Special Issue "Changes, Challenges and Commitments for the Future of Cities"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Enrico Ivaldi
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Leading Guest Editor
Department of Political Scence, University of Genoa, 15026 Genoa, Italy
Interests: smart sustainable cities; deprivation; well-being; aging
Prof. Claudia Burlando
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Economics and Business Science, University of Genoa, 16126 Genoa, Italy
Interests: urban economics; urban transport; aging; local public transport
Dr. Andrea Ciacci
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Economics and Business Science, University of Genoa, 16126 Genoa, Italy
Interests: business; business and economic crisis; entrepreneurship; social entrepreneurship; strategic management; tourism management; smart city and social statistics
Prof. Mirta L. González
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Guest Editor
Centro de Investigaciones en Econometría, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas – Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Córdoba 2122, Segundo Piso, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Interests: probability theory applied to the construction of econometric and actuarial models
Prof. Alberto M. Landro
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro de Investigaciones en Econometría, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas – Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Córdoba 2122, Segundo Piso, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Interests: probabilities and its application to the estimation and projection of economic and financial phenomena; valuation of financial assets; social forecasting and models for dynamic phenomena in general.

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The changes that the city is experiencing due to the new phase of demographic transition and the strong process of urbanisation add up to the changes resulting from the need for greater urban sustainability and the disruptive fracture of life patterns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The scale and speed of urbanisation, as well as the demographic transition, generate risks for the urban system from the point of view of service efficiency (rising costs), from the point of view of service effectiveness (supply must adapt to the new needs of the city and its inhabitants), and from the point of view of the environment (notably land use and urban transport).

The use of the goods and services that the city makes available is highly dependent on the capacity of the transport system to deal effectively with the challenges of the changing city. Demographic change, environmental crisis, the pandemic and the public finance situation present us with a context that requires in-depth analysis of urban transport systems in order to identify correct strategies for action and pathways to reform transport networks that need to change. These changes operate both within transport companies, which are facing major challenges (cost and revenue divergence due to the pandemic, the need to contain environmental impacts, changes towards an older and more fragile demand), and the urban territory of which transport is the circulatory system.

This Special Issue is concerned with, but not limited to, methodologies, applications, best practices and overviews about changes and consequent commitments for decision makers and it focuses on the commitments for the future of cities. In particular the main topics are:  

  • strategies in urban land use;
  • challenges for local public transport companies;
  • changes in traditional transport services;
  • development of innovative transport services
  • study of urban transport demand for an increasingly ageing population

Other, synergistic topics can be accepted in this special issue. This Special Issue invites original research papers, reviews, essays, and case studies on these topics based on previous or related issues.

Original works in this context, as well as review papers, are strongly encouraged

Prof. Enrico Ivaldi
Leading Guest Editor

Prof. Claudia Burlando
Dr. Andrea Ciacci
Prof. Mirta L. González
Prof. Alberto M. Landro
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 papers will be 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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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-blind 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 1900 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

  • urban development
  • smart sustainable cities
  • aging
  • urban transport
  • urban deprivation

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
Seniors’ Mobility and Perceptions in Different Urban Neighbourhoods: A Non-Aggregative Approach
Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6647; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126647 - 10 Jun 2021
Viewed by 450
Abstract
In order to highlight the subjective criticality of each neighbourhood to inspire future policy actions, we propose an analysis comparing the perceptions of over-65s residents in the neighbourhoods that make up the Municipality of Genoa. We suggest a new approach based on a [...] Read more.
In order to highlight the subjective criticality of each neighbourhood to inspire future policy actions, we propose an analysis comparing the perceptions of over-65s residents in the neighbourhoods that make up the Municipality of Genoa. We suggest a new approach based on a quantitative non-aggregative method, Partially Ordered Set (Poset), to measure the levels of satisfaction related to local public transport (LPT), pedestrian mobility, and quality of life in the 25 districts of Genoa. Final data of the analysis come from 401 questionnaires, distributed to residents over 65 years old in the Municipality of Genoa. This approach allows to address the multidimensionality of the phenomenon, as well as its different conceptual spheres. The findings highlight a great variance in local public transport needs perception between different neighbourhoods. In particular, the analysis shows that the types of intervention requested by respondents differ from district to district, so that a common urban transport policy would be ineffective. Some neighbourhoods stress the need for improving pedestrian mobility, whilst local public transport faults dominate in others. There is no significant relation between the three dimensions: Perceived quality of LPT, perceived quality of pedestrian mobility, and perceived quality of neighbourhood. Therefore, interventions should be carefully modulated, according to the specific needs expressed by the residents of each neighbourhood. We conclude that the importance of urban mobility intervention is reduced, whereas the concept of neighbourhood analysis and intervention becomes more relevant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Changes, Challenges and Commitments for the Future of Cities)
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