#original_research

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 (…)

#Original_Research

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 (…)

#Original_Research

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, (…)

#Original_Research

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 (…)

#Original_Research

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 (…)

#Original_Research

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 (…)

#Original_Research

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 (…)

#Original_Research

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, (…)

#Original_Research

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/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1895053/full

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 (…)

#Original_Research

Quality seedling systems for sustainable urban agriculture: evidence from four rapidly urbanizing cities in Africa and Asia
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1900209/full

Rapid urbanization is placing increasing pressure on cities to deliver affordable, nutritious, and resilient food systems, yet vegetable seedling systems remain a neglected component of urban agriculture. This study assessed urban and peri urban vegetable seedling systems in four rapidly growing cities Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Nairobi (Kenya), Dhaka (Bangladesh), and Metro Manila (Philippines) to identify key constraints, opportunities, best practices, and policy lessons. Using a comparative multi city case study approach, data were collected from 154 stakeholders, including urban farmers, nursery operators, seedling suppliers, agro input dealers, and government officers, complemented by secondary literature. Across the four cities, urban vegetable production was dominated by small (…)

#Original_Research

Life cycle costing and social impact assessment of electric vehicle use: the case of Washington, DC
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1871987

IntroductionBattery-Electric Vehicles (BEVs) are considered important in advancing urban decarbonization efforts, but their operating costs vary substantially depending on factors such as charging infrastructure, building density, traffic patterns, and electricity prices. This creates unequal burdens for households with different socio-economic characteristics. This article combines a tariff-adjusted life-cycle costing approach with a social life-cycle approach to evaluate the performance of light-duty BEVs in Washington, DC, on a per-vehicle mile basis. The analysis uses disaggregated data for the eight Wards of Washington, DC, to characterize the range of social impacts associated with the city’s marked disparities.MethodsAccording to registration data from December 2025, 68 percent (…)

#Original_Research

Life cycle costing and social impact assessment of electric vehicle use: the case of Washington, DC
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1871987/full

IntroductionBattery-Electric Vehicles (BEVs) are considered important in advancing urban decarbonization efforts, but their operating costs vary substantially depending on factors such as charging infrastructure, building density, traffic patterns, and electricity prices. This creates unequal burdens for households with different socio-economic characteristics. This article combines a tariff-adjusted life-cycle costing approach with a social life-cycle approach to evaluate the performance of light-duty BEVs in Washington, DC, on a per-vehicle mile basis. The analysis uses disaggregated data for the eight Wards of Washington, DC, to characterize the range of social impacts associated with the city’s marked disparities.MethodsAccording to registration data from December 2025, 68 percent (…)

#Original_Research

Why rising charcoal prices fail to drive clean cooking transitions: evidence from urban Malawi
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1850587/full

The transition to clean cooking energy remains a major challenge in low-income countries, where reliance on biomass fuels persists despite increasing policy attention and rising fuel costs. In urban Malawi, this study analyzes the determinants of cooking fuel transition using 2024 household survey data from 1,613 households across four major cities (Lilongwe, Blantyre, Mzuzu, and Zomba). A multinomial logistic regression model was applied to estimate three outcomes: exclusive biomass use, energy stacking, and clean fuel adoption. Results show that despite substantial increases in charcoal prices, biomass remains dominant, used by 82.8% of households. Charcoal price is positively associated with movement away from exclusive biomass use, but the effect is stronger for energy stacking (β (…)

#Original_Research

Why rising charcoal prices fail to drive clean cooking transitions: evidence from urban Malawi
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1850587/abstract

The transition to clean cooking energy remains a major challenge in low-income countries, where reliance on biomass fuels persists despite increasing policy attention and rising fuel costs. In urban Malawi, this study analyzes the determinants of cooking fuel transition using 2024 household survey data from 1,613 households across four major cities (Lilongwe, Blantyre, Mzuzu, and Zomba). A multinomial logistic regression model was applied to estimate three outcomes: exclusive biomass use, energy stacking, and clean fuel adoption. Results show that despite substantial increases in charcoal prices, biomass remains dominant, used by 82.8% of households. Charcoal price is positively associated with movement away from exclusive biomass use, but the effect is stronger for energy stacking (β (…)

#Original_Research

SWAC : Sea Water Air Conditioning potential for sustainable energy saving cooling sultanate of Oman 2010–2025
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1745199/full

Oman’s electricity consumption continues to rise, particularly during the summer months when the demand for fans and air conditioning peaks. This dependence on fossil fuel–based power generation poses a significant sustainability challenge. Seawater Air Conditioning (SWAC) presents a promising alternative, utilizing naturally cold deep seawater to cool commercial and residential complexes. By reducing reliance on conventional cooling methods, SWAC can significantly lower energy consumption and associated carbon emissions. Despite its potential, the concept of SWAC remains underexplored in Oman, where further research could provide valuable insights into its feasibility and benefits. This research aims to assess the applicability of SWAC in Oman, the feasibility of implementing SWAC, (…)

#Original_Research

Cumulative green inequality: an environmental justice typology of private green advantage and public park engagement
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1883980/full

IntroductionUrban green spaces are widely recognized for enhancing human well-being and delivering co-benefits for both communities and the environment. In Chinese cities, gated communities have become the dominant form of residential development and often include collectively owned private green space. However, these semi-private green spaces (accessible only to residents and their guests) raise important justice questions. Therefore, we examine whether access to private community green spaces substitutes or complements public park engagement and construct an environmental justice typology based on private green advantage and perceived public park accessibility.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 1668 residents was conducted in Fuzhou and Guiyang, two second-tier provincial capital (…)

#Original_Research

The governance paradox: why polycentric systems fail to mitigate urban vulnerability in the global south
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1857403

The global reliance on Polycentric Governance (PCG) for climate adaptation in rapidly urbanizing coastal cities frequently fails to achieve transformative outcomes, a paradox this research addresses by identifying institutional friction as the core impediment. Using a mixed-methods approach in Semarang, Indonesia, we combined Q-methodology with Cellular Automata–Markov chain (CA-Markov) LULC modeling to relate institutional dynamics to physical land-use outcomes. The Q-methodology analysis of 58 key stakeholders revealed a deep institutional rift characterized by an Adaptation Tempo Dilemma and Trust Deficit, with stakeholders divided between advocates of transformative change and a prevailing preference for incremental adaptation. In parallel, the CA-Markov modeling documented the (…)

#Original_Research

The governance paradox: why polycentric systems fail to mitigate urban vulnerability in the global south
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1857403/full

The global reliance on Polycentric Governance (PCG) for climate adaptation in rapidly urbanizing coastal cities frequently fails to achieve transformative outcomes, a paradox this research addresses by identifying institutional friction as the core impediment. Using a mixed-methods approach in Semarang, Indonesia, we combined Q-methodology with Cellular Automata–Markov chain (CA-Markov) LULC modeling to relate institutional dynamics to physical land-use outcomes. The Q-methodology analysis of 58 key stakeholders revealed a deep institutional rift characterized by an Adaptation Tempo Dilemma and Trust Deficit, with stakeholders divided between advocates of transformative change and a prevailing preference for incremental adaptation. In parallel, the CA-Markov modeling documented the (…)

#Original_Research

Ensuring the continuity of urban infrastructure development in conflict-prone regions: a BIM-driven governance framework and SD–ML analysis for Jordan
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1879438/full

IntroductionBuilding Information Modeling (BIM) is increasingly recognized not only as an efficiency tool but as a critical digital backbone for sustaining urban construction in conflict‑exposed regions. In Jordan, located amid recurrent regional tensions, maintaining the delivery of sustainable infrastructure is essential for urban life to continue during periods of disruption.MethodsThis study proposes an explanatory hybrid System Dynamics–Machine Learning (SD–ML) framework that models BIM adoption as a governance‑driven digital capacity for construction continuity. A causal System Dynamics model captures feedback among policy pressure, training, and perceived benefits, while a Random Forest (RF) model is used in an explicitly exploratory role to infer the relative influence of key (…)

#Original_Research

Influencing factors of carbon emissions in the construction industry from the perspective of industrial chain: empirical case of Tianjin
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1854274/full

As a key node in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei coordinated development strategy, Tianjin has experienced significant industrial restructuring through the transfer of non-capital functions from Beijing and the relocation of energy-intensive industries to surrounding regions, this makes it a representative case for studying interregional embodied carbon transfer. However, relatively limited research has been conducted on cross-regional and cross-sectoral carbon emissions associated with the construction industry. Therefore, this study employs the Structural Decomposition Analysis (SDA), Structural Path Analysis (SPA), and Structural Path Decomposition (SPD) to systematically examine cross-regional and cross-sectoral carbon emission flows in Tianjin’s construction industry. The results (…)

#Original_Research

Public green infrastructure, the luxury effect, and the 3-30-300 rule in a Mexican semiarid city
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1869039

Green infrastructure, such as urban tree canopy cover and green spaces, plays a fundamental role in improving environmental comfort and quality of life in semi-arid cities. However, its distribution is often uneven across the urban systems and associated with socioeconomic status, a phenomenon known as the luxury effect. Despite the growing adoption of the 3-30-300 rule as a comprehensive indicator, its application in Mexican cities is virtually nonexistent and remains limited in semi-arid contexts. This study evaluates this rule in the Metropolitan Area of San Luis Potosí by integrating public green spaces with socioeconomic data at the Basic Geostatistical Area level. Green spaces were classified into urban parks, linear parks, neighborhood parks, and local gardens according to their (…)

#Original_Research

Land-market drivers of peri-urban land transformation in Mpingu and Malingunde extension planning areas, Lilongwe District, Malawi
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1908997/full

IntroductionPeri-urban land use and land cover change is accelerating across Sub-Saharan Africa, reshaping agrarian landscapes where smallholder farming, settlement expansion, and common resources increasingly compete. This study investigated the drivers of land-use transitions in Mpingu and Malingunde Extension Planning Areas of Lilongwe District, Malawi, two rapidly transforming peri-urban agricultural landscapes.MethodsThe study integrated spatial analysis with household-level econometric evidence. Land use and land cover maps for 2004, 2014, and 2024 were used to assess landscape transformation, while household survey data from 279 farming households captured land scarcity, fragmentation, tenure conditions, and market-related pressures. Land-use transitions were analysed using a (…)

#Original_Research

Public green infrastructure, the luxury effect, and the 3-30-300 rule in a Mexican semiarid city
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1869039/full

Green infrastructure, such as urban tree canopy cover and green spaces, plays a fundamental role in improving environmental comfort and quality of life in semi-arid cities. However, its distribution is often uneven across the urban systems and associated with socioeconomic status, a phenomenon known as the luxury effect. Despite the growing adoption of the 3-30-300 rule as a comprehensive indicator, its application in Mexican cities is virtually nonexistent and remains limited in semi-arid contexts. This study evaluates this rule in the Metropolitan Area of San Luis Potosí by integrating public green spaces with socioeconomic data at the Basic Geostatistical Area level. Green spaces were classified into urban parks, linear parks, neighborhood parks, and local gardens according to their (…)

#Original_Research

Understanding e-mobility adoption intention among university students in Bangladesh: evidence from an integrated PLS-SEM and fsQCA approach
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1878992

IntroductionUrban transport systems in developing countries face growing sustainability challenges. Yet adoption behavior for accessible e-mobility options among young populations remains underexplored, especially beyond the dominant focus on electric cars.MethodsThis study examines e-mobility adoption intention among 618 public and private university students in Bangladesh. The study extends the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) by incorporating consumer innovativeness, environmental concern, perceived risk, and price value. A hybrid partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) approach was applied.ResultsThe structural model explained 57.4% of the variance in adoption intention. Price (…)

#Original_Research

Understanding e-mobility adoption intention among university students in Bangladesh: evidence from an integrated PLS-SEM and fsQCA approach
▻https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2026.1878992/full

IntroductionUrban transport systems in developing countries face growing sustainability challenges. Yet adoption behavior for accessible e-mobility options among young populations remains underexplored, especially beyond the dominant focus on electric cars.MethodsThis study examines e-mobility adoption intention among 618 public and private university students in Bangladesh. The study extends the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) by incorporating consumer innovativeness, environmental concern, perceived risk, and price value. A hybrid partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) approach was applied.ResultsThe structural model explained 57.4% of the variance in adoption intention. Price (…)

#Original_Research