@phdthesis{Brenner2022, author = {Brenner, Andri Caspar}, title = {Sustainable urban growth}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-55522}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-555223}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {231}, year = {2022}, abstract = {This dissertation explores the determinants for sustainable and socially optimalgrowth in a city. Two general equilibrium models establish the base for this evaluation, each adding its puzzle piece to the urban sustainability discourse and examining the role of non-market-based and market-based policies for balanced growth and welfare improvements in different theory settings. Sustainable urban growth either calls for policy actions or a green energy transition. Further, R\&D market failures can pose severe challenges to the sustainability of urban growth and the social optimality of decentralized allocation decisions. Still, a careful (holistic) combination of policy instruments can achieve sustainable growth and even be first best.}, language = {en} } @article{ChanBoranvanAsseltetal.2019, author = {Chan, Sander and Boran, Idil and van Asselt, Harro and Iacobuta, Gabriela and Niles, Navam and Rietig, Katharine and Scobie, Michelle and Bansard, Jennifer S. and Delgado Pugley, Deborah and Delina, Laurence L. and Eichhorn, Friederike and Ellinger, Paula and Enechi, Okechukwu and Hale, Thomas and Hermwille, Lukas and Hickmann, Thomas and Honegger, Matthias and Hurtado Epstein, Andrea and Theuer, Stephanie La Hoz and Mizo, Robert and Sun, Yixian and Toussaint, Patrick and Wambugu, Geoffrey}, title = {Promises and risks of nonstate action in climate and sustainability governance}, series = {Wiley interdisciplinary reviews : Climate change}, volume = {10}, journal = {Wiley interdisciplinary reviews : Climate change}, number = {3}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1757-7780}, doi = {10.1002/wcc.572}, pages = {8}, year = {2019}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Rolf2020, author = {Rolf, Werner}, title = {Peri-urban farmland included in green infrastructure strategies promotes transformation pathways towards sustainable urban development}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-47700}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-477002}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {IV, 116}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Urbanization and agricultural land use are two of the main drivers of global changes with effects on ecosystem functions and human wellbeing. Green Infrastructure is a new approach in spatial planning contributing to sustainable urban development, and to address urban challenges, such as biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation, green economy development, and social cohesion. Because the research focus has been mainly on open green space structures, such as parks, urban forest, green building, street green, but neglected spatial and functional potentials of utilizable agricultural land, this thesis aims at fill this gap. This cumulative thesis addresses how agricultural land in urban and peri-urban landscapes can contribute to the development of urban green infrastructure as a strategy to promote sustainable urban development. Therefore, a number of different research approaches have been applied. First, a quantitative, GIS-based modeling approach looked at spatial potentials, addressing the heterogeneity of peri-urban landscape that defines agricultural potentials and constraints. Second, a participatory approach was applied, involving stakeholder opinions to evaluate multiple urban functions and benefits. Finally, an evidence synthesis was conducted to assess the current state of research on evidence to support future policy making at different levels. The results contribute to the conceptual understanding of urban green infrastructures as a strategic spatial planning approach that incorporates inner-urban utilizable agricultural land and the agriculturally dominated landscape at the outer urban fringe. It highlights the proposition that the linkage of peri-urban farmland with the green infrastructure concept can contribute to a network of multifunctional green spaces to provide multiple benefits to the urban system and to successfully address urban challenges. Four strategies are introduced for spatial planning with the contribution of peri-urban farmland to a strategically planned multifunctional network, namely the connecting, the productive, the integrated, and the adapted way. Finally, this thesis sheds light on the opportunities that arise from the integration of the peri- urban farmland in the green infrastructure concept to support transformation towards a more sustainable urban development. In particular, the inherent core planning principle of multifunctionality endorses the idea of co-benefits that are considered crucial to trigger transformative processes. This work concludes that the linkage of peri-urban farmland with the green infrastructure concept is a promising action field for the development of new pathways for urban transformation towards sustainable urban development. Along with these outcomes, attention is drawn to limitations that remain to be addressed by future research, especially the identification of further mechanisms required to support policy integration at all levels.}, language = {en} } @article{BansardHickmannKern2019, author = {Bansard, Jennifer S. and Hickmann, Thomas and Kern, Kristine}, title = {Pathways to urban sustainability}, series = {GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society}, volume = {28}, journal = {GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society}, number = {2}, publisher = {Oekom Verlag}, address = {M{\"u}nchen}, issn = {0940-5550}, doi = {10.14512/gaia.28.2.9}, pages = {112 -- 118}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Recent years have seen a considerable broadening of the ambitions in urban sustainability policy-making. With its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, the 2030 Agenda stresses the critical role of cities in achieving sustainable development. In the context of SDG17 on partnerships, emphasis is also placed on the role of researchers and other scientific actors as change agents in the sustainability transformation. Against this backdrop, this article sheds light on different pathways through which science can contribute to urban sustainability. In particular, we discern four forms of science-policy-society interactions as key vectors: 1. sharing knowledge and providing scientific input to urban sustainability policy-making; 2. implementing transformative research projects; 3. contributing to local capacity building; and 4. self-governing towards sustainability. The pathways of influence are illustrated with empirical examples, and their interlinkages and limitations are discussed. We contend that there are numerous opportunities for actors from the field of sustainability science to engage with political and societal actors to enhance sustainable development at the local level.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Koenig2012, author = {K{\"o}nig, Hannes Jochen}, title = {Operationalising sustainability impact assessment of land use scenarios in developing countries : a stakeholder-based approach with case studies in China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, and Tunisia}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-63672}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Growing populations, continued economic development, and limited natural resources are critical factors affecting sustainable development. These factors are particularly pertinent in developing countries in which large parts of the population live at a subsistence level and options for sustainable development are limited. Therefore, addressing sustainable land use strategies in such contexts requires that decision makers have access to evidence-based impact assessment tools that can help in policy design and implementation. Ex-ante impact assessment is an emerging field poised at the science-policy interface and is used to assess the potential impacts of policy while also exploring trade-offs between economic, social and environmental sustainability targets. The objective of this study was to operationalise the impact assessment of land use scenarios in the context of developing countries that are characterised by limited data availability and quality. The Framework for Participatory Impact Assessment (FoPIA) was selected for this study because it allows for the integration of various sustainability dimensions, the handling of complexity, and the incorporation of local stakeholder perceptions. FoPIA, which was originally developed for the European context, was adapted to the conditions of developing countries, and its implementation was demonstrated in five selected case studies. In each case study, different land use options were assessed, including (i) alternative spatial planning policies aimed at the controlled expansion of rural-urban development in the Yogyakarta region (Indonesia), (ii) the expansion of soil and water conservation measures in the Oum Zessar watershed (Tunisia), (iii) the use of land conversion and the afforestation of agricultural areas to reduce soil erosion in Guyuan district (China), (iv) agricultural intensification and the potential for organic agriculture in Bijapur district (India), and (v) land division and privatisation in Narok district (Kenya). The FoPIA method was effectively adapted by dividing the assessment into three conceptual steps: (i) scenario development; (ii) specification of the sustainability context; and (iii) scenario impact assessment. A new methodological approach was developed for communicating alternative land use scenarios to local stakeholders and experts and for identifying recommendations for future land use strategies. Stakeholder and expert knowledge was used as the main sources of information for the impact assessment and was complemented by available quantitative data. Based on the findings from the five case studies, FoPIA was found to be suitable for implementing the impact assessment at case study level while ensuring a high level of transparency. FoPIA supports the identification of causal relationships underlying regional land use problems, facilitates communication among stakeholders and illustrates the effects of alternative decision options with respect to all three dimensions of sustainable development. Overall, FoPIA is an appropriate tool for performing preliminary assessments but cannot replace a comprehensive quantitative impact assessment, and FoPIA should, whenever possible, be accompanied by evidence from monitoring data or analytical tools. When using FoPIA for a policy oriented impact assessment, it is recommended that the process should follow an integrated, complementary approach that combines quantitative models, scenario techniques, and participatory methods.}, language = {en} } @article{KoenigZhenHelmingetal.2014, author = {Koenig, H. J. and Zhen, L. and Helming, K. and Uthes, S. and Yang, L. and Cao, Xianyong and Wiggering, Hubert}, title = {Assessing the impact of the sloping land conversion programme on rural sustainability in Guyuan, Western China}, series = {Land degradation \& development}, volume = {25}, journal = {Land degradation \& development}, number = {4}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1085-3278}, doi = {10.1002/ldr.2164}, pages = {385 -- 396}, year = {2014}, abstract = {The goal of China's sloping land conversion programme (SLCP) is to combat soil erosion and to reduce rural poverty. An ex-ante assessment of possible SLCP impacts was conducted with a focus on rural sustainability, taking the drought-prone region of Guyuan in Western China as an example. The Framework for Participatory Impact Assessment (FoPIA) was used to conduct two complementary impact assessments, one assessing SLCP impacts at regional level and a second one assessing alternative forest management options, to explore possible trade-offs among the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Regional stakeholders assessed the SLCP to be capable of reducing soil erosion but felt it negatively affected rural employment, and a further continuation of the Programme was advocated. Assessment of three forest management scenarios by scientists showed that an orientation towards energy forests is potentially beneficial to all three sustainability dimensions. Ecological forests had disproportionate positive impacts on environmental functions and adverse impact on the other two sustainability dimensions. Economic forests were assessed to serve primarily the economic and social sustainability dimensions, while environmental impacts were still tolerable. The FoPIA results were evaluated against the available literature on the SLCP. Overall, the assessment results appeared to be reasonable, but the results of the regional stakeholders appeared to be too optimistic compared with the more critical assessment of the scientists. The SLCP seems to have the potential to tackle soil erosion but requires integrated forest management to minimize the risk of water stress while contributing to economic and social benefits in Guyuan. Copyright (C) 2012 John Wiley \& Sons, Ltd.}, language = {en} } @book{Xhindi2013, author = {Xhindi, Nevila}, title = {Albania towards a sustainable regional development}, series = {Praxis Kultur- und Sozialgeographie | PKS}, journal = {Praxis Kultur- und Sozialgeographie | PKS}, number = {56}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, isbn = {978-3-86956-223-0}, issn = {0934-716X}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-62691}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2013}, abstract = {As Albania is accelerating its preparations towards the European Union candidate status, numerous areas of public policy and practices undergo intensive development processes. Regional development policy is a very new area of public policy in Albania, and needs research and development. This study focuses on the process of sustainable development in Albania, by analyzing and comparing the regional development of regions of Tirana, Shkodra and Kukes. The methodology used consists of a literature/desk review; analytical and comparative approach; qualitative interviews; quantitative data collection; analysis. The research is organized in five chapters. First chapter provides an overview of the study framework. The second outlines the theory and scientific framework for sustainable and regional development in relation with geography. The third chapter presents the picture of the regional development in Albania, analyzing the disparities and regional development in the light of EU requirements and NUTS division. Chapter 4 continues by analyzing and comparing the regional development of the regions: Tirana - driver for change, Shkodra - the North in Development and Kukes - the "shrinking" region. Chapter 5 presents the conclusions and recommendations. This research comes to the conclusions that if growth in Albania is to be increased and sustained, a regional development policy needs to be established.}, language = {en} } @article{PutraPradhanKropp2020, author = {Putra, Muhammad Panji Islam Fajar and Pradhan, Prajal and Kropp, J{\"u}rgen}, title = {A systematic analysis of Water-Energy-Food security nexus}, series = {The science of the total environment : an international journal for scientific research into the environment and its relationship with man}, volume = {728}, journal = {The science of the total environment : an international journal for scientific research into the environment and its relationship with man}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0048-9697}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138451}, pages = {9}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Most South Asian countries have challenges in ensuring water, energy, and food (WEF) security, which are often interacting positively or negatively. To address these challenges, the nexus approach provides a framework to identify the interactions of the WEF sectors as an integrated system. However, most nexus studies only qualitatively discuss the interactions between these sectors. This study conducts a systematic analysis of the WEF security nexus in South Asia by using open data sources at the country scale. We analyze interactions between the WEF sectors statistically, defining positive and negative correlations between the WEF security indicators as synergies and trade-offs, respectively. By creating networks of the synergies and trade-offs, we further identify most positively and negatively influencing indicators in the WEF security nexus. We observe a larger share of trade-offs than synergies within the water and energy sectors and a larger share of synergies than trade-offs among the WEF sectors for South Asia. However, these observations vary across the South Asian countries. Our analysis highlights that strategies on promoting sustainable energy and discouraging fossil fuel use could have overall positive effects on the WEF security nexus in the countries. This study provides evidence for considering the WEF security nexus as an integrated system rather than just a combination of three different sectors or securities.}, language = {en} }