Redefining Urban Landscapes: Land Use and Regional Development in the Era of Urbanization

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: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 169

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Interests: urban geography; metropolitan development; urban-rural planning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Interests: urbanization; migration; urban and regional development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Interests: urbanization; land use transition; population change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urban landscapes, primarily measured by urban land use, keep changing with global urbanization, attracting continuous attention. Given that the varying stages, dynamics, and patterns of urbanization create diverse urban landscapes, it is essential to incorporate urban land use change studies with urbanization contexts and to summarize the evolution laws. We call for theoretical explorations and understanding of urban land use change embedded in urbanization contexts. Furthermore, with the ongoing process of city regionalization, urban landscape research requires expansion to the regional scale. There is also a critical need to further explore the relationship between urban land use change and regional development, particularly in metropolitan areas and megalopolises. We call for richer and more diversified empirical studies.

This Special Issue focuses on changing urban landscapes during the urbanization process. We welcome interdisciplinary dialogues, drawing on different theories, methodologies, and case studies. The key topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Urban land use change;
  • Urban spatial structure;
  • Urban growth and shrinkage;
  • Metropolitan and megalopolis development;
  • Urban–rural relationship and interaction;
  • Population, industry, housing, and other issues in regional development;
  • Planning and governance for sustainable urban development.

Kind regards

Prof. Dr. Guangzhong Cao
Dr. Jiajie Liu
Dr. Yingzhi Qiu
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

  • urbanization
  • land use change
  • metropolitan and megalopolis
  • spatial structure and planning
  • urban governance and policy
  • sustainable development

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

This special issue is now open for submission.
Back to TopTop