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Some human settlements endure for millennia, while others are founded and abandoned within a few decades or centuries. The reasons for variation in the duration of site occupation, however, are rarely addressed. Here, the authors introduce a new approach for the analysis of settlement longevity or persistence. Using seven regional case studies comprising both survey and excavation data, they demonstrate how the median persistence of individual settlements varies widely within and among regions. In turn, this variability is linked to the effects of environmental potential. In seeking to identify the drivers of settlement persistence in the past, it is suggested that archaeologists can contribute to understanding of the sustainability and resilience of contemporary cities. Keywords: urbanism, settlement systems, comparative analysis, statistical modelling, sustainability, Introduction Why do some cities and settlements last longer than others? Although archaeologists have studied thousands of early sites--particularly through regional surveys--the question of settlement persistence has rarely been addressed. [...]

Studies that focus on different urban governance structures, especially unitary states and semi-authoritarian regimes, are still lacking in the urban climate governance literature. This research aims to explain how climate change is governed under a unitary state structure, particularly focusing on how urban climate governance incorporates higher-level government policy and external stakeholders to set a climate agenda and actions. Four main themes are framed from the urban climate governance literature, including agenda setting, the divergence between the existing policies and urban climate agendas, policy entrepreneurs' roles, and civil society organizations. By focusing on the four themes, we aim to understand how climate change is governed in Istanbul, the biggest and the richest city of Turkey, under a unitary system of government. Based on semi-structured interviews, field notes based on participant-observations, and review of existing official documents, we find that swings in political leadership, the divergence between the existing laws and newly adopted urban climate agendas, and conflicting priorities between policy entrepreneurs generate barriers to long-run and tangible climate change actions in Istanbul. Nevertheless, we argue there is an opportunity space for local governments to co-create new governance mechanisms, as the national government does not have the capacity to lead climate change action, nor is there a political will and focus at the highest levels of government to engage deeply in this policy space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas are managed for multiple, often competing, goals including biodiversity conservation, community livelihoods, and tourism. However, there is a lack of clear evidence on which governance approaches are more effective in governing protected areas to achieve these goals. This paper sheds light on the effectiveness of different protected area governance approaches using Ostrom's Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework. The research was conducted in three protected areas of Nepal: Chitwan National Park, the Annapurna Conservation Area, and the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, which represent state-community, NGO, and community-managed protected areas, respectively. Data were collected through interviews, supplemented by published and unpublished documents, and field observations. Results revealed that the outcomes vary across the protected areas primarily because of their governance approaches and local contexts. Due to rigid monocentric and simple polycentric approaches, the PAs failed to adapt to the changing social-ecological systems. Based on the findings, a multi-layered polycentric adaptive co-management approach has been proposed. The study also developed a multi-goal IAD model to assess PA governance. Additional theoretical, methodological, and managerial implications with respect to protected areas governance are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]