Dr Emilio Costales is a researcher a lecturer an author a speaker
Entrepreneurship, sustainability & social impact
About Dr Emilio Costales.
I am a Senior Lecturer in Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Executive Business Centre at Greenwich Business School and a Visiting Lecturer in Smart City Development at the University of Edinburgh-Napier.
My research explores how social entrepreneurship can create more inclusive and sustainable cities, bridging the gap between business innovation and community needs.
Academic profile at a glance
I’m interested in how ideas actually get used in the real world. My work looks at how organisations, policymakers and communities interact when they try to deal with complex social and environmental issues.
Instead of treating sustainability as a buzzword, I focus on the everyday decisions, incentives and structures that make meaningful change possible.
Featured publications
From social interaction to societal discourse: An ordonomic analysis of the smart city.
Costales, E., & Zeyen, A. (2025).
Cities, 161, 105885.
A systematic review of research on just, equitable, responsible, and inclusive smart cities.
Haque, M. N., Beckers, D., Costales, E., Aad, S., Sharifi, A., & Mora, L. (2025).
Technology in Society, 103050.
Identifying sources of innovation: Building a conceptual framework of the Smart City through a social innovation perspective.
by Costales, E. (2022). Cities, 120, 103459.
Ways to engage
Much of my work involves collaborating with organisations, public bodies and community groups. I’m particularly interested in projects where research can directly inform practice, whether through evaluation, policy engagement, or co-developed initiatives. I regularly work with partners who want to better understand impact, design interventions, or make sense of complex social challenges in practical terms.
Recent Book
Social Entrepreneurship and Grand Challenges
The book looks at how social enterprises operate when society is under pressure. Using case studies from the UK and the Netherlands, it explores how organisations, policymakers and communities work together during crises like COVID-19, and what this reveals about creating lasting social change.
For research, teaching or speaking enquiries.
Other ways to connect
Insights...
The hidden cost of AI: How deference to machines threatens the heart of Learning
Dr Emilio Constales argues that while AI has a real environmental footprint (energy, water, CO₂), the bigger risk in education…
