While polluting industries are still flourishing, the green economy is on the rise. In low- and middle-income countries, the resulting opportunities are mostly underexplored. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)’s new strategy for “Sustainable economic...

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) seek to achieve economic, social, and environmental progress globally. However, trade-offs among these three pillars might occur, particularly in the context of cities. We argue that these trade-offs exist because the traditional factors of production for...

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) play a fundamental role in advancing the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), as they enable cities and communities to reach large-scale solutions. In this article, we analyze 348 MNEs' sustainability reports with explicit...

Making urban areas more sustainable by transferring scientific results into the building, shaping, and governance of cities is a complicated process which involves - amongst other dimensions - science, local governance, and regulatory processes. There are non-linear interactions within each of...

Urbanisation has increased the need for sustainable urban development by positioning smart cities as critical frameworks for addressing environmental, economic, and social challenges. This study evaluates the sustainability strategies of three leading smart cities Zurich, Oslo, and Copenhagen by...

Industry 4.0 has revolutionized modern urbanization and smart cities. However, the relationship between Industry 4.0 technology advances such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and their impact on the earth, environment, people, and biological ecosystems needs further consideration, particularly...

This study explores the externalities caused by managerial myopia from the perspective of carbon emissions in urban areas. Using panel data from 194 Chinese cities and 1 286 listed companies from 2012 to 2021, this study empirically examines the effect of managerial myopia on urban carbon...

China's low-carbon city pilot policy (LCCPP) plays a crucial role in reducing carbon pollution and promoting green development. It stimulates enterprises' green innovation (GI), such as through the promotion of circular carbon technologies and energy-efficient practices. However, a negative...

This article explores the role of cities in advancing the circular economy (CE), drawing on insights from experts in five mid-sized European cities. While cities contribute significantly to global pollution, they also have the resources and influence to drive impactful CE initiatives. Key...

Cities worldwide face increasing challenges in adapting to the devastating effects of severe weather events, including flooding, hurricanes, and rising temperatures. New York City, severely impacted by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, has developed the Financial District and Seaport Climate Resilience...

This study utilizes China's ratification of the Paris Agreement in 2016 as a quasi-natural experiment to examine the effects of environmental regulation on green innovation within listed companies, particularly focusing on the role of urban shrinkage. Results show that environmental regulation...

The integration of peri-urban areas into smart city initiatives is crucial for addressing regional inequalities and fostering inclusive urban development. In the context of India’s rapid urbanization, peri-urban regions often remain neglected despite their critical role in supporting urban...

Sustainable Smart Cities (SSCs) have garnered significant attention due to the accelerating rate of urbanization, and digitalization recently. The main objective of SSC initiatives is to seamlessly integrate digital technology into the city's fundamental systems, ultimately enhancing the...

Cities around the world are responsible for ever-growing shares of people, assets, and economic activities vulnerable to climate disasters. They are also responsible for the majority of the world's carbon emissions. Cities in low- and middle-income countries still have a window of opportunity to...

This report is following a Living Spaces peer-learning visit in Malmö that took place between 9 and 11 October 2024, hosted by the City Architect and City Planning Department in Malmö. Malmö, Sweden's third-largest city, has undergone significant transformation since the industrial decline of...

This report is following a Living Spaces peer-learning visit in Malmö that took place between 9 and 11 October 2024, hosted by the City Architect and City Planning Department in Malmö. Malmö, Sweden's third-largest city, has undergone significant transformation since the industrial decline of...

To promote green innovation in China, the emphasis on digital industry integration is crucial. Using panel data from 283 cities (2005-2021), this study examines the impact of digital industry convergence (DIC) policy on urban green innovation (GI). The research employs the...

This study investigates the impact of green open spaces in reducing the probability of flooding and open waste burning in urban areas in Indonesia's three largest metropolitan cities: Surabaya, Jakarta, and Medan. This study employs urban village microdata from the 2014 and 2018 Village...

How sustainable are Ghana's cities? This Strategy measures sustainability along three dimensions-the enabling Urban System, People & Economy, and Environment-each of which has four building blocks. This approach is premised on the idea that city systems (infrastructure, governance, institutions,...

Climate change severely challenges our ecosystem and society, affecting urban residents' socioeconomic activities. Thus, assessing severe weather risk is crucial for evaluating urban sustainability; understanding trends, causes, and impacts on socioeconomic development; and supporting the United...

As urbanization accelerates globally, air pollution-particularly PM2.5-is becoming an increasingly significant threat, not only to public health but also the environment. In-depth research on the impact of China's Zero-Waste City pilot policy on PM2.5 concentration offers valuable insights into...

Urban eco-environmental management is a key focus in the modernization of national governance systems and governance capacity. Advanced information technology should be used to identify ecological problems in urban areas accurately while enhancing the environmental management capacity to promote...

Urbanization disrupts natural water, energy, and nutrient cycles, but integrating green and blue infrastructures (BGI) can mitigate these effects by facilitating processes like evapotranspiration, soil water infiltration, and root nutrient absorption. In Bangkok Metropolitan Region (BMR),...

A Local Green Deal is a local tailor-made action plan to accelerate and scale-up a city's sustainability transition. It builds on and joins up existing strategies - e.g. sustainable energy and climate action plans, circular economy plans, resilience or economic development plans - legislation,...

City-level greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data is necessary as an input into identifying, planning, and monitoring urban climate change mitigation actions. Until recently, the availability of emissions data at the city level required the existence of a local emissions inventory, produced through...