Transition to Smart and Regenerative Urban Places (SRUP): Contributions to a New Conceptual Framework

Abstract

Modern urbanism is called to face current challenges ranging from intensive demographic growth, economic and social stagnation to resources salvation and climate changes. Under the broader scope of sustainability, we argue that the transition to a holistic perspective of smart and regenerative planning and design is the way to face and yet to prevent these urban challenges. In doing so, we adopt systematic thinking to study the complexity of urban metabolisms at an urban place scale, emphasizing the ongoing coevolution of social-cultural-technological and ecological processes. Focusing on urban places, we give a city or region the sense of a place of stability, security, cultural and social interactions, and a sense of uniqueness. We plan and design innovative urban places that improve the environment and the quality of urban life, able to adapt and mitigate climate changes and natural hazards, leverage community spirit, and power a green-based economy. Designing the conceptual framework of smart and regenerative urban places we contribute to the field of modern urban studies helping practitioners, policymakers, and decision-makers to vision and adopt more environmental-friendly policies and actions using a user-centered approach.

Wind Turbine Blade Waste Circularity Coupled with Urban Regeneration: A Conceptual Framework

“…Analyzing the environmental dimension of urban regeneration, we recognize that priority was given to facing three main challenges related to urban growth: climate change, pollution, and waste. In doing so, scholars have studied urban regeneration consistent with circular economy (CE) principles contributing to sustainable growth [30][31][32]. The concept of CE appears in the literature mostly related to waste management, without fully exploring the circularity of its R-principles (reduction, repair, reuse, recover, remanufacturing, and recycling [33,34].…”

Correction: Peponi, A.; Morgado, P. Transition to Smart and Regenerative Urban Places (SRUP): Contributions to a New Conceptual Framework. Land 2021, 10, 2

“…In the original publication [1], there was a mistake in the caption of Figure 2 as published: Conceptualizations of sustainable development [37]. The corrected "Conceptualizations of sustainable development [38]."…”

Digital Technologies for Urban Metabolism Efficiency: Lessons from Urban Agenda Partnership on Circular Economy

“…However, the intensive and widespread use of digital technologies for urban circularity highlights a wide range of challenges related to the social, economic, environmental, and technological dimensions of urban metabolism [186]. From an economic point of view, the considerable costs of designing, installing, integrating, maintaining, and reprogramming advanced digital technologies undoubtedly represent an obstacle for poorly organized or less developed cities [187].…”