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Nowadays, the social dimension of product sustainability is increasingly in demand, however, industrial designers struggle to pursue it much more than the environmental or economic one due to their unfamiliarity in correlating design choices with social impacts. In addition, this gap is not filled even by the supporting methods that have been conceived to only support specific areas of application. To fill this gap, this study proposed a method to support social failure mode and effect analysis (SFMEA), though the automatic failure determination, based on the use of a chatbot (i.e., an artificial intelligence (AI)-based chat). The method consists of 84 specific questions to ask the chatbot, resulting from the combination of known failures and social failures, elements from design theories, and syntactic structures. The starting hypothesis to be verified is that a GPT Chat (i.e., a common AI-based chat), properly queried, can provide all the main elements for the automatic compilation of a SFMEA (i.e., to determine the social failures). To do this, the proposed questions were tested in three case studies to extract all the failures and elements that express predefined SFMEA scenarios: a coffee cup provoking gender discrimination, a COVID mask denying a human right, and a thermometer undermining the cultural heritage of a community. The obtained results confirmed the starting hypothesis by showing the strengths and weaknesses of the obtained answers in relation to the following factors: the number and type of inputs (i.e., the failures) provided in the questions;the lexicon used in the question, favoring the use of technical terms derived from design theories and social sustainability taxonomies;the type of the problem. Through this test, the proposed method proved its ability to support the social sustainable design of different products and in different ways. However, a dutiful recommendation instead concerns the tool (i.e., the chatbot) due to its filters that limit some answers in which the designer tries to voluntarily hypothesize failures to explore their social consequences.
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Traditional villages are a valuable cultural asset that occupy an important position in Chinese traditional culture. This study focuses on 206 traditional villages in Hebei Province and aims to explore their spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors using ArcGIS spatial analysis. The analysis shows that traditional villages in Hebei Province were distributed in clusters during different historical periods, and eventually formed three core clusters in Shijiazhuang, Zhangjiakou and Xingtai-Handan after different historical periods. Moreover, the overall distribution of traditional villages in Hebei Province is very uneven, with clear regional differences, and most of them are concentrated in the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains. To identify the factors influencing traditional villages, natural environmental factors, socio-economic factors, and historical and cultural factors are considered. The study finds that socio-economic and natural environmental factors alternate in the spatial distribution of traditional villages in Hebei Province. The influence of the interaction of these factors increases significantly, and socio-economic factors have a stronger influence on the spatial distribution. Specifically, the spatial distribution of traditional villages in Hebei Province is influenced by natural environmental factors, while socio-economic factors act as drivers of spatial distribution. Historical and cultural factors act as catalysts of spatial distribution, and policy directions are external forces of spatial distribution. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of traditional villages in Hebei Province, which can be used to develop effective strategies for rural revitalisation in China.
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Chinese traditional glove puppetry is a folk art with a long history. It is worth inheriting and safeguarding this distinguished intangible cultural traditional art using virtual reality. With this background, this study integrates the digital resources of glove puppetry from the perspective of satisfying users' performance needs. In this study, a multi-user, cloud-based virtual reality glove puppetry system was developed that enhances the classic works of glove puppetry. Each user has a unique perception of the virtual environment and can interact remotely. The system involves human–computer and human–human interactions. This study also describes the design and control of glove puppets. The virtual reality system provides a unique entertainment experience to users of all ages. Through a questionnaire administered to 30 subjects after the user play, this study investigated the operation and experience of this system. According to the research findings, the proposed cloud-based VR system is not only easy to use, but also helps to preserve traditional intangible culture. Our research has high theoretical value and can help preserve traditional glove puppetry. Our cloud-based virtual reality system offers a new application for disseminating and preserving intangible cultural heritage.
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NEHA offers an exciting opportunity for environmental health professionals to join their private delegation to Havana, Cuba, on Nov 2-6, 2023. They will explore Cuba's rich and varied cultural heritage and go beyond tourist corridors by engaging with local environmental health professionals, officials, engineers, entrepreneurs, musicians, and artists who will offer indepth commentary on health policies, economics, environmental justice, art, history, architecture, and culture. The trip is being organized by CLE Abroad, a provider of customized educational travel programs around the world. The trip is open to all individuals over 18 years.
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PurposeAlthough most Chinese ethnic minority groups (EMGs) hold conservative thinking to online-startups, the new entrepreneurial model is booming on live streaming platforms. In China's tight cultural ecosystem, the tight cultural control would lead EMG entrepreneurs to keep conservative thinking and avoid challenging careers. Still, it would be helpful for Chinese Governments to issue systematical entrepreneurial policies and improve online-startup environment for EMGs. To discover the relationships among influencing factors and EMGs' online-startup motivation, this paper aims to draw on the tight and loose cultural theory and the capability-opportunity-motivation-behaviour (COM-B) behaviour changing theory and establishes the research model based on China's tight cultural ecosystem.Design/methodology/approachThrough analysing 617 questionnaires from 37 EMGs based on the partial least squares path modelling and variance-based structural equation modelling method, the study proves that environmental opportunity factors and personal capability factors have positive impacts on EMGs' online-startup motivation and EMGs' conservative thinking negatively moderates the relationship between their online-startup motivation and entrepreneurial development behaviour. In addition to testing the hypotheses, the paper also measures the importance-performance map analysis to explore additional findings of influencing factors and provide suitable suggestions for EMG entrepreneurs and related departments.FindingsRegarding the environmental opportunity unit, both policy support and platform support significantly impact Chinese EMGs' motivation to promote online-startups. For the personal capability unit, a platform using skills positively influences Chinese EMGs to develop online-startups. Meanwhile, EMG cultural knowledge is also necessary for EMG entrepreneurs because abundant cultural resources can be applied to live content and attract online consumers' watching interests. Furthermore, influenced by the tight cultural control, Chinese EMGs tend to hold conservative thinking to new careers and it negatively moderates the relationship between Chinese EMGs' online-startup motivation and their final entrepreneurial behaviours. Finally, Chinese EMGs' online-startup motivation positively affects them to develop online-startups on live streaming platforms.Originality/valueThis study uses the tight and loose cultural theory to analyse the Chinese entrepreneurial environment and discover influencing factors based on the tight cultural ecosystem. Meanwhile, based on the COM-B behaviour changing theory, this paper divides influencing factors into three different units, including the environmental opportunity unit, the personal capability unit and the Tight cultural control unit. Considering the inter-relationships among these units, the research model is established based on the tight cultural ecosystem to discover Chinese EMGs' online-startup motivation.
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Evaluating the influence factors of the attractiveness of offshore island tourism will help to understand customers' motivations in choosing tourism activities, and for the travel operators to improve their promotion of tourism products. This paper employed the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process method to empirically analyze the determinants of tourism attractiveness of Taiwan's offshore islands. The results indicate that the 'substantial aspect' is the most important evaluation dimension on offshore island tourism attractiveness. Among the 16 influence factors, the 'natural resources of regional attractions,' 'cultural heritage and cultural resources,' and 'well-established and convenient transportation' are the most three determinants about the tourism attractiveness of Taiwan's offshore islands. Furthermore, some discussions concerning the key determinates are provided for Taiwan's offshore tourism.
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The current need for territories and societies to grow is based on the Sustainable Development Models as well as the United Nations (UN) Agenda for 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In that case, such new forms of tourism development imply creating and upgrading critical infrastructures, facilities, equipment, or differentiated activities to bring clients who align with the desired Sustainable Development Models and SDGs. In this regard, the thematic literature provides evidence that some tourism typologies (nature-based, rural, culturally-based creative tourism) play a critical role in attaining sustainable regional development. Therefore, this paper aims to unfold what can be learned from the pilot projects implemented in the Azores region aimed toward the so-desired regional sustainability. Contextually, the obtained results ask for the regional leaders to consider encouraging entrepreneurship associated with small and medium-sized firms;fostering the diversity of touristic offerings;designing guidelines that follow sustainable development models and the SDGs;or creating meaningful investments in the conservation and protection of cultural heritage, as well as the Azorean endogenous resources.
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Attention to environmental caretaking practices of Indigenous, traditional, and rural societies is an important strategy for Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination, as well as for greater ecological sustainability and resilience. Rural practices of caring for the eco-social commons in Himalayan Bhutan demonstrate an implicit care ethic. Mahayana Buddhism and indigenous animism blend to create distinctive attitudes and practices of environmental caretaking displayed in rural relationships with forests, mountains, and water bodies that influence community-based natural resource management. Elements of an eco-social care ethic became even more vivid in the nation's response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Bhutan's response was among the world's most successful, forestalling any deaths at all for the first nine months of the pandemic and limiting deaths to nine total as the pandemic entered its third year in March 2022. Bhutanese Buddhist values and practices parallel the care ethics articulated by Western moral theorists, providing a contemporary example of caring for the common good and alternative pathways toward flourishing futures. [ FROM AUTHOR]
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Traditional villages constitute rural systems with rich cultural heritage resources and the potential for tourism development. Improving resilience in the tourism industry in traditional villages in the post-pandemic era must be urgently reconsidered. This study focuses on the Chinese villages of Zhang Guying and Rebala in Hunan Province and uses a qualitative analysis method. Through in-depth study of two case villages, the study finds that traditional Chinese villages, especially tourist-oriented traditional villages, are more vulnerable to the impact of the epidemic than cities and other places. However, because of their unique traditional cultural connotations, traditional Chinese villages have the potential to enhance tourism resilience in the post-epidemic era through cultural excavation and cultural creative production. The embossed patterns, couplet stories, architecture and folk culture of traditional villages can be used for cultural and creative production. The production of digital products and physical cultural and creative products, and the formation of related industrial chains, will help improve the resilience of village tourism. The joint action of villages, attractiveness (scenic spots), production, social capital, government structure, and cultural creativity helps to transform “vulnerable individuals” into “ resilient industrial structures”. This research helps to reconsider whether the past tourism concepts (cultural creativity and creative tourism) have an effect on existing tourism destinations (especially Chinese traditional villages) in the context of the post-epidemic era, and whether they can be rejuvenated. Like other small organizational structures facing the threat of the epidemic, Chinese traditional villages have problems such as insufficient costs and reduced resource advantages. This study will focus on these issues to explore how cultural creativity can help improve existing problems and enhance tourism resilience.
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The Old Town Area of Semarang has become a ’Pilot Project’ for developing the smart city concept in Semarang. On the other hand, this area is a cultural heritage area, so the implementation of the smart city concept should be able to support the preservation of buildings and the history of the area. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the implementation of smart cities, considering that activities in the Old Town Area have decreased drastically. This study aims to identify the application of the smart city concept in the Old Town Area of Semarang. The study conducted was in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic was still occurring in the community.The study’s initial stage was compiling the dimensions and indicators of smart cities as study variables and exploring smart city regulations in Semarang. In the second stage, to obtain information on the implementation of a smart city in the Old Town Area of Semarang, we conducted interviews with stakeholders from the government, cultural heritage activists, and communities related to the Old Town Area, and building occupants. As a result, we collected information regarding the implementation of smart city before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. The content analysis processed the result of the interview. Meanwhile, we used descriptive analysis techniques to study the dimensions and indicators and smart city regulations in Semarang. From the study results, the implementation of smart city in the Old Town of Semarang was organized into categories: appropriate, still not suitable and not suitable. The dimension of smart city that has appropriate is Smart Living. The dimensions that are still not suitable are Smart Governance, Smart Environment, Smart Economy and Smart Mobility. Meanwhile, the dimension that has not suitable is Smart People. Based on the six dimensions of smart city, there are 25 indicators, and the study results state that only 18 indicators are appropriate.
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Green and blue infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and cultural and built heritage play a key role in enhancing ecosystem services provision and shaping urban quality and communities’ wellbeing calling for an integrated approach to ecosystem services in urban policy and planning and decision-making. On the other side, under-used spaces and buildings have social, cultural, economic, as well as ecological functions and benefits, which are essential to sustainable urban development. The EU has been developing and implementing policies for an integrated approach to urban development and sustainable land use through the implementation of the Urban Agenda for the EU and fourteen associated Partnerships. Thus, it engaged a broad range of institutions and stakeholders across Europe in promoting local projects and sharing best practices on sustainable land use and nature-based solutions, the circular economy, and cultural heritage. This paper reviews the experiences of cities involved in the Partnerships of the Urban Agenda for the EU by illustrating how they related to different modes of ecosystem governance and associated challenges, discussing how three case studies integrate different dimensions of ecosystem services and regeneration in under-used areas and what type of knowledge as well as regulation and governance modes they have developed for supporting innovation in land use planning and management for urban ecosystem services. The results show that appropriate alternative regulations and policies are little explored and that cities adopt an integrated approach, combining cultural, environmental, economic, and social dimensions in their interventions, directly or indirectly enhancing the benefits of built and natural heritage and urban ecosystems in under-used areas. However, some issues, such as nature-based solutions and climate change, are still partially integrated into the projects while priority is given to the cultural, aesthetic, and economic dimensions.
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The use of chatbots has grown rapidly across industries, including marketing, assistive systems, education, healthcare, cultural heritage, and entertainment. This paper discusses the incentives for using chatbots and explains how useful chatbots are in various contexts. As intelligent software and hardware, also known as intelligent agents, are developed and analyzed, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more and more integrated into daily lives. From manual labor to complex procedures, intelligent agents are capable of performing a wide range of tasks. One of the simplest and most common forms of intelligent human-computer interaction is the chatbot, which is a classic example of an artificial intelligence Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) system. A chatbot is described as "a computer program designed to simulate interaction with human users, particularly over the Internet." In addition to chatbots, it also called smart bots, interactive agents, digital assistants, and intelligent conversational objects. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, going to the doctor is no longer an indulgence. A chatbot is a Natural Language Processing (NLP) based chatbot to help with basic medical questions. Only the best knowledge of a chatbot can be used to answer medical questions.
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This work aims to optimize and innovate the protection, inheritance, and dissemination of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). Based on the Internet of Things (IoT), this work designs the music ICH development path under the cultural concept by integrating music ICH with the tourism industry in the smart city environment. Specifically, it innovatively proposes the integration mechanism of immersive scene design of music ICH with smart city’s tourism industry in the Internet of Things (IoT) context. Consequently, the music ICH brand equity evaluation model is built. This model can evaluate the importance of cultural and asset value of music ICH. The comprehensive evaluation index system of music ICH mainly includes four primary indexes (with eight secondary indexes): the live performance, historical value, music audience, and the tourism industry integration. In addition, at the beginning of the model iteration, the pattern recognition accuracy of the traditional model is only 67.5%. Then, the recognition accuracy of the traditional model can reach 72.5% at the 500th iteration. In contrast, the average recognition accuracy of the improved model can reach 80%, and the highest can reach 82.5%. This work can provide technical support and guarantee for formulating and optimizing music ICH protection strategies.
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(Contribution 4) have focused on the assessment of the ecological integrity of national forests in the western U.S. The method proposed and developed by the authors was aimed at the assessments of riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems and has proved suitable to inform future forest and project planning for the restoration and maintenance of structure, function, composition, and connectivity. The study has allowed the definition of regeneration policies promoting the replacement of dead olive groves with more resistant olive trees as a strategy to stimulate social components of the landscape and improve the resilience of ecosystem services in peri-urban areas in the interest of the cultural heritage of the users and benefits that they provide, including tourism. The definition of different zones of the protected area has been based on the multicriteria analysis of landscape features and patterns, environmental quality, traditional agriculture, and architectural heritage, allowing the researchers to combine promotion of quality of natural assets and the protection of historical rural values threatened by the abandonment of remote areas. Addas and Maghrabi (Contribution 9) have studied the spatial patterns of urban green spaces in a Saudi Arabian context, mapping them using geographic information systems and investigating the perceived role of green areas from a social, environmental, and recreational point of view. Besides their crucial role in local climate regulation, the findings highlighted that accessibility, design, management, and safety that proved to be limiting factors in meeting the expected satisfaction level of the inhabitants, thus providing useful inputs to assist planners and policy makers in implementing the greening strategies at neighbourhood and city levels for urban environmental sustainability.
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The onset of the Covid pandemic in 2020 changed the approach to work, research, and study. This period has been a wake-up call for public administrations, the private sector, and the academic community, to digitise their data. In Italy, digital and information technologies for the protection and enhancement of cultural heritage, which were an imperative for more than a decade, have been accelerated. This paper aims to collect and to process openly available data on patrimony from OpenStreetMap and the Lombardian Geoportal. The study is divided into two phases: a simple statistical analysis of cultural heritage in Monza is obtained, and the results are presented graphically. Firstly, built-in tools and Python Console of QGIS are evaluated, to filter attributes and add geometrical values to the downloaded material. Secondly, plug-in DataPlotly and an online coding application named Replit are assessed. The results are presented and compared in terms of their flexibility, quality of visual representation, customisation, and simplicity of use. Tools developed through and for QGIS are easy to use and available to everyone. Additionally, coding applications can be integrated for more refined results. This approach fosters interdisciplinarity, bridges the gap between professionals and non-expert users of GIS, and opens a range of opportunities for future collaborations. The citizen, as a mapper, can be involved in the administrative decision-making process, contributing with data collected in situ. Collaboration between these two sides can potentially produce the better for evaluating the contemporary built environment and its undividable part of cultural heritage.
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The integration processes taking place in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) are contributing to the sustainable development of this unique territory. Intensive cooperation financed from EU funds under the cohesion policy and the neighborhood policy have provided an opportunity for the development of ethnic and national minorities, who are important but still marginalized stakeholders. The theoretical aim of the article is to identify the attributes of national and ethnic minorities and to indicate key determinants of their sustainable development. The authors seek to answer whether territorial cooperation in the BSR contributes to the development of national and ethnic minorities, and if so, how. In the article, concepts and definitions related to the term “minority” are verified, classifications are developed and a model of sustainable development of ethnic and national minorities is built. Official statistical data are used to present the national and ethnic structure of the BSR countries. Then, 22 national minorities and 17 ethnic minorities are identified and described. Quantitative and qualitative research was carried out on 126 territorial cooperation projects supporting the development of national and ethnic minorities totaling EUR 85.25 million in value and implemented within 38 BSR programs in 2000–2020. The Sami minority were the greatest beneficiaries of the cooperation. Territorial cooperation projects have been shown to contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage and the development of education, social support and political empowerment. Territorial cooperation is a powerful instrument of sustainable development. Unfortunately, it still contributes only moderately to the development of national and ethnic minorities. There is a need to strengthen this issue in future programs of the cohesion policy and the neighborhood policy and to develop systemic solutions enabling national and ethnic minorities to participate more actively in the implementation of territorial cooperation projects.
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Purpose>This review article aims to outline the challenges that small island developing states (SIDS) face in developing long-term sustainability with particular reference to the implications for policymakers and tourism stakeholders who have to operate with limited resources.Design/methodology/approach>The study sought to determine how SIDS should develop and implement policies and plans for sustainable tourism through a thematic review of the literature. The data were gathered from previous studies that examined how SIDS should accomplish this.Findings>The findings indicate that the best approach for long-term sustainable tourism requires the development of a system for effective monitoring and policies that are implemented promptly through good governance. Developing sustainable tourism through quantifiable indicators has become critical given the growing need to understand the potential impacts of tourism development on destinations. This review also reveals that long-term sustainability of cultural resources can be achieved by compiling an inventory of existing tangible resources and involving stakeholders during the development phase to increase their attention and awareness of the critical nature of resource conservation.Originality/value>This review determines how SIDS should develop and implement policies and plan for sustainable tourism and how to mitigate the challenges associated with unsustainable conditions.
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In the context of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, large-scale events have been forced to stop as well as movement of people between cities. At Daxi in Taoyuan, Taiwan, there is an event that lasts for over a century, Puji Temple Annual Celebration of Saintly Emperor Guan’s Birthday, held every summer on June 24 of the lunar calendar. It is not only registered as Taoyuan City’s intangible cultural heritage but also considered as the second Chinese New Year for local people. In order to express gratitude to Saintly Emperor Guan for his blessing, the local groups ‘She-Tou’, residents, shopkeepers and volunteers make a great effort on the preparations before the celebration. Local people who at the time do not live in Daxi because they are studying, working or after marriage are living in other cities would also come back to the town on this day. This traditional and cultural event bred from belief has become a mechanism of community cohesion and has shaped Daxi’s unique sense of place. Unfortunately, the traditional pilgrimage of the celebration in 2021 has been paused due to the pandemic situation. However, thanks to the long-term collaboration and participation of the local museum, the ritual of faith can continue in a new way. This article takes the DaxiDaxi “Lord Guan Online” website and its Facebook page as an example. By analysing how the Daxi Wood Art Ecomuseum interprets the traditional celebration and its culture in a digital way, we try to explore the possibility of digital tools as a powerful medium for connecting people and people and place during the pandemic period.
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The objective of this work is to offer an analysis related to tourism demand as a sustainable projection for the tourist destination. The behavior of demand as a key element for subsequent decision-making in management models and strategic proposals for sustainable development centered on the tourist destination constitutes the central element of this work. The study is based on an analysis of tourist activity in the city of Trinidad. In accordance with the quantitative paradigm, an analysis of internal and external secondary information on tourism was carried out based on the results of the surveys, interviews, Likert-type scalograms and semantic differentials completed by the actors involved in the tourist activity in the studied territory. Qualitative research, which is considered a subjective view of the actors involved in the work, was also employed. The main indicators of the tourism demand for the destination and the imbalances that cause dissatisfaction are shown, such as the lack of systematic studies on tourism demand and few coordinated actions between the public and private sectors to satisfy it. It is concluded that the character of Trinidad as a Cultural Heritage of Humanity destination continues to exert an important influence on the demand for tourism in the destination. As a result, it is necessary to delve into new proposals to ensure that tourism in the local context is an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable activity. For this, the lack of coordination between the state and private sectors must be overcome.
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Purpose>The aim of this research is to evaluate the vulnerability of earthen heritage when facing climate change, by focusing on Tchogha Zanbil site as a case study – an outstanding example of an earthen site that recurrently faces extreme climatic events. Moreover, the adaptive capacity of traditional knowledge and ancient systems is also evaluated, in order to contribute for future climate change adaptation planning.Design/methodology/approach>The vulnerability of cultural heritage to climate change was considered as the degree to which an identified cultural heritage value was susceptible to, or would be adversely affected by, the effects of climate change, including climate variability and extreme temperatures. In order to establish a vulnerability assessment, this paper will assess different definitions regarding vulnerability, exposure and sensitivity, crossing it with indicators of physical parameters, in order to propose an adaptive capacity for the site, based on ancient traditional knowledge.Findings>Nonetheless, the entailed research helped establish a framework that contributes to outline the vulnerability and the potential for adaptive capacity of World Heritage properties, especially earthen sites located in regions exposed to rising climate change impact.Research limitations/implications>The research faced some limitations regarding access to data and to site visits, due to COVID-19 restrictions that were in place.Originality/value>This research presents a methodological assessment of climate change risk in Tchogha Zanbil, a World Heritage earthen site in Iran, representative of a property highly exposed to risk and vulnerability.