Cultural heritage is almost absent in the sustainable development goals agendas, although heritage conservation process is already an act of sustainable development that protects and preserves heritage buildings and their intangible values.

Heritage buildings can be the subjects of sustainable design projects that achieve outstanding measures of sustainability and energy efficiency while not compromising the authenticity of the heritage value of the building.

This issue aims to encourage further dialogue, critical reflection and cross-disciplinary collaboration by bringing together examples of interesting projects and research that could provide a practically grounded approach.

The issue also seeks to publish papers with case studies of contribution approaches that render cultural heritage, both physical and non-physical, a stimulus for sustainable development. We welcome papers from a wide range of regulations and specifically encourage research that embraces approaches that go beyond disciplinary boundaries. We are also very keen on experimental ways in which heritage can contribute to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.

IEREK is pleased to invite scholars, researchers, students (undergraduate/postgraduate) that propose interdisciplinary methods and/or concepts to the contribution of cultural heritage to other aspects of sustainable development.

Topics:

• Importance of Architectural Heritage Conservation and its Contribution to Sustainable Development
• Sustainable Ways to Conserve our Architectural Heritage
• Socio-economics Impact and Environmental Benefits of Architectural Heritage Conservation
• Sustainable Conservation and Development of Heritage Landscape Planning
• Sustainable Materials Used in the Protection of the Heritage Sites
• Sustainability Challenges in Conserving the Architectural Heritage
• Cultural Heritage and its Contribution to Environmental Sustainability areas of Impacts and Analytical Approaches
• The challenges of globalization and/or modernization to heritage sustainability
• The opportunities and challenges of public/community participation in heritage projects for contributing to sustainable management practices covering both intangible and tangible heritage
• Case studies where heritage has/is being actively used to achieve Sustainable Development Goals
• International case studies using technologies to achieve a sustainable conservation to the architectural heritage buildings and sites

We have been depending on fossil fuels greatly in the past decades, which led to their depletion and it won’t last for another 150 years. This have led many scientists, scholars and researchers to redirect their focus to other natural resources and how to sustainably use these resources. It will be difficult to imagine the world without its natural resources. Natural resources could be both nonrenewable resources like fossil fuels, oil, natural gas, and coal and nuclear energy, and renewable resources like wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and ocean energy. Use of renewable energy resources is essential now more than ever for our planet’s survival

Preservation of the natural environment is essential for maintaining community and maintaining life on earth. The need to conserve the resources is very crucial to support life by supporting the ecological balance, and to ensure that the future generations will be able to access these resources. Challenges that our nature faces like all forms of pollution and global warming need to be addressed and resolved.

This issue aims to promote and disseminate the knowledge needed for the integration and implementation of new technologies in the renewable and alternative energy field. It is to showcase to the international community the groundbreaking results of the hard work that took place in the fields of renewable energy research and development to achieve environmental sustainability to ensure the human race’s survival without getting all the natural resources used up.

Topics:

• Public Awareness and Education on Renewable Energy
• Renewable Energy Production at Community Scale
• Environmental Crises: Water Pollution, Global Warming, and Acid Rain
• Benefits of Natural Resources Preservation
• Approaches and Techniques Used to Preserve the Natural Resources
• Green Buildings: Designing Buildings with Nature and with Technologies
• Energy-efficiency in the Built Environment
• Challenges in Preserving Natural Resources
• Global Climate Change Challenges and Management
• Climate Responsive Architecture: Solar Architecture and Renewable Energies
• Recycling and Conservation of Natural Resources
• Towards a Zero-Waste City
• International Case Studies and Solution of Green Energies Versus Pollution

Guest edited by: 

Antonella Versaci

Hocine Bougdah 

Mourad Amer

Activating sustainability concept in practices is a critical issue that achieves sustainable development of the whole cities. The sustainable city is a rather recent concept, which has managed to gain increasing attention over the last decades, both through the international community and through grass root movements. This special issue on Improving Sustainability Concept: From Theories to Successful Practices aims to explore how the sustainable city can be translated from theory to practice. Upon discussing the topic of urban planning, participants take a close look at the matter of living in an eco-city, as the concept regards the integration of land-use and transportation systems which is a solution to improve the efficiency of cities. Paying close attention to this issue allows for a balance between land-use and the environment, accordingly, the spread of land can continue but not on the expense of greenhouse gas emissions. It is believed that this balance could be achieved by adopting a long-term political engagement plan as retrieved from the experience of the cities who implemented customized strategic plans. The conflicting interest of growth is found to be an obstacle when it comes to applying radial strategies. Subsequently, governments avoid adopting these concepts and would rather think of them as a constant process.

The following topics are a part of the raised discussion on the concept of sustainability, but it also includes different themes according to authors’ interests:

1. Sustainable urban design

2. Mobility in urban design

3. Energy consumption

4. Energy performance simulation in design process

5. Materials and technology

6. Life cycle assessment for materials

7. Occupancy comfort

8. Energy efficiency in (heating–cooling–lighting)

9. Waste and water recycling

10. Economic efficiency and life cycle cost in building

11. Nature and green building challenges

12. Ecological and cultural sensitivity

13. Planning coastal areas and waterfronts

14. Sustainability indices In Architecture

15. Green Facades

16. Protect and restore water resources

17. Promote sustainable and regenerative material resources cycles

18. Build a greener economy

19. Enhance social equity, environmental justice and community quality of life

20. Renewable energy harvesting and biophysical matrix

21. Renewable energy production at community scale

22. Public awareness and education on renewable energy

23. Governance and policy making for renewable energy

24. City infrastructures and renewable energy distribution

Deadline to submit: 1 November 2019

For each and every person to share a vision that involves experiencing a healthy and happy life within the fair utilization of earth’s resources while allowing space for the wilderness as well as wildlife, people have to adopt the principles of sustainable living. In other words, it must involve ways of living that advance good health and well-being while limiting destruction of the natural environment and wildlife.

Sustainable living is based on four main pillars namely minimizing waste, limiting the use of Earth’s natural resources, wise use of the environment, and ensuring quality working/living environments. 

The sustainability of one’s home depends as much (if not more) on its location as on how the house is built. When we are looking to buy land or to buy (or rent) a house, we should consider the sustainability criteria when comparing the locations of different properties.

Living in an environmentally sensible and sustainable location has numerous benefits. You can reap significant financial savings (e.g., by reducing the amount of driving you have to do; or by avoiding or minimizing the need to build new infrastructure or to do extensive site grading). Location efficiency can also yield broad, collective benefits for society and our shared environment, such as:

1. Reducing sprawl-related automobile dependence, traffic, and air pollution.
2. Protecting public health, environmental health, and the climate.
3. Conserving natural resources, habitat, and open space.
4. Contributing to the creation of livable, walkable, healthy, and vibrant neighborhoods that enhance your community’s quality of life and local economic opportunities.

This issue includes Proceedings of the 3rd international conference: Conservation of Architectural Heritage (CAH) - Regeneration & Managem. This issue discusses the latest research in cultural heritage protection and the different technological developments and methodologies for historic sites.

Topics:

1. Cultural Heritage Protection
2. Conservation Stratigies
3. Materials and Restoration
4. Technology and Development
5. Historic Urban Landscape
6. Sustainability of Heritage
7. Site Management of the Archaeological Site