Problems connected to urbanity are nothing recent. Armed conflicts and wars, massive displacement, urban sprawl, land consumption, pandemics, congestion, inadequate services, and many more, have always impacted cities and the way we live and interact in urban spaces. However, with the hypergrowth of urbanized areas and urban inhabitants, societies are witnessing an unprecedented number of obstacles, some of them being more specific to our era, such as labor shortages, energy transition complications, lack of affordable housing, rising temperatures, decline in the purchasing power… just to name a few. With the backdrop of geopolitical fractures, cities are the first to bear the brunt of these challenges.

When projecting the future, it is anticipated that the current trend of population growth and urbanization will continue and is unlikely to stop. Facing the above cited challenges and looking towards a transition for a sustainable and livable future, urban studies proposed numerous solutions tackling different scales and fields of studies. By researching the present city problems and elaborating on solutions aimed at a prominent urban future, this track invites contributors to re-examine the current urban challenges, the planning methods aligned and supported by international agendas for effective action in the world’s cities and regions, and all the basic forces driving change. The track proposes to promote broader sustainable development scenarios of urban development by providing pathways to low-carbon, livable, and equitable cities.

Submissions may cover but are not limited to the following topics: What are the most relevant sustainable urban transition strategies, actions, and programs? How to develop integrated tools and approaches of action facing these challenges? How does the built environment and urban morphology impact on the climate and vice versa? What are the main trends related to sustainable urban mobility and how are they integrated into transport planning and the city fabric? How are energy transition and climate-neutrality tackled in urban research and discourse, and what is the role of the economy in incentivizing the transition? How can planning become a health and well-being generator so as to help people thrive in urban environments?

Keywords and topics:

• Urban energy transition
• Climate-neutrality
• Decarbonizing, adaptation, and resilient cities
• Biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services
• Green and blue infrastructures
• Urban and transport planning
• Urban livability, human health and well-being