Sensing urban green spaces through portable photonics based devices initial findings in the metropolitan area of Cagliari -- Rethinking landscapes in a changing climate An experiment from Spain -- Energy transition and knowledge flows in the border region of Silesia -- Energy transition and knowledge flows in the border region of Silesia -- Regional Capabilities to tackle climate change setting a research agenda for big data driven tools -- Effects of Climate Change on the Quality of Life Assessment Model in Alexandria Egypt -- Collaborative governance and planning for urban biodiversity Nexus An explorative study -- Biodiversity as a key relational values for cities -- Defining a peri urban agrarian space as a socio spatial and environmental unit Lessons from Barcelona’s local food system -- The valorisation of Cultural Ecosystem Services in marginal territories The case study of Villacidro in Sardinia -- Urban Living Labs for socially inclusive and cohesive cities the stakeholder engagement practices in Ljubljana and Thessaloniki -- The social impact in the new welfare society of social farming -- The role of land use Diversity and vitality in the urban systems organization.

This book aims to address the issue of the effects that the contemporary environmental, technological, social and economic global challenges produce on settlement systems, communities, institutions and enterprises. It presents a multi-disciplinary scientific debate on the new frontiers of strategic and spatial planning, decision support tools and ecological design, within the urban-rural areas networks and the metropolitan cities of the Mediterranean basin. The book focuses on five topics: Cultural Heritage as driver of development for territories and tourism destinations; Ecosystems, people-nature cohesion and urban-rural relationships; Decision Support Systems for urban regeneration; Policies and practices of cohesion and social innovation for inclusive cities; Green buildings and sustainable solutions for ecological transition. In addition, the book hosts the papers of a special session intercluster promoted by Italian Society of Architectural Technology (SITdA). The book benefits all researchers, practitioners and policymakers interested in the issue applied to metropolitan cities and marginal areas.