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I am an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences , Hiroshima University. I also have a cross-appointment at the Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering. My research is mainly at the interface of urbanism and climate change mitigation and adaptation. I actively contribute to global change research programs such as the Future Earth and currently I am serving as a lead author for the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Before joining Hiroshima University, I was the Executive Director of the Global Carbon Project (GCP)-a Future Earth core project- leading the urban flagship activity of the project which is focused on conducting cutting-edge research for supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation in cities. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering (Surveying), a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning, and a doctorate in Environmental Engineering. I am interested in pursuing research at the interface of climate change and urban planning. The ultimate goal of my research is to provide further insights into how to develop sustainable, peaceful, just, and resilient communities.
This study examines social resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic by analyzing the state of selected indicators among different Socio-Demographic Groups (SDGs) in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. Data were collected via a questionnaire survey. The survey was administered between January and April 2021 and the total number of properly completed questionnaires was 786. The findings show that, first, almost all of the Social Resilience Indicators (SRIs) have experienced negative and unfavorable changes during the pandemic in Tehran. This is remarkably the case for social coping style, social capital, social relationship, and social adaptability. Second, no significant difference in the state of SRIs was observed among different SDGs, except for the age group of 17–20, educational groups with diploma and post-diploma education, and the educational occupational group. Third, testing the impact of the state of SRIs on SDGs indicated a positive and statistically significant impact in four paths, namely SRIs with gender, SRIs with age, SRIs with Job, and SRIs with education. Our results can shed more light on SRIs that can be used to measure the state of social resilience in communities affected by the pandemic, like Tehran. They can also provide insights into actions that should be taken by planners and policy makers to enhance resilience in other communities with similar conditions.
Hadi Alizadeh; Ayyoob Sharifi. Analysis of the state of social resilience among different socio-demographic groups during the COVID- 19 pandemic. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 2021, 64, 102514 .
AMA StyleHadi Alizadeh, Ayyoob Sharifi. Analysis of the state of social resilience among different socio-demographic groups during the COVID- 19 pandemic. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 2021; 64 ():102514.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHadi Alizadeh; Ayyoob Sharifi. 2021. "Analysis of the state of social resilience among different socio-demographic groups during the COVID- 19 pandemic." International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 64, no. : 102514.
The proliferation of ridesourcing services has raised both hopes and concerns about their role in cities. The impacts of ridesourcing services are complex and multi-faceted. Through reviewing the literature, this study aims to identify the social, economic, and environmental impacts of these services and highlight opportunities and challenges that lay ahead of them for resolving issues related to urban transportation. According to the results, ridesourcing services offer safe modes of transport that provide convenient mobility options, improve transit availability in disadvantaged and remote areas, and respond to taxi demand fluctuations. They can create new job opportunities by employing new human resources that have not been used before, provide flexible working hours for drivers, and are more efficient than taxi cabs. These services provide other opportunities to extend or complement public transit, reduce car ownership and congestion, and minimize parking supply. However, they are criticized for unfair competition with traditional taxis, limited compliance with social legislation, and lack of affordability. They are not available in all places and exclude some vulnerable and socially disadvantaged groups. Labor rights are not secure in this industry, and driver income is not stable. Finally, there is also evidence showing that, in some cases, they contribute to the growth of VMT, energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and congestion in cities.
Amir Khavarian-Garmsir; Ayyoob Sharifi; Mohammad Hajian Hossein Abadi. The Social, Economic, and Environmental Impacts of Ridesourcing Services: A Literature Review. Future Transportation 2021, 1, 268 -289.
AMA StyleAmir Khavarian-Garmsir, Ayyoob Sharifi, Mohammad Hajian Hossein Abadi. The Social, Economic, and Environmental Impacts of Ridesourcing Services: A Literature Review. Future Transportation. 2021; 1 (2):268-289.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAmir Khavarian-Garmsir; Ayyoob Sharifi; Mohammad Hajian Hossein Abadi. 2021. "The Social, Economic, and Environmental Impacts of Ridesourcing Services: A Literature Review." Future Transportation 1, no. 2: 268-289.
COVID-19 shocked cities around the world and revealed the vulnerability of urban lives and functions. Most cities experienced a catastrophic disturbance that has lasted for a long time. Planning plays a critical role in responding efficiently to this crisis and enabling rapid functional recovery in the post-disaster era. Cities that have implemented digitalization initiatives and programs are likely to have more capacity to react appropriately. Specifically, digitalized cities could ensure the well-being of their residents and maintain continuity of urban functions. This research aims to analyze the role of technology in crisis management in the last two decades and provide appropriate policy recommendations for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Systematic literature review and subjective content analysis are employed to investigate the effects of technology on community well-being and making cities more resilient in past crises. This study shows that different technology-driven policies and actions enable crisis management, enhance community well-being, and increase urban resilience. Technology has enhanced coping and recovery capacities by increasing participation and social connectedness, enhancing physical and mental health and maintaining the functionality of education and economic systems. These have been achieved through various solutions and technologies such as social media, telehealth, tracking and monitoring systems, sensors and locational applications, teleworking systems, etc. These solutions and technologies have also been used during the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance community well-being and sustain urban functions. However, technology deployment might have adverse effects such as social exclusion, digital divide, privacy and confidentiality violation, political bias and misinformation dissemination, and inefficient remote working and education. It is suggested that to mitigate these side effects, policymakers should liberate the process of digitalization, increase the accessibility to digital services, and enhance digital literacy.
Mahnoosh Hassankhani; Mehdi Alidadi; Ayyoob Sharifi; Abolghasem Azhdari. Smart City and Crisis Management: Lessons for the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18, 7736 .
AMA StyleMahnoosh Hassankhani, Mehdi Alidadi, Ayyoob Sharifi, Abolghasem Azhdari. Smart City and Crisis Management: Lessons for the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18 (15):7736.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMahnoosh Hassankhani; Mehdi Alidadi; Ayyoob Sharifi; Abolghasem Azhdari. 2021. "Smart City and Crisis Management: Lessons for the COVID-19 Pandemic." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 15: 7736.
Since its emergence in late 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has swept through many cities around the world, claiming millions of lives and causing major socio-economic impacts. The pandemic occurred at an important historical juncture when smart solutions and technologies have become ubiquitous in many cities. Against this background, in this review, we examine how smart city solutions and technologies have contributed to resilience by enhancing planning, absorption, recovery, and adaptation abilities. For this purpose, we reviewed 147 studies that have discussed issues related to the use of smart solutions and technologies during the pandemic. The results were synthesized under four themes, namely, planning and preparation, absorption, recovery, and adaptation. This review shows that investment in smart city initiatives can enhance the planning and preparation ability. In addition, the adoption of smart solutions and technologies can, among other things, enhance the capacity of cities to predict pandemic patterns, facilitate an integrated and timely response, minimize or postpone transmission of the virus, provide support to overstretched sectors, minimize supply chain disruption, ensure continuity of basic services, and offer solutions for optimizing city operations. These are promising results that demonstrate the utility of smart solutions for enhancing resilience. However, it should be noted that realizing this potential hinges on careful attention to important issues and challenges related to privacy and security, access to open-source data, technological affordance, legal barriers, technological feasibility, and citizen engagement. Despite this, this review shows that further development of smart city initiatives can provide unprecedented opportunities for enhancing resilience to the pandemic and similar future events.
Ayyoob Sharifi; Amir Khavarian-Garmsir; Rama Kummitha. Contributions of Smart City Solutions and Technologies to Resilience against the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8018 .
AMA StyleAyyoob Sharifi, Amir Khavarian-Garmsir, Rama Kummitha. Contributions of Smart City Solutions and Technologies to Resilience against the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (14):8018.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAyyoob Sharifi; Amir Khavarian-Garmsir; Rama Kummitha. 2021. "Contributions of Smart City Solutions and Technologies to Resilience against the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review." Sustainability 13, no. 14: 8018.
In recent years, the effects of climate change have become more noticeable in Iran, especially in big cities. In particular, climate-related flood risk is increasingly recognized as a potential threat in the capital city of Tehran. Accordingly, the present study aimed to provide a framework/assessment tool to measure Tehran’s resilience to flood risks. To this end, 21 professionals from different disciplines were selected through a purposive sampling procedure and were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. The analysis procedure resulted in the identification of 3 themes, 15 categories, 40 subcategories, and 235 codes. The themes were social, economic, and organizational; The identified categories were culture and education (since culture is something to be learned through formal and informal education this component has two features: culture and education), participation, trust, attitude, solidarity, resources, empowerment, flexibility, credit, supervision, intercommunication, rules, specialization, and research. Validation of the indicators and their usability based on the opinions of local experts was used to calibrate the assessment tool and ensure its context-sensitivity. The results of this research can help planners and policymakers to increase their awareness of flood resilience. The approach taken in this research may also be useful for developing flood resilience assessment tools in other Iranian cities as well as in other cities of the Global South with similar conditions.
Behnam Ghasemzadeh; Zahra Zarabadi; Hamid Majedi; Mostafa Behzadfar; Ayyoob Sharifi. A Framework for Urban Flood Resilience Assessment with Emphasis on Social, Economic and Institutional Dimensions: A Qualitative Study. Sustainability 2021, 13, 7852 .
AMA StyleBehnam Ghasemzadeh, Zahra Zarabadi, Hamid Majedi, Mostafa Behzadfar, Ayyoob Sharifi. A Framework for Urban Flood Resilience Assessment with Emphasis on Social, Economic and Institutional Dimensions: A Qualitative Study. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (14):7852.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBehnam Ghasemzadeh; Zahra Zarabadi; Hamid Majedi; Mostafa Behzadfar; Ayyoob Sharifi. 2021. "A Framework for Urban Flood Resilience Assessment with Emphasis on Social, Economic and Institutional Dimensions: A Qualitative Study." Sustainability 13, no. 14: 7852.
The concept of smart cities has gained significant momentum in science and policy circles over the past decade. This study aims to provide an overview of the structure and trends in the literature on smart cities. Bibliometric analysis and science mapping techniques using VOSviewer and CiteSpace are used to identify the thematic focus of over 5000 articles indexed in the Web of Science since 1991. In addition to providing insights into the thematic evolution of the field, the three-decade study period is divided into two sub-periods (1991–2015 and 2016–2021). While splitting the dataset into more sub-periods would have been desirable, we decided to only examine two sub-periods as only very few papers have been published until 2010. The annual number of publications has progressively increased since then, with a surge in the annual number of publications observable from 2015 onwards. The thematic analysis showed that the intellectual base of the field has been very limited during the first period, but has expanded significantly since 2015. Over time, some thematic evolutions, such as further attention to linkages to climate change and resilience, and more emphasis on security and privacy issues, have been made. The thematic analysis shows that existing research on smart cities is dominated by either conceptual issues or underlying technical aspects. It is, therefore, essential to do more research on the implementation of smart cities and actual and/or potential contributions of smart cities to solving societal issues. In addition to elaborating on thematic focus, the study also highlights major authors, journals, references, countries, and institutions that have contributed to the development of the smart cities literature.
Ayyoob Sharifi; Zaheer Allam; Bakhtiar Feizizadeh; Hessam Ghamari. Three Decades of Research on Smart Cities: Mapping Knowledge Structure and Trends. Sustainability 2021, 13, 7140 .
AMA StyleAyyoob Sharifi, Zaheer Allam, Bakhtiar Feizizadeh, Hessam Ghamari. Three Decades of Research on Smart Cities: Mapping Knowledge Structure and Trends. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (13):7140.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAyyoob Sharifi; Zaheer Allam; Bakhtiar Feizizadeh; Hessam Ghamari. 2021. "Three Decades of Research on Smart Cities: Mapping Knowledge Structure and Trends." Sustainability 13, no. 13: 7140.
Considering the recent and projected increases in the frequency and intensity of hazards, many cities around the world are increasingly taking efforts to build on their resilience. This study focuses on the physical resilience of cities as a relatively under-studied branch of urban resilience. Due to the considerable complexity of the resilience concept, there is still no clear and applicable definition for urban physical resilience. To make this concept more tangible, this study elaborates on the determinant characteristics of physical resilience and explores their interactions. To this end, the characteristics were extracted and conceptualized from the review of previous research, and also using the Delphi method. The Interpretive Structural Modeling and MICMAC analysis were also used to partition the characteristics, determine the driving and dependent elements, and clarify the complex concepts of physical resilience. Then, the DEMATEL method was employed to quantitatively analyze the interrelationships and interactions among the characteristics and determine the causal relationships. The results showed that ‘redundancy’ and ‘robustness’ are two key characteristics that contribute to the physical resilience of cities. Also, the characteristics were partitioned into different levels based on driving and dependence power, and the cause and effect categories of characteristics were determined based on the interactions. The results from this research can be used for resilience-based urban and spatial planning to bridge the gap between the theory of physical resilience of cities and its practical approaches. Moreover, urban planners should pay special attention to and focus on the driving elements (i.e., causes), to provide the context for the proper realization of the dependent elements (i.e., effects).
Sedigheh Meimandi Parizi; Mohammad Taleai; Ayyoob Sharifi. Integrated methods to determine urban physical resilience characteristics and their interactions. Natural Hazards 2021, 1 -30.
AMA StyleSedigheh Meimandi Parizi, Mohammad Taleai, Ayyoob Sharifi. Integrated methods to determine urban physical resilience characteristics and their interactions. Natural Hazards. 2021; ():1-30.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSedigheh Meimandi Parizi; Mohammad Taleai; Ayyoob Sharifi. 2021. "Integrated methods to determine urban physical resilience characteristics and their interactions." Natural Hazards , no. : 1-30.
Research on indoor wayfinding has increased in number and significance since the 1980s. Yet, the information on wayfinding literature is now difficult to manage given its vast scope and spread across journals, institutions, disciplines, and themes. While there is an increasing number of publications within this rapidly growing field of research, there are limited review studies in the field, and there is still missing an overall analysis of the current state of wayfinding literature and its evolution. The main objective of this study is to present a bibliometric analysis of about forty years of research on indoor wayfinding to provide an overview of the research landscape. The final database of the study contained 407 publications. VOSviewer was used as a science mapping software tool to identify major focus areas and to identify influential authors, publications, and journals using various network analysis techniques, such as term co-occurrence, co-citation, and bibliographic coupling. Similar co-occurrence analysis was used to understand how the intellectual base of the field has evolved over time and what the major themes are that have contributed to this evolution. The results show that this field has initially been mainly focused on few themes but has later become more diversified to acknowledge the multi-dimensional characteristics of indoor wayfinding. While spatial knowledge acquisition and cognitive maps are still dominant core areas, there are topics, such as signage, isovists, and the use of eye-tracking and virtual reality, that still need to be further investigated.
Hessam Ghamari; Ayyoob Sharifi. Mapping the Evolutions and Trends of Literature on Wayfinding in Indoor Environments. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education 2021, 11, 585 -606.
AMA StyleHessam Ghamari, Ayyoob Sharifi. Mapping the Evolutions and Trends of Literature on Wayfinding in Indoor Environments. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education. 2021; 11 (2):585-606.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHessam Ghamari; Ayyoob Sharifi. 2021. "Mapping the Evolutions and Trends of Literature on Wayfinding in Indoor Environments." European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education 11, no. 2: 585-606.
Sustainability and peace have long been recognized within academic and policy circles as intrinsically interrelated. Although there are some studies that examine impacts of sustainability on peace and vice versa, a specific focus on the sustainability–peace nexus remains marginal in academic and policy discourses, and pathways where sustainability and peace interact remain ambiguous. As a result, global initiatives on peace and sustainability remain fragmented. It is, therefore, crucial to identify the different components that mutually reinforce the desirable outcomes from sustainability and peace initiatives. This special feature of Sustainability Science aims to contribute to a better understanding of these components by highlighting the emerging discourses on the peace–sustainability nexus and the issues surrounding it. It includes articles that provide insights to better address issues at the nexus of peace and sustainability. Key takeaways for scientists and policy makers are that systemic approaches are needed to capture the multiple dynamic interactions between peace and sustainability; addressing issues at the intersection of peace and sustainability requires interactions between a wide range of stakeholders within and across various local, regional, national, and global scales; and international scientific collaboration is essential for comprehensive understanding of the interactions between peace and sustainability. We hope that this special feature will contribute to a better understanding of the complexities of the peace–sustainability nexus and provide insights into developing more effective solutions and strategies for making progress towards creating more peaceful and sustainable communities in the future.
Ayyoob Sharifi; Dahlia Simangan; Shinji Kaneko; Hassan Virji. The sustainability–peace nexus: why is it important? Sustainability Science 2021, 16, 1073 -1077.
AMA StyleAyyoob Sharifi, Dahlia Simangan, Shinji Kaneko, Hassan Virji. The sustainability–peace nexus: why is it important? Sustainability Science. 2021; 16 (4):1073-1077.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAyyoob Sharifi; Dahlia Simangan; Shinji Kaneko; Hassan Virji. 2021. "The sustainability–peace nexus: why is it important?" Sustainability Science 16, no. 4: 1073-1077.
Water scarcity is a major issue that many countries, especially developing ones are facing. Climate change is expected to further exacerbate water scarcity in many parts of the world. The Water Poverty Index (WPI) is used as one of the important tools for measuring water scarcity. Although WPI is linked to the development of countries, the impacts of WPI components on the development are not clearly investigated. There are studies that demonstrate strong associations between water-related factors such as availability and accessibility, and development capacity. However, limited knowledge exists on the impacts of multiple WPI sub-components on the Human Development Index (HDI). This paper aims to assess the impacts of the WPI components (i.e., resource, capacity, access, use, and environment) on the HDI in Iran. For this purpose, the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression modeling is used. The results show that the resource component of the WPI has the largest impact on the HDI in Iran, followed by the capacity, environment, use, and access components. Also, while the use component inversely impacts the HDI, the increase in the other components leads to an increase in the HDI. Based on the findings, the paper provides planning recommendations for improving the WPI and consequently the HDI in Iran.
Tahmineh Ladi; Asrin Mahmoudpour; Ayyoob Sharifi. Assessing impacts of the water poverty index components on the human development index in Iran. Habitat International 2021, 113, 102375 .
AMA StyleTahmineh Ladi, Asrin Mahmoudpour, Ayyoob Sharifi. Assessing impacts of the water poverty index components on the human development index in Iran. Habitat International. 2021; 113 ():102375.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTahmineh Ladi; Asrin Mahmoudpour; Ayyoob Sharifi. 2021. "Assessing impacts of the water poverty index components on the human development index in Iran." Habitat International 113, no. : 102375.
Neighborhood Sustainability Assessment Tools (NSATs) are well-established pathways to attain urban sustainability; however, this comes with its own set of scrutiny particularly with regards to the environmental bias of NSATs towards sustainability. However, more socially driven gaps that exist are generally mentioned but never fully investigated. For instance, gaps have been identified that question the effectiveness of NSATs in considering the opinion of the general public in the urban development project; and such participatory indicators that promote inclusive decision making is a key element of sustainability. Thus, this study investigates 15 NSATs to determine the competency of participatory indicators and criteria in effectively allowing relevant stakeholders to make accurate and impactful decisions in design, planning, and construction of urban spaces. The key method used was Arnstein's hierarchical ladder approach, which determines how genuine participatory exercises are through ranking. The second approach, Rowe and Frewer acceptance and process criteria, was used to determine the quality of the decision-making exercise. The results showed the misconceptions that exist within participatory indicators and criteria by drawing out ambiguities that circumvent these inclusivity claims. Some of the gaps detected were the elective nature of most participatory indicators, the low points allocated to these indicators and vagueness and open-ended nature of the instructions and execution of inclusive decision-making. Furthermore, results showed varying quality in how decisions are made. The study proceeded to provide recommendations to improve participatory indicators and mitigate the loopholes observed. These recommendations include, mandating specific participatory indicators, increasing the weights of participatory indicators, providing specific procedures on how to effectively participate within the NSAT manual and utilizing third party participatory tools such as the IAP2 framework to ensure high-level quality participatory procedures are executed.
Ayotunde Dawodu; Ayyoob Sharifi; Ali Cheshmehzangi; Jumoke Oladejo. The illusion of participation: Are participatory indicators truly effective in neigborhood sustainability assessment tools. Journal of Cleaner Production 2021, 311, 127538 .
AMA StyleAyotunde Dawodu, Ayyoob Sharifi, Ali Cheshmehzangi, Jumoke Oladejo. The illusion of participation: Are participatory indicators truly effective in neigborhood sustainability assessment tools. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2021; 311 ():127538.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAyotunde Dawodu; Ayyoob Sharifi; Ali Cheshmehzangi; Jumoke Oladejo. 2021. "The illusion of participation: Are participatory indicators truly effective in neigborhood sustainability assessment tools." Journal of Cleaner Production 311, no. : 127538.
Since its emergence in late 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has attracted the attention of researchers in various fields, including urban planning and design. However, the spreading patterns of the disease in cities are still not clear. Historically, preventing and controlling pandemics in cities has always been challenging due to various factors such as higher population density, higher mobility of people, and higher contact frequency. To shed more light on the spread patterns of the pandemic, in this study we analyze 43,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases at the neighborhood level in Tehran, the capital of Iran. To examine spatio-temporal patterns and place-based factors contributing to the spread of the pandemic, we used exploratory spatial data analysis and spatial regression. We developed a geo-referenced database composed of 12 quantitative place-based variables related to physical attributes, land use and public transportation facilities, and demographic status. We also used the geographically weighted regression model for the local examination of spatial non-stationarity. According to the results, population density (R2 = 0.88) and distribution of neighborhood centers (R2 = 0.59), drugstores (R2 = 0.64), and chain stores (R2 = 0.59) are the main factors contributing to the spread of the disease. Additionally, density of public transportation facilities showed a varying degree of contribution. Overall, our findings suggest that demographic composition and major neighborhood-level physical attributes are important factors explaining high rates of infection and mortality. Results contribute to gaining a better understanding of the role of place-based attributes that may contribute to the spread of the pandemic and can inform actions aimed at achieving Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goals 3 and 11.
Azadeh Lak; Ayyoob Sharifi; Siamak Badr; Alireza Zali; Ali Maher; Ehsan Mostafavi; Davood Khalili. Spatio-temporal patterns of the COVID-19 pandemic, and place-based influential factors at the neighborhood scale in Tehran. Sustainable Cities and Society 2021, 72, 103034 .
AMA StyleAzadeh Lak, Ayyoob Sharifi, Siamak Badr, Alireza Zali, Ali Maher, Ehsan Mostafavi, Davood Khalili. Spatio-temporal patterns of the COVID-19 pandemic, and place-based influential factors at the neighborhood scale in Tehran. Sustainable Cities and Society. 2021; 72 ():103034.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAzadeh Lak; Ayyoob Sharifi; Siamak Badr; Alireza Zali; Ali Maher; Ehsan Mostafavi; Davood Khalili. 2021. "Spatio-temporal patterns of the COVID-19 pandemic, and place-based influential factors at the neighborhood scale in Tehran." Sustainable Cities and Society 72, no. : 103034.
Following its emergence in China in December 2019, COVID-19 rapidly spread across many cities around the globe, causing significant socio-economic impacts. Long before the pandemic, enhancing urban resilience was high on the agenda of urban planners and policy makers alike. However, the focus has mainly been on resilience to seismic hazards and climate change impacts. The pandemic has brought to the fore issues related to the vulnerability of cities to infectious diseases and provides an unprecedented opportunity for critical reflections and debates about major issues that need to be addressed and lessons that can be learned to better deal with future similar events. As a preliminary effort, this chapter discusses lessons related to various areas such as economy, environmental management, governance, social inequality, smart cities, transportation, and urban design. In the light of early evidence reported on these areas in the literature, this study will discuss possible links between the pandemic and the planning, absorption, recovery, and adaptation capacities of resilience. It will also discuss the significance of major characteristics such as flexibility, collaboration, diversity, redundancy, resourcefulness, and self-organization for enhancing those resilience capacities. In addition, among other things. this chapter emphasizes the importance of pre-event planning, long-term visioning, early response, integrated governance, community empowerment, and appropriate use of smart city solutions for resilience against pandemics.
Ayyoob Sharifi. The COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for Urban Resilience. Resilience and Aging 2021, 285 -297.
AMA StyleAyyoob Sharifi. The COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for Urban Resilience. Resilience and Aging. 2021; ():285-297.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAyyoob Sharifi. 2021. "The COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for Urban Resilience." Resilience and Aging , no. : 285-297.
Climate change is increasingly recognized as a threat to global peace and security. This paper intends to provide a better understanding of the nature of interactions between climate change and events that undermine peace, through a systematic review of recent literature. It highlights major methodological approaches adopted in the literature, elaborates on the geographic focus of the research at the nexus of climate change and peace, and provides further information on how various climatic stressors such as extreme temperature, floods, sea-level rise, storms, and water stress may be linked to different events that undermine peace (e.g., civil conflict, crime, intercommunal violence, interstate conflict, political conflict, and social conflict) through direct and indirect pathways. Results confirm previous findings that statistical techniques and qualitative case studies are dominant methods in climate-conflict research but show that there has been an increase in the GIS-based risk analyses and qualitative comparative analyses in the recent years. In line with previous reviews, results show that the literature is mainly focused on certain regions of the world and several major regions that have experienced numerous conflicts over the past few years and/or are vulnerable to adverse climatic events are understudied. However, a new finding is that, in the past few years, there has been an increasing focus on Asia, which contrasts with previous reviews that show an African focus in the literature. Also, there is an unbalanced attention to different climatic stressors and peace-related events. Interactions between water stress/extreme temperature and civil and interstate conflicts have received more attention. A major finding is that, only under certain conditions climatic stressors may act as driving forces or aggravating factors. In fact, there is a strong consensus that climate change is less likely to undermine peace in isolation from a wide range of contextual socio-economic and institutional factors such as political instability, poor governance, poverty, homogeneous livelihood structures, and ethnic fractionalization. However, such contextual factors can contribute to undermining peace via either direct or indirect pathways. The former may occur through direct psychological/physiological effects of climatic impacts or via competition over scarce resources. In contrast, in indirect pathways climate change may lead to conflict through diminishing livelihood capacities and/or inducing migration. In addition to synthesizing literature on contextual factors and direct/indirect pathways, the review identifies gaps that need further research.
Ayyoob Sharifi; Dahlia Simangan; Chui Ying Lee; Sheryl Rose Cay Reyes; Tarek Katramiz; Jairus Carmela Cajoles Josol; Leticia Dos Muchangos; Hassan Virji; Shinji Kaneko; Thea Kersti Tandog; Leorence Tandog; Moinul Islam. Climate-induced stressors to peace: a review of recent literature. Environmental Research Letters 2021, 16, 073006 .
AMA StyleAyyoob Sharifi, Dahlia Simangan, Chui Ying Lee, Sheryl Rose Cay Reyes, Tarek Katramiz, Jairus Carmela Cajoles Josol, Leticia Dos Muchangos, Hassan Virji, Shinji Kaneko, Thea Kersti Tandog, Leorence Tandog, Moinul Islam. Climate-induced stressors to peace: a review of recent literature. Environmental Research Letters. 2021; 16 (7):073006.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAyyoob Sharifi; Dahlia Simangan; Chui Ying Lee; Sheryl Rose Cay Reyes; Tarek Katramiz; Jairus Carmela Cajoles Josol; Leticia Dos Muchangos; Hassan Virji; Shinji Kaneko; Thea Kersti Tandog; Leorence Tandog; Moinul Islam. 2021. "Climate-induced stressors to peace: a review of recent literature." Environmental Research Letters 16, no. 7: 073006.
Ecotourism is a major tourism dimension that has received significant attention in recent years. It is widely known that the tourism industry, and in particular ecotourism, makes a significant contribution to sustainable development. In this context, the West Azerbaijan province is one of most important tourist destinations in Iran for attracting tourists interested in nature. The main purpose of this study was to analyze and map the potential for sustainable ecotourism development. The research methodology was developed based on GIS multi-criteria decision analysis (GIS-MCDA) techniques, using 28 spatial indicators. For this purpose, areas with the potential for attracting tourists were identified and the effective factors for increasing and decreasing tourism development activities were evaluated by GIS analysis. The method used as a multi-criteria spatial decision-making technique is based on the network analysis process and its combination with fuzzy logic is very effective for increasing the accuracy of the model and obtaining more realistic results. According to the results of this study, West Azerbaijan, due to its potential, including some areas unknown to tourists and even tourism planners, could be introduced as a nature tourism hub in the northwest of the country. The detailed tourism sustainability map obtained, at the scale of 1/25,000, could be used as a basis for regional planning and sustainable ecotourism development. In this context, the results could also be critical for tourism companies, agencies and local stakeholders and organizations for various applications, such as investment and development of tourism hospitality facilities and infrastructure in high potential areas. The research can also be considered as progressive in tourism research and supports future research on the selection of beneficial criteria and the application of efficient methods for tourism sustainability assessment and mapping.
Davoud Omarzadeh; Samereh Pourmoradian; Bakhtiar Feizizadeh; Hoda Khallaghi; Ayyoob Sharifi; Khalil Valizadeh Kamran. A GIS-based multiple ecotourism sustainability assessment of West Azerbaijan province, Iran. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 2021, 1 -24.
AMA StyleDavoud Omarzadeh, Samereh Pourmoradian, Bakhtiar Feizizadeh, Hoda Khallaghi, Ayyoob Sharifi, Khalil Valizadeh Kamran. A GIS-based multiple ecotourism sustainability assessment of West Azerbaijan province, Iran. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. 2021; ():1-24.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavoud Omarzadeh; Samereh Pourmoradian; Bakhtiar Feizizadeh; Hoda Khallaghi; Ayyoob Sharifi; Khalil Valizadeh Kamran. 2021. "A GIS-based multiple ecotourism sustainability assessment of West Azerbaijan province, Iran." Journal of Environmental Planning and Management , no. : 1-24.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought questions about the desirability of compact urban development to the fore. There are some concerns that high density may be a risk factor that makes it challenging to contain the pandemic. This study aims to investigate the link between density and pandemic spread through a case study of Tehran that has been the epicenter of the pandemic in Iran. Based on data obtained from an online platform and analyzed using structural equation modeling, we found that density alone cannot be considered a risk factor for the spread of COVID-19. In fact, density alone did not explain the geographic distribution pattern of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths across the 22 municipal districts of Tehran. We, therefore, argue that efforts should be made to minimize concerns about living in dense urban environments. Indeed, residents of high-density districts can live safely when an outbreak occurs, provided they make some changes in lifestyle and follow public health instructions. Based on the findings, and considering other benefits of compact cities (e.g., climate change mitigation) planners and policy makers are encouraged to continue promoting compact urban forms. They can also use the results of this study in their efforts towards developing appropriate mechanisms and guidelines for effective management of future pandemics in cities.
Amir Reza Khavarian-Garmsir; Ayyoob Sharifi; Nabi Moradpour. Are high-density districts more vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic? Sustainable Cities and Society 2021, 70, 102911 .
AMA StyleAmir Reza Khavarian-Garmsir, Ayyoob Sharifi, Nabi Moradpour. Are high-density districts more vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic? Sustainable Cities and Society. 2021; 70 ():102911.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAmir Reza Khavarian-Garmsir; Ayyoob Sharifi; Nabi Moradpour. 2021. "Are high-density districts more vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic?" Sustainable Cities and Society 70, no. : 102911.
A handmade carpet is one of the most well-known handcrafts around the world. Iranian handmade carpets are known as luxury products in domestic and international markets due to their strength and product value. The main objective of this research is to apply a geographical information system (GIS)-based, spatially-explicit approach to assess the sustainability of handmade carpet production in the East Azerbaijan Province of Iran, which is internationally famous for the diversity and quality of its handmade carpets. To achieve this goal, we employed 23 criteria in four main clusters: population characteristics, education status, employment status, and business activities related to the carpet industry. In order to determine the significance of each criterion, an integrated approach of fuzzy and network analysis processes was applied. Accordingly, the GIS aggregation function was employed to map and identify the areas that are suitable and of high potential for handmade carpet production. The results indicate that there is a very high potential for handmade carpet production in some areas of Tabriz, Osku, Marageh, Heris, and Meyaneh counties. However, high sustainability also extends to some areas in Marand, Bonab, and Kalaybar counties. The obtained maps present the potential of each city and village for handmade carpet production. The research also aims to evaluate and suggest relevant policies and practices to overcome the identified challenges in order to promote, develop, and preserve the handmade carpet sector. The results of this research are of great importance for different stakeholders in the handmade production and for decision makers and authorities in the East Azerbaijan Province. The results can be used to determine the potential of each area for handmade carpet production and to highlight potential challenges. This research also presents a new approach for sustainability assessments in studies on handcrafts and, in particular, carpets.
Samereh Pourmoradian; Ali Vand Shoari; Davoud Omarzadeh; Ayyoob Sharifi; Naser Sanobuar; Seyyed Samad Hosseini. An Integrated Approach to Assess Potential and Sustainability of Handmade Carpet Production in Different Areas of the East Azerbaijan Province of Iran. Sustainability 2021, 13, 2251 .
AMA StyleSamereh Pourmoradian, Ali Vand Shoari, Davoud Omarzadeh, Ayyoob Sharifi, Naser Sanobuar, Seyyed Samad Hosseini. An Integrated Approach to Assess Potential and Sustainability of Handmade Carpet Production in Different Areas of the East Azerbaijan Province of Iran. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (4):2251.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSamereh Pourmoradian; Ali Vand Shoari; Davoud Omarzadeh; Ayyoob Sharifi; Naser Sanobuar; Seyyed Samad Hosseini. 2021. "An Integrated Approach to Assess Potential and Sustainability of Handmade Carpet Production in Different Areas of the East Azerbaijan Province of Iran." Sustainability 13, no. 4: 2251.
The field of sustainability has evolved considerably since the report “Our Common Future” was published in 1987. Whereas matters related to sustainable development used to be of marginal interest in the 1980s, it has substantially evolved since, and have become mainstream. As a result, there is a plethora of research on different aspects, whose focus has also been influenced by societal developments. This line of thinking also applies to sustainability research in higher education, a special and central field. Unfortunately, the variety of research on matters of sustainable development in universities makes it difficult to obtain an insight into its current status, and to ascertain how it has evolved since 1987. Based on the perceived need to fill this gap, a study focusing on the evolution of university-based sustainability research literature has been undertaken. The study entailed approximately 1700 papers published between 1987 and 2019, being one of the most comprehensive studies on this field ever undertaken. Apart from performing a bibliometric analysis using science mapping software tools, the research clustered the research into some key areas. The results suggest that, whereas impressive, the evolution of university-based sustainability research has been uneven, and calls for a more balanced emphasis to as to cover some research areas which have so far been neglected. The implications of this work are twofold: it will support the further development of the university-based sustainability research literature, and will help to address some thematic gaps, which are seen today, and to which greater attention is needed.
Walter Leal Filho; Markus Will; Chris Shiel; Arminda Paço; Carla Sofia Farinha; Violeta Orlovic Lovren; Lucas Veiga Avila; Johannes (Joost) Platje; Ayyoob Sharifi; Claudio R.P. Vasconcelos; Barbara Maria Fritzen Gomes; Amanda Lange Salvia; Rosley Anholon; Izabella Rampasso; Osvaldo L.G. Quelhas; Antonis Skouloudis. Towards a common future: revising the evolution of university-based sustainability research literature. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology 2021, 28, 503 -517.
AMA StyleWalter Leal Filho, Markus Will, Chris Shiel, Arminda Paço, Carla Sofia Farinha, Violeta Orlovic Lovren, Lucas Veiga Avila, Johannes (Joost) Platje, Ayyoob Sharifi, Claudio R.P. Vasconcelos, Barbara Maria Fritzen Gomes, Amanda Lange Salvia, Rosley Anholon, Izabella Rampasso, Osvaldo L.G. Quelhas, Antonis Skouloudis. Towards a common future: revising the evolution of university-based sustainability research literature. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology. 2021; 28 (6):503-517.
Chicago/Turabian StyleWalter Leal Filho; Markus Will; Chris Shiel; Arminda Paço; Carla Sofia Farinha; Violeta Orlovic Lovren; Lucas Veiga Avila; Johannes (Joost) Platje; Ayyoob Sharifi; Claudio R.P. Vasconcelos; Barbara Maria Fritzen Gomes; Amanda Lange Salvia; Rosley Anholon; Izabella Rampasso; Osvaldo L.G. Quelhas; Antonis Skouloudis. 2021. "Towards a common future: revising the evolution of university-based sustainability research literature." International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology 28, no. 6: 503-517.
Creating ‘resilient places’ has increasingly become a major priority for urban planners, designers, and policy makers. ‘Spatial resilience’ as a subset of urban resilience can be used to guide the development of a conceptual framework for resilient place assessment. In this regard, a resilient place should feature a combination of physical and non-physical characteristics that can contribute to improved response and adaptation to a broad range of natural and manmade hazards. In this context, resilience is claimed to be the ability to manage, mitigate and adapt to varied risks and changes that threaten the quality of the functionality, livability, and vitality of a place. To further elaborate on the concept of resilient place, in this study, 127 articles were reviewed using qualitative methods, and general urban resilience definitions related to semantic resilience dimensions were extracted. These are, namely, intrinsic, resilience behavior, and reinforcing attributes. Eventually, 22 studies were selected for content analysis using a qualitative review. The conceptual framework of place assessment was developed concerning the constituent attributes of ‘place’ and ‘spatial resilience.’ In the proposed framework, the constructive dimensions of Resilient Place Assessment (RPA) include four dimensions, three of which are semantic resilience dimensions. These dimensions include the intrinsic resilience attributes (i.e., robustness, coherence, efficiency, foresight capacity, flexibility, resourcefulness, knowledge and learning, and self-organization), behavioral resilience attributes (i.e., recovery; adaption; innovation; transformation), reinforcing resilience attributes (i.e., diversity, redundancy, modularity, and connectivity), and place-making components (i.e., form and structure, environment and behavior, and image and meaning). Insights provided in this conceptual framework can be used by urban planners, designers, and policy makers in their efforts towards creating more resilient places.
Masoud Shafiei Dastjerdi; Azadeh Lak; Ali Ghaffari; Ayyoob Sharifi. A conceptual framework for resilient place assessment based on spatial resilience approach: An integrative review. Urban Climate 2021, 36, 100794 .
AMA StyleMasoud Shafiei Dastjerdi, Azadeh Lak, Ali Ghaffari, Ayyoob Sharifi. A conceptual framework for resilient place assessment based on spatial resilience approach: An integrative review. Urban Climate. 2021; 36 ():100794.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMasoud Shafiei Dastjerdi; Azadeh Lak; Ali Ghaffari; Ayyoob Sharifi. 2021. "A conceptual framework for resilient place assessment based on spatial resilience approach: An integrative review." Urban Climate 36, no. : 100794.
Along with the increasing recognition of the significance of the neighborhood level for achieving urban sustainability, many Neighborhood Sustainability Assessment (NSA) tools have been developed over the past decade or so. The broad aims of these tools are to guide and promote sustainable planning and design, and to recognize/certify best practice cases. Since the late 2000’s, many articles related to diffident aspect of NSA tools have been published. Through reviewing these articles, this study seeks to identify major methodological limitations that may undermine NSA tools’ ability to promote sustainability. Nine major categories of methodological limitations were identified. These are, namely, limited and unbalanced coverage of sustainability dimensions, top-down and non-transparent approaches, limited consideration of context-specific issues, rigidity and prescriptiveness of design measures, lack of measures to ensure that basic sustainability requirements are met, lack of agreement between different assessment methodologies provided by different tools, limited consideration of interlinkages between indicators, limited consideration of boundary linkages, and the complexity of the assessment tool. In addition to discussing these limitations, this study provides recommendations that can inform tool developers of measures that could be taken to develop tools that are better capable of promoting sustainable development principles. An important issue, however, is that addressing all limitations simultaneously may be challenging due to trade-offs that may emerge between the recommended actions. It is, therefore, essential to develop methods for dealing with such trade-offs. Since the reported evidence is mainly related to a few tools, the study concludes by suggesting that more research on the methodological limitations of all the forty tools identified in this analysis is needed.
Ayyoob Sharifi; Ayotunde Dawodu; Ali Cheshmehzangi. Limitations in assessment methodologies of neighborhood sustainability assessment tools: A literature review. Sustainable Cities and Society 2021, 67, 102739 .
AMA StyleAyyoob Sharifi, Ayotunde Dawodu, Ali Cheshmehzangi. Limitations in assessment methodologies of neighborhood sustainability assessment tools: A literature review. Sustainable Cities and Society. 2021; 67 ():102739.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAyyoob Sharifi; Ayotunde Dawodu; Ali Cheshmehzangi. 2021. "Limitations in assessment methodologies of neighborhood sustainability assessment tools: A literature review." Sustainable Cities and Society 67, no. : 102739.