Volcano-tectonic controls of hydrothermalism on a hot spot-influenced mid-ocean ridge : Insights from Iceland and Reykjanes Ridge

Hydrothermal systems along mid-ocean ridges play an important role in the evolution of our planet by contributing to planetary cooling, geochemical mass balance, the formation of ore deposits and influencing the biogeography of the deep-sea ecosystems. The primary aim of this thesis was to investigate the abundance and volcano-tectonic controls of low-temperature, off-axis hydrothermal activity along the flanks of an active divergent plate boundary, initially using the subaerial Westfjords region of Iceland as a proxy. A secondary aim was to put constraints on the age of features controlling hydrothermal circulation in off-axis setting. A third aim was to postulate where hydrothermal venting along the Reykjanes Ridge may occur and determine if and where more high-temperature systems could be present. Icelandic hot springs were used as direct analogues for seafloor hydrothermal systems and results of on-land observations extrapolated to the adjacent Reykjanes Ridge. Field observations were collected in two field seasons in 2013 and 2014, mainly from the off-axis Westfjords (NW Iceland) but also from the on-axis Reykjanes Peninsula (SW Iceland). Dating of vents-hosting features was done using the 40Ar/39Ar method. The bathymetry of the northern Reykjanes Ridge was interpreted for volcano-tectonic status and hydrothermal prospecting, based on on-land observations

Introduction to a Research Agenda for Sustainable Cities and Communities

How can cities and communities around the world become more sustainable? What can we do as researchers to help them? As we move through the twenty-first century, these questions assume ever-greater importance. Many of the quickest wins for human and planetary health involve reimagining and reconfiguring cities. Activities that generate negative impacts like air pollution and poor health are concentrated in cities, as are the potential benefits of improving resource efficiency and liveability. It is cheaper, easier and more efficient to provide services to people who are concentrated in cities. This fact applies to green infrastructure, sustainable housing, high-speed broadband and low carbon transport alike. Because cities concentrate material and human resources as well as services and infrastructures they offer incredible opportunities to advance sustainability

Technological Innovation Systems for Biorefineries – A Review of the Literature

The concept of a bioeconomy can be understood as an economy where the basic building blocks for materials, chemicals, and energy are derived from renewable biological resources. Biorefineries are considered an integral part of the development toward a future sustainable bioeconomy. The purpose of this literature review is to synthesize current knowledge about how biorefinery technologies are being developed, deployed, and diffused, and to identify actors, networks, and institutions relevant for these processes. Several key findings can be obtained from the literature. First, investing more resources in R&D will not help to enable biorefineries to cross the ‘valley of death’ toward greater commercial investments. Second, while the importance and need for entrepreneurship and the engagement of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is generally acknowledged, there is no agreement how to facilitate conditions for entrepreneurs and SMEs to enter the field of biorefineries. Third, visions for biorefinery technologies and products have focused very much on biofuels and bioenergy with legislation and regulation playing an instrumental role in creating a market for these products. But there is a clear need to incentivize non-energy products to encourage investments in biorefineries. Finally, policy support for biorefinery developments and products is heavily intertwined with wider discussions around legitimacy and social acceptance. The paper concludes by outlining current knowledge gap

Smart and Sustainable Cities? Pipedreams, Practicalities and Possibilities

Smart and Sustainable Cities? Pipedreams, Practicalities and Possibilities provides one of the first examinations of how smart cities relate to environmental and social issues. It addresses the gap between the ambitious visions of smart cities and the actual practices on the ground by focusing on the social and environmental dimensions of real smart city initiatives as well as the possibilities they hold for creating more equitable and progressive cities. Through detailed analyses of case studies in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, India and China, the contributors describe the various ways that social and environmental issues are interpreted and integrated into smart city initiatives and actions. The findings point towards the need for more intentional engagement and collaboration with all urban stakeholders in the design, development and maintenance of smart cities to ensure that everyone benefits from the increasingly digitalised urban environments of the twenty-first century

Urban Sharing in Shanghai

This city report is the result of a Mobile Research Lab conducted online in Shanghai during spring 2020. The Mobile Research Lab involves a combination of methods, including case studies, interviews, observations, expert panels, and in-situ field work. This report presents insights gained by the Urban Sharing research team Oksana Mont (PI), Andrius Plepys, Yuliya Voytenko Palgan, Matthias Lehner, Steven Curtis, Lucie Zvolska and Ana Maria Arbelaez Velez

Urban Sharing in Toronto

“Urban Sharing in Toronto” explores the landscape of the sharing economy in the city context. This research is a result of a Mobile Research Lab conducted by 8 researchers from Lund university in 2019. Specific focus is on three sectors: sharing of space, mobility and physical goods. For each sector, we discuss the drivers and barriers to the sharing economy, the associated sustainability impacts, the potential impacts on incumbent sectors, and the institutional context of sharing. Then, attention is turned to the role of the city council in engaging with the sharing economy and specific governance mechanisms employed by the city council are described. Since the sharing economy is not sustainable by default, urban sharing organisations, city governments and incumbents all have important roles to play in ensuring that the sharing economy positively impacts cities and their citizens. In the face of negative perceptions and possible impacts of the sharing economy, we may need to be more deliberate in thinking in terms of scaling the sharing economy to the size, needs, and capacities of cities. In this report we provide five recommendations to the City of Toronto and its citizens.Insights contained within this report may support the City of Toronto and other Sharing Cities, as well as urban sharing organisations and third-party actors in Toronto and beyond in their strategic work with the sharing economy for sustainability