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This Editorial summarizes the papers published in the Special Issue on "People-Environment-Infrastructure Relationship in Future Cities", highlighting the importance of people-environment-infrastructure interactions in future cities. While the topics are wide-ranging, a common theme of all papers is the need for future cities to embrace changes. These changes may come from climatic change, urban decays, human disruptions, technological advancements, human behavioral changes, and rising expectations. All these changes have implications on urban infrastructure, including green infrastructure, blue infrastructure, and grey infrastructure. The ultimate aim is to enhance urban sustainability and resilience. Worldwide, there is an urgent need for municipal governments, industry and individuals to be aware of the changing people-environment-infrastructure interactions. In particular, it is important to consider people's needs and the local contexts when planning future cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Global climate and energy and economic scenarios are fast evolving. • This change in weather and energy scenarios must be captured in dynamic life cycle assessment (DLCA). • Current research lacks methods and data to embed future weather and energy shifts into DLCA. • A significant decrease in fossil fuel use in the future may impact a building's embodied and operational impacts. • Future changes in global weather pattern may influence building operational energy use and resulting carbon emissions. The changing global climate is impacting life cycle effects of all sectors, including the building sector. To effectively decrease the construction sector's 40 % share of global annual energy use and carbon emissions, it's crucial to integrate these changes into life cycle assessments (LCA) to inform current and future energy policies, since buildings have lifespans exceeding 100 years. Current research lacks methods and data to embed future weather and energy shifts into LCA. This paper quantifies these future changes and discusses their integration into building LCA. Using industry reports and scholarly articles, we calculated global energy trends and weather patterns for 2030, 2050, and 2080. The projected energy use changes across United States economic sectors were also analyzed. Projections indicate a 41–59 % decline in fossil fuel use by 2050, with renewable energy increasing from 11 % to 41 %. Concurrently, global temperatures may rise by 2–5 °C, signaling major weather shifts. These shifts will translate into an economy-wide energy intensity decrease, showing an expected drop of 8 %. A Dynamic LCA (DLCA) framework is also discussed to include these shifts into LCA, to help not only researchers and practitioners involved in the LCA of buildings but also energy policy makers in effectively mitigating climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Urban underground space (UUS) as a contributor to low carbon cities is analyzed. • Quantification measures for positive low carbon effects of UUS are set up. • Negative effects of UUS on low carbon cities are summarized and responded. • UUS planning implications for low carbon cities are concluded. Abstract Urbanization is progressing rapidly, while problems raised by climate change are occurring across the globe. Cities are at the center of both of the two tendencies therefore, low carbon or zero carbon cities are being promoted. Urban underground space (UUS) is a key component in the process of urbanization and plays a significant role in creating low carbon cities, as highlighted in this paper. Meanwhile, UUS also involves unavoidable drawbacks regarding energy consumption in terms of lighting, ventilation and dehumidification. In this paper, the advantages of UUS in creating low carbon cities are analyzed, and a framework for calculating the positive low carbon effects derived from UUS use is established. Additionally, some alleviating measures in response to the potential low carbon disadvantages of UUS are proposed. Based on the analysis, some planning and design implications for the development of urban underground space in order to fulfill its role as a contributor to urban sustainability are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental challenges and risks associated with climate change face all of our cities, and the construction industry has a major role to play in terms of changed practice. The Singaporean government has, over a period of many decades, made efforts to address environmental challenges including the implementation in recent years of policies and guidance regarding the design of new buildings. These are regarded as vital to ensuring that the city has a sustainable future. The research reported in this paper undertook to review perceptions and awareness of sustainable construction methods and policies within the Singaporean construction industry. An in-depth online questionnaire was completed by respondents drawn from the A1 contractors group, with questions concerning both regulation and industrial perceptions, attitudes and action. With regards to the relative importance of drivers for change, the research indicated that regulatory compliance appeared to be more significant than new practices instigated as a results of changes in attitude and perception alone. A main conclusion of the paper is that government regulatory and incentive programmes may be able to drive positive change effectively and efficiently, but that this needs to happen alongside initiatives to support Client awareness and adoption of sustainable practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon has become a regional issue for Greater Kuala Lumpur (GKL) as a number of studies reported an elevated air temperature in highly dense urban areas compared to the rural peripheries. An initial literature survey of UHI studies in GKL revealed an insufficiency and paucity of field measurements for more than one decade (since 1991) before gaining its momentum again after 2004. Despite a very limited number of studies in GKL, many studies used a vague set of site classification, operational definitions of Urban Heat Island Intensity (UHII) derived from such vague classification, uncontrolled and old set of data, limited coverage of weather station network and limited number of weather parameters in data collection. Therefore, this paper attempts to provide an overview of UHI studies in GKL by highlighting the major methodological shortcomings that hamper the reliability of previous measurements and by providing vital suggestions for an improved UHI quantification in future. The findings of most of the studies disclose an increasing trend in the UHII which is associated to the reduction in vegetation cover and land use changes. Eventually, this open up new opportunities for the upcoming studies to investigate the sensitivity of UHI to other unexplored factors in the local context. Besides focusing on the role of vegetation on urban temperature reduction, future studies need to focus more on examining the feasibility of other remediation technologies. This paper also suggests that rigorous attention should be given to a systematic site characterization, controlled and synchronous measurements, broader weather station network as well as incorporation of real-time data to elucidate the current UHII status. In addition, local studies could significantly benefit from the utilization of advanced modelling and simulation technologies as a basis for a more informed decision-making in line with the aspiration of GKL to achieve a world class sustainable metropolis by 2020 (GKL Initiative under the National Key Economic Area). Lastly, the incorporation of UHI phenomena in local policies is also essential to mitigate its deleterious impacts via more urban climate-friendly practices by various stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and increasing natural disasters coupled with years of deferred maintenance have added pressure to infrastructure in urban areas. Thus, monitoring for failure of these systems is crucial to prevent future impacts to life and property. Participatory assessment technique for infrastructure provides a community-based approach to assess the capacity and physical condition of infrastructure. Furthermore, a participatory assessment technique for infrastructure can encourage grassroots activism that engages residents, researchers, and planners in the identification of sustainable development concerns and solutions. As climate change impacts disproportionately affect historically disenfranchised communities, assessment data can further inform planning, aiming to balance the distribution of public resources towards sustainability and justice. This paper explains the development of the participatory assessment technique for infrastructure that can provide empirical data about the condition of infrastructure at the neighborhood-level, using stormwater systems in a vulnerable neighborhood in Houston, Texas as a case study. This paper argues for the opportunity of participatory methods to address needs in infrastructure assessment and describes the ongoing project testing the best use of these methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Buildings potential for climate change mitigation is high. • Mitigation actions in the buildings sector can have significant social and economic values. • These enable the achievement of 4 SDGs, reinforce 7 other. • And are linked to the achievement of 5 SDGs (SDG3, SDG7, SDG8, SDG11, and SDG13). • Trade-offs were identified for 9 SDGs. Buildings are responsible for a big part of total GHG emissions; therefore, their climate change mitigation potential is high. But research shows that mitigation actions in the sector can have significant social and economic values beyond reduction of energy consumption and the associated GHG emissions. This paper summarizes these multiple impacts of mitigation actions in buildings, which are related to microeconomic and macroeconomic effects, health impacts, environmental benefits, better management of natural resources, impacts on social well-being, and energy security implications, and assesses their interactions (synergies and trade-offs) with the UN SDGs. The findings of our analysis show that climate change mitigation actions in buildings enable the achievement of 4 SDGs, reinforce 7 others, and are inextricably linked to the achievement of 5 SDGs, namely SDG3: good health and well-being, SDG7: affordable and clean energy, SDG8: decent work and economic growth, SDG11: sustainable cities and communities, and SDG13: climate action. On the other hand, trade-offs were identified for 9 SDGs, with rather minor implications, which can be further eliminated with the implementation of appropriate policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building sector constitute a critical part of the climate change problems, representing the single largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, the sector is central to low-cost climate change mitigation worldwide, making it an integral element in the process of decarbonisation, with the potential to induce effective policy development required to guide the move towards a sustainable low-carbon future. As such, a great deal of cutting-edge and impactful research targeting the sector has been carried out. However, there are fragmentations and inconsistencies in integrating research paradigms to addressing challenges within the sector, with most research adopting either pure qualitative or pure quantitative approaches. Research within the sector encompasses phenomena such as perception, emotions and different behavioural patterns as it pertains to stakeholders, and a number of research have suggested that the use of single-mode research paradigm often fails in exploring these factors. Given the complex nature of the interaction between key actors (i.e. society and the socio-environmental systems) within the sector, the use of mixed-mode research paradigms to address this weakness whilst enhancing research into the sector has become pertinent. Against this backdrop, this paper reviews available paradigms through a case study to illustrate how a research agenda within the sector can be formulated from initiation to fruition using mixed-mode approaches. The paper illustrates the development of a quantitative energy model in the form of a decision support system for building energy retrofit advice. A qualitative evaluation strategy which highlights the social processes that underpins the diffusion of new innovations towards decarbonisation efforts is equally provided. Also discussed are philosophical stances that pertains to research in the sector and the evolution of a research problem stemming from the identification of gap in knowledge in the field and the necessary steps taken towards actualising the research objectives. The concepts illustrated within this paper can be useful for academicians, doctoral research students, early career researchers, policy makers and allied professionals in understanding the key steps required to formulate a research agenda targeting the building sector as well as other related sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Thermal resilient building is able to absorb and adapt during the disruptive event and recover after it. • Passive and active energy efficiency measures can improve building thermal resilience. • Metrics of passive resilience estimate envelope capability in maintaining the desired indoor temperature. • Metrics of active resilience assess systems capacity in maintaining the desired minimum services. The energy performance of buildings is strongly influenced by several foreseeable and unforeseeable events during the operation phase, including natural hazards or energy supply disruptions. The increase of these events has raised attention on resilience, identified as the capability of buildings to react to such events guaranteeing the continuation of their operations. This paper investigates the resilience of residential reference buildings sited in different European climates (Athens, Berlin, Madrid, Turin, Stockholm). It simulates an eventual disruption of gas supply during winter carrying out energy dynamic simulations. Proposing new metrics to assess the building resilience, this paper quantifies the passive and active resilience of the main building components, both envelope and HVAC systems. It also analyses the effect of retrofit interventions on building resilience depending on climate. Results enlighten possible emergency interventions with backup electricity solutions to be activated to guarantee minimum services during the disruptive event associated with climate or geopolitical issues. The importance of increasing self-sufficiency in buildings through renewable energy sources is emphasized to favour the continuation of services in case of energy supply interruption. Finally, the link with energy security and independence is outlined together with possible strategies to increase the building stock resilience in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advent of 21st century, over last 16–18 years, there has been an exodus of people moving to urban towns and cities, a phenomenon observed globally. This makes the cities not only extremely congested, but also very polluted and resource-scarce. With 50+ new cities and 100+ smart cities set to come up in South East Asia by 2030, it is extremely essential to plan the development of a city in such a way so as to be sustainable, accessible and eco-friendly. This paper presents a detailed survey and analysis of how the development of a city, particularly in India can be planned in the context of sustainable urban transformation , climate change and future urban vision . A detailed survey is provided on all three mentioned aspects by providing a comparison on different aspects with planned developments carried out globally. Further, the suitability of the existing solutions are analysed; along with a proposal on how to develop new cities. Finally, the paper addresses some of the challenges that need to be addressed in order to develop new sustainable, accessible, well-connected cities of future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been anticipated that climate change impacts ambient air pollution and thereby affects indoor air quality through ventilation. Yet, it is not clear how a changing climate, along with new developed interior building materials, products, and air cleaners, affects indoor air quality, and how to minimize negative effects. In this paper, ozone, as one of the greenhouse gases, has been selected to examine the photochemical mechanism for the explanation of ground level changes in the outdoors. The effects of temperature and precursors on ground level ozone formation have been discussed. Ozone concentration changes for different regions within Canada in recent 20 years are examples to demonstrate the trend of ozone levels in the future. In addition, the indoor sources contributing to the ozone levels are characterized. Moreover, this paper explores the feasibility of photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) technology based air cleaners for indoor ozone removal with the objectives of providing reliable technology and updating the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper analyses the co-occurrence of urban heat and COVID-19 pandemic. • Impacts of COVID-19 on urban heat challenges include urban temperature anomalies, variations in air pollutant concentrations, unbalanced energy development, and thermal health risks. • The occurrence of COVID-19 reshaped the method to investigate urban heat challenges. • Learning from the COVID-19 is an inevitable course to build a more resilient urban system. Cities, the main place of human settlements, are under various mega challenges such as climate change, population increase, economic growth, urbanization, and pandemic diseases, and such challenges are mostly interlinked. Urban heat, due to heatwaves and heat islands, is the combined effect of climate change and urbanization. The COVID-19 is found to be a critical intervention of urban heat. However, the interrelationship between COVID-19 and urban heat has not been fully understood, constraining urban planning and design actions for improving the resilience to the dual impacts of heat and the pandemic. To close this research gap, this paper conducted a review on the co-occurrence of urban heat and the COVID-19 pandemic for a better understanding of their synergies, conflicts or trade-offs. The research involves a systematic review of urban temperature anomalies, variations in air pollutant concentrations, unbalanced energy development, and thermal health risks during the pandemic lockdown. In addition, this paper further explored data sources and analytical methods adopted to screen and identify the interventions of COVID-19 to urban heat. Overall, this paper is of significance for understanding the impact of COVID-19 on urban heat and provides a reference for coping with urban heat and the pandemic simultaneously. The world is witnessing the co-existence of heat and the pandemic, even in the post-pandemic era. This study can enlighten city managers, planners, the public, and researchers to collaborate for constructing a robust and resilient urban system for dealing with more than one challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Targets are crucial to the definition, effort and investment implied in any plan. The way how they are set should therefore be carefully thought and decided. In the context of local energy planning, however, the increasingly active attitude of local stakeholders has not yet been corresponded by an evolution on the way how targets are set. The aim of this work is to review how targets are currently defined and, after justification is found, to develop a new methodology for target setting in the context of local energy planning, that can guide local authorities and other stakeholders to act towards global climate change mitigation and other policy objectives. This paper begins with a critical assessment of existing targets set in the context of local energy planning, in order to understand how they were defined and the implications of different methodological choices. Here, the drawbacks found on current practices call for the need of a new methodology that answers to two fundamental requisites: being able to reflect local characteristics and past accountability, by taking into account the starting point; and being quantitatively coherent with existing long-term goals. The paper then presents an alternative approach for target setting that corresponds to the referred requisites, and illustrates the implications through the application to nine municipalities in the Metropolitan Area of Porto. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues related to growing urban populations, protecting the environment and adapting to the changing climate cannot be ignored, especially when it comes to providing reliable water supply to urban areas. Sustainable cities look to shift away from the traditional urban water management characterized by a fragmented approach, and transition to form a new paradigm; one that manages the urban water cycle in a more integrated way, as a single resource, satisfying contemporary issues and adapting to future needs. This paper presents Dunedin, a highly urbanized coastal city, as a case study which considers contemporary issues and future needs of urban water supply. Where most IUWM case studies in literature explore only greywater and wastewater reuse, this paper evaluates the entire urban water cycle beginning with the sustainable extraction of groundwater. Dunedin’s challenges and responses illustrates IUWM’s usefulness in sustainable water use in a nearly closed loop system while providing valuable lessons for cities on a similar trajectory toward improved resilience. Innovative groundwater management strategies, investment in infrastructure technology and aggressive conservation have contributed toward greater sustainability and resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Tap water use in urban agriculture albeit climate change/urban water risk scenarios. • No studies addressed impacts of urban agriculture on public water supply systems. • Research need on urban agriculture policies and practices towards water security. • Fruit trees and wild edible plants are water-saving options. Urban agriculture (UA) initiatives have been increasing in recent years as a nature-based solution for achieving many of the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals. However, climate change is expected to have effects on rainfall patterns, which are likely to impact urban food production. The main aim of this paper is to evaluate how issues related to water sources for UA have been addressed in the scientific literature from two different socioeconomic and environmental realities, Brazil and Italy. The method involved a systematic literature review, considering the PRISMA guidelines. The Web of Science database and papers' reference lists were used for retrieving original articles, published in 2000–2020 interval, indexed on scientific databases, and containing data on the typology and quality of water sources used in UA studies. After applying the eligibility criteria, 191 papers were selected – Brazil (108) and Italy (83). The last five years have seen an intensification of studies into issues involving water. Tap water has been identified as an important source of irrigation water for UA, if not the main one. No studies were found that addressed the impact of UA on public water supply systems. The findings point towards more sustainable practices involving the reuse of water and adaptive practices towards water security. We identified that innovative production systems like container farming, aquaponics and indoor agriculture, as well as cultivation of fruit trees, wild edible plants and varieties with low water requirements can represent water-saving options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Range of flood water depths associated with vehicle driving safety was summarized. • Impacts of pluvial flood on roads were analyzed in terms of road serviceability. • Risk assessment methods for roads exposed to urban pluvial flood were discussed. • Applications of pluvial flood models used in road flood perturbation were compared. In the past decade, urban pluvial flood-induced impacts on road traffic have been studied in the context of global climate change and rapid urbanization. The main objective of this paper is to conduct an up-to-date review on the impact analysis and risk assessment of urban pluvial floods on road traffic in terms of theories, methods, innovative results, and techniques. The systemic overview includes these topics of the pluvial flood-induced vehicle driving hazards, road traffic capacity loss, risk assessment approaches, and pluvial flood inundation modeling applications. Based on such plenty of literature, the physical and socioeconomic susceptibilities of road traffic exposed to urban pluvial flood have been repeatedly proven. Additionally, the pluvial flood inundation modeling methods, which are the starting point and essential operation for impact analysis and risk assessment related to road flooding, are statistically discussed and compared in this work. The recent advances achieved in the involved scopes are expected to provide an insight into the feasible options for some areas and regions that are or will be at risk from pluvial flooding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Developed a method to assess UBGS's cooling capacity on the neighborhood scale. • Absolute and relative indicators of the cooling capacity of UBGS were compared. • The orders of impact indexes for different types of cooling capacity were derived. • The causes of the dynamics of the cooling capacity of UBGS over time are explored. • Developed a solution based on the surrounding features to achieve efficient cooling. In rapidly developing cities, in addition to the overall change of the climatic background, the fragmented blue-green space and the expanding impervious surface may gradually become the main factors for the deterioration of the thermal environment. The effect of urban blue-green spatial characteristics on cooling cities has been fully explored in existing studies. However, only some studies have analyzed the correlation between urban blue-green spatial characteristics and different types of cooling capacity in rapidly developing cities. In this paper, the cooling capacity in plaque and municipal scale in the existing research is mapped to the neighbourhood scale and the absolute cooling capacity and relative cooling capacity of the blue-green space are estimated in the central urban area of Tianjin during the rapid development of 2001∼2021. At the same time, correlation and random forest analysis were used to quantify the influence of blue-green spatial characteristics on the cooling capacity. The results show that: 1) The cooling capacity of blue-green space in rapidly developing cities has obvious phased characteristics. 2) The explanatory ability of UBGS features for the overall cool environment of the city is relatively stable in the rapid development process. In contrast, the explanatory ability for the cooling ability of the surrounding environment shows a yearly decline. 3) The relative importance of different influencing factors on the cooling capacity of UBGS is reflected as compositional features>configuration features>blue-green spatial relationship, and the other factors have a large difference in the performance of other indicators in different years. These results can further improve the cooling capacity of urban blue-green spaces. For rapidly developing cities with intensified fragmentation, the classification of cooling capacity in limited space is significant for improving the city's overall thermal comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an urgent need to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cities if ambitious mitigation targets are to be met. On the other hand the economic crisis and the ambiguous relationship of inequality with economic growth have raised the issue of energy poverty. The need to connect economic activity with employment, energy poverty, climate change is becoming increasingly recognised. This paper describes the socioeconomic-energy-environmental component of an urban integrated assessment facility developed by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, which simulates socio-economic change, energy demand, climate impacts and greenhouse gas emissions over the course of the twenty first century at the city scale. The research is focussed upon London, UK, a city that has taken a lead role in the UK and globally with respect to energy poverty and climate protection. The paper demonstrates, through the implementation of several scenarios, quantifiable synergies and conflicts between economic development, employment and energy poverty in order to improve decision making in achieving sustainable and equality outcomes for cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Climate change might cause a reduction in sewer overflows in Nantes. • Wastewater and groundwater infiltration have a significant impact on sewer overflow. • Urban planning has a significant impact on overflow mechanisms. • The benefit of SUDS, LID, RHW, BMP, RG in combined-sewer areas are discussed. • Existing separate-sewer areas should be densified to avoid sprawl development. Abstract This paper explores the link between urban planning and hydrological mechanisms. Using a hydrological model, it assesses the relative influence of different urban-development and water-management modes on sewer-system overflows. It combines and compares the impacts of three climate change scenarios going up to 2100, which take into account the implementation of various urban-development strategies, as well as two demographic scenarios. Using this method, the study weighs the importance of the different hydrological mechanisms at play and proposes land-development strategies to implement with regards to climate change and population. The city of Nantes, the hydraulic network of which is well documented, serves as a case study. The results show that, in Nantes, climate change might have a smaller impact on overflows than population growth and urban development in certain scenarios. To limit overflows, insofar as there is no change in water use, this study suggests densifying existing urban areas served by a separative sewer system. It also provides a comparative appraisal of common and alternative water-management practices to reduce overflow. Simulations of different scenarios can help to foster a better understanding of the relationship between urban management and hydrological mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pressure that climate change risks impose on countries is a topic of interest to policymakers globally. The preparedness of climate change "hot spots" like Africa has been thought to be an important strategy in mitigating the effects of climate change hazards. Using panel quantile regression analysis, the paper empirically tests the effect of adaptation readiness on climate change vulnerability in 51 African countries over the period 1995 to 2018. The findings show that adaptation readiness has a significant negative effect on vulnerability to climate change in the region. The results also demonstrate that Central Africa is the most vulnerable sub-region to climate change with high exposure, high sensitivity, and low adaptive capacity. Whereas Southern and North Africa are the least vulnerable sub-regions to climate change in Africa. The differences in climate change vulnerability and adaptation readiness across Africa imply that blanket allocation of climate adaptation support and resources is unlikely to be effective. Therefore, a paradigm change in the allocation of climate adaptation support and resources is required. • The paper empirically tests the effect of adaptation readiness on climate change vulnerability in Africa. • The central African sub-region is the most vulnerable sub-regional block to climate change in Africa • Somalia is the most climate-vulnerable country in Africa with high exposure, low adaptive capacity, and high sensitivity. • Adaptation readiness has a significant negative effect on climate vulnerability in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Workshops reveal stakeholder views on the potential of the services. • Feedback mechanisms with positive and negative impact on Avoid, Shift & Improve. • A systems perspective using causal link diagrams reveals interlinked mechanisms. • Three level model structures individual effects in relation to cumulative impact. • Describing implications for policy-makers and stakeholders. Mobility services and accessibility services could contribute to reduced car-dependency and a more sustainable transport system. However, uncertainty remains regarding what the effects will be and further research is needed. In this paper we examine potential effects on passenger car-travel in an urban context. To do so, we actuate the Avoid-Shift-Improve (ASI) framework using a System Dynamics approach and develop thematic Causal Loop Diagrams. We draw on the findings from a literature study and workshops engaging actors involved in creating visions and planning for the future of mobility and accessibility services in Stockholm, Sweden. The effects discovered are categorized as direct, enabling and structural/systemic, using a retrofitted version of the Three-Levels Model. Contributions include the mapping of mechanisms through which the services can have positive and negative effects in relation to ASI, demonstrating a high degree of interconnectedness. This includes potential synergetic and competitive relations between the services. In addition, the approach gives insight to potential cumulative impact of the services, relatable to Mobility as a Service, including 'user near' effects regarding, e.g., commuting and leisure travel, as well as systemic and structural level effects. A discussion is conducted on the implications for actors and policy-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • We compared the infrastructure asset management practices including climate change response and adaptation, core process integration, etc. • We explore the barriers and solutions to implementing the integrated management of multisector infrastructure assets in high density cities. • We propose a multisector integrated infrastructure asset management framework to improve high density city’s resilience and sustainability. Abstract Many developed high density cities around the world are facing unprecedented challenges as their infrastructure facilities are aging while citizen demands are ever surging. The concerted efforts of different infrastructure stakeholders are indispensable to elevate the quality, reliability, and capacity of infrastructure systems to make high-density cities more sustainable and resilient against increasing climate change and manmade threats. To address these challenges, this paper proposes an integrated framework for multisector infrastructure asset management. For deriving the framework, case studies are conducted first on the best infrastructure asset management (IAM) practices of different countries in such diverse aspects as core process integration, contingency management, climate change response and adaptation, program coordination and orchestration, social value creation and sharing, risk management, resilience and sustainability. By using the criteria and a list of questions obtained from the case studies, interviews with different stakeholders in selected infrastructure sectors in Hong Kong are subsequently carried out to identify the barriers and possible solutions to enhancing the integrated management of multisector infrastructure assets in high-density cities. To facilitate such municipalities in managing their infrastructure assets effectively and efficiently, the proposed multisector integrated IAM framework is established from the holistic perspectives of information integration, process integration, collective decision, and harmonization between interdependent infrastructure systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Stakeholder dialogues can help to advance a city’s work on climate change. • More interaction between workshop participants leads to wider the societal consensus building. • A diversity of stakeholder perspectives yields more acceptance for a transformative course of action. • Political competence among workshop participants is key to put decisions into operation. Abstract Climate change and other sustainability challenges represent a foundational contest to traditional urban development concepts and practices. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from urban infrastructure and leading cities towards climate resilience requires a transformation of city structures, its organisation and its resident’s lifestyles. To anchor such a transformative course of action, a wider societal consensus building with an active and earnest engagement with all relevant actors and interest groups in the city is required. With stakeholder dialogues being a suitable and proven instrument for stimulating engagement, this paper explores dynamics of stakeholder dialogues and how they can advance a city’s work on climate change. For this purpose, a number of stakeholder dialogues with key actors in the field of climate change were organised in four cities across India, Indonesia and the Philippines. Studying them, the authors identified four dimensions that seem to shape the effectiveness and success of such dialogues: the level of interaction between the participants during the events, the diversity of perspectives represented by the stakeholders, their level of capacities in dealing with urban climate issues and, ultimately their political competence that allows them to take decisions based on workshop outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding citizen environmental perception is a crucial issue to improve outdoor environmental and landscape quality. This paper is aimed at investigating the perspective of travelling citizens about local microclimate conditions in a transportation open-air hub of an urban district in central Italy, to propose effective mitigation strategies. Therefore, a survey was submitted to pedestrians while crossing the area to understand their actual perception of visual-thermal-acoustic conditions characterizing the outdoor environment, with varying weather and personal characteristics. Simultaneously, the continuous in-situ monitoring of the main environmental parameters was performed. Finally, the benefits generated by selected microclimate mitigation and landscape improvement strategies were quantitatively assessed by means of validated microclimate district models. Results of the field survey highlighted the minor tolerance of the local environment by local citizens compared to tourists, especially those coming from denser and more polluted cities. Moreover, the simulations confirmed the capability of selected microclimate mitigation strategies against anthropogenic heat, to improve pedestrians’ outdoor thermal comfort conditions in summer, without winter penalties. In particular, the vegetation increase, according to pedestrians’ request for additional green areas, combined to other solutions for sustainable landscape change, showed the most significant impact in summer overheating mitigation and urban resilience to anthropogenic climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low carbon city concept has surfaced over the past decade and has been increasingly integrated with urban planning. Likewise, assessment methods of Low Carbon Cities have been initiated. Of these, are the Entropy weight method, fuzzy comprehensive evaluation and multi-criteria evaluation. This paper attempts to propose a multi-criteria evaluation model for city performance using a set of criteria and a benchmark with a view to determining whether the city is low carbon or not. Ten pilot cities were selected for which twenty indicators were utilized for model calibration and testing. First, a standard entropy model was employed featuring three cities as low carbon namely; Stockholm, Vienna and Sydney. Second, with the modification of entropy model by adding relative weight to indicators, two more cities were quite rightly added to the list: London and São Paulo. Third, the proposed model was calibrated and tested, the result of which was compared with the results of both entropy and modified entropy models. Luckily, the proposed model showed great similarity to the modified entropy model. Moreover, the model was subsequently tested independently on five additional cities comprising Copenhagen, Bogota, New Delhi, Singapore and Seoul to ascertain results. Copenhagen and Bogota were low carbon cities, the others were not. When populated with relevant data, the proposed model can readily determine whether a particular city is low carbon or not thereby obviating the need for benchmarking and score adjustment every time a new city is added to the study list. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australian households are faced with rising energy costs and increasing occurrences of extreme weather events, such as hail storms and heat waves, due to the effect of climate change and influence of energy policies. Consequently, there has been increasing effort into designing homes and neighbourhoods that have built-in or retrofitted sustainable features such as solar panels to ensure that households are able to secure their own supply of electricity in times of shortages, as well as save on utility bills. The objective of this paper is to understand people’s preferences for characteristics of sustainable neighbourhoods and homes using a case study of 300 residents in Canberra, Australia. Findings from this survey suggest that housing affordability, energy saving designs for good temperature control, neighbourhood safety and cleanliness are the most desirable features of the neighbourhood and home across all socio-economic groups and buying intentions (i.e. investor or owner-occupier). The least preferred features are green facades (e.g. green roofs, green walls, large lawns) and communal bins rather than individual household ones. This information can be used to inform the design of future housing estates or suburb developments that want to pitch towards the ‘green’ consumer market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a comprehensive review of literature on integrated infrastructure systems with an emphasis on interdependency types and definitions, complex network abstractions, and on different modeling and simulation techniques. An infrastructure interdependency matrix is presented to provide a better mapping of implementation, utilization, and in some cases a lack of integration among infrastructure systems. It is expected that this review will contribute to the advancement of the growing area of integrated infrastructure systems. Assessment of the research on integrated infrastructure modeling literature showed that the focus of most modeling efforts is mainly on short term operational purposes and extreme events. Long-term efforts to examine the impacts and assessment of future policies and scenarios are needed. Although ‘integration’ is being used in many studies on civil infrastructure, the level of detail or type of integration is not consistent and in some cases almost trivial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature suggests a significant potential for synergies among climate change adaptation and mitigation (CCA&M) policies, especially in urban areas. However, the understanding of how best to integrate CCA&M is limited despite the fact that there is an increasing interest, particularly in Southeast Asian countries, in achieving the integration. One such synergistic approach is to improve land-use with climate change consideration. This study aims to test this idea, conducting a pilot project with four local governments in the Silang-Sta. Rosa subwatershed of the Philippines, focusing on flood prevention that has strong spatial implications. The application of participatory watershed land-use management (PWLM), a systematic process with practical tools (e.g. scenario simulation, risk assessment), indicated that planned land-use conversion and projected climate change are likely to increase the intensity of flooding in the study area. Zoning enhancement is essential as a countermeasure. As one example, runoff neutral development measures would reduce the number of flood-affected people from approximately 226,410 to 183,349 in the future (year 2025), while preserving existing vegetation would prevent up to 528,142 tons of CO 2 emissions. Illustrating the PWLM approach, this paper demonstrates the concrete use of scientific knowledge (i.e. flood hazard) for local planners to design climate change action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate Change results in possible less frequent but more intensified storm events that include so called “super typhoons”. To ensure the resilience of the energy power delivery systems, this paper offers lessons learned from forensic investigations of the damaged power delivery systems from the Philippines after the 2013 Super Typhoon Haiyan. The objective is to investigate new strategies to design the power delivery systems, especially in the coastal regions, to defend against the intensified storm events brought on by climate change. A critical review of current power line system design approach, especially load design based on ASCE 7–10, is conducted. The review along with extreme loading calculations revealed limitations in current design philosophies. A design framework using a holistic approach that includes a strong backbone line system is suggested. The strong backbone line system is to be designed for extreme loading scenario with additional considerations including debris loading, wind-storm surge interactions and local geospatial condition with multiple wind directions. Preliminary design of a strong backbone system for McClellanville, South Carolina, power supply scenario is presented as a case study and is shown to be economically viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PV systems can meet the demand for renewable energy under increased windstorm risk. • The study recommends an optimal stow position for a single-axis solar tracker. • Solar panel installers may reference the more recent ASCE 7-22 standard. • Integrating machine learning with CFD shows a time-to-solution speed of 10,000. Climate change mitigation and adaptation in urban environments call for more reliance on clean energy sources. Large photovoltaic (PV) systems have been enjoying renewed interest in clean and renewable energy. However, designing resilient PV systems faces an increased risk due to windstorms. Whether wind loads on PV systems are well understood, properly accounted for, and the damage is mitigated are crucial questions. While computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is proven effective for quantifying wind loads on structures, accurate and affordable computations are challenging. In this paper, we employ CFD approaches and machine learning (ML) to obtain the design wind loads on solar panels. We validate the CFD simulations using experimental data and compare the results with the standard practice. Our findings suggest that experimentally validated CFD simulations can yield different results from the standard practice. Additionally, we recommend stowing solar panels at a -15° angle during wind events to reduce damage. CFD simulations are then employed to train an ML model to predict velocity and pressure distributions around a solar panel. The study demonstrates that integrating ML and CFD can significantly speed up simulations (up to 10,000 times faster) without sacrificing accuracy. Efficient designs can shape the future of PV systems and contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation for improved disaster resilience and circular economy policies. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Future climate change and land use change are predicted. • Climate change uncertainty is assessed using trinomial tree model. • Urban flood control schemes are developed based on the real options method. • The benefits of the fixed investment scheme and the real options scheme are compared. As urban flooding becomes more frequent and severe due to climate change and accelerated urbanization, effective urban flood control measures are needed to mitigate urban flooding under environmental change. However, few studies consider both climate change and land use change and formulate urban flood control plans for the uncertainty of climate change. This study proposes a real options method based on trinomial tree model to design urban flood control measures under environmental changes. Future rainfall was predicted based on the SDSM model. Land use changes for 2035 and 2050 were predicted using the CA-Markov model. Considering the uncertainty of future climate change, future urban flood control measures based on the real options method were developed, and to compare and analyze them with fixed investment method. The research results show that rainfall and construction land in the study area will increase in the future. The benefit of real options retrofit scheme is higher than the fixed investment retrofit scheme and climate change uncertainty has a greater impact on flood control planning decisions. The research framework proposed in this paper provides an effective basis for the formulation of urban flood control strategies and the design of flood control measures under environmental change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An optimization system combining SWMM and SMA is proposed for LID spatial allocation. • Improved runoff quality was achieved most effectively through bioretention. • Runoff quality can be improved through the combination of multiple types of LIDs. • SWMM-SMA optimizes LIDs with flexibility and feasibility for alternative applications. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of urban runoff is a major concern for urban management, imposing significant costs on the urban management system every year. Numerous; factors affect the quality, and quantity of urban runoff, such as population growth, urbanization, land use change and climate change. This paper aims to optimally design low-impact development (LID) strategies for qualitative and quantitative management of urban areas. Three runoff management methods, including vegetated swale, bioretention system, and porous pavement, were considered along with an urban drainage network. The stormwater management model (SWMM) was adopted to simulate urban runoff, and the slime mould algorithm (SMA) was employed to optimize LIDs. An urban area in Tehran, Iran, was examined using the proposed SWMM-SMA model, and the result was an optimal combination of LIDs. Three LIDs were individually defined for each subcatchment, and the results were compared to the combination of all LIDs in the whole catchment. The results indicated that the bioretention system was the most effective LID in improving the water quality in the case of individual LIDs. The system could reduce total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN); and zinc (Zn) concentrations by 91, 78, and 74%. The results also suggested that the optimal combination of LIDs was more efficient, and it was able to further reduce TSS concentration by 14–16% compared to individual bioretention systems. Furthermore; the optimal combination of LIDs was successful in minimizing TSS concentration in the runoff by using the SWMM-SMA model. By using the simulation-optimization model (SWMM-SMA), optimal LIDs and runoff quality could be effectively designed and controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A space-temporal bibliometric analysis on neighbourhood sustainability is performed. • A regional differentiation on specific aspects of sustainability was found. • Neighbourhood sustainability is over time a dynamic concept. • A dynamic approach should be considered by rating systems. This paper introduces a review on sustainability-related concepts at a neighbourhood scale. 3909 abstracts of papers on "neighbourhood sustainability" published between the late eighties and February 2020 were downloaded from Scopus in order to perform a text mining analysis. The concept of neighbourhood sustainability is studied and discussed at both geographical and temporal level, employing clustering methods. Marked differences in the elaboration of neighbourhood sustainability-related concepts can be tracked at spatial level and linked to the different socioeconomic, cultural and climatic conditions of the considered geographic areas. A significant temporal evolution of the concept can be also tracked with a focus on specific aspects of the sustainability concept in different periods of time. The analysis can help in defining more rigorous evaluation categories and criteria for neighbourhoods sustainability rating systems: new criteria should be included and an international homogenization is recommended in the definition of a common scheme of macro-categories, as well as local versions of the tools. Finally, the adoption of a dynamic approach, that doesn't stop after the projects realization, is proposed for the evaluation of the sustainability at a neighbourhood scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper ranks global cities based on economy and climate change mitigation. • Super-efficiency DEA models generate rankings with two disposability assumptions. • The paper identifies best performers and discusses policy implications. • The paper analyzes the impact of scope 1 emissions compared to other emissions. • The performance of African cities is impeded by scope 2 and scope 3 emissions. Addressing climate change is an important and inevitable issue for global cities. This paper evaluates and ranks global cities based on economic performance and climate change mitigation using data envelopment analysis (DEA). Regular and super-efficiency DEA models are developed under natural disposability and managerial disposability, implying different priorities given to economy and climate change. We apply the models to a dataset of 39 global cities obtained from the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, the biggest coalition of global cities to coordinate the cities' mitigation efforts. The greenhouse gas emissions are classified into scopes 1–3, all of which are treated as undesirable outputs in DEA. In regular DEA models, we identify nine cities that achieve perfect efficiencies regardless of the disposability framework. In super-efficiency models, three cities (Sydney, Tokyo, Vancouver) are always placed into the top five positions. Buenos Aires and Cape Town always fall into the bottom five. The rankings with only scope 1 emissions are significantly correlated with those of all emissions, though with a few notable exceptions (Vancouver and Bogota). The performance of African cities is impeded by scope 2 and scope 3 emissions. The ranking results can be linked to the cities' economic structure and energy mix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversity in urban geometry can create significant variation in microclimatic conditions. Especially, in tropical warm-humid context, deep urban canyons with variable building heights perform better than uniform canyons, because taller buildings rising above those around them reduce solar gain and enhance wind speed at the pedestrian level. Field measurements in Dhaka comparing the varying traditional urban forms with the more regular formal residential areas have revealed an average air temperature (Ta) difference of 3.3 °C and a maximum difference of 6.2 °C, and a mean radiant temperature (Tmrt) difference of 10.0 °C. The aim of this paper is to understand the responsiveness of the microclimate simulation tool ENVI-met V4 in identifying the variation in urban geometry as reported in the field measurements. The study aims to make specific comparisons between the measured and the simulated data by analysing a particular challenge in complex geometry. It attempts to demonstrate how ENVI-met could benefit from using the correct input as the boundary condition. While the modelling tool aims to produce good results by using synoptic weather information as boundary conditions, this study suggests that it is important to use representative data from the actual site and that hourly input of climatic variables as boundary information can produce the best results. Results show that modelling is able to predict the relative variations in Tmrt conditions between sites, although highly overestimated. However, in terms of Ta, modelling was unable to produce any variations between different urban geometry characteristics. This indicates that, although ENVI-met can produce sufficiently good results in predicting Ta when hourly forcing is used, it is unable to distinguish between the precise details in urban geometry features that can cause significant variations in microclimatic conditions in real situations. Therefore, further assessment of microclimatic variables is needed for using such modelling techniques in order to evaluate the impact of diversity in urban geometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban areas account for 70% of carbon emissions, and are likely to be the locus of attention to reduce future emissions in developing countries. However, only a small share of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects under the Kyoto Protocol and only 30% of public climate finance is invested in urban areas. One of the main reasons is that most urban climate change mitigation projects rather provide development than climate benefits, so the question is whether alternative mechanisms can mobilize urban mitigation projects. In this paper, we analyze a set of three case studies — representative urban waste and transportation projects in Indonesia, Kenya, Sri Lanka — to compare the market and economic value of climate and development co-benefits. For the projects, we monetize the co-benefits accruing to the local community. We find that under current market conditions, climate benefits have little effect on projects’ financial viability, and can be effectively ignored. By contrast, we find, the monetization of development co-benefits significantly improves financial viability, based on calculated net present values and internal rates of return. Our results highlight the importance of local, national and international financing and policies that monetize such development co-benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water sector is going through a paradigm shift. Many communities are incorporating decentralized solutions such as water reuse and recycling, stormwater capture, and demand-side management in order to address both short-term and long-term water resources challenges due to population increase, economic growth, intensified climate variability, as well as environmental concerns. For these projects to be sustainable, local characteristics including social and institutional contexts must be incorporated in the planning process. This paper presents a flexible and bottom-up framework that facilitates integration of such characteristics in evaluation of various water resource management strategies. It incorporates various locally-driven factors such as water use efficiency, stress on existing supplies, and adaptation capacity potential, to identify how various local and regional solutions affect resiliency at the utility and regional levels. Rather than defining top-down resilience standards, this framework incorporates quantitative and qualitative assessments that can help decision-makers tailor adaptation measures to the needs and opportunities of a given location or community. A case study application of the framework in the San Francisco Bay Area highlights how community-level characteristics can be used to identify opportunities and adaptation strategies in order to enhance both local and collective water resource resiliency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities around the world are facing the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting urban sustainability. If comprehensive low-carbon development of cities is to be possible, transportation, as a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, is a particularly important sector to address. Major changes to transport behaviour and systems will be required in order to secure a shift to sustainable modes of transport and removal of infrastructure that reinforces unsustainable patterns of transportation. This paper examines the links between low-carbon urban development and sustainable mobility, with reference to the case of Odense, Denmark. With a reputation as a city of cyclists, Odense has recently closed a highway that divided central districts of the city, and is constructing a new tramway in its place. Results from a qualitative study, including interviews with individuals active in local policy processes, provide insights into Odense’s experiences and inform analysis of the influences on municipal strategies and plans for sustainable mobility, questioning if climate change need be the primary focus when designing policies to enable low-carbon urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Market-driven industry frameworks such as Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment Tools serve as important guidelines in the design and implementation of sustainability initiatives in communities, neighbourhoods etc. Currently, most developing nations have no be-spoke tool for their sustainable urban development. The need for such a tool is to sustainably address issues of climate change and the effects that rapid urbanization has on these nations. To address this issue, the development of Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment Tools for these countries or regions is imperative but this must be done with a detailed understanding of the effects, dynamics and context that sustainability initiatives will have on the selected country. Hence, this paper develops a relational model called the Sustainability Pathway Model which categories and investigates the successes and shortcomings of already developed Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment Tools such as CASBEE-UD, BREEAM Communities, IGBC and GBI, in order to implement optimal Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment Tools that exploits the successes of these tools, whilst avoiding their pitfalls. This model is thus able to give a detailed illustration of how the Pillars of Sustainability are reflected in various indicators adopted by different Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment Tools. The use of the Sustainability Pathway Model as a starting point in the development of Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment Tools in Sub-Saharan Africa is also highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The planet is in environmental crisis and the challenge is to live sustainably within the limits imposed by nature. The built environment has a massive impact on the environment: climate change, resource and water use, loss of biodiversity. Changing the way and what we build is fundamental. Integral sustainable design theory offers a chance to rethink our approach and to genuinely shift paradigms. The theory is challenging and to date has been largely ignored in architectural design. This paper describes research that has used the theory to evaluate the sustainability of an existing re-used building. The results indicate that the theory has potential to shift thinking from quantitative performance criteria to embrace qualitative and experiential aspects in a holistic way. The interconnections between the art and science of building are revealed. The research also reveals questions to be resolved if integral sustainable design theory is to be further adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• It performs a literature review on the effect of climate change on structural loads. • Various loads, including wind, snow, temperature, and multi-hazard, are considered. • A wide range of urban infrastructure from different regions is included. • It summarizes research findings aimed at building climate-resilient infrastructure. Climate change is one of the pressing problems of today's world, with its unequivocal effects. The modern urban infrastructure has also borne the brunt of the devastating impact of changing climate. The increasing number of structural failures under extreme environmental loads has been reported throughout the globe, with state-of-the-art design and maintenance practices proved to be insufficient under the dynamically changing climate, demanding more resilient design standards and maintenance procedures. This review article synthesizes the research findings aimed at building climate-resilient civil infrastructure considering the design and service phase of various structures, the durability of structural components and materials, and adaptation and mitigation practices. The paper performs a systematic literature review of the effect of climate change on various structural loads, including wind, snow, temperature, and multi-hazard, in various urban infrastructures from different regions of the globe. The findings in this review can serve as valuable information to suitably revisit and improve design and maintenance practices and build more climate-resilient urban infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of climate change and Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomena have raised the attention for monitoring and evaluating the outdoor thermal comfort. The urban vegetation system is playing a significant role for UHI mitigation and adaption. The fraction of the ground covered by trees and other vegetation is smaller and contains less biomass than in nonurban areas. The absence of vegetation impacts the UHI in several ways, since vegetation, and in particular trees, intercept solar energy, and their shade reduces the temperature of surfaces below while increasing the latent heat exchange for the evapotranspiration process. In this paper, the common tree types and the size of trees in Montreal are investigated; and the effect of tree size and space between trees on outdoor comfort are compared by using environmental simulation. It’s demonstrated that, the correlation (R 2 ) between tree cover (SVF) and urban Ta is about 0.64 at summer mid-night. In the daytime, tree cover could reduce air temperature at the tree level (4 °C at 20 m height from the ground), as well as higher level (2 °C at 60 m from the ground). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate change research community has developed shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) that can be applied to a diverse range of climate research throughout the world (Moss et al., 2010; van Vuuren et al., 2014; O’Neill et al., 2014., Kriegler et al., 2014). However, the regional scenario specifically for cities is also increasing in importance since SSPs are described as being of a global scale. Based on the projected world’s pathways which are defined by SSPs, this paper attempts to develop Tokyo’s long-term socioeconomic scenarios. Firstly, important factors and elements were investigated through literature reviews, and then a basic theoretical framework was developed. Secondly, expert interviews were conducted to gather more relevant narratives and elements based on the theoretical framework. Three alternative Tokyo future pathways by 2050 were established. The Local Vitality scenario and the Efficiency scenario belong to the sustainability scenario in the SSPs, with a comparison with the business as usual (BAU) case. An important feature of such a city-scale scenario is to address urban form elements and infrastructure. The elements used for Tokyo can be applied for other cities. Projecting the future is fraught with a number of uncertainties, however, describing possible pathways can provide significant support for developing sustainable mechanisms for society as a whole. This work can lay the groundwork for developing further quantitative approaches to examine strategies for reducing environmental and societal impacts in different pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Global Scenario of Charging Infrastructure Planning. • Electric vehicles charging impact on distribution grid is assessed. • The temporal characteristic of electric vehicle loads is considered. • Recommendations for determining the best charging infrastructure. • We used a scenario-based method to deal with the uncertainties that involved. The accelerating energy demand, growing concern regarding global warming and climate change has paved the path of electrification of the transport sector. Large scale adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) call for availability of sustainable and easily accessible charging infrastructure. The sporadic energy demand, different battery storage capacity and diverse penetrating patterns of electric vehicles have significantly raised the load elasticity on a power grid. Smart-grid environment promises to assist the addition of EVs into national grids by enabling both EV-charging and discharging (G2V and V2G) load. This will modify the load profile and reduce cost.This paper discusses comprehensively three basic infrastructures by which charging of EVs can be done. These infrastructures are studied and compared on the basis of some parameters. It has been found that distributed infrastructure shows best results for the charging of electric vehicles. The other two infrastructures prove costlier and increase power demand. Also, this paper examines three specific smart charging strategies and the impact of each strategy on the power system load profile and realization cost. Simulation results establish the superiority of smart charging over dumb charging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper reviewed climate change impacts on different climate zones of Myanmar from her geography and human settlements. • Passive design techniques use in vernacular houses were investigated based on the 'National Races Village' field study. • The simulation results were generated for typical weather years and future climate scenarios for three Myanmar cities. Tropical weather is characterized by high humidity, high temperature, and intense solar insolation; therefore, traditional tropical housing is predominantly dependent on natural ventilation and passive cooling for thermal comfort. In the literature and practice, however, there is a gap of knowledge on Myanmar vernacular housing, specifically with regard to the variation in weather caused by climate change. In this paper, the authors review passive design techniques used in Myanmar vernacular houses to achieve thermal comfort. Using an experimental design approach, simulation studies were carried out to compare the impact of various passive design techniques on thermal comfort in three Myanmar climates. Different passive design techniques used in the two houses were further reviewed. Fifteen models were generated through an evaluation of the latter to examine the thermal performance of Myanmar housing throughout a year, with typical weather and predicted future climate scenarios. The results revealed that the efficacy of traditional passive design techniques would not be sufficient to achieve thermal comfort in the predicted future climate scenario. For this reason, the authors suggested that the passive design techniques of Myanmar vernacular housing need to be improved, with innovative solutions in order to cope with the changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regenerative design holds great promise for a new era of sustainable and positive impact architecture, sparking considerable interest among architects, building professionals and their clients. However, the translational arm of regenerative design in practice is in a relatively primitive state. Although a number of theoretical definitions and studies have been initiated, the early returns point to several inherent application problems. In this regard, the professional and scientific potential of regenerative architecture can only be fully realized by the identification of the key barriers to projects design, construction and operation. In this paper, we compare two state of the art buildings to address the critical steps in the transition from the negative impact reduction architecture to the positive impact regenerative architecture, utilizing life cycle analysis. The case studies analysis and comparison can serve as an inspiring eye opener and provide a vision for architects and building professionals in the fields of high performance buildings and regenerative architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loss of natural habitat and increased use of man-made materials have led to higher temperatures in tropical urban landscape. One way to handle this issue is by using paving materials that absorb less amount of heat and provide lower surface temperatures. This paper identifies several pavement materials with low surface temperatures for potential use in a tropical climate. The study was conducted in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Paving materials selected were Blue Impala polished granite (BIPG), Rosa Tanggo polished granite (RTPG), Fontana concrete (FC), and asphalt (AS) based on their popularity of use locally. Surface temperatures of these materials were measured using infrared thermal imaging camera in three different environments namely open space (OS), near water (NW), and under shade (US). The readings were recorded for 28 consecutive days from 6:00 to 24:00. Results indicate that BIPG was 15.5 °C cooler than AS during 12:00–15:00 in OS locations. However, BIPG and RTPG surface temperatures increased in NW locations as compared to OS and US locations from 12:00 to 18:00. This study provides information on the use of suitable paving materials to reduce surface temperatures of urban areas in tropical climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoor air quality can affect and influence the state of works of art exhibited inside museums. Museums, usually suffer badly from the generally higher levels of air pollution and the control of such contamination requires continual evaluation and the strict monitoring, using by using the most appropriate materials. The main aim of this paper was to characterize, analyze and determine indoor air pollutants in Cypriot-Archeological and Byzantine museum. Experimental measurements have been carried out concerning the measurements of CO, CO 2 , PM1, PM2.5, PM7, PM10, Relative Humidity (RH), O 3 , NO, NO 2 , SO 2 , Benzene (BEN), Tulane (TOL), Ethylene (ETH), Xylene (XYL), NH 3 , H 2 S, for a period of 12 months. Considering the safety of exhibits in both museums and from the final results, the quality of air unfortunately cannot be described as satisfactory. The findings from this study are useful to policy makers in order to develop a new strategy plan for indoor air quality and especially for museums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of implementing energy savings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has become a key element of energy policies of any industrialized country. In the civil sector and specifically, energy savings for office buildings, there are still opportunities for further enhancements related to correctly determining the air conditioning thermal requirements. However, there is a lack of simple correlations that allow a preliminary assessment for a single building or correlations that can be quickly applied at the district level. This paper proposes several simple correlations that determine the heating loads of a typical office building by only knowing the Degree-Days of a specific European location. The authors have developed a dynamic model of an office building, considering the different energy regulations in force in several European countries such that the building model is as energy-efficient as possible in each examined location. Furthermore, the standard requirements related to the employment rate, indoor ventilation and indoor gain have been included. The results from several simulations performed in the TRNSYS environment have enabled the development of mathematical relationships valid for seven European countries and three continental zones (northern, central and southern) with notably high correlation coefficients. The proposed equations can be useful for determining the heating load of non-residential buildings with an appropriate level of detail for a rough energy plan at the district level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban climatic change poses a threat to the built environment and urban landscapes, especially those of historical importance which are considered particularly vulnerable. In Athens, Greece, the degradation of the thermal environment may endanger landscapes and buildings within the historic center of the city. In this paper, the impact of the urban heat island to the prevailing environmental and microclimatic conditions, to the needs for energy production and use at the city and neighborhoods, and to the society, especially with respect to the quality of life, the exposure of elderly people to adverse thermal conditions and to the capacity of households to adjust are provided and discussed in detail. The plan attempts to integrate climate change factors in the management of the building stock and of the landscape, in the historic center of the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]