Strategies for Sustainable Urban Environments: The Acoustic on Urban Open Spaces
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 3 August 2027 | Viewed by 239
Editors
Interests: urban planning; urban design and regeneration strategies; urban shrinkage and adaptive planning; tactical urbanism and collaborative planning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cities today are confronted with complex and interconnected challenges that require holistic and sustainable approaches to urban development. Climate change, environmental degradation, mobility transitions, social inequities, and the need to regenerate existing built environments all call for innovative strategies capable of enhancing resilience, improving environmental quality, and promoting more liveable and inclusive urban spaces.
Within this broader framework, environmental comfort—among the acoustic dimension—plays an increasingly relevant role in shaping the quality and usability of urban environments. Issues such as noise pollution, the design of soundscapes, and the integration of acoustic criteria in planning processes significantly influence public health, well-being, cultural identity, and accessibility. Alongside other environmental factors, such as heat island mitigation, green and blue infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and climate sensitive design, acoustic strategies contribute to creating more balanced, healthy, and socially equitable cities.
This Special Issue, "Strategies for Sustainable Urban Environments: The Acoustic on Urban Open Spaces", aims to gather interdisciplinary research and practical approaches that explore how environmental, technological, social, and acoustic strategies can support sustainable urban regeneration. We particularly welcome contributions that investigate the interplay between urban form, environmental performance, human health, and inclusive design, and that provide evidence-based insights into how cities can become more resilient and future oriented.
Aligned with the journal’s focus, this Special Issue addresses sustainability, urban design, environmental quality, and public health.
We therefore encourage submissions that integrate acoustic considerations within wider frameworks of sustainable mobility, climate adaptation, environmental monitoring, community well-being, and urban accessibility, integrating strategic noise management techniques, adopting sound-absorbing materials, and leveraging state-of-the-art technologies.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Environmental justice and equity in soundscape planning;
- Promoting accessibility to public spaces for blind people;
- Promotion of quiet mobility and sustainable transport solutions;
- Preservation of cultural soundscapes and identity in urban design;
- Acoustic urban regeneration and noise mitigation strategies;
- Urban sound monitoring systems and data-driven planning;
- Noise monitoring and control in high-density environments;
- Health impacts of urban noise and innovative mitigation approaches;
- Materials and technologies for acoustic comfort
Dr. Francesco Rotondo
Dr. Fabio Serpilli
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability 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 2400 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
- sustainable urban development
- urban regeneration
- urban environment
- promotion of quiet mobility
- urban sound monitoring systems
- preservation of cultural soundscapes
- noise monitoring and control
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