Environmental Planning

The changing climate has an effect on the quality of life in our cities: heavier rainfall (resulting in floodings), longer periods of drought, reduced air and water quality and increasing temperatures in cities (heat stress). Awareness about these changes among various stakeholders is of great importance. Every Dutch region is required to perform a stresstest indicating the effects of climate change (o.a. flooding and heatstress) before 2020. The level of execution, area size and level of participation of stakeholders, has intentionally been made flexible. To provide more insight into the approaches and best management practices to climate resilience, this article provides 3 examples of stresstests performed on several levels: single object real estate level, city level and national district level. The method ‘stresstesting’, involves flood and heatstress modeling, defines the current status of climate adaptation characteristics of an object, city or district. The stresstest form th...

Keertana Venkatesh, Sidharth Chauhan, Kiran Suryanarayana, Ashna Singh and Jasmine Joseph were the instructors for the required course on Legal Methods for the 1st year B.A.,LL.B. (Hons.) students at NLSIU Bengaluru during the July-September 2025 Trimester. As part of the internal assessment, the students in the five sections were further divided into teams of four students each who were required to prepare written submissions based on the problems included in this document. After being given a window of 14 days to prepare their written submissions, they had to present their arguments as teams before the respective instructors. We had tried this model of internal assessment as an alternative to the established practice of asking the undergraduate students to write term-papers on assigned topics. We are sharing the text of these problems here for the benefit of colleagues and students from other law schools.

This study aims to evaluate the absence of climate change risk mitigation policies that are not yet part of the authority of the Ministry of Health despite the large potential impact of climate change on public health. The implementation of climate change risk mitigation on health intersects with various sectors, including the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. However, the Ministry of Health has still not implemented risk mitigation, which can be reflected in the absence of a climate change risk mitigation budget or what is called green budget tagging. In addition to the absence of risk mitigation in the Ministry of Health’s budgeting, the implementation of climate change risk mitigation is still lacking in inter-sectoral coordination, and the roadmap for handling climate change impacts is still being carried out by sector and has not been carried out nationally. The method...

There are social, economic and environmental reasons for shifting towards a more localised, community scale system of water and waste management in our cities. This paper outlines some of these and provides an historical context as to how we have reached the need for this change. A case study illustrates how a localised system can be better on all three parameters. It is suggested that the best opportunity for achieving localised systems is to utilise the planning process with its links to community, regulatory powers for environmental management and metropolitan scale strategic processes.

Urban centres in Ghana continue to expand to areas with difficult accessibility, severely impacting location decisions on solid waste disposal sites (SWDS). This study uses the location theory to examine the spatial distribution of SWDS in urban Ghana. Methodologically, it uses the nearness neighbour tool, which is a key component in GIS for spatial analysis. The results show that the distribution of SWDS was clustered, randomized, and skewed. The distribution was influenced by accessibility and the ability to pay for waste management services. For these reasons, high-density populated communities were serviced through the central container collection system, while high-class residential areas benefited through the door-to-door collection system. Access to regular waste collection was challenging for the majority in lowclass residential neighbourhoods and peri-urban communities. It is argued that unequal access to waste management services raises important policy issues. The unserved communities are more likely to be exposed to the potential negative impact of poor solid waste management. It is further argued that if vulnerability and location are linked to deprivation, it is necessary to understand how and why this has happened.

In mathematics, telephone numbers (or involution numbers) are the sequence of integers that count the ways to pair up n items—for example, how n people can make telephone calls in disjoint pairs. They also appear as matchings in a complete graph, involutive permutations, sums of absolute coefficients of Hermite polynomials, and other combinatorial structures.
(See also [A000085 Number of self-inverse permutations on n letters, also known as involutions; number of standard Young tableaux with n cells].)

This research aims to delineate aridity boundaries as to inform policy and guide dryland management in Northern Nigeria and to quantify the dryness of the climate in the northern zone of Nigeria, geo-informatically delineate aridity boundaries, produce aridity map, show decadal trends and assess the land area in northern Nigeria covered by varying degrees of aridity. Climatic data from 1979 to 2018 for thirteen states was sourced from Nigerian Meteorological Agency (Nimet) and downscaled dataset were gotten to project aridity for 2050 fitted into the Modified Thornthwaite's Moisture Index to reveal the degree of dryness of Northern Nigeria and (QGIS 2.18.24) was used to delineate aridity boundaries and quantify area covered by varying degrees of aridity. Results revealed that the worst-case scenario aridity wet semi-arid class for 1979 to 2018 occupied a landmass area of 2569.5 Km 2 and recorded decadal differences of over 765.4% increase in 1979-1988 and 14.1%, 14.0%, and-100% for 1989 to 1998, 1999 to 2008 and 2009 to 2018 decades respectively. Projected aridity for 2050 under the business as usual scenario the worst case of aridity would resurface engulfing a 2059.6Km 2 calling on policymakers to take actions to avert the projected effect. Delineation of aridity boundaries and quantification of the dryness of the climate will guide dryland management and inform policy actions in the northern zone of Nigeria.

Many urban areas face an increasing flood risk, which includes the risk of flash floods. Increasing extreme precipitation events will likely lead to greater human and economic losses unless reliable and efficient early warning systems (EWS) along with other adaptation actions are put in place in urban areas. The challenge is in the integration and analysis in time and space of the environmental, meteorological, and territorial data from multiple sources needed to build up EWS able to provide efficient contribution to increase the resilience of vulnerable and exposed urban communities to flooding. Efficient EWS contribute to the preparedness phase of the disaster cycle but could also be relevant in the planning of the emergency phase. The RainBO Life project addressed this matter, focusing on the improvement of knowledge, methods, and tools for the monitoring and forecast of extreme precipitation events and the assessment of the associated flood risk for small and medium watercourses...

Kabul is experiencing the most powerful wave of urbanization in its history. With the rapid increase of population, typical urban problems such as lowering of the groundwater table, an influx of returnees, traffic jams, deterioration of sanitation, etc., are becoming critical. In 2006, to decrease the pressure from existing Kabul and take measurements for future urbanization process, an independent board was established for the development of a new city adjacent to the existing Kabul by the name of Kabul New City (KNC). There were already 54 villages that existed there. Due to smoothly implementing the master plan and supporting the existing villages, it was necessary to prepare village development plans. As each village has its own characteristics from the urban planning perspective, therefore this research explains a method for categorization of villages through multi-criteria decision analysis; seven potential criteria were identified and rated in collaboration with experts, and ...

The chapter discusses the integration of civil society into planning, development, and governance of urban green spaces (UGS). The principles of participatory democracy and sustainable development inevitably require a more integrated approach to collaboration and networking among different sectors and actors. Until recently, the citizens/communities were only sporadically involved in decisionmaking and planning processes of UGS, which led to practices of urban development that failed to account for their needs. The crucial question is: What are the potentials and limits of engaging and involving people and communities in planning and playing an active part in the development of UGS? Specifically, the chapter discusses how theoretical concepts that often work well in strategies or development programs are only slowly implemented in practice. This raises the question of the obstacles and benefits faced by municipalities when trying to involve local communities in planning activities. First, the authors discuss the theory and practice of participation and community involvement in urban planning and management. Second, they present an overview of the local cases of UGS development in three Central and Eastern European cities (Maribor, Krakow, and Budapest), and thirdly, linking practice and theory, they discuss the intrinsic issues with community formation and sustainability.

This article examines the resilience of two urban parks in the United States after extreme flooding caused by separate hurricane events. It provides early lessons for designers, planners, and engineers of open and park space from a practice-based research group and two academic partnerships. The first site is coastal, a waterfront park in New York City, New York. The focus was on understanding how elements of the design and construction of Hunter’s Point South Waterfront Park, Phase 1, contributed to a high level of resilience during and after Hurricane Sandy, especially related to coastal flooding, storm surge, and heavy rains. The second site is on the principal river system in Houston, Texas. The focus was on understanding how elements of the design and construction of a 160-acre section of Buffalo Bayou Park contributed to a high level of resilience during and after Hurricane Harvey, which brought heavy rains, increased water velocity, and extended submergence.

Urban and Regional planners need accurate and authentic spatio-temporal information of urban sprawls for efficient and sustainable planning of towns & cities worldwide. Geoinformatics powered with temporal high resolution satellite images, Geographic Information System (GIS), mobile technology, etc is now emerged as the most powerful tool for mapping and monitoring the sprawls of urban habitations. In this paper an attempt is made for analysing the dynamics of sprawls of three statutory towns of Berhampur Development Authority (BeDA) area of Ganjam District, Odisha state, India. The spatial information of urban sprawl of each town has been generated using openly available toposheets and multi -sensor & multi -temporal satellite images and the spatio temporal characteristics of sprawls has been analysed in Arc GIS software. The sprawl area as well as the population of the three towns have been analysed and the future scenario of sprawl-population dynamics has been forecasted for the ...

In recent years, a vibrant debate on clean energy transition has emerged. In Greece while private investment in utility-scale renewable energy projects is promoted as the driver of decarbonisation, critical voices calling for energy democratisation come to the fore and the idea of Energy Community (EC) becomes increasingly popular. This paper aims to shed light on the under-investigated landscape of Greek ECs and explore its socially innovative features and potential to democratise energy systems. Drawing on social innovation theories and the notion of energy democracy, the paper examines to what extent and under which conditions does the EC instrument facilitate social innovation niche and contribute to a real just energy transition in Greece. Empirical evidence draws from: (1) legislative and regulation documents on decentralised energy; (2) semi-structured interviews with EC members; and (3) participant observation during the Pan-European EC gathering in Athens, 2023. Heterogeneity in the Greek EC landscape and spores of social innovation in ECs under study are traced, showing evidence of emerging energy system democratisation. Nevertheless, these developments run the risk of remaining anaemic in the context of neoliberal state policies that have cultivated the hegemony of profit-making ECs, thus largely distorting the original intention of the idea of energy community.

In the south after years planned housing acquires new additions and thus characteristics. These are necessitated by needs of the owners. While there are those planned majority are not. Local authorities require all addition to existing built types to be approved. Depending on the particular zone there would be laid down planning and design bye-laws. Data for the paper was collected in Komarock a housing project that was sponsored by Housing Finance Company of Kenya (HFCK). The targeted population was the middle class, a disappearing group in Kenya. Since its inception ten years ago, individual housing blocks had experienced severe form of densification physical change. This was more prominent within the perimeter and settings that were located at a corner. Although n-approved additions are illegal, local authority had continued to ignore their development. In most cases both in scale and with proportion, new built types have completely overwhelmed the original one. Developments have...

In the past sanitation was the responsibility of Local Authorities or councils with the Department of Waste Management and Pollution Control (DWMPC). Pollution of groundwater in Botswana is currently forcing the Government of Botswana (GoB) to abandon pit latrine construction and Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) emptying services in peri-urban areas. Currently Government has embarked on the expensive and unsustainable construction of sewer systems that require peri-urban communities to pay for connection fees. Most rural communities cannot afford these fees and since Botswana is a water scarce country, sewer connection may be costly for the country. This paper aims to review current practices, policies and challenges facing Botswana in Faecal Sludge Management (FSM). A desktop review was carried out to review policies, regulations, guidelines and strategies on waste management. A pretested questionnaire was administered among 50 randomly selected households to assess current practices in sludge management from two suburbs in Gaborone. Key informant interviews were undertaken among water and sanitation stakeholders to establish roles on waste management and faecal sludge management. Despite the disjointed efforts by stakeholders, Botswana has the potential to improve the FSM in the country. Though unsafe, FSM/pit emptying has the potential to provide income and employment to both the rural and urban poor and making it safe may have wider economic benefits.

The maritime public domain is defined by the Dahir of 1stJuly 1914 on public domain as: "the bank of the sea until the limit of the highest tides, as well as an area of 6 m measured from this limit, natural harbors, ports, harbors and their outbuildings, lighthouses, lamps, beacons and generally all the works intended for the lightening and for marking of coasts and their outbuildings" (personal translation).

Climate change is a global issue causing adverse effects in different sectors all over the world. Nations in Southeast Asia are mostly developing nations and do not have adequate resources to tackle the catastrophic effects of climate change. An increase in greenhouse gas emissions led to a significant rise in temperature all over the world, which is more vivid in Southeast Asian nations as they are tropical countries. Many residents of rural areas in these nations rely on agriculture and animal husbandry as means of their income. Over the last decade, farmers and poultry owners have faced more challenges to mitigate the extreme temperatures in which livestock cannot survive. Additionally, depleting fossil fuel levels, rise in the price of commodities and frequent power outages only add to the problem. Thus, a new environmentally friendly sustainable strategy has been proposed which makes use of renewable energy. The study also focuses on energy conservation technologies and techniq...

Urban government land abandonment has become a pressing problem in rapidly expanding cities, particularly in developing nations, as they tend to become unsafe, dirty, and socially isolated. The purpose of this study is to transform such abandoned lands into liveliness recreational centers, supported by a comprehensive case study of Sunset Lake, Baramati, India. The research examines how adaptive reuse and urban regeneration can improve livability, social well-being, and urban identity in mid-sized cities. A mixed-methods design was used, combining field surveys 63 responses gathered using Google Forms, stakeholder interviews, spatial mapping, and observational studies. The survey measured frequency of visitation, satisfaction with facilities, perception of safety, and areas for improvement, while municipal officials, planners, shopkeepers, and community leaders' interviews provided institutional and cultural insight. The research shows that redevelopment at Sunset Lake increased cleanliness, accessibility, and community usage, all contributing to Baramati being ranked the 18th cleanest city in India. People noted frequent visits to the location for exercise, leisure, and social contact, with over 70% reporting benefits for both physical and mental well-being. Local traders also noted increased visitor numbers, showing indirect economic benefits. Yet challenges like poor parking, insufficient inclusive facilities for elderly and disabled patrons, and maintenance and participatory governance concerns were also revealed. Comparisons with international examples like the High Line in New York and Cheonggyecheon Stream in Seoul validate that adaptive reuse of underutilized areas can succeed even in smaller urban areas when regulated by sustainable design principles.

The field of architecture has experienced spectacular developments over the years. This is because in the Public open space is a concept of space to accommodate people from all walks of life and backgrounds, in the sense that public open space must also consider the existence of people with disabilities. Community activity is one of the factors that can affect the utilization and sustainability of green open space. High community activity in green open space can increase community participation in the management and maintenance of green open space, so that green open space can be healthier and sustainable. However, uncontrolled community activities can cause damage to green open space, so it needs good management so that community activities can be directed, especially in the formation of communal spaces. The purpose of this study is to formulate community preferences in terms of community involvement in the green open space area in Denpasar, to formulate the factors that influence ...

Seeking economic growth and job creation to tackle the nation's extreme poverty, the Nicaraguan government awarded a concession to build an inter-oceanic canal and associated projects to a recently formed Hong Kong based company with no track record or related expertise. This concession was awarded without a bidding process and in advance of any feasibility, socio-economic or environmental impact assessments; construction has begun without this information. The 278-km long inter-oceanic canal project may result in significant environmental and social impairments. Of particular concern are: damage to Lake Cocibolca, a unique freshwater tropical lake and Central America's main freshwater reservoir; damage to regional biodiversity and ecosystems; and socio-economic impacts. Concerned about the possibly irreparable damage to the environment and to native communities, conservationists and the scientific community at large are urging the Nicaraguan government to devise and reveal ...

Deliberative methods to assess ecosystem services values formalize community members’ and stakeholders’ involvement in decision-making related to natural resources management. This paper presents the methodological design and the application of a deliberative multicriteria evaluation (DMCE) method that combines the advantages of deliberation with structured decision-making to assess community-based values of four coastal ecosystem services (valued by indicators such as Total Nitrogen, Blue Carbon, Scallop Landings, Fish Abundance) and explore the spatial variability of group values along the Massachusetts coastline. We implemented four virtual deliberative workshops consisting of stakeholders from four Massachusetts Bays (MassBays) estuarine categorizations to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data came from individual survey results and group preferences, while qualitative data were derived through the analysis of video recordings and transcripts of deliberati...

This article provides a comprehensive framework for practices and research on the seismic vulnerability and protection of museum artifacts. Earthquakes pose a significant threat to cultural heritage, necessitating the implementation of effective seismic protection measures. The study highlights various seismic mitigation techniques, including base isolation, damping systems, and anchorage methods, evaluated through case studies and numerical modeling. The timeline of seismic evaluation methods shows significant advancements from initial categorizations and analytical models to modern technologies like nylon fasteners and magnet anchors. Despite these advancements, challenges such as high costs, complexity, and the need for comprehensive risk assessments remain. The article emphasizes the importance of integrating aesthetic and functional considerations into seismic protection strategies and calls for interdisciplinary collaboration to develop innovative, cost-effective solutions. Future research directions include improving low-cost methods, integrating realtime monitoring systems, and conducting extensive field studies to refine seismic protection strategies.

This paper examines the assessment of cumulative environmental impacts and the implementation of integrated coastal management within the harbour of Xiamen, China, an urban region in which the coastal zone is under increasing pressure as a result of very rapid economic growth. The first stage of analysis incorporates components of a cumulative effects assessment, including (a) identification of sources of environmental impacts, notably industrial expansion, port development, shipping, waste disposal, aquaculture and coastal construction, (b) selection of a set of valued ecosystem components, focusing on circulation and siltation, water quality, sediment, the benthic community, and mangrove forests, and (c) use of a set of key indicators to examine cumulative impacts arising from the aggregate of human activities. In the second stage of analysis, the paper describes and assesses the development of an institutional framework for integrated coastal management in Xiamen, one that combines policy and planning (including legislative and enforcement mechanisms) with scientific and monitoring mechanisms (including an innovative 'marine functional zoning' system). The paper concludes that the integrated coastal management framework in Xiamen has met all relevant requirements for 'integration' as laid out in the literature, and has explicitly incorporated consideration of cumulative impacts within its management and monitoring processes.

In the context of climate change, one of the EU’s major political efforts focus on water management. Public investment is carried out considering several drivers, from economic development to demographics, climate, and pollutants. Meanwhile, the need for evaluation methods is also increasing, so their development has grown in recent years. Among these, Multi-Criteria Analysis methodologies (MCA) have taken on great importance. This work aims to demonstrate the usefulness of MCA in addressing crucial environmental issues, such as the use of water resources for agricultural and food production. The document presents an application of MCA for the ranking and selection of projects to be financed under the Italian National Plan on Water Resources. The Plan is part of the national initiatives planned for the adaptation of the agricultural sector to climate change. The selection criteria have been identified following a participatory approach, and to respond to both the challenge of climat...

Satellite City and its Importance for Urban Socio Economic Development, the Case of Addis Ababa and its Surrounding Towns
Satellite City and its Importance for Urban Socio Economic Development, the Case of Addis Ababa and its Surrounding Towns

Key Messages and findings • The Integrated Framework was developed by the RESAS EST theme with the aim of i) linking research fields, ii) linking to policy topics and iii) guiding practice on the ecosystem approach. • The framework received broad support from research, practice and policy representatives. o It can help researchers to relate their work to each other, and for external communication. o It can align with existing policy processes such as Strategic Environmental Assessment. o It can help to guide management as per the Ecosystem Approach. • To be useful, the use of the framework must be flexible, with links to suitable tools and related processes clearly signposted. • Problems with terminology persist, although a pictorial framework can help to overcome some of the apparent complexity these can cause. • The framework as presented at a high level does not explicitly address or overcome any of the problems of working across and linking scales. • The framework will be used i...

This article presents a spatial analysis of projects selected by city residents and implemented in five successive editions (2015-2019) of the participatory budgeting in Częstochowa, Poland. The study examines the relationship between the type of hard projects (small investments in public infrastructure and landscaping) and the pre-existing characteristics of the land use of each district. Kernel density estimation and Spearman correlation analysis were used. The highest spatial density occurred in projects related to the modernization of roads and sidewalks, recreation, and greenery, indicating a relatively high number of proposals within or near residential areas. Key correlations included the following: (1) greenery projects were more common in districts lacking green areas; (2) recreational infrastructure was more frequently chosen in areas with significant water features; (3) street furniture projects were mostly selected in districts with sparse development, scattered buildings, and postindustrial sites; (4) educational infrastructure was often chosen in lowdensity, but developing districts. The selected projects often reflect local deficits in specific land use or public infrastructure, but also stress the predestination of the recreational use of waterside areas.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The growth and development of informal settlements are among the main challenges facing urban development, particularly in metropolitan areas. The Noh-Darreh area, located along the southern highlands of Mashhad, is a prominent example of informal settlements in the southwestern part of the city. It has attracted the attention of both the public and urban development institutions. Neglecting the needs and potential of the Noh-Darreh area in the planning and implementation of development projects could degrade its urban fabric, turning it into a deteriorated and unstable settlement, predominantly inhabited by migrants with a minimal sense of belonging to their place of residence. This study aims to explain and analyze the urban planning and design factors that impact the quality of informal settlements and evaluate their effectiveness in the Noh-Darreh area of Mashhad. By adopting an infill development approach, the research seeks to propose a viable model for improving the quality of life and habitability in the Noh-Darreh area.
METHODS: This study is purpose-driven and utilizes a mixed-methods research approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methods. Data collection was carried out using the meta-synthesis technique, which involved a systematic review of reliable scientific databases and gathering insights from urban designers, urban managers, and urban development professionals. The findings were assessed using the Delphi technique.
FINDINGS: Based on the assessments, the most influential indicators using a substantive approach are land use and functionality (0.166), building characteristics (0.114), and the permeability of the fabric (0.107). In terms of a procedural approach, the key indicators are urban governance (0.069), social capital (0.067), and the characteristics of development plans (0.042). Additionally, planning and design strategies centered around infill development have been proposed in both the planning and design dimensions to improve the quality of informal settlements in the Noh-Darreh area.
CONCLUSION: The study reveals that targeted urban planning and design can significantly improve the quality of informal settlements through effective infill development. By focusing on key areas such as strengthening public spaces, optimizing land use, enhancing accessibility, protecting physical structures, and preserving the natural environment, we can transform these areas. Also, fostering strong partnerships between government and communities and promoting economic infrastructure can create better opportunities for residents. This approach can revitalize the Noh-Darreh area, turning it into a thriving, sustainable community and securing a brighter future for its residents.

Wild animals need special attention because of their significance from the environmental, ecological, genetic, scientific, recreational, cultural, educational, social and economic points of view. There are numerous international instruments and documents in the field of international wildlife law (IWL). Among them, there are three well-known instruments namely the Ramsar, Bonn, and CITES Conventions. In the present piece, these Conventions are studied comparatively in order to find out their approaches toward the protection of wildlife. In doing so, the author, first and foremost, provides a brief overview of these Conventions. Thereafter, their approaches toward wildlife protection would be analyzed. The methodological approach of this research includes analysis of wildlife protection through descriptive and normative explanation of the Ramsar, Bonn, and CITES Conventions. According to the findings of this study, reasonable and wise use of wetlands (the approach of the Ramsar Convention), special attention to migratory birds (the approach of the Bonn Convention), and the regulation of international wildlife trade (the approach of CITES) are three main and prevalent approaches in these instruments. Furthermore, it appears that CITES has played a more important and effective role in IWL and protection of wildlife. It is due to the fact that this Convention has more operative tools and its State Parties have undertaken more extensive and practical obligations.

The occurrences of mycotoxins as food contaminants in different localities particularly in developing countries and the inevitable exposure of populations and children to these toxins with probable adverse outcomes need be scientifically and systematically assessed. Health risk assessment developed in the 1980s is separate from risk management, both with risk communication form the risk analysis framework adopted by the World Health Organization. The process contributes increasingly to policy development, public health decision making, the establishment of mycotoxin regulations and research planning. However, the exercise of the risk assessment structured approach is not simple and is faced up to lack of data, capable infrastructure facilities and need for trained personnel and resources. Furthermore, adopted methodologies need be developed focusing on child characteristics and health concerns.

Skyscrapers all around, transportation systems spiderweb across the land and the thrum of humanity is omnipresent. This is progress, we're assured innovation, economic life and the irresistible beauty of metropolitan existence. However, under this facade of progress there is a quiet and insidious reality, our cities are quietly, but dramatically contracting in the deepest sense. Not in their size on the page, but in the very "breathable" space there is to exist for human thriving. This piece asserts that the unbridled expansion of building, transportation, and population density is producing an invisible squeeze that is destroying the active living spaces that are vital to our physical, mental and social health. This is about losing a vital aspect of our humanity, risking a future where our cities are nothing more than machines for living, limiting vibrant crucibles of life. The Seen Squeeze: A Concrete and Congested World The most tangible evidence of this spatial compression is obvious to anyone moving through a contemporary metropolis.

This study examines how constructed green infrastructure green roofs, bioswales and rain gardens, pocket parks, and constructed wetlands contributes to urban biodiversity and neighborhood social outcomes, and integrates a narrative review of 50 peer-reviewed studies to ground the framework. The purpose is to quantify links between designed vegetated systems, site-level biodiversity, and perceptions of well-being, safety, satisfaction, place attachment, and usage. Design is quantitative, cross sectional, and case-based. The sample comprises 180 CGI sites across diverse urban contexts with standardized pedestrian catchments, alongside 5,220 intercept-survey responses. Key variables include CGI extent, quality and maintenance, and connectivity; biodiversity indices (species richness, abundance, Shannon’s H′, Simpson’s 1–D); and social outcomes measured on 5-point Likert scales, with covariates for NDVI, density, land-use mix, transit access, street connectivity, and neighborhood deprivation. The analysis plan specifies descriptives, Pearson or Spearman correlations, and multivariable models: negative binomial for counts, OLS with HC3 errors for continuous outcomes, ordinal logit for usage, plus bootstrapped mediation and prespecified moderation by typology, maintenance, and SES. Headline findings show CGI quality is the strongest ecological predictor, connectivity adds smaller but consistent benefits, and extent is positive yet modest; biodiversity is positively associated with well-being and satisfaction and, to a lesser extent, safety and attachment. Mediation tests indicate 20 to 35 percent of the quality effect on well-being and satisfaction is transmitted through biodiversity. Returns are larger where maintenance is higher, somewhat smaller on access-limited roofs, and stronger for safety in lower SES catchments. Implications include prioritizing native-rich, vertically structured plantings, funding visible maintenance as a performance multiplier, completing green networks, and adopting a lean site-level dashboard that jointly tracks biodiversity and social outcomes.

Climate change is an environmental phenomenon with the potential to exacerbate existing disaster risks and cause extensive human, financial and environmental losses. The Mooifontein agricultural region in South Africa is considered to be a region vulnerable to climate change-associated risks. These climate risks would pose a substantial threat to the livelihoods of farmers in the Mooifontein area. This article aims to explore climate-smart agriculture (CSA) as a resilience-building tool to ensure sustainable agricultural practices. A qualitative research approach was utilised to gain insights into climate change and the lived experiences of farmers and agricultural experts in Mooifontein. The findings revealed that agricultural communities should focus on the identification and application of adaptation strategies like CSA. The adoption of appropriate CSA practices will play a vital role in ensuring sustainable livelihoods and improved community resilience for farming communities in...

lowest prevalence of women who sought help after experiencing intimate partner violence (19.75%; 95% ) and Tanzania had the highest prevalence (57.56%; 95% CI = 55. 86-59.26). Marital status, educational level, current working status, parity, exposure to interparental violence, women's autonomy in household decision-making, mass media exposure, intimate partner violence justification, wealth index, and place of residence were associated with help-seeking behaviour of intimate partner violence survivors. The low prevalence of help seeking among women who have experienced intimate partner violence in sub-Saharan Africa calls for the intensification of formal and informal sources of assistance. Education can play a critical role in empowering girls, which may increase future help-seeking rates. Through media efforts aimed at parental awareness, the long-term benefits of females enrolling in school could be achieved. However, concentrating solely on individual measures to strengthen women's empowerment may not bring a significant rise in help-seeking as far as patriarchal attitudes that permit violence continue to exist. Consequently, it is critical to address intimate partner violence from the dimensions of both the individual and violence-related norms and attitudes. Based on the findings, there should be public awareness creation on the consequences of intimate partner violence. Respective governments must increase their coverage of formal support services to intimate partner violence survivors especially those in rural communities.

Abstract: Effective forest conservation should go hand in hand with the collaboration of the surrounding local communities. Bringing advancement and relief to marginalized communities is pivotal for conservation initiatives, with the objective of cultivating a sustainable ecosystem while protecting indigenous biodiversity. The linchpin for developing successful partnerships begins with fostering a shared understanding of the intricate relationship between humanity and the natural environment. This awareness can be nurtured by interactive education and tangible outcomes that illuminate the profound long-term benefits of conscientious environmental stewardship. Therefore, an emphasis on community-driven conservation and environmental education becomes imperative, serving as a conduit for disseminating crucial information, fostering practical knowledge, and nurturing the attitudes and skills essential in the quest for environmental protection and sustainable development. Education, in this context, operates as a reciprocal process, demanding that educators glean insights from the local populace to effectively tailor strategies that elevate and empower them toward sustainable advancement. This dynamic interaction is where capacity development (CD) becomes indispensable. This paper delves into the unfolding of a series of conservation endeavors, initially driven by Anita Studer’s commitment to preserving a fragment of the primary Atlantic Forest in northeastern Brazil. Evolving into a four-decade educational journey, the actions taken showcase enduring ripple effects across 14 states in Brazil, presenting a comprehensive survey of applied techniques in this unique context. The resources required to achieve collective conservation goals witness a continual upswing, a trend expounded in this paper. Hence, we have chronicled the history, methodology, and projects that transpired in response to the ever-evolving community needs. We will also look at the results and discuss the advancement that ensues following the CBD targets and goals presented at the 2022 UN Biodiversity Conference.

The river management is a critical and more focused area where it faces heavy water feeds due to rains and high-sloped catchment. Pahang River is an example of such situation and it receives runoff due to 220 mm average monthly rainfall. Malaysia is going on fast track of development in infrastructure and focusing on transformation process of economy. Keeping in view this fact, the vulnerability may cause due to floods in Pahang River and itseems to be a threat for the sustainable development of this area. The study has main objective of to find out possible technology tools to fine tune the existing hydro management system with a priority of healthy growth of country with minimized threats of flood disasters. Learning lessons from Australia, which is already under the process to develop computer aided river management, used as a guideline for the implication of this system for Pahang River in Malaysia. The study has investigated the broader aspects of river management handled by the system of computer aided river management (CARM). These aspects discussed in scenario of future demands for the development of such system for Pahang River. Suggestions and possible ways of action for the implications of computer aided river management identified with key role of all stakeholders. The prospectus of CARM and its adaptation is in the benefit of the country because of its sustainability and future focused development fashion.

Wetland birds in Nepal comprise significant portion of avian fauna of Nepal. However, they are also highly threatened because of several factors. A thorough study on wetland bird communities is lacking which is hampering conservation of wetlands and bird communities dependent on them. Proper management of the wetland beyond the protected areas is essential to conserve wetland birds in Nepal.

This paper investigates the integrated transformation of the global maritime sector, driven by stringent decarbonization mandates, specifically the IMO's commitment to achieving net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 and a 40% reduction in carbon intensity by 2030. The analysis reveals a crucial constructive collaboration: the adoption of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) is not merely an efficient measure but a technical enabler for zero-emission propulsion. By eliminating crew and "Accommodation on board the ship," MASS designs allow for the radical redesign of vessels to accommodate the bulky storage required for low-energydensity alternative fuels, such as green methanol and ammonia. Concurrently, the study examines the necessity of smart port modernization as the logistics anchor for this transition. Smart ports, leveraging IoT, AI, and 5G, yield significant quantifiable gains (up to 25% productivity) and must integrate complex bunkering infrastructure (including mandatory Onshore Power Supply-OPS) to support the new fleet. Crucially, this transition occurs against the backdrop of physical climate threats, requiring massive parallel investment in climate resilience to harden ports against sea level rise (up to 40 cm by 2050) and extreme weather. Developed nations, including the US, EU, and Asian powers, are responding with strategic initiatives like Green Shipping Corridors (GSCs), R&D funding, and technology localization. However, the comprehensive roadmap must address systemic challenges, including the substantial regulatory lag (with a mandatory MASS Code not entering force until 2032), escalating financial risks, and the urgent need for enhanced cyber resilience to safeguard the interconnected, digital ecosystem from catastrophic environmental and economic failures. A successful path to net-zero requires prioritizing regulatory harmonization, the safe scaling of zero-carbon fuel infrastructure, and mandatory mitigation of high-potency non-CO2 GHGs, such as N2O emissions from ammonia combustion.

Year after year, the impacts of climate change become more destructive. Accordingly, finding the appropriate solutions to adapt with such impacts begins to be a constant concern of many cities worldwide. In this field, urban green infrastructure or (UGI) provides appropriate solutions for different climate change impacts such as floods, urban heat island, pollution, drought, water scarcity, soil erosion, energy deficit, etc. Literature review indicates a limited knowledge about UGI planning strategies as climate change adaptation (CCA) in existing cities. Accordingly, the current research seeks to extract these strategies from the real world practices of UGI. The applied methodology is known as 'learning by doing'. Many eminent practices of UGI planning in existing cities for the purposes of CCA are selected. A cross analysis is conducted between them to extract their common UGI strategies. The research's results reveal that the explored practices almost depend on simila...

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) practitioners are part of the public health endeavour, and competence must reflect this role. This competency statement is accompanied by a framework that sets out criteria indicative of being a competent expert. The primary audience for this statement is the human health topic leads producing health assessments, including HIA and human health chapters or sections within Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) or Environmental Outcome Reports (EOR), (collectively ‘health assessments’ hereafter). This statement is written for England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (ROI), although the statement may also be used internationally.

Community-Based Tourism (CBT) is a proposal for planning and developing localities through tourism, based on sustainability and sustainable development concepts, promoting the social emancipation of communities through the population’s leading role in self-management of their goods, services, and social capital, in order to improve residents’ quality of life and the conservation of environmental, historical and cultural heritage. In order to understand the scientific literature that has gained prominence since 1990, and to identify possible gaps in the subject, this article brings together an Integrative Literature Review (ILR) and a Bibliometric Study (BS) of a sample of 158 articles in Portuguese, Spanish, and English published in 64 journals. The study fulfilled the three main bibliometrics laws: Lotka, Bradford, and Zipf, indicating the CBT as an expanding and pulverized production subject. Finally, the summary of knowledge identified as possible theoretical gaps: governance and...

Solid waste, which is a consequence of day-to-day activity of human kind, needs to be managed properly. Jigjiga City, like other cities in developing countries, faces problems associated with poorly managed solid waste operation. This study concerns about analysis of the city's current municipal solid waste management problems, opportunities and existing solid waste management practices and role of community participation. The survey was conducted in 03 and 05 kebeles. Different sampling methods were employed to select the study units including: stratified sampling, systematic random sampling, and purposive sampling. Though the bulk of the data collected were qualitative in nature, it was also supported by quantitative information collected through survey and secondary sources. The study discovered that there is low performance of SWM in the city mainly due to: lack of properly designed collection system and time schedule, inadequate and malfunctioning operation equipment, open burning of refuse, poor condition of the final dumpsite and less awareness creation among community which encouraged illegal dumping are the technical problem identified. Insufficient funds as well as lack of promotion on-waste reduction, recycling, absence of waste recovery, practice of energy option, waste separation and composting are among the management challenges facing the city. Social problems encountered include: lack of public awareness, unwillingness to pay, ill dumping manner (often around residence and any open spaces) and improper outlook for waste workers. Incompetence of organizations in terms of equipment required for operation and man power /staff qualifications, training and human resource developments and/or unreliable service are the institutional challenge that the city encountered in the sector. Finally, the study forwarded some important recommendations towards improving the waste management practices.

This study aimed to determine the relationship between waste management administration and environmental sustainability in Lagos, Nigeria. Although waste production is an inevitable byproduct of human activity, sustainable refuse management remains challenging in many nations today. With this idea in mind, we conducted this investigation. According to previous research, several states lack the necessary planning and infrastructure to efficiently and sustainably manage municipal solid waste. The research population comprised 700 waste administrators in the Ikeja Local Government Area; 250 were chosen using the Yamen sample technique. However, 233 of the 250 distributed questionnaires were retrieved. In order to determine the ANOVA and coefficient results, linear regression (at a significance level of 5% or 0.05) was utilized. The results revealed a negative correlation between waste management agency operations and environmental sustainability, as well as between waste disposal, waste separation, and environmental cleanliness. Furthermore, a negative correlation between waste recycling and pollution control was discovered. Therefore, it is suggested that effective collection techniques, sufficient system coverage, proper waste disposal, institutional coordination, adequate financial resources, enforceable regulations and standards, and appropriate technology be implemented.