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Sustainable Development Goals require holistic actions, including activity at the intersection of urban planning and environmental engineering. Turning our cities towards transit‑oriented development might help in reducing pollutant emissions caused by individual transportation modes that rely on crude oil. This research presents how the use of geospatial network analysis can support local decision makers in the evaluation of potential public transport accessibility by citizens in the case of a Central European city – Wrocław (Poland). The obtained results indicate differentiation in access to railway stations and stops, which results from pedestrian path networks and the number of entrances to railway stations. The visualization of serve area shows which parts of the city are excluded from comfortable access to public transport and in that way high‑ light where future actions should be taken.

Real estate development investments are characterized by a high value of projects, which in the event of irregularities in their implementation may result in significant losses for the economy. The lack of tools enabling ongoing control of real estate developers may result in disruptions in the operation of business entities on the real estate market, affecting the proper functioning of many stakeholders. The article proposes a method of measuring value for real estate companies. Accounting principles that regulate financial statements specify that they cannot be used directly to measure the value of a developer. The article proposes examples of corrections to financial statements supporting value measurement. When calculating value management measures, (i) adjustments excluding the impact of asset valuations, (ii) adjustments of settlement negative EVA of the investment phase, (iii) adjustments of advance payment of NPV of the project, and (iv) adjustments of excluding the impact of interest on foreign capital should be made. Examples of using these adjustments in a short-term housing project and a long-term commercial project were presented. The impact of the proposed adjustments on the comparison of formal financial statements and value measures for a large developer listed on the WSE was also discussed.

Globalization now applies to almost all aspects of life, and it also applies to the world of science. Internationalisation and interdisciplinarity are fundamental determinants of modern research and education. The foremost factor of functioning in the international world of science is the mobility of students and scientists. Considering this context, the objective of this study was to analyse the staff mobility for teaching under the Erasmus+ programme at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences (UPWr). The research took into account the mobility of staff for teaching (STA) within the period of the academic years from 2009/2010 to 2020/2021. The methodological approach applied in this study is based on the concept of mobility network analysis and mobility flows. The geo-visualization was prepared with the use of a spider diagram. Using this approach, the connections between spatial locations and domains of scientific activity were analysed. The results show that the mobility flow at UPWr rose significantly after the authorities of the university decided to increase the funding for STA, and eventually was slowed down by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the findings in the geographical aspect show that there were two main regions of destination, which were the Iberian Peninsula and the closest neighbouring countries, where the predominant institutions could be observed. The most mobile group of teachers were the ones representing environment sciences. The STA flow is not reflected in the students’ mobility flow. COVID-19 has enhanced the virtual component of learning, resulting in the strengthening of the blended mobility model.

Sustainable land use development requires a smart decision‑making process based on appropriate spatial design patterns. However, the pro‑investment policy of many municipalities often results in disproportions between the de‑mand and supply of investment areas, which means that spatial development is not realized in a sustainable way. In order to avoid the overconsumption of land for investment purposes, central government in Poland introduced a requirement to assess land balance, which includes the calculation of spa‑tial absorbency at the level of local urban planning. The aim of this work is to develop the concept of spatial absorbency assessment. In order to select best practices, document reviews of local spatial policies in Kalisz, Łódź, Toruń and Gdańsk were performed. Based on the review, a method for spatial absorbency assessment was presented. The applicability of the proposed solution is pre‑sented by its use on the case of the Racibórz municipality. The visualization shows what kind of geoinformation is required to perform an assessment by means of the developed method. The results of the calculations present the final feedback that is received by local authorities. The work was carried out us‑ing ArcGIS software. The obtained results may constitute the basis for further multi‑dimensional analyses as part of sustainable land development planning at the local level.

Contemporary socio-environmental problems such as the reduced availability of natural resources, the loss of biodiversity, soil degradation, pollution, an unprecedented population growth, the mass migration of people to cities, and urban sprawl may be associated with the consequences of an economic infinite growth paradigm on a finite planet. Despite international goals for improving the spatial and environmental management, current and future developments are continuously planned without the consideration of the biophysical limits to growth. This could be equated with the environmental carrying capacity (ECC), a concept and a tool for the sustainable development of human settlements. This research use the environmental indicators such as Ecological Footprint (EF) and biocapacity (BC) for ECC quantification. Despite EF and BC accounting is well-developed at the global, national and regional levels, there is still lack of local - urban standard for EF assessment. Therefore, the main goal of this study is to present the local approach for EF assessment and its potential to use for ECC assessment at local (i.e., city) level. The study compares the hybrid EF, which joined the bottom-up CF with the remaining EF’s components from a top-down approach, with the standard top-down EF approach. In this study, the assessment focused mainly on household consumption which could be equated as main driver responsible for Ecological Footprint. Thus, the impact of household consumption was quantified according to four categories reflecting resources’ use and waste generation as: Food, Housing, Mobility, Services and Goods. The analysis of ECC was conducted for the Polish city of Wroclaw in Central Eastern Europe for the year 2016. The results showed, that the city of Wroclaw exceeds its ECC. Both calculations were affected by data limitations, and likely represent overestimation of the EF. The proposed approach could be important for ECC assessment, quantification of the EF of human activities, and more sustainable spatial management of the city.

Nature-based solutions (NBS) can protect, manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems. They are a multidisciplinary, integrated approach to address societal challenges and some natural hazards effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. NBS applications can be easily noticed in circular cities, establishing an urban system that is regenerative and accessible. This paper aims to offer a review on NBS for urban water management from the literature and some relevant projects running within the COST Action ‘Implementing nature-based solutions for creating a resourceful circular city’. The method used in the study is based on a detailed tracking of specific keywords in the literature using Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, ScienceDirect and Scopus. Based on this review, three main applications were identified: (i) flood and drought protection; (ii) the water-food-energy nexus; and (iii) water purification. The paper shows that NBS provide additional benefits, such as improving water quality, increasing biodiversity, obtaining social co-benefits, improving urban microclimate, and the reduction of energy consumption by improving indoor climate. The paper concludes that a systemic change to NBS should be given a higher priority and be preferred over conventional water infrastructure.

Sustainable development on a local scale requires well-functioning instruments in the spatial planning system. Any weakness in the planning system may result in forms of spatial development that are socially, environmentally or economically disadvantageous. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine whether master plans and land development monitoring in the Polish system are effective instruments in shaping sustainable spatial development. The factor analyzed was the share of a biologically active area and four villages located near a regional city were analyzed. Data from master plans, cadaster and orthophoto maps were used in this study. Verification of land use made it possible to evaluate whether the properties meet the provisions of spatial planning documents. In each of the analyzed villages, properties that do not meet the provisions of master plans were identified. In one of the villages, more than half of the properties had a smaller share of biologically active areas than permitted by the local law. The research also analyzed alternative scenarios of the potential impact of the application of permanent vegetation on sealed surfaces. These results showed that using green roofs, for example, can significantly reduce the problem of local laws being broken. The results quantitatively confirm that the provision of master plans in the Polish system are not effective tools in regulating land development.

Seeing as how cities nowadays have to face many challenges (such as: urban traffic management, revitalization, and adaptation to climate change.), different kinds of urban policies and actions are undertaken. Many of these actions result in changes that influence real estate, mostly by improving the conditions of public services. However, implementation of such urban policies is connected with significant costs that have to be covered by public funds. Therefore, the question arises how we can analyze the assumed benefits from the increase of real estate value? Which tool could allow stakeholders to search for potential added value? The aim of this paper is to present the methodological approach to improving the communication between stakeholders for the visualization of relations between public actions and potential benefits. The analyses cover benefits that can occur both in public and private budgets. The focal point of this paper is the presentation of causal loop diagrams as a tool that could be incorporated for public value identification on specific investments. The application of the suggested approach is visualized on two examples of urban redevelopment activities. Causal loop diagrams are prepared for the construction of a metro system and implementation of a water retention facility. The results show that both types of urban redevelopment actions have an impact on the creation of value, which can be observed both in public and private benefits. However, not all kinds of activities impact an increase in the market value of real estate and can be measured as incomes in budgets.

The results of ecological condition assessments of ecosystems are related to key decisions taken for the purpose of remedial measures or maintaining their current state. In the assessment process, experts come across extensive datasets, the quality, and completeness of which do not always allow for a reliable evaluation, especially if a single empirical approach is used. In this paper, results of machine learning algorithms are presented, with a focus on Self-Organizing Maps. In this context, measurements of component parameters for the assessment of the ecological state of lake ecosystems were subjected to the process of unsupervised machine learning with the aim to create an alternative assessment approach based on the capabilities of neural networks. Results are mapped and compared with expert evaluations, allowing to extend knowledge about sub-clusters present in the data. The primary target of this paper is the ecological assessment expert. At an early stage, information was obtained about the presence of ecological outliers that may be subject to separate monitoring or verification of environmental activities and objectives. In the back-mapping process, the presented technique of map construction and clustering with various versions of the division was referenced to a set of expert classification findings, revealing the underlying structure of the results when addressed with an unsupervised data comprehension. The approach introduced here does not intend to interfere with the format of an original assessment methodology. Rather it aims at obtaining useful additional information which may help in making better decisions.

The 21st century urges us to analyze urban problems and revise its components [...]

Automated and reproducible methodology for assessing the ecological condition of lakes is essential for effective monitoring and facilitating the decision-making process aimed at achieving the stated environmental goals. At the same time, multidimensional measurement datasets are often an obstacle to drawing insightful conclusions, thus becoming an incentive for overly simplified analyzes. In this article, a set of measurements and ecological status assessment results for a collection of 499 lakes in Poland was used. Expert assessment process was recreated using the supervised kernel Support Vector Machine algorithm on dataset with reduced dimensionality, thus a model that automates the ecological assessment process was obtained. The use of the explanatory skill of latent variables made it possible to present the assessed objects along with their position in individual classes. The visualization of the results in reduced dimensionality increased, without interfering with the size of the classes, the informative evaluation potential, which should be considered as an acompanying assessment parameter in the future. The primary target of this paper is the ecological expert coping with automatization of assessment process and obtaining latent information for sense-making visual comprehension during consultations regarding ecosystem-oriented ecological decision making.

Cities face a great number of challenges nowadays, in order to guarantee their appeal and quality of life of their citizens. It’s therefore fundamental to improve decision making processes, incorporating public opinion to them. Thus, citizen participation is a tool that clearly improves local governance and the decision-making process, as it allows policy makers to know first-hand their needs, demands and ideas. Nevertheless, the advantages of consulting the public on crucial issues are counterbalanced by many difficulties in managing the participation processes. Mainly due to the fact that participants in these processes, are not often aware of the economic, social and environmental implications of their decisions. The incorporation of new technologies in the decision-making process, can clearly help to overcome these difficulties. A software can display in real time the effect of the changes to the public space, under different variables and quality of life indexes. This research, through the incorporation of a software that helps in the space decision making to various group dynamics, analyses the usage of public participation and its effect.

The concept of market absorption and carrying capacity in economic terms are adequate to the real estate market, even though the legislator uses only the concept of the absorptive capacity of the area in the planning process. The aim of the study is to discuss the concept of carrying capacity and absorption of the real estate market in economic and planning terms as well as the application of conclusions from literature studies and determination of capacity and absorption on a specific selected local market. In the empirical part, a model of demand for space for detached housing development (market absorption) was built as a function of price, income and expenses for complementary goods. At the same time, as a complementary good for the purchase of land for the construction of a house, the purchase of a flat and purchase of a real estate built-up with a detached house were accepted. On the other hand, reference was made to absorption understood adequately to planning documents. It was discussed whether the concept, interpreted in two ways, leads to the absorption of the same area on the local market. The analysis uses data from the Register of Prices and Values of Starosty County Price and Value Register, planning documents as well as data resources on statistics, and public information and own research.

The paper presents the results of an evaluation of the effectiveness of SEA obtained as a result of a survey with the participation of stakeholders. In Poland, several hundred SEAs are cond...

In the urban landscape, footbridges appeared along with the development of urbanization through the implementation of more complex spatial structures. The introduction of transport transit to cities or sometimes urban gravity towards the important communication routes imposed their construction in order to ensure pedestrians’ safety and smooth flow of traffic. The aim of the study is to determine how an overpass in the city of Trabzon is used by people of different ages, the security and motivation problem, the possibility of a footbridge, and how an overpass is perceived as a crossing over a highway. The study addresses the problem of safety and motivation related to the use of an overpass by people of different ages and is focused on the perception of an overpass as a crossing over a highway. The overpass connects the northern part of the city with the parking lot and the seaside boulevards in Trabzon. It has been constructed over the road no. D010, also known as the Black Sea Coastal Highway. In total, 124 members of the urban population who used the overpass participated in a questionnaire, which included multiple-choice and open-ended questions. The ‘Semantic Differential Scale’ was also used to evaluate the results. The research revealed that the respondents who chose the road through the overpass for safety in most cases used it relatively rarely (59%). People who used the footbridge every day or frequently marked safety as the reason in 39% of cases only. This means that as pedestrians use the overpass more often, they begin to notice other functional features of the footbridge. The results of the study showed that the overpass was most frequently used for the purpose of going down to the coast (76.0%), although 51.2% reported rarely using the overpass, which showed it was used very little by pedestrians.

Lighting is one of the environmental elements that facilitates people to maintain their lives. With light people can collect visual cues about their environments in which they can perform visual tasks safely and comfortably. Exploring the lighting systems and conditions in residential interiors is important for introducing new concepts concerning human visual comfort. The study aimed to collect data and conduct a short-term analysis about residential lighting which will be a part of a more comprehensive research. The study focused on day- and artificial lighting systems, conditions and people’s assessments in interiors of residential buildings. An internet-based survey was distributed in July-August 2020 through Google Survey across Poland, Turkey, the U.K. and Sweden in the native languages of each country. 29 adult females and 31 adult males voluntarily participated in the present study. The study identified several interconnected factors related to residential lighting and explored them in detail. Large percentage of the respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with daylighting quality in summer (86.7%) and artificial lighting quality (78.4%) in their living areas. The amount and uniformity of lighting were the most effective cues connected with the respondents’ satisfaction. Reasonable and promising outcomes that were found can be used in generating new and comprehensive data about lighting quality in residential buildings.

Well-being and soundscape analysis should be useful in re-design works involved in the planning of recreational areas and green spaces on campuses to improve the health of students, academics, and university staff. Proper space planning, for example, in campus parks, including the planning of soundscape zones, is important in relieving study and work stress. The aim of the study was to conduct a multicriteria analysis of the soundscape and well-being of users in the university park on campus in Olsztyn (Poland). It was important to redefine thinking about the re-composition of park space, including reduction of noise and improving well-being. The research included: 1. measurements of sound pressure levels (SPL) at selected points in two periods, 2. interview with park users and preparation of a mental map, 3. experts’ opinion on soundscape and well-being, and 4. design schemes for re-design of the park. The results of research regarding the perception of the soundscape and well-being in Kortowo park by respondents differ slightly from the results of SPL measurements. The results also confirm the difference between SPL in the leafless and leafy period. The results show a clear relationship between the perception of sounds and well-being in the park. However, in some areas near the water, where higher noise levels are reported the respondents felt quite comfortable. Finally, design schemes are proposed, based on experts’ opinions and results of the analysis.

Revitalization of cities varies depending on the scale of a city, type of challenges, and the socio-environmental context in each case. While revitalization projects carried out in globally known cities are well described, there is still a gap in characterizing revitalization processes that aim to improve quality of life in smaller units like medium-sized towns. This paper fills this gap by the insight from 82 revitalization projects implemented in 14 towns of Warmia and Mazury region (Poland) which are associated in the Cittaslow movement. The study combines a quantitative assessment of statistical data describing these projects with their qualitative evaluation based on interviews with local experts. The results of conducted analyses show that socio-economic development plays a major role as, despite projects which directly refer to the social domain, social elements were found also in projects initially categorized as those targeted to architectural and spatial domains. On the other hand, the authors observed that environmental and ecological as well as cultural issues are treated unevenly or marginally in projects compared to social ones. Interviews with experts show that the least importance was assigned to cultural and historical domain. The obtained results might constitute important knowledge to understand the background of current revitalization processes outside of global metropolises to improve future mechanisms supporting urban renewal.

The article presents a comprehensive and cross-cutting review of key marine waste issues, taking into account: sources, fate, risks, transport pathways, threats, legislation, current challenges, and knowledge gaps. The growing amount of both human-created waste in seas and oceans and waste reaching marine ecosystems from land is one of today’s challenges for the global economy and the European Union. It is predicted that if no decisive steps are taken to limit the amount of this type of waste, there may be more plastic waste than fish in the oceans after 2050. The influence of microplastics and nanoplastics on living organisms remains undiagnosed. Within the international and EU law, solutions are being developed to properly manage waste on board ships and to reduce the impact of processes related to the recycling of the vessels on the environment. Currently, over 80% of ships are dismantled in the countries of South Asia, in conditions that threaten the environment and the safety of workers. After World War 2, large quantities of chemical weapons were deposited in the seas. Steel containers with dangerous substances residing in the sea for over 70 years have begun leaking, thus polluting water. For many years, radioactive waste had also been dumped into marine ecosystems, although since 1993 there has been a total ban on such disposal of radionuclides. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on marine waste generation has also been presented as a significant factor influencing marine waste generation and management.

Nowadays, we are facing a global change associated with the rapid population growth and natural resources demand, which impacts are accumulated in space and during the time. Therefore, humanity could be identified as Planet’s Ecological Bigfoot. The anthropopressure disturbed the natural Earth's regulatory capacity, which could be noticed by the unavailability of freshwater, irregularly temperatures, or interrupted biogeochemical flows. Moreover, the growth of population is expected, as well as the sprawl of urbanized areas, increasing demand for living space, food and humans Ecological Footprint. Therefore, the aim of the study was the implementation of the environmental carrying capacity (ECC) approach for more sustainable spatial management, especially in the context of developing residential areas in the city-region. The research evaluates the spatial policy established by the municipalities of the city and its surroundings and presents alternative scenarios of residential areas development. The alternative scenarios were built using excluded and restricted environmental zones to protect productive ecosystems. The impact of residential areas designed in spatial documents and scenarios has been assessed using the carbon footprint (CF) and biocapacity (BC) indicators within the environmental carrying capacity (ECC) framework. The lifestyle archetypes of the city's residents and its suburban zone were used as the main input for the assessment of CF and the natural areas required to assimilate human consumption. The comparison of CF and BC allowed verifying the consumed versus available resources and to quantify the state of the environment. First of all, the research indicated the potential areas for the future development of human settlements. Secondly, the potential number of inhabitants in residential areas was assessed. Furthermore, the impact of inhabitants was quantified using the ECC approach. Finally, the surface of natural areas required for CF assimilation was assessed. The proposed approach could be relevant for spatial management, spatial policy evaluation and modeling. It could provide a management tool and policy instrument for the sustainable development of human settlements. Moreover, it proposes implementation of environmental zones for allocation of land-use for housing purpose in a more sustainable manner, which is currently not used within the ECC assessment.

Energy transition in the European Union (EU) is strongly related to public support from structural funds which enable member states to create new and renovate existing renewable energy source (RES) installations. However, in order to maximize benefits of these investments it is crucial to consider where RES funds are allocated, how it corresponds with RES potential in specific locations, and how future implementation of energy policies can be improved. In this study, RES development projects supported by EU funds, implemented in the period 2004–2019 in Poland, were analyzed in relation to solar, wind and biomass energy potential. The study was conducted with the use of agglomeration method and k-mean method to define clusters of local administrative units characterized by similar features of RES funds absorption and renewable energy production potential. The results obtained show that in the case of all energy sources there is no correlation between high RES funds absorption and energy production potential. The final conclusion of the research is that in order to boost energy transformation into more sustainable solutions, renewable energy production potential should be considered as a factor to allocate public financial support for future energy policy implementation.

Research on complex socio-environmental systems (also known as socio-ecological systems) has a long tradition in scientific considerations [...]

A multitude of factors considered necessary for an informed choice of the location of the vineyard can be overwhelming for the decision-maker. Is there still a place for knowledge valuable from the perspective of an experienced winegrower in the era of precise measurements? The informative use of so-called common knowledge is possible owing to fuzzy-based techniques, which allow for the representation of intuitive notions in terms of quantitative measures. The work uses tools based on fuzzy logic to cover the scope of common knowledge within the decision-making process. Owing to its flexibility and ability to deal with imprecise input data while maintaining the simple construction, the fuzzy logic solution filled the gap between GIS data and wine grower&rsquo, s experience. Based on the data from the thematic literature, a set of rules was created to interpret the relationships between popular site selection criteria. The dynamics and manner of interaction between variables were determined using adequate membership functions. Pre-processing using GIS with remote sensing data was considered as a preliminary stage for the analysis. By using the graphical interface, the system operation facilitates the work of a potential user. The obtained results indicated the possibility of an alternative approach to classical analyses by replacing or extending the meaning of some variables using information based on feelings and perceptions. Research constitutes a premise for the further development of expert systems using widely understood domain knowledge.

Guidelines and instructions for Environmental Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment (together referred to as EA here) are developed to improve the quality of legal requirements’ ...

Purpose In the domain of healthcare, both process efficiency and the quality of care can be improved through the use of dedicated pervasive technologies. Among these applications are so-called real-time location systems (RTLS). Such systems are designed to determine and monitor the location of assets and people in real time through the use of wireless sensor networks. Numerous commercially available RTLS are used in hospital settings. The nursing home is a relatively unexplored context for the application of RTLS and offers opportunities and challenges for future applications. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This paper sets out to provide an overview of general applications and technologies of RTLS. Thereafter, it describes the specific healthcare applications of RTLS, including asset tracking, patient tracking and personnel tracking. These overviews are followed by a forecast of the implementation of RTLS in nursing homes in terms of opportunities and challenges. Findings By comparing the nursing home to the hospital, the RTLS applications for the nursing home context that are most promising are asset tracking of expensive goods owned by the nursing home in order to facilitate workflow and maximise financial resources, and asset tracking of personal belongings that may get lost due to dementia. Originality/value This paper is the first to provide an overview of potential application of RTLS technologies for nursing homes. The paper described a number of potential problem areas that can be addressed by RTLS.

Land use and the landscape of the suburban area are strongly affected by the impact of a large city, which is an important factor determining their development. The paper presents the results of analyses of the functional and spatial transformations depending on the distance from city limits and main access roads. The analyses were based on CORINE data for the years: 1990, 2000 and 2006. The spatial transformations in the specified distance buffers were described with use of the indicator of the share of specific land use areas in the total surface area and the indicator of the average landscape patch surface area. The conducted analyses confirm that the spatial patterns characteristic for suburbanisation exist in the vicinity of large cities and along access roads. The phenomena noticed in the suburban zone of Wrocław include, among others, an increased share of surface area used for residential purposes, a decreased area of arable lands, and an increased concentration of commercial and industrial areas in the direct proximity of the city and access roads.

The adaptation of urbanised areas to climate change is currently one of the key challenges in the domain of urban policy. The diversity of environmental determinants requires the formulation of individual plans dedicated to the most significant local issues. This article serves as a methodic proposition for the stage of retrieving data (with the PESTEL and the Delphi method), systemic diagnosis (evaluation of risk and susceptibility), prognosis (goal trees, goal intensity map) and the formulation of urban adaptation plans. The suggested solution complies with the Polish guidelines for establishing adaptation plans. The proposed methodological approach guarantees the participation of various groups of stakeholders in the process of working on urban adaptation plans, which is in accordance with the current tendencies to strengthen the role of public participation in spatial management. https://doi.org/10.12911/22998993/81658

With the ageing of population in Europe, the housing stock needs to meet the demands of older occupants, including an increasing demand for energy efficiency. As collective entities, Dutch social housing associations are among the frontrunners in achieving the energy and comfort goals of the European Union and the national government. This paper presents a number of case studies from the domain of social housing for older people from The Netherlands. The cases presented focus on the baseline conditions, the interventions conducted, the financial aspects and the involvement of stakeholders. Implications and recommendations for the design and retrofitting of housing, as well as the process of improving energy efficiency and comfort in practice, are discussed on a supranational level. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

By conducting an international survey on residential lighting, a great variety of data showing the differences and similarities in lighting conditions among Poland, Turkey, Sweden and the U.K. were collected which provided an overall perspective for raising the standards of luminous environments. A total of 500 participants (125 respondents from each country- 47.6% females, 51.2% males, and 1.2% who did not wish to specify gender) provided detailed self-assessments of the lighting conditions in their living areas. The study identified interrelated factors associated with residential lighting using descriptive statistics, correlation coefficient functions and thematic analysis. As the survey results showed, the satisfaction with daylighting quality depends on daylighting sufficiency, daylighting uniformity, and number of sunlight hours (i.e., sunlight exposure), view-out and ratio of windows in the living area. Moreover satisfaction with artificial lighting quality depends on artificial lighting sufficiency, artificial lighting uniformity, artificial lighting brightness, and artificial lighting color rendering index. Overall, the findings of the study showed the potential factors that can be used to effectively change the day- and artificial lighting in residential areas, leading to a sustainable and better lighting environment.

Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) have been proven to effectively mitigate and solve resource depletion and climate-related challenges in urban areas. The COST (Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action CA17133 entitled “Implementing nature-based solutions (NBS) for building a resourceful circular city” has established seven urban circularity challenges (UCC) that can be addressed effectively with NBS. This paper presents the outcomes of five elucidation workshops with more than 20 European experts from different backgrounds. These international workshops were used to examine the effectiveness of NBS to address UCC and foster NBS implementation towards circular urban water management. A major outcome was the identification of the two most relevant challenges for water resources in urban areas: ‘Restoring and maintaining the water cycle’ (UCC1) and ‘Water and waste treatment, recovery, and reuse’ (UCC2). s Moreover, significant synergies with ‘Nutrient recovery and reuse’, ‘Material recovery and reuse’, ‘Food and biomass production’, ‘Energy efficiency and recovery’, and ‘Building system recovery’ were identified. Additionally, the paper presents real-life case studies to demonstrate how different NBS and supporting units can contribute to the UCC. Finally, a case-based semi-quantitative assessment of the presented NBS was performed. Most notably, this paper identifies the most typically employed NBS that enable processes for UCC1 and UCC2. While current consensus is well established by experts in individual NBS, we presently highlight the potential to address UCC by combining different NBS and synergize enabling processes. This study presents a new paradigm and aims to enhance awareness on the ability of NBS to solve multiple urban circularity issues.

In the postulated efforts to limit adverse climate change (CC), increasing attention is paid to the development of distributed renewable energy (RE) that meets the needs of local communities on the spot. This article analyses the objectives, planned actions and performance indicators related to CC and RE, defined by national and local stakeholders in: (1) the national Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014–2020 in Poland and (2) in the bottom-up Local Development Strategies (LDS) financed from RDP and using a Community-Led Local Development approach. The content analysis method was used. We found that the strategy documents considered, created in the years 2014–2015, paid relatively little attention to local actions related to CC and RE. Some educational activities related to adaptation and mitigation of CC were planned in 66% of LDS, while investment support for RE was planned only in 9% of the LDS. Traditional goals such as supporting local businesses and farmers, local cultural heritage and the development of human and social capital were seen as more important. The results of the analysis suggest a relatively low level of interest from rural-policy actors in Poland in implementing the climate-friendly objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy. This article contributes to understanding why Poland failed to meet the European 2020 RE development goals. These issues are discussed in the context of national and continental climate policy and problems of transformation to post-carbon society.

One of the problems in cities is improving energy efficiency. Energy consumption and the efficient use of district heating networks affect the environment, society, and economy. Modern materials to increase buildings’ energy efficiency become necessary. The use of phase change materials (PCM) is a current issue and many researchers’ interest. PCM reduces energy consumption in buildings due to their ability to absorb and release energy. PCM use seems to be highly justified as regards energy efficiency policy-making considering the city’s investment scale. Therefore, research was undertaken on the possibility of reducing energy consumption in the city by using PCM in municipal heating networks, as those for which planning can be carried out systemically. The research’s original element is integrating geographic systems with artificial intelligence and statistical methods to estimation the probability of improving buildings’ energy efficiency in urban areas based on an identified set of criteria of an interdisciplinary type. The proposed innovative approach was used to analyze the medium-sized city located in Eastern Europe. The results showed that buildings could be classified according to the probability of energy improvement at the limit of 30%. Suggestions were made for adapting the proposed method to more general cases.

The development of ‘age-friendly cities’ has become a major area of work in the field of ageing and the built environment. This movement is driven by the observation that cities are home to an ever-increasing ageing population. Over the past decade, a multitude of age-friendly initiatives have been developed with the aim of making physical and social environments more favourable for older people's well-being, health and ability to live in the community. This article explores ten key questions associated with the age-friendly cities and communities' movement, with a particular focus on the built environment. It provides an overview of the history of the age-friendly cities' movement and the underlying models, the aspects of the built environment that are relevant for age-friendly cities, the ways age-friendliness can be evaluated, and the interactions between age-friendly cities initiatives and other strategic agendas such as smart cities. The paper concludes by discussing future perspectives and possible directions for further development of the age-friendly movement. © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.107922 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jvhoof1980/