Search Results (2,472)

The expansion of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy is a central pillar of Italy’s climate and energy transition strategy. However, the actual availability of land for PV deployment is heavily influenced by a complex regulatory framework that imposes numerous spatial exclusions. This study presents a comprehensive geospatial analysis of exclusion zones for ground-mounted PV installations across Italy, integrating data from national regulations, environmental protection laws, and cultural heritage inventories. Using a vector-based overlay approach, we categorized constraints into six groups: natural assets, landscape protection, cultural heritage, natural hazards, environmental buffers, and infrastructural safety zones. The analysis shows that only approximately 26% of Italy’s land area remains available for PV development. Regional disparities are pronounced, with southern regions such as Sicilia and Puglia offering the highest availability, while northern and central regions face severe limitations due to dense overlays of protected landscapes and heritage sites. These findings offer quantitative support to the often-cited claim that Italy’s strict land-use regulations are a significant barrier to renewable energy development. The study highlights the need for more flexible, spatially informed regulatory frameworks to reconcile conservation priorities with the urgency of decarbonization. Full article

This paper explores how migrants’ communities shape and contest their urban spaces, focusing on Aachen. The primary objective of this research was to capture the cultural urban change in migrants’ settings. It further contributes to building an insight into the various urban typologies strengthened by migrants’ settings, which could have implications on the urban fabric of the city, thus adding value to socially inclusive development. Qualitative approaches in identifying a street taxonomy were adopted in this paper. An in-depth analysis encompassing narrations behind urban layouts, behavioral patterns, and typological distinctions was made to highlight the differences within the setting. Notably, a pivotal aspect of this study is the endeavor to underscore the constructive, yet frequently underappreciated contributions made by migrants to the dynamics and development of urban areas. Therefore, more attention shall be given to the urban layouts contributing to more socially cohesive communities in and around such settings. In doing so, this research makes a substantial contribution to the broader discourse surrounding urban resilience and the fluid planning strategies adopted by cities in response to evolving demographic landscapes. Full article

The historic landscape and the value of the ancient city in the stock era present a diversified and mixed problem; as such, this study explores a quantifiable spatial correlation method for landscape layering characteristics and value space, in order to provide support for the urban renewal paths that integrate historical and contemporary needs. Taking as an example Chaozhou Ancient City, a renowned historical and cultural city in China, this study draws on the theory of historical urban landscape layering and comprehensively uses historical graphic interpretation, GIS spatial quantitative analysis, the single-land-use dynamic degree model, the Analytic Network Process, and the Delphi method to quantitatively analyze and evaluate the landscape layering characteristics and value space of the ancient city. Meanwhile, it explores the relationship between the historical landscape layering characteristics and value space of ancient cities using the spatial autocorrelation model and the coupling coordination modulus model. The key findings are as follows: (1) The high-layer space (66.1%) and high-value space (31.1%) of the historic landscape of Chaozhou Ancient City show significant mismatch and imbalance. Spatially, layer spaces increase from the city center toward the periphery, whereas value spaces decrease from the center outward, demonstrating marked spatial heterogeneity. (2) The layer–value space shows a spatial distribution of agglomeration, with Moran’s I index values of 0.2712 and 0.6437, respectively. The agglomeration degree of the value space is much higher than that of the layer space, and both show significant non-equilibrium and associative coupling. (3) Coupling coordination: basically balanced (D = 0.56) indicates a transition toward a more integrated state, although 48% of the region remains in a state of severe dysfunction, mainly consisting of two types of spaces: “high-layer–high-value” and “low-layer–low-value.” These two dysfunctional types should be prioritized in future conservation and renewal strategies. This study provides a more comprehensive quantitative analysis path for identifying and evaluating the landscape layer–value space of the ancient city, providing visualization tools and decision-making support for the future protection and renewal of Chaozhou Ancient City and the declaration of the World Heritage. Full article

Islands and island communities are often perceived as homogenous in mainstream discourse. While many islands share characteristics, such as smallness or isolation, these are experienced differently across and within island contexts and intersect with spatial, socio-cultural, political, and economic landscapes. The concept of islandness is developed to both understand shared island characteristics and their differences across places, communities, and situations. This makes islandness highly relevant to discussions of green transitions as it highlights the need to examine the diverse, intersecting, and local realities that might interfere with green citizenship. However, analytical approaches to islandness are limited, with few spatial, scalable, and transferable frameworks available. This paper argues that spatial microsimulation offers a productive way to engage with islandness using the case of climate change and environmental attitudes across Iceland. We present the SimIceland model, developed within the EU-funded project PHOENIX: The Rise of Citizens’ Voices for a Greener Europe. The model is developed to better understand how Iceland’s citizens’ feel about climate change by taking socio-cultural, environmental, and different geographical administrative regions into account. Through a simple example of an analytical demonstration, we show how this model can support a deeper understanding of islandness in the specific context of climate attitudes in Iceland. Furthermore, we discuss how the model can contribute to public participation initiatives. The model and data are open access, and we conclude by inviting further developments and the use of spatial microsimulation to explore islandness, green citizenship, and participatory approaches to sustainability in island contexts. Full article

The Black Church has historically functioned as both a spiritual sanctuary and a catalyst for sociopolitical transformation within African American communities. This article investigates how ecclesiological identity has evolved in diaspora contexts, particularly through the lens of the African American experience. Tracing its roots from African spiritual traditions and the era of slavery, through emancipation, the Great Migration, and the Civil Rights Movement, to the digital age and megachurch phenomenon, the Black Church has continually adapted to shifting cultural, theological, and social landscapes. Using a multidisciplinary approach that includes historical theology, sociology, and cultural analysis, this study explores how these adaptations reveal an ecclesiology grounded in liberation, justice, and resilience. Theologically, this paper contends that the Black Church’s ecclesial model offers a prophetic and globally relevant witness that challenges systemic injustice while inspiring communal hope. In examining both past and present adaptations, the article contributes to broader conversations around diasporic faith identity, theological innovation, and the global role of the Black Church. Full article

This paper explores the complexities of measuring impact from placemaking in the context of public and community housing (sometimes known as social or subsidised housing) in Aotearoa New Zealand. Placemaking refers to a range of practices and interventions—including the provision or facilitation of access to community infrastructure—that seek to cultivate a positive sense of place through everyday experiences, spaces, relationships, and rituals. Drawing on interviews with four community housing providers (CHPs), analysis of their documentation, and tenant survey and interview data from two of those CHPs, this research examines providers’ change theories about placemaking in relation to tenants’ experiences of safety, belonging and connectedness, including access to local amenities, ease of getting around, and a sense of neighbourhood and community affiliation. Based on the importance of these variables to wellbeing outcomes, the study highlights the potential of placemaking to support tenant wellbeing, while also recognising that providers must navigate trade-offs and co-benefits, limited resources, and varying levels of tenant engagement. While placemaking can help to foster feelings of connection, belonging and safety, its impact depends on providers’ capacity to initiate and sustain such efforts amidst competing demands and constraints. The study offers indicative findings and recommendations for future research. Although the impacts of placemaking and community infrastructure provision are difficult to quantify, research findings are synthesised into a prototype framework to support housing providers in their decision-making and housing development processes. The framework, which should be adapted and evaluated in situ, potentially also informs other actors in the built environment—including architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners, developers and government agencies. In Aotearoa New Zealand, where housing provision occurs within a colonial context, government agencies have obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi to actively protect Māori rights and to work in partnership with Māori in housing policy and delivery. This underscores the importance of placemaking practices and interventions that are culturally and contextually responsive. Full article

The evolution of traditional rural settlements is a dynamic process. During urbanization, traditional rural settlements, as dual carriers of natural and cultural heritage, face the structural contradiction between preservation and development. The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake caused systemic damage to the Linpan settlements in western Sichuan. The post-seismic reconstruction (2008-) and rural revitalization (2017-) phases have offered a unique case for exploring sustainable cultural landscape patterns. This study innovatively devises a “preservation–development” dual-system evaluation framework. Using the coupling coordination degree model, it analyzes the characteristics of Linpan at different stages within a composite cultural–economic–social system. The study found that while tangible carriers can be quickly repaired through financial support, intangible culture is often at risk of losing its inheritors. Over 60% of Linpan depend on government support, exposing the fragility of “dependence-based development”, and few achieve high-quality “preservation–development” synergy (coupling coordination degree D > 0.8). Most remain in a “preservation lag–development obstruction” cycle (D < 0.5). This paper explores ways to balance Linpan preservation and development dynamically and suggests creating a self-cycling “resource empowerment–cultural identity–value transformation” development pattern. It provides a theoretical reference for cultural heritage preservation and disaster resilience building and contributes a unique solution for the revitalization of traditional settlements. Full article

Background/Objectives: For runners competing abroad in sports events, the hours before a race are marked by heightened psychological tension, where even food choices can feel crucial to success. While pre-race nutrition is often addressed in terms of physiological needs, little is known about the inner psychological processes that accompany food decisions in unfamiliar cultural and environmental contexts. This study explores the inner dialogues, anxieties, and coping mechanisms of international runners facing the question of whether and what to eat before competition. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted with twelve international participants (from the United Kingdom, Germany, and Ukraine) of the Poznan Half Marathon 2025. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews. Participants possessed a minimum of two years’ experience competing in international events. Results: Three thematic areas were identified: (1) anticipatory anxiety and fear of making nutritional mistakes before the race, (2) internal negotiation between prior nutritional knowledge and situational trust, and (3) ritualization and individualized norms as fundamental mechanisms of psychological regulation. These themes influenced how runners experienced pre-race nutrition, shaping their emotional states, decision-making processes, and coping strategies in the context of international competition. Conclusions: Pre-race nutrition decisions are deeply embedded in emotional and cognitive landscapes shaped by stress, cultural context, and individual history. Recognizing these inner dynamics can help coaches, sports nutritionists, and event organizers better support the psychological well-being of traveling athletes. Full article

This paper introduces and defines ‘Living Cultural Infrastructure’ as dynamic social-ecological systems where plant heritage and community knowledge are co-produced to reclaim degraded urban landscapes. Addressing the dual challenges of ecological degradation and cultural erosion, we demonstrate this concept through a case study on the Maekha Canal in Chiang Mai, Thailand, employing Participatory Landscape Architecture integrated with urban ethnobotany. Through co-design workshops, biocultural spatial analysis, and ethnobotanical surveys involving 20 key community members, the project engaged residents to reclaim the canal as a functional biocultural corridor. The research documented 149 culturally significant plant species and resulted in a co-created trail system that embodies the principles of a living infrastructure, fostering intergenerational knowledge exchange and strengthening community stewardship. This study demonstrates how a participatory, ethnobotany-informed process can regenerate degraded urban waterways into Living Cultural Infrastructure. The research advances a new paradigm for landscape architecture by providing replicable governance and design tools. Full article

At present, industrial heritage preservation in China often focuses on individual industrial buildings, lacking a holistic consideration of industrial settlements (e.g., industrial cities, towns, and villages). This study draws upon the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach to construct a research framework that applies to industrial settlements, considering both integrity and layering. Taking the case of Tongguan Ancient Town—a typical industrial settlement—this study uses the integrated approach of historical materials acquisition, oral interview, and field investigation to review the interactive evolution of industry and space across three historical periods. It identifies a comprehensive set of heritage elements within the Tongguan industrial settlement and proposes a preservation framework for its industrial heritage. The key findings are threefold: industrial settlement heritage possesses characteristics of integrity and layering; the HUL approach can be effectively applied to industrial settlement studies; and the protection of industrial settlements is a crucial step toward establishing a complete system for the inheritance and preservation of China’s urban and rural historical and cultural heritage. Full article

Understanding the spatial distribution and socio-cultural perceptions of threatened raptors is essential for evidence-based conservation in biodiverse yet understudied regions such as Nigeria. This study combines species distribution modelling with community-based surveys to explore the ecological and human dimensions influencing raptor conservation. To investigate the influence of anthropogenic pressures on threatened raptors’ reporting rates, we modelled the relationship between the reporting rate (RR) and two key predictors: the Human Footprint Index and population density. Concurrently, 318 questionnaires were administered across multiple sites to assess public perceptions and attitudes toward raptors. Results indicate that there was a notable reduction in the RR of threatened raptor species with an increase in population density (Estimate = −0.085, SE = 0.028, t = −3.056, p = 0.002). In socio-cultural analyses, sentiment analysis revealed that more than 60% of respondents with higher knowledge of raptors often held more negative perceptions, typically associated with poultry predation and cultural beliefs. In contrast, individuals with limited knowledge frequently exhibited more positive (50%) attitudes. Interestingly, areas with high raptor abundance were associated with more negative community perceptions, suggesting that human–wildlife conflict plays a significant role in shaping attitudes. These findings highlight the complexity of human–raptor interactions and the need for conservation strategies that extend beyond formal protected areas. We advocate for an integrated approach that combines ecological modelling with culturally sensitive education and community-based interventions to foster coexistence and support raptor conservation in Nigeria and similar socio-ecological landscapes. Full article

Drones have rapidly emerged as transformative tools in landscape research, enabling high-resolution spatial data acquisition, real-time environmental monitoring, and advanced modelling that surpass the limitations of traditional methodologies. This scoping review systematically explores and synthesises the technological applications of drones within the context of landscape studies, addressing a significant gap in the integration of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UASs) into environmental and spatial planning disciplines. The study investigates the typologies of drone platforms—including fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and hybrid systems—alongside a detailed examination of sensor technologies such as RGB, LiDAR, multispectral, and hyperspectral imaging. Following the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted across Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, utilising predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The findings reveal that drone technologies are predominantly applied in mapping and modelling, vegetation and biodiversity analysis, water resource management, urban planning, cultural heritage documentation, and sustainable tourism development. Notably, vegetation analysis and water management have shown a remarkable surge in application over the past five years, highlighting global shifts towards sustainability-focused landscape interventions. These applications are critically evaluated in terms of spatial efficiency, operational flexibility, and interdisciplinary relevance. This review concludes that integrating drones with Geographic Information Systems (GISs), artificial intelligence (AI), and remote sensing frameworks substantially enhances analytical capacity, supports climate-resilient landscape planning, and offers novel pathways for multi-scalar environmental research and practice. Full article

Architectural and cultural heritage play a key role in the sustainability of cities and their historic centres. A significant part of this heritage consists of residential buildings and rows of townhouses that were constructed in accordance with local traditions. These buildings line the streets and squares of cities and historic centres. This study explores the significance of this unique, traditional, uniform development in term of its historical and social-cultural value and its role in identifying the city. Using examples of cities where residential buildings with specific characteristics have been preserved, the study analyses their value in terms of cultural heritage and sustainable development, as well as various revitalisation models that consider local traditions and needs. The impact of multi-tracking and interdisciplinarity on revitalisation outcomes is also considered, with the action models in the selected centres analysed in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. In addition to tangible cultural heritage, the study also considers intangible heritage and its interrelationships. The research revealed the high value of historic residential architecture, which, together with the urban layout, forms an important part of our architectural cultural heritage. It also drew attention to the fact that this aspect of architectural heritage is often neglected. The studies also demonstrated the important role of local authorities, conservation organisations and urban communities, as well as the necessity of well-planned, multi-track, interdisciplinary revitalisation measures. The research enabled the formulation of some general principles to be taken into account in the revitalisation process. However, it was found that each city or town has different building traditions and a different degree of historic architectural preservation, as well as different opportunities. Therefore, it is not possible to create a universal, ready-made programme for historic preservation. Nevertheless, it is important to promote good models, particularly in residential architecture, which is often undervalued and neglected despite its great potential. Full article

Background/Objectives: In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement is essential—especially within a nursing association that leads individual and organizational credentialing. Methods: Colleagues from the American Nurses Enterprise (ANE) Innovation Department and the Institute for Nursing Research and Quality Management collaborated to develop the Culture of Innovation and Quality Model^TM. This process involved conducting a literature review, developing a survey instrument, and administering a pilot pre-survey to ANE employees to collect baseline data. Future research will include a comparison with a post-survey after interventions aimed at strengthening the culture of innovation and quality. Results: The results of the pilot pre-survey were high overall and guided the team in identifying areas with the greatest opportunities for improvement. Based on these findings, interventions are being developed that will be implemented at ANE to enhance the practice of and promote the synergy between innovation and quality. Conclusions: Achieving and sustaining high-quality standards of care and advancing the professional development of nurses requires a culture where staff feel safe and have opportunities to create, innovate, improve, and learn. This will help promote an environment where people thrive while ensuring that the nursing profession and practice remain cutting-edge and aligned with emerging technologies and evolving healthcare complexities. The Culture of Innovation and Quality Model^TM may provide a blueprint for organizations who seek to advance innovation and quality knowledge, engagement, and practices and assist their employees in providing better service to colleagues, partners, and customers while adapting to the evolving healthcare environment. Full article

Ancient figures and symbols are carved into a high rock wall beside the Colorado River, just south of where a traditional Native American geotrail crosses the river near Moab, Utah, USA. Based on ethnographic interviews with tribal and pueblo representatives, the rock peckings identify an ancient ceremonial geosite, which, among other purposes, serves as a site for the Celebration of Creation. The interpretation of the site is situated within the geologically complex and ancient cultural heritage region composed of functionally interrelated nested geoscapes that surround the study area. The analysis is informed by ethnographic interviews from six U.S. federally funded studies that involved thirteen participating tribes and pueblos. The analysis is guided by an intellectual framework aligned with internationally recognized UNESCO heritage categories—namely, geosites, geotrails, and geoscapes. Grounded in these UNESCO heritage categories, the analysis advances new interpretive frameworks, theoretical insights, and culturally responsive strategies for heritage management. Full article