The ambition of the book is to give a contemporary insight in the state of the art when it comes to designing our cities and landscapes for dry conditions. Water, or the absence thereof, is an important issue to consider. Many cities around the world are increasingly suffering heat, droughts and occasional severe flooding and rainfall. This asks for new approaches, and methodologies to (re)design the urban and rural condition to stay livable.

The book addresses the interdisciplinary and multiscale theme of the design of sustainable, inclusive and creative urban green spaces in relation to the socio-ecological transition and in line with the systemic vision promoted by the 2030 Agenda, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the principles outlined by the New European Bauhaus (European Commission, 2021). The publication refers to the International Study Day organized in June 2022 by the Unit for Internationalization of the PDTA Department of the Sapienza University of Rome, develops and updates its themes, with essays that deepen theories and methodologies pursued in specific disciplinary and research fields, and with case studies of design experiments and achievements that constitute best practices at an international level in the sign of a conscious sustainability.

This book explores the need for innovative approaches to administrative digitization, leveraging technologies such as AI, blockchain, and smart processes to meet citizens' expectations, with a particular focus on the role of Chief Digital Officers (CDOs) in driving successful digital transformations within public institutions.

This book presents the integrating of economics and urban geography to create a framework of cooperation around the idea of urban economic stability. It explores these disciplines through the economic lens and creates a collaborative environment for addressing the global challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and future global shocks. Environmental advocates and proponents of economic growth are increasingly at odds—having looked at the economic impact of the decline of the environment as well as the environmental loss that occurs with unchecked growth and urbanization. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic changed the global scene. The world shook in its foundations, as a number of countries’ lockdown affected not only the global economy but also society and the environment. The global community has seen the negative impact of COVID-19 on our economies. There have been steep declines in gross domestic product, job losses have been in the millions, and people have seen their incomes fall. An unplanned shutdown has taken its toll and has been a shock to the economies of the world. Past shocks and how they have impacted urban economies as well as for how long are core to bettering our understanding of present and future urban economic change. The underlying economic factors that make a shock more damaging to certain economies or industries, as well as understanding these vulnerabilities, help entities recover from economic shocks and allow them to better understand how impacts on individual businesses can be implemented. The pandemic revealed the need to adopt a global development approach, taking into consideration four dimensions: global value chains, debt, digitalization, and the environment. Topics related to the causation and lockdown are explored through a number of case studies from around the world.

This book offers a unique perspective on urban processes affecting tourist spaces and city centres. Economic, social and environmental uncertainty has been commonplace since March 2019, when mobility slowed down across the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated trends that have been investigated in urban space for years. The incorporation of technologies, the expansion of tourism and the introduction of policies that in part want to advance sustainability are generating processes of reorganisation of territories that are driving changes. These changes will affect models of city, urbanism and society.

Today, the new Indonesian capital city, Nusantara, planning is being anticipated as “representing national identity,” “a model city,” or “a gift to the world,” and many other extraordinary labels. This book examines the reality of an ongoing developmental transformation of the Nusantara beyond those labels. It approaches its assemblage of humans, their works (plans, documents, policies, and others), non-human objects (biodiversity, landscape, geography, physical infrastructure, buildings, and public spaces), processes, social relationships, social infrastructures, and others. It is organized into three themes—mimicry, friction, and resonance. The mimicry illustrates the similarities (and differences) between Nusantara and other capital cities in urban narratives, imageries, and forms. The friction studies how Nusantara moves actors who do not always agree, processes that do not always align or collaboration between diverse contradicting groups that intersect.