01 Fakultät Architektur und Stadtplanung
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Item Open Access Towards sustainable urbanization in new cities : social acceptance and preferences of agricultural and solar energy systems(2024) Marzouk, Mai A.; Salheen, Mohamed A.; Fischer, Leonie K.Social acceptance of end users is indispensable for the implementation of agricultural and solar energy systems to create a more sustainable and productive residential building sector. Thus, the main aim of this study is to investigate the social acceptance level of the two systems and the implementation preferences of Egyptian end users, i.e., residents, in relation to their different sociocultural backgrounds. Given that most of the construction in Egypt is taking place in new cities, the acceptance of such systems strongly relates to societal implications for urban sustainability. An online survey was therefore disseminated to the residents of new cities in the Greater Cairo Region in Egypt (n = 274). A contingency analysis was conducted using the SPSS tool, calculating the Chisquared and Fisher tests to identify significant associations between the variables. Results indicated a high level of social acceptance of both the agricultural (71 %) and solar energy (64 %) systems. The attitude of residents towards the systems and their experience using them were the variables exhibiting the highest association with social acceptance of agricultural systems (p < 0.001 for attitude and experience) and solar energy systems (p = 0.04 for attitude and p = 0.002 for experience). The most preferred system types were the horizontal planters on hand railings and roof-mounted photovoltaics. Responses showed that production was the main aim for agricultural systems, while economic returns were the main aim for solar systems. However, both systems faced the same barriers, especially in relation to economic barriers. Out of the 12 sociocultural variables tested, respondents’ age had the most significant impact on the implementation preferences of both systems followed by gender, residence type, and access to shared facilities. Our study addressed a knowledge gap by comparing the two systems to identify the common or different reasons behind the disparity between their high theoretical potential versus low on-ground implementation. Future research could investigate other underlying factors behind social acceptance beyond the analyzed sociocultural aspects and tackle the types of each system in detail.Item Open Access Factors affecting the social acceptance of agricultural and solar energy systems : the case of new cities in Egypt(2024) Marzouk, Mai A.; Fischer, Leonie K.; Salheen, Mohamed A.Can the building sector become productive and, in parallel, help create livable spaces? Agricultural and solar energy systems can contribute to the building sector’s transformation; however, research on these systems has mostly focused on technological development and achieved gains, while overlooking a key driver of success, which is social acceptance. Only recently has the discussion on social acceptance of the systems gained momentum revealing that their adoption, especially in residential sectors, is bound to end users. Therefore, using a quantitative, survey-based, case study approach, we investigated what influences the social acceptance of end users, i.e., the residents of residential buildings in Egyptian new cities. Based on UTAUT - a Technology Acceptance theory - seven underlying factors were tackled using a statistical contingency analysis (SPSS, n = 274) to test their association with (a) social acceptance of agricultural and solar energy systems and (b) the sociocultural background of the residents. Results revealed that social acceptance of the systems was associated with factors like the expected effort for implementation, concerns and anxieties about the systems, external supporting conditions, and social influences – while surprisingly, it was not associated with the expected performance of the systems, their perceived costs, and the need for financial support. Most studied factors showed associations with the sociocultural aspects, except for the expected effort and perceived cost of solar systems and financial facilitations of both systems, which proved to be completely independent of the sociocultural background of the residents. The conducted analysis and concluded insights about the underlying factors behind social acceptance have not been previously covered in detail for the two systems in comparison, especially for the case of new Egyptian residences. The study findings can support relevant stakeholders such as policymakers, suppliers, engineers, etc. in triggering the social acceptance of the systems in Egypt and contexts of similar settings.Item Open Access Perceptions of building-integrated nature-based solutions by suppliers versus consumers in Egypt(2024) Marzouk, Mai A.; Salheen, Mohamed A.; Fischer, Leonie K.Can Building-Integrated Nature-based Solutions (BI-NbS) reach their full potential in the Global South? In the Egyptian context, BI-NbS are relatively new with an identified gap between the high potential in theory and low implementation rates in practice. To bridge this gap, the study conducts an in-depth investigation of BI-NbS market conditions to reveal the current trends in the residential buildings market in Egypt. It also identifies the gaps and overlaps in the perceptions of the suppliers and consumers of BI-NbS. Results reveal that the residential sector sales mainly target high-income groups yet very limited and dominated by rooftop systems. Suppliers advocate for high-tech systems over low-tech systems, whereas consumers prefer the latter. The perceptions of suppliers and consumers mostly align regarding the basic aspects such as the production and operation preferences as well as the anxieties and concerns about the relatively new BI-NbS in this regional context. However, they diverge in key aspects affecting market penetration such as implementation conditions, aims, and barriers. Accordingly, the study identified the gap between suppliers and consumers, and outlined recommendations, directed to suppliers and policymakers, for improved market development and local implementation of BI-NbS in emerging markets of the Global South, such as Egypt.Item Open Access Human-nature interaction in urban socio-ecological systems(2025) Jakstis, Kristen; Fischer, Leonie K. (Prof. Dr.)Human-nature interactions are an ubiquitous part of life and are integral for forming strong human-nature relationships that benefit people, while also potentially supporting non-human nature. Indeed, diverse human-nature interactions have been associated with many positive outcomes related to mental and physical well-being, learning, inspiration, development, and the cultivation of a strong sense of nature-connectedness. These positive outcomes for humans can additionally have cascading benefits for non-human nature with, for example, people who feel more connected to nature being more likely to support pro-environmental and pro-biodiversity actions. Despite these positive outcomes, people are interacting less with their natural environment, especially in urban areas, which reduces the opportunity for many urban residents to experience such nature-derived benefits. In this context, it is increasingly important to understand human-nature interactions in urban areas in particular, so that such interactions can be supported year-round to enhance the lives of both diverse urban residents and urban nature. This support for urban people and nature is especially critical as Earth and its inhabitants face the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. In recent years, the research community has made substantial strides in studying urban human-nature interactions and relationships. Yet, there are several aspects of these relationships that have received less research attention, but are nevertheless essential to better understand human-nature interactions, their perception, and subsequent impact on urban life. Therefore, the overarching objective of this dissertation is to examine a subset of these understudied, yet critical, aspects of human-nature interactions within urban socio-ecological systems. The research will contribute to a fuller understanding of urban human-nature interactions that can ultimately help support both people and nature, especially in times of urban migration and densification. To accomplish this objective, a framework for urban human-nature interactions was developed to guide and contextualize this research. This framework describes urban human-nature interactions according to their occurrences, perceptions, outcomes, and relationships between these factors. The framework additionally emphasizes the potential impact of attributes of urban socio-ecological systems in which human-nature interactions are imbedded like Covid-19 pandemic conditions, geographic location, and seasonality. Using this framework in the examination of the current research discourse, supported the identification of understudied aspects of urban human-nature interactions related to their occurrence, perception, outcome, and socio-ecological context that led to the four main research questions examined in this dissertation, namely: How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect human-nature interactions in European cities (RQ1)? How is urban human-nature interaction and sociocultural background of Stuttgart residents associated with a specified human health outcome (i.e. depression risk; RQ2)? What characterizes human-nature interaction of Stuttgart’s urban park visitors specifically in winter (RQ3)? What is the current global research discourse on human-nature interactions in winter and what are common themes and relevant gaps for future research (RQ4)? A research methodology that included diverse study designs and analyses across geographic scales, seasons, and Covid-19 pandemic conditions was developed to examine these research questions. The results of the four published articles comprising this dissertation suggest first, that the Covid-19 pandemic affected human-nature interaction patterns in European cities and that existing geographic trends of human-nature interaction were enhanced during the pandemic. Second, high-engagement human-nature interaction in the form of urban gardening was associated with a lower odds of depression risk in a Stuttgart case study, with important nuances for residents with a migration history. Third, certain park visitation behaviors and landscape features were associated with high-engagement nature interaction in Stuttgart’s urban parks, though proportionally few visitors demonstrated high-engagement nature interaction. Fourth, a scoping review of the literature revealed the body of research examining winter human-nature interactions focused on outcomes related to health, recreation and tourism, and culture is relatively small and could benefit from more explicit research attention. Finally, results of all four studies together highlight that urban human-nature interactions are diverse and context specific, affected by urban residents’ unique socio-cultural backgrounds (e.g., migration history and age) and aspects of the socio-ecological systems in which they are imbedded (e.g., Covid-19 pandemic conditions, geographic location, and seasonality). Therefore, adaptive strategies that aim to legitimately include the many perspectives, needs, and preferences of urban residents should be prioritized to help support urban human-nature interactions that are positive for both people and non-human nature alike. From an urban planning standpoint, the holistic integration of measures that support high-quality urban nature and high engagement human-nature interaction can contribute to meeting goals outlined in overarching policy frameworks including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and the European Green Deal more broadly.