https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/2062 Mon, 06 Jul 2026 20:19:36 GMT 2026-07-06T20:19:36Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147477 Title: A critical analysis of the critiques surrounding the sustainability of circular economy : an authenticity assessment of circular economy practices in the plastic industry in Ghana Abstract: The circular economy (CE) has gained prominence as a strategy to reduce waste and decouple economic growth from resource depletion. However, the practical implementation of circular business models (CBMs) in developing-country contexts remains poorly understood. This study evaluates the adoption, challenges, and sustainability outcomes of CE practices in Ghana’s plastic sector, through a mixed-methods design involving surveys and semi-structured interviews with manufacturers, packaging companies, recyclers, diversified firms, and informal actors. The findings reveal a sector engaged in early, reformist circularity, active yet constrained, pragmatic yet fragmented. The research indicates that CE understanding is often limited to recycling, with minimal attention to upstream strategies such as redesign, reuse, and product life extension. Business type and size significantly shape CE adoption patterns: packaging firms exhibit the lowest uptake of recycled content, manufacturers remain dependent on virgin materials due to strict quality requirements, while medium-to-large firms demonstrate the most balanced and dynamic engagement through industrial symbiosis and structured waste systems. SMEs and cottage industries practice grassroots circularity driven by necessity rather than strategy. Across all groups, contextual barriers including weak enforcement, high technology costs, dependence on fossil energy, and inadequate infrastructure limit environmental and social outcomes. Social sustainability remains inconsistently integrated, with informal waste workers facing persistent inequities despite their central role in material recovery. To synthesise these dynamics, the study proposes an emergent conceptual framework positioning business characteristics (type and size) as key determinants of environmental and social CE outcomes, moderated by regulatory, market, and technological conditions termed as contextual factors. The analysis recommends corporate strategies for implementing circularity are tailored to firm size and business model. It further positions Ghana's CE landscape as a mirror of worldwide CE critiques, ambitious in theory but limited in practice while emphasizing the importance of livelihood, equality, and adaptive rationality in building sustainable transitions in developing countries. Description: M.Sc.(Melit.) Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147477 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147398 Title: Understanding the travel behaviour, and attitudes towards sustainable mobility amongst migrant commuters in Malta Abstract: With ongoing challenges related to global warming, sustainable urban mobility remains a critical issue. Unsustainable travel behaviour is shaped not only by infrastructure and policy but also by societal attitudes, norms, and cultural influences, which are further diversified by international migration. In Malta, a highly dense and car-dependent island, the growing migrant population adds new layers of complexity to urban mobility, yet this group has been largely overlooked in existing research. This study addresses this gap by investigating the travel behaviour and attitudes towards sustainable mobility of international migrant commuters in Malta. The research adopts a mixed-methods, exploratory sequential case study design, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches for both in-depth and generalisable insights. The qualitative phase involved semi-structured interviews and activity diaries with 12 migrant commuters and 12 Maltese participants as a control group, followed by a quantitative survey of 331 migrant commuters. Secondary data, including census and policy documents, complement the primary data. Findings reveal that buses are the dominant transport mode among migrants (61%), while car ownership remains relatively low (23%). Mode choice is influenced mainly by practical factors such as cost, convenience, and traffic congestion, rather than environmental motivations. Migrant mobility is dynamic and adaptive, shaped by nationality, age, prior mobility experiences, and length of residence in Malta. Some migrants gradually assimilate into the island’s car-oriented system, whereas others maintain flexible, multimodal, and relatively sustainable practices. A “honeymoon period” in early settlement emerges as a key phase for policy intervention. Despite moderate awareness of sustainable mobility, everyday travel is comparatively sustainable, reflecting pragmatic adaptation. The study highlights opportunities to strengthen public transport, promote long-term sustainable mobility, and ensure migrant commuters’ voices inform urban mobility policies. Recommendations aim to encourage continued use of sustainable transport and prevent latestage car ownership, contributing to a fairer, more inclusive transport system that supports social integration and wellbeing. Description: M.Sc.(Melit.) Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147398 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147235 Title: A fortified historic port : exploring the intersection between urban geomorphology, street morphology and touristic land use of Valletta, Senglea and Vittoriosa in the Grand Harbour of Malta Authors: Gauci, Ritienne; Bajada, Therese; Schembri, John A.; Bounan, Camille; Desponds, Charlotte; Behloul, Laurie Abstract: This chapter explores the link between urban geomorphology, street network and tourism-oriented land use in the Grand Harbour of Malta, focusing on the walled historic conurbations of Valletta, Vittoriosa and Senglea. The Grand Harbour, a natural deep port formed by a submerged ria valley, has a long history of port activities and is flanked by these three walled cities each situated on prominent peninsulas, and interconnected through military and maritime history. Over the years, land transport in this area and beyond changed in relation to the activities and needs in Malta. Demographic trends also fluctuated according to the economic activities that dominated the harbour area, leading to different population densities. In this study, a range of primary data – field data collection and secondary data (GIS data from government entities) – were modelled on ArcGIS Pro V.3.3, with initial results showing correlations between geomorphological features and infrastructure variables such as staircase streets and stepped pavements, accommodating street gradients which exceed 10%. Digital Terrain Models were used to further illustrate the connection between geomorphology and the human element. This work highlights the significance of physical geography in shaping the urban form of walled port towns through street infrastructure and land use. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147235 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/146817 Title: Prediction of traffic crash severity in the Maltese islands Authors: Cassara, Diana; Chetcuti Zammit, Luana; Bajada, Therese Abstract: Road traffic crashes represent a major global concern, impacting public safety, traffic congestion, and eco- nomic productivity. In Malta, the growing number of vehicles combined with a densely built environment, underscores the urgent need for predictive safety interventions. Research indicates that many road crashes exhibit recognisable patterns and are, to some extent, preventable. This work explores different machine learning techniques, to predict the severity of traffic crashes using training crash data in Malta. In this work, classification algorithms are developed to categorise crashes into four distinct severity classes, with promising prediction results. Furthermore, this work identifies high-risk zones and hotspots near critical infrastructures in the Maltese traffic network. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/146817 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z