Circular and Nature-Based Materials for Net-Zero Cities: Integrating Green Infrastructure and Urban Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, “Circular and Nature-Based Materials for Net-Zero Cities: Integrating Green Infrastructure and Urban Sustainability”, is dedicated to integrating circular economy principles with green infrastructure as a strategy that can accelerate the transition toward zero-carbon cities. The focus is on innovative, low-carbon materials and design approaches that significantly reduce both embodied and operational emissions. The thematic scope includes bio-based resources (such as moon wood, hemp–lime composites, and mycelium-based materials), mineral and volcanic resources with low processing energy (e.g., expanded perlite or pumice), and waste-derived construction materials, including fly-ash concrete, recycled aggregate concrete, geopolymer binders, and industrial by-product composites. It also covers the reuse and repurposing of existing structures, as well as local and recycled resource flows, and design for longevity, modularity, and disassembly. The aim of this Special Issue is to present practical methods for creating resilient, regenerative, and circular urban environments through material innovation and low-carbon design.

This Special Issue advances the existing body of literature by bridging two rapidly evolving research areas—green infrastructure and the circular economy—within the context of sustainable urban development. It moves beyond conceptual definitions of circularity to showcase measurable, verifiable, and technology-supported approaches, such as digital material passports, reversible building design, and life-cycle optimization. By linking material efficiency with environmental metrics, it provides new insights into how cities can close resource loops, reduce carbon emissions, and decarbonize the built environment at scale.

Aligned with the journal’s sustainability objectives, this Special Issue emphasizes the use of scientific and technical tools for defining, measuring, and monitoring urban sustainability. It also welcomes research on spatial planning and land-use management, exploring how territorial, ecological, and landscape-based strategies can support circular economy principles, reduce emissions, and strengthen climate resilience. Contributions addressing socio-economic, legislative, or policy frameworks that enable the transition toward circular and nature-based construction systems are also strongly encouraged.

Dr. Olga Szlachetka
Dr. Justyna Dzięcioł
Guest Editors

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