Sustainable Housing and Urban Planning: Enhancing Well-Being Through Environmental Design
A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Architectural Design, Urban Science, and Real Estate".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 125
Special Issue Editors
Interests: geographic information systems (GIS); urban climate; urban planning; urban greenspace; construction management; environmental engineering and modelling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: 3D morphology remote sensing; urban built environment; human-environment spatiotemporal interactions; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: urban environment; urban sustainability; urban climate; remote sensing; GIS; machine learning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Environmental design is a pivotal factor in achieving sustainable housing and urban planning, particularly in addressing the interconnected challenges of urbanization, climate change, and resource scarcity. As cities grow more complex, balancing ecological resilience, social equity, and economic viability demands innovative strategies that transcend traditional planning approaches. The multifaceted nature of urban systems—encompassing energy efficiency, public health, infrastructure, and community needs—makes sustainable design an intricate and often daunting endeavor.
To navigate these complexities, integrated environmental design has emerged as a critical framework, harmonizing ecological stewardship with human-centric development. This approach prioritizes interdisciplinary collaboration, leveraging cutting-edge technologies, nature-based solutions, and participatory processes to create adaptive and inclusive urban environments. With escalating global uncertainties, such as climate volatility and socio-economic disparities, there is growing emphasis on advancing resilient and equitable design practices.
Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Energy-Efficient and Circular Design: Low-carbon materials, net-zero housing, and regenerative architecture.
- Green and Resilient Urban Ecosystems: Green infrastructure, biodiversity integration, and climate-adaptive landscapes.
- Equitable and Smart Cities: Technology-driven planning, inclusive resource access, and community co-design.
- Health-Centric Environments: Pollution mitigation, biophilic design, and nature-based health interventions.
- Policy Innovation: Governance models, funding mechanisms, and cross-sector partnerships for sustainable urbanization.
- Global Case Studies: Transformative projects demonstrating scalable solutions in diverse socio-economic contexts.
Dr. Siqi Jia
Dr. Shengbiao Wu
Dr. Cheolhee Yoo
Dr. Wanlu Ouyang
Guest Editors
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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.
Keywords
- urban planning
- sustainable building
- sustainable development
- environmental design
- green building
- thermal environment
- urban built environment
- urban climate
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