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Smart Cities
Special Issues
Energy and the City of the Future
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Energy and the City of the Future

A special issue of Smart Cities (ISSN 2624-6511).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2022) | Viewed by 7990

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jean-Michel Nunzi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy, Queens University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Interests: developing tools and techniques for sustainable development; affordable and clean energy; climate action; sustainable cities and communities
Prof. Dr. Mohammed El Ganaoui

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institut Universitaire de Technologie de Longwy, Université de Lorraine 186 rue de Lorraine, 54400 Cosnes et Romain, France
Interests: energy and processes; energetics; mechanics; wood construction
Prof. Dr. Mohamed El Jouad

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Engineering Sciences for Energy, National School of Applied Sciences of El Jadida, Chouaib-Doukkali University, El Jadida 2400, Morocco
Interests: materials for energy and energy efficiency

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

How could one not have the city of tomorrow in one's mind in this period in particular, which has faced several unprecedented episodes.

IPCC reports are providing increasing evidence regarding the urgency of the climate situation, which is materializing beyond scientific experience and our evolving sensors. Animals, with their sensitive sensors, have already perceived certain changes in advance of mankind. Man is able, today, to perceive abnormal changes in relation to a reduced life cycle, which underlines how close the danger has become.

The recent pandemic, which has affected the whole planet, has forced ordinary citizens to consider the future of Life “VIE” and the City “VILLE”. Reversed migrations from the city to the countryside, for example, have been observed following the progressive and repetitive confinements in different countries. On the other hand, the current crisis in Russia/Ukraine constitutes a major shock for the energy sector. Despite short-term difficulties, this crisis seems to be an opportunity in the fight against climate change due to increased incentives for countries to diversify their energy mix in the medium and long term. Oil and gas exports have not yet been greatly affected, but the crisis could accelerate the global transition to greener energy sources, provided that the potentially adverse short-term effects are properly measured and taken into account in state policies. The time is therefore right to enforce long-term policies with immediate action.

In this context, this issue of energy and the city of the future, already topical, has been legitimized by decision-makers, as well as modern-day thinkers. Previous editions have formed serious scientific foundations around the world. Submissions on the following topics are particularly welcome:

  • Cities and buildings of the future: smart cities, green cities, sustainable cities, net buildings, positive energy buildings, Building 4.0, advanced materials and technologies.
  • Energy and management: renewable energy, energetic mix, smart grids, innovative materials, energy production and storage, optimization and management, advanced charging technologies.
  • Transport and mobility: electric mobility, shared transport, car-pooling, car-sharing, shared parking, transport regulation, smart logistics, reverse logistics, multimodal logistics.
  • Factories of the Future: Industry 4.0, robotics and mechatronics in manufacturing, digital technologies and networked factories, data security, liability and integrity, smart manufacturing, SM-IoT, high-performance computing and simulation,
  • Waste management: waste valorization, waste to energy, recycling processes, treatment processes, waste sorting, waste collection routing problems, policies and strategies, advanced technologies.
  • E-Health: e-care, e-health technologies, mobile health, telehealth, telemedicine, engineering in medicine, healthcare, social robotics.
  • Cultural Infrastructure: cultural and historical heritage in the smart city, art in the smart city, touristic development, heritage restoration, restoration technologies.
  • Water management: IT solutions to facilitate the management of water networks.

Prof. Dr. Jean-Michel Nunzi
Prof. Dr. Mohammed El Ganaoui
Prof. Dr. Mohamed El Jouad
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. Smart Cities 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 2000 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

  • energy
  • the city of the future
  • transport
  • Industry 4.0

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 5303 KiB  
Article
Stormwater Sewerage Masterplan for Flood Control Applied to a University Campus
by Bethy Merchán-Sanmartín, Paúl Carrión-Mero, Sebastián Suárez-Zamora, Maribel Aguilar-Aguilar, Omar Cruz-Cabrera, Katherine Hidalgo-Calva and Fernando Morante-Carballo
Smart Cities 2023, 6(3), 1279-1302; https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities6030062 - 09 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2225
Abstract
Floods generated by rain cause significant economic and human losses. The campus of the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) has a drainage system that conducts stormwater to two discharge points outside the campus. The system works effectively at the macro-drainage level. However, [...] Read more.
Floods generated by rain cause significant economic and human losses. The campus of the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) has a drainage system that conducts stormwater to two discharge points outside the campus. The system works effectively at the macro-drainage level. However, a very crowded area is deficient at the micro-drainage level, which has registered flooding and the proliferation of vectors that affect people’s health. This work aimed to design a masterplan for stormwater sewerage by analyzing the existing situation and applying technical criteria that allow the establishment of solutions and strategies to control floods at the university campus. The methodology consisted of: (i) data collection and processing for the stormwater drainage system diagnosis; (ii) a design proposal for micro-drainage and (iii) a SWOT analysis to propose improvement strategies in water management. The resulting flows for return periods of 5 years, 10 years, and 25 years are 9.67 m3/s, 11.85 m3/s, and 15.85 m3/s, respectively. In the latter, as the most critical area (presence of flooding), the implementation of a trapezoidal channel 80.20 m long, with a capacity of 1.00 m3/s, for a return period of 25 years was proposed. The stormwater masterplan will contribute to the execution of activities within the campus and prevent accidents and the proliferation of diseases, constituting a water-management model that can be replicated locally, regionally, and internationally. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy and the City of the Future)
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12 pages, 2210 KiB  
Article
Mechanical, Structural, and Environmental Properties of Building Cements from Valorized Sewage Sludges
by Rkia Zari, Abderrazzak Graich, Karima Abdelouahdi, Mohamed Monkade, Abdelaziz Laghzizil and Jean-Michel Nunzi
Smart Cities 2023, 6(3), 1227-1238; https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities6030059 - 29 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1537
Abstract
Building materials can enable the recycling of sewage sludge from tannery wastewater treatment by infiltration/percolation over coal and clay waste. The process avoids energy-intensive operations and yields a stable and environmentally friendly product. The sludge under study is mainly composed of SiO2 [...] Read more.
Building materials can enable the recycling of sewage sludge from tannery wastewater treatment by infiltration/percolation over coal and clay waste. The process avoids energy-intensive operations and yields a stable and environmentally friendly product. The sludge under study is mainly composed of SiO2, CaO, Al2O3, and Fe2O3, which is convenient to replace the mortar in cement. Different mortars were made by substituting a variable amount of sludge, from 0 to 30%, into the standard cement. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the mortar specimens were characterized after curing for 7 days and 28 days. The best properties were obtained with 15% sludge. Above 15%, the strength decreases at an early stage, as confirmed by SEM and XRD analysis, with more voids and ettringites at larger sludge content. The leaching tests of the mortar confirm that the cumulative values of heavy metals are far below the Deutsch regulatory limits (NEN 7043), justifying retention of the metals in the matrix. Radiological assessment of the sludge mortars also confirms their safety with the values of naturally occurring radioactive materials, surface radon exhalation and annual effective dose far below the required limits. The study suggests that 15% sludge can be used to sustainably replace cement and meet building safety requirement standards. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy and the City of the Future)
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Review

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21 pages, 11078 KiB  
Review
Thermal Comfort and Energy Efficiency: Challenges, Barriers, and Step towards Sustainability
by Iasmin Lourenço Niza, Inaiele Mendes da Luz, Ana Maria Bueno and Evandro Eduardo Broday
Smart Cities 2022, 5(4), 1721-1741; https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities5040086 - 30 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3741
Abstract
With the increasing number of people living in cities, the demand for energy in office buildings and homes is constantly increasing; thus, smart buildings were created to provide users with better comfort conditions. However, using artificial systems becomes an unsustainable alternative for these [...] Read more.
With the increasing number of people living in cities, the demand for energy in office buildings and homes is constantly increasing; thus, smart buildings were created to provide users with better comfort conditions. However, using artificial systems becomes an unsustainable alternative for these environments. This research conducted a literature review of studies published in Scopus and Web of Science between 1970 and 2022 to identify studies that contained strategies to promote thermal comfort and energy efficiency in buildings, as well as the main challenges and barriers to sustainability. A total of 9195 articles related to the topic were identified, and after applying the defined criteria, 105 were included in this review. Three research questions were investigated, and the main findings of this research are: (i) it is more difficult to assess thermal comfort and thermal sensation than energy efficiency; (ii) to promote a thermally comfortable environment, it is necessary to consider numerous aspects to reduce environmental impacts and energy consumption and to increase sustainability; (iii) actual thermal conditions are influenced by factors such as energy levels, climate, setpoint types, building type, size and orientation, and economic factors, among others; (iv) new technologies found in smart buildings showed distinct performances according to the climates of each region, and their evaluations can cover thermal comfort, energy savings, and payback time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy and the City of the Future)
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