Resilient Cities and Land Take Effective Management Through Sustainable Urban Planning Tools

1. Introduction

In the contemporary context of cities’ increasing exposure to climate risks and the fragility of urban infrastructure and soil productivity, the concept of urban resilience is central to sustainable planning processes [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Cities are increasingly becoming subject to extreme events and complex transformations; therefore, they require effective tools to adapt to ongoing changes and manage territorial resources prudently and equitably. It is of principal importance to optimize the use of these resources and avoid their unsustainable exploitation [7,8].

This new edition of the present Special Issue builds on the previous one [9], broadening the scope of analysis and strengthening the focus on the connection between urban resilience and limiting land use, through the use of practical tools and novel evaluation models [10,11,12,13,14]. The main international frameworks for sustainable development remain benchmarks, including the UN 2030 Agenda, the European Green Deal, and the latest Recovery and Resilience Plans. Additionally, the New Urban Agenda (2016), which aims to reorient urban planning and management towards inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities, and the OECD Principles on Urban Policy (2019), which promote integrated, inclusive, intelligent, and sustainable urban policies, are considered. Finally, the Global Sustainable Development Report (2023) calls for a move beyond sectoral approaches and promotes transformative governance [15,16,17]. It is precisely with this multisectoral perspective that the present Special Issue positions itself [18,19,20,21].

This collection explores the development of resilient cities from a multidisciplinary and multiscale perspective. The covered topics include urban planning tools, spatial modeling approaches, composite indicators, digital technologies, and economic and financial support for integrated strategies. Particular focus is given to urban regeneration processes, risk management, adaptive planning, and the integration of environmental, social, and infrastructural components.

The ten articles published in this Special Issue demonstrate a variety of adopted approaches and the relevance of challenges addressed in different geographical contexts. The methodologies employed span multi-criteria assessment models, spatial and predictive analysis techniques, and field surveys and empirical case studies. The contributions can be divided into four macro-areas (Figure 1).

These macro-areas comprise the following:

• The assessment and management of urban and infrastructural resilience, with methodological proposals for measuring the interaction between risks and the adaptive capacity of cities;
• Planning tools and policies for land take-over mitigation, including analysis of land use in rapidly urbanizing areas and strategies for rational land use;
• Innovation and urban governance through smart cities and digitalization, with experimental evidence on the benefits of digital transformation for urban innovation;
• Social inclusion, equity, and participation in urban regeneration, taking into account the impacts of public policies and public–private partnerships.

Overall, the research included in this edition provides valuable theoretical, methodological, and practical contributions, helping to advance the scientific landscape regarding the potential and challenges of planning resilient urban areas. It is hoped that these reflections will inspire new insights and support public and private decision-makers in developing comprehensively sustainable and inclusive urban strategies.

2. Authors’ Institutions

This Special Issue showcases 10 papers published by authors based at 18 different international universities and research institutes, as well as graduate schools and colleges, as shown in

Table 1. Overview of authors’ affiliations and institutions.

Typology	Number of Institutions	Institution
Public universities	11	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA Nanning Normal University, China City University of Hong Kong Swinburne University of Technology, Australia Victoria University, Australia Zhejiang University, China Texas A&M University, USA Sichuan University, China Chengdu University, China Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Portugal Northwest University, China
Private universities	4	University of Nottingham Ningbo (China) Kyonggi University (Republic of Korea) Lusófona University (Portugal) Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP) (Mexico)
Academic research centers (public or private)	6	Key Laboratory of Environment Change and Resources Use in Beibu Gulf (Ministry of Education, China) Centre for Innovation in Territory, Urbanism and Architecture (CiTUA), Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon (Portugal) RCM2+ (Research Centre in Asset Management and System Engineering), Lusófona University (Portugal) Institute of Silk Road Studies, Northwest University (China) Collaborative Research Centre for Archaeology of the Silk Roads, Northwest University (China) InLAB (Territory and Urban Artifact Research Group), Universidad de las Américas Puebla (Mexico)
Government research centers (technical or professional)	1	Zhengzhou Urban Planning Institute
Government agencies	1	Sichuan Provincial Water Resources Department

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The organizations involved in this Special Issue are geographically and institutionally diverse, which confirms the international and multidisciplinary nature of research on urban resilience and sustainable land management. Public universities represent the largest component, with 11 institutions spread across the USA, China, Australia, Portugal, and Hong Kong. This prevalence can be explained by the fact that resilience, land use, and urban innovation are strongly debated and focused on in public universities in developed countries, thanks to the following: national policies regarding ecological transition and climate neutrality; investment in urban applied research; and close collaboration between cities, local authorities, and communities.

Meanwhile, the influence of private universities and academic research centers in different countries highlights growing attention to emerging or developing contexts where rapid urbanization and land management present challenges that require innovative, adapted solutions. Finally, contributions from governmental and technical institutions confirm the operational interest in the topics addressed and the need for effective tools in planning practice.

3. Main Topics Addressed

The articles in this Special Issue, selected for their scientific and applicative relevance, are organized into four thematic macro-areas that reflect the main research strands that emerge: tools for the assessment of urban resilience; land take-over management and spatial transformations; urban innovation and smart cities; and public policies, participation, and inclusion.

• Tools and models for the assessment of urban resilience

This category comprises contributions that propose methodologies to assess urban or infrastructural resilience through quantitative models, complex networks, or geodesign approaches (Figure 2).

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A Review on the Use of Geodesign Processes in Managing Urban Landscape Transformation di Bo Pang and Brian Deal outlines a systematic review of geodesign approaches applied to urban landscape planning and transformation, with a focus on the integration of data, visualization and collaborative decision-making.

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Evaluation of Urban Infrastructure Resilience Based on Complex Network Theory di Dong, W., Zhou, Y., Guo, D., Chen, Z., & Wang, J. proposes an innovative model based on complex network theory to assess the resilience of urban infrastructures, considering topological interdependencies between urban nodes.

2.

Land take-over management and spatial transformations

These articles analyze the dynamics of urban expansion, land consumption, the growth of cities in changing contexts, and fiscal and financial policies related to territorial government (Figure 3).

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Analysis of the Spatial Pattern of Urban Expansion in African Countries from 1990 to 2018 by Liu, B., Xie, S., Chen, M., Yao, N., & Liu, W. presents a large-scale study in which remote sensing data and spatial analysis techniques were used to describe urban sprawl in Africa and its implications for land management.

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In Land Finance, Local Government Debt and Economic Growth: Evidence from China, Zhao, Y., Peng, S., Zhang, Q., Wang, Y., Gong, C., & Lu, X. analyze the link between land finance, local debt, and urban development, highlighting risks and opportunities in tax policies related to urbanization.

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Reconstructing the Silk Road Network: Insights from a Large-Scale Spatial Interaction Model by Shen, Y., Liu, J., Han, J., & Wan, X. details how an interactive spatial model was used to reconstruct the historical and geographical structure of the Silk Road network, offering insights into how cultural networks influence urban evolution.

3.

Urban innovation and smart cities

Additionally, this Special Issue includes studies exploring the role of digital technologies, smart indicators, and urban innovation strategies for sustainable and resilient development (Figure 4).

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In Promoting Urban Innovation through Smart Cities: Evidence from the Top 20 Smart Cities in China, Ji, M., Jin, M., Chen, L., Liu, Y., & Tian, Y. compare the performance of 20 Chinese smart cities through indicators of innovation, digitalization, sustainability, and urban governance.

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Urban Modeling in the Global South and Sustainable Development: A Systematic Review by Anne K. Kurjenoja provides a systematic review of urban models in the context of the Global South, highlighting methodological gaps and potential for the sustainable digitalization of planning practices.

4.

Public policies, participation, and inclusion

This category features contributions that deepen insights into the interaction between policies, local actors, and decision-making processes, with a focus on social justice, territorial equity, and stakeholder involvement (Figure 5).

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In Barriers Affecting Promotion of Active Transportation: A Study in Karachi, Pakistan, Olayode, I.O., Chau, H.W., & Jamei, E. carry out an analysis of the regulatory, cultural, and infrastructural obstacles to the promotion of active mobility in a complex and high-density urban context.

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Home Elevation Decisions in Post-Disaster Recovery: Social and Policy Influences in Houston, TX by García, I., Tao, Z., Orduña, J., Martínez-Román, L., & Welideniya, W. is a qualitative study that explores the social, political, and economic factors that influence post-disaster reconstruction and adaptation decisions.

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In Public–Private Partnerships in Urban Regeneration Projects: The Case of Porto Maravilha, Rio de Janeiro, Vale de Paula, P., Cunha Marques, R., & Gonçalves, J.M. critically assess the effectiveness of PPP in urban regeneration processes, analyzing the risks of social exclusion and imbalances in the distribution of benefits.

The figure below (Figure 6) graphically summarizes the network of conceptual relationships that connects the ten articles published in this Special Issue. Each major node represents a paper, identified by a unique color and a shortened title label. The minor nodes, connected to the first ones by arrows of the same color, represent the main topics addressed. The circular organization allows the immediate visualization of the connections both within and across the studies.

This visualization shows how some topics emerge as recurring, acting as conceptual bridges between multiple contributions. This is the case, for example, for the following:

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Urban Planning links to at least four articles, including those on urban resilience in Zhengzhou, flood risk management through geodesign, and the analysis of urban expansion models in Africa. This highlights the centrality of planning as a cognitive infrastructure capable of integrating diverse (technological, social, and environmental) and transversal approaches.

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Smart Governance and Urban Innovation are addressed in numerous articles, including those focused on areas that are apparently distant from one another, such as urban regeneration through PPP or the promotion of active mobility.

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Green Economy, Socio-Territorial Planning, and Neoliberal Urbanism trace a common thread between studies focused on varying national and international contexts (China, Brazil, the Global South), but they are united via reflection on the relationship between economic models and urban realities.

Further, the links between the papers—mediated by common topics—also suggest the presence of significant conceptual clusters:

An initial nucleus develops around the themes of urban resilience and vulnerability, connected through keywords such as flood adaptation, housing vulnerability, and risk-resilience index.

A second cluster revolves around urban innovation, in which the roles of digital governance, smart city advancement, sustainable mobility, and participatory urban design are intertwined.

A third axis links studies with geopolitical and cultural relevance, such as those on the Silk Road and planning in the Global South, which share references to UNESCO, heritage, spatial analysis, and the Global South.

Overall, the graph not only visually represents the thematic richness of this Special Issue but also demonstrates the scientific cohesion and interconnection that characterize it. More than a simple collection, it is thus configured as a comprehensive ecosystem, where concepts, methods, and territories intertwine, generating new trajectories of interdisciplinary research.

4. Conclusions

The ten articles collected in this Special Issue offer a rich and detailed cross-section of the main challenges that contemporary cities face in their progress towards sustainability, inclusiveness, and resilience. While these studies address different geographical and thematic contexts—from the Global South to advanced economies and from territorial planning to urban finance—it is possible to identify some common trajectories and shared reflections.

First of all, the structural role of territorial inequality significantly emerges. Whether it involves urban evictions in Mexico due to gentrification driven by neoliberal models or post-disaster housing vulnerability in the United States, such inequality becomes a mirror of economic and social imbalances, often exacerbated by political decisions and planning tools. A second transversal thematic axis concerns the conflict between urban growth and environmental sustainability. The analysis of urban sprawl in Africa and the use of shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) show that development projections often ignore the fragility of local ecosystems. Meanwhile, one article on land finance in China shows how financial logic can hinder the green transition, if not accompanied by adequate regulatory tools.

The circular visualization presented in this Editorial reinforces these conclusions, highlighting the density of thematic connections between the papers and the ways in which concepts such as “urban planning”, “green economy”, or “digitalization” act as hubs around which multiple contributions are structured. These interconnections signal not only theoretical convergence but also the significance of a holistic approach to managing cities, capable of simultaneously focusing on design, governance, technology, and social justice.

Finally, many of the presented contributions suggest that the future of sustainable cities will depend on the ability to integrate multidisciplinary and multi-scalar perspectives, from digital technologies for geodesign and risk management to collaborative governance in urban regeneration processes. The theme that transverses this entire collection of research is that urban complexity is not only a technical challenge but a significant political issue.

In this sense, this Special Issue represents an important theoretical and applied contribution for scholars, administrators, and planners, offering analytical tools and operational insights to build fairer, more adaptive, and intelligent cities [22,23,24,25,26].