Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.9
3.2
Journals
Land
Special Issues
Interactions and Transformations in Urban–Rural Land Use Systems and Their...
share announcement

Interactions and Transformations in Urban–Rural Land Use Systems and Their Nexus with Ecosystems

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: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 2068

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lingzhi Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Humanities and Law, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110169, China
Interests: land use and land policy; spatial planning for national land; land use models; real estate research; urban densification; land use transition; land use forecasting
Dr. Yeting Fan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Public Administration, Nanjing University of Finance & Economics, Nanjing, China
Interests: land use transition, cultivated land use and protection, land consolidation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hichem Omrani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Urban Development and Mobility, LISER, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
Interests: land use science; environment; mobility; data science; data analytics; ML/AI
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global urbanization, agricultural intensification, and rural land abandonment are reshaping urban–rural land use systems at an unprecedented pace, and these transformations drive complex interactions between urban and rural landscapes, altering ecosystem services, biodiversity, and human well-being. Despite significant advancements in land use change research, critical knowledge gaps remain in our understanding of the dynamics of urban–rural land transitions and their bidirectional feedback mechanisms with ecosystems. Such interactions are essential for achieving sustainable development goals, including climate resilience, food security, and equitable resource governance.

This Special Issue aims to advance interdisciplinary research on the drivers, processes, and ecological impacts of urban–rural land use transitions. We invite original research and review articles that explore the systemic linkages between land use transformation, socioeconomic transitions, and ecosystem responses. Submissions should align with the scope of Land by integrating spatial, temporal, or socioecological perspectives to provide scientific insights for policy development and sustainable land management.

We encourage methodological advancements, comparative studies, and policy analyses, particularly interdisciplinary research integrating geography, ecology, economics, and social sciences.

We welcome submissions on, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • The driving mechanisms of urban expansion and rural land intensification/abandonment;
  • Trade-offs and synergies in ecosystem services along the urban–rural gradient;
  • Governance frameworks for integrated urban–rural land planning and management;
  • Case studies on peri-urban expansion, agroecological transitions, or nature-based solutions;
  • Systematic analyses of land use transitions;
  • The impacts of climate change on urban–rural–ecological coupled systems;
  • Changes in urban–rural ecological land use;
  • Innovative applications of remote sensing and artificial intelligence in land system interactions

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Lingzhi Wang
Dr. Yeting Fan
Dr. Hichem Omrani
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

  • urban-rural land use systems
  • ecosystem services
  • land use transitions
  • land cover change
  • sustainable land management
  • peri-urban expansion
  • socioecological feedback

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.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

21 pages, 422 KiB  
Article
Profiling Land Use Planning: Legislative Structures in Five European Nations
by Dimitrios Koumoulidis, Ioannis Varvaris, Diofantos Hadjimitsis, Marzia Gabriele, Raffaella Brumana, Ioannis Gitas, Nikos Georgopoulos, Azadeh Abdollahnejad, Eleni Gkounti, Dimitris Stavrakoudis, Donatella Caniani, Andriy Dorosh, Roman Derkulskyi, Oksana Sakal, Shamil Ibatullin, Yevhenii Khan, Oleksandr Melnyk, Anne Fromage Mariette, Marc Tondriaux, Andrzej Perkowski, Adam Sieczka, Mariusz Maciejczak, Chryssa Kopra, Georgia Kostaki and Paraskevi Chantziadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Land 2025, 14(6), 1261; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14061261 - 12 Jun 2025
Viewed by 1331
Abstract
Land use transformation, the longest-standing human-driven environmental alteration, is a pressing and complex issue that significantly impacts European landscapes and contributes to global environmental change. The urgency to act is reinforced by the European Environment Agency (EEA), which identifies industrial, commercial, and residential [...] Read more.
Land use transformation, the longest-standing human-driven environmental alteration, is a pressing and complex issue that significantly impacts European landscapes and contributes to global environmental change. The urgency to act is reinforced by the European Environment Agency (EEA), which identifies industrial, commercial, and residential development—particularly near major urban centers—as key contributors to land take. As the EU sets a vision for achieving zero net land take by 2050, assessing the readiness and coherence of national legislation becomes critical. This comprehensive study employs a comparative legal analysis across five European countries—Italy, Greece, Poland, France, and Ukraine—examining their laws, strategies, and commitments related to land degradation neutrality. Using a review of national legislation and policy documents, the research identifies systemic patterns, barriers, and opportunities within current legal frameworks. The present study aims to provide valuable insights for policymakers, planners, and academic institutions, fostering a comprehensive understanding of existing gaps, implementation, and inconsistencies in national land use legislation. Among the results, it has become evident that a typical “pathway” between the examined states in terms of the legislative framework on land use–land take is probably a utopia for the time being. The legislations in force, in several cases, are labyrinthine and multifaceted, highlighting the urgent and immediate need for simplification and standardization. The need for this action is further underscored by the fact that, in most cases, land use frameworks are characterized by complementary legislation and ongoing amendments. Ultimately, the research underscores the critical need for harmonized governance and transparent, enforceable policies, particularly in regions where deregulated land use planning persists. The diversity in legislative layers and the decentralized role of the authorities further compounds the complexity, reinforcing the importance of cross-country dialogue and EU-wide coordination in advancing sustainable land use development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interactions and Transformations in Urban–Rural Land Use Systems and Their Nexus with Ecosystems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 1140 KiB  
Article
Drivers of Public Welfare Land Ratios for Regional Development in China: A Central–Local Interaction Perspective
by Jin Dai, Qingbin Wang, Xiongwei Zhou and Xinxian Qi
Land 2025, 14(6), 1208; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14061208 - 5 Jun 2025
Viewed by 437
Abstract
Public welfare land allocation in China’s land expropriation process plays a crucial role in balancing economic development with social equity, but limited research has examined the driving factors influencing public welfare land ratio determination from a central–local relationship perspective. This study investigates how [...] Read more.
Public welfare land allocation in China’s land expropriation process plays a crucial role in balancing economic development with social equity, but limited research has examined the driving factors influencing public welfare land ratio determination from a central–local relationship perspective. This study investigates how central–local government interactions shape public welfare land ratios in China’s land development process. Based on a comprehensive analysis of land expropriation data across different regions and administrative levels, we examine the spatial heterogeneity and underlying mechanisms of public welfare land allocation. The results reveal the following: (1) Significant regional variations exist for regional public welfare land ratios, with the national average public welfare land ratio reaching 41.21% in 2019 (for plots ≥4 hectares), varying from 39.60% in eastern regions to 44.93% in western regions. (2) Administrative hierarchy influences allocation patterns, with county-level cities (43.73%) showing higher proportions than provincial capitals (36.42%). (3) Local governments strategically use public welfare land development as an instrument to expand land-based fiscal resources by attracting investments and population. (4) Provincial governments serve as crucial intermediaries in central–local policy implementation, balancing central mandates with local conditions. This study contributes to the land governance literature by providing empirical evidence on how institutional arrangements affect land resource allocation. The findings suggest that establishing unified national standards while allowing provincial-level adaptations would improve the effectiveness of public welfare land policy in the post-land finance era, enhancing both governance efficiency and public welfare outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interactions and Transformations in Urban–Rural Land Use Systems and Their Nexus with Ecosystems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop