This paper seeks to elucidate the interrelationship between global meat consumption and deforestation in the Amazon region. To this end, empirical research is conducted to investigate land use changes in Rondônia and the expansion of pasture areas and beef production. Brazil is one of the largest beef producers in the world, with products destined for local and global markets. Based on bibliographical research, the paper analyzes maps of land use change between 1985 and 2021, using Landsat satellite imagery and the MapBiomas methodology for Landsat mosaic and classification. The research shows that beef from Rondônia is primarily purchased and consumed in Brazil, but it is also bought and sold on the international market. Landsat imagery analysis shows the predominance of forest conversion to pasture in Rondônia. The results show that deforestation in the Amazon is directly linked to the growth of cattle ranching. Land use change from native forest to pasture for beef cattle production is a reality in the Brazilian Amazon, especially in Rondônia. It suggests the urgent need for more conscious consumption and production practices as well as ethical and sustainable eating habits.

Despite various opportunities, urban development projects have been causing significant challenges to the preservation and conservation of historic cultural heritage. In particular, an increasing number of World Heritage (WH) properties are impacted by the direct and indirect effects of development projects, reflecting the existing uprising conflict. Grasping the challenge, Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) has been developed as a proactive assessment tool to identify and predict potential impacts, mitigate the negative impacts on heritage values, and sustain the attributes conveying OUVs in WH assets. The growing demand for urban development and its potential impacts on cultural heritage properties underscores the necessity for the development of a targeted Heritage Impact Assessment methodology for urban development threats. To adequately address multiple impacts, this paper proposes a triangulation of a qualitative matrix for impact identification and a semi-quantitative indicator-based index for impact analysis and evaluation. The methodology is applied to the World Heritage property of Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan in Iran. In drawing upon this example, a systematic and integrated impact assessment procedure is developed to capture a broad category of potential impacts and their significance that is crucial for determining site-specific mitigation strategies and informed decision-making within the context of heritage management and sustainable urban development.

In Germany, the current sectoral urban planning often leads to inefficient use of resources, partly because municipalities lack integrated planning instruments and argumentation strength toward politics, investors, or citizens. The paper develops the ResourcePlan as (i) legal and (ii) a planning instrument to support the efficient use of resources in urban neighborhoods. The integrative, multi-methodological approach addresses the use of natural resources in the building and infrastructural sectors of (i) water (storm- and wastewater) management, (ii) construction and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure, (iii) urban energy system planning, and (iv) land-use planning. First, the development as legal instrument is carried out, providing (i) premises for integrating resource protection at all legal levels and (ii) options for implementing the ResourcePlan within German municipal structures. Second, the evaluation framework for resource efficiency of the urban neighborhoods is set up for usage as a planning instrument. The framework provides a two-stage process that runs through the phases of setting up and implementing the ResourcePlan. (Eco)system services are evaluated as well as life cycle assessment and economic aspects. As a legal instrument, the ResourcePlan integrates resource protection into municipal planning and decision-making processes. The multi-methodological evaluation framework helps to assess inter-disciplinary resource efficiency, supports the spatial identification of synergies and conflicting goals, and contributes to transparent, resource-optimized planning decisions.

This article discusses the importance of increasing the percentage of protected areas and improving the efficiency of law enforcement in the Amazon rainforest. The Amazon’s waters and forests are essential to the global ecosystem, and both global and local climate changes are already having a significant impact on the region, as exemplified in 2023 by reduced precipitation in the region and extremely low levels of rivers like the Rio Negro. Yet, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is increasing, especially in those areas not protected by legal environmental legislation. Therefore, expanding legal protection is crucial for both global climate adaptation and the conservation of the natural and cultural heritage of water systems.

Contemporary cities face the acute challenge of balancing competing imperatives: preserving cultural identity while enabling transformation; responding to crises while fostering opportunity; and respecting tradition while embracing modernisation. Rather than choosing between the past and the future, this paper examines how these tensions can be navigated by approaching cities as opportunities to be shaped through culturally rooted, adaptive, and forward-looking planning. The study draws on research, teaching, and fieldwork organised in five thematic clusters. Grounded in the interconnected concepts of urbanity, resilience, and innovative practices, it employs a comparative, interdisciplinary, and multi-scalar methodology. On this basis, the paper argues that urban resilience is cultivated where memory, participation, and innovation intersect. Key insights highlight the value of tradition-informed design for long-term transformation, the potential of co-production and experimentation for sustainability transitions, and the importance of global-local learning for equitable adaptation. The paper concludes that designing for resilience requires an approach that addresses complexity across temporal, spatial, and institutional dimensions through sustained partnerships between planners, policymakers, and stakeholder communities.