Design of a data-driven environmental decision support system and testing of stakeholder data-collection

The aims of this paper are to present the requirements and top level design of a decision support system that facilitates the exchange of environmental information between local level and higher levels of government, as well as to assess the possibility to include the local individual in the decision making process. The design of a tool for data collection and exchange of available data also aims to predict impacts of small-scale locally oriented actions by the local administration and residents on incomes and biodiversity, monitor results of the decisions that follow such prediction and inform central policy assessors to enable appropriate tuning of regulatory and fiscal incentives. The potential of data gathering for use in a DSS was tested by case studies across Europe. The main challenges for implementing effective environmental decision support are now more socio-economic than technical, requiring also a more local-orientated attitude of researchers and government

A systemic perspective on racism in football: the experience of the BRISWA project

The objective of this paper is to present the process for the development of a causal loop diagram that captures the relevant aspects of racism in football, through a holistic, top-down approach. To do so, a series of workshops/sessions has been organised with experts in the field and with the purpose of designing a tool that could be used to get better insights into how racism in football emerges and where are the potential areas where policymakers could use as leverage for effective counter-measures. The diagram demonstrated the multi-faceted nature of racism, the phenomena that might give rise to it and the elements that could serve as leverage in potential counter-measures. Some of the most interesting results include the following: the power structures of society and football should adapt to represent the actual demographic make-up of each country. Furthermore, policymakers should involve media more directly in every attempt to fight racism. Finally, racism in football is a mirror of racism in society. Hence, any attempt to combat racism in football should be interlinked with corresponding efforts to fight discrimination in society

An innovative game-based approach for teaching urban sustainability

This paper is based on SUSTAIN, an ERASMUS+ project with an innovative perspective on urban transportation, and its target is to promote the importance of sustainability on the everyday problem of urban transportation among the students of higher education (and not only), who are the policy makers of tomorrow. In order to achieve its goals, the research team is currently developing a course that will be based on an interactive serious board game with an analytical style of education. SUSTAIN's purpose is to create a game that will allow students to learn about transportation sustainability and societal metabolism through playing. The project partners develop small and illustrative simulation models, which will make the definitions more concrete and allow students to experiment largely in a consequence-free environment. The simulation models can be used to identify scenario exemplars on how we can achieve sustainable urban transportation and consequently a balanced societal metabolism, while on the same time taking into account formal decision making processes. In this paper, we are going to explain a Stocks & Flows Diagram for the above mentioned model, with a system dynamics approac

Integrating nature-based solutions in social economy education for enhancing environmental sustainability

PURPOSE: This study aims to provide internationally comparative insights into the ways in which higher education institutions (HEIs) in selected EU countries, particularly their social economy (SE) departments, effectively integrate active environmental learning using NBS (nature-based solutions) into their settings.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Desk research was used to identify the best practices among HEIs in selected countries (Poland, Croatia, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal), while case studies were developed on the basis of best practices analysis and interviews with relevant stakeholders.FINDINGS: The social economy's focus on social and environmental issues creates a favourable context for citizens to develop essential green skills. However, it can be noted that the use of NBS approach is not widespread. The need for an interdisciplinary approach was identified in most case studies, as was the need for more collaboration. Future approaches should focus more on creating paths of communication between educators from different disciplines.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The particular value of this study is in its potential to aid HEIs educators and education researchers to understand the use and educational value of NBS as a more effective alternative to traditional environmental education. Insights gained from this study are valuable in demonstrating the potential of SE departments to champion NBS initiatives, extending beyond the traditional confines of natural sciences and showing benefits of interdisciplinarity in addressing climate change.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study is especially valuable given the increasing interest and recognised potential of NBS, a novel concept with varied levels of implementation in HEIs across countries.peer-reviewe

Use of the Sustainable Mobility Efficiency Index (SMEI) for Enhancing the Sustainable Urban Mobility in Greek Cities

Since 2013, the European cities have been encouraged to develop local Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) according to the specific procedure that was launched by the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG Move) and updated in 2019. One of the most critical steps in this 12-step procedure is the assessment—with specific criteria—of all the alternative measures and infrastructure, which will be optimally combined, in order to better satisfy the problems and the achieve the vision of each area. The aim of the current work is to present the development and implementation of a methodological framework based on the use of multicriteria analysis. The framework targets the capturing of opinions of the relevant local experts in order to evaluate alternative sustainable mobility measures, and also prioritize them using the Sustainable Mobility Efficiency Index (SMEI)

Use of the Sustainable Mobility Efficiency Index (SMEI) for Enhancing the Sustainable Urban Mobility in Greek Cities

Since 2013, the European cities have been encouraged to develop local Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) according to the specific procedure that was launched by the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG Move) and updated in 2019. One of the most critical steps in this 12-step procedure is the assessment—with specific criteria—of all the alternative measures and infrastructure, which will be optimally combined, in order to better satisfy the problems and the achieve the vision of each area. The aim of the current work is to present the development and implementation of a methodological framework based on the use of multicriteria analysis. The framework targets the capturing of opinions of the relevant local experts in order to evaluate alternative sustainable mobility measures, and also prioritize them using the Sustainable Mobility Efficiency Index (SMEI)