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Approaches, Advances and Applications in Sustainable Development of Smart Cities

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "B: Energy and Environment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2019) | Viewed by 71364

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A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

School of Architecture and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
Interests: smart technologies, communities, cities and urbanism; knowledge-based development of cities and innovation districts; sustainable and resilient cities; communities and urban ecosystems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of Built Environment, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia
Interests: smart cities; urban planning; housing economics; urban analytics; real estate
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Monash Art Design & Architecture, Monash University, 900 Dandenong Road, Caulfield East, VIC 3145, Australia
Interests: smart cities; travel behaviour; sustainable mobility; transit-oriented development; geographic information systems and remote sensing applications in planning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

We are inviting submissions—that is, research articles, literature reviews, case reports, short communications—to the Energies Special Issue on “Approaches, Advances, and Applications in Sustainable Development of Smart Cities”.

Over the past decade, digital technologies, as part of the global smart city agenda, have begun to form the backbone of our cities and to enhance service quality in urban infrastructure. It is widely argued that this approach will create smart cities that are efficient, technologically advanced, green, and socially inclusive (Praharaj et al., 2018). Along with this technocentric viewpoint, the sustainability ideology has had a significant imprint on the planning and development of smart cities in recent years (Yigitcanlar & Kamruzzaman, 2018). This envirocentric viewpoint has led to consolidated efforts in the conceptualisation of the sustainable development of smart cities—or smart and sustainable cities. The marriage of technocentric and envirocentric views is seen as the only way to constitute the 21st century’s ideal city form (Yigitcanlar et al., 2018). It is also argued that this way, the faced and forthcoming severe ecological, societal, economic, and governance challenges across the globe would be adequately addressed (Han & Hawken, 2018).

This Special Issue aims to contribute to the conceptual and practical knowledge pools in order to improve the research and practice on the sustainable development of smart cities by bringing an informed understanding of the subject to scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. This Special Issue seeks articles offering insights into the sustainable development of smart cities by providing in-depth conceptual analyses and detailed case study descriptions and empirical investigations. This way, the Special Issue will form a repository of relevant information, material, and knowledge to support research, policymaking, practice, and transferability of experiences to address aforementioned challenges.

The scope of the special issue includes the following broad areas, with a particular focus on the approaches, advances, and applications in the sustainable development of smart cities:

  • Theoretical underpinnings and analytical and policy frameworks;
  • Methodological approaches for the evaluation of smart and sustainable cities;
  • Technological developments in the techno-enviro nexus;
  • Global best practice smart city case investigations and reports;
  • Geo-design and applications concerning desired urban outcomes;
  • Prospects, implications, and impacts concerning the future of smart and sustainable cities.

References

Han, H., & Hawken, S. (2018). Introduction: innovation and identity in next-generation smart cities. City, Culture and Society, 12, 1-4, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccs.2017.12.003.

Praharaj, S., Han, H., & Hawken, S. (2018). Urban innovation through policy integration: critical perspectives from 100 smart cities mission in India. City, Culture and Society, 12, 35-43, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccs.2017.06.004.

Yigitcanlar, T., & Kamruzzaman, M., (2018). Does smart city policy lead to sustainability of cities? Land Use Policy, 73, 49-58, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.01.034.

Yigitcanlar, T., Kamruzzaman, M., Buys, L., Ioppolo, G., Sabatini-Marques, J., Costa, E., & Yun, J., (2018). Understanding ‘smart cities’: intertwining development drivers with desired outcomes in a multidimensional framework. Cities, 81, 145-160, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2018.04.003.

Assoc. Prof. Tan Yigitcanlar
Assoc. Prof. Hoon Han
Asspc. Prof. Md. (Liton) Kamruzzaman
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

The following is a list of relevant keywords to this special issue, although papers on other related subjects are also welcome:

  •     Smart cities, communities, districts, precincts, buildings, homes;
  •     Smart infrastructures, services, meters, grids, energy, autonomous vehicles;
  •     Smart economy, specialisation, living, mobility, healthcare, education, governance;
  •     Smart urban technologies, sensors, internet-of-things, big data, data analytics, urban informatics;
  •     Sustainable urban development, sustainable cities, zero carbon cities, climate neutral developments;
  •     Post-Anthropocentrism, living lab, human-computer interaction, artificial intelligent, machine learning.

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Editorial

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11 pages, 816 KiB  
Editorial
Approaches, Advances, and Applications in the Sustainable Development of Smart Cities: A Commentary from the Guest Editors
by Tan Yigitcanlar, Hoon Han and Md. Kamruzzaman
Energies 2019, 12(23), 4554; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12234554 - 29 Nov 2019
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3936
Abstract
Environmental externalities of the Anthropocene—mainly generated from population growth, rapid urbanization, high private motor vehicle dependency, the deregulated market, mass livestock production, and excessive consumerism—have placed serious concerns for the future of natural ecosystems, which we are a part of. For instance, global [...] Read more.
Environmental externalities of the Anthropocene—mainly generated from population growth, rapid urbanization, high private motor vehicle dependency, the deregulated market, mass livestock production, and excessive consumerism—have placed serious concerns for the future of natural ecosystems, which we are a part of. For instance, global climate change—the biggest challenge we have ever faced—is directly impacting wellbeing, and even the existence of humankind, in the long run. During the last two decades, the notion of the smart city—particularly the sustainable development of smart cities—has become a popular topic not only for scholars, particularly in the fields of technology, science, urban and environmental planning, development, and management, but also for urban policymakers and professional practitioners. This was due to digital technologies becoming a powerful enabler in stimulating paradigmatic shifts in urban development-related visions, strategies, implementation, and learning. This paper offers a critical review of the key literature on the issues relating to approaches, advances, and applications in the sustainable development of smart cities. It also introduces contributions from the Special Issue, and speculates on the prospective research directions to place necessary mechanisms to secure a smart and sustainable urban future for all. Full article
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Research

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18 pages, 2104 KiB  
Article
The State of Smart Cities in China: The Case of Shenzhen
by Richard Hu
Energies 2019, 12(22), 4375; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12224375 - 17 Nov 2019
Cited by 47 | Viewed by 17884
Abstract
China is at the midpoint of its urbanisation—the largest scale in human history. The recent smart city movement is influencing the discourse and practice of China’s urbanisation, with numerous cities claiming to build smart cities and/or adopting some forms of smart city strategies [...] Read more.
China is at the midpoint of its urbanisation—the largest scale in human history. The recent smart city movement is influencing the discourse and practice of China’s urbanisation, with numerous cities claiming to build smart cities and/or adopting some forms of smart city strategies and initiatives. A so-called ‘latecomer’s advantage’ is being exploited to advance their pursuit for a smart city status, not only to catch up with overseas counterparts, but to overtake them and become international leaders. This local-level enthusiasm strikes a chord with the central government’s strategy of building an ‘innovative nation’ to drive its economic transformation towards a knowledge economy. This converging central-local interest is creating a ‘smart city mania’ across the nation, which, however, has not received due attention in the international literature, and thus deserves critical examination and reflection to inform policy debates. To address this gap, this study investigates the state of smart cities in China, based on a case study of Shenzhen, China’s fastest-growing, experimental city. Shenzhen grew from a fishing village into an international metropolis in 40 years, and has now won a nickname of ‘China’s Silicon Valley’ or ‘China’s smartest city’. This study analyses the state of Chinese smart cities and the pursuit for a smart Shenzhen from the perspectives of the smart city as a concept, as an urban development paradigm, and as an urban regime, drawing upon the international smart city literature. It concludes that a technology-centric approach to smart cities in China, as illustrated by the Shenzhen case, have advanced innovation capacity and economic growth through capitalising on a ‘latecomer’s advantage’. However, this ‘latecomer’s advantage’ may translate into a ‘latecomer’s disadvantage’ for this approach’s lack of institutional adaptation, and for its insufficient attention to social and environmental problems covered under the shiny economic boom. This latecomer’s disadvantage is likely to impact the long-term sustainability of Chinese cities. Full article
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27 pages, 54641 KiB  
Article
A Multi-Agent Social Gamification Model to Guide Sustainable Urban Photovoltaic Panels Installation Policies
by Robert Olszewski, Piotr Pałka, Agnieszka Wendland and Jacek Kamiński
Energies 2019, 12(15), 3019; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12153019 - 06 Aug 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3315
Abstract
The paper presents a holistic and quantitative model of social gamification in a smart city, which is likely to stimulate the photovoltaic panels installation. The coupling of multi-agent systems, GIS tools, demographic data, and a spatial knowledge base made it possible to develop [...] Read more.
The paper presents a holistic and quantitative model of social gamification in a smart city, which is likely to stimulate the photovoltaic panels installation. The coupling of multi-agent systems, GIS tools, demographic data, and a spatial knowledge base made it possible to develop and calibrate a computable model of social interaction in a “model smart city,” as well as to quantitatively evaluate the deployment of photovoltaic panels. It also enabled the analysis of factors affecting the efficiency of this process, e.g., the photovoltaic potential of solar roofs, the ownership of buildings, the type of building development, the level of social trust, institutional and social incentives, and the development of an information society. The devised model is tested on the city of Warsaw, utilizing spatial and descriptive data provided by city authorities. Full article
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21 pages, 1269 KiB  
Article
Economic Health-Aware LPV-MPC Based on System Reliability Assessment for Water Transport Network
by Fatemeh Karimi Pour, Vicenç Puig and Gabriela Cembrano
Energies 2019, 12(15), 3015; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12153015 - 05 Aug 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3171
Abstract
This paper proposes a health-aware control approach for drinking water transport networks. This approach is based on an economic model predictive control (MPC) that considers an additional goal with the aim of extending the components and system reliability. The components and system reliability [...] Read more.
This paper proposes a health-aware control approach for drinking water transport networks. This approach is based on an economic model predictive control (MPC) that considers an additional goal with the aim of extending the components and system reliability. The components and system reliability are incorporated into the MPC model using a Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) modeling approach. The MPC controller uses additionally an economic objective function that determines the optimal filling/emptying sequence of the tanks considering that electricity price varies between day and night and that the demand also follows a 24-h repetitive pattern. The proposed LPV-MPC control approach allows considering the model nonlinearities by embedding them in the parameters. The values of these varying parameters are updated at each iteration taking into account the new values of the scheduling variables. In this way, the optimization problem associated with the MPC problem is solved by means of Quadratic Programming (QP) to avoid the use of nonlinear programming. This iterative approach reduces the computational load compared to the solution of a nonlinear optimization problem. A case study based on the Barcelona water transport network is used for assessing the proposed approach performance. Full article
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38 pages, 8598 KiB  
Article
Systematic Integration of Energy-Optimal Buildings With District Networks
by Raluca Suciu, Paul Stadler, Ivan Kantor, Luc Girardin and François Maréchal
Energies 2019, 12(15), 2945; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12152945 - 31 Jul 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3023
Abstract
The residential sector accounts for a large share of worldwide energy consumption, yet is difficult to characterise, since consumption profiles depend on several factors from geographical location to individual building occupant behaviour. Given this difficulty, the fact that energy used in this sector [...] Read more.
The residential sector accounts for a large share of worldwide energy consumption, yet is difficult to characterise, since consumption profiles depend on several factors from geographical location to individual building occupant behaviour. Given this difficulty, the fact that energy used in this sector is primarily derived from fossil fuels and the latest energy policies around the world (e.g., Europe 20-20-20), a method able to systematically integrate multi-energy networks and low carbon resources in urban systems is clearly required. This work proposes such a method, which uses process integration techniques and mixed integer linear programming to optimise energy systems at both the individual building and district levels. Parametric optimisation is applied as a systematic way to generate interesting solutions for all budgets (i.e., investment cost limits) and two approaches to temporal data treatment are evaluated: monthly average and hourly typical day resolution. The city center of Geneva is used as a first case study to compare the time resolutions and results highlight that implicit peak shaving occurs when data are reduced to monthly averages. Consequently, solutions reveal lower operating costs and higher self-sufficiency scenarios compared to using a finer resolution but with similar relative cost contributions. Therefore, monthly resolution is used for the second case study, the whole canton of Geneva, in the interest of reducing the data processing and computation time as a primary objective of the study is to discover the main cost contributors. The canton is used as a case study to analyse the penetration of low temperature, CO2-based, advanced fourth generation district energy networks with population density. The results reveal that only areas with a piping cost lower than 21.5 k€/100 m2ERA connect to the low-temperature network in the intermediate scenarios, while all areas must connect to achieve the minimum operating cost result. Parallel coordinates are employed to better visualise the key performance indicators at canton and commune level together with the breakdown of energy (electricity and natural gas) imports/exports and investment cost to highlight the main contributors. Full article
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17 pages, 778 KiB  
Article
Modelling Interaction Decisions in Smart Cities: Why Do We Interact with Smart Media Displays?
by Hoon Han, Sang Ho Lee and Yountaik Leem
Energies 2019, 12(14), 2840; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12142840 - 23 Jul 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3898
Abstract
This study examined the personal characteristics and preferences of individuals that encourage interactions with smart media displays (media façades). Specifically, it aimed to determine which key aspects of a smart display “media façade” enhance intuitive interactions. A range of smart display technologies and [...] Read more.
This study examined the personal characteristics and preferences of individuals that encourage interactions with smart media displays (media façades). Specifically, it aimed to determine which key aspects of a smart display “media façade” enhance intuitive interactions. A range of smart display technologies and their effects on interaction decisions were considered. Data were drawn from a survey of 200 randomly sampled residents and/or visitors to a smart building, One Central Park, in Sydney, Australia. A binomial logistic regression analysis was undertaken to establish links between a range of design, perceptions and socio-demographic variables and individuals’ decisions to interact with a smart media display. The results showed that the aesthetics of an installation, the quality of an installation’s content and the safety of the operation-friendly environment significantly affected respondents’ decisions to interact with the media display. Interestingly, respondents born overseas were more likely to interact with a smart display than those born in Australia. Respondents who expressed a preference for photograph-based interactions were also more likely to interact with the display. Somewhat surprisingly, age, residency and levels of familiarity with digital technology did not significantly affect respondents’ decisions to interact with the display. Full article
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18 pages, 526 KiB  
Article
Digital Commons and Citizen Coproduction in Smart Cities: Assessment of Brazilian Municipal E-Government Platforms
by Maurício José Ribeiro Rotta, Denilson Sell, Roberto Carlos dos Santos Pacheco and Tan Yigitcanlar
Energies 2019, 12(14), 2813; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12142813 - 22 Jul 2019
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 5840
Abstract
Good governance practices through electronic government (eGov) platforms can be suitable instruments for strengthening the outcomes of smart city policies. While eGov is the application of information and communication technologies to public services, good governance defines how well public authorities manage public and [...] Read more.
Good governance practices through electronic government (eGov) platforms can be suitable instruments for strengthening the outcomes of smart city policies. While eGov is the application of information and communication technologies to public services, good governance defines how well public authorities manage public and social resources. Contemporary public management views, such as ‘new public service’, include citizen participation as a critical factor to sustainable government in smart cities. Public services, in the age of digital technology, need to not only be delivered through eGov platforms, but also need to be coproduced with the engagement of social players, e.g., citizens. In this sense, eGov platforms act as digital commons, and conceived as digital spaces, where citizens and public agents interact and collaborate. In this paper, we presented the Municipal eGov Platform Assessment Model (MEPA), which is a model specifically developed to evaluate eGov platforms regarding their potential to promote commons in smart cities. The study applied MEPA to 903 municipal websites across Brazil. The results revealed that the majority of investigated Brazilian eGov platforms have only a low level of digital commons maturity. This finding discloses less citizenship coproduction, and fewer opportunities for city smartness. As the MEPA model offers public authorities an instrument to depict weaknesses and strengths of municipal eGov platforms, its adoption provides an opportunity for authorities to plan and manage their platforms to act as promoters of digital commons and citizen coproduction. Full article
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24 pages, 7322 KiB  
Article
Determining Favourable and Unfavourable Thermal Areas in Seoul Using In-Situ Measurements: A Preliminary Step towards Developing a Smart City
by You Jin Kwon, Dong Kun Lee and Kiseung Lee
Energies 2019, 12(12), 2320; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12122320 - 17 Jun 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3219
Abstract
Urban heat island effects (UHIE) are becoming increasingly widespread, thus, there is an urgent need to address thermal comfort, which significantly influences the daily lives of people. In this study, a means of improving the thermal environment by spatial analysis of heat was [...] Read more.
Urban heat island effects (UHIE) are becoming increasingly widespread, thus, there is an urgent need to address thermal comfort, which significantly influences the daily lives of people. In this study, a means of improving the thermal environment by spatial analysis of heat was implemented to ensure basic thermal comfort in future smart cities. Using Seoul as the study site, the relationship between sensible heat and land cover type was used to identify heat islands in this city. Thereafter, k-means clustering was employed to extract unfavourable and favourable thermal areas. High sensible heat indicates locations where environmental heat needs to be mitigated. Sensible heat distribution data were used for spatial typification to formulate an effective land cover factor to mitigate the UHIE. In-situ net radiation data measured at six sites were utilised to confirm the spatial typification of the thermal environment. It was found that expanding the green space by 1% reduces the sensible heat by 4.9 W/m2. Further, the building coverage ratio and green coverage influence the sensible heat in compact residential areas. The study results can be used to establish spatial planning standards to improve the thermal environments of sustainable cities. Full article
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33 pages, 2213 KiB  
Article
Smart Cities in Turkey: Approaches, Advances and Applications with Greater Consideration for Future Urban Transport Development
by Can Bıyık
Energies 2019, 12(12), 2308; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12122308 - 17 Jun 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5067
Abstract
The smart city transport concept is viewed as a future vision aiming to undertake investigations on the urban planning process and to construct policy-pathways for achieving future targets. Therefore, this paper sets out three visions for the year 2035 which bring about a [...] Read more.
The smart city transport concept is viewed as a future vision aiming to undertake investigations on the urban planning process and to construct policy-pathways for achieving future targets. Therefore, this paper sets out three visions for the year 2035 which bring about a radical change in the level of green transport systems (often called walking, cycling, and public transport) in Turkish urban areas. A participatory visioning technique was structured according to a three-stage technique: (i) Extensive online comprehensive survey, in which potential transport measures were researched for their relevance in promoting smart transport systems in future Turkish urban areas; (ii) semi-structured interviews, where transport strategy suggestions were developed in the context of the possible imaginary urban areas and their associated contextual description of the imaginary urban areas for each vision; (iii) participatory workshops, where an innovative method was developed to explore various creative future choices and alternatives. Overall, this paper indicates that the content of the future smart transport visions was reasonable, but such visions need a considerable degree of consensus and radical approaches for tackling them. The findings offer invaluable insights to researchers inquiring about the smart transport field, and policy-makers considering applying those into practice in their local urban areas. Full article
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26 pages, 829 KiB  
Article
City Branding, Sustainable Urban Development and the Rentier State. How Do Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai Present Themselves in the Age of Post Oil and Global Warming?
by Martin De Jong, Thomas Hoppe and Negar Noori
Energies 2019, 12(9), 1657; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12091657 - 30 Apr 2019
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 10450
Abstract
In the past three decades Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai have realised a meteoric economic rise. Whereas the former two can be considered ‘rentier states’ heavily depending on oil (and gas) revenues, the latter only leans on oil for a mere 6% of [...] Read more.
In the past three decades Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai have realised a meteoric economic rise. Whereas the former two can be considered ‘rentier states’ heavily depending on oil (and gas) revenues, the latter only leans on oil for a mere 6% of its gross domestic product (GDP). Although the economic rise has brought considerable welfare, it has also led these emirates to attain the world’s highest per capita carbon footprint. To address this problem Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai seem to have formulated policies with regard to sustainable urbanisation and adopted strong branding strategies to promote them internally and externally. In this paper we examine which steps have been taken to substantiate their claims to sustainable urbanisation, in branding as well as in actions taken towards implementation. We find that all three have been very active in branding their sustainable urbanisation policies, through visions and policy frameworks as well as prestigious development projects, but that the former is substantially more impressive than the latter. Results also show there is a difference between Abu Dhabi and Qatar on the one hand, and Dubai on the other. Dubai has large number of small ‘free economic zones’, academic institutions for developing a knowledge economy, and smart and/or sustainable urban neighbourhoods, while Qatar and Abu Dhabi have a small number of very large ones. From the three, it is currently Dubai which has taken the lead in this development, largely completing its industrial transition with vast economic diversification and urban expansion. However, across the board this has had little effect on its ecological footprint. Full article
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Other

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31 pages, 5871 KiB  
Case Report
Aligning Urban Policy with Climate Action in the Global South: Are Brazilian Cities Considering Climate Emergency in Local Planning Practice?
by Debora Sotto, Arlindo Philippi, Jr., Tan Yigitcanlar and Md Kamruzzaman
Energies 2019, 12(18), 3418; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12183418 - 05 Sep 2019
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 5188
Abstract
Climate change is the biggest global threat of our time. As a signatory nation of the Paris Agreement, Brazil has made a climate action commitment, and expressed its nationally determined contribution to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 37%. The Brazilian population is [...] Read more.
Climate change is the biggest global threat of our time. As a signatory nation of the Paris Agreement, Brazil has made a climate action commitment, and expressed its nationally determined contribution to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 37%. The Brazilian population is highly urban, and Brazilian cities are mostly responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, and the worst effects of global warming are experienced in cities. Hence, the fulfillment of the Brazilian climate commitments depends on the active engagement of municipalities. Nevertheless, the Brazilian national government does not monitor local climate actions, and it is not clear how local urban policy is aligned with climate action. In order to bridge this gap, this study tackles the question of: “Are, and if yes how, cities considering the climate emergency in their local planning mechanisms?” This question is investigated by placing five major Brazilian cities under the microscope. The methodological approach includes literature review and applied qualitative analysis to scrutinize how climate issues and actions are factored in urban planning regulations to verify if and to what extent local policies contribute to the fulfillment of the Brazilian nationally determined contribution, and sustainable development goals. The results disclose that investigated cities have adequately incorporated climatic issues in their urban planning mechanisms. However, policy concentrates more on adaptation rather than mitigation, and policy implementation yet to be realized. Full article
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32 pages, 8330 KiB  
Case Report
Towards Smart Florianópolis: What Does It Take to Transform a Tourist Island into an Innovation Capital?
by Tan Yigitcanlar, Jamile Sabatini-Marques, Cibele Lorenzi, Nathalia Bernardinetti, Tatiana Schreiner, Ana Fachinelli and Tatiana Wittmann
Energies 2018, 11(12), 3265; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11123265 - 23 Nov 2018
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5109
Abstract
During the last several decades, the diversification of economic activities has become a paramount policy for nations and cities with heavy dependence on a single economic driver. Particularly island economies, relying mainly on tourism income, are among the most vulnerable ones to the [...] Read more.
During the last several decades, the diversification of economic activities has become a paramount policy for nations and cities with heavy dependence on a single economic driver. Particularly island economies, relying mainly on tourism income, are among the most vulnerable ones to the shocks of global financial crises. In the recent years, some of these tourist islands had attempts to diversify their economic activities by moving towards a knowledge and innovation economy. This paper places one of these islands—Florianópolis, the capital city of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina—under the microscope to address the question of ‘what it takes to transform a tourist island into an innovation capital’. In order to tackle this question, the study examines economic, social, spatial, and governance conditions and performances, along with the plans and processes of Florianópolis in moving towards an internationally recognized smart innovation island. The methodologic approach includes systematic review of the literature and qualitative analysis of the key development domains of Florianópolis through the lens of knowledge-based urban development. The results of this study provide insights into how to transform a resource-based economy into a knowledge-based one—by disclosing the transition journey of Florianópolis, including progress, challenges, and the new path creation processes. The findings are particularly useful for tourist islands that are aiming for an aspiring knowledge-based urban development and smart city transformation. Full article
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