Smart Cities and Positive Energy Districts: Urban Perspectives in 2021

The book Smart Cities and Positive Energy Districts: Urban Perspectives in 2020 is the second book published by MDPI on the topic. It highlights the most recent internationally/nationally funded projects on Smart Cities and Positive Energy Districts, providing readers with an overview of the most recent and effective solutions to support the transition of urban areas towards climate neutrality as well as inspiring solutions not only for researchers but for local governments who seek to transform urban areas into sustainable places

An Exploration of Factors Associated with ICT Project Sustainability in Learning Institutions.

The study intended to explore the factors associated with ICT project sustainability in learning institutions. Specifically, the study looked at level of accessibility and cost of ICT equipment in relation to its sustainability in learning institutions, the level of support provided by the institution on the implementation of ICT project as well as the effects of Institution culture in relation to ICT project implementation. Through quantitative case study data were collected through questionnaire and document review, complemented by chi-square analysis and the use of SPSS the data were processed for analysis. Findings from the study revealed that Presence of institutional support is important in influencing project sustainability. On the other hand, lack of institutional support may lead to unsustainable projects and project failure. Also, the finding revealed that organizational environmental is crucial in project sustainability as they can have direct or indirect impact. Stable environments and especially internal environment have a direct impact on the environmental sustainability. Furthermore, the study revealed that organizational culture plays a crucial role in determining the success of ICT projects in an organization and that an organization that believes in ICT will essentially invest heavily in ICT and therefore lead to its sustainability. Moreover, the study noted that there is a progress in the establishment of national ICT frameworks and policies as well as plans in most of learning institution, which is quite impressive. However, the study recommends compliance in terms of regulatory frameworks and policies implementation. The study further recommends that the government should encourage and monitor compliance of these policies and policing in regard to ICT project implementation in learning institutions

Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2007, nr 4

kwartalni

Framework for sustainability assessments providing a basis for evidence-based and goal-oriented decision making support : based on the example of electric power systems

There is little doubt that electricity has become an indispensable ingredient for modern societies to thrive and to secure our individual well-being. Today, the vast majority of our daily activities are powered by this invisible yet powerful resource. Furthermore, electricity ensures that key institutions can deliver critical services to the public or manufacturing industries that produce and deliver goods to their ever-growing consumer base. In order to enable this energy supply, we build sophisticated power infrastructure and operate electrical devices that fundamentally alter natural energy and material flows on planet Earth. Against this backdrop, some scholars and political leaders are concerned that current power consumption patterns in industrialised countries may render future generations unable to meet their needs. This begs the question: How can we further improve the current level of well-being without eroding the ecological capital of planet Earth? There are many potential answers to this question. One response often suggested is that such a way should meet the requirements of sustainable development (SD). The guiding principles of SD are, however, considered to be too ambiguous to operationalise and have given rise to a wide range of interpretations. Sustainability assessments play a central role in the process of extracting and evaluating data against predefined sustainability objectives and thereby require some form of interpretation of SD and an understanding of the relevant aspects of the system under review. With this thesis, I strive to contribute a holistic and transparent framework for sustainability assessments that integrates normative features of SD, instrumental aspects of governance and functional components of the system. It strives to provide a comprehensive basis for evidence-based and goal-oriented decision making by determining relevant categories and enabling an evaluation of system data against predefined sustainability objectives. It assumes that more of the right data provides a better basis for informing decision making on the long-term development of key systems and, thus, may serve as a starting point for the design of policy instruments. My work aims to promote scientific discussion on appropriate methodologies for sustainability assessments. Exemplary results for power systems show that the framework is able to produce new meaningful criteria hitherto absent in sustainability assessments. Furthermore, for the first time ever it provides general goals to criteria that mirror the requirements of SD directly in sustainability assessments. The framework does not aim to provide a single best solution and rather seeks to balance the development of the system by considering negotiation and deliberation to agree on priorities. Accordingly, it is not meant as a management tool, but rather seeks to provide additional information on the system under review and potential sustainability goals for societal steering processes