Urban Tourism
esmaeel ghaderi; boshra mohajer
Abstract
HighlightsMeta-synthesis is a qualitative approach that enables the systematic integration, reinterpretation, and synthesis of findings from previous studies, thereby generating new theoretical insights beyond individual research results.Achieving low-carbon tourism, particularly in urban destinations, ...
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HighlightsMeta-synthesis is a qualitative approach that enables the systematic integration, reinterpretation, and synthesis of findings from previous studies, thereby generating new theoretical insights beyond individual research results.Achieving low-carbon tourism, particularly in urban destinations, requires multi-level coordination, cross-sectoral collaboration, and a systemic perspective that links macro-level governance and policies with micro-level behavioral and operational components.The proposed conceptual framework can enhance tourist satisfaction, reduce environmental footprints, strengthen destination competitiveness, and contribute to the realization of sustainable development goals in urban tourism systems. IntroductionLow-carbon tourism (LCT) has emerged as a central strategy in global sustainable development agendas, given the increasing contribution of tourism-related activities to greenhouse gas emissions. Within this broader context, low-carbon urban tourism (LCUT) holds particular significance, as cities represent complex and dense environments where large numbers of residents, tourists, services, and infrastructures interact. Urban destinations are major hubs of cultural exchange, mobility, accommodation, and consumption, making them both vulnerable to environmental pressures and well-positioned for transformative sustainability initiatives.Despite the rising recognition of LCUT as a vital pathway for reducing emissions and creating environmentally responsible tourism systems, existing research remains fragmented, often focusing narrowly on specific themes such as transportation, accommodation, or policy.Consequently, there is a notable absence of comprehensive, integrative frameworks capable of guiding policymakers, urban planners, and tourism managers toward coherent strategies.This study aims to address this gap by conducting a systematic meta-synthesis of research on LCUT. The objective is to identify the principal macro and micro dimensions shaping low-carbon tourism in urban settings and to develop a holistic conceptual framework that can support strategic planning and implementation.MethodologyThe research employs the meta-synthesis qualitative approach, chosen for its capacity to merge diverse qualitative findings into a unified conceptual structure. Following Erwin et al.’s (2011) six-step meta-synthesis protocol, the study initiated with an analytical review of existing research gaps concerning LCUT and established the overarching aim of designing an integrated conceptual framework.In the second step, a comprehensive and systematic literature search was conducted using international databases such as Scopus and Web of Science, as well as Persian-language databases such as SID and Magiran. Keywords such as “low-carbon tourism,” “urban tourism,” “low-carbon strategies,” and “sustainable tourism development” were employed. The search included English and Persian publications produced up to the year 2023.The third step involved a rigorous quality assessment. Using the CASP checklist, 780 initially identified studies were screened for methodological robustness, conceptual relevance, and thematic alignment. Ultimately, 79 studies met the inclusion criteria and formed the basis of analysis.In the fourth step, data extraction and thematic coding were performed. Key concepts were identified and categorized into two overarching domains: macro-level factors and micro-level components. In the fifth step, these categorized findings were synthesized into a coherent conceptual framework. Visual schematics and tables were used to improve clarity and facilitate conceptual integration.Finally, step six involved reflection and validation. Through consultations with experts in tourism studies, sustainability, and urban planning, the internal coherence, applicability, and robustness of the framework were assessed. This iterative feedback process ensured that the resulting model captures the multifaceted dynamics of LCUT and addresses real-world needs in urban tourism management.Results and DiscussionThe findings reveal that the effective development of LCUT depends on the simultaneous integration of macro-level enabling conditions and micro-level operational and behavioral factors.At the macro level, six principal domains were identified:1. Political factors, including governance structures, inter-agency coordination, and strategic policy direction.2. Economic factors, such as incentives, investments, and market mechanisms supporting low-carbon transitions.3. Socio-cultural dimensions, involving public awareness, cultural norms, and societal readiness for sustainable practices.4. Environmental measures, including emission reduction targets, conservation policies, and ecological protection regulations.5. Legal frameworks, which enforce sustainability standards and regulate high-emission activities.6. Technological advancements, such as smart mobility systems, renewable energy technologies, and digital management tools.At the micro level, the LCUT system relies on three core pillars:Supply-side components, including green accommodations, low-emission transportation, eco-friendly attractions, sustainable food services, and education initiatives.Demand-side factors, encompassing tourist behavior, environmental awareness, value perception, and willingness to engage in sustainable activities.Destination management, covering managerial structures, environmental stewardship, infrastructure development, investment planning, and sustainable marketing strategies.The interaction between these macro and micro factors illustrates that LCUT must be viewed as an integrated socio-ecological system rather than a set of isolated actions.ConclusionThis study underscores the necessity of multi-layered, collaborative, and systemic approaches to advance low-carbon urban tourism. Governments must spearhead initiatives by establishing supportive regulatory environments and investing in green infrastructure such as renewable energy networks, sustainable mobility systems, and urban green spaces. Simultaneously, tourism businesses, residents, and visitors must adopt environmentally responsible practices.The conceptual framework developed through this meta-synthesis provides a comprehensive roadmap for scholars and practitioners. It clarifies the structural and operational dimensions required for LCUT and offers a foundation for future empirical research. Future studies should focus on developing measurable indicators to assess LCUT performance, evaluating the model’s applicability across diverse urban contexts, and exploring climate change implications for tourism sustainability.Acknowledgment This research was conducted with the financial and moral support of the Kurdistan Province Gas Department. The author expresses sincere gratitude to this institution for its invaluable contributions to the advancement of this doctoral study.
Urban Management
davood Jamini; Ali shamsoddini; Alireza Jamshidi
Abstract
Highlights- Participation of citizens in various urban affairs brings many benefits such as enhancement of social capital, satisfaction, and improvement of the civil society.- A condition for achievement of sustainable development in today’s cities is the participation of citizens in its various ...
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Highlights- Participation of citizens in various urban affairs brings many benefits such as enhancement of social capital, satisfaction, and improvement of the civil society.- A condition for achievement of sustainable development in today’s cities is the participation of citizens in its various affairs.- The constituent components of citizens’ participation include mental-spiritual participation, participation in provision of human resources, political participation, and financial participation.- A low level of participation of citizens in urban management can be attributed to various factors, including the weakness of city managers and the rules and regulations concerning their selection, citizens’ lack of concern, etc. IntroductionCitizens’ participation in various matters of urban spaces is one of the most important issues in achievement of sustainable urban development, an acceptable level of which is one of the most significant concerns of policy makers and urban planners. For achievement of sustainable development in Ilam, a border city in Iran, it is of particular importance to investigate the status of citizen participation in urban management and identify the factors affecting the level thereof, which makes up the main purpose of this study.Theoretical FrameworkLiving in a democratic society requires people to play an active role in various aspects of their lives (Predescu & Darjan, 2010: 3241). Citizen participation is of great importance in systems claiming democracy (Ginieniewicz, 2007: 328) and is vital for any democratic society, and democracy can be developed only through involved, informed citizens. In addition, it is important to have citizens ready to take responsibility for changing the reality of today’s world (Manganelli et al., 2012: 1476). For this reason, public participation is seen today as a new strategy in development (Khajeh Shahkoohi et al., 2015: 4). An inductive look at the existing patterns of participation in the world indicates that they can be classified according to three different criteria: the type of participation (1- decision-making, 2- financing, and 3- manpower), the field of participation in activities (1- construction, 2- environment, 3- ensuring city safety, 4- monitoring, 5- municipal services, and 6- social welfare), and the type of organization (1- spontaneous, self-motivated organizations and 2- formal, motivated organizations). Of course, it is also possible to classify participation patterns based on the activity to perform which the participation is made (Rezaei and Asyabani, 2018: 146).In a general conclusion, it can be stated that citizen participation in urban management involves different aspects and a particular position in the issue of sustainable urban development. However, different factors affect the level of citizen participation in urban management, which can vary by urban space.MethodologyThis is a descriptive-correlational applied quantitative study using the analysis of covariance-variance among correlation methods. The research area is Ilam, and the research population includes 194030 citizens of the city who are over 18 years old. 383 citizens were selected based on Cochran’s formula using stratified random sampling. In addition to documentary studies, the main research tool for data collection was a researcher-made questionnaire. It should be noted that the design of the questionnaire used to measure citizen participation in urban management was based on the works by Amirahmadi et al. (2016) and Meymandi Parizi (2017). The validity of the research tool was evaluated and confirmed through consultation of experts and university teachers (face validity) and also using convergence. Combined reliability coefficients (greater than 0.7) and Cronbach’s alpha (greater than 0.7) were used to measure reliability. The two methods of descriptive statistics (frequency, frequency percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (correlation analysis and structural equation modeling) were used to analyze the data. It should be noted that one statistical method used in the field of structural equation modeling is partial least squares, calling for the use of relevant software such as SPSS and SmartPLS to analyze the data.Results and DiscussionThe results of the structural model analysis demonstrated that the variable of satisfaction with the performance of urban managers exhibited a significant effect on other independent variables. Thus, it had the greatest impact on the variables of proper urban governance (with an impact factor of 0.275), job satisfaction (with an impact factor of 0.262), and social capital (with an impact factor of 0.255). On the other hand, the variable of satisfaction with the performance of urban managers exhibited the slightest effect (with an impact factor of 0.05) on the level of citizen participation in urban management, where we can point out the low level of citizen satisfaction with the performance of urban managers (2.37 on average).ConclusionThe results demonstrated that there were significant relationships between citizen participation in urban management in the study area (the dependent variable of the research) and job satisfaction, satisfaction with the performance of urban managers, social capital, proper urban governance, quality of life (negative correlation), and sense of belonging to the place. Thus, it can be stated that the level of citizen participation decreases and increases as the level of each of these variables is decreased and increased. The results obtained from the structural analysis model (with the partial least squares method) indicated that the independent research variables were capable of explaining 75.8% of the variance in Ilam citizens’ participation in urban management. The values of the coefficients for the impacts of each of those variables on the dependent variable include 0.35 (quality of life), 0.05 (satisfaction with the performance of urban managers), -0.075 (social capital), 0.131 (job satisfaction), 0.372 (proper urban governance), and 0.275 (spatial affiliation).
Urban Sustainability
AmirHossein Pourjohari
Abstract
Highlights- The great part of the construction sector in national investment affects the achievement of urban efficiency.- Destruction of durable buildings is in conflict with optimal use of capital.- Destruction and reconstruction of buildings without rights is an obstacle to achievement of life quality. IntroductionManagement ...
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Highlights- The great part of the construction sector in national investment affects the achievement of urban efficiency.- Destruction of durable buildings is in conflict with optimal use of capital.- Destruction and reconstruction of buildings without rights is an obstacle to achievement of life quality. IntroductionManagement of the demand for destruction and reconstruction has been known as a challenge to preserve durable buildings which are still available for use as places to live in or perform activity. It is also effective on urban productivity, a general concept that contains all the urban functions. Buildings make up the main factor in specification of the economic and spatial structure in a city. They have a determinative role in urban management and development, and their productivity is interpreted as the use of all the physical and structural capacities. Therefore, it can be claimed that buildings are important in urban productivity.Buildings are a priority in the investment made in cities, particularly in our country. However, managerial patterns and legal system are not established based on the roles and rights to manage the demands for destruction and reconstruction. This results from the readily-available benefits of destruction and reconstruction, which conceal the costs. Due to the importance of buildings as a national value and given the concept of sustainable development, it is necessary to analyze the statistical trends and study the different factors which impact the public tendency to destroy and reconstruct buildings.Theoretical frameworkAn essential approach to protection of durable buildings concerns infill development. This approach, which originates from sustainable development, includes one of the most serious activities performed to preserve durable buildings: adaptive reuse of buildings which exhibit the capacity to be preserved (based on their forms and functions). In other words, adaptive reuse of buildings is based on their capacities and characteristics. Therefore, the main approach to durable building preservation stems from sustainable development. Return to life cycle is the relevant pattern which can increase the efficiency period of a building. Urban efficiency is a way to improve urban management.It is worth mentioning that urban land, as a basis for creation of buildings, has a remarkable role in the attempt to achieve urban efficiency. The city and the functions which are created there are defined on that basis.MethodologyIn this research, statistical information on destruction and reconstruction permits granted in a twenty-year period has been analyzed. In addition, 4526 cases have been selected as durable buildings using random sampling. Moreover, an evaluation of the income codes of Tehran Municipality in the defined period has been considered. Therefore, this research has studied the public and managerial trends concerning the preservation of durable buildings and the relevant side effective factors.Result and discussionThe results of this investigation revealed that the value added due to destruction and reconstruction is the most important factor that encourages people to make such demands. However, an analysis of urban management income shows that destruction of durable buildings has no great impact thereon. It seems that a number of modifications in urban terms and restrictions need to be considered in durable building preservation. In this case, one must consider definition of new methods for creation of value added to satisfy the owners of durable buildings in order to preserve them.ConclusionThe factor that distinguishes this study from others is that it has focused on legal principles in management of the demand for destruction and reconstruction. Moreover, failure in supervision and administration and management inconsistency have been identified as the most important factors in the decision to destroy buildings which have the capacity to be preserved. In other words, urban management does not provide appropriate techniques to manage the demand for destruction and reconstruction.In conclusion, the tendency to destroy durable buildings could be explained in terms of the following.A. Economic and Social FactorsThe lack of balance in urban economics and uncertainty of investment in productive departments have been recognized as parameters that increase the tendency to destroy and reconstruct durable buildings.B. Legal Factors- There is no definition for durable buildings and the importance of their preservation as a national value.- Economic policies such as reduction of interest on bank deposits have facilitated investment in construction.C. Cultural FactorsThere is conflict between individual and public benefits which stem from culture. Therefore, people’s priorities are defined by their own benefit. In addition, the importance and priorities of individual benefits over public ones result from legal documents. Thus, the public tendency to give priority to individual benefits has been affected by laws and rights. Moreover, the poor sources of supplying sustainable income in urban management make up another factor that increases managerial tendency to construct.In other words, urban management benefits from the added value of destruction and reconstruction. However, there are no facilities or techniques to modify the tendency.
Urban Planning
rasoul Babanasab; asghar zarrabi
Volume 4, Issue 13 , February 2015, , Pages 57-70
Abstract
Objectives In recent decades, a concept that has been comprehensively investigated is the concept of E-city. In a lot of developed countries and societies, E-city has been successfully implemented and recently the global approach is towards constructing E-societies. Nowadays, societies that have rapid ...
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Objectives In recent decades, a concept that has been comprehensively investigated is the concept of E-city. In a lot of developed countries and societies, E-city has been successfully implemented and recently the global approach is towards constructing E-societies. Nowadays, societies that have rapid access to information and have expertise in exchanging information are more developed. E-city is a new form of urban life which can be formed along with a real world and in complete adaptability with it. It can solve many challenges including traffic, air pollution, administrative corruption, and social inequalities faced by real cities. Furthermore, in addition to presenting a new model in cities, it can provide citizens’ and managers’ access to the wants of a developed, creative, and knowledge-based urban society. Findings The present study aims at analyzing the indices of e-citizen from the perspective of citizens in Tabriz City. This study is an applied-developmental one in terms of objective, and a descriptive, analytical, and survey research in terms of nature and method. To collect the data, documentary and field (questionnaire) methods were employed. The sample population included citizens living in 10 areas in Tabriz City. Using Cochrane’s formula, the sample size was determined as 322 individuals and for a higher confidence rate, the number of participants was increased by 10 percent bringing the final sample size to 354 participants. To determine the required questionnaire of each region, weighting method based on the proportion of the population of each area was used. To analyze the data SPSS, Pearson correlation coefficient and one sample t-test were used. The findings indicate that in terms of the quality of citizens’ access to ICT facilities and centers of E-servicing, after administering one sample t-test, the mean scores and t-value were 3.19 and 5.13, respectively. These figures indicate relatively acceptable levels of access to these facilities. The current mean scores of the indices of e-citizen (2.79) by considering infrastructure are at an acceptable level. In addition, from citizens’ points of views, the optimized use of ICT and electronic services, in the case of Tabriz City, will have a positive effect on the different social, economic, environmental, and physical dimensions of sustainable urban development. After conducting one sample t-test, the mean scores and t-value were 3.71 and 19.03, respectively. In regards to the degree of citizens’ experiences in using ICT, the results reveal that more than 79% agreed with the necessity of expanding the use of ICT and creating an E-city. There is a significant correlation between citizens’ electronic preparedness and acceptance of the effects of using ICT and the expansion of e-city. The magnitude of the correlation as r=0.433 indicates a positive and increasing correlation between these two variables. Results Based on the results, information and communication technology and electronic city can have an impact on different economic, social, environmental and physical dimensions. This means that optimal use of ICT results in urban sustainable development. Since Tabriz is the capital city of East Azerbaijan Province, the largest city in the north western region and the fifth most populated city of Iran, it has many problems such as air pollution, sound pollution, traffic, energy wastage, low citizen cooperation, and providing services to citizens. Despite such problems, novel instruction methods, contents and experiences in use of IT are required to be offered to citizens; role of ICT and creation of an electronic city is considered as a valuable movement toward experiencing a better life. Therefore, in addition to paying attention to the necessity of training with modern methods and contents, citizens consider the function of ICT as a valuable application for experiencing a better life.
