The effect of urbanization on environmental pollution in rapidly developing urban agglomerations

Sustainable tourism indicators (STIs) are an integral element of tourism planning and management This study systematically reviews the research contributions on the development of STIs based on fo

A systematic scoping review of sustainable tourism indicators in relation to the sustainable development goals

https://northumbria-test.eprints-hosting.org/id/document/270111

Urban green infrastructure and ecosystem services in sub-Saharan Africa

The present study includes a systematic analysis of sediment contamination by heavy metals of the River Ghaghara flowing through the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in Indian Territory To estimate the geochemical environment of the river, seven heavy metals, namely Co, Cu, Cr, Ni, Cd, Zn, and Pb were examined from the freshly deposited river bed sediment All the sediment samples were collected on a seasonal basis for the assessment of fluctuation in 2014–2015 and after preparation samples were analyzed using standard procedure Result showed that heavy metal concentration ranged between 1137 and 1842 mg/kg for Co, 276 and 1174 mg/kg for Cu, 6125 and 8768 mg/kg for Cr, 1529 and 2559 mg/kg for Ni, 021 and 028 mg/kg for Cd, 1326 and 1759 mg/kg for Zn, 1071 and 1426 mg/kg for Pb in different season Metal contamination factor indicates the anthropogenic input in the river sediment was in the range of (062–097) for Co, (004–026) for Cu, (068–097) for Cr, (022–038) for Ni, (070–093) for Cd, (014–019) for Zn, and (054–071) for Pb The highest contamination degree of the sediment was noticed as 401 at Ayodhya and lowest as 316 at Katerniaghat Geo-accumulation index was noted between (0 and 1) which showed that sediment was uncontaminated to moderately contaminated and may have adverse affects on freshwater ecology of the river Pollution load index (PLI) was found highest at Chhapra which was 045 and lowest at Katerniaghat which was 035 and it indicates that the river sediment has a low level of contamination Significant high correlation was observed between Co, Cu, and Zn, it suggests same source of contamination input is mainly due to human settlement and agriculture activity Positive correlation between Zn, Co, Cu, Cr, and Ni indicated a natural origin of these elements in the river sediment Cluster analysis suggests grouping of similar polluted sites The strong similarity between Co, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cu, and Cd showed relationship of these metals come from the same origin, which is possibly from natural and anthropogenic input which was also confirmed by correlation analysis Using the various pollution indicators it was found that the river bed sediment is less contaminated by toxic metals during the study but the sediment quality may degrade in the near future due to increasing anthropogenic inputs in the river basin, hence proper management strategies are required to control the direct dumping of wastewater in the river

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Assessment of heavy metal contamination in the sediment of the River Ghaghara, a major tributary of the River Ganga in Northern India

Sustainability is often conceived of as an attempt to balance competing economic, environmental and social priorities. Over the course of three decades of scholarship, however, the meaning and appropriate application of the ‘social pillar’ continues to inspire confusion. In this paper, we posit that the inherent challenge of understanding social sustainability is its many legitimate meanings plus a lack of interdisciplinary scholarship. We draw from literature in multiple disciplines to illustrate five different ways that the concept of social sustainability has been applied in scholarship and professional practice, and highlighting the importance of applications that acknowledge placed-based, process-oriented perspectives that understand social, economic, and environmental imperatives as integrated concepts. Ironically, this framing forecloses on social sustainability as an entity distinct from environmental and economic sustainability. We believe that organizing the conversation around these five applications can help advocates of sustainability use the concept of social sustainability in clear and powerful ways while avoiding applications that relegate the social dimensions of sustainability to an afterthought.

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/878/pdf

Five Approaches to Social Sustainability and an Integrated Way Forward

A lot of literature on urban development in developing countries has entirely focused on the nexus between rapid urbanization, Gross Geographic Product (GGP) and poverty growth with little research that demonstrates what this impacts on urban sustainability especially with increasing slums in rapidly urbanizing African countries. Available research has focused entirely on increasing poverty level in urban Africa and its mitigation without a clear direction on what this means to slums improvement and urban sustainability. This papers aims to give a conceptual analysis that will help to understand the dynamics of urban sustainability and slums development. The historical perspectives and current realities of Kibera slums in Nairobi are reviewed.

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Understanding the Grassroots Dynamics of Slums in Nairobi: The Dilemma of Kibera Informal Settlements

In recent years, population aging has been recognized as an emerging challenge in many parts of the world. Earlier studies discussed its impacts on the sustainability of social security systems and national economic growth; however, they tended to focus on the issues at the national level and were limited to developed countries. With the knowledge that population aging will be a predominant trend in both developed and developing countries, this paper aims to: (i) describe the global population aging trend and its regional demography; (ii) provide a structural review of population aging challenges at the national, communal and individual levels; and (iii) elaborate future research topics on population aging with a particular emphasis on developing countries. Several indicators suggest rapid population aging in the coming decades, especially in Asia, Latin America and Africa. The structural review presents the diverse challenges that affect both young and older population groups. Finally, the need for linking population aging with the sustainable development concept and the possible rural decline caused by rapid urbanization are suggested as future research topics. Further studies to establish a body of knowledge on population aging in developing countries are required to place population aging on the agenda of future sustainable development discussions.

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/4/4/940/pdf

Population Aging: An Emerging Research Agenda for Sustainable Development

Global urban development is increasingly becoming an aspect of focus as nations fight sustainability challenges. A review of the current literature on urban sustainability suggests that research on development of cities, in both developed and developing countries, is growing fast, with an emphasis on sustainable development. However, very little of this research contains an integrated framework to systematically identify and examine the various dimensions of urban sustainability and to measure and evaluate them appropriately. Cities are more than the sum of their sectors, and are complex and interdependent systems on whose dynamics the quality of life of millions of human beings and a good part of the economy depend. Environmental, economic, social and governance problems can create formidable barriers to urban sustainability. Governance remains a critically important dimension of urban sustainability, especially when discussing urbanization in developing countries, given rapid population movements and imbalances in socio-economic development. Understanding how cities function is fundamental to resolving these imbalances. The aim of this paper is to provide a review and analysis of the concept of urban sustainability and to propose the development of a holistic framework through integration of environmental, economic, social, and governance dimensions of sustainability. Such a review would make it possible to understand the complex dynamics of the four dimensions and to assess the progress and challenges in moving towards urban sustainability, taking the case of Nairobi, Kenya, as an example. The paper argues that, for urban sustainability in developing countries, more emphasis should be placed on the governance dimension, because this is where the biggest challenge exists, with increasing needs for immediate management of rapid urbanization.

Moving towards urban sustainability in Kenya: a framework for integration of environmental, economic, social and governance dimensions

This is an easy to read book that seeks to encourage ordinary Kenyans to take charge of their livelihoods and the destiny of the nation. It is ironical that more than 47 years since independence, our standards of living have not improved significantly. Instead the decline in the same is obvious meaning that the nation's leadership has basically failed to inspire sustainable development initiatives. This volume has attempted to interrogate this observation based on experiential work in selected dryland communities in the country. A long menu of strategies for sustainable community development is provided. Most critical, a change formula that could shift the direction and fate of this country at any level of decision-making is provided as the hitherto missing link. The authors hope that those who read this book will make use of the lessons discussed and somehow free themselves and many communities from what seems to be institutionalised poverty.

Sustainable Community Development

As one of the three pillars of sustainable development, social sustainability has received little attention compared to the economic and environmental pillars. The major reason accounting for the neglect is attributed to its contested nature. This has culminated in the current conceptual understanding of the term. Previous efforts on social sustainability have concentrated on theoretical interpretations rather than quantification assessment. This is because quantifying social sustainability is regarded a daunting task. Meanwhile, indicators are disparate which makes understanding even more confusing. To enrich our knowledge on the term, definitional assessment and indicator synthesis and application will play a major role. The objective of this paper is to review the indicators of social sustainability and empirically apply them using the composite index approach. The review uniquely identified three dimensions (sub components) of social sustainability - representation mechanism, collective state and individual access. Empirical application in Kibera in Kenya, depicted a medium level of social sustainability. The highest contributing sub component was collective state with the least being representation mechanism. The study results evidently suggest policy support for inclusive governance, improved housing, job creation, security, education and community trust. It is believed that addressing these diverse issues will enhance social sustainability in Kibera.

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Emmanuel Mutisya

Papers

Understanding the Grassroots Dynamics of Slums in Nairobi: The Dilemma of Kibera Informal Settlements

Population Aging: An Emerging Research Agenda for Sustainable Development

Moving towards urban sustainability in Kenya: a framework for integration of environmental, economic, social and governance dimensions

Sustainable Community Development

Social sustainability: a review of indicators and empirical application