Evaluating the Transition Towards Post-Carbon Cities:A Literature Review

To achieve the new European targets concerning CO2 emission reduction, the concept of a post-carbon city has been promoted, which is focused on low-energy and low-emission buildings provided with intelligent heating and cooling systems, electric and hybrid cars, and better public transport. This paradigm entails the inclusion of aspects not strictly related to energy exploitation but referring to environmental, social, and economic domains, such as improvement in local energy security, people’s opinion on different energy solutions, economic co-benefits for private users, environmental externalities, and so on. In this domain, it is of particular importance to provide the decision makers with evaluation tools able to consider the complexity of the impacts, thus leading to the choice of the most sustainable solutions. The paper aims to investigate the scientific literature in the context of evaluation frameworks for supporting decision problems related to the energy transition. The review is carried out through the scientific database SCOPUS. The analysis allows for systematizing the contributions according to the main families of evaluation methodologies, discussing to what extent they can be useful in real-world applications. The paper also proposes emerging trends and innovative research lines in the domain of energy planning and urban management. While the energy transition is an important trend, the analysis showed that few studies were conducted on the evaluation of projects, plans, and policies that aim to reach post-carbon targets. The scales of application refer mainly to global or national levels, while few studies have been developed at the district level. Life cycle thinking techniques, such as life cycle assessment and cost-benefit analysis, were widely used in this research field.


Introduction
The new paradigm of the post-carbon city is becoming increasingly developed [1]. This new concept of urban space has led to a significant reconsideration of the fossil fueldependent city system, which aims at defining a new model of the sustainable city [2]. The European Commission defines a post-carbon city as a city characterized by a lowcarbon system, where buildings are characterized by reduced energy consumption and limited production of climate-altering emissions, thanks to intelligent heating and cooling systems. Equally, the transport sector is influenced by this new concept through the use of electric and hybrid cars and a sustainable public transport system that makes cities less polluted. Taking into account all these challenges, the European Commission released a "Roadmap for moving to a competitive low-carbon economy in 2050", in which the way to achieve a low-carbon future is described [3]. The biggest challenges are the refurbishment of existing buildings because, in Europe, new buildings only comprise 1% of the total amount of building stocks and the expansion of new measures and interventions at the district and municipal level. Furthermore, since the percentage of the global population

Research Methodology
As previously mentioned, the purpose of this paper is to develop a bibliography analysis of literature regarding the context of energy transition and post-carbon vision, focusing in particular on decision-making processes and the role of evaluation tools. The aim is to highlight the more recent trends and key topics relevant to this issue, and obtain a current view of decision tools for supporting a sustainable economy and development. This overview can be useful as a guide for future research activities and for proving the central role that evaluation methods can play in this field of interest. The literature's bibliography analysis was conducted using the SCOPUS database, one of the most well-known and reliable online bibliography collection platforms. The analysis and all the data collected for the drafting of this paper are part of the period from May 2020 to October 2020. A multistep approach was used in this research. Figure 1 shows the framework of the literature review performed in this research. The first step was selecting the keywords to use in the SCOPUS search. Specifically, given the large number of documents on the energy topic on SCOPUS, the analysis was conducted on three different and increasingly specific levels, adding keywords to the basic ones chosen to refine the research carried out. For the first Sustainability 2021, 13, 567 4 of 28 phase of the search, the most general one, it was decided to use the following keywords: ("evaluation" OR "valuation" OR "assessment") AND ("energy transition" OR "post-carbon"). A total of 14,443 documents were found with an "all fields" search, while 699 documents were found by limiting the search to title, abstract, and keywords. The second phase of the research aimed at limiting the analysis to the territorial scale to which the documents found refer, and subsequently to the sector. For this purpose, specific keywords were added that focus on the scale of the application. The keywords used are the following: • (("evaluation" OR "valuation" OR "assessment") AND ("energy transition" OR "postcarbon") AND ("global")) = 139 Documents; • (("evaluation" OR "valuation" OR "assessment") AND ("energy transition" OR "postcarbon") AND ("national")) = 91 Documents; • (("evaluation" OR "valuation" OR "assessment") AND ("energy transition" OR "postcarbon") AND ("regional")) = 63 Documents; • (("evaluation" OR "valuation" OR "assessment") AND ("energy transition" OR "postcarbon") AND ("urban")) = 63 Documents; • (("evaluation" OR "valuation" OR "assessment") AND ("energy transition" OR "postcarbon") AND ("district")) = 23 Documents.
For both searches in this second phase, the analysis was carried out considering only the results by title, abstract, and keywords. In the third phase of the analysis-the most interesting for the research-other keywords were added with the precise purpose of focusing on evaluation methods and approaches to identify, thanks to the analysis of the literature, what are the trends and use of these methods in the topic of energy. The new keywords used were partly suggested by SCOPUS as search filters, while others were manually entered into the database. The words that appeared as suggestions in the filters are the following: "Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)" (28 document results); "Cost-Benefit Analysis" (22 document results); "Sensitivity Analysis" (16 document results); "Environmental Impact Assessment" (14 document results); "Monte Carlo Methods" (13 document results).
Those keywords were added to the string of keywords used in the first analysis phase. In the next paragraphs, these three phases will be named, respectively, Group A, Group B, and Group C. For each group, different analyses were conducted, which are titled historical production analysis, country productivity analysis, and subject area analysis. The first type of analysis (historical production) allows the comprehension of the productivity of the literature relating to these themes in the time frame indexed in SCOPUS. In this way, it is possible to understand the overall trend of the selected sample. The second analysis Sustainability 2021, 13, 567 5 of 28 (country productivity) shows how many documents published by the different countries were produced in the period indexed in SCOPUS, according to the authors' affiliation city. The third analysis (subject area) provides an overview of the sectors dealing with the issue of the energy transition and post-carbon issue. In addition, a cross-sectional comparison of the selected keywords for each group was provided to understand the relevance of specific words, approaches, and methods in this field. In particular, this comparison can support the identification of the gaps in literature production and of the most consolidated fields of research.

1.Historical production analysis
Documents overall trend

2.Country productivity analysis
Authors' affiliation

3.Subject area analysis
Application sectors overview

Review aim statement
Analysing existing literature about decision-making processes and evaluation tools regarding the context of energy transition and post-carbon vision.
Reference database SCOPUS (journals, conference proceedings, books, book chapters, reports)

Results
Identification of the gaps in literature production and the most consolidated fields of research.

Research method
Review structure Analysis Outcome Figure 1. Literature review framework.

Group A: Analysis about Search Fields
The first analysis conducted on the topic of energy and post-carbon transition shows a large number of documents; 14,443 considering all with an "all fields" search, and 699 by limiting the search to title, abstract, and keywords. Historical production started in 1957, but only in the 1980s is the number of indexed documents over 10 per year. The intensive Sustainability 2021, 13, 567 6 of 28 production of literature about the energy transition and post-carbon issue began after the 2000s. From 2000 to 2020, the number of documents is 14,138, equal to 97% of the entire literature production. In particular, in the last 10 years, the number documents published is 13,359, which is 92% of the total. The second analysis, which focused on the research on title, abstract, and keywords (TITLE-ABS-KEY), shows similar results to the historical production. Additionally, in this case, the first document indexed in SCOPUS dates back to 1957, but only in 2005 is there a slight increase in production. From 2010 to 2020, the literature production increases significantly, with a total of 650 documents, equal to 93% of the entire production. Figure 2 reports the historical production of the literature for the research in "all fields" and limited to title, abstract, and keywords.

Group A: Analysis about Search Fields
The first analysis conducted on the topic of energy and post-carbon transition shows a large number of documents; 14,443 considering all with an "all fields" search, and 699 by limiting the search to title, abstract, and keywords. Historical production started in 1957, but only in the 1980s is the number of indexed documents over 10 per year. The intensive production of literature about the energy transition and post-carbon issue began after the 2000s. From 2000 to 2020, the number of documents is 14,138, equal to 97% of the entire literature production. In particular, in the last 10 years, the number documents published is 13,359, which is 92% of the total. The second analysis, which focused on the research on title, abstract, and keywords (TITLE-ABS-KEY), shows similar results to the historical production. Additionally, in this case, the first document indexed in SCOPUS dates back to 1957, but only in 2005 is there a slight increase in production. From 2010 to 2020, the literature production increases significantly, with a total of 650 documents, equal to 93% of the entire production. Figure 2 reports the historical production of the literature for the research in "all fields" and limited to title, abstract, and keywords. The examination of the subject areas performed by SCOPUS is reported in Figure 3 and Figure 4, and shows how many sectors deal with the topic of energy transition and post-carbon, including from energy to engineering, and from chemistry to mathematics, for a total of 27 subjects. Figure 3 shows the analysis of the 14,443 documents found on SCOPUS, and the main subjects involved in this topic are energy, environmental science, social science, and engineering. These four subjects alone account for 63% of the entire literature production. The examination of the subject areas performed by SCOPUS is reported in Figures 3 and 4, and shows how many sectors deal with the topic of energy transition and post-carbon, including from energy to engineering, and from chemistry to mathematics, for a total of 27 subjects. Figure 3 shows the analysis of the 14,443 documents found on SCOPUS, and the main subjects involved in this topic are energy, environmental science, social science, and engineering. These four subjects alone account for 63% of the entire literature production.
In the same way, Figure 4 shows the analysis of sectors that have included this topic, taking into consideration only the 699 documents found by limiting to title, abstract, and keywords. In this case, energy, environmental science, and engineering represent the subjects with the largest number of documents. Social science is only equal to 9.4% of the total.
Comparing the weights of the two keywords energy transition and post-carbon, which are the keystones of this literature review, it can be seen that of the 699 documents found in SCOPUS, only 24 documents are related to the post-carbon keyword. Figures 5-8 show the results of the analysis of the comparison between the energy transition and post-carbon keywords. The largest proportion of documents related to energy transition was written in 2020 (172 documents). For the energy transition keyword, the production of literature has increased significantly in the last four years ( Figure 5). While the contributions that use the post-carbon keyword record a constant trend, the production starts in 2005 to present, with a narrow difference throughout these fifteen years ( Figure 6). Most of the documents Sustainability 2021, 13, 567 7 of 28 with the energy transition keyword were involved in the fields of energy, environmental science, and engineering ( Figure 7). The sector that used the post-carbon keyword the most is environmental science (Figure 8). In the same way, Figure 4 shows the analysis of sectors that have included this topic, taking into consideration only the 699 documents found by limiting to title, abstract, and keywords. In this case, energy, environmental science, and engineering represent the subjects with the largest number of documents. Social science is only equal to 9.4% of the total.   In the same way, Figure 4 shows the analysis of sectors that have included this topic, taking into consideration only the 699 documents found by limiting to title, abstract, and keywords. In this case, energy, environmental science, and engineering represent the subjects with the largest number of documents. Social science is only equal to 9.4% of the total.  2020 (172 documents). For the energy transition keyword, the production of literature has increased significantly in the last four years ( Figure 5). While the contributions that use the post-carbon keyword record a constant trend, the production starts in 2005 to present, with a narrow difference throughout these fifteen years ( Figure 6). Most of the documents with the energy transition keyword were involved in the fields of energy, environmental science, and engineering ( Figure 7). The sector that used the post-carbon keyword the most is environmental science (Figure 8).    . Historical production of literature using "post-carbon" keyword in research, limited to title, abstract, and keywords.

Figure 7.
Subject area analysis for articles that used "energy transition" as a keyword. Figure 7. Subject area analysis for articles that used "energy transition" as a keyword.
Sustainability 2021, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 10 of 32 Figure 8. Subject area analysis for articles which used "post-carbon" as a keyword.

Group B: Energy Transition and Post-carbon View at Territorial Scale and in Sector of Application
The second phase of analysis focused on the territorial scale in which the documents are inserted. The searches were conducted by limiting the research to title, abstract, and keywords. In particular, five searches were performed, each one using a specific keyword that identifies a particular scale. The keywords used are the following: global, national, regional, urban, district. The results show that the global keyword has the largest number of documents (139 documents). Twenty-three documents are related to the district keyword which addresses the issue on a smaller and less used territorial scale. The historical production for the national keyword has been extensive since the 1970s. For the district keyword,

Group B: Energy Transition and Post-Carbon View at Territorial Scale and in Sector of Application
The second phase of analysis focused on the territorial scale in which the documents are inserted. The searches were conducted by limiting the research to title, abstract, and keywords. In particular, five searches were performed, each one using a specific keyword that identifies a particular scale. The keywords used are the following: global, national, regional, urban, district. The results show that the global keyword has the largest number of documents (139 documents). Twenty-three documents are related to the district keyword which addresses the issue on a smaller and less used territorial scale. The historical production for the national keyword has been extensive since the 1970s. For the district keyword, instead, the first documents date back to 2015, with a slight increase in recent years. In each case, about 90% of documents relating to the different scales were written after 2015. Figure 9 reports the historical trends of literature for the different territorial analyses considered in this study. Finally, as regards country productivity analysis, it is clear that the most of the documents were written in Germany. However, some slight differences can be observed between different countries. For example, with regard to the global territorial scale, the main producing countries are Germany and the United States, with 35 and 21 documents, respectively. On the national territorial scale, the UK is more productive than the United States. It is interesting to note that Italy is, together with Switzerland, the country with the highest production of documents linked to the urban territorial scale. At the same time, Italy and Germany are the countries with the greatest interest in writing documents about the district scale in the field of the energy transition and post-carbon issue. Figure 10 shows the number of publications produced by each country. Those with a lower incidence due to few publications are considered as "Others". Finally, as regards country productivity analysis, it is clear that the most of the documents were written in Germany. However, some slight differences can be observed between different countries. For example, with regard to the global territorial scale, the main producing countries are Germany and the United States, with 35 and 21 documents, respectively. On the national territorial scale, the UK is more productive than the United States. It is interesting to note that Italy is, together with Switzerland, the country with the highest production of documents linked to the urban territorial scale. At the same time, Italy and Germany are the countries with the greatest interest in writing documents about the district scale in the field of the energy transition and post-carbon issue. Figure 10 shows the number of publications produced by each country. Those with a lower incidence due to few publications are considered as "Others".
As mentioned above, most of the documents that include the district keyword were written in Germany, Italy, and Spain since 2015. The main subjects of those 23 documents are energy, environmental science, and engineering. Furthermore, taking into consideration the analysis of documents for affiliations carried out by SCOPUS, the results conclude that the Politecnico di Torino is the institution with the highest number of affiliations, followed by the Technical University of Munich [41]. Figure 11 shows the result of the analysis on authors' affiliations performed by SCOPUS. Sustainability 2021, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 12 of 32 As mentioned above, most of the documents that include the district keyword were written in Germany, Italy, and Spain since 2015. The main subjects of those 23 documents are energy, environmental science, and engineering. Furthermore, taking into consideration the analysis of documents for affiliations carried out by SCOPUS, the results conclude that the Politecnico di Torino is the institution with the highest number of affiliations, followed by the Technical University of Munich [41]. Figure 11 shows the result of the analysis on authors' affiliations performed by SCOPUS.   As mentioned above, most of the documents that include the district keyword were written in Germany, Italy, and Spain since 2015. The main subjects of those 23 documents are energy, environmental science, and engineering. Furthermore, taking into consideration the analysis of documents for affiliations carried out by SCOPUS, the results conclude that the Politecnico di Torino is the institution with the highest number of affiliations, followed by the Technical University of Munich [41]. Figure 11 shows the result of the analysis on authors' affiliations performed by SCOPUS.  The second search conducted in Group B narrows the analysis of the first group of documents found (699) based on the sector to which they refer. Specifically, three searches were carried out: one for the building sector, one for the infrastructure sector, and the last one, more generally, for the city environment. The results show that 86 documents deal with the building sector, 56 documents with city/cities, and 52 with the infrastructure sector.

Group C: Evaluation Approach and New Trends in Energy Transition and Post-Carbon View
The purpose of the third analysis-the most interesting for this literature review-is to focus on evaluation approaches, operational research, and new trends emerging about this topic. The search starts from the primary analysis (Group A). New keywords were introduced each time in each search, and in some cases derived from filter keywords suggested by SCOPUS in the primary search. Interestingly, words like life cycle assessment (LCA) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA) are among the first keywords suggested by SCOPUS. Other keywords are defined according to the authors' disciplinary field, to verify the possible gaps present in the literature production and highlight the importance of the specific approach and evaluation methods in the field of energy and post-carbon transition.
The results show different situations, as can be seen in Figure 12 and Table A1 in Appendix A. Discount cash flow (DCF) is absent in the literature production on this topic. On the contrary, LCA is the most used approach for the energy transition and post-carbon issue (28 documents). Another relevant result is given by the adoption of CBA (21 documents). Sensitivity analysis, environmental impact assessment, Monte Carlo methods, MCDA, GIS, and quantitative analysis have approximately the same number of documents, with more than 13 documents each. A greater number of documents with LCA and CBA could be explained by the relation that these methods have with the themes of the energy transition, what benefits come from the use of renewable sources, and the possibility to monitor and reuse each thing done with this type of energy approach [42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50]. Furthermore, LCA and CBA are manual-based analyses mostly used in practice to validate the economic feasibility of a large-scale project [8,51]. The absence of documents related to DCF can be partially explained by its use as an ex-ante approach to calculate the feasibility of new constructions or interventions, and is therefore more connected with the economic area.
The second search conducted in Group B narrows the analysis of the first group of documents found (699) based on the sector to which they refer. Specifically, three searches were carried out: one for the building sector, one for the infrastructure sector, and the last one, more generally, for the city environment. The results show that 86 documents deal with the building sector, 56 documents with city/cities, and 52 with the infrastructure sector.

Group C: Evaluation Approach and New Trends in Energy Transition and Post-carbon View
The purpose of the third analysis-the most interesting for this literature review-is to focus on evaluation approaches, operational research, and new trends emerging about this topic. The search starts from the primary analysis (Group A). New keywords were introduced each time in each search, and in some cases derived from filter keywords suggested by SCOPUS in the primary search. Interestingly, words like life cycle assessment (LCA) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA) are among the first keywords suggested by SCO-PUS. Other keywords are defined according to the authors' disciplinary field, to verify the possible gaps present in the literature production and highlight the importance of the specific approach and evaluation methods in the field of energy and post-carbon transition.
The results show different situations, as can be seen in Figure 12 and Table A1 in Appendix A. Discount cash flow (DCF) is absent in the literature production on this topic. On the contrary, LCA is the most used approach for the energy transition and post-carbon issue (28 documents). Another relevant result is given by the adoption of CBA (21 documents). Sensitivity analysis, environmental impact assessment, Monte Carlo methods, MCDA, GIS, and quantitative analysis have approximately the same number of documents, with more than 13 documents each. A greater number of documents with LCA and CBA could be explained by the relation that these methods have with the themes of the energy transition, what benefits come from the use of renewable sources, and the possibility to monitor and reuse each thing done with this type of energy approach [42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50]. Furthermore, LCA and CBA are manual-based analyses mostly used in practice to validate the economic feasibility of a large-scale project [8,51]. The absence of documents related to DCF can be partially explained by its use as an ex-ante approach to calculate the feasibility of new constructions or interventions, and is therefore more connected with the economic area. Generally, the historical production in the context of evaluation approaches and methods to support the issue of energy transition and post-carbon target starts around 2005. In Generally, the historical production in the context of evaluation approaches and methods to support the issue of energy transition and post-carbon target starts around 2005. In the last three years, the intensive production of documents begins, as it is possible to see in Figure 13. Most methods and approaches were involved in the energy sector only in recent years, but there are some exceptions. GIS and neural networks are the first two methods to appear in the articles between 2005 and 2006. However, these evaluation methods reappeared in the searches only in 2014, slightly increasing their presence in documents. Anyway, the increase in these evaluation methods within the documents only in recent years is caused by the modernity of the theme of the energy transition, but also because the evaluation methods are recent and not yet consolidated. As might be expected, the results of the subject area analysis show an important production in the fields of energy, environmental science, and engineering in general for all evaluation approaches considered, as can be seen in Figure 14. It is interesting to notice that GIS and environmental impact assessment have the largest number of documents associated with social science, with seven and six documents, respectively. the last three years, the intensive production of documents begins, as it is possible to see in Figure 13. Most methods and approaches were involved in the energy sector only in recent years, but there are some exceptions. GIS and neural networks are the first two methods to appear in the articles between 2005 and 2006. However, these evaluation methods reappeared in the searches only in 2014, slightly increasing their presence in documents. Anyway, the increase in these evaluation methods within the documents only in recent years is caused by the modernity of the theme of the energy transition, but also because the evaluation methods are recent and not yet consolidated. As might be expected, the results of the subject area analysis show an important production in the fields of energy, environmental science, and engineering in general for all evaluation approaches considered, as can be seen in Figure 14. It is interesting to notice that GIS and environmental impact assessment have the largest number of documents associated with social science, with seven and six documents, respectively.   the last three years, the intensive production of documents begins, as it is possible to see in Figure 13. Most methods and approaches were involved in the energy sector only in recent years, but there are some exceptions. GIS and neural networks are the first two methods to appear in the articles between 2005 and 2006. However, these evaluation methods reappeared in the searches only in 2014, slightly increasing their presence in documents. Anyway, the increase in these evaluation methods within the documents only in recent years is caused by the modernity of the theme of the energy transition, but also because the evaluation methods are recent and not yet consolidated. As might be expected, the results of the subject area analysis show an important production in the fields of energy, environmental science, and engineering in general for all evaluation approaches considered, as can be seen in Figure 14. It is interesting to notice that GIS and environmental impact assessment have the largest number of documents associated with social science, with seven and six documents, respectively.

Conclusions and Future Implications
The present paper allowed us to understand the recent trends and the main issues related to the theme of energy transition and post-carbon targets. The energy transition and post-carbon view are currently the main trends because they are closely linked to the concept of sustainable development and the life cycle of products. This relationship is also reflected in the recent number of documents adopting LCA and CBA approaches. The application of these two techniques by the academic literature in the energy sector is due to the fact that they represent the tools recognized at the European level in terms of project evaluation for all member states, regulated by standards capable of guaranteeing absolute transparency in the selection of projects to be carried out. In these documents, the topics range from the chemical to the food industry, and from the use of non-renewable resources to new renewable energy models, evaluating the realization costs and benefits brought about by some changes in the production methods.
Another aspect that emerges from this review is the growing interest in the field of energy transition and the natural environment to be preserved, with particular attention paid to the benefits and advantages for the development of society and future generations. These aspects are in fact in line with the aims suggested by the Sustainable Development Goals defined by the United Nations. In this context, life cycle analyses let to consider all the positive and negative impacts generated by a project, allowing us to obtain an overview of the performances and calculate the net benefit for society, and guarantee the achievement of economic and environmental sustainability goals.
It is clear that the interest in this topic involves all the world and will have positive repercussions on the environment on a planetary scale. From the territorial-scale analysis, the interest of different countries to study the impact of energy transition in a global vision is highlighted. The number of documents related to a global scale is greater with respect to the other territorial scales taken into consideration. Nevertheless, the interest in the district scale is deepened in different countries. The idea to operate on a small scale could probably guarantee the application of the post-carbon vision. Creating and making small areas of cities self-sufficient from an energy point of view, with a proactive character regarding the principles of eco-sustainability, are certainly easier. This is the beginning of a necessary change, which allows us to preserve natural resources and ensure a better quality of life for future generations.
It was interesting to discover that Italy, among the various European countries, is more interested in working and developing research on an urban and district scale, studying realistic solutions for cities and promoting their development with the purpose of guaranteeing the best quality of life. As previously mentioned, the Politecnico di Torino is the university with the majority of published documents and a high interest in developing studies in this field.
This preliminary search on SCOPUS has highlighted in recent years an increase in documents on this sector. Particularly interesting was the comparison between historical and country production and the subject areas, as well as the evaluation approaches and methods, to guide and understand the development of new trends in the research and which topics could be explored in the future.
The research provides a comprehensive view of the state of the art, which is useful for guiding future research and demonstrating the role of some evaluation approaches and methods in this field. At the same time, the research certainly shows some limitations. First of all, the analysis was conducted using a single database, even though SCOPUS is one of the most recognized and reliable bibliometric databases. Secondly, the search was implemented in a general way, because there is no in-depth analysis on individual documents, and the search, specifically, in the second and third stages, is limited to title, abstract, and keywords. Thirdly, the analyzed topic is very recent and there are not many applications of the evaluation methods in this area, so there are few documents to conduct an exhaustive analysis. Future investigations could consider the possibility of analyzing the individual documents in a more advanced way, to better understand the role and potentials of the single approach and methods applied in the view of energy changes. Since COP21, with the adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate, and the new objectives set by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), an increasing number of cities have committed themselves to concretely combat climate change and to pursue the common goal of carbon neutrality. The C40 cities established that the neutral city must also take into consideration the urban sectors relevant to green spaces, waste, and water, and not only energy, mobility, and buildings, with the general objective of promoting sustainable development and ensuring green growth. In this comprehensive perspective, every single part of the city becomes a potential field of the experiment for new zerocarbon technologies. This vision involves a certain complexity in the definition of decisions. Multi-step evaluation procedures that investigate the economic, environmental, and social performance of city transition operations are necessary to define the milestones for actions in priority areas and create an organizational framework. Furthermore, hybrid models that facilitate dialogue between the different stakeholders involved can help define a decision-making process that is inclusive from a social point of view and sustainable from an economic and environmental point of view. In the future, it will be interesting to understand how the academic sector, researchers and scholars respond to the new rules that will emerge from these new models of sustainable cities and support public and private DMs.

Conflicts of Interest:
The authors declare no conflict of interest. Table A1. Summary collection of studies by type of evaluation applied (Group C).

Authors Years Source Title Evaluation Method Objective and Application Context
Barnes et al. [  Input-output and trend-based energy cost study in Germany and EU