Introduction

The Conference aims to address the many inter-related aspects of the urban environment from transport and mobility to social exclusion and crime prevention. The meeting will build on the contributions made in previous conferences, which successfully managed to provide an international view of the problems facing modern cities and their solutions.

The Sustainable City 2013 follows seven very successful meetings held in Rio (2000); Segovia (2002); Siena (2004); Tallinn (2006); Skiathos (2008); A Coruña (2010); and Ancona (2012). The Conferences attracted a large number of contributions from participants from different backgrounds and countries. The variety of topics and experiences is one of the main reasons behind the success of the series. This series of conferences addresses the multidisciplinary aspects of urban planning, a result of the increasing size of the cities, the amount of resources and services requested and the complexity of modern society.

Urban areas produce a series of environmental challenges arising from the consumption of natural resources and the subsequent generation of waste and pollution, contributing to the development of social and economic imbalances. All these problems, which continue to grow in our society, require the development of new solutions.

The challenge of planning sustainable contemporary cities lies in considering the dynamics of urban systems, exchange of energy and matter, and the function and maintenance of ordered structures directly or indirectly supplied and maintained by natural systems. The task of researchers, aware of the complexity of the contemporary city, is to improve the capacity to manage human activities, pursuing welfare and prosperity in sustainable cities.