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The United Nations anticipates that by 2050, around two-thirds of the global population will reside in urban areas, necessitating a concerted effort to elevate the benchmarks guiding living standards in sustainable cities. The pursuit of sustainable urban development necessitates the identification of robust socio-ecological indicators to ensure the synchronous optimization of human well-being and environmental integrity. Therefore, the study explores the existing quality-of-life indicators grounded in ecosystem services within the urban parks of Lahore. For this, a field survey was conducted in the parks of Lahore, primarily focusing on identifying key measures to enhance living standards. The study was collected by identifying quality-of-life indicators from ecological, social, and economic perspectives and analyzed in MS Excel and ArcGIS version 10.8. The results illustrate that nearly all the examined parks contribute significantly to the quality-of-life key indicators by regulating the air quality and reducing noise and temperature. Jallo Park and Bagh-e-Jinnah have sufficient areas and are adequately maintained, which is a key indicator of the quality of life, but only Gulberg town aligns with global standards (9 to 50 m2) for per capita green space (25.523 m2). So, it is concluded that the urban parks of Lahore support sustainable living with their proper mountainous and sufficient green area. Therefore, a critical need for proactive green infrastructure initiatives is recommended, particularly addressing the shortfall in per capita green space. A strategic intervention in urban planning and green development is a key recommendation for policymakers for a sustainable future in Lahore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision-makers in cities have difficulties in implementing an effective climate policy for their own building resources due to the heterogeneous and dispersed distribution of buildings with low energy classes and different management specifics. Special zones include old towns, pre-war buildings (before 1945), and those built by the end of the 20th century. There is a noticeable shortage of methods for the comprehensive assessment of the emissions of urban complexes, taking into account social, economic, and environmental aspects. Exemplary individual examples of good thermal modernization practices towards low-emission and zero-energy solutions do not solve the problem of the poor-quality urban environment. This article proposes a simple integrated assessment of CO2 emissions of separate urban zones using the example of a medium-sized city in Poland. The adopted ASEET assessment methodology takes into account socio-economic criteria, but above all, the technical and energy criteria of urban development. Sensitive information was collected from users and owners of buildings and gathered in a data matrix. From the inventory data on energy consumption and technical conditions related to socio-economic status, environmental indicators were introduced, which were called critical for their improvement. By analyzing local efficiency indicators Wei of individual development zones, we can influence TWCi, the total indicators for the city. In the case of the studied city of Gubin, the total final energy consumption indicator EKC is 252.68 kWh/m2/year and is 58% lower than the most energy-intensive zone I, for which EKI = 399.6 kWh/m2/year, similar to emission indicators EEj between zones. Therefore, energy efficiency or emission indicators as resultant characteristics of urbanized areas can be treated as sensitive parameters in administrative activities, for example when planning thermal modernization or health risk assessment. The recommended solutions for continuous monitoring of ecological identifiers of urban zones, especially those with the lowest technical status, are to facilitate the creation of own environmental urban policies in the future and directly affect the city's climate in local and global terms. The environmental data obtained using the ASEET method can be digitized using various IT techniques and then the results can be visualized on a city map in the form of environmental urban mapping with an indication of the GIS system. As a result, simple methodological tools for city managers were indicated. In the authors' opinion, the ASEET method can serve urban policy, especially energy and climate policy, because the instrument for calculation is a database of indicators from subsequent periods of monitoring one's own urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid population increment of big towns, creation of numerous small-towns, increasing demand for better urban-related facilities from the big towns and availability of better transport facilities always accelerate the process of urban-to-urban interaction. It will be interesting to understand in which pattern and extent the inter-urban interaction is taking place over a backward region like Purulia district, West Bengal. So, to understand the impact of urban-to-urban interaction on the process of urban development, the present study was executed to analyse the urban-to-urban interaction of the towns of four groups for the betterment of the big as well as small-towns in near future. Purulia district has now twenty-eight towns and these towns are grouped based on the distance between each other like the north-eastern town group, central town group, southern town group and western town group for a clear understanding of the pattern of interaction between them. The Synthesised Gravity Model has been applied to identify the pattern and intensity of interaction between the towns in the prescribed town groups which is a modern version of traditional gravity model. To quantify a town's influential factor on another town over the same region, the study used to identify a set of socio-economic variables and the data were collected based on a questionnaire method against these variables. The result of the study shows that in each of the selected town groups the interaction has occurred from small-town to the big town oriented. The study also revealed that the interaction between the towns has a massive impact on the process of urban development for the small and big towns. The suggested planning recommendations based on the study will be very helpful for planners for sustainable urban planning of the statutory as well as census towns in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanisation has led to significant environmental and climatic changes worldwide, especially in urban heat islands where increased land surface temperature (LST) poses a major challenge to sustainable urban living. In the city of Abha in southwestern Saudi Arabia, a region experiencing rapid urban growth, the impact of such expansion on LST and the resulting microclimatic changes are still poorly understood. This study aims to explore the dynamics of urban sprawl and its direct impact on LST to provide important insights for urban planning and climate change mitigation strategies. Using the random forest (RF) algorithm optimised for land use and land cover (LULC) mapping, LULC models were derived that had an overall accuracy of 87.70%, 86.27% and 93.53% for 1990, 2000 and 2020, respectively. The mono-window algorithm facilitated the derivation of LST, while Markovian transition matrices and spatial linear regression models assessed LULC dynamics and LST trends. Notably, built-up areas grew from 69.40 km2 in 1990 to 338.74 km2 in 2020, while LST in urban areas showed a pronounced warming trend, with temperatures increasing from an average of 43.71 °C in 1990 to 50.46 °C in 2020. Six landscape fragmentation indices were then calculated for urban areas over three decades. The results show that the Largest Patch Index (LPI) increases from 22.78 in 1990 to 65.24 in 2020, and the number of patches (NP) escalates from 2,531 in 1990 to an impressive 10,710 in 2020. Further regression analyses highlighted the morphological changes in the cities and attributed almost 97% of the LST variability to these urban patch dynamics. In addition, water bodies showed a cooling trend with a temperature decrease from 33.76 °C in 2000 to 29.69 °C in 2020, suggesting an anthropogenic influence. The conclusion emphasises the urgent need for sustainable urban planning to counteract the warming trends associated with urban sprawl and promote climate resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We live in an urban planet. As the world continues to urbanize, urban development that support the health and wellbeing of city dwellers is far more important than ever before to achieve sustainable development targets. This study explores the complex relationship among urban planning, city growth, and health as critical drivers of sustainable development in the rapidly growing nodal city of Akure, Nigeria. The study provides a four-decade spatio-temporal model of urban Land Use Land Cover (LULC) changes in Akure between the years 1984 and 2023 from acquired Landsat satellite imageries. The result shows more than 20% net change increase in developed LULC classes between the study years. A strong positive correlation exists between the years covered in the analyses and urban development (r = 0.93, p = 0.002), and a strong negative relationship with the forest land use (r = -0.94, p = 0.002) with potential debilitating impacts on residents' health, green infrastructures and the city's sustainability in the future. Furthermore, results of key informant interviews (KIIs) of officials of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development (MPPUD) in Akure, Ondo State, unveil various views on the "place of health" in urban planning practices in Akure. A lack of synergy between urban planners and public health practitioners in the city and limiting scope of functions of urban planning on the impact of health in Akure were observed. Thus, we recommend the integration of a sustainable urban planning approach as a guide to manage the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We live in an urban planet. As the world continues to urbanize, urban development that support the health and wellbeing of city dwellers is far more important than ever before to achieve sustainable development targets. This study explores the complex relationship among urban planning, city growth, and health as critical drivers of sustainable development in the rapidly growing nodal city of Akure, Nigeria. The study provides a four-decade spatio-temporal model of urban Land Use Land Cover (LULC) changes in Akure between the years 1984 and 2023 from acquired Landsat satellite imageries. The result shows more than 20% net change increase in developed LULC classes between the study years. A strong positive correlation exists between the years covered in the analyses and urban development (r = 0.93, p = 0.002), and a strong negative relationship with the forest land use (r = −0.94, p = 0.002) with potential debilitating impacts on residents’ health, green infrastructures and the city’s sustainability in the future. Furthermore, results of key informant interviews (KIIs) of officials of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development (MPPUD) in Akure, Ondo State, unveil various views on the “place of health” in urban planning practices in Akure. A lack of synergy between urban planners and public health practitioners in the city and limiting scope of functions of urban planning on the impact of health in Akure were observed. Thus, we recommend the integration of a sustainable urban planning approach as a guide to manage the city.

Global climate change and rapid urbanization have placed enormous pressure on the urban ecological environment worldwide. Urban green spaces, which are an important component of urban ecosystems, can maintain ecological and environmental sustainability and benefits, including biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration. However, land use changes across urban landscapes, especially in plain urban areas with high development pressure, have significantly impacted the carbon sequestration efficiency of urban green spaces. Nevertheless, research examining the impact of land use change and development pressure on urban green spaces and carbon sequestration is relatively scarce. Understanding the carbon sequestration efficiency of urban green spaces and its determining factors will help predict future carbon capture trends within urban ecosystems and formulate more targeted sustainable urban planning and management strategies to improve urban carbon sink efficiency and achieve the goal of carbon neutrality. Therefore, to understand the factors affecting the carbon sequestration efficiency of urban green spaces, this paper used an integrated framework that combined the Carnegie–Ames–Stanford approach (CASA) model, landscape pattern index, multiple linear regression, and Markov–FLUS model. The study explored the impact of urban land use and land cover changes on carbon sequestration within the plain urban areas of Beijing at street scale. The results showed that, at street scale, there was a significant positive and negative correlation between the landscape pattern index and net primary productivity (NPP). In addition, the green spaces located in areas with more complex landscape structures had better carbon sequestration benefits. In addition, multiscenario carbon sequestration efficiency prediction suggested that the sustainable development (SD) scenario could achieve a positive increment of overall NPP. In contrast, the business-as-usual development (BD), the fast development (FD), and the low development (LD) scenarios showed a downward trend in NPP. This paper also proposed strategies for optimizing and enhancing green spaces within urban plain areas. Based on the strategies, the results guide decision making for sustainable urban green space planning that maintains the ecological, economic, and social integrity of urban landscapes during urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of urban landscapes in the current era of concern for a sustainable built environment can never be overemphasized. The study explores the landscape features and typologies of some urban environments within Kano to understand the management effectiveness of urban landscapes in the Kano metropolitan area. At least two wards were purposively selected each from the eight metropolitan local government areas due to their urban landscape and land use. Focus group discussion (FGD) sessions were carried out through with prominent elders and "Masu Unguwanni" (village/ward heads) of each of the sampled wards as well as direct assessments of their physical characteristics to justify the general landscape progression in support of documentation for the present and future generation. The study unveils the layout typology, the scenic points and the ecological and cultural landscapes in the sampled districts. It further reveals that the historic urban forms in Kano are degrading with time, or rather not following the course of sustainability, as the physical surroundings satisfy the immediate needs of the communities. However, the study suggests increasing the awareness of Kano's urban landscape preservation and the 2011 UNESCO proposal implementation on Historic Urban Landscapes (HUL). Then, the study discourages unhealthy developments within Kano Metropolis and the entire state. It also recommends landscape architects be part and parcel of planning schemes for controlling and regulating urban development via the formal practice of land allocation, land acquisition, building codes, design, planning and construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional urban areas represent integrated urban contexts whose territories are economically interconnected. They, therefore, include a central city and all the municipalities that make up the commuting area for work reasons. The economic energies and settlement transformations that characterize these territories have been consolidated over time. The current geographic conformation, as defined today, does not provide information on each municipality's rank (role) in the overall functioning. In this perspective, the work presented examines the demographic and urban dynamics that have affected the FUA of Milan in the last 60 years and then evaluates the presence of possible homogeneous geographic clusters (hot and cold spots) through spatial correlation techniques. Statistic validation was performed through the ANOVA and subsequent posthoc analysis (Tukey–Kramer method). Results show a new configurational asset within the FUA of Milan, which could provide a new key to interpreting the territory, aimed at identifying homogeneous areas to adopt new and more effective forms of strategic planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart cities (SCs) became a key mission in the European Union’s biggest research programme (Horizon Europe). The urban transition to smartness, making smart decisions and strengthening capabilities for resilience are appreciating today, with such external shocks as the COVID-19 pandemic. Finding the way to become smart is more important than ever. Since literature is mostly engaged with excellent cases, in this paper we analyse the SC strategy of a less-well-performing city: Budapest in Hungary, Central Eastern Europe, using a case-study methodology. We reveal that in the case of Budapest the SC strategy uses a top-down approach that overweighs the deployment of technological solutions to manage urban sustainability issues rather than using a bottom-up and holistic approach. The framework conditions for implementing the SC strategy are rather neglected. In the case of the model for cooperation, Budapest adopts a double-helix model rather than a triple- or quadruple-helix model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to discuss the current state of the conceptual, theoretical and legal aspects of urban planning and sustainable tourism in Peru to face the challenges of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Since the recent enactment of the Law on Sustainable Urban Development and the Supreme Decree that approves the Technical Code for Sustainable Construction, constructions are aimed at building inclusive spaces that preserve harmony with nature and the social development of human beings. On the other hand, sustainable tourism in the country is based on the General Tourism Law, which promotes national and regional plans aimed at local social and economic development, representing these precepts, the legal bases for the fulfillment of the goals of the 2030 Agenda. The investigation was carried out under the documentary methodological approach to later contrast the legal norm with the current state of the variables studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper we present a case study where the Swedish planning support system Citylab is applied to a Chinese case in Changzhou's Tianning District. Design/methodology/approach -- China's planning system is a vertical system based on policy development on the national level, policies which are to be implemented on local level. There is a gap between the ambitious central policies and the implementations on local levels. China is now exporting its planning model to other developing countries which makes it urgent to show examples of other strategies including more horizontal planning involving the public. The planning system in Sweden is based on a much more horizontal process. Therefore, the authors try to learn from Sweden's vertical planning system in the urban development environment of China. Findings -- A key message for policy makers in China is that systems like Citylab can play an important role in developing practical and scalable examples of more sustainable city districts. The paper concludes that a barrier for local sustainability planning in China is still lack of effective communication between local actors including the public. Originality/value -- The authors exemplified Changzhou Tianning District's practical exploration, thus proving the adapted Citylab method's practical operability. Based on the common problems faced by eco-city development in developing countries, the method framework of Citylab is applicable to other developing countries, with strong roomfor deduction and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three quarters of the European population live in urban areas, which is expected to increase to over 80% by 2050. The well-being of urban citizens appears to be closely linked to the correlation between the growth of urban areas and to the availability of green spaces. The conservation and the enhancement of the Green Infrastructure (GI) can be considered a Nature-Based Solution (NBS) to improve the sustainability of urban development. From this perspective, it is important to identify priority areas close to existing GIs suitable to be preserved from further urban encroachment. Our study aims to draw up a methodology to identify priority areas and, accordingly, to expand the GIs. The main objectives are: (i) to identify the most sensitive areas of the GI to be preserved from urban encroachment; (ii) to locate arable lands in the vacant border territories between GIs and built-up areas, that, if converted into connected elements, would enhance the connectivity of the existing GIs whilst limiting land take; (iii) to define an index of priorities for increasing the GI territory by means of NBSs, taking into account the variability of GI coverage and level of legal protection for nature conservation across different neighborhoods in the city. This approach is applied to the GIs of the 15 administrative units of the municipality of Rome (Italy) as a case study. First, we focus on Urban Atlas classes to map the GIs in the municipality. We then use Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis, implemented by a free software toolbox GUIDOS, to identify the key components of the GIs, such as hubs (core areas) and links (bridges). Then, a simulated new scenario is provided by including within the current GIs the agricultural lands outside protected areas, but within a buffer zone of 300 m from the land take. If the aforementioned agricultural lands, amounting to about 8000 ha, were converted into GI elements, they could lead to the improvement of connectivity and limit land take. Finally, in order to expand the area of the GIs, priority areas are selected within each administrative unit using an index based on the budget allocation process. The proposed methodology could be used: (i) by decision makers, looking for NBS in the design and planning of sustainable development of the city; and (ii) to enhance GI connectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being considered as a basic necessity and a key element in the development of sustainable communities, housing is a major concern for the Algerian government. Algiers is facing for the last years a challenging housing shortage and as a way to overcome this problem, many housing projects have been launched. However, the pressing need to address this crisis has disregarded what the pattern of landscape will be, how the existing infrastructures will accommodate with such housing projects and how they will impact on human well-being. This research aims to advance the challenges of planning for sustainability by proposing a methodological approach in a context of high lack of data to support decision-makers in the elaboration of affordable housing projects. The main objective is to trade off urban growth with residential satisfaction and the preservation of natural resources. We developed two Cellular Automata (CA) based residential development scenarios to identify suitable locations for future affordable housing projects: Urban densification scenario (UD) and Constrained urban sprawl scenario (CUS). Both scenarios are based on indicators of residential preferences and measures taken in order to counter the negative effects of urbanization. Results reveal the low capacity of Algiers to meet the housing shortage according to the conditions set for each scenario. The scenarios were evaluated by quantifying their spatial patterns using a preselected set of six class-level landscape metrics. Results show a combination of aggregated and dispersed patterns growth for both scenarios meeting trade-offs among the advantages and the challenges of urban densification and urban sprawl. Then, Standard deviation and regression analysis were conducted to assess the accuracy of CA simulation and the evaluation of pattern changes in the simulated scenarios. The resulting values indicate the good performance of CA and confirm its effectiveness in predicting the future locations of housing projects. • The importance of spatial decision-behaviour process in the planification of affordable housing projects is attested. • A Cellular Automata-based model is developed and suitable locations for future housing programmes are identified. • This innovative approach combines indicators of residential preferences with measures to protect natural areas. • Accessibility to public transport and amenities is optimised and natural and agricultural areas are protected. • The model can be adjusted according to local demands to support the transition towards sustainable housing policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exponential growth of urban areas is putting a strain on urban land and water resources, besides has serious implications on the urban environment. Blue-Green infrastructure (BGI) is an emerging solution for sustainable urban planning and efficient management of urban spaces. This article highlights the benefits offered by BGI and the available BGI technologies based on available scientific works. The relationship between environmental well-being, human health, and BGI has been examined from several recent literature reviews. The performance of various available BGI techniques and the models available have also been rigorously reviewed by consulting publications, peer-reviewed journal papers, documents, and books published by various sources. A major gap in performance evaluation of different BGI technologies has been attempted to be bridged by discussing in detail the available modelling tools. This review article discusses different BGI programs, strategies, benefits, and the drivers associated with the successful implementation. It will enable urban planners to select the best available BGI technologies based on goal-oriented applications, especially for land and water management. It would also serve to establish and popularize BGI techniques and designs among researchers, planners, and policy makers for application in their respective countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable urban planning is essential in mediating the natural and built environments globally, yet, there is little progress as regards its attainment in developing countries. Rapid and unplanned urbanization continue to threaten the sustainability of many cities in Africa. By selecting Morogoro Municipal Council (MMC) in Tanzania as an example, this study applied well-known remote sensing techniques to understand the dynamics of urban growth and the implications for sustainable urban planning. The study analyzes spatio-temporal characteristics for eighteen years (2000–2018) based on urban land density using gradient and grid-based analysis to further examine land use and urban land density nexus. The results indicate declining urban land densities with distance to the city center, indicating a less compact and fragmented development at the urban fringes; and northward development with limited development to the south of MCC. The knowledge and understanding of the patterns of spatio-temporal conditions, land use planning, and management interventions in MMC are necessary for addressing the inadequacies associated with rapid urbanization within the study area. On this basis, we propose a shift from the modernist to the communicative planning strategy that strongly integrates the urban social, economic, and environmental imperatives, while being adaptable to evolving realities. This plan should also aim to curtail urban sprawl and create a viable city system and economically prosperous city structure for MMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a critical situation for Italy, which is one of the causes of the overall disorganization of settlement growth in the past decades. Using the data extracted from some institutional databases, we show that a large part of the national territory is managed with highly effective decision-making tools (such as municipal town planning schemes in Italy), which are, however, lagging behind in their conception and fulfilment of scientific, cultural, and political requirements deemed essential today for effective and sustainable land transformation. Municipalities with plans dating back to a quarter of a century ago, or without any plans, are 1445 in number (17% of the total) and involve 6,200,000 ha of territory (1/5 of Italy) with almost 10 million residents. The territorial changes in these geographical areas, mainly concentrated in the south, are managed with tools based on mid-20th century concepts and techniques, although a large proportion of these territories are demographically active and transform substantial portions of land. Thus, for at least 15–20 years, these territories underwent transformations disconnected from town plans and driven essentially by one-off measures or managed through numerous exceptional and negotiated procedures provided for by national legislation. Today, it seems necessary for southern Italy to overcome its extensive delay in territorial planning, and the drive can only come from national government. This would help it finally respond to current environmental sustainability, risk resilience, and territorial security requirements, through appropriate and technically advanced management procedures not envisaged in previous planning procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]