A parcel-scale assessment tool to measure sustainability through urban ecosystem components: The MUSIX model

In recent years a number of urban sustainability assessment frameworks are developed to better inform policy formulation and decision-making processes. This paper introduces one of these attempts in developing a comprehensive assessment tool—i.e., Micro-level Urban-ecosystem Sustainability IndeX (MUSIX). Being an indicator-based indexing model, MUSIX investigates the environmental impacts of land-uses on urban sustainability by measuring urban ecosystem components in local scale. The paper presents the methodology of MUSIX and demonstrates the performance of the model in a pilot test-bed—i.e., in Gold Coast, Australia. The model provides useful insights on the sustainability performance of the test-bed area. The parcel-scale findings of the indicators are used to identify local problems considering six main issues of urban development—i.e., hydrology; ecology; pollution; location; design, and; efficiency. The composite index score is used to propose betterment strategies to guide the development of local area plans in conjunction with the City's Planning Scheme. In overall, this study has shown that parcel-scale environmental data provides an overview of the local sustainability in urban areas as in the example of Gold Coast, which can also be used for setting environmental policy, objectives and targets.     

Application of west java water sustainability index to three water catchments in west java,Indonesia

This study presents a comparative application of the West Java Water Sustainability Index to Citarum, Ciliwung and Citanduy catchments in West Java, Indonesia. A two-fold comparison is presented, firstly, that of the overall condition of water resources using the final index value and secondly, that of specific water sustainability issues using the comparison of the sub-index values of the indicators. The overall comparison ranks the condition of water resources of Citanduy catchment is slightly better, whereas sub-index values of Education, Health Impact, Water Demand, and Poverty show important differences among catchments. Based on the performance of the catchments identified in this study, priority of actions has been recommended to the authorities.     

Comparative analysis of passenger transport sustainability in European cities

Sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – has become a major concern on an international scale. The problem is global, but must be solved locally. Most of the world’s population lives in cities that act as centres of economic growth and productivity, but which – if they develop in the wrong direction – can cause social inequalities, or irreversibly harm the environment. Urban transport causes a number of negative impacts that can affect sustainability targets. The objective of this study is to propose an analysis of sustainability of urban passenger transport systems based on available indicators in most cities. This will serve to benchmark the practices of different cities and manage their transport systems. This work involves the creation of composite indicators (CI) to measure the sustainability of urban passenger transport systems. The methodology is applied to 23 European cities. The indicators are based on a benchmarking approach, and the evaluation of each aspect in each case therefore depends on the performance of the whole sample. The CI enabled us to identify which characteristics have the greatest influence on the sustainability of a city’s transport system, and to establish transport policies that could potentially improve its shortcomings. Finally, the cities are clustered according to the values obtained from the CIs, and thus according to the weaknesses and strengths of their transport systems.     

Development of composite sustainability performance index for steel industry

The steel companies are becoming increasingly aware about the sustainability challenges. In order to become a responsible corporate citizen, the industry has responded to these challenges through adoption of pillars of sustainability. The industry has made the beginning with identification of sustainability indicators. The indicators have been developed specifically for steel industry. Generally, it is quite difficult to evaluate the performance of company on the basis of large number of sustainability indicators. Integration of key sustainability indicators is quite essential for decision-making. Composite indicators are an innovative approach to evaluate sustainable performance. This paper presents a method for development of composite sustainability performance index (CSPI) that addresses the sustainable performance of steel industries along all the three pillars of sustainability—economic, environmental and societal. Organizational governance and technical aspects have also been considered fourth and fifth dimensions of sustainability.The objective of this paper is to introduce sustainability and to present a conceptual decision model, using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to assist in evaluating the impact of an organization's sustainability performance. AHP has been used to determine the weights at various levels. Sub-indices have been evaluated and aggregated to form CSPI. The effectiveness of the proposed model is evaluated in a case study for a major steel company in India.     

Meta-performance evaluation of sustainability indicators

There are many different kinds of frameworks for evaluating environmental and sustainability performance at the organizational level (profit or not-for-profit, private or public), sectoral level (e.g. industry, transport, agriculture and tourism), and local, regional or country levels. Despite the diversity of methods and tools to measure sustainable development, indicators are one of the approaches most used. However, these tools do not usually include evaluation of the performance measurement instrument itself. The main objective of this research is to develop a conceptual framework to design and assess the effectiveness of the sustainability indicators themselves. To put the proposed tool into practice, a set of key good-practice factors and meta-performance evaluation indicators is proposed for adoption in a national case study—the national sustainable development indicators system, SIDS Portugal, and the usefulness of this methodology is demonstrated. This approach aims to evaluate how appropriate a set of sustainability indicators is and allow an evaluation of overall performance-monitoring activities and results. Stakeholder involvement is an essential component of the proposed framework. The tool developed could support continuous improvement in the performance of ongoing sustainability indicator initiatives, allowing greater guidance, objectivity and transparency in sustainability assessment processes.     

Emergy-based indicators of regional environmental sustainability: A case study in Shanwei,Guangdong, China

Understanding which factors mainly affect the environmental sustainability of a Region is a very crucial concern for many Chinese planners and policy-makers. In this study, the emergy accounting method is applied to the production and consumption activities of the city of Shanwei, a seaside urban area in Guangdong region, China. The emergy method provides a comprehensive assessment of a system, by generating a consistent set of indicators capable to capture the dynamics of the system as a whole and its efficiency in converting resources into an economic product and welfare. At the same time, the approach is capable to provide details about a system's performance over time, its use of renewable versus nonrenewables sources, local versus imported, concentrated versus dispersed and finally labor intensive versus fuel intensive processes. The main local renewable and nonrenewable emergy flows supporting the investigated area were included in the accounting, together with the flows of imported energy, goods, machinery, labor and services. Coal plays a crucial role for electricity generation, industrial uses, but also gasoline and diesel for transport affect the overall sustainability to a non-negligible extent. An Emergy Sustainability Indicator (ESI) of the local economic and social system is calculated and compared with the average value of the Chinese economy, based on the assumption that a process or system is unsustainable if it contributes to lower the overall sustainability of the region or country. This is quantified by the requirement that always must be ESI_local ≧ ESI_country. Results confirm that the most crucial factor for this region sustainability is the use of coal as a non-renewable and imported energy source. The calculated emergy indicators translate into a set-aside buffer land demand capable to mitigate, dilute, and uptake the environmental impact of human-dominated activities. Unfortunately, such buffer land demand is much higher than the land actually available. As a result, both the ESI-based sustainability equation as well as the lack of support land make the city's production and consumption patterns unsustainable and call for different lifestyles and environmental policies.     

景观可持续性与景观可持续性科学

人类活动已经剧烈地改变了自然环境,全球气候变化、生物多样性丧失、环境污染等种种迹象表明当今世界正处在一个不可持续的运行轨迹上,实现可持续发展成为21世纪人类面临的巨大挑战。景观是理解与塑造人类社会和环境关系最具操作性的尺度,也是提供景观服务,实现人类福祉最重要的场所。景观可持续性研究对于人类具有重要意义。景观可持续性是指特定景观所具有的、能够长期而稳定地提供景观服务、维护和改善本区域人类福祉的综合能力。景观可持续性具有跨学科、多维度特征,强调景观弹性和可再生能力;景观服务是景观可持续性研究中的重要概念,它是连接自然资本与人类福祉的关键桥梁,也是将景观可持续性与景观生态学紧密联系在一起的纽带。格局-过程-设计新范式的产生是景观可持续性研究的新发展。在景观可持续性快速发展的同时,聚焦于景观和区域尺度的景观可持续性科学应运而生。景观可持续性科学以景观格局、景观服务、人类福祉三者之间的动态关系为主要研究内容,充分融合了景观生态学空间显示方法、可持续性指标体系和GISRS等方法技术,其理论框架和研究方法体系正在逐步形成和完善之中。景观可持续性科学是可持续性科学的重要组成部分,虽然处于刚刚起步阶段,它必将成为未来十多年可持续性科学的研究热点。     

The Design of a Sustainability Assessment Standard Using Life Cycle Information

Sustainability assessment standards are currently being developed for a range of building products. This activity has been stimulated through the considerable success of the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED? standard. Transparent life cycle–based standards can guide manufacturers to design products that have reduced environmental impact. The use of a sustainability standard can certify performance and avoid green washing. In this article we present a logical framework for designing a sustainability assessment standard through the creation of tables that award points in the standard to be consistent with life cycle information. Certain minimum principles of consistency are articulated. In the case that the life cycle impact assessment method maps the life cycle inventory to impact through a linear weighting, two design approaches—impact category and activity substitution—are constructed to be consistent with these principles. The approach is illustrated in a case study of a partial redesign of a carpet sustainability assessment standard (NSF/ANSI‐140).     

Ecological network analysis of urban–industrial ecosystems

Sustainability of urban areas is paramount in the coming years as cities continue to grow in population and resource consumption. A number of methods to model cities have been developed, including material flow analysis and urban metabolism, but these accounting methods do not fully analyze the complex network dynamics present within cities. Ecological network analysis (ENA) provides a new perspective into these urban areas by using metrics designed for analysis of natural ecosystems. This study analyzes 29 urban–industrial ecosystems using ENA, comparing the networks to each other as well as comparing them to previously analyzed eco‐industrial parks and natural food webs. It is found that these systems perform similar to other human‐designed systems, which consistently lack in ecological performance when compared with the natural ecosystems. Additionally, the impact of specific actor types within these networks is shown indicating the importance of industry, agriculture, and the natural environment. Finally, the types of networks are determined to affect the ecological metrics, with the more linear‐based energy networks having the worst performance. This new dataset of ecologically analyzed networks provides a deeper understanding of urban networks and their infrastructure, while providing useful information on how to potentially improve their sustainability.     

Ethnic groups,urban places,and retail enterprise: the United States, 1900

This study proposes an entrepreneurship model that (1) uses sociological literature on ethnic stratification to develop a typology of subdominant, marginalized, subordinate, and outcast minority groups and (2) applies geographic principles to spatially define variation in entrepreneurial environments in terms of urban hierarchies, regional milieus, and hinterland centres. Examining retail enterprise, the study utilizes the interactionist approach, which holds that ethnic business differences result from an interplay of groups’ attributes (supply) and locations’ opportunity structures (demand). The study extends this approach by incorporating the mixed embeddedness concept, which stresses the importance of ethnic groups’ situation in broad social, political, and institutional contexts. Regression analyses of Census data for US cities in 1900 show why retail enterprise among outcast minorities is demand-side resistant, while retail enterprise among marginalized minorities is demand-side reactive. The model thus yields insights into how ethnic stratification and geographical positions interact to produce inequalities of ethnic entrepreneurship.     

An Index of Regional Sustainability: A GIS-based multiple criteria analysis decision support system for progressing sustainability

GIS (Geographical Information Systems) based decision support tools will be useful in helping guide regions to sustainability. These tools need to be simple but effective at identifying, for regional managers, areas most in need of initiatives to progress sustainability. Multiple criteria analysis (MCA) has been used as a decision support tool for a wide number of applications, as it provides a systematic framework for evaluating various options. It has the potential to be used as a tool for sustainability assessment, because it can bring together the sustainability criteria from all pillars, social, economic and environmental, to give an integrated assessment of sustainability. Furthermore, the use of GIS and MCA together is an emerging addition to conducting sustainability assessments.This paper further develops a sustainability assessment framework developed for the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority region of Victoria, Australia by providing a GIS-based decision support system for regional agencies. This tool uses multiple criteria analysis in a GIS framework to assess the sustainability of sub-catchments in the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment. The multiple criteria analysis based on economic, social and environmental indicators developed in previous stages of this project was used as the basis to build a model in ArcGIS^®. The GIS-based multiple criteria analysis, called An Index of Regional Sustainability Spatial Decision Support System (AIRS SDSS), produced maps showing sub-catchment sustainability, and environmental, social and economic condition. As a result, this tool is able to highlight those sub-catchments most in need of assistance with achieving sustainability. It will also be a valuable tool for evaluation and monitoring of strategies for sustainability. This paper shows the usefulness of GIS-based multiple criteria analysis to enhance the monitoring and evaluation of sustainability at the regional to sub-catchment scale.     

Validating sustainability indicators: Focus on ecological aspects of Flemish dairy farms

Although many indicator-based sustainability monitoring tools for agriculture have been developed in the last decade, considerably less effort has been put on their validation. In the present study, we developed and applied a procedure to validate (i) MOTIFS (Monitoring Tool for Integrated Farm Sustainability), an indicator-based monitoring tool for integrated farm sustainability of Flemish dairy farms and (ii) a selection of ecological indicators (included in MOTIFS), related to nutrient use, energy use, water use and water quality. The procedure considers two steps. The first step is an accuracy evaluation, which consists of a design validation related to the scientific quality of MOTIFS and its selected indicators, and an output validation that is an evaluation of the information supplied by their output. For both validation types, we applied a transdisciplinary approach of stakeholder participation. The second step is a credibility evaluation, which relates to the degree of confidence potential end-users have in MOTIFS and hence their willingness to effectively use it in practice. This involves an end-use validation, for which we designed a test to evaluate (i) the end-use value of the selected indicators as decision aid tools, (ii) the end-use value of MOTIFS as a decision aid tool and communication tool and (iii) the willingness of potential end-users to use MOTIFS in practice. We considered two potential end-user groups: Flemish dairy farmers and ‘sustainability consultants’ (e.g. agricultural advisors assigned by farmer's organisations). Based on the validation results, we made suggestions to improve the tool and its effective application in practice. We concluded that MOTIFS is a potentially effective sustainability monitoring and management tool, since it has major assets that should be incorporated in any indicator-based system: positioning, informing, learning and communicating.     

Towards life cycle sustainability assessment: an implementation to photovoltaic modules

Purpose

The main goal of the paper is to carry out the first implementation of sustainability assessment of the assembly step of photovoltaic (PV) modules production by Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) and the development of the Life Cycle Sustainability Dashboard (LCSD), in order to compare LCSA results of different PV modules. The applicability and practicability of the LCSD is reported thanks to a case study. The results show that LCSA can be considered a valuable tool to support decision-making processes that involve different stakeholders with different knowledge and background.

Method

The sustainability performance of the production step of Italian and German polycrystalline silicon modules is assessed using the LCSD. The LCSD is an application oriented to the presentation of an LCSA study. LCSA comprises life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle costing and social LCA (S-LCA). The primary data collected for the German module are related to two different years, and this led to the evaluation of three different scenarios: a German 2008 module, a German 2009 module, and an Italian 2008 module.

Results and discussion

According to the LCA results based on Ecoindicator 99, the German module for example has lower values of land use [1.77 potential disappeared fractions (PDF) m²/year] and acidification (3.61 PDF m²/year) than the Italian one (land use 1.99 PDF m²/year, acidification 3.83 PDF m²/year). However, the German module has higher global warming potential [4.5E?C05 disability-adjusted life years (DALY)] than the Italian one [3.00E?05 DALY]. The economic costs of the German module are lower than the Italian one, e.g. the cost of electricity per FU for the German module is 0.12??/m² compared to the Italian 0.85??/m². The S-LCA results show significant differences between German module 2008 and 2009 that represent respectively the best and the worst overall social performances of the three considered scenarios compared by LCSD. The aggregate LCSD results show that the German module 2008 has the best overall sustainability performance and a score of 665 points out of 1,000 (and a colour scale of light green). The Italian module 2008 has the worst overall sustainability performance with a score of 404 points, while the German module 2009 is in the middle with 524 points.

Conclusions

The LCSA and LCSD methodologies represent an applicable framework as a tool for supporting decision-making processes which consider sustainable production and consumption. However, there are still challenges for a meaningful application, particularly the questions of the selection of social LCA indicators and how to weigh sets for the LCSD.     

Using an Improved SIFT Algorithm and Fuzzy Closed-Loop Control Strategy for Object Recognition in Cluttered Scenes

Partial occlusions, large pose variations, and extreme ambient illumination conditions generally cause the performance degradation of object recognition systems. Therefore, this paper presents a novel approach for fast and robust object recognition in cluttered scenes based on an improved scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) algorithm and a fuzzy closed-loop control method. First, a fast SIFT algorithm is proposed by classifying SIFT features into several clusters based on several attributes computed from the sub-orientation histogram (SOH), in the feature matching phase only features that share nearly the same corresponding attributes are compared. Second, a feature matching step is performed following a prioritized order based on the scale factor, which is calculated between the object image and the target object image, guaranteeing robust feature matching. Finally, a fuzzy closed-loop control strategy is applied to increase the accuracy of the object recognition and is essential for autonomous object manipulation process. Compared to the original SIFT algorithm for object recognition, the result of the proposed method shows that the number of SIFT features extracted from an object has a significant increase, and the computing speed of the object recognition processes increases by more than 40%. The experimental results confirmed that the proposed method performs effectively and accurately in cluttered scenes.     

CATEGORY APPRAISAL WITHIN A LIMITED PRODUCT RANGE: A METHODS-ORIENTED CASE HISTORY

This paper presents the author's approach to synthesizing useful direction from product testing when the stimuli are not systematically varied. The approach presented here comprises a research design and data analysis strategy, rather than a conventional product optimization with subsequent validation. The design steps comprise stimulus selection, attribute selection, and product evaluation. The data analysis comprises univariate modeling to show how sensory attributes drive overall liking, reduction of the matrix to factor scores for multivariate modeling, and then the creation of an integrated product model. The outcome is a set of factor scores that can be translated to sensory attributes and in turn to target products.     

基于系统演化视角的可持续性评价方法

可持续发展水平的衡量是可持续发展研究的重要内容,它可以为政府的可持续发展决策提供重要的科学依据。现有的可持续性评价方法可分为指标列举法、流量分析法和系统分析法。前两类方法应用广泛,但理论基础较为薄弱,在指标的选取、标准化和赋权等方面存在一定的缺陷。基于系统运行机理的系统分析法尚不多见,但能弥补前两种方法的部分不足,Ulanowicz于2009年提出的演化模型是此类方法的代表。该模型从系统演化角度出发,以网络流为研究对象,以信息论为手段,指出系统的可持续性是系统上升性(效率)和恢复力平衡的结果,并提出了可持续性评价指标R。回顾了现有研究方法的优缺点。介绍了从演化视角分析可持续性的原理和数学模型,可持续发展的阈值范围以及该方法的应用案例。总结了该方法的应用步骤及尚需解决的问题。     

基于能值分析的厦门城市代谢可持续性评估

生态城市建设是中国城市转型发展的关键节点,对中国生态文明和新型城镇化发展具有推动作用。研究以中国典型的生态城市厦门市为例,基于城市代谢框架结合能值分析法,对厦门市代谢系统进行各项能值流的核算,构建2010-2017年厦门市能值指标评估体系,选用可持续发展指数、可持续发展能值指标、城市健康水平能值指数3项指标综合评价其生态可持续性,选取部分能值指标与珠海市、深圳市进行对比分析,以期为中国生态城市的可持续发展提供科学参考。结果表明：（1）2010-2017年,厦门市总能值呈上升趋势,2017年的总能值为2.51×10²⁴ sej,是2010年总能值的1.65倍,货币流能值显著增加,废弃物流能值下降。能值自给率由98.30%逐渐递增至99.20%,能值产出率由8.30%逐渐递增至15.20%,环境承载率小于3,属于环境低负荷状态。（2）厦门市可持续发展指标处于1-10之间,表明其生态经济系统具有活力和发展潜力,可持续发展能值指标由2010年的3.67增加至2017年的7.76,表明厦门市的可持续发展性能愈来愈好,城市健康水平能值指数由2010年的6.21上升至2017年的25.80,表明厦门市生态系统处于健康可持续发展的状态。（3）厦门市与珠海市、深圳市的能值指标对比分析表明,厦门市与珠海市均处于富有经济活力与生态可持续发展潜力阶段,且厦门市代谢系统的可持续发展水平整体优于珠海市与深圳市。（4）总体来看,厦门城市代谢系统处于可持续发展阶段,生态城市的建设有利于厦门市实现生态经济的可持续发展,研究对同类型生态城市的建设与可持续发展具有理论参考价值。     

Functional sustainability indicators

Sustainability indicators (SIs) are not just traditional performance metrics but are value laden pathways to supporting urban development. This paper presents a functional classification for SIs. The following six classes are used to illustrate the various functions of SIs: (F1) Political and Operational; (F2) Problem Recognition and Awareness; (F3) Justificatory; (F4) Monitoring Control and Reporting; (F5) Normative Guidance; (F6) Communication and Opinion Forming. The Houston Sustainability Indicators (HSI) program was used as a heuristic case study of how the functional classification could be applied. F1 was illustrated by carefully choosing geographic boundaries for the study. F2 was highlighted by careful review of the socio-economics of persons in the Food Desert. F3 was demonstrated by a look at issues of calculating population growth totals and also setting standards for access to parks. F4 was illustrated by a look at Employment figures. F5 was highlighted by a look at affordability in Houston. Lastly F6 was explained by a look at income inequality. This paper is intended to strengthen the importance of sustainability in development planning, through the illustration of key functions for SIs.     

Early‐stage sustainability assessment of biotechnological processes: A case study of citric acid production

Sustainability assessment using a life‐cycle approach is indispensable to contemporary bioprocess development. This assessment is particularly important for early‐stage bioprocess development. As early‐stage investigations of bioprocesses involve the evaluation of their ecological and socioeconomic effects, they can be adjusted more effectively and improved towards sustainability, thereby reducing environmental risk and production costs. Early‐stage sustainability assessment is an important precautionary practice and, despite limited data, a unique opportunity to determine the primary impacts of bioprocess development. To this end, a simple and robust method was applied based on the standardized life‐cycle sustainability assessment methodology and commercially available datasets. In our study, we elaborated on the yeast‐based citric acid production process with Yarrowia lipolytica assessing 11 different substrates in different process modes. The focus of our analysis comprised both cultivation and down‐stream processing. According to our results, the repeated batch raw glycerol based bioprocess alternative showed the best environmental performance. The second‐ and third‐best options were also glycerol‐based. The least sustainable processes were those using molasses, chemically produced ethanol, and soy bean oil. The aggregated results of environmental, economic, and social impacts display waste frying oil as the best‐ranked alternative. The bioprocess with sunflower oil in the batch mode ranked second. The least favorable alternatives were the chemically produced ethanol‐, soy oil‐, refined glycerol‐, and molasses‐based citric acid production processes. The scenario analysis demonstrated that the environmental impact of nutrients and wastewater treatment is negligible, but energy demand of cultivation and down‐stream processing dominated the production process. However, without energy demand the omission of neutralizers almost halves the total impact, and neglecting pasteurization also considerably decreases the environmental impact.     

Assessing and improving the green performance using a compound approach

This study presents a compound approach with a five-phase process to assess and improve the green performance. Based on the Six Sigma approach, the five-phase process consists of definition, measurement, analysis, improvement and control (DMAIC) phases. During the first three phases, an evaluation the assessment model is developed based on the analytical hierarchy process. Particle swarm optimization is also performed to search for the sequence of actions in order to improve the green performance based on the output of the assessment model. Managers can monitor the progress of the improvement plan during the control phase. A case study involving two global footwear manufacturers demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.