Introduction: Accelerated land degradation—from industrial contamination to urban encroachment—poses critical challenges for ecosystem health and community well-being. This paper proposes Synthetic–Natural Interfaces, an architectural framework that fuses engineered structures with living systems to catalyze landscape rehabilitation. By designing transitional zones where built elements and ecological processes co-evolve, this approach leverages nature-based solutions to address soil erosion, water quality, and biodiversity loss while fostering meaningful human engagement.

Methods: A two-pronged methodology underpins this research:

1. Parametric Form-Finding: Algorithmic modeling generates a spectrum of interface geometries—ranging from porous berms to undulating boardwalks—that are optimized for hydrological flow, light penetration, and habitat connectivity.
2. Ecological Simulation: Coupled hydrodynamic and vegetation succession models assess performance criteria (e.g., sediment retention, moisture retention, native species establishment) across climatic scenarios.

Three pilot interventions—in a decommissioned quarry in Southern Europe, a peri-urban wetland in East Asia, and an abandoned rail corridor in North America—serve as testbeds. Performance indicators are measured over simulated five-year cycles to evaluate ecological uplift and social activation.

Results: The designs demonstrate substantial gains in ecosystem function and community benefit. Simulations project a 45–60 % reduction in peak stormwater discharge, a 30–50 % increase in native plant coverage, and a two-fold rise in faunal corridors compared with the untreated baselines. Qualitative feedback highlights enhanced public stewardship and place attachment, with users expressing increased willingness to participate in long-term stewardship. The modular nature of the synthetic elements enables phased installation, minimizing any initial disruption and allowing for adaptive refinement.

Conclusions: Synthetic–Natural Interfaces represent a scalable, context-responsive architectural paradigm for landscape rehabilitation. By weaving engineered forms and living systems into a unified design logic, these frameworks restore ecological integrity and cultivate socio-environmental resilience. Future work will investigate lifecycle material impacts and refine participatory governance models to ensure equitable, enduring stewardship.

Introduction: As landscapes continue to suffer from degradation, fragmentation, and climate-induced stress, the urgency of integrative design solutions that address both ecological and spatial challenges has intensified. This paper investigates the role of bioclimatic landscape structures—specifically those utilizing timber technologies and parametric form-finding—as adaptive architectural responses for ecological regeneration. By bridging architecture, landscape design, and environmental systems, timber-based interventions are explored not only for their regenerative capacity but also for their ability to mediate between built form and natural process.

Methods: This research employs a transdisciplinary methodology that merges parametric design processes with environmental simulation tools (e.g., solar radiation analysis, hydrological modeling, and material life cycle assessments). Timber is selected as a central material due to its renewable properties, structural versatility, and carbon-sequestering potential. Case studies from degraded riverine, coastal, and post-industrial landscapes are analyzed to derive form-based strategies that align with the local bioclimatic conditions. Design iterations are developed using algorithmic techniques to optimize for ecological parameters such as water retention, biodiversity support, and microclimate modulation.

Results: The resulting design prototypes demonstrate how timber-based, parametrically generated structures can perform as ecological scaffolds—promoting native vegetation, managing stormwater, and creating habitats—while also contributing to human spatial experience and architectural identity. Simulations show enhanced thermal comfort, improved site permeability, and a reduction in land surface entropy. The application of lightweight timber assemblies enables flexibility, disassembly, and minimal land disturbance, further reinforcing sustainability goals.

Conclusions: Timber-driven bioclimatic design offers a robust strategy for reconciling ecological regeneration with architectural form-making. Through parametric methodologies, landscape structures can be tailored to complex environmental contexts, enabling scalable, adaptive, and low-impact interventions. This research underscores the importance of architecture not merely as shelter but as an active agent in the restoration and stewardship of the land.

Introduction: Urban sprawl and unregulated expansion continue to degrade land systems, leading to fragmented ecologies, inefficient infrastructures, and socio-spatial inequalities—an entropic state with critical implications for sustainability. This paper examines how parametric urban morphologies, rooted in computational design, can be strategically leveraged to reconfigure the spatial logic of rapidly growing cities. By integrating land-use optimization, density management, and adaptability, parametric methodologies offer novel pathways to counter urban entropy and support long-term resilience.

Methods: The study adopts a multi-scalar research framework, combining morphogenetic algorithms, GIS-based urban analytics, and rule-based parametric modelling. Selected case studies from fast-growing metropolitan regions (e.g., Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America) provide empirical grounding. Urban performance metrics—such as land-use mix, walkability indices, infrastructure efficiency, and environmental integration—are evaluated through parametric simulations. The design strategies are tested through iterative computational processes that explore form-density relationships and systemic adaptability to urban growth patterns.

Results: The findings indicate that parametric frameworks enable the generation of spatial configurations that are both density-efficient and responsive to environmental constraints. The models reveal increased land-use coherence, reduced infrastructural redundancy, and enhanced urban connectivity compared to conventional zoning approaches. Additionally, adaptable typologies generated through parametric logic demonstrate a higher potential for phased development and incremental urbanism, particularly in informal or semi-formal urban contexts.

Conclusions: Parametric urbanism offers a transformative architectural paradigm that responds dynamically to land entropy challenges. It allows for a more integrated, data-driven approach to urban design, one that aligns with ecological thresholds, socio-spatial equity, and infrastructural resilience. As cities face intensifying pressures of growth, climate stress, and spatial fragmentation, computational strategies for parametric morphogenesis provide a scalable toolset for shaping sustainable urban futures.

As the Niger Delta is a major crude oil exploration region with no stringent environmental laws in Nigeria, the ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in mangrove sediments is critical due to their persistence and toxicity. This study analyses the concentrations of five different heavy metals, which included cadmium, lead, copper, nickel, and zinc, in mangrove sediments of the Buguma community, Asari-Toru Local Government Area, in the Niger Delta, applying ecological risk indices to determine the contaminations and ecological threats of heavy metal pollution. Samples were collected from three different sites. Site 1: located near a sediment heap, a dump site with oil sheen, litter, and particulate contaminants, with an old local illegal crude oil refinery; site 2: an area with maritime discharges, sewage, and commercial wastes dumped nearby; and site 3: a densely populated settlement lining the tidal-swept mangrove swamp with household pollution. The research was carried out by employing ecological risk indices, which included the Contamination Factor, Degree of Contamination, Ecological Risk, Potential Ecological Risk, Pollution Load Index, and Enrichment Factor. The results showed that arsenic and lead exceeded human permissible limits, while cadmium, zinc, and nickel were within limits. The ecological risk assessment indices revealed that the sediments have varying levels of heavy metal concentration. The applied ecological risk indices were as follows: Ecological Risk: Cu (high ecological risk) and Pb (very high ecological risk); Enrichment Factor: Cd, Zn, and Pb; Degree of Contamination (very high degree); Contamination Factor: Pb (moderately degree) and Cu (high degree); and Potential Ecological Risk (obviously high). The results indicated increased levels of the heavy metals in all the sediments, indicating health and ecological risks to humans and aquatic biota, linked to anthropogenic activities. The results recommend efficient governance strategies and strict policy interventions for the immediate remediation of these sites. The results also suggest that further research should be conducted on the histopathological and biochemical effects on humans and benthic organisms.

Primary Health Care (PHC) forms the cornerstone of healthcare systems, yet spatial disparities in access remain a persistent challenge, particularly in rapidly growing urban areas. This study leverages Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess the spatial accessibility of public PHC services in Tangier, Morocco, where urban expansion intensifies the need for equitable health service distribution.

The methodology integrates Service Area Analysis, Population Density mapping, and Health Facility Ratio (HFR) calculations. Walking time isochrones of 10, 20, and 30 minutes were generated around public PHC centers using the Valhalla Plugin in QGIS, offering a realistic measure of physical accessibility. Demographic data from the High Commission for Planning was combined with spatial layers of PHC locations to identify coverage gaps and assess service adequacy.

Results reveal significant inequalities across the five communes of Tangier. Central communes such as Charf-Souani exhibit high accessibility, with over 80% of residents within a 10-minute walk of a PHC. Conversely, peripheral areas such as Gueznaia show limited coverage, with less than 1% accessibility within the same walking radius. The HFR further highlights underserved areas, notably in high-density zones such asBnimakada, where the ratio remains critically low.

These findings underscore the pressing need for targeted health infrastructure planning to bridge accessibility gaps. The study demonstrates the power of GIS in guiding data-driven decisions to enhance health equity. Future work should expand the analysis to include private health providers and explore multimodal transportation impacts.

Cultural Ecosystem Services (CESs), including recreation, aesthetics, and cultural identity, are vital to socio-ecological resilience but remain difficult to assess due to their intangible and spatially heterogeneous nature. This study presents a spatially explicit framework to evaluate the impacts of land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) on CES in the Alqueva region of southern Portugal—a landscape that is undergoing rapid transformation driven by irrigation expansion and agricultural intensification. Using a combination of geospatial modeling, participatory GIS (PPGIS), stakeholder consultation, and scenario analysis, we assess CES under a 2040 Business-as-Usual trajectory. The preliminary results indicate a progressive decline in key CES, particularly those linked to cultural heritage, recreation, and aesthetic values, due to landscape homogenization and the erosion of traditional Montado systems. Despite this trend, multifunctional landscapes within the current matrix continue to support CES provision, emphasizing the role of sustainable land management in maintaining cultural and ecological functions. Stakeholder feedback reinforces concerns over cultural loss, sense of place, and the weakening of local identity, supporting the integration of CES into spatial planning and ecosystem restoration. This study contributes a replicable, multi-scale methodology that combines qualitative and quantitative approaches, offering policy-relevant insights for aligning land-use dynamics with socio-cultural values and enhancing the role of CES in long-term landscape sustainability strategies.

Climate change is an escalating global challenge with far-reaching impacts on ecosystems, economies, and communities worldwide. Having been identified as one of the most affected nations, Vietnam is facing the effects of climate stress, particularly in the coastal region. Coastal households in Vietnam are at the frontline of environmental and socio-economic change, increasingly challenged by climate uncertainty, resource degradation, and a shifting policy landscape.

This study explores how fishery households on the Central Coast of Vietnam are adapting to growing uncertainty through changes in land use and livelihood strategies. Based on empirical data from a survey of 300 households conducted on the Central Coast of Vietnam, the study finds a gradual but significant transition from traditional capture fisheries toward diversified livelihoods, including aquaculture, wage labor, and small-scale commerce. These adaptations are closely linked to land access and use transformation, often driven by ecological pressures such as saltwater intrusion, coastal erosion, and institutional responses.

The findings highlight uneven adaptive capacities across households, shaped by land tenure security, gender roles, access to credit, and local governance. This study contributes to understanding coastal transformation under climate stress and underscores the need for inclusive, context-sensitive policies to support adaptive resilience in vulnerable fishing communities.

Timely and accurate urban change detection is essential for supporting sustainable urban development, infrastructure management, and disaster response. Traditional 2D change detection approaches overlook vertical and structural alterations in dense urban settings. This study focuses on 3D multiple change detection in urban areas using high spatial resolution remote sensing imagery and digital surface models (DSMs) from two different time points, enabling the identification of both horizontal and vertical transformations. To address the complexity of urban changes, we developed a deep learning-based framework centered on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) with various encoder architectures and customized loss functions. The input data consists of stacked multi-temporal optical images and corresponding DSMs, allowing the model to learn both spectral and elevation features. As part of a comparative analysis, we also implemented several traditional methods, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Change Vector Analysis with thresholding (CVA-thresholding), K-Means clustering, and a Random Forest classifier. An experimental evaluation was conducted on a high-resolution urban dataset, and performance was assessed using the F1-score, overall accuracy, and precision. The CNN-based models significantly outperformed the traditional methods, particularly in detecting complex and subtle structural changes that were otherwise missed. The best CNN model achieved an overall accuracy of 96.9%, an F1-score of 96.87%, and a recall of 95%. The integration of DSMs proved effective in capturing elevation-related changes, contributing to improved model sensitivity and classification performance. In conclusion, the proposed deep learning framework demonstrates strong potential for robust 3D urban change detection by effectively combining spectral and elevation data. While traditional methods offer useful baselines, the CNN-based approach provides superior accuracy and spatial detail, making it highly suitable for real-world urban monitoring applications.

Greater Cairo, one of the fastest-growing megacities in the Global South, presents a compelling case for studying the complex interplay between rapid urbanization, land use change, and planning governance. This proposed study aims to investigate the evolving land use patterns in Greater Cairo and assess the effectiveness of urban planning interventions in directing urban growth toward sustainability. The research will adopt a mixed-methods approach, combining spatial analysis of satellite imagery (2000–2023) with a review of urban policy frameworks and qualitative interviews with key stakeholders, including planning authorities, developers, and community representatives. GIS and remote sensing techniques will be used to quantify land use change and urban expansion, while interviews will explore the underlying drivers of informal development and governance challenges. Preliminary expectations suggest a continued shift toward peri-urban expansion and land consumption beyond officially planned areas, influenced by demographic pressures and weak regulatory enforcement. The study will also examine the impact of recent planning efforts, such as the establishment of new towns and strategic master plans, to identify gaps between policy intent and implementation. The proposed paper will argue for more integrated, inclusive, and adaptive urban planning frameworks that bridge the divide between formal and informal systems. It will highlight the importance of strengthening land governance institutions, decentralizing planning processes, and incorporating participatory mechanisms to support sustainable urban development. Insights from Greater Cairo will contribute to broader regional and global discussions on managing urbanization in rapidly transforming cities.

Regenerating and making cities more sustainable does not only mean "reinhabiting" cities or parts of them by reusing degraded buildings and disused industrial areas. It means limiting the delocalization of services by encouraging a more efficient reorganization of urban functions. It is necessary to optimize the functioning of cities, improve accessibility to urban services, and ensure the connection between public spaces. A careful reuse of functions and relationships with urban environments promotes sustainable mobility; the concentration of primary activities within the existing city reduces consumption and CO₂ emissions associated with the use of private transport, as well as urban lighting and maintenance costs. In this sense, urban planning plays a fundamental role, but not only that. Implementation and sectoral tools must be able to interact. In some countries, this is a recurring approach: making sectoral tools interact is a principle shared at all levels. The paper will identify selected case studies chosen for their relevance and for the contribution they offer, within the framework of urban planning tools, to sustainability through the optimal location of services and their 24-hour, day and night functioning. This all aims to reduce consumption and emissions. In Italy, the Municipal Public Lighting Plan and, where applicable, the Municipal Energy Plan, if integrated, can reduce consumption and emissions and optimize functions without sacrificing efficiency and aesthetic needs. It is essential that new functions be aligned with the transformation demands of communities, and that they be supported by well-organized services and infrastructures. It would be appropriate to assign new functions to areas with greater energy availability. The above-mentioned sectoral tools, through effective dialogue, would allow for a reduction in air, noise, and light pollution; an improvement in the energy efficiency of systems; and an optimization of operating and maintenance costs.