This study began with the increasing importance of ESG through sustainable management evaluation across all industries, predicting market demand through the ESG management paradigm and financial environment changes in the global industry, and establishing international strategies for the construction industry. Compared to other industries, the construction industry is in the early stages of ESG formation, and it is unclear how to expand its base by establishing evaluation system standards such as innovation of individual services, interaction of social capital, and definition of stakeholders. Currently, some large construction companies in the construction industry are publishing sustainability management reports at the group level, but given the recently strengthened global sustainability of ESG by GRI Standards, efficient analysis of global construction markets and strategic orders are needed. Therefore, this study focuses on assessing the sustainability strategies and directions of the construction industry from an ESG perspective. To this end, sustainability issues and insights, as well as global issues in Korea and the worldwide construction sector, were analyzed. The analysis showed that global construction companies were highly interested in business management approaches, such as safety and health, as critical issues regarding the construction industry’s sustainability strategy. In contrast, South Korean construction companies prioritize business values such as value creation, fair trade, and win-win. Both global and South Korean construction companies have been working on greenhouse gas reduction and energy sustainability. Regarding other issues, cultivating construction specialists, enhancing the job training system, and limiting serious accidents and safety mishaps were all significant from a social standpoint among South Korean construction companies. Conversely, global construction companies appeared to focus on issues related to ethical and environmental management from an organizational standpoint.

Coffee shops are evolving into spaces that offer diverse experiences for consumers, with coffee acting as a medium. They are simple venues where people can drink coffee and enjoy and share their cultures with each other; moreover, coffee shops capture the consumers’ complex individuality and values. Considering this trend, it is worth looking at the coffee shop in connection with spatial design marketing, as a place that has endless potential to effectively express the needs of modern consumers through spatial identity and story. Accordingly, this study is focused on global coffee franchises because a single brand can control factors other than spatial design, such as coffee price, quality, brand identity, and service. This study looks at global coffee franchises from the spatial design marketing perspective, to examine the value and importance of a space as not only one of the elements of spatial design, but also as a marketing agent. To this end, spatial design marketing will be presented for Starbucks and Blue Bottle, which are the front-runners of the global coffee franchise sector. This study also explores the meaning of directional space, within the global coffee franchises, a meaning that will be transformative in the future. This study is significant in that it derived three spatial marketing characteristics and six strategies that can enhance the spatial value of coffee shops and the experiential value of consumers. This was accomplished through an approach focused on Starbucks and Blue Bottle, the most representative global coffee franchises. Moreover, the presented spatial design marketing strategies are not only applicable to coffee franchises but also to various commercial spatial design fields, and are expected to be used as a business methodology that can satisfy the needs of modern consumers and increase the unique value of their brand.

As custodians of intangible cultural heritage and ecological knowledge systems, Chinese traditional villages face dual challenges, namely, rapidnew urbanization and the commodification of capital-driven spaces. Thus, the sustainability crisis within their living environments has become increasingly prominent. This study reviews Henri Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space and the features of traditional villages through a literature review. It identifies six sustainable characteristics of traditional villages, grounded in the theory of the production of space. Case studies of four distinct traditional villages (Hongcun, Anhui; Yazhe Zaozu, Sichuan; Tianluokeng, Fujian; Dingcun, Shanxi) — representing diverse types and geographical contexts—were conducted to validate these characteristics. The results indicate the following: First, the sustainability of the living environment in traditional villages manifests not only in the persistence of physical spaces, but more fundamentally in the maintenance of social bonds and spiritual culture. Second, the holders of rights in traditional villages vary across regions and village types. Third, the sustainability of the living environments typically exhibits distinct local characteristics, rich experiential narratives, strong collective practices, considerable resilience, significant cultural symbolism, and close interconnectivity. These findings extend the applicability of the production of space in examining the sustainability of rural living environments, offering valuable theoretical insights and practical strategies for the conservation and sustainable development of Chinese traditional villages.

This study supports the preservation and sustainable development of traditional villages by examining their spatial distribution patterns and mechanisms underlying those patterns in Henan Province. The study utilizes data from six batches of Chinese traditional villages in the province, which are studied using kernel density estimation (KDE), spatial autocorrelation, optimal GeoDetector, and the geographically weighted regression (GWR) model, to explore the spatial differentiation pattern in depth and its mechanisms of influencing traditional villages in Henan Province. This study reveals that traditional villages in the province exhibit a “multi-core” clustering pattern, influenced by the natural environment, historical culture, location and transportation, and economic development. The Optimal Parameter GeoDetector indicates that 15 factors, including the average altitude, academy density, road density, and annual GDP, vary significantly in their impact. Furthermore, these factors exhibit a notable interactive, synergistic effect. Meanwhile, the GWR model indicates spatial heterogeneity in the influences of factors like the average rainfall, river density, road density, academy density, and GDP on the distribution of traditional villages. This study suggests developing tailored protection and development strategies for different clusters, enhancing inter-administrative joint protection, and building a radiation network centered on core areas to promote sustainable preservation and coordinated rural revitalization of traditional villages.

The role of senior citizen centers is becoming more important, with a greater emphasis placed on ensuring that these establishments facilitate leisure and communication for older adults. These developments are taking place as population aging has now become an irreversible global trend. However, there is still a lack of systematic research on predicting the distribution density of senior citizen centers based on physical factors in urban planning. Therefore, this study set each administrative district in Busan as a unit and investigated physical factors affecting the distribution density of senior citizen centers around small apartment complexes to validate their effectiveness. First, the spatial hierarchy of each administrative district in Busan was examined. The city was divided into administrative districts while focusing on the distribution density of senior citizen centers (the dependent variable) around small apartment complexes where older adults live (within a 500 m radius). The spatial accessibility of senior citizen centers and the number of apartments in each administrative district were set as independent variables. This selection was made to verify the effectiveness of the physical factors by conducting an independent sample t-test, normality test, Friedman test, and two-way ANOVA. The chief findings of this study are as follows. (1) The spatial awareness of each administrative district was low, and there were large disparities in the land development density relative to the spatial scale of the administrative districts. (2) Regarding the physical factors affecting the distribution density of senior citizen centers, the spatial accessibility of senior residences was more significant than the number of small apartment complexes nearby. (3) Personal and social factors may have indirectly influenced the distribution density of senior citizen centers more than physical factors, depending on the type of house in which the older adults live. The findings will provide a theoretical basis for determining the location and distribution density of senior citizen centers in urban planning considering physical factors, as well as serve as a reference for public policy decisions related to the allocation of such centers in the future.

South Korea has experienced rapid aging, and it is predicted that people aged 65 years or older will account for 20% of the total population by 2047. The proportion of one-person households is also increasing rapidly at the same time, and is expected to account for 37% of the total number of households by 2047. Such a demographic shift has led to more isolated households and social isolation, and consequently, to higher risks of solitary deaths. Central and local governments have implemented various measures, such as care services for the elderly living alone and regular checks on their status; however, there are limitations due to workforce and budget constraints. Therefore, it is necessary to explore innovative solutions that utilize digital technologies such as the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) as new low-cost, high-efficiency alternatives. Innovations in digital technology have the potential to suggest new solutions to the issue of solitary death. Advanced technologies can play an important role in maximizing the effectiveness of solitary death prevention, management, and the prevention of social isolation. Although there is a growing body of research on the development of digital technology-based care services for the elderly, these studies have primarily focused on the applicability and early implementation stages of specific technologies. These studies have limitations in fully understanding the market trends of technologies and competition patterns within the industry. Therefore, it is essential to investigate trends in the latest technologies and R&D directions in a particular technology field through patents filed to protect new technologies. This study is intended to contribute to an in-depth understanding of the current status and development direction of digital technologies for the prevention of solitary deaths, and to provide a basis for future technology development. This study also contributes to establishing government policies and R&D strategies.