About this Research Topic

Background

As urbanization accelerates, cities face growing challenges in balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability. The integration of smart technologies offers a promising solution by enhancing energy efficiency and optimizing resource use. This intersection of energy, exergy, and environmental sustainability is critical for developing resilient urban economies. Understanding the economic aspects, including cost-effectiveness, return on investment, and long-term viability, is essential for policymakers and urban planners. Understanding exergy is crucial for optimizing energy use and reducing waste in urban settings. Cities, as dense hubs of energy consumption, present unique opportunities for improving energy efficiency and sustainability. Exergy analysis can reveal inefficiencies in urban energy systems, enabling targeted improvements that enhance economic performance and reduce environmental impacts. Smart city projects require substantial financial investment, and their success depends on demonstrating tangible economic benefits. Detailed energy and exergy analyses help identify significant energy losses and exergy destruction within urban systems. By pinpointing areas where the most useful energy is lost, such as in boilers, turbines, or condensers, urban planners and engineers can implement targeted improvements to enhance the overall efficiency and sustainability as well as significantly reduces the environmental footprints. This special edition aims to explore these economic factors, providing insights into how smart technologies can drive sustainable urban development and contribute to the overall economic health and environmental quality of cities

Economic factors are pivotal in the progression of smart cities, and this special edition of Frontiers in Sustainable Cities meticulously examines the cost-effectiveness and financial implications of integrating smart technologies. It evaluates the return on investment in energy conservation, infrastructure enhancement, and the long-term economic viability of smart city projects. Additionally, it explores potential obstacles and opportunities for urban economic growth associated with the shift towards smart urban environments. By focusing on these economic dimensions, the analysis highlights how efficient resource utilization and reduced waste contribute to both economic and environmental sustainability. The edition delves into the financial aspects of implementing renewable energy sources, upgrading infrastructure, and fostering policies that support environmental protection. The insights provided emphasize the necessity of balancing economic growth with sustainability, ultimately showcasing how smart urban development can lead to resilient economies and improved quality of life in urban areas. This comprehensive analysis underscores the critical role of economic considerations in achieving energy, exergy, and environmental sustainability in urban settings

This special edition focuses on the economic dimensions of integrating energy, exergy, and environmental sustainability in smart cities. We invite research on the cost-effectiveness, financial implications, and economic viability of smart technologies in urban settings. Topics can include cost-benefit analysis, return on investment in energy conservation, infrastructure enhancement, economic barriers, opportunities, and policy implications for sustainable city growth. The following specific topics are requested (but not limited to) in this special issue:

1. Introduction to Exergy:
• Significance of exergy in thermodynamics
• Importance of exergy analysis in evaluating system efficiency

2. Urban Economic Contexts:
• The role of exergy in urban energy consumption
• How exergy analysis can enhance urban energy systems
• Economic benefits of optimizing exergy in urban environments

3. Energy and Exergy Analysis:
• Methodologies for conducting energy and exergy analysis
• Case studies of exergy analysis in urban power plants and transportation networks
• Identifying inefficiencies and areas for potential improvement

4. Environmental Sustainability:
• Impact of exergy optimization on reducing environmental footprints
• Strategies for integrating exergy analysis into urban planning
• Long-term sustainability goals supported by exergy improvements

5. Practical Applications:
• Examples of successful exergy optimization in urban settings
• Technological advancements facilitating exergy analysis
• Challenges and solutions in implementing exergy-based improvements
• Implications of exergy analysis for urban policy development
• Recommendations for urban planners and policymakers
• Integration of exergy concepts into urban economic planning


Information for Authors:

Submissions should provide clear evidence of financial benefits and challenges associated with smart city initiatives. Manuscripts must be written in English, include a detailed methodology, and discuss economic aspects comprehensively. Submit through the Frontiers in Sustainable Cities online system, ensuring correct author details and a cover letter. All submissions will undergo peer review. Accepted manuscripts will be published online.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Smart Cities, Energy Efficiency, Exergy Analysis, Economic Viability, Sustainable Development, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Urban Planning

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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