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Balanced Communities and Their Living Space as Guarantors of Sustainable Development

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2024) | Viewed by 8774

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Iwona Cieślak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Socio-Economic Geography, Institute of Spatial Management and Geography, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-720 Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: spatial analysis; GIS; urban planning; urban sustainability; urban development; urbanism; city planning; spatial planning; sustainable development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Katarzyna Pawlewicz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Socio-Economic Geography, Institute of Spatial Management and Geography, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-720 Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: socio-economic development; environmental; economic and social indicators of local development; sustainable development; social capital; social participation; spatial planning; methods for the identification and visualization of spatial phenomena
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on sustainable development measures that are implemented in contemporary societies to improve their quality of life. These measures are consistent with Goal 11 of the “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” resolution which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 2015. The agenda was adopted to transform the world in an environmentally sustainable manner to support the needs of future generations and the most marginalized social groups. Goal 11 (“Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”) mainly refers to inclusive and sustainable spatial planning and the revitalization of urban space that promotes social development and improves the quality of life in cities. This goal was also introduced to support positive economic, social, and environmental links between urban, peri-urban, and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning.

The aim of the measures implemented as part of Goal 11 is to improve the quality of life and minimize the environmental impact of urbanization by ensuring access to safe and affordable housing for all citizens irrespective of income; developing safe, affordable, and sustainable transport systems; ensuring universal access to green and public spaces; protecting and safeguarding the world’s cultural and natural heritage; and enhancing the capacity for participatory planning and management of human settlements. Goal 11 contributes to the attainment of a development model that promotes sustainable economic growth, environmental protection, and social inclusion. 

This Special Issue will present research papers that explore the role of social participation in the process of shaping sustainable living spaces.

Human–environmental interactions are particularly interesting and multifaceted. Rapid scientific advances generate new research methods and observations that can facilitate the identification of new relationships between society and sustainable development and set innovative pathways for achieving and maintaining sustainable practices. This Special Issue will overview the latest research achievements in socio-economic geography that focus on this issue.

Prof. Dr. Iwona Cieślak
Dr. Katarzyna Pawlewicz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • social accountability
  • common good
  • social awareness
  • social capital
  • quality of life
  • living space
  • green economy
  • sustainable transport
  • public space
  • cultural and natural heritage

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 2086 KiB  
Article
An Analysis of the Relationships between Social Capital Levels and Selected Green Economy Indicators on the Example of Polish Voivodeships
by Katarzyna Pawlewicz and Iwona Cieślak
Sustainability 2024, 16(4), 1459; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041459 - 8 Feb 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1226
Abstract
This article presents the results of a study analyzing the relationships between social capital levels and the green economy in Polish regions. By linking these concepts and examining the relationships between them, the study can offer valuable insights for promoting the development of [...] Read more.
This article presents the results of a study analyzing the relationships between social capital levels and the green economy in Polish regions. By linking these concepts and examining the relationships between them, the study can offer valuable insights for promoting the development of social capital and the green economy. Social capital drives individual growth, and sustainable development plays a key role in this process by improving the quality of life and well-being at a level that is permitted by the current level of civilization. Therefore, social capital is a key prerequisite for sustainable development because it regulates the environmental impact of economic growth and lays the foundation for future development. Trust, openness, and the willingness to cooperate contribute to high levels of social capital, and they are essential for pursuing the common good and preventing the misuse of shared resources. The green economy concept paves the way to sustainable development by improving well-being, reducing environmental risks, and preventing resource depletion. The aim of this study was to identify and describe the relationships between social capital levels (measured based on the main criterion and indirect criteria, including public moral norms, engagement and social bonds, and social trust) and selected green economy indicators on the example of Polish voivodeships. The study involved Polish voivodeships, and data for analyses were obtained from statistical databases in the public domain. The analyzed phenomena are complex and multi-faceted, and they were measured with the use of composite variables. Composite indicators were determined with Hellwig’s method. The study revealed low levels of the examined phenomena and considerable differences between Polish regions. Social capital (main criterion) and engagement and social bonds (indirect criterion) were significantly correlated with the composite measure of a green economy. These results indicate that high levels of social capital can contribute to the growth of integrated, stable, and rapidly evolving communities that are able to effectively cope with the challenges of the green economy transition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Balanced Communities and Their Living Space as Guarantors of Sustainable Development)
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18 pages, 334 KiB  
Article
Gastronomic Sustainable Tourism and Social Change in World Heritage Sites. The Enhancement of the Local Agroecological Products in the Chinampas of Xochimilco (Mexico City)
by Francesc-Xavier Medina, José A. Vázquez-Medina, Marco Covarrubias and Alaíde Jiménez-Serna
Sustainability 2023, 15(22), 16078; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152216078 - 18 Nov 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2721
Abstract
In the Xochimilco area, within the urban perimeter of Mexico City, a unique ancestral agri-food production system persists: the chinampa system, also called chinampería. The chinampa agri-food production is a World Heritage inscribed by UNESCO and contributes to the sustainability of both the [...] Read more.
In the Xochimilco area, within the urban perimeter of Mexico City, a unique ancestral agri-food production system persists: the chinampa system, also called chinampería. The chinampa agri-food production is a World Heritage inscribed by UNESCO and contributes to the sustainability of both the peri-urban wetland and the city. In addition, the Xochimilco area is also one of the most important domestic tourist destinations in Mexico City. The current situation of Xochimilco struggles between two core economic activities: agriculture and tourism. Although both activities contribute significantly to the development of the area, both have been noted as systematically damaging the local environment. However, emerging agriculture practices through agroecological production seem to have a positive impact in terms of better tourism praxis where the gastronomy of chinampero product plays a pivotal role. In this article, we will analyze the role of tourism in the area as a massive distorting and contaminant activity, but also from the positive perception and the possibilities of gastronomic tourism as a new responsible modality of tourism linked to sustainability and the mise en valeur of the chinampa agroecological products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Balanced Communities and Their Living Space as Guarantors of Sustainable Development)
29 pages, 22688 KiB  
Article
Impact of Insecure Land Tenure on Sustainable Housing Development: A Case Study of Urban Housing Lands in the Republic of Benin, West Africa
by Serge G. N. Ekpodessi and Hitoshi Nakamura
Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15497; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115497 - 31 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1562
Abstract
This study focuses on land tenure in an urban environment. Specifically, it intends to elucidate the influence of land tenure security on access to housing in urban communities. The conurbation of Grand Nokoué, which is an agglomeration of five cities in the Republic [...] Read more.
This study focuses on land tenure in an urban environment. Specifically, it intends to elucidate the influence of land tenure security on access to housing in urban communities. The conurbation of Grand Nokoué, which is an agglomeration of five cities in the Republic of Benin, West Africa, captures attention due to its particular features as a developing city. Based on the literature, this study outlined three major factors of insecure land tenure, namely, lack of recognition by authorities, lack of protection from eviction or expulsion, and informal community-based rights. In addition, we examined four characteristics of relevant housing issues, namely, the development of shantytowns, the multiplicity of precarious housing, the loss of housing for the development of public projects, and exposure to house demolition under judicial decision, to formulate our hypotheses. The results of field observation and semi-structured interviews supported the hypotheses and demonstrated that legal access to land, the protection of the population from anarchic eviction, and informal community-based rights may positively influence the development of sustainable urban housing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Balanced Communities and Their Living Space as Guarantors of Sustainable Development)
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Review

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19 pages, 7234 KiB  
Review
Comprehensive Performance of Green Infrastructure through a Life-Cycle Perspective: A Review
by Mo Wang, Xu Zhong, Chuanhao Sun, Tong Chen, Jin Su and Jianjun Li
Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 10857; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151410857 - 11 Jul 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2692
Abstract
Climate change represents a paramount challenge for humanity in the 21st century. Green infrastructure (GI), due to its myriad environmental and societal benefits, has emerged as an essential natural life support system and a pivotal strategy to combat climate change-induced risks. Consequently, GI [...] Read more.
Climate change represents a paramount challenge for humanity in the 21st century. Green infrastructure (GI), due to its myriad environmental and societal benefits, has emerged as an essential natural life support system and a pivotal strategy to combat climate change-induced risks. Consequently, GI has garnered considerable global interest. As of now, comprehensive and systematic environmental impact assessments of GI are underway worldwide. Nonetheless, there remains a conspicuous scarcity of life-cycle approaches to delineate the evolutionary trajectory of this domain. Employing three bibliometric software tools—the R language “Bibliometrix” package (version 4.0.1), CiteSpace (version 6.2.R2 Basic), and “VOSviewer” (version 1.6.18)—this study scrutinizes the progression of the GI paradigm until 2022. An exhaustive review of 1124 documents published on the Web of Science between 1995 and 2022 facilitates an overarching evaluation of GI, encompassing environmental, economic, and social facets from a life-cycle standpoint. The analysis results reveal that (1) the majority of current studies accentuate the economic and environmental efficacy of GI throughout its life cycle, with the social performance receiving comparatively less focus, potentially due to the difficulties in formulating a social life-cycle-assessment database; (2) contemporary research predominantly concentrates on the life-cycle carbon footprint of GI, warranting further exploration into its water and carbon footprints; and (3) multi-objective optimization emerges as a promising avenue for future GI investigations. This review thus furnishes a comprehensive understanding of the performance of GI from a life-cycle perspective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Balanced Communities and Their Living Space as Guarantors of Sustainable Development)
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