Human-Centric Sustainability: Designing Inter-Active Cities of the Future

Dear Colleagues,

In today's rapidly changing urban landscapes, cities have become intricate, interactive systems that produce and utilize data on an unparalleled scale. The surge in data creation prompts significant questions regarding the importance and usefulness of comprehending the immense quantities of information generated in urban settings. The shift from data (smart) cities to sense cities poses a considerable challenge, highlighting the necessity for creative methods to analyze and engage with data, integrating both quantitative and qualitative information, whether it is objective or subjective.

As urban areas develop, they have the capacity to identify entities and individuals, responding autonomously to changing circumstances. This dematerialization of interactions promotes increasingly tangible processes among communities and the physical environment. The notion of "inter-active" serves as an effective framework to explore the complex relationships that arise within this multimodal setting. It emphasizes the reciprocal relationships that exist between various elements, characterizing cities where networks, communities, technologies, and interfaces engage in active processes. This dynamic generates what Mitchell (1996) describes as an "n-dimensional place in an abstract data structure".

In this context, sustainability emerges as a critical framework to analyze the interplay between urban systems, ecological limitations, and societal wellbeing. The capacity of cities to ‘sense’ environmental degradation, resource scarcity, and social inequities—and to respond through adaptive, inclusive, and regenerative strategies—is central to their long-term viability.

The modern n-city should not be seen as a fixed location or a singular stage of development; instead, it represents a dynamic, intricate, and interactive system shaped by the convergence of various, simultaneous, and sometimes conflicting actions—stages, states, and layers. The relationship between people and places is perceived through various dimensions—both analog and digital—resulting in new dynamic relational processes and the merging of human and artificial intelligences.

We welcome contributions that explore the theoretical frameworks, practical applications, and innovative methodologies related to the inter-active city. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The role of data in shaping urban interactions and environments and their influence on spatial practices and lived experiences;
• The integration of qualitative and quantitative data in urban planning and design processes and the challenges of interpreting hybrid forms of knowledge;
• Case studies of cities transitioning from smart city models to sense-based and sustainability-centered paradigms, highlighting shifts in technological, political, environmental, and social approaches;
• The impact of artificial intelligence on urban dynamics, planning decisions and community engagement practices;
• Interactions between artificial and human intelligence in shaping adaptive, responsive, and environmentally conscious urban environments;
• Mechanisms for facilitating data-driven interactions between citizens and urban spaces, including participatory platforms and responsive systems;
• The implications of multimodal interactions—digital, physical and sensory—on urban governance, public policy and decision making;
• The evolving relationships between urban materiality, intelligent infrastructures and informational networks;
• Innovative technologies, interfaces and services that enhance interactivity and inclusivity in urban settings;
• The design of civic platforms, urban interfaces and digital services to foster citizen empowerment, climate resilience, and democratic participation;
• The role of systemic and speculative design in constructing future-oriented and sustainable urban scenarios;
• Ways in which cities can “sense” and interpret complex phenomena—climatic, environmental or social—and translate these into sustainable spatial strategies;
• The ethical considerations of data usage in shaping urban experiences, with a particular focus on privacy, transparency and algorithmic accountability.

Dr. Matteo Zallio
Dr. Claudia Porfirione
Dr. Nicola Canessa
Guest Editors

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• urban data
• data-driven interactions
• mixed data integration
• AI in urban dynamics
• smart-to-sense city transitions
• multimodal governance
• interactive technologies
• data ethics
• urban data methodologies
• human–AI convergence
• dynamic city systems
• inter-active city theory