Geographies of Urban Energy Transitions, Critical Materials and Sustainable Industrial Development

Dear Colleagues,

The transition to low-carbon energy systems is recognized as a technological and geographical transformation that requires an increasing understanding of the spatial, environmental, and socioeconomic dynamics of industrial development. Critical raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements are at the center of these dynamics and are indispensable for renewable energy, energy storage, and green infrastructure. While these materials facilitate decarbonization pathways, their extraction, processing, and circulation also create new challenges related to environmental degradation, global supply dependencies, social equity, and governance.

This Special Issue of Urban Science, ‘Geographies of Urban Energy Transitions, Critical Materials and Sustainable Industrial Development’, will focus on the intersection of energy transitions, critical material flows, and sustainable industrial strategies at various scales, ranging from local urban systems to global supply chains. By linking urban energy transitions with critical materials and industrial sustainability, this Special Issue will highlight the central role of cities as both drivers of demand for low-carbon technologies and laboratories for circular economy strategies such as recycling and urban mining.

While research on energy transitions has traditionally emphasized technology adoption and climate policy, and studies on critical raw materials have focused on resource availability, relatively few works integrate this literature through a geographical and urban lens. This Special Issue aims to fill that gap by providing a forum for scholars that connects local case studies with global dynamics. This approach will offer a more comprehensive understanding of how critical materials influence the spatial and industrial trajectories of sustainable energy futures.

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

• Geographies of critical raw materials in energy transitions;
• Urban and regional planning for sustainable material flows;
• Environmental and social performance of extraction and processing activities;
• Industrial ecology approaches to recycling, substitution, and circular economy models;
• Governance frameworks of critical material supply chains;
• Technological innovations regarding resource efficiency and secondary material recovery;
• Socio-economic and territorial implications of critical material dependency;
• Comparative case studies linking local resource strategies to global supply networks;
• Policy instruments for balancing industrial development, competitiveness, and sustainability.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Marcello Ruberti
Prof. Stefania Massari
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. 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 1600 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.

• energy transitions
• critical raw materials
• industrial development
• urban and regional planning
• circular economy
• environmental sustainability
• supply chain governance
• resource security