Low-Carbon Buildings and Sustainable Cities

Dear Colleagues,

Low-carbon buildings and sustainable cities address the urgent need for innovative strategies and disruptive technologies and policies to drastically reduce carbon emissions from buildings and urban infrastructure while enhancing sustainability and decent livability worldwide. This Special Issue, entitled “Low-Carbon Buildings and Sustainable Cities,” explores the critical intersection of decarbonizing the built environment and fostering resilient urban development. It aims to consolidate and disseminate cutting-edge research and practical applications, serving as a vital evidence-based platform for fostering interdisciplinary critical analysis and dialog among researchers, policymakers, industry professionals, and urban planners. This Special Issue seeks to advance the understanding and application of sustainable solutions, bridging the gap between academic insights and real-world implementation to inspire efforts towards environmentally responsible buildings and cities that enhance quality of life.

This Special Issue focuses on the interdisciplinary challenges and innovative solutions at the nexus of achieving low-carbon buildings and fostering sustainable urban development, delving into strategies, technologies, policies, and behavioral issues that contribute to significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the built environment and enhancing the overall sustainability and resilience of urban areas. The scope is broad, encompassing various scales and disciplines, including examining the entire lifecycle of buildings from design and construction to operation, renovation, and deconstruction within the broader context of urban planning and infrastructure. It covers building level, urban level, policy and governance, social and behavioral aspects, technological innovations, and assessment and metrics.

The purpose is to highlight cutting-edge evidence-based research, practical case studies, and policy recommendations that bridge the gap between academic insights and real-world implementation. It seeks to identify emerging trends, pinpoint future research directions, and formulate robust policy recommendations that can significantly accelerate the transition towards more environmentally responsible and resilient urban areas, ultimately inspiring and informing efforts towards creating a future where buildings and cities contribute to a more decent and higher quality of life for all urban inhabitants.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Advanced low-carbon building materials and design;
• Circular economy principles in construction and urban development;
• Life cycle assessment, sustainability indicators, and carbon reduction methodologies;
• Smart energy systems, renewable energy integration, and energy storage;
• Energy efficiency, retrofitting strategies, and passive design in buildings;
• Technological innovations such as AI, data analytics, smart grids, and digital twins;
• Sustainable architecture and urban planning, green infrastructure, and low-carbon mobility solutions;
• Policy frameworks that accelerate low-carbon, energy, and materials transitions;
• Social equity considerations, occupant behavior, and public engagement.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Tania Rus
Dr. Andrei Ceclan
Dr. Jose Manuel Olmos
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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Urban Science is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 1800 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.

• net-zero buildings
• life cycle assessment (LCA)
• circular economy
• renewable energy integration
• built environment energy efficiency
• sustainable urban development
• sustainable and smart cities
• climate resilience
• agenda 2030 (SDGs)
• environmental policy and governance