Dear Colleagues,

As we all know, cities play a central role in the achievement of sustainable development. Cities (and in particular metropolitan cities) can represent a threat in the achievement of sustainable development but, at the same time, they can become the starting point to implement sustainable principles and goals. Many of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs of Agenda 2030) can be achieved in a city/territory.

Growing urbanization costs and natural resource depletion require the identification of new creative models to increase urban productivity in financial/economic, environmental and social dimensions.

It is necessary to rethink traditional models, exploring, and critically assessing integrated alternative development models.

Considering the “circular paradigm” as a way for implementing the urban regenerative strategy, this Special Issue aims to explore how cities, and in particular metropolitan cities and port cities are implementing circular economy in their agendas, reducing systemic entropy, increasing resilience and making port areas as drivers for the city regeneration.

Many cities are moving towards this new urban circular metabolism, but the “circular city”—as the reflection of the circular economy—is a still discussed concept in the international debate, representing a rich field of research.

The aim is to investigate practices of metropolitan and port cities that are creatively adopting circular economy as a “regenerative strategy” to achieve sustainable development, with a particular focus on operational tools and conditions of success, demonstrating the convenience in economic, social and environmental/spatial terms.

In particular, the researchers are invited to investigate about the following issues:

• How metropolitan and port cities are including circular economy in their development strategies: new tools towards the “smart circular city model”;
• Circular metropolitan strategies for making "inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities" and for implementing other SDG’s: the role of the port system;
• Appropriate decision support system, tools, indicators, knowledge and data able to assess/monitor/improve the performances of the “circular city model”;
• Good practices evaluations of circular economy implementation focused on multiple dimensions (and in particular on the social dimension of circular economy);
• Big Data and circular economy/circular city planning;
• The “circular city model” as the “Smart City model”: the role of utilities and ICT;
• The role of cultural heritage and cultural landscape in public space making, to increase economic productivity and interpersonal connectivity in the fragmented city, reducing systemic entropy, reconnecting people to places and implementing the circular metropolitan city model;
• New business models, new financing and governance tools in the “circular city” for improving efficiency and competitiveness;
• The civic engagement to operationalize the circular paradigm

Prof. Dr. Luigi Fusco Girard
Guest Editor

• creative metropolitan city organization/metabolism
• circular economy
• circular city model
• circular business/ financing/ governance
• circular built / natural environment planning