Suchergebnisse

Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment Tools (NSATs) have become the modern day template for urban planners to achieve sustainable development in their communities, districts and cities. The popularity of the pioneering NSATs led to the creation of other tools in different regions. Also, with the popularity and replication of these tools came the replication of their limitations. The most notable limitation and motivation for this study is the inadequate recognition of the complexities of institutional dimensions (i.e. policies, laws and regulation) that contribute to mainstreaming and operationalising sustainable neighbourhood development. Studies that have investigated NSATs generally argue lack of coverage of the institutional dimension. However, there has been little consistent and explicit mention of the precise indicators and criteria sought out to make this claim. Also, there is a clear confusion as to what institutional indicators actually are, what characteristics they possess and how best they can be identified. This study, via the lens of energy-based indicators, expands on the role of the institutional indicator and its associated dimensions. This study also utilises a multi-dimensional approach to indicator analysis and draws out current trend or characteristics of institutional indicators in 15 currently existing NSATs. The results show a limited view on the classification of institutional indicators. The study also demonstrates that there are more institutional indicators than previously reported in prior studies. Additionally, this study confirms that an institutional indicator cannot be a single entity or identity but rather it must operate under the linkage of the other dimensions (environment, social and economic). Finally, this study, based on the analysis of 15 NSATs provides a definition of what can be considered an institutional indicator. In conclusion, it is recommended that future development of NSATs should ensure a constant institutional link to indicators, as this could provide an enhanced alternative to the development of NSATs, particularly for regions that are looking into developing their own assessment tools.

Convergence of Community Network and Sustainable Development Goals, Kudumbashree Community Network -- Adaptation Strategies for Asian Farmers against Climate Change -- SDGs in Global South Cities for Building Resilience to Climate Change -- Climate Change in Hong Kong with the Integration of UN SDG 13 Climate Action -- Protecting Water Security SDG 6 in Malaysia and China: Role of Model Simulations -- Conditions of Precarity and Strategies of Resilience: The Malaysian Hawker Community and COVID-19 Pandemic -- Social Contexts and Spatial Relationships in Design of Anganwadi Centers -- Disaster Management for Sustainable Development: Rural Bangladesh -- Urban Design as a Spatial Assessment Tool in Achieving SDG 11: Case of Bengaluru, India -- Climate Change Impact on Agriculture and Water Resources: Uzbekistan -- Sustainable Cities and Communities with Decent Work and Economic Growth Opportunities in India -- Healthy Aging and Well-Being of Older Adults in Hong Kong -- Every Drop of Water and Food Footprints Count for Humanity -- Alternative Development to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals: Southeast Asia -- Geospatial Analysis of Urban Sprawl in Agartala Municipal Council, India, from 1991 to 2021 -- Transitional Spaces as an Integrated Design Approach Enhancing Social Cohesion in High Rise-Dwellings -- Transformative Research in Aquaculture for Sustainable Seafood Security -- etc.

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has had many deep social and economic impacts that go beyond health issues. One consequence is that the pandemic has made it even harder to mobilize the financial resources needed to pursue SDG 13 (Climate Action) as a whole and to fund climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts in particular. This is especially acute in respect of the efforts to achieve the targets set by the Paris Agreement and by the recent decisions in Glasgow. This paper looks at how the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated poverty and undermined climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, as a result of the switches in priorities and funding. Using a review of the recent literature, an analysis of international trends, and a survey among climate scientists, it identifies some of the impacts of the pandemic on climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts and discusses their implications. The findings indicate a decrease in funding to climate change research since the pandemic crisis. The bibliometric analysis reveals that a greater emphasis has been placed on the relationship between COVID-19 and poverty when compared to the interrelations between COVID-19 and climate change. Addressing climate change is as urgent now as it was before the pandemic crisis started, and efforts need to be made to upkeep the levels of funding needed to support research in this field.

Apart from many social and economic problems worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has also led to sudden halt in face-to-face climate-related meetings. Moreover, it has also negatively influenced the works related to the preparations for the sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and organizing the 26th Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), namely COP26 to be held in Glasgow, which was postponed to November 2021. This article presents a global study undertaken among UNFCCC contact points and other climate experts, to ascertain the impacts of the pandemic on the implementation of SDG13 and UNFCCC processes. The methodological approach entails an bibliometric analysis, online survey, and authors' expert judgment. Results of the bibliometric analysis show that the most common terms associated with this theme are COVID-19, climate change, CO2, energy, "pandemic-related," and "adaptation-related." In addition, the survey revealed some difficulties associated with online participation in the processes from many developing countries. The study concluded that there is negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the UNFCCC process, more minor government priorities regarding climate action, loss of traction of the process, and a challenge to achieve the Paris Agreement, with less significant support from the respondents from less developed countries. The findings suggest that urgent action is needed, to make up for the lost time, and place climate issues more prominently on the global agenda.

Abstract
Background
The implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires much planning and the provision of resources, especially regarding the necessary investments, technologies and infrastructures needed. Yet, it is presently unclear how available these elements are, what gaps exist, what changes have taken place in terms of their availability since the adoption of the SDGs and what their requirements will be in the future. The knowledge gap has become even more concerning because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a bibliometric analysis, an assessment of the global progress of SDG implementation and requirements, identifying challenges through the development of a matrix, and a set of 11 case studies to triangulate the holistic analysis, an assessment of the global progress of the SDGs implementation and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this process was carried out.

Results
The findings suggest that the scope and width of resources limitation are currently undermining the implementation of the SDGs. Apart from the fact that the pace of progress has been insufficient, the potential of the SDGs in pursuing sustainability and improving life quality is not fully realised. This trend suggests that a substantial acceleration of the efforts is needed, especially for the five SDGs whose progress since 2015 has not been optimal, namely SDG2, SDG11, SDG13, SDG15, and SDG16, while SDG3, SDG7, SDG9, SDG14, and SDG17 show signs of progress. The case studies showed that different industries have dissimilar effects on achieving the SDGs, with the food sector correlating with 15 SDGs, as opposed to the energy sector correlating with 6 SDGs. Accordingly, the priority level assessment in terms of achieving the SDGs, points to the need to further advance the above-mentioned five SDGs, i.e., 2, 11, 13, 15 and 16.

Conclusions
This study fills in a knowledge gap in respect of the current need for and availability of investments, new technologies, and infrastructures to allow countries to pursue the SDGs. It is suggested that this availability is rather limited in specific contexts. In respect of the needs to be addressed, these include resource-related constraints, limited technologies and infrastructures, affecting SDG2, SDG11, SDG13, SDG15, and SDG16, whose progress needs to be enhanced. Since the global progress in the process of implementation of the SDGs depends directly and indirectly on addressing the resource gaps, it is suggested that this topic be further investigated, so that the present imbalances in the three dimensions of sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental, be adequately addressed.