The aging population presents numerous challenges and the design and management of living environments are not an exception. This literature review and analysis brings together topics related to the living environment of the aging population and the concept of sustainability. The article presents the review of the existing design concepts that are applied to planning the environment for the elderly, including (i) design for all, (ii) universal design, and (iii) inclusive design. Furthermore, this review highlights the aspects of sustainability and the peculiarities of the aging population that should be taken into account in the design and management of their living environment. Key points related to sustainable aging are highlighted, and the possibility of complementing the existing design concepts with the concept of biophilic design is proposed in order to strengthen their social, psychological, and ecological aspects.

The ongoing discourse on air quality and climate changes positions walkability as a pivotal point of sustainable urban planning. Urban studies examine a city’s walkability in terms of pedestrian flows, design qualities, and street network topology, leaving walkability comparative frameworks under development. Building on the space syntax theory, this research introduces a “walkability compass”, a four spatial indicator-designed tool for city walkability assessment and comparison. The tools are being tested on eight Baltic region cities: Vilnius, Kaunas (LT), Malmö (SE), Riga (LV), Tallinn (ES), Gdansk, Bialystok, Lublin (PL). The nine-step method framework integrates four indexes: Gravity (Gr), Reach (Re), Straightness (St), and Population density (Pop). The “walkability compass” results reveal significant Re and St correlations; thus, visual and cultural aspects become the main factors in pedestrian-friendly cities. The spatial pattern typology has matched similar cities (Malmö and Kaunas) to work closely on sustainable urban planning development. In all case studies, specific walkability zones were mapped, but the Gr zones turned out to be the most compact ones (the Z-score of Gr was ranged from 355.4 to 584; other indexes oscillated between 209.4 and 542.6). The walkability mapping results are publicly shared via WebMap to stimulate the participatory discussion on case studies cities further development.

Biophilic design approach aims at creating favorable conditions for humans in various types of anthropogenic environments, while at the same time restoring broken human–nature connection. The biophilic design guidelines and principles are general and flexible and allow wide array of architectural expressions. In order to better understand the architectural expression possibilities provided by biophilic design approach, the existing classifications of biophilic architecture and biophilic design examples were analyzed with the aim to develop the classification that would reflect the links between a building’s architectural expression and biophilic qualities. Three categories of biophilic architecture were distinguished in the developed classification: mimetic, applied, and organic. The distinguished categories were illustrated with the characteristic building examples and the evaluation of biophilic qualities and human-nature collaboration potential of these example buildings was carried out using comprehensive system of criteria. The analysis has demonstrated that all three distinguished categories—mimetic, applied, organic—allow for the creation of biophilic environments and hold the potential for human–nature collaboration, although organic biophilic design would be currently considered as the least developed, although most promising category.

Heritage and historic buildings deserve attention not only as a significant part of the building stock or from energy efficiency or carbon emissions points of view. They constitute and shape historic urban landscapes that are an integral part of sustainable urban development and sustainable development in a broader sense of humanity in general. However, the sustainable links between the heritage building and historic urban landscape are not well analyzed yet. Meanwhile, the idea that heritage should be a driver of sustainable urban development is more and more explicitly expressed and the concept of historic urban landscape is considered favorable in this regard. The aim of this research was to formulate the theoretical model demonstrating the links between the heritage building, historic urban landscape and sustainable development that would be applied in policy making and planning for heritage driven sustainable urban development. The methods of research included literature review, analysis and synthesis. In order to reach this aim, the analysis of literature on sustainability of cultural heritage, especially heritage buildings was carried out, the concept of historic urban landscape and its implications for sustainability were analyzed and the Halstar approach [29]. based on the systems model adding the dimensions of time and scale to sustainability model developed by the English engineering firm Halcrow was elaborated in the context of heritage buildings and historic urban landscape. The result of the research is the model of the links between heritage building, historic urban landscape and sustainable development, which could be applied in urban development policy design and planning.

This theoretical study examines the role of aesthetics in the assessment frameworks of sustainable architecture. The article is organized into two main sections: a general literature review and the results. The results section encompasses an analysis of the place of aesthetic quality in the understanding of sustainable architecture, and an overview and discussion of the general sustainable building assessment frameworks and the main sustainable buildings certification systems (LEED, BREEAM, WELL, Living Building Challenge), identifying the existing and potential place of cultural sustainability and aesthetics in them. Finally, four architectural theories holding the potential for balancing human and environmental criteria in the assessment of sustainable architecture are presented. These theories are: sustainability aesthetics, genius loci, biophilia, and a regenerative approach. The conclusion was made that these approaches hold the potential for the breakthrough of aesthetic quality and uniqueness of sustainable architecture.

Today, cities and their heritage function under so-called BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, and Incomprehensible) conditions. Climate change, military conflicts, and the urge to comply with sustainability requirements and to implement green transformation and urban regeneration cause a threat to rapid decision making, which may result in the loss of more subtle, intangible values in the urban environment. Such loss may particularly affect industrial heritage with its contested values and identities. This encourages searching for approaches to capture, analyze, and employ these invisible values for future developments. The methods of research used in this study include qualitative analysis of the literature, the theoretical conceptualization and development of a methodology to capture and record these invisible and intangible values, and the application of the developed methodology to the case study of a historical industrial site in Kaunas (Lithuania). The main findings of this research include a theoretical framework for the analysis of hidden values of historic industrial sites revolving around the concepts of place identity, spirit of place, symbolic potential of place, embedded values, and time depth and its application to the case study of the historic industrial site in Kaunas. This research has demonstrated that historic industrial sites existing in urban settings contain a multiplicity of aspects and meanings, which are not visible at first glance and require thorough qualitative analysis. These invisible aspects constitute important resources for the future development of the site and can contribute to the identity and local character of regeneration efforts and nature-based solutions.