Sustainable Development and Urban Land Use Efficiency: Strategies for Effective Land Management

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue examines the relationship between sustainable development and urban land use efficiency, with an emphasis on practical strategies for effective land management in the context of rapid urbanization. As cities expand, rising demands for housing, infrastructure, and economic development create pressures on limited land resources. Improving land use efficiency is therefore crucial to ensure that urban growth is environmentally responsible, socially inclusive, and economically productive. We welcome contributions that provide theoretical insights, empirical evidence, and policy recommendations. Areas of interest include compact city design, urban renewal and redevelopment of underutilized land, brownfield regeneration, and transit-oriented development. Studies on green infrastructure, ecological corridors, and nature-based solutions are also encouraged. In addition, this Special Issue highlights the role of advanced technologies such as GIS, remote sensing, big data, and AI in monitoring, evaluating, and guiding land use decisions. Governance and social aspects, including participatory land use planning, land tenure security, affordable housing, and urban–rural land transitions, are also within scope. Research addressing climate change adaptation, disaster resilience, and public health impacts of land use patterns is particularly welcome.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Compact city planning and mixed-use development;
• Urban renewal, redevelopment, and land recycling;
• Brownfield regeneration and sustainable land reuse;
• Transit-oriented development and land efficiency;
• Green infrastructure and urban ecological networks;
• Application of GIS, remote sensing, and AI in land use management;
• Climate change adaptation and disaster-resilient land use;
• Participatory planning, land governance, and institutional innovation;
• Affordable housing, social equity, and land allocation;
• Urban–rural land transition and farmland protection.

We are looking forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Danling Chen
Prof. Dr. Xinhai Lu
Dr. Jianquan Cheng
Dr. Bing Kuang
Dr. Yifeng Tang
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.

• urban renewal
• land use efficiency
• sustainable development
• compact city
• brownfield regeneration
• transit-oriented development
• GIS and remote sensing
• climate change adaptation