Frontiers in Sustainable Cities最新文献

{"title":"Why go public? Public configurations and the supportive and divergent views towards public district heating in the Netherlands","authors":"Sara Herreras Martínez, R. Harmsen, M. Menkveld, G. Kramer, A. Faaij","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.1220884","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.1220884","url":null,"abstract":"Cities are taking up services of social importance under the (re)municipalisation movement. The Dutch government embarked on an ambitious heat transition and proposed in 2022 to make all district heating projects public or semi-public, with a majority public share. This proposal has sparked intense debates among groups in favour of and against a shift to public ownership.This study assessed 16 public projects through qualitative research and uncovered the arguments for and against public ownership among key public and private stakeholders.While public ownership is deemed necessary to meet social objectives and address the shortcomings of private models, critical views question the economic performance and inappropriate political choices in some public projects. These critical views propose alternative ways to safeguard public values, such as ensuring affordability and meeting climate goals. Despite disagreements, public and private actors recognise the shared responsibility and the importance of the other's role. They agree that the central government's proposed mandate for public ownership may limit flexibility at the local level and prevent other effective configurations like public-private partnerships with equal public-private shares.Reflecting on the study findings, it is debatable whether mandating public ownership nationwide, as proposed by the Dutch government, should become the approach to tackle current challenges instead of allowing more flexibility. The upcoming Heat Act may reduce key issues justifying public ownership, such as affordability, cherry-picking and the lack of transparency of private projects. Further research is needed to determine whether public ownership would enhance citizens' support and speed up realisation. Public ownership may still be necessary if social and cost benefits outweigh those from other configurations or long-term concession contracts are too risky. Implementing regulations protecting public values and enabling the coexistence of public, private or public-private configurations tailored to each unique local context could be an alternative, as successful district heating sectors abroad demonstrate.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48830497","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":"Integrating resource oriented sanitation technologies with urban agriculture in developing countries: measuring the governance capacity of Arba Minch City, Ethiopia","authors":"Abrham Kassa Ejigu, Kumelachew Yeshitela","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.1153502","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.1153502","url":null,"abstract":"This research study aims to assess the capacity of Arba Minch City to adopt resource-oriented sanitation technology and integrate it with urban agriculture. The overarching goal is to promote sustainable urban development by not only using resources efficiently but also recovering resources from urban waste streams. To measure the city's governance capacity, the study employs a Governance Capability Framework (GCF), which identifies nine conditions and three indicators for each condition across three dimensions: knowing, wanting, and enabling. The framework helps assess the city's capacity for governance throughout the integration of urban agriculture with ecological sanitation (ecosan) technology. The research employs a triangle strategy, which consists of desk research, gray and scientific literature review, and a semi-structured interview with 27 indicators. By employing these strategies, the research evaluates Arba Minch's governance capacity to implement ecological sanitation integration with urban agriculture. The findings of the study show that Arba Minch City's governance capacity to integrate ecosan with urban farming is affected by several factors. These factors include a lack of systematic monitoring and evaluation of previous projects, fragmentation of policy tools to govern the integration of the system, and a lack of adequate public sector participation. Additionally, there is no government body responsible for integrating the system, and various non-governmental organizations play a significant role in financing, organizing, and implementing the system. On the user side, the study reveals a behavioral gap in adapting to resource-oriented sanitation technology and recovered organic fertilizer. The findings suggest that long-term system management requires a strong, active, and well-trained community group capable of taking on the role and responsibility of running similar projects. Furthermore, to mitigate the policy fragmentation challenge, policy harmonization and integration among actors to negotiate, deliberate, and agree on measures to be taken are critical. In conclusion, the study suggests that similar project developers should investigate the factors that motivate users of new technology and influence their behavioral changes. Ultimately, the study recommends a more comprehensive approach to resource-oriented sanitation technology and urban agriculture integration that takes into account governance capacity and community engagement.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43356575","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":"Bottom-up assessment of household electricity consumption in dynamic cities of the Global South—Evidence from Kigali, Rwanda","authors":"Jannik Vetter-Gindele, Felix Bachofer, Andreas Braun, E. Uwayezu, G. Rwanyiziri, L. Eltrop","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.1130758","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.1130758","url":null,"abstract":"Data on electricity consumption is crucial for assessing and modeling energy systems, making it a key element of sustainable urban planning. However, many countries in the Global South struggle with a shortage of statistically valid, geocoded, and disaggregated household-level data. This paper aims to develop a generic methodology for the generation of such a database in terms of electricity consumption. The methodology was tested in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, with a focus on all single-family residential building types of the inner city. Discrete data on buildings is obtained through combined information products derived from very high resolution (VHR) satellite imagery, field surveys, and computer assisted personal interviewing. In total, 509 valid geocoded survey datasets were used to evaluate and model household electricity consumption, as well as electrical appliance ownership. The study's findings reveal that the arithmetic mean of specific electricity consumption was 3.66 kWh per household per day and 345 kWh per capita per year in 2015. By subdividing the data into distinct building types as well as their spatial location, and weighting the specific values according to their proportion in the study area, a more accurate mean value of 1.88 kWh per household per day and 160 kWh per capita per year was obtained. Applying this weighted mean to extrapolate household electricity consumption for the study area, in conjunction with the sample's precision level, resulted in an estimate of 126–137 GWh for the year 2015. In contrast, using the arithmetic mean would have led to values twice as high, even exceeding the total electricity consumption of the entire city, including multi-family and non-residential buildings. The study highlights the significance of on-site data collection combined with geospatial mapping techniques in enhancing of understanding of residential energy systems. Using building types as indicators to distinguish between households with contrasting electricity consumption and electrical appliance load levels can address the challenges posed by rapid urban growth in the Global South. This proposed method can assist municipal administrations in establishing a database that can be updated resource-efficiently at regular intervals by acquiring new satellite images.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48762431","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":"GreEn-ER–Electricity consumption data of a tertiary building","authors":"Gustavo Felipe Martin Nascimento, Frédéric Wurtz, Patrick Kuo-Peng, Benoit Delinchant, Nelson Jhoe Batistela, Tiansi Laranjeira","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.1043657","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.1043657","url":null,"abstract":"The increased use of intermittent renewable energy sources makes the use of machine learning methods combined with demand-side management more and more frequent. Machine learning algorithms rely on data to identify patterns and learn insights. Hence, data availability is of utmost importance, and the more, the merrier. Therefore, this data report aims to present a dataset concerning the electricity consumption of a tertiary building located in the French Alps region (Grenoble) in 2017 and 2018. It is a massively monitored and controlled building with about 330 electricity meters, whose measurement data constitute the dataset. The data were collected directly from the building management system and correspond to raw data, without any pre-treatment. The dataset also includes Python notebooks that allow for understanding the system design, navigating the data, and performing some simple analyses. This is a publicly available dataset that tries to fill the gap of the availability of electricity consumption data, especially regarding tertiary buildings.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135653310","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: Supporting the “virtuous cycle” in urban ecosystems: how research can inform plans, policies, and projects that impact urban resilience","authors":"Michele Romolini, S. Parker, Gregory B. Pauly, Eric M. Wood","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.1257069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.1257069","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44643953","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":"Pursuit of environmental justice in urban forest planning and practice","authors":"A. Grant, A. Millward, Sara Edge","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.1233878","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.1233878","url":null,"abstract":"There is a growing demand for urban forest management that prioritizes genuine community involvement, acknowledges power imbalances within society, and embraces the principles of environmental justice. To assess current initiatives and share better/best approaches, examining how environmental justice principles are applied in urban forest planning and practice is crucial. This study aims to understand the perspectives of urban foresters on the factors that either facilitate or impede the attainment of environmental justice goals.Interviews were conducted with urban foresters from non-profit organizations and municipal government in San Francisco, California, and Seattle, Washington. The interviewees were asked to identify and discuss their tree planting and maintenance strategies, public engagement protocol, and inter-organizational collaboration processes. To provide a contextual understanding of environmental injustice in the study cities, the historical racist practice of neighborhood redlining was examined alongside current tree canopy cover, locations of environmental hazards, and the spatial distribution of persons of color and those living in poverty.The findings revealed that urban forestry professionals in each city approached environmental justice in distinct yet complementary ways: San Francisco prioritized distributional justice, while Seattle focused on elements of procedural and recognitional justice. The Race and Social Justice Initiative in Seattle and Proposition E in San Francisco have been instrumental in identifying and addressing inequities in urban forest planning and practice.Creating fair and inclusive urban forestry practices that prioritize disadvantaged neighborhoods has been a difficult task for both cities. Acknowledging and addressing past policies and cultural perspectives that have led to marginalization is crucial for building trust with these communities. Moving forward, prioritizing recognitional justice in urban forest planning and management should be a top priority.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41850973","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":"Encountering grasslands: a collective approach to urban biodiversity","authors":"Chloe Walsh, Penny Allan","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.1195807","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.1195807","url":null,"abstract":"While the prolific nature of many grass and herbaceous species in urban parks offers an opportunity to cultivate more biodiverse and dynamic grasslands, widespread maintenance practices and complex cultural, economic, and bureaucratic forces often result in the undervaluing and regular destruction of these plant species. The research described in this paper reimagines the way grassy landscapes are cared for and understood in urban environments. Located in an urban park in inner Sydney, Australia, and using design research methods of observation, physical care, storytelling and installation, the research proposes three “frames of care” to assist landscape architects and other spatial designers to engage with communities at a local level. The frames have the potential to expand collective understandings of grassland communities, test alternative maintenance practices, and better support urban biodiversity and seasonal flux. With acknowledgment to the complexities of urban sites such as these, experimental installation provided a promising space to meaningfully engage with the local community and build a foundation to generate greater reciprocity between humans and non-humans of the site.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47668473","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":"Frontiers of policy and governance research in a smart city and artificial intelligence: an advanced review based on natural language processing","authors":"Liang Dong, Yunhong Liu","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.1199041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.1199041","url":null,"abstract":"This study presents an advanced review of policy and governance research in the context of smart cities and artificial intelligence (AI). With cities playing a crucial role in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, it is vital to understand the opportunities and challenges that arise from the applications of smart technologies and AI in promoting urban sustainability. Using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) method based on a three-layer Bayesian algorithm model, we conducted a systematic review of approximately 3700 papers from Scopus. Our analysis revealed prominent topics such as “service transformation,” “community participation,” and “sustainable development goals.” We also identified emerging concerns, including “open user data,” “ethics and risk management,” and “data privacy management.” These findings provide valuable insights into the current progress and frontiers of policy and governance research in the field, informing future research directions and decision-making processes.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49612055","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":"The conflictive discourse of density in London's planning system","authors":"Fabrizio Matillana, N. Livingstone","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.1061677","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.1061677","url":null,"abstract":"Density in planning presents a series of conflicts in its use based on how it is defined and perceived. When codified into planning policy, however, it is conflictive due to how it manages strategic and local planning needs and the subjective experiences of density. This article researches the evolution of density policy in London, from the density matrix to the current design-led approach, examining how this conflictive discourse manifests and is resolved within planning practice. Extensive research of planning applications referred to the Mayor of London, known as called-in applications, examine the strategic and local conflicts in a design-led approach. To further inquire on the findings of the extensive research, semi-structured interviews were conducted to design officers across London local authorities to collect their experiences on the practice of density policies and the design-led approach in development management. The results of the planning application research show a tension between design-led approach and a strategic dominance to deliver more housing in London. The design officer interview explains further how this emerges in negotiations and signal into potential solutions. The article presents the deficiencies in density policy and proposes design-led tools to address the limitations of the current approach.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48810457","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":"Current situation, bottlenecks, and path options for the development of capital flows and integration in the Yangtze River Delta region","authors":"Jing Yang, Guo-Yan Li, Zhuowen Zhong, Qiang Li, Guolei Du, Jinhan Guo","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.1100685","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.1100685","url":null,"abstract":"Capital plays a crucial role in the development of regional economies, especially in low-income regions where it acts as a primary driver of economic growth. Efficient capital flow is essential for optimizing resource allocation and facilitating the development of integrated capital markets. This passage introduces the topic of capital, capital flow, and capital market integration and highlights their significance in regional development.To gain a comprehensive understanding of capital flow and integration in the Yangtze River Delta region, the researchers conducted a connotative analysis. They constructed indicators from various aspects, including social fixed asset investment, bank capital flow, government transfer payments, social financing structure, and foreign direct investment. By utilizing these indicators, the researchers aimed to assess the current situation and identify bottlenecks related to capital flow and integration. Additionally, they drew on experiences from foreign capital flow and integration development to enrich their analysis.The analysis revealed several primary bottlenecks affecting capital flow and integration in the Yangtze River Delta region. These bottlenecks include an unsound banking management system, the presence of government competition and administrative barriers, and shortcomings within listed companies. The results highlight the specific challenges that hinder the smooth functioning and integration of capital in the region.To promote the development of capital flows and integration in the Yangtze River Delta region, the researchers propose various recommendations. These suggestions include promoting the development of listed companies, establishing a robust banking management model, improving relevant government policies, and optimizing the investment environment. These recommendations serve as important guidelines for policymakers to enhance capital flow and integration in the Yangtze River Delta city cluster. Furthermore, they emphasize the need to strengthen financial supervision and improve institutional mechanisms within the three provinces and one city comprising the region.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46224144","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}