Urban Ecotheology in the Age of Technology

Vikas Chand Sharma, an Associate Professor at Chandigarh University and a researcher at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, brings 13 years of experience in architectural design, urban planning, and research. He specializes in sustainable urban design strategies for historic cities, combining phenomenological approaches with digital mapping. His foundational research on religious spatial patterns and new urbanism was published in 2016. He serves on the Scientific Committee for Contesti. Città, Territori, Progetti and is a member of the Editorial Board for several international journals. His work appears in the International Journal of Construction Education and Research, Journal of Architecture & Urbanism, and Landscape Research.Krzysztof Nawratek is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Humanities and Architecture at the University of Sheffield. With a background in architecture, urban design, and urban planning, his interdisciplinary research sits at the intersection of urbanism and religious studies, exploring how non-Western worldviews and belief systems shape space. His work develops radical inclusivity and radical contextualisation to decolonise Western urban discourse. Dr. Nawratek has authored or co-authored seven books, including Epistemic Ambivalence (2023). He is a Fellow of the HEA and has led several funded international projects, including Future Faith (Sir Halley Stewart Trust) and Worldviews, Water and Urban Practices (UKRI). He also brings over a decade of professional experience in architectural and urban planning practices across Poland, Latvia, and Ireland.Sandeep Dua is a Professor in the Department of Architecture at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. He holds a PG Diploma in Urban Design from CEPT University, Ahmedabad, and a PhD in Architecture from IIT Roorkee. His research interests encompass mathematics in architecture and urban form, history and theory of architecture and urban design. With a 30-year experience, Dr. Dua has published extensively on topics such as medieval domestic architecture, colonial and post-colonial architectural styles, and urban form and architecture. He has also undertaken research project funded by AICTE, New Delhi.Alessio Russo, an Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), is a recognized expert in urban ecosystem services and green infrastructure. His research, informed by professional and academic experience across the UK, Italy, UAE, and Russia, focuses on the critical intersection of these areas with human health and climate change. He emphasizes using nature-based solutions (renaturing, regreening) to regenerate cities, contributing specifically to SDG 11. Dr. Russo's recent projects, funded by UKRI and UCL, explore urban rewilding and climate-resilient design. He serves on the editorial boards of journals including Urban Planning and is an Associate Editor of Urban Agriculture and Regional Food Systems.

• Part I: Religious Traditions and Urban Ecological Frameworks.- Chapter 1. Hindu Spatial Concepts for Reconciling Technology and Ecology in Contemporary Urban Design.- Chapter 2. Sikh Ecotheological Approach to Technological Integration for Urban Sustainability.- Chapter 3. The Islamic Approach in Human-Environment Relationship and its Role in the Responsible Use of Technological Advancement in Urban Development.- Chapter 4. Intergenerational Justice in the Transition to the Fifth Industrial Revolution: A Reading from Catholic Theology.- Chapter 5. Reimagining Sacred Spaces: Ecotheology’s Role in Sustainable Urban Futures Rajeev Semwal, Nandita Tripathi, Pankaj Kumar Tyagi and Vipin Nadda.- Part II: Sacred Landscapes and Spatial Practices.- Chapter 6. Urban Planning Regulations and Scared Ecological Wisdom – Case of  Historic Towns of Puri and Bishnupur .- Chapter 7. Sacred Roots: Rethinking Urban Landscapes via Ethnobotanical Narrative.- Chapter 8. Belief Space and Urban Ecological Space:  The Urban Environmental Development Viewing Religious Sites as Nodes for a Smart City.- Chapter 9. Topophilia in Transition: Preserving Sacred Landscapes in the Age of Smart Cities.- Chapter 10. Transcending Spatial Boundaries: A Yogic- Ecotheological Approach to Architectural Essence through AI Visualization in Urban Ecology.- Part III: Technology, Justice, and Cultural Preservation.- Chapter 11. Indigenous Community festivals and technology.- Chapter 12. Virtual Reality as an ecological alternative for authentic and immersive pilgrim experience.- Chapter 13. Digital Divide and Environmental Justice: Religious Responses to Urban Technology.- Chapter 14. Strategic Environmental Assessment as a policy tool to give voice to religious and spiritual views, and to prevent ‘nAIcolonialism’ in 21 st century spatial planning.