This book sets the stage for understanding how the exponential escalation of digital ubiquity in the contemporary environment is being absorbed, modulated, processed and actively used for enhancing the performance of our built environment. S.M.A.R.T., in this context, is thus used as an acronym for Systems & Materials in Architectural Research and Technology, with a specific focus on interrogating the intricate relationship between information systems and associative material, cultural and socioeconomic formations within the built environment. This interrogation is deeply rooted in exploring inter-disciplinary research and design strategies involving nonlinear processes for developing meta-design systems, evidence based design solutions and methodological frameworks, some of which, are presented in this issue. Urban health and wellbeing, urban mobility and infrastructure, smart manufacturing, Interaction Design, Urban Design & Planning as well as Data Science, as prominent symbiotic domains constituting the Built Environment are represented in this first book in the S.M.A.R.T. series. The spectrum of chapters included in this volume helps in understanding the multivalence of data from a socio-technical perspective and provides insight into the methodological nuances involved in capturing, analysing and improving urban life via data driven technologies.

This book explores the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary fields of energy systems, occupant behavior, thermal comfort, air quality and economic modelling across levels of building, communities and cities, through various data analytical approaches. It highlights the complex interplay of heating/cooling, ventilation and power systems in different processes, such as design, renovation and operation, for buildings, communities and cities. Methods from classical statistics, machine learning and artificial intelligence are applied into analyses for different building/urban components and systems. Knowledge from this book assists to accelerate sustainability of the society, which would contribute to a prospective improvement through data analysis in the liveability of both built and urban environment. This book targets a broad readership with specific experience and knowledge in data analysis, energy system, built environment and urban planning. As such, it appeals to researchers, graduate students, data scientists, engineers, consultants, urban scientists, investors and policymakers, with interests in energy flexibility, building/city resilience and climate neutrality.

This book has a primary focus on inclusions for solutions to problems and not just more on the nature of the current and emerging problems that most other competing titles present. The book is also a true global representation of challenges and opportunities that have been encountered, addressed, and critiqued from a wide variety of contributors rather than academicians per se. In doing so, rather than focusing on techno-centric prowess and associated case studies of the west (as is the case in most competing titles), the book also equally emphasizes upon the vulnerabilities and mitigating solutions being developed and tested in the under-developed and developing nations. Besides this, the book also acquires an ‘Equity’ oriented focus and hints upon sustainable, inclusive modes of shaping our built environment throughout the contributing chapters. The book is also unique in the way it combines the chosen themes to provide a holistic coverage of the broader determinants of urban health and wellbeing, thus being better positioned to address SDG3 within one compact volume. The book also differs from a typical conference proceeding or a non-peer reviewed book since the book’s highly theme specific approach is curated by a scientific peer review committee to carefully maintain diversity of contributions to the book. Cities have a profound power to support or hinder human health and wellbeing in countless ways. Achieving greater health equity has emerged in recent years as a key priority and consideration when designing cities to promote health and wellbeing, although there is a dearth of evidence and practical examples of research translation to guide cities and communities. The book accordingly exemplifies a pluralistic approach to achieving urban health equity which recognises and addresses critical aspects of geography, age, race, background, socioeconomic status, disability, gender etc. With interdisciplinary science clearly pointing to the role of the neighbourhood environment as one of the most important health determinants, this book will undoubtedly lead the next generation of urban health actors to build contextually responsive, equitable, empathic cities to benefit residents around the world. The book, rather than being focused purely on academic propositions for building equitable cities, offers a unique multi-stakeholder perspective by collaborating with the International Society for Urban Health’s 18th International Conference on Urban Health. This unique collaboration allows access to hundreds of scientists, architects, urbanists, multilaterals, policymakers, non-profit leaders, and grassroots organizers. The book captures the voices and concerns of such diverse cross-sectoral professionals and showcases findings that turn evidence into action and impact in communities around the world. Chapter 14 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Collective insight of key thought leaders in the field to clarify and reshape the vision of smart cities Smart Cities, Energy and Climate: Governing Cities for a Low-Carbon Future is a seminal work that draws together representative insights and case studies on post-carbon urbanism across a variety of fieldsfrom smart energy grids to active buildings, sustainable mobility and urban design. Another objective is to foster an understanding of how digitally-enhanced smart city solutions can assist energy transitions, and what new developments and challenges they bring in areas ranging from urban governance to energy security. Key topics covered in this book include: Recent developments in urban planning, building design and smart technologies Urban-scale digital platforms and innovation for clean energy systems, energy efficiency and net-zero policies Socio-technical and political relationships in climate-neutral cities and smart cities Context-rich, situated perspectives from Europe, Africa and Asia Cities, Energy and Climate Governing Cities for a Low-Carbon Future serves as a primary reference for scholars, students and policy makers interested in the conceptual, technical, economic and political challenges associated with the transition towards a smart and sustainable urban future.

EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. Drawing on the study of different cities in the Global South, this book explores how the intensive use of data changes politics, power relations, and everyday life in contemporary cities. Across the volume, expert contributors show how urban actors, from the state to activists, are increasingly using data as a resource to empower their actions and support their claims, while also demonstrating how times of crisis are moments when the power of data is made visible. Focusing on the different dimensions of data power and politics in the urban realm, this is an important contribution to our understanding of how datafication transforms the places in which we live and how we experience them.

Today, Internet of Things (IoT) is ubiquitous as it is applied in practice in everything from Industrial Control Systems (ICS) to e-Health, e-commerce, Cyber Physical Systems (CPS), smart cities, smart parking, healthcare, supply chain management and many more. Numerous industries, academics, alliances and standardization organizations make an effort on IoT standardization, innovation and development. But there is still a need for a comprehensive framework with integrated standards under one IoT vision. Furthermore, the existing IoT systems are vulnerable to huge range of malicious attacks owing to the massive numbers of deployed IoT systems, inadequate data security standards and the resource-constrained nature. Existing security solutions are insufficient and therefore it is necessary to enable the IoT devices to dynamically counter the threats and save the system. Apart from illustrating the diversified IoT applications, this book also addresses the issue of data safekeeping along with the development of new security-enhancing schemes such as blockchain, as well as a range of other advances in IoT. The reader will discover that the IoT facilitates a multidisciplinary approach dedicated to create novel applications and develop integrated solutions to build a sustainable society. The innovative and fresh advances that demonstrate IoT and computational intelligence in practice are discussed in this book, which will be helpful and informative for scientists, research scholars, academicians, policymakers, industry professionals, government organizations and others. This book is intended for a broad target audience, including scholars of various generations and disciplines, recognized scholars (lecturers and professors) and young researchers (postgraduate and undergraduates) who study the legal and socio-economic consequences of the emergence and dissemination of digital technologies such as IoT. Furthermore, the book is intended for researchers, developers and operators working in the field of IoT and eager to comprehend the vulnerability of the IoT paradigm. The book will serve as a comprehensive guide for the advanced-level students in computer science who are interested in understanding the severity and implications of the accompanied security issues in IoT. Dr. Bharat Bhushan is an Assistant Professor of Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at School of Engineering and Technology, Sharda University, Greater Noida, India. Prof. (Dr.) Sudhir Kumar Sharma is currently a Professor and Head of the Department of Computer Science, Institute of Information Technology & Management affiliated to GGSIPU, New Delhi, India. Prof. (Dr.) Bhuvan Unhelkar (BE, MDBA, MSc, PhD; FACS; PSM-I, CBAP®) is an accomplished IT professional and Professor of IT at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee (Lead Faculty). Dr. Muhammad Fazal Ijaz is working as an Assistant Professor in Department of Intelligent Mechatronics Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul, Korea. Prof. (Dr.) Lamia Karim is a professor of computer science at the National School of Applied Sciences Berrechid (ENSAB), Hassan 1st University.