Green and Liveable Transport Infrastructures

Dear Colleagues,

Today, about 55% of the world’s population live in urban areas and the current trend is that cities are attracting a lot of people due to work opportunities. It is forecasted that this percentage will reach 68% by 2050. The consequence of this phenomenon is that cities are, and will be even more so in the future, heavily populated so they will need to expand by making use of territory from the countryside, increasing paved surfaces, making them not only waterproof but also heating, reducing groundwater recharge, and ensuring aesthetic degradation. Flooding is becoming an increasingly common occurrence throughout the whole of Europe, resulting in huge economic losses and sometimes even loss of life. Worldwide, higher temperatures occur in urban areas (UHI—Urban Heat Island) compared to the surrounding countryside, with a considerable impact on people's health and well-being. In many cities, transport infrastructure pavements (roads, parking areas, sidewalks, runways and aprons, harbor large squares, etc., known as sealed soil) represent the largest percentage of a community’s impervious surfaces, covering twice as much land as the next category: building roofs.

Another consequence of population growth in cities is that said cities’ transport systems will be expanded and used even more, increasing the negative effects on the environment, such as emissions of air, water and noise pollution. This growth is also one of the main causes of the lack of accessibility to economic, cultural, social, recreational services for a great number of citizens, with the consequences of marginalization and exclusion.

All these consequences are in contradiction with the goals adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and those of a smart and sustainable city, closely related to the concept of life quality.

Therefore, rethinking transport infrastructures from a green perspective is becoming urgent and ineluctable in order to make them the leading productive sector of the circular economy.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect studies on green and innovative technologies and materials for transport infrastructures to mitigate the effects of climate change, improve air quality and water management, and increase the sustainability of our cities and the well-being of their inhabitants.

Prof. Dr. Mauro Coni
Prof. Dr. Francesca Maltinti
Prof. Dr. Amir Kavussi
Prof. Dr. Francesco Mancini
Dr. Roberto Minunno
Prof. Dr. Francesco Pinna
Dr. Silvia Portas
Dr. James Rombi
Dr. Nicoletta Rassu
Guest Editors

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