Search Results (86)

Private investment is critical for post-conflict economic recovery, yet evidence on how specific fiscal policy instruments, such as taxation, borrowing composition, and expenditure types, affect domestic and foreign investment in a post-conflict set-up remains limited. This study examines whether disaggregated fiscal policies are associated with crowding in or out private investment in Rwanda, a post-conflict economy characterized by constrained fiscal space, shallow credit markets, and evolving institutions. Using a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM), on quarterly data spanning 1996 Q1–2024 Q4, the analysis captures long- and short-run dynamics between disaggregated fiscal variables, institutional quality, and private investment. The results indicate that direct taxes and domestically financed debt are negatively associated with both domestic and foreign private investment. Externally financed capital spending, on the other hand, is associated with a crowding-in effect, stimulating both local and foreign investment. Lagged measures of institutional quality also enhance investment outcomes, highlighting the conditional role of government in shaping fiscal transmission. These findings demonstrate that fiscal effects are instrument-specific, depending on funding sources and composition, and mediated by institutional and macroeconomic conditions. By integrating disaggregated fiscal analysis with institutional context, this study provides empirically grounded insights for designing fiscal strategies that support private sector-led recovery and sustainable growth in post-conflict and resource-constrained economies. Full article

Background: Private and community hosting have emerged as important community-based responses to forced displacement, through which host-country citizens provide accommodation, practical support, and relational care to refugees in domestic and community settings. These hosting arrangements extend hospitality beyond commercial and tourism contexts into everyday spaces of welcome, co-living, and social support. Existing literature has examined a range of hosting experiences, including reasons citizens choose to host, ways hospitality is practiced, challenges arising from hosting, and the impacts of hosting on hosts, refugees, and communities. However, the evidence remains fragmented across disciplines, including migration studies, social work, sociology, public health, and hospitality scholarship. Objective: This scoping review aims to map and synthesize the existing literature on why host-country residents and local hosting actors host refugees, with a focus on hosting motivations, hospitality practices, challenges, and impacts in private and community hosting. Methods: This review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and be reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Guided by the Population–Concept–Context framework, the review will include studies involving host-country residents and local hosting actors, engaged in refugee hosting. Literature published in English from 2010 onward will be identified through searches in MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, Sociological Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, and selected grey literature sources. Two reviewers will independently screen records and extract data, which will be analyzed descriptively and thematically to map motivations, hospitality practices, challenges, and impacts in private and community hosting. Results: The review will generate a comprehensive map of the literature on refugee hosting in private and community settings. It will identify how hosting is conceptualized and practiced, the motivations driving citizen involvement, the relational and structural challenges associated with hosting, and the reported impacts on hosts, refugees, and communities. It will also highlight system-level support, policy considerations, and gaps requiring further attention through research and practice. Conclusions: This scoping review will provide an interdisciplinary synthesis of evidence on refugee hosting as a form of social and domestic hospitality. The findings will inform future research, policy, and community-based hosting initiatives and will contribute to a deeper understanding of the ethical, relational, and structural dimensions of refugee hospitality and hosting in host countries. Full article

Electric vehicle (EV) transport by ship is expanding beyond industrial logistics centred on automobile production, trade, and pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) into daily transportation for island tourism, commuting, and essential mobility. According to Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority (KOMSA) vessel status data as of March 2026, 104 of 146 domestic passenger ships were car-ferry passenger ships, accounting for 71.2% of the fleet and operating on 75 of 99 designated routes nationwide. Korea Shipping Association (KSA) operational records show that the EV transport rate on these routes increased from 0.76% in 2024 to 1.21% in 2025, with some routes exceeding 2.0–4.7%. Unlike enclosed multi-deck PCTC vehicle spaces, Korean coastal car-ferry passenger ships generally have single-tier open vehicle decks and bow ramp gates. Crosswinds on open decks may reduce smoke detector activation probability by 60–75%. Although Article 97 of the Standard for Ship Fire-Fighting Appliance newly requires dedicated EV fire-fighting equipment for car-ferry ships, it remains primarily equipment-prescriptive and does not yet provide open-deck-specific performance requirements for wind-resistant detection, fixed EV-zone cooling, EV-designated stowage arrangements, or passenger–operator safety management obligations. This study applies the five-step International Maritime Organization (IMO) Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) procedure to support improvements to EV fire-fighting equipment standards for coastal car-ferry passenger ships. Hazard identification (HAZID) was conducted with a 15-member advisory panel, and probability elicitation was performed through a Delphi survey with 10 core experts, showing strong consensus (Kendall’s W = 0.74, p < 0.01). Fault tree analysis (FTA) and event tree analysis (ETA) probabilities were derived from the Delphi results and the international literature. H-07, representing wind-induced smoke dilution, was identified as the dominant single-point vulnerability within the detection-failure branch. Monte Carlo-based FTA–ETA analysis (n = 10,000) estimated annual fire frequencies of 5.9 × 10⁻², 1.8 × 10⁻¹, and 2.9 × 10⁻¹ yr⁻¹ at EV loading ratios of 10%, 30%, and 50%, respectively, with 2.47 expected fatalities per fire. Risk entered the IMO ALARP band above a 30% EV loading ratio and exceeded the maximum tolerable crew risk above 50%. The combined application of risk control options (RCOs) 2, 3, and 4 reduced annual expected fatalities by 85.6%. Based on these results, six RCOs and institutional recommendations are proposed, including strengthened safety management obligations for passenger ship operators. Full article

Vernacular housing in the Andean region embodies long-standing building knowledge, environmental adaptation, and forms of social organization rooted in rural life. Over recent decades, these dwellings have undergone visible transformations linked to migration, changing aspirations, and the growing presence of industrialized construction materials. Rather than disappearing, vernacular forms have increasingly merged with contemporary solutions, producing hybrid architectural landscapes whose local dynamics are still insufficiently documented. This study analyzes the material, typological, and functional transformation of rural housing in Las Lagunas and Quisquinchir, two Indigenous communities located in Saraguro, Loja, Ecuador. A total of 192 houses were recorded through field observation and a structured digital survey implemented with KoBoCollect. The information was processed in R using descriptive statistics, contingency tables, chi-square tests, Cramér’s V, and standardized residual analysis. The findings show that architectural change in both communities does not occur through a simple replacement of traditional housing by modern models. Instead, vernacular, hybrid, and modern/eclectic typologies coexist within the same rural setting, revealing uneven and locally specific processes of transformation. The clearest differences emerge in construction materiality. Las Lagunas preserves a stronger presence of traditional wall systems, especially adobe and bahareque, while Quisquinchir shows a broader incorporation of industrialized materials, particularly concrete block. Statistical analysis confirmed significant associations between community and wall material, as well as between typology and wall material, whereas the relationship between community and architectural typology was comparatively weaker. Functional changes were also identified through the reduction or reconfiguration of intermediate spaces such as portals, patios, and corridors, suggesting a gradual shift toward more enclosed and specialized domestic environments. These results contribute empirical evidence for understanding architectural hybridization in Indigenous rural territories and support conservation and planning approaches capable of recognizing continuity, adaptation, and change within evolving Andean built landscapes. Full article

The building sector accounts for nearly 30% of global energy use and 28% of CO₂ emissions, with residential buildings in Canada contributing about 17% of national energy demand. In cold regions such as Labrador, approximately 82% of this consumption is associated with space heating and domestic hot water, making heating the dominant residential load, while fossil-fuel furnaces and electric baseboard heaters remain common. These conditions highlight the need for efficient and sustainable heating alternatives for cold-climate residential buildings. This study examines the design and performance of a hybrid solar photovoltaic (PV) and geothermal heat pump (GTHP) system for a typical detached home in L’Anse-au-Loup, Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada (51.52° N, 56.84° W), with the goal of improving energy efficiency and reducing dependence on the electrical grid. Heating and cooling loads were developed using the Hourly Analysis Program (HAP 6.1), while system operation and economic performance were assessed through the Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER Pro 3.18.3). The proposed design combines a rooftop PV array, a ground-source heat pump, and second-life lithium-ion batteries repurposed from retired electric vehicles to lower costs and support short-term energy storage. The system is modelled under grid-connected conditions to reflect realistic operation for northern households. Results show that the hybrid system can meet annual electrical and thermal needs while reducing grid consumption by more than half. Annual carbon emissions decrease by roughly 4–5 tonnes, and repurposed batteries offer a cost-effective alternative to new storage. Overall, the study demonstrates that PV–GTHP systems can provide reliable, efficient, and practical energy solutions for cold-climate homes. Full article

Public spaces in informal settlements are often viewed as congested, unregulated, or residual areas, yet they play a central role in everyday urban life. This paper examines how public spaces are socially produced through everyday appropriation, interaction, and routine use in two informal settlements in Lahore, Pakistan. Using a qualitative comparative case-study design, the study draws on field observations, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, activity mapping, photographic documentation, and spatial interpretation. The findings show that streets function as multifunctional public spaces rather than simple movement corridors. They support livelihood activities, children’s play, domestic extension, informal mobility, social gathering, and community visibility. The results also show that public space use varies by gender, age, time of day, and settlement morphology, with everyday practices shaped by the interaction between street layouts, housing forms, public–private thresholds, and local socio-cultural routines. The paper concludes that informal public spaces should not be understood only as signs of disorder or planning failure. They are adaptive socio-spatial systems that support livelihood, belonging, and everyday resilience. Recognizing these resident-led spatial practices can inform more sensitive upgrading approaches that improve physical conditions without erasing the social relations and everyday uses through which public space is produced. Full article

This study analyzes domestic tourism mobility in Spain using aggregated and anonymized mobile phone data, with a particular focus on the outbound market of the municipality of Madrid and its territorial redistribution between September 2019 and September 2025. Using experimental statistics from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), a monthly series of origin–destination flows to all Spanish municipalities was constructed, harmonizing the municipal database and incorporating intensive indicators to improve inter-territorial comparability. The spatiotemporal dynamics were integrated into a Space–Time Cube (monthly resolution), and Emerging Hot Spot Analysis (EHSA) was applied to classify the persistence, intensification, or attenuation of high- and low-intensity clusters. Additionally, the grouping of time series allowed for the identification of seasonal patterns associated with coastal, urban, and nearby inland destinations. The results show: (i) a synchronous disruption in the spring of 2020 linked to COVID-19; (ii) a staggered recovery beginning in 2021, consolidating in 2023–2025; and (iii) a dual structural pattern, with a strong concentration of volumes in large urban and coastal hubs, along with high relative intensities in small municipalities in the ring surrounding Madrid. EHSA identifies intensifying hotspots in established coastal systems (Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca) and cooling or attenuated dynamics in parts of the inland region, consistent with the reconfiguration of the “tourism radius” following the pandemic. Limitations arising from statistical confidentiality and the representativeness of the source are discussed, and future research directions are proposed based on the integration of the information with expenditure and transportation data and on spatiotemporal modeling to support destination planning and management. Full article

The microscopic pore structure and fluid occurrence laws of tight oil reservoirs are intricate, leading to relatively low oil production rates. The T₁-T₂ two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D NMR) technique presents significant advantages for fluid identification and the quantitative characterization of fluids and pore spaces in these reservoirs. Nonetheless, systematic and in-depth investigations into its experimental measurements remain scarce. A comprehensive review of both domestic and international literature on T₁-T₂ 2D NMR measurement techniques was conducted for oil reservoirs. The fundamental principles, data acquisition and inversion mechanisms of 2D NMR technology were elucidated. Additionally, the signal distribution laws of hydrogen-containing components under varying test parameters were summarized. The relationship between NMR experimental testing and reservoir characteristics was explored, elucidating the mechanism of the T₁-T₂ spectra. Building upon this foundation, the strategic optimization of data acquisition and inversion methodologies, along with critical parameters for T₁-T₂ NMR measurements, significantly enhanced the precision of NMR datasets and the fidelity of 2D NMR spectral imaging. These advancements provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the characterization of rock and fluid in tight oil reservoirs. Full article

The growing accessibility of small satellite technologies and international cooperation frameworks has enabled many emerging countries to initiate space development activities; however, the mechanisms through which they build and advance satellite development capabilities remain insufficiently theorized, as existing models such as the Space Technology Ladder capture only high-level milestones. To address this gap, this study proposes the Satellite Technology Ladder (SaTL), a structured 16-level framework integrating satellite development methods and satellite size as indicators of technological maturity. We conducted a comprehensive longitudinal analysis of all satellite projects initiated since 1990 across 16 emerging countries, coding each project according to the SaTL scheme and evaluating national trajectories over time. The analysis reveals four distinct developmental trajectories: (1) prolonged dependence on foreign procurement, (2) gradual capability enhancement through externally supported development, (3) expansion of domestic industrial ecosystems following initial collaboration, and (4) independent development from the outset based on pre-existing technological foundations. These findings demonstrate that technological advancement depends not only on technology introduction but also on absorptive capacity, institutional learning, and broader industrial structures. SaTL thus offers a theoretically grounded and empirically validated tool for assessing capability formation and informing policy strategies in emerging spacefaring nations. Full article

This study employs bibliometric analysis, utilizing the visualization tools CiteSpace 6.3.R1 and VOSviewer 1.6.18, to systematically examine 8727 documents from the Web of Science Core Collection (2000–2024) related to “resilient cities” and “urban resilience.” It explores the evolution of resilient city research, current international trends, practical developments in China, and future directions. The study addresses key questions concerning the theoretical foundations of resilient cities, research advances in the security field, China’s implementation pathways, and emerging trends. Findings indicate that resilient city discourse has evolved from a narrow focus on engineering-based disaster prevention toward a multidimensional, socio-ecological–economic adaptive system. This progression can be divided into three phases: the theoretical foundation period (2000–2008), the technological integration period (2009–2018), and the complex crisis response period (2019–present). Internationally, practices are increasingly centered on climate change adaptation, supported by multi-level governance frameworks such as the MCR2030 initiative. China demonstrates a “dual-track” approach that combines policy-driven initiatives with localized innovations, advancing through international pilot projects, domestic policy experimentation, and grassroots exploration. The study also highlights differences between Chinese and Western research in perspectives, methodologies, and theoretical frameworks. Future resilient city development is expected to emphasize systematization, digitalization, and equity, leveraging technologies such as digital twins and artificial intelligence while fostering community participation and multi-scale collaborative governance. By systematically outlining the theoretical evolution and practical logic of resilient cities, this study offers insights for urban resilience building in developing countries and provides a methodological reference for enhancing resilience capabilities across different administrative levels. Full article

Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains understudied in China despite its public health significance. Previous research lacks comprehensive analysis of how Chinese media frames this issue, creating a gap in understanding the sociocultural factors shaping public discourse. This study employs corpus-based framing analysis of 603 news articles (435,581 words) from major Chinese newspapers spanning 2012–2022, a period encompassing significant legal developments including the 2016 Domestic Violence Law. We analyze how IPV is framed through examination of keyword frequencies, collocation patterns, and concordance analysis. Our findings reveal that IPV is predominantly framed as matrimonial conflict and family dispute rather than criminal violence requiring state intervention. We argue that framing IPV as a ‘family issue’ operates as a spatial containment strategy, relocating violence to the domestic sphere while rerouting intervention into administrative/civil channels rather than criminal accountability spaces. Our findings reveal significant imbalances in stakeholder representation, with government and legal voices dominating the public discourse domain while community support organizations are marginalized. Source attribution patterns produce uneven zones of legitimacy, where state actors occupy authorized public space while survivors’ experiences remain confined to private, silenced domains. This research enhances the understanding of IPV media coverage in China while highlighting the need for more inclusive public discourse. Full article

Smart home technologies are increasingly integrated into residential environments jointly inhabited by older adults and young children. However, existing research remains largely ageing-centered and insufficiently addresses the governance challenges arising from generational asymmetries in vulnerability, spatial agency, and authority within shared domestic space. Rather than merely complicating design, these asymmetries fundamentally reshape how safety, autonomy, access, and surveillance are structured in everyday residential practice. This study reconceptualizes senior–child intergenerational co-living as a governance-oriented socio-technical system in which generational asymmetry functions as a structuring principle of design prioritization. An expert-based decision framework integrating interdisciplinary focus groups and the Analytic Hierarchy Process was developed to evaluate five design dimensions and thirty indicators. The findings reveal a differentiated priority structure in which intelligent safety, accessibility, and risk governance together with spatial integration and technological accessibility constitute the foundational architecture of inclusive intergenerational housing, while interaction-oriented functions receive comparatively lower weights. By embedding generational asymmetry within a formal hierarchical evaluation model, this study extends smart housing scholarship beyond ageing-centered optimization and provides a structured decision-support logic for inclusive multi-generational residential design aligned with the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those promoting inclusive communities and health equity. Full article

This study examines the evolution of the European Union’s (EU) energy security and import dependence over the period 2014–2023, shaped by global energy price shocks, the COVID-19 pandemic, and Russia’s war against Ukraine. This research aims to explore how the structure of energy imports, domestic production capacities, and the composition of electricity generation shape the vulnerability of EU Member States. It highlights that energy is not only an economic input but also a determinant of social stability and political space. The analysis is based on Eurostat data for 27 Member States. This study combines several methods: panel regression to explore the structural determinants of energy dependence, absolute and relative volatility indicators to measure exposure to shocks, and K-means clustering to map heterogeneity across Member States. The comparison between the pre-2020 and post-2020 periods serves as a robustness check. The results point to three main conclusions. First, natural gas and oil imports remain the primary source of dependency, while domestic electricity generation and balanced gas supply mitigate vulnerability. Second, based on volatility, smaller Member States—particularly the Baltic States and Malta—are disproportionately exposed to shocks. Third, Member States can be grouped into three clusters, although the post-2020 crisis has partly rearranged the grouping of countries. The policy lesson is clear: reducing energy dependency requires diversification, targeted support for smaller Member States, strengthening crisis management capacities, and accelerating the green transition. Energy security and sustainability are not contradictory but mutually reinforcing objectives that will determine the future resilience of the EU. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the function of the home, shifting it from a private residence to a multifunctional hub for work, education, and daily life. In Saudi Arabia, where homes are traditionally rooted in communal hospitality, this global event prompted an unprecedented inward focus, compelling users to adapt their living spaces. This study investigates how Saudi users perceived and adapted their homes during and after the pandemic, focusing on spatial and functional changes, particularly those that support remote work and multifunctionality. Data was collected from three surveys conducted in those three periods of time and statistically analyzed. These surveys were distributed through the researcher’s social media channels, such as WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and the X platform. It examines changes across the pre-COVID, mid-COVID, and post-COVID periods to determine whether there was a significant shift in the collective spatial priorities of the Saudi domestic landscape across three distinct socio-historical periods, such as remote work and guest spaces, or if they were abandoned as soon as the pandemic and its lockdown were over. Statistical analysis was conducted using JASP to generate chi-squared tests, ANOVA, and descriptive analysis. The outcome aims to better inform future housing design priorities in Saudi Arabia and align them with the housing goals of Vision 2030. The preliminary findings suggest minimal differences in functional space requirements between the pandemic and post-pandemic eras, indicating a lasting shift in users’ spatial needs. The results have practical implications for architects, planners, and policymakers seeking to design adaptable, resilient residential spaces for the post-pandemic era. Full article

This study examines how the sense of home for people with dementia is shaped not only by physical settings but by dynamic atmospheric compositions emerging through memory, sensation, and everyday practices. Building on a preliminary literature mapping that identified three dimensions of home in later-life care environments—safe space, small world, and connection—we developed a multisensory co-design toolkit combining key-element cards and curated olfactory prompts. The study was conducted in a dementia-friendly residential care facility in Italy. Nine residents with mild–moderate dementia (aged 75–84) participated in two group sessions and six individual sessions, facilitated by two design researchers with care staff present. Data consist of audio-recorded and transcribed interviews, guided olfactory sessions, and researcher fieldnotes. Across sessions, participants articulated “small worlds” as micro-environments composed of meaningful objects, bodily comfort, routines, and sensory cues that supported emotional regulation and identity continuity. Olfactory prompts, administered through a low-intensity and participant-controlled protocol, supported scene-based autobiographical recall for some participants, often eliciting memories of domestic rituals, places, and relationships. Rather than treating home-like design as a fixed architectural style, we interpret home as continuously re-made through situated sensory–temporal patterns and relational practices. We translate these findings into atmospheric design directions for dementia care: designing places of self and refuge, staging accessible material memory devices, embedding gentle olfactory micro-worlds within daily routines, and approaching atmosphere as an ongoing process of co-attunement among residents, staff, and environmental conditions. The study contributes a methodological and conceptual framework for multisensory, narrative-driven approaches to designing home-like environments in long-term care. Full article