Smart Cities and Sustainable Urban Futures: Digital Transformation, Collective Intelligence, and the New Logic of Urban Life
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 933
Special Issue Editor
Interests: smart cities; digital transformation; urban sustainability; cultural innovation; AI and human-centered design; urban philosophy and meta-theory
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We would like to invite interdisciplinary scholars, researchers, and practitioners to contribute to this Special Issue, “Smart Cities and Sustainable Urban Futures: Digital Transformation, Collective Intelligence, and the New Logic of Urban Life.”
In the post-digital era, cities are evolving from static infrastructures into dynamic, adaptive ecosystems—shaped by the interaction of technology, environment, and human experience. AI, data-driven governance, and digital transformation are redefining urban operations, yet a core question remains: how can technology, sustainability, and human values coexist to shape urban futures?
This Special Issue aims to address this question by providing an open platform to explore cities not merely as optimized technical systems, but as “living knowledge organisms” capable of learning, adapting, and renewing through human creativity and collective intelligence. We welcome original research, case studies, conceptual papers, and reviews focusing on the intersections of digital transformation, sustainability, and human-centered innovation. Relevant themes include (but are not limited to) the following: digital transformation and governance; smart infrastructure and mobility; human-centered urban innovation; sustainability and climate resilience; theoretical/methodological frameworks; comparative regional studies; ethical AI; cross-sectoral collaboration; policy design; and urban education.
Recognizing the need for a paradigm shift in sustainability research, this Special Issue views cities as intelligent organisms reflecting societal collective consciousness. We particularly encourage submissions that offer new theoretical perspectives, conceptual models, or practical applications—all of which should demonstrate how digital transformation enhances ecological resilience and human well-being. By integrating theory and practice, and combining environmental, technological, and social innovation, this Special Issue aligns with Sustainability’s mission to advance global sustainable development research. Together, we seek to reimagine urban evolution: from data to wisdom and infrastructure to imagination.
The Guest Editor of this Special Issue will also contribute an invited paper focusing on theoretical innovation in sustainable smart cities.
Prof. Dr. Joon-ho Kim
Guest Editor
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-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
- smart cities
- digital transformation
- sustainability
- artificial intelligence
- human-centered innovation
- urban governance
- digital twin
- responsible AI
- resilience
- mobility
- meta-theoretical frameworks
- interdisciplinary urban studies
- future city design
- climate adaptation
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