• Energy Research

Sustainable interdisciplinarity focuses on human–nature relations and a multitude of contemporary overlapping research between society and the environment. A variety of disciplines have played a large part in better understanding sustainable development since its high-profile emergence approximately a quarter century ago. At present, the forefront of sustainability research is an array of methods, techniques, and growing knowledge-base that considers past, present, and future pathways. Specific multi-disciplinary concentrations within the scope of societal changes, urban landscape transformations, international environmental comparative studies as well as key theories and dynamics relating to sustainable performance are explored. Specializations in complex sustainability issues address international governance arrangements, rules, and organizations—both public and private—within the scope of four themes: sustainability, human geography, environment, and interdisciplinary societal studies. This book contains eleven thoroughly refereed contributions concerning pressing issues that interlink sustainable interdisciplinarity with the presented themes in respect of the human–nature interface.

Edible urban commons can aid recovery from the pandemic-induced crises, and build urban resilience to future\ud disruptions.

The recent pandemicPandemic has served as a wake-up call for policymakersPolicymakersand governmentsGovernment, highlighting the urgent need to regenerate our citiesCities in preparation for future environmental shocks. StudiesStudy have indicated that the risk of COVID-19Covid-19 transmission was significantly lower in urbanUrban green spaces, providing a safe and much-needed refuge for many individuals living in lockdownLockdown. Thus, in a post-pandemic world, it is essential to create inclusive and resilient human settlements, ensuring that everyone has access to high-quality green spacesGreen spaces. The provision of such green spaces not only enhances citizensCitizens’ quality of life but also improves human health and well-beingWell-being while simultaneously reducing healthcare costs. Therefore, prioritising the opportunity to cultivate more food within our citiesCities should be recognised as a public healthPublic health priority. Within this chapter, a literature review is conducted to explore the role of landscape architectureLandscape architecturein pandemicPandemicrecoveryRecovery, urban regeneration, and building resilienceResilience to future shocks. The pandemic has presented us with an opportunity to reintegrate nature into our built environmentEnvironment and establish more accessible green spacesGreen spaces. The findings from the literature demonstrate that landscape architecture will play a fundamental role in driving a green recoveryGreen recovery and fostering the development of healthy communitiesCommunities.

Urban forests are critical for climate adaptation and liveability, but effective irrigation management—key to their sustainability—remains poorly documented at the global scale. This study addresses this critical knowledge gap by analysing urban forest irrigation practices across 109 cities in 21 countries, offering one of the first global assessments of irrigation approaches, challenges, and opportunities. Using survey data, we examined water sources, irrigation frequency, constraints, and enabling conditions. Our results show that weather conditions were the leading factor influencing irrigation scheduling in 44 % of cities, while 56 % reported no formal water restrictions. Despite the importance of water conservation, 55 % of respondents reported having no water usage monitoring systems, and 73 % lacked financial incentives to promote water-efficient irrigation. A large majority (80 %) did not use recycled wastewater, and 58 % did not conduct water quality testing. Only 15 % of cities regularly used water-efficient irrigation technologies, and 47 % had no plans to implement smart systems. Over half (56 %) rated their current irrigation practices as only moderately successful. Budget constraints and infrastructure limitations were the most frequently reported challenges, followed by climate change-related concerns. While environmental variables such as mean annual temperature and irrigation need influenced specific practices, local governance and institutional actions had stronger effects. Cities in the Global South reported distinct strategies and constraints compared to those in the Global North. Our findings provide actionable insights for climate-resilient urban water strategies and underscore the need for targeted policies, capacity-building, and efficient technologies to enhance urban forest sustainability worldwide.

Sustainable interdisciplinarity focuses on human–nature relations and a multitude of contemporary overlapping research between society and the environment. A variety of disciplines have played a large part in better understanding sustainable development since its high-profile emergence approximately a quarter of a century ago. At present, the forefront of sustainability research is an array of methods, techniques, and growing knowledge base that considers past, present, and future pathways. Specific multidisciplinary concentrations within the scope of societal changes, urban landscape transformations, international environmental comparative studies, as well as key theories and dynamics relating to sustainable performance are explored. Specializations in complex sustainability issues address international governance arrangements, rules, and organizations—both public and private—within the scope of four themes: sustainability, human geography, environment, and interdisciplinary societal studies. This book contains eleven thoroughly refereed contributions concerning pressing issues that interlink sustainable interdisciplinarity with the presented themes in terms of the human–nature interface.

Human settlements are comprehensive, i.e., shaped by human ecology and the relationship between humans as a social being and biological organisms and their interaction with their environments. This chapter explores urban morphology and landscape ecology as a pretext to a wider examination of the vast scholarship of why humans settle where they settle—with the focus on cities. The movement away from rural to urban is considered in conjunction with urban energy use, agriculture and food security, and sustainability. Maladaptation to climate change is considered in the context to urban environmental pollution, human health and well-being, and quality of life. Cities have a unique opportunity to advance policies that ensure the energy supply and food production are reliable, affordable, and environmentally sustainable. In terms of energy research, direct effects on people, communities, and countries in terms of economic growth, health, safety, the environment, education, and employment are investigated. Agricultural data is presented from a global perspective with specific land use and land cover specificities. Food security, food health, and food production are interfaced with regional populations and agricultural land use. An overview of cities from the Global North versus the Global South is assessed in terms developmental parameters—including city-to-city climate action. These city variances, specific to developed and developing countries, indicate megacities in the North have relatively high affluent and stable populations while those in the South have rapid expanding and overcrowded ones. Case-specific research into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on informal settlements is looked at in terms of direct and indirect impacts. The complexity of these issues signposts different types of human settlements and conditions and veers toward piecing together the urban challenges and future development of the twenty-first century.

Recently published green infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and ecosystem disservices (ED) literature have focused primarily on the supply of urban regulating and cultural ecosystem services (ES). Other literature on urban and peri-urban agriculture has mostly studied the role of localized, intensive agricultural practices in providing food to inhabitants. The aim of this review is to raise awareness and stress the knowledge gap on the importance of urban provisioning ES, particularly when implementing an edible green infrastructure (EGI) approach as it can offer improved resilience and quality of life in cities. We compiled and systematically analyzed studies on urban ES and ED related to a number of EGI typologies. Our systematic review of the relevant literature via an EGI framework, identified more than 80 peer-reviewed publications that focused on ES and food production in urban areas. An EGI approach can contribute socially, economically, and environmentally to urban sustainability and food security. However, such benefits must be weighed against ED trade-offs, including: potential health risks caused by human exposure to heavy metals and organic chemical contaminants often present in urban surroundings. We conclude with recommendations and guidelines for incorporating EGI into urban planning and design, and discuss novel areas for future research.

Climate change is reshaping urban environments, intensifying the need for resilient green space design and management that supports biodiversity, improves ecosystem services, and adapts to changing conditions. Understanding the trade-offs between native and non-native species selection is important for developing climate-resilient urban green spaces. This review examines public preferences for native versus non-native plant species and their implications for urban green space design and management. We critically analyse the ecosystem services and biodiversity benefits provided by both native and non-native plants in urban spaces, highlighting the complex trade-offs involved. Our findings indicate that while native plants can be underrepresented in urban landscapes, they offer significant ecological benefits including support for local wildlife and pollinators. Some studies have highlighted the climate resilience of native plants; however, they are likely to be more affected by climate change. Therefore, conservation strategies are needed, especially for endemic and threatened plant species. Several studies suggest a more flexible approach that integrates plant species from diverse climatic origins to improve resilience. We also explore conservation gardening (CG) as a socio-ecological strategy to integrate endangered native species into urban landscapes, promoting biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. This review stresses the importance of informed plant species selection and community involvement in creating climate-resilient urban green spaces.