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Sustainability in building planning is growing in importance, and in the awareness of designers and users. Focus is mostly on the macro-level of overall building design, with few efforts targeting micro-level aspects. The purpose of this paper is to explore sustainability issues with regard to Library buildings, services, and operations using the experience of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Library.

This paper focuses on the design, operation, and maintenance of the physical infrastructure. It further discusses the impact of changing organizational models on the sustainability of the facility and environment. Sustainability efforts at HKUST Library provide examples throughout.

Too often, there is little focus on sustainability efforts beyond the two poles of new building design and the recycling of consumables. It is also important to position sustainable planning and design throughout the various Library processes, with an emphasis on issues relating to the physical building and infrastructure. Having a slogan, like “Sustainability – It’s Our Shared Responsibility” will be ineffective without making it part of concrete elements like expected job duties, and incorporating it as an expected element of process design.

The experience of HKUST Library is an exemplar of the growing combined focus on macro- and micro-sustainability efforts throughout and organization. Changes in management and operations can lead to notable sustainability benefits, along with an improved learning environment and an improved standard of facilities quality and care.

The purpose of this case study is to describe the space transformation of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Library (HKUST Library) into a learning commons and how learning activities have been substantially multiplied by engaging academic and supporting units. This experience is used to posit a number of anticipated directions for library space planning.

This paper focuses on the design elements of the learning commons and how these elements have created an effective platform for a variety of learning activities. It outlines an assessment study on how students liked the transformed space and viewed its added values.

In the digital era, academic libraries can be transformed for new, effective and collaborative use. By integrating technology and flexible design, the new space excites existing scholars and attracts a broad range of new users. Students, faculty and administrators react positively to the new space, as it offers effective learning ambience. By engaging and co-creating with university partners, the new space functions as an active facilitator of learning – a hub that supports interaction and an effective platform to support pedagogy towards team projects, multimedia work and whole-person development. Future library spaces need to exhibit characteristics tailored to various user groups and their specific usage needs.

The experience of the HKUST library will have broader implications for other academic libraries embracing their mission-critical nature and assets. It shows that libraries can embrace challenges in the digital and virtual world by creative and innovative use of their physical space.

This issue is a selected bibliography covering the subject of leadership.

To develop a city, officials frequently invest a great deal of taxpayers' money in large‐scale place development projects, which are often sparsely supported by the citizens because such projects often lead to unwanted effects (such as gentrification). This results in conflicts between planners and citizens, which are expressed in public protest and resistance. The instrument of citizen participation is repeatedly raised as a solution for such conflicts, but it remains unclear how and especially why this concept should be effective. The purpose of this paper is to empirically highlight the mediating role in this process: the feeling of being respected. By this means, the paper will contribute to a better general understanding of citizen participation.

In an experimental scenario study (n=368), different types of citizen participation (i.e. cases where the result was binding for the city vs non‐binding) were researched using a between‐groups design. To validate results, in a second step, the outcome was discussed with three experts, all of whom have worked in the field.

Surprisingly, it seems that neither the type of participation nor satisfaction with the project makes a difference with regards to citizen satisfaction, but simply the condition of being asked. One could argue that the feeling of being respected is the main mediator in this process. These results show the effectiveness of the participation tool in general, and give a possible explanation for this effect.

This paper concentrates on the variables underlying citizen participation. It shows empirically that the feeling of being respected is the mediator within this process. By this means, the paper offers a valuable insight into citizen participation in general and discusses its usage in place marketing.