Energy Efficiency, Environment and Health

Dear Colleagues,

Cities are widely recognized as risky environments for humans. Risks to health and well-being are measured in three groups of indices: physiological, emotional and cognitive. Environmental factors discussed in studies include physical factors such as noise, heat load and air pollution, and social factors such as feelings of discomfort, crime, transportation and access to health services. Some studies even argue that stress and health risks are intrinsic to urban environments and that restoration is intrinsic to green environments. This Topic aims to discuss what spaces can be greened and the effect this has on urban environments. It also discusses the effect of the size and layout of parks, vegetation on the walls and roofs of houses, and the effects of different types of vegetation, building materials, and energy efficient design.

Recent events have challenged the way the built environment is designed, managed and experienced. Droughts, wildfires and a global pandemic have undoubtedly forced the building industry to find ways to cope with unpredictable events and to respond to a broader and more complex set of requirements. Today's environment demands new design processes, construction techniques, occupancy practices, and management strategies to increase the resilience of the built environment to extreme, uncontrollable, and unpredictable events while providing healthy and sustainable environments for people. This Topic invites researchers that address this Topic to reflect on what the new concept of sustainability for the built environment should be, and to guide new research directions.

The aim of this Topic is to add knowledge to the information on the greening of our cities. We invite the authors to raise awareness of different aspects of the problem or to contribute relevant knowledge on any of the aspects mentioned above.

Prof. Dr. Roberto Alonso González Lezcano
Dr. Francesco Nocera
Dr. Rosa Giuseppina Caponetto
Topic Editors