Global Connections
Sustainable Mind, Sustainable Practice : An Exploration of Global Sustainability, Circularity, and Policy Development View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Tamira Samuel
Rapid urbanization, consumption, and linear methods of production have led to economic growth all over the world. While sustainability practices have been emergent for the last 40 years, through a variety of evolving concepts including green economy, shared values, and life cycle thinking; there have been continuous shifts in the approach, strategy, and development of creating more sustainable cities through development of circular cities and economies. As a member of the Circular San Antonio Copenhagen Sustainability Delegation, we explored both Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmo, Sweden’s intricacies of circularity built in the environment and groundbreaking sustainable urban design initiatives. As our world continues to rethink sustainability best practices, so must our approach to public policy that defines the ability to create and maintain sustainable lifestyles within cities. By 2050, at least 7 out of 10 people will live in a city: exasperating the need for accessible infrastructure, transportation, workforce development, housing, and public education. To prepare for the constant growth and demands of a global economy, cities must think differently about how they are designing infrastructure, housing, and waste management for citizens with limited supply, growing waste, and a changing economy that will have to solve problems that do not presently exist. There are major implications, particularly for marginalized communities that in the current state of the economy - are combatting houselessness, being underemployed, and being under-skilled. Policy must serve as the container for sustainable best practices to establish circularity to improve the quality of life for all citizens.
Featured From Global Ambitions to Local Realities: The Correlation Between SDGs Localization and Socio-economic Development in Ghana View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Mark Akrofi
The SDGs, adopted globally in 2015, necessitate localization where national and sub-national entities adapt and integrate these goals to address socioeconomic and environmental issues in different contexts. This research examines how local governments in Ghana integrate the SDGs into their Medium-Term Development Plans (MTDPs) and assesses the association between these localized efforts and key socio-economic development outcomes. By analyzing the MTDPs of 138 local governments across 14 regions, the research finds that 78% of the 169 SDGs targets have been localized in Ghana. Nonetheless, goals related to climate action and environmental sustainability, show less localization, indicating a need for targeted interventions. A Pearson correlation analysis revealed a strong association between localized SDGs and improved socio-economic outcomes, particularly in areas of healthcare access, education, energy access, and poverty reduction. The study highlights the potential of SDGs localization to drive sustainable development and underscores the importance of empowering local governments in tailoring global goals to local contexts. The study's insights contribute to the broader discourse on SDGs localization, offering valuable lessons for similar initiatives in other sub-Saharan African countries.
Sustainability in Adaptive Reuse Projects for Cultural Tourism Development: Traditional Buildings as Tourist Accommodations
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Sahba Tavakoli
The contemporary challenges of climate change, globalization, and other factors threaten natural and built environments. There is a growing number of tourists seeking unique experiences, leading to an increase in adaptive reuse projects for cultural tourism development. However, this trend faces specific challenges. Balancing the preservation of a building's authenticity and values with the needs of modern tourists is a delicate task. Additionally, ensuring the environmental sustainability of such projects is a significant challenge. Adhering to the criteria set by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) can help avoid unsustainable development practices. This paper is divided into three main sections. The first section focuses on the authenticity and sustainability aspects of traditional buildings. The second section provides an overview of the ICOMOS criteria for sustainable conservation and adaptive reuse and the criteria set by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) for hotels. Lastly, the third section analyzes the reuse of a traditional house as tourist accommodation, recognized with a prestigious architecture award. The results of this analysis underscore the lessons and priorities for preventing the failure of such projects, specifically in developing countries.
Engaging ‘All’ Domestic Water Users to Enhance Resilience to Changing Climate and Landscape
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Chandni Bedi
Urban water management policies aim to create liveable and sustainable cities while addressing the complexities of climate change and the evolving urban landscape. These policies often rely heavily on technological solutions or economic valuation. While there has been a recent shift towards a participatory approach, its effective implementation remains a challenge. This paper highlights the need for an interdisciplinary approach that integrates the cognitive, intrinsic, and perceived values of all domestic water users to enhance liveability in policy development. Using the Environmental-Portrait Value Questionnaire (E-PVQ) combined with principal component analysis, we conducted a study in Gurugram City, located in the northern state of Haryana, India. Our findings underscore the importance of understanding and addressing the values and behaviours of diverse domestic water users to tackle urban water management challenges for future liveability and sustainability. The study also reveals that different demographic and socio-economic segments often coexist within the same community, ranging from mainstream urban to informal settlements and peri-urban areas, each with diverse perceptions and competition for natural resources such as water. Therefore, urban water policies must prioritize the agenda of ‘equity’ and ensure the inclusion of voices from those most affected by water-related challenges. This is critical for achieving truly liveable and sustainable cities.
