Climate Resilience and Equity Through Nature-Based Solutions for Rainwater Management and Urban Heat Island Mitigation

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue of Land seeks contributions that explore the synergies among key domains of climate science engineering, architecture, urban planning, social science and policy; the assessment of climate change impacts; resilience planning for both urban and rural systems; the implementation and evaluation of nature-based solutions (NbSs) through multi-method environmental analysis; the mitigation and assessment of urban heat islands (UHIs) and stormwater runoff; and the integration of environmental justice and equity considerations into climate adaptation strategies.

A warming climate and altered precipitation regimes are manifesting globally as higher mean temperatures, more frequent and prolonged droughts, and elevated evaporation rates or, conversely, intense and sudden rainfall. In urban areas—where impervious surfaces dominate—the UHI effect amplifies these trends, raising local temperatures by several degrees compared to surrounding rural zones. Concurrently, the intensification of convective storms produces rapid, high-volume runoff that urban drainage networks, particularly those that are aging or undersized, cannot accommodate. This leads to flash flooding, infrastructure damage, and elevated public health risks. In rural landscapes, unmitigated runoff accelerates soil erosion, depletes topsoil, and undermines agricultural productivity.

Given these escalating challenges, there is an urgent need for integrated, sustainable strategies that simultaneously address UHI and stormwater management. When properly designed and implemented, NBS—and specifically green-blue infrastructure such as parks, bioswales, green roofs, and constructed wetlands—can attenuate ambient temperatures, enhance groundwater recharge, and modulate runoff volumes. These interventions not only bolster the physical resilience of built and natural environments but also generate co-benefits that include, among others, air quality improvement, biodiversity support, and social wellbeing.

Recent research underscores the effectiveness of green-blue infrastructure (GBI) in reducing surface and air temperatures by enhancing evapotranspiration and providing shading, improving the energy performance of buildings, while also demonstrating significant reductions in peak runoff rates during extreme rainfall events. Moreover, embedding environmental justice and equity principles into the planning and evaluation of NbSs ensures that vulnerable communities—often those most exposed to heat stress and flood hazards—receive proportional benefits. This Special Issue invites studies that assess these multi-dimensional outcomes, compare alternative NBS approaches across diverse geographies, and develop actionable frameworks for equitable climate adaptation in both cities and countryside.

The goal of this Special Issue is to provide an overview of the role played by NbSs and GBI in addressing climate challenges, specifically focusing on UHI mitigation and rainwater management. The Special Issue will examine how NbSs can improve climate resilience, support environmental justice, and provide solutions for managing extreme weather events, such as intense rainfall and heat waves.

Suggested themes linked to NbSs for UHI and rainwater management include the following topics:

• The integration of NbSs and GBI into planning to address climate challenges (e.g., policies and planning strategies both in urban and rural areas, as well as heritage environment);
• Global perspectives (e.g., case studies from high- and low-GDP countries, exploring diverse climatic and socio-economic contexts);
• Data-driven approaches (e.g., GIS, remote sensing, machine learning, and other monitoring and assessment tools);
• Stakeholder engagement and participatory design approaches in different phases;
• Potential improvements on health and wellbeing;
• Ensuring climate justice, mainly for vulnerable communities;
• The economic impacts of solutions (e.g., cost-effectiveness or long-term savings);
• Design aspects that influence effectiveness (e.g., comparisons of low-tech and high-tech solutions).

For this Special Issue, we welcome the submission of both original research and review papers.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Climate.

Dr. Ozge Ogut
Dr. Claudia De Luca
Dr. Davide Longato
Prof. Dr. Chiara Bertolin
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. 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.

• nature-based solutions
• green-blue infrastructure
• urban heat island
• rainwater management
• data-driven approaches
• NbS-integrated planning
• GBI policies in urban and rural areas
• climate regulation, adaptation, and mitigation
• public health and wellbeing
• social equity and climate justice