Foreword to the Special Issue on Urban Remote Sensing for Smarter Cities

The 15 papers in this special issue examine the use of remote sensing in urban locations. This research reflects the current status of the rapid urban growth and application of remote sensing to address these challenges. Urban growth models predict rapid increases in extent and populations all over the world. It is anticipated that over two-thirds of the population will live in cities by 2050. The fastest growing cities in the world are in the developing countries where the infrastructure growth has not been matching the urban growth thereby creating a range of socio-economic issues. In developed countries, urban monitoring mainly consists in tracking more subtle changes and densification within cities. In both cases, poorly planned urbanization can lead to greater risks to the quality of life and thereby significant economic risks.