This paper challenges the fact that the absolute freedom for residents to locate themselves wherever they want can lead to sustainable cities. Urban sprawl is the corollary to this freedom. Urban sprawl has become a controversial issue. Lines of thought among academics, practitioners, and local authorities have been diverse. Some academics advocate the compact city as an antidote to urban sprawl, some scholars doubt the ability of conventional notions of containments to create sustainability, and others are fascinated by urban technologies and believe in the feasibility of these technologies, whereas local authorities impose policies, one after the other, without effective results. The problematic point is the absence of a comprehensive approach to undermining the urban sprawl sustainably. On the other hand, the physical urban compactness alone cannot meet containment aims. The study therefore study poses a question: Is there a theory or policy that can accommodate all of these ideas? This study attempts to find a sustainable compromise through a critical review of the impact of auto-mobility on urban affairs and to solve the dialectical contradictions between the protagonists of compactness and their counterparts who advocate urban sprawl. The review ends with a comparison between urban initiatives and theories related to auto-mobilities, and highlights the approaches to sustainable urbanism. The conclusion is that all classic planning theories have neglected the sociocultural impact on the urban realm, and that the current initiatives and mutual debates consider the resident just as a physical object who cannot contribute effectively to sustainable urban syntax. The study concludes that urban sprawl can also be a compacted zone if authorities ensure the equity of loci-services. Then, the preference for housing locations will not be a challenge to urban residents’ movements to settle closer to their work. In the end, the inhabitants will share in making an integrated and real urban containment.

The purpose of this research was to identify “threshold” concepts in introductory statistics courses by surveying engineering students. Threshold concepts are those ideas that bind a subject together and are fundamental to the thinking and practice within a discipline. In this exploratory study, the aim was to answer the following questions: What are the learners’ assessments of the proposed threshold concepts? Based on the learners’ assessments, which of the four threshold characteristics best describes the selected threshold concepts? What are the final proposed threshold concepts that incorporate the learners’ perspectives? What is the perception held by learners about the theory’s impact on the learning and teaching processes? Using qualitative and quantitative exploratory analysis to answer these questions, all students in the College of Engineering and Applied Science who took one of the 29 sections of the course Introductory Statistics offered at the University of Colorado at Boulder were surveyed. The findings reveal there are differences in threshold concepts identified by instructors and learners. The learners added 11 concepts to the 18 proposed by the instructors as threshold concepts. Based on these inputs, a list of potential threshold concepts incorporating the two perspectives—that of instructor and that of learner—was created, and a framework of knowledge to support curriculum design was developed. An important suggestion for future research is to explore how to incorporate these threshold concepts in redesigning the syllabi of such courses, depending on the proposed framework.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region has seen rapid urbanization, resulting in urgent demands for sustainable construction frameworks that integrate environmental efficiency, socio-cultural identity, and operational resilience. This study conducts a thematic comparative analysis of the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS 2019) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED v5), focusing on Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), Cultural–Economic Value (CEV), and Operational Management (OM). A mixed-methods approach was utilized, incorporating a comprehensive literature review (2020–2025), an analysis of Qatar’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) protocols, and empirical data from GSAS training, site visits, and expert consultations. This method enabled the integration of qualitative cultural and operational elements with quantitative sustainability metrics, ensuring a thorough evaluation. Research indicates that LEED v5 provides superior performance-based requirements, particularly regarding indoor air quality, occupant health, ventilation, and resilience. Nevertheless, its global framework exhibits limited adaptability to hot and arid environments. In contrast, GSAS 2019 demonstrates improved contextual alignment by incorporating socio-cultural values, lifespan assessment, and operational efficacy into its methodology. These findings reinforce the dominant scholarly consensus that sustainability frameworks must extend beyond universal standards to incorporate culturally informed solutions, biophilic design, and adaptive operational management. The document suggests approaches to harmonizing international standards with regional requirements, thus fostering environmentally sustainable, culturally cohesive, and operationally robust structures in the Gulf region. The findings provide evidence-based recommendations for architects, engineers, and policymakers seeking to improve sustainable practices in hot and arid climates.

Urban areas now constitute the primary habitat for most of the global population, a demographic shift that has exacerbated longstanding urban challenges. In response, cities are increasingly turning to emerging information and communication technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) as potential solutions. This study provides a critical review of the predominant urban issues and examines their interconnection with contemporary smart city initiatives worldwide. Through an analysis of international case studies from Singapore, Spain, the Netherlands, and Copenhagen, this research aims to derive valuable insights and lessons to inform the development of scenarios for future sustainable urban models. The study highlights that while AI and smart technologies hold significant promise for advancing urban sustainability, their implementation faces considerable challenges. These include critical social implications, such as the erosion of privacy, alongside economic constraints and heterogeneous regulatory landscapes across national contexts. Furthermore, the analysis identifies Dutch smart urbanism initiatives as particularly noteworthy. Among the cases examined, the Dutch approach is distinguished by its pronounced emphasis on mitigating social issues and fostering public participation in the co-creation of future urban frameworks.