As corporations, institutions, and authoritarian governments gain more control over the production of space, the right to the city is rapidly eroding. In the U.S., for example, hegemonic land-use policy has driven housing unaffordability to unprecedented levels, displacing the working class into marginal suburban zones. People with moderate to low incomes are priced out of access to the city with now power over production. While theorists widely agree that our dominant mode of spatial production is inequitable, inhumane, and unsustainable, neither architectural theorists nor political scientists have fully conceptualized how local grassroots spatial practices have disrupted global consolidation. Informal settlements in Ankara, Turkey - known as gecekondu - offer a critical case study, as they represent a historically rich and spatially granular form of resistance to neoliberal expansion. This study asks: in a globalized neoliberal economy where formal repertoires of contentious politics are vulnerable to cooptation, what mechanisms remain for local actors to resist marginalization? Drawing on Henri Lefebvre’s spatial triad and Christopher Alexander’s System-A/B framework, the research employs ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, and spatial analysis to examine how lived space in Zafertepe operated as mundane resistance. Though ultimately demobilized, Zafertepe residents’ adaptive and strategic spatial practices in their gardens, pigeon enclosures, gazebos, houses, and paths functioned as mobilizing structures that temporarily sustained collective identity and spatial agency. These findings suggest that recognizing and supporting informal spatial practices is essential for architects and urban advocates confronting hegemonic spatial consolidation. The study proposes a theoretical framework for translating local acts of resistance into globally relevant urban strategies to empower the working class’s right to the city.

Metal roofing is widely used for its durability, fire resistance, structural efficiency, and resilience. Historically adopted for fire safety (and reduced lightning risk when grounded), metal roofs remain valued today for long spans, low-slope applications, and performance against extreme weather. As the global construction industry intensifies efforts to reduce carbon emissions, evaluating the environmental performance of metal roofing systems and optimizing their design for sustainability is critical. This study investigates the thermal and acoustic performance of metal roofs as part of a broader life-cycle assessment (LCA). It evaluates metal roofing systems across three distinct climatic regions: Florida (USA), Kayseri (Türkiye), and Rivers State (Nigeria) during the summer, and applies a four-stage workflow comprising field measurements, life-cycle assessment, acoustic evaluation, and thermal discomfort assessment. Key parameters include interior and exterior surface temperatures, indoor air temperature, sound attenuation, and relative humidity. Tools include OpenLCA and SimaPro for environmental modeling, FLIR cameras and TESTO thermometers for thermal measurements, an Extech sound level meter, and CypeSound software. Results indicate strong regional variability: Florida and Kayseri exhibit pronounced surface overheating, whereas Rivers State shows smaller surface-air temperature differences but higher humidity-related durability risks. By integrating empirical data with analytical tools, this research supports the development of optimized, low-impact, resilient roofing systems

Many coastal tourist cities are facing high vulnerability due to rising sea levels, ecological degradation, and reliance on a single tourism economy. Blue carbon ecosystems, including mangroves, seagrass beds, and macroalgae, play a crucial role in carbon absorption, ecological restoration, and climate adaptation, but their potential as local governance tools and community practice resources has not been fully exploited.

This study takes Cancun as an example and constructs a blue carbon regeneration system which integrates seaweed recycling, mangrove restoration, circular economy, and community participation into a mutually collaborative ecological network.

On this basis, a three-layer blue carbon framework applicable to global coastal tourism cities is proposed: the ecological layer focuses on the restoration and expansion of the blue carbon system, and constructs a basic structure that can adapt to different ecological bases through dynamic, stable, and socially embedded carbon sinks; The economic sector emphasizes the transformation of blue carbon from environmental remediation to a new industrial driving force, promoting biomass utilization, ecotourism, and community circular economy, making the urban economic structure more diverse and resilient; The social layer promotes the transformation of governance models towards co governance through public education, community monitoring, and multi-party collaboration, making blue carbon an ecological practice embedded in daily life.

Comparative analysis with Miami, Phuket, Honolulu, and Bali demonstrates how this three-layer framework can be adjusted and translated locally under different ecological conditions, social structures, and tourism patterns. Findings indicate that the framework has universality in structure and flexibility in policy restructuring in response to local differences.