Women’s voice in the South African entrepreneurial ecosystem: implications for support interventions
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1977451/full
IntroductionWhile there are numerous claims that women entrepreneurship is in a precarious state after the recent upheavals, the situation of their businesses has not been sufficiently examined. Despite the subject’s pertinence, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the existing literature gives scant attention to the current situation of women entrepreneurs in South Africa in the post-pandemic era. Grounded in Resource-Based Theory and Institutional Theory, this study empirically investigates the current state of women entrepreneurs in Durban.MethodsAdopting the quantitative research approach, data were collected using a closed-ended questionnaire, of which 349 SMEs’ responses were subjected to both descriptive and inferential analysis. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using (…)
Modeling mini electric vehicle purchase using SOR and task technology fit: evidence from the third-tier city of Liuzhou, China
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1953189/full
Technology has been revolutionizing the transportation sector through electric vehicles (EVs). Statistics and data have revealed that EV usage is currently growing globally. This is due to its many benefits, such as its contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Hence, this study examines people’s intentions to purchase Mini EVs. Based on positivist epistemology, this research is quantitative in nature. A framework, grounded in Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) and Task-Technology Fit (TTF), was proposed with three research objectives and 7 hypotheses. The framework was tested using survey data from 308 respondents in a third-tier region in China. Analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling, and the result revealed that the proposed framework was (…)
#Editorial: Role of construction in achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals to urban resilience in the post-pandemic context
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.2002041/full
Reading the midcampus core matters: autoethnographic reflexivity of ‘Green Squares’ as temporally integrated 15-Minute Campus nodes for student belonging, town–gown integration, and climate resilience
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1962466/full
IntroductionIn rapid urban densification, institutional planners prioritize maximizing built footprints, creating sterile hardscapes that intensify urban heat island impacts and fuel student alienation.Framework and purposeSynthesizing architectural phenomenology, environmental psychology, and chrono-urbanism, this study positions universities as proxies to evaluate central softscape nodes: Green Squares. It uses the 15-Minute Campus framework, student belonging, and climate resilience as interpretive temporal conceptual lenses to examine how these spaces connect place-identity, institutional memory, and pedestrian routines.MethodsThis analytic autoethnography spans an 18-year biographical continuum (2008–2026) across Iowa State University, Makerere University, and University of (…)
Can AI-enabled smart cities advance the constitutional right to life? A rights-based index, governance-opacity audit, and robustness analysis for sustainable urban India
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1959012/full
Artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly forms the operating logic of Indian urban governance, embedded in command-and-control centres, adaptive traffic systems, surveillance networks, and algorithmically mediated services. Yet smart-city scholarship evaluates such systems against managerial efficiency, leaving unexamined whether AI-enabled governance advances or erodes the constitutional guarantees underpinning public authority. This paper develops the Human-Centred Constitutional Urban AI Governance Framework and operationalises it as the Constitutional Smart-City Governance Index (CSGI), scoring urban AI against Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, human-centred AI principles, and Sustainable Development Goals 11 and 16. Six pillars constitutional rights, human-centred AI, (…)
Can AI-enabled smart cities advance the constitutional right to life? A rights-based index, governance-opacity audit, and robustness analysis for sustainable urban India
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1959012
Artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly forms the operating logic of Indian urban governance, embedded in command-and-control centres, adaptive traffic systems, surveillance networks, and algorithmically mediated services. Yet smart-city scholarship evaluates such systems against managerial efficiency, leaving unexamined whether AI-enabled governance advances or erodes the constitutional guarantees underpinning public authority. This paper develops the Human-Centred Constitutional Urban AI Governance Framework and operationalises it as the Constitutional Smart-City Governance Index (CSGI), scoring urban AI against Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, human-centred AI principles, and Sustainable Development Goals 11 and 16. Six pillars constitutional rights, human-centred AI, (…)
#Correction: Exploring the water-energy-food nexus through the lens of a kitchen: insights from informal housing dwellers in Johannesburg, South Africa
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1999823
The design–stewardship disconnect in urban greening governance: a structured evidence synthesis
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1956151/full
While global investments in urban green infrastructure (UGI) are accelerating, the long-term performance of these nature-based solutions is increasingly compromised by a critical disconnect between initial design and post-construction stewardship. To unpack this governance blind spot, this study analyzes 62 peer-reviewed publications. Operating under a specific methodological boundary condition, we applied a threshold-based selection criterion focusing exclusively on high-impact (Q1) journals. Consequently, this study is explicitly positioned as a structured synthesis of the mainstream theoretical discourse shaping current global UGI policy, rather than a globally exhaustive empirical census. Records were coded across five critical dimensions: funding, governance, aesthetics, equity, (…)
#Correction: Exploring the water-energy-food nexus through the lens of a kitchen: insights from informal housing dwellers in Johannesburg, South Africa
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1999823/full
Neighborhood transformation in a shrinking city: using multimodal large language models to evaluate housing redevelopment spillover effects in Buffalo, New York
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1925798/full
Across the American Rust Belt, post-industrial “shrinking” cities are characterized by sustained population decline and weakened housing markets in the aftermath of deindustrialization. These conditions have produced deteriorating housing stock and constrained private reinvestment, underscoring the need for alternative planning approaches centered on stabilization rather than growth. This study examines the potential of public-private-nonprofit partnerships (PPNPs) in public housing redevelopment to generate neighborhood-level spillover effects in underdeveloped areas of Buffalo, New York. Understanding these dynamics is critical for informing equitable revitalization strategies in legacy cities where traditional market mechanisms have stalled. This study employs a novel methodological (…)
Railway infrastructure breakthrough and mode choice: evidence from the Ceneri Base Tunnel in Switzerland
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1938839
Major investments in railway infrastructure and service provision are often justified by their potential to increase public transport (PT) use and induce modal shift away from private motorized transport (PMT), thereby contributing to more sustainable mobility. Yet, empirical evidence on the extent to which large-scale railway interventions affect individual mode choice remains scattered. This study evaluates the impact of the Ceneri Base Tunnel (CBT), opened in Ticino, Switzerland, in 2020, together with associated PT offer improvements, on work and study commuting mode choice. Drawing on the INDMOB travel survey, that collected data from 24,577 individuals, we analyze changes in commuting practices between 2019 and 2023 and estimate the causal effect of the CBT opening using a (…)
Trust but verify: a Verification-as-a-Service framework for sustainable infrastructure governance—An integrative conceptual #Review
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1975063
Decentralized operations across mission-critical industries and smart city public infrastructure increasingly rely on distributed third-party contractors to execute complex infrastructure projects. However, existing literature indicates that managing this workforce through traditional oversight models, relying on periodic inspections, manual documentation, and subjective verification, creates a persistent “trust deficit,” driven by underlying principal-agent information asymmetries. This condition leads to operational inefficiencies, costly rework, payment delays, excessive Scope 3 transport emissions from physical inspection transit (“truck rolls”), and increased compliance risks, driven by subjective or missing documentation. To resolve these systemic bottlenecks, this conceptual (…)
Human rights to water and sanitation at COP30: a comparative media analysis from a climate-vulnerable host city
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1895638/full
Climate change is placing increasing pressure on urban water and sanitation systems, particularly in cities characterized by persistent socioeconomic inequalities. As host of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), Belém, Brazil, became a focal point for debates on climate adaptation while simultaneously exposing longstanding deficiencies in essential urban infrastructure. This study examines how water and sanitation were represented in media coverage of COP30 through the analytical lens of the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation (HRtWS). A mixed-methods design combining quantitative descriptive analysis and qualitative thematic content analysis was applied to 143 news articles retrieved from the Google News RSS feed. Data were collected on 10 March 2026, (…)
Trust but verify: a Verification-as-a-Service framework for sustainable infrastructure governance—An integrative conceptual #Review
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1975063/full
Decentralized operations across mission-critical industries and smart city public infrastructure increasingly rely on distributed third-party contractors to execute complex infrastructure projects. However, existing literature indicates that managing this workforce through traditional oversight models, relying on periodic inspections, manual documentation, and subjective verification, creates a persistent “trust deficit,” driven by underlying principal-agent information asymmetries. This condition leads to operational inefficiencies, costly rework, payment delays, excessive Scope 3 transport emissions from physical inspection transit (“truck rolls”), and increased compliance risks, driven by subjective or missing documentation. To resolve these systemic bottlenecks, this conceptual (…)
Cultural identity in rapidly urbanizing cities: the role of public art, urban design, and digital engagement
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1902431/full
IntroductionThis study investigates the complementary roles of public art (PA), culturally responsive urban design (UD), and digital public art platforms (PADP) in preserving cultural identity and strengthening national identity in the UAE.MethodsUsing a quantitative approach informed by postpositivist and constructivist perspectives, a survey of 543 residents (72% under 35 years) examined perceptions of national identity and cultural motifs.ResultsStructural Equation Modeling revealed that 81% viewed PA as enhancing pride, while 65% valued PADP for promoting culture. Arabic calligraphy (68%) and natural motifs (74%) were key identity anchors.DiscussionPublic art serves as the primary visual medium, urban design provides the physical setting, and digital platforms extend cultural (…)
Railway infrastructure breakthrough and mode choice: evidence from the Ceneri Base Tunnel in Switzerland
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1938839/full
Major investments in railway infrastructure and service provision are often justified by their potential to increase public transport (PT) use and induce modal shift away from private motorized transport (PMT), thereby contributing to more sustainable mobility. Yet, empirical evidence on the extent to which large-scale railway interventions affect individual mode choice remains scattered. This study evaluates the impact of the Ceneri Base Tunnel (CBT), opened in Ticino, Switzerland, in 2020, together with associated PT offer improvements, on work and study commuting mode choice. Drawing on the INDMOB travel survey, that collected data from 24,577 individuals, we analyze changes in commuting practices between 2019 and 2023 and estimate the causal effect of the CBT opening using a (…)
Urban land-use dynamics and changing landscapes in Kano, Nigeria (1950–2020)
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1892715
Kano is one of the rapidly urbanizing cities of sub-Saharan Africa, characterized by a growing population, sprawling development, and weak planning controls. Understanding the city’s land-use dynamics is vital for its sustainability. This study examines the decadal land-use dynamics of the Municipality, between 1950 and 2020. Using unsupervised classification, topographic sheets, and multi-date satellite imagery, the city’s growth patterns were quantified geospatially. The results show that Kano expanded from 27.50 km2 in 1950 to 355.25 km2 in 2020, an increase of 1,192.73% over 7 decades, and the average annual growth rate of 3.71%. The highest growth was recorded between 1975 and 1990 (72.75 km2 to 162.00 km2), with an annual growth rate of 5.53%, while the slowest growth was (…)
Economic succession: an ecology-informed diagnostic framework for sustainable urban transformation
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1953866
Cities around the world face the difficult task of transforming their economies to decarbonize, use resources more efficiently, strengthen resilience, and broaden access to opportunity. Yet a transition that progresses in one city may stall in another, and urban economics offers limited practical guidance for explaining why. To address this gap, this #Conceptual_Analysis develops urban economic succession as a middle-range framework for ordered but non-deterministic change in an urban economy’s portfolio of activities. It translates the causal architecture of ecological succession into six economically observable components: opportunity availability, access to potential activities, local capability fit, interactions among activities, historical legacies and feedback, and extra-local (…)
Economic succession: an ecology-informed diagnostic framework for sustainable urban transformation
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1953866/full
Cities around the world face the difficult task of transforming their economies to decarbonize, use resources more efficiently, strengthen resilience, and broaden access to opportunity. Yet a transition that progresses in one city may stall in another, and urban economics offers limited practical guidance for explaining why. To address this gap, this #Conceptual_Analysis develops urban economic succession as a middle-range framework for ordered but non-deterministic change in an urban economy’s portfolio of activities. It translates the causal architecture of ecological succession into six economically observable components: opportunity availability, access to potential activities, local capability fit, interactions among activities, historical legacies and feedback, and extra-local (…)
Urban land-use dynamics and changing landscapes in Kano, Nigeria (1950–2020)
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1892715/full
Kano is one of the rapidly urbanizing cities of sub-Saharan Africa, characterized by a growing population, sprawling development, and weak planning controls. Understanding the city’s land-use dynamics is vital for its sustainability. This study examines the decadal land-use dynamics of the Municipality, between 1950 and 2020. Using unsupervised classification, topographic sheets, and multi-date satellite imagery, the city’s growth patterns were quantified geospatially. The results show that Kano expanded from 27.50 km2 in 1950 to 355.25 km2 in 2020, an increase of 1,192.73% over 7 decades, and the average annual growth rate of 3.71%. The highest growth was recorded between 1975 and 1990 (72.75 km2 to 162.00 km2), with an annual growth rate of 5.53%, while the slowest growth was (…)
Beyond canopy targets: a performance- and risk-aware framework for urban tree species selection
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1861981
#Opinion
Planetary Boundaries and construction: pressures on water, air, and soil in Jordan
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1909137/full
BackgroundThe Planetary Boundaries (PB) framework defines a finite safe operating space for humanity. In semi‑arid Jordan—one of the world’s most water‑stressed countries—urban construction is an important driver of pressures on scarce blue water resources, local air quality, and soil function.ObjectiveThis study (i) assesses how current construction practices in Jordan’s main urban centers translate into local Earth‑system pressures and (ii) proposes an Earth‑system governance model that links these pressures to enforceable project‑ and sector‑level controls.MethodsA multiple case‑study design was applied to 10 active construction projects. A PB‑derived checklist was used to document site‑level indicators of water use, soil contamination, and aerosol generation. Sixty‑eight (…)
Governing urban floods in an emerging capital region: a social-ecological-technological systems policy analysis of Samarinda City, Indonesia
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1933366
Urban flood governance in Samarinda is entering a new regional context. The establishment of Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN) and the emerging IKN–Samarinda–Balikpapan urban ecosystem are accelerating spatial, infrastructural, and institutional interdependence across East Kalimantan. This transition increases the importance of ensuring that Samarinda’s flood policies are not only technically effective but also socially inclusive and ecologically grounded. This study applies the Social–Ecological–Technological Systems (SETS) framework to: (1) classify the composition of existing flood-control policies in Samarinda, and (2) identify SETS components that receive comparatively limited policy attention. A directed content analysis was conducted on 11 policy and planning documents. The analysis (…)
The digital sweep: transforming sanitation through smart governance for contemporary urban resilience and sustainability
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1930465
Municipal sanitation in India has moved from a manual, complaint driven activity to a system that runs on data. This paper studies that shift in Tirupati Municipal Corporation, a Tier II temple city in Andhra Pradesh that has been ranked among the cleanest large cities in India for several years in a row. The paper looks at four digital tools used by the corporation: an Online Waste Management System with radio frequency identification tags for door-to-door collection, GPS fitted vehicles for secondary transport, an Integrated Command and Control Centre that pulls together camera feeds and sensor data, and the Spandana grievance platform that lets residents track complaints. Methodologically, it is a qualitative, descriptive single-city case study that draws entirely on secondary and (…)
The digital sweep: transforming sanitation through smart governance for contemporary urban resilience and sustainability
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1930465/full
Municipal sanitation in India has moved from a manual, complaint driven activity to a system that runs on data. This paper studies that shift in Tirupati Municipal Corporation, a Tier II temple city in Andhra Pradesh that has been ranked among the cleanest large cities in India for several years in a row. The paper looks at four digital tools used by the corporation: an Online Waste Management System with radio frequency identification tags for door-to-door collection, GPS fitted vehicles for secondary transport, an Integrated Command and Control Centre that pulls together camera feeds and sensor data, and the Spandana grievance platform that lets residents track complaints. Methodologically, it is a qualitative, descriptive single-city case study that draws entirely on secondary and (…)