Ecological transition: perspectives from U.S. and European cities

Starting from the relationship between urban planning and mobility management, TeMA has gradually expanded the view of the covered topics, always remaining in the groove of rigorous scientific in-depth analysis. This section of the Journal, Review Notes, is the expression of a continuous updating of emerging topics concerning relationships between urban planning, mobility and environment, through a collection of short scientific papers written by young researchers. The Review Notes are made of four parts. Each section examines a specific aspect of the broader information storage within the main interests of TeMA Journal. In particular, the Urban planning literature review section aims at presenting recent books and journals, within global scientific panorama, on selected topics and issues. This contribution proposes a further insight into the complex ecological transition, with a focus to U.S. and European cities. Cities have faced a worldwide health and economic crisis due to the outbreak of a new coronavirus in 2019 and now, with progressive and massive vaccination and never experienced financial tools, a new era seems to start: significant financial resources, plenty of room for economic maneuvers may turn the ongoing pandemic into an opportunity, for the following years, to build more sustainable societies and environments. Within this scenario, urban areas play an essential role. According to shared and universal goals to achieve a more sustainable model of society and economy, how ecological transition is run by policymakers, stakeholders and citizens strongly depends on cities' backgrounds and structures