Volume 1 Issue 1 (2025)

Urbanization and industrialization have significantly increased waste generation, posing severe environmental and public health challenges. This paper explores integrated waste management systems (IWMS) as a sustainable solution for urban areas, emphasizing their role in advancing circular economy principles and resource efficiency. Through a comprehensive review of current waste management practices, innovative technologies, and policy frameworks, the study identifies key barriers and enablers to effective waste system integration. Case studies from cities in the USA, China, and Spain highlight successful implementation strategies, including waste valorization, smart recycling technologies, and stakeholder engagement models. The findings suggest that IWMS, supported by robust governance and public-private partnerships, can significantly reduce landfill dependency, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance resource recovery. The paper concludes with policy recommendations and future research directions aimed at scaling up sustainable waste systems globally, contributing to the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Rapid urbanization and changing consumption patterns have led to a dramatic increase in urban food waste, presenting significant challenges to environmental sustainability, resource efficiency, and public health. The linear "take-make-dispose" model in food systems exacerbates these issues by squandering valuable nutrients and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. This paper focuses on the role of circular economy practices in closing the loop of urban food waste management and nutrient recycling. It reviews a range of strategies, including source reduction, separate collection systems, composting, anaerobic digestion, and innovative technologies for nutrient recovery (such as biogas production and biofertilizer synthesis). The analysis highlights how these practices not only divert food waste from landfills but also facilitate the recycling of essential nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) back into agricultural systems, thereby promoting a more sustainable and resilient urban food cycle. Additionally, the paper examines the policy frameworks, stakeholder collaborations, and technological advancements that enable the effective implementation of circular economy approaches in urban contexts. Case studies from diverse cities are included to illustrate successful models and identify key barriers, such as infrastructure gaps, public awareness, and economic viability. The findings emphasize that integrating circular economy principles into urban food waste management is critical for reducing environmental impacts, enhancing resource security, and fostering a transition towards more sustainable urban development.

Despite growing recognition of urban agriculture’s role in sustainable food systems, its integration into municipal planning remains fragmented. This paper examines policy frameworks and stakeholder engagement mechanisms across 12 European cities, analyzing how urban agriculture is institutionalized in land-use plans, zoning regulations, and sustainability strategies. Through qualitative interviews with planners, farmers, and community organizers, we identify three emerging models: regulatory integration (e.g., Berlin’s zoning amendments), incentive-based approaches (e.g., Lisbon’s tax breaks for urban farms), and participatory planning (e.g., Warsaw’s community garden co-design). Barriers include land ownership conflicts, funding constraints, and lack of cross-departmental coordination. We propose a multi-level governance framework to streamline integration, emphasizing inclusive decision-making and adaptive policy tools to enhance food security and socio-economic equity in urban contexts.

Vertical farming has emerged as a promising solution for urban food security, yet its energy-intensive operations raise sustainability concerns. This study evaluates the energy efficiency of three LED lighting configurations (full-spectrum, red-blue, and adaptive dimming) in vertical lettuce cultivation. Using a controlled environment agriculture (CEA) setup in urban laboratories across three cities, we measured energy consumption, crop yield, and resource use efficiency over a 12-week growth cycle. Results indicate that adaptive dimming systems reduced energy use by 32% while maintaining 94% of the yield achieved with full-spectrum lighting. Economic analysis further shows a 27% reduction in operational costs, making this configuration more viable for urban circular food systems. These findings contribute to optimizing vertical farming practices for enhanced environmental resilience and economic sustainability in dense urban contexts.