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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 Home food gardening : benefits and barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Santiago, Chile(2022) Cerda, Constanza; Guenat, Solène; Egerer, Monika; Fischer, Leonie K.The recent COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people live in an unprecedented way. This includes severe impacts on people's health and wellbeing such as stress, reduced physical activity and loneliness due to confinement. In parallel, people had to find ways to secure their food, with fresh food especially scarce in some regions due to lockdowns and restricted flow of goods. As in previous massive crises, the practice of home food gardening seemed to have increased during this pandemic. Yet we largely do not know which parts of society took to home food gardening, in which urban setting home food gardening was practiced, and to which extent this practice contributed to people's daily livelihoods during the pandemic. In this case study we explore (a) who practices home food gardening, (b) the garden characteristics, and (c) the main perceived benefits and barriers bound to home food gardening during the pandemic. We set up an online questionnaire targeted at the population of Santiago de Chile, for which we received 305 responses. Our results clearly show that the possibility of being in contact with nature and feeling less stress through practicing home food gardening were the most significant perceived benefits, while lack of or inadequate space to garden and limited knowledge on home food gardening were the main barriers. These findings highlight for the specific context of a metropolitan region in South America that access to gardens and green space could contribute to a just urban society. Likewise, the practice of home food gardening can be a relevant tool to cope with the adverse consequences of the pandemic by informing public initiatives to promote healthier lifestyles during this and future crises contexts and also in the awaited “ordinary” times.