Advances in Urban Green Development and Resilient Cities

Dear Colleagues,

The 21st century has made it clear that global cities are increasingly subject to pressures of various kinds, the effects of which impact the socio-ecological sphere in increasingly dramatic ways. Despite the continuing digitally driven dematerialisation, urgent issues, such as climate change, remind us of the importance of the physical world and cities as settings and containers of life. Therefore, disciplines, such as urban planning, green urban design, architecture, agricultural and agronomic sciences, as well as medicine, among others, are increasingly being called upon to coordinate closely across disciplines to propose future solutions for cities that go beyond mere mitigation and adaptation.

This call aims to investigate how the combined contribution of these disciplines can produce resilient 'bounce-forward' solutions to future-proof the world's cities in 2050. In urban areas, green design is often in conflict with commercial demand and social needs. From this perspective, the sustainable use of ecosystem services is a key factor for the future of our urban areas. How should architecture and urbanism be rethought in order to continuously adapt to these changing conditions? Which settlement models should be opted for to respond to these emergencies, from a multi-level perspective? How and in what way can medicine and its branches return to direct planning choices? What proactive contribution can the agricultural, horticultural, forestry, and agronomic sciences offer to go beyond planning tools aimed at maintaining the status quo, such as green and blue infrastructures?

Theoretical and speculative proposals, practical case studies, and interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research are strongly encouraged by this call. The idea is to build a registry of common actions and strategies, from a project perspective, that can effectively discuss and possibly update UN SDG 11 “Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” (2015).

Dr. Marco Devecchi
Dr. Fabrizio Aimar
Dr. Matteo Caser
Guest Editors

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