Given the large amount of railway maintenance work in China, whereas the maintenance time window is continuously compressed, this paper proposes a novel network model-based maintenance planning and optimization method, transforming maintenance planning and optimization into an integer linear programming problem. Based on the dynamic inspection data of track geometry, the evaluation index of maintenance benefit and the model of the decay and recovery of the track geometry are constructed. The optimization objective is to maximize the railway network’s overall performance index, considering budget constraint, maximum length constraint, maximum number of maintenance activities within one single period constraint, and continuity constraint. Using this method, the track units are divided into several maintenance activities at one time. The combination of surrounding track units can be considered for each maintenance activity, and the specific location, measure, time, cost, and benefit can be determined. Finally, a 100 km high-speed railway network case study is conducted to verify the model’s effectiveness in complex optimization scenarios. The results show that this method can output an objective maintenance plan; the combination of unit track sections can be considered to expand the scope of maintenance, share the maintenance cost and improve efficiency; the spatial-temporal integrated maintenance planning and optimization can be achieved to obtain the optimal global solution.

The scientific discourse on university towns (UT) has progressed for a long time, with a surge of interest in recent years. However, a global overview of the research conducted on this topic have yet to exist. This paper aims to re-examine the relationship between UT and urbanization in literature. Built environment and people are often the most talked aspects in UT literatures. The variety of definitions remains largely uncharted. Policies behind UT development are also rarely studied. This article used an R studio-based bibliometric literature review to synthesize findings from various scientific literature. Keywords related to university towns and urban were used in digital search engines to examine and analyse the literature. Results revealed a significant gap in scientific research on critical theoretical concepts that planners can use as a guide in creating, formulating, and evaluating UT, especially in developing countries. This study promotes simplification of existing literature by examining the impact of UT on the stakeholders involved.

Localization is globally accepted as the strategy towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this article, we put forth the South Indian state of Kerala as a true executor of the localization of SDGs owing to her foundational framework of decentralized governance. We attempt to understand how the course of decentralization acts as a development trajectory and how it has paved the way for the effective assimilation of localization principles post-2015 by reviewing the state documents based on the framework propounded by the United Nations. We theorize that the well-established decentralization mechanism, with delegated institutions and functions thereof, encompasses overlapping mandates with the SDGs. Further, through the tools of development plan formulation, good governance, and community participation at decentralized levels, Kerala could easily adapt to localization, concocting output through innovative measures of convergence, monitoring, and incentivization carried out through the pre-existing platforms and processes. The article proves that constant and concerted efforts undertaken by Kerala through her meticulous and action-oriented decentralized system aided the localization of SDGs and provides an answer to the remarkable feat that the state has achieved through the consecutive four times achievements in the state scores of SDG India Index.

The policy to accelerate the design of the Detailed Spatial Plan regulation document (RDTR) is a strategic step to enhance ease of doing business and promote sustainable development in Indonesia. Targeting 2036 RDTR sites nationwide, the initiative relies on various policy interventions and technical approaches. However, as of 8 January 2024, only 399 RDTRs (19.59%) were enacted after four years of implementation. This underperformance suggests the need to examine factors influencing the process, including issues at each stage of the RDTR design business process. While often overlooked due to its perceived irrelevance to the core substance of planning, analyzing the process is crucial to addressing operational and procedural challenges. This research identifies critical issues arising from the preparation to the enactment stage of RDTR regulations and proposes necessary policy changes. Using an explanatory approach, the study employs methods such as Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), post-review analysis, stakeholder analysis, business process evaluation, and scenario planning. Results show several impediments, including challenges related to commitment, technical and substantive issues, managerial coordination, policy frameworks, ICT support, and data availability. These findings serve as inputs for the development of business process improvement scenarios and reengineering schemes based on Business Process Management principles.

The success of a city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) depends on a combination of interconnected factors that foster innovation, collaboration and growth. Urban planning, infrastructure management and an entrepreneurial culture are essential factors for the success of cities’ Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (EEs). Land use and infrastructure management create opportunities for growth and industry expansion. EEs are local, social, business, institutional and cultural stakeholders that encourage and enhance the formation and growth of new businesses, which are supported by enabling infrastructure. The objective of this study was to investigate how urban planning affects EEs in the metropolitan region, Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB), South Africa. NMB is known for poor land use management, which hinders the management of diverse spatial needs, as well as bureaucratic processes for land rezoning for commercial activity. In order to better understand the fundamental issues, a qualitative case study was conducted. The data were collected from fifteen economic development role players from NMB using semi-structured interviews combined with secondary data from the NMB Integrated Development Plan (IDP). The data analysis included thematic analysis using Atlas.ti and Claude 2.0. In order to validate the findings, qualitative data were cross-referenced with secondary sources from the NMB IDP. The key themes that emerged effect the NMB metropole’s management of infrastructure to support the EE. These include, Land use issues, Poor oversight by metropolitan leadership, Lack of infrastructure maintenance and pushing out potential investment and economic growth. The results highlight that the NMB metropole fails to prioritise land use and infrastructure challenges, impacting the NMB metropolitan area’s economic development and worsening inequality among different groups. The findings from this study add to the current research on cities’ EEs and The Right to the City Theory, which supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals 8, 9 and 11.

The reference urban plan is an urban planning tool often used to orient the development of Chadian cities. However, expanding Chadian urban centers, such as Sarh, face challenges in implementing urban planning orientations of their urban plans within the set deadlines. The objective of this study is to identify the factors impeding the effective implementation of the reference urban plan for Sarh town. The methodology employed encompasses a literature review, individual interviews with urban planning experts, geographic information system (GIS) data, household surveys and statistical analysis. The results revealed that less than a quarter (19.72%) of the households surveyed were aware of the reference urban plan. The applied logistic regression model identified age, occupation and level of education as the main factors influencing public participation in the preparation of the reference urban plan. On average, 33.33% of the urban planning guidelines and 21.74% of the projected urban projects were implemented, with a difference of 1631.28 hectares (ha) between the projected plan and the actual plan for the town. Five factors were identified as contributing to the failure to implement the reference urban plan for Sarh town, including low funding, inadequate land management, a lack of political will, weak governance and poor communication. Consequently, participatory and inclusive planning approaches, effective financial mobilisation, strong governance, and the use of modern technologies such as GIS tools are recommended to enhance the implementation of urban planning tools.