Analysing climate action plans of selected UK cities for their SDG alignment

In UK, the Climate change Act of 2008 has placed a binding target of reducing the net carbon emission in 2050 by at least 80% compared to the 1990 baseline. With a high share of urban population, the contribution of cities and urban areas towards climate change mitigation and adaptation becomes crucial. UK being a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in 2016, there is a new emphasis on the sustainability of cities as well. In this paper, a preliminary analysis of climate action initiatives of three UK cities (Bristol, Leicester and Milton Keynes) and their alignment with the SDG is presented. We used a text mining approach to analyse the climate action plans and then use this to map the alignment with the SDGs. We find that climate action plans have not focused on the sustainable development goals or the SDGs and their focus remains limited mainly to mitigation activities through promotion of renewable energies at homes and in buildings and actions on transport. However, climate action plans could influence a significant number of SDGs and an integrated approach could be beneficial for the cities and their residents

Cities as self-organizing innovative complexes

Cities are the seedbeds for creativeness, innovation and spatial competitiveness. They are characterized by product heterogeneity and behave according to the laws of monopolistic competition in economics (see Frenken et al. 2007). Modern cities try to offer the highest possible quality or image in terms of culture, arts, sports, innovativeness, entrepreneurship, financial markets, sustainability etc. Density and proximity are the key features of modern cities (or, in general, urban areas). The past centuries have been characterized by a structural trend towards urbanization. Some 200 years ago less than 20 percent of the world population lived in cities, whereas nowadays the urbanization degree is moving towards 80 percent. Not only has the number of cities increased rapidly, but also the size of cities

Drivers of success in implementing sustainable tourism policies in urban areas

The existing literature in the field of sustainable tourism highlights a number of barriers that impede the implementation of policies in this area. Yet, not many studies have so far considered the factors that would contribute to putting this concept into practice, and few address the case of urban areas. The concept of sustainability has only received limited attention in urban tourism research, even though large cities are recognised as one of the most important tourist destinations that attract vast numbers of visitors. Adopting a case study approach, this paper discusses a number of drivers of success identified by policy-makers in London to contribute to the implementation of sustainable tourisms policies at the local level, and briefly looks at the relationship between these drivers and the constraints perceived by the respondents to hinder the implementation of such policies in practice. These findings may help policy-makers in other large cities to successfully develop and implement policies towards sustainable development of tourism in their area

How to become a Sustainable Smart City: the case of Al Quassim Eco-Neighborhood, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability is a word we started to hear it lately a lot and think about it. The effect of the new approach of sustainability in architecture have been noticeable by everyone and how it will be beneficial for the environment and the next generations. Heading towards sustainability and solar energy systems in neighborhoods, cities, and apply them in a way that it will be acceptable by the Saudi Developments, especially on cities like Al Quassim. Merging the vernacular building material with the new smart techniques will allow residential modules to be self-efficient in terms of energy Consumption, taking in considerations similar experience from Hassan Fathy and contemporary projects in the Middle East. Accordingly, this paper is discussing assessment of renewable versus non-renewable resources adopted within Saudi settlements. The Discussion elaborates on material resources available and the potential creating a smart model to be adopted as a prototype in hot arid Climate around Saudi Cities

Linking urban design to sustainability : formal indicators of social urban sustainability field research in Perth, Western Australia

The making of a livable urban community is a complex endeavor. For much of the 20th Century plannersand engineers believed that modern and rational decision-making would create successful cities. Today, political leaders across the globe are considering ways to promote sustainable development and the concepts of New Urbanism are making their way from the drawing board to the ground. While much has changed in the world, the creation of a successful street is as much of an art today as it was in the 1960s.Our work seeks to investigate 'street life' in cities as a crucial factor towards community success. What arethe components of the neighborhood and street form that contributes to the richness of street life? To answer this question we rely on the literature. The aim of the Formal Indicators of Social Urban Sustainability studyis to measure the formal components of a neighborhood and street that theorists have stated important in promoting sustainability. This paper will describe how this concept helps to bridge urban design and sustainability. It will describe the tool and show how this was applied in a comparative assessment of Joondalup and Fremantle, two urban centers in the Perth metropolitan area

Influence of sustainability practices and green image on the re-visit intention of small and medium-size towns

This study set a model to predict the e ect of corporate social responsibility and green image on visit intention in small and medium-size towns (SMST). At present, there is a keen social awareness towards environmental problems, and cities are required to reduce their ecological footprint and make more sustainable use of natural resources. Increasingly, tourists are considering “green options” in their decision making. The questionnaire responses, obtained from a sample of 221 tourism in Malaga town (Spain) were analyzed using a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to test the research hypothesis related to the positive influence of sustainability practices, green image, trust with the intention of revisiting related to the loyalty of the destination. This study shows that there is a positive relationship between sustainability practices and re-visit intention and between the green image and re-visit intention, both directly and indirectly, through trust. Also, the fact that this relationship is more significant if it is part of the green image than if it is part of sustainability actions. To practice, this study provides managerial implications to help executives adopt green actions, thanks to their positive e ects on tourist loyalty and the di erent way of manifesting this loyalty.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Electric Aircraft and the Environment: A Literature Review

Historically, the integration of social need, environmental impact, and technological advancement has been a challenging balancing act for growing cities and metropoles. If the balance between social need and environmental sustainability is reached, the increasing advancements and improvements made to electric aircrafts have the potential to steer society towards a new mode of sustainable air. One reason why electric aircraft technology has not grown as fast as other technologies is because there lacked a need for fast advancements. With that said, electric aircraft technologies are improving today due to the demand in heavily populated cities to relieve traffic [5]. Some issues growing cities face are inadequate housing, inefficient infrastructure, and high traffic congestion. According to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), traffic congestion within the Bay Area has increased 9% in the past two years [5]. The gridlock in the Bay Area increased as approximately 13,000 cars cross the Bay Bridge daily. A report produced by Arup Corporation reports that the Bay Area is second only to Los Angeles in the intensity of traffic congestion [1]. A study by UCLA determined that the economic boom in the Bay Area in the previous decade had driven the influx of inhabitants to the area [5]. These are two examples of metropolitan cities that are impacted by traffic congestion. To mitigate the negative consequences associated with high traffic congestion, it is beneficial to explore redesigning the infrastructure of metropolitan cities in tandem with residual effects of the economic boom. [5]. This literature review analyzes electric aircraft as a viable solution to high congestion and explores the possible effects of it on the environment

ENVIRONMENTAL BENCHMARKING FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES

This paper is an attempt to clarify and present the many definitions of benchmarking. It also attempts to explain the basic steps of benchmarking, to show how this tool can be applied by local authorities as well as to discuss its potential benefits and limitations. It is our strong belief that if cities use indicators and progressively introduce targets to improve management and related urban life quality, and to measure progress towards more sustainable development, we will also create a new type of competition among cities and foster innovation. This is seen to be important because local authorities’ actions play a vital role in responding to the challenges of enhancing the state of the environment not only in policy-making, but also in the provision of services and in the planning process. Local communities therefore need to be aware of their own sustainability performance levels and should be able to engage in exchange of best practices to respond effectively to the eco-economical challenges of the century.innovation, performance, benchmarking, local authorities and sustainable development