Sustainability in road construction projects is hindered by the extensive use of non-renewable materials, high greenhouse gas emissions, risk cost, and significant disruption to the local community. Sustainability involves economic, environmental, and social aspects (triple bottom line). However, establishing metrics to evaluate economic, environmental, and social impacts is challenging because of the different nature of these dimensions and the shortage of accepted indicators. This paper developed a comprehensive method considering all three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, environmental, and social burdens. Initially, the economic, environmental, and social impact category indicators were assessed using the Life cycle approach. After that, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) were utilized to prioritize the alternatives according to the acquired weightings and sustainable indicators. The steps of the AHP method involve forming a hierarchy, determining priorities, calculating weighting factors, examining the consistency of these assessments, and then determining global priorities/weightings. The TOPSIS method is conducted by building a normalized decision matrix, constructing the weighted normalized decision matrix, evaluating the positive and negative solutions, determining the separation measures, and calculating the relative closeness to the ideal solution. The selected alternative performs the highest Relative Closeness to the Ideal Solution. Lastly, a case study was undertaken to validate the proposed method. In three alternatives in the case study (Cement Concrete, Dense-Graded Polymer Asphalt Concrete, and Dense-Graded Asphalt Concrete), option 3 showed the most sustainable performance due to its highest Relative Closeness to the Ideal Solution. Integrating AHP and TOPSIS methods combines both strengths, including AHP’s structured approach for determining criteria weights through pairwise comparisons and TOPSIS’s ability to rank choices based on their proximity to an ideal solution.

This study, drawing on the Knowledge-Based View (KBV) and Contingency Theory, explores how analyzer strategic orientation, learning capability, technical innovation, administrative innovation, and SME growth and learning effectiveness are interrelated. Analyzing cross-sectional data from 407 founders, cofounders, and managers of trade and service SMEs in Vietnam’s Southeast Key Economic Region through PLS-SEM, the research demonstrates that analyzer orientation positively impacts both technical and administrative innovation, thereby bolstering SME growth and learning effectiveness. However, learning capability does not significantly impact technical innovation or growth and learning effectiveness. Instead, learning capability negatively affects administrative innovation. Notably, technical and administrative innovations act as mediators between analyzer orientation and SME growth and learning effectiveness. The study provides practical insights tailored for SMEs navigating dynamic market environments like Vietnam, enriching theoretical understanding of SME strategic management within the trade and service sector.

UAVs, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, have emerged as an efficient and flexible system for offering a rapid and cost-effective solution. In recent years, large-scale mapping using UAV photogrammetry has gained significant popularity and has been widely adopted in academia as well as the private sector. This study aims to investigate the technical aspects of this field, provide insights into the procedural steps involved, and present a case study conducted in Cesme, Izmir. The findings derived from the case study are thoroughly discussed, and the potential applications of UAV photogrammetry in large-scale mapping are examined. The study area is divided into 12 blocks. The flight plans and the distribution of ground control point (GCP) locations were determined based on these blocks. As a result of the data processing procedure, average GCP positional errors ranging from 1 to 18 cm have been obtained for the blocks.

The sea level rise under global climate change and coastal floods caused by extreme sea levels due to the high tide levels and storm surges have huge impacts on coastal society, economy, and natural environment. It has drawn great attention from global scientific researchers. This study examines the definitions and elements of coastal flooding in the general and narrow senses, and mainly focuses on the components of coastal flooding in the narrow sense. Based on the natural disaster system theory, the review systematically summarizes the progress of coastal flood research in China, and then discusses existing problems in present studies and provide future research directions with regard to this issue. It is proposed that future studies need to strengthen research on adapting to climate change in coastal areas, including studies on the risk of multi- hazards and uncertainties of hazard impacts under climate change, risk assessment of key exposure (critical infrastructure) in coastal hotspots, and cost-benefit analysis of adaptation and mitigation measures in coastal areas. Efforts to improve the resilience of coastal areas under climate change should be given more attention. The research community also should establish the mechanism of data sharing among disciplines to meet the needs of future risk assessments, so that coastal issues can be more comprehensively, systematically, and dynamically studied.

Embassies are important buildings, involving the diplomatic image of a country’s government in another foreign country. Given the rising tensions between countries, either political, economic, religion or war, attacks on embassies have been increasing in recent years. Thus, it is evident that appropriate measures are to be taken to reduce the potential impact of an attack. The paper discusses the measures in enhancing building security of embassies. The principles for Security Planning and Design are discussed, followed by an introduction to a systematic security risk assessment framework. The framework is evaluated regarding the potential security risk posed by an attack against elements of the mega infrastructure using explosives. Further options to increase the security of embassies are also explored to reduce the risk of a potential attack. A security-enhanced building, planned and constructed well to specifications, can provide benefits to the client, including greater cost advantage and increase of value for the structure.