Aliaskarov, D. T., Kaimuldinova, K. D., Laiskhanov, S. U., & Salimzhanov, N. O. (2023). Historical-geographical aspects of sustainable development of small towns (on the example of small towns in Zhambyl region). Journal of Geography & Environmental Management, 69(2). https://doi.org/10.26577/JGEM.2023.v69.i2.02
Almeida, A. C. L., Smart, J. C. R., & Davey, P. (2018). Can learned experiences accelerate the implementation of sustainable development goal 11? A framework to evaluate the contributions of local sustainable initiatives to delivery SDG 11 in Brazilian municipalities. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 7(4), 517. https://doi.org/ 10.14207/ejsd.2018.v7n4p517
Amini, Abbas, Gholamreza Jafari, & Baqer Gorgin. (2023). Designing a sustainable social development model based on social barriers in Beshagard city. Journal of Geography & Regional Development, 21(3). https://doi.org/10.22067/jgrd.2023.84557.1334. [In Persian]
Atkinson, R. (2019). The small towns conundrum: What do we do about them? Regional Statistics, 9(2), 3–19. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=811843
Báński, J. (Ed.). (2021). The Routledge Handbook of Small Towns. Routledge.
Bogdański, M., & Janusz, M. (2022). Small towns’ functions as a determinant of the standard of living in rural areas—An example from Poland. Sustainability, 14(20), 13254. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013254
Caldatto, F. C., Bortoluzzi, S. C., Pinheiro de Lima, E., & Gouvea da Costa, S. E. (2021). Urban sustainability performance measurement of a small Brazilian city. Sustainability, 13(17), 9858. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179858
Choi, J., Hwang, M., Kim, G., Seong, J., & Ahn, J. (2016). Supporting the measurement of the United Nations’ sustainable development goal 11 through the use of national urban information systems and open geospatial technologies: A case study of South Korea. Open Geospatial Data, Software and Standards, 1(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40965-016-0005-0
Demazière, C., Dembski, S., & Leducq, D. (2024). Small towns in the metropolitan age: An introduction. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 21(2). https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.11385555
Faraji, Seyyed Jalaluddin, Wali Nouri, Taghipour Akhtari, Alipour Tabrizi, & Azin. (2021). Management barriers of sustainable construction in Iran’s airport city with emphasis on air passenger terminals. Scientific Quarterly Journal of Economics and Urban Management, 9(35), 173-192. https://doi.org/10.52547/iueam.9.35.173. [In Persian]
Filipović, M., Kokotović, K., & Drobnjaković, M. (2016). Small towns in Serbia–the “bridge” between the urban and the rural. European Countryside, 8, 462–480. https://doi.org/10.1515/euco-2016-0031
Geng, H., & Qiao, J. (2018). Assessment of small towns’ fitness around China’s major cities: A case study in Wuhan city. Sustainability, 10(7), 2154. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072154
Ghalib, A., Qadir, A., & Ahmad, S. R. (2017). Evaluation of developmental progress in some cities of Punjab, Pakistan, using urban sustainability indicators. Sustainability, 9(8), 1473. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9081473
Gong, X., Zhang, X., Tao, J., Li, H., Zhang, Y. (2022). An evaluation of the development performance of small county towns and its influencing factors: A case study of small towns in Jiangyin City in the Yangtze River Delta, China. Land, 11(7), 1059. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11071059
Guo, X., Xia, X., Zhang, X., & Feng, C. (2014). Comprehensive evaluation analysis of small towns development level in China’s different regions. Areal Research & Development, 33(5), 50–54.
Gupta, J., & Vegelin, C. (2016). Sustainable development goals and inclusive development. International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, 16, 433–448. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-016-9323-z
Han, J., Wang, Y., & Wang, X. (2022). Regional small towns classification assessment and spatial pattern integration: A case study of the Yunnan section of the China–Laos Economic Corridor. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 11(12), 586. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11120586
Han, Y., Deng, Y., & Ni, R. (2023). Why small towns are shrinking: The spatial heterogeneity of small towns shrinkage and the impact of it from the perspective of rural-urban interaction in China. PLoS One, 18(11), e0293889. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293889
Hu, M., Wang, L., & Wang, W. (2022). Study on the sustainable development factors of agriculture-oriented characteristic towns in China. Sustainability, 14(19), 12292. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912292
Jaszczak, A., Pochodyła-Ducka, E., & Pranskuniene, R. (2024). Assessing the success of the development strategy of the Cittaslow Movement: An analysis of revitalisation programs and experts’ insights on the model for small towns’ sustainable development. Sustainability, 16(11), 4459. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114459
Kaimuldinova, K., Aliaskarov, D., Laiskhanov, S., Wendt, J. A., & Muzdybayeva, K. (2024). Exposure to wind as a threat to the sustainable development of small towns in the Zhambyl Region (Kazakhstan). Sustainability, 16(5), 2144. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16052144
Kangshu, W. (2023). Research on sustainable development planning strategies under the background of rural revitalization: Taking Yichang cultural tourism town as an example. Asian Social Science, 19(3), 26. https://ideas.repec.org/a/ibn/assjnl/v19y2023i3p26.html
Krajnik, D., Petrović Krajnik, L., & Dumbović Bilušić, B. (2022). An analysis and evaluation methodology as a basis for the sustainable development strategy of small historic towns: The cultural landscape of the settlement of Lubenice on the island of Cres in Croatia. Sustainability, 14(4), 1564. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU14031564
Li, B., Jin, C., & Jansen, S. J. T. (2023). Understanding the relationship between residential environment, social exclusion, and life satisfaction of private renters in Shenzhen. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 38(4), 2449–2472. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-023-10049-7
Li, Y., Pei, J., & Zhang, F. (2023). Comprehensive ecological planning and evaluation of towns from the perspective of sustainable development. Sustainability, 15(14), 11153.  https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411153
Liang, X., Ma, L., Chong, C., Li, Z., & Ni, W. (2020). Development of smart energy towns in China: Concept and practices. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 119, 109507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2019.109507
Liao, S., & Yi, S. (2018). Research on the construction of characteristic towns in China: Models, problems, countermeasures. International Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 10(2), 17–24. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20180402.11
Lin, J. Y., Zhao, L. C., Zheng, Y. Y., Du, Q. K., Xiong, L., Zhu, B. W., & Tzeng, G. H. (2023). Using a hybrid multi-attribute decision-making model for evaluating the sustainable development potential of characteristic towns and exploring development planning strategies. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2023, 9065729.  https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/9065729
Liu, Y., Zang, Y., & Yang, Y. (2020). China’s rural revitalization and development: Theory, technology and management. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 30, 1923–1942. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-020-1819-3
Mahmoud, S. H., & Gan, T. Y. (2018). Long-term impact of rapid urbanization on urban climate and human thermal comfort in hot-arid environment. Building and Environment, 142, 83–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.06.007
Mainet, H. (2015). The paradoxical place of small towns in sustainable development policies. What is beyond the images of “places where the living is easy”. Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis: Studia Geographica, 8, 5–11. https://hal.science/hal-01465303v1
Mally, K. V., Bobovnik, N., Kimovec, L., & Lampič, B. (2022). Changes in (sustainable) development of Slovenian small towns. European Countryside, 14(1), 87–103. https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2022-0005
Mayer, H., & Lazzeroni, M. (Eds.). (2022). A Research Agenda for Small and Medium-Sized Towns. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Meytham, a. Y. e., & Mousavi, S. H. (2024). Evaluating the effectiveness of ecotourism residences on sustainable tourism economy in Tirana city. Green development management studies. https://doi.org/10.22077/jgdms.2024.7365.1095. [In Persian]
Musango, J. K., Currie, P., Smit, S., & Kovacic, Z. (2020). Urban metabolism of the informal city: Probing and measuring the ‘unmeasurable’ to monitor Sustainable Development Goal 11 indicators. Ecological Indicators, 119, 106746. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106746
Nestic`o, A., Fiore, P., & D’Andria, E. (2020). Enhancement of small towns in inland areas: A novel indicators dataset to evaluate sustainable plans. Sustainability, 12(16), 6359. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12166359
Ponomareva, I. Y., Dzhandzhugazova, E. A., Tankieva, T. A., Kabelkaite-Vaitkiene, J. A., & Buryanova, A. A. (2020). The sustainable development of small towns: Characteristics of the main factors of influence (with the example of the Tula Region). Eurasia Journal of Biosciences, 14, 5317–5321.
Ravankarjaghin, M., & Montazeri, M,. (2021). Analyzing the capabilities and obstacles of diversification of livelihood in the direction of sustainable rural development (case study: Jaghin from the functions of Rodan city). Applied studies in management and development sciences, 34(6), 22-9. https://elmnet.ir/doc/1831764-66781. [In Persian]
Sachs, J. D., Lafortune, G., & Fuller, G. (2024). The SDGs and the UN summit of the future. Sustainable Development Report 2024. Dublin University Press, Paris: SDSN, Dublin. https://doi.org/10.1162/asep_a_00902
Senetra, A., & Szarek-Iwaniuk, P. (2020). Socio-economic development of small towns in the Polish Cittaslow Network—A case study. Cities, 103, 102758. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102758
Shalina, D. S., Stepanova, N. R., & Drozdova, A. V. (2021). Integrated sustainable development of small towns and settlements. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 1079, pp. 052084). https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/1079/5/052084
Shen, L., Ren, Y., Xiong, N., Li, H., & Chen, Y. (2018). Why small towns cannot share the benefits of urbanization in China? Journal of Cleaner Production, 174, 728–738. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.150
Stoica, I. V., Tulla, A. F., Zamfir, D., & Petrișor, A. I. (2020). Exploring the urban strength of small towns in Romania. Social Indicators Research, 152(3), 843–875. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-020-02465-x
Sun, Y., Li, Y., Gao, J., & Yan, Y. (2022). Spatial and temporal patterns of urban land use structure in small towns in China. Land, 11(8), 1262.  https://doi.org/10.3390/land11081262
Surekha, C. K. (2022). Sustainable urban development: Bioregionalistic vision for small towns. Environmental Science & Sustainable Development, 7(1), 28–46. https://doi.org/10.21625/essd.v7i1.866
Tong, Y., Liu, W., Li, C., Zhang, J., & Ma, Z. (2020). Small towns shrinkage in the Jilin Province: A comparison between China and developed countries. PLoS One, 15(4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231159
Tong, Y., Liu, W., Li, C., Zhang, J., & Ma, Z. (2021). Understanding patterns and multilevel influencing factors of small town shrinkage in Northeast China. Sustainable Cities and Society, 68, 102811. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2021.102811
Tripathi, S. (2021). Towards sustainable urban systems through the development of small towns in India. Regional Science Policy & Practice, 13(3), 777–798. https://doi.org/10.1111/rsp3.12424
United Nations. (2023). The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023: Special edition. United Nations Publications, New York, pp. 9–34.
Visvaldis, V., Ainhoa, G., & Ralfs, P. (2013). Selecting indicators for sustainable development of small towns: The case of Valmiera municipality. Proceedings of the Computer Science, 26, 21–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2013.12.004
Wang, H., & Ma, D. (2023). Research on urban and rural integrated development strategies in villages and towns. Frontiers in Business, Economics and Management, 10(2), 81–85. https://doi.org/10.54097/fbem.v10i2.10687
Wang, M., Wang, Y., Teng, F., Li, S., Lin, Y., Cai, H., et al. (2024). China’s poverty assessment and analysis under the framework of the UN SDGs based on multisource remote sensing data. GeoSpatial Information Science, 27(1), 111–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/10095020.2022.2108346
Wang, S., Qian, L., Zhu, Y., Song, J., Lu, F., Zeng, H., Chen, P., Yuan, W., Li, W., & Geng, W. (2021). A web text mining approach for the evaluation of regional characteristics at the town level. Transactions in GIS, 25(4), 2074–2103. https://doi.org/10.1111/tgis.12763
Wu, Y., Chen, Y., Deng, X., & Hui, E. C. (2018). Development of characteristic towns in China. Habitat International, 77, 21–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2017.12.008
Xiao, Y., Tang, X., Li, Y., Huang, H., & An, B. W. (2022). Social vulnerability assessment of landslide disaster based on improved TOPSIS method: Case study of eleven small towns in China. Ecological Indicators, 143, 109316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109316
Xiong, N., Wong, S. W., Ren, Y., & Shen, L. (2020). Regional disparity in urbanizing China: Empirical study of unbalanced development phenomenon of towns in southwest China. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 146(3), 05020013. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000586
Yin, X., Wang, J., Li, Y., Feng, Z., & Wang, Q. (2021). Are small towns really inefficient? A data envelopment analysis of sampled towns in Jiangsu province, China. Land Use Policy, 109, 105590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2021.105590
Yu, Z., Yuan, D., Zhao, P., Lyu, D., & Zhao, Z. (2023). The role of small towns in rural villagers’ use of public services in China: Evidence from a national-level survey. Journal of Rural Studies, 100, 103011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103011
Yukhnovskyi, V. Y., & Zibtseva, O. V. (2019). Eco-service potential of sustainable development of small towns. Journal of Geology, Geography and Geoecology, 28(4), 795–803. https://doi.org/10.15421/111974
Zhang, L., Sun, Y., Li, C., Li, B., (2024). Promoting sustainable development in urban–rural areas: A new approach for evaluating the policies of characteristic towns in China. Buildings, 14(4), 1085. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14041085
Zhang, Y., Ji, X., Sun, L., Gong, Y. (2022b). Spatial evaluation of villages and towns based on multi-sourced data and digital technology: A case study of Suining County of Northern Jiangsu. Sustainability, 14(13), 7603. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137603
Zhang, Y., Shang, K., Shi, Z., Wang, H., & Li, X. (2022a). Spatial pattern of the vitality of Chinese characteristic towns: A perspective from nighttime lights. Land, 11(1), 85. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11010085