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Food security has been an essential priority for decades due to its direct impact on human development. Despite significant advances in meeting basic food needs, food security remains a global challenge. In Mexico, the sustainable traditional polyculture system known as milpa allows synergy among three or more food sources, increasing the economic income for peasants. We integrated the controlled production of huitlacoche (Ustilago maydis + Zea mays) galls, traditional food consumed since pre-Hispanic times, in a milpa from Las Ánimas community, Tecoanapa Municipality, Guerrero, Mexico, in order to improve food diversity, productivity, income, and food security. Two contiguous plots were evaluated: the traditional milpa system (TMS) and the milpa integrating controlled production of huitlacoche galls (TMS + Huitlacoche). Different variables were assessed including weight and size of maize ears and huitlacoche galls; degree of huitlacoche infection; production and income of maize (Zea mays), beans (Phaseolus spp.), squash (Cucurbita spp.), and huitlacoche; and sustainability indicators, maize grain sales, type of maize seed, huitlacoche sales, beans sales, and squash sales during the dry season. The integration of the controlled production of huitlacoche improved productivity and net incomes from the traditional milpa. The traditional milpa system (TMS) had an income of USD $111.00 from maize grains, while the milpa integrating controlled production of huitlacoche galls (TMS + Huitlacoche) had an income of USD $409.00 from galls. This is reflected in the cost/benefit ratio, in which milpa integrating controlled production of huitlacoche galls (TMS + Huitlacoche) was 1.48, while the traditional milpa system (TMS) was not profitable (0.91). Sustainability indicators show that the controlled production of huitlacoche galls contribute to food diversity, productivity, and income in the traditional milpa system, based on the association of maize, beans, squash, and huitlacoche, showing potential for improving food security in rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the relationship between urban fabrics and sustainability is essential for addressing contemporary urban challenges, as urban fabrics provide critical morphological and socio-economic data that enhance our understanding of the performance and spatial variability of urban systems. This study focuses on Cuenca, spatially divided into a 150 m radius hexagonal grid with 30 sustainability indicators and 18 urban fabric typologies. Using spatial, statistical, and visual analysis, relationships and patterns between sustainability indicators and urban fabric types are explored. The results reveal significant variation in sustainability across different fabric types, with built environment indicators playing a central role. There is marked spatial heterogeneity: inner-core areas exhibit higher sustainability, fringe areas lag behind, and transitional zones are also identified. Spatial clustering reveals that fabric types are homogeneous in terms of sustainability at both the high and low extremes but heterogeneous in mid-range sustainability areas. This quantitative analysis of Cuenca's urban fabric typologies highlights substantial differences in sustainability and distinct spatial patterns, offering valuable insights for evidence-based urban planning. The open-source data and tools provided facilitate customisation and replication in other urban contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As sustainability rises in significance in the construction industry, there is a need to adopt new project management techniques to help achieve increases in sustainability objectives. There have been several research works that have investigated the integration of sustainability in construction. However, there is a gap in addressing performance measurement and evaluation during the construction phase. Traditional project performance evaluation methods use the Earned Value Management (EVM) technique to assess time, cost, and scope performance. However, EVM does not address the performance of sustainability goals. The main objective of this paper is to develop a new project controls method for sustainable construction projects. Sustainability performance indicators can play an essential role in advancing the practice of sustainable construction. Accordingly, a Sustainable Earned Value Management (SEVM) model incorporating sustainability indicators was developed to monitor the attainment of sustainability objectives in construction projects in addition to the traditional objectives. The proposed SEVM model uses the construction planning optimization model to prepare the baseline plan to monitor the project's time, cost, and sustainability performance. The proposed model enhances the monitoring and control of sustainable construction projects in terms of time, cost, and sustainability using sustainability indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decentralization of production processes organized in global supply chains has made it possible to connect the different levels through industrial digitalization, an evolution derived from the Fourth Industrial Revolution which incorporates enabling technologies. This context raises the need to analyze sectors that, due to the complexity of their projects, require more efficient supply chain management. Two clear examples of these sectors are aerospace and shipbuilding, which demand greater efficiency and sustainability in their operations. The main objective of this study is to compare these two sectors to evaluate the degree of sustainability of their supply chains and how Industry 4.0 technologies have contributed to achieving these goals. To perform this, the Delphi method will be used, a tool that collects information through expert opinions, which will provide key indicators for the comparison. The use of this method will facilitate the identification of convergences and divergences in the management of sustainability in both sectors. Through this analysis, the expected results will reflect the specific needs of each industry in terms of productivity and sustainability. Thus, the study will offer a comprehensive view of how the aerospace and shipbuilding sectors can move toward more sustainable and efficient production models, integrating Industry 4.0 concepts and improving the management of their global supply chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization is defining global change, and megacities are fast becoming a hallmark of the Anthropocene. Humanity's pursuit toward sustainability is reliant on the successful management of these massive urban centers and their progression into sustainable and resilient settlements. Indicators and indices are applied assessment and surveillance tools used to measure, monitor, and gauge the sustainable development and urban resilience of megacities. Unknown is how indicator-based evaluations of sustainable development and urban resilience of the world's largest 43 cities compare. In response, this review paper used the PRISMA reporting protocol, governed by 33 established and 10 emerging megacities, to compare and contrast evaluations of sustainable development and urban resilience. Results reveal that applied assessments of sustainable development of megacities appeared earlier in time and were more abundant than those of urban resilience. Geographically, China dominated other nations in affiliations to scientific research for both sustainable development and urban resilience of megacities. Among the 100 most recurrent terms, three distinct key term clusters formed for sustainable development; seven budding key term clusters formed for urban resilience suggesting breadth in contrast to sustainable development depth. The most cited assessments of sustainable development emphasize topics of energy, methodological approaches, and statistical modeling. The most cited assessments of urban resilience emphasize topics of flooding, transit networks, and disaster risk resilience. Megacities research is dominated by few countries, suggesting a need for inclusion and international partnerships. Lastly, as the world's people become increasingly urbanized, sustainable development and urban resilience of megacities will serve as a key barometer for humanity's progress toward sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many existing economic indicators focus on economic growth and overlook environmental and social impacts. This article presents the Sustainable Economy Index, an index created to assess the sustainability of economic systems by considering economic, environmental, and social aspects. The SEI incorporates indicators that highlight how these three pillars of sustainability interact to address this problem. By linking theory with application, the SEI aims to help plan and promote specific actions for sustainability at different levels. The process consists of five stages, starting with interviews to identify indicators, followed by data collection, standardization, and the development of a composite index. This index is then used to assess Qatar's progress towards a Sustainable Economy and compare it with a set of comparator countries. Using Qatar as a benchmark, this research uses the Sustainable Economy Index to assess and contrast its sustainability performance with a set of comparative countries. The findings highlight Qatar's strengths and weaknesses. The application of the Sustainable Economy Index underlines its ability to effectively inform, and guide formulated sustainable development strategies. The results emphasize the need for persistent improvement of environmental and mental sustainability indicators to encompass evolving international circumstances and facilitate policy modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the three dimensions model of sustainability, different studies that address the integration of the culture and sustainability concepts from a theoretical field propose that culture should be included as another sustainability dimension to a greater degree. This approach has not been put into practice to date. In fact, when sustainability application is examined in cultural activities such as museums and exhibitions, in most cases it is associated with only one dimension and evaluation methodologies based on a holistic approach; the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) is used in very few cases. In this work, a methodological framework is proposed to add the cultural dimension to the study of the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability. A sequence of phases in line with the LCSA methodology is used to achieve the simultaneous evaluation of impacts associated with a sustainability approach based on four dimensions. A thorough literature review revealed cultural indicators, which were classified and organized in order to facilitate the cultural impact assessment and complement the indicators already used to evaluate other dimensions. Additionally, the approaches and methods proposed are put into practice in a case study, which consists of an experimental exhibition room. The different phases of the methodology have been successively developed, and indicators for all sustainability dimensions have been obtained. Thus, the theoretical contribution of this work is embellished with the development of a practical case, which demonstrate that cultural dimensions can be evaluated together with the rest of the dimensions in order to obtain a multidimensional assessment of sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities are becoming more closely associated with communities, with many embracing a third mission as part of their recognized mission of sustainable development. Since holistic indicators are essential to measuring the post-intervention social impact of university–community engagement programs toward sustainable development, this study developed and validated a comprehensive set of sustainability indicators that would help universities conduct a meaningful measurement of social impact. Using a structured questionnaire, data were collected from 310 professionals and stakeholders in the Khanab Nak community in the Pak Phanang River Basin, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand. The collected data were analyzed using a five-stage process, including data reliability and validity, descriptive statistics, differences in group opinions, principal component analysis, model testing, and confirmatory factor analysis for fit statistics. As a result, 15 indicators were identified after synthesizing the common indicators from the sustainable development goals. The indicators were divided into three groups using exploratory factor analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis supported these findings with model fit indices, construct validity, and high reliability, as demonstrated below, i.e., social challenges, economic growth, and sustainable living. The practical implementation of the study's findings could broaden the perspective of universities on promoting sustainable development goals and incorporating them into strategic plans to build capacity for scaling up engagement activities for community development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dairy sector faces increasing pressure to adopt sustainable practices. Various tools have been developed to evaluate sustainability of the dairy supply chain. This paper provides an overview of these tools, highlighting their strengths and limitations regarding sustainability dimensions, indicators, and system boundaries. A systematic literature search identified 27 tools that were then categorized into a typology based on dimensions of sustainability, geographical applicability, and accessibility. In-depth analysis was conducted on six tools: Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture (SAFA), Sustainability Monitoring and Assessment RouTine (SMART), Response-Inducing Sustainability Evaluation (RISE) 3.0 version, Swiss Agricultural Life Cycle Assessment (SALCAsustain), MOnitoring Tool for Integrated Farm Sustainability (MOTIFS), and Technology Impact and Policy Impact CALculations (TIPICAL). Assessment focused on the relevance of covered sustainability dimensions to the dairy sector, level of supply chain coverage, type of indicators, accessibility, and practicability. The review identified tools which integrate multiple sustainability aspects in a comprehensive way (SAFA and SMART) and tools offering accurate quantification of the impact on sustainability dimensions of the production system (SALCAsustain, RISE, MOTIFS, TIPICAL). Only two tools extend assessment past the farm gate (SAFA, SMART). Future users should select tools based on the specific objectives of measuring sustainability in dairy systems. This review contributes to the literature by addressing various aspects of sustainability assessment tools, by addressing the need for an integrated and comprehensive view, and by considering the entire dairy supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many communities are working to enhance the sustainability of their physical, economic, and social systems. While economic and physical systems are routinely measured (e.g., money and energy), psychological and behavioral elements of social systems (norms, attitudes, and individual behavior) are seldom tracked. The objective of this research was to evaluate a potentially scalable approach to measure the impact of sustainability initiatives on these variables in a community engaged in holistic sustainability programming. Online survey data were collected in 2012 (N = 155) and 2016 (N = 137), measuring pro-environmental thought and behavior in two towns in Ohio: Oberlin, a community engaged in holistic efforts to enhance environmental sustainability; and a similar community (Berea) used as a control. Survey links were distributed via recruitment letters mailed to randomly selected community residents from a purchased mailing list. We used two (town) by two (time) between subjects' ANOVAs to evaluate whether Oberlin saw predicted increases in sustainable thought and behavior from 2012 to 2016, compared to the control community. Despite verifiable participation in and awareness of sustainability programs in Oberlin, our survey results did not provide strong evidence that programs resulted in the desired changes in attitudes, norms, and individual behaviors. Recycling attitudes and LED bulb installation were two exceptions. We conclude that assessing the psychological and behavioral dimensions of sustainability poses particular challenges. We encountered ceiling effects and inadequate statistical power. Possibly, norms and attitudes are not easily influenced even by a holistic community-wide effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While recent researchers have focused on optimizing the operational conditions of low-carbon wastewater treatment processes, they have not sufficiently evaluated the sustainability of such systems. This study is the first to assess the performance of a low-carbon wastewater treatment facility using an integration of techno-economic and life cycle assessment (LCA) criteria accompanied by several sustainability indicators. A downflow hanging sponge (DHS) reactor was operated at a hydraulic retention time of 3.4 h, an organic loading rate of 3.8 kg COD/m3 sponge/d, and 24–35 °C (scenario_1). Another two DHSs were operated in parallel, i.e., a 50% influent bypass (scenario_2) and 260 mg/L charcoal addition (scenario_3), providing carbonaceous matter to maintain the nitrification/denitrification pathway. Employing the DHS's scenario_3 could fulfill most of the SDGs regarding the environmental (e.g., COD and nitrogen removals) and socio-economic (e.g., reliability, labor, and health and safety) targets. The LCA tool also confirmed the superior environmental benefits of scenario_3, concerning effluent quality, GHG emissions, and sludge generation. The synergistic interaction of LCA and SDGs approaches ranked the proposed DHS modifications as scenario_3 > scenario_1 > scenario_2. Hence, the current study provided an innovative strategy that could be employed to assess the sustainability of wastewater treatment systems worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absence of globally accepted indicators for measuring progress towards a Sustainable Economy (SE) presents a significant challenge in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a timely and comprehensive manner. Despite decades of attempts to develop alternative metrics and indicators for SE and Sustainable Development (SD), progress has been incremental and incomplete. This paper aims to comparatively assess the existing metrics for measuring progress towards SE based on their completeness and utility in various SE dimensions, attributes and characteristics. It aims to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each identified metric and provide a detailed analysis of existing sustainability indices through a comprehensive literature review and analysis.. The importance and originality of our approach come from comparative analysis, mapping promising and relevant metrics identified through an extensive literature review against identified sustainability features. This paper employs the Sustainable Development Goals Index (SDGI) and the Green Growth Index (GGI) and applies them to Qatar and few selected countries. Qatar is showing noteworthy progress in both indices, albeit at varying rates, but it has more room for progress by learning from other countries. This study acknowledges its limitations, including data availability for a limited period and its application to only a selected set of countries. Finally, it recommends future research to broaden the scope of analysis over an extended timeframe and to a larger group of countries, enhancing the applicability and depth of the indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture and livestock farming significantly contribute to the success of all United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030 and are pivotal in the sustainability transition of the European agri-food sector. However, those sectors have been criticized for generating negative environmental externalities. In this context, adopting indicators able to evaluate agriculture and sheep farming sustainability is essential for fostering sustainable development in the primary sector and defining appropriate policies to support it. Such indicators are crucial for understanding if European Union policies striving to realize win–win opportunities based on synergy between farms' environmental and economic dimensions are realistic. This paper focuses on this wave of interest and has two aims. First, it intends to investigate the existence of synergies or trade-offs between those dimensions using a trade-off analysis. To this end, a significant set of economic and environmental farm indicators was selected, and two composite indicators were created. Second, it aims to investigate the relationship between those two indicators and some pivotal structural and socio-demographic variables. This study was carried out on 219 Sardinian sheep farms included in the Italian Farm Accountancy Data Network. The findings showed a low synergy between the economic and environmental spheres, a relationship between economic indicators and farmers' ages and organic production variables, and no relationships between the environmental dimension and the analyzed variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, roads and transportation have been critical and essential factors in the development and prosperity of cities and societies. The well-being of cities and their expansion were measured by the road networks that linked them to the rest of the world, especially the land roads, which were the biggest challenges for communities. With time, the transportation sector has become an integral part of human life. However, this contribution to the development of cities has come to collide with the challenges arising from the means of transportation, which include large-scale environmental, economic, and social impacts on the communities benefiting from them. Therefore, it has become necessary to make transportation, especially public transportation, sustainable to address environmental challenges such as climate change. To achieve this, more than two thousand research papers published between 2002 and 2022 and retrieved from scientific databases using specific and connected keywords were preliminarily investigated based on the year and number of citations. It was necessary to identify the important sustainability indicators for each sector and study them closely in a detailed manner. We concluded that the sustainability of public transportation is directly affected by environmental, economic, technical, and social factors which can be expressed as follows: 1—emissions, pollution, and the consumption of energy resources as environmental indicators related to sustainability; 2—travel time, cost, travel distance, and operation cost as economic indicators; 3—social demographics, accessibility, and travel behaviours and time as social indicators; and 4—traffic flow, speed, and availability of infrastructures as technical indicators that affect transport sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to verify the sustainability indicators that constitute a model for measuring healthy and sustainable cities and their perception of the sustainable development goals of the United Nations. To achieve this, a systematic literature review was conducted to identify sustainability indicators in healthy sustainable cities and, subsequently, included in a questionnaire. A questionnaire was administered in the city of Florianópolis, and subsequently, the results were analyzed through descriptive statistics. The relationship between these indicators and the United Nations' sustainable development goals was analyzed. A major contribution of this article lies in the methodology used for generating the model comprising indicators derived from the literature and validated through field research involving the local population. A contribution lies in the theoretical contribution involving the construction of a comprehensive framework of relevant articles on the topic of healthy sustainable cities. From a practical standpoint, this research generates actionable knowledge for municipal administrations, thus aiding in the promotion of sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of sustainability in infrastructure projects continues to face challenges in its implementation and attainment in developing countries, one of which is the lack of appraisal tools and indicators for the assessment of sustainability. Studies indicate that there are no formal indicators for sustainability assessment on road infrastructure projects in Tanzania, the lack of which limits the determination of whether projects implemented are sustainable or not. Therefore, this study aimed at determining the key sustainability assessment indicators used for road infrastructure projects in Tanzania. A concurrent mixed research approach was adopted in which the sample was purposively selected. A content analysis and descriptive statistics using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 20.0) were used to analyze qualitative and quantitative data, respectively. The findings indicate that 24 indicators are applicable to Tanzania. Among the highly ranked include "health and safety training to workers", "health and safety personnel in the project team", "site barriers and safety warning signs", "personal protective equipment (PPE) provision", and "waste collection". The qualitative results further support the identified sustainability assessment indicators on road infrastructure projects in Tanzania, with one new indicator of "air quality" emerging. The findings inform the government and other relevant stakeholders in the construction industry including planners, designers, and project managers of the key sustainability assessment indicators for roads, which would influence regulation as well as policies to improve the sustainability performance of road projects in Tanzania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of sustainability, with a focus on energy, has emerged as a central tenet in addressing the mounting global challenges of environmental degradation and resource depletion. Indicators of sustainability focusing on energy are crucial tools used to assess and monitor progress toward achieving a more sustainable energy system. These indicators provide valuable insights into the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of energy practices and their long-term impacts. By analyzing and understanding these indicators, policymakers, businesses, and communities can make informed decisions, formulate effective policies, and steer their efforts toward a more sustainable energy future. These indicators serve as navigational guides, steering the world toward energy practices that support both present needs and the well-being of future generations. In this paper, the concept of sustainability and measurement indexes used are reviewed, focusing on energy factors. The focus of the discussion presented here is related to an assessment of the possibilities for improving energy efficiency and evaluating the indicators that are used to measure whether the desired levels of sustainability are being achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of sustainability within free zones can be considered a means to enhancing their competitiveness. Free zones with a high level of sustainability are more likely to attract investment and other kinds of support, while meeting global obligations with regard to sustainable development. Accordingly, adopting sustainability assessment tools is crucial for measuring the sustainability effectiveness of free zones. In this context, this study addresses the sustainability assessment of free zones using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) decision tool. The first contribution of this article is proposing a novel model for the strategic sustainability assessment in free zones, which considers all dimensions of sustainability. The second contribution is deriving the weights and priorities of the related model using the AHP method. The results demonstrate that the economic dimension is considered the most regarded sustainability pillar, with a percentage of 41.81%, followed by the environmental pillar at 24.97%; then, the social pillar at 22.26%, and finally, the organizational pillar at 10.96%. Although this study addressed sustainability assessment indicators, it did not delve into the individual components deeply, which may open opportunities to direct future research toward developing other sustainability assessment models in the context of free zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerated urbanization causes an increasing number of city dwellers, insufficient and overburdened infrastructure and services, and negative environmental impacts and climate change impacts. Measuring the city's progress toward sustainability is essential to support decision-making and policy development. This study aims to establish an assessment and monitoring method of sustainable development goals at the city level, focusing on identifying indicators that are compatible with the city context to update and monitor progress toward sustainability. A review of the literature on sustainability assessment methods and tools is presented. A comprehensive framework for city sustainability assessment and a checklist of indicators. Amman city in Jordan is suggested. A Voluntary Local Review (VLR) report of Amman was presented to the United Nations in 2022. The report reviews Amman's progress toward achieving the SDGs; however, it lacks clear and a quantitative assessment of the city's sustainability, particularly SDG 11, which this paper seeks to address. The checklist survey questions were formulated according to the sub-indicators of the UN-Habitat SDG indicator metadata. The checklist was distributed to respondents from the Municipality of Amman and related organizations to the VLR. The respondents evaluated the sub-indicators of Goal 11 and gave performance level scores in three levels: low, average, and optimal. The sum of the indicator values is quantitatively presented in tables. The findings reveal that the indicator values of the city sustainability assessment framework, as applied in this paper, can be adjusted within the characteristics and constraints of the local context in a two-year observation period to provide updated data for decision-makers regarding the current status and future implementation of sustainability agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building sector is responsible for a high environmental impact, namely during construction, maintenance, demolition, and lifetime. It is then urgent to develop tools for guiding all stockholders to make buildings more sustainable. In order to make the sustainability assessment of a building, it is necessary to make a survey of the most appropriate parameters for this analysis and organize them hierarchically. The first sustainability certification rating tools were developed in the 90′s of the last century, namely Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM), which allow for the quantitative sustainability assessment of different types of buildings. After the first developments, many authors joined in the endeavor of producing easier-to-use and more accurate sustainability assessment systems using sustainability indicators and their respective weights. This work provides a rational pathway throughout the relevant literature on sustainability indicators, comparing indicators proposed by different authors and different sustainability certification systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of indicators for sustainability assessment in the urban planning process is a widely used approach. With the definition of the Agenda 2030 and the role of cities in achieving sustainable development goals, much work has been devoted to the definition of evaluation frameworks and indicators to assess policies and plans and support decision-making in the transition to sustainable urban environments. Therefore, there is currently a wide range of indicator frameworks for the sustainability assessment of human settlements. However, considering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the urban sustainability paradigm, the need to reassess the relevance of existing assessment frameworks in the post-pandemic context has been highlighted. Thus, this article aims to illustrate a selection of indicators to evaluate urban sustainability in developing countries' post-pandemic contexts, using Colombia as a case study. This work comprises the characterization of the post-pandemic relevance of a set of sustainability indicators through the participation of stakeholders associated with the development process of social housing in urban environments in Colombia. Within a Delphi process, the initial indicators were taken from local and international sustainability frameworks validated before the pandemic. Further, a final selection was made through the evaluation of a survey from a sample of 45 stakeholders, and different participatory mechanisms with experts. These results acknowledged the relevance of factors, such as atmospheric conditions, risk management, the performance of public transport systems, and the availability and accessibility to key services, in the achievement of urban sustainability. These results will support the sustainability assessment of the development of post-pandemic recovery policies in Colombia and serve as a reference for other contexts in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, the fractal approach to the description of nonequilibrium water ecosystems in their exploitation conditions is considered. The article demonstrates clearly that, in these conditions, the management of the development of water objects should be a precautionary provision, which should furthermore be reduced to the management of potential anthropogenic risks arising from a violation of the coevolution of anthropogenic and natural processes equivalent to the disruption in sustainability of the ecosystem in its exploitation conditions. The fractal approach opens up new opportunities for the assessment of water management based on the calculation of the fractal sustainability indicator (anthropogenic transformation) for water ecosystems that is directly related to the maximum permissible environmental load (MPEL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilization of renewable energy in the Turkish industrial sector is becoming more important nowadays. The tendency toward renewable energy can be clearly seen with newly planned energy investments. The energy appearance of the Turkish industrial sector for past two decades and ongoing energy projects are discussed in this study with the help of sustainability indicators. The sustainability index is based on advanced exergy analysis and shows the environmental impact of production processes and measures the transformation of energy resources in the Turkish industrial sector. This index was approximately 2.03 in 2000 and it improved to 2.25 in 2008, and then remained constant with minor fluctuations until 2019. Depending on the fulfillment of the continuing fossil, nuclear, and recommended renewable energy investment scenarios, the sustainability index may change to between 1.96 and 2.17 by 2023. None of the ongoing investments will make a major improvement in the sustainability of the industrial sector; therefore, a major shift toward the use of more renewable energy is urgently needed. Establishing solar or wind energy microgrids plants may improve the sustainability indicators drastically, therefore, encouragement of their investments is very important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design education utilising digital fabrication is characterised by a dynamic project-based learning environment in which ideas are embodied in prototypes. This environment affects the way design and fabrication activities are taught, including sustainability considerations in the process and the outcomes. With the objectives of refining the sustainability indicators in the context of digital fabrication design education and identifying educational interventions for improving sustainability, we analyse the processes and outcomes of a digital fabrication course. We further develop a conceptual framework for sustainable prototyping based on the prototyping and testing stages in the design thinking model. The sustainability considerations in the prototyping process and outcomes in the design education context in FabLab are exemplified. The findings will help enhance sustainability and develop interventions in the context of design education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of investors is including sustainability considerations in their investment processes. This can improve both financial and corporate sustainability performance. The emergence of sustainable investing as an academic research field has been accompanied by considerable interest from the industry. Despite its importance, there is still no uniform understanding of what a socially responsible investment (SRI) comprises. There is a multitude of similar terms that are not clearly defined and delineated, accompanied by a lack of a uniform understanding of how sustainability should be measured in the investment context. The resulting confusion hinders conceptual clarity, a material barrier for both scholarly and practitioner endeavours in the field. We try to address these issues by conducting a structured literature review based on database searches and cross-reference snowballing. We aim to provide a synthesised and unified definition of SRI and ancillary terms and to draw attention to the exact sustainability measurements. We (1) outline the history of the concept, (2) concisely define SRI and related terms, (3) propose a trinomial sustainability indicator framework (the Cambridge SRI indicator framework) for conceptualisation, and (4) use this framework to provide a structured overview of sustainability indicators for SRIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to analyze the determinant factors of the effectiveness and sustainability indicators of higher education management at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. The research is characterized as a quantitative study of inferential nature, with structural equation modeling. Data were collected from a survey and applied to professors and employees of two teaching centers at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. The theoretical basis is the Baldrige Excellence Model. This research brings together several theoretical and practical implications involving the sustainability of higher education management, because higher education institutions have been under pressure to improve their performance, and many governments have implemented new regulations that seek to professionalize universities in pursuit of excellence. So, this paper discusses one of the models in the academic literature, the Baldrige model, which focuses on the effectiveness of university management, encompassing quality improvement and excellence in management. The results obtained show that the construct leadership, focus on the student, and society, have a direct effect on strategic planning and an indirect effect on the effectiveness of management. In addition, the constructs of transparency and management by competencies have a direct effect on work processes. Universities face a management challenge and demand new quality models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transitioning to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) is thought to substantially curb emissions, promoting sustainable development. However, the extent of the problem extends beyond tailpipe emissions. To facilitate decision-making and planning of future infrastructural developments, the economic, social, and technological factors of ZEVs should also be addressed. Therefore, this work implements the circular economy paradigm to identify the most suitable vehicle type that can accelerate sustainable development by calculating circularity scores for Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEVs) and two ZEVs, the Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs). The circularity assessment presents a novel assessment procedure that interrelates the environmental, economic, social, and technological implications of each vehicle type on the three implementation levels of the circular economy (i.e., The macro, meso, and micro levels). The results of our analysis suggest that not all ZEVs are considered sustainable alternatives to ICEVs. BEVs scored the highest relative circularity score of 36.8% followed by ICEVs and FCEVs scoring 32.9% and 30.3% respectively. The results obtained in this study signify the importance of conducting circular economy performance assessments as planning tools as this assessment methodology interrelate environmental, social, economic, and technological factors which are integral for future infrastructural and urban planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this work was to build and apply environmental indicators to verify the environmental performance and diagnose the sustainability levels of the rural properties from Federal District, Brazil. Data analysis was performed based on the information required and declared to public administration. Exploratory sampling was applied, obtaining a sample population of 169 properties. It was decided to use the factor analysis methodology in order to verify the environmental performance and diagnose the sustainability levels of the rural properties. The results achieved allow us to state that most of the properties (91.49%) are in a state of severe unsustainability. The results also show that the remnants of native vegetation, when they exist, are not in sufficient proportion to the total size of the property according to what the legislation requires. The proposed model and the environmental indicators built from the environmental legislation proved to be an efficient, practical and low-cost tool for a satisfactory diagnosis about the measurement of the sustainability of Brazilian rural properties and in the identification of positive management situations in relation to the suitability for environmental laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Azorean demersal fishery sector is one of the most important in the archipelago. As a small-scale fishery, it plays an important role in the livelihood of the community, being a source of employment and income, and contributing to poverty alleviation. Because fisheries are a complex system, a multidisciplinary approach that includes socioeconomic indicators is required for a broader assessment of fishery sustainability. This study analyzes the Azorean bottom longline fishery using the Fishery Performance Indicators tool, regarding its ecology, economy, and community indicators. The findings indicated that the fishery is mostly sustainable, although there is still opportunity for improvement. Its ecological indicators had a good performance, mainly due to the effort and work of the scientific community that makes continuous studies to examine the state of its stocks. The economic indicators are in good condition as well, but some obstacles stopped the indicator from obtaining a better performance; mainly the landing volatility and the fishery's main source of capital (subsidies), which can make the fishery less competitive. Finally, its community indicator had a very good performance, which reflects the fishery's socioeconomic and cultural relevance for the Azores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrastructure projects require lifecycle-based assessment, considering the interests of multiple stakeholders concerning the three pillars of sustainability. There has been a heightened curiosity in employing sustainability indicators for gauging the impacts of developmental projects. Even though the literature is abundant on sustainability assessment methods, there is no proper one for the assessment of urban infrastructure projects in the context of Gulf states. Thus, our research intends to fill in this research gap and recommend an incorporated, hierarchically coordinated approach of sustainability indicators to be employed for the sustainability assessment of urban infrastructure development projects. This aim is achieved through a questionnaire survey, by identifying the sustainability indicators related to the infrastructure projects for the cities, in the context of Gulf states. The survey uses the criteria; "Important", "Practicality", "Reliability", and "Relevance" to assess those indicators. Based on expert opinions, the weights of the indicators are approximated through the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method. Thus, the study proposes an innovative hierarchically defined structure of sustainability indicators fitting for the Gulf context. Further, it informs urban planners and policymakers, particularly in the Gulf states, about the shift in the direction of sustainability of urban infrastructure systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residual forest biomass for heating is an alternative to fossil fuels that is in line with global greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. Even if the opportunities and the benefits of such projects may be important, one should not neglect the barriers and potential impacts of these projects regarding their sustainability. The decision support tool developed and presented in this paper will help guide and support public decision makers in selecting the best project and improving its sustainability. A reliable and relevant weighting method is determined, based on the use of the Analytic Hierarchical Process multi-criteria decision analysis method, allowing the integration of stakeholders and the consideration of their views and opinions. This choice, combined with the privileged use of quantifiable qualitative data, allows the use of the tool in a preliminary phase of the project development and enables the evaluation of the project and its sustainability from a social acceptability perspective. The tool was applied to two fictional scenarios to demonstrate its ability to guide decision making and to highlight the differentiation of weights and scenarios through both weighting and evaluation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Railways play an essential role in China's development, driving economic and social progress while negatively impacting the environment. Assessing different railway projects' sustainability can maximize the positive effects and minimize the side effects. This article aims to propose a methodological framework containing a series of indicators to evaluate the sustainability of four railway projects in China. A hybrid MCDM (multi-criteria decision-making) method was adopted to analyze the interrelationships among the dimensions and indicators and then present the projects' differences. The weights of each indicator in the research were studied according to experts' advice, and the same indicators were of different importance when placed in different research environments, such as developing and developed countries. This helps to establish a developing-country-centered evaluation indicator system. After comparison, it can be seen that Railway A is the best in terms of sustainability, mainly because it is in an economically developed region of China that is rich in construction resources, and is less constrained by natural conditions than other projects. The results show that although environmental sustainability has been improved over the past few years, its low level of influence still urges people to invest more attention and take more actions with significant effects in this respect. Furthermore, railways show significant differences in economic sustainability, while the differences in social sustainability have reduced considerably. This study provides further insight into the investigated measures and proposes recommendations for improving railway transport in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenza is a respiratory disease that may cause severe consequences to human health. Influenza caused between 99,000 and 200,000 deaths worldwide in 2019. Studies have reported the presence of this virus in Santander, Colombia, a region with a high humanitarian flow. An influenza vaccine production plant topology has been proposed previously. Nevertheless, the inherent safety and sustainably behavior of this topology is unknown. Process safety plays a crucial role in the evaluation of emerging technologies since it allows the identification of potential risks. Moreover, the current sustainability policies enforce the assessment of processes considering economic, social, and environmental aspects. For this reason, a safety and sustainability evaluation of a vaccine production topology is performed in this work. The inherent safety index (ISI) methodology was implemented to analyze the process. The sustainability evaluation was performed using the sustainability weighted return on investment metric (SWROIM), in which return on investment (ROI), output potential environmental impact (PEI output), total safety inherent index (ITI), and exergy efficiency were considered. The results showed that influenza vaccine production is inherently safe since the total inherent safety index was 11. The destroyed exergy was 378.69 MJ/h, the return on investment was 86%, and the SWROIM was estimated at 81%, which means slightly negative impacts on sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a model and a set of indicators for evaluating the sustainability in swine supply chains are presented and discussed. Using the Delphi method, environmental, social and economic indicators were identified (namely environmental performance indicators to evaluate soil, water, air, energy and environmental practices; social performance indicators related to human capital and social interaction; and economic performance indicators that address labor remuneration and return on investment). Subsequently, the proposed sustainability assessment model was applied for validation purposes in three different companies belonging to the swine supply chain in the southern region of Brazil. This study differs from previous ones by focusing on the sustainability assessment of the upstream and downstream of the supply chain, which are responsible for significant impacts. The performance of the studied companies from the three triple bottom-line (TBL) dimensions is significantly different. Both negative and positive impacts were found to be related to most of the specific metrics. The economic dimension presented a better performance than the environmental and social ones. Furthermore, there was a predominance of negative impacts in the environmental dimension, in relation to the soil, water, air, and energy indicators. Thus, specific actions, strategies, and policies must be designed for the different companies towards an effective and comprehensive sustainability throughout the swine supply chain. The proposed model can be extended to other companies in the same supply chain, replicated in other livestock and agribusiness industries and supply chains (such as cattle and poultry), and it can be used in different locations and including additional indicators and metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to assess the applicability and adherence to social sustainability indicators by large and medium-sized construction companies in Pernambuco, Brazil. The study measures the importance and influence of these indicators in companies' decision-making processes. The social indicators from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) were selected as they come from a globally recognized and widespread organization. The research focuses on nine companies by conducting semi-structured interviews, site visits, and data validation through observations. The results indicate that most of the indicators were considered to have a high level of importance. However, these indicators are not as influential in decision-making as their importance suggests they should be. Currently, only 26% of the indicators are being measured by the companies, covering only three of the 19 GRI categories. The categories reported are occupational safety and health, local communities, and customer privacy. Most companies would be able to report the other 16 categories with minimal additional effort. A prioritization matrix is presented according to the importance and influence of the indicators and the effort to implement them. Overall, this study reveals that companies could easily measure most social sustainability indicators, making it possible to implement more sustainable decisions with less effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent efforts to achieve social, economic, and environmental goals related to sustainability emphasize the importance of nature-based solutions (NBS), as grey infrastructure alone is insufficient to address current challenges. The majority of frameworks proposed in the literature fail to address the full potential of NBS, neglecting long-term results, unintended consequences, co-benefits, and their contribution to achieving global environmental agreements, such as the Agenda 2030, especially for water management in a peri-urban context. Here we present an innovative framework that can be applied to both NBS project planning and evaluation for several water-based challenges, giving practitioners and researchers a tool not only to evaluate ongoing projects but also to guide new ones. The framework considers three main stages of a NBS project: (1) context assessment, (2) NBS implementation and adaptation process, and (3) NBS results. This tool has the potential to be used to evaluate whether NBS projects are aligned with sustainability dimensions through a set of adaptable sustainability indicators. The framework can also highlight how the NBS targets are related to the sustainable development goals (SGD) and contribute to catalyzing the 2030 Agenda. The framework is an important tool for water management and other NBS types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a fuzzy-based indexing approach (FIA) is developed based on a conceptual framework regarding social, environmental, economic, and technical dimensions to evaluate the overall sustainability potential of existing septic systems (SSs) of around 200 Tanzanian residential buildings in Mwanza city. FIA required the following six steps: selecting, measuring, normalizing, weighting, and aggregating the sustainability indicators (SIs) or dimensions, as well as interpretation of the indices similarly to conventional sustainability indices to aggregate the four sustainability dimensions. In total, 18 SIs were selected based on a literature review. Input data obtained for each indicator were from the social survey and laboratory analysis. The results showed that the entire SSs in the city had a general sustainability index (GSI) of 0.42. The index fell on the verge of the "danger" category, indicating that corrective measures are needed. In conclusion, FIA is simple and transparent, it provides a both theoretical and practical basis for sustainability evaluation, does not require vast quantities of data, and does not demand an advanced computer software package. Moreover, FIA is a proper method to evaluate and improve SS sustainability in the city or provide the information to decision makers, designers, and researchers to scrutinize the decision possibilities in a multidimensional manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the globalized tourism market, tourism destinations have the option to turn to sustainability as a conceptual and management framework for their unique branding and identity proposition. This research highlights the importance and utility of sustainability branding that stems from clustering tourism destinations based on the similarities of their tourism performance attributes. The study builds on secondary data from 11 coastal destinations in 8 Mediterranean countries. The analysis leads to the formulation of three main sets of evaluation indicators: (a) environmental footprint; (b) destination dependency on tourism; and (c) locals' prosperity, incorporating elements of social and psychological carrying capacity. Findings identify three to four distinct destination clusters based mainly on the attributes of destinations' cultural and natural attributes, seasonality of supply, typology of prevailing accommodation and tourist profile. From a theoretical perspective, the research identifies key clustering attributes of sustainable destinations that could inform management interventions around destination branding and competitive sustainability performance positioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leisure agriculture is an essential part of urban agriculture in Shanghai. However, sustainable development for urban leisure agriculture has reached a critical point. In this paper, we attempted to analyze the sustainability status of 22 urban leisure farms in Shanghai using the IDEA (Indicateurs de Durabilité des Exploitations Agricoles) method for sustainability indicators. From this analysis, we found out that farms' average sustainability scores were 25.72 on the agroecological scale, 32.5 on the socioterritorial scale, and 46.5 on the economic scale. This proved that urban leisure agriculture in Shanghai has high sustainability at the economic scale, followed by the socioterritorial scale and the agroecological scale. However, the overall sustainability of urban leisure agriculture in Shanghai was low, which indicates that Shanghai's urban agriculture still needs to be strengthened for sustainability. Thus, this paper concludes with some policy recommendations for the future development of urban leisure agriculture in Shanghai. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable manufacturing has renewed attention among researchers to address various sustainability challenges in manufacturing industries. Sustainability assessments of manufacturing organizations help minimize the negative environmental impact and enhance reputation among public and regulatory agencies. To assess the sustainability of the manufacturing process; it is indispensable to investigate the structured set of triple bottom line (3BL) indicators. Moreover, there is no comprehensive and structured set of 3BL indicators that can effectively assess the sustainability of any organization's manufacturing process. This research aims to identify and prioritize experts' consensus structured set of 3BL indicators. The 3BL indicators were identified through an open-ended questionnaire. The prioritization was performed through the Best-Worst Scaling (BWS) approach. Further, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) method was utilized to draw the consensus ranking of sustainability indicators in manufacturing. The findings indicated that the release of greenhouse/harmful gas is the best indicator in the perspective of environmental criteria followed by the rate of contribution to society and operational cost are the most important critical indicator in the case of social and economic sustainability criteria. The outcome of the present study will facilitate researchers and practitioners in developing suitable readiness and operational plans for the sustainability assessment of the manufacturing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses sustainability perceptions in Romanian non-profits by investigating 81 non-profits managers and board members. Using a multidimensional sustainability measurement framework, Success Factor Analysis, as a conceptual model, we measured perceptions on 5 critical sustainability factors: People, Business Model, Operations, Strategy and Culture and concluded that there are significant differences in the perceptions of sustainability depending on respondents’ previous failure experiences. While those which previously experienced failure adopt a long-term approach based on marketization, clear accountability standards and rely on strategy, while the others prefer a short-term approach, focused more on non-profits operations and focus on human resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The drive to expand renewable energies is often in direct conflict with sustainable development goals. Thus, it is important that energy policies account for potential trade-offs. We assess the interlinkages between energy, food, water and land, for two case studies, Okinawa and Sogn og Fjordane. We apply a range of assessment methods and study their usefulness as tools to identify trade-offs and to compare the sustainability performance. We calculate cross-sectoral footprints, self-sufficiency ratios and perform a simplified Energy-Water-Food nexus analysis. We use the latter for assessing scenarios to increase energy and food self-sufficiency in Okinawa, while we use ecosystem service (ESS) accounting for Sogn og Fjordane. For Okinawa, we find that constraints on the energy, food and water sectors urgently call for integrated approaches to energy policy; for Sogn og Fjordane, the further expansion of renewables comes at the expense of cultural and supporting ESS, which could outweigh gains from increased energy exports. We recommend a general upgrade to indicators and visualization methods that look beyond averages and a fostering of infrastructure for data on sustainable development based on harmonized international protocols. We warn against rankings of countries or regions based on benchmarks that are neither theory-driven nor location-specific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many parts of the world, a rapid urbanization process is taking place at an unprecedented scale, and its drastic impacts on societies and the environment are evident. To combat the externalities of such rapid, and to a degree uncontrolled, development, many cities around the globe introduced various urban growth management policies. However, policy making--to provide sustainable outcomes, while generating growth opportunities--has been a daunting task for urban administrators. To ease the task, scenario-based planning methods are introduced to produce alternative visions for managing urban growth in sustainable ways by incorporating various socio-environmental issues. However, even though modelling urban growth and associated impacts based on these scenarios have emerged to strengthen and quantify the future of urban policies and related planning actions, this process has a number of glitches. Major issues include the uncertainties associated with the selection of suitable methods to generate scenarios, identify indicators to be used to assess scenarios, evaluate scenarios to prioritize for policy formulation, and assess the impacts of policy scenarios. This paper aims to address the challenge of developing suitable policy scenarios for sustainable urban growth. As for the methodological approach, the study undertakes a thorough review of the literature and current practices, and conducts a two-round Delphi survey--involving experts from public, private and academic sectors specialized in the fields of urban planning, environmental planning, social planning, transportation modelling, and economic development. The expert driven policy scenarios are validated in a local context by comparing findings against the policy options as proposed in the South East Queensland Regional Plan 2017 (Australia). The findings offer valuable guidelines for planners, modellers, and policy makers in adopting suitable methods, indicators, and policy priorities, and thus, easing the daunting task of generating sustainable policy solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural hazards such as earthquakes take place around the world and when combined with humans create natural disasters. Earthquakes, a form of natural hazard, have, in recent years, caused damage and destruction in many rural areas due to the lack of sustainability in political, economic, social, physical and operational criteria. Thus, to overcome the damage caused by earthquakes in rural areas, an assessment of sustainability status seems necessary to plan and strengthen in relation to the status of sustainability indicators. Data collection was performed through field methods and questionnaires. To test the hypothesis, T statistical methods, correlation method and F-test were performed using SPSS software (V22.0, IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA). The results of the study showed that villages were at a low and undesirable level for all aspects, except social index in terms of sustainability. Comparisons showed that there was a significant mean difference among villages in terms of sustainability. The multi-criteria decision-making analysis has been considered and applied to a ranking of villages in terms of sustainability against the hazard of earthquakes. Finally, in order to improve the sustainability indicators of villages, some strategies have been presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In automotive and electronics supply chains, sustainability assessment is gaining increasing importance. More stringent regulations and growing customer pressure are driving the change towards more environmentally, socially and economically responsible supply chains. Since this implies a rising use of resources for data collection, monitoring, exchange and assessment, the objective of this paper is to facilitate supply chain sustainability assessment. The present paper first provides a tailored set of 69 supply chain sustainability indicators for the European automotive and electronics industries. These were derived on the basis of a systematic literature review, together with 13 semi-structured interviews and five focus group workshops, all of which involved sustainability and industry experts. Second, the paper provides a case example of software-based supply chain sustainability data exchange. The extent to which sustainability information is currently exchanged in the two industries is also analyzed. The set of indicators is scientifically relevant since it considers all three dimensions of sustainability and is intended to allow for supply chain-wide sustainability assessment in two specific industries. It is also of high practical relevance since it was developed with and validated by industry experts, and also since it considers industrial and technical requirements for supply chain sustainability assessment in order to increase the efficiency of the work processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A conceptual framework was constructed for United Nations’ complex Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 4.7 focusing on education for sustainable development (ESD), and used to analyse the usefulness and character of indicators produced from a values-based approach called ESDinds, compared to a UN process. The analysis shows that the latter generated very few indicators concerning the wider aspects of knowledge such as ‘critical thinking’ or ‘learning to learn’. The values-based approach, created for a different purpose, produced complementary if not better coverage of Target 4.7, including finely-developed concepts for competencies and less tangible aspects. It is suggested that the UN process would benefit from ESDinds design elements such as intersubjective and slightly disruptive elements, purposeful contextualisation at group level, and a holistic and inductive consideration of values. The use of a reference ‘fuzzy framework’ of slightly generalised proto-indicators suited for deep contextualisation locally is recommended, rather than any rigid global-level indicator with unclear local value. It is recommended that ESD practitioners immediately develop localised interpretations of valid measures for whatever final Target 4.7 indicator is selected by the UN, as this localisation process will itself cause important learning towards local ESD achievements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization is a major driver of land use change and global environmental decline. With accelerated urbanization worldwide, it is essential to put in place new policies to conserve urban ecosystems, species and the services these provide in order to secure more sustainable, resilient and livable cities for the 21st century. In urban planning, the concept of resilience has broadly replaced the word sustainability. In recent years, resilience indicators have been gradually developed, but few address urban resilience from a social-ecological systems perspective. We develop a methodological framework to measure urban resilience, define an urban resilience index and apply it to Spanish province capitals as a case study. Results show that most Spanish province capitals are far from being resilient. We conclude that increased efforts to measure urban resilience should be in place, and we offer the urban resilience index as a theoretical framework for measuring resilience in urban social-ecological systems that can be gradually improved as more data become available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic activity interacts with urban form and inner metabolic processes, ultimately impacting urban sustainability. China's cities have experienced many environmental issues and metabolic disturbances since the nation-wide market-oriented "reform and opening-up" policy was adopted in the 1980s. To analyze urban reform policy impacts and metabolism sustainability at a settlement scale, this study provides an integrated analysis to evaluate settlement metabolism and sustainability using a combination of emergy analysis and sustainability indicators based on scrutiny of two typical settlements (one pre- and one post-reform). The results reveal that housing reform policy stimulated better planning and construction, thereby improving built environmental quality, mixed functional land use, and residential livability. The pre-reform work-unit settlements are comparatively denser in per capita area but have less mixed land use. Housing reform has spatially changed the work-housing balance and increased commuting travel demand. However, short commuting distances in pre-reform settlements will not always decrease overall motor vehicle usage. Integrating non-commuting transport with local mixed land-use functional planning is a necessary foundation for sustainable urban design. Functional planning should provide convenient facilities and infrastructure, green space, and a suitable household density, and allow for short travel distances; these characteristics are all present in the post-reform settlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the findings of an expert working group of researchers from East Asian countries. The group was tasked with developing a theoretically sound and practically implementable methodology for assessing the sustainability of biomass utilisation in East Asian countries based on the needs and potential of biomass resources in this region. Building on six years of research conducted between 2007 and 2013, the working group formulated a set of main and secondary indicators for biomass utilisation under three pillars of sustainability. For the environmental pillar, the main indicator was life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and secondary indicators were water consumption and soil quality. For the economic pillar, the main indicator was total value added and secondary indicators were net profit, productivity, and net energy balance. For the social pillar, the main indicators were employment generation and access to modern energy, and the secondary indicator was the human development index. The application of the working group methodology and indicators in sustainability assessments of biomass utilisation will enable decision makers in East Asian countries to compare the sustainability of biomass utilisation options and to make decisions on whether or not to launch or sustain biomass utilisation initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A water and sanitation sustainability index (WASSI) was developed and estimated in four cities of the province of Salta, in northern Argentina. The index was built with nine descriptors and fifteen indicators that covered all essential aspects of the sustainability of local water and sanitation management systems. Only one of the cities studied obtained a sustainability value above the acceptability threshold adopted (50 of 100 points). Results indicate that the water company needs to address some environmental and social issues to enhance the sustainability of the systems studied. The WASSI was conceptually robust and operationally simple, and could be easily adapted to the case studies. The index can be followed and updated online on a web site specially developed for this project. This website could be useful to promote participatory processes, assist decision makers, and facilitate academic research. According to local stakeholders, a more open sustainability assessment based on sustainability indices and supported by virtual tools would be relevant and highly feasible. It would help decision makers improve the sustainability and transparency of water and sanitation management systems, and promote more sustainable water policies in the region and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]