People-Centered Livability: Reconciling Subjective Well-Being with Urban and Rural Spatial Structures

Dear Colleagues,

In the process of rapid urbanization, the spatial structure of urban and rural areas has undergone profound restructuring. However, the synergy between the optimization of physical space and the enhancement of residents' subjective well-being remains insufficient. This Special Issue centres on the theme of “people-oriented livability”, focusing on the interactive mechanisms between urban–rural spatial structure and subjective well-being. It aims to address the urgent need for the transformation of human settlement development from  “scale expansion” to “quality improvement” in the new era. 

The research background encompasses global climate change, trends toward social diversity, and the post-pandemic era's call for resilient communities, emphasizing the promotion of social equity, cultural identity, and ecological sustainability through spatial restructuring. 

The Special Issue aims to establish a cross-disciplinary platform to explore the coupling pathways between spatial design, policy formulation, and resident perceptions, providing theoretical support and practical paradigms for constructing urban–rural environments that are “liveable, workable, tourist-friendly, and age-friendly”. We cordially invite scholars from fields such as architecture, urban and rural planning, landscape architecture, environmental psychology, sociology, and geography to submit original research from perspectives including spatial justice, the creation of place spirit, and smart governance to collectively advance a paradigm shift in the “human–space–happiness” relationship.

Dr. Rui Li
Prof. Dr. Qipeng Liao
Prof. Dr. Hong Xu
Dr. Yawei Zhang
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 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. 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.