Metro disruptions affect passengers primarily through headway inflation, headway dispersion and temporary losses of spatial coverage. This paper proposes a headway-native, service-level resilience framework that directly links operational disruption responses to passenger-visible performance. Three complementary indicators are formalized: Mean Headway Deviation (MHD) for service regularity, Service Availability Ratio (SAR) for spatial–temporal coverage, and a System Redundancy Index (SRI) capturing alternative-mode provisioning and operational reserves. These indicators are integrated into a time-varying composite resilience function, summarized over the disruption horizon using a normalized area-under-the-curve metric. The framework is demonstrated on a conceptual Bucharest metro corridor under three response strategies: (A) metro-only short-turn operation, (B) standard segment bus bridging, and (C) integrated extended/parallel/customized bridging. Scenario C delivers consistently superior performance, reducing mean headway deviation from +4.0 min to +1.5 min (−63%), restoring availability from 0.82 to 0.95 (+16%), and increasing redundancy from 0.46 to 0.63 (+37%). The composite resilience score improves from 0.54 to 0.78. Sensitivity analysis confirms dominance invariance under all admissible policy weightings, supporting robust planning use. These findings highlight how disruption-response strategies influence dynamic urban accessibility by preserving station catchments and maintaining corridor-level connectivity, thereby supporting more resilient settlement-level mobility planning.
The dichotomy between urban and rural areas has been researched for many years. Crises and challenges have often exacerbated inequalities and development disparities in recent years. This article addresses the issue of developmental dualism and related concerns of local communities. The article aims to answer the question of whether urban or rural municipalities fear the uncertain future and related crises and whether (and to what extent) these concerns differ between these groups. This case study thematically fits within the discussions of the Core-Periphery theory, focusing on the dimension of unprosperous rural municipalities and prosperous urban municipalities, which represents a striking example of development dualism. Some 21 territorial units from Poland were selected – 10 urban municipalities characterised by favourable conditions (wealthy, active, innovative, centre, accessible space) and 11 rural municipalities defined by unfavourable conditions (poor, passive, imitative, periphery, hard-to-reach space). A survey conducted among 437 local leaders from these municipalities revealed that all eight analysed factors – key negative phenomena related to demographics, social and economic activity, and the effects of the pandemic – were perceived as highly alarming by the respondents in the context of their municipalities' development. The findings also indicate that rural communes expressed greater concern compared to their urban counterparts, with demographic issues emerging as the most significant challenge for both groups. Respondents are least concerned about a decline in both social activity (both groups) and economic activity (urban municipalities), as well as about a reduction in the availability of EU funds (rural municipalities). It can then be concluded that the phenomenon of development dualism will likely intensify in the coming years, which will force local authorities to take action to increase the resilience of municipalities and cities.
Ensuring sustainable prospects for young people is an essential condition for the national social and economic development, while education plays a central role in this process by forming the skills necessary for a dynamic and competitive society. The aim of the study is to assessn the impact of legislative changes and public policies on access to education by analysing the evolution of school network and school population in the mountainous and marginal area of Mureș County, during the period 1992–2023. Data series related to the number of educational units and the school population were extracted from National Institute of Statistics (NIS). Linear and polynomial regression models were used to highlight evolutionary trends, as well as ARIMA (Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average) models to make a forecast of the school population until 2030. A qualitative analysis of the relevant legislative framework and educational policies for the reference period was performed. Results indicate a sharp decrease in the number of educational units in rural areas, correlated with demographic decline and administrative restructuring processes, but also an increase in pressure on urban educational infrastructure, manifested by the overcrowding of schools. These trends contribute to the escalation of inequalities between rural and urban areas in terms of access to education. Statistical forecasts suggest that the downward trend in the number of school population will continue until 2030, with major implications for the school network planning. The comparative analysis with Romanian neighbouring countries shows that the national situation is closely related to the Bulgarian model, characterized by a high degree of school agglomeration, while Poland and Hungary have applied more balanced rationalization strategies. Conclusions emphasize the need to develop public policies that would advance the economic efficiency of school network reorganization, as well as the principle of equity in access to education, especially for rural communities, in order to strengthen social cohesion and the sustainable development of human capital.
Ethical issues are fundamental to professional urban planning, as planning decisions determine the distribution of resources, risks, and opportunities within urban environments. Despite increased scholarly attention, ethical concerns in planning remain fragmented and are frequently overlooked in practice. This study conducts a systematic literature review following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, analysing 47 peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 2020 and 2025 across Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and supplementary citation tracking to examine how ethical challenges shape professional urban planning practice and spatial outcomes. The review systematically identifies recurring ethical challenges in professional urban planning. It assesses their influence on governance practices and spatial outcomes. Moreover, it further identifies six prevalent ethical challenges: ambiguous definitions of the public interest, persistent social and spatial injustice, limitations in participatory and procedural ethics, power imbalances and restricted professional autonomy, conflicts of interest undermining integrity, and inconsistent attention to environmental responsibility and climate justice. These challenges are embedded within governance systems rather than being solely attributable to individual shortcomings. Communicative planning theory demonstrates that inadequate participation can diminish legitimacy and decision quality. In contrast, justice-based theories indicate that planning practices may perpetuate inequality and displacement. Institutional perspectives further reveal that organisational and political constraints can impede planners’ capacity to act ethically. The review concludes that addressing these challenges requires integrating ethics into participation standards, governance structures, and professional safeguards. Institutionalising ethical reasoning within planning practice is essential for enhancing legitimacy, equity, and sustainable urban outcomes.
Implementation of regional policy has a long tradition in the European economic space. Since the beginning of European integration in the mid-20th century, a common regional policy based on cohesion, solidarity, and redistribution began to take shape. This paper is focused on the examination of the development of regional disparities in EU27 (27 European Union member states). This phenomenon is characterized by its 'inertial' nature, despite the implementation of a relatively generous system of instruments, particularly financial ones, in less developed countries and regions. However, it cannot be unequivocally proven that this is caused by inefficient, inappropriate, or misdirected redistribution within the EU27. The neoclassical concept of (3-convergence and sigma-convergence enables the identification of the RD's (Regional Disparities) tendency within more than 20 years. To prove the results as accurately as possible and compare the development of interregional disparities, the analysis was conducted on the crucial macroeconomic indicator "GDP" (Gross Domestic Product) expressed in PPP (Purchasing Power Parity), not only at the level of EU (European Union) member states, but also at the regional levels. The results of this research reveal that despite the long-term implementation of the common cohesion policy there is a continuous deepening of interregional disparities at all examined NUTS (Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics) levels.
The Roma represent a significant ethnic minority in post-communist Central and Eastern European countries, often residing in segregated areas resembling slums, inaccurately referred to as "ghettos." What is special about the Roma ethnic group is that their spatial segregation is both ethnic and social, economic and cultural, which further intensifies the observed negative consequences. Spatial segregation becomes a major cause of social segregation and reproduction of accumulated disadvantages. This study examines ghettoized Roma neighbourhoods in selected towns of Northern Bulgaria, aiming to assess their level of spatial segregation using a set of spatial, demographic and infrastructural indicators. The study's primary hypothesis is that Roma neighbourhoods experience varying levels of spatial segregation, which directly correlates with broader social segregation. The hypothesis is tested through two complementary approaches to measuring segregation, using a set of quantitative and qualitative indicators. The selection of seven ghettoized urban structures GUSs in Northern Bulgaria was based on data availability at the time of the research, as well as on the diversity of towns. The results show significant variation in segregation levels across the studied neighbourhoods, from low to very strong depending mostly on the values of the so-called primary indicators used for the proposed spatial segregation index. The suggested indices represent a comprehensive way of measuring the differences between deprived neighbourhoods, by using generally accessible data, which is a key factor in studying that type of urban structures. The study fills an existing gap in the research of deprived urban areas by proposing a universally applicable index that can be easily adapted to local conditions.
Rapid sprawl in developing cities presents significant challenges to sustainable land-use planning, often neglecting critical objectives. Spatial models that can assist decision-makers with the integration of environmental factors into the planning process useful. This study aims to develop an environmental suitability model for suburban expansion using GIS techniques, fuzzy logic, incorporating landslide susceptibility assessment via the maximum entropy method, using the Cluj-Napoca Metropolitan Romania as a case study. To demonstrate the practical application of the suitability model, we constructed a grid-based support framework prioritising intuitiveness, simplicity, and transparency to enhance stakeholder accessibility. The results show multi-criteria suitability model can inform and facilitate territorial decision-making, especially when integrated with other parameters (social, economic, and infrastructure-related) that influence development opportunities in the metropolitan area. Future directions this research include validating the model within a multidisciplinary team, exploring diverse visualisation and communication strategies, and testing in applied planning contexts.
This study examines the regeneration potential of brownfield sites in Czechia from a spatial and typological perspective. It aims to identify the key physical and locational characteristics that influence the redevelopment of such sites, based on data from the National Brownfield Database managed by CzechInvest. The analysis includes 653 brownfield sites recorded as of December 2024. Using descriptive statistics and spatial analysis in the R environment (packages sf and ggplot2), the study evaluates variables such as site area, ownership type, former land use, level of environmental contamination, and proximity to selected transport nodes (cadastral centres, public transport stops, railway stations, and first-class roads). The results reveal substantial regional differences in the distribution and typology of brownfields. Large, contaminated, and privately owned sites are more likely to be located in peripheral areas with low investment attractiveness. In contrast, smaller, publicly owned sites with better transport accessibility tend to have higher regeneration potential. The study proposes a new analytical framework for spatial planning and regional development, enabling more targeted identification of priority sites for redevelopment while also addressing structural barriers that may hinder the regeneration process.
There is growing interest in how local communities could become more resilient to the adverse effects of disasters. Identifying baseline indicators and establishing a methodology for evaluating community disaster resilience (DR) at a finer scale (neighborhood) is of utmost importance. This article (1) adapts the Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities (BRIC) framework to identify baseline resilience indicators, (2) utilizes the hybrid Factor Analysis and Analytic Network Process (F’ANP) model to assess DR, and (3) uses discriminant analysis to validate the applicability of the proposed methodology at the neighborhood level of the Tehran Metropolis. Guided and inspired by the BRIC framework, 35 baseline DR indicators are chosen from the literature. Using the F’ANP model, the seven extracted DR subdomains are reorganized to align with the BRIC structure. A composite DR index is computed and classified into five categories, using K-Means cluster analysis. The results are validated by discriminant analysis and spatial autocorrelation. Employing the BRIC-F’ANP model allows for the restructuring of identified disaster resilience subdomains to form the necessary resilience structure. The obtained results indicate that higher DR neighborhoods are concentrated in the northern parts of the city, whereas those with lower DR are clustered in the southern parts of the Tehran Metropolis. The adaptation of the BRIC F’ANP model has resulted in the development of a robust methodology for measuring DR at the neighborhood level that could be replicated for assessing the neighborhood DR in other cities.
Coastal cities are increasingly vulnerable to climate-related hazards-storm surges, sea-level rise, and extreme weather-which threaten transportation systems. Recent disasters highlight the urgent need for resilience planning. This study evaluates the vulnerability of & Idot;zmir's transportation network under three storm surge scenarios by integrating high-resolution spatial data, IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) projections, and historical flood records. The analysis applies an indicator-based approach grounded in the IPCC framework, evaluating vulnerability as a function of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Findings show water intrusion ranging from 330 to 12,000 meters across & Idot;zmir Bay, significantly impacting critical infrastructure. Tram lines and ferry piers are most affected, with over 84% and 97% of assets classified as highly or very highly vulnerable. Metro stations (52%) and segments of the & Idot;ZBAN rail system (34%) are also at risk, particularly in low-lying coastal zones. These disruptions threaten urban mobility, economic stability, and emergency response. The current research provides a spatially explicit vulnerability assessment of & Idot;zmir's transport infrastructure under different storm surge scenarios, identifying the most at-risk assets and locations. By applying an indicator-based framework, it quantifies vulnerability in a systematic way and highlights the urgency of targeted adaptation in central districts like Konak and Kar & scedil;& imath;yaka. The findings offer actionable insights for urban planners and policymakers, emphasizing the need to integrate Nature-based Solutions and engineered protections in areas with low elevation and critical transport functions. The methodological approach can also be adapted to support resilience planning in other coastal cities facing similar climate threats.
This paper investigates how inbound tourism influences globalisation dynamics in the Central and Eastern Europe region (CEE) considering digitalisation, trade openness, and economic growth. We applied panel data and regression analysis using indicators from World Bank, United Nations World Tourism Organization, and KOF Index for the period 1995-2023. Given the ongoing issues, particularly those stemming from digitalisation, trade openness and economic growth, we find it imperative to outline key factors influencing both present and future changes related to globalization under the inbound tourism effect. Results indicate that globalisation dynamics depends on inbound tourism without following a uniform pattern. Inbound tourism, trade openness and digitalisation contribute to the global market integration of the region, with statistically significant effects in five of nine countries. Digitalisation and economic expansion are key actors of globalisation. Although trade openness has an overall positive impact, export consolidation and urbanization process can steer the direction towards local market. Developing the incoming tourism provides an extra integration opportunity to the countries from the CEE region in global economy. Nevertheless, each country should work on maximizing their opportunities and enhancing their particular features since there is no such thing as a common regional model.
Political deportation is one instance that defines the memory of violence and trauma in post-socialist Romania. Building on experiences of the deportees to the Soviet Gulag (from Northern Bukovina, in 1941) and to Bărăgan region of Romania (from Banat and Western Oltenia, in 1951), our paper explores the connections between exposure to traumatic events (i.e., deportations) and place attachment (re)construction. Despite a shared sense of their vulnerability during deportation, some deportees survived its horrors and were able to narrate their experiences. Based on deportees’ narratives of fear and survival, we investigate, through a qualitative methodology, the impact of exposure to structural violence and deportees’ positive, negative and mixed emotions about places. The impact of the extreme and dramatic political events of deportations on people’s cognitive and emotional bonds to places includes both the loss of place of residence and the construction of new people-place connections in deportation spaces. Findings show a strong relation between people and several values, together with related activities that are frequently mentioned in deportees’ life histories: faith in God, family, socialising and leisure, freedom, patriotism, and political views. We concluded that valuing all this gives and maintains deportees’ hope, which is a positive emotion that contributed to the (re)construction of people-place bonds during deportation and afterwards.
Global economic shifts, demographic transition, political, social, and environmental changes, as well as local crises, have led to the emergence of shrinking cities around the world. The present article assesses the dynamics and scale of demographic shrinkage of Belarusian cities for three intercensal periods: 1989–1999, 1999–2009, 2009–2019. The geographical study of shrinking cities in Belarus was carried out using the conceptual foundations of the shaping factors and criteria for identifying shrinking cities, theoretical approaches to assess demographic processes, and a set of methods (mathematical and statistical, demographic trajectories, grouping, classification matrices, balance, geographical systematization, cartographic and GIS-technologies). The aim of the study was to evaluate the trends of dynamics, scale and differentiation of demographic development of shrinking cities by regions in Belarus, over the period of 1989–2019. Based on international experience, the criteria of shrinking cities applied to the territory of Belarus were defined for the first time, thus becoming a subject of scientific research novelty. The main criteria of demographic contraction of the Belarusian cities are: population decrease over the period between 1989 and 2019, negative annual growth of population, and regressive demographic balance. The shrinking cities of Belarus are heterogeneous in demographic development and divided into three types: 1) outpacing shrinkage (since 1989); 2) catching-up shrinkage (from 1999–2009); 3) reversible demographic trend, with the dominance of the cities in the second category (68%). The dominance of shrinking cities in Belarus is typical for three regions, namely Viciebsk, Mahilioŭ and Homieĺ, which reflects the general trend of depopulation in the eastern and northeastern regions of the country. Establishing a typology of shrinking cities in Belarus represents a scientific innovation and provides a corresponding basis for a differentiated approach to setting promising strategies for their future development.
Managing bio-waste in urban areas poses significant challenges for local governments, particularly in countries with underdeveloped waste management systems. However, decentralized composting has emerged as a viable solution in various cities and regions worldwide. This paper examines the potential for implementing decentralized bio-waste management systems in urban areas in Romania, a European Union member state with notably low performance in municipal waste management. We analysed three decentralized composting systems from EU countries, focusing on system design, circularity, and household participation. From these case studies, we identified several transferable best practices, including analysing local waste generation patterns, designing circular models, using modular units for rapid implementation, training composting specialists, tailoring behavioural change tools to local contexts, and ensuring continuous performance monitoring. In addition, we explored local bottom-up initiatives for decentralized composting in urban areas in Romania such as green NGOs, informal composting networks, networks of local food producers and consumers, urban gardening practices rooted in the Communist era, and entrepreneurial initiatives offering household bio-waste collection services. We argue that policymakers should adapt these best practices to local conditions and actively engage with bottom-up initiatives to co-create tailored solutions and support behavioural change. The study concludes with policy recommendations for implementing decentralized composting systems. These findings offer a practical framework to guide the development of context-specific composting solutions in Romania and other Central and Eastern European countries with similar urban characteristics and public attitudes towards waste management.
Real estate appraisal is a critical process essential for economic, financial, and business transactions, including buying and selling, mortgage lending, insurance, and property taxation. In this context, model-based real estate appraisal methods face significant challenges such as performance, interpretability, stability, reliability, scalability, flexibility, simplicity, adaptability, applicability, generalizability, comprehensibility, data availability, and evaluation metrics. Among these challenges, performance consistently stands out as a key concern, attracting considerable attention from both academic researchers and industry professionals. With the aim of investigating the effect of dimensionality reduction (DR) on the appraisal performance, three objectives are crafted: identifying the initial features affecting real estate appraisal within Al Bireh city, Palestine, selecting the most influential features, and evaluating model performance when all features are included versus when only the most influential are used employing five statistical metrics. The originality of this research lies in the explicit implementation of DR using multiple feature importance (FI) techniques, multiple models, and multiple evaluation metrics. Specifically, this study includes two FI techniques—namely, inherent FI and Shapley Additive Explanation (SHAP); four models - three tree-based models (decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost)) and a linear regression (LR) model used as a benchmark; and five evaluation metrics: MSE, RMSE, MAE, MAPE, and R². The results indicate no performance improvement when DR is conducted. However, with DR reducing the features from 28 to 6, the relative performance metric decrease is minor, remaining below 5% for all models except LR, and as low as 0.7% in terms of R² for RF, thus concluding the need for a trade-off between the minor decrease in performance and gains in computational efficiency, hardware resources, and data collection. The key implications of DR provide stakeholders with a checklist of key features influencing appraisal value, and increase efficiency by reducing processing time, resources, and data collection.
The study aims to address the concerns of policy makers from Romania’s less developed regions regarding the growing intra-regional disparities. This problem has been highlighted in the smart specialisation strategies for 2014-2020, which have been designed in a bottom-up manner, involving stakeholders. The research is based on NUTS3 or county level project data. The data are used to compare the territorial patterns of research and innovation projects funded by the Horizon 2020 programme and the Competitiveness OP 2014-2020 with the spatial distribution of regional smart specialisation projects implemented with financing from the Regional OP 2014-2020. The approach considers the smart specialisation methodology as well as the innovation potential of the Romanian counties. It also embeds the cohesion policy logic, the ‘double bell’ conceptual framework on intra- and inter-regional disparities and the polycentric development model. The paper shows that greater experience in implementing smart specialisation and the use of mixed funding sources influences, to some extent, a more equitable distribution of funds at the sub-regional level. However, the ability of policymakers to leverage funding for projects resulting from entrepreneurial discovery and a more balanced urban settlement structure within a development region is more important and can promote the reduction of intra-regional disparities in the long term. Regions with a less balanced urban settlement structure should distribute funds more evenly between counties and invest more in urban development. Otherwise, it is very likely that investment will be attracted to the core counties, leading to increased polarisation within the regions.
This article describes the use of a foresight study to create and implement a Climate Action Plan in Paris, France. Foresight is the purposeful and structured consideration related to long-term future and can be used in the process of strategic planning. City management is a challenge under dynamic global changes, so the use of foresight can support these processes. Therefore, it is worth pointing out good practices of appropriate application of foresight in cities. Paris was not accidentally chosen as the subject of the case study. France is one of the origins for both future studies and the foresight approach (la prospective), towards which today’s school of foresight is leaning. The main hypothesis of the paper is that the foresight study commissioned by the City of Paris, made by a consortium of external entities, was a useful element of strategic planning in the city. Research questions referred to the use of recommendations and inspirations from the study Climate Action Plan and the evaluation of the Plan’s implementation. They were also supported by observation on the purpose and structure of the study. The following methods were used during research: desk-research, document analysis, comparative analysis and in-depth interviews with authors, a city representative and scholars. The study showed that the research item Paris, an air of change has the characteristics of a foresight approach, was prepared for strategic planning, and was structured with a horizontal and holistic approach to the topic, which resulted in a significant part of the recommendations being translated into the Climate Action Plan, the City Office’s actions being in line with them. The use of foresight for Paris Climate Action Plan can be considered an example that sets good practices for city management in long-term planning.
Residential rooftops in dense urban neighborhoods are increasingly recognized as multifunctional spaces that reflect the adaptability of residents in navigating spatial constraints and cultural traditions. This study aims to understand the social role of residential rooftops as an intermediate layer between public and private residential spheres in Jabal Al Ashrafieh. The research focuses on how inhabitants utilize, perceive, and socially construct these spaces in terms of production and social construction of theories on spatial use. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines qualitative insights into how rooftops form a social and spatial pattern of Amman's urban life with quantitative analysis of usage frequency. Findings suggest that rooftops are mostly used as social spaces. Rooftops are essential social spaces, shaped by both tangible physical factors - such as the spatial setting, type of residential units, and the lack of open spaces like balconies or courtyards (with 42% of buildings lacking both) - and intangible social factors related to traditions and daily practices. More than half of the buildings whose residents use the rooftops as social spaces are multi-storey apartment blocks, but in most cases, this use is facilitated by the familial connections among the residents- in 77.5% of those buildings most residents are relatives, highlighting the role of familial connections in shaping usage. Social activities on rooftops are categorized into four main types: gathering and leisure activities (65%), environmental activities (18%), and service activities (17%), with gathering activities being the most prevalent. These findings highlight the importance of rooftops as vital extensions of living space, addressing both the social and spatial needs of urban residents. Future research could explore how these practices evolve within the broader context of urban development.
Population size and dynamics within settlements at any given moment are relevant for the evaluation of viability, functionality, and complexity of both urban and rural settlements. This topic is particularly significant not only for contemporary Romania but also for societies worldwide, where the political, economic, demographic, and social transformations are continuously reshaping settlements. The aim of this study was to provide an updated 15-level hierarchical classification of rural and urban settlements in Romania by population size. Population dynamics in the last 30 years were examined at the local level based on the values recorded at the last four national censuses (1992, 2002, 2011, 2021) determining changes in settlement population size. Results showed significant shifts in the national settlement network, with a decline in the number of large and medium-sized rural localities and an increase in the number of small and very small ones. Either leading to depopulation particularly in rural areas, or to the concentration of population in metropolitan areas, the overall population decline affects the functionality of settlements, their socioeconomic development and infrastructure sustainability. Conclusions highlight the need for redefining urban and rural settlement categories to align with Romania’s evolving territorial reality and current imbalances in the settlement network. Also, a reconfiguration of the settlement system is needed and targeted measures to address specific local issues should be implemented, with implications for administrative-territorial organization, transport networks, and socioeconomic development strategies.
The Common Agricultural Policy is focused on the environment increasingly degraded by intensive agriculture. The aim of the study is to analyse the effectiveness of the measures implemented under the Common Agricultural Policy in Maramures County, Romania during the reference period 2007-2023. This research monitored the intervention logic for the payments made in relation to environmental benefits. The effectiveness of this policy was evaluated by processing primary data collected by conducting a survey and getting answers from 350 respondents, most of them farmers, but also representatives of the local public administrations or agricultural institutions in the county. Results show large gaps between the objectives set by the policy and the actual benefits declared by respondents in the study area. Following the introduction of the greening scheme, farmers in Maramure. county reported little change in farming practices as a result of its implementation. Moreover, farmers have incurred low costs for the implementation of greening measures, resulting in an unfair cost-benefit outcome. These results make it necessary to reduce the arable area to a lower incidence limit for the greening scheme in order to address a larger number of farmers and bring out the need to redefine voluntary environmental measures, with more demanding requirements to bring major environmental benefits. The main change that should be made concerns the removal of more measure-specific requirements to avoid double funding. Other changes relate to the inclusion of more complex requirements for measure 10 - agri-environment and measure 13 addressing areas facing constraints. Currently, the requirements are designed to conserve farming practices, not to generate additional environmental benefits. This study can be a solid starting point for extending the research to the county level or replicating the study in other regions.
