GI, UGI to UAGI: Integrating Digital Innovation, Public Health, and Microclimatic Resilience in the New Human–Nature Relationship
A Special Issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X) belonging to the section "Land Innovations – Data and Machine Learning".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2027 | Viewed by 109
Editors
Interests: urban spatial structure; big data and AI in urban planning; 3D walking networks; spatial vitality analysis
Interests: landscape ecological restoration; high-density urban microclimates; thermal comfort; ecological performance evaluation
Interests: quantitative geography; environmental and urban informatics; cloud computing; earth observation data; AI with social–ecological theories
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: landscape analytics and urban design; healthy places and citizen wellbeing; green–blue infrastructure; age-friendly environments; urban morphology and historical GIS
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The conceptual framework used to understand green spaces is undergoing a significant transformation, evolving from traditional Green Infrastructure (GI) approaches to specialized Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI), and further advancing toward integrated Urban–Agricultural Green Infrastructure (UAGI). This progression reflects the necessity of navigating the intricate blurred boundaries between urban, natural, and productive landscapes in the face of rapid global urbanization and climate change.
This Special Issue aims to explore the multi-dimensional synergy between computational urban science, socio-spatial health, and environmental performance. We bridge the gaps between digital innovation, spatial planning, and design practices to foster a resilient human–nature relationship.
Specifically, this issue focuses on the following methodological approaches:
- Human-Scale Performance Assessment: Integrating Urban Big Data and AI to quantify green systems’ socio-spatial vitality and optimize human-oriented pedestrian connectivity in complex urban environments.
- Public Health & Equity: Evaluating the accessibility and social justice of urban park systems, emphasizing age-friendly environments and green spaces’ therapeutic impact.
- Microclimatic Resilience: Quantifying the performance of UAGI in mitigating urban heat islands (UHIs) and enhancing thermal comfort in high-density urban–rural matrices.
We welcome original research articles and comprehensive reviews that provide innovative methodologies, quantitative models, or empirical case studies that advance the planning, design, and governance of UAGI for a sustainable future.
We invite submissions related to, but not limited to, the following topics:
- AI-Driven Spatial Optimization: Applications of machine learning and Big Data in assessing UAGI’s functional connectivity and spatial vitality.
- Health-Oriented Planning: The impact of integrated blue–green–productive (BGP) networks on the physical and mental well-being of diverse populations.
- Microclimate Performance: Nature-based solutions (NbS) for heat risk mitigation and urban thermal environment optimization.
- Spatial Coupling of Urban Density and Green Systems: Investigating the impacts of high-density morphology on the performance of Green Infrastructure and proposing planning strategies to maximize UAGI functions with limited land resources.
- Social Equity in Green Spaces: Measuring accessibility and justice in the distribution of UGI/UAGI resources, particularly for vulnerable groups.
- Urban–Rural Integration: Strategies for integrating productive agriculture into urban ecological networks to enhance socio-ecological resilience.
This Special Issue will provide a comprehensive platform for landscape architects, urban planners, and environmental scientists. By integrating the technical (AI/Big Data), social (Health/Equity), and physical (Microclimate), it will contribute significantly to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goals 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 13 (Climate Action).
We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.
Dr. Xinyu Hu
Dr. Xiangyi Li
Dr. Qian (Chayn) Sun
Prof. Dr. Zhen Xu
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-anonymized 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
- urban–agricultural green infrastructure (UAGI)
- urban big data and AI
- public health and equity
- urban microclimate
- spatial vitality
- landscape performance
- high-density urbanism
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