Editorial: Smart city, knowledge city, sustainable city - the brand soup of contemporary cities

The sustainability concept has become a prevalent policy underpinning both developed and developing countries’ planning agendas. This is mainly the result of externalities—e.g., climate change, non-renewable resource depletion, air, water and land pollution, rapid and sprawling urbanisation, and social inequalities—that are often not considered until they reach the level, where disregarding consequences of these externalities may jeopardise the overall wealth and wellbeing of the citizens. The trend of growing urban population and associated citizen needs has highlighted the importance of actions, which should be taken to reach the goals of sustainable communities