Mariajulia Martínez-Acosta, P. Vázquez-Villegas, L. A. Mejía-Manzano, Gladis Valeria Soto-Inzunza, Karina Mayela Ruiz-Aguilar, Luis Kuhn Cuellar, P. Caratozzolo, Jorge Membrillo-Hernández
{"title":"The implementation of SDG12 in and from higher education institutions: universities as laboratories for generating sustainable cities","authors":"Mariajulia Martínez-Acosta, P. Vázquez-Villegas, L. A. Mejía-Manzano, Gladis Valeria Soto-Inzunza, Karina Mayela Ruiz-Aguilar, Luis Kuhn Cuellar, P. Caratozzolo, Jorge Membrillo-Hernández","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.1158464","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.1158464","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction It is known that the world is facing and will face significant sustainability challenges. Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG12), responsible consumption and production, is one of the most relevant SDGs for building Sustainable Cities. This study is based on the analysis of the implementation of SDG12 in cities, starting from universities as laboratories or first examples of sustainability. Methods The study was carried out through a multilevel scale approach. A systematic review of the literature (global scale) of the last 5 years (2018–2022) was conducted. An analysis of the program and the initiatives of a Higher Education Institution (Tecnologico de Monterrey) is presented (local scale). Finally, a survey was applied to Faculty at this University (micro-scale). Results The systematic review indicated that the main themes or aspects addressed in SDG12 by higher education institutions were sustainable food, supply chains, community, infrastructure, technology, policies, energy consumption, the collaborative economy, smart cities, and curricula. The local scale analysis highlighted the Distrito Tec project, 37 institutional initiatives, and 26 courses directly related to SDG12. The survey showed that 8% of Faculty considered SDG12 the most important of the SDGs and stated that this goal is necessary to reduce environmental impacts. As the most significant impact that Universities can have on SDG12, 52% of the Faculty consider that Universities should become living labs in the transition toward sustainable cities, followed by 36% who think it would be better to implement operational facilities. Discussion The diverse contributions of the HEIs at the three scales were classified into six categories: culture, mitigation, adaptation, education, research, and outreach. The study indicates that SDG 12 has been achieved by universities in different ways, which overlaps widely with the performance of other SDGs. Results demonstrate that following a multistakeholder approach, international collaborations between HEIs can foster technology-driven multi-disciplinary research projects to consolidate sustainable cities. Building capacity to accelerate the transition of universities into urban living labs will promote climate action among the students who enroll every year.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46527066","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}
Bridget Bwalya Umar, J. Kapembwa, Ketiwe Kaluma, Lawrence Siloka, Dipuo Mukwena
{"title":"Legalizing illegalities? Land titling and land tenure security in informal settlements","authors":"Bridget Bwalya Umar, J. Kapembwa, Ketiwe Kaluma, Lawrence Siloka, Dipuo Mukwena","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.922419","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.922419","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigated how land rights formalization had affected land tenure security among landowners in two informal settlements of Lusaka and Chongwe districts, Zambia. It explored how social norms on land inheritance, decision making over land, marital trust and land related conflicts had been affected by the changed nature of land rights. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey of all the 302 households that had obtained title deeds at the time of the survey, two 3-in-1 focus group discussions and four key informant interviews. Results suggest that land tenure security is now a reality for residents that hitherto lived under constant threat of eviction. Landowners have benefitted from the formalization initiative through land laws and local norms that allow equitable access to land. Land rights formalization has curtailed land rights for secondary claimants such as extended family members, in preference for man, spouse and biological children. A sense of ownership undisputedly increased for men and women in the two study sites. About 50% of the respondents in both study sites indicated that formalization of land rights had not resulted in family conflicts. At least one-third from both sites reported an increase in love and trust between spouses after land rights formalization. About half of the respondents reported that no change in decision-making authority had occurred for men while 42% reported an increase. Formalizing land rights in informal settlements has entailed legalizing illegalities as regulations on plot boundaries are set aside by the state to achieve its aspirations of providing land tenure security to poor urbanites who would not otherwise have recourse to legal or regularized land. We recommend that caution be taken in promoting what is unarguably a pro-poor initiative to ensure that such initiatives should not incentivize future land encroachments.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48897967","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":"Vulnerable spaces, unequal responses: lessons for transformative climate resilience in Lagos","authors":"Susan S. Ekoh, Lemir Teron","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.929121","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.929121","url":null,"abstract":"Urban coastal megacities like Lagos face flooding challenges that may be exacerbated by climate change in the future. Through an urban political ecology lens, this study engages with the dynamics of politics and power that produce differentiated flood impacts and adaptation strategies. Data from telephone interviews of 21 Lagos residents across the mainland and island areas reveal people's understanding of their flood vulnerabilities within the wider socio-political context of Lagos. In particular, state failure in the provisioning of services, amenities, and overall flood protection, shapes flood risk in Lagos. In addition, income and access to material resources inform people's experiences and ability to cope with flooding. Furthermore, citizens apply localized strategies to prepare for and cope with flooding events, particularly through Community Development Associations (CDAs). These localized strategies have implications for transformative resilience. However, these forms of endogenous resilience cannot replace attention to wider urban governance challenges in cities like Lagos.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49170428","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}
I. Avila-Palencia, O. Sarmiento, N. Gouveia, Alejandra Jáuregui, M. Mascolli, A. Slovic, Daniel A. Rodríguez
{"title":"Bicycle use in Latin American cities: changes over time by socio-economic position","authors":"I. Avila-Palencia, O. Sarmiento, N. Gouveia, Alejandra Jáuregui, M. Mascolli, A. Slovic, Daniel A. Rodríguez","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.1055351","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.1055351","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction We aimed to examine utilitarian bicycle use among adults from 18 large Latin American cities and its association with socio-economic position (education and income) between 2008 and 2018. Methods Data came from yearly cross-sectional surveys collected by the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF). A total of 77,765 survey respondents with complete data were used to estimate multilevel logistic regression models with city as random intercept and year as random slope. Results Individuals with high education and high-income levels had lower odds of using a bicycle compared with participants with lower education and income levels. These associations, however, changed over time with the odds of bicycle use increasing for all groups, especially among individuals with the highest education and income levels. Discussion Our results confirm the broadening appeal of bicycling across socio-economic positions in several Latin American cities and reinforce the importance of considering policies aimed at supporting and enhancing bicycle travel for all users.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46095433","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":"Humans, robots and artificial intelligences reconfiguring urban life in a crisis","authors":"M. Valdez, M. Cook","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.1081821","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.1081821","url":null,"abstract":"Autonomous urban robots were introduced in Milton Keynes (MK), UK, in 2018 to automate on-demand grocery delivery. Two years later the COVID-19 pandemic rendered routine activities such as delivering groceries or visiting the supermarket unexpectedly unsafe for humans. The ensuing disruption provided opportunities to investigate the potentialities of robotic and autonomous systems to provide cities with resources for coping with unexpected situations such as pandemics, heatwaves and blizzards and ultimately to transform and reinforce urban flows, leading to new ways of living in the city that arise as a result of emerging human-robot constellations. The crisis accelerated the ongoing transformation in human-robot relationships and made its tensions and potentials visible. The case of MK suggests that the cognitive capabilities of urban AIs are not to be found exclusively in computer bits and human neurons but arise from encounters and contexts, with institutions, policies, practices and even the materiality of the city itself being crucial to the emergence of urban AI.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47053325","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}
Kate O’Sullivan, F. Shirani, Rachel Hale, N. Pidgeon, K. Henwood
{"title":"Identity, place narrative and biophilic urban development: Connecting the past, present and future for sustainable liveable cities","authors":"Kate O’Sullivan, F. Shirani, Rachel Hale, N. Pidgeon, K. Henwood","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.1139029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.1139029","url":null,"abstract":"Urbanisation presents sustainability challenges for the natural environment, resources and ecological systems, whilst high levels of pollution and disconnect from the natural environment can adversely impact the health and wellbeing of urban residents. Rapid urbanisation can also curtail processes of placemaking, including place attachment and place identity, raising questions around the social sustainability and livability of cities into the future. With such concerns in mind, cities are increasingly called upon to develop in ways that are environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. Biophilic urbanism and biophilic design offer an approach to sustainable urban development. Such approaches propose incorporation of nature and green infrastructure within the city in order to positively affect human health and wellbeing, in addition to benefiting environmental, social and economic sustainability. This paper explores findings from community focus groups exploring perceptions of a proposed biophilic urban development in Wales, UK. Our research explored how community members understood and negotiated possible impacts of the development on the social, environmental and economic landscape of the city by drawing on their own emplaced experiences. Through gaining an understanding of community place identity and narrative as well as distinctive and defining place characteristics, connections and synergies are revealed between place-based attachment and principles of biophilia. This in turn can provide a trajectory of place transformation authentic to both community and place identity and which supports the aims of biophilic design. As a consequence, it is possible for biophilic design to not only be sustained by communities, but to become an integral element of place identity and place attachment, contributing to the sustainability of place through time.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91347698","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}
Ruzaidin Mohammed Zain, Haliza Mohd Zahari, Noor Azmi Mohd Zainol
{"title":"Inter-agency information sharing coordination on humanitarian logistics support for urban disaster management in Kuala Lumpur","authors":"Ruzaidin Mohammed Zain, Haliza Mohd Zahari, Noor Azmi Mohd Zainol","doi":"10.3389/frsc.2023.1149454","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2023.1149454","url":null,"abstract":"Information sharing is critical in establishing coordinated and effective decision-making processes for a humanitarian logistical response. Better coordination and decision-making will lead to a better response for beneficiaries as a result of timely and high-quality information reaching more humanitarian agencies. However, sharing this information between agencies is a challenge, especially in coordinating logistics response during an urban disaster, due to the sheer scale of potential impacts and risks on human lives and the economy. This research explored the current humanitarian logistics settings and identified issues and challenges of inter-agency information sharing coordination on humanitarian logistics support for urban disasters in Kuala Lumpur. Focus Group Discussion was conducted with participants from six government agencies that are responsible for providing humanitarian logistics support for urban disasters in Kuala Lumpur. This study also examined existing disaster management directives and the agency's Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The findings revealed issues with information redundancy, lack of tools to manage and distribute information, and coordination issues among agencies in providing information sharing and managing real-time information during a disaster. A review of existing policies and formulation of clear guidelines are needed to address the issues and improve the overall humanitarian logistics support coordination.","PeriodicalId":33686,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sustainable Cities","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41465324","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}