Ayyoob Sharifi | Hiroshima University (original) (raw)

Papers by Ayyoob Sharifi

International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 2024

In densely populated cities, people confront multiple impacts of climate change, including stormw... more In densely populated cities, people confront multiple impacts of climate change, including stormwater runoff, flooding, heat waves, and health issues. To address these impacts, nature-based solutions (NbS) have gained significant attention in recent years due to their potential to contribute to sustainability, resilience, and ecosystem services. Nevertheless, more research is required to understand the wider potential of NbS and to identify priority areas for their deployment. This study developed an analytical approach and implemented it in the Tehran Metropolitan Area (TMA) by considering factors related to NbS co-benefits. The approach included spatial prioritization, spatial correlation analysis, and suitability analysis. It combines a Geographic Information System, Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model, Zonation, Best-Worst Method, Bivariate Local Indicator of Spatial Autocorrelation analysis (BiLISA), a Fuzzy Inference System, and Boolean overlay analysis. The results include maps showing priority areas for different types of NbS and spatial co-benefits and mismatches. High-priority areas are located in disadvantaged areas. In total, 105.73 km2 (17% of the TMA) was designated as highly prioritized. We show that various NbS interventions are applicable, with green roofs and rainwater harvesting being the most feasible. This study can assist decision-makers in optimizing NbS to deliver maximum co-benefits.

Building and Environment, 2025

Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) present significant challenges for urban areas worldwide, impacting pub... more Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) present significant challenges for urban areas worldwide, impacting public health and the overall livability of cities. This systematic literature review explores UHI effects across different Local Climate Zones (LCZs) and suggests mitigation strategies. Key contributors to UHI effects within various LCZs include inefficient building layouts, high building densities, and insufficient vegetation coverage. Conversely, potential mitigation measures like increasing surface albedo and enhancing green spaces offer promising ways to alleviate UHI effects and improve thermal comfort. The study identifies the hottest and coolest LCZs at both Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) and Canopy Urban Heat Island (CUHI) levels, uncovering disparities depending on measurement heights. It identifies LCZ 2 as the hottest in both SUHI and CUHI categories, while highlighting LCZ 9, with its sparse development, as the coolest built-up area in both cases. Results confirm that compact designs provide shading effects during daytime assessments but trap heat at night, leading to elevated temperaturesexemplified by LCZ 1 being among the coolest during daylight but emerging as one of the hottest compact forms at night. Additionally, results reveal that low-rise areas in LCZ 10 and 8 are most problematic due to substantial heat accumulation attributed to limited vegetation cover and extensive concrete usage. Most publications discussed three important mitigation strategies: increasing green space and plants, increasing the previous surface percentage, and using reflective building materials. The findings underscore tailored approaches for addressing urban heat challenges and climate change adaptation based on the specific characteristics of each LCZ.

Journal of Environmental Management, 2024

Understanding the relationship between urban form and CO2 emissions is essential for developing m... more Understanding the relationship between urban form and CO2 emissions is essential for developing mitigation measures. However, most studies so far have been limited to examining the urban form at the macro level. Existing studies have limitations, such as a lack of granularity and a standardized approach, and focus on a limited set of urban form indicators. To address these issues, this study employs the Local Climate Zones (LCZ) framework to investigate the relationship between urban form and CO2 emissions at the micro level in three American cities: Baltimore, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles. Results indicate that LCZ offers a valuable framework for mapping emissions at the building and street level and facilitates a better understanding of different urban forms’ emission behavior. According to the findings, emission intensity in compact areas with few or no trees and limited green space is up to 3.5 times higher than in areas characterized by open layouts, scattered trees, and abundant plant cover. Also, per capita emissions in compact areas are, on average, two times higher than in areas with more open layouts. Additionally, the results show that compact high-rise and mid-rise areas without trees and greenery (LCZ 1 and 2), particularly in Baltimore and Indianapolis, experience higher emissions levels than other LCZs during the daytime. The findings suggest that the LCZ framework holds promise for understanding the link between urban form and emissions in intricate urban settings, as well as for low-carbon urban planning and climate change mitigation.

Habitat International, 2024

In the face of rapid urbanization and urban climate vulnerabilities in the Global South, developi... more In the face of rapid urbanization and urban climate vulnerabilities in the Global South, developing effective and suitable climate action plans have become imperative. Recent literature has critically examined climate action planning approaches in the Global South. In Ghana, the existing top-down approach to urban climate action planning is criticized as ineffective, unsustainable, and reactionary, emphasizing the need to continuously explore alternative effective context-based approaches. This study adopts a backcasting and participatory approach to explore prospective pathways for Ghana's urban climate action planning. We contextualize the pathways in two-fold; climate action pathways and social network pathways. The approach identified seven climate actions and distinct networks for collaboration, resource sharing, and knowledge/information flow relevant to Ghana's future urban climate action planning. The actions include three pro-adaptation actions, one pro-mitigation action, and three actions to achieve synergies from simultaneously implementing both adaptation and mitigation. It further reveals that aligning to a particular climate action can be influenced by an individual's age group (or generational cohort) or level of experience in climate planning. Lessons are drawn from the pathways to propose a conceptual framework to guide Ghana's future urban climate action planning. To achieve climate resilience in the cities of Africa and other Global South countries, our study provides evidence of a multi-stakeholder approach in prioritizing actions and enhancing social networks and interrelationships for climate action planning.

Sustainable Cities and Society, 2024

To better investigate the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, a standardized framework known as Local... more To better investigate the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, a standardized framework known as Local Climate Zones (LCZ) has been developed and widely applied to numerous cities. However, cities from least-developed countries with heterogeneous typologies are underrepresented in the LCZ literature. This study assesses the applicability of the LCZ framework in the slum-dominant built-up environment of Kabul. Using a combined method involving GIS and remote sensing, we classified natural and built-type LCZs and analyzed LCZ-LST fluctuations. The analysis revealed that four new subclasses cover 23 % of the built type LCZs: LCZ 3 5 (mid/ high-rise buildings within compact lowrise layouts) and LCZ 6 5 (midrise buildings among open lowrise areas) have the lowest LSTs at 34.36 • C and 34.42 • C in July, respectively. In contrast, LCZ 7 3 (two/three-story buildings in lightweight configurations), and LCZ 9 F (sparse buildings on bare soil or sand) have higher LSTs at 37.2 • C and 38.6 • C in July, respectively. These subclasses showed distinct zone parameter thresholds compared to standard LCZs. In most built-type LCZs, Average Building Height (ABH) and Pervious Surface Fraction (PSF) negatively influenced LST, while impervious surfaces and Sky View Factor contributed to higher LST. Based on the findings, LCZ-specified strategies (Vegetation, urban form, and using high-albedo materials) for LST mitigation are proposed. Furthermore, we provide planning, design, and policy recommendations aimed at mitigating urban heat, with potential applicability to other cities facing rapid urbanization and growth of informal settlements. The findings can inform action toward urban climate change adaptation.

Journal of Environmental Management, 2024

Dhaka ranks among the world's most densely populated cities, with built-up areas expanding to acc... more Dhaka ranks among the world's most densely populated cities, with built-up areas expanding to accommodate the demands of a growing population. The rapid urbanization has reduced green space and exacerbated urban heat and pollution in the city. In the quest for a greener and healthier urban environment, rooftop agriculture has emerged as a promising solution, offering opportunities for the restoration of the environment and safe food production. Despite its potential, limited studies have explored the viability of this alternative greening solution for Dhaka. Therefore, this study aims to assess the suitability of rooftops for agricultural activities employing Geographic Information System (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques. First, seven criteria were selected based on the literature, such as building age, height, rooftop size, building utility, property value, sunlight, and water availability. Second, an expert opinion survey was conducted using the Best Worst Method (BWM) to calculate the criteria's weights. Finally, the suitability map for Dhaka was derived by combining the criteria layers and was subsequently validated. Rooftop area and property value were identified as the most and least important criteria. Approximately 9% (6.27 km2), 68% (46.59 km2), 22% (15.15 km2), and a negligible portion (0.1 km2) of Dhaka city has been classified as highly suitable, suitable, moderately suitable, and not suitable, respectively, for rooftop agriculture. By identifying and promoting the most suitable locations for rooftop agriculture and highlighting existing opportunities, this research will help to initiate and expand sustainable agriculture practices that can contribute to climate change adaptation and urban resilience.

Building and Environment, 2024

The spatiotemporal assessment of urban resilience is crucial for planning and policy-making towar... more The spatiotemporal assessment of urban resilience is crucial for planning and policy-making toward addressing climate change and other societal challenges. However, our comprehension of urban resilience at smaller scales is limited. This study not only advances urban resilience research by developing an efficient measurement approach but also contributes to practice by evaluating resilience at the city block level, thereby informing targeted interventions. Our study aimed to downscale the unit of analysis for urban resilience assessment by focusing on the social, economic, housing and infrastructural, and environmental dimensions of blocks in the southern districts of Tehran between 2006 and 2016. The Fuzzy Delphi Method was utilized to determine the indicators for urban resilience assessment. The Analytic Hierarchy Process technique was employed to weigh these indicators. Subsequently, the PROMETHEE technique was applied to evaluate the resilience of urban blocks. Finally, the K-Means algorithm was utilized to cluster the urban blocks. The results indicate that from 2006 to 2016, the southern districts of Tehran saw a marked reduction in overall resilience. This decline affected 48 % of the urban blocks, encompassing 60 % of the area and 62 % of the population. The results of applying the K-means algorithm for urban block clustering did not align with the boundaries of the southern districts of Tehran. This finding highlights that assessing resilience on smaller scales could lead to more accurate conclusions.

Land Use Policy, 2024

Urban ecosystems provide many crucial services to cities and their residents, particularly in ada... more Urban ecosystems provide many crucial services to cities and their residents, particularly in adapting to the effects of climate change. Extensive research has been conducted in this field, covering various aspects of ecosystem services. However, little is known about issues related to the limited access to these ecosystem services, particularly among marginalized populations. This review systematically screened 3961 papers and synthesized findings from 98 papers to identify groups that are marginalized in terms of access to urban ecosystem services and provide policy measures to address the issue. We conducted an inductive content analysis and thematic analysis to review the literature comprehensively. Our findings revealed that marginalization is more prevalent in cultural ecosystem services (51 %) than in other ecosystem service types. The results also show that vulnerable populations, including minorities, low-income populations, physically challenged people, children/young people/students, older people, and migrants, are particularly marginalized. Among these groups, minorities (24 %) emerged as the most extensively studied category. Additionally, we identified a marginalized group labeled as 'generic,' consisting of individuals whose identities did not neatly fit within the previously defined groups or were mentioned across multiple groups simultaneously.The marginalization across all these groups stems from income disparities, cultural norms, racial and ethnic considerations, willingness to visit, age-related disparities, physical disabilities, and geographical location. Importantly, our study underscores the adverse effects of marginalization on these groups, leading to health disparities, lower quality of life, and reduced resilience to climate change. In light of these findings, we also spotlight policies from the literature such as inclusive urban planning, community engagement initiatives, and financial support aimed at ensuring more equitable access to urban ecosystem services.

npj Climate Action, 2024

Scientists predict ongoing global climate change to trigger adverse events affecting about 143 mi... more Scientists predict ongoing global climate change to trigger adverse events affecting about 143 million people in the Global South by 2050, leading to various forms of migration and mobility. While existing literature extensively examines climate-induced migration, there is a lack of studies considering the compounding impacts of multiple climate hazards on migration, mobility, and immobility. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic literature review to explore how climate-induced stressors, specifically rising temperatures, water stress and droughts, and floods and sea-level rise, have affected populations in the Global South, leading to voluntary and/or forced migration. Our findings show that these stressors have displaced and profoundly impacted millions of people, resulting in both internal and transboundary migration. Climate-induced stressors often trigger migration through indirect pathways influenced by multiple intervening institutional, political, and socioeconomic factors and programmatic and policy gaps. Effectively addressing challenges related to climate-induced migration necessitates adaptation strategies that adequately consider the impacts of these intervening factors while recognizing their differential effects on various socio-demographic groups. We argue that support from Global North countries, including compensation for loss and damage, along with continued institutional and financial support from international non-governmental organizations, is crucial for managing climate-induced migration in the Global South. Without proper planning and adequate resources, migration may escalate and significantly impact human security. The findings of this study can inform climate migration policies and assist adaptation and migration experts in identifying intervention mechanisms and opportunities for people-centered climate solutions.

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2024

This research advances urban resilience assessment beyond conventional social, economic, environm... more This research advances urban resilience assessment beyond conventional social, economic, environmental, and institutional dimensions by introducing a hybrid framework integrating systemic resilience characteristics across planning, absorption, recovery, and adaptation abilities. Our study focused on Ahvaz, Iran, during the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing a questionnaire survey involving 705 residents between May and November 2022. The results show that urban resilience in Ahvaz is low in all four capacities, especially in absorption, which indicates the city's limited ability to isolate disruptive events and prevent cascading impacts. We found that there is no significant difference in urban resilience across different districts of the city. However, a positive relationship exists between socio-economic status and urban resilience, underscoring its role in bolstering a city's ability to deal with adverse events. Ensuring fair distribution and accessibility of assets and resources within the city is crucial to minimize adverse effects on low-income groups. The findings highlight the necessity of reinforcing absorption capacities and addressing socio-economic inequalities to enhance urban resilience. The insights from this study can help shape policies and planning efforts aimed at building more resilient cities capable of withstanding pandemics and other stressors, including climate change.

Habitat International, 2024

Ensuring sustainable urban futures demands varied approaches, particularly with the advent of the... more Ensuring sustainable urban futures demands varied approaches, particularly with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, which presents a unique situation and experience for reimagining urban futures. A considerable number of scientific inquiries have adopted participatory foresight approaches to imagining sustainable urban development pathways. However, not many have used a similar approach to envision urban development pathways in a post-COVID-19 era. Based on available evidence on the impacts of COVID-19 on urban forms and lifestyles and citizens’ experiences during the pandemic, such a study is imperative to better understand how people from different demographic groups envision an ideal post-pandemic city. Using the Greater Tokyo Area as a case study, we adopted the Q methodology to determine post-pandemic urban development pathways from the subjective viewpoints of diverse stakeholders. We identified four development pathways for an ideal post-pandemic city. The first pathway is a resilient city with good neighborhood accessibility and sustainable urban regeneration. The second and third pathways, shared by younger people, focus on pro-environmental climate change mitigation (city compactness, shared mobility) and pro-urban resilience, respectively. The final pathway imagines a post-pandemic city that is accessible, safe, and smart. We found that different age groups perceive their ideal cities differently, especially when emphasizing the nexus between pandemics and cities. The study illustrates the need to adopt more participatory approaches in designing future urban development pathways since varied perspectives of an ideal city exist among different age demographics. These approaches promote equitable, inclusive, and transparent urban planning, advancing community support for policymaking and implementation.

Science of the Total Environment, 2024

Amidst growing concerns over the greenhouse effect, especially its consequential impacts, establi... more Amidst growing concerns over the greenhouse effect, especially its consequential impacts, establishing effective Carbon Emission Prediction Models (CEPMs) to comprehend and predict CO2 emission trends is imperative for climate change mitigation. A review of 147 Carbon Emission Prediction Model (CEPM) studies revealed three predominant functions—prediction, optimization, and prediction factor selection. Statistical models, comprising 75 instances, were the most prevalent among prediction models, followed by neural network models at 21.8 %. The consistent rise in neural network model usage, particularly feedforward architectures, was observed from 2019 to 2022. A majority of CEPMs incorporated optimized approaches, with 94.4 % utilizing metaheuristic models. Parameter optimization was the primary focus, followed by structure optimization. Prediction factor selection models, employing Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for statistical and machine learning models, respectively, filtered factors effectively. Scrutinizing accuracy, pre-optimized CEPMs exhibited varied performance, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) values spanned from 0.112 to 1635 Mt, while post-optimization led to a notable improvement, the minimum RMSE reached 0.0003 Mt, and the maximum was 95.14 Mt. Finally, we summarized the pros and cons of existing models, classified and counted the factors that influence carbon emissions, clarified the research objectives in CEPM and assessed the applied model evaluation methods and the spatial and temporal scales of existing research.

Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 2024

Planning clean, livable, and resilient cities is challenging. This becomes even more complex when... more Planning clean, livable, and resilient cities is challenging. This becomes even more complex when considering the rapid population growth and urban development. The development of nature-based solutions (NbS) is acknowledged as a viable strategy to address this issue. It has multiple human and environmental health benefits under both normal and extreme climatic scenarios. This study aimed to examine how different conditions and factors are linked to the development of NbS for urban climate change adaptation, with a specific focus on stormwater and flooding management. Through a systematic literature review, this study proposes a taxonomy of NbS to better understand the processes and hierarchies involved in developing NbS. The analysis covered multiple factors related to geographical focus and scale, sector, climatic conditions, adaptation and mitigation measures, ecosystem services, and co-benefits. These factors were linked to ten classified NbS approaches and 29 specific NbS interventions. An analysis of 582 empirical studies showed that Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) are the most dominant approaches of NbS for adaptation, followed by Low-Impact Development (LID), Green Infrastructure (GI), Sponge City (SC), and Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI). Among the different interventions, green roofs play a significant role in providing multifunctional ecosystem services and adaptation benefits such as stormwater and climate regulation. Policymakers and developers aiming to expand the implementation of NbS can consider the taxonomy proposed in this study to choose the right types of NbS and obtain maximum co-benefits.

Urban Climate, 2024

Large amounts of CO2 emissions often accompany economic growth. The decoupling analysis is a comm... more Large amounts of CO2 emissions often accompany economic growth. The decoupling analysis is a common approach to assess how economic growth can be achieved without significant negative environmental impacts and by promoting energy conservation and emission reduction. Cities are essential in mitigating climate change problems and promoting low-carbon living. This study analyzes the relationship between economic development and CO2 emissions in Chinese provincial capitals from 2011 to 2021. The Tapio decoupling model and Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) decomposition model are used to assess this decoupling relationship based on panel CO2 emissions and GDP data. The results show that: (1) CO2 emissions are still growing at a slow pace, but with big fluctuations during 2019–2021 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) Cities have significant differences, with some cities reaching a stable weak decoupling, and others with unstable decoupling. Also, economically developed cities have significant advantages; (3) Economic output is still the main factor inhibiting decoupling. The inhibiting effect of population growth is gradually stabilizing. Results demonstrate that energy technology and economic structure have a great role in promoting decoupling. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the importance of energy efficiency and sustainable development through advanced technologies, economic restructuring, and low-carbon strategies for transition toward climate-resilient urban development.

Ecosystem Services, 2024

Ecosystem services are crucial for urban resilience, climate change adaptation and mitigation, an... more Ecosystem services are crucial for urban resilience, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and sustainable development. Incorporating these services in urban environments involves various principles, partnerships, organizational strategies, and methodologies. A vast body of research exists on ecosystem services. However, there is a lack of studies that address equity concerns in access to urban ecosystem services. This paper critically reviews the literature to investigate the state of access to ecosystem services in urban areas. We use deductive content analysis for this purpose. We explore traditional concepts of justice and update them by examining the sources and types of ecosystem services in urban environments. We examine justice typology considering various social, environmental, infrastructural, ecological, and mobility issues. We also explore different justice dimensions, including distributional, procedural, recognitional, and restorative issues. Results showed a notable prioritization of green infrastructures (73%) over blue infrastructures (5%). Furthermore, there has been an apparent emphasis on cultural services (42%) and regulating services (25%) in offering recreational activities, fostering social integration, improving place-making capabilities, showcasing adaptability, and demonstrating resilience. An important finding is that most of the publications (87%) highlight that there is no justice in access to ecosystem services. Regarding typologies, we found that there has been more attention to environmental justice, and infrastructural, ecological, and mobility justice are underexplored. As for dimensions, more attention has been paid to distributional and recognitional justice at the cost of restorative justice. A key shortcoming is that cities in the Global South are not adequately represented in the literature, despite their significance for achieving sustainable urban development in the coming decades.

Land Use Policy, 2024

Since its emergence in the latter half of the 20th century, the concept of place making has under... more Since its emergence in the latter half of the 20th century, the concept of place making has undergone substantial evolution. To fully comprehend how this concept has transformed and encountered diverse trajectories, it is beneficial to examine its evolutionary path over time. Therefore, this paper aims to conduct a thorough review of the literature surrounding the expanding matrix of place making through a combination of bibliometric analysis and selective review. The paper seeks to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of nine interrelated paradigms of place making as a subfield of urban planning and design. These are, namely, late 20th century place making, sustainable place making, digital place making, democratic place making, creative place making, strategic place making, healthy place making, resilient place making, and post-pandemic place making. Results reveal that there has been a transition toward community-based participation and a stronger emphasis on social and environmental elements. Also, there has been a shift from emphasizing functional spaces to promoting community building, social connectivity, healthy, and resilient environments via long-term strategies as well as the deployment of smart city and digital technologies.

npj Urban Sustainability, 2024

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, speculations on the decline of major cities have surged, with studi... more Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, speculations on the decline of major cities have surged, with studies noting temporary population decreases across various cities worldwide. However, research scarcely addresses the pandemic’s enduring influence on perceptions of city living. Rather than exploring mid- to long-term impacts, current literature focuses mainly on comparing changes in residential preferences during and before the pandemic. To fill this gap, we conducted a randomized conjoint experiment to scrutinize altered residential preferences and attitudes toward residing in the Tokyo Metropolis due to the pandemic. Scenarios encompassed reminders of potential pandemic re-occurrence and teleworking options. Despite variations depending on the scenarios and socio-demographic characteristics of the survey participants, overall, results show that the COVID-19 pandemic and the surge in remote working did not diminish the allure of Tokyo, implying a low probability of an urban decline. These outcomes advocate for compact urban development to bolster resilience against forthcoming stressors like climate change.

Cities, 2024

Despite the wealth of research on smart cities, there is a lack of studies examining interlinkage... more Despite the wealth of research on smart cities, there is a lack of studies examining interlinkages between smart cities and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In other words, there is limited research on how implementing smart city solutions can lead to co-benefits and/or trade-offs for achieving SDGs. This systematic literature review was conducted to fill this gap. Results show that responsible development/implementation of smart city solutions and technologies could contribute to the progress toward SDGs. The literature is mainly focused on SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation). More work on other SDGs is needed. There is a bias toward reporting the benefits of smart cities. These include accelerating economic growth, improving efficiency, strengthening innovation, and raising citizen awareness. These benefits indicate that smart cities could catalyze the transition to sustainable development and address climate change challenges. However, this requires addressing trade-offs related to issues such as privacy and cyber security, costs of infrastructure upgrading, rebound effects associated with efficiency improvements, biased decision-making, reproduction of social biases, digital divide and lack of skills, misuse of AI, and limited legal setup. This review elaborates on these trade-offs and offers solutions to minimize them. Results show that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased attention to the interactions between smart cities and the SDGs, particularly those related to health and climate action. However, it has also cemented many new unethical practices. This review highlights governance/policy challenges that should be addressed to ensure smart cities can better contribute to the SDGs. It concludes that multi-scale and transparent governance mechanisms and regulatory frameworks are crucial for ensuring that smart city solutions support the transition toward sustainable and resilient cities.

Journal of Urban Health, 2023

This scoping review of the literature explores the following question: what systematic measures a... more This scoping review of the literature explores the following question: what systematic measures are needed to achieve a healthy city? The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests 11 characteristics of a healthy city. Measures contributing to these characteristics are extracted and classified into 29 themes. Implementation of some of these measures is illustrated by examples from Freiburg, Greater Vancouver, Singapore, Seattle, New York City, London, Nantes, Exeter, Copenhagen, and Washington, DC. The identified measures and examples indicate that a healthy city is a system of healthy sectors. A discussion section suggests healthy directions for nine sectors in a healthy city. These sectors include transportation, housing, schools, city planning, local government, environmental management, retail, heritage, and healthcare. Future work is advised to put more focus on characteristic 5 (i.e., the meeting of basic needs for all the city's people) and characteristic 10 (i.e., public health and sick care services accessible to all) of a healthy city.

Energy, 2024

The implementation of Increase in Block Pricing (IBP) policy is premised on the assumption that c... more The implementation of Increase in Block Pricing (IBP) policy is premised on the assumption that consumers adjust their behavior to save energy in response to electricity price increases. However, consumers often lack a comprehensive understanding of the pricing schedules, leading to inaccurate consumption predictions. This study utilizes monthly electricity billing data from the administrative records of urban residential consumers of the Electricity Company of Ghana Limited to estimate the causal effect of IBP policy schedules on electricity consumption. To achieve this, we employed the Regression Kink (RK) design identification strategy to explore the kink structure of the policy function. This paper finds an inelastic causal relationship between IBP policy and electricity consumption. The results show a treatment effect of 0.41 KWh with an associated p-value of 0.473 at a robust 95 % confidence interval. Thus, IBP policy has no causal effect on electricity consumption at the 50 KWh lower block threshold. Notably, electricity consumers do not respond significantly to price increments, rendering IBP policy ineffective in achieving energy saving at the lower block threshold. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the effectiveness of IBP policy in promoting energy savings and informs researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders in the energy sector. Results can be used to develop evidence-based policies that contribute to energy conservation and climate change mitigation.

International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 2024

Building and Environment, 2025

Journal of Environmental Management, 2024

Habitat International, 2024

Sustainable Cities and Society, 2024

Journal of Environmental Management, 2024

Building and Environment, 2024

Land Use Policy, 2024

npj Climate Action, 2024

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2024

Habitat International, 2024

Science of the Total Environment, 2024

Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 2024

Urban Climate, 2024

Ecosystem Services, 2024

Land Use Policy, 2024

npj Urban Sustainability, 2024

Cities, 2024

Journal of Urban Health, 2023

Energy, 2024

Urban Systems Design, 2020

Urban sustainability assessment tools are increasingly used to inform planning and policymaking i... more Urban sustainability assessment tools are increasingly used to inform planning and policymaking in cities. Despite being diverse in their scale, scope, and clientele, their common goal is dealing with challenges related to global change and sustainability. In the meantime, it is increasingly recognized that utilizing smart solutions, enabled by advances in information and communication technologies, is critical for accelerating progress on achieving sustainability. It is, therefore, essential to integrate smart city principles into urban sustainability assessment tools. Accordingly, the main question that we aim to address in this chapter is whether sustainability assessment tools cover smart city indicators. To answer this question, we first extract a list of smart city indicators from a wide range of existing tools for assessing city smartness. Next, we examine seven globally well-known sustainability assessment tools to find out the level of correspondence between their indicators and those extracted from smart city assessment tools. The examined urban sustainability assessment tools belong to the BREEAM, LEED, and CASBEE family and are used for performance assessment at the neighborhood and/or city scales. Results show that, overall, there is a lack of correspondence between smart city and urban sustainability assessment tools. In particular, there is a glaring lack of coverage of smartness indicators related to the economy, governance, and quality of life dimensions. Some promising results were, however, found regarding the inclusion of smartness indicators related to the environment and mobility dimensions. Results show that the recently developed LEED for cities and communities tools have made good efforts to include smartness indicators related to these two dimensions. This chapter concludes by highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the selected tools and making some recommendations for future research.

Sustainability Science, 2020

Over the past 3 decades, a vast body of research has been published on the interactions between c... more Over the past 3 decades, a vast body of research has been published on the interactions between climate change and events that undermine negative peace. Consequently, several review papers have been published in the last few years on this nexus. However, there is still a lack of a comprehensive bibliometrics analysis of the field. Accordingly, the main aim of this study is to fill this gap to advance our understanding of the existing literature. For this purpose, we analyzed 1337 articles indexed in the Web of Science using VOSviewer and SciMAT that are two commonly used software tools for science mapping and bibliometrics analysis. The SciMAT tool was also used to examine thematic evolution of the nexus over three consecutive sub-periods (i.e., 1990–2007, 2008–2014, and 2015–2020). Results show that research on this nexus has grown steadily since 1990, but the trends have rapidly increased after the publication of the IPCC assessment report in 2007. Four major thematic focus areas were identified, namely, (1) war and violent conflict, (2) political tensions and institutional mechanisms to deal with conflicts, (3) disasters and other climatic impacts that may lead to massive human displacements, and (4) conflicts/cooperation related to water resources. Results of the SciMAT analysis confirm and add weight to these findings. They also show that, over time, issues related to environmental security have gained more attention. An important finding is that the focus has mainly been on war and violent conflicts and other events are not well addressed. The article concludes with some recommendations for future research.

Energy, Sustainability and Society, 2023

Background The implementation of sustainability at universities means that they can also play a k... more Background
The implementation of sustainability at universities means that they can also play a key role in the transition to a low carbon economy, and in assisting global efforts towards decarbonisation. Yet, not all of them have so far fully engaged in this area. This paper reviews the state of the art on trends in decarbonisation, and outlines the need for decarbonisation efforts at universities. It also reports on a survey aimed at ascertaining the extent to which universities in a sample of 40 countries across the various geographical regions are engaged in carbon reduction efforts, identifying the challenges faced.
Results
The study has shown that the literature on the topic has been evolving over time and that increasing a given university’s energy supply from renewable energy sources has been the cornerstone of university-based climate action plans. The study also indicates that even though several universities are concerned with their carbon footprint and actively seeking ways to reduce it, there are some institutional obstacles that need to be overcome.
Conclusions
A first conclusion which can be drawn is that efforts on decarbonisation are becoming more popular, with a special focus being placed on the use of renewable energy. Also, the study has shown that, from the range of efforts being made towards decarbonisation, many universities are setting up a team with carbon management responsibilities, have Carbon Management Policy Statements, and review them. The paper points towards some measures which may be deployed, so as to allow universities to take better advantage of the many opportunities an engagement in decarbonisation initiatives offers to them.

Sustainability Science, 2022

Social sustainability is a work field characterised by an emphasis on social aspects, e.g. equity... more Social sustainability is a work field characterised by an emphasis on social aspects, e.g. equity, ethics, health, gender balance, or empowerment, within a broader sustainability context. Although the concept seems to be reasonably well established and deemed worthy of pursuing, some obstacles prevent its wide dissemination. Through a bibliometric analysis focusing on the literature on social sustainability at institutions, with a focus on companies, this paper aims to investigate and describe some of the barriers associated with social sustainability implementation. Apart from identifying that sustainability reporting, environmental disclosure and financial performance play a central role in successfully achieving social sustainability, in the context of which gender-related issues seem more tangential, the results indicated some solutions commonly reported for overcoming barriers and obstacles to a company’s social sustainability implementation within different sectors. These solutions have to do, among many other factors addressed in this study, with strengthening communication transparency and trust, contributing to awareness, using technology to document and promote social sustainability. Thus, empowering organizations and citizens, recognized as essential factors to social development, and addressing the challenges in a multi-dimensional way.

Environmental Sciences Europe, Jul 1, 2022

Background The implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires much planning ... more Background
The implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires much planning and the provision of resources, especially regarding the necessary investments, technologies and infrastructures needed. Yet, it is presently unclear how available these elements are, what gaps exist, what changes have taken place in terms of their availability since the adoption of the SDGs and what their requirements will be in the future. The knowledge gap has become even more concerning because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a bibliometric analysis, an assessment of the global progress of SDG implementation and requirements, identifying challenges through the development of a matrix, and a set of 11 case studies to triangulate the holistic analysis, an assessment of the global progress of the SDGs implementation and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this process was carried out.
Results
The findings suggest that the scope and width of resources limitation are currently undermining the implementation of the SDGs. Apart from the fact that the pace of progress has been insufficient, the potential of the SDGs in pursuing sustainability and improving life quality is not fully realised. This trend suggests that a substantial acceleration of the efforts is needed, especially for the five SDGs whose progress since 2015 has not been optimal, namely SDG2, SDG11, SDG13, SDG15, and SDG16, while SDG3, SDG7, SDG9, SDG14, and SDG17 show signs of progress. The case studies showed that different industries have dissimilar effects on achieving the SDGs, with the food sector correlating with 15 SDGs, as opposed to the energy sector correlating with 6 SDGs. Accordingly, the priority level assessment in terms of achieving the SDGs, points to the need to further advance the above-mentioned five SDGs, i.e., 2, 11, 13, 15 and 16.
Conclusions
This study fills in a knowledge gap in respect of the current need for and availability of investments, new technologies, and infrastructures to allow countries to pursue the SDGs. It is suggested that this availability is rather limited in specific contexts. In respect of the needs to be addressed, these include resource-related constraints, limited technologies and infrastructures, affecting SDG2, SDG11, SDG13, SDG15, and SDG16, whose progress needs to be enhanced. Since the global progress in the process of implementation of the SDGs depends directly and indirectly on addressing the resource gaps, it is suggested that this topic be further investigated, so that the present imbalances in the three dimensions of sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental, be adequately addressed.

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2022

Purpose - It is still unclear how Asian universities incorporate the theory or practice of sustai... more Purpose - It is still unclear how Asian universities incorporate the theory or practice of sustainable development (SD) in their research and education programmes. To address this gap, the purpose of this paper is to report on a study that has examined how universities in Asian countries handle and address matters related to SD.
Design/methodology/approach - The study used a bibliometric analysis and an online survey-method. The online survey data were analysed through descriptive analysis and one-sample student’s t-test.
Findings – The study indicates that there is considerable variation among the Asian countries regarding sustainability practices in higher education institutions (HEIs). The HEIs in far eastern countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand are perceived to demonstrate more sustainability practices.
Research limitations/implications - Even though a substantial number of participants participated in the survey, it did not cover all Asian countries. The online survey was carried out over a limited period of time, and not all HEIs in the field may have received information about the study.
Practical implications – Asia is the largest continent facing a number of sustainability challenges. In this context, the contribution of HEIs is very important. The findings of the current study may serve as a baseline for Asian HEIs to take more initiatives towards SD goals, as HEIs are responsible for the education and training of hundreds of thousands of students who will be occupying key positions in industry, government or education in the coming years.
Originality/value – The study contributes to the existing literature in two distinct ways. First, it was possible to develop a comprehensive instrument to measure sustainability practices in HEIs. Second, this study has filled the gap of the scarcity of studies regarding sustainability practices in HEIs in Asia.

Environmental Sciences Europe, Sep 25, 2021

Background: Climate change is a problem which is global in nature, and whose effects go across a ... more Background: Climate change is a problem which is global in nature, and whose effects go across a wide range of disciplines. It is therefore important that this theme is taken into account as part of universities´ teaching and research programs. Methods: A three-tiered approach was used, consisting of a bibliometric analysis, an online survey and a set of case studies, which allow a profile to be built, as to how a sample of universities from 45 countries handle climate change as part of their teaching programs. Results: This paper reports on a study which aimed at identifying the extent to which matters related to climate change are addressed within the teaching and research practices at universities, with a focus on the training needs of teaching staff. It consists of a bibliometric analysis, combined with an online worldwide survey aimed at ascertaining the degree of involvement from universities in reducing their own carbon footprint, and the ways they offer training provisions on the topic. This is complemented by a set of 12 case studies from universities round the world, illustrating current trends on how universities handle climate change. Apart from reporting on the outcomes of the study, the paper highlights what some universities are doing to handle climate issues, and discusses the implications of the research. Conclusions: The paper lists some items via which universities may better educate and train their students on how to handle the many challenges posed by climate change.

Sustainable Cities and Society, 2022