Territorial production in Latin America has historically been understood as the outcome of two dominant social logics: the market and the state. In recent decades, however, a third rationality—the logic of necessity—has become central to urbanization processes. From the articulation between market dynamics and necessity emerges the informal land market, now one of the primary mechanisms through which low-income populations access urban land. Its persistence is closely associated with regulatory frameworks that privilege higher-income sectors, reinforcing institutional barriers to formal housing provision and encouraging irregular land transactions and occupation practices. In spatial terms, these dynamics have fostered patterns of continuous peripheral expansion.

This article examines the land occupation and production processes structuring urban growth in the peri-urban areas of the Santiago district in Cusco, Peru. Within a context of urban–rural transition and limited regulatory enforcement, expansion is shaped by communal decisions regarding progressive land subdivision and informal parceling practices, producing territorially and socially fragmented urban formations.

The research adopts a qualitative case study design developed in three methodological phases: (1) a morphological and cartographic analysis of subdivision patterns on communal land; (2) a review of municipal planning instruments and regulatory frameworks, complemented by direct field observation; and (3) in-depth interviews with communal leaders, land purchasers, and local actors involved in land commercialization. This approach enables the identification of the agents, rationalities, and practices that structure peri-urban expansion and materially configure the urban fabric.

Findings indicate that expansion results not merely from spontaneous occupation but from organized market-oriented processes driven by local actors operating as intermediaries and de facto territorial configurators. In Santiago, urban production precedes formal planning, generating fragmented morphologies and infrastructural deficits. The periphery thus emerges as an actively produced territory shaped by communal and market logics.

Introduction: In the European understanding of smart cities, digital transformation is not limited to isolated ICT solutions but is expected to support integrated and sustainable urban development across mobility, energy, and public services. However, in smaller settlements, smart-city interventions may remain less visible to young residents, which can weaken civic awareness, trust in local innovation, and place-based learning. This study examines whether settlement size and local connectivity shape youth perceptions that their hometown has no smart-city features.

Methods: We analysed survey responses from Slovak secondary-school students and linked them with municipal population data and self-rated local internet quality. Logistic regression was used to test whether settlement size and municipal connectivity predict the perceived absence of smart-city elements.

Results: Students from smaller municipalities were more likely to perceive their hometown as lacking smart-city features, while this perception was less common in larger urban settlements. Better-rated local internet quality was also associated with a lower likelihood of reporting an absence of smart-city elements. Overall, the findings suggest that the visibility of smart initiatives is shaped not only by territorial scale, but also by the everyday quality of local digital connectivity.

Conclusions: The study points to a smart-city visibility gap across settlement sizes in Slovakia. From a European perspective, smart development should combine digital infrastructure with citizen-oriented, visible, and practically experienced services. Smaller municipalities may therefore benefit from the clearer communication of existing initiatives, more visible pilot actions, and school-linked participation activities that help reduce territorial inequalities in smart-city awareness.

The intensification of heatwaves observed over recent decades represents one of the most visible manifestations of climate change, significantly shaping seasonal mobilities and urban practices. In Algeria, these dynamics translate into the growing attractiveness of coastal cities, which are perceived as spaces of refuge from the severe thermal constraints affecting inland and desert regions, particularly during the summer season. These climate-induced seasonal mobilities, situated at the intersection of tourism-related dynamics and the pursuit of environmental comfort, contribute to the temporary reconfiguration of social practices and public space arrangements.

This research examines the repercussions of these flows on the feminization of public spaces through the case of the coastal city of Jijel, one of the main tourist hubs along the Algerian coastline. Drawing on an approach combining in situ observations and research interviews, the study highlights a significant and diversified increase in female presence within public spaces during the summer period. The findings underscore the combined role of tourism dynamics, strategies of social anonymity, and urban attractiveness mechanisms in transforming normative patterns of public space use. This research therefore proposes considering the feminization of public space as a potential indicator of emerging socio-spatial equity processes associated with climate mobilities in contemporary contexts.

The rapid increase in traffic, vehicles, urbanization, and population has led to traffic noise pollution. The World Health Organization (2011) reported that more than one million people suffer from health problems every year due to traffic noise pollution. Hence, the current study is conducted to determine the level of traffic noise pollution in the silence zone of Malappuram Municipality, Kerala. For this study, one week of data was taken from morning (8am to 9am), afternoon (1pm to 2pm), and evening (5pm to 6pm) during the period between 28^th July and 3^rd August 2023. Continuous data for 1 hour from each session were collected at 5-minute intervals. The average maximum (Lmax) and minimum (Lmin) noise levels were expressed in decibel units, and the data were compared with the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) ambient noise requirements notified under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000. Besides, the total number of vehicles passing in a unit of time (one-hour period) from each session was counted and recorded. Results showed that the highest average noise level (85.2 dB) was recorded on Friday evening, and the lowest average noise level (65.5 dB) on Sunday morning. Both obtained values are higher than the permissible limit (50 dB) of the silence zone during the daytime by CPCB. Besides, the highest number of vehicles (3689) passed through the study area on Wednesday evening, while the lowest (1871) passed on Friday morning. The major factors governing traffic noise pollution are the air horns of heavy vehicles, such as trucks, buses, and ambulances, moving through the city.

Rapid urbanization in Indonesian cities has significantly shaped the housing landscape, particularly through subsidized housing programs for low-income households. Although these programs have improved access to homeownership, housing equality and equity remain unfulfilled. Inferior housing quality often leads to burdensome outcomes for low-income homeowners who, without feasible alternatives, must adapt to these predicaments. This study aims to explore the experiences of low-income subsidized homeowners by depicting the struggles encountered during the adaptation and the achieved outcomes. Drawing on Priemus’ Housing as Social Adaptation framework, the research investigates adaptation beyond structural modifications. Observed outcomes reflect the homeownership effect concept, which consists of financial and well-being aspects. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 300 respondents across subsidized housing complexes in the Bandung Metropolitan Area—one of Indonesia’s urbanized regions with a high concentration of subsidized housing. Descriptive and cluster analyses were applied to identify homeowner typologies structured by adaptation strategies, outcomes, and related characteristics. Findings indicate a common structural adaptation pattern in maintenance and renovations, while cognitive adaptation, including adjusted housing aspirations, is also evident before and during the occupation. The outcomes correspond to the uncertain nature of the homeownership effect, encompassing both financial and well-being aspects. The identified typologies provide a foundation for program evaluation by proposing tailored homeownership assistance to complement subsidized housing schemes. These findings contribute to advancing housing policy toward greater equality, equity, and fulfillment of housing rights in Indonesia.

This paper primarily focuses on clarifying the impact of urbanisation on avifaunal communities in Kannur, Kerala. Urbanization and human activity will degrade environmental quality and homogenize plant and animal populations. One of the most prevalent species on the planet, birds are the ideal tool for tracking environmental changes and are hence considered ecological indicators. The diversity and composition of birds varied by habitat type. This study aims to monitor whether urbanisation acts as a filter for species diversity and to test the Intermediate disturbance hypothesis along the urban–rural gradient. Based on building density, the study area is divided into three classes, namely urban, suburban, and rural, using ArcGIS and selecting 20 points from each class. Then we conducted bird point counts at 60 sites along the urban-to-rural gradient in Kannur. PAST (Paleontological Statistics) software was used to calculate the diversity and abundance of the birds for 2 seasons. A total of 428 individual birds were recorded; 44 species were monitored in the January–February season, followed by 309 individual records of 39 species in the March–April season. Our findings do not support the intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH), as bird diversity is highest in the rural area, followed by suburban and urban areas, in both seasons. These findings support the idea that urbanisation acts as a filter, as the number of species in urban habitats is significantly reduced, mainly due to the biotic homogenisation of birds and their habitats.

Urban climate adaptation strategies increasingly aim to address the rising impacts of climate change, yet many approaches remain technocratic and insufficiently attentive to underlying social and spatial inequities. This paper argues that climate justice must be explicitly integrated into urban adaptation planning to ensure that resilience building does not reproduce or deepen existing disparities but instead fosters more inclusive and equitable urban futures.

Methods: The study employs a mixed-methods approach combining spatial analysis (using GIS and vulnerability mapping), case study comparison, and policy review. Three cities with recent adaptation initiatives in North America and Europe were selected. Quantitative spatial data were used to identify patterns of uneven exposure to climate risks (heat and flooding), while qualitative policy analysis and stakeholder interviews highlighted how adaptation practices include or exclude vulnerable communities.

Results: Findings reveal persistent spatial inequalities in climate exposure and access to adaptation resources, particularly for low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. Current adaptation efforts frequently lack meaningful community participation, leading to procedural injustices. However, cities that integrated participatory adaptation mechanisms, inclusive governance reforms, and nature-based interventions demonstrated improved social outcomes, including greater trust in planning institutions and more equitable distribution of adaptation benefits.

Conclusions: Embedding climate justice principles — including procedural, distributive, and recognitional justice — into adaptation frameworks enhances both resilience and inclusivity. The paper outlines a justice-centered adaptation framework that combines equitable vulnerability assessment, stakeholder co-production, and governance innovation. These insights provide actionable guidance for policymakers and urban practitioners seeking to realize adaptation strategies that are both effective and socially just.

Urban heat stress increasingly threatens environmental sustainability in rapidly growing megacities. Despite their widespread promotion as nature-based solutions, the cooling performance of blue-green spaces (BGS) heavily relies on their spatial structure and scale. This study examines how the morphological characteristics of BGS influence urban thermal patterns in Delhi. Using satellite-derived land surface temperatures and land cover classifications, patch-level thermal behaviour was analysed across different urban surface types. Spectral indices and spatial metrics were integrated with machine-learning modelling to identify the dominant drivers of cooling and warming dynamics. The findings reveal that urban thermal behaviour is strongly governed by spatial configuration rather than mere green cover. Impervious and exposed surfaces intensify heat accumulation as their spatial dominance increases. However, cooling effects strengthen when blue-green spaces become larger, more continuous, and structurally connected. Water bodies and dense vegetation demonstrate the most stable cooling performance, while fragmented or small patches provide limited thermal relief. Machine-learning interpretation highlights moisture availability and vegetation condition as key regulators of cooling intensity. The results indicate that cooling benefits emerge only when blue-green spaces surpass critical spatial thresholds and maintain morphological integrity. The study demonstrates that sustainable heat mitigation in megacities requires a shift from area-based greening targets toward morphology-sensitive spatial planning. Embedding connected and scale-appropriate blue–green infrastructure within urban form is essential for enhancing long-term environmental sustainability.

High rates of migration coupled with exorable rates of urban population growth and the inability of the formal housing market to keep pace with the urban population growth has resulted in the widespread proliferation of slums and squatter settlements in the cities of less developed countries. This is true especially in the case of large metropolises in the world, including metropolitan cities in India. Delhi is one of the megacities in India that houses more than sixty percent of its population in various informal settlements such as slums, unauthorized colonies, resettlement colonies, etc. Studies in the past have shown that the majority of the migrants living in such settlements belong to the socially disadvantaged sections of the society. Moreover, the existing literature, though scant, evinces an association between the identity of the migrants and their location of residence in urban areas. Against this backdrop, the present study examines whether the social identity of migrants plays any role in residential location in Delhi. An analysis of the ward-level Census data of Delhi indicates the prevalence of identity-based residential colonies among socially disadvantaged communities, especially in under-serviced areas of the city such as slums and informal settlements. This study finds that such settlements coupled with their location in the urban outskirts further marginalize their residents, even in the city, thereby reproducing the same kind of inequalities and discrimination in terms of housing they are forced to face in rural settings.

Smart city development is often led by new technologies, but technology alone does not guarantee meaningful urban change. This study examines Muscat, Oman's readiness to become a smart city, using a two-layer framework to assess smart city transitions in planning-led urban contexts. Guided by a readiness-based approach and informed by the Theory of Change, the study examines public awareness, cultural alignment, familiarity with smart technologies, everyday urban conditions, and perceptions of governance and institutional preparedness. Data were collected through a survey of 400 residents in Muscat and analysed using descriptive methods. The findings show that readiness for smart city development in Muscat is uneven. Strong cultural support and a generally high quality of life provide a positive starting point, and residents clearly value integrating local identity into smart city initiatives. However, technological readiness remains moderate, especially for less visible infrastructure systems, and governance and institutional capacity emerge as the main challenges. While many residents are familiar with the idea of smart cities, far fewer are aware of local initiatives, pointing to a gap between planning ambitions and lived experience. The study suggests that Muscat’s smart city transition should focus less on introducing new technologies and more on strengthening governance, coordination, and community engagement, in line with long-term sustainability and urban planning goals under Oman Vision 2040. Beyond the case of Muscat, the proposed readiness-based framework offers a transferable approach for cities seeking to align technological innovation with governance capacity, cultural context, and community engagement in smart city development.