Abstract: Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks are increasingly reshaping urban planning, real estate, and territorial governance. Originally conceived as corporate disclosure tools, ESG criteria are now influencing land use, regeneration strategies, and policy frameworks across Europe and beyond. This systematic review synthesizes 197 articles published between 2020 and 2025 to examine how ESG adoption translates into spatial, institutional, and governance outcomes. The findings show that ESG functions simultaneously as a financial instrument, a planning paradigm, and a governance mechanism. While it enables capital mobilization, climate resilience, and participatory innovation, it also risks reproducing socio- spatial inequities such as green gentrification, peripheral exclusion, and uneven infrastructure investment. Case studies from Florence, Cyprus, Russia, and broader European contexts demonstrate both methodological advances—such as spatiotemporal clustering, GIS-based analysis, and digital monitoring—and persistent gaps in regulatory frameworks, score reliability, and territorial integration. The paper contributes to planning scholarship by proposing an integrated framework that links ESG adoption to spatial justice, sustainable infrastructure, and multi-level governance. Policy implications emphasize the need to broaden ESG assessment to territorial indicators, embed safeguards against displacement, and align financial instruments with measurable social outcomes. Future research should advance geographic diversification, methodological innovation, and normative engagement with equity and resilience.

Abstract: Purpose This study aims to systematically analyze how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks have been integrated into the design, operation, and valuation of office buildings. In particular, it explores the interplay between green certification systems, employee well-being, governance practices, digital ESG monitoring, and the financial performance of ESG-aligned office investments. Design/methodology/approach Using the PRISMA 2020 methodology, a systematic literature review was conducted on peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2020 and 2025. A title-based query on Lens.org yielded 547 articles, of which 325 met inclusion criteria after two rounds of screening. Thematic analysis was employed to identify five major conceptual clusters Findings The review confirms that green certifications (e.g., LEED, BREEAM, WELL) are increasingly occupant-centric but often fall short of delivering consistent environmental outcomes without robust post-occupancy evaluation. Social sustainability literature underscores the role of workspace design, nature integration, and mental health strategies in supporting employee well-being. ESG reporting and governance practices remain fragmented, with limited employee voice, weak accountability mechanisms, and underdeveloped mobility reporting. Smart office studies highlight the convergence of IoT, AI, and human-centered design, while financial analyses reveal positive valuation effects and rental premiums for ESG-certified buildings, particularly in office sectors. However, methodological gaps and uneven adoption persist across contexts and disciplines. Originality/value This study provides one of the first interdisciplinary syntheses of ESG literature specifically focused on office buildings, combining insights from architecture, real estate, organizational behavior, and digital innovation.

Abstract: Open-air food markets have long functioned as key sites of food provision, social interaction, and local economic exchange in European cities. In recent decades, many of these markets have undergone significant transformation due to modernization-oriented urban regeneration. This study examines the transformation of Palilula Market in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, from a traditional open-air market to a large, enclosed market complex, situating the analysis within the post-socialist urban context. Utilizing historical analysis, semi-structured interviews with vendors, and on-site observations, the research examines the impact of spatial reconfiguration on vendor livelihoods, economic practices, and social relations. The results demonstrate that, although the new indoor market has enhanced infrastructure, hygiene, and year-round usability, it has also led to higher rents, reduced stall capacity, increased competition, and stricter regulations. These developments have constrained small-scale vendors and diminished informal social interactions. This study expands the understanding of urban regeneration processes in post-socialist, neoliberal contexts by showing how market modernization shapes the inclusivity and socio-cultural significance of traditional urban markets.

Abstract: As a member state of ASEAN and the UN, Cambodia has adopted and implemented both regional and global urban agendas, resulting in various national urban initiatives, such as clean, green, sustainable, and smart cities. These different national initiatives confused urban researchers and stakeholders in Cambodia, including implementing agencies at the provincial and district levels. Hence, this paper explored this issue by addressing the questions: how has Cambodia defined sustainable urban development, and how have regional and global urban agendas influenced local implementations of sustainable urban planning, development, and management? For its analysis, this paper obtained data on clean, green, sustainable, and smart cities from the ministries of tourism, environment, urban planning, and interior, respectively. The findings revealed that Cambodia has defined sustainable urban development differently from time to time, as influenced by regional and global agendas. The following are the influential agendas from time to time: ASEAN ESC resulted in a clean city contest in 2012; GGGI Urban Green Growth resulted in a green city program in 2014; UN SDG11 resulted in a sustainable city framework in 2016; and ASEAN SCN resulted in a smart city network in 2018. Even though these different initiatives provided some benefits and opportunities for different sectors, this paper suggests consolidating them into one framework to reduce confusion at local implementations and linking their similar goals with budget plans or joint funding to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Abstract: Urban Green Space Per Capita (UGSPC) is one of the oldest and most widely applied indicators in urban planning, providing a measure of green areas in relation to the population size. Despite its century-long application and decades of research, no global systematic review has previously synthesized how UGSPC has been applied, interpreted, and evolved across different contexts. This study aims to fill that gap by conducting the first comprehensive systematic review, following PRISMA guidelines, examining the usage, trends, and effectiveness of UGSPC in both developed and developing countries. Thematic analysis revealed that most studies were published in journals focused on sustainability and environmental science. The results show a surge in publications following the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting a growing recognition of the importance of urban green spaces for public health and livability. Moreover, 67% of the studies were conducted in developing countries, while 30% of the publications were in developed countries. Higher UGSPC values are generally found in developed cities; however, this was not a rule. Time series studies showed a decline in UGSPC in some developed and developing countries, influenced by factors such as population density, urbanization stage, climate, and economic conditions. Although UGSPC is widely used, most municipalities typically develop their plans based on this measurement. 95% of the included research incorporated additional measurements, including accessibility, social equity, spatial patterns, ecological services, ecosystem benefits, and human health. This study suggests that UGSPC is still used as an indicator in urban planning and policy and integrating it with other indicators can serve as contemporary indicators to capture better equity, functionality, and sustainability in urban environments.

Abstract:

California is currently navigating the confluence of two acute systemic challenges: a chronic housing affordability deficit and increasing grid instability driven by climate-induced volatility and the aggressive transition to variable renewable energy. This review posits that the strategic integration of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) with residential Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) constitutes a synergistic, decentralized intervention capable of mitigating these dual crises simultaneously. Adopting the “Photovoltaic-Energy Storage-Direct Current-Flexibility” (PEDF) architectural framework, this study evaluates the transition of the residential dwelling unit from a passive consumption endpoint to an active “prosumer” node capable of providing critical grid services. We employ a stochastic financial simulation using the RShiny framework to assess the economic viability of prefabrication-based deployment strategies under Senate Bill 9 (SB 9) provisions for three investment scenarios: Acquisition-to-Rent, Acquisition–Development-Resale, and Long-Term-Asset-Retention. Our results indicate that modular prefabrication reduces project timelines by 30–50% and embodied carbon by up to 47%, while financial modeling confirms that “Acquisition-Development-Resale” and “Long-Term-Asset-Retention” strategies yield robust returns on investment, validating the economic competitiveness of sustainable densification. Despite identifying implementation barriers—specifically the “split-incentive” dilemma in rental markets and emerging data sovereignty constraints—this review concludes that the BESS-powered ADU represents the fundamental atomic unit of a resilient, low-carbon urban dwelling infrastructure, necessitating aligned policy support to achieve scalable deployment.

Abstract: In a rapidly urbanized world, 2.5 billion people are projected to shift from rural to urban areas by 2050, with close to 90% of this shift occurring in Africa and Asia. Likewise, in Southeast Asia, the Phnom Penh capital city of Cambodia, is rapidly urbanizing, faces significant challenges in improving the quality of life and achieving social sustainability. Hence, this research aims to assess this capital on social sustainability aspects to find out the strong and weak points of its 14 districts in order to verify the improvement potentials for each district. The research developed and applied an urban social sustainability index based on national development priorities, SDG11, and the New Urban Agenda, and other SDGs that incorporated human wellbeing and social inclusiveness, such as SDGs1-6, SDG8, SDG10, and SDG12. The AHP technique has been used to prioritize the selected indicators, and the standard viable model has been used to assess the 14 districts of Phnom Penh, whereas the data were sourced from the Phnom Penh Capital Socio-Economic Data. The results showed that the most sustainable district was Chamkarmon, followed by Boeng Keng Kang and Doun Penh. Prek Pnov was found to be weak in income generation and welfare, while Kamboul was weak in gender inclusive. Prampir Makara was more resilient to vulnerability, while Sen Sok was weak in this dimension. Boeng Keng Kang was strong in welfare and sanitation, while Kamboul was weak in sanitation. Doun Penh was strong in water supply, while Mean Chey was weak in this dimension.

Abstract: This article examines the institutional drift of the 1st Right, Portugal's main housing programme, originally designed to guarantee the right to adequate housing for families in situations of severe deprivation. Taking the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (LMA) as a critical case, the study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining policy and discourse analysis, financial data, and territorial mapping of local implementation. The results reveal three interlinked forms of policy deviation: (i) territorial deviation, driven by unequal municipal capacities and resource absorption; (ii) instrumental deviation, resulting from the prioritisation of rehabilitation pre-existent public housing stock over the provision of new housing; and (iii) social deviation, marked by the expansion of eligibility criteria that extend benefits to middle-income groups. Together, these dynamics demonstrate how a social rights-based housing policy can be reshaped when integrated into a financial recovery framework, such as the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP). The article contributes to international debates on housing governance by showing how multilevel financing mechanisms can reinforce territorial inequalities, reorient policy instruments, and dilute redistributive objectives. It concludes by advocating for stronger social monitoring, differentiated instruments for distinct target groups, and better temporal alignment between social policy objectives and EU funding cycles.

Abstract: Urban waterfront regeneration driven by mega-events has played a key role in shaping contemporary public open spaces, particularly in newly developed areas within the Chinese context. However, public perceptions and their influence on the use of newly built open spaces created through mega-event-led regeneration have not been examined in existing research. To address this gap, this study establishes an integrated assess-ment framework to evaluate the quality of urban waterfront open spaces. A mixed methods approach was adopted, including direct observations and 770 online ques-tionnaires collected between July and October 2024 around core nodes along the South Bank of the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, China. Spatial analysis and Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA) were employed to determine priority improvement areas that should inform future waterfront regeneration strategies. The results indicate that inclusiveness emerged as the most important factor for enhancing waterfront open space quality, while spatial aesthetics ranked the lowest. Among the sub-sub factors, elements related to improving water accessibility, enhancing natural surveillance, providing artificial shelters and diverse seating options and shaping collective memory through digital technologies received the highest ratings. Finally, the study highlights that the intangible legacies of the Asian Games have the potential to reshape a distinc-tive new city image and collective memory, even in the lack of tangible heritage build-ings.

Abstract: Urban renewal research has long relied on expert-led assessments and fragmented indicators, yet lacks scalable, perception-aware frameworks that can translate street-level conditions into interpretable renewal strategies. To bridge these gaps, this study proposes a vision–language model (VLM) based method to identify the potentially renewable areas across the Hongshan Central District of Urumqi, China. Specifically, we collected 4,215 panoramas and used multiple VLMs to measure six perceptual scores (i.e., safety, liveliness, beauty, wealthiness, depressiveness, and boringness) together with textual descriptions. The best-performing model, selected by correlation with a 500-respondent perception survey, was used as the final analysis to identify the renewal area. Then, we conducted spatial statistics and text mining (eight semantic themes) to reveal the spatial patterns and semantic topics for proposing renewal strategies. The results show that: 1) VLMs have a high consistency with humans in evaluating the spatial perception of six dimensions; 2) four renewal priority tiers were identified, with high-score areas concentrated on Tianshan District Government Residential Quarter, Mashi Community, Heping South Road, etc.; and 3) Semantically, low-score areas such as Hongshan Road, Binhe Middle Road, Wuxing South Road, Huhuo Line, etc. emphasize infrastructure, safety, street level and order. We conclude that VLMs add value not only via scalable assessment but also through explanatory language evidence that directly supports tiered renewal and public communication. This work provides a data-driven and interpretable evaluation framework for urban renewal decision-making, facilitating precision-oriented and intelligent regional urban regeneration.

Abstract: This study examines why Generation Z in Surabaya remains reluctant to live in vertical housing despite strong urbanization pressures and policy promotion. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach with 340 respondents aged 18–27, the research identifies six key factors influencing preferences: physical environment, psychological-social concerns, social status and stress, economic considerations, and cultural accommodation. Factor analysis explains 45.1% of total variance, while structural equation modeling reveals that physical environment preferences play a central mediating role. Economic factors affect psychological-social concerns both directly and indirectly, and cultural accommodation strongly shapes social status perceptions but does not directly influence physical preferences. Qualitative analysis of 411 statements shows consistently negative psychological themes, predominantly negative economic sentiments, and more balanced views of physical attributes. The findings extend housing preference theory by highlighting how cultural and economic influences shape psychological acceptance through indirect pathways, challenging traditional models that view choices as purely rational or discrete. The study recommends that planners and developers integrate culturally sensitive design, address financial anxieties through innovative ownership schemes, and tailor communication strategies to engage psychological and cultural concerns rather than relying solely on modern facility offerings.

Abstract: Land-use allocations—such as housing density, parcel size, parks, and other green areas—are key spatial planning or zoning parameters that have a large impact on how resources are distributed within cities. These parameters play a central role in influencing social justice across urban areas and communities. In this sense, they function as mechanisms through which planning and development processes deliver or withhold critical resources. While existing urban planning literature suggests that the allocation of spatial planning or zoning parameters contributes to social justice in cities, there is a critical gap regarding how different spatial parameters impact social justice and which specific aspects of social justice they affect. Thus, this paper aims to address this gap by exploring and conceptualizing the contribution of spatial planning or zoning parameters to social justice. We argue that these parameters serve as carriers of urban justice through their distribution of resources. Based on Jabareen's (2006) analytical framework, this study reviews and categorizes planning parameters according to their specific contributions to social justice in cities. The study identifies three dimensions of social justice impacted by these parameters: inclusion, accessibility, and recognition, with each addressing a key aspect of social justice. Based on these concepts, we develop a new conceptual framework, referred to as the Conceptual Framework for Just Ur-banism. At the core of this framework lies the logic of difference, which captures how these parameters are allocated differently across various geographies, demographics, and socioeconomic characteristics, resulting in inequalities across different areas.

Abstract: Europe is warming faster than the global average, placing climate change adaptation at the centre of urban policy and planning. This article develops and applies a framework to diagnose the maturity of multilevel adaptation governance across European Union Member States in 2025. Governance is operationalised through eight dimensions: (i) National Adaptation Strategies/Plans; (ii) Regional Adaptation Plans; (iii) Local Adaptation Plans; (iv) Sectoral Adaptation Plans; (v) integration in National Urban Policies; (vi) adaptive content in Long-Term Strategies; (vii) adaptation relevance in climate laws; and (viii) participation in the Covenant of Mayors.  Results show pronounced heterogeneity: many systems have up-to-date national strategies but incomplete territorial diffusion, thin legal anchoring, or limited urban-policy standards.  By linking auditable rules to urban-facing instruments, the study provides a practical tool for benchmarking capabilities, prioritising reforms, and tracking progress towards integrated, multilevel adaptation systems that support resilient urban development across the European Union.

Abstract: Mixed-use developments sit at the intersection of urban sustainability and real estate investment, yet the influence of anchor tenant composition on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) outcomes remains empirically underexplored. This study addresses that gap by developing and applying a tenant-sensitive conceptual framework that integrates stakeholder theory with institutional analysis. Using a cross-sectional dataset of 65 London mixed-use estates (1985–2025), we measured ESG performance via a psychometrically validated composite index (KMO = 0.78, α = 0.82) and analysed it using OLS regression. Our findings initially confirm conventional wisdom: office-anchored developments outperform residential-anchored schemes by 6.34 ESG points (p < 0.05, Cohen’s d = 0.55), a 9.3% index gain. This performance differential translates into a material 150–200 bps rental premium and a £2.5–£4.2M annual NOI uplift for a representative £500M asset. However, our central finding reveals that this typology effect is not absolute. The anchor tenant's ESG maturity strongly moderates this relationship (interaction β = –19.07, p < 0.05), demonstrating that residential-led schemes with robust governance alignment can match or even exceed the ESG performance of their office-anchored counterparts. These results offer critical guidance for ESG-driven underwriting, REIT valuation, and urban finance policy, shifting the focus from asset-class generalizations to the primacy of estate-level governance structures.

Abstract: The establishment of pilot free trade zones represents a significant step in trade liberalization. Exploring its influence on urban digital innovation, as well as the mechanisms involved, holds crucial theoretical and practical significance for enhancing urban competitiveness and achieving economic development. Drawing from panel data spanning 2000 to 2023 from 281 prefecture-level cities, this study constructs a staggered DID model to systematically examine the effects and mechanisms through which free trade zone policies promote urban digital innovation. The research findings suggest that the construction of free trade zones significantly boosts urban digital innovation. Mechanism analysis reveals that free trade zones empower urban digital innovation through three pathways: promoting industrial collaborative agglomeration, strengthening knowledge spillover effects, and optimizing the business environment. Heterogeneity tests indicate that the effects of digital innovation are more pronounced in cities with relatively advanced digital infrastructure and higher levels of opening-up. Further investigations show that free trade zones has significant spatial spillover effects. Therefore, it is imperative to continue refining the top-level design of free trade zones, unleashing their positive effects on industrial collaborative agglomeration, knowledge spillover, and optimization of the business environment, fully harnessing the catalytic role of trade liberalization in driving urban digital innovation.

Abstract: Studies on colonial grid urban planning often use the latest examples of cities founded in penin-sular Spain towards the end of the 15th century as a basis for knowledge for new foundations in America. This study proposes that the city of San Cristóbal de la Laguna (1496) is configured as a final urban planning trial, an intermediate point in the Canary Islands, which adds value to the experiences of early colonial urban planning. This first model of a city-territory, not having a de-fensive character due to its insularity, developed a grid adapted to the terrain, organising a new social order inspired by the religious doctrine of the time, where religious architecture - mainly convents, but also churches, hermitages and hospitals - played a very prominent role in the origin and consolidation of the urban layout of the city. Comparing this case study with the first Ameri-can experiences: Santo Domingo (1502), the first island city, and Panama Viejo (1519), the first city on the mainland, all three of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, we have been able to verify the influence of this intermediate urban planning experiment on the evolutionary process of the early colonial model and confirm the role of convent foundations as articulating pieces of the territory.

Abstract: Rapid urbanization is transforming nations worldwide, with projections indicating that nearly 70% of the global population will inhabit urban areas by 2050. This unprecedented demographic shift has driven the development of clean, green, smart, and sustainable cities to be a top policy priority for governments globally. Achieving these ambitious urban sustainability goals, however, requires a better understanding of the complex interactions between urban ecological and social systems. This study applies bibliometric methods to analyze academic literature, focusing on trends related to the relationship between urban environment and human health. Data were collected from the Scopus database and VOSviewer and R-Studio were employed to create co-authorship and co-occurrence maps, identifying key themes in the literature. The results indicate a significant rise in research on urban health, with prominent topics including urban heat islands, health risk assessments, public health and the impact of environmental factors on mental and physical health. Emerging research areas show a growing focus on climate resilience, health promotion and environmental justice. This bibliometric review systematically identifies the key areas of scholarly interest and evolving themes in urban health, emphasizing the importance of understanding the effects of urbanization on human well-being, particularly in rapidly growing urban centers. The findings reveal the increasing interdisciplinary nature of urban health research, underscoring the need for continued global collaboration to address the com-plex health challenges posed by urban environments.

Abstract: This paper proposes an innovative methodological framework for integrating Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) into landscape planning, with the aim of enhancing the conservation and adaptive management of rural historical landscapes. Grounded in the principles of the European Landscape Convention and the recent Nature Restoration Law, the study advocates a shift from prescriptive and sectoral approaches toward performance-based and ecosystem-oriented models. The research focuses on the Marche Region (Italy), where the historical landscape shaped by the mezzadria (sharecropping) system provides a representative case for testing the proposed methodology. A set of georeferenced and ecosystem-based indicators was developed to identify new high-value landscape areas and to redefine protection and management strategies. The analysis integrates historical, ecological, and cultural dimensions to construct a spatially explicit value matrix, supporting the definition of differentiated management zones. Results reveal the persistence of high landscape and ecosystem values in mid- and upper-hill areas, contrasted by the progressive loss of structural and functional diversity in lowland and peri-urban contexts. The findings highlight the need for more adaptive and flexible planning models, capable of incorporating nature-based actions, climate-smart agriculture, and performance-oriented evaluation criteria. The proposed approach demonstrates strong potential for replicability and policy integration, providing a decision-support framework to align landscape planning with rural development strategies and climate adaptation objectives. Despite limitations related to data availability and model simplification, the methodology contributes to the ongoing paradigm shift toward dynamic, evidence-based, and transdisciplinary landscape governance across Mediterranean regions.

Abstract: Urban sustainability has become a central theme in contemporary city planning and pol-icy-making, reflecting the growing need to address complex environmental, social, and economic challenges. However, the range of metrics used to measure sustainability often results in fragmentation and inconsistency, limiting their practical application. The pre-sent study aims to analyze and systematize the urban sustainability indicators most commonly found in literature and employed at the international level. The research seeks to develop a comprehensive framework of economic, environmental, and social indica-tors, providing a more coherent and standardized tool to support informed and effective urban regeneration strategies. In particular, in this work a critical examination of the in-dicators is carried out, highlighting inherent limitations, potential distortions, and the standardizability level. To ensure more reliable and transparent measurement tools, the outcome of the analysis is the definition of a structured abacus of key urban sustainability indicators, classified across three main domains (economic, environmental, and social), able to orient the choices processes to promote sustainable cities development.

Abstract: Tourism today represents a strategic engine of economic growth, contributing substan-tially to GDP, employment, and export revenues. Accounting for approximately 10% of global GDP, the sector plays a significant role in tourism-intensive countries. Tourism has shown remarkable resilience and recovery capacity in the post-COVID era, reaffirming its status not only as an economic sector but also as a spatial phenomenon. Due to its inherent place-based nature, tourism cannot be outsourced: it relies on the unique cultural, en-vironmental, and territorial assets of specific locations. While this makes tourism a powerful driver of local development, it also presents challenges related to environmental stress, cultural commodification, and social tensions, especially in over-visited destina-tions such as Venice, Barcelona, or Lisbon. This paper introduces the concept of “an-ti-gravity tourism”, a novel framework inspired by physics, to describe planning strategies aimed at counteracting the gravitational pull exerted by mass tourism hotspots. Using the STESY model, the study applies spatial analysis to four case study areas, identifying Destination Areas (DAs) through clustering techniques and developing spatial design proposals aligned with the principles of the New Urban Agenda (NUA). The results highlight how “anti-gravity” strategies can be operationalized through context-sensitive planning tools to mitigate overtourism, support territorial equity, and maximize positive externalities. Ultimately, the paper argues for a paradigm shift to-wards tourism policies that ensure long-term sustainability by balancing economic growth with social inclusion and environmental stewardship.