Geospatial Analytics for Healthy Cities: Exploring Air Pollution and Socio-Spatial Inequality in Urban Environments

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid urbanization amplifies disparities in environmental health burdens. Air pollution acts both as a primary driver of disease and a marker of socio-spatial inequality. Achieving the global vision of healthy cities requires actionable insights into how pollution interacts with urban infrastructure, mobility patterns, and social vulnerability. Geospatial analytics – including Geographic Information System (GIS), remote sensing, Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI), and spatial statistics – provide essential tools to quantify these complex dynamics. How to effectively integrate these tools to better address these challenges remains an area that requires further research and innovation.

We invite innovative research that leverages geospatial analytics to investigate the interplay between air pollution exposure, urban health outcomes, and socio-spatial inequality. Contributions should bridge theoretical frameworks with applied solutions, advancing healthier and more equitable cities.

Example topics include, but are not limited to:

• GeoAI for exploring air pollution mapping and disparities;
• Mobility-based exposure modeling and dynamic air pollution risk assessment;
• Spatial epidemiology of pollution-linked diseases in vulnerable populations;
• Green infrastructure planning for equitable air quality improvement;
• Urban mobility transitions and health co-benefits;
• Policy simulations for reducing air pollution injustice;
• Coupled dynamics of urbanization, air quality, and public health;
• Low-cost sensor networks for community-driven air quality monitoring;
• Climate resilience strategies targeting pollution-health inequities;
• Remote sensing of urban heat islands and pollution synergies;
• Spatial optimization of healthcare accessibility in polluted areas.

This Special Issue aims to bridge disciplinary silos between atmospheric science, urban planning, and public health by synthesizing cutting-edge geospatial approaches. Positioning socio-spatial inequality as a core determinant of urban environments and health, the issue seeks to advance methodologies for quantifying place-based disparities, identify scalable solutions that prioritize marginalized communities, and equip policymakers with actionable spatial evidence for equitable climate action. Submissions should emphasize real-world applicability to support cities in meeting the WHO air quality guidelines and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 13: Climate Action).

Dr. Dong Liu
Dr. Hanlin Zhou
Dr. Yoo Min Park
Dr. Yimeng Song
Dr. Haimeng Liu
Guest Editors

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