Healthy Urban Ecosystems for Healthy People: Challenges, Observations, and Smart Solutions

Dear Colleagues,

The health and well-being of urban populations are intrinsically linked to the condition and functioning of urban ecosystems. As we advance further into the "Urban Century," the pace of urbanization and land conversion has accelerated at an unprecedented rate. According to recent projections, over 68% of the global population is expected to live in urban areas by 2050. This rapid expansion drives significant energy consumption and transforms natural landscapes into impervious surfaces, profoundly altering local and regional biophysical processes.

These anthropogenic transformations exacerbate environmental vulnerabilities, including the intensification of the urban heat island (UHI) effect, altered hydrological cycles leading to flooding, and increased risks of fire at the wildland-urban interface. Concurrently, industrial and transportation activities degrade air quality, introducing complex mixtures of pollutants and allergens that threaten respiratory and cardiovascular health.

Understanding the "Cause–Effect–Mitigation" loop of these changes requires interdisciplinary approaches. Advances in multi-source Earth Observation (EO) and remote sensing technologies now provide the critical data needed to monitor these spatial–temporal dynamics from local to global scales.

This Special Issue aims to document the latest scientific progress in observing, modeling, and managing the transformation of urban and sub-urban systems. We seek to explore the nexus between ecosystem health and human health, providing evidence-based insights for designing resilient cities. This knowledge is essential for mitigating adverse environmental impacts, enhancing ecosystem services, and informing decision-making for smart, sustainable urban growth under a changing climate.

We invite original research articles, reviews, and short communications that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

1. Urban Ecosystem Dynamics: Spatiotemporal patterns of urban expansion, land use/cover change (LULC), and their ecological consequences.
2. Climate–Health Nexus: Impacts of urban heat islands (UHIs), heatwaves, and extreme weather events on public health and thermal comfort.
3. Air Quality & Respiratory Health: Analysis of urban air pollution (PM2.5, NO₂, and Ozone), pollen distribution, and their links to respiratory allergies and diseases.
4. Hydrological Risks: Urban flooding, water quality degradation, and sponge city concepts.
5. Hazard Monitoring: Fire risks at the urban–wildland interface and their atmospheric and ecological impacts.
6. Earth Observation Innovations: Advances in remote sensing (optical, thermal, LiDAR, and SAR) and in situ monitoring networks for assessing urban environmental quality.
7. Nature-Based Solutions (NbSs): The role of urban green/blue infrastructure in promoting mental health, physical well-being, and climate resilience.
8. Sustainable Urban Planning: Smart growth strategies, socioeconomic impact assessments, and stewardship of managed ecosystems. 

Prof. Dr. Xuecao Li
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• urban ecosystems
• human health
• remote sensing
• urban heat island
• air quality
• nature-based solutions
• sustainable urban development
• environmental epidemiology
• planetary health