Call for Papers & Publications

SPECIAL ISSUE ON AUGMENTED NBS for Cities
Just launched!

Submit your paper to the Elsevier Journal “Urban Forestry & Urban Greening” Special Issue on “Augmented Nature Based Solutions (NBS) for Cities: Embedding technologies for improving NBS performance and fostering social inclusion in urban greening strategies”

*** Technology in Green – Technology for Green ***

eds. Israa Mahmoud Eugenio Morello Adriano Bisello Denia Kolokotsa – in partnership with #SSPCR2022 international conference 18-22 July 2022 in Bolzano (Italy) within a dedicated session (https://lnkd.in/dAaV7y7i) – Starting from the ongoing applications of two European Projects, CLEVER Cities and VARCITIES – Green Cities are Healthier Cities


The symposium originated two publications:

  1. “Greening Cities Shaping Cities: Pinpointing Nature-Based Solutions in Cities between Shared Governance and Citizen Participation” A special issue of Sustainability journal (IF 3.25 – ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section “Sustainable Urban and Rural Development“.

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2022. https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/special_issues/greening_cities

2. “Nature-based Solutions for Sustainable Urban Planning -Greening Cities, Shaping Cities” – an edited springer book can now be visible on https://www.springer.com/in/book/9783030895242  is out now!

8 Chapters are published from the symposium showing case on different NBS examples from different contexts: USA, Brazil, Portugal, Italy and beyond. #staytuned for the book launch April 12, 2022!  

Key questions and main emerging themes:

Below some brief summary of the key research questions in order to tackle all the spectrum of challenges in the decision-making process for Nature-based Solutions propagation. 

  1. Spatial challenges in NBS in practice and implementation in urban context

NBS have different typologies and spatial scales of implementation. This track addresses the questions of material, physical and land-use change related to NBS implementation in practice. How are the greening cities strategies tangibly affecting urban morphologies and shaping our cities today? How consciously are cities addressing and envisioning the outcomes of greening measures

  1. Sharing governance and Capacity Building for NBS

How are the sharing governance processes of NBS implementation happening in practice? What are the functional models and pathways of implementation that inclusively engage (all) stakeholders? How is the capacity building and raising awareness around NBS changing cities nowadays, and what are the successful tools and experiences?

  1. Mainstreaming NBS in urban planning policies and decision-making processes.

What are the hindrances and bottlenecks in maintaining and up-scaling NBS in real life cases implementation? Are the current decision-making mechanisms helping NBS getting in route to shape cities? Is there any binding policy in practice that encourages the NBS in place?

  1. Citizen engagement in urban greening processes and co-design experiences of NBS

This theme tackles the involvement of citizens in the co-design, co-implementation, co-maintenance and up-scaling of NBS. Activities that encouraged, enabled, facilitated or collaborated with citizens namely to achieve a higher sense of belonging, ownership of spaces, and citizen-centered solutions. Which tools or procedures may be adopted to increase the effectiveness of NBS? How to keep the citizens engaged?

Keywords:

Greening cities
Urban planning
Policy design
Urban design
Spatial planning
Nature-based Solutions
Shared governance
Co-creation
Citizen engagement  
Co-design

Call for papers and scientific contributions:

The symposium launches a call for papers with an extended abstract up to 1,500 words in order to better evaluate the proposed ideas on a more coherent and solid basis. The evaluation criteria of the abstracts are: 

  • The coherence of the arguments with the symposium scope.
  • Originality of the research and appropriateness of the methodology.
  • Contribution to the theory or the field of practice on NBS to shape cities nowadays.
  • Possibility to replicate, translate findings into urban planning, policies and shared tools.

The scientific contributions are supposed to be concise in the logical framework; provide 1- an introduction to the matter, 2- methodological review, 3- expected results, and 4- discussion and conclusions.

Word cloud From Abstracts submission in 2020

Proposed contributions: 

The contributions titles and contents should derive mainly from the themes and tracks of the symposium itself.  The selection to the symposium sessions will be carefully driven through a blind peer review from the scientific and organizing committees.  To ensure coherence, integrity and transparency, the drafts of shortlisted articles will be shared among the attendees of the symposium even before the event date

Please use the below TEMPLATE for your Abstract

Extended Abstract (max 1,500 words, using template)
should be sent via email to greeningcities@polimi.it by 7 July 2020
Full manuscripts will be considered for book
chapters and Special issues in international journals.

CALL IS NOW CLOSED


In continuity with the previous version of the symposium (sharing Cities, Shaping Cities) the opportunity will be given to authors to benefit from a free submission to a ‘special issue’ to be published in an international scientific Journal.

Publications costs will be waived for selected papers upon a double-blind peer review. Based on the length and the track of the contribution, some publications will be rerouted to a book chapter or an article in a thematic scientific journal.