Identification of Sustainability Indicators and Evaluation of Transportation Corridors during Construction Using Fuzzy VIKOR Method

Sustainability is popularly defined as meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Social, economic and environmental parameters are most commonly accepted as the three pillars of sustainability. In this paper, various sustainability indicators have been identified during the construction stage for elevated transportation corridors and thereafter classified under various categories. Using fuzzy VIKOR technique, sustainability evaluation of transportation corridors is made on two selected project sites of two different government organizations using various identified sustainability indicators, i.e., a 3.2-km long elevated road project under construction from Vikaspuri to Meerabagh in West Delhi by PWD （Public Works Department） and the metro rail elevated corridor （part） from Punjabi Bagh to Mayapuri as a part of Phase 3, Line 7 by DMRC （Delhi Metro Rail Corporation）. The study is made at both sites in the midst of the construction period and it is identified that during the construction stage, the sustainability of these transportation corridors is just not limited to three pillars, but in actuality, it is much beyond that. From the study, it is inferred that the metro rail elevated corridor is a more sustainable corridor, in the context of the identified sustainability indicators.

Indicators and tools for assessing sustainability impacts of the forest bioeconomy

The sustainable use of renewable resources has become an important issue worldwide in the move towards a less fossil-fuel-intensive future.Mainstream method for fulfilling this aim is to increase the share of renewable energy and materials to substitute fossil fuels and to become fully independent from fossil fuels over the long-term.However, the environmental sustainability of this endeavor has been questioned.In addition,economic and social sustainability issues are also much debated topics in this particular context.Forest resources are often thought to contribute partially to achieving a so-called ＂carbon-neutral society＂.In this review, we discuss sustainability issues of using forest biomass.We present several sustainability indicators for ecological,economic and social dimensions and discuss the issues in applying them in sustainability impact assessments（SIAs）.We also present a number of tools and methods previously used in conducting SIAs.We approach our study from the perspective of the Finnish forestry; in addition, various aspects regarding the application of SIAs in a broader context are also presented.One of the key conclusions of the study is that although sufficient data are available to measure many indicators accurately, the impacts may be very difficult to assess（e.g.impact of greenhouse gases on biodiversity） for conducting a holistic SIA.Furthermore, some indicators, such as ＂biodiversity＂, are difficult to quantify in the first place.Therefore, a mix of different methods, such as Multi-criteria Assessment, Life-cycle Assessment or Cost-Benefit Analysis, as well as different approaches（e.g.thresholds and strong/weak sustainability） are needed in aggregating the results of the impacts.SIAs are important in supporting and improving the acceptability of decision-making, but a certain degree of uncertainty will always have to be tolerated.

Indicators and Influence Factors for Sustainability Assessment of Inclusive Smart Innovation Clusters

A new manufacturing and business infrastructure industrial ecosystem model with the state-of-the art core infrastructure and smart applications in the form of inclusive smart innovation cluster is seen as a powerful tool to drive industrial symbiosis, economic, social and inclusive development. Essentially an integrated eco-industrial park, these clusters demonstrate applications of industrial ecology principles among the occupant units, besides promoting sustainable societies from economic, environmental and social perspectives. The holistic planning and development of these clusters from economic, environmental and social sustainability considerations or alternatively, the sustainability assessment of these clusters is highly complex. The research reported upon forms part of a larger study that aims to develop an integrated decision support system for sustainability assessment of inclusive smart innovation cluster. The paper discusses the conceptual model of the cluster and the need to establish context specific key indicators and influence factors from economic, environmental and social sustainability considerations. The paper proposes a structured methodology for development of key indicators and influence factors. The paper concludes by identifying a set of 184 key indicators and influence factors for comprehensive sustainability assessment of inclusive smart innovation cluster.

From EBIT to SEBIT(Sustainable EBIT):Sustainable Performance Accounting(SPA)Using the Example of CO_(2) Accounting

Corporate sustainability reporting has become increasingly important in recent years.However,conventional approaches reach their limits when it comes to quantifying and measuring the actual sustainability performance of a company.This article presents a new approach:Sustainable Performance Accounting(SPA),which is based on an extension of bookkeeping by including ESG bookkeeping.SPA enables companies to systematically measure and manage their sustainability performance.The article provides an overview of the basics of SPA methodology and uses a comprehensive example showing how SPA can be implemented in practice.The article is aimed at interested readers from science and practice as well as decision-makers who are interested in future-oriented sustainability reporting.

The Barometer of Sustainability as a Monitoring Tool of the Sustainable Development Process in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil

The aim is to present and discuss the level of sustainability of Ribeirao Preto, Brazil based on Sustainability Indicators using the Barometer of Sustainability. The Barometer of Sustainability is a method of two-dimensional analysis which assesses the wellbeing in human and ecological dimensions of an equitable and systematic system, not leaving the data overlap, not masking the results and finding in a Wellbeing Index. The results showed that Ribeir^o Preto is on intermediate level in relation to sustainable development with better performance in human dimensions. The themes of Soil and Biodiversity were considered unsustainable in the analysis of findings. This reveals that the city presents a greater concern with the socio-economic issues at the expense of environmental issues.

Is the German Energy System Sustainable？ An Analysis Based on the UNCSD Theme-Based Approach of Sustainability

Sustainable development is a crucial element for the future of the world and a keystone of the international agenda. The Index of Sustainable Development （ISD） calculates the degree to which sustainable development has been achieved. ISD starts by （1） measuring the individual indicators of a sustainability strategy; （2） then measures the subordinate themes or pillars, which contain these indicators; （3） and finally measures the total system, consisting of the sum of the themes. The ISD provides quantified information for each of these levels for the public and political decision makers. The ISD is used to analyze as an example the sustainability of the German Energy sector, based on the targets the German Government set in its 2002 sustainability strategy.

Analyzing Methods of Using Sustainable Development Indicators

Sustainable development indicators, aim to measure sustainable development over longer periods of time. The sustainable development indicators are grouped into 10 subject categories： socioeconomic development, sustainable consumption and production, social inclusion, demographic changes, public health, climate change and energy, sustainable transport, natural resources, global partnership and finally good governance. In this paper, the authors examined a number of researches and compared the methods they used in order to determine the advantages and disadvantages of each method. The methods used a large number of different indicators. The comparison of the indicators could be made through mathematical models and also through theoretical approach.

China's transition to a low-carbon economy and climate resilience:The impact of sustainable modernization indicators

While sustainability is widely recognized as a necessary path for development and climate change mitigation,there is no consensus on this concept’s goals and future aspirations.Advocates of a green economy believe that economic growth is a prerequisite for long-term progress and the modernization of society.This entails gradually transitioning to a more sustainable economy and addressing carbon emissions.Therefore,there is a need for the scientific community to investigate how different forms of modernization affect carbon emissions.This study examines the impact of modernization on carbon emissions in China,the world’s largest developing economy,focusing on five indicators of sustainable modernization:ecological modernization,agricultural modernization,digitalization,industrialization,and urbanization.The study analyzes data from 31 Chinese provincial-level regions between 2005 and 2020,using the GeoDetector technique to explore the effects of these indicators on carbon emissions.The spatial analysis reveals a distinct“core-periphery”structure of carbon emissions.The findings demonstrate that ecological modernization and digitalization contribute to reducing emissions.On the other hand,industrialization and urbanization have a positive influence on carbon emissions.Interestingly,agricultural modernization initially increases carbon emissions in the short term but has a diminishing effect in the long term.

Sustainable tourism development in mountain areas in Sumadija and Western Serbia

Sustainable tourism,as an integral part of sustainable development,emerged as a logical outcome of preventing the uncontrolled and excessive use of tourism resources and attractions.This study analyzes whether mountain tourism development in Serbia can be sustainable and feasible in the long term.Given the heterogeneity of mountains in Serbia in terms of tourism development,the subject of this research is the achieved level of sustainable tourism development in mountains in the most developed and most visited region in Serbia-sumadija and Western Serbia:Zlatibor,Kopaonik,Tara,Zlatar,Mokra Gora and Go?.The sustainable tourism development level was analyzed by using five groups of the EU’s comparative indicators:economic,social,cultural,environmental and tourist satisfaction indicators.The results showed that the development of tourism in the examined mountains is not fully aligned with sustainable development.The tourist satisfaction indicator has the most acceptable values,which is a good basis for further harmonization of tourism development on the principles of sustainability.Economic indicators,especially the ratio of overnight stays and accommodation capacities,show the most unacceptable values,which indicate the need for implementing changes in the process of tourism development in the coming period.The analysis of sustainable tourism in mountain areas in sumadija and the Western Serbia undoubtfully points out that it is necessary to significantly change the current tourism product portfolio,which implies harmonizing mountain tourism development with global trends.Certainly,a comparative analysis that looks at the degree of sustainability of mountain tourism in some countries of the Alpine region,such as Switzerland,Austria and Slovenia,contributes to this.The more intensive development of tourism throughout the year would significantly improve indicators of sustainable tourism in all analyzed mountain areas of Sumadija and Western Serbia.This would improve the value of economic indicators,which are marked as the most unsustainable.The development of tourism in the summer season,especially recreational and adventure tourism,would improve the social and cultural component of sustainable tourism.Environmental dimension of sustainable tourism would be enhanced by the development of ecotourism.By connecting spatially close mountains(Zlatibor,Zlatar,Tara and Mokra Gora)into a unique and integrated tourism destination,synergistic effects would be achieved resulting in international recognition and making the region of?umadija and Western Serbia competitive on the European market.

An Approach to Environmental Planning and Sustainable Management of Watersheds and Municipalities in Southeastern Brazil

Diagnosis of fragmentation and landscape sustainability conditions are essential to environmental planning and sustainable management of natural resources. Land use spatial patterns and landscape structural indexes (landscape metrics, Urbanity Index— UI, and Landscape Vulnerability Index—LVI) have been proposed to assess biodiversity conservation and ecological sustainability, provided by impact of land use at Middle Mogi Gua&#231u watershed and its seventeen municipalities, in 2009. Land use typologies and structural indexes values were obtained based on screen digitizing of LandSat-5 imagery, for 2009. Cluster analysis and Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance were used to test the null hypothesis of equal degrees of fragmentation and sustainability conditions among municipalities in 2009, respectively. Land use spatial pattern showed a predominantly human occupation for watershed and its municipalities, with agricultural use as the main pressure factor. Municipalities were aggregated into three clusters related to forest fragmentation: one categorized by fifteen municipalities;the second cluster (municipality of Luiz Ant&#244nio) showing the best condition, and the third group (municipality of Araraquara) with extreme fragmentation condition. Landscape metrics related with shape, size, and core areas fragments intensify edge effects, and increase habitat isolation. The watershed showed a low naturalness and an intermediate degree of vulnerability. Ecological sustainability was different among municipalities (α = 0.05, F = 32.65 and p = 0.002), with two municipalities (Analandia and Luiz Ant&#244nio) presenting the best conditions. The most committed condition was observed, in municipalities of Rinc&#227o and Guatapará. For conservation policies to be effective must focus on the creation of ecological corridors around legally protected areas, besides creation of new legal reserves, with purpose to improve biodiversity conservation and ecological sustainability of Middle Mogi Gua&#231u watershed and its municipalities.

Spatial Quality Evaluation of Pedestrian Streets

This paper presents an assessment of the spatial quality of a pedestrian street located in downtown Bauru, S^o Paulo State, Brazil, from the application of some urban sustainability indicators. Multi-method was used to evaluate the thermal comfort quality of users, urban accessibility and preservation of architectural heritage. The results show that the sustainability indicators, apart from being effective tools in identifying problems, can assist local managers in decision making, planning and monitoring of pedestrian public space. These indicators contribute to a broad diagnosis of the pedestrian street and also the formulation of programs, projects and municipal policies, aimed at providing a better life quality for pedestrians.

Towards the sustainable intensification of agriculture——a systems approach to policy formulation

The sustainable intensification of agriculture involves providing sufficient food and other ecosystem services without going beyond the limits of the earth’s system.Here a project management approach is suggested to help guide agricultural policy to deliver these objectives.The first step is to agree measurable outcomes,integrating formal policy goals with the often much less formal and much more diverse goals of individual farmers.The second step is to assess current performance.Ideally,this will involve the use of farm-scale metrics that can feed into process models that address social and environmental domains as well as production issues that can be benchmarked and upscaled to landscape and country.Some policy goals can be delivered by supporting ad hoc interventions,while others require the redesign of the farming system.A pipeline of research,knowledge and capacity building is needed to ensure the continuous increase in farm performance.System models can help prioritise policy interventions.Formal optimization of land use is only appropriate if the policy goals are clear,and the constraints understood.In practice,the best approach may depend on the scale of action that is required,and on the amount of resource and infrastructure available to generate,implement and manage policy.