Pub Date : 2025-04-25DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106009
Gang Liu , Yi Yang , Fan Zhang
Household consumption has significantly contributed to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with urban residents contributing nearly three-quarters of these emissions. However, previous studies overlook the role of non-CO2 in household emission accounting framework and did not comprehensively assess the inequality embodied in the trade. Here we examine the GHG emissions from Chinese households between 2007 and 2017 based on the multi-regional input-output model and socioeconomic datasets. Our findings reveal that while urban-rural inequality in per capita GHG footprints narrowed in most provinces, urban households maintain higher per capita GHG footprints due to higher income and more affluent lifestyles. Interprovincial inequalities also decreased, with the maximum per capita footprint gap shrinking from 5.3 tCO2e to 4.5 tCO2e and the Gini coefficient falling from 0.41 to 0.37 during the decade. Additionally, comparisons of production- and consumption-based GHG footprints highlight that trade has exacerbated regional inequalities due to urbanization and economic development disparities. To achieve net-zero emissions, we emphasize the importance of promoting low-carbon lifestyles, increasing incomes for lower-income households, and reducing the GHG intensity of affluent urban households.
{"title":"Reduced urban-rural inequality in household greenhouse gas footprints and rising trade-related inequalities in China","authors":"Gang Liu , Yi Yang , Fan Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Household consumption has significantly contributed to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with urban residents contributing nearly three-quarters of these emissions. However, previous studies overlook the role of non-CO<sub>2</sub> in household emission accounting framework and did not comprehensively assess the inequality embodied in the trade. Here we examine the GHG emissions from Chinese households between 2007 and 2017 based on the multi-regional input-output model and socioeconomic datasets. Our findings reveal that while urban-rural inequality in per capita GHG footprints narrowed in most provinces, urban households maintain higher per capita GHG footprints due to higher income and more affluent lifestyles. Interprovincial inequalities also decreased, with the maximum per capita footprint gap shrinking from 5.3 tCO<sub>2</sub>e to 4.5 tCO<sub>2</sub>e and the Gini coefficient falling from 0.41 to 0.37 during the decade. Additionally, comparisons of production- and consumption-based GHG footprints highlight that trade has exacerbated regional inequalities due to urbanization and economic development disparities. To achieve net-zero emissions, we emphasize the importance of promoting low-carbon lifestyles, increasing incomes for lower-income households, and reducing the GHG intensity of affluent urban households.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"163 ","pages":"Article 106009"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143868634","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-24DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106000
Luojian Tan , Linwang Yuan , Zhenxia Liu , Teng Zhong , Xiang Ye , Zhaoyuan Yu
Super-diffusion in urban human mobility refers to the faster-than-linear increase in the mean squared displacement (MSD) of the mobility collective over time. Accurate modeling of super-diffusion in urban human mobility is a key focus in various research fields and industries. However, there are few urban human mobility models that can capture super-diffusion. To address this gap, this paper proposes a quantum walk-based urban human mobility model (UHM-QW). In quantum walks, the spread of a walker exhibits super-diffusion properties. UHM-QW generates mobility patterns with varying diffusion rates by quantum walks and models the collective super-diffusion as a weighted combination of important mobility patterns. Experiments show that UHM-QW can accurately reproduce the super-diffusion process and its temporal fluctuation characteristics. Compared to the reference models (Random Walk, SeqGAN, LSTM-TrajGAN), UHM-QW achieves greater fit accuracy (R2), better retains temporal structure (NDTW-t), and captures fluctuation details (NDTW-r). Analysis of important mobility patterns reveals that faster-diffusing collectives are driven by faster diffusion-rate patterns, while those with greater variability arise from patterns with substantial differences in diffusion-rates. Additionally, a single dominant mobility pattern effectively reproduces the super-diffusion process, reducing the model's complexity and enhancing its interpretability. In conclusion, this paper reveals the correspondence between quantum walk dynamics and human mobility patterns, providing a new perspective for mining human mobility laws in cities.
{"title":"Modelling super-diffusion in urban human mobility: a quantum walk approach","authors":"Luojian Tan , Linwang Yuan , Zhenxia Liu , Teng Zhong , Xiang Ye , Zhaoyuan Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106000","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106000","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Super-diffusion in urban human mobility refers to the faster-than-linear increase in the mean squared displacement (MSD) of the mobility collective over time. Accurate modeling of super-diffusion in urban human mobility is a key focus in various research fields and industries. However, there are few urban human mobility models that can capture super-diffusion. To address this gap, this paper proposes a quantum walk-based urban human mobility model (UHM-QW). In quantum walks, the spread of a walker exhibits super-diffusion properties. UHM-QW generates mobility patterns with varying diffusion rates by quantum walks and models the collective super-diffusion as a weighted combination of important mobility patterns. Experiments show that UHM-QW can accurately reproduce the super-diffusion process and its temporal fluctuation characteristics. Compared to the reference models (Random Walk, SeqGAN, LSTM-TrajGAN), UHM-QW achieves greater fit accuracy (R<sup>2</sup>), better retains temporal structure (NDTW-t), and captures fluctuation details (NDTW-r). Analysis of important mobility patterns reveals that faster-diffusing collectives are driven by faster diffusion-rate patterns, while those with greater variability arise from patterns with substantial differences in diffusion-rates. Additionally, a single dominant mobility pattern effectively reproduces the super-diffusion process, reducing the model's complexity and enhancing its interpretability. In conclusion, this paper reveals the correspondence between quantum walk dynamics and human mobility patterns, providing a new perspective for mining human mobility laws in cities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"163 ","pages":"Article 106000"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143864901","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-24DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.105907
Petrus te Braak, Theun Pieter van Tienoven
Being a woman is the primary characteristic associated with perceiving urban public spaces as unsafe. Understanding how feelings of insecurity vary within this group is crucial for developing effective strategies to enhance urban safety. While existing research often focuses on differences between men and women, it fails to provide deeper insights into the specific factors that underlie women's own feelings of insecurity. To move beyond simple sex categorisation and gain a comprehensive understanding of where, when, and why women feel safe or unsafe in urban spaces worldwide, a study that considers the interplay of individual, social, environmental, and temporal factors is necessary. This systematic literature review synthesises international evidence on these factors across various urban public settings worldwide. From 422 unique studies identified using four databases and the AI tool ResearchRabbit, 50 met the inclusion criteria. Based on the literature, we constructed a conceptual framework to summarise the interplay of these factors. Our review highlights three key areas for future research and practical policy implications: the need for an intersectional approach to understand critical factors influencing safety perceptions, the importance of considering temporalities beyond the day-night dichotomy, and the integration of all relevant factors to holistically inform urban planning and development strategies. These insights offer a pathway to more inclusive and effective approaches to enhancing women's safety in urban public spaces.
{"title":"Navigating the city: A systematic literature review on women’s perceived safety in urban public space","authors":"Petrus te Braak, Theun Pieter van Tienoven","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.105907","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.105907","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Being a woman is the primary characteristic associated with perceiving urban public spaces as unsafe. Understanding how feelings of insecurity vary within this group is crucial for developing effective strategies to enhance urban safety. While existing research often focuses on differences between men and women, it fails to provide deeper insights into the specific factors that underlie women's own feelings of insecurity. To move beyond simple sex categorisation and gain a comprehensive understanding of where, when, and why women feel safe or unsafe in urban spaces worldwide, a study that considers the interplay of individual, social, environmental, and temporal factors is necessary. This systematic literature review synthesises international evidence on these factors across various urban public settings worldwide. From 422 unique studies identified using four databases and the AI tool ResearchRabbit, 50 met the inclusion criteria. Based on the literature, we constructed a conceptual framework to summarise the interplay of these factors. Our review highlights three key areas for future research and practical policy implications: the need for an intersectional approach to understand critical factors influencing safety perceptions, the importance of considering temporalities beyond the day-night dichotomy, and the integration of all relevant factors to holistically inform urban planning and development strategies. These insights offer a pathway to more inclusive and effective approaches to enhancing women's safety in urban public spaces.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"162 ","pages":"Article 105907"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143870722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-24DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106010
Victor Osei Kwadwo
While existing literature identifies various factors driving inter-municipal cooperation (IMC), it remains unclear which factor(s) matter most. This paper employs a qualitative, multi-method empirical strategy (including most similar systems design, interviews, document review and a crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)) to determine the necessary and sufficient factor(s) for IMC success. Focusing on transportation infrastructure projects in three African metropolises, the findings show that “success”, implied as a commitment to cooperation, does not depend on an overarching or necessary factor. However, the availability of financial incentives or political alignment between the preferences of local government officials and their principals is sufficient for IMC success. By identifying the most relevant context-specific factors, this paper provides new insights into metropolitan governance for the strategic facilitation of IMC in African cities.
{"title":"Factors driving inter-municipal cooperation in the African Metropolis: A qualitative comparative analysis","authors":"Victor Osei Kwadwo","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While existing literature identifies various factors driving inter-municipal cooperation (IMC), it remains unclear which factor(s) matter most. This paper employs a qualitative, multi-method empirical strategy (including most similar systems design, interviews, document review and a crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)) to determine the necessary and sufficient factor(s) for IMC success. Focusing on transportation infrastructure projects in three African metropolises, the findings show that “success”, implied as a commitment to cooperation, does not depend on an overarching or necessary factor. However, the availability of financial incentives or political alignment between the preferences of local government officials and their principals is sufficient for IMC success. By identifying the most relevant context-specific factors, this paper provides new insights into metropolitan governance for the strategic facilitation of IMC in African cities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"163 ","pages":"Article 106010"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143868636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-24DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106012
Hongmei Weng , Minjun Shi , Cassandra C. Wang , Jia Chen , Zhelin Li
While the urgent need to change residents' behaviors to achieve low-carbon societies is widely recognized, it is still unclear how urban and rural differences affect low-carbon behavioral drivers. This study investigated the mental factors of low-carbon behavior by extending the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to develop an integrated framework incorporating ingroup and outgroup norms. The structural equation model and multiple linear regression analyses were subsequently conducted with data from 5763 surveys conducted in Zhejiang, China. The results show that perceived behavioral control and environmental attitudes strongly predict low-carbon behaviors. Furthermore, ingroup and outgroup norms indirectly influence low-carbon behavior by shaping environmental attitudes. Crucially, our findings reveal a significant urban–rural disparity in which norm conflict negatively moderates the attitude–behavior relationship in urban areas but not in rural areas. The findings expand the knowledge about social psychological drivers that influence low-carbon behavior in rural and urban areas and provide further insights into the driving forces and resistance in low-carbon governance.
{"title":"Urban–rural differences in residents' low-carbon behavioral drive: An empirical study based on an extended theory of planned behavior","authors":"Hongmei Weng , Minjun Shi , Cassandra C. Wang , Jia Chen , Zhelin Li","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While the urgent need to change residents' behaviors to achieve low-carbon societies is widely recognized, it is still unclear how urban and rural differences affect low-carbon behavioral drivers. This study investigated the mental factors of low-carbon behavior by extending the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to develop an integrated framework incorporating ingroup and outgroup norms. The structural equation model and multiple linear regression analyses were subsequently conducted with data from 5763 surveys conducted in Zhejiang, China. The results show that perceived behavioral control and environmental attitudes strongly predict low-carbon behaviors. Furthermore, ingroup and outgroup norms indirectly influence low-carbon behavior by shaping environmental attitudes. Crucially, our findings reveal a significant urban–rural disparity in which norm conflict negatively moderates the attitude–behavior relationship in urban areas but not in rural areas. The findings expand the knowledge about social psychological drivers that influence low-carbon behavior in rural and urban areas and provide further insights into the driving forces and resistance in low-carbon governance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"163 ","pages":"Article 106012"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143864905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-23DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.105999
Marta Derek , Edyta Woźniak , Sylwia Kulczyk , Tomasz Grzyb
In this article, we propose a method for the development of a multidimensional typology of Public Urban Green Spaces (PUGSs). The approach takes account of three contexts of PUGS: site, spatial, and social. Size, land cover diversity and popularity were used to describe the site context of PUGSs, and availability and connectivity characterized the spatial context. Data from a representative survey was utilized to illustrate the social context. The typology was implemented for a big European city and its surrounding municipalities, i.e. Warsaw Urban Zone (Poland). 330 PUGSs were identified and grouped into five types. Variables describing connectivity, land cover diversity and popularity differentiated the types the best. Distance from the place of residence was not significantly important. The analysis revealed that most people prefer visiting large, diversified and well-connected PUGSs, and cover long distances to get there. Small and diversified areas are visited almost exclusively by those living nearby. Small, undiversified and unconnected green areas are poorly visited. The proposed typology helps to reduce the complexity of PUGSs and provides a comprehensive and concise approach based on numerical and measureable data, required to formulate effective land use policies.
{"title":"Neighbourhood havens or city hotspots? Social-ecological typology of public urban green spaces","authors":"Marta Derek , Edyta Woźniak , Sylwia Kulczyk , Tomasz Grzyb","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.105999","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.105999","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this article, we propose a method for the development of a multidimensional typology of Public Urban Green Spaces (PUGSs). The approach takes account of three contexts of PUGS: site, spatial, and social. Size, land cover diversity and popularity were used to describe the site context of PUGSs, and availability and connectivity characterized the spatial context. Data from a representative survey was utilized to illustrate the social context. The typology was implemented for a big European city and its surrounding municipalities, i.e. Warsaw Urban Zone (Poland). 330 PUGSs were identified and grouped into five types. Variables describing connectivity, land cover diversity and popularity differentiated the types the best. Distance from the place of residence was not significantly important. The analysis revealed that most people prefer visiting large, diversified and well-connected PUGSs, and cover long distances to get there. Small and diversified areas are visited almost exclusively by those living nearby. Small, undiversified and unconnected green areas are poorly visited. The proposed typology helps to reduce the complexity of PUGSs and provides a comprehensive and concise approach based on numerical and measureable data, required to formulate effective land use policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"162 ","pages":"Article 105999"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143858987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-23DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106006
Ziyang Wang , Peiji Shi , Jing Shi , Xuebin Zhang , Yue Liu
The evolution of urban space from “Urban Sprawl” to “Smart Growth Policy” and further to “Green Infrastructure” underscores the pressing need to establish a precise and quantitative research framework for analyzing the relationship between urban space and ecological environment evolution. This serves as a crucial foundation for enriching theories and practices in urban intelligent management. Taking Lanzhou City as a case study, this paper employed a relatively novel research idea to analyze the dynamics between urban space and ecological environment evolution. The results indicated a growing trend in the scale and intensity of urban expansion in Lanzhou City from 1995 to 2020, accompanied by a decrease in urban landscape fragmentation. The urban expansion is primarily concentrated in the western and northern regions, with its spatial pattern shifting from a cluster-based horizontal expansion to a leapfrog development model. Over the same period, the Urban Space Ecological Risk Index (ERI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) in Lanzhou City exhibited an upward trend, with a weakening trend observed in the peripheral urban areas. Overall, the distribution pattern is characterized by “higher in the north and lower in the south”. While there was a marginal increase in the Ecosystem Service Value (ESV) in localized urban areas, a more pronounced improvement was evident in the urban periphery. Urban spatial ecological pressures were on the rise, indicating a deteriorating ecological environment. Nevertheless, human responsiveness to these environmental challenges is progressively improving. Positive correlations were observed between Impervious Surfaces Percentage (ISP) and ERI and LST, while a negative correlation existed with ESV. Lanzhou City's urban space necessitates a shift towards smarter growth in the northern direction and the augmentation of green infrastructure. This study offers novel perspectives, ideas and methodologies, for scholars, while also providing scientific references for urban planning, management, renewal, and ecological restoration.
{"title":"Research on the relationship between urban space and ecological environment evolution at the grid scale: a case study of Lanzhou City","authors":"Ziyang Wang , Peiji Shi , Jing Shi , Xuebin Zhang , Yue Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The evolution of urban space from “Urban Sprawl” to “Smart Growth Policy” and further to “Green Infrastructure” underscores the pressing need to establish a precise and quantitative research framework for analyzing the relationship between urban space and ecological environment evolution. This serves as a crucial foundation for enriching theories and practices in urban intelligent management. Taking Lanzhou City as a case study, this paper employed a relatively novel research idea to analyze the dynamics between urban space and ecological environment evolution. The results indicated a growing trend in the scale and intensity of urban expansion in Lanzhou City from 1995 to 2020, accompanied by a decrease in urban landscape fragmentation. The urban expansion is primarily concentrated in the western and northern regions, with its spatial pattern shifting from a cluster-based horizontal expansion to a leapfrog development model. Over the same period, the Urban Space Ecological Risk Index (ERI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) in Lanzhou City exhibited an upward trend, with a weakening trend observed in the peripheral urban areas. Overall, the distribution pattern is characterized by “higher in the north and lower in the south”. While there was a marginal increase in the Ecosystem Service Value (ESV) in localized urban areas, a more pronounced improvement was evident in the urban periphery. Urban spatial ecological pressures were on the rise, indicating a deteriorating ecological environment. Nevertheless, human responsiveness to these environmental challenges is progressively improving. Positive correlations were observed between Impervious Surfaces Percentage (ISP) and ERI and LST, while a negative correlation existed with ESV. Lanzhou City's urban space necessitates a shift towards smarter growth in the northern direction and the augmentation of green infrastructure. This study offers novel perspectives, ideas and methodologies, for scholars, while also providing scientific references for urban planning, management, renewal, and ecological restoration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"163 ","pages":"Article 106006"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143864904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Energy consumption serves the vital purposes of meeting needs, producing goods, and ensuring comfort. Notably, Ecuador's residential sector plays a significant role in the overall energy system, accounting for 13.2 % of the total energy demand. This study delves into Quito and Guayaquil's urban residential energy demand, employing a Bottom-up approach and introducing eco-innovation as an innovative management strategy. It aims to examine disparities among household profiles regarding energy consumption and associated factors, identify relations that elucidate critical concepts such as energy expenditure and eco-innovation, and assess the extent to which eco-innovation facilitates responsible household energy consumption practices. Various factors driving energy consumption are identified, including socio-demographic features, housing arrangements, infrastructure, energy consumption patterns, and environmental awareness. Additionally, it explores cross-sectional factors such as energy costs, technological advances, cultural influences, and energy policies. Robust statistical analysis reveals significant differences between socioeconomic profiles, including ANOVA and the Tukey HSD posthoc test. Moreover, the Multiple Correspondence Analysis technique uncovers relationships between variables, shedding light on energy expenditure and eco-innovation related to household energy consumption. The findings underscore that high-income households predominantly benefit from energy subsidies, and the eco-innovation process varies based on socioeconomic profiles. This study fills a crucial gap in the literature on domestic energy consumption in urban settings like Ecuador, characterized by enduring energy subsidies. It offers a comprehensive model for understanding household behavior diversity and underscores the pivotal role of eco-innovation in fostering responsible energy consumption.
{"title":"Looking beyond subsidies: Understanding the complexity of household energy consumption dynamics of Ecuador's main cities","authors":"Gabriela Araujo-Vizuete , Andrés Robalino-López , Ángel Mena-Nieto","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Energy consumption serves the vital purposes of meeting needs, producing goods, and ensuring comfort. Notably, Ecuador's residential sector plays a significant role in the overall energy system, accounting for 13.2 % of the total energy demand. This study delves into Quito and Guayaquil's urban residential energy demand, employing a Bottom-up approach and introducing eco-innovation as an innovative management strategy. It aims to examine disparities among household profiles regarding energy consumption and associated factors, identify relations that elucidate critical concepts such as energy expenditure and eco-innovation, and assess the extent to which eco-innovation facilitates responsible household energy consumption practices. Various factors driving energy consumption are identified, including socio-demographic features, housing arrangements, infrastructure, energy consumption patterns, and environmental awareness. Additionally, it explores cross-sectional factors such as energy costs, technological advances, cultural influences, and energy policies. Robust statistical analysis reveals significant differences between socioeconomic profiles, including ANOVA and the Tukey HSD posthoc test. Moreover, the Multiple Correspondence Analysis technique uncovers relationships between variables, shedding light on energy expenditure and eco-innovation related to household energy consumption. The findings underscore that high-income households predominantly benefit from energy subsidies, and the eco-innovation process varies based on socioeconomic profiles. This study fills a crucial gap in the literature on domestic energy consumption in urban settings like Ecuador, characterized by enduring energy subsidies. It offers a comprehensive model for understanding household behavior diversity and underscores the pivotal role of eco-innovation in fostering responsible energy consumption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"163 ","pages":"Article 106008"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143864903","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-21DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.105982
Maria Carmela Grano
Watermills are not merely icons of the past: when studied through integrated and interdisciplinary approaches, they reveal an unexpected potential for addressing contemporary challenges. This paper calls for a multidisciplinary review that consolidates the diverse studies and challenges associated with watermills, to study the interplay with their surrounding environments and waterways, alongside the social and cultural dimensions of their management—both tangible and intangible—and the implications of climate change.
The research systematically explores interconnected challenges, beginning with the environmental and riverine modifications caused by centuries of watermill activity, which shaped unique cultural landscapes, largely becoming relics due to the widespread replacement with electrically powered mills in more accessible urban areas. This transition has led to the physical degradation of watermills, rural depopulation, and the loss of traditional knowledge, skills, and crafts, ultimately weakening the resilience of these ecosystems. Gathering a range of case studies and over 20 new examples of watermill regeneration from different regions in Italy, the study demonstrates the significant social and environmental benefits of regenerating watermills, revitalizing rural areas, fostering sustainability, and mitigating the impacts of flooding and sedimentation, through innovative, sustainable and community-driven solutions. The projects supported through NextGenerationEU (NGEU) funds, private or shared initiatives, and community-driven efforts, illustrate how watermill regeneration extends beyond traditional food production, incorporating hydroelectric energy generation, cultural revitalization, and tourism development. By integrating heritage conservation with environmental and economic sustainability, these initiatives contribute to broader goals like the green transition, socio-economic revitalization in rural and remote areas, and sustainable development through cultural innovation.By defining watermill-based ecosystems and fluvial management community practices, this work highlights the necessity of advancing research on the cultural-natural relationship, promoting innovative and sustainable solutions against associated risks, rediscovering traditional knowledge, and fostering strategies to protect these assets from environmental and human-induced threats.
{"title":"Historic Water Mills as regenerative ecosystems: Integrating technologies, community engagement and sustainable landscape management","authors":"Maria Carmela Grano","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.105982","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.105982","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Watermills are not merely icons of the past: when studied through integrated and interdisciplinary approaches, they reveal an unexpected potential for addressing contemporary challenges. This paper calls for a multidisciplinary review that consolidates the diverse studies and challenges associated with watermills, to study the interplay with their surrounding environments and waterways, alongside the social and cultural dimensions of their management—both tangible and intangible—and the implications of climate change.</div><div>The research systematically explores interconnected challenges, beginning with the environmental and riverine modifications caused by centuries of watermill activity, which shaped unique cultural landscapes, largely becoming relics due to the widespread replacement with electrically powered mills in more accessible urban areas. This transition has led to the physical degradation of watermills, rural depopulation, and the loss of traditional knowledge, skills, and crafts, ultimately weakening the resilience of these ecosystems. Gathering a range of case studies and over 20 new examples of watermill regeneration from different regions in Italy, the study demonstrates the significant social and environmental benefits of regenerating watermills, revitalizing rural areas, fostering sustainability, and mitigating the impacts of flooding and sedimentation, through innovative, sustainable and community-driven solutions. The projects supported through NextGenerationEU (NGEU) funds, private or shared initiatives, and community-driven efforts, illustrate how watermill regeneration extends beyond traditional food production, incorporating hydroelectric energy generation, cultural revitalization, and tourism development. By integrating heritage conservation with environmental and economic sustainability, these initiatives contribute to broader goals like the green transition, socio-economic revitalization in rural and remote areas, and sustainable development through cultural innovation.By defining watermill-based ecosystems and fluvial management community practices, this work highlights the necessity of advancing research on the cultural-natural relationship, promoting innovative and sustainable solutions against associated risks, rediscovering traditional knowledge, and fostering strategies to protect these assets from environmental and human-induced threats.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"162 ","pages":"Article 105982"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143855114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-20DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.105998
Cassandra Fontana , Andrea Testi , Giovanni Allegretti , Iacopo Zetti , Maddalena Rossi
Cities across the world are increasingly confronted with the consequences of climate change, requiring the urgent identification and implementation of climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. As these policies and interventions impact current social, spatial, and environmental configurations, the decision-making process is inherently characterised by conflicts of values and interests. This adds to the unequal distribution of burdens and risks that already concern the most vulnerable and excluded groups, raising questions about how planning processes dealing with environmental and climate issues can ensure equity and legitimacy. Drawing from post-political theory and agonistic planning perspectives, the paper is grounded in the assumption that procedural justice and democratic confrontation are essential to addressing the structural causes and uneven impacts of climate change. Using Bologna, Italy, as a case study, it explores the intersections between community-based climate adaptation and institution-led participatory processes to challenge the post-political condition of climate governance. The paper investigates the role of a specific category of urban commons, namely the Neighborhood Houses (Case di Quartiere), as potential arenas for re-politicising climate discourse. It explores how their widespread spatial distribution across the city and their embeddedness within complex governance configurations can promote the articulation of citizen-led demands, particularly those related to climate justice. Drawing on four years of research involving data collection, participant observation, and the co-design of a participatory initiative in Bologna, the paper offers a critical analysis of the opportunities and limitations that decentralised institutions face in fostering stronger linkages between community-based organisations and municipal authorities, ultimately contributing to a more just and democratic approach to climate policy.
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