Density, Sustainability and the Governance of Urban Futures

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Background

This Research Topic invites contributions that explore the nexus between density, sustainability, and the governance of urban futures in global cities.

As city populations have increased, densification has often been seen as a solution to urban challenges such as sprawl, housing and amenity provision, and improved land use. Density, however, can also create and exacerbate existing urban issues relating to heritage and conservation, property-led (re)development, social justice and inequalities, the displacement of local communities, and increased pressure on infrastructure. We question how the potential conflicts and consequences emerging from densification can be addressed effectively across our urban environments.

Through considered governance, planning, urban design, and sustainability agendas, which respond to specific contexts (local through to global), cities are evolving towards the apparent creation of successful and resilient urban futures - but what will such cities look like, and how are these agendas being operationalized and experienced today?

In this Research Topic in Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, we seek to further develop and interpret understandings of density, sustainability, and governance as complex, variegated, and nuanced influences which are inherently and actively shaping city forms across the globe.

Through interdisciplinary approaches, this issue will reflect on how these understandings are emerging, developing, and taking effect in contemporary urban landscapes, more broadly in line with sustainable development goals. Contributions are invited that approach density, sustainability, and the governance of urban futures from novel and original perspectives, and which address the indelible challenges associated with perceived successes and crises in cities. Our overall goal is to further our knowledge on contemporary urban trends, and provide the opportunity to critically reflect on best practices, policy-making and regulatory processes, approaches towards urban design, real estate developments, and heritage issues within diverse built environments.

We invite papers which:
• consider variegated approaches to strategies of densification, sustainability, and urban governance in cities;
• reflect on active market influences (such as communities, institutions, government, and policymakers) and their impact;
• explore impacts of densification as an experiential process which can be approached from diverse perspectives across cities and actors;
• consider the politics of sustainability and density;
• examine the impacts of densification on existing social injustices, social inequalities, and/or affordable housing challenges;
• assess the role of formal and informal governance in the creation of sustainable spaces through de-densifying / densifying / re-densifying;
• deliberate on the idea of value creation through sustainable densification processes;
• evaluate outcomes and perceptions of densification from a more longitudinal or historic perspective, and from those who have ‘lived experiences’ of the densification;
• conceptualize approaches to how we can better understand landscapes of densification, from the locally specific to broad, more global perspectives;
• adopt innovative methods and research designs that focus on different aspects of density, sustainability, and governance, ranging from ethnographic approaches and network analysis to the use of big data and global datasets.

We would be particularly interested in the following types of manuscripts for this special issue: Original Research, Perspective, Policy and Practice Reviews, Policy Brief, Brief Research Report, Community Case Study, Conceptual Analysis, General Commentary, Hypothesis and Theory, Mini Review.

Keywords: Densification, Planning, Housing, Urban Design, Sustainability, Regulation, Governance, Development, Real Estate, Heritage, Inclusion, Global Cities

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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