#original

Hybrid governance of urban food Markets in Tanzania: contested power and uneven participation
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1922002/full

IntroductionThe growth of urban food markets in African cities has made them central to food access, employment, and everyday livelihoods, particularly for low-income residents. Yet these markets are often governed through hybrid arrangements in which municipal authorities, trader associations, and informal actors share responsibilities in uneven and contested ways. This paper examines how power and participation are negotiated within the governance of Mabibo Market, one of Dar es Salaam’s largest food markets.MethodsDrawing on document analysis, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and Gaventa’s Power Cube, the paper analyses how visible, hidden, and invisible forms of power shape participation across formal, invited, and informally claimed governance spaces.ResultsThe (…)

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Hybrid governance of urban food Markets in Tanzania: contested power and uneven participation
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1922002

IntroductionThe growth of urban food markets in African cities has made them central to food access, employment, and everyday livelihoods, particularly for low-income residents. Yet these markets are often governed through hybrid arrangements in which municipal authorities, trader associations, and informal actors share responsibilities in uneven and contested ways. This paper examines how power and participation are negotiated within the governance of Mabibo Market, one of Dar es Salaam’s largest food markets.MethodsDrawing on document analysis, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and Gaventa’s Power Cube, the paper analyses how visible, hidden, and invisible forms of power shape participation across formal, invited, and informally claimed governance spaces.ResultsThe (…)

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Toward sustainable electric bus operations: a multidimensional structural model for future mobility management
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1908661

The transition toward low-carbon transportation has accelerated the adoption of electric mobility in urban transport systems. Unscheduled electric bus services, including charter, tourism, and demand-responsive operations, face operating conditions that differ from fixed-route public transport, particularly variable demand, irregular routes, changing charging opportunities, and coordination across technical, service, cost, and sustainability functions. Existing studies commonly address vehicle technology, charging, scheduling, cost, or environmental performance as separate optimization problems. This study develops and validates the Sustainable Electric Vehicle BUS Model (SEVBUS), an operational measurement architecture designed specifically for unscheduled electric bus services. Its (…)

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Toward sustainable electric bus operations: a multidimensional structural model for future mobility management
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1908661/full

The transition toward low-carbon transportation has accelerated the adoption of electric mobility in urban transport systems. Unscheduled electric bus services, including charter, tourism, and demand-responsive operations, face operating conditions that differ from fixed-route public transport, particularly variable demand, irregular routes, changing charging opportunities, and coordination across technical, service, cost, and sustainability functions. Existing studies commonly address vehicle technology, charging, scheduling, cost, or environmental performance as separate optimization problems. This study develops and validates the Sustainable Electric Vehicle BUS Model (SEVBUS), an operational measurement architecture designed specifically for unscheduled electric bus services. Its (…)

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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.2026.1883300/full

Based on livelihood resilience, social practices, and agency, this paper investigates emergent vulnerabilities within the water, energy, and food (WEF) nexus in Johannesburg’s impoverished settlements. Using a qualitative approach involving observations and interviews, the study examines how low-income households manage nexus risks to meet daily needs. Research was conducted with a purposive sample of 40 respondents from informal dwellings in Alexandra, South Africa. Findings indicate that household vulnerability is primarily linked to food, nutrition, water, and energy insecurity. Consequently, households employ various shifting coping strategies involving formal and informal services to meet daily needs. These WEF trade-offs and practices demonstrate household resilience while (…)

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Toward sustainable electric bus operations: a multidimensional structural model for future mobility management
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1908661/abstract

The transition toward low-carbon transportation has accelerated the adoption of electric mobility in urban transport systems. Unscheduled electric bus services, including charter, tourism, and demand-responsive operations, face operating conditions that differ from fixed-route public transport, particularly variable demand, irregular routes, changing charging opportunities, and coordination across technical, service, cost, and sustainability functions. Existing studies commonly address vehicle technology, charging, scheduling, cost, or environmental performance as separate optimization problems. This study develops and validates the Sustainable Electric Vehicle BUS Model (SEVBUS), an operational measurement architecture designed specifically for unscheduled electric bus services. Its (…)

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Health risk assessment of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene among occupational and residential populations at landfill, Indonesia
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1912881/full

Personal monitoring of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) exposure at municipal solid waste landfills remains scarce in Indonesia, despite its importance for capturing individual exposure variability and improving health risk assessment. This study evaluated inhalation health risks associated with personal BTEX exposure among occupational and residential populations living around an open dumping landfill. Personal air samples were collected from 56 participants, including scavengers, landfill workers, nearby residents and controls group. Personal monitoring was conducted using personal air sampling pumps at 0.045–0.2 L min−1, following NIOSH 1501 Method. BTEX concentrations were analyzed using GC-FID. Benzene was the dominant contributor to non-carcinogenic risk across (…)

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Airport-driven urban transformation and emergent collective dynamics in Amazonian intermediate cities: evidence from Tarapoto, Peru
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1840137

IntroductionAirport infrastructure can act as a driver of urban transformation, particularly in intermediate cities where urban growth may outpace planning capacity. This study examines the influence of airport infrastructure on the transformation of the urban landscape of Tarapoto, an Amazonian intermediate city in northern Peru.MethodsA mixed and exploratory case-study approach was adopted, combining documentary analysis, cartographic analysis, structured direct observation, spatial interpretation, and semi-structured interviews. The historical evolution of the urban landscape was analyzed from 1865 to 2025, with particular emphasis on the period 2009-2025. Twelve participants, including residents, urban professionals, and local authorities, were interviewed using snowball sampling. (…)

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Beyond green buildings: circular economy strategies and SDG alignment in India’s urban housing sector
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1869079/full

The circular economy (CE) within the construction sector has gained interest from both practitioners and policymakers. However, its acceptance lags behind other sustainability-related concepts such as energy efficiency and green buildings (GB), especially in countries in the Global South. Although CE directly aligns with the sustainable development goals (SDGs), there is no explicit reference to CE within the SDG framework or vice versa. Understanding how practitioners in the Global South view CE principles in the construction sector and how those principles align with the different SDGs is therefore vital. This is especially the case in the post-pandemic era, where building usage has changed amid major disruptions to global supply chains. This paper analyses data from a focus group of (…)

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Airport-driven urban transformation and emergent collective dynamics in Amazonian intermediate cities: evidence from Tarapoto, Peru
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1840137/full

IntroductionAirport infrastructure can act as a driver of urban transformation, particularly in intermediate cities where urban growth may outpace planning capacity. This study examines the influence of airport infrastructure on the transformation of the urban landscape of Tarapoto, an Amazonian intermediate city in northern Peru.MethodsA mixed and exploratory case-study approach was adopted, combining documentary analysis, cartographic analysis, structured direct observation, spatial interpretation, and semi-structured interviews. The historical evolution of the urban landscape was analyzed from 1865 to 2025, with particular emphasis on the period 2009-2025. Twelve participants, including residents, urban professionals, and local authorities, were interviewed using snowball sampling. (…)

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Measuring neighbourhood walkability for older adults: development and pilot validation of a multidimensional scale
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1852665/full

IntroductionWhile there is a growing recognition of walkable neighbourhoods in promoting the health and well-being of older adults, there is limited evidence of a validated, multidimensional measurement scale tailored for Indian context that integrates policy antecedents, built environment attributes, and behavioural outcomes. This study aims to develop and pilot-validate such a scale for assessing neighbourhood walkability among older adults.MethodsA three-phase scale development process was adopted. First, an extensive review of 217 studies across multiple disciplines generated an initial pool of 95 items representing eleven constructs. Second, the instrument was refined through expert content validation involving multidisciplinary domain specialists. Third, a pilot study was (…)

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Urban oasis living lab: a hybrid approach to climate-resilient urban agriculture in Beirut
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1921185/full

IntroductionAs cities face increasing resource constraints, environmental pressures, and food-system vulnerabilities, urban agriculture is gaining recognition as a practical approach to enhancing climate resilience and sustainability. However, many urban agriculture initiatives remain fragmented, often focusing on isolated ecological or technical interventions without fully integrating resource management, stakeholder engagement, and long-term resilience mechanisms.MethodsTo address these gaps, the Urban Oasis was established by the Environment and Sustainable Development Unit (ESDU) at the American University of Beirut (AUB), with support from the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation. An abandoned animal house was transformed into a multifunctional (…)

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Participatory gentrification : how participatory design mechanisms legitimize neighborhood change in Chinese urban regeneration
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1786743/full

Participatory Design is widely promoted as a democratic tool for empowering communities in urban regeneration. However, growing evidence suggests that participatory processes may reproduce existing hierarchies and contribute to exclusionary neighborhood change. This study advances the concept of participatory gentrification to explain how Participatory Design becomes implicated in gentrification not through direct displacement, but through procedural and epistemic filtering embedded in participatory practices. Drawing on 71 interviews across four community cases in Shanghai and Chengdu, supplemented by consumption landscape indicators, the analysis identifies nine filtering mechanisms operating across three participatory stages: initiation-phase barriers that shape who enters the (…)

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Evaluation of a rooftop photovoltaics parameterization in the PALM model system using eddy-covariance observations
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1866648/full

The rapid expansion of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems in urban areas provides substantial renewable energy capacity while also altering the local urban microclimate through changes in roof radiative properties, surface temperature, and roof-atmosphere heat exchange. Despite growing observational and mesoscale modelling studies, building-resolving large-eddy simulation investigations with direct comparison to rooftop measurements remain rare. In this study, we evaluate the rooftop PV parameterization in PALM for urban microclimate applications using observations from a rooftop PV system near Dresden, Germany. The evaluation uses three clear-sky, weak-wind cases from late summer to winter, with measurements of radiation, PV surface temperature, eddy-covariance sensible heat flux, (…)

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Population shrinkage in China’s three major urban agglomerations: spatiotemporal patterns and driving factors
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1910735/full

IntroductionUrban population shrinkage has become a critical challenge confronting sustainable urban development across China. However, systematic cross-regional and multi-type comparative investigations remain scarce in the existing literature.MethodsTaking the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region, the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and the mainland cities of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) as research objects, this paper investigates the spatiotemporal patterns and driving factors of population shrinkage using panel data from 2010 to 2024. A two-way fixed-effects panel regression model is constructed to examine the impacts of multidimensional factors and their regional heterogeneity.ResultsThe findings reveal pronounced regional heterogeneity. The BTH region presents a (…)

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Using multispectral imagery to monitor urban food forests in a changing climatic environment: a case from Zimbabwe
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1905764/full

Attaining the UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 2, which calls for “zero hunger” by 2030, remains a pipe dream unless challenges imposed on food production systems by climate change are addressed. Climate change poses a huge threat to urban food security in Africa. The objective of this paper is to investigate how climate change is affecting Urban Food Forests, using a case study of an orchard in Harare, by tracking environmental assessment indices between 2013 and 2023. Time series analyses of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), as well as climate variables, including Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), Precipitation, Maximum temperature and Minimum temperature, were undertaken in a Google Earth (…)

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Tackling climate protests: navigating contestation between democratic legitimacy and effective decarbonization in cities
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1876132/full

Urban climate governance sits at the crossroads of democratic legitimacy and decarbonization, with public discourse polarized around inclusion, decision-making, and delivery. Navigating this tension requires more nuanced knowledge about the positions and values activated by climate policies and how political processes engage with diverse positions among civic groups. As such, we develop an analytical framework combining collaborative governance with processual legitimacy to explain when climate action is accepted or contested by diverse citizen groups. The framework is applied to a diverse set of climate protest groups in four Nordic cities—Bergen, Oslo, Gothenburg, and Stockholm—drawing on 95 interviews and policy documents (75 informants across 24 protest groups). We distinguish four (…)

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Why does novice drivers’ risk decrease by almost 50% during the first year, and what do they learn? A literature review of explanatory mechanisms
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1859177/full

Previous studies show that new drivers’ accident risk drops substantially, e.g. by almost 50% in the first 10 months after getting a driving license. We conduct a systematic literature study to map the mechanisms that explain why the risk of new drivers decreases during the first year and to examine what the research says about which mechanisms are most important to explain this. The results indicate that the risk decreases because of accumulated driving experience, and that the most important mechanism, i.e., the most important things you learn through accumulated driving experience, are improved risk perception and improved distribution of attention. Other mechanisms are improved vehicle handling, improved understanding of your own abilities and limitations, and improved speed (…)

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Personalised route guidance to reduce air pollution exposure during active commuting: a proof-of-concept study using graph-based network analysis in Leicester, UK
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1869860/full

BackgroundActive commuting by walking and cycling offers well-established cardiovascular and metabolic health benefits. However, exposure to ambient air pollutants, including fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), during active travel along high-traffic routes may attenuate or offset some of these benefits. Personalised route guidance that minimises pollution exposure while preserving reasonable travel times represents a potentially scalable public health strategy, yet the feasibility and magnitude of achievable exposure reductions remain poorly quantified at the city level.ObjectiveThis proof-of-concept study developed and evaluated a graph-based routing algorithm weighting street-level air pollution concentrations to generate personalised low-pollution routes for (…)

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Perceived implementation level of green development principles in cities: a focus on Lagos, Nigeria
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1846422

Sub-Saharan African cities face increasing ecological and sustainability challenges driven by rapid urbanization. Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub and one of Africa’s fastest-growing megacities, exemplifies the difficulties of implementing green development principles within complex urban environments. This study examined built environment professionals’ and stakeholders’ perceptions of the implementation of green development principles in Lagos, focusing on environmental management, resource efficiency, sustainable urban design, green transportation, and governance. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and March 2024 using structured questionnaires administered to 384 respondents, including architects, planners, engineers, government officials, academics, (…)

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Analyzing roadway factors influencing the severity of non-motorized road users’ crashes in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1862991/full

As U.S. cities expand multimodal transportation networks and pursue Vision Zero goals, crash severity among pedestrians and bicyclists remains a critical public safety challenge. Charlotte, NC, offers a timely case study given its rapid urban growth, rising active transportation demand, and commitment to Vision Zero. This study investigates the human, behavioral, and environmental determinants of pedestrian and bicyclist crash severity in Charlotte, North Carolina, using a five-year crash dataset (2019–2023). Binary logistic regression was applied after evaluating and rejecting ordinal and multinomial approaches due to proportional odds violations and class imbalance. Two models were developed: a primary cause (behavioral) model and an environmental and primary cause model. Crash (…)

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Cross-cultural public space inclusivity: a multidimensional analysis of user satisfaction in Nottingham, Jeddah, and Lucknow
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1868976/full

Urban public spaces play a central role in supporting social interaction, inclusivity, and urban liveability, yet their performance is shaped by cultural, social, and governance contexts. This study examines user experience and perceived inclusivity in urban public spaces through a cross-cultural comparative analysis of three sites: Old Market Square in Nottingham, United Kingdom; Al Balad in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Hazratganj in Lucknow, India. A quantitative research design was adopted using a structured questionnaire with 265 respondents, examining five dimensions of public space experience: accessibility, safety and comfort, inclusivity and equity, perceived publicness, and place meaning and cultural identity. Data were analysed using Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory (…)

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Nonlinear relationship of urban traffic congestion with rainfall and mediating effects on metro ridership: a comparison study of Guangzhou and Shenzhen
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1871487/full

Rainfall increasingly stresses urban road networks, yet how congestion responds across the full range of rainfall intensity, and how that response propagates to rail transit, remains incompletely understood. Drawing on daily data on rainfall, a road Traffic Congestion Index (TCI), and metro ridership in two major cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, this study fits penalized spline generalized additive models with day-type and seasonal controls, and then employs causal mediation analysis with metro ridership as the key mediating variable to decompose how rainfall’s effect on road congestion propagates to rail transit. Congestion in Guangzhou rises continuously and does not saturate within the observed range (net increment over 20–60 mm of (…)

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Redesigning cities for sustainable mobility: a mixed-methods analysis of public perceptions and implementation feasibility of the 15-minute city concept in Dammam
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1895053

The 15-minute city has become a key urban planning concept that encourages the creation of neighborhoods that are accessible to their residents by walking or cycling within 15 min. The concept has been widely discussed in Europe and other developed countries; however, there is not a lot of empirical data available on its implementation in the Gulf cities. The study adopts a convergent mixed-methods research design that combines quantitative survey data with qualitative interviews of stakeholders to explore public perceptions and implementation feasibility of the 15-minute city concept in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. A structured questionnaire was administered to 384 residents of Dammam, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with urban planners, municipal administrators, academics, and (…)

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Perceived implementation level of green development principles in cities: a focus on Lagos, Nigeria
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1846422/full

Sub-Saharan African cities face increasing ecological and sustainability challenges driven by rapid urbanization. Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub and one of Africa’s fastest-growing megacities, exemplifies the difficulties of implementing green development principles within complex urban environments. This study examined built environment professionals’ and stakeholders’ perceptions of the implementation of green development principles in Lagos, focusing on environmental management, resource efficiency, sustainable urban design, green transportation, and governance. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and March 2024 using structured questionnaires administered to 384 respondents, including architects, planners, engineers, government officials, academics, (…)

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