Urban Water Resilience: Integrated Strategies for Sustainable, Smart, and Healthy Cities

A special issue of Urban Science (ISSN 2413-8851). This special issue belongs to the section "Intelligent Cities and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2027 | Viewed by 15311

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
Interests: urban resilience; flood risk management; sustainable water infrastructure; climate adaptation; smart cities; disaster risk reduction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
School of Public Health, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
Interests: environmental health within urban environments

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As cities face increasing challenges from climate change, rapid urbanization, and aging infrastructure, ensuring urban water resilience is essential for sustainable development. This Special Issue explores the intersection of sustainable water management, smart technologies, and public health to create more adaptive, efficient, and resilient urban water systems. By integrating advanced engineering solutions, data-driven decision-making, and policy innovations, this Special Issue highlights pathways for strengthening urban water sustainability while enhancing community well-being.

This Special Issue invites contributions that examine the role of integrated strategies in advancing urban water resilience through sustainability, smart technologies, and public health-informed approaches. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Adaptive and Resilient Urban Water Systems
    • Climate-resilient stormwater and wastewater management;
    • Flood risk mitigation and adaptive water infrastructure;
    • Sustainable urban water resource planning and drought resilience.
  2. Smart Technologies for Water Management
    • AI, machine learning, and digital twins for predictive water system modeling;
    • IoT-enabled real-time monitoring for water quality, infrastructure performance, and early warning systems;
    • Blockchain and decentralized solutions for efficient urban water governance.
  3. Sustainable and Nature-Based Urban Water Solutions
    • Blue–green infrastructure for flood mitigation and stormwater management;
    • Water-sensitive urban design and ecohydrology approaches;
    • Low-impact development and nature-based solutions for sustainable water systems.
  4. Resilient Water Infrastructure and Public Health
    • Multi-hazard vulnerability assessment for urban water systems (flooding, contamination, infrastructure failure);
    • The role of resilient water networks in ensuring safe water access and sanitation;
    • Public health considerations in urban water resilience planning.
  5. Policy, Governance, and Integrated Urban Water Planning
    • Cross-sector collaboration between engineering, environmental science, and public health;
    • Data-driven policy frameworks for resilient and sustainable urban water systems;
    • Community engagement and participatory approaches in urban water resilience.

Prof. Dr. Rouzbeh Nazari
Dr. Maryam Karimi
Guest Editors

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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.

Keywords

  • urban water system
  • water management
  • resilient water infrastructure
  • urban water planning
  • urban water policy
  • climate resilience
  • sustainable water infrastructure
  • public health

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

51 pages, 7467 KB  
Article
Urban Resilience and Fluvial Adaptation: Comparative Tactics of Green and Grey Infrastructure
by Lorena del Rocio Castañeda Rodriguez, Maria Jose Diaz Shimidzu, Marjhory Nayelhi Castro Rivera, Alexander Galvez-Nieto, Yuri Amed Aguilar Chunga, Jimena Alejandra Ccalla Chusho and Mirella Estefania Salinas Romero
Urban Sci. 2026, 10(1), 62; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci10010062 - 20 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1301
Abstract
Rapid urbanization and climate change have intensified flood risk and ecological degradation along urban riverfronts. Recent literature suggests that combining green and grey infrastructure can enhance resilience while delivering ecological and social co-benefits. This study analyzes and compares five riverfront projects in China [...] Read more.
Rapid urbanization and climate change have intensified flood risk and ecological degradation along urban riverfronts. Recent literature suggests that combining green and grey infrastructure can enhance resilience while delivering ecological and social co-benefits. This study analyzes and compares five riverfront projects in China and Spain, assessing how their tactic mixes operationalize three urban flood-resilience strategies—Resist, Delay, and Store/reuse—and how these mixes translate into ecological, social, and urban impacts. A six-phase framework was applied: (1) literature review; (2) case selection; (3) categorization of resilience strategies; (4) systematization and typification of tactics into green vs. grey infrastructure; (5) percentage analysis and qualitative matrices; and (6) comparative synthesis supported by an alluvial diagram. Across cases, Delay emerges as the structural backbone—via wetlands, terraces, vegetated buffers, and floodable spaces—while Resist is used selectively where exposure and erodibility require it. Store/reuse appears in targeted settings where operational capacity and water-quality standards enable circular use. The comparison highlights hybrid, safe-to-fail configurations that integrate public space, ecological restoration, and hydraulic performance. Effective urban riverfront resilience does not replace grey infrastructure but hybridizes it with nature-based solutions. Planning should prioritize Delay with green systems, add Resist where necessary, and enable Store/reuse when governance, operation and maintenance, and water quality permit, using iterative monitoring to adapt the green–grey mix over time. Full article
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32 pages, 3625 KB  
Article
Artificial Intelligence for Smart Cities: A Comprehensive Review Across Six Pillars and Global Case Studies
by Joel John, Rayappa David Amar Raj, Maryam Karimi, Rouzbeh Nazari, Rama Muni Reddy Yanamala and Archana Pallakonda
Urban Sci. 2025, 9(7), 249; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci9070249 - 1 Jul 2025
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 13060
Abstract
Rapid urbanization in the twenty-first century has significantly accelerated the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to address growing challenges in governance, mobility, energy, and urban security. This paper explores how AI is transforming smart city infrastructure, analyzing more than 92 academic publications [...] Read more.
Rapid urbanization in the twenty-first century has significantly accelerated the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to address growing challenges in governance, mobility, energy, and urban security. This paper explores how AI is transforming smart city infrastructure, analyzing more than 92 academic publications published between 2012 and 2024. Key AI applications ranging from predictive analytics in e-governance to machine learning models in renewable energy management and autonomous mobility systems are synthesized domain-wise throughout this study. This paper highlights the benefits of AI-enabled decision making, finds current implementation barriers, and discusses the associated ethical implications. Furthermore, it presents a research agenda that stresses data interoperability, transparency, and human–AI collaboration to steer upcoming advancements in smart urban ecosystems. Full article
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