Search Results (2,880)

Sustainable urban water system (UWS) management is vital for climate-resilient, resource-efficient cities. This study presents the first comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) of Seoul Metropolitan City (SMC)’s UWS, encompassing water abstraction, treatment, distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, and sludge management. Nine midpoint impact categories from ReCiPe 2016 (H) were analyzed to identify environmental hotspots and mitigation pathways. Results show that wastewater treatment dominates impacts, contributing 57.3% of global warming potential (GWP; 0.947 kg CO₂-eq per functional unit of 1 m³ of potable water supplied) and 71.1% of freshwater eutrophication (FE; 0.00066 kg P-eq/m³), driven by electricity use, sludge disposal, and direct CH₄/N₂O emissions. Electricity consumption is the leading driver across GWP, terrestrial acidification (TA), and fossil resource scarcity (FRS). Infrastructure construction notably influenced terrestrial ecotoxicity (TET) and human toxicity. Sensitivity analysis showed that SMC’s projected 2030 electricity mix could reduce GWP and FRS by up to 18%. Scenario evaluations revealed that sludge ash utilization in concrete and expanded wastewater reuse improve resource circularity, whereas biogas upgrading, solar generation, and heat recovery significantly lower GWP and FRS. The findings underscore the importance of energy decarbonization, resource recovery, and infrastructure longevity in achieving low-carbon and resource-efficient UWSs. This study offers a transferable framework for guiding sustainability transitions in rapidly urbanizing, energy-transitioning regions. Full article

The prevention and control of desertification in northern China is currently in a critical stage of transitioning from large-scale governance to precise adaptation. Identifying potential risk areas during the ecological restoration process is a scientific prerequisite for achieving long-term governance. This study focuses on the typical ecologically fragile area of Ordos City, where high-resolution grazing pressure grid data and a night-time light index were innovatively integrated into the assessment system to develop a desertification sensitivity evaluation framework that couples climatic, vegetative, soil, and human activity (CVSH) factors. Compared to linear models, the CVSH framework enhances dynamic assessment accuracy by coupling human activity indicators, particularly addressing the policy lag effect inherent in PSR models. The study systematically tracked the temporal and spatial differentiation process of desertification sensitivity from 2000 to 2024, finding that the spatial pattern shows a significant “the west is high while the east is low” concentration, and the time series has experienced a phased turning point of “first suppression then growth”. Mechanism analysis indicates that climate aridification and vegetation degradation are the dominant stress factors, while intense human activities have significantly exacerbated the vulnerability of local ecosystems through nonlinear interactions, leading to the re-expansion of high-sensitivity zones after 2018, with their area proportion increasing sharply from 15.52% to 30.07%. This study reveals the fragility of ecological engineering effectiveness and the complexity of risk evolution under the combined influence of climate fluctuations and human interference, providing a direct scientific picture and decision support for achieving differentiated ecological risk management and sustainable land management in different regions. Full article

The Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions (MICE) sector has become a strategic driver of regional economic development, yet secondary cities often lack the structural, governance, and experiential capacities required for competitive MICE positioning. This study proposes and empirically validates a triangulated analytical framework that integrates structural readiness, stakeholder governance capacity, and tourist perceptions to capture systemic misalignments in emerging MICE destinations, going beyond conventional applied readiness assessments. This study evaluates the preparedness of Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand, to develop as a sustainable MICE destination using a triangulated mixed-methods design comprising (1) a city readiness assessment based on TCEB’s eight criteria, (2) a survey of 400 tourists and MICE visitors, and (3) in-depth interviews with 20 key stakeholders. The weighted assessment indicated a moderate overall readiness score (3.48/5), with strengths in environmental management, safety, supporting activities, and accommodation. However, MICE venue capacity and city image remained notably weak. Tourists consistently perceived high readiness across most areas, whereas stakeholders highlighted major systemic issues, including fragmented governance, inconsistent MICE service quality, limited capacity for large events, and inadequate transportation integration. Triangulating these viewpoints reveals three analytically distinct preparation gaps—structural, policy implementation, and experience expectations—demonstrating a fundamental misalignment between experiential appeal and institutional capabilities. This study conceptualizes preparedness as a relational outcome impacted by infrastructure, governance procedures, and market perceptions, adding to the MICE destination and governance literature. The methodology can be used to examine comparable misalignments in other emerging or secondary MICE destinations. The findings guide governance-driven MICE city development plans for sustainability and competitiveness. Full article

In the face of accelerating climate change and urbanization, sustainable mobility infrastructure plays a critical role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This article assesses the Sunglider concept—an elevated, solar-powered transport system—through the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Compass, which emphasizes sustainability, inclusion, and esthetic value. Designed by architect Peter Kuczia and collaborators, Sunglider combines photovoltaic energy generation with modular, parametrically designed wooden pylons to form a lightweight, climate-positive mobility solution. The study evaluates the system’s technological feasibility, environmental performance, and urban integration potential, drawing on existing design documentation and simulation-based estimates. While Sunglider demonstrates strong alignment with NEB principles, including zero-emission operation and material circularity, its implementation is challenged by high initial investment, political and planning complexities, and integration into dense urban environments. Mitigation strategies—such as adaptive routing, visual screening, and universal station access—are proposed to address concerns around privacy, esthetics, and accessibility. The article positions Sunglider as a scalable and replicable model for mid-sized European cities, capable of advancing inclusive, carbon-neutral mobility while enhancing the urban experience. It concludes with policy and research recommendations, highlighting the importance of embedding infrastructure innovation within broader ecological and cultural transitions. Full article

Vehicular emissions are a major contributor to air pollution and respiratory morbidity in Ecuador’s urban centers. Despite increasing evidence of traffic-related health impacts, national research remains fragmented and unevenly distributed. This narrative review synthesizes 26 peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2024 to characterize vehicular air pollution sources, pollutants, and respiratory health effects in Ecuador. The evidence shows a strong geographic concentration, with more than half of the studies conducted in Quito, followed by Guayaquil and Cuenca. National inventories indicate that the transport sector accounts for approximately 41.7% of Ecuador’s CO₂ emissions. Across cities, PM_2.5, PM₁₀, NO₂, CO, and SO₂ were the most frequently assessed pollutants and were repeatedly reported to approach or exceed international guideline values, particularly during traffic peaks and under low-dispersion conditions. Health-related studies documented substantial impacts, including up to 19,966 respiratory hospitalizations in Quito, with short-term PM_2.5 exposure associated with increased hospitalization risk in children. Among schoolchildren attending high-traffic schools, carboxyhemoglobin levels above 2.5% were linked to a threefold increase in the risk of acute respiratory infections. Occupationally exposed adults, such as drivers, traffic police officers, and outdoor workers with regular exposure to traffic-related air pollution, also showed a higher prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms. Environmental evidence further highlighted the accumulation of traffic-related heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cr) and pronounced spatial inequalities affecting low-income neighborhoods. Overall, the review identifies aging vehicle fleets and diesel-based transport as dominant contributors to observed pollution and health patterns, while underscoring methodological limitations such as the scarcity of longitudinal studies and uneven monitoring coverage. These findings provide integrated and policy-relevant evidence to support sustainable urban planning, cleaner transport strategies, and targeted respiratory health policies in Ecuador. Full article

Sustainability assessment in UNESCO World Heritage city centres often treats spatial configuration, functional accessibility, and heritage governance as separate analytical domains. This study addresses this fragmentation by developing a composite assessment framework to evaluate morphological sustainability in historic urban cores. The Morphological Sustainability Model (MSM) and its numerical expression, the Morphological Sustainability Index (MSI), are applied to the Bursa Khans District for the 2020–2025 period. The model integrates Space Syntax variables (integration, connectivity, choice, and intelligibility), 15-Minute City indicators related to proximity, pedestrian accessibility, active mobility, and inclusivity, and Historic Urban Landscape-based governance evaluations derived from UNESCO-compliant management plans. These components are synthesised into six weighted composite indicators (BKH1–BKH6). Results show that the MSI increases from 0.38 in 2020 to 0.51 in 2025 (+34.2%), indicating a strengthened alignment between spatial configuration, pedestrian-oriented functional performance, and heritage governance capacity. The findings reveal a shift from car-oriented axial dominance toward a more pedestrian-centred spatial structure along the historic bazaar spine. Overall, the study demonstrates that the MSI provides a transferable, decision-support-oriented framework for assessing morphological sustainability in historic urban environments. Full article

Saudi Arabia’s ambition to improve quality of life is paving its way, and this study aligns with that vision, adopting an experimental approach to explore urban solutions to enhance outdoor thermal comfort for pedestrians in neighborhoods within Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. Given the city’s hot and arid climate, outdoor spaces are often subject to extreme thermal conditions that reduce the quality of life for residents. To address this issue, the study utilizes Ladybug in Grasshopper, a tool designed for modeling the microclimate and assessing the impact of urban design strategies on outdoor thermal comfort. A base model representing the current urban fabric of selected neighborhoods is developed, and then multiple alternatives of urban morphology (sidewalk, setbacks, fence, and vegetation) are evaluated for their effectiveness in mitigating heat stress and improving outdoor thermal conditions. The findings from this study provide valuable insights into how urban planning and design interventions can be tailored to the unique climatic challenges of Riyadh, with potential applications for enhancing the sustainability, livability, and overall quality of life of the city’s neighborhoods. Full article

Balancing protection and development is essential for mitigating anthropogenic threats and achieving sustainable development in coastal regions. However, integrated spatial planning that links marine protected areas (MPAs) with developed spaces and incorporates land–sea coordination remains insufficiently explored—despite global frameworks such as the “Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework” advocating for such integration. In this study, we used Xiamen, a typical bay city in China, as an example, assessed its habitat suitability through the MaxEnt model, and determined its key development areas through hotspot analysis, aiming to coordinate protection and development, as well as land and marine utilization in coastal areas. The results indicate the following: (1) existing protected areas require adjustments; (2) multiple development hotspots overlap, while several cold spots with limited potential for functional development were identified; (3) prioritizing MPAs in decision-making led to an approximate 42.8% increase in MPA coverage in Xiamen. Overall, this study produced a comprehensive plan that integrates both ecological and social objectives. Full article

The increasing complexity of contemporary urban systems necessitates decision-making frameworks capable of systematically integrating multidimensional sustainability considerations into policy evaluation processes. While existing urban sustainability assessment approaches predominantly focus on isolated environmental or socio-economic indicators, they often lack methodological coherence and direct applicability to operational decision-making. This study proposes a multi-layer sustainability indicator framework explicitly designed to support evidence-based urban decision-making under conditions of uncertainty, institutional constraints, and competing policy objectives. The framework integrates environmental, economic, social, and institutional dimensions of sustainability into a structured decision-support architecture. Methodologically, the study employs a two-stage approach combining expert-based weighting techniques (Analytic Hierarchy Process and Best–Worst Method) with multi-criteria decision-making methods (TOPSIS and VIKOR) to evaluate and rank alternative urban policy scenarios. The proposed framework is empirically validated through an urban case study, demonstrating its capacity to translate abstract sustainability indicators into comparable decision outcomes and policy priorities. The results indicate that the integration of multi-layer indicator systems with formal decision-analysis tools enhances transparency, internal consistency, and strategic coherence in urban governance processes. By bridging the gap between sustainability measurement and decision implementation, the study contributes to the advancement of urban governance scholarship and provides a replicable analytical model applicable to cities facing complex sustainability trade-offs. Full article

Renewable energy sources like wind turbines and solar panels are integrated into modern power grids as Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). These DERs can operate independently or as part of microgrids. Interconnecting multiple microgrids creates Networked Microgrids (NMGs) that increase reliability, resilience, and independent power generation. However, the trustworthiness of individual DERs remains a critical challenge in NMGs, particularly when integrating previously deployed or geographically distributed units managed by entities with varying expertise. Assessing DER trustworthiness ensuring reliability and security is essential to prevent system-wide instability. Thisresearch addresses this challenge by proposing a lightweight trust metric generation system capable of processing structured and semi-structured DER data to produce key trust indicators. The system employs a Small Language Model (SLM) with approximately 16 million parameters for textual data understanding and metric extraction, followed by a regression head to output bounded trust scores. Designed for deployment in computationally constrained environments, the SLM requires only 64.6 MB of disk space and 200–250 MB of memory that is significantly lesser than larger models such as DeepSeek R1, Gemma-2, and Phi-3, which demand 3–12 GB. Experimental results demonstrate that the SLM achieves high correlation and low mean error across all trust metrics while outperforming larger models in efficiency. When integrated into a full neural network-based trust framework, the generated metrics enable accurate prediction of DER trustworthiness. These findings highlight the potential of lightweight SLMs for reliable and resource-efficient trust assessment in NMGs, supporting resilient and sustainable energy systems in smart cities. Full article

Coastal port cities depend on global seafood flows, yet their food security is increasingly exposed to price volatility and supply disruptions. This study examines Busan citizens’ perceptions of seafood-related food security and seafood supply chain stability, and derives actionable municipal policy priorities for a trade-dependent port city. Anchored in the FAO four-dimensional framework—availability, access, utilization, and stability—we developed 20 seafood-related attributes and surveyed adult residents in Busan (n = 297). The measurement structure was assessed through reliability checks and exploratory factor analysis, and Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA) was used to map attribute-level priorities and identify the largest importance–performance gaps. Overall, respondents regard seafood food security as highly important but only moderately satisfactory. Availability and utilization perform relatively well, indicating perceived strengths in basic supply conditions and safe consumption, whereas access and stability show lower performance relative to importance, reflecting concerns about affordability, uneven physical access for vulnerable groups, price volatility, and exposure to external shocks. Notably, several stability-related attributes emerge as “Concentrate Here” priorities, highlighting the need for strengthened risk management, early warning communication, and resilience-oriented logistics planning at the city level. By integrating the FAO framework with attribute-level IPA, this study demonstrates how citizen perception data can translate macro food security debates into locally implementable priorities for building sustainable food systems in coastal cities. Full article

Residential barbecuing is becoming increasingly popular worldwide, especially in cities, where it is not only a leisure activity but also an important social and cultural practice. Consequently, the number of grills and smokers in use continues to grow. This study evaluated the environmental performance of a household wood-pellet barbecue dual-function smoker/grill using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. The functional units selected were per cooking time (1 h) and per unit of energy delivered (1 kWh) at different cooking settings on the smoker. The results show that most of the impacts, including global warming potential (GWP) and resource use, originate from the production of the smoker itself, whereas emissions released during combustion, especially NO_x, are the main contributors to impacts such as acidification and smog formation. The GWP per hour of operation ranged from 0.44 to 0.63 kg CO₂ eq. From an operational perspective, cooking at intermediate temperatures (between 110 and 175 °C) generally leads to lower impacts per hour than very low-temperature smoking. When considering entire meals, meat typically accounts for most of the total impact, with the smoker’s contribution comparatively small. Overall, the study provides a useful reference and shows that both equipment design and food choices play a role in barbecue sustainability. Full article

Urban noise and soundscape assessment is critical for sustainable, human-centered city planning. A comprehensive overview of key standards is essential to ensure consistent measurements, enable cross-study comparisons, and support practical applications. This review examines standards from the American National Standards Institute/Acoustical Society of America (ANSI/ASA), ASTM International, and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), highlighting their principles, methodologies, and roles in evaluating urban acoustic environments. It discusses how these standards facilitate accurate noise quantification, capture human perceptual responses, and guide soundscape design and management across occupational, community, and experimental settings. Standardized questionnaires, rating scales, and perceptual frameworks are also reviewed. Finally, this paper identifies gaps in current guidance, including limited approaches to continuous monitoring, cultural adaptation, multisensory interactions, and integration with urban planning. Full article

With the continuous expansion of high-density urban forms, residents’ opportunities for daily contact with natural environments have been increasingly reduced, making the equity of urban green space allocation a critical challenge for sustainable urban development. Existing studies have largely focused on green space quantity or accessibility at single time points, lacking systematic investigations into the spatiotemporal evolution of green space exposure (GSE) and its equity from the perspective of residents’ actual environmental experiences. GSE refers to the integrated level of residents’ contact with urban green spaces during daily activities across multiple dimensions, including visual exposure, physical accessibility, and spatial distribution, emphasizing the relationship between green space provision and lived environmental experience. Based on this framework, this study takes the central urban area of Hangzhou as the study area and integrates multi-temporal remote sensing imagery with large-scale street view data. A deep learning–based approach is developed to identify green space exposure, combined with spatial statistical methods and equity measurement models to systematically analyze the spatiotemporal patterns and evolution of GSE and its equity from 2013 to 2023. The results show that (1) GSE in Hangzhou increased significantly over the study period, with accessibility exhibiting the most pronounced improvement. However, these improvements were mainly concentrated in peripheral areas, while changes in the urban core remained relatively limited, revealing clear spatial heterogeneity. (2) Although overall GSE equity showed a gradual improvement, pronounced mismatches between low exposure and high demand persisted in densely populated areas, particularly in older urban districts and parts of newly developed residential areas. (3) The spatial patterns and evolutionary trajectories of equity varied significantly across different GSE dimensions. Composite inequity characterized by “low visibility–low accessibility” formed stable clusters within the urban core. This study further explores the mechanisms underlying green space exposure inequity from the perspectives of urban renewal patterns, land-use intensity, and population concentration. By constructing a multi-dimensional and temporally explicit analytical framework for assessing GSE equity, this research provides empirical evidence and decision-making references for refined green space management and inclusive, sustainable urban planning in high-density cities. Full article

The decarbonisation of urban heating systems represents a key challenge for the transition towards sustainable cities. This study investigates the field integration of a Medium-Temperature Heat Pump (MTHP) within the Osimo District Heating Network (DHN) in Italy, demonstrating how low-grade return flows (30–50 °C) can be effectively upgraded to supply temperatures of 65–75 °C, in line with 4th-generation district heating requirements. Specifically, 5256 h of MTHP operation within the DHN were analysed to validate the initial design assumptions, develop surrogate performance models, and assess the system’s techno-economic and environmental performance. The results indicate stable and reliable operation, with a weighted average Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 3.96 and a weighted average thermal output of 134.5 kW. From an economic perspective, the system achieves a payback period of approximately six years and a Levelised Cost of Heat (LCOH) of 0.0245 €/kWh. Environmentally, the MTHP enables CO₂ emission reductions of about 120 t compared with conventional gas-fired boilers. Beyond its technical performance, the study highlights the strong replicability of MTHP solutions for small- and medium-scale DHNs across Europe. The proposed approach offers urban utilities a scalable and cost-competitive pathway towards low-carbon heat supply, directly supporting municipal climate strategies and aligning with key EU policy frameworks, including the European Green Deal, REPowerEU, and the “Fit-for-55” package. Full article