NEW ENERGIES FOR THE CITIES

Urban settlements are constantly increasing, and we are approaching a point where over half the human population will live in cities. This human concentration gives rise to complex problems, ranging from pollution to difficulties providing resources to sustain the inhabitants' lives. This situation results in low resilience of urban settlements to events that may affect the territory and the settled society. The complexity of consumption patterns and the flows of energy and matter in transit (inflows and outflows) require a profound rethinking compared to the past, as these flows differ in magnitude and complexity. This book, New Energies for the City, represents an initial attempt to reflect on the complexity and specificity of urban metabolism, as well as on potential solutions to address and transform the identified critical issues into possible elements for mitigating problems. New Energies for Cities explores the challenges and opportunities related to the transition towards more sustainable and resilient cities, with particular reference to Milan.