Members’ Publication

Supporting youth wellbeing in low carbon ways is a crucial challenge in cities. Seventy percent of youth will live in urban areas by 2050 and urban sites account for 67–72% of the global share of carbon emissions. Young people’s consumption behaviour including energy use is increasingly identified as a key driver of urban emissions. This paper expands beyond dominant individualised approaches to examining urban youth wellbeing and consumption to interrogate the relational contexts in which young people live, their wellbeing aspirations, and the conditions that enable or lock-in lifestyle emissions. Applying a relational lens and thematic analysis to focus group data collected from 332 youth aged 12–24 years in seven cities of the global South and North, the paper examines experiences shaping youth wellbeing in the context of urban consumption activities. Findings emphasised the complexities of “linked lives”, foregrounding family, peer and community relationships as critical in shaping youth wellbeing and consumption. Home was highlighted as a significant relational context, where family relationships impact wellbeing and energy use, through connection, comfort, conflict and compromise. Public space was also valued, but findings highlighted issues of identity and inequality that impact access. Findings also underscored the significance of beyond-human relationships. This cross-cultural research highlights underacknowledged complexities in youth wellbeing and consumption activities. Discussion proposes ways local government can adopt relational perspectives to advance climate resilient urban development, including cultivating meaningful relationships with youth and prioritising secure housing, access to green space, and care and integration of nature within urban landscapes.

The escalating frequency of riverbank erosion in Bangladesh has led to a marked increase in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are deprived of essential services such as adequate housing, employment, healthcare, and security. In response, various interventions have been implemented by government bodies, private sectors, and non-governmental organizations to mitigate the impacts of displacement. A notable recent initiative is the countrywide Ashrayan-2 project, targeting the rehabilitation of the landless-homeless people with a vision to uplift their livelihoods. As a representative sample of those eligible for resettlement, the IDPs' challenges are examined in this study, followed by an assessment of interventions in the Ashrayan Project in a riverbank erosion context. Employing Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques and the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF), this qualitative research shows the issues that the Ashrayan-2 project addressed and those that were not. The findings of this study offer insights and recommendations for future interventions and resettlement project design, considering the needs and challenges of IDPs and current project beneficiaries.

The "area of a town near an area of water, such as a river or the sea" and "the interface between land and water" were two ways to define the urban waterfront. This study aimed to shed light on the pressing issue of management service deficits within canal environments, emphasizing the detrimental consequences of canal encroachment, such as heightened flood vulnerability, dwindling groundwater recharge, and the loss of ecosystems and biodiversity. Based on these issues, the study identified suitable sites for sustainable waterfront development by conducting an in-depth analysis and employing geospatial mapping techniques. The criteria included proximity to water bodies, flora and fauna, urban green space, urban built-up areas, urban fellow land, and road access, and utilized GIS, KII, and community people consultations. The study addressed the practical challenges that the capital cities of Bangladesh and similar cities worldwide face in reconciling the demands of urban development with ecological conservation. The study’s aims, new findings, and contributions to the current literature are integral to advancing the discourse on sustainable urban development. Among the 4,316 evaluated locations, 50% were deemed entirely suitable, 37% predominantly suitable, and the remaining locations had lower suitability levels, including 10% slightly acceptable and none moderately suitable. This research provides actionable insights to inform urban planners, policymakers, and researchers on the creation of resilient and competitive urban regions by addressing the urgent need for holistic solutions that balance environmental preservation, social equity, and economic viability.

Tornadoes rank among the most damaging weather events in the US. They put lives at risk, wreck infrastructure, and upset economic systems. This study examines data from 1950 to 2022 using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to uncover tornado hotspots, pinpoint highrisk areas, and grasp why some regions face bigger threats. States such as Texas, Alabama, and Oklahoma proved to be risk zones due to high tornado activity, which leads to major damage, deaths, and money losses. Texas tops the list as the state tornadoes hit hardest, with the most recorded events and severe economic blows. Season patterns show tornadoes strike most in late spring and early summer creating a pressing need to get ready during these months. The research also sheds light on the toll on key infrastructure, such as U.S. interstate highways. These results offer key insights to steer disaster management and mitigate risks for the most exposed areas

The rapid growth of Bangladesh's population and labor force has made industrialization essential, as agriculture alone cannot sustain the increasing workforce. Industrial development, while driving urbanization and economic growth, often results in unplanned and uncontrolled expansion, posing significant threats to the surrounding built environment. This study focuses on the environmental management practices in industrial zones within Noapara municipality, a Class-A municipality in Bangladesh. The research reveals that industries in Noapara fail to adopt scientific methods for waste management, contributing to environmental degradation. Moreover, agencies responsible for managing industrial waste face severe challenges, including insufficient technical and non-technical manpower, lack of facilities and equipment, and inadequate budgetary support. Compounding these issues, residents in industrial and surrounding areas are largely unaware of the detrimental effects of improper waste management. The study also explores the municipality's role in granting No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for industrial setups, analyzing data from the NOC register to classify industries established between 2000 and 2016. Findings highlight critical gaps in current practices and emphasize the urgent need for enhanced waste management strategies, institutional capacity building, and community awareness to promote sustainable industrial development and environmental protection.

This study assesses the pattern of socio-economic disparities and compares facility distribution among 64 districts of Bangladesh. The regional disparities were measured in terms of indicators like poverty, income, literacy rate, access to utilities, number of industries, etc. as social and economic dimensions for each district. Among various techniques of disparity analysis natural breaks, weighted overlay, and Location Quotient methods have been used for this study. The data were collected from the statistics of World Bank, BBS (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics), and Global Data Lab and categorized into two categories under some indicators. Several maps have been prepared to show the regional disparity. The findings reveal significant differences in socioeconomic dimension levels within and across districts in Bangladesh. Some regions are always found to be less privileged than others. Highly urbanized regions (Chittagong, Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, and Khulna) have more facilities than any other region. In the Eastern and Southern regions of Bangladesh, the level of socioeconomic development is not significant. The spatial disparity is very high in Eastern districts (Sunamganj, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Jamalpur, Netrokona). In the Southern region, Satkhira could not have much socio-economic development much because of its remoteness characteristics and the presence of the Sunderban forest area. On the other side, Rangamati and Cox's Bazar have grown as a result of the development of urbanization in the Chittagong area. According to the study, low-developed districts require improvement in the majority of indicators in order to enhance their overall socioeconomic development, allowing for future sustainable development of regions.