Water ecological compensation standards for the Yellow River Basin from coordinated provider-beneficiary perspectives.

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the interrelationship between environmental sustainability and urban tourism within the context of sustainable cities, with a particular focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study aims to conceptualize how tourism development can be aligned with SDG-oriented environmental protection and urban resilience objectives. Theoretical Framework: This research is grounded in sustainability theory, sustainable urban development, and responsible tourism frameworks, and is explicitly linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Key theoretical perspectives such as the Triple Bottom Line, sustainable city models, environmental carrying capacity, and SDG-related policy frameworks provide the conceptual foundation for analyzing tourism–environment interactions in urban contexts. Method: The study adopts a qualitative and conceptual research design based on an integrative literature review. Academic articles, policy documents, and international sustainability reports—particularly those associated with the SDGs, sustainable urban development, urban tourism, and environmental management—were systematically reviewed and synthesized to develop a comprehensive theoretical framework. Results and Discussion: The analysis reveals that tourism strategies aligned with the SDGs and environmental sustainability principles significantly contribute to sustainable urban development by enhancing resource efficiency, environmental awareness, social well-being, and urban resilience. The discussion emphasizes the critical role of governance, stakeholder collaboration, and long-term SDG-oriented planning in balancing tourism growth with environmental limitations. Research Implications: The findings offer theoretical insights for scholars and practical guidance for urban planners, policymakers, and tourism managers who seek to integrate SDG-based sustainability principles into tourism planning and urban development strategies. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by explicitly linking environmental sustainability, urban tourism, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the sustainable city discourse, offering a holistic conceptual framework that supports SDG-oriented sustainable urban tourism development.

Sustainable urban water management extends beyond technical infrastructure, relying on organizational capacity, effective governance and adaptive strategies that foster resilience and innovation. In many developing contexts, public water utilities face institutional and operational constraints that limit sustainable performance. This study examines organizational and governance determinants of water system effectiveness in Lagos, Nigeria, developing an empirical SEM-based framework to explain their interactions. Using a systematic review, expert interviews and a practitioner survey analyzed via Exploratory Factor Analysis and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling, the study identifies two core organizational dimensions—Operational Capability in Water Systems (OCWS) and Sustainability Governance and Innovation (SGI)—and three strategic clusters that enhance performance. Findings highlight the role of collaborative capacity, governance innovation, and cross-institutional coordination, aligning with sustainable infrastructure and organizational symbiosis principles. The framework advances existing sustainability models by integrating organizational capability and governance innovation into water utility performance assessment. Practical implications include strengthening institutional capacity, embedding innovation-focused governance mechanisms, and promoting inter-agency collaboration. Future research could apply this framework in other contexts or assess policy reforms that support resilient, sustainable urban water management.

Digital infrastructure is increasingly recognized as a pivotal driver of green and sustainable urban development. This study examines its impact on the spatiotemporal evolution of Urban Land Green Use Efficiency (ULGUE), focusing on the underlying mechanisms and spatial spillover effects.Utilizing panel data from 41 cities in China’s Yangtze River Delta region(YRD) from 2013 to 2022, we employed a multi-period Difference-in-Differences (DID) framework. The “Broadband China” demonstration program served as a quasi-natural experiment. Robustness was assessed through parallel trend tests, Propensity Score Matching-DID (PSM-DID), and policy exclusion checks. Mechanisms were explored via mediation analysis, and spatial effects were analyzed using a Spatial Durbin Model. The analysis reveals that: (1) Digital infrastructure significantly enhances ULGUE, a finding robust across various sensitivity checks. (2) It indirectly improves ULGUE by promoting industrial upgrading and strengthening local governmental environmental awareness. (3) Spatial heterogeneity is notable: the effect is strongest in Anhui Province, slightly inhibitory in parts of Jiangsu Province, and statistically insignificant in Zhejiang Province and Shanghai. (4) Significant positive spatial spillover effects exist, indicating that digital infrastructure benefits both local and neighboring regions’ green land-use efficiency.These findings underscore the multifaceted role of digital infrastructure in advancing sustainable urban land management. They provide theoretical and empirical insights into pathways for low-carbon urban development and offer policy implications for fostering high-quality, regionally coordinated growth in the YRD region.

This study evaluates the application of Effective Microorganisms (EM) in large-scale municipal composting under real operational conditions in Serbia. A controlled field experiment was conducted over a 90-day composting period to compare EM-treated and untreated windrows of urban green waste. Key compost quality parameters were assessed to determine compost maturity and nutrient status. EM application resulted in improved compost properties, with stabilized pH (7.28 ± 0.12), increased humus content (26.52 ± 1.10%), higher total nitrogen (1.33 ± 0.05%), available phosphorus (133.46 ± 5.20 mg/100 g), and potassium (226.00 ± 8.50 mg/100 g), as well as a reduced C/N ratio (20.0 ± 0.9) compared to the control. These results indicate accelerated organic matter decomposition and enhanced compost maturation in EM-treated systems. The findings demonstrate that EM technology can improve compost quality and process efficiency in municipal composting, supporting its practical application within sustainable urban organic waste management frameworks.

Data-driven modeling of combined electrocoagulation and sand-filtration for sustainable urban wastewater management: A case study on street food cart effluents

Rapid urban growth in Nigerian cities has intensified competition for land, resulting in critical deficiencies in burial infrastructure provision. In Ibadan, population increase, uncontrolled development, and poor integration of cemetery planning have led to the saturation of existing burial spaces, with limited consideration of the investment potential of cemetery land. This study evaluates the sustainable investment potential of cemetery land in Ibadan through an integrated analysis of demand, spatial capacity, and financial viability. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining household surveys across eleven local government areas, cemetery inventory and capacity assessment, demographic projections, and discounted cash-flow modelling. Findings indicate that approximately 75% of existing cemetery capacity has been utilised, signalling an emerging shortage of formal burial space. Household preference analysis reveals a gradual shift from informal and overstretched public burial grounds toward professionally managed private memorial parks. Financial appraisal of a representative peri-urban private cemetery development demonstrates positive net present values, benefit–cost ratios exceeding unity, and acceptable payback periods under multiple discountrate scenarios, including conservative assumptions. The incorporation of a perpetual maintenance fund further enhances long-term operational sustainability beyond plot sell-out. The study concludes that, when strategically planned and properly structured, cemetery land can function as a viable real estate investment while supporting sustainable urban land-use management. Policy implications emphasise the need for formal recognition of cemetery land within urban planning frameworks in rapidly urbanising cities.

Taking Goyang Special City as an example, this study aims to analyze the process of converting a low-use urban space into a community space, its effects, and interpret it from the perspective of the real estate industry. While existing urban regeneration studies have focused on improving the physical environment and increasing real estate prices, this study empirically and qualitatively examines the effect of community spatialization based on resident participation on the value of use, management and operation, and local market stability of real estate. Literature research, field surveys, and resident-focused group interviews (FGI) were used as research methods, and various types of low-use spaces such as parks, pedestrian roads, resident joint facilities, and residential alleys were analyzed. As a result of the study, it was confirmed that community spatialization contributes to the stability of the real estate market and the formation of a sustainable urban management structure in the mid to long term through an increase in the frequency of use, expansion of stay time, and accumulation of local trust capital rather than an increase in short-term land prices. This suggests that the real estate industry should shift from a development-oriented paradigm to a management, operation, and social value-based paradigm.

Urban towns and smart city governments face increasing challenges in maintaining ecological balance as urbanization, industrial activity, and climate dynamics evolve. The degradation of ecological gardens, biodiversity parks, and waterways adversely affects ecosystem stability, air and water quality, and community well-being. Conventional urban ecological systems rely on reactive assessment methods that detect damage only after it occurs, leading to delayed interventions, higher maintenance costs, and irreversible environmental harm. This study introduces a Graph–Transformer Neural Network (GTNet) as a data-driven and predictive framework for sustainable urban ecological management. GTNet provides real-time estimation of smart city garden health, addressing the gap in proactive environmental monitoring. The model captures spatial relationships and contextual dependencies among multimodal environmental features using Dynamic Graph Convolutional Neural Network (DGCNN) and Vision Transformer (ViT) layers. The preprocessing pipeline integrates Principal Component Aggregation with Orthogonal Constraints (PCAOC) for dimensionality reduction, Weighted Cross-Variance Selection (WCVS) for feature relevance, and Selective Equilibrium Resampling (SER) for class balancing, ensuring robustness and interpretability across complex ecological datasets. Two new metrics, Contextual Consistency Score (CCS) and Complexity-Weighted Accuracy (CWA), are introduced to evaluate model reliability and performance under diverse environmental conditions. Experimental results on Melbourne’s multi-year urban garden datasets demonstrate that GTNet outperforms baseline models such as Predictive Clustering Trees, LSTM networks, and Random Forests, achieving an AUC of 98.9%, CCS of 0.94, and CWA of 0.96. GTNet’s scalability, predictive accuracy, and computational efficiency establish it as a powerful framework for AI-driven ecological governance. This research supports the transition of future smart cities from reactive to proactive, transparent, and sustainable environmental management.

Banjarmasin City faces serious challenges in urban waste management due to high waste generation, limited facilities, and low public awareness of waste segregation. This community service program aims to integrate eco-brick practices and digital technology in community-based waste management in RT 19, Alalak Tengah Village, Banjarmasin. The methods applied include waste segregation education and training, eco-brick production, provision of waste processing facilities, Clean and Healthy Living Behavior (PHBS) campaigns, and digital mapping of waste production areas using the CLEANMAP-BJM application. The results indicate a significant increase in community understanding of waste management (92.7%), a reduction in waste disposed of at temporary collection points, and the creation of value-added products such as eco-brick-based sofas. The integration of ecological approaches and digital technology effectively enhances community participation and supports more sustainable urban waste management.

Accurate, high-frequency carbon emission forecasting is crucial for urban climate mitigation and achieving sustainable development goals. However, generalized models often result in lower prediction accuracy by overlooking the unique “sector specificity” of urban emission systems, namely, the different temporal patterns driven by distinct physical and economic factors across sectors. This study establishes a decision-support framework to select optimal forecasting models for distinct sectors. Using daily multi-sector carbon emission and meteorological data from Hangzhou, we evaluated 12 models across statistical, machine learning, and deep learning classes. Our three-stage design identified the best model for each sector, quantified the contribution of meteorological drivers, and assessed multi-step forecasting stability. The results indicated the lack of universality in generalized models, as no single model performed best across all sectors. A hybrid CNN-LSTM model outperformed other candidates for ground transport (R2 = 0.635), while LSTM showed better performance for industry (R2 = 0.866) and residential (R2 = 0.978) sectors. Integrating meteorological factors only improved accuracy in weather-sensitive sectors (e.g., residential) and acted as noise in others (e.g., aviation). We conclude that a sector-specific strategy is more robust than a one-size-fits-all approach for carbon emission forecasting. By resolving the specific driving mechanisms of each sector this decision-support framework provides the granular data foundation necessary for precise urban energy dispatch and targeted emission reduction policies.

This study investigates the delineation of human agglomerations within the framework of ensuring compliance with the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. Focusing on the case study of Craiova agglomeration, the analysis examines the critical parameters that define urban areas requiring enhanced wastewater treatment infrastructure. By assessing demographic, geographic, and administrative boundaries, the study identifies key factors that influence the classification of urban settlements as eligible for directive-specific sanitation improvements. The research employs a mixed-method approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative analyses. Spatial data mapping and field observations underscore the challenges faced by urban planning authorities in delineating boundaries consistent with EU regulatory standards. These challenges include rapid urbanization, variable population densities, and resource allocation disparities, which complicate the effective management of wastewater treatment systems. Methodical evaluation of human agglomerations, based on standardized metrics, can facilitate improved implementation of wastewater treatment policies. The results further suggest that local governments need to adopt integrative planning strategies that consider the evolving dynamics of urban growth. Ultimately, this study contributes to a better understanding of urban boundary setting and provides recommendations for policy adjustments to ensure sustainable urban wastewater management practices.

Rapid urbanization and increasing vehicular traffic in Lahore have contributed to elevated levels of airborne heavy metals, posing risks to both ecosystems and public health. Identifying resilient plant species that can mitigate and signal such pollution is therefore critical for sustainable urban management. This study evaluated the phytoremediation potential and bioindicator capability of the ornamental shrub Nerium oleander growing in high-traffic zones of Lahore, Pakistan. Leaf samples were collected from two major polluted sites i.e., Canal Road and Ferozepur Road and compared with control samples from less polluted areas, including the Forman Christian College University (FCCU) botanical garden and adjacent residential zones. Heavy metal concentrations, particularly chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb), were quantified using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). Anatomical analysis through hand-sectioning revealed significant reductions in mesophyll and vascular tissue widths in plants from polluted sites. In addition, chlorophyll a and b contents showed a marked decline under metal stress. The accumulation of Cr and Pb in leaf tissues, along with associated anatomical and physiological changes, suggests that N. oleander can serve as a potential phytoremediator and bioindicator of airborne pollutants in traffic-dense settings. These results indicate a strong association between traffic intensity and metal accumulation, though further controlled studies are needed to confirm causal relationships and long-term tolerance.

Analysis of air pollutants concentration variations and human impact by remote sensing: Implications for sustainable urban air quality management

Towards green transportation: Predictive modeling of intersection congestion using machine learning for sustainable urban traffic management

Integrating energy justice principles in waste-to-energy conversion: A multi-criteria decision framework for sustainable urban waste management

Abstract The Establishment of new cities in arid regions faces significant challenges due to harsh climates, water scarcity, and fragile ecosystems. However, with strategic planning and optimized operational management, these cities can achieve sustainability, economic viability, and improved quality of life for residents. This paper explores the opportunities of sustainable urban planning and management tailored for arid environments, with the focus on Jordan- one of the most water stressed countries globally. By integrating water sensitive urban design, renewable energy adoption, and efficient water and wastewater treatment technologies, newly established cities can achieve resource efficiency, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic resilience. Key innovations include hybrid anaerobic-aerobic systems for energy recovery, solar-powered desalination, and constructed wetlands for low cost water and wastewater purification and treatment. The paper also addresses policy frameworks to overcome technical, economic, and social barriers, ensuring long term water and energy security. Our findings highlight the potential of treated wastewater as a resource for irrigation, industry, and groundwater recharge, while emphasizing the role of community engagement and renewable energy mitigating climate change impacts.

Retraction notice to “Energy-efficient blockchain-integrated IoT and AI framework for sustainable urban microclimate management” [Sustain. Comput.: Inf. Syst. 47 (2025) 101137

Assessing urban outdoor thermal discomfort across scales and climates: Implications for sustainable urban management in Iran

Assessing air quality improvements during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics: A case for sustainable urban management