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Amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, strict lockdown measures were implemented worldwide to safeguard lives and limit widespread infections. Accordingly, distance learning methods were implemented at educational institutions. This paper critically examines the adaptation of distance learning methods for university students during this crisis, arguing that insufficient attention was given to mental health and mental and emotional well-being. The situation's urgency led to overlooking psychological factors that subsequently impacted students' learning outcomes and academic performance, especially when compared to traditional learning experiences. This paper focuses on architecture students at the University of Jordan, aiming to reveal to what extent the implementation of distance learning during the COVID-19 lockdown affected their mental health and psychological well-being, thus affecting their overall performance. Using a mixed-method approach, the paper included real-time class observation, reflection exercises conducted during the lockdown, and a survey distributed to architecture undergraduates. The survey aimed to increase our understanding of the intricate connections between mental health, psychological well-being, and the dynamics of online educational environments, thus providing insights for future online learning scenarios. The paper's findings exposed overlooked dimensions during the rapid transition to online learning. The emphasis on technical aspects such as infrastructure, devices, and software side-tracked the end-users importance and performance within the educational process. Concepts like 'toxic positivity,' intensified by increased social media usage during the lockdown, gained prominence. By examining the impact on architecture students in Jordan, this paper underscores key findings, identifies critical issues, and advocates for a more comprehensive approach to distance learning., Peer Reviewed

Almost two decades today, the topic ofhas extensively been researched in urban sociology, urban planning, and human geography, and numerous Western-Centric studies have linked the redevelopment of the abandoned, contaminated, vacant or derelict sites to sustainable urban regeneration and achieving smart cities and sustainability goals in general. Yet, until this day, the concept has received little academic and practical attention in Middle Eastern contexts.Western contexts on the other hand including Europe, UK and USA continue to offer unique perspectives on approachingin ways that reduce the alarming spatial cluttering and addressdisparities and spatial segregation in addition to achieving economic and environmental goals, and similar to the global scene, brownfield sites make a large portion of the post-industrial city of Amman, the capital of Jordan. However, with the lack of a systematic definition for the urban phenomenon objectives, methods to identifying potential brownfield sites and evaluating theof their redevelopment that takes into consideration context particularities, and with the absence ofapproaches that include the local community in the decision-making regarding these spaces, city planners fail to include the increasingly growing number of brownfield site that proliferate their cities in the urban planning practice.Through the examination of literature discussions on objectives, approaches, classification systems, methodologies, assessment and evaluation tools for the support of design anddecisions for brownfield regeneration in different contexts, and through looking at the numerous potential alternatives for brownfield sites regeneration these contexts highlight, this paper bids tothe importance of developing context specific,tools tailored for the Middle Eastern case.Building on the above, this paper identifies five potential brownfield typologies in the context of Amman; (1) residual planning outcomes; (2) discontinued mines and quarries; (3)

Social entrepreneurship is increasingly becoming a tool to undertake social, cultural and environmental issues in communities where startup businesses and entrepreneurs develop fund or implement ideas aimed for the solution of these problems. Whether intentionally or otherwise, numerous startups and spin-offs, have in a way or another, provided services that address larger themes including, but not limited to, sustainability, public transportation and mobility which are also key components to smart cities.Often led by youth, and through the employment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the Internet of Things (IoT), which have also become integral parts in smart cities thinking, social entrepreneurs are rapidly changing cities in ways city planners may never consider and thus becoming an under-recognised planning force to be reckoned with. On this note, this paper argues, a mobilisation for this force which aims to harnessing its potentials towards sustainable smart cities’ development is becoming an urgent need. Moreover, as social entrepreneurship heavily depends on social networking and social media, thus acquiring an immediate interaction with a larger group of the local community as opposed to traditional planning methods, this paper argues it may further the advancement of participative approaches that include the public in the decision-making and planning of their own cities.Through showcasing social entrepreneurship endeavours that have successfully addressed smart cities dilemmas in the case of Amman, Jordan, this paper aims to further explore the links between the two concepts. Furthermore, considering the little literature available on both topics in non-western literature and developing countries context, and through looking at the non-traditional ways these projects addressed city planning problems, this paper bids to find ways to inform traditional city planners towards the achievement of smart cities goals.