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Sustainability
Special Issues
Building Smart and Resilient Cities
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Building Smart and Resilient Cities

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 September 2025 | Viewed by 661

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mahmoud Osman

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-2687, USA
Interests: hydroclimatology; flash droughts; extreme events; land–atmosphere interaction; climate modeling
Dr. Emad Hassan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Civil, Architecture, and Environmental Engineering Department, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO 65409, USA
Interests: infrastructure performance under extreme loadings; natural hazard risk assessment and mitigation; community resilience; smart cities; data analytics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Smart cities and smart infrastructure represent the future of urban development, leveraging advanced technologies like the IoT, AI, and data analytics to optimize city systems for both functionality and sustainability. As urbanization accelerates and natural hazards become more frequent, these innovations are essential for enhancing the efficiency of transportation, energy, and public services, while reducing environmental impacts and strengthening resilience against the social and economic consequences of natural disasters.

This Special Issue focuses on the integration of smart solutions in energy management, transportation, water systems, waste management, and building construction to improve the efficiency, resilience, and sustainability of cities. Original research articles and reviews are invited, exploring topics such as the role of the IoT, AI, big data, infrastructure resilience, and renewable energy in optimizing urban systems. Case studies that showcase the successful implementation of smart, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure projects are also welcome. This Special Issue aims to foster interdisciplinary research and innovation, advancing progress toward more sustainable and resilient urban environments.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Mahmoud Osman
Dr. Emad Hassan
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 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 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

  • infrastructure
  • resilience
  • smart cities
  • sustainability

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

25 pages, 5744 KiB  
Article
Reducing CO2 Emissions in Urban Infrastructure: The Role of Siliceous Fly Ash in Sustainable Mortar Design
by Nikolaos Chousidis and George Batis
Sustainability 2025, 17(11), 4835; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17114835 - 24 May 2025
Viewed by 407
Abstract
The incorporation of industrial by-products such as fly ash (FA) into cementitious materials plays a vital role in promoting environmental sustainability during cement production. This study evaluates the feasibility of using siliceous fuel fly ash, sourced from thermal power stations in the Rhenish [...] Read more.
The incorporation of industrial by-products such as fly ash (FA) into cementitious materials plays a vital role in promoting environmental sustainability during cement production. This study evaluates the feasibility of using siliceous fuel fly ash, sourced from thermal power stations in the Rhenish region of Germany, as a partial cement replacement in mortar formulations. Mortar specimens with FA replacement levels ranging from 5 wt% to 30 wt% were prepared and tested. Data were collected through standardized laboratory testing of mechanical properties (compressive and flexural strength), physical characteristics (porosity, sorptivity) and microstructural analysis via SEM and XRD. The results showed that increasing FA content generally led to reductions in strength and increases in porosity and sorptivity, due to the mineralogical composition and higher water demand linked to the porous FA structure. However, when FA was used at levels not exceeding 10 wt%, the physical and mechanical properties remained within acceptable limits for construction applications. Additionally, the use of plasticizing admixtures proved effective in mitigating workability and strength issues by reducing the water-to-binder ratio. These findings highlight that, despite certain limitations, siliceous FA can be safely and effectively used in low percentages, contributing to sustainable mortar production and reducing reliance on Portland cement. In addition, the use of fly ash contributes to reduced CO2 emissions and lower production costs, promoting sustainable and cost-efficient construction solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Smart and Resilient Cities)
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