rural destinations, yet no studies have examined how these trends might support regenerative tourism. This paper addresses a clear gap in the literature by being the first, to the authors’ knowledge, to explore their combined potential to contribute to regenerative outcomes. The research questions were structured using the PICOTS framework, and the review process followed the PRISMA 2020 protocol for transparency. A two-stage review design was used. First, a bibliometric analysis was conducted using Web of Science and Scopus data, applying co-occurrence mapping to identify thematic clusters. Second, an integrative literature review was performed to synthesise these findings and interpret them across spatial levels. Findings show that, while both gentrification and lifestyle migration can produce displacement and inequality, they also offer opportunities for regeneration when guided by inclusive governance, local participation, and value-based migration. The proposed multi-level framework explains how mobility-related transformations unfold at the individual, community, and policy levels. This study contributes to the field by introducing a multi-level framework that links fragmented debates, clarifies the conditions for regenerative transformation, and provides a structured approach for analysing tourism-driven socio-spatial change. Full article

Arsenic contamination in water remains a critical global challenge, particularly in rural and resource-limited regions. Clays have been widely studied as cost-effective and efficient adsorbents for arsenic removal. This systematic review provides a comprehensive analysis of the application of clays in arsenic adsorption, focusing on clay types, operational units, and study methodologies. The review classifies the adsorption mechanisms, highlights key factors influencing adsorption performance—such as pH, ionic strength, and surface modifications—and examines the effectiveness of various modifications. Furthermore, the study categorizes adsorption research into kinetic, iso-thermal, thermodynamic, and efficiency studies, providing insights into the state of the art and the experimental conditions that govern arsenic removal. It also discusses the scalability and practical application of clay-based adsorption technologies, emphasizing gaps in field validation, regeneration studies, and large-scale implementation. The findings highlight the potential of natural and modified clays in arsenic remediation, while underscoring the need for further research to optimize adsorption conditions and enhance sustainability in water treatment systems. Full article

The expansion of anthropogenic activities drives changes in the composition, structure, and spatial configuration of natural landscapes, influencing both the taxonomic and functional diversity of bird communities. This pattern is evident in the Colombian Amazon, where agricultural and livestock expansion has altered ecological dynamics, avifaunal assemblages, and the provision of regulating ecosystem services. This study analyzed the influence of agroforestry (cocoa-based agroforestry systems—SAFc) and silvopastoral systems (SSP) on the functional diversity of birds and their potential impact on ecosystem services in eight productive landscape mosaics within the Colombian Amazon. Each mosaic consisted of a 1 km² grid, within which seven types of vegetation cover were classified, and seven landscape metrics were calculated. Bird communities were surveyed through visual observations and mist-net captures, during which functional traits were measured. Additionally, functional guilds were assigned to each species based on a literature review. Five multidimensional indices of functional diversity were computed, along with community-weighted means per guild. A total of 218 bird species were recorded across both land-use systems. Bird richness, abundance, and functional diversity—as well as the composition of functional guilds—varied according to vegetation cover. Functional diversity increased in mosaics containing closed vegetation patches with symmetrical configurations. Variations in functional guilds were linked to low functional redundancy, which may also lead to differences in the provision of regulating ecosystem services such as biological pest control and seed dispersal—both of which are critical for the regeneration and connectivity of productive rural landscapes. In conclusion, functional diversity contributes to the resilience of bird communities in landscapes with Amazonian agroforestry and silvopastoral systems, highlighting the need for landscape management that promotes structural heterogeneity to sustain regulating ecosystem services and ecological connectivity. Full article

Background: Implant-prosthetic therapy requires a detailed assessment of the bone structure before designing a personalized treatment plan. Tooth extraction at the molar level is followed by a series of bone changes dependent on the patient’s general condition and age and the area in which it was performed. The fractal analysis of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) represents a way to assess the quality of post-extraction bone regeneration. The purpose of this study was to analyze the alveolar bone changes after tooth extraction using fractal analysis on CBCT images. Methods: This retrospective study included pre- and post-extraction CBCTs at 3 months of 60 patients who underwent 100 extractions of first and/or second molars. Fractal analysis on CBCT images was performed using ImageJ, and the data obtained from the measurements were statistically processed. A multiple regression model was used to assess factors influencing bone remodeling. Results: Fractal analysis performed on CBCT images showed that most patients experienced advanced bone remodeling, this being more pronounced in those from rural areas, in the vertical plane at the mandible and at the second molar. The multiple regression model showed that the factors that play an important role in predicting bone resorption are represented by age group (age above 56 years old is associated with less bone resorption), location (bone resorption is more pronounced at the mandible level), and molar (bone resorption for the second molar is higher). Conclusions: Post-extraction bone changes were influenced by the age of the patient and by the location of the extraction, with the maxilla and first molar having better fractal analysis values compared to the mandible and second molar. These results emphasize the importance of training implantologists in CBCT evaluation to improve personalized implant-prosthetic treatment decisions. Full article

In recent years, rural return has emerged as a significant trend in China, largely driven by central and local government policies promoting rural revitalization and urban-to-rural migration. This study aims to explore the impact of rural return on the evolution of rural spaces at the village level in China, with a particular focus on how urban-to-rural migration reshapes village spatial structures. This study examines the spatial implications of this phenomenon through case studies of three traditional villages in Zhejiang Province, utilizing qualitative fieldwork, spatial mapping, and in-depth interviews. By analyzing migration patterns, residential choices, and subsequent spatial transformations, this research elucidates how urban-to-rural migrants reshape spatial structures at the village level and integrate into local communities. The research findings reveal that the proportion of the migrant population is less than 30%, yet this relatively small proportion has brought significant changes to the village, manifested in the substantial increase in third spaces within the village. The study also identifies ten distinct migration types within the sample, with short-term residency comprising the majority, and migrants’ relocation needs play a crucial role in determining spatial adaptations. The predominant strategy for village integration involves the functional transformation of traditional dwellings into mixed-use commercial and residential spaces, as well as the renovation of existing structures to accommodate new social and economic activities. Additionally, the study underscores the active participation of migrants in public life and communal spaces as a key driver of spatial regeneration. This research contributes to the understanding of rural transformation in contemporary China by demonstrating that urban-to-rural migration not only reshapes village spatial configurations but also catalyzes social and functional revitalization. These insights provide a nuanced perspective on the evolving dynamics of rural settlements and inform future rural development strategies. Full article

In the European Green Deal and Renovation Wave framework, cities should be more self-sufficient and sustainable, promoting investment in the regeneration and maintenance of the built and natural heritage. The New European Bauhaus reinforces this vision, promoting the value of beauty as a product of environmental harmony/sustainability and participation. Many cities are already working to improve infrastructure and public services, with the aim of creating better socio-economic and environmental conditions in urbanised areas. At the same time, they aim to increase and relocate attractiveness and competitiveness to less densified rural areas, and to reduce overcrowding problems in cities. The aim is to propose a virtuous model of circular regeneration, by identifying virtuous strategies of the regeneration of rural villages capable of aligning the transformation of the built environment with climate objectives, social cohesion and local economy strengthening, and the integration of historical and identity values. Rural villages in marginal areas are left behind places. They require new economic development strategies, grounded in a circular bio-economy model for reducing/avoiding spiraled down processes. The application of European evaluation criteria to the main topic literature background allowed for the construction of a virtuous practices observatory about regenerated rural villages, which is elaborated using registry, systemic, and analytical/analysis forms. From the ex-post evaluation analysis of the case studies, it was possible to identify a number of dimensions/clusters in which investment is being made today for the regeneration of rural villages. By reasoning on the investment clusters, it was possible to identify a circular regeneration model for rural villages, transferable to other realities in order to implement the broader vision of circular settlement development. The “Rural Village Regeneration Model” represents an operational tool for regional transformation, suitable for reactivating lost connections between rural villages and larger towns in functional areas, characterised by greater self-sufficiency and exploration of the potential of digital tools to improve services, connections, infrastructure, and cooperation. Full article

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the perspective of the “socio-spatial” relationship, to construct a theoretical analysis framework for the reconstruction of rural cultural space, and to explore effective strategies for the reconstruction of cultural space in the context of rural revitalization. Taking Zhuma Town as a case study, this study applies qualitative research methods, combining inductive synthesis, interpretive analysis, and literature review to analyze in depth the phenomenon of the revival of its camellia culture and the reconstruction of cultural space. It is found that the transformation of vernacular culture is the fundamental motive for the reconstruction of rural cultural space, which is embodied in Zhuma Town, as the camellia culture has gone through different stages of development, which promotes the transformation of cultural space from traditional to modern, and from single-function to composite function. On this basis, the design strategies of “landscape inheritance and functional regeneration”, “connotation remodeling and cultural value-added”, and “role transformation and coordination and cooperation” are proposed. The research results provide theoretical references and practical guidance for the reconstruction of contemporary rural cultural space, help promote the construction of high-quality rural habitat, enrich the knowledge system of rural cultural space research in interdisciplinary background, and are of great significance in awakening the cultural self-consciousness of the vernacular society and promoting the reconstruction of rural cultural values. Full article

Womens’ entrepreneurial endeavours, particularly in rural areas, have led to establishing Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) focused on tourism initiatives, significantly enhancing rural tourism experiences while promoting local culture. Co-creation, a concept extensively studied in the tourism industry, involves the collaborative generation of ideas in production and consumption driven by stakeholders with vested interests in specific products and services. Policy co-creation, in particular, has become a key driver in enhancing a country’s tourism competitiveness through a collaborative and inclusive development approach. Despite the extensive exploration of co-creation in tourism, the role of women entrepreneurs in this process remains underexamined. This study aims to address this gap by identifying and exploring co-creation initiatives that demonstrate how women entrepreneurs contribute to tourism policy and development. Using a qualitative research approach, it is based on thirty (30) semi-structured interviews with key tourism stakeholders, including policymakers, entrepreneurs, tourism professionals, and representatives from relevant organisations. Findings from the interviews underscore the central role of women entrepreneurs in the co-creation of tourism policies, particularly in rural areas. Their entrepreneurial contributions extend beyond economic growth, as they engage in shaping policies that support sustainable tourism and local development. Through their innovative approaches, women entrepreneurs regenerate traditional products by incorporating modern techniques, ensuring their offerings remain relevant and appealing to diverse visitor demographics and evolving market trends. This study further highlights that effective policy frameworks are crucial to enabling and amplifying women’s contributions to tourism development. Policies that support co-creation processes—such as inclusive decision making, funding accessibility, and capacity-building programs—play a transformative role in unlocking the potential of women entrepreneurs or encouraging more women to embark on an entrepreneurial venture within the tourism sector. Full article