Do Smart Cities Represent the Key to Urban Resilience? Rethinking Urban Resilience

Sustainable pathways for attaining net-zero emissions in European emerging countries - the nexus between renewable energy sources and ecological footprint

This study aims to investigate the relationship between renewable energy and ecological footprint during the period of 1994-2018 from selected developing countries in Europe (Czechia, Croatia, Poland, Romania, Romania, and Turkey). In this context, the ecological footprint (EF), which has recently been the most widely used environmental indicator in the literature and is known as the most comprehensive because it includes many environmental factors, has been determined as the dependent variable. As independent variables, renewable energy consumption (REC), energy-related tax revenue (ETR), and energy productivity (EP) are included in the model. GDP and development of environment-related technologies (DET), which affect the ecological footprint in the model, are determined as control variables. As a result of the panel data analysis, according to the Durbin-Hausman cointegration test result, a long-term relationship between the variables was determined. According to the CCE estimator analysis, it can be said that there is a positive relationship between ETR and GDP variables and EF. For the AMG estimator analysis, it can be said that there is a positive relationship between GDP and EP variables and EF. Finally, according to the results of the Konya Causality test, a unidirectional causality relationship is detected from environmental technologies to the ecological footprint in Turkey, and a unidirectional causality relationship from the ecological footprint to GDP in Czechia, Romania, and Turkey. Furthermore, no causality relationship is detected between other variables. Based on the results, several policy implications are suggested.

Does the perception of smart governance enhance commercial investments? Evidence from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou

This study explores how the perception of specific aspects of smart governance affects the business environment as to attract investment. To this end, we used a survey design and collected data from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou. A total of 500 responses from different industries and companies were obtained and then empirically analyzed using ridge regression and intermediary effect models. We found that the perception of smart governance enhances investment due to strong governance and abundant business opportunities. Natural sustainability attracts investment directly because, when cities become smart, they tend to improve their sustainability and attract talent and capital inflows. This external participation has a direct impact on enterprise investment because it creates more business opportunities. An improved social credit system represents the comprehensive progress of the business environment and positively mediates smart governance and investment. This is the first study to combine the key elements of smart governance, the development stage of smart governance, and various dimensions of the business environment to analyze the influence of smart governance perceptions on commercial investments.

City Health Examination and Evaluation of Territory Spatial Planning for SDG11 in China: A Case Study of Xining City in Qinghai Province

City health examination and evaluation of territorial spatial planning is a new policy tool in China. However, research on city health examination and evaluation of territorial spatial planning is still in the exploratory stage in China. Guided by sustainable cities and communities (SDG11), a reasonable city health examination and evaluation index system for Xining City in Qinghai Province is constructed in this paper. The improved technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) was used to quantify the evaluation results, and the city health index was visualized using the city health examination signals and warning panel. The results show that the city health index of Xining City continuously rose from 35.76 in 2018 to 69.76 in 2020. However, it is still necessary to address the shortcomings in innovation, coordination, openness and sharing and to improve the level of city space governance in a holistic way. This study is an exploration of the methodology used in city health examination and the evaluation of territorial spatial planning in China, which can provide a foundation for the sustainable development of Xining City and also provide a case reference for other cities seeking to carry out city health examinations and evaluations of territorial spatial planning in China.