Anthropocene or Urbanocene? The Need of a New Theory of Global Sustaianbility, including Urban Metabolism

Dear colleagues,

Scientists from many fields are using the term "Anthropocene" to describe the geological epoch in which we are living. Such a period should be characterised by the influence of humans on the Earth, a total dominium of the specie on the planet that have not ever be seen before. If this epoch started with the agricultural revolution, with the development of writing skills, or with the industrial revolution, or even with the great acceleration of the late XX Century, it is still argument of debate. But it is probable that the transition to a new epoch was a large process started a long time ago. During this time, the life of the human race has changed and it characterizes today by the specific environment where it takes place: cities. So, some authors started using a new definition to refer to our times: the "Urbanocene". This Special Issue will explore the new challenges that we are facing, in an always more urbanized world that is claiming for sustainability as well for economic growth. Cities are the icebergs of development: the places where most energy is consumed and heat transferred to the environment. Cities are also the places in which more than the half of humanity is living: undoubtedly our goals as a society are the result of the benefits offered by such kind of emergent complex system.

This Special Issue is linked to a symposium co-organized by the guest editors, tacking place in July 2019 during the International Landscape Ecology Association Conference in Milano, Italy.

Contributors from different fields are invited to submit their articles to the SI, on the specific topics (not limited to) proposed in the follow:

• Cities’ metabolism
• Anthropocene
• Urban ecosystems
• Sustainableplanning
• Simulation of fluxes at city and neighbour scale
• Urban-rural dichotomy
• Energy-water-food nexus

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Massimo Palme
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Daniele La Rosa
Guest Editors

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