This book examines the evolving intersection of urban development, ecological theology, and technological transformation across diverse spiritual traditions, including Hindu, Sikh, Islamic, Catholic, and Buddhist perspectives. In an age defined by digital urbanism, artificial intelligence, and environmental crisis, this volume explores how sacred values and ecological ethics are being reinterpreted within rapidly changing urban environments. It critically engages with the tensions between technological solutionism and ecological wisdom, questioning how urban technologies shape spiritual relationships and theological understandings of creation and stewardship. Through conceptual frameworks such as the SIMRAN Framework, Nature-Maker Approach, and emerging ideas like smart theology and nAIcolonialism, the book advances a transdisciplinary dialogue between faith, sustainability, and innovation. It will appeal to scholars and practitioners in theology, sustainable architecture, urban planning, and environmental humanities.
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.
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.
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.
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.
