Frontiers in Sustainable Cities最新文献

{"title":"Sustainable, resilient, regenerative? The potential of Melbourne’s peri-urban region","authors":"Andrew Butt","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2024.1391712","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2024.1391712","url":null,"abstract":"Peri-urban regions offer significant contributions to city regions as landscapes of food production, resources for urban consumption, as well as for biodiversity and nature conservation – a key part of a city region as a socio-ecological, not simply a socioeconomic, space. Consequently, these roles have long been recognized as crucial to objectives of urban sustainability. They are also sites of socio-ecological tensions that relate to urbanization, as well as to the risk or hazard profile of locations undergoing social change. Whether sustainability, or resilience, in socio-ecological systems is a sufficient goal is increasingly under question. Seeking regenerative city regions, and in particular peri-urban landscapes requires reconsiderations of the relationships between policy, and the practices of communities and the state. Particularly with regard to planning policy this suggests consideration of the city and peri-urban region as connected, but also recognizing the specific qualities and vulnerabilities of peri-urban regions. Using the case of Narrm-Melbourne, Australia where several decades of planning policy have sought outcomes that reflect sustainability objectives this paper concludes that the peri-urban region has a strong potential to offer possibilities for a transformation to a sustainable, and potentially regenerative city region, but that current policy approaches are inadequate as they increase the vulnerabilities of communities, and neglect the potential of planning for multifunctionality and socio-ecological objectives.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141353596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Wellbeing, infrastructures, and energy insecurity in informal settlements","authors":"Federico Caprotti, Jiska de Groot, N. Mathebula, Catherine Butler, Mascha Moorlach","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2024.1388389","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2024.1388389","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding the intricate relationship between energy and wellbeing in informal urban settlements is essential for developing effective interventions that address the diverse needs of residents. This paper explores this nexus through a multi-dimensional lens, examining the complexities and dynamics involved in off-grid renewable energy interventions, focusing on solar microgrids in an informal settlement in Cape Town, South Africa.The paper is based on empirical research analysed through a theoretical framework articulating the pathways through which energy insecurity influences various dimensions of wellbeing, encompassing economic, physical, social, and environmental aspects. By applying this framework to our empirical research, the paper reveals the intricate interplay between neighbourhood factors, housing conditions, social processes, and economic insecurities, shedding light on both the challenges and opportunities associated with off-grid energy interventions.The understanding of wellbeing presented in the paper is based on what we term the energy-wellbeing-informality nexus. Understanding the nexus necessitates: (a) moving past universalist and technocratic understandings of wellbeing, and towards a relational and networked basis for wellbeing analysis; (b) moving beyond conventional narratives of off-grid electrification as mere technical fixes, emphasizing the importance of recognizing informal settlements as sites of innovation and experimentation; (c) understanding the multi-sectoral nature of energy-related wellbeing impacts, extending beyond energy provision to encompass broader dimensions such as education, health, and social cohesion.The paper not only advances theoretical understanding but also offers practical insights for policymakers and practitioners. It emphasizes the need for context-sensitive policymaking that acknowledges the complexities of informal settlements and fosters innovative approaches to energy service provision. By integrating energy interventions into broader development strategies and adopting a multi-sectoral perspective, stakeholders can work towards more equitable and resilient solutions that enhance the overall wellbeing of residents in informal urban contexts.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141353076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Navigating urbanization implications: effects of land expropriation on farmers’ livelihoods in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia","authors":"Yeshitla Agonafir Ayenachew, Birhanu G. Abebe","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2024.1385309","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2024.1385309","url":null,"abstract":"This paper investigates the effect of land expropriation on the livelihoods of farmers expropriated from the peripheries of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A mixed methods approach, including household surveys, key informant interviews, field visits, and document reviews, was employed. A sample of 349 expropriated farmer household heads from four purposively selected sub-cities was drawn using systematic random sampling. The findings reveal significant adverse effects of land expropriation on the livelihoods of expropriated farmers, such as income losses, unemployment, and reduced agricultural production, primarily due to a lack of transparency and consultation during the expropriation process, inadequate compensation, and insufficient resettlement support provided by the city administration. Consequently, the living conditions of most farmers deteriorated in the post-expropriation. To address these effects, the study recommends enhancing procedural clarity, ensuring meaningful participation and consultation with affected farmers, and providing comprehensive resettlement support, including access to housing, employment opportunities, credit, and social services, to help affected farmers transition to new livelihoods.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141357099","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A methodological framework for the implementation of urban living lab on circular economy co-design activities","authors":"C. Innella, G. Ansanelli, G. Barberio, Claudia Brunori, Francesca Cappellaro, Rocco Civita, Gabriella Fiorentino, Erika Mancuso, Rocco Pentassuglia, Luigi Sciubba, Amalia Zucaro","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2024.1400914","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2024.1400914","url":null,"abstract":"Circular Economy (CE) has the potential to tackle many of the challenges we are facing nowadays. It represents nothing less than a paradigm shift, as closing and shortening material loops means adopting completely new ways of producing and consuming. In the European Union, CE is a key strategy to achieve climate neutrality target by 2050, to face the biodiversity crisis, to guarantee economic growth and social wellbeing, within planet boundaries, in accordance with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Stakeholders’ engagement is a crucial point of the transition pathway based on a systemic approach through a co-creation process. Urban areas are the main field of the circular transition process in which all the urban actors, i.e., public institutions, academic and research bodies, economic operators, citizens and civil organizations, are involved. An effective operational tool to realize stakeholders’ involvement and co-creation processes is the methodological approach of Urban Living Labs (ULLs). Although ULLs have already been tested and implemented worldwide, there is no description of a step-by-step methodology to implement ULLs aimed at co-creation of project ideas on CE, to be realized in a specific territory. This paper aims to define a methodological framework for implementing ULLs focused on co-designing CE activities. The proposed methodology is based on four main phases: (i) scouting and analysis of the territorial context, (ii) listening and exploration, (iii) participation, (iv) execution. A detailed description of each phase as well as the first application of this framework in different urban communities are presented.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141357054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Is ward-level calculation of urban green space availability important?—A case study on Vellore city, India, using the histogram-based spectral discrimination approach","authors":"Sangeetha Gaikadi, S. V. Kumar","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2024.1393156","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2024.1393156","url":null,"abstract":"How much green space is available for individuals is a major question that city planners are generally interested in, and the present study aimed to address this issue in the context of Vellore, India, through two approaches, namely, the per capita and the geographical area approach. In existing studies, urban green space (UGS) was only calculated at the macro level, i.e., for the city as a whole. Micro-or ward-level analysis was not attempted before, and the present study carried out the same to get a clear picture of the amount of greenery available in each ward of a city. For this purpose, a two-step approach was proposed where the histograms of Google Earth (GE) images were analyzed first to check whether the green cover types such as trees, shrubs/grassland, and cropland were spectrally different. Then, classification techniques such as ISODATA, maximum likelihood, support vector machine (SVM), and object-based methods were applied to the GE images. It was found that SVM performed well in extracting different green cover types with the highest overall accuracy of 93% and Kappa coefficient of 0.881. It was found that when considering the city as a whole, the amount of UGS available is 42% of the total area, which is more than the recommended range of 20–40%. Similarly, the available UGS per person is 97.84 m2, which is far above the recommended 12 m2/person. However, the micro-level analysis revealed that some of the wards have not satisfied the criteria of per capita and percentage area, though the city as a whole has satisfied both the criteria. Thus, the results indicate the importance of calculating the urban green space availability at the ward level rather than the city level as the former gives a closer look at the surplus and deficit areas. The results of terrestrial LiDAR survey at individual tree level revealed that if trees are located adjacent to buildings or roads, it results in fewer heat islands compared to the case where there are no trees.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141362095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial: The impact that local governments and ruling bodies can have on implementing sustainable changes and practices","authors":"S. Praharaj, Tathagata Chatterji","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2024.1436163","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2024.1436163","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141375647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gendered mobility strategies and challenges to sustainable travel—patriarchal norms controlling women's everyday transportation","authors":"Christina Lindkvist","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2024.1367238","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2024.1367238","url":null,"abstract":"Sweden is a country with an international reputation for gender equality. The political goal of gender equality is based on feminist analysis of what constitutes a just society according to gender and the fight against patriarchal norms. Despite policy recommendations and legislation that counteract discrimination against women, women still fear traveling by public transport and being out in the evenings. This indicates that Swedish society still has patriarchal norms to deal with. The article is based on qualitative interviews and data retrieved from the Swedish National Statistics, SCB. The interviews explored mobility practices and strategies, experiences with different modes of transport, and reliability, affordability, and comfort of the mobility options available. The results shows that travel choices for women are affected by their concerns about safety and related necessary adaptation to situations identified as threatening. Despite the “mythical mantra” of the gender equal society, Sweden share the patriarchal norms with other countries, that delimits women's use and access to public space and public transport.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141272855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interplay between greenspace interactions and sense of place in Seoul City","authors":"Lankyung Kim, Ching Li","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2024.1343373","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2024.1343373","url":null,"abstract":"The intricate connection between urban residents and their surrounding greenspaces highlights the multifaceted relationship shaping individuals’ sense of place within urban environment. This study explores the influential relationship between greenspace interactions (GI) and the resultant greenspace sense of place (GSP) while considering four types of greenspaces (GT) as moderators. Employing partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), data was gathered from 400 participants, encompassing different GT within Seoul City, South Korea, to investigate the nuanced associations among psychological, physical, social, and environmental dimensions of GI and their impacts on place attachment (PA), sense of community (SoC), and utilitarian sense of place (USoP) in the GSP framework. Findings confirm a significant relationship between GI and GSP, emphasizing the role of environmental consciousness as a predominant factor influencing individuals’ overall perception on urban nature. Notably, despite conceptual expectations, the study revealed no moderation effect of different GT on the GI-GSP relationship, underscoring the universal relevance of urban greenspaces in fostering residents’ GSP. The result emphasizes the intrinsic value of urban greenspaces in shaping the preference of urban residents regarding urban nature.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141107532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correlation between sustainability and smartness indicators in Brazilian cities: insights from the 5SenSu model","authors":"Pedro Pierucci, F. Agostinho, C. Almeida, F. J. C. Demétrio, B. F. Giannetti","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2024.1390735","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2024.1390735","url":null,"abstract":"To face the growing challenges of urbanization, urban management models grounded in the principles of sustainability and smart cities are being proposed. Despite their acknowledged importance, these models are often misunderstood or improperly applied due to a lack of thorough conceptualization, and they are frequently viewed as interchangeable. The aim of this study is to verify whether a correlation exists between indicators of sustainability and smartness in cities. For a sample of 130 Brazilian cities, their Sustainability Synthetic Indicator of System (SSIS) was computed using the Five-Sector Sustainability Model (5SenSu) and data sourced from the ‘Mandala ODS’ framework. Data concerning smart city were directly sourced from the ‘Connected Smart Cities’ framework. Results show that the 5SenSu model emerges as an alternative multicriteria method, epistemologically grounded in a conceptual model capable of quantifying the sustainability of cities. This approach enables quantitative diagnostics, rankings, and benchmarks, providing information to support decision-making processes. Moreover, the correlation analyses employed reveal a moderate linear correlation (Pearson coefficient of −0.61) and a moderate rank-order correlation (Spearman coefficient of −0.59) between sustainability and smartness. Hence, it would be premature to assume that a city deemed smart would automatically be sustainable, or vice versa. Acknowledging the existing limitations, this study contributes to discussions on the conceptual understanding and quantification through indicators of sustainable and smart cities, providing information for shaping effective public policies aimed at fostering more sustainable urban environments.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141120304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Solar energy for societal decarbonisation: a perspective on emerging opportunities in utility-scale solar electricity and solar in the built environment","authors":"Paul Meredith","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2024.1344771","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2024.1344771","url":null,"abstract":"The solar resource presents almost limitless opportunities for creating clean energy – not just in the form of solar-derived electricity, but also to drive heating and cooling cycles, create solar fuels, or indeed to promote chemical and biochemical pathways for the production of food, clean water and raw materials. There is an ever-expanding plethora of applications for solar energy as a critical contributor to global decarbonization. This short Perspective is focused on two of the largest opportunities for solar energy to make major emissions reduction and deliver societal fairness and economic impacts: notably utility-scale electricity generation and the more local opportunities of the built environment. We examine the two dominant forms of solar energy – the direct generation of electrical power via the photovoltaic effect, and the indirect generation of electricity (and indeed heating and cooling energy) through solar thermal cycles. As a Perspective, it provides necessary background for the general reader, but also seeks to emphasise the specific challenges and opportunities for the interested specialist.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140379029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}