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Climate scenarios require the implementation of climate proof actions. The effectiveness of such projects directly depends on the knowledge of local contexts and on the built environment's characteristics in relation to climate risk conditions. Innovative methods of knowledge can be implemented through the use of enabling technologies. Based on these considerations, the paper proposes the Coast-RiskBySea model as support for climate proof decision-making in relation to coastal flood risk, with the aim of developing new synergies between environmental design and enabling technologies. The proposed model was tested on an application case in the city of Naples by simulating a climate proof measure to assess the effectiveness of this solution in terms of damage reduction, and to define the potential and criticality of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green buildings have gained increasing relevance and market share in recent decades. Also, higher education institutions are progressively incorporating the conceptualisation of sustainable development by greening campuses. Thus, given the construction sector relevance in climate change mitigation and the role universities have to play as models for society, the purpose of the present paper is twofold. First, the authors develop a baseline study to determine the extent to which green buildings' features and certifications are being incorporated in public Chilean higher education institutions, as a first of its kind effort in the higher education sector in Chile. Second, the authors explore the opportunities that can support the advancement of campus greening through green buildings deployment on university campuses in Chile. This study follows a qualitative strategy approach in the form of a survey design based on the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking that was administered through an online questionnaire to representatives who hold the position of Sustainability or Infrastructure Heads in public universities, which are united in the Chilean State Universities Consortium. The main findings suggest a general maturation process of green building features´ incorporation on campuses at Chilean public higher education institutions in early or transitional stages. The leading indicators relate to open space, pedestrian paths, and efficient appliances, whereas the reported performance is lower with respect to sustainability budget, zero emission vehicles, and greenhouse gas emission reduction programmes. The opportunities identified for promoting the implementation of green buildings relate to three entrenched dimensions: research, promotion, and public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on climate change mitigation and adaptation is pressing in order to understand its implications and risks in different urban areas. It is especially critical for those who face high degrees of urban inequality in the context of an uneven state presence. This paper is an explorative and investigative study which uses Cairo as a case. The focus of the study is on mapping state and private sector efforts in mitigating climate change issues, specifically for vulnerable groups who have limited access to public services. The study adopted an investigative approach where a literature search and bibliometric mapping were used to identify the gap in knowledge in the field of architecture and urban climate change mitigation and adaptation, followed by a field survey which included conducting interviews and questionnaires with different stakeholders from the public and private sector to investigate the link between the efforts for climate change mitigation. The explorative part of the study concluded that there is a huge knowledge gap in the Middle East and in Egypt when it comes to research efforts related to climate change with a focus on the built environment. The results of the investigative part of this study revealed that—apart from already limited efforts on ground—there is no synchronization in efforts between the public and private sector. Climate change issues are still not a priority when poverty, economy, and health are still a prime concern and take precedence over climate change. There is uneven presence of public efforts for climate change adaptation and mitigation. The efforts that do exist in the public sphere are self-help unorganized work (efforts) conducted by the civil society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why does everyone think cities can save the planet? Contemporary planning interventions promise salvation via spatial fixes that might reduce carbon emissions, boost metropolitan economies, and allow urban society to thrive in spite of rising seas and climate disasters. New wetlands, floodgates, and other adaptive infrastructures allow water to coexist with urban space; new parks, such as New York's High Line and Chicago's 606, celebrate the interweaving of built and natural environments and suggest how outmoded infrastructure can be repurposed for civic benefit. While the climate dilemmas at hand are historically new, the use of landscaped environments in the service of solving social problems is not. Dating to the first generation of urban park development in the 19th century, planners have deployed green spaces as solutions to various cultural, political, and economic conundrums of the city. Offering an historical parallel and counterweight to investigations of contemporary urban–environmental dynamics, this paper investigates the period of park development that occurred in the 19th century in North America and Europe, using Chicago's Olmsted-designed South Park (the contemporary Washington and Jackson Parks) as a case study. I argue that green spaces' distinct nexus of (1) normative cultural meanings around nature, (2) power relations bound up in dominant landscape aesthetics, and (3) direct link to the economic realm via the structuring of land values have made green space development a powerful 'cultural fix': a means of using social space to mitigate perceived social crises. Understanding the historical foundations of green spaces' use as cultural fixes can inform contemporary analyses, particularly as new landscape ideologies emerge as part of broader green urbanism development and climate change adaptation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Design criteria for active solar technologies integration in the historic built environment to favor energy transition, cleaner energy production, and climate mitigation. • Comparison of international guidelines' recommendations, design and assessment criteria. • Common glossary for the integration of active solar technologies in cultural heritage. • Definition of clear and updated design criteria valid for traditional and innovative active solar systems. • Support to solar innovation for the development of ad hoc products that considered correct design criteria. The paper focuses on architectural integration of active solar technologies (photovoltaic and solar thermal systems) in the historic built environment. Interpreted and used as a building material in the envelope, they are able to positively support energy transition and to contribute to climate change mitigation without compromising the original typological-functional characteristics. Their integration is fostered by innovative architectural design, aesthetical appeal, flexibility, multi-functionality, cost reduction, and technological development. Moreover, they can enhance economic value, functionality, and human comfort of buildings. Despite these advantages, there is a social diffidence on their acceptability due to policy, design, technical, economic and information barriers. To overcome these issues, the paper aims at identifying shared design criteria for their integration in the historic built environment, through a detailed assessment of 44 international guidelines. The study develops a taxonomy of international recommendations on energy efficiency, microgeneration, and solar integration, missing in literature so far, by analysing and comparing recurring criteria and recommendations. Also, a glossary of the most important terms according to the aesthetic, technical, and energy integration levels is created. Thus, the research defines an innovative framework of reliable design criteria, and a shared vocabulary to promote active solar technologies integration in the historic built environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • High resolution data from a Dutch net zero energy neighborhood is analysed. • Most buildings are positive energy, emit less carbon than they offset. • Large occupant differences in energy demand are visible across the households. • Occupant preferences and weather conditions greatly influence thermal energy demand. • Due to the high thermal efficiency, there is a high risk for summer overheating. Decarbonizing the building stock is a central component of global climate change mitigation efforts. In practice, this decarbonization can be achieved by a variety of different measures, including improvements in building energy efficiency, electrification of energy demand to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and installation of distributed (renewable) generation in conjunction with flexible storage. However, these large-scale, often disruptive changes to the built environment also raise a number of concerns, such as loss of occupant comfort exacerbated by climate change, and introduction of additional stressors on the distribution grid. In this paper, we demonstrate several conclusions using detailed sub-hourly data of two years (2019–2020) collected from 40 homes in a recently refurbished net-zero energy neighborhood in the Netherlands. This paper shows that, in renovation projects like the case study, net-zero energy balances should be considered on a neighborhood, rather than building level to minimize worst case planning by accounting for occupant influences and seasonal effects. Furthermore, the energy flexibility and climate resilience in the buildings seems to be rather limited, as a result of energy efficiency improvements. While helpful in climate change mitigation efforts, the large seasonal differences in energy demand and generation imply that this evolution is perhaps sub-optimal from the grid perspective. The results illustrate that all homes in the study were net-zero energy over the two year period, sometimes net positive by up to a factor of three. This led to considerable excess generation especially during the summer months. In addition, it was found that indoor air temperature sensors in a number of buildings showed overheating beyond guideline thermal comfort temperature of 25°C, showing potential thermal comfort and heat stress for vulnerable occupants. These results motivate energy storage or modifications of the installed heat pumps to leverage summer excess generation while reducing the impact of summer heat waves. These findings should enable the Netherlands and other countries aiming to fully decarbonize the building stock formulate better, future-proof policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste, Energy and Transport are three of the main sectors of the human society. The three sectors have substantially been studied in their individual right and there is a plethora of literature available on them individually and also collectively in varying combinations. For instance, Waste to Energy is a well-established field, and so is the energy usage by the transport sector. However, there is an extreme knowledge gap in connection to energy being generated by incinerating waste in order to propel the means of the transport be it in air/aviation, terrestrial/automobile and locomotives or water/marine vessels. The paper focuses on this knowledge gap, thereby, aiming to create theoretical models of this concept. Therefore, the core nature of this study is conceptual. Relevant secondary data is drawn from the existing literature in the form of numbers and graphs to quantitatively establish the state of each of the three sectors before being joined together into a new nexus called Waste to Energy for Transport and abbreviated as WET Nexus. An account of challenges as well as benefits is outlined regarding the possibility of replacing the consumption of fossil fuel by waste-to-energy i.e. a kind of 'on-board' waste incineration to propel maritime vessels and also supply energy to 'on-board' built environments. Thus, killing two birds (transport and waste) with one stone (energy). The paper also touches upon innovative insights and future research potentials in terms of how maritime transport being driven by energy-from-waste instead of fossil fuels, can improve environmental sustainability; help climate emergency agendas and; also contribute to the Climate Action, which is one of the seventeen SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) introduced by the UN (United Nations). [Display omitted] • The exponential rise in global population has correspondingly been increasing the waste generation and energy demand, while the transport sector alone is the second largest energy consumer. • The paper introduces an innovative idea in which the three sectors – Waste (W), Energy (E) and Transport (T) – are conceptually amalgamated and abbreviated as WET Nexus. • The nexus – Waste to Energy for (propelling the) Transport – has potential to contribute to decarbonise the transport sector while reducing waste to landfills and reducing reliance on fossil-fuel energy. • The connection of the innovative nexus with the atmosphere /air, hydrosphere /water, and lithosphere /soil or land, is delineated. • Climate change and sustainability are the cross-cutting themes and the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) by the United Nations are also briefly, theoretically interwoven with the WET Nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine the factors that contribute to the replication or reduction of automobility amongst young adults. Semi-structured interviews conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand, with 51 drivers and non-drivers, aged 18–35 years old, form the empirical material. The findings build upon previous research and extend understandings of how seven explanatory factors; perceptual, value and preference, social, built environment, economic, legal/policy and technological, work both to continue the current automobility paradigm, and to challenge it by adopting alternative mobilities. We use the Energy Cultures Framework as an analytical tool to explore the ways through which materialites, norms, practices, and external context can replicate or reduce participation in the hegemonic mobility paradigm. This approach offers useful insights into the interactions between what the research participants think, have and do, and how this is resulting in a reduction in automobility norms amongst some younger people. It also identifies and highlights potential opportunities to leverage upon current change trends to assist a systemic transition away from automobility towards a culture of multi-mobilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), but they can play a significant role in climate change mitigation by adopting and implementing GHG emission reduction plans, policies and measures. Circular economy measures are recognized to contribute significantly to decarbonization. However, in the literature there is a lack of quantitative analyses on circular measures in cities and their impact on urban GHG emissions. The paper aims to contribute to the literature on the relation between circular cities and climate change mitigation by focusing on circular interventions applicable in three high-impact sectors in cities: energy systems, mobility and built environment, in order to investigate their impacts in terms of emission reductions and contribution to decarbonization. The study covers four cities around the world accounting for more than 10 million of inhabitants and 2,000 km2 of metropolitan area: Bogotá, Colombia; Genoa and Milan, Italy; Glasgow, UK. The methodology uses a Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) modelling approach to develop production and consumption-based emission baselines for the four cities and to assess impacts of selected circular measures in the three sectors on the baselines. According to the in-depth analysis of the four considered urban contexts, the majority of the emissions generated by activities carried out within the urban borders are emitted outside the borders in the form of emissions scope 3, thus demonstrating how today's cities are large consumers of goods produced outside their borders, requiring the use of a consumption-based approach for emissions inventory. The results on the modelling of the GHG reduction impact of circular measures show that there is a relevant emission reduction potential in Scope 1 and 2 emissions in cities and highlight the need to prioritize decarbonization of electricity supply in order to ensure relevant emission reductions across the three sectors. The results also demonstrate the potential to reduce supply-chain Scope 3 emissions through urban measures. [Display omitted] • Four different urban contexts around the world are taken in account. • Three sectors are investigated: energy, mobility and built environment. • A consumption-based emission accounting method is used to assess the effective impact of cities. • Impacts of different GHG emission reduction interventions are evaluated for each city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), but they can play a significant role in climate change mitigation by adopting and implementing GHG emission reduction plans, policies and measures. Circular economy measures are recognized to contribute significantly to decarbonization. However, in the literature there is a lack of quantitative analyses on circular measures in cities and their impact on urban GHG emissions. The paper aims to contribute to the literature on the relation between circular cities and climate change mitigation by focusing on circular interventions applicable in three high-impact sectors in cities: energy systems, mobility and built environment, in order to investigate their impacts in terms of emission reductions and contribution to decarbonization. The study covers four cities around the world accounting for more than 10 million of inhabitants and 2,000 km2 of metropolitan area: Bogotá, Colombia; Genoa and Milan, Italy; Glasgow, UK. The methodology uses a Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) modelling approach to develop production and consumption-based emission baselines for the four cities and to assess impacts of selected circular measures in the three sectors on the baselines. According to the in-depth analysis of the four considered urban contexts, the majority of the emissions generated by activities carried out within the urban borders are emitted outside the borders in the form of emissions scope 3, thus demonstrating how today's cities are large consumers of goods produced outside their borders, requiring the use of a consumption-based approach for emissions inventory. The results on the modelling of the GHG reduction impact of circular measures show that there is a relevant emission reduction potential in Scope 1 and 2 emissions in cities and highlight the need to prioritize decarbonization of electricity supply in order to ensure relevant emission reductions across the three sectors. The results also demonstrate the potential to reduce supply-chain Scope 3 emissions through urban measures. [Display omitted] • Four different urban contexts around the world are taken in account. • Three sectors are investigated: energy, mobility and built environment. • A consumption-based emission accounting method is used to assess the effective impact of cities. • Impacts of different GHG emission reduction interventions are evaluated for each city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities must transform in order to address the challenge of climate change and to achieve societal ambitions such as the sustainable development goals. However, a key impediment to achieving transformation is underdeveloped understandings of how key actors and sectors within the built environment work together to achieve goals. This paper addresses these gaps by developing and visually presenting a process map to describe: the key processes involved in producing the built environment across its life stages; key sectors of the built environment, their key actors, and the activities coordinated between them. The process map was peer reviewed by an expert reference group of built environment professionals active in Australia and the UK. The motivation for developing this process map is to facilitate future research to identify and expedite opportunities for coordinated action to address significant societal challenges such as climate change action, and the sustainable development goals – which require transformative action in cities. • Cities must transform to address climate change • We develop a process map to describe the production of the built environment • Process map describes fundamental activities for producing the built environment • Process map spans built environment life stages; identifying activities and interactions of key sectors and actors • Can be applied to inform transformative action targeted at challenges such as climate change [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With nearly 70% of the world population expected to live in cities by 2050, assessing the sustainability of urban systems, both existing and future ones, is becoming increasingly relevant. Making cities more sustainable is a global priority, which is highlighted by 'Sustainable Cities and Communities' being listed as one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) adopted by United Nations Member States in 2015. This Virtual Special Issue (VSI) explores the implementation and assessment of policies and technologies that contribute to the transition to a sustainable, energy efficient and regenerative society. We organized the issue according to four main research themes: 1) Renewable Energy Systems (i.e., different types of systems, qualitative assessments and public acceptance); 2) Sustainable Built Environment (which includes construction, operation and refurbishment); 3) Multi-Scale Models (considering urban sustainability transition from building to districts, or cities and regions to multi-country comparisons and their scaling across different countries); and 4) Governance and Policy (climate change mitigation and adaptation plans/policies that are reported across countries, urban services and infrastructures). This paper serves two purposes. The first is to provide an analysis about patterns, correlations and synergies found across the different topics that have been addressed over the last 20 years in the literature about cities' sustainability paths. A bibliometric analysis and a contingency matrix show the degree of correlation between scientific journals and main topics addressed by published articles. Secondly, the paper acts as an Editorial to the VSI, introducing the wealth of research articles and topics included in it. Both the bibliometric analysis and the papers published in this VSI demonstrate the interconnectedness of energy consumption, pollutant emissions and the competition for finite resources. The aim is to present advances and challenges of this exciting and ever-evolving research field to inform and guide future studies of urban sustainability. • We carried out a bibliometric analysis of the literature using the Cortext Manager platform· Using network analysis of a corpus of paper spanning 20 years we identified 8 major clusters. • The paper serves also as editorial for a virtual special issue dealing with urban sustainability pathways. • The virtual special issue is organised in four main themes, which touch upon different Sustainable Development Goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the light of climate change, the drive for zero carbon buildings is known as one response to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Within New Zealand, research on climate change mitigation and environmental impacts of buildings has received renewed attention. However, there has been no detailed investigation of zero carbon building practices. This paper undertakes an exploratory study through the use of semi-structured interviews with government representatives and construction industry experts to examine how the New Zealand construction industry plans and implements zero carbon buildings. The results show that New Zealand's construction industry is in the early stage of transiting to a net-zero carbon built environment. Key actions to date are focused on devising a way for the industry to develop and deliver zero carbon building projects. Central and local governments play a leading role in driving zero carbon initiatives. Leading construction firms intend to maximise the carbon reduction in building projects by developing a roadmap to achieve the carbon target by 2050 and rethinking the way of designing and constructing buildings. The research results provide an insight into the initial practices and policy implications for the uptake of zero carbon buildings in Aotearoa New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]