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Challenges to social, economic, and environmental sustainability are global in scale, yet sustainable development policies must be implemented locally. There has been a tendency for sustainable urbanism projects to engage in the conspicuous sustainability of spatially bounded and highly visible sustainability achievements, rather than spatially expansive, long-term achievements. China's complex system of multilevel governance encourages policy experimentation, but it is also frequently productive of entrepreneurial urbanism and intercity competition. This paper analyses spatial planning documents concerning Hengqin (Zhuhai Municipality, Guangdong Province), an island adjacent to Macao SAR, to show how the ambitions for a new-build district's contributions to sustainable development have become more spatially expansive and ambitious over time. This has occurred alongside changes in project leadership (from city, to provincial, to central government leadership) as well as a deepening awareness of the Greater Bay Area as a region for crossborder policymaking. The paper argues that crossborder perspectives are vital for genuine sustainable development but face certain obstacles in relation to the sites at which policy decisions are made. • Policymakers often prefer conspicuous sustainability to long-term achievements. • Innovative urban entrepreneurialism is common in China's multilevel governance. • Hengqin's spatial planning initially prioritised immediate, localised results. • Centralised leadership and regional awareness can raise sustainability ambitions. • Crossborder perspectives better reflect sustainable development needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The renewal of old communities (OCR) is a crucial component of China's urban renewal strategy. However, the huge funding gap, coupled with the unwillingness of enterprises to participate, has impeded the sustainable development of OCR in China. This issue has become a major practical challenge for the government. This study employed the modified theory of planned behavior (M-TPB) to examine enterprise behavior, focusing on how internal capabilities and external conditions influence their participation. Data was collected from 261 questionnaire surveys, and structured equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Further in-depth interviews were conducted to explain and validate the results from the SEM. The findings illustrate that: (1) the M-TPB offers a more detailed and nuanced explanation of the mechanisms influencing participation behavior; (2) the attitude towards participation is an important factor in shaping the intention to participate; (3) there is a significant negative correlation between perceived behavioral control, which is based on external conditions, and the participation intention; and (4) different types of enterprises show differences in attitude and perceived behavioral control. These findings provide new insights and perspectives on the OCR dilemma in China, highlighting some important practical implications for fostering various forms of enterprise participation in OCR projects. • This paper analyzes enterprises' participation in OCR from a new perspective - the behavioral intention of managers. • The modified theory of planned behavior can better explain the influence mechanism. • Government should focus on improving the enterprises' attitude and the effectiveness of external conditions. • Propose strategies to promote participation for different types of enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing the global urgency for improved sustainable cities and communities, as per the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, requires innovative and disruptive approaches, which also include applying artificial intelligence (AI). While AI holds significant potential to address complex socio-economic and environmental challenges in cities, a comprehensive analysis of its applications and implications, particularly in urban contexts, is required to address the research gap in understanding how AI can be effectively deployed to meet the challenges. This paper reports on a study that evaluates how AI may facilitate achieving SDG 11. This assessment includes an expert-driven literature review, drawing insights from authoritative sources. In addition, a set of case studies illustrate practical applications of AI to improve urban sustainability. The combination of these approaches led to findings that underscore the pivotal role of AI in optimizing energy use, streamlining waste management, enhancing traffic flow, and contributing to environmental sustainability. However, according to the findings, AI implementation needs oversight to ensure it is ethical, inclusive, and privacy-respecting as an effective tool to aid decision-making. By fostering collaboration among planners, policymakers, and AI experts, the full potential of AI may be unlocked to shape sustainable urban environments and realize SDG 11. • Artificial Intelligence may assist in implementing sustainable development. • Cities and communities can become more sustainable with the use of AI. • There is a research gap on using AI to promote sustainable cities. • Some AI technologies may be used in urban contexts. • Various social, and environmental issues and obstacles need to be overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urgent decline of global progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the post-COVID-19 era necessitates immediate action in the field of smart cities. This paper proposes a new framework to assess the performance of global smart cities, emphasizing the vitality and potential of sustainability-oriented smartness for global smart cities, as well as the role of benchmarking cities on a global scale. The framework centered around the principles of "humanity-technology-sustainability" tackles critical challenges related to feasibility, interoperability, and flexibility in smart city assessments. By integrating academic perceptions with quantitative performance results, the proposed framework aims to facilitate the advancement of sustainable smart city through urban comparisons and the expansion of global visions within the smart city ecosystem in a post-pandemic future. In each of the past three years, twenty globally renowned cities for smart city development are assessed under this framework and published on UNPAN (United Nations Public Administration Network) website. These assessments aim to draw the attention of more cities to the factors that contribute to advancing smart cities under the new world development goals, to identify benchmark cities across different dimensions, and to assist decision-makers in prioritizing future smart city development initiatives. • SDGs call for urgent responses in the field of smart cities in the Post-pandemic era • The multivocal in sustainability makes the goal of sustainable smart city ambiguous • Bridge the gap between sustainability vision and sustainability goal in smart city • The new smart city assessment framework based on "humanity-technology-sustainability" • 20 global metropolia as smart city benchmarks are assessed under the framework [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an in-depth city profile analyzing Martil—an emerging coastal satellite urban center in northern Morocco. Situated within a rapidly urbanizing context, Martil exemplifies organic satellite city dynamics in the Global South. The analysis tracks Martil's demographic, spatial, economic, social, environmental, and planning transformations since the 1970s. Accelerated rural-urban migration fueled unstructured peripheral expansion, straining infrastructure and producing socioeconomic disparities. Unregulated construction encroached on floodplains and coastal habitats, increasing climate risks and environmental degradation. Recent urban development plans aim to balance growth priorities with sustainability concerns through zoning, partnerships, and critical projects. However, persisting governance gaps between ambitions and on-ground outcomes continue to hinder equitable development and ecological resilience. The study situates Martil locally and comparatively, underscoring mismatches between prevailing models and satellites' distinct realities. Satellite urbanism's complexities validate calls for fundamental paradigm shifts prioritizing social welfare, climate adaptation, economic diversity, and participatory planning essential for sustainable urban development. This multi-dimensional analysis of a rapidly evolving coastal satellite city on the Mediterranean contributes an original perspective to urban studies scholarship while offering integrated recommendations for practitioners and policymakers. • Rapid coastal satellite urbanization trends unpacked through Martil city case profile • Population influx and unstructured peripheral expansion fuel socioeconomic and ecological pressures • Environmental hazards and groundwater risks analyzed vis-à-vis uncontrolled construction • Intent and implementation gaps in balancing urban growth with sustainability surface • Comparative insights on coastal satellites inform adaptive planning and policy pathways [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An understanding of how modern Open Data Ecosystems (ODEs) work is critical in the context of current trends towards sustainability and smartness, while is seen to be an asset to support urban governance and development, in coordinating actions, and fostering civic engagement. This paper aims to establish such understanding by analyzing the contextual patterns, platforms, and components shaping sustainable ODEs by employing platform theory. This study explores and compares characteristics, similarities, differences, and best approaches in 19 cities across 8 countries. In this study we (1) identify 50 patterns that influence and shape sustainable ODEs and their platforms, i.e., Open Data Platform Ecosystems (ODPEs); (2) explore the relationships between platforms and other ODPEs components by developing a respective model, and identifying internal platforms and other components; (3) empirically validate the conceptual findings of five types of ODPEs presented in the literature, redefining them from the conceptual to real-life implementation of the respective components in sample cities; (4) considering the experience gained during the study with respect to the ODPEs and external pressures and environments that shape or influence them, we define 12 recommendations for policy planning and urban governance of more sustainable ODEs. • Identifies 50 patterns that influence and shape sustainable ODEs in smart cities • Defines the Open Data Platform Ecosystem (ODPE) and its components and relationships • Empirically validates the conceptual findings of five types of smart city ODPEs • Defines 12 recommendations for urban development of more sustainable ODEs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, makerspaces and FabLabs have proliferated in urban settings. Such venues provide shared workspace, (digital fabrication) tools, and knowledge, lowering the barriers for citizens to engage in DIY (Do It Yourself), and the design and building of artefacts. In recent years, scholars have hailed the return of small-scale manufacturing, independent craft production and making practices to cities. This shift is by some seen as pre-figuring a more progressive and inclusive discourse on urban development, one that is attentive to local communities' productive needs and opportunities, and that moves us away from the hitherto dominant consumption-centred paradigm of the creative city (Carr & Gibson, 2016; Grodach, 2017; Grodach et al., 2017). Drawing on empirical data collected in Turin in 2021, the paper investigates how and under what conditions community-led spaces centred on making may hold potential as sites of urban vitalism, reconfiguring production and consumption in more democratic, inclusive and sustainable ways. The findings consider a number of emerging tensions, relating to questions of regulating open access, managing community participation, and negotiating project-based versus changing habitual practices. • The paper considers the potential and limitations for sustainability transitions in open community-based spaces of making • It offers insights into how these spaces effect positive societal impacts through making • The paper considers a number of emerging tensions, relating to questions of open access regulation, community participation management, and project-based negotiation versus habitual practices change [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

History matters. Yet, explanations about the contemporary dynamics around informal settlements in global South cities are often divorced from their historical antecedents. We argue that a retrospective approach is important in analyzing and understanding the current dynamics around informal settlements. Applying the historical institutionalism approach and the concepts of critical junctures and path dependency, this paper develops an institutionalist approach to exploring the messy and complex dynamics of urban informal settlements in Abuja, Nigeria. Using interviews, focus group discussions, document analysis, and participant observations, we identify four key critical junctures: the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) ACT of 1976; the Land Use ACT of 1978, the 1979 master plan of Abuja, and the attempted demolition of Mpape in 2012 and the resulting 5-year court case that ended in 2017. These critical junctures have created path dependencies that explain the contemporary state of the urban informal settlements in Abuja, particularly in relation to land rights and tenure (in)security. This study shows how inconsistencies in the formulation of policies and their implementation in the planning of cities are a result of historically embedded problems. Insights into such historical legacies are the first step to a comprehensive understanding and future planning of urban informal settlements. • History matters. Contemporary cities are shaped by legacies of the past as well as current governance circumstances. • The use of critical junctures and path dependency frameworks provides meaningful insights into the informalisation processes of informal settlements. • Informal settlements in Abuja are the result of the path-dependent actions of the state and non-state actors. • Insights into historical legacies are important for sustainable future planning and regularisation of urban informal settlements. • Future studies on urban informal settlements need to account for the historical antecedents and path-dependencies in their governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the impact of political uncertainty on sustainable urban development by examining carbon emission trading systems (ETS) in four major markets in China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and Hubei) from 2014 to 2022. As an alternative to carbon taxes, carbon ETS markets have become increasingly popular due to their success in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, their effectiveness is often hindered by political instability and uncertainty. Utilising logistic regression and AR(1)-GARCH estimations, we identify a negative relationship between political uncertainty and carbon trading volume. Our study also reveals significant variations in the responses of these markets to political uncertainty. The paper contributes to the understanding of how ETS markets operate in a complex and constantly changing political environment. We suggest that policymakers need to consider the impact of political uncertainty on carbon trading when designing and implementing urban policies that promote sustainable development. Additionally, our research contributes to the development of urban policies that can be effectively implemented in both developed and developing regions. • Local government official turnovers are used as the measurement of political uncertainty. • Daily transaction data from four carbon ETS markets (Beijing, Shanghai, Hubei and Guangdong) in China • Considered the probability and proportion of zero transaction day • Logistic regression and AR(1)-GARCH estimations • A negative relationship between political uncertainty and carbon transaction volume [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changing consumer trends, waves of retail decentralisation, and various socio-economic and environmental shocks have exacerbated the well-recognised challenges of retail-dominant English high streets in recent years. The decline and 'death' of the high street has been the subject of many policy responses aiming at transforming high streets as viable multifunctional hubs and local community anchors. However, this vision implies a narrative change of high street viability beyond established economic and property-oriented interpretations, which is presently unclear in conceptual and operational terms. This paper identifies the conceptual ambiguities and tensions evident in English policy and reframes high street viability at the confluence of other 'loose concepts' (sustainability, resilience, adaptability, liveability). Through a scoping review, this paper synthesises studies discussing these interrelated concepts, and presents their development since the influential URBED Vital and Viable Town Centres report. We argue that the factors contributing to the interrelated concepts form a joint effort towards achieving high street viability, but can also be distinguished by temporal variations and areas of concentration. • A renewed interest in high street viability necessitates a reframing of the concept • We address the conceptual and operational ambiguity of high street viability in English policies over the past 30 years • We illustrate the confluence of viability in relation to sustainability, resilience, liveability and adaptability • High street viability is a dynamic concept that corresponds to the long-term, changing challenges and needs of communities [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Densification is the key intervention strategy proposed in the urban sustainability planning literature. Nevertheless, the blueprint for action is still vague, and especially so in small cities. Is, for example, the premise for and reward of densification relatively transferable between city scales? In addition, does difference in centre structures and distribution of facilities in small cities have an implication for active travel? By focusing on three Norwegian small cities, this paper addresses how built environment and attitudes influence active travel behaviour in small cities with different centre structures. Using descriptive statistics, ANOVA test and negative binomial regression on survey data, the paper finds that attitude towards active travel as well as accessibility significantly influence walk/bike trip frequency. Moreover, variation in small-city centre structure has an important implication for active travel but the effect varies between facility types. • Theoretical premise on the causal mechanism between urban form and travel behaviour in small city context is laid out. • City-scale built environment factors are strong predictors of average accessibility by active modes in small cities. • Attitude towards active modes strongly contributes to the propensity for active travel when alternative modes are available. • Distribution of facilities that optimizes active travel in a small city differs by facility categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the research pathway related to the drafting of a strategic Agri-Food Plan of Rome. The paper highlights the theoretical background and investigates the strategic vision and actions, as well as the role played by the Covid-19 Pandemic by changing priorities. The merging between two strands of study is identified: urban food strategies and sustainability in the debate on post Covid-19 food planning studies and the analysis of local agri-food systems for economic development. This work shows that in the case of urban and metropolitan areas around the Mediterranean, agriculture, the cultural dimension of food, logistics, research and innovation, and tourism marketing can be included within a single planning and policy tool. In the case of Rome, the place-based approach allowed us to consider the specificities of social and spatial contexts with interactions of market drivers with public institutions. This approach may constitute a promising path of research for the future of sustainable planning, particularly in Mediterranean cities. The results have interesting policy implications that should be more explicitly considered in addressing urban agendas, and in particular, the role of food to promote local development by integrating economic, social, and environmental and spatial values at a regional scale. • The sustainability of urban food system is a relevant issue in post Covid-19 Recovery • The agri-food systems of Southern Europe are more specialized and regionalized than those of Northern Europe • Food and agriculture shaping spatial, socioeconomic and environmental dynamics is crucial in Mediterranean cities • The case of Rome suggests that spatial planning and local development in Mediterranean cities play a crucial role in the urban agenda for the ecological transition [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyze at what extent the connectivity of small localities is a determinant of their demography. Specifically, we pay attention to three factors: the evolution of the population; the distance, measured both in kilometres and travel time, to the province capital, the usual city where the largest set of services is available; and finally, the coverage of different kinds of broadband services (from ADSL or 3.5 G to the fastest ones FTTH) in rural areas. An econometric model was estimated where the dependent variable captures the increase of inhabitants along 2017–2020 of the 5955 Spanish municipalities with a population between 101 and 10,000 inhabitants (73.3 % of all municipalities). The results point out to the following facts: digital connectivity of small localities is a determinant of their demography, whatever the technology used, but physical distance remains being a significant factor on the population growth (both if it is measured of physical distance or travelling time) to explain the population growth of each locality. • Digital connectivity of small localities is a determinant of their demography. • Internet connections are a new communication channel to promote/deter depopulation in rural areas. • Internet access is positively correlated with population growth in small/medium populations. • The distance to the provincial capital continues to be a factor that slows down population growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses three uses of modal split indicators, and illustrates how it evolved from a technical, intermediate step in transport analysis, over a measure of transport system efficiency to a symbolic urban sustainable mobility indicator. A framework which includes 11 factors is presented and applied to the different uses of the modal split indicator. Besides the comparison of the three main uses of modal split in research and practice, this contribution focuses on a citizen science project (Straatvinken) in the region of Flanders, Belgium. In this project thousands of citizens carry out traffic counts. While the project was initially set up to monitor modal split targets in the urban area of Antwerp, the emphasis shifted towards street liveability. This is visible in the fact that the citizen science project added a narrative-based liveability survey to capture experiences with and evaluations of the liveability at street level. The case illustrates that citizen science is, besides a tool to address data gaps, also an approach to increase the validity of indicators. The reason is that citizen science, which seems to be underexplored in transport studies, differs in what gets measured, how it is measured and why. This approach has proven to provide a fine-grained, integrated assessment of street-level changes in the composition and intensity of the traffic and their effects on the perceived liveability. We argue that it strengthens and complements traditional modal split measurements at the regional or urban level, which typically rely on the modelling of individual mobility behaviour based on household travel surveys. Traditional approaches allow observing broad trends in mobility choices at the regional level, but they do not provide insights in how those individual choices translate into effects at street level. Although often initiated out of certain sustainability concerns, existing modal split models do not reveal how an observed modal shift at the regional level affects the perceived liveability or sustainability at street level. • A framework is presented to compare different uses of modal split indicators. • Modal split is regularly used as an urban sustainability indicator. • Citizen science deserves more attention in transport research and policy. • The validity of modal split indicators is not clear. • The concept of liveable streets corresponds well with citizen concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving the sustainability of land use (SLU) is of significance in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, limited research has been conducted on the integrating SDGs into land use assessment. This paper constructs a SLU evaluation framework oriented to SDGs to investigate the spatial-temporal characteristics of SLU during 2000–2020 and its driving factors, taking 192 counties in Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration (YRD), China as a case. Results show that the SLU level in YRD demonstrates an overall decrease trend of fluctuations, along with obvious regional differences. The spatial pattern of the SLU level in YRD is high in the northern region and low in the southern region, but this gap is gradually narrowing. The spatial distribution of SLU has positive agglomeration characteristics, manifested as H H and L-L types. Furthermore, SLU depends more on the combination of natural and socioeconomic factors. Industrial structure, fiscal deficit, urbanization level, vegetation coverage and precipitation characteristics can promote the SLU, while the economic development level, government intervention and population density have a negative impact on SLU. • Propose a new evaluation framework for sustainability of land use integrating 2030SDGs. • Reveal the spatio-temporal dynamic of sustainability of land use. • Analyze the spatial agglomeration of sustainability of land use. • Identify the factors that affect the spatio-temporal dynamic over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the paper is to clarify the relationship between sustainability-oriented innovations (SOI) and smart city development based on the systematic review of existing literature in the field. As an outcome of the review process, 159 articles were carefully selected for the in-depth analysis of the inter-linked concepts of smart city and sustainability-oriented innovations. The results show a growing trend of research papers in this field, especially in the last five years. The findings show the significance of a systemic multi-dimensional view of innovations for the smart sustainable development of cities. We have identified four main perspectives through which the scholars discourse the SOI dimensions in the smart city context: technology perspective, organizational perspective, social innovation perspective with citizen engagement, as well as system-level changes with innovation ecosystems. Second, we have recognized various focused themes under each main perspective. The various types of innovations also have impacts on different components of smart cities. Although the technological innovation perspectives dominate, and governance aspects are also paid attention to in recent studies, the increasing amount of research outputs also report on the developments of other components and perspectives, such as new human-centric approaches like citizen engagement. • Growing trend in papers connecting sustainability innovations and smart cities • Four main perspectives of innovation dimensions in smart cities recognized • Technological and governance perspectives dominate in earlier research. • Recent increase in research of human-centric approaches and citizen engagement [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the potential impact of smart urban technologies used in smart city projects on three dimensions of urban sustainability (economic, environmental and social). Although the literature notes that smart urban technologies and their capabilities are potential saviours when it comes to urban and sustainability challenges in cities, there is a lack of studies exploring the impact of smart urban technologies on urban sustainability. Thus, we address this literature gap by conducting structural topic modelling on smart city projects retrieved from the Smart Territory call for projects. In these projects, city managers' report extensively on how smart urban technologies can support urban sustainability. Our results show nine groups of smart urban technologies that will support at least two urban sustainability dimensions. Smart mobility systems can support all three dimensions of urban sustainability. Technology benefits will be realised by smart urban technology capabilities and through the involvement of the city's community in the use of technology. • City managers may adopt smart urban technologies to achieve urban sustainability goals. • The results link different urban sustainability impacts to different smart urban technologies. • This paper provides a list of smart urban technologies that will support at least two urban sustainability dimensions. • Results provide a basis to measure smart urban technologies' impacts through different sustainability indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) is believed to have the potential to bring about extensive change in stormwater management. This includes change in the crucial but still relatively little researched institutional context (prevailing mindset, etc.) shaping practice. This paper contributes to the further understanding of the institutional context surrounding SuDS deployment. Stakeholder knowledge, mindset, and power (both perceived and exercised) are explored, embracing divergences between district types (districts with SuDS and districts without SuDS), stakeholder groups (residents and various professionals), and two European socio-ecological contexts (Austria and Southern France). Results show increasing support for SuDS implementation and ambitious approaches to stormwater management, although the latter in particular rarely has any effect in practice. A sharp dichotomy persists between residents and professionals in terms of knowledge and exercised power. Daily experience with SuDS rarely has any influence on residents' knowledge and mindset, regardless of their demographic, social and geographical characteristics. Stakeholders appear motivated but tend to feel incapable of contributing to change. Information campaigns and the provision of empowerment tools to those individuals who feel motivated, but unaware of their capabilities, need to be developed in order to enable further change. • The knowledge, mindset, and actions of stakeholders as to stormwater are explored. • There is increasing support for Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) implementation. • Daily experience with SuDS has little impact on residents' knowledge and mindset. • Stakeholders appear motivated but tend to feel incapable to contribute to change. • Information campaigns and empowerment tools are needed to enable further change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizen engagement is heralded as essential for food democracy and equality, yet the implementation of inclusive citizen engagement mechanisms in urban food systems governance has lagged behind. This paper aims to further the agenda of citizen engagement in the transformation towards healthy and sustainable urban food systems by offering a conceptual reflection on urban living labs (ULLs) as a methodological platform. Over the past decades, ULLs have become increasingly popular to actively engage citizens in methodological testbeds for innovations within real-world settings. The paper proposes that ULLs as a tool for inclusive citizen engagement can be utilized in two ways: (i) the ULL as the daily life of which citizens are the experts, aimed at uncovering the unreflexive agency of a highly diverse population in co-shaping the food system and (ii) the ULL as a break with daily life aimed at facilitating reflexive agency in (re)shaping food futures. We argue that both ULL approaches have the potential to facilitate inclusive citizen engagement in different ways by strengthening the breadth and the depth of citizen engagement respectively. The paper concludes by proposing a sequential implementation of the two types of ULL, paying attention to spatial configurations and the short-termed nature of ULLs. • Food system transformations require more inclusive citizen engagement. • Urban Living Labs provide a methodological platform to harness citizen agency. • We distinguish two types of living labs: (1) daily life; (2) a break with daily life. • Focus on (1) inclusiveness and unreflexive agency; (2) reflexive future engagement • Combining two types can advance more inclusive urban food system transformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability is a concept characterized by its longevity: it remains, after several decades, a popular concept within public organizations, as well as public discourse more generally. In this paper, we trace various translations of sustainability in urban planning documents of three mid-sized cities in Northwest Europe. Emphasizing the importance of a longitudinal approach to assess the uses and definitions of sustainability, we examine translations of the concept across plans through an analytical framework that considers the hierarchical, sequential and integrative linkages between different urban policy documents to understand how local uses of the concept change or remain similar over time. The examination of change and continuity in the translations of sustainability offers insights into how the different manifestations of the concept are influenced by policies external to the city administrations, as well as by imitations of internal, previous policies. This study adds to previous research on contents of plans in relation to how descriptions of concepts take form in a web of interrelated planning and policy documents over time. This paper does so by showing how sustainability as a concept remains on the agenda by being translated into different times and settings, constantly reused with other ideas, and thereby made continuously relevant. • Sustainability stays relevant through translations in interlinked urban documents. • Sustainability absorbs emerging notions such as density through translation. • A longitudinal analysis suggests sustainability survives per elasticity of meaning. • Analysis of hierarchical, sequential and integrative linkages of documents proposed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influx of people of different sociocultural and ethnic background affects the composition of the city in ways that go beyond the conventional disaggregation by age, sex and income. The paper examines (i) the nature and patterns of residential segregation of ethnic minorities, (ii) the factors and processes underlying the locational choice of ethnic minorities, and (iii) the knowledge or perception on dimensions and effects of ethnic residential segregation on sustainable city development. This paper uses two migrant communities – Aboabo and Asawase – in Kumasi, Ghana's fastest growing city as case studies. The study adopts household surveys, focus group discussions, secondary data and agency interviews to achieve the objectives of the research. Findings of the paper generally show that even in highly dense populated and multi-ethnic neighbourhoods, some levels of clustering are possible for several reasons. The existence of migrant communities has both positive and adverse implications on environmental, social and economic sustainability of the city. There is however no urban planning or management regime in place to harness the potentials of such neighbourhoods for sustainable city development. • Diverse ethnic groups in the city exhibit distinct spatial clustering patterns. • There are levels of clustering even in highly dense populated and multi-ethnic neighbourhoods. • Neighbourhoods of ethnic minorities impact on the sustainability of cities. • Integrating local perceptions of ethnic minorities into urban planning support sustainable development efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable urban logistics is imperative to meet urban sustainability goals. In the European context, the European Union (EU) set an ambitious target in 2011 of essentially CO 2 -free urban logistics by 2030. However, it is unclear how effectively such EU targets for urban logistics have shaped national- and urban-level policymaking. This paper investigates whether there is evidence of localization of these supranational goals for urban logistics at the national and local levels. Drawing on the 'steering effects' framework, we seek such effects across four dimensions—institutional, discursive, relational and resources. Empirically, we conduct a thematic analysis of transport-related documents across three governance levels—the EU, the national level of Norway and the local level comprising four Norwegian cities. Our findings show that the EU's urban logistics goals are reflected in changing policy behaviour at the national and local levels over time. Yet this is more evident in some areas than in others: the discursive effect is most evident at both the national and local levels, whereas the institutional effects at both these levels remain fragmented and weak. Therefore, the EU's goalsetting does matter, but we have yet to see strong effects beyond the discursive. • Sustainable urban logistics is embedded within a multi-level governance. • Thematic Analysis adapted to unpack the effects of EU's goals across time. • Localization seen in target setting, multi-stakeholder approach, and climate budgets • Discursive effects of EU goals strongly observed while other effects are weak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of technology on tourist cities and destinations has led to the emergence of renewed management approaches that seek to adapt the planning processes to new challenges and opportunities derived from the smart scenario. The smart city and smart tourist destination approaches are aimed at improving efficiency in management, the quality of life of the residents and the tourist experiences. However, little is known about how these ideas are being translated into real policies and whether they are having a real impact. The objective of this paper is to understand how the smart approach is being deployed in the planning processes of Spanish tourist cities and destinations, and its implications in terms of the governance, sustainability and data-driven public management. The planning instruments that guide the smart strategies of different Spanish cities are identified and analysed. This is complemented with a questionnaire administered among managers of the smart city and smart destination initiatives. The findings reveal the diversity of smart initiatives, their benefits and limitations. The results contribute to generating a necessary debate on the implications of the smart discourse for urban and tourism planning and enrich the international debate around this approach. • Contrasts the theoretical and international smart discourse with practical application in Spanish cities • Critically analyses smart city and smart destination plans, identifying categories • Surveys smart city and destination managers to unveil their perception of impacts • Contributes to overcome the insufficient consideration of tourism within the analysis and development of smart cities • Identifies implications for global urban and tourism planning of the uneven development of the smart approach [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart cities are expected to address global challenges and increase the quality of life. However, due to the overemphasis on physical and technological aspects, social rights and democratic values have often been neglected in smart city projects. In this paper, we introduce the concept of 'societal smart city' and discuss how and why it should be prioritized in the post-pandemic era. We argue that a societal smart city is a city that integrates social rights and democratic values with technological innovations. Six major dimensions of a societal smart city are: social sustainability, citizen-centeredness, e-democracy, social justice, participatory governance, and cultural resilience. We encourage urban planners and policymakers to pay attention to these dimensions and caution against physical and technological determinism. • This study aims to introduce the concept of the societal smart city. • Social rights and democratic values have often been neglected in smart cities. • A societal smart city is a city that integrates social rights and democratic values with technological innovations. • We argue that societal smart city should be prioritized in the post-pandemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protecting water tower cities benefits human life, global ecosystems, and the development of agriculture and industry. Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, a typical water tower city, is an important water conservation area on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This paper outlines the history of Hainan and demonstrates how different policies influence the development of its environment, economy, and society. To date, Hainan has made full use of climate and natural resources and cultural advantages to establish a model of sustainability in which economic, social, and cultural development dimensions have interactive relationships. The Hainan model can be described as a development path, which can be generalized to a universal version, the water tower cities model, that can be applied to other water tower cities, including "pan-third pole" areas worldwide. The model encourages water tower cities to deeply tap into the unique advantages of urban geographical and cultural development as the driving force of urban economic, social and environmental dimensions. Thus, high altitude, river resources, and other unique characteristics have mutual effects, which will underpin the movement of the water tower city toward more sustainable development. • Hainan Prefecture, water source of high-altitude mountains, is a water tower city. • How Hainan Prefecture achieves sustainable development is examined. • Transforming urban characteristics to endogenous power can enhance sustainability. • Urban sustainability relies on mutual supports from various industries. • An urban sustainability model for water tower cities is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temporary use of vacant spaces has become integrated into formal urban development practices. This paper seeks to explore the catalytic power of temporary urbanism for sustainable urban development by focusing on the tension between temporary and permanent and the dynamics through which temporary urbanism becomes catalytic. The case study focuses on a six-year experimental period of the Hiedanranta brownfield until the city started to build the area for a new residential district in Tampere, Finland. Rich details of temporary urbanism were achieved through interviews with 27 city developers and experimental participants. The analysis revealed three tracks of catalytic mechanisms of temporary urbanism emerging from the persistent tension between temporary and permanent. By demonstrating the origins of catalytic power, this research contributes to academic and practical interests to find productive relationships between temporary urbanism, planning and sustainability governance in cities. • Addresses the catalytic power of temporary urbanism through binary thinking • Outlines the multidimensional dynamics of temporary urbanism • Challenges the dominance of permanent over temporary and highlights the need for dynamic tensions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present an overarching theoretical perspective on the paradox of inequalities and the paradigm shift in mobilities by reflecting on the challenges and opportunities in urban areas faced by the COVID-19 measures. The question of blurring boundaries between the human and the technological aspects and the ways in which they alter the form of communication and action is tackled reflecting on the digital divide and socio-spatial inequalities. In order to connect theory and practice, implications from different cases are provided for shedding light on the expected impacts and scenarios for the changing patterns of mobility and accessibility. The results indicate hybridization of the on-site and online forms of mobilities, as well as new approaches to make culture and leisure more inclusive and accessible. Promoting local integration, emerging forms of local tourism such as staycations, using digital tools to foster co-creation, co-curation, and audience engagement, developing new models of business and consumption reflect the changing patterns of mobility and accessibility. There are avenues for further research that revolve around the questions of inequalities, over-consumption, sociality and sustainability. • COVID-19 accelerated the plans for eco-friendly and sustainable transportation. • More leisure activities have been provided for the local urban communities. • Cultural tourism (im)mobility is mainly promoted by virtual tours. • Digitalization had a major impact on accessing content and learning opportunities. • The lack of equipment and/or knowledge prevent access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities worldwide have declared aspirations to become "10, 15, or 20-minute cities." This goal is often part of a strategy to reduce emissions and achieve sustainable and healthy urban design by encouraging walking and cycling. The 10, 15, or 20-minute city or neighbourhood — which, for generality, we refer to as the x-minute city — is a type of design aimed at reducing car dependence by enabling urban residents to walk or cycle to essential amenities within x minutes from their home. Due to the benefits which include sustainability, health, and social cohesion, the concept has been promoted by the international C40 Cities as part of their post-pandemic Green and Just Recovery Agenda. However, missing from the current rhetoric around these "cities of proximity" is clear guidance on evaluating progress towards this goal. In this paper, we contrast measurement approaches and discuss important considerations for planners adopting the x -minute city goal. To do this, we measure the proximity of the 500 largest cities in the USA and 43 urban areas of New Zealand. We also present an interactive tool to visualise and explore proximity within the urban areas. • Compare approaches to measure the 10, 15, 20-minute (aka. x-minute) city • Critical examination of the concept of an x-minute city • Assess 543 urban areas across the USA and New Zealand • Present an interactive visualisation of the x-minute city in NZ urban areas • Instead of setting arbitrary targets, seek to minimise X by improving accessibility [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic researchers and international organisations have highlighted the need for a more extensive analysis of public finance in small and medium-sized local governments, in view of the high levels of borrowing observed, often aggravated by rural depopulation. The purpose of this paper is to identify financial risks by population size of local governments, to design sustainability policies for public services in small and medium municipalities. We consider the situation of 6456 Spanish municipalities during the period 2009–2018 and find that certain demographic and socioeconomic factors influence the probability of loan default, in municipalities of all sizes. In smaller ones, the variables with most impact in this respect are socioeconomic, while among the demographic variables, female immigration and generational turnover are the most significant. In larger municipalities, the influence is more balanced between demographic and socioeconomic variables. Our results concludes that policies to reduce unemployment and the rate of generational turnover, as means of enhancing the financial viability of public services, should differ between small and large municipalities, especially as concerns employment promotion in the construction sector for persons aged 25–44 years. These employment promotion policies should pay special attention to female immigration, which is a risk factor for municipal default. • Policies that mitigate the default risk in local governments depend on population size. • We findings reveal valuable new information for the design of policies aimed to combat depopulation. • Socioeconomic variables have a greater influence on the default risk in municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants. • In the municipalities with a population of 20,000 to 50,000 inhabitants, the most influential variables are demographic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban resilience is an emergent concept that is receiving an increasing attention. Its definition is linked with the ability of an urban system to resist, maintain continuity and recover through all stresses while adapting and transforming towards sustainability. The aim of this study is two-fold. First, we analyse the research output on urban resilience using bibliometric techniques and Web of Science (WoS) in order to define the scope and identify topics in the urban resilience literature. CiteSpace software is used to establish the intellectual framework. Second, their contribution to sustainability dimensions and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) based on the research output is explored. For that purpose, we examined 1014 publications during the period 1998–2020. The findings reveal urban resilience literature has grown since the 2009.A specialization in recent years from more theoretical research to a more practical is identified. In terms of contribution towards sustainability, the findings show the number of publications that directly address sustainability is scarce and more balanced to environmental and social perspectives. These findings can provide a better understanding of the patterns and trends in the field and provides first evidence of the contribution of academic research on urban resilience to sustainability. • Urban resilience output concentration in a few journals denotes that it is emerging as a discipline • The research illustrates a specialization in recent years from more theoretical research to a more practical. • The number of papers that address sustainability is scarce and more balanced to environmental and social perspectives. • Urban resilience research should increasingly focus on exploring the relationship between resilience and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use and development has a pivotal role in building sustainable future societies. Municipalities contribute to this effort by applying a set of land policy instruments to advance their selected policy objectives. The way in which a municipality chooses to activate these instruments is called a land policy strategy. The literature recognizes the diversity of land policy strategies within a single-country context, but as yet there has been no systematic and comprehensive examination of land policy practices to find out to what extent and how the municipalities' approaches to land policy differ from each other. To address this gap, this study examines the diversity of land policy strategies in Finnish municipalities by constructing an empirically grounded typology of municipalities' current strategies. Drawing on an extensive set of data on land policy practices in the 30 most populated Finnish municipalities, we identify five strategy types: land banking based active land policy, growth-oriented active land policy, regional vitality driven land policy, housing policy-oriented land policy and private development focused land policy. The strategy types are characterized by differences along six dimensions, namely land policy objectives, public land acquisition, public-private cooperation, public land allocations, economic incentives, and information steering and facilitation. The typology contributes to a deeper understanding of the variation and commonality in land policy strategies of local government authorities. Our findings support the view that current definitions of land policy strategies are too vague and ambiguous to portray the differences in strategies when the analytical focus is on municipality-level strategies. • The paper examines municipal land policy strategies within a single-country context. • A method is presented to capture the variation and commonality in land policy practices at local government level. • A five-category typology is constructed to summarize current municipal land policy strategies in Finland. • The typology developed shows how municipalities apply divergent land policy strategies within the same country context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable housing development is essential for achieving the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. However, amid increasing housing deficits, investing in sustainable housing is widely perceived as a risky venture among policymakers and potential developers. This study explores the risk factors that hinder sustainable housing in developing economies using Ghana as a case study. Through a comprehensive literature review, a list of 30 risk factors was established and categorized into five thematic groups. These factors and groups were used to conduct a questionnaire survey among professionals in the Ghanaian housing market to assess progress on achieving sustainable development goals in housing and the risk factors that affect these. Fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE) analysis conducted on risk factors revealed that 'financing-related' is the most critical risk category followed by 'procurement-related', 'design and construction', 'operation and maintenance' and 'political-related' risk factors. By prioritizing the risk categories, the findings apprise policymakers and practitioners of the risk factors that require more attention to achieve sustainable housing development. Additionally, the study stipulates measures for mitigating critical risks and for promoting efficient eminent domain on land, energy efficient retrofitting, transparent procurement, effective contractual strategies and efficient co-production and co-designing for sustainable housing development. • This paper employs an objective and bias-free fuzzy set technique for assessing risk factors for sustainable housing. • 'Financing-related risk category' has the highest magnitude of impact on sustainable housing. • The overall magnitude of risk impact on sustainable housing is moderately high. • The estimated impact of each risk category is essential for efficient resource allocation. • From the results, strategies are suggested for sustainable housing especially in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inequality in metropolitan areas is at least partly framed by a paradoxical triangle of competing constituency motives over resources allocation. Chief among these motives is the penchant for urban economic development, leaving ecological sustainability and socioeconomic equity as "subordinate" considerations. For global cities in particular, understanding inequality in such a context highlights the extraordinary intensity of economic development motives in sustaining their worldwide centrality, connectivity and command over the forces of globalization. As a comparative empirical study of 53 large U.S. metropolitan areas, this paper examines economic development within a global city that plausibly explains its propensity for heightened income inequality. It applies an empirical-based path analysis in tracing essential workings of the paradoxical triangle in a global city's ongoing struggle to maintain global eminence. As an exploratory inquiry, it examines heightened income inequality as a function of (a) the global city's assemblage of strategic "cornerstone" resources to sustain global advantage, and (b) the concomitant polarizing effect of such assemblage on metropolitan employment structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities, as entities, are inevitably exposed to a range of the internal and external factors that shape their urban development and planning. As complex adaptive systems, cities possess different capabilities and opportunities for the re-configuration, transformation and learning from these disturbances. This city profile explores these processes using Darwin, the Northern Territory's capital and Australia's eighth-largest city as an example. The city profile is situated within Urban Resilience Theory. It unpacks the nuanced way geographic factors and spatial isolation; natural disasters, World War 2 bombing, border security threats, natural resource extraction, and tourism have shaped Darwin's urban development. Understanding these nuances and their spatiotemporal dynamics coalesces into the identified system susceptibilities and opportunities for an adaptive and sustainable development presented in this paper. The city's unique urban governance, successive reconstruction, socio-spatial dynamics, history, and challenges make it an excellent case study of city growth dynamics and resilience within the Asian-Pacific region. The profile highlights Darwin's regional planning and the (historic) production of urban space, along with climate change risks and adaptation, increasingly inaccessible housing and unaffordability, economic growth challenges and demographic dynamics. • Population growth was associated with capital projects, resource extraction booms, and military presence in Darwin. • Complex political, socio-economic, and disruptive forces shaped population growth, urban planning, and development. • Darwin has one of the most expensive rental housing markets among Australian capital cities. • Current spatial growth and development furthered automobile-dependent mobility among households. • Project-based development approaches proved to be inadequate to deliver sustainable and resilient urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that on-site upgrading is the "state-of-the-art" policy for squatter settlements and given that Favela Bairro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is one of the most celebrated of these upgrading programs, this article addresses these three questions: how well did the infrastructure improvements hold up a decade after they were completed?; What happened during those ten years that reversed some of the positive impacts found in an evaluation study right after the upgrading was completed?; and, What can we learn from that?. Specifically, this paper assesses the state of the infrastructure of the 88 informal neighborhoods (favelas) improved by the Favela-Bairro-II (FB2) program between 2000 and 2008. The assessment found that, after a decade, the condition of the infrastructure in the upgraded favelas was no better than the infrastructure in the non-upgraded favelas. Climate change and lack of social cohesion undermined the sustainability of the upgrading. The improvements which deteriorated the most were street pavement, street lighting, drainage, and sewerage systems. Greatest deterioration occurred in larger favelas, those located on steep slopes and those with higher levels of violence and crime. No correlation was found between population density and deterioration of infrastructure. • Our article is based on field inspections and focus groups of more than eighty upgraded informal neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro. • Rio de Janeiro neighborhood upgraded program is one of the most ambitious, long standing, slums upgrading programs in the world. • Our findings highlight the increasing relevance of community engagement and environmental impacts on the sustainability of urban upgrades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sharing economy finds a fertile breeding ground in cities for extremely different initiatives. This paper moves from the emerging literature on sharing cities, draws on the sharing city paradigm and urban policy literature, and analyzes the roles municipalities exert in supporting and regulating urban sharing initiatives. To address this topic, we developed a mixed-method analysis to map 134 practices and policies deployed in 75 worldwide cities and tested the impact of municipalities governance roles on the sharing city paradigm. Building on our results, we propose an integrated framework for urban governance, that underlines the relevance of the active participation of municipalities in implementing and executing successful sharing initiatives in cities, thus also promoting urban sustainability. Accordingly, findings are relevant for academics studying the sharing economy impacts on cities and for urban policy makers who have the sharing economy on their agenda. [Display omitted] • The variety of sharing initiatives in cities and the municipalities' roles in governing them are explored. • A quali-quantitative analysis is developed to test the impact of municipalities governance roles on the sharing city paradigm. • An integrated framework for urban governance is proposed. • Implications for theory and urban policymakers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies on socio-technical transition have elaborated the multi-level perspective through a power-sensitive view of agency and a symmetrical approach to niche-regime relations. This paper adopts this modified framework of the multi-level perspective to unpack the mechanisms of urban sustainability transition in China. It develops two arguments through a case study of the role of the local government in solar development in Wuxi city. First, the evolving alignments between niche, regime and landscape processes of the socio-technical systems of Chinese cities are mediated by conflicts between local governments and their upper-level counterparts as they share power over urban development. Second, instead of being identified as either regime supporters or niche advocates, Chinese local governments are best described as embodying both roles in urban sustainability transition as they struggle to balance their economic and environmental objectives. These two arguments point to a need to examine sustainability transition in Chinese cities with attention to the leadership of the local government in aligning the actions of various actors in and beyond the city who can stabilise and disrupt existing socio-technical configurations. • Urban sustainability transition is shaped by multiple levels of government. • Local governments can be simultaneously regime supporters and niche advocates. • Wuxi's solar niche benefits from local state-led formation of key resources. • High-density development for real estate profits may hinder urban solar transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study critically examines sustainable development (SD) within the contemporary practices of city branding, a prominent business philosophy that underpins market-led development strategies of urban areas. In pursuing uniqueness, different cities often seem to hint at the very same themes of differentiation, and this reflects the tendency to embrace pre-given sets of place-development discourses. This work casts a critical perspective on SD as one of the global passe-partout themes that has become particularly prominent in contemporary city-brand management practices. In particular, the theory-practice gap in city branding for SD is emphasized and interpreted through the lens of glocalization theories. This viewpoint identifies responsibilized boundary spanners as agents located between the global and local levels that act as mediators in multi-stakeholder networks, ultimately fostering capacities to implement collective actions in city-branding practices. • The paper bridges the concepts of responsibilization and boundary spanners. • Boundary spanners can become responsibilizators of multi-stakeholder networks. • Responsibilized boundary spanners are essential mediators of global-local relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]