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In Santarém, as in several Portuguese historic urban centres, population decline and aging have compromised social cohesion and economic vitality, and parts of the Historic Centre have visibly deteriorated, resulting in risks to the public of crumbling façades. Sustainable development in urban areas must involve a reorientation of spatial planning policies to integrate older areas into wider urban and regional development frameworks, considering them as part of the wider territory. This paper proposes that the operationalisation of the recommendations of the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach can provide robust evidence, co-produced with local communities, supporting sustainable urban planning policies, and that such an approach is wholly consistent with EU and national planning and conservation legislation. Through focusing on the values, meanings and significance of place, the processes shaping the HUL of an empirical test neighbourhood, the Mouraria in Santarém, are brought into focus.

In Santarém, as in several Portuguese historic urban centres, population decline and aging have compromised social cohesion and economic vitality, and parts of the Historic Centre have visibly deteriorated, resulting in risks to the public of crumbling façades. Sustainable development in urban areas must involve a reorientation of spatial planning policies to integrate older areas into wider urban and regional development frameworks, considering them as part of the wider territory. This paper proposes that the operationalisation of the recommendations of the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach can provide robust evidence, co-produced with local communities, supporting sustainable urban planning policies, and that such an approach is wholly consistent with EU and national planning and conservation legislation. Through focusing on the values, meanings and significance of place, the processes shaping the HUL of an empirical test neighbourhood, the Mouraria in Santarém, are brought into focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Sweden is considered an environmental sustainability pioneer, targeting a 50% reduction in energy use in buildings by 2050. This ambitious goal requires the active engagement of municipal actors and the building sector. Dialogue processes have been identified as a way to mobilize such engagement, but in earlier research, there has been a lack of studies where dialogue practices are analyzed in real-time and on location and where the role of leadership has been scrutinized. Taking two cases in Malmö as a starting point, the aim of this paper is to analyze the interconnections between dialogue models and the local context and to examine how the role of process leadership affects exchanges between included actors. The results show that it is difficult to create guidelines useful in the local context and that learning was embedded in the doing and was transferred through the process leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: After a contagious disease outbreak, as is the case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), societal dynamics shift on an unconventional level. In the lack of a vaccine, social distancing and massive lockdowns are acquired as the most effective strategies to contain this new virus. In this regard, the present study was carried out to determine the influence of SARS-CoV-2 over the Azores territory activities as tourism and consequent regional development impacts. Material and Methods: Therefore, the study assessed the decision-makers, the public, and tourists' perceptions regarding this disease outbreak by applying testing tools as questionnaires. This study used a sample of 700 participants. The questionnaires were designed, considering the necessity to carry out online interviews, and were implemented in the Spring months of 2020. After the data from the surveys were gathered, analytical methods and tools were used. Results: The research recognized that during an infectious disease outbreak, people prioritized spending their vacations at the holiday residence of family or friends (20%) instead of touristic resorts (hotels or rented apartments or houses). Also, the study verified a considerable increase in selecting rural tourism accommodations. Besides, more than half of the study participants considered that the "Clean and Safe" stamp (attributed by the Portuguese Health Authorities) is crucial when choosing accommodation and restaurants (75.8%) as well as for choosing the destination to visit (50.5%). Conclusion: The study assumes enormous consequences of the SARS-CoV-2 crisis at multi-levels, being the tourism activity the most affected in this ultra-peripheral region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The progressive use of renewable energy sources to ensure a continuous and abundant energy supply is the significant target towards a sustainable and secure energy system. Previously, the countries that had relied on fossil fuel as a dominating energy source are now endorsing energy system transition towards renewable energy sources. In this study, a comparative assessment of the energy problems of South Asian countries is summarized. Nevertheless, there are many similarities and differences in the electricity supply system of these countries. Long-term planning for renewable energy development is suggested for a diverse population and dispersed geographical location considering all the significant challenges. However, appropriate schemes are imperative for integrating significant renewable energy sources. This study introduces a foresight plan of the electricity model according to the demand and supply balance for extensive technical analysis. The EnergyPLAN modeling tool was employed to work out a more ambitious VRE integration scenario than the official plans. The reference model was validated according to legitimate and authentic data, and then, the technically most feasible renewable energy-based alternate scenario was built. The additional grid integration cost of variable renewable energy was quantitatively investigated for comprehensive power system modeling for a real-time economic analysis. The results may be adapted and support developing more sustainable power generation serving 1787 million in South Asian countries.

Urban growth triggers massive changes in land use cover, exacerbating extreme natural and technological events. In order for land use planning to be efficient, it requires the integration of comprehensive risk and vulnerability assessment. This paper aims to create a bridge between the existing vulnerability theories and their implementation in land use planning policies and proposes an innovative approach to determine whether the changes in the territorial dynamics of cities draw considerable changes in communities’ social vulnerability. The methodology identifies and selects three case studies from the Urban Atlas inventory, representative of the dynamics of large Romanian cities, taking into consideration the following hazards: earthquakes, floods, and technological hazards. Vulnerability was then assessed by assigning each land use class a specific vulnerability level. The methodology involved assessing the level of vulnerability specific to the situation in 2018 compared to 2006. The results showed that major changes in land use are related to the transition of areas with a low level of vulnerability to areas with a higher level of vulnerability as a result of the urban areas expansion to the detriment of natural and agricultural areas. This is generally translated into a higher degree of vulnerability due to an increased density of artificial elements and of population in the residential areas. The findings of the study of territorial dynamics in the proximity of large industrial operators did not reveal a tendency that differed from the general trend. Although many territorial changes have been observed in the period 2006–2018, it is necessary to extend the analysis, with the issue of the new versions of the Urban Atlas, to confirm the identified trends and to express the up-to-date situation.

Portugal and Spain share one of the greatest European borderland areas. This fact has direct impacts on a large territory and consequently on the communities’ living in it. Still, even if the border areas represent an essential fraction of the territory, planning policies have not resulted in specific cooperation programs that could enable sharing general leisure and recreation assets and infrastructures and collaboration in critical domains—i.e., the case of the health sector. The present study aims to assess the territorial accessibility to the hemodynamic rooms by the potential population of the Spanish-Portuguese transition areas that may suffer an acute myocardial infarction. Contextually, this study employed a spatial interaction model based on the three-step floating catchment area method (method-3SFCA). By applying these methods, it was possible to develop a map of accessibility to health infrastructures equipped with hemodynamics rooms on both sides of the border that may answer the Spanish-Portuguese border populations’ needs. Besides, while granting valuable information for decision-makers regarding the need to develop new infrastructures to guarantee that even considering cross border cooperation, everyone gets access to a hemodynamics room within the critical intervention period.

Impacts of extreme weather events are increasing due to ongoing climate change. Floods in the urban areas not just damage properties but also threat human life. Coping with these challenges in metropolises of old Europe is difficult as the ex-istent building structures and combined rainwater and sewage systems originating from the 19th century. We compare three old European capital cities (Berlin, Budapest and Paris) regarding rainwater management concepts. We identify important spatial land use types of blue-green infrastructure and corresponding measures for the implementation towards a more water sensitive management by using the case study approach.

The paper analyses a community development project based in Jhenaidah, Bangladesh, which evolved through broadening social capital among slum communities and formal institutions in order to bring positive socio-spatial changes in the neighborhoods. Till date, nine disadvantaged communities have formed a network for city-wide community development, have started to build and manage their own funds, built better houses for themselves, and through this process have managed to draw attention and support from the local government. The positive impacts brought with the project were a result of a continuous dialectic process involving the communities and a small pool of professionals. Active presence, patience, participation and trust in people-led process were important tools, which resulted in the transformation of power within the communities. Hence issues like scaling up and economic sustainability still concern those, who can see the community-driven development process with an unbiased attitude. The overarching goal of this article is to sketch out these issues with the help of empirical understandings from the field and theoretical findings from the literature on social innovation and power in planning in order to understand how to work balance between local and institutional management of projects in order to avoid perceiving bottom-up and top-down initiatives in a dualistic manner.

Islands as peripheral and ultra-peripheral are typically highlighted as ecologically sensitive areas to human activities due to the tremendous biological diversity of beings and the future possibility of habitat loss. In this regard, the comprehension of the land occupation dynamics and trends in the ultra-peripheral territories is crucial to attempt long-lasting regional sustainability, as is the island region’s case. Therefore, the present article aims to analyze the trends and dynamics of the land-use changes on the European Archipelagos of the Macaronesia Region over the last three decades, using the CORINE (Coordination of Information on the Environment) data. Some of the obtained results show that about 3.4% of the Azores’ surface is characterized mainly by discontinuous urban fabric, representing 67% of the total urban fabric of the Azores over the last thirty years. Additionally, in Madeira Archipelago, the land is mainly occupied by forest and semi-natural areas, representing almost three-thirds of the territory. A similar scenario is verified in the Canary Islands, where forests and semi-natural areas represent approximately three-quarters of the territory. Once more, this study shows the relevance of the island areas’ unique character, which should be preserved and protected. Therefore, the priorities must be defined and established management strategies that are significant for the well-being of these highly valued areas. Moreover, the study showed that notable changes had occurred in the period 1990–2018 in this landscape. Hence there is a need for appropriate measures to mitigate these negative impacts on the environment.

Suitable planning options for urban infrastructures should be urgently developed to reduce their environmental impact, while preserving their efficiency. In the case of urban ports, air quality still represents a major problem, which should be addressed through appropriate implementation of cleaner and sustainable solutions. Consequently, within short-term operational and medium-term technical planning stages, air quality monitoring and modelling should be implemented. This work reviews a set of effective criteria for developing a 3D air quality monitoring and modelling, which might be applied in the context of urban port management and planning. In particular, available technologies, sensors characteristics, monitoring requirements and quality criteria are discussed. The integration of observational techniques with different modelling tools is, then, introduced. Finally, data spatial representation options are discussed. This review, consequently, allows not only to assess the state-of-the-art on port air pollution monitoring and modelling, but also to give a framework structure for stakeholders involved in operative planning. Finally, this study unveils the potentiality of such an approach as a first component, for local environmental management systems, which can support the development of appropriate actions, integrated urban policies and the transition toward cleaner production and consumption processes in port areas. • Air quality is among the major environmental concerns for seaports. • This work reviews the state-of the art of 3D air pollution scenario development. • Instrumental network characteristics and sampling approach are reviewed. • Data modelling and spatial representation are also reviewed. • Air pollution scenarios are developed as a part of sustainable urban port planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper provides review of models integrating RES in Generation Expansion Planning. • It classifies models based on the applied theoretical approach in three categories. • Optimization, general/partial equilibrium and alternative models. • It compares their characteristics, advantages/disadvantages and their suitability. • It contributes in better understanding on the expected outcomes of each methodology. The Generation Expansion Planning (GEP) stands as one as one of the most discussed topics within the academia and decision makers in the energy sector, especially related to meeting deep emission reduction targets. Every country, aiming at decarbonizing its economy, focuses on the application of policies that could enhance the penetration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in its power capacity mix. GEP is a complex task, combining techno-economic, financial, spatial and environmental characteristics. Several models are developed to model GEP, applying different methodological approaches. The underlying theory is very important as it might inherit bias in the resulted outcomes. The debate on the appropriateness of each methodology is increased, especially as projected outlooks deviate from reality. The paper aims to provide a review of the models employed to integrate RES in the GEP. The paper classifies models in three generic categories: optimisation models, general/partial equilibrium models and alternative models, not adopting the optimum integration of RES in the GEP. It provides insights on the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of the theoretical approaches implemented, as well on their suitability for different aspects of the problem, contributing in the better understanding on the expected outcomes of each methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decades ago, landfills were designed and operated on the outskirts of the city. However, due to the sprawl of urbanization, many residential areas have been developed around the landfill areas. Therefore, the environmental and hazardous issues such as landfill gas, leachate and foul odour have risen up. As the greenspaces have recently decreased, Malaysia government in 2010 suggested that the ex-landfill areas which are part of the brownfields should be turned into valuable urban greenspaces. This study thus reviews the management practices of closed landfill to become a sustainable greenspace. A case study was carried out at the Worldwide Landfills Park Air Hitam Puchong, Selangor Malaysia. It is the first ex-landfill in Klang Valley Malaysia developed as a park. Two research methods were adopted for this study, namely key informant approach and secondary data analysis. The result indicated that the safe closure and post-closure management including leachate management and landfill gas management using the gas collection system have successfully rehabilitated the site into a park. A reduction of CO2e using landfill gas collector and natural absorber i.e. vegetation is also discussed in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well-known that the ultra-peripheral territories as Islands present several limitations such as the lack of resources, restricted land, mass tourism, and barriers to movement, and connectivity between urban centers. These obstacles make ultra-peripheral regions suitable case studies considering their territorial governance and consequently, sustainable development and growth. Thus, transportation and infrastructure sustainability in these regions are not an exception. Considering all the obstacles present in these regions, the accessibility and connectivity patterns that the local population has in these territories should be assessed and monitored. Thereby, through exploratory tools, the present research assumes to examine, using accessibility and connectivity indicators, the consequences across the social-economic dimension that the regional transportation and infrastructure should convey to the Azores Islands Archipelago populations. Therefore, this article allows us to set the present situation regarding this region’s accessibility and connectivity patterns, creating an additional tool for supporting the main actors’ design and implementation of these territories’ future plans and strategies. Besides, this study enables us to recognize that Pico, Flores, and São Miguel are the ones with better accessibility patterns within the Azores Archipelago.

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]

Multiple geographically dispersed data center buildings have been increasingly positioned in renewable-rich areas due to their high energy consumption. This paper proposes an optimal multi-energy portfolio for zero carbon data center buildings in the presence of proactive demand response programs. In the data center buildings, the complementarities of hydro-solar-wind hybrid renewable energy sources (RESs) are fully exploited via multi-energy conversion and storage devices, which are modeled as 100% renewable energy hubs for zero carbon multi-energy supplies. In order to exploit the hub-internal operational dispatchability and flexibility, a comprehensive energy consumption model of data center buildings is proposed to facilitate the demand response in terms of available serves, while the variable speed pumped storage (VSPS) is modeled to capture its dynamic operational characteristics. The energy‑carbon production, conversion, storage, and consumption are formulated as an energy‑carbon matrix, which are solved via a two-stage method to obtain the optimal portfolio. Case studies on southwest China data center buildings are implemented to demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed methodology on cost-effective accommodation of RESs. Simulations results show that the system portfolio cost can be reduced by at most 17.8% with a higher operational flexibility. • A cost-effective data center building is proposed to accommodate zero carbon targets. • Hydro-solar-wind 100% renewables are formulated for multi-energy supplies. • VSPS and data center energy consumption are modeled to exploit inherent flexibility. • The energy-carbon production, conversion, storage, and consumption are optimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate location-based groundwater potential mapping for recharge is a vital tool to infer simple, efficient groundwater management in policy level planning. In this context, this study introduces a novel metaheuristic based multiobjective optimization model, namely, CIMCA for preparing groundwater accumulation maps in parallel to analyzing four different Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) techniques. In CIMCA, computational intelligence (CI) based optimization is infused within the traditional MCA techniques, which is carefully guided/influenced by the domain expert's input within the MCA part. The CIMCA model has been found to exploit the best of both worlds, i.e., optimization and domain expert's influence, thereby achieving unbiased and consistent outputs having great prospects for mapping potential groundwater resources for sustainable planning. Takeaways from these comparative assessments, impact information at district and sub-district levels, exposure detailing on total numbers of pumping wells, etc., will be useful in formulating current planning and devising future strategies under the umbrella of sustainable groundwater management. • We present and analyze models to assess groundwater potential. • We introduce CIMCA, a novel metaheuristic based multiobjective optimization model. • We analyze multi-criteria analysis (MCA) techniques. • CIMCA infuses computational intelligence (CI) based optimization within MCA. • The optimization in CIMCA is carefully guided by the domain expert's input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationships between territorial governance and the pursuit of sustainable development are evidenced to be critical. Exploratory tools, like Geographic Information Systems (GIS), enable us to comprehend the patterns, dynamics, and parameters of land-use changes over the years. The results from such studies could be used in the design of a sustainable territorial governance strategy. Contextually, a study has been conducted based on the changes that occurred in land uses in the Canary Archipelago in the years 1990, 2000, 2012, and 2018 using CORINE (Coordination of Information on the Environment) data. Even if most of the land uses have been stable over the analyzed period, the investigation shows a decrease in agricultural areas. By contrast, it is possible to verify an increase in semi-natural areas and urban agglomerations. Moreover, the authors believe that an assessment of the land-use changes on these ultra-peripheral areas will also enable us to disclose some obstacles and opportunities for sustained development.

The urban heat island (UHI) effect has become a significant focus of research in today’s era of climate change, and a key consideration for the next generation of urban planning focused on green and livable cities. UHI has traditionally been measured using in situ data and ground-based measurements. However, with the increased availability of satellite-based thermal observations of the Earth, remotely sensed observations are increasingly being utilized to estimate surface urban heat island (SUHI), using land surface temperature (LST) as a critical indicator, due to its spatial coverage. In this study, we estimated LST based on Landsat-8 observations to demonstrate the relationship between LST and the characteristics of the land use and land cover on the campus of King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We found a consistent variation of between 7 and 9 degrees Celsius for LST across campus, spanning all summer and winter seasons between 2014 and 2019. The LST correlates strongly with both green vegetation and built-up land cover, with a slightly stronger correlation with the latter. The relationship between LST and green vegetation has a notable seasonality, with higher correlation in the summer seasons compared to the winter seasons. Our study also found an overall increase in LST between 2014 and 2019, due to intentional changes in the built-up land cover, for example from the conversion of natural green surfaces to artificial surfaces. The findings of this study highlight the utility of the remotely sensed observation of LST to assess the SUHI phenomenon and can be used to inform future planning aimed at securing green and livable urban areas in the face of a changing climate.

Qualitative and quantitative indicators can be used to assess the quality of public space. The coherence of cycling infrastructure connectivity is an indicator of a public space's attractiveness as a basis for the quality of the bicycle traffic operation. We would like to find an optimal balance between the space's form and its image to provide good conditions for cycling as one of the most important forms of sustainable mobility, and consequently a factor facilitating a healthy lifestyle. The new approach brings a completely different view on planning cycling infrastructure, while rather than physical infrastructure characteristics, humans are placed at the forefront of the cycling infrastructure design as the most important measure of its quality. Since the complexity of human beings cannot be controlled with only one science or profession, solving the problem of bicycle traffic is not just a technical problem, but its design and management also lend a multidisciplinary character. From the perspective of different cycling infrastructure users, the study will define integrated multidisciplinary methodology for evaluating the quality of cycling infrastructure, which will equally include the criteria of sensing and perceiving of space. The new approach seeks a system of criteria, which enables the integrated planning of cycling infrastructure in all spatial, organizational, sectoral, and professional levels. All theoretical findings will be tested and demonstrated on the pilot case of the long-distance cycling connection in the area of four Slovenian coastal municipalities, namely Koper, Izola, Piran, and Ankaran.

The outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) is closely related to the intra-urban environment. It is important to understand the influence mechanism and risk characteristics of urban environment on infectious diseases from the perspective of urban environment composition. In this study, we used python to collect Sina Weibo help data as well as urban multivariate big data, and The random forest model was used to measure the contribution of each influential factor within to the COVID-19 outbreak. A comprehensive risk evaluation system from the perspective of urban environment was constructed, and the entropy weighting method was used to produce the weights of various types of risks, generate the specific values of the four types of risks, and obtain the four levels of comprehensive risk zones through the K-MEANS clustering of Wuhan's central urban area for zoning planning. Based on the results, we found: ①the five most significant indicators contributing to the risk of the Wuhan COVID-19 outbreak were Road Network Density, Shopping Mall Density, Public Transport Density, Educational Facility Density, Bank Density. Floor Area Ration, Poi Functional Mix ②After streamlining five indicators such as Proportion of Aged Population, Tertiary Hospital Density, Open Space Density, Night-time Light Intensity, Number of Beds Available in Designated Hospitals, the prediction accuracy of the random forest model was the highest. ③The spatial characteristics of the four categories of new crown epidemic risk, namely transmission risk, exposure risk, susceptibility risk and Risk of Scarcity of Medical Resources, were highly differentiated, and a four-level integrated risk zone was obtained by K-MEANS clustering. Its distribution pattern was in the form of "multicenter-periphery" gradient diffusion. For the risk composition of the four-level comprehensive zones combined with the internal characteristics of the urban environment in specific zones to develop differentiated control strategies. Targeted policies were then devised for each partition, offering a practical advantage over singular COVID-19 impact factor analyses. This methodology, beneficial for future public health crises, enables the swift identification of unique risk profiles in different partitions, streamlining the formulation of precise policies. The overarching goal is to maintain regular social development, harmonizing preventive measures and economic efforts., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zhou, Zhang, Liu, Pan, Liu, Sang, Liu and Chen.)

Abstract The agro-food industry is one of the largest parts of the European Union's economy and faces economic and environmental stresses. While food traceability systems (FTSs) inform supply chain actors of product and logistical attributes, large scale implementations are scarce and are do not support active decision making. We present a framework developed for FUTUREMED project used to perform a data-driven analysis that considers both micro and macro aspects of a food supply chain (FSC). With its comprehensive multiple-depth data architecture incorporated within a tailored decision-support platform, this framework and the resulting decision-support tool is the first to move beyond simple traceability implementation to the sustainable planning of food logistics, bridging the gap between research techniques and real-world data availability. We define KPIs that measure a subset of economic and environmental factors to quantify the impact of logistical decisions. We validate the framework with the case study of an Italian fruit trader that is considering opening a new warehouse. We conclude by suggesting that this framework be applied to more complex case studies and be enhanced through including more dimensions of sustainability. Highlights • Is developed within the European Union and Mediterranean Project FUTUREMED. • Provides a framework to develop data-driven analyses for sustainable food operations planning and control. • Addresses micro/macro aspects of the Food Supply Chain through a hierarchical data architecture and a tailored platform. • Supports the design and planning of sustainable food distribution activities. • Exemplifies an application of an Italian fruit trader considering opening a warehouse to serve new markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementing urban densification projects in planning practice while simultaneously providing sufficient green spaces has proven to be challenging. Consequently, there is an increasing need for practical approaches to urban green space management in the on-going densification of cities. Therefore, this study was designed to give a better understanding of current green space management practice in two municipalities in Stockholm, Sweden, undergoing densification. The challenges identified through interviews with municipal planners were related to site-specific conditions for densification projects, conflicting interests between involved and affected actors, green quality management issues, and limited use of impact assessment tools. In the municipalities, innovative approaches were adopted in efforts to minimize the above challenges, such as collaboration between the developers and planners, or participatory workshops with the local citizens. This paper explores these challenges and approaches, and makes further recommendations for improving green space management practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable energy generation is a key feature in sustainable development and among various sources of energy electricity due to some unique characteristics seems particularly important. Optimising electricity generation mix is a highly complex task and requires consideration of numerous conflicting criteria. To deal with uncertainty of experts’ opinions, inaccuracy of the available data and including more factors, some of which are difficult to quantify, in particular for environmental and social criteria, we applied grey relational analysis (GRA) with grey linguistic, and grey interval values to obtain the rank of each system. Then the obtained ranking were used as coefficients for a multi objective decision making problem, aimed to minimize the cost, import dependencies and emissions as well as maximizing the share of generation sources with better ranking. Due to existence of interval variables multi objective grey linear programming (MOGLP) method was used to solve the problem. Our results for the UK as a case study suggest increased role for all low carbon energy technologies and sharp reduction in the use of coal and oil. We argue that the integrated GRA-MOGLP approach provides an effective tool for the evaluation and optimisation of complex sustainable electricity generation planning. It is particularly promising in dealing with uncertainty and imprecisions, which reflect real-life scenarios in planning processes. [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]

Historic settlements adapting to local climate and geographical environment contain rich and precious scientific design concepts, which should be investigated extensively. This paper is a study on the sustainable design and planning experiences of Chinese historic settlements. In this study, the thermal environment of Jin-Jiang-Li village with ‘comb-like’ layout in the southern China was simulated to evaluate the interactions between layout, landscape design, and ambient environment. The study has illustrated that the layout as well as the presence of water and vegetation would have an obvious-reducing effect and could play a very important role in improving the microclimate of historic settlements. The findings of our study have an essential practical significance for creating modern sustainable human environments and adapting to the changing modern climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planners need to adopt market-conscious planning to estimate how and where planning interventions create value for both investors and end-users. This article presents such kind of planning support methodology by incorporating difference-in-differences estimation into hedonic price models to examine the added value of sustainable development. It illustrates this methodology by using spatial panel data to compare market effects before and after the extension of the metro system in Nanjing, China. Results show that metro extension has positive effects in suburban areas, particularly in suburbs far away from metro stops before, while it has limited effects in central urban areas. Accessibility to financial and business services and open space also contributes to house prices after controlling for the effects of access to metros. Urban sustainable policies need to emphasize integration between land use and transportation planning in suburbs. This methodology provides planners with a means for determining market value of planning interventions, and contributes to more market-conscious planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes a contribution to the reflection on the effectiveness of the SEA instrument as a process of environmental sustainability integration in planning choices in general, and, in particular, for some policy areas (adaptation to climate change) characterized by lack of methodological and operational tools. To this end, the experience of the SEA of the Calabria Region Transport Plan is analyzed in the light of the open questions in the international scientific debate. The SEA conducted is described by illustrating the used methodologies in relation to the type of approach adopted in the process. The reflection highlights how, even in the presence of constructive approaches, as defined in the reference literature, the integration of environmental sustainability is not immediately verifiable, since it is postponed to the subsequent implementation phases. This difficulty is even more evident in relation to the application to the policies on adaptation to climate change, an area characterized by the lack, at national and regional level, of well-structured and operationally defined reference instruments. In this case, even if adopting a constructive approach, the achieved result is limited, necessarily, to general indications, typical of a compliance approach with respect to the policy itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main research goals of the article are to explain the historical context of urban food gardens in Czechia, to describe the current spatial pattern of allotment gardens, and to introduce and analyse recent trends in urban gardening. The main method for achieving the first goal was a literature study. For the second goal, geographical mapping and analysis of data relating to the spatial distribution of allotment gardens were used. For the third goal, mapping together with analysis of semi-structured interviews carried out in community gardens in Prague were used. The analysis showed a strong tradition of urban agriculture and urban food gardening activities in Czechia. Both allotment gardens and newly emerged community gardens were concentrated mainly in the biggest cities and in areas with a rich industrial and mining tradition. This finding supports the significance of gardening as an important element of urban agriculture. However, uncertainty regarding land tenure and long-term sustainability were among the greatest obstacles for the future of allotment and community gardens. The authors' main recommendations are that urban agriculture should be included as primary land use in sustainable planning and there should be broader community involvement in planning and decision-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental deprivation is an issue influencing the urban wellbeing of a city. However, there are limitations to spatiotemporally monitoring the environmental deprivation. Thus, recent studies have introduced the concept of "Smart City" with the use of advanced technology for real-time environmental monitoring. In this regard, this study presents an improved Integrated Environmental Monitoring System (IIEMS) with the consideration on nine environmental parameters: temperature, relative humidity, PM2.5, PM10, CO, SO2, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), UV index, and noise. This system was comprised of a mobile unit and a server-based platform with nine highly accurate micro-sensors in-coupling into the mobile unit for estimating these environmental exposures. A calibration test using existing monitoring station data was conducted in order to evaluate the systematic errors. Two applications with the use of the new system were also conducted under different scenarios: pre- and post-typhoon days and in areas with higher and lower vegetation coverage. Linear regressions were applied to predict the changes in environmental quality after a typhoon and to estimate the difference in environmental exposures between urban roads and green spaces. The results show that environmental exposures interact with each other, while some exposures are also controlled by location. PM2.5 had the highest change after a typhoon with an estimated 8.0 µg/m³ decrease that was controlled by other environmental factors and geographical location. Sound level and temperature were significantly higher on urban roads than in urban parks. This study demonstrates the potential to use IIEMS for environmental quality measurements under the greater framework of a Smart City and for sustainability research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to analyse the social and political capacity of cities affected by cultural tourism. An investigation is carried out into the state of the situation in saturated destinations, the problems this poses to tourist sustainability and the positions of the various different interest groups. In Europe, many cultural cities-cum-tourist hotspots have reached such high levels of socio-political saturation that the resident population’s capacity for carrying tourism has become overstretched. This has led to a state of irritation among the local population. Social movements now include this on their agenda but the various different interest groups (residents, political groups, entrepreneurs, management bodies) all react differently. We present data relating to the case of Barcelona, with analyses of residents’ and tourists’ opinions, the actions of social mobilization carried out by pressure groups, media repercussion and the reactions of the business sector and political groups. We examine data collected from surveys and opinions carried in the media. The sustainability and management of interests indicate changes in both the number and the type of tourists, the occupation of public spaces, the distribution of profit among entrepreneurs, residents and the political and economic model of society in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper is presented the Dumrea Lake District, a unique landscape and geographical feature in the central part of Albania. Beside the importance landscapes were neglected, while the current state of affected water bodies is clear indicators of a non sustainable and integrated development. Integration of WFD and Landscape Directive into planning is another aspect of this contribution. An integrated landscape and water management plan can increase the quality of life in particular for the less favored residents of the Dumrea region. The wider European milestones, the WFD and the European landscape directive are considered as tools for the establishment of ground guidelines in landscape and water administration and planning on different spatial scales. Environmental, social and economic incentives have to be integrated to preserve the given qualities and to develop the potentials of the wider Dumrea region. All actors' local, regional and central has to strengthen the integration policy and further develop comprehensive territorial planning and implementation mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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