Abstract This study explores the intricate relationship between visual comfort (VICO) and greenery distribution – measured by the Green View Index (GVI) – alongside object composition in the rural landscapes of Ciputri Village, Indonesia. Using panoramic imagery and semantic segmentation models, dominant visual elements were identified, categorized, and analyzed for their contributions to landscape perception. The analysis combined linear regression and Random Forest modelling to evaluate the predictors of VICO. While the linear model showed limited explanatory power (R 2 = 0.37), the Random Forest model (R 2 = 0.60) performed substantially better, highlighting the importance of nonlinear relationships. Key findings reveal GVI as a dominant determinant of VICO, underscoring its substantial role in enhancing visual comfort. Specific objects such as trees, mountains, and the sky positively influenced VICO when visually dominant, whereas walls had the opposite effect. Unique patterns were observed for plants and “null” objects, with their contributions varying according to their positional dominance in the visual composition. For instance, plants in primary positions were associated with reduced VICO due to perceived monotony, but they enhanced VICO when secondary or tertiary, reflecting their role as complementary elements that enrich visual diversity. Overall, these results provide a nuanced understanding of the interplay between greenery, object composition, and visual comfort, suggesting that balanced visual diversity and strategic spatial arrangements can moderately shape landscape perception, with direct implications for rural landscape planning in Indonesia.

Abstract This study addresses the lack of updated land cover and land cover change data in Prieto Diaz, Sorsogon (Philippines), while also identifying land use policy clusters and formulating spatial development options to guide the local planning. Land cover analysis was conducted using remote sensing techniques via Google Earth Engine and spatial analysis tools in QGIS. Year-on-year data from 2017 to 2022 revealed significant increases in tree cover within mangrove areas and in flooded vegetation across seagrass zones. The gradual expansion of built-up areas in urban and urbanizing barangays highlighted a noticeable rural-urban population shift and marked zones where built development − whether planned or unplanned − is likely to occur. Based on these findings, four development clusters were identified: Agroforestry, Agriculture, Commercial-Residential, Conservation. The three spatial development options were subsequently formulated and presented to the Local Development Council, from which participants then selected the Conservation-Enterprise option as the spatial development strategy most likely to realize their town’s vision. This approach centers focus on the interdependence between the local economy and livelihood on the stability of the town’s environment, thereby reinforcing incentives for environmental sustainability.

Abstract The participatory planning approach is centered on inclusive idea generation, consensus building, and consideration of socioeconomic and cultural aspects. Currently, there is limited knowledge regarding whether the 2019 Dodoma master plan reflects the needs and interests of the local communities. A mixed research approach and case study strategy were deployed. Interviews, documents reviews, and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were the main data collection methods. Content analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyse qualitative and quantitative data respectively. The findings indicate that the 2019 Dodoma master plan marginally reflects the needs and interests of the Madukani and Msalato wards communities. This was evidenced by a lack of harmonisation of needs and interests between the City Council of Dodoma (CCD) and the local communities. The local communities prioritised individual interests (tenure security) while CCD focused on the complex public interests (sustainable city). Regardless of the importance of safeguarding public interests, the process was subjected to ineffective communication, negotiation, orientation of earmarked land uses, commitment, and inclusive decision-making. The participation practice signifies either non-participation (manipulation/therapy) or tokenism (informing/consultation) of Sherry Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation. This was proved by the power imbalance of the technocrats in accommodating the suggestions of the local communities. Again, denial of the local communities’ suggestions and ineffective information dissemination counter with the Communicative and Collaborative Planning Theory. The findings, therefore; call for inclusive decision-making to ensure the 2019 Dodoma master plan is effectively understood, owned, and observed by the local communities.

Abstract Lynch’s (1960) Theory of Imageability explores how individuals perceive and navigate urban environments, emphasizing the role of paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks. This theory highlights the significance of these elements in shaping people’s mental maps and enhancing their understanding and navigation of urban spaces. However, cultural tourism introduces complexities to Lynch’s framework due to its unique motivations, interests, and behaviours. This article investigates the relationship between visitor mobility patterns and urban morphology in the context of two cultural destinations: Bilbao and San Sebastian. The study utilizes Network Analysis of visitors’ GPS data to analyse the dynamics of visitor mobility within these urban environments. This data-driven approach facilitates a comprehensive understanding of how cultural destinations operate within their physical territories. Results reveal that both San Sebastian and Bilbao exhibit a distinct “D-shaped” mobility pattern, characterized by a clear and uncomplicated flow of movement. This finding aligns with Lynch’s theory (1960), emphasizing the importance of simplicity and legibility in shaping visitors’ cognitive maps and mental representations of the urban space. The concentration of cultural landmarks in the Old Town and the challenges of congestion and overtourism are brought to light through the network analysis of GPS data. The accompanying figures visually illustrate how the ease of navigation in these cities significantly contributes to the formation of visitors’ cognitive maps.

Abstract The geomorphic processes in high-mountain environments are crucial and often limiting factors of vegetation development. Studies based on the long-term field monitoring are still scarce, however, thus limiting our understandng to vegetation dynamics and the knowledge needed for effective conservation management. In this paper we interpret results of a 20 years long observation considering the relationship between alpine vegetation and intensity of geomorphic processes in the territory of seven permanent plots in the Belianske Tatra Mts. (Slovakia, Central Europe). In principle, these sites represent a “battle field” for ongoing geomorphic processes and vegetation. They are either gradually occupied by initial stages of ecological succession of vegetation or were occupied in the past with the vegetation being more or less destructed. The field research was combined with data collection for standard phytosociological relèves. Spatial distribution of particular tussocks or individuals on each field was drawn in detail. We observed the share of species and their spatial arrangement in relation to the control sites with uncovered substrate. Special attention was paid to measuring the intensity of geomorphic processes using various methods and carried out three times a year. The CANOCO software was used for quantitative evaluation of the phytosociological relèves data. We applied indirect gradient analysis of principal components (PCA) to find out the variability of vegetation and sites, and the direct gradient analysis (RDA) to explain the diversity of species ad the habitat characteristicsThe geomorphic processes affecting the extreme high-mountain environment were evaluated as the most crucial elements that determine the spatial distribution of vegetation, its particular species or overall nature of coppice fragmentation. The relief and mainly its spatial geomorphic attributes are therefore relevant phenomena of landscape that enable scientists to understand, for example the scale and hierarchy of vegetation arrangement. The relationship of vegetation and the intensity of geomorphic processes can be only considered and generalized on the basis of longtermed research.

Abstract The unplanned expansion of cities has become a serious concern in India these days. They exert pressure on the city’s resources, resulting in uncontrolled expansion and unliveable circumstances. As a result, there is a need to design certain techniques to reduce this issue in order to have planned growth both within and outside the city. In this research, the demographic, physical and environmental transformations of the peri-urban areas of Pune City have been analysed using GIS and parameters have been suggested to develop a selection index to help identify the areas having urban traits and suggest separate urban local bodies for their governance and planning. Highlights for public administration, management and planning: • Peri-urban regions experience a lot of changes as they transition from rural to urban features, and assessing these changes using GIS is critical for better planning of such areas’ development. • This study provides parameters and creates a selection index to determine if periurban regions have high or low urban traits, and then determines whether those areas should be combined with current municipal boundaries or formed into new urban local bodies using the ArcGIS software.

Abstract Health inequalities, which could be prevented by appropriate means in various areas, are generally perceived as a consequence of injustice in the society and are mostly the result of inequalities in social determinants. The main goal of this article is to determine health inequalities defined by demographic and socio-economic factors at the level of districts of the Czech Republic in the period 2007–2018(due to the specific differences in data, the Capital City of Prague region was not included). The following statistical methods were used to process the data: correlation analysis, principal component analysis, composite indicator, cluster analysis and multidimensional factor analysis. The value of the composite indicator shows a very favorable situation in the districts of Praha-východ and Praha-západ (especially high proportion of university students, low unemployment, age index, infant mortality, abortion rate and housing subsidies), and the unfavourable situation in the districts of Chomutov, Teplice and Most (especially high housing and unemployment subsidies, low rate of university students, negative migration balance, high rates of infant mortality and abortion). The results specify regional disparities of demographic and socio-economic indicators that can cause health inequalities: negative regional disparities (Most, Teplice, Děčín, Bruntál, Karviná, Ostrava-město and Jeseník districts) and positive regional disparities (Praha-západ, Praha-východ, Mladá Boleslav, Jihlava and Brno-venkov). The study presents the results of analyses based on the example of smaller territorial units (districts) and confirms the existence of regional disparities in accordance with research at the national and international level. Highlights for public administration, management and planning: • Demographic factors are connected to socio-economic environmental factors (poverty, education, social exclusion, unemployment, social security, family situation etc.) that lead to regional health inequalities. • The regional disparities of selected demographic and socio-economic indicators of the districts of the Czech Republic that cause health inequalities were specified.

Abstract Local and regional authorities are often held responsible for implementing social and economic “population drain reduction” policies but at the same time are constrained with little fiscal power and inability to access resources. Being considered the “backbone” of local economies, it is on small- to medium-size enterprises (SMSEs) to come up with an “out-migration” solution which would be effective; yet at the same time sustainable, and adding social value to the local or regional development. Therefore, using a sample of 24 SMSEs from the hospitality industry environment, this paper empirically examines corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a prerequisite for employees’ affirmative work attitudes, such as job satisfaction (JS), effective organizational commitment (OC), and employees’ voluntary retention (R). Inspired by Carroll’s (2015, 2016) four-dimensional concept of CSR (economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic dimension), the findings suggest a significant causal relationship between CSR and the examined employees’ desirable behavior outcomes. However, it is mainly the ethical and legal dimension of CSR that influence all three employees’ affirmative work attitudes - JS, effective OC, and voluntary R. The contribution of this paper also lies in amounting to the body of scholarly literature on CSR in respect to employees. Most works focus on other stakeholders but employees, or are set in different cultural settings or geographical regions, mainly in Asia, and thus their findings might be difficult to implement in the Central European context. Highlights for public administration, management and planning: • CSR as a prerequisite for sustainable management of employees’ retention in small-to medium- size enterprises. • CSR may act as an approach to reduce “out-migration” faced in local and regional development. • SMSEs adding a social value to local and regional development.

Abstract The magnitude and frequency of severe and extreme drought events continue to grow, instigating a grave risk to human wellbeing. Marathwada region of India is one of the most chronically drought affected region of India. The sequential drought events between the years 2012 to 2016 acutely impacted the natural as well as socio-economic resources of the region. This study attempts to assess the drought vulnerability of Marathwada region at sub-district level. An integrated drought vulnerability index has been developed by blending biophysical and socio-economic indicators of drought vulnerability. The analysis revealed that sub-districts like Shirur-Anantpal, Deoni, Shirur Kasar, Dharur, Biloli, Paranda, Mukhed, Khuldabad, Patoda, Hadgaon, Palam, Badnapur and Kaij, emerged as the very highly vulnerable to drought, representing 14.43% of geographical area and 10.96% of population of Marathwada while the sub-districts lying under the category of high drought vulnerability represented 39.15% of geographical area and 34.69% of population.

Abstract The aim of the paper is to give an overview of selected ongoing ISO standardization activities in the domain of geographic information dealing with BIM/GIS and 3D cadastre. The presented international standards have also a close relation to the activities (e.g. 3D spatial planning) from which the smart cities could benefit. In particular, in this paper the ISO 19152 Geographic information – Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) standard and ISO 19166 Geographic information – BIM to GIS conceptual mapping (B2GM) standard (still under development) are emphasized. Both mentioned standards are also strongly interrelated with each other. The ISO 19152 standard supports the smart registration of real estates by providing a conceptual schema incorporating 3D parcels, i.e. the 3D cadastre. 3D cadastre can provide the accurate, authoritative and unambiguous foundation for understanding the urban form. The second version of the ISO 19152 is also going to be extended to manage the spatial planning information. This enables 3D spatial planning in connection with the legal information, which is all together of big importance for building the smart cities. Furthermore, the ISO 19166 standard is going to provide a conceptual framework for transformation of BIM into GIS (at various level of details) and vice versa. This enables a wider use of existing detailed and semantically rich 3D digital BIM data in building of the 3D cadastre and smart cities GIS projects. Highlights for public administration, management and planning: • There are currently two running projects within International Organization for Standardization (ISO) from which the smart city should benefit – the international standard ISO 19166 BIM2GIS and ISO TR 23262 GIS (geospatial) / BIM interoperability. • There is an existing international standard ISO 19152 Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) supporting the creation of the 3D cadastre. • The second version of the international standard ISO 19152, which is now under development, will bring a support for spatial planning and also the examples of technical encodings of LADM in BIM/IFC and CityGML.