Evolutionary Computation and Artificial Intelligence: Building a Sustainable Future for Smart Cities

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid urbanization and increasing complexity of modern cities have created unprecedented challenges in resource management, infrastructure optimization, and environmental sustainability. As cities strive to become smarter and more sustainable, the integration of evolutionary computation and artificial intelligence (AI) offers transformative potential. Evolutionary computation, with its ability to solve complex optimization problems, and AI, with its capacity for data-driven decision-making, are poised to revolutionize urban planning, energy management, and environmental monitoring. This Special Issue, titled "Evolutionary Computation and Artificial Intelligence: Building a Sustainable Future for Smart Cities", aims to explore the synergies between these technologies and their applications in addressing the multifaceted challenges of smart city development.

This Special Issue seeks to compile state-of-the-art research that examines the role of evolutionary computation and AI in advancing smart city initiatives. We invite contributions that investigate the economic, technological, and social dimensions of these technologies, with a focus on their potential to enhance urban sustainability, efficiency, and resilience. By fostering interdisciplinary dialog, this issue aims to inform strategies for sustainable urban development and contribute to the broader discourse on the future of smart cities.

We invite submissions of empirical, theoretical, and review papers on topics that include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Evolutionary Computation for Urban Optimization: Applications of evolutionary algorithms in optimizing urban infrastructure, resource allocation, and transportation systems;
• AI-Driven Smart City Solutions: The role of AI in enhancing urban services, such as energy management, waste reduction, and public safety;
• Integration of IoT and 6G Technologies: Exploring how IoT and 6G communication technologies can synergize with evolutionary computation and AI to enable real-time urban monitoring and decision-making;
• Sustainable Energy Systems: The use of evolutionary computation and AI in optimizing renewable energy integration, energy storage, and grid management in smart cities;
• Environmental Monitoring and Resilience: Applications of AI and evolutionary computation in predicting and mitigating environmental risks, such as air pollution and climate change impacts;
• Policy and Governance for Smart Cities: Analyses of policy frameworks that support the adoption of evolutionary computation and AI in urban planning and management;
• Social and Economic Impacts: Investigating how AI and evolutionary computation can promote social equity, economic growth, and community well-being in smart cities;
• Case Studies and Best Practices: Lessons learned from the implementation of evolutionary computation and AI in specific smart city projects worldwide;
• Ethical and Privacy Considerations: Addressing the ethical challenges and privacy concerns associated with the use of AI and data-driven technologies in urban environments.

We look forward to your contributions and believe that this Special Issue will serve as a valuable platform for advancing research, fostering innovation, and informing policy in the pursuit of sustainable and intelligent urban futures.

Prof. Dr. Changjun Zhou
Dr. Zhichao Pan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• Internet of Things (IoT)
• 6G communication
• evolutionary computation
• real-time data stream processing and optimization
• edge computing optimization
• AI-driven analytics
• distributed computing and resource scheduling
• network slicing technology
• privacy protection mechanisms
• heterogeneous network collaboration