Sustainable Development Planning Research Articles

Review: Toward sustainable management of groundwater in the deserts of Egypt

To achieve its ambitious plans to reclaim its deserts through mega projects, Egypt is heavily relying on fossil or little-recharged groundwater. This article revisits the results and methodologies of the studies conducted over the last two decades on groundwater management and uses in the Western Desert. Most previous studies aimed at simulating different groundwater abstraction scenarios by modeling local areas in aquifer systems, but with poor definitions of boundary conditions and limited historical data. Studies were constrained by the unavailability of data, access difficulties, and high collection costs in desert lands. Thus, to propose reliable sustainable groundwater resources development plans and recommendations for future protection strategies, an open-access monitoring network representing regional aquifers is needed. More investigations based on extensive field visits are essential to monitor environmental, economic, and social conditions, identify constraints, and learn lessons for reclaiming desert lands. Moreover, this review highlighted the need to frame a rational strategy for the long-term sustainable exploitation of non-renewable groundwater in the aquifer systems of Egypt and develop an appropriate exit strategy for desert communities in case of serious water resource depletion.

Sustainable Development Planning of Surabaya City: Pursuing Inclusive and Sustainable Growth

Sustainable Development Planning of Surabaya City: Pursuing Inclusive and Sustainable Growth

Coordinated effect of green expansion and carbon reduction: Evidence from sustainable development of resource-based cities in China

Resource-based cities generally face the dual pressures of ecological damage and high carbon emissions. Taking the National Sustainable Development Plan for Resource-Based Cities (NSDP) issued in China as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper for the first time, uses the difference-in-difference method to test the coordinated effect of green expansion and carbon reduction brought by NSDP at the county level using rich remote sensing data. The results show that NSDP has significantly promoted the ecological quality improvement and CO2 emission mitigation in resource-based cities, and the above coordinated benefits mainly occur in energy, mature, declining, northeastern, and municipal resource-based cities. Through the mechanism analysis, we find that NSDP mainly works by promoting the transformation of industry sector to agriculture, animal husbandry, accommodation and catering, finance, and environment management sectors, which are reflected in output, employment, product yield, land type and land transaction area. Further discussion on the tertiary industry suggests that developing tourism, easing financing constraint and strengthening environment regulation, are the key channels to borne fruit in green expansion and carbon reduction.

Influence of Online Reviews on Hotel Reservation Intentions: Insights from Bangladeshi Travellers

The primary objective of this research is to undertake an empirical investigation of the overall influence of online reviews on hotel booking intentions within the context of Bangladesh. The study involved the execution of semi-structured interviews with a sample of 25 individuals with a recent history of frequent travel and hotel stays. Subsequently, a thematic analysis of the responses was conducted with the goal of elucidating the outcomes and ascertaining the influence of online reviews on individuals' predispositions towards booking a hotel for their accommodation facility. The findings of the study revealed that positive reviews wield the most substantial influence among the various dimensions of tourists' reviews. Notably, the idea of "trust" appeared within the identified indicators as a mediating variable in the association between reviews and the intention to book a hotel. Moreover, this empirical study also showed that unfavorable online reviews significantly influence individuals ‘intents to reserve hotels, whereas positive reviews do not yield an equivalent impact. Considering these outcomes, the authors draw a series of management implications, including the need to use this information to promote stakeholder engagement and collaboration, to use these indicators for the management of hotels to adopt a more holistic approach to address the service gap in the hospitality industry, and to focus on resilient planning for sustainable smart tourism development.

Role of Fintech adoption in the impact of sustainable policy intervention on enterprise transformation in resource-based cities: Evidence from China

The National Plan for Sustainable Development of Resource-based Cities (2013–2020) (NPSDRC) is a pivotal initiative of the Chinese government to promote the transformation of resource-based cities. Meanwhile, rapid Fintech development provides a vital opportunity for the transformation of such cities. Exploiting the implementation of NPSDRC as an exogenous shock and employing the difference-in-differences approach to investigate how NPSDRC affects the transformation of enterprises in resource-based cities and the role of Fintech adoption in this transformation. The result indicates that NPSDRC hinders enterprises' total factor productivity (TFP) in resource-based cities. The mechanism analysis reveals that NPSDRC hampers enterprise transformation via incentivizing firms to apply end-of-pipe treatments. Specifically, in the short term, this policy has prompted firms in resource-based cities to employ measures aimed at reducing the amount of pollutants during the post-production and pre-emission stages, which leads to an increase in firm costs, and thus reduces their TFP. Moreover, we observe that Fintech development weakens the negative impact of NPSDRC on firms' TFP. The heterogeneity results imply that this negative impact is more prevalent for state-owned enterprises and heavily polluting enterprises. This policy notably hinders the transformation of enterprises in regions with rigorous environmental law enforcement. We provide empirical evidence for formulating sustainable development policies for resource-based cities in other countries.

Synthesis, characterization, DNA binding interactions, DFT calculations, and Covid-19 molecular docking of novel bioactive copper(I) complexes developed via unexpected reduction of azo-hydrazo ligands

In this work, we focused on the 3rd goal of the sustainable development plan: achieving good health and supporting well-being. Two redox-active hydrazo ligands namely, phenylcarbonohydrazonoyldicyanide (PCHD) and pyridin-4-ylcarbonohydrazonoyl-dicyanide (PyCHD), and their copper(I) complexes have been synthesized and characterized. The analytical data indicates the formation of copper(I) complexes despite starting with copper(II) perchlorate salt. The 1H-NMR and UV–visible spectral studies in DMSO revealed that PyCHD mainly exists in its azo-form, while PCHD exists in azo ↔ hydrazo equilibrium form, and confirmed the copper(I) oxidation state. XPS, spectral and electrochemistry data indicated the existence of copper(I) valence of both complexes. Cyclic voltammetry of PCHD and its copper(I) complex supported the reduction power of the ligand. The antimicrobial activity, cytotoxicity against the mammalian breast carcinoma cell line (MCF7), and DNA interaction of the compounds are investigated. All compounds showed high antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities, relative to the standard drugs. Upon studying the wheat DNA binding, PCHD and PyCHD were found to bind through external contacts, while both [Cu(PCHD)2]ClO4.H2O and [Cu(PyCHD)2]ClO4.H2O were intercalated binding. In-silico molecular docking simulations against Estrogen Receptor Alpha Ligand Binding Domain (ID: 6CBZ) were performed on all produced compounds and confirmed the invitro experimentally best anticancer activity of [Cu(PyCHD)2]ClO4.H2O. The molecular docking tests against SARS-CoV-2 main protease (ID: 6 WTT) showed promising activity in the order of total binding energy values: [Cu(PCHD)2]ClO4.H2O > [Cu(PyCHD)2]ClO4.H2O > PCHD > PyCHD.

Unlocking the Potential of Wind Turbine Blade Recycling: Assessing Techniques and Metrics for Sustainability

The rapid growth of the wind energy industry has resulted in a significant increase in Wind Turbine Blade (WTB) waste, posing challenges for recycling due to the composite materials used in their construction. Several proposed techniques, including mechanical, thermal, and chemical processes, have been considered for wind-blade recycling, but determining the most effective approach remains a critical issue. This study presents the first comprehensive systematic review of available wind-blade recycling processes, evaluating their economic, technical, and environmental performance. Additionally, we consider the physical and mechanical properties of the recycled materials, which can aid in identifying potential markets for these materials. Among the various recycling technologies, microwave pyrolysis emerges as the most promising technique for recycling large quantities of WTB, despite some challenges and uncertainties surrounding its effectiveness and feasibility at an industrial scale. However, the optimal recycling technique for WTB will depend on multiple factors, including the blade material, the desired environmental impact, and the economic feasibility of the process. Based on this review, mechanical recycling appears to be more energy-efficient, while the fluidised bed recycling process demonstrates a lower primary energy demand, global warming potential, and power consumption. These findings provide valuable guidance for decision-makers in the wind energy industry to develop effective waste management strategies and plans for sustainable wind energy development. Addressing WTB waste and implementing efficient recycling techniques will be critical in mitigating environmental impacts and promoting sustainability in the renewable energy sector as the wind energy industry grows.

Impact of urbanization on net carbon sink efficiency in economically developed area: A case study of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, China

Reducing carbon emissions and improving vegetation carbon sequestration (VCS) have long been recognized as the key ways to address the aim of carbon neutrality, requiring global effort and typical regional experiences. This paper develops an assessment framework for measuring the net carbon sink efficiency (NCSE) based on the concept of net-zero carbon sink to depict both carbon emission and VCS simultaneously. This paper primarily runs a spatial autocorrelation analysis to explore spatial characteristics of urbanization and NCSE of Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration (YRD) in China from 2000 to 2020, followed by employs a spatial econometric model to investigate the spatial spillover effect of urbanization on NCSE. The results show that NCSE in YRD exhibits clear spatial disparities, descending from the southern part dominated by mountainous hills to the flatter northern region. The spatial evolutionary trend of urbanization and NCSE has a significant positive correlation, manifested as H-H and L-L agglomeration, covering most counties in southeast coastal areas and northern plains, respectively. The NCSE can improve even during the continued urbanization in YRD. Specifically, for every 1% increase in urbanization, NCSE will increase by 0.164%, of which 0.118% in direct and 0.046% in indirect growth, respectively. In addition, GDP per capita, industrial structure, technological progress, road area and direct foreign investment are benefit for NCSE. In contrast, population density, environmental regulation, and built-up area tend to decline NCSE. These findings may help to formulate the urban sustainable development planning and differentiated carbon neutrality policies.

OPTIMAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT IN MICROGRIDS CONSIDERING SUPPLY DEMAND RATE AND BATTERY DISCHARGE DEPTH

Integrating solar energy with battery energy storage systems (BESS) is critical in sustainable development plans and carbon neutrality goals. Can the energy exchange between supply and demand offer hope via effective management of BESS operations? How will the depth of discharge in microgrids affect individual BESS prosumers? Motivated by such questions, this study determines the minimum energy costs and optimal energy management considering the BESS discharge depth for industrial prosumers with different PV power production to electricity demand ratios. In addition, the impact of Epv/Eload and depth of discharge on individual PV-BESS microgrid prosumers is evaluated annually from a technical, economic, and environmental perspective. Moreover, considering the negative impact of the self-consumption rate (SCR) on the low voltage distribution network (overvoltage, power loss, etc.), unfavorable depth of discharge thresholds and Epv /Eload are determined. The optimization framework is built in Python Gurobi, and Mixed Integer Linear Programming solves the complex problem. The results show that a higher Epv /Eload can reduce the cost of energy (COE) by up to 84.1% and increase the renewable fraction (RF) and electricity sales revenues by up to 61% and up to 570.25 $/yr. It also emphasizes that for Prosumer 5, with the highest Epv /Eload (176.5%), each depth of discharge is not feasible due to SCR. In contrast, a higher depth of discharge can increase CO2 reduction by up to 4.45 tons/yr and thus provide additional revenues of up to 197.41 $/yr. Evaluating BESS operations in microgrid energy management will help many stakeholders determine reliable investments and help in the planned transition to clean energy.

Sustainable agricultural management: How to achieve carbon neutrality in agriculture – evidence from China agricultural sustainable development plan

AbstractAgricultural sustainable development is of significant importance for achieving food security, environmental protection, climate change adaptation, natural resource conservation, and economic development. We conducted a study using the 2015 China Agricultural Sustainable Development Plan (ASDP) as a natural experiment and employed the Difference‐in‐Differences (DID) model to estimate the impact of ASDP on agricultural carbon neutrality. Path analysis and heterogeneity analysis were also performed. The results of this study are as follows: First, ASDP promotes agricultural carbon neutrality. Second, increasing per capita agricultural machinery usage, agricultural labor efficiency, livestock manure management, wastewater and waste treatment capacity, toilet coverage rate, greening efforts, and reducing pesticide usage are potential pathways of ASDP. Third, the analysis of carbon emission types indicates that current ASDP mainly focuses on carbon emissions from traditional agricultural practices, with limited impact on carbon emissions associated with modern agricultural activities, such as diesel fuel and pesticides. Lastly, the heterogeneity analysis of agricultural regions demonstrates that ASDP has a more positive impact on grain, oil, fruit and vegetable low‐producing areas, cotton high‐producing areas, and poultry, meat, eggs and milk aquaculture high‐producing areas. This study estimates the carbon reduction effect of ASDP and provides new policy recommendations and reform directions for agricultural sustainable development in China and other developing countries.

Building responsible and sustainable tourism: The effects of community attitudes and place attachment on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

ABSTRACT Environmental sustainability in tourism management continues to be topic that needs investigation. This study advances the understanding of sustainable tourism by providing both new context through the study of a unique population of residents on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and applying a psychological theoretical lens. The argument is made that residents within a tourism area can utilize their sustainable tourism attitudes to facilitate action that is both environmentally responsible and supportive of a greater sustainable tourism development plan. Hypotheses are developed to suggest a mediated relationship between sustainable tourism attitude and these actions through a resident’s place attachment. Data from residents in a coastal tourism area were tested with a regression-based approach and indicate place attachment as a necessary linkage to environmentally responsible behavior and support of sustainable tourism development. These results suggest that it is not enough to have a sustainable attitude toward tourism. There also needs to be the development of identification with the place one lives. This research continues a conversation about attitudes in sustainable tourism by establishing that resident attitudes significantly affect the actions they take toward sustainable tourism. Further, this research expands into previously understudied geographies with complicated ecological, business, and residential dynamics.

Balancing development and sustainability: Assessing risks and protecting aquatic biodiversity on US college and university campuses

AbstractExtensive urbanization impairs biological communities through landscape alteration and physiochemical changes to stream ecosystems. Analogous to urban development in cities, new building and facility expansion on university campuses can lead to dramatic changes in impervious cover and consequently, increased stormflow impacting downstream ecological communities. Here, we analyze the extent and relevance on a nationwide scale to determine campuses with the highest risk for ecological impairment. From the US‐wide analysis of 5761 college/university campuses, ~45% of campuses were within critical aquatic species watersheds, and >5% were identified as buffering critical habitat. The highest risk campus our study identified was selected to compare the impacts of planned, conventional development versus sustainable development on a sensitive aquatic species, the federally threatened Jollyville Plateau salamander (Eurycea tonkawae). Impervious cover, simulated increases in stormwater runoff, and total suspended solids (TSS) from the conventional expansion is estimated to lower salamander density. Conversely, an alternative campus expansion plan allowed for increased development but permitted provisions for reduced runoff and TSS, thereby maintaining current salamander densities. Our findings show that sustainable campus development plans have the potential to mitigate ecological disruption within watersheds, and that campus management and policies are critical for preserving biodiversity in the future.

Research on top-level planning for sustainable high-quality development of China’s largest scale deep coal mining area

Coal is the dominant energy source in China, as it has an advantageous position in terms of resource distribution. Against the backdrop of China’s high-quality economic development and the global energy crisis, after nearly a decade of preparation, the Xinjie Taigemiao Mine Area (XTMA) has entered the substantial planning and design stage. Based on the resource development conditions and the background of the times of XTMA, the paper provides an in-depth analysis of the connotation and characteristics of XTMA’s high-quality development. Subsequently, the overall development concept of “1358” for XTMA is proposed, which includes one strategic objective, three new models, five attribute goals, and eight assessment indicators. Based on this, a top-level planning and design for the implementation of high-quality development in XTMA is carried out comprehensively from aspects such as spatial layout, intelligent safety, integrated zero-carbon, ecological green, technological innovation, cluster management, and harmonious happiness. Finally, we look forward to the long-term blueprint for high-quality development of the XTMA and put forward urgent recommendations for current construction. The research on the high-quality development plan of XTMA will promote the development of China’s coal industry and is of great significance.

Exploring the Coupling Coordination Relationship of Urban Resilience System in Ecologically Fragile Areas: Case Study of the Loess Plateau in China

Urban ecosystem health threats and natural disasters have a prominent influence under the rapid urbanization process, and high urban resilience (UR) is the key to response to human-natural disasters. This study attempts to construct a comprehensive index system of UR based on the DPSIR (Driving—Pressure—State—Impact—Response) framework to explore the coupling coordination relationship and driving factors of UR in ecologically fragile areas, using panel data of 39 cities in the Loess Plateau from 2010 to 2019. The empirical results have shown that most cities present low and medium levels of urban resilience, indicating that the UR of the Loess Plateau is not ideal, that there is a significant spatial difference between the urban resilience and coupling coordination degree (CCD), and the spatial characteristics are represented by “central depression”. Additionally, there are significant discordant relationships among the five subsystems of UR, which means that the pressure subsystem has the highest score, while the driving force subsystem and state subsystem have the lowest score. Regarding the driving factors, institutional quality, scientific and technological expenditure, and industrial upgrading have a significant positive impact on UR, while gross industrial output, urban carbon emissions, and urban population density have a significant negative impact on UR. This study provides a new index system and information and decision-making reference for UR exploration, which is also conducive to the future urban sustainable development planning in ecologically sensitive areas.

Analysis of the sustainable public transportation plans in Poland

A sustainable transportation development plan is a strategic document that is created to guarantee convenient conditions in terms of the mobility of users and to ensure all other aspects that aim to improve the quality of life in the city. It is created on the basis of existing planning practices, using documents that already exist in this area and with the participation of various social groups. For this reason, the purpose of this study is to analyze sustainable public transportation development plans for selected 10 municipalities in Poland. The authors will analyze the sustainable development plans of these cities, try to find common features in them, and suggest how a given plan can be expanded to seek better solutions for creating sustainable urban mobility to replace previously developed transportation plans.

Contextualizing entrepreneurship for Africa's post-Covid-19 recovery and growth

Entrepreneurship plays an important role in employment, income generation, food security, empowerment, job creation, and productivity growth in Africa. However, many businesses in Africa are heavily dependent on foreign direct investment and channels both for inputs and markets and lack economic resilience and diversification. Consequently, the complete lockdown and frontier closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a deteriorating impact on its formal and informal economic activities. The purpose of the paper is therefore to examine the challenges and responses of the African economy to COVID-19 and if the contextualized entrepreneurship approach is important in the post-COVID recovery and growth in Africa. The paper used secondary data collected through a systematic and contextual review of the latest publications and reports. The findings show that Africa is challenged with a lack of managerial skills, infrastructure, capital markets, access to finance, and incentives for entrepreneurship. Moreover, a realistic, contextualized, and sustainable trajectory recovery and development plan is critical to tackle the scale and depth of the COVID-19 challenges in Africa. In this regard, this paper provides important recommendations for African-oriented entrepreneurship development pathways and policies. This will have important implications for the post-COVID-19 recovery and the growth of entrepreneurship in Africa.

Evaluating the impact of simulated land use changes under multiple scenarios on ecosystem services in Ji'an, China

Ecosystem services (ES) play a crucial role in the sustainable development of human society. It is essential to clarify the impact of land use changes on ES to facilitate sound land spatial planning. This study focuses on the Ji'an area of Jiangxi Province as the research subject. The Future Land Use Simulation (FLUS) model is employed under the 'Production-life-ecological space' (PLES) policy scenario to simulate land use changes in the Ji'an area from 2020 to 2040. A comprehensive evaluation index for ecosystem services (CES) is constructed based on existing policies and ecological conditions in Ji'an City. It is then integrated into the FLUS-InVEST framework to simulate various development scenarios in the future. The results reveal that under the living space priority (LSP) scenario, construction land exhibits the highest growth rate, reaching 59.8%. Under the ecological space priority (ESP) scenario, the forest area is projected to increase by 0.54%. Only under the Productive Space Priority (PSP) scenario will cultivated land experience an increase, at a rate of 3.69%. Notably, CES remains relatively stable only in the ESP scenario, while declining in all other scenarios (ranging from 1.19% to 1.83%). Based on the simulation calculations, a Comprehensive Development (CD) plan for Ji'an is proposed, aiming to optimize the coordination among production, living, and ecological spaces and facilitate the restoration of ecosystem services. Compared to the 'business as usual' (BAU) scenario, the CES value of the CD scenario is expected to increase by 0.61%. In summary, this paper presents an exploratory study that combines the FLUS-InVEST framework with the unique development scenario of the Ji'an region in an innovative way. The proposed planning and recommendations for future sustainable development contribute to a deeper understanding of the impact of socio-economic activities on the ecological environment.

State of urbanization in Nepal: The official definition and reality

Nepali government's official delineation of several human settlements as new urban areas has been questionable because many important criteria such as urban infrastructure and services, open space, population density, and economic viability are not thoroughly analyzed while defining what is urban. Many settlements in Nepal officially defined as urban, often driven by political considerations, are operating in the rural framework forming ruralopolises. This paper analyzes various criteria needed for defining urbanization that are internationally accepted to assess Nepal's official definition of urban settlements. Urban areas have been expanding in Nepal at the cost of agricultural, forest, and shrubland land uses. We found that using the road as the main variable but keeping agriculture, forest, and shrubland constant, a one percent increase in road length will lead to an increase in the geographical area of urban settlements by 0.47 percent. Spatial visualization of urban expansion and road network clearly indicates that new urban areas that are radiating from the established large urban centers are expanding along the road network on land that is relatively flat with less than 15° slopes to the horizontal plane. In the mountainous region, undulated landscape, low-density population, and lack of road infrastructure, among other factors, have limited the expansion of urban areas. To develop a sustainable urban development plan, this paper detailed land use and land cover analyses of all seven provinces. Using 10 × 10 m sentinel satellite imagery, the paper presents analyses of land use and cover changes from 2017 to 2021. These years were chosen because rapid urbanization started after the promulgation of the new constitution in 2015. However, its implementation and state restructuring began only after 2017. The urban areas, as defined by the government, expanded rapidly in the Tarai and mid-Hills regions from 23 % in 2014 to 66.08 % in 2015.

Analysis of the Final Energy Use by Sectors in City of Vidin

According to the initiative "The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (CoM)" and within the framework of the EU-funded "Positive Energy Areas Project", the Municipality of Vidin should establish a "Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan". The city's sustainable energy development plans aim to reduce CO2 emissions by 40% up to 2030 and develop a comprehensive climate change adaptation strategy at the local level or integrate it into existing plans. The initiative envisages actions both for mitigating climate change and also for climate adaptation at the local level. This paper presents the results of the first part of the process for establishing the "Sustainable Energy and Action Plan of the Municipality of Vidin", including the assessment and calculation of the final energy use in the city by the different sectors. The research aims to present the main data sources necessary for СО2 emissions inventory at the city level and to process, validate, and analyze used statistical data for defining the final energy use by different sectors in one Bulgarian municipality. The purpose of this assessment is to determine final energy use by different sectors and by types of energy sources. The results from the analysis and evaluation of the final energy use in the sectors "Residential buildings", "Municipal buildings", "Industry", "Tertiary buildings", "Public lighting" and "Transport" will serve to conduct a baseline of CO2 emissions inventory, which is a part of the “Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan”. These results also could help the local authorities and key energy players to identify and implement the most suitable measures and actions for climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The impact of sustainable development planning in resource-based cities on corporate ESG–Evidence from China

This study explores the impact of sustainable development in resource-based cities on corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG). The study analyzes data from Chinese A-share listed companies between 2010 and 2021, with the National Plan for Sustainable Development of Resource-based Cities, 2013–2020 (NPSDRBC) as a quasi-natural experiment. The results indicate that the implementation of NPSDRBC encourages companies to fulfill their ESG responsibilities, especially when they possess abundant redundant resources and are able to make more efficient resource allocation. The robustness of the results is validated through a series of rigorous tests. Furthermore, the positive impact of NPSDRBC on corporate ESG is significantly stronger in non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs), in central region and in heavy polluting industries. In short, this study comprehensively describes the effects of NPSDRBC, identifies key factors that facilitate ESG, and provides a novel perspective for achieving sustainable development for resource-based cities in China.