Search Results (69)

Green infrastructure (GI) and nature-based solutions (NBSs) in land-use planning and landscape architecture represent a holistic, interdisciplinary response to environmental and societal challenges. Although integrated into Slovak legislation since 2019, their formal implementation has progressed rather slowly, creating a gap that has been increasingly addressed by civic initiatives (CIs) of diverse types and legal forms. This study examines approaches and methods of CIs in Slovakia implementing GI and NBSs, while focusing on their legal forms, activities, spatial delimitations, and their impact on green space development and governance. Analysis of seventeen case studies shows that many CIs operate at multiple levels—local, national, and international—often delivering professional, conceptually grounded solutions. The most frequent NBS activities involve creating or enhancing parks, green public spaces, and community gardens, as well as restoring natural and semi-natural areas through nature-based management. Knowledge creation and awareness-raising are central strategies, including environmental education centres, citizen science, public campaigns, and informal learning platforms. The transformation of derelict areas into multifunctional public spaces emerges as a notable practice, combining ecological regeneration with cultural and social uses. The findings highlight the growing role of civic actors in advancing inclusive, participatory, and knowledge-based environmental management and call for stronger institutional support to integrate their contributions into formal administrative frameworks. Full article

Climate-amplified extreme heat events are particularly dangerous for city dwellers. Nature-based solutions such as urban greening may serve as an effective preventative strategy against extreme heat. Driven by historical injustices such as redlining, disadvantaged communities often face limited green space and a heightened risk of vulnerability to extreme heat in urban environments. This paper investigates community engagement strategies for heat-vulnerable community participation in urban greening research as a part of a broader transdisciplinary environmental research praxis focused on multistakeholder co-creation. We conducted semi-structured interviews with community leaders in heat-vulnerable neighborhoods in New York City to explore community co-creation in the design and implementation of tree planting, and compared these themes with interviews with urban tree professionals and other community groups. Overall, the participants agreed on broad themes of environmental justice, intergenerational engagement, community building, and socioecological relationships, although community leaders differed in both a greater emphasis of experiential knowledge and reduced focus on volunteer community stewardship. The findings inform our research process and associated community engagement, including building online resources and addressing community-specific concerns during the research process. We conclude by recommending future steps for facilitating multistakeholder conversations to build inclusive and equitable urban greening heat-adaptive strategies. Full article

Urban agriculture is considered by many scientists and policymakers as a key strategy to build climate change-resilient communities within cities by strengthening food systems, with positive food security, biodiversity, nutrition and health outcomes. The estimated potential of urban agriculture to provide between 15 and 20% of the global food supply can be enhanced by applying agroecological principles and practices that revitalize urban agriculture cropping systems, thus leading to the design of highly diversified, productive and resilient urban farms on a planet in polycrisis. Two pillars are used in agroecology: (a) restoring spatial and temporal crop combinations that deter pests by enhancing biological control with natural enemies, and (b) increasing soil organic matter through green manures, compost and other organic practices that enhance soil fertility and beneficial microorganisms. In addition to technical and environmental obstacles, there are a series of social, economic and political barriers that limit the scaling-up of urban agriculture. For this reason, it is important to launch policies that establish mechanisms for cities to provide incentives for urban agriculture, including access to land, water, seeds and technical knowledge. The creation of producer–consumer networks around markets with solidarity is critical for local equitable food provision and consumption. Full article

As environmental pollution intensifies, China has begun to implement green credit policies to reduce credit allocation to highly polluting enterprises. This research examines the influence of green credit on the cash flow of heavily polluting enterprises, based on the implementation of the “Green Credit Guidelines”. The policy creates a quasi-natural experimental setting by giving businesses access to an exogenous occurrence. Consequently, this paper uses data from 494 A-share listed companies in China over a fifteen-year period from 2007 to 2021 and employs a Difference-in-Differences (DID) model to assess the net effect of the policy, positing that green credit scheme will prevent highly polluting businesses from making money. The empirical findings show that the green credit policy significantly reduces the cash flow of businesses that emit a lot of pollutants, especially when it comes to operational cash flow. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the cash flow of high-emission regions and non-state-owned heavily polluting enterprises is affected even more significantly. Previous research has often overlooked cash flow as a metric; however, cash flow is a critical indicator of an enterprise’s operational status. From this angle, this study adds to our knowledge of how green credit schemes affect highly polluting businesses. Additionally, it contributes to the ongoing discussion regarding the relationship between financial constraints and cash flow. China’s government ought to keep encouraging the creation of green credit regulations, enhance supervision of state-owned heavily polluting enterprises, and pay attention to low-emission regions by establishing dynamic regulatory indicators to promote ecological civilization construction and the transformation and upgrading of lagging industries. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented global disruptions, with the hotel and aviation industries—two critical pillars of tourism—among the hardest hit. This study analyzed 451 hotel-related and 336 aviation-related records from the Web of Science database, applying semantic network analysis to uncover eight clusters of crisis management knowledge: basic functions, crisis response, operational strategies, epidemic prevention and control, crisis perception, innovative services, scope of influence, and internal and external environments. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling identified distinct thematic strategies for each sector. In hotels, these included Digital Innovation Transformation, Monitoring Management Procedures, Emotional Awareness Incentives, and Resilience Mechanism Establishment. In aviation, strategies focused on Green Economic Transformation, Co-creation Value Realization, Passenger Incentive Mechanisms, and Balancing Health Risks. By visualizing co-occurrence relationships and mapping thematic intersections and divergences, this study provides actionable insights into the recovery strategies of these industries. The findings offer robust support for developing targeted management approaches and decision-making frameworks to ensure the sustainable growth of the tourism sector. Full article

An increase in ride-hailing services in the sharing economy can help to reduce the number of vehicles on the road, which will lead to a decrease in air pollution and noise pollution, an improvement in environmental conditions, a decrease in travel costs, and an increase in social benefits to travelers. Hence, there is a great need to examine the consumer’s intention toward usage of ride-hailing services in the sharing economy. The current study aims to examine the green consumption intention of eco-friendly services as an outcome of environmental responsibility and environmental knowledge. It also attempts to examine the serial mediation of green concern, value co-creation, and mediated moderation of social support as an explanatory mechanism of green consumption intention of eco-friendly services. The research design was cross-section and deductive. The respondents of the study were registered university students in Islamabad who were active consumers of major ride-hailing services in Pakistan, i.e., Uber, Careem, Uplift, InDriver, B4U Cabes, and SUVL. A total of 402 responses were gathered using purposive sampling. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in Smart PLS is used to evaluate the reliability of measurement instruments and the validity of the research model. The current study results showed that environmental responsibility and knowledge positively and significantly affect motivation to engage in green consumption. Furthermore, environmental concern and value co-creation partially mediate the proposed relationship. In addition, social support also moderates the association between green concern and value co-creation such that it strengthens the connection. The current research findings are an addition to the existing literature and have managerial applications with limitations preceded by future research directions. Full article

The defossilisation of the agricultural sector is driven by intense worldwide academic research on non-fossil, renewable and energy-efficient agriculture, and the acknowledgment of the need for sustainable farming practices. For this purpose, not only technical transformations but also socio-technical system changes towards sustainability need to take place in a co-evolutionary manner. This paper investigates structural and qualitative characteristics of the knowledge produced by research on fossil-energy-free agriculture. We provide evidence on the worldwide research directions, as well as investigate whether academic research and publicly funded research projects foster knowledge creation for the desired transformation. Bibliographic maps are constructed using a query-based methodology as social networks to investigate the efficiency of the EU-funded research to achieve the goals set for the 2050 EU Green Deal. The H2020-funded papers are further analysed with dictionary-based text analysis to quantify the relative emphasis of different types of knowledge in the text. This approach is eventually used to relate transformational capacity to project profiles in the European Union, to evaluate past funding schemes and to improve the shape of future research programs on renewable and sustainable agriculture. Full article

Humanity faces numerous deeply interconnected systemic risks to sustainability—a global polycrisis. We need economic institutions that produce the knowledge required to address this polycrisis at the lowest cost, maximize the benefits that knowledge generates, and distribute those benefits fairly. Knowledge improves through use; its value is maximized when it is freely available. Intellectual property rights (IPRs), a form of monopoly, direct knowledge production towards market goods, raise the cost of doing research, and reduce the benefits by price-rationing access. Building on theories of the commons, the anticommons, and market failures, we propose the creation of a transnational green knowledge commons (TGKC) in which all knowledge that contributes to solving the polycrisis be made open access on the condition that any subsequent improvements also be open access. We argue that a TGKC is more sustainable, just, and efficient than restrictive IPRs and well suited to the motivations and governance institutions of public universities. We show how a single university could initiate the process and estimate that the cost would be more than offset by reduced IPR expenses. A TGKC would reduce the costs of generating and disseminating knowledge directed towards a sustainable future and help stimulate the transnational cooperation, reciprocity, and trust required for sustainable management of the global biophysical commons. Full article

While the planet Earth will survive the accelerating climate and nature crisis, humankind may not. As part of its work to halt the global climate and nature crisis, while generating a distributed prosperity, the United Nations has unanimously agreed on sustainable development goals. The achievement of these goals depends on the mobilization of local knowledge and resources, and the creation of a sense of joint ownership over new and bold solutions. Co-creation that brings together relevant and affected actors in emergent processes of collaboration, learning, and innovation offer a path to localized green transitions. However, little is known about how public governance can prompt, support, and scaffold the local co-creation of green solutions. Bridging extant literatures in the field of collaborative and networked governance, this theory-building article aims to identify a number of governance factors conducive for the local co-creation of green transitions. The resulting theoretical framework allows us to conjecture about which governance factors will be critical in different socio-political contexts, thus facilitating future studies of contrasted governance paths to local green co-creation. Full article

In view of the climate crisis, green technologies should be used to ensure sustainable structures in the construction industry. Road construction could also contribute to the creation of a circular economy, as it is partly responsible for several current environmental phenomena, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and depletion of natural aggregates and landfills. The use of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) is considered one of these recycling solutions, as it can be reused in road construction projects. Implementing it in practice is already a topic that should be included in the technical guidelines for road construction and maintenance. Therefore, this study is a critical overview of the worldwide experiences with the installation of RAP in road pavements published by different road authorities worldwide, aiming to prove the inconsistency in using these materials in pavement courses. The results of this review are analyzed to identify possible knowledge gaps regarding RAP content. It was shown that the use of RAP is different on all five continents. The main findings were that the RAP content in asphalt layers is still at a low level of about 30% and that the use of RAP materials in unbound layers in road pavement construction is not yet fully accepted. It is expected that the results of this study will help to improve further research on the performance of RAP and motivate more countries to develop appropriate guidelines for the use of RAP materials in road pavement construction. Full article

As environmental issues intensify, sustainability development is becoming mainstream, with environmental topics gaining increasing attention in the media and online. Shifting consumer behavior in China toward green purchasing is crucial for mitigating environmental pollution and achieving sustainable, low-carbon consumption. This study constructed a theoretical model combining media persuasion (MP) and positive internet word-of-mouth (PIM) with green purchasing behavior (GPB), based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) and persuasion theories, to explore consumer responses to environmental information campaigns. A total of 357 valid samples were collected through an online questionnaire survey and subjected to analysis using the structural equation model (SEM). The results indicate that MP, PIM, and environmental attitude (EA) significantly influence GPB. Specifically, EA partially mediates the relationship between MP, PIM, and GPB, while environmental knowledge (EK) negatively moderates the relationship between independent variables and EA. Additionally, EK moderates the mediating effect of EA. The findings highlight that the effective implementation of MPs and PIMs can facilitate the creation of positive EA, which stimulates consumer GPB. This is essential for promoting sustainable consumption. This research contributes to sustainability by providing insights and practical suggestions for developing green marketing strategies that support environmental goals. Full article

Modular housing represents an opportunity for the mass provision of housing of an appropriate standard, implemented sustainably. We analyzed the theoretical basis of this type of housing for refugee populations. We identified several generations of housing provision, from tented camps to container settlements, and ultimately to units resembling traditional housing estates. The latter is feasible due to technological advancements. Our research contributes to the implementation of the principles of the New European Bauhaus initiative, which underpins the European Green Deal policy on space design. Using the Research through Design (RtD) method within the framework of a settlement project for the Ukrainian population migrating from war zones (Modular Refugees Settlement Project “ProModSe”), we tested the suitability of these principles in extreme and critical war-related situations. The most important criteria were speed of implementation, the prospect of long-term residence, and ensuring safety. We analyzed the social, environmental, and aesthetic–functional aspects, comparing them with existing practices in the design of settlements for displaced persons, modular settlements, and quality standards in residential environments. The results demonstrate, at multiple scales, the critical interdependence of sustainable development, aesthetics and functionality, and community creation. We emphasize the need to include security as an essential fourth axis within the New European Bauhaus concept. This study contributes to addressing the complex housing problem for refugee populations. The generalizations formulated based on empirical research complement the knowledge of housing and the functioning of the sociotechnological system. Full article

This study utilizes unique green standard-setting data from the Chinese government to examine the causal effect of heavy-pollution firms’ participation in the process of setting green standards for green innovation. Our research has the following key findings: (1) High-pollution companies engaging in the green standard process have a markedly positive impact on their environmental innovation. Our conclusions hold across multiple rigorous evaluations, including firm fixed effects, instrumental variable methods, placebo analyses, and propensity score-matching techniques. (2) Through our mechanism analysis, we discovered that engaging in the green standard-setting process leads to the creation of a knowledge-sharing network. Within this network, participating in the green standard-setting process effectively enhances green innovation among heavily polluting firms through the knowledge diffusion and enhanced collaboration processes among the participants. (3) In our further analysis, we observed that the positive effect is more significant in companies led by managers with stronger green perceptions and in areas with stricter environmental regulations. Moreover, we demonstrated that involvement in the green standard-setting process can boost the reputation of firms with significant pollution levels. Our study could significantly contribute to the current body of knowledge on the effects of green standardization and the factors driving corporate green innovation. It may also offer additional insights into the implementation of sustainable development practices in emerging economies. Full article

The participation of citizens in creating urban green spaces is a promising approach to promoting health and wellbeing while facilitating the development of equitable cities more prepared for the challenges of climate change. This systematic review provides an overview of the current state of knowledge by synthesizing and summarizing scholarly articles reporting studies on the health effects of participation in green space creation. A review protocol was preregistered on PROSPERO (registration number CRD42023454363). Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched six databases for studies published since 2003. After screening 2676 records, we found 133 studies matching our inclusion criteria and summarized the findings on health effects in qualitative and quantitative research, differentiating between study types, population types, and intervention types. In addition, we explored secondary outcomes mentioned in the included articles. The majority of studies reported positive impacts of participatory green space creation on general, mental, and physical health. Moreover, many studies reported other personal and social benefits. The results of this review indicate that the participatory creation of urban green spaces represents a promising approach to promoting health and wellbeing. Nevertheless, further high-quality, quantitative research is required to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between participatory green space activities and health, particularly with regard to the benefits of specific intervention types and subpopulations. Full article

The current article delves into the concept of green knowledge management (GKM), aiming to elucidate the intricate web of intellectual connections within the literature already published on this subject. The significance and value of this pursuit lie in its endeavor to pinpoint the most pivotal works in the field and to elucidate the overarching research directions that have been pursued. Through this process, the ability to centralize and encapsulate the knowledge within the GKM domain is achieved. Employing bibliometric analysis tools, the apparently elusive or intangible body of the literature on GKM is given structure and form through the creation of bibliometric analysis maps, which are then scrutinized through the discerning eyes of the author. Consequently, this paper seamlessly integrates the benefits of systematic literature review methodologies with those of computer-aided software, thereby efficiently processing a substantial volume of data on GKM and transforming it into tangible representations of this specialized literary niche. Thus, this undertaking serves as an open invitation to the advancement of the GKM field, providing a solid foundational platform for further research endeavors. In essence, it serves as a stepping stone towards the development of a GKM encyclopedia, offering a comprehensive repository of knowledge and insights for scholars and practitioners alike. Full article