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In recent months, we have suffered the effects of an unexpected global health crisis that has led to an even worse global economic crisis, with GDPs plummeting to unprecedented levels. While our health workers struggle to find a vaccine to protect our health, we have had to live through situations hitherto unimagined, and we have spent even more time in our homes while our streets remained empty, which has brought to light the weaknesses and strengths of our system and our way of building and designing. Our aim is to publish research projects and papers that contribute to reactivate the Construction Sector from within, in the context of this world economic crisis. Such an effort will focus especially on solutions that improve the quality of indoor air in buildings, strengthening the circular economy in an eco-efficient rehabilitation of buildings and neighborhoods in our cities.

patrimony --- tower --- buildings rehabilitation --- eco-sustainable --- sustainable --- town planning --- resource efficiency --- eco-efficient construction solutions --- environmental --- green public procurement --- renovation --- construction --- energy --- circular economy --- innovation --- green --- urban regeneration --- roof refurbishment --- energy performance --- sustainable development goals --- urban design --- neighborhood regeneration --- competition --- architectural education --- indoor environmental quality --- health --- accessibility 2 --- housing typology 3 --- COVID-19 4 --- social isolation 5 --- regulations 6 --- architectural barriers --- energy poverty --- climate change --- life-cycle analysis --- direct and indirect energy --- bill of quantities --- urban realm --- accessibility --- social inclusion --- active aging --- social services --- heritage regeneration --- water mills --- sustainable prefabrication --- local industry --- housing --- optimization --- cool roof --- thermal insulation --- aging effect --- social housing --- life-cycle cost analysis --- city --- indicators --- social gap --- pandemic --- n/a

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As the century begins, natural resources are under increasing pressure, threatening public health and development. As a result, the balance between man and nature has been disrupted, with climatic changes whose effects are starting to be irreversible. Due to the relationship between the quality of the indoor built environment and its energy demand, thermal comfort issues are still relevant in the disciplinary debate. This is also because the indoor environment has a potential impact on occupants' health and productivity, affecting their physical and psychological conditions. To achieve a sustainable compromise in terms of comfort and energy requirements, several challenging questions must be answered with regard to design, technical, engineering, psychological, and physiological issues and, finally, potential interactions with other IEQ issues that require a holistic way to conceive the building envelope design. This Special Issue collected original research and review articles on innovative designs, systems, and/or control domains that can enhance thermal comfort, work productivity, and wellbeing in a built environment, along with works considering the integration of human factors in buildings’ energy performance.

smart broiler chamber --- ventilation system --- wind velocity --- age of air --- computational fluid dynamics --- simulation analysis --- user awareness --- energy consumption --- individual metering --- feedback strategies --- N-ZEB --- IoT --- Trombe wall --- thermal comfort --- passive heating systems --- heat accumulation --- thermal comfort models --- thermal comfort assessment --- Fanger’s models --- moderate environments --- sport facilities --- desert cooler --- evaporative cooling --- indoor air quality --- liquid desiccant --- effectiveness model --- moisture removal --- PMV --- comfort indices --- software --- app --- building simulation --- health and comfort --- evaluation indicators --- work environments --- indoor environmental quality --- indoor comfort --- human health --- clothing thermal insulation --- thermoregulation model --- Tanabe model --- infrared camera --- indoor air quality (IAQ) --- hybrid ventilation --- demand controlled ventilation (DCV) --- internet of things (IoT) --- soft-sensor --- convolution neural networks --- draught --- cooling period --- open office --- thermal sensation --- biological structure and composition --- tissue temperature --- bioheat model --- MRI analysis --- sensitivity analysis

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The book Smart Cities and Positive Energy Districts: Urban Perspectives in 2020 is the second book published by MDPI on the topic. It highlights the most recent internationally/nationally funded projects on Smart Cities and Positive Energy Districts, providing readers with an overview of the most recent and effective solutions to support the transition of urban areas towards climate neutrality as well as inspiring solutions not only for researchers but for local governments who seek to transform urban areas into sustainable places.

building dynamics --- occupants’ comfort --- energy efficiency --- information and communication technologies --- COVID-19 scenario --- human interaction --- Positive Energy District --- smart districts --- building performance simulation --- sustainable large-scale renovation model --- Driving Urban Transition --- Renovation Wave --- neighbourhoods --- positive energy districts --- sustainable urban areas --- energy production --- energy flexibility --- economic costs --- indoor environmental quality --- social performance --- Positive Energy Districts --- urban typology --- energy modelling --- energy and climate goals --- sustainable urban development --- energy sufficiency --- deep energy retrofit --- building thermal mass --- positive energy district --- yearly energy balance --- seasonal energy balance --- residential buildings --- district heating --- renewable energy resources --- PED boundary --- multi-criteria decision analyses --- geographic information systems --- GIS overlay analyses --- positive energy district (PED) --- enabling solution for PED transition --- energy efficiency in buildings and real estate --- n/a --- occupants' comfort

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This Special Issue aims at providing the state-of-the-art on procedures and methodologies developed to improve energy and environmental performance through building renovation. We are greatly thankful to our colleagues building physics experts, building technology researchers, and urban environment scholars who contributed to this Special Issue, for sharing their original works in the field.

CFD --- enclosed building --- wind environment --- group layout --- Hangzhou --- China --- indoor air quality --- IAQ --- enthalpy --- humidity --- thermal comfort --- TC --- dissatisfaction --- panel tests --- nearly zero energy building --- NZEB --- indoor environmental quality --- IEQ --- indoor air quality models --- sustainable building --- multi-criteria decision analysis --- MCDM --- MADM --- user dissatisfaction --- weights system --- building comfort --- PD --- Residential users --- Demand Response --- Flexible loads --- Dwellings clustering --- building-integrated photovoltaics—BIPV --- building heritage --- energy efficiency --- traditional materials --- resilience --- urban regeneration --- adapting to change --- climate performance --- innovative technologies --- smoke --- natural exhaust --- mechanical exhaust --- smoke curtain --- fire dynamics simulator --- drying --- heat and moisture transfer --- hygro-thermal behavior --- masonry walls --- wet wall --- in situ monitoring --- energy benchmarking --- university campus --- energy performance certificate --- CIBSE TM46 --- thermal energy efficiency --- dynamic model --- energy performance of buildings --- low temperature district heating --- indoor comfort --- renovation --- urban scale --- energy requalification --- building envelope --- sustainable development and planning --- standardized interventions of requalification --- Geographic Information System --- biometric data --- biosignals --- non-intrusive sensing --- physiological metrics --- environmental stimuli --- stress detection --- health --- comfort --- human thermal perception --- multi-domain interactions --- noise sensation --- cross-modal perception --- n/a --- building-integrated photovoltaics-BIPV