The unique approaches proposed in this book are ‘glocal’ in character, as they draw on the experiences of South Africans to address the global issue of ‘smart communities’. The book blends together social and technical aspects, and presents the experiences from a range of community practitioners, academics, architects and engineers.

Based on the results of more than a decade of research by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, Smart Communities provides directions for strategic decision-making and outlines the key strategies used by thousands of leaders who have worked to create successful communities. Smart Communities offers leaders from both the public and private sectors the tools they need to create a better future for all the community's citizens. Using illustrative examples from communities around the country, Smart Communities shows how these change agents' well-structured decision-making processes can be traced to their effective use of seven key leverage points: Investing right the first time Working together Building on community strengths Practicing democracy Preserving the past Growing leaders Inventing a brighter future

These proceedings present fourteen peer-reviewed papers from the 10th International Conference on Improving Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings and Smart Communities, which was held March 21-22, 2018 in Frankfurt, Germany. This biannual conference aims to promote and diffuse the concept of energy efficiency in new and existing commercial buildings and to enlarge the market for low consumption and sustainable non-residential buildings. It also covers smart and sustainable districts, communities and cities, since energy systems efficiency and renewable energies are often optimized at the district or municipal level. The 2018 conference focused on advanced and innovative technologies to improve the energy efficiency of commercial buildings, communities and cities as well as the policies and measures by governments at various levels to improve energy efficiency. A particular focus was on Energy Service Companies (ESCOs). The conference addresses energy policy makers at international, national, and local level; academics, researchers and energy efficiency experts; ESCOs, utilities, buildings energy and environmental managers; buildings engineers and architects; and equipment manufacturers and commercial property investors.

The term "smart city" defines the new urban environment, one that is designed for performance through information and communication technologies. Given that the majority of people across the world will live in urban environments within the next few decades, it's not surprising that massive effort and investment is being placed into efforts to devel

This edited volume examines strategies to make future cities more sustainable. The aim of these and other initiatives of the recent past, is to transform our cities into smarter cities. Thereby, these solutions are determined to boost clean electricity and pollution reduction, improve the life of citizens and transform city environment and regulatory structures. As the EUs ambition is to become carbon-neutral until 2050, the outlined projects also consider fostering economy prosperity and social wellness and environmental sustainability. The greatest challenge being already built urban spaces that need to be transformed quickly and at low costs. The book will analyze future smart cities in three centric dimensions: energy and sustainable development, smart infrastructures for smart cities, social involvement and economic prosperity. With its global approach, the volume is highly useful for professionals involved in city planning and urban ecology.

This book couples data analytics with social behavioural studies and participatory design to derive deeper insights on city dwellers’ present needs and future aspirations, thereby enabling the development of targeted spatial and programmatic interventions for diverse communities. Public housing in Singapore has been regarded internationally as a success story. This book outlines the latest strategies and concepts for addressing the emerging social challenges of the ageing population: shrinking household size, increasingly diverse demographics and widening inequality, and fostering inclusive and resilient neighbourhoods. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this book: Outlines an innovative data-driven planning process for housing neighbourhood and community design Provides a framework for planners and designers to synthesise qualitative and quantitative data analyses Presents a comprehensive set of tested urban analytics tools, digital platforms and participatory toolkits used to design and develop community initiatives. A recommended text for students undertaking urban planning, urban design, housing design, architecture, real estate, urban sociology and community design, the book’s strategies for evidence-based neighbourhood designs will also appeal to practitioners and policymakers.