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This research aims to understand the influence of burnout on the relationship between job performance and sustainable planning in higher education. Through a survey of administrative personnel in Dominican institutions, variables were measured using validated questionnaires and analyzed with PLS-SEM. The findings indicate a significant correlation between performance and sustainable planning. Contrary to expectations, burnout did not significantly impact planning, although it did negatively affect job performance. These results highlighted the importance of integrating sustainability into project planning by addressing both theoretical and practical dimensions. The study highlights how burnout affects project success, emphasizing the need for comprehensive strategies to mitigate it. Furthermore, it suggests that sustainable project planning improves traditional management theories by adding ethical, social, and environmental considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the results of the "SavingScapes" research project that examined the role and relevance of civil society in landscape and heritage conservation, comparing Girona in Spain and Genoa in Italy. These two sub-regional areas are both on the Western Mediterranean coast. Tourism and international trade are the main drivers of development. Landscape is an important asset. In both areas, strong and constant transformative pressures and deeply rooted place attachment clash in the form of environmental protest movements or 'social mobilizations'. Nevertheless, there are significant differences in the approaches and results of these mobilizations in the two areas. In order to assess the impact of these mobilizations on local planning and projects, the study has developed an outcome-based taxonomy with seven different categories, ranging from defeat (= no relevant impacts occurred) to sustainable plan/policy prefiguration (= cases in which mobilizations have led to the emergence of an alternative project). This taxonomy has then been applied to seven territorial conflicts in both case studies. Research shows that the impact of mobilizations may not be immediately significant in either region (always taking into account the differences between them). However, these movements have led to the development of novel approaches of dealing with the changing context and have emerged as co-partners in the process of constructing social and local identity. • Landscape preservation is enhanced by empowered territory defense movements. • Empowered social movements are key to a trialectic territorial governance model. • Territorial conflicts are complex and cannot solely be explained by NIMBY attitudes. • Territorial conflicts go beyond defeat and success to reach policy prefiguration. • Social movements feed from and retro feed immaterial landscape values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban regeneration is one of the main contemporary challenges human and territorial development faces especially regarding developing countries. In contrast with developed countries, where urban regeneration assumes a perspective of renewal and adjustment to new trends, in developing countries it represents an opportunity to implement urbanization to improve the quality of life and provide the minimum conditions to ensure its inhabitants a dignified life. This paper presents and discusses a method to respond to the challenges of expansion and regeneration of urban areas in developing countries based on the strategy of transforming informal areas into formal ones through urbanization. The Wall-Up method is validated through its application in the case study of Pante Macassar, Oé-Cusse Region in Timor-Leste, resulting in a small allotment plan ready to be implemented and to satisfy the current necessity in terms of urban regeneration and housing provision. In this case study Wall-Up is shown to be a reliable way to improve the quality of life and on to create a basis for the future development of housing for locals through urban regeneration that is viable in political, economic and social terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few years, land take monitoring in Europe and in Italy has become increasingly accurate and detailed owing to improved technologies that help acquire and make available free, easily accessible and high-resolution data. Nevertheless, the key issue is controlling this phenomenon, long considered pathological in its current form and scale, in order to mitigate / reverse it and achieve the 2030 containment targets set in international guidelines. To attain these results, firm regulatory action is certainly needed, underpinned by thresholds and reference limits to regulate the development of transformation activities planned by local authorities. In 2015, the United Nations Global Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) put forward a parameter for this purpose, namely the "Ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate" (11.3.1 LCRPGR). It monitors the ratio between the extent of urban development and demographic dynamics in spatial-administrative units in order to link the growth of urbanized areas to actual population growth. This paper sets out a reconnaissance experiment to identify LCRPGR cut-off that can be used in legislation in relation to life quality indicators calculated repeatedly for Italy at the provincial level. The conclusions highlight the considerable difficulty inherent in identifying normative thresholds for the containment of negative spatial and social phenomena, and the need to develop scientific methods that are more reliable and robust than what is present in current practice. • Identification of regulatory control thresholds for spatial indicators. • Limitation of urban growth devoid of real need. • Critical evaluation of SDGs indicators. • Proposed supplementary indicators for urban growth phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to give reasons for further advanced multi-faceted research of geothermal utilization, geothermal energy utilization and its integration in urban planning in the long run in the City of Nis were analysed. Regional aspect of this utilization is considered, which is novelty in the planning of the city. The arguments are supported by expert opinions on geothermal utilization acquired abroad and in Serbia that suggest geothermal use within proposals for an eco-city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystems are essential in providing multiple services to society. However, understanding ecosystem services (ESS) in terms of spatial distribution and trade-offs still remains a challenge for landscape planners and natural resource managers. In this paper, we analyzed the supply of a set of ESS – carbon storage, soil erosion protection, biodiversity, and recreation – within the landscape surrounding the city of Bari in Southern Italy. Through an analysis of this landscape, which includes natural protected areas, such as Natura 2000 Network sites, national and regional parks and nature reserves, and in view of the recent Fitness Check of the Nature Directives, we aimed to provide answers to the following questions: (i) Where are the areas of high and low supply of individual ecosystem services located?; (ii) Where do ecosystem service trade-offs (i.e., ‘hotspots’ and ‘coldspots’) occur? ; and (iii) To what extent are ecosystem service hotspots and coldspots located within or outside of natural protected areas? Results show that most of the landscape in the study area supplied at least one of the selected ESS and that ESS hotspots were mostly located within forested and/or natural areas. Hotspots occupied 8.0% of the total landscape, with 23.7% located in natural protected areas. Coldspots were scarce and equal to 2.4%; they constituted only 0.1% of natural protected areas. Almost all of the landscape (89.6%) consists of intermediate areas (i.e., between hotspots and coldspots); 76.2% of natural protected areas consists of intermediate areas. This latter finding is relevant because the high intermediate classes are potentially high-performing areas, which lie mainly on the borders of protected spaces; they can positively influence ecological processes and thus enhance a wide-ranging provision of ESS. Our results highlight the importance of analyzing landscapes to facilitate the selection of priority areas where management efforts would yield maximum benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clear and effective legislation is a requisite to bring sustainable development from theory into practice. This paper develops a methodology to investigate how Italian regional legislation disciplines the use of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), the procedure used in the European Union (EU) to pursue sustainable development of policies, plans, and programs (PPPs). Our case study is the Italian regional level, examined to identify eventual flaws and areas for improvement for each regional legislative framework. For this purpose, this study refers to a selection of analytical criteria recurring in the international debate on sustainability assessments. Statistical multi-dimensional analysis is used to identify Italian regions with similar SEA legislation. We recognize four taxonomies, depending on the way regional legislation provides information about i) legislation and guidelines, ii) integration between SEA and PPPs, iii) sustainability goals, iv) technical organization, v) participatory organization, and vi) monitoring. The results suggest that Italian administrators should cooperate to improve legislation at the regional level. Acknowledging the institution-centred nature of SEA, this methodology could drive the EU to better support SEA development in countries with diversified traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporating risk analysis into physical planning is increasingly necessary to anticipate and take appropriate measures to prevent and defend against disasters. This paper extends the concept of carrying capacity by studying two models: an ecosystem-bringing capacity model and a territorial model of construction on rural land. A climate change variable was integrated into both models, and the changes that occurred depending on the emissions scenario and the time horizons were considered for developing the suitability, impact, and risk models. The data obtained in this study give us an idea of the difficulties that may exist in most of the territory for the construction location on rural land. In fact, only 14% of the occupied study area reaches positive values for the carrying capacity of ecosystems; besides, there are no constructions on rural land located on positive values if we include the risks in the planning. Contextually, assigning a value to the comparable carrying capacity, based on a holistic conception of planning and scientific data, can facilitate the decision-making to initiate future studies and work. Moreover, this study enables to anticipate the effects of climate change when drawing up adaptation and mitigation policies, plans, or programs. • Incorporating risk analysis into physical planning can prevent disasters. • Ecosystem-bringing capacity model and territorial model of construction is studied. • This study enables to anticipate the effects of climate change for land policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid increase in numbers of private vehicles on the road, many transportation related issues like congestion, crashes and injuries, pollution, noise etc. have grown very rapidly. Urban settlements like core CBD and heritage town, which were planned for NMT and pedestrians, are worst affected. Environment, in such areas, has degraded to the extent that people do not wish to visit these areas anymore. On another hand, these areas have very significant role in economy and identity of the city. Due to unavailability of space and socio-economic system, only feasible way to upgrade mobility and environment in such special areas is to pedestrianize them. Pedestrianization of the congested street is a very effective, low-cost and sustainable solution. Other than congestion reduction, Pedestrianization has numerous benefits. These list of benefits can be used to advocate Pedestrianization of any street. It can also help in estimating the cost to benefit ratio of such schemes. The first part of this paper summarize various benefits of Pedestrianization from the experience of Pedestrianization scheme around the globe and various researches conducted on its impact. These Benefits can be separated in various categories based on impacts on Transportation, Society, Environment, Economics, and Health. The second part of the paper list down various warrants that can be used as the indicators for the need of Pedestrianization in an area. These warrants can also be used as justification to pedestrianize an area. This paper will help various urban policy makers, land-use and transportation planner, environmentalists and citizens etc. in decision making to solve various urban issues related to transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our food system is facing an unprecedented challenge: feeding a fast growing population without depleting precious resources like energy, soil, and water. Furthermore, the increasing urbanization has rapidly exacerbated the gap between farm to plate, leaving cities vulnerable to changes in the production and supply chain, as demonstrated by recent pandemics and wars. In this context, emerging technologies that allow plants to grow in absence of soil, permit to produce food in high densely built-up areas, bringing food production right were most consumers live. These initiatives enter within the so called Building-Integrated Agriculture (BIA), which is referred as the practice of locating greenhouses and soilless plant cultivation technologies on top and inside mixed-use buildings to exploit the synergies between the building environment and agriculture, involving resource recovery such as water, energy and nutrient flows. This paper aims at determining strategies, objectives, and best practices of BIA projects through the review of 21 case studies, to understand how a new advanced and future-oriented agriculture applied within the cities borders, can possibly shape the urban built environment and food systems of the future. [Display omitted] • Building-integrated agriculture should not be considered just a food-related practice. • Integrated soilless food production exploits synergies between buildings & agriculture. • Building-integrated agriculture can enhance food security in urban areas. • To be effective, Building-integrated agriculture must overcome important challenges. • Economic & social advantages may come from a diffuse integrated urban food production. • Building-integrated agriculture projects still require a specific knowhow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landscape fragmentation is one of the consequences of increased socio-economic pressure facing many regions of the world today. The European Environment Agency published an assessment of fragmentation in 2011 on the scale of the entire continent, based on the effective mesh size. In this report, Romania is mentioned as an interesting case, and it is hypothesized that the true level of fragmentation was underestimated. The aim of the present study is to investigate this hypothesis. We chose Romania's Southern Carpathians as a case study, digitized the roads from orthophoto maps and calculated the effective mesh size. Results support the hypothesis formulated in the EEA report. Specifically, our results indicated an effective mesh size of approximately 50 km 2 , which is comparable to other Eastern European countries, whereas the EEA reported an effective mesh size of approximately 1700 km 2 , which is comparable to the values in Scandinavian countries. To our knowledge, this is the first time that hypotheses stated in an EEA report have been tested against local data. The analyses demonstrate the potential of local data to refine analyses realized at a European level. Because our study area faces increased pressure from local roads for forestry and recreation, accurate fragmentation results are crucial. Our results may help planners to ensure that road development is sustainable and biodiversity conserved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Osteoporosis is a major physical health issue in healthy ageing among urban populations. However, few studies have investigated how greenspace can influence osteoporosis, especially to those who lived in a compact city with high-density living environment. Furthermore, no studies have investigated how "planned greenspace" and "natural greenspace" can separately influence osteoporosis among senior population. We hereby conducted an empirical study to evaluate the relationship between osteoporosis, "planned greenspace" and "natural greenspace", based on the use of land use data derived from local geospatial information and satellite images. Our results showed that seniors who were 1) aged, 2) female, 3) less educated, 4) smokers, and 5) with chronic respiratory diseases were associated with osteoporosis. Considering factors of greenspace, a higher percentage of planned greenspace surrounding the residence may be a protective factor while natural greenspace did not influence the individuals. Specifically, a 10% increase of planned greenspace within the 600-m radius area surrounding the residence was negative associated with osteoporosis (−2.8% [-5.1%, −0.5%]). Based on our results, development of planned greenspace may be necessary, as compact built environment of a high-density city often resulted in a lack of planned greenspace for physical activities. Along with the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for an age-friendly city, our findings suggest that improving the planned greenspace in a walkable distance around one's neighboring environment is a potential strategy for prevention of osteoporosis and related physical health issues as well as for life quality improvement among the senior population. • Association of greenspace and osteoporosis in a high-density city. • Planned space in compact environment may not have an extensive cover of greenery. • Natural greenspace in a high-density city may be inaccessible. • More planned space in compact environment may reduce osteoporosis. • Natural greenspace may be unable to reduce osteoporosis risk due to inaccessibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary cities are threatened by urban development decreasing the overall environmental quality and fragmenting natural and agricultural landscapes. As a result of this fragmentation the number of Non Urbanized Areas (NUAs) present in urban contexts is dramatically decreasing. These areas include cultivated land, Abandoned Farmlands, Grassland, Woods and Shrubs that are often located at the peri-urban cities' fringes. Among NUAs, farmlands and other forms of urban and peri-urban agriculture provide all three major categories of ecosystem services, provisioning, regulating and cultural services. Recently, New Forms of Urban Agriculture (NFUA) have gained increasing attention from researchers for their promising multifunctionality. Incorporating NFUA into the urban environment will thus improve the sustainability of cities, taking advantage of the multiple benefits and services they can provide. This paper presents a method for the characterisation of NUAs in terms of their physical, ecological and social features. These areas are analysed with different criteria and related indicators structured according to a GIS-based Multi Criteria Suitability Model. The proposed model checks the suitability of transformation of the NUAs toward NFUA, thereby enhancing their ecological and social function as well as accessibility and overall connectivity. Different scenarios of spatial configurations for NFUA have been explored with a sensitivity analysis on the values of used indicators. The method was tested for the municipality of Catania, south Italy, an urban context characterised by a relevant shortage of public green spaces and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1970s, seeking solutions for global environmental problems have been on the agenda of both national and international debates where quantifying and measuring 'sustainability' have been an emerging foci. Within this perspective, analysis of areas through new methods and measurable parameters is among recent research fields in both academia and practice. To this end, in the literature, studies on 'green building rating and assessment systems' aiming more liveable places through less carbon emissions and more environmentally friendly construction materials gained significant importance. Among such rating systems, leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) and Building Research Establishment environmental assessment method (BREEAM) are the two well-known 'building' rating systems both in the literature and practice. On the other hand, these parameters based on the 'building' scale are now on the pursuit of 'neighbourhood' or even 'regional' scale applications. The subject of re-questioning these rating systems with the focus of 'neighbourhood' level rather than only 'building' scale is a new research field in the literature with few cases in practice. Having started in the early 1990s, the UK-based BREEAM and US-based LEED systems have responded to these needs by formulating BREEAM-communities and LEED-ND (LEED-neighbourhood design) in 2007. This paper aims to perform a comparative analysis of the parameters covered by assessment systems (LEED-ND and BREEAM-communities) through literature survey and evaluate how they can contribute in urban planning studies with an emphasis on the state of these assessment systems in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Barcelona superblock is an urban neighbourhood transformation strategy, with which car-based traffic is redirected away from streets that are inside a 3 × 3 urban block configuration. This urban design concept promises opportunities for alternative street use such as the transformation of street space into urban green space. The potential to foster urban green space due to superblock design is however unclear, particularly outside of the original Barcelonan context. Concerning urban densification, fostering urban green space is particularly relevant to achieving dense and green cities. In this study, potential superblocks are identified in all major Swiss cities and the current urban green space is quantified. This analysis reveals distinct differences of superblock opportunities and urban green space between different cities and allows pinpointing opportunities for expanding urban green space. Considering the nine largest Swiss cities, between 3% and 18% of the current street network was simulated to be potentially suitable for superblock implementation to transform the streetscape and increase urban green space. The variation of current urban green space coverage across all potential individual superblock sites that have high urban density ranges considerably from a few percentages to above 30%. The presented results allow the exploration of urban green space opportunities at street and block-level arising from superblocks in Switzerland. For example, when considering a citywide superblock implementation scenario, the potential street area is relatively high for Basel whilst at the same time showing relatively low current availability of urban green space. For creating detailed design or transformation strategies based on the explored superblock sites, more integrated analysis to evaluate potential benefits as well as disservices of such urban transformation is required. • The potential of the Barcelona superblock is explored for Swiss cities. • 3–18% of the street network is simulated as potentially suitable for superblocks. • Opportunities to foster urban green space at street and block level is pinpointed. • Considerable variation in urban green space is found in high-density urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Urban metabolism components define the energy and material exchanges within a city and, therefore, can provide valuable information on the environmental quality of urban areas. Assessing the potential impact of urban planning alternatives on urban metabolism components (such as energy, water, carbon and pollutants fluxes) can provide a quantitative estimation of their sustainability performance. Urban metabolism impact assessment can, therefore, contribute to the identification of sustainable urban structures with regards, for example, to building types, materials and layout, as well as to location and capacity of transportation and infrastructural developments. In this way, it enables the formulation of planning and policy recommendations to promote efficient use of resources and enhance environmental quality in urban areas. The European FP7 project BRIDGE (sustainaBle uRban plannIng Decision support accountinG for urban mEtabolism) has developed a decision-support system (DSS) that systematically integrates urban metabolism components into impact assessment processes with the aim of accurately quantifying the potential effects of proposed planning interventions. The DSS enables integration of multiple spatial and non-spatial datasets (e.g. physical flows of energy and material with variables of social and economic change) in a systematic manner to obtain spatially defined assessment results and to thus inform planners and decision-makers. This multi-criteria approach also enables incorporation of stakeholders'' perceptions in order to prioritise decisive assessment criteria. This paper describes the methodological framework used to develop the DSS and critically examines the results of its practical application in five European cities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Accessibility is an indicator that involves two components: the place - with its morphological and morphometric features -, and man - who wants to reach that place. The relief accessibility map is a useful tool both for tourists and national park managers. Sustainable management in a park and planning involves the opening of new hiking trails which must take into account the relief accessibility, internal zoning, land use and the presence of tourist interest objectives. In this study we produced a map of relief accessibility for Ceahlău National Park (CNP) in Romania using two indicators: the slope and the land use. The model integrates both primary data and secondary data resulted from the reclassification operations. From the intersection of these secondary data in a transition matrix we have established five types of accessibility levels that are represented for the entire park and trails in the CNP. Of the total area of the park - which is located in Romania''s eastern Carpathians, within a mountain unit with less than 1900 m altitude -, over 90% encompasses high and medium accessibility levels (types 2 and 3) which shows a high potential for planning. Data resulted from this model can be used for an efficient management of trails in a national park and their evaluation according to the degree of accessibility. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Given the spatial dimension of land, a working spatial data infrastructure (SDI) can enhance land management substantially by providing very valuable spatial information. In Europe, SDI implementation currently takes place at different levels of public administration. Due to an enormous amount of heterogeneous widespread spatial information distributed among many involved parties, local SDIs face a number of specific challenges. In this article a case study from Germany is presented to illustrate the various tasks of local SDI implementation for the purpose of sustainable land management. Four key factors are identified to define a feasible basis for the assessment of an SDI within the federal administrative system of Germany: organizational, legal, functional and technical aspects. Two federal states, Rheinland-Pfalz and Schleswig-Holstein, are selected for the case study to describe the present status of local SDI implementation in Germany. The results of the evaluation are used to identify significant weaknesses and develop recommendations on how to overcome the identified weaknesses. Implementing the recommendations will help to substantially improve the benefit of a working local SDI for the purposes of sustainable land management. In addition, the spatial SDI database which is one of the core parts of an SDI will be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: For many decades, the concept of sustainability has been highly successful in public policies and even in the business world. 1 [1] See L. R. Brown, Building a Sustainable Society, Norton, New York, (1981) and G. MIinati, M.P. Penna, E. Pessa, A conceptual framework for self-organization and merging processes in social systems, in Systems For Sustainability, Plenum Press, New York, (1997). Nowadays, all initiatives must be sustainable and are primarily assessed on that criterion. However, the efforts made to construct specific methods dedicated to building sustainable strategies seem rather weak. Futurists themselves underestimate the relationship between sustainable development and foresight, even if they are talking about sustainable planning. 2 [2] Sustainable planning integrates the objectives of economic development, social justice and inclusion, environment integrity and integrated transport. There is often conflict between short-term economic and fiscal benefits and the longer-term environmental and social implications arising from development. Cf. Ian Miles, Michaël Keenan Practical Guide to Regional Foresight in the United Kingdom, European Commission, DG Research, Brussels (2000) 18. They remain generally unaware that foresight could be a major tool in tackling sustainability as well as one of the best methods of preparing sustainable strategies and policies. Indeed, one of the biggest problems in sustainability approaches is the simplistic way used to define the concept, for instance, by using only the very first part of the 1987 the Bruntland report Our Common Future and by limiting the fields of activity on sustainability to the three pillars of the OECD model: economy, social questions, environment. At the Copenhagen United Nations Climate Change Conference (December 2009), it seemed forgotten that sustainability is already an old issue in which futurists were heavily involved at the time of the United Nations Stockholm Environment Conference (1972), in the Limits to Growth Report, published by the Club of Rome (1972) 3 [3] D.L. Meadows, ed., Limits to growth, Earth Island Ltd, London (1972). and in the OECD Interfutures Foresight, spurred on by Jacques Lesourne (1978). 4 [4] INTERFUTURS, Research project on the future development of advanced industrialised societies in harmony with that of developing countries, Final reports, Paris, OECD, 28 September 1978. Since that time (forty years ago!) researchers and consultants have learned how to deal with the concept of sustainability, how to analyze it as an ultimate aim for society as a whole as well as a complex object that needs to be approached with adequate methods such as systemic analysis. As Christian Stoffaës said, the aim of foresight is sustainable development in a changing world. As a result, the ultimate aim of strategic foresight appears to be clear: it is sustainability. This article highlights that fundamental relationship as we see it today. 5 [5] C. Stoffaës, Les logiciels de la pérennité, in J. Lesourne and C. Stoffaës, Prospective stratégique d''entreprise, Dunod, Paris (2001) 25, 27. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Urban structures have a notable effect on the patterns and intensities of heat island effect (UHI). • Green and blue space ratios, road networks, and housing distributions affect UHI significantly. • Sustainable urban development policies in Korea lead less aggravated UHIs. • Spatial-temporal management is necessary because UHI is aggravated during development. UHI is an important measure for understanding the urban landscape, especially in terms of thermal agglomeration and disturbance. This research aims to discern the success of sustainability planning by examining and comparing the different characteristics of UHIs through the combination of machine learning and statistical methods. To achieve this, we analyze 4 new towns in Korea, which include two 'old' new towns and two 'recent' new towns. The key difference between our test towns lies on whether or not the sustainability policies were applied to their development plans. We visualize LST and conduct a k -mean clustering to find and quantify spatial patterning in the resulting UHI measures. We then compare the statistical relations between LST and 6 UHI driven variables across the towns. Using comparative analysis, this research reveals that sustainable development policies have a notable effect on the patterns and intensities of UHI. Urban structures, planned under development policies, including green and blue space ratios, road networks, and housing distributions, were found to affect UHI significantly. We quantifiably confirm that the sustainability policies implemented in planning the 'recent' new towns allow the towns to experience less aggravated UHIs than the 'old' new towns. However, we also claim a need to develop appropriate, long-term UHI management regulations for the 'recent' new towns. This paper provides a solid basis for improving Korean new town planning and managing the environmental issues in urban systems for planners, designers, and decision-makers to establish the sustainable built environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A unique approach is proposed to quantify the impact of compactness and densification on urban energy consumption. • It is illustrated and validated via a case study of a transit-oriented development, the Mockingbird Station in Dallas, TX. • Urban building energy models are developed for base case (business-as-usual), compactness, and densification scenarios. • The energy intensity per unit of area increased with compactness and densification while it decreased per unit of dwelling. • The proposed approach successfully bridged the gap between the 'macro' urban planning and 'micro' building energy scales. Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and energy-efficient buildings have gained significant attention in recent years as promising approaches for a sustainable urban future. However, research efforts that aim to assess both approaches and integrate them remain very scarce in the literature, leaving potential relationships or synergies between the two approaches underexplored. The goal of this research is to evaluate the impact of two sustainable urban planning principles of TODs, namely compactness sand densification, on the energy performance of the urban built environment. Using Urban Building Energy Modeling (UBEM), an analysis of the Mockingbird Station in Dallas, TX, shows that compactness and densification lead to unexpected increases in the energy intensity of the built environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extension can play a significant role in addressing the rapid development and associated impacts that can occur in oil- and gas- producing communities. Through quantitative longitudinal analysis and research-based sustainable planning, Extension can assist rural communities in Ohio to be better equipped to maximize resources, manage change, and make informed decisions affecting their residents. This article provides a framework for an effective program focused on shale development planning and offers a context for massive change taking place in rural communities across the nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As Malaysia leapfrogs into being a developed country by the year 2020, the rapid urbanisation and industrial activities are at present increasingly taking place and these may in a long run contribute to significant impact on the environment. Urbanisation although seems as an improvement and proof for an economically strong country, the price that needs to be paid often escalates than the expected to overcome the imbalance of nature. The broad intention of this research is to highlight on the landscaping elements implemented area and the total green to urban development ratio featuring the three case studies, namely Golden Triangle in Kuala Lumpur, Partial Territory of City Centre, Petaling Jaya and Core Island of Putrajaya, all of which are located within the Klang Valley area. Requirements for types of trees or vegetation are part of the mitigation plan and its explains the physical characteristics of the green areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]