Editor’s Choice Articles

This study attempted to classify blocks in the second ring road of Changsha, a central city of urban agglomeration in central China, according to their green space patterns, and to explore the influence of green spaces in different blocks on the surrounding microclimate. Researchers divided the blocks into five types: green space enclosed by buildings type, green space parallel with buildings type, green space centralized in buildings type, green space interspersed in the block type, and green space dispersed in the block type. Thermal comfort conditions in the different blocks were studied by ENVI-met simulations and using the thermal comfort indicators physiological equivalent temperature (PET), predicted mean vote (PMV), and standard effective temperature (SET). Because the green space was more evenly distributed in the block of green space parallel type and green space interspersed type, the overall fluctuation of the thermal comfort value of all areas of the whole block was small, with more areas having a value close to the median value of the thermal comfort value of the block. In the green enclosed blocks, thermal comfort was better within the green space in the area enclosed in the middle when the surrounding buildings were lower. The green areas in the green space enclosure type significantly improved the thermal comfort around the buildings, and the thermal comfort in the areas decreased rapidly as the distance between the green areas and the buildings increased. The green space dispersion type was found more in older blocks that were not well planned and had poor thermal comfort in the areas. On the premise that the green space area in the different high-rise blocks was equal, if only the thermal comfort of the green space coverage area was considered, in the summer, the green space parallel type was the best (|ΔPET| = 7.96, |ΔPMV| = 1.22). In the winter, the green space centralized type was the best (|ΔPET| = 11.26, |ΔSET| = 10.88). On the premise of equal green space area in the different multilayer blocks, if only the thermal comfort of green space coverage area was considered, in the summer, the green space parallel type was the best (|ΔPET| = 8.89, |ΔPMV| = 1.49). In the winter, the green space centralized type (|ΔPET| = 11.04, |ΔSET| = 10.64) was the best. This shows that different greening patterns have different advantages and disadvantages in different seasons and different situations. Full article

The contributions of the access and egress portions of public transport trips to overall travel satisfaction merit more attention. This study collected responses from intercepted regular urban rail travelers at three metro stations with distinct built-form and land-use characteristics. Local conditions of access on foot, by bicycle, or on a bus were evaluated retrospectively on a five-point satisfaction scale and compared with an independent survey of the same access routes. Three-factor theory and dummy variable regression methods were used to identify the factor structure of environmental attributes under different access means. In the results, access and egress satisfaction were more important than metro trip satisfaction in overall trip satisfaction for walking and cycling modes. Access distance was not significant for walking and marginally negative for cycling satisfaction. For pedestrians, street connectivity, pathway directness, shade, greenery, and crossing safety were all significant (p < 0.05), explaining 51% of the variance in expressed satisfaction. For bicyclists, directness, distance, service, and parking facilities were significant in satisfaction, accounting for 62% of variance. In the bus access model, we found that bus stop location is very important, with passengers also very concerned about the walk experience to the bus stop. Satisfaction with access and egress environments is important in overall satisfaction with travel by public transport. Full article

Within the smart city debate, this paper aims to reflect on whether and how medium-sized Italian cities are organizing their smart transition technically as well as administratively. The smart city concept was developed in the 1990s when major European cities began a smart transition through widespread urban regeneration projects and the introduction of advanced technologies applied not only to the physical city but also to governance, policymaking, and communication, involving multiple sectors of city administrations. In the last decade, medium-sized cities have also started this transition process, although with lower emphasis than metropolitan cities. In most medium-sized Italian cities, this transition, in accordance with national and regional guidelines, has sometimes led to competencies reorganization within local governments. Within this framework, the paper examines the tools with which medium-sized Italian cities’ administrations address the smart transformation in their territories, comparing a sample of 10 cities in Emilia-Romagna and considering policymaking, governance structure, past and current projects, and communication transparency. The expected result is therefore a systematic review of experiences to reconstruct a complex picture of the political and administrative choices that have led to the implementation or setting in motion of smart transformation processes to draw some useful lessons. Full article

The following paper examines urban and territorial planning in Italy, where decision-making is entrusted almost exclusively to the almost 8000 small municipalities present in the country. Plans for and the transformation of built-up areas, infrastructure and social services of all types, and serving all purposes in a national territory of more than 300,000 square kilometers, are controlled by a multitude of Mayors, Boards and Municipal Councils that govern plots of land consisting of polygons of a few kilometers per side. This is generally achieved using urban planning tools developed without any general rule or protocol. Often, most of their content is even ignored as a result of national legislation that weakens them, making them largely irrelevant. This is a European example of urban mismanagement that should be brought to the wider attention of the European technical–scientific community because the debate developed so far on this topic—even by eminent and authoritative urban planners—has been almost entirely published in Italian only. Public and political attention around the issue is still extremely limited, although the serious effects of this “molecular planning” are beginning to be perceived: unjustified overurbanization and very disorganized, extremely energy-intensive and ecosystemically destructive urban layouts that are completely at odds with the public interests of environmental and urban quality. In the following paper, we make some comparisons with other European countries and outline some possible directions—certainly very difficult to follow—to rethink and remedy these negative effects. Full article

The paper provides new evidence on the relationship among per capita incomes, local expenditures and territorial economic structure in Italian inner areas. The study area comprises the municipalities belonging to three Italian regions, namely, Marche, Abruzzo and Molise. The methodology employed involves a panel multilevel regression model, in order to investigate both on territorial and time changes. The period under analysis covers 2008–2016, the years following the outbreak of the global crisis. The results highlight the importance of three public expenditure categories—Environment protection and planning, Tourism, and Cultural heritage—on the growth of per capita incomes. Regional economic structure also plays an important role, especially through the rate of employees in the industrial sector. In order to increase the effectiveness of local public policies, a re-allocation of global expenditures among its various components might be recommended. Another suggestion concerns the implementation of integrated policies oriented both to tourism and to the enhancement of territorial assets. Full article

The main tool for biodiversity conservation at the European level is the Natura 2000 network. The identification of Natura 2000 as an “ecological network spread over the entire European Union territory” is the symbolic image launched by the Habitat Directive (92/43/EEC) even though many considerations focused on the contradiction between the shared model of the ecological network—based on spatial continuity—and the fragmented geographical configuration of the Natura 2000 sites. Currently, it stretches across all 28 European countries, both on land and at sea, and it is made up of over 27,000 sites for a total extension of approximately 1,150,000 km². The land area covered by N2000 corresponds to approximately 18% of the total EU, with the national coverage ratio ranging from a minimum of 9% to a maximum of 38% in the various European countries. The aim of this study was to determine the degree of landscape fragmentation caused by the urban areas towards the Natura 2000 network, with the aim of analyzing how the current urban settlements’ geography could compromise their functionality. The proximity analysis carried out provides the necessary information to achieve full efficiency in the connections between the different habitats. In addition, these results give indications on which planning scale is most appropriate to intervene to reduce environmental fragmentation. Full article

The increasing need to reduce emissions and the environmental impact of urban areas to meet European decarbonisation goals motivates the selection of the Rimini Canal Port as a case study within the FRAMESPORT project, part of the European Interreg Italy–Croatia programme. A preliminary historical–documental and urban regulations analysis of the context allowed the identification of the main criticalities and potentials through a SWOT analysis. The central role of the stakeholders enabled the creation of a successful participatory co-design process developed through online surveys. Critical issues that emerged during the data collection phase were prioritised through a BOCR model, a powerful multi-criteria analysis tool. The project phase then focused on the resolution of the two main critical issues that emerged: the improvement of cycle/pedestrian paths, and the raising of the flooding docks in the Canal Port area. This article intends to demonstrate the strong influence of soft mobility in urban regeneration projects, and how an improvement of the quality of cycle/pedestrian paths can increase the quality of urban spaces. The new paths create a green infrastructure that contributes to a reduction in pollutant emissions through the promotion of sustainable mobility systems and an increase in green urban spaces. Full article

Singapore intends to become a “Smart Nation” through the use of smarter technologies and sustainable means to enhance the quality of life of its inhabitants. Universities are also increasingly seen as places of innovation of new smart and sustainable technologies, provincializing ideas and debates; serving as a testbed for local experimentation. Hence, to determine the status of developing Singapore universities as smart and sustainable campuses, this paper first discusses the role of Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative in relation to the development of smart and sustainable universities in Singapore. In particular, NTU’s development as a smart and sustainable campus. Secondly, a conceptual framework is developed to assess NTU as a smart and sustainable campus by understanding the prevailing dimensions of the smart city discourse. Through a detailed survey and ethnographic field study method conducted on NTU Campus, the study finds that the university has been rapidly deploying smart technologies to enhance students’ learning environment and university residents’ everyday quality of living through technology and sustainability initiatives. This paper contributes meaningfully to the development of smart campuses worldwide and brings an Asian university perspective to the existing research on smart and sustainable campuses. Full article

The productivity, health, and well-being of office workers are known to be influenced by the indoor thermal conditions, most significantly the temperature and air humidity. This article is based on measurements and calculated predictions, as well as surveys of the employees in a newly renovated office building in Vienna, Austria. The renovation measures include street-side facade greening. The aim of this study was to determine the possible effects these renovation measures have on thermal comfort inside the building. The evaluation is carried out in accordance with the standards based on the predicted mean vote (PMV), calculated with the collected measurement data. Based on the survey, the calculation results are compared with the subjective perception of the employees. Even though the measurements and the survey were carried out only one year after the renovation, about 70% of the employees’ statements speak about noticeable positive changes due to the renovation measures. Regarding daylight and artificial lighting conditions, a total of 80% of employees are neutral or satisfied. The majority also expresses neutrality or satisfaction regarding spatial conditions and air quality. The satisfaction of the employees is reflected in their work performance. The goal is therefore to achieve the highest possible satisfaction of the building’s users. Full article

Housing quality is a well-established determinant for health and its relevance has been increasing in the context of sustainable development. Prior research has emphasized the importance of adequate housing for the health and comfort of householders. However, this link is still poorly characterized and understood regarding the vulnerable segments of the population. In this study, a mediation analysis is proposed to test and identify the role of energy affordability in the relationship between poor housing and health status. It resorts to microdata from the European Union—Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) database, focusing on the analysis of Portugal as the case study. Research findings confirm the role of energy affordability as a mediator. The research findings supported the energy efficiency as a direct pathway with protective and preventive effect for poor health, followed by energy affordability as a mediated or indirect pathway. A complementary approach that addresses energy efficiency and energy poverty should be pursued to maximize health risk reduction. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an abrupt break in economic, demographic and social dynamics, both in developing countries and advanced economies, perhaps with a more significant impact in the latter, though further evidence is needed to support this assumption. Unfortunately, earlier research on medium- and long-term impacts of the pandemic on urban and regional systems—with particular reference to the demographic dimension—have not yet reached a consensus on methodological and operational approaches. In the present study, we have applied an interpretative framework to the analysis of the demographic balance in Italy, one of the most affected countries in the world, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we have compared a wide set of demographic indicators at two time periods of equal duration (2002–2010 and 2011–2019) and in two subsequent years (2020 and 2021), controlling for the regional context. These periods were chosen as sufficiently long to be representative of differentiated economic dynamics (2002–2010: economic expansion and demographic recovery; 2011–2019: recession and consequent demographic decline). Years 2020 and 2021 were assumed to reflect the short- and medium-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the statistical analysis highlight how the COVID-19 pandemic has exerted considerable pressure on population dynamics, determining short-term (mortality increase), medium-term (more volatile migration flows) and long-term (fertility decline) effects. Future studies should clarify the aggregate role of pandemics in population dynamics as a possible proxy of the decline of demographically fragile regions in advanced economies. Full article

The resolution of complex medical diagnoses using pattern recognition requires an artificial neural network-based expert system to automate autoimmune disease diagnosis in blood samples. This process is done using image-based computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) to reduce errors in the diagnosis process. This paper describes a Multistage Classification Scheme (MSCS), which uses antinuclear antibody (ANA) tests to identify and classify the existence of autoantibodies in the blood serum that bind to antigens found in the nuclei of mammalian cells. The MSCS classified HEp-2 cells into three stages by using Binary Tree (BT), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and Support Vector Machine (SVM) as basic blocks. The Indirect Immunofluorescence (IIF) technique is used in the ANA test with Human Epithelial type-2 (HEp-2) cells as substrates. The efficiency of the proposed methodology is assessed using the dataset of ICPR 2016. The intermediate cells (IMC) and positive cells (PC) were separated in Stage 1 prior to preprocessing based on their total strength, and special preprocessing is applied to intermediate cells for improved output, and positive cells are subjected to mild preprocessing. The mean class accuracy (MCA) was 84.9% for intermediate cells and 95.8% for positive cells, although the carefully picked 24 features and SVM classifier were applied. ANN showed better performance by adjusting the weights using the SCGBP algorithm. So, the MCA is 88.4% and 97.1% for intermediate and positive cells, respectively. BT had an MCA of 95.3% for intermediate and 98.6% for positive. In Stage 2, the meta learners BT2, ANN2, and SVM2 were trained for an augmented feature set (24 + 3 results from base learners). Therefore, the performance of BT2, ANN2, and SV M2 was increased by 1.8%, 4.5%, and 4.1% as compared to Stage 1. In Stage 3, the final prediction was performed by majority voting among the results of the three meta learners to achieve 99.1% MCA. The proposed algorithm can be embedded into a CAD framework built for the ANA examination. The proposed model will improve operational efficiency, decrease medical expenses, expand accessibility to healthcare, and improve patient safety in the sector, enabling enterprises to lower unplanned downtime, develop new products or services, increase operational effectiveness, and enhance risk management. Full article

The ideas of the sharing economy have facilitated innovative business applications, such as Uber and Airbnb. As an example of a sharing economy application, ridesharing services take advantage of underutilized resources to create economic value. However, the unruly design of ridesharing systems may make urban traffic more congested and cause other technology-organization-environment issues. This study explores the application of blockchain and smart contract technologies to enhance ridesharing services by harvesting the blockchain benefits of transaction traceability, process transparency, system automation and disintermediation. After presenting system design and implementation details for building and deploying a blockchain-based system to support the reengineered ridesharing service with required business functions, we conduct functionality/performance tests and theory-based comparative analysis to confirm its feasibility and applicability. The results reveal that our system with blockchain-enabled benefits is superior to incumbent ridesharing systems. Moreover, while prior research rarely reports the design and implementation details of blockchain-based systems to support sharing economy services, this paper primarily contributes to extant literature by not only proposing a layered system architecture adapting blockchain and smart contracts into the desired ridesharing service but also demonstrating the design and implementation details, covering the development tools, the deployment environment and the deployed smart contracts. Full article

Rapid construction and development activities in large urban areas have significantly impacted land use and land cover (LULC). They have brought great pressure to urban sustainable development. Current studies have shown that changes in LULC structure significantly affect regional ecosystem service functions but lack the sufficient scientific basis to provide reasonable strategies for the future development of urban areas. Based on land use and related data for the Wuhan metropolitan area (WMA) in 2000, 2010, and 2020, in this study, we construct a land use and ecosystem service value (ESV) simulation method based on a coupled PLUS-GMOP (patch generation land use simulation and grey multi-objective optimization) model and find that the changes in LULC structure from 2000 to 2020 are mainly reflected in the decrease in farmland and water area and the increase in built-up land, which are spatially reflected in Wuhan city center and other surrounding urban centers. The ESV also exhibits a slight increase and then a significant decrease, and a consistent overall pattern of high in the west and low in the east. By presupposing three scenarios for 2030 (ND, natural development; EFD, ecological first development; EECD, ecological and economic coordinated development), the analysis shows that although the ecological service value is still decreasing, the EECD scenario achieves a relatively high economic value (+90.134 billion yuan) by losing less ecological service value (0.27 million yuan) than EFD, which is the development model advocated in this study. The PLUS-GMOP coupling model proposed in this study provides a scientific reference for coordinating regional economic development and ecological protection in large cities, and provides a new technical path for metropolitan area sustainable development and planning. Full article

More than 59 million people reside in the six member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) (the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia). The rate of urbanization is more than 80% in each of these countries. To better understand the trends and knowledge structures and to aid policy design and implementation, more research is needed on the topic of urbanization in GCC countries. In order to address this knowledge gap, bibliometric analysis and scientific mapping procedures utilizing VOSviewer were employed. A total of 415 academic papers covering four decades, from 1980 to 2021, were collected from the Web of Science database and split into three time periods: 1980–2017, 2018–2019, and 2020–2021. The findings indicate that the topics related to sustainable development, environmental regulations, renewable energy, and smart cities have received the most attention. In addition, land use planning, urban growth, and energy consumption have been dominant themes over different periods. Several intertwined factors have contributed to the evolution of research over these periods. These include the widespread diffusion of the sustainability agenda, the rise of advanced ICT, and the escalating rate of urbanization. It can also be explained by the fact that the world has been grappling with numerous environmental challenges, increasingly requiring innovative solutions for sustainability. The findings of this study can be used to develop better strategies for sustainable urban development in the region. Full article

Decarbonisation in the construction sector, consisting of a process based on the abandonment of fossil resources and the achievement of greater resource efficiency, is increasing in both new construction and renovation. The concept of circularity is seen as a strategy to reach this goal. The direct environmental impact of building designs can be quantitatively evaluated by assessing total mass, embodied energy, and embodied CO₂ in combination with circularity criteria, such as design for disassembly, materials and product origin, as well as recovering potential. This paper presents a method for easily assessing these parameters, thus obtaining a Building Circularity Indicator. To validate the method, its application in a pilot case of a manor villa located in Argelato (Bologna, Italy) is provided in the framework of the European Horizon 2020 project “DRIVE 0—Driving decarbonization of the EU building stock by enhancing a consumer-centred and locally based circular renovation process”. The deep renovation intervention developed is aimed at increasing energy performance by pursuing a circular approach that has rarely been tackled in protected heritage. Furthermore, the benefits of a circular versus a linear strategy are demonstrated through an LCA as well as LCC analyses assessing the environmental and economic impact of the intervention. The research results validate the proposed method as a tool to support operators in the construction sector. Full article

Recent history has been marked by a shift from rural to urban living. Studies show that urbanization is most prevalent at coastal areas and river basins and these are the locations where most megacities are established. However, in the African context, there is a deficit of research in this area. The focus of studies in the ‘urban’ field show the expansion of cities towards waterbodies but with little or no attention to the implications of this expansion—‘the rural to urban shift’—particularly as they concern lakes as commons in a rapidly urbanizing world, such as African countries and the Global South. Thus, using the case of lakes in Ethiopia, this study explores the trend of urbanization vis-à-vis lakes and its implications for the management of lakes, where historically the Ethiopian urban system has been characterized by settlements on mountain areas as strategic places located far from water bodies, particularly lakes. Using secondary data on population of urban centers and distribution of lakes in Ethiopia, this paper finds that urban centers that are located adjacent to lakes have been growing faster than those cities and towns that are not. The study argues that lakes are an attraction factor for urbanization. Moreover, rapid urban expansion around lakes implies that, in the future, the management of lakes (as common pool resources) critically depends on how urban centers are planned and managed. Full article

Industrial migration is a hot topic in economic geography. This study traces the migratory process of key high-tech enterprises in Beijing during 2008–2016, revealing the migratory characteristics and patterns of high-tech enterprises within the metropolitan area by using spatial analysis methods and mathematical statistics. The results show that: (1) Migrating enterprises are mainly mixed-ownership and foreign-funded or privately-owned enterprises. Medium-sized enterprises are more likely to relocate than small and large enterprises, especially in lucrative sectors. (2) The migration of high-tech enterprises is mainly based on proximity migration. More than 77.19% of enterprises tend to move to agglomerations or agglomeration expansion areas such as Jiuxianqiao and the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (BDA) in Daxing District. In addition, 33 enterprises experience varying degrees of scale expansion after relocation. (3) Most high-tech manufacturing enterprises are in the growth stage of their life cycle. They initially relocate between 7 and 16 years after their establishment, which means that there is roughly a 7-year adaptation or development period for firms within a region after their establishment. During the adaptation period, companies do not tend to relocate; afterwards, as they grow, they need to find other spaces in which to do so. For reasons such as familiarity with the environment, enterprises give priority to finding new locations within the agglomeration and the surrounding area. These results deepen the understanding of the temporal and spatial characteristics of the migration of enterprises within the city from the microscopic perspective and provide a scientific basis for the optimization of industrial space in a metropolis. Full article

Urban open spaces (UOS) provide an everyday environment for residents to experience nature. However, the management of UOS—from zoning to construction and maintenance—tends to follow efficient and straight-forward processes lacking use of residents’ experiences. This study first collected the views of management professionals on how participation can best benefit management of UOS. Second, a survey used biodiversity as a case to clarify how the ongoing changes in urban biotopes challenge conventional management of UOS. The results showed that especially in the maintenance phase of current UOS management there is potential to further involve residents in a continuous dialogue and activities to account for local perceptions, including residents’ sensing and emotions raised by UOS. Such involvement may facilitate positive human-nature relations but may require new modes of interaction. We thus propose such adaptive management to foster residents’ contribution to sustainability transition. Full article

Graph convolution network-based approaches have been recently used to model region-wise relationships in region-level prediction problems in urban computing. Each relationship represents a kind of spatial dependency, such as region-wise distance or functional similarity. To incorporate multiple relationships into a spatial feature extraction, we define the problem as a multi-modal machine learning problem on multi-graph convolution networks. Leveraging the advantage of multi-modal machine learning, we propose to develop modality interaction mechanisms for this problem in order to reduce the generalization error by reinforcing the learning of multi-modal coordinated representations. In this work, we propose two interaction techniques for handling features in lower layers and higher layers, respectively. In lower layers, we propose grouped GCN to combine the graph connectivity from different modalities for a more complete spatial feature extraction. In higher layers, we adapt multi-linear relationship networks to GCN by exploring the dimension transformation and freezing part of the covariance structure. The adapted approach, called multi-linear relationship GCN, learns more generalized features to overcome the train–test divergence induced by time shifting. We evaluated our model on a ride-hailing demand forecasting problem using two real-world datasets. The proposed technique outperforms state-of-the art baselines in terms of prediction accuracy, training efficiency, interpretability and model robustness. Full article

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) combine technologies of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and connected vehicles (CVs) to develop quicker, more reliable, and safer traffic. Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based CAV solutions play significant roles in sustainable cities. The convergence imposes stringent security requirements for CAV safety and reliability. In practice, vehicles are developed with increased automation and connectivity. Increased automation increases the reliance on the sensor-based technologies and decreases the reliance on the driver; increased connectivity increases the exposures of vehicles’ vulnerability and increases the risk for an adversary to implement a cyber-attack. Much work has been dedicated to identifying the security vulnerabilities and recommending mitigation techniques associated with different sensors, controllers, and connection mechanisms, respectively. However, there is an absence of comprehensive and in-depth studies to identify how the cyber-attacks exploit the vehicles’ vulnerabilities to negatively impact the performance and operations of CAVs. In this survey, we set out to thoroughly review the security issues introduced by AV and CV technologies, analyze how the cyber-attacks impact the performance of CAVs, and summarize the solutions correspondingly. The impact of cyber-attacks on the performance of CAVs is elaborated from both viewpoints of intra-vehicle systems and inter-vehicle systems. We pointed out that securing the perception and operations of CAVs would be the top requirement to enable CAVs to be applied safely and reliably in practice. Additionally, we suggested to utilize cloud and new AI methods to defend against smart cyber-attacks on CAVs. Full article

A significant issue is reducing the amount of biological waste that is disposed of in landfills, particularly in high-density residential areas. The Wastes Framework Directive (98/2008), in particular, sets forward the legal requirements for source separation in the European Union’s (EU) environmental legislation. The directive sets a target for separate collection of 10% of the organic waste produced in each municipality by 2030, especially with regard to organic waste. The pilot experience of an integrated biowaste management system that supports source separation and urban composting in an Autonomous Composting Unit (ACU) was presented in this study. The Municipality of Rhodes installed five ACUs in various locations. Used food and green waste are the two types of waste that are deposited in the ACUs. The development of a system for the collection of produced biowaste and its treatment at the source, without producing a nuisance, within an urban area, is the goal of this innovation. Since landfilling of mixed municipal solid waste has long been a common practice on the island of Rhodes, as well as in many other locations of insular and mainland Greece, this technique was introduced as a novel implementation and innovation for the region. The results showed that biowaste source separation was successfully carried out by citizens, resulting in high-purity feed. All ACUs produce compost that is of a standard quality. In accordance with the principles of the circular economy, this study showed that ACUs are a sustainable solution for taking a closed unit approach to the biowaste management problem in urban areas. Full article

Numerous factors have shown Internet-based technology to be a key enabler in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDG), as well as narrowing the divide between the global north and south. For instance, smart farming, remote/online learning, and smart grids can be used to, respectively, address SDGs 1 and 2 (ending poverty and hunger), 3 (quality education), and 7 and 9 (energy and infrastructure development). Though such Internet-based solutions are commonplace in the global north, they are missing or sparsely available in global south countries. This is due to several factors including underdevelopment, which dissuades service providers from investing heavily in infrastructure for providing capable Internet solutions such as 5G networks in these regions. This paper presents a study conducted to evaluate the feasibility of deploying 5G networks in the rural dwellings of South Africa at affordable rates, which would then serve as a pre-cursor for deploying solutions to improve lives and achieve the SDGs. The study evaluates the economic viability of a hybrid network model which combines terrestrial and aerial networks to provide 5G coverage in rural areas. The feasibility study reveals that such a network can be engineered at low monthly subscription fees to the end users and yield good returns to the service providers in rural areas; however, for large but sparsely populated suburban locations, the traditional terrestrial network with base stations is more suitable. Full article

Animal–vehicle collision is a common danger on highways, especially during nighttime driving. Its likelihood is affected not only by the low visibility during nighttime hours, but also by the unpredictability of animals’ actions when a vehicle is nearby. Extensive research has shown that the lack of visibility during nighttime hours can be addressed using thermal imaging. However, to our knowledge, little research has been undertaken on predicting animal action through an animal’s specific poses while a vehicle is moving. This paper proposes a new system that couples the use of a two-dimensional convolutional neural network (2D-CNN) and thermal image input, to determine the risk imposed by an animal in a specific pose to a passing automobile during nighttime hours. The proposed system was tested using a set of thermal images presenting real-life scenarios of animals in specific poses on the roadside and was found to classify animal poses accurately in 82% of cases. Overall, it provides a valuable basis for implementing an automotive tool to minimize animal–vehicle collisions during nighttime hours. Full article

The exponential growth of the human population requires an increasing application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers, causing environmental pollution. Biochar (B) amended soil has been suggested as a sustainable agricultural practice to improve crop yield and mitigate agricultural pollutants’ contamination. Evaluating the effect of fertilization on Brassica crops, in combination with spectral analysis, may specify changes in the chemical composition of the vegetable as a result of N fertilization. This study characterized cauliflower tissues treated with N fertilizer and biochar, employing Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy. The experiment was conducted in cauliflower mesocosms treated with two doses of N fertilizer (130 and 260 kg N ha⁻¹) with or without B. Attenuated total reflectance fractions were used to characterize fractions of curds, leaves, stems, and roots in the infrared using a Fourier transform. Principal component analysis was performed to classify the main differences among cauliflower tissues concerning treatments. FTIR spectra of Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis tissues were related to nitrogen-based agricultural practices. The specific molecules associated with functional groups in cauliflower tissues were phenols, amides, proteins, amines, and glucosinolates. Biochar amended soil resulted in higher peaks that correspond to the stretching of phenols and proteins. The application of sustainable nitrogen fertilizers might influence the absorption bands characteristic of cauliflower’s typical metabolites. The research allows the identification of Brassicaceae’s functional molecules with a potential agronomic application. Full article

Rural areas provide unique amenities for recreational purposes which are highly appreciated by urban inhabitants. This generates an important but often hidden relationship between the urban and the rural. The aim of our study is first to provide empirical evidence for this linkage and then to identify for Italy, at the municipal level, those rural areas which actually function as nature-based attractive clusters. We used the data coming from a participatory webGIS survey that asked 1632 Italian respondents to mark attractive nature related places locally, regionally, nationally and world-wide to explain quantitatively and qualitatively the relationship between urban and rural. From the survey, indicators were developed to rank the nature-based attractive clusters. Our results pointed out a major (almost double) flow from urban to rural for natural amenities, which increased with the spatial level at which attractive nature areas were marked. This analysis allowed for the identification rural clusters of Italian municipalities that form nodal points for nature-based urban well-being; shedding light on an often neglected urban-rural relationship. The method is applicable in other countries and may stimulate better planning and management strategies for improving rural areas, taking an urban-rural perspective. Full article

Nowadays, there is a wide range of different methods available for the monitoring of pollen and allergens, but their relative efficiency is sometimes unclear, as conventional pollen monitoring does not thoroughly describe pollen allergenicity. This study aims to evaluate airborne pollen, allergen, and protein levels, associating them with meteorological and chemical parameters. The sampling was performed in Bologna (Italy) during the grass flowering period, with three different devices: a Cyclone sampler (CS), a Dicothomous sampler (DS), and a Berner impactor (BI). Total proteins were extracted from aerosol samples, and grass allergens Phl p 1 and Phl p 5 were quantified by ELISA. Airborne Poaceae pollen concentrations were also evaluated, using a Hirst-type trap. Proteins and allergens collected by CS resulted about ten times higher than those collected by the other two instruments, possibly due to their different cut-offs, while DS and BI results appeared consistent only for the total proteins collected in the fine fraction (1.3 vs. 1.6 μg/m³). Airborne proteins correlated neither with Poaceae pollen nor with its aeroallergens, while aeroallergens correlated with pollen only in the coarse particulate, indicating the presence of pollen-independent aeroallergens in the fine particulate, promoted by high wind speed. Full article

Pharmaceutical residues are of environmental concern since they are found in several environmental compartments, including surface, ground and waste waters. However, the effect of pharmaceuticals on ecosystems is still under investigation. To date, the removal of these micropollutants by conventional treatment plants is generally ineffective, in addition to producing a considerable carbon footprint. In this sense, to achieve the current zero-pollution ambition, a reduction in the negative impacts of chemical substances such as pharmaceuticals on the environment must be aligned with initiatives such as the European Ecological Compact, Environment Action Programme, and Circular Economy Action Plan, among others. This review provides insight into the key drivers for changing approaches, technologies, and governance of water in Europe (Germany, Switzerland, and the UK), including improving wastewater treatment in sewage treatment plants for the removal of pharmaceuticals and their carbon footprint. In addition, an overview of emerging low-carbon technologies (e.g., constructed wetlands, anaerobic membrane bioreactors, and enzymes) for the removal of pharmaceuticals in sewage treatment works is provided. In general, the removal efficiency of pharmaceuticals could be achieved up to ca. 100% in wastewater, with the exception of highly recalcitrant pharmaceuticals such as carbamazepine (removal <60%). These technologies have the potential to help reduce the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment, which can therefore contribute to the achievement of the Europe Union’s objective of being carbon neutral by 2050. Full article

Wind has been utilized for passive ventilation and mechanical power since antiquity. As an abundant renewable resource, today, wind is increasingly seen as a critical resource to help tackle issues associated with rapid urbanization and climate adaptation and mitigation, such as improving thermal comfort, providing clean energy, improving air quality, and reducing carbon emissions. Despite the growing importance of wind as an invaluable resource for cities, wind in the context of urban planning and design is a relatively understudied area of research. This study aims to explore the means by which cities that can benefit from wind and ways urban planning and design can help deliver these benefits. The study adopts a systematic literature review methodological approach. The findings disclosed that: (a) improving urban wind environment via sound urban planning and design may enhance urban ventilation and energy performance; (b) better urban ventilation and energy performance enable cities to become climate positive or net zero and relieve the urgent climate crisis; (c) wind sensitive urban design is an emerging research area critical to harvest the benefits of wind for cities. This study offers a novel conceptual framework and research directions for wind sensitive urban design and informs urban planning, design policy and practices. Full article

Aquifer recharge is one of the most important hydrologic parameters for understanding available groundwater volumes and making sustainable the use of natural water by minimizing groundwater mining. In this framework, we reviewed and evaluated the efficacy of multiple methods to determine recharge in a flood basalt terrain that is restrictive to infiltration and percolation. In the South Fork of the Columbia River Plateau, recent research involving hydrologic tracers and groundwater modeling has revealed a snowmelt-dominated system. Here, recharge is occurring along the intersection of mountain-front alluvial systems and the extensive Miocene flood basalt layers that form a fractured basalt and interbedded sediment aquifer system. The most recent groundwater flow model of the basin was based on a large physio-chemical dataset acquired in laterally and vertically distinctive locations that refined the understanding of the intersection of the margin alluvium and the spatially variable basalt flows that filled the basin. Modelled effective recharge of 25 and 105 mm/year appears appropriate for the basin’s plain and the mountain front, respectively. These values refine previous efforts on quantifying aquifer recharge based on Darcy’s law, one-dimensional infiltration, zero-flux plane, chloride, storage, and mass-balance methods. Overall, the combination of isotopic hydrochemical data acquired in three dimensions and flow modelling efforts were needed to simultaneously determine groundwater dynamics, recharge pathways, and appropriate model parameter values in a primarily basalt terrain. This holistic approach to understanding recharge has assisted in conceptualizing the aquifer for resource managers that have struggled to understand aquifer dynamics and sustainable withdrawals. Full article

Pedestrians are increasingly exposed to slow-onset disasters (SLODs), such as air pollution and increasing temperatures in urban built environments (BEs). Pedestrians also face risks that arise from the combination of the BE features, the effects of SLODs on the microclimate, their own characteristics (e.g., health and ability), and the way they move and behave in indoor and outdoor BE areas. Thus, the effectiveness of sustainable risk-mitigation solutions for the health of the exposed pedestrians should be defined by considering the overlapping of such factors in critical operational scenarios in which such emergency conditions can appear. This work provides an innovative method to define a BE-oriented pedestrian risk index through a dynamic meso-scale approach that considers the daily variation of risk conditions. The method is ensured by a quick-to-apply approach, which also takes advantage of open-source repositories and tools to collect and manage input data, without the need for time-consuming in situ surveys. The resulting risk conditions are represented through meso-scale maps, which highlight the risk differences between BEs by focusing on their open spaces as fundamental parts of the urban road network. The method is applied to a significant case study (in Milan, Italy). The results demonstrate the ability of the approach to identify key input scenarios for risk assessment and mapping. The proposed methodology can: (1) provide insights for simulation activities in critical BE conditions, thanks to the identification of critical daily conditions for each of the factors and for single and multiple risks and (2) support the development of design and regeneration strategies in SLOD-prone urban BEs, as well as the identification of priority areas in the urban BE. Full article

Predicting household vehicle ownership (HVO) is a crucial component of travel demand forecasting. Furthermore, reliable HVO prediction is critical for achieving sustainable transportation development objectives in an era of rapid urbanization. This research predicted the HVO using a support vector machine (SVM) model optimized using the Bayesian Optimization (BO) algorithm. BO is used to determine the optimal SVM parameter values. This hybrid model was applied to two datasets derived from the US National Household Travel Survey dataset. Thus, two optimized SVM models were developed, namely SVMBO#1 and SVMBO#2. Using the confusion matrix, accuracy, receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and area under the ROC, the outcomes of these two hybrid models were examined. Additionally, the results of hybrid SVM models were compared with those of other machine learning models. The results demonstrated that the BO algorithm enhanced the performance of the standard SVM model for predicting the HVO. The BO method determined the Gaussian kernel to be the optimal kernel function for both datasets. The performance of the SVM#1 model was improved by 4.27% and 5.16% for the training and testing phases, respectively. For SVM#2 model, the performance of this model was improved by 1.20% and 2.14% for the training and testing phases, respectively. Moreover, the BO method enhanced the AUC of the SVM models used to predict the HVO. The hybrid SVM models also outperformed other machine learning models developed in this study. The findings of this study showed that SVM models hybridized with the BO algorithm can effectively predict the HVO and can be employed in the process of travel demand forecasting. Full article

Policy makers have expressed much optimism about the potentials of the bioeconomy in terms of economic growth and job creation in rural areas in developed countries. However, only few studies have attempted to quantify the rural employment effects of bioeconomic projects. This paper uses the biogas production in Denmark as a case within the bioeconomy. It performs a regional input-output analysis to estimate the number of jobs created in rural areas by an increase in the biogas production. The input-output analysis estimates the direct job creation at the biogas plants, the indirect job creation at firms that supply inputs to the plants, and the induced job creation that is generated locally through increased income spending. The results show that an increase in the biogas production by 10% of the available farm manure will give a permanent increase of 342 jobs and an extra annual income of approximately 21 million euros. Consequently, if all available biomass from farm manure were to be used in biogas production, it would result in 3420 jobs. The calculated employment effect is quite sizable but still somewhat modest compared to the significant employment declines in rural Denmark in recent years. Meanwhile, biogas is only one element in the bioeconomy. Full article

The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industries are allocated 40–60% of the worldwide raw material extraction. Construction waste accounts for a significant share of the total waste volume. Therefore, careless handling reduces natural resources and waste deposits (landfills). Furthermore, material reuse and recycling can reduce resource and energy consumption and environmental emissions in some cases. Waste management concepts in the fields of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction are increasingly in the European Union and worldwide focus. A circular economy can be seen as a system in which resource input, waste, emission, and energy leakage are minimised due to closed material loops. Therefore, implementing a consistent Circular Economic requires a holistic approach in which material, emissions, and energy are put into context. This paper aims to analyse dismantling, recovery, and recycling processes and link relevant parameters to assess material sustainability. The technical effort must be made, and the associated costs are compared with the influence of eco-indicators. Furthermore, the data required can be used for the following three areas: Facilitating demolition planning and on-site waste management; resource management at the local/regional/state level; and governmental tax mechanisms. Full article

A lush vegetation develops around the numerous wadi estuaries interrupting the Dhofari coast in Southern Oman. Many estuaries still house mangroves of Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh., a very fragile ecosystem that is currently under threat in this area. A rather rich flora, strongly affected by the influence of the monsoon, grows in other estuaries. This study concerns the flora and vegetation of these peculiar habitats with special focus on the plants growing on the different substrates. To gain insights into the pollen diffusion and representation of these plants in the current pollen rain, we analyzed surface soil samples. By evaluating their pollen amounts, we related the modern pollen rain to the abundance/coverage of the plant species typical of the different environments. Rather than a punctual indication of the plants growing at a short distance, our pollen records offer a general picture of the flora and vegetation of the area. This information is crucial for the correct interpretation of pollen records from ancient soils, and underlines the utility of pollen analysis for the reconstruction of the vegetation history. Full article

This study was conducted to propose a suitable set of methods to evaluate the efficiency of two biotreatments. For this purpose, two sets of four 7.5 L bioreactors were followed over 90 days, containing natural sediments from the Bizerte Lagoon (Tunisia) contaminated with 35 mg·kg⁻¹ benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) and 28 mg·kg⁻¹ dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). One set was biostimulated with N/P and bioaugmented with the indigenous Pseudomonas stutzeri, Cupriavidus metallidurans and Rhodococcus equi, and the other set was only biostimulated. In the effluent, organic carbon decreased from 42 gC·L⁻¹ to 0.2 gC·L⁻¹ for the bioaugmented treatment compared to 15 gC·L⁻¹ for biostimulation. Statistical analyses confirmed a significant difference in BaP concentration after bioaugmention from 35 mg·kg⁻¹ to 21 mg·kg⁻¹ sediment, whereas no difference was found with biostimulation. Considering DDT, biostimulation was more efficient (8.5 mg·kg⁻¹ sediment final concentration) than bioaugmentation (15 mg·kg⁻¹ final concentration). Native organotin and metals were also monitored using bioluminescent bioreporter strains. The bioaugmented treatment brought about a significant decrease in TBT content, to below 0.01 µM, whereas its concentration remained significant after biostimulation. The biostimulation did not alter As³⁺, Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Hg²⁺ concentrations, whereas bioaugmentation induced a decrease of 1 to 2 log for each metal. At the end of the experimental period, toxicity decreased to 90% in the effluent of the bioaugmented reactors compared with a drop of only 48% for biostimulation, and a significant decrease in mutagenicity appeared for bioaugmention only. Interestingly, not all the strains used in the treatments were maintained, as P. stutzeri and R. equi increased up to densities of 8.3 × 10¹³ and 5.2 × 10¹² DNA·g⁻¹ sediment, respectively, while in both treatments, C. metallidurans decreased down to the detection threshold. Among the different methods used, a restricted monitoring panel of analyses appears essential to follow the change occurring over the bioremediation process: (i) organic carbon measurement reporting all biodegradation events, as well as a specific method to monitor the main compounds; (ii) dissolved N, P, O₂ and pH measurements, (iii) a qPCR method to track the degraders; and (iv) measurements of the acute toxicity and the mutagenicity. Full article

Epidemiological studies have established a strong relationship between poor air quality and deteriorating human health, demanding urgent remedial measures. Specifically, indoor pollution is more critical, and outdoor pollutants significantly contribute towards indoor pollution, its strength depending on various parameters, including ventilation strategy, meteorological conditions, building design, outdoor sources, etc. This report analyses the various factors reported influencing the transmission of pollutants between the two environments. The report critically reviews various studies investigating the inter-environment variability and transmission, providing an overview of various factors and their impacts and covering both experimental and modelling studies. The review suggests that while many studies have helped to quantify the long-term personal exposure to pollutants, they have not paid special attention to the mechanism of the transmission of pollutants from the outdoor to the indoor environment and vice versa. The findings demonstrate that the proper indexing of various mechanisms and their relative strength is necessary before an effective intervention strategy can be applied in the built environment to counter the effect of pollution. Full article

We use social practice theory to explore food waste produced by university students living in shared apartments. We use qualitative techniques including observation, fridge ethnography, garbology and interviews. The most important factors that led to food waste among university students were a lack of organisation related to the practices of meal planning and shopping, where students did not make lists, plan meals or conduct a food inventory before shopping. Observation of meal preparation revealed that students were unlikely to correctly sort food waste from other sorts of waste, as they did not always have appropriate bins to enable food waste separation. Thus, food waste was not properly disposed of (e.g., composted). Fridge ethnography revealed that both fresh food and leftovers were left or lost in the fridge until no longer edible. Finally, garbology analysis confirmed that a considerable amount of avoidable foods, such as fresh foods and leftovers, were wasted by students and not properly disposed of in curbside composting bins. Full article

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and working remotely may decrease the advantages of residing in populated areas. This study aims to test the relationship between remote work and changes in neighborhood satisfaction and to discern the difference according to both the status of remote work and the centrality of areas where people live in the relationships between geographic accessibility to neighborhood facilities and changes in neighborhood satisfaction. By using an ordinal logistic regression, we analyzed data from a questionnaire completed by residents of the 23 wards of Tokyo. Working remotely was found to increase neighborhood satisfaction of people living in a central (OR = 1.31) and a noncentral area (OR = 1.50). Remote workers living in single-family homes were found to be less satisfied with their neighborhoods. Less decrease (or increase) in geographic accessibility to eating facilities was found to be related to increase in neighborhood satisfaction for both remote and nonremote workers regardless of the centrality of areas where they live. The findings suggest that populated areas continue to provide benefits which will improve neighborhood satisfaction even after the start of a pandemic; however, there could be a shift of demand for facilities in central areas to noncentral areas beyond the emergence of the pandemic. Full article

(1) Background: The emergence of autonomous vehicles (AVs) is likely to have substantial implications for walking behaviours due to the availability of new transport options and altered physical environments within cities. The aim of this exploratory study was to identify AV-related factors that could affect walking at the population level and strategies to ameliorate any negative effects. (2) Methods: A total of 46 Australian expert stakeholders were interviewed about their perceptions of the potential impacts of AVs on walking behaviours. The interviewees represented government departments (state and federal), non-government organisations (NGOs), private sector companies, peak bodies, and academia. (3) Results: Interviewees expected AVs to have different effects on individuals’ ability and motivation to engage in planned versus incidental walking. While those with innate motivation to walk as a form of exercise or leisure may experience enhanced participation opportunities, it appears that incidental walking could be adversely impacted through the availability of convenient AV door-to-door transport options and automated home delivery services that reduce walking related to commuting and shopping. (4) Conclusions: Proactive policy actions are needed to optimize the potential positive impacts of AVs on walking and circumvent the potential negative impacts on valuable incidental walking that constitutes a key component of many people’s total physical activity. Full article

The presence of chlorinated solvents polluting groundwater in urbanized areas poses a significant environmental issue. This paper details a thoughtful approach to remediate a tetrachloroethylene (PCE) plume in a district that is characterized by a complex hydrological context with a limited accessibility. Through a geodatabase-driven and coupled hydrogeochemical approach, two distinct remediation technologies were chosen for the management of a contaminant plume. On one hand, coaxial groundwater circulation (CGC) wells coupled with air sparging (AS) aspire to promote the in-situ transfer of PCE from the contaminated matrices into a gaseous stream that is then treated above ground. On the other hand, reagent injection has the goal of enhancing chemical reduction combined with in situ adsorption, creating contaminant adsorbent zones, and stimulating dechlorinating biological activity. The development of an integrated conceptual site model (CSM) harmonizing geological, hydrochemical, and membrane interface probe (MIP) data captures site-specific hydrogeochemical peculiarities to support decision-making. The hydrochemical monitoring reveals contamination dynamics and decontamination mechanisms in response to treatment, quantifying the performance of the adopted strategies and investigating possible rebound effects. The estimation of masses extracted by the CGC-AS system validates the effectiveness of a new and sustainable technique to abate chlorinated solvents in groundwater. Full article

The life cycle of textiles (i.e., fabrics and apparel products) generates many environmental impacts, such as resource consumption, water, soil, and air pollution through the dispersion of chemical substances and greenhouse gases. For these reasons, in 2019, textiles were identified as a “priority product category for the circular economy” by the European Commission that proposed a new circular economy action plan focusing on recycling. An in-depth characterization of textile fabrics could lead to an ad hoc recycling procedure, reducing resource consumption and chemicals utilization. In this work, NIR (1000–1650 nm) spectroscopy was applied to extract information regarding fabric composition, with reference to cotton, silk, viscose, and some of their blends, using two different devices: a hyperspectral imaging (HSI) platform and a portable spectroradiometer. The different fabrics were correctly classified based on their spectral features by both detection instruments. The proposed methodological approach can be applied for quality control in the textile recycling sector at industrial and/or laboratory scale thanks to the easiness of use and the speed of detection. Full article

Evidence for the benefits of walking has attracted the attention of researchers and practitioners and encouraged them to develop healthier and more sustainable walkable cities. Many methods and approaches have been developed to measure walkability; namely, by using land use attributes. This paper examines the transferability of the Geographic Information System (GIS) based multi-criteria method developed in the Smart Pedestrian Net (SPN) research project to evaluate the level of walkability in a pedestrian network in Guimarães, Portugal. The method involves the assessment of 19 built environment and streetscape attributes, which were scored by a group of experts following the analytic hierarchy process. The method proved to be efficient in evaluating the pedestrian network and in mapping walkability in the study area. Around 65% of the street lengths scored above 0.60, indicating that the overall pedestrian conditions are favourable, with the best performance criteria being those related to accessibility and street connectivity. The method also allowed for the identification of different levels of walkability within the study area and the lack of a pedestrian network of highly scored streets. According to the results, the SPN method could be replicated in other cities to evaluate walkability and could be a useful planning tool to support policies towards developing more walkable cities. Full article

Air pollution is a major risk factor, and it still remains a global cause of death for millions of people. Indoor air quality (IAQ) plays an important role in human health as people spend most of their time in confined spaces. Many studies have recently addressed this issue, but no systematic analysis has been conducted, which is the aim of our study. We present a bibliographic analysis of articles on IAQ in industrial environments from 2010 to 2021. A total of 658 articles were collected, and 409 were used. The NVivo tool was used to analyze the collected documents both quantitatively and qualitatively. This analysis of the literature enables us to identify the most studied working environments and pollutants, the analysis tools, and the types of measurement used to provide a clear overview of the theme, which includes a comparison between the studied working environments and the state of origin of the authors. Our analysis of each working environment and the related frequently cited pollutants provides a clear approach to identifying the specific areas of focus when improving the quality of the air in a specific working environment. In addition, a research gap and future research areas have been identified in the conclusions. Full article

Swine wastewater effluent is a key source of water contamination since it contains high levels of nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as nitrates and refractory organic matter (ROM). ROM refers to organic compounds that are usually resistant to microbial degradation. When swine wastewater effluent containing high levels of ROM is subsequently discharged into rivers and streams without being adequately treated, purification costs for drinking water increase and there remains a possibility for harmful substances to enter the human body. In this study, we introduce new methods for setting total organic carbon (TOC) water quality standards for discharging swine wastewater effluent containing high levels of ROM after treatment. To set the TOC water quality standards, various analysis methods based on statistics, technology, and experience based on operational data of livestock-manure treatment facilities were applied. In addition, the achievability of the proposed TOC standards in livestock-manure treatment facilities and the financial burden of their implementation on livestock farms were also reviewed. Here, we set tentative values that include all of our results derived from each methodology and set the TOC standards to levels that can be achieved through the normal operation of swine-wastewater treatment facilities (60 mg/L for public treatment facilities and 140 mg/L for treatment facilities operated by individual farms). When setting TOC standards, both single and combined methodologies should be considered and employed after comprehensively assessing livestock management policies, regional conditions, and the burden on stakeholders. Full article

This paper problematizes the dichotomy of hard (technocratic) and soft (societal) approaches to the smart city. Smart cities are reviewed as hybrid spaces that transcend the sum of the social and the technical. By providing platforms for enabling, monitoring, digitalizing, formalizing, and amassing information about collective and personal experiences and behaviors, smart cities accelerate the customization of existing urban services and establish new spaces of socialization, accumulation and regulation, including in hitherto hard-to-reach realms of everyday and personal life. These experiences signify the emergence of cyber-physical-social spaces, featuring the hybridization of the digital, governance, and sociocultural domains. The production of such hybrid spaces of governance is reviewed through 50 urban-level strategies for smart cities in different countries across the world. The analysis confirms the tendencies towards a hard/soft fusion and the ever-deepening interpenetration of the digital, physical, and social elements in smart cities. This suggests epistemological problems of separating the hard and soft domains. However, this integration still creates political and analytical tensions that are arguably evident in the early stages of the digital transition. Full article

Water pollution from intensive livestock husbandry is a persistent social-ecological problem. Since remedies require attention to the slurry–water nexus among practitioners, the agricultural press is a strategic entry point for agenda setting. Systematic content analysis can provide insights into how farming practices and sustainability issues are communicated, which may influence farmers’ attention to the issue and to potential solutions. To address this question, we present a semantic network analysis of three specialized farming magazines in Germany and analyze their coverage of the slurry–water nexus, in particular relationships of actors and issues and co-occurrence with political events. We used text mining methods in order to analyze a text corpus consisting of 4227 online articles published between 2010 and 2020. Results show that one fifth of all slurry-themed articles contained water-related content. We found a shift over time from dominantly management-oriented content towards a politicized debate with more actors and stronger semantic relationships with water protection constructed as an insulated stand-alone issue. This is accompanied by a shift from thematic reporting to episodic reporting focused on environmental legislation and compliance management. This implies less attention to innovations for water-conserving slurry management. Despite its shortcomings, episodic coverage may open up windows of opportunity to improve communication by experts and policy makers. Full article

The paper presents a discussion concerning the development of projects regarding active travel with the policy of sustainable mobility, with active school transport in southern Poland being taken into special consideration. The implementation of the idea of sustainable school travel planning involves linking several social groups, including traffic planners and organizers, school administrators, governments, parents, and children. This, in turn, requires considering the criteria reported by all parties when choosing a scenario for the region’s development in terms of transport solutions. The following study was based on the methodological foundations of multicriteria decision-making analysis. The research purpose of this paper is to identify and classify the actions, policies, and scenarios of active travel projects for the sustainable development of mobility based on the cities of southern Poland. The evaluation was carried out through expert methods with multicriteria decision-making tools based on the MULTIPOL (MULTI-criteria and POLicy) prospective analysis technique. It allowed for the selection of the most probable policy, which covered the six actions considered by the experts to be the most significant for the development of the active school transport system in the analyzed region. Such actions are as follows: identification of walking school bus routes, modernization of crosswalk lines, planning of walking and cycling routes to schools, promoting safety educational programs, distribution of active school transport booklets and cycling, and pedestrian skills training workshops. The paper presents a new method to evaluate the policies and actions regarding promoting sustainable (active) travel to school. The innovative approach results from assembling a mixed group of people (stakeholders) as experts. The mix of experts consisting of users (pupils and parents), practitioners, and scientist experts in this field allowed us to score policies, actions, and scenarios, enabling a wider spectrum of assessment than before. Full article

An engaged community that reflects a diverse set of experiences is key to an equitable and livable city. However, maximizing engagement activities is often difficult when competing with residents’ busy schedules and hectic daily lives. To explore new opportunities in this space, we developed four augmented reality experiences to learn more about the potential for this technology to transform community engagement practices in the context of City 4.0. City 4.0 utilizes digital technologies to transform public services and the local economy. Its goal is to produce more sustainable urban and societal outcomes. Our findings suggest that augmented reality is least successful when used to recreate existing engagement practices, such as surveys or questionnaires, and more successful when it empowers a sense of agency and ownership over the process in its users. The way augmented reality situates information can aid in making public space feel personal to the individual. In this way, augmented reality’s affordances are less about overlaying digital information in physical space and more about how this can enable individuals to reclaim a sense of control and relevance in the relationship between citizens and councils. We aim to contribute: (a) novel interaction paradigms and an evaluation of their effectiveness and limitation, and (b) new insights into how to support citizens’ sense of agency in public discourse with augmented reality. This paper highlights the value of augmented reality’s affordances to bring to light new interactions between community engagement stakeholders. Full article

A wide body of research in recent years has studied either green infrastructures as providers of multiple ecosystem services, especially at the urban level, or ecological corridors and the issue of connectivity between landscape patches in the face of growing fragmentation. However, not many studies have analyzed how the two concepts can be combined to ground evidence-based policy and planning recommendations. In this study, a methodological approach for such a combination is proposed: after mapping a regional green infrastructure building upon the assessment of multiple ecosystem services and a network of ecological corridors through the resistance to movement of species, the two spatial layouts are combined so as to analyze correlations between the potential provision of ecosystem services and the resistance to movement. The methodology is applied in the case of the island of Sardinia, whose self-containment makes it possible to discard potential effects from surrounding areas, hence facilitating the implementation of the model. The outcomes of the regression model point out three ecosystem services as the most important factors that should be targeted by appropriate spatial policies if connectivity is to be increased: regulation of micro and local climate, forestry productivity, and cultural identity and heritage values. Full article