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Land
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Green Infrastructure Planning and Management for Sustainable Urban Development and...
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Green Infrastructure Planning and Management for Sustainable Urban Development and Quality of Life

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 July 2025 | Viewed by 2333

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xinhao Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Planning, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
Interests: environmental planning; spatial analysis; resilience; geographic information system
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Xin Fu

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
College of Landscape Architecture and Arts, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
Interests: urban resilience; green infrastructure; stormwater management; planning support system
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Chen Shen

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Interests: stormwater management; urban drainage system

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Green infrastructure (GI), encompassing a range of nature-based solutions, has emerged as a pivotal approach for addressing the multifaceted challenges posed by urbanization and climate change. GI can effectively enhance air quality, manage stormwater, and increase biodiversity, thereby promoting a healthier urban ecosystem. GI has been linked to quality of life in urban settings such as improved mental well-being and refined landscape aesthetics. As urban areas confront future uncertainties, such as climate change, population growth, and socio-economic shifts, GI provides a critical pathway to reduce environmental risks and strengthen social cohesion and community engagement.

This Special Issue will collect papers (original research articles and review papers) that give insights about the contribution of green infrastructure to sustainable urbanization.

This Special Issue will also contribute to the discourse on green infrastructure planning and management by providing a platform for innovative research and practical solutions that inform policy and practice. In particular, it will focus on how the spatial distribution of GI, through its interaction with the built environment, can transform urban landscapes into healthier, more resilient settings capable of adapting to future uncertainties.

This Special Issue welcomes manuscripts related to one or more of the following themes:

  • Innovative design and implementation of green infrastructure;
  • Spatial distribution and accessibility of green infrastructure;
  • Policy frameworks, assessment system, and governance for green infrastructure planning and maintenance;
  • Methods to promote community engagement and public participation in green infrastructure planning and management;
  • Research and case studies on green infrastructure-dominated urban resilience planning and management;
  • Implementation of green infrastructure in sustainable urban development in the Global South.

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

Prof. Dr. Xinhao Wang
Dr. Xin Fu
Dr. Chen Shen
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

  • green infrastructure
  • planning and management
  • sustainable development
  • urban resilience
  • quality of life

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  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 298 KiB  
Article
Key Barriers and Challenges to Green Infrastructure Implementation: Policy Insights from the Melbourne Case
by Hing-Wah Chau, Majed Abuseif, Shiran Geng and Elmira Jamei
Land 2025, 14(5), 961; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14050961 (registering DOI) - 29 Apr 2025
Viewed by 58
Abstract
Urbanisation has resulted in significant environmental challenges, particularly the phenomenon of urban overheating, with a significant increase in temperatures in urban environments. To tackle the adverse impact of urban overheating, the implementation of green infrastructure (GI) has been considered particularly effective. Although there [...] Read more.
Urbanisation has resulted in significant environmental challenges, particularly the phenomenon of urban overheating, with a significant increase in temperatures in urban environments. To tackle the adverse impact of urban overheating, the implementation of green infrastructure (GI) has been considered particularly effective. Although there are various benefits of GI for sustainable urban management, its widespread implementation faces numerous challenges. To effectively scale up the deployment of GI, it is crucial to develop political and institutional frameworks that are both responsive and adaptable to the evolving complexities inherent in human–nature interactions. The barriers to implementation are not merely technical but also embedded in organisational norms, social practices, and governance systems, which makes them particularly difficult to overcome. This paper identifies five key categories of barriers: technical limitations, financial impediments, regulatory constraints, weak political leadership, and governance and coordination challenges. Through a targeted literature review and a detailed case study of Melbourne, the paper explores the city’s primary greening initiatives and examines how these barriers have influenced implementation. By linking specific policy responses to each barrier, this study provides new insights into the institutional and policy dynamics affecting GI adoption. The findings offer lessons for other cities seeking to better implement nature-based solutions through integrated and scalable GI strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Infrastructure Planning and Management for Sustainable Urban Development and Quality of Life)
16 pages, 4206 KiB  
Article
Exploring Suitable Urban Plant Structures for Carbon-Sink Capacities
by Hyeseon Eom, Yeeun Shin, Sang-Woo Lee and Kyungjin An
Land 2025, 14(4), 849; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040849 - 13 Apr 2025
Viewed by 333
Abstract
Urban parks, a type of urban green space, help mitigate environmental pollution and climate change by absorbing and storing atmospheric carbon. Optimizing their carbon-sink capacity requires thoughtful plant community design considering multiple factors. This study analyzed South Korean urban parks using QGIS and [...] Read more.
Urban parks, a type of urban green space, help mitigate environmental pollution and climate change by absorbing and storing atmospheric carbon. Optimizing their carbon-sink capacity requires thoughtful plant community design considering multiple factors. This study analyzed South Korean urban parks using QGIS and i-Tree Eco, integrating satellite imagery with field surveys at both spatial and tree scales. Park spaces were classified into six types based on the biotope criteria established in this study. Random forest regression was applied to each type to identify key variables influencing annual carbon sequestration and storage. The relationship between maturity and sequestration was examined for ten dominant tree species, offering insights for plant selection. Higher tree coverage and more deciduous species were linked to efficiency in carbon sequestration and storage. While variable importance varied slightly across biotope types, tree density was most influential for sequestration, and diameter at breast height and age were key for storage. These findings provide integrated insights into short-term sequestration and long-term storage, as well as strategic directions for structuring plant communities in urban ecosystems. The study offers empirical evidence for designing carbon-efficient urban parks, contributing to sustainable landscape strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Infrastructure Planning and Management for Sustainable Urban Development and Quality of Life)
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26 pages, 9094 KiB  
Article
Study on Ecosystem Service Values of Urban Green Space Systems in Suzhou City Based on the Extreme Gradient Boosting Geographically Weighted Regression Method: Spatiotemporal Changes, Driving Factors, and Influencing Mechanisms
by Tailong Shi and Hao Xu
Land 2025, 14(3), 564; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14030564 - 7 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 865
Abstract
Urban green space systems (UGSS) play a crucial role in enhancing citizens’ well-being and promoting sustainable urban development through their ecosystem service values (ESV). However, understanding the spatiotemporal changes, driving factors, and influencing mechanisms of ESV remains a critical challenge for advancing urban [...] Read more.
Urban green space systems (UGSS) play a crucial role in enhancing citizens’ well-being and promoting sustainable urban development through their ecosystem service values (ESV). However, understanding the spatiotemporal changes, driving factors, and influencing mechanisms of ESV remains a critical challenge for advancing urban green theories and formulating effective policies. This study focuses on Suzhou, China’s third-largest prefecture-level city by economic volume and ecological core city of the Taihu watershed, to evaluate the ESV of its UGSS from 2010 to 2020, identify key driving factors, and analyze their influencing mechanisms. Using the InVEST model combined with the entropy weight method (EWM), we assessed the ESV changes over the study period. To examine the influencing mechanisms, we employed an innovative XGBoost-GWR approach, where XGBoost was used to screen globally significant factors from 37 potential drivers, and geographically weighted regression (GWR) was applied to model local spatial heterogeneity, providing a research perspective that balances global nonlinear relationships with local spatial heterogeneity. The results revealed three key findings: First, while Suzhou’s UGSS ESV increased by 9.92% from 2010 to 2020, the Global Moran’s I index rose from 0.325 to 0.489, indicating that its spatial distribution became more uneven, highlighting the increased ecological risks. Second, climate, topography, landscape pattern, and vegetation emerged as the most significant driving factors, with topographic factors showing the greatest variation (the negatively impacted area increased by 455.60 km2) and climate having the largest overall impact but least variation. Third, the influencing mechanisms were primarily driven by land use changes resulting from urbanization and industrialization, leading to increased ecological risks such as soil erosion, pollution, landscape fragmentation, and habitat degradation, particularly in the Kunshan, Wujiang, and Zhangjiagang Districts, where agricultural land has been extensively converted to constructed land. This study not only elucidates the mechanisms influencing UGSS’s ESV driving factors but also expands the theoretical understanding of urbanization’s ecological impacts, providing valuable insights for optimizing UGSS layout and informing sustainable urban planning policies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Infrastructure Planning and Management for Sustainable Urban Development and Quality of Life)
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21 pages, 3378 KiB  
Article
Effects of Green–Gray–Blue Infrastructure Adjustments on Urban Drainage Performance: Time Lag and H–Q Curve Regulation
by Yang Yu, Yi Yao, Chentao Li and Dayang Li
Land 2025, 14(2), 419; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14020419 - 17 Feb 2025
Viewed by 486
Abstract
With the increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events, enhancing urban drainage systems’ regulation capacity is crucial for mitigating urban flooding. Existing studies primarily analyze infrastructure impacts on peak flow delay but often lack a systematic exploration of time-lag mechanisms. This study introduces the [...] Read more.
With the increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events, enhancing urban drainage systems’ regulation capacity is crucial for mitigating urban flooding. Existing studies primarily analyze infrastructure impacts on peak flow delay but often lack a systematic exploration of time-lag mechanisms. This study introduces the time-lag parameter, using the hysteresis curve of the water level–flow rate relationship to quantify drainage system dynamics. An SWMM-based drainage model was developed for the Rongdong area of Xiong’an New District to evaluate the independent roles of green, gray, and blue infrastructures in peak flow reduction and time-lag modulation. The results indicate that green infrastructure extends the horizontal width and reduces the vertical height of the hysteresis curve, prolonging time lag and making it effective for small-to-medium rainfall. Gray infrastructure enhances drainage efficiency by compressing the hysteresis curve horizontally and increasing its vertical height, facilitating rapid drainage but offering limited peak reduction. Blue infrastructure, by lowering outlet water levels, improves drainage capacity and reduces time lag, demonstrating adaptability across various rainfall scenarios. This study systematically quantifies the role of each infrastructure type in time-lag regulation and proposes a collaborative optimization strategy for urban drainage system design. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Infrastructure Planning and Management for Sustainable Urban Development and Quality of Life)
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