Critical reflections on the theory and practice of social sustainability in the built environment – a meta-analysis

This article presents a critical reflection on the theory and practice of social sustainability in the built environment, identifies areas of agreement and disagreement, explores theoretical and conceptual gaps and challenges, and suggests practical implications for future research and urban policy. It argues that despite revisionist approaches which challenge the tripartite structure of sustainable development, social dimension of sustainability remains an essential valid pillar. Utilising a qualitative meta-analysis methodology for undertaking critical analysis of previous research and publications on the topic, key themes of theory and practice of social sustainability are identified and critically examined. Accordingly, 10 key formative characteristics of social sustainability and their research and policy implications are introduced. The article concludes with institutional observations for policy-makers to achieve greater success in addressing largely underestimated dimensions of social sustainability in urban settings.     

Drivers of local people’s participation in sustainable natural resource management: a case study in central Iran

The driving forces behind natural resource management (NRM) vary among countries. Most NRM programmes focus on biophysical drivers such as soil, water and vegetation, with little attention directed towards the nuanced sociocultural and religious drivers of sustainable natural resource management (SNRM) practices. This paper explores those understudied drivers that influence local people’s participation (LPP) in SNRM in Isfahan, Iran. Using a multi-stage stratified sampling method, we selected 200 natural resource experts and natural resource users to complete a questionnaire about their perceptions of SNRM. Results reveal that sociocultural and religious beliefs are the major drivers of SNRM. The results also indicate that subsidiary drivers include: a sense of responsibility towards SNRM; the conviction that natural resources belong to God and should therefore be preserved; participation to preserve natural resources because of training courses and media influence; a long-established custom of preserving natural resources; and the specific impact of environmental television programmes. Demographic analysis finds a significant relationship between educational level and LPP in SNRM. This study’s results therefore suggest that natural resource managers would benefit from a deeper understanding of the local sociocultural and religious contexts that motivate people to participate in SNRM.     

A stochastic conflict resolution model for trading pollutant discharge permits in river systems

This paper presents an efficient methodology for developing pollutant discharge permit trading in river systems considering the conflict of interests of involving decision-makers and the stakeholders. In this methodology, a trade-off curve between objectives is developed using a powerful and recently developed multi-objective genetic algorithm technique known as the Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II). The best non-dominated solution on the trade-off curve is defined using the Young conflict resolution theory, which considers the utility functions of decision makers and stakeholders of the system. These utility functions are related to the total treatment cost and a fuzzy risk of violating the water quality standards. The fuzzy risk is evaluated using the Monte Carlo analysis. Finally, an optimization model provides the trading discharge permit policies. The practical utility of the proposed methodology in decision-making is illustrated through a realistic example of the Zarjub River in the northern part of Iran.     

Municipal solid waste management in Tehran: current practices, opportunities and challenges

Tehran, the capital city of Iran and a metropolis with a population of 8.2 million and containing 2.4 million households, generated 2,626,519 tons of solid waste in 2005. The present study is aimed at evaluating the generation, characteristics and management of solid waste in Tehran. Municipal solid waste comprises more than 97% of Tehran's solid waste, while three other types of solid waste comprise less than 3% of it, namely hospital waste (1.0%), industrial waste (0.6%) and construction and demolition waste (0.5%). The contribution of household solid waste to total municipal solid waste is about 62.5%. The municipality of Tehran is responsible for the solid waste management of the city; the waste is mainly landfilled in three centers in Tehran, with a small part of it usually recycled or processed as compost. However, an informal sector is also active in collecting recyclable materials from solid waste. The municipality has recently initiated some activities to mechanize solid waste management and reduce waste generation. There remain important challenges in solid waste management in Tehran which include: the proper collection and management of hospital waste; public education aimed at reducing and separating household waste and educating municipal workers in order to optimize the waste collection system; and the participation of other related organizations and the private sector in solid waste management.     

Contamination by organochlorine compounds in the edible tissue of four sturgeon species from the Caspian Sea (Iran)

This study focused on accumulation of organochlorine compounds (OCs), including dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) accumulation in the muscle of four sturgeon (Persian sturgeon, Acipenser persicus; Stellate sturgeon, Acipenser stellatus; Ship sturgeon, Acipenser nudiventris and Beluga sturgeon, Huso huso) from the southern Caspian Sea. The DDT group was prominent in all of the sturgeon muscle tested constituting almost half or more of the total organochlorine content. Contaminant concentration generally followed this order: DDTs>PCBs>HCHs>HCB. The OCs concentrations in Beluga sturgeon (H. huso) were the highest and over four times higher than in the next highest species (A. nudiventris). From an ecotoxicological point of view, the concentrations of OCs in experimental fishes do not reflect a comparatively clean and pollution-free environment; however, results from this study shown that the inflow of organic pollutants into the Caspian Sea has been reduced when compared with prior studies. Levels of measured OCs in sturgeon were relatively low, but the level of some OCs in some of the specimens tested exceeded the guidelines for food; therefore, the maximum allowable daily consumption rate for sturgeon from this watershed may be limited by DDTs and PCBs content for high risk populations.     

Developing a master plan for hospital solid waste management: a case study

Disposal of about 1750tons of solid wastes per day is the result of a rapid population growth in the province of Khuzestan in the south west of Iran. Most of these wastes, especially hospital solid wastes which have contributed to the pollution of the environment in the study area, are not properly managed considering environmental standards and regulations. In this paper, the framework of a master plan for managing hospital solid wastes is proposed considering different criteria which are usually used for evaluating the pollution of hospital solid waste loads. The effectiveness of the management schemes is also evaluated. In order to rank the hospitals and determine the share of each hospital in the total hospital solid waste pollution load, a multiple criteria decision making technique, namely analytical hierarchy process (AHP), is used. A set of projects are proposed for solid waste pollution control and reduction in the proposed framework. It is partially applied for hospital solid waste management in the province of Khuzestan, Iran. The results have shown that the hospitals located near the capital city of the province, Ahvaz, produce more than 43% of the total hospital solid waste pollution load of the province. The results have also shown the importance of improving management techniques rather than building new facilities. The proposed methodology is used to formulate a master plan for hospital solid waste management.     

A prototype printer for laser driven micro-transfer printing

This paper demonstrates a new mode of automated micro transfer printing called laser micro transfer printing (LμTP). As a process, micro-transfer printing provides a unique and critical manufacturing route to extracting active microstructures from growth substrates and deterministically assembling them into a variety of functional substrates ranging from polymers to glasses and ceramics and to metallic foils to support applications such as flexible, large-area electronics, concentrating photovoltaics and displays. Laser transfer printing extends micro-transfer printing technology by providing a non-contact approach that is insensitive to the preparation and properties of the receiving substrate. It does so by exploiting the difference in the thermo-mechanical responses of the microstructure and transfer printing stamp materials to drive the release of the microstructure or ‘ink’ from the stamp and its transfer to substrate. This paper describes the process and the physical phenomena that drive it. It focuses on the use of this knowledge to design and test a print head for the process. The print head is used to demonstrate the new printing capabilities that LμTP enables.     

In vitro reproduction of the turbellarian<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Urastoma cyprinae</Emphasis> isolated from<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Mytilus galloprovincialis</Emphasis>

Urastoma cyprinae is a species infecting the gills of several marine bivalves. Although there is some literature on this turbellarian, its life cycle remains unknown. In our work we have demonstrated that reproduction of U. cyprinae can be completed out of its host. More than 50% of turbellarians isolated from mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) secreted and cemented a cocoon to the well bottom during the first 72 h of incubation in seawater (34 salinity) at 14°C. Oviposition started at days 1–18 (average 4.8 days) and occurred in most cases inside the protective cocoon. Each Urastoma laid an average of 2.9 egg capsules (range 1–10) and 3.9 embryos were developed inside each egg capsule (range 1–11). Hatching started at days 20–43 (average 24 days). An average of 12.8 juvenile forms (range 1–64) escaped from the cocoon after hatching. The free-swimming juveniles showed a positive phototactic response and survived about a month after hatching. On the basis of our results, we propose a life cycle for U. cyprinae involving a sexual maturation parasitic period in the bivalve gills and a reproduction period including cocoon secretion, egg laying, and hatching that is entirely completed in the external environment.Communicated by S.A. Poulet, Roscoff     

Simultaneous control of Hg0, SO2, and NOx by novel oxidized calcium-based sorbents

Efforts to develop multipollutant control strategies have demonstrated that adding certain oxidants to different classes of Ca-based sorbents leads to a significant improvement in elemental Hg vapor (Hg0), SO2, and NOx removal from simulated flue gases. In the study presented here, two classes of Ca-based sorbents (hydrated limes and silicate compounds) were investigated. A number of oxidizing additives at different concentrations were used in the Ca-based sorbent production process. The Hg0, SO2, and NOx capture capacities of these oxidant-enriched sorbents were evaluated and compared to those of a commercially available activated carbon in bench-scale, fixed-bed, and fluid-bed systems. Calcium-based sorbents prepared with two oxidants, designated C and M, exhibited Hg0 sorption capacities (approximately 100 microg/g) comparable to that of the activated carbon; they showed far superior SO2 and NOx sorption capacities. Preliminary cost estimates for the process utilizing these novel sorbents indicate potential for substantial lowering of control costs, as compared with other processes currently used or considered for control of Hg0, SO2, and NOx emissions from coal-fired boilers. The implications of these findings toward development of multipollutant control technologies and planned pilot and field evaluations of more promising multipollutant sorbents are summarily discussed.     

Tourism and CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions nexus in Southeast Asia: new evidence from panel estimation

The past decade has seen the rapid development of the tourist industry in Southeast Asia. There is increasing concern that tourism is highly affecting CO₂ emissions, but the nature of the relationship is still unclear. The main target of this paper is to investigate the existence of a linear and/or nonlinear relationship between tourism and CO₂ emissions in the five most important countries located in Southeast Asia, using the panel cointegration and pooled mean group techniques. The results indicate that tourism and CO₂ emissions are cointegrated, implying that tourism affects CO₂ emissions in the long run. Our findings support the nonlinear relationship between tourism and emissions as well as economic activities and CO₂ emissions. Accordingly, an inverted U-shaped relationship exists between tourism and emissions confirming the existence of an Environmental Kuznets Curve in the Southeast Asian tourism industry. Furthermore, the empirical results show that economic activities and energy consumption greatly increase emissions.