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This study aims to investigate the aviation, energetic, exergetic, environmental, sustainability and exergoeconomic performances of a micro turbojet engine used in unmanned aerial vehicles at four different modes.

The engine data were collected from engine test cell. The engine performance calculations were performed for four different operation modes.

According to the results, maximum energy and exergy efficiency were acquired as 19.19% and 18.079% at Mode 4. Total cost rate was calculated as 6.757 $/h at Mode-1, which varied to 10.131 $/h at Mode-4. Exergy cost of engine power was observed as 0.249 $/MJ at Mode-1, which decreased to 0.088 $/MJ at Mode-4 after a careful exergoeconomic analysis.

The novelty of this work is the capability to serve as a guide for similar systems with a detailed approach in the thermodynamic, thermoeconomic and environmental assessments by prioritizing efficiency, fuel consumption and cost formation. This investigation intends to establish a design of the opportunities and benefits that the thermodynamic approach provides to turbojet engine systems.

The achievement of sustainable architectures, including control of energy relations between climate and built environment, in order to optimize energy consumption and reduce environmental impact, requires an integrated planning dealing with a multi‐scale and integral view of building‐plant system. The purpose of this paper is to describe the design of a multifunctional complex, namely “Solaria”.

The proposed integrated approach focuses on comfort and healthy living, sustainability of building process, containment of energy consumption and use of renewable energy sources. The building object of this research has been designed including: a high‐efficiency tri‐generation plant (525kW of electric power) coupled with a distribution network for district heating/cooling; a photovoltaic generation system with 20kW of peak power and solar thermal panels for sanitary hot water production (able to supply over 50 per cent of needs); and passive solar systems (solar greenhouses and “heat cushions”) equipped with sliding brise‐soleils.

The proposed integrated design approach has enabled the achievement of important results, such as the avoidance of CO₂ emissions, equal to nearly 500 tons per year. Moreover, energetic and environmental‐achievements have been certified by using various methodologies. Finally, environmental and costs analyses have been carried out in order to compare the proposed approach with traditional ones.

The case study proposed in this research represents a repeatable and practical application of European Directives on the energy performance of buildings (2002/91/EC) and energy end‐use efficiency and energy services (2006/32/EC). As a consequence, this research adds to the current body of knowledge.

Development is a dynamic concept that pertains the evolution of human societies. Over the past few years policy makers, as well as academics, have incorporated a very important, yet sometimes neglected, component in the concept of development which is environmental costs and sustainability. One of the key aspects that affects sustainability is energetic consumption, therefore our aim is to determine if changes in oil, coal, and gas, prices during the period 2000–2010 influenced sustainable development.

We modified the Human Development Index (HDI) by adding energy consumption component, and propose what we call the Modified Human Sustainable Development Index (HSDI) which captures a broader definition of sustainable development. Then we employ econometric techniques to study the effects of changes in commodity prices on our index in the short run.

Our results show a nonlinear effect of commodity prices on our index, low and middle-income countries display a positive effect of prices on our HSDI, with smaller effects in the former ones, while high-income countries do not seem to exhibit a significant effect. While low and middle-income countries are typically commodity producers.

Middle-income countries are able to obtain larger benefits in terms of sustainable development due to a better institutional structure which constitutes an opportunity for them in the aftermath of the crisis.

Middle- and low-income countries should design policies that enable them to take advantage of the rises and protect their economies from the falls.

We address the problem of sustainable development and commodity prices in a post-crisi world, which was not reviewed in the literature. In addition we build a measurement of the Human Sustainable Development Index that considers energy consumption as one of its factors. Which is in line with previous results about energy consumption and the Human Development Index.

This chapter presents a South American perspective on the environmental and financial sustainability of energy integration incorporating recent financial lessons from the United States and Europe. An illustrative project called UNASUR-GRID is presented to highlight new thinking on funding ecologically sensitive development (post-carbon electricity generation) and regional energy sovereignty via a new regional development bank for the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) called Bank of the South, Banco del Sur (BDS) ^1,2 . Sustainable BDS finance rules are presented that aim to break the link between development funding, environmental damage, and sovereign debt owed to banks outside the region, tapping into alternative finances to buffer the region against changes in global financial flows from core nations in the Great Recession.

The author attended presidential meetings of MERCOSUR and UNASUR supplementing this with presidential declarations comparing these with ongoing development planning from IIRSA, also interviewing a COSIPLAN representative. He also cooperated (as an independent researcher) with the Ecuadorian Central Bank research group called ‘New Architectures for Regional Finance’ (NAFR) and conducted technical interviews at South American energy institutes specialising in integration.

Development finance must reflect changes in both energy supply and demand while replacing fossil fuel inputs in electricity generation. Demand planning is necessary to attain sovereignty over a post-carbon electricity supply while maintaining dependability.

Successful energy cooperation is more than just energy infrastructure (UNASUR-GRID), cross-border confidence building is also required, reinforced by commercial treaties for energy exports and imports. Public and private national and regional energy companies need real incentives to trade internationally (improving competition) or renationalisation of supply and distribution may be necessary.

Highly original, this chapter incorporates government, UN and civil NGO inputs into primary research. BDS policy sources include government, ministerial and presidential speeches with interviews and participation in meetings with social movements. For indigenous ecological and social economic concepts such as Sumak Kawsay, the author has travelled extensively in South America and was an active participant at the first World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the 2010 Rights of Mother Earth (World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, 2014) in Cochabamba, Bolivia, along with ecologists and tribal representatives.

The purpose of this study is to introduce the concept of Ecopoiesis. Introduction of the concept of ecopiesis, which explains the linkage strategy between relational and energetic resources (sustainability) that enable the relational viability of living things.

The design is based on the use of the relationship between abduction, epigenesis, cismogenesis and morphogenesis.

This paper concludes with a counter-intuitive proposal to the dominant lines of thought, distinguishing: Complexity as vital interweaving, Aristotelian Oikos as communitarian distinction, Organism-Entorno from relational theory (beyond the interactional), in a cybernetic referential framework that allows tending to sustain and sustain life from Ecopoiesis.

According to a relational theory of cognition, the sources of knowledge go beyond genetic and environmental factors. In the sphere of explanation, this study moves from “how much,” “why” and “how” to “why not.” Thus, the processes involved in understanding the living are forced to move from the logic of parts to the logic of patterns, which implies developing an explanation that considers the unique characteristics of development, encompassing the diverse origins of the organization of the living.

The purpose of this study is for a higer sustainability of the historic towns and centres. The task of the society is to minimize risk and guarantee maximun safety within the territory while safeguarding the natural as the built landscape. With these sometimes unfortunate outcomes in mind, the society continue to promote “informed planning” hoping to achieve ever grater sustainability and respect for the extant, but, in practice, what the society have done amounts to very little. Indeed, today’s historic city centrers remain neglected and are increasingly “unsafe”.

In the course, Italy introduced a set of regulations in an attempt to construct, transform, conserve and exploit the potential of historic cities. Unfortunately, the results were not outstanding and today we need to rethink their approach if we are to reverse the abandonment of historic centers and make those “safe” again. In an effort to understand if what was hitherto put in place is sufficient or if new strategies are called for, we have reviewed the technical measures issued. In a large number of cases, restoration only increased their fragility, whereas in many others, especially concerning small centers with traditional economies, no rehabilitation work was ever attempted, not even essential maintenance work, and thus their functional and physical obsolescence became manifest.

The variegated and complex fragility of such centers requires forms of planning that can take account of the environment, deploy city-planning measures and undertake structural and architectural adaptation. If regeneration is to lead to a “comprehensive and integrated vision” for solving urban problems, economic, physical and social improvement and appropriate environmental conditions for an area subject to transformation, it will require new national and local action policies able to guarantee physical safety, the conservation of cultural values and the social and economic regeneration of such centers within a framework of policies for equilibrated urban development.

The processes of repurposing/revamping and giving leverage to historic centers must make use of multidisciplinary approaches ranging from conservation needs to overall regeneration needs. Therefore, new formulas are needed to enable us to combine conservation based on protective constraints with formulas for rehabilitation, reuse and performance improvement that are couched less in terms of sustainability, and more in terms of profitability, according to the principle – repeatedly voiced in international forums – that assets are also economic resources. Therefore, it will be necessary to proceed carefully, by drawing up a program of territorial development strategies with due guarantees of feasibility and economic growth prospects.

An appropriate regulatory framework is certainly necessary for the regeneration of historic towns and centers but an even more important role should be played by projects that optimize the use of resources if we are to ensure that financing will be managed correctly and a connection will be created – given the discontinuity represented by new constructions – between what remains of extant historic and contemporary architecture and construction. In this context, contemporary architectural design and urban planning can help meet the continued requests for the refurbishment of consolidated cities and the reconstruction of earthquake-stricken towns.

Rehabilitating center is not a cultural luxury but a necessity that springs from the need to economize territorial and economic resources. Consequently, a methodology should be formulated to produce, in each specific case, a design jointly drawn up by town planners, architects, urban redevelopment experts, structural engineers and with the participation of many other specialist figures, such as economists, sociologists, geologists and engineering physicists.

This paper provides a multidisciplinary vision on regeneration.

Currently, experimental and theoretical work is being performed to ensure that biofuels from microalgae become a reality. However, there is a considerable number of discussions concerning in which processes should be focussed efforts of research and development. The purpose of this paper is to provide decision support not only to help build guidelines of research to be undertaken, but also to contribute to the design of more adequate policy and funding instruments. The key objective of this study is to determine the prospects of employing microalgae into the production of biofuels within a time scale extending to 2030.

The Delphi method is a qualitative research aiming to support strategic future-oriented action, such as policy making in the areas of science and technology. It is especially appropriate in judgment and long-range forecasting (20-30 years) situations, when expert opinions are often the only source of information available, due to a lack of appropriate historical, economic or technical data.

The Delphi method proved to be a successful research method when expert opinions are the main source of information available, due to a lack of appropriate historical, economic or technical data and the outcomes provided a clear outline of the main issues of microalgae biofuels’ market at present and in the future.

The outcomes might not represent the majority of the microalgae experts’ opinion due to the sample size.

The work presented in this paper is especially original. According to the authors’ knowledge, this is the first qualitative Delphi study related to algae biofuels.

With the concept of interconnection among municipal drinking water networks, this paper presents an innovative methodology aiming to identify potential interconnections and new hydropower possibilities between separate municipal networks, at a regional level.

Beside literature research, water framework directive, interviews with local actors and local case studies were employed. To ensure the soundness of the developed methodology and to give more accuracy to the scientific approach, the presented methodology was tested in a Swiss Alp pilot region (Martigny) composed of 23 independent municipal water networks.

A methodology which makes it possible to compile on a unique map complex and dissociated elements describing water networks and their potential interconnections was developed. Furthermore, the methodology brings these elements together giving decision makers an overview focussed on added-value in terms of water resources and consumption as well as economic and energetic impacts.

In a bottom-up approach, the targets of this study have been presented and discussed with all local actors. Some of the suggested interconnections are currently being completed.

The use of GIS-based framework as a decision support system would improve the current practice of integrated drinking water management. The developed methodology would be useful for other watershed region where the efficiency of water networks can be greatly improved by the means of a systemic approach and the designing of new network interconnections.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which green building features are evident in office properties in Lagos, Nigeria; and consequently determine the degree of compliance with green standards in the country.

The study purposively sampled two (2) office properties from the management portfolio of 88 registered Estate firms in Lagos. Data were collected using physical observation on the properties and interview with two users purposively selected from each of the properties. The data were analysed with the use of frequency distribution, percentages and measures of green features availability index.

The result revealed a low extent of green features incorporation in existing office properties with the value of availability indices on most features falling below 2.5 on a five-point scale. Feature relating to material use and conservation is the most incorporated green feature (mean score of 2.62) while those relating to owner and occupant education were least in incorporation (mean score of 1.895).

From the findings, it is apparent that green retrofitting may be necessary in Nigeria due to the low extent of green practices in existing office properties. Also, reinforcement of existing government policies and increased sensitisation of stakeholders on impact of current building practices are pertinent to green building success in Nigeria.

Most existing studies of similar focus are based in the developed economies where stronger implementation framework exists for green building. Besides, they are mostly based on evaluation of green certified buildings using few criteria. This study differs in that it presents the existing building sustainability practices in a less pronounced green property market, with varying architectural styles using more robust criteria. Information provided is applicable in Nigeria and other emerging economies.

The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the evolution in the provision of public services’ delivery, with a specific focus on housing policies. New practices are being implemented, thanks to the cooperation of the public sector, private, and nonprofit actors. Rather than just providing assistance to households with income levels falling below specific thresholds, social housing addresses the broader and more complex areas of vulnerability that affect several categories, such as single parents, young students and professionals, and temporarily unemployed people. Co-production also comes into the picture, since many social housing projects require that beneficiaries contribute to the implementation of the project itself, for example by managing the buildings and common areas or by creating communities.

The chapter will start from considerations on the emergence of new housing needs. It will then review the literature on the concept of co-production of public services and provide a definition of social housing. Then, examples of social housing will be analyzed based on specific criteria derived from the literature and the theoretical framework. The methodology is qualitative and based on descriptive case analysis.

The chapter analyzes the evolution of public housing policies by taking into account the social and economic changes that have determined greater and more complex areas for public intervention, adopting a twofold approach of partnership and collaboration between the three sectors, and of co-production of public services by directly engaging the users.