The System Theoretic Accident Model and Processes (STAMP) considers safety as a dynamic problem by focusing on interactions among system components rather than on component failure. However, analyzing complex system risks with STAMP can be challenging due to manual processes. Therefore, software tools supporting STAMP analysis have been developed. An evaluation of five tools (ASTAH, STPA, Capella, XSTAMPP, STPA Master Lite, and Visio Pro) was conducted, focusing on systems of systems (SoS) risk analysis. While all tools demonstrated compliance with the STAMP risk analysis procedure, with some tools offering additional features, a shortcoming in scalability limits the support for risk analysis of SoS. This makes risk analysis with the available STAMP tools challenging for SoS. Recommended enhancements include mechanisms to address SoS characteristics, scalability, collaboration, and improved usability. The study contributes to research on SoS risk analysis and provides direction for advancement in risk analysis tool support.

This systematic review examines the intersection of systems thinking and learning theory in addressing rural–urban challenges in light of increasing global urbanization. We explore how different dimensions of systems thinking—ontological (how we understand systems) and epistemological (how we think about systems)—align with single-, double-, and triple-loop learning in rural–urban research from 2014 to 2024. Through a rigorous screening process of the peer-reviewed literature, we analyze how theoretical frameworks manifest in research approaches, methodological choices, and learning outcomes. Our findings reveal promising developments and persistent gaps in current approaches, and suggest pathways for more integrated theoretical and methodological frameworks. We also highlight the need for studies that develop knowledge and practices that support collective learning and joint trajectories towards sustainability from a cross-sectorial perspective in rural–urban geographies. This synthesis contributes to discussions on how to effectively address complex challenges at the rural–urban interface while advancing both theoretical understanding and practical application.

Positive Energy District (PED) is a characterization used by the European Union to increase the speed of the transition to climate friendly urban areas. A PED is an area which is a net producer of usable energy. The concept originates from energy-positive buildings, but includes the possibility of collaboration between buildings adding the synergies that are made possible by considering a larger area. Each building can be considered as an independent system, and thus the entire PED is a system of systems. By combining capabilities, the different buildings within the PED together achieve greater energy efficiency. In this paper, we describe a PED as a system of systems and take steps towards comparing this view of PEDs with a simpler view based on the seven samurai model of intervention systems. The two approaches give different insights to understanding the PEDs.

Arctic marine traffic is increasing as ice conditions change, creating greater risks of vessel collisions and groundings. To address the need for more reliable quantitative risk evaluation, this paper presents a new safety risk index tailored to Arctic maritime operations. The index integrates fuzzy-logic linguistic scoring with Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods to convert expert judgements into a consistent numerical measure. The methodology involves defining qualitative criteria, assigning fuzzy membership functions, constructing expert-driven rule bases, and aggregating results through an MCDM approach. These components are calibrated using expert workshops to improve accuracy. Validation using historical Arctic collision and grounding cases shows that the index reduces false-negative alerts compared with traditional threshold-based tools. Sensitivity analysis identifies which criteria most strongly influence risk outcomes. Overall, the proposed index provides a more objective, transparent, and operationally useful assessment framework to support planners and bridge teams navigating Arctic waters.