Sustainable cities and communities are central to global efforts to build a more equitable and resilient future. As urbanisation accelerates, cities face mounting challenges, including overpopulation, environmental degradation, and infrastructure strain. According to the United Nations, over half the world’s population now lives in urban areas, a figure expected to rise to nearly 70% by 2050. This rapid urban growth drives higher greenhouse gas emissions, resource use, and socio-economic disparities, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable urban development.
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, focused on sustainable cities and communities, highlights the importance of creating inclusive, safe, and resilient urban spaces. Achieving this goal requires innovative solutions to address urban pressures, promote sustainable tourism, and integrate smart technologies into building practices.
In the following blog post, we delve into research from European Commission-funded projects that tackle critical aspects of SDG 11, offering insights into sustainable urban transformation, digital construction tools, and collaborative approaches to smart building innovation.
Tourism, real estate, and urban pressures: the case of Marsascala, Malta
Coastal tourism is a major sector in the Blue Economy. In its 2023 Blue Economy Report, the European Commission states that coastal tourism is linked to many other economic activities, thereby affecting employment, income, and well-being.
At the same time, the Blue Economy in the region is subject to critical scrutiny, particularly with respect to its impacts and opportunities. A practical example is the EU COST Action (CA221222): Rethinking the Blue Economy: Socio-Ecological Impacts and Opportunities (RethinkBlue), which, according to its Memorandum of Understanding, focuses on the Blue Economy and policies impacting European societies. Its goal is to rethink the Blue Economy, by assessing its impact on coastal societies and exploring opportunities from innovations and synergies between marine activities.
This Research Article outlines the urban transformation of Marsascala, Malta, driven by tourism development, highlighting its evolution from a fishing village to a tourist hub. The study identifies issues such as overdevelopment and declining quality of life due to population growth. The findings add to discussions on sustainable tourism and the socio-ecological impacts of coastal governance.
Navigating the shift towards sustainable digital building permits and building logbooks
The architecture, engineering, construction, and operations sector faces several big challenges when it comes to sustainability. Environmentally, it significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and consumes vast natural resources. Socially, it needs to ensure worker safety while also considering the impacts on local communities. From an economical standpoint, the sector often faces difficulties balancing cost management with the adoption of sustainable practices.
Digital solutions are considered a means to enhance sustainability in construction. Examples include digital building permits (DBP) and digital building logbooks (DBL), which aim to improve efficiency and transparency in the construction process. Nonetheless, limited research exists on how effectively these tools support sustainability. This Research Article explores the sustainability impacts of DBPs and DBLs in the architecture, engineering, construction, and operation sectors, identifying their contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It employs a four-phase methodology to assess how these digital solutions enhance efficiency, transparency, and sustainability in building practices, and to provide a framework for future research and policy development. Further investigation is needed to quantify long-term impacts and broaden the analysis beyond Europe.
Collaborative design approach to identify research and innovation needs within the European smart building community
The built environment affects our daily lives in numerous ways, shaping our living, work, and mobility habits, while also causing significant environmental impacts that influence our health and wellbeing. Enhancing the intelligence of both current and future buildings can greatly improve our quality of life and promote sustainable consumption by boosting energy efficiency, optimising resource use, and improving air quality and comfort.
This Research Article presents a collaborative design approach to identify research and innovation gaps within the European smart building community, involving a large group of experts through a structured process of workshops and consultations. Over 18 months, the method successfully identified significant gaps in smart building technology and achieved consensus on the findings among participants. The study suggests that this collaborative process could be applied to other areas seeking to address research and innovation needs.
Discover further research from authors related to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, as part of the Sustainable Development Community Gateway on Open Research Europe.
