Eco-cities ― Scenarios for Innovation and Sustainability

The aim of this book is to explore the question of how urban sustainability can be achieved despite a lack of knowledge integration between different fields. This book starts from the premise that the battle for sustainability will be won or lost in cities and proposes a critical, up-to-date review of trans-disciplinary knowledge management tools – notably scenario methods for informed decision-making. Drawing from literature and pioneering experience in innovation clusters (university-industry-government) during the last decade, it provides a review of recent eco-city concepts and knowledge management tools for effective decision making in the transition to urban sustainability. Using method outlines, case studies and graphical representations, it is intended to serve as a toolbox for those interested in urban transformation towards sustainability. The challenge of sustainability is unprecedented in the history of humanity. The world population is already predominantly urban and the biosphere is profoundly transformed in ways which we can only partially understand, let alone manage. For example, the International Panel for Climate Change has produced very impressive sets of global climate scenarios, but the consequences for the real-world management remain marginal. This book is intended for city managers concerned with urban transformation towards sustainability, policy-makers, researchers-innovators and technology developers, industry and business professionals, as well as students and the general public.

Dr. Ioan M. Ciumasu is President of the Institute of Innovation for Transition to Sustainability – INTRAS in Paris, France. He holds a magna cum laude PhD from the Technical University Munich. He functioned as visiting scientist at the GSF/Helmholz Research Centre for Environmental Health, Institute of Ecological Chemistry (2001-2004), Neuherberg-Munich, Germany; Scientific coordinator of the Centre of Expertise for Sustainable Exploitation of Ecosystems (CEXDUREC), at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (UAIC) of Iasi, Romania (2005-2010); Assistant Professor/Professeur Associe and Director of the International Professional Master in Management of Eco-innovation, at the University of Versailles Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ) (2010-2013). Since 2010, he has been involved in research-innovation and education networks of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), Climate Knowledge and Innovation Community (Climate KIC); he has served in the selection jury of ACES Awards by Science|Business, and in the board of directors of Observatoire de Versailles Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines (OVSQ). His is concerned with environmental technologies and knowledge management methods for urban sustainability and eco-innovation. He works through projects that bring together universities, businesses and governmental bodies into a dynamic of cross-sectoral experimentation: models, scenarios and demonstrators.