City Administration Research Articles

Food-based dietary guidelines for optimizing calcium intakes for reproductive-aged women in Ethiopia using local foods.

Increasing dietary calcium intakes of Ethiopian women of reproductive age (WRA) is a public health priority for reducing pre-eclampsia in pregnancy. Using linear programming, we determined whether locally available foods consumed by WRA in nine regions (urban and rural) and two administrative cities of Ethiopia could provide 1000mg/day of dietary calcium, and we identified food-based recommendations (FBRs) to improve dietary calcium adequacy in each region. Results showed that diets providing 1000mg/day of calcium were feasible in eight regions (40%) of the target populations examined. It would, however, require marked changes for most populations (90%), increasing the number of servings per week of several food groups to levels close to those of high consumers in each population. The selected calcium-specific FBRs integrate well into the 2022 Ethiopian Dietary Guidelines, requiring additional messages to consume green leafy vegetables, milk, root crops, or teff (Eragrostis tef) or to consume a higher number of servings of vegetables than currently recommended, depending on the population. In conclusion, these analyses show that a food-based approach can be used to achieve dietary calcium adequacy among WRA in 40% of the populations examined. For the other populations, food-based interventions alone may be inadequate and other interventions are likely needed.

Development of an automated urban heritage monitoring tool: Between a techno-fix and fallacy

The preservation of urban heritage is one of the main challenges for contemporary society and an important task for governments. The administration of urban heritage preservation (UHP) requires effective methods, as well as sufficient material and human resources. The administrative practice of UHP is embedded in the relevant regulatory framework, which comprises legislative and normative acts at municipal, national, and international levels. The scale and range of heritage objects to be monitored, the complex statutory basis of the regulatory framework, and the traditionally low human and material resources of city administrations all contribute to the ineffectiveness of UHP practice in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Vilnius.Advances in technologies such as 3D spatial scanning and AI-based image processing offer the promise of a technological fix to the ineffective administrative practice. In this paper, we present a grounded design study aimed at developing a technology prototype for an automated urban heritage risk monitoring tool. Originally conceived as a techno-fix to the inefficiency of administrative practice, the prototype development reveals tensions and stumbling blocks within digitalisation efforts. Using the analytical lens of the Trifecta model of IT-based regulation, the case study examines the interaction between technological and administrative domains in shaping technology design choices.Based on this case study, we critique the notion that IT is perceived as capable of providing “techno-fix” solutions to tasks requiring reflective human decision-making, especially when such solutions are expected to be effective without first redesigning the entire organisational system. The paper concludes with a discussion on the limits of automating administrative practices and identifies specific avenues for further research into the digitalisation of urban heritage preservation.

Early Childhood Education Teachers’ Use of Teaching Learning Resources in the Implementation of Play-Based Activities within the Hemang Lower Denkyira District of Ghana

The main purpose of this study was to assess ECE Teachers’ use of teaching learning resources in the implementation of play-based activities within the Hemang Lower Denkyira District. The study adopted the qualitative research approach. The case study design was adopted for this study. Semi-structured interview guide and observation checklist were the instruments utilized to collect data from ten (10) participants, nine (9) professional Early Childhood Education Teachers and one (1) District Early Childhood Coordinator for this study. The purposive sampling was used in selecting the participants for the study. The data were analyzed thematically with the help of Taguette, an online qualitative analysis software. The findings of the study revealed that, Early Childhood Centres do not have audio materials like Bluetooth speakers for oral and listening activities. The study also found that, most schools have no access to electricity and so lack television set and computers to aid in audio-visual lessons. Lastly, it was revealed from the study that, most Early childhood teachers used improvised materials instead of realia to enhance first hand experiences of learners. The study hence recommends that; The Stakeholders of education such as; Parent Association (PA), School Management Council (SMC), Headteachers, Teachers and the Mission units should resource Early Childhood Centres with enough, varieties, and developmentally appropriate play resources/materials and equipment to facilitate play-based pedagogies at the early childhood centres. It could be concluded from the study that; teachers’ ability to meaningfully use TLRs in their lessons and to create the necessary environment and opportunities for their children to have access to the TLRs and to manipulate them is central to the successful implementation of play-based pedagogy. Therefore, relevant resources/materials such as Audio, audio-visual and concrete materials are to be provided to promote play-based pedagogies at the early childhood centres.

Unveiling heavy metal pollution dynamics in sediments of river Ulhas, Maharashtra, India: a comprehensive analysis of anthropogenic influence, pollution indices, and health risk assessment.

Metals and metalloids tainting sediments is an eminent issue, predominantly in megacities like Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, requiring an exhaustive examination to identify metal levels in river bodies that serve various populations. Thus, utilising pollution indices, multivariate analysis, and health risk assessment studies, we propose a novel investigation to examine the metal content in the Ulhas River sediments, a prominent agricultural and drinking water supply (320 million-litre per day) near Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. The eleven metals and metalloids (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn) were examined monthly from 10 stations totaling 120 sediment specimens from October 2022 to September 2023. Investigations revealed that average values of Cr, Cu, Hg, and Ni exceeded Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council and Agriculture and Resource Management Council values, while all metals exceeded World surface rock average limits except As. Various pollution indices showed that upstream sites had noneto low levelcontamination, whereas downstream locations had moderate to considerablecontamination, suggesting anthropogenic influences. Furthermore, multivariate analysis including correlation, cluster, and principal component analysis identified that sediment pollution was mostly caused by anthropogenic activities. Lastly, health risk assessment indicated Fe was non-carcinogenic to children, whereas Cr and Ni were carcinogenic to children and adults, with children being more susceptible. Thus, from the findings of the study it is clear that, despite low to moderate pollution levels, metals may have significant repercussions, thus requiring long-term planning, frequent monitoring, and metal abatement strategies to mitigate river contamination.

Impact of energy saving and emission reduction policy: Empirical evidence from regional and local business in China

AbstractReducing energy intensity (EI) is essential to promoting sustainable development. The “National Energy Saving and Emission Reduction Comprehensive Demonstration Fiscal Policy” (ESERP) is the green fiscal policy adopted by China in an effort to maximize energy use and promote sustainable development. The paper analyzes the influence of ESERP on EI from regional and business standpoint. The results indicate that ESERP is effective in reducing EI, especially when it is implemented in noneastern, low administrative, and high urbanization cities. This policy effect is realized by promoting green technology innovation and enhancing industrial structural upgrading. However, ESERP enhances EI of neighboring areas around the pilot cities, especially within 200 to 400 km of the perimeter. Meanwhile, the co‐implementation of ESERP and smart city pilot policies is beneficial in reducing EI. Additionally, business strategy analysis indicates that ESERP effectively reduces EI of firms, especially in private, technology‐intensive, asset‐intensive, and heavy polluting firms. This paper provides empirical experience for optimizing green fiscal policy and promoting sustainable business development, which has significant policy guidance value and business strategy significance.

The Historical Sustainable Cities In India: A Survey Of Sustainable Practices Followed In Cities Of India In Ancient And Medieval Times

The role played by India in achieving the sustainable development goals by 2030 is extremely crucial owning to its large but impoverished population. It is necessary for India to achieve these goals so that the world can achieve them. India is currently lagging in many of the goals, targets and sub-targets. But there was a time when India was the centre of sustainable lifestyle. Indian cities were well planned with remarkable sanitation and cleanliness. The excellent drainage system of Harappan cities is well known to everyone. The cities were divided into various layers with the most important structures located on citadel. The great bath of Mohenjodaro, the great granary of Harappa, the water conservation tank of Dholavira and the dockyard of Lothal are living examples of sustainable practices in those sustainable cities. The imperial city of Pataliputra is another example of a sustainable city. The city administration comprised of thirty members which was divided into six committees. There was a separate committee for registration of births and deaths. Similarly, the life of Kanyakubja as described by Hiuen Tsang reflects the sustainable lifestyle of the ruler as well as the people of the city. The early medieval age was categorized as dark age by many historians. But these ages have also produced remarkable cities. Anhilwada (present day Patan, Gujarat) was capital of Solanki dynasty of Gujarat in which we can find Rani-ki-Vaav which is an excellent water conservation tank accessible to the population of the city. Similarly, Bhoj of Parmar dynasty constructed several lakes, tanks and ponds in his capital city Dhar. It was the imperial city of Vijayanagar that can be described as textbook example of a sustainable city. The city was surrounded by seven walls. The agricultural farms in the vicinity which fed the city were fortified. The city was well planned into residential, commercial and military areas. This paper analyses the sustainable structures, practices and lifestyle that existed in the prominent cities of ancient and medieval India.

The role of community policing in the Addis Ababa City Administration's efforts to maintain community safety and security

This study aimed to assess the role of community policing in maintaining community safety and security in the Addis Ababa city administration and to assess the role of community policing in maintaining community safety and security community policing initiatives, information sharing, and attitudes toward community policing among community members on local security management practices. A descriptive case study was adopted, in which the target population of 328 respondents was stratified randomly into three sub-cities: Arada, Kirkos, and Addis Ketema. A structure questionnaire was used as the research instrument. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that the role of community polices included paper initiatives among members, information sharing on community policing, and community policing among community members because there were no local security management practices affecting security practices. It was recommended that the community be made aware of their role in community policing and that the police should ensure that they interact well with the community so that the members of the community will willingly provide information to the police, which may help prevent crime.

What drives tourists’ sustainable mobility at city destinations? Insights from ten European capital cities

The growth in tourism has brought benefits but also pressured urban transportation systems, particularly in capitals where it intersects with business and local life. While urban sustainable mobility development typically centers on the transportation needs of the residents, it frequently neglects the unsustainable travel habits of tourists. This study focuses on the key elements influencing sustainable tourist transportation, stressing the imperative for city administrations to tackle this concern. Based on a study of ten European capital cities and 5220 individual tourists, unique perspectives on urban tourist transportation are provided. Initially, a DCSM index (Destination City’ Sustainable Mobility Index) was crafted to mirror the sustainability of urban transportation systems, integrating data on cities’ transportation modes and factors promoting sustainable transportation while deterring unsustainable options. This index was then embedded in an ordered logit model, with the sustainable transportation choices of tourists as the dependent variable. The findings show that the traits of the destination city and the transportation preferences from the tourist’s home location, combined with accommodation and trip details, considerably influence their transportation decisions at the destination. These insights underline the potential to mold sustainable tourist behaviors by advancing environmentally friendly transportation systems, enhancing urban planning, and optimally positioning hotels. However, it is vital to acknowledge that without influencing tourists’ routine behaviors at home through education, their travel choices might persist. This research underscores the need for holistic strategies that integrate both destination-specific actions and pre-trip educational initiatives to truly promote tourists’ sustainable transportation behavior.

On the limits of communication: The liminal positioning of older adults and processes of self-ageism and ageism.

Our qualitative study, consisting of in-depth semi-structured interviews with recent retirees in the Dutch city of Leiden, set out to investigate how communication, through processes of self-identification and the negotiation of social identities, relates to (self-)ageism. A letter from the city administration was used to make age identification salient in our research and prompted stories of various liminal spaces and phases that our participants experienced. Whilst liminal phases are usually considered uncertain and ambiguous, in our study we found that for older people liminality can offer a desired ambiguity that allowed them to adopt a more positive identity than ‘being old’, which was rejected as undesirable. Our findings provide insight into the intertwinement of societal, institutional and individual levels of ageism and highlights the necessity of finding and emphasising positive values in being old, since only then positive interpretations of communication can enable processes of positive societal identification.

Transformational Leadership on Performance of Selected Ethiopian Sport Federations

Transformational leadership may not be positively and significantly affects the performance of sports federations, because sport organization unique nature is competitiveness and result-driven organization. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of transformational leadership practices on the organizational performance of some Ethiopian sports federations. Cross-sectional design was used to collect transformational leadership and organizational performance variables. The study was conducted in Addis Ababa City Administration, Ethiopia. The data was collected from Ethiopian sports federations participants (n = 95). Transformational leadership as a predictor variable measured by multifactorial leadership questionnaire and sport federation performance was measured by Australian national Olympic sporting organizations effectiveness. SPSS version 26 was used to process the data; robust method of multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the data p < 0.05. The result of the study shows that idealized influence was statistically significantly predicted organizational performance (β = .26, p = .00). However, that inspirational motivation (β = .03, p = .54), intellectual simulation (β = .11, p = .12) and individualized considerations (β = -.05, p = .49) did not significantly predicted organizational performance. The finding of the study shows that transformational leadership idealized influence enhanced the performance of selected Ethiopian sports federations through inspiring trust, fostering commitment, promoting excellence, and cultivating a positive organizational culture. Ethiopian Sports Federation managers were advised to consider transformational leadership style dimensions such as inspirational motivation, intellectual simulations and individual considerations in their leadership.

Spatial distribution and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding practice among mothers of children under 24 months of age in Ethiopia: spatial and multilevel analysis

BackgroundBreast milk is the first, highly valuable, and solely natural food recommended for infants in their first six months of life, which is critical for children's overall growth and development. Evidence suggests that exclusive breastfeeding differs by geographic area in Ethiopia. However, little is known regarding the geographic distribution of exclusive breastfeeding practice. Hence, this study aimed to assess exclusive breastfeeding practice, its geographic variation and associated factors among Ethiopian mothers.MethodThe study used the 2019 Ethiopian mini demographic and health survey data. All living children born 0–23 months before the survey were included. Global Moran’s I statistics on Arc-GIS and Getis Ord Gi* statistics was used to visualize the spatial pattern and hotspot and cold spot areas, respectively. Kulldorff SaTScan was used to show purely significant spatial clusters. The associated factors were identified using a multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression model. Statistically significant factors were reported using the AOR with a 95% CI and a p-value of < 5%.ResultThe coverage of exclusive breastfeeding practice in Ethiopia was 56.05% (95% CI: 53.95%, 58.10%). The spatial pattern was non-random across the country’s regions. Somalia, Gambela, Benshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa, and Harari regions had low clustering of exclusive breastfeeding practices, whereas Amhara, Eastern SNNPR, and Central and Northern Oromia regions had high clustering. Children born through caesarean delivery [AOR = 0.36; 95% CI: 0.21, 0.63], initiated breastfeeding within the first 1 h [AOR = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.34, 0.90], after 1–24 h of delivery [AOR = 0.36; 95% CI: 0.24, 0.54], after a day [AOR = 0.04; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.08], and women residing in the pastoralist region [AOR = 0.22; 95% CI: 0.12, 0.39] or city administrations [AOR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.27, 0.89] had lower odds of exclusive breastfeeding practice.ConclusionExclusive breastfeeding practice in Ethiopia remained low. The practice had a spatial variation across the country. Caesarean section delivery, late breastfeeding initiation, and region were statistically significant variables. Therefore, promoting timely initiation of breastfeeding and improving the utilization of maternal health services and designing special intervention strategy for women residing in city administrations and pastoralist regions of the country may increase the coverage of exclusive breastfeeding practice.

The Policy Relevance of Urban Scaling Laws: A Study on Impervious Ground in German Cities

&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;"&gt;The expansion of urban infrastructure is an important indicator of agglomeration and a major factor in the deterioration of the urban environment. The investment in urban infrastructure is accompanied by the sealing of ground. The implementation of effective policies to reduce the practice of sealing ground is impeded by the existence of conflicting interests and fiscal disincentives. A significant challenge is the dearth of policy-relevant information. Conventional analysis considers urban outcome indicators in proportion to population and neglects non-linear distribution patterns, thus obscuring global regularities that contain important information. The study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of urban imperviousness through the lens of urban scaling. The present study employs Germany as a case study to examine the extent to which the parameters of the scaling function differ between two types of cities. District Affiliated Cities (DACs) and Administrative City Districts (ACDs), which are afforded greater fiscal autonomy. The analysis indicates that the amount of sealed land exhibited a notable increase between 2006 and 2018 in the ACDs. Calibration of the scaling functions for cities with the actual coefficient of the DAC control estimate and a global orientation exponent (5/6) resulted in a 16% reduction of sealed ground. In conclusion, urban scaling laws offer a valuable tool for analyzing the complex dynamics of urban imperviousness and its control costs, thereby contributing to the formulation of more effective urban policies and planning.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

The Policy Relevance of Urban Scaling Laws: A Study on Impervious Ground in German Cities

&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;"&gt;The expansion of urban infrastructure is an important indicator of agglomeration and a major factor in the deterioration of the urban environment. The investment in urban infrastructure is accompanied by the sealing of ground. The implementation of effective policies to reduce the practice of sealing ground is impeded by the existence of conflicting interests and fiscal disincentives. A significant challenge is the dearth of policy-relevant information. Conventional analysis considers urban outcome indicators in proportion to population and neglects non-linear distribution patterns, thus obscuring global regularities that contain important information. The study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of urban imperviousness through the lens of urban scaling. The present study employs Germany as a case study to examine the extent to which the parameters of the scaling function differ between two types of cities. District Affiliated Cities (DACs) and Administrative City Districts (ACDs), which are afforded greater fiscal autonomy. The analysis indicates that the amount of sealed land exhibited a notable increase between 2006 and 2018 in the ACDs. Calibration of the scaling functions for cities with the actual coefficient of the DAC control estimate and a global orientation exponent (5/6) resulted in a 16% reduction of sealed ground. In conclusion, urban scaling laws offer a valuable tool for analyzing the complex dynamics of urban imperviousness and its control costs, thereby contributing to the formulation of more effective urban policies and planning.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Possible explanations for the “Matthew effect” of rainfall in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei metropolitan area

Urbanization has amplified regional changes in rainfall associated with global warming, making urban flooding more frequent, but the role of urbanization in this process is still unclear. Based on the Google Earth Engine platform and the random forest algorithm, the land use classification results of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei metropolitan area were obtained, and the dynamic division of urban and rural meteorological stations was realized. Then, the “Matthew effect” of rainfall in the region is found, i.e., urbanization decreases light rainfall and increases heavy rainfall. The Geographical Detector model is used to identify the main factors influencing the amount and frequency of rainfall, and hypotheses are proposed accordingly. Finally, based on a total of 470 rainfall events at different stages of urbanization, it is found that light rainfall is mainly distributed at the upwind edge of the city, while rainfall of moderate intensity and above is mainly distributed downwind of the inner cities, and that temperature and subsurface resistance play an important role in the rainfall process. By elucidating the impact of urbanization on rainfall from different perspectives, we propose that city administrators are cognizant of the potential for heatwave hazards associated with a reduction in rain days and flooding caused by increased rainstorm.

Under five children diarrhea prevalence and associated factors in slum areas of Gondar City Northwest Ethiopia: a community based cross-sectional study

Slum areas in Ethiopia have high poverty status. In addition, they possess poor water and sanitation accesses such as unsafe drinking water, a lower number of sanitation facilities and poor hygienic conditions. These scenarios are important in the occurrence of diarrhea among under five children’s. However, there are many studies conducted on diarrhea among under five children in Ethiopia, unfortunately, the majority usually didn’t give enough coverage for the burden of diarrhea among under five children in slum areas. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of diarrhea and associated factors among under five children in slum areas of Gondar City. This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in slum areas of Gondar City among under five children from March 28 to April 28, 2023. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to collect a sample of 836 through interview-administered methods using a structured data collection tool. The collected data was manually checked for completeness, coded, and entered into EPI Info version 7.1.5.2 software. It was then exported to Stata version 14.1 software for descriptive analysis, as well as bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses, to identify factors associated with diarrhea among under five children. The prevalence of diarrhea among under five children at 95% confidence interval was 24.64% (CI 21.71–27.56). Mothers/caretakers age < 25 years (AOR = 1.88, 95% CI 1.16–3.06), mothers/caretakers age between 28 and 31 years (AOR = 1.82, 95% CI 1.08–3.05), mothers/caretakers who had no formal education (AOR = 3.18, 95% CI 1.86–5.41), mothers/caretakers who had primary education (AOR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.09–2.57), income level between 4877 and 5643 Ethiopian Birr (AOR = 1.81, 95% CI 1.04–3.15), family size greater than five (AOR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.00–2.36), flies around the house (AOR = 2.27, 95% CI 1.38–3.73), playground not clean (AOR = 2.70, 95% CI 1.62–4.50), breastfed for ≥ 1 year (AOR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.41–0.97), mothers/caretakers who did not wash their hands before food preparation and eating (AOR = 2.31, 95% CI 1.39–3.58), mothers/caretakers who did not wash their hands after visiting latrine (AOR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.07–2.38) were significantly associated factors with diarrhea among under five children in slum areas of Gondar City. The study indicates that the prevalence of diarrhea was higher among under five children in slum areas of Gondar City. The Gondar City Administration Education Bureau should give great emphasis on improving mother’s and caretaker’s education. In addition, the Gondar City Administration Health Bureau should educate mothers and caretakers about breastfeeding, sanitation, and hygiene in the slum areas of Gondar City.

Manajemen Komunikasi dalam Pelayanan Penerbitan Sertifikat Tanah di Kantor Pertanahan Kota Administrasi Jakarta Pusat

This research will focus on service communication, factors that support and inhibit services as well as the effectiveness of land certificate issuance service communication at the Central Jakarta City Administration Land Office. There were 7 informants who were sources in this research. Data collection techniques were carried out using library research and field research. This aims to make it easier for service users to access service information available at the Central Jakarta City Administration Land Office. (2) Factors that support land certificate issuance services at the Central Jakarta City Administration Land Office, include: the existence of regulations that make it easier, the availability of qualified human resources and personnel with integrity, the existence of technology that helps make work easier, and reform of the public service bureaucracy. implemented to reduce service time to be shorter. (3) Obstacles that are still encountered in land certificate issuance services at the Central Jakarta City Administration Land Office, namely: the status of the land is still in dispute, meaning that the issuance of land certificates must wait for legal certainty regarding the ownership of the land in question, incomplete land archives or documents, public ignorance In fulfilling the requirements for issuing land certificates, computer facilities to support public services sometimes experience errors so that service activities become hampered, and there are a handful of service officers who do not understand service SOPs. (4) The effectiveness of public services in issuing land certificates at the Central Jakarta City Administration Land Office still needs to be improved. For this reason, we have carried out various innovations through the Julapat Program (7 Quick Services) and the Landing Service, which is a service for people who do not have time to take care of land documents on weekdays and can take care of them on weekends. Apart from that, the Central Jakarta City Administration Land Office also continues to serve applicants during break times. This program aims to get closer to applicants directly and show service users that managing services is simple and cheap.

Reimagining cities as self-organising capital creating ecosystems

Executives who lead cities face considerable challenges. Cities are complex ecosystems comprising myriad interacting systems, including information systems, which are vital for their operation and prosperity. Recognizing the value that information systems can offer, significant investments have been made to acquire these systems and make cities smarter or more intelligent. However, many smart city projects have failed to deliver on their promises due to a lack of clarity regarding their overall goals. Smarter or more intelligent towards what end? This article provides a systems-inspired approach to urban planning based on the premise that a city is a self-organising, capital-creating ecosystem composed of a city's administration and the many organizations within its domain. As the city's keystone entity, the administration's role is to create capital that enhances the capital productivity of other ecosystem members and nourishes innovators to boost capital creativity. A capital improvement budgeting framework can specify the allocation of all forms of capital to promote symbiotic connections between the various entities within a city. A city stack is designed to guide a city's administration in cooperating with its self-organising ecosystem. A research agenda to foster capital creation by city leaders is also outlined.

Growing gardens into neighborhoods through transdisciplinary research

The increasing densification of urban spaces can negatively impact biodiversity in the city, but the diversity of green spaces also offers new opportunities to implement biodiversity conservation interventions. Urban community gardens are social-ecological systems that support biodiversity, ecosystem services, and positive human-nature interactions. In turn, community gardens can provide ideal “real-world labs” to co-create, test, and collectively implement biodiversity conservation strategies with gardeners that can be transferred to and mainstreamed across other urban ecosystems. This is important because the impact of biodiversity-friendly gardening strategies is not yet systematically researched, nor how this knowledge can be transferred to other urban ecosystems. In our transdisciplinary research, we are developing, implementing, and testing biodiversity conservation interventions focused on promoting insect diversity with gardeners and neighborhood residents from Berlin and Munich, Germany. Our aim is to engage with and support city residents in biodiversity-based urban greening. To do so, we work at the nexus between civil society (gardeners, neighborhood residents, ecologically oriented organizations) and relevant city actors (city council, district committees, city administration) to anchor the participation of civil society in the ecological transformation of the city. In this communication article, we present our transdisciplinary research concept, participatory methods, and experience thus far in translating research to practice, and supporting the role of city residents to implement biodiversity interventions in their gardens and in their neighborhoods.

Artificial Internet of Things, Sensor-Based Digital Twin Urban Computing Vision Algorithms, and Blockchain Cloud Networks in Sustainable Smart City Administration

The aim of this paper is to synthesize and analyze existing evidence on interconnected sensor networks and digital urban governance in data-driven smart sustainable cities. The research topic of this systematic review is whether and to what extent smart city governance can effectively integrate the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT), intelligent decision algorithms based on big data technologies, and cloud computing. This is relevant since smart cities place special emphasis on the involvement of citizens in decision-making processes and sustainable urban development. To investigate the work to date, search outcome management and systematic review screening procedures were handled by PRISMA and Shiny app flow design. A quantitative literature review was carried out in June 2024 for published original and review research between 2018 and 2024. For qualitative and quantitative data management and analysis in the research review process, data extraction tools, study screening, reference management software, evidence map visualization, machine learning classifiers, and reference management software were harnessed. Dimensions and VOSviewer were deployed to explore and visualize the bibliometric data.

Dialogical Accounting, Knowledge, and Power in a Public Policy Management Council

Dialogical Accounting, Knowledge, and Power in a Public Policy Management Council