Historic Urban Landscape and Planning
A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 11
Special Issue Editors
Interests: art history; digital art history; urban history; geographic information systems; modeling and urban reconstruction
Interests: digital 3D reconstructions, esp. work processes, standards, presentation and discourse integration; 3D digitization of cultural heritage, especially automation and user-generated content; information systems for 3D models; science analysis and informetrics; methodological changes through image- and object-related digital humanities in art and architectural history research; visual research processes and visual perception
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In recent years, the digital reconstruction and spatial analysis of historical urban and rural landscapes has become a dynamic and interdisciplinary field of research. The increasing availability of historical geospatial data—maps, plans, cadastral records, and archival imagery—combined with advances in digital methods has opened new opportunities for understanding how landscapes have evolved and how they can be responsibly managed. Yet, there remains a pressing need to consolidate methodological approaches and critically assess how digital tools contribute not only to the visualization of the past but to future-oriented territorial planning.
This Special Issue addresses researchers working across historical geography, urban planning, environmental humanities, digital heritage, and spatial history. It invites contributions that explore how digital mapping technologies—such as Geographic Information Systems (GISs), Historical GISs (HGISs), spatial analysis, computer vision, and procedural modeling—can support the study of historical landscapes and their transformations. Special attention will be given to methods for 3D reconstruction (manual and automated), algorithmic modeling, and the integration of diverse historical sources to trace long-term urban and territorial dynamics.
In parallel, digital tools now offer powerful means of monitoring historical landscapes that are at risk—whether due to war, environmental degradation, or the increasing effects of climate change. Mapping vulnerable sites and modeling their evolution provides crucial insights for heritage protection and early intervention.
Because historical landscapes often hold cultural, environmental, and institutional significance, this Special Issue also foregrounds the responsibility of planners, architects, and policy makers in dealing with the legacy of the past. The goal is to highlight how digital methods not only document spatial change but also inform sustainable, culturally aware planning strategies.
The aim of the Special Issue is to bring together interdisciplinary approaches that connect historical knowledge with digital innovation, fostering new insights into how historical urban landscapes are recorded, analyzed, preserved, and projected into the future.
Dr. Isabella Di Lenardo
Dr. Sander Münster
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. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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
- historical landscape modeling
- digital heritage mapping
- procedural and 3D reconstruction
- GISs and historical GISs (HGISs)
- urban transformation and planning
- at-risk cultural landscapes
- historical maps and archival sources
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
