The growing demand for low-carbon, resource-efficient, and multifunctional construction materials has intensified interest in solutions that can support both circular economy strategies and sustainable urban development. Expanded perlite—a lightweight volcanic material with low embodied energy and multiple functional properties—is increasingly considered a potential component of circular and nature-based material systems. This paper critically examines whether expanded perlite can serve as a sustainable alternative in civil engineering applications, contributing to reduced material consumption, improved thermal performance, and lower environmental impact across the life cycle. The review provides an overview of current applications of expanded perlite in lightweight concretes, insulation systems, green roofs, water-retention substrates, and other technologies relevant to resilient and net-zero cities. It also identifies key research gaps related to long-term durability, large-scale implementation, and life-cycle assessment, while emphasizing the need for proper handling procedures due to health concerns associated with dust exposure. By situating expanded perlite within the context of circular design and low-carbon construction, the paper highlights its potential role in decarbonizing the built environment and advancing the transition toward climate-resilient and regenerative urban systems.

Empowering urban water resilience in the Yellow River Basin: evaluation, influencing mechanisms, and obstacle diagnosis.

Urban road network resilience assessment framework: Integrating spatiotemporal analysis with the resilience triangle and temporal performance indicators

Interactive effects of physical environment and socio-economic factor on urban mobility resilience: The case of bike-sharing in Shanghai

Urban road network resilience under emergencies: a microscopic simulation framework

Enhancing urban water ecological resilience through sponge city initiatives: Evidence from China

Enhancing urban flood resilience through agent-based modeling of evacuation behaviors

Evaluation and optimization of urban ecological resilience in rapidly urbanizing areas of China: A case study of Taiyuan metropolitan area

Financial agglomeration, resource misallocation and urban economic resilience

Integrating ensemble machine learning and SAR-based geospatial modelling for inclusive and equitable urban flood resilience

Path dependency of urban resilience to recurring COVID-19 waves: the role of initial invasion contexts and urban scaling structure

Unraveling urban resilience dynamics through social network analysis: Evidence from the Yangtze River Delta

Transforming spaces: The role of adaptive reuse in strengthening urban resilience in Auckland, New Zealand

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.

"This conceptual paper positions Social Design as a comprehensive framework to overcome the limitations of technocentric urban models, particularly the erosion of social cohesion within dwellings and settlements. It integrates theories of well-being, resilience, commons, participation, relational space, reputation, and social capital into a systemic approach aimed at fostering collective well-being and community resilience. Drawing on reflexive inputs accumulated through applied research in a Prop-Tech real estate context, the paper advances two interrelated methodological frameworks. The first, Social Design for Value and Reputation, elucidates how participatory engagement and shared values generate symbolic capital and socio-cultural legitimacy. The second, Digital and Service Acceleration, illustrates how service systems and digital infrastructures can act as catalysts of positive social dynamics—such as neighbourliness, well-being, and local economic vitality. The paper offers theoretically grounded reflections and a preliminary methodological articulation that demonstrate how Social Design can serve as a repeatable and participatory grammar for systemic value creation through communities, placing relational, behavioural, and social dynamics at the centre of the design process. Although the paper provides no empirical data, its propositions emerge from practice. They may inform policymakers, urban designers, and community practitioners seeking strategic approaches to urban governance where well-being, reputation, social cohesion, and legitimacy are at stake. As a conceptual contribution, its scientific impact is limited to theoretical elaboration, highlighting the need for future research to empirically test and operationalise these frameworks across diverse urban and cultural contexts, and to develop methods for measuring relational impacts. By synthesising multiple theoretical strands, the paper contributes an integrative and original perspective to ongoing debates on urban well-being, resilience, and reputation."

The ability of urban centres to grow and persist through crises is often assessed qualitatively in archaeology but quantitative assessment is more elusive. Here, the authors explore urban resilience in ancient Mesopotamia by applying an adaptive cycle framework to the settlement dynamics of the Bronze and Iron Age Khabur Valley ( c . 3000–600 BC). Using an integrated dataset of settlements and hollow ways, they identify patterns of growth, conservation, release and reorganisation across six periods, demonstrating the value of coupling archaeological data with resilience theory and network analysis to understand the adaptive capacities of complex archaeological societies.

Micromobility offers a potential pathway to strengthen urban disaster resilience by enabling the distribution of emergency supplies when infrastructure or transportation networks are compromised. This study examines the viability of micromobility vehicles for post-disaster relief via agent-based modeling and simulations in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Focusing on the early recovery phase with exclusive micromobility deployment, three operational variables are evaluated: deployment rate, load capacity, and per capita supply allocation. The analysis reveals that optimal efficiency occurs when 2% of the population participates in distribution efforts, each vehicle transports 18 kg loads, and deliverers provide 4 kilograms of supplies per community member per delivery. The results indicate that a relatively small but dedicated and efficient group of residents could achieve feasible recovery processes in a small city using solely micromobility. To better support communities, the research suggests that (1) micromobility be integrated into disaster relief plans and processes; (2) local cycling organizations be valued as key partners for disaster resource distribution; and (3) human-powered vehicles offer a flexible and nimble alternative for effective response in select situations. This research contributes to the emergency management literature by quantifying operational thresholds and demonstrating micromobility's feasibility as a supplemental disaster response mechanism when conventional systems fail.

This article provides a detailed analysis of the morphology and urban structure of the parish of Crucita la Bella, located in the province of Manabí, Ecuador. It reveals profound urban weaknesses linked to the spontaneous growth of the parish, the disorder of land use, the lack of planning, the scarcity of green areas and the lack of public infrastructure. Despite these weaknesses, strengths have been identified that allow the formulation of concrete proposals for improvement. Through the development of thematic maps and multivariate analysis, sustainable intervention strategies are established based on road reorganization, strategic pedestrianization, the creation of green circuits and the integration of resilient solutions to climate change. These proposals focus on improving sustainability indicators such as population density, land use, accessibility, road connectivity, proportion of green spaces, energy efficiency, quality of public space and sustainable mobility. In this context, a comprehensive intervention is foreseen that will include the zoning of urban intervention polygons as general strategies, applying key urban indicators to evaluate the current state of sustainability in the locality. Thus, the article seeks to provide a useful technical and conceptual basis for decision-making in land-use planning and coastal urban resilience policies, promoting a more orderly and sustainable development in the region. This comprehensive approach will improve the quality of life of the inhabitants and strengthen the culture.

Urban parks play a vital role in mitigating the urban heat island effect and enhancing urban climate resilience. However, quantitative characterization of park cooling effects and the synergistic mechanisms among multiple factors remains limited. Focusing on the central urban area of Nanjing, a typical high-density subtropical city, this study analyzes Landsat 8/9 imagery from 2022 to 2025. The inflection point method was used to quantify three core indicators—cooling intensity, cooling distance, and cooling efficiency—while Pearson correlation analysis was applied to identify key drivers and examine synergistic relationships. The results show that (1) urban parks exhibit a “central aggregation–peripheral diffusion” pattern, which corresponds to pronounced spatial variability in the thermal environment; (2) park cooling effects display strong spatiotemporal heterogeneity, with notable interannual fluctuations in cooling intensity and a relatively stable cooling distance of approximately 400–500 m; and (3) cooling performance is primarily governed by tri-factor synergy among park size, vegetation characteristics, and surrounding urban environmental conditions. Park size largely determines the cooling extent, whereas underlying surface properties and building density regulate or constrain cooling. These findings clarify quantitative patterns and composite drivers of park cooling in high-density cities and provide evidence to support climate-adaptive green space planning and urban heat mitigation strategies.

Accurately quantifying the ecological functions of small and micro green spaces in high density urban environments supports urban ecological planning and management. This study assessed 271 pocket parks in the main urban area of Fuzhou, China, using multi-source remote sensing data from the growing seasons of 2019 to 2024. Six indicators were derived, including NDVI, NPP, WET, NDBSI, ISI, and LST. A composite Eco-environmental Index (EEI) was constructed using the entropy weight method. We combined the coefficient of variation, Theil–Sen slope estimation, the Mann–Kendall test, and the Hurst exponent to quantify spatial heterogeneity, interannual stability, and short-term persistence. We also examined climatic associations using correlation analysis. Pocket parks consistently outperformed their surrounding 500 m buffers across all indicators, and park buffer contrasts increased for most indicators. The mean EEI significantly increased from 0.563 in 2019 to 0.650 in 2024, with a pronounced step increase around 2022. At the site level, 261 of 271 parks (96.3%) exhibited an upward trend in EEI, indicating widespread ecological improvement. Specifically, park vegetation greenness (NDVI) rose from 0.413 to 0.578, widening the gap with surrounding areas. Parks consistently maintained a lower land surface temperature (LST) than their buffers, with a cooling magnitude ranging from 3.5 °C to 4.6 °C. Precipitation was positively associated with NDVI and NPP, while LST was positively associated with air temperature and negatively associated with precipitation. These findings support the planning and adaptive management of pocket parks to strengthen urban ecological resilience.