Coastal cities in Asia face increasing risks of extreme climate events and urgently need to develop risk-reduction plans to mitigate the harmful socioeconomic consequences of such events. In this study, we undertook geographical analyses and conducted interviews with stakeholders in the Tacloban City area, the Philippines, to investigate the relationships among building types, storm-surge inundation and post-disaster recovery after 2013 Typhoon Yolanda. Squatter settlements in low-lying urban and coastal areas were destroyed by the typhoon, but were rapidly rebuilt by squatters using debris from the typhoon. Government programs relocated some of the affected squatter populations to new socialized housing developments on safe higher ground that were some distance from the squatters’ former urban and coastal livelihoods, thus causing reluctance to relocation. Our GIS analysis of available geo-spatial data, coupled with extensive stakeholder interviews, showed that there were enough vacant lots within pre-existing housing subdivisions to house more than 7000 squatters and provide them with plots for urban vegetable farming that would provide their livelihood. Interviews with stakeholders suggested that this approach would not encounter excessive resistance. Thus, our study demonstrated that comprehensive GIS analyses and stakeholder involvement can contribute to effective land-use planning for community resilience.

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In China, CO₂ emissions have increased in part due to the introduction of a market economy and because of rapid financial growth as a result of economic reform. China’s manufacturing industry has become popular as the “factory of the world,” and people’s lives have become richer due to this. Transportation volume has increased due to the improvement of such income and changes in lifestyle. In comparison to 1980, the current passenger traffic and freight traffic has expanded manifold, especially since the increased demand for private vehicles has also increased ownership rapidly. As a result, CO₂ emissions from the transport sector have increased significantly. In this research, using statistical data from 1995 to 2013 from China, we analyzed the factors of CO₂ emissions in the transport sector by both nation and region (eastern, central, and western). Furthermore, we clarified the influential elements for the factors that contributed strongly to the increase in CO₂ emissions which revealed why CO₂ emissions began to increase.

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This study aims to analyze one method in current usage helping small suburban or rural communities to not only survive, but thrive, specifically through strategic landscape incorporation and use of ethnobotanical (ETB) plants native to or adopted by the area. We focus on the Incredible Edible (IE) movement in Todmorden, England as a successful case using ETB landscape, and reviewed positive changes over nine years. We also study how widely and when the IE method has spread. Methodology includes interviews, multimedia literature review, and trend analysis. Methodology and keywords used in the IE system are discussed, and are based upon a few basic ideas to create a sustainable community-landscape system. Our results show that people in the economically depressed rural zone of Todmorden desired change, but were hesitant to do so. Our study’s main findings are that independent global media can have a deep effect on grassroots movements, and that, compared with the lack of it, the use of ETB landscape when incorporated into community planning and activities can have deeply positive sociological and environmental effects, including heritage preservation and sustainability.

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During the mid-1950s and the 1970s, Japanese society undermined serious pollution issues. Nowadays, similar destruction is evident in developing countries. This study aims to address the transformation of Japanese society to overcome pollution issues to make recommendations to countries facing environmental degradation. The method applied integrates the multi-level perspective, multi-phase transition, and multi-level governance. This study identified three social innovations: the anti-pollution movement in Mishima, Numazu, and Shimizu; development of the epidemiological causal relationship strategy; and implementation of Pollution Control Agreement. These triggered the transformation of local autonomy, industry ethics, mutual interaction between multi-stakeholders, institutional changes, and environmental policy and governance. To overcome the side effects of industrialization and advance to the next stage of modernization, a healthy democratic system and cooperative policymaking are necessities for the environmental governance.

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This study aimed to investigate the absence or existence of changes and traits of stress coping, resilience, and mood states of respondents, who usually live in urban areas, during their stay in a suburban forest in a popular resort area. The study site and accommodation facility belonged to Fuji Iyashinomori Woodland Study Center, the University of Tokyo Forest. The respondents comprised 10 students who participated in the exercise lecture of graduate school (five days and four nights). Respondents were required to answer Lazarus-type stress coping inventory (stress coping), Sukemune–Hiew Resilience Test (resilience), and Profile of Mood States (mood states). Both stress coping and resilience tests were conducted twice: on the first morning and the last evening of lecture series. Mood state test was conducted five times, that is, every morning of the lecture series. We can find the marginally significant difference in one indicator of stress coping and confirm statistical differences in two indicators of resilience. A statistical difference was also observed in two mood state indicators, such as tension–anxiety and depression–dejection. Results indicated that staying in a suburban forest for five days may promote stress coping, resilience, and positive mood states.

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