Sustainable Urban Planning and Development for Resilient and Equitable Communities

Dear Colleagues,

Classical tradition considers Hippodamus of Miletus the first urban planner in history, as he was responsible for planning a new city, created ex novo after the abandonment of an old, ruined settlement. When Hippodamus envisioned the new city of Miletus on the coast of present-day Turkey 2,500 years ago, the circumstances were very different from today, but we can assume that his ultimate goal was the same as that pursued by urbanists and planners around the world today: to improve people’s lives through the new urban design.

Examples of good urban planning practices can be found in every corner of the world, although it is more common to encounter the opposite—poor practices in the construction and growth of cities—often due to an absence of urban planning or its biased implementation in favor of the interests of a privileged few.

Cities presently face a number of challenges that hinder the pursuit of sustainable development, including climate change and demographic shifts, and the effects of these changes are evident throughout the socio-economic structure. In light of these challenges, enhancing the resilience of cities to various types of crises—as well as fostering resilient communities—has become increasingly important in academic research.

This Special Issue of the journal Land aims to advance knowledge of urban planning and development under the premises of sustainability, resilience, and social equity, with a combination of theoretical and pragmatic research, literature reviews, and case studies from any part of the world, past or present, in order to envision a better future for all.

The goal of this Special Issue is to gather together papers that provide insights into urban planning and development based on the three premises highlighted in the title: sustainability, resilience, and social equity. This topic is fully aligned with Land’s aims and scope, which focus on planning and development, including in urban contexts.

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts (research and review papers) that link the following themes:

- Theoretical models of urban planning and development;

- Socio-economic tensions and conflicts in urban growth and their possible solutions;

- Best practices in sustainable urban planning and development for resilient and equitable communities;

- Relationships between ecosystem services, equitable communities, and planning and development;

- The issue of scale in urban planning and development;

- Local development strategies to foster sustainability and resilience in urban communities;

- The use of artificial intelligence in building resilient communities;

- Smart planning and sustainable urban management;

- The role of social capital in building local resilience;

- Transformation of urban economies toward sustainability (e.g., circular economy);

- Urban development scenarios under conditions of uncertainty;

- Impacts of climate change on urban functioning;

- Aging societies and urban space design;

- Gender perspectives in urban planning and development;

- Migrations and urban growth—planning challenges and opportunities;

- Risks and vulnerabilities in urban zones—strategies for sustainable management;

- Urbanization in arid and semi-arid regions—constraints and adaptation pathways;

- Integrated risk assessment and planning for climate-resilient urban futures;

- Urban governance and social equity in the context of environmental change;

- Innovative planning tools for sustainable cities—lessons from global and local experiences.

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

Dr. Xosé Somoza-Medina
Dr. Karolina Józefowicz
Dr. Hanifa El Motaki
Prof. Dr. Qiaofeng (Robin) Zhang
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.

• sustainable urban development and planning
• sustainable cities and urban communities
• resilient cities and urban communities
• local development strategies
• spatial planning and land use
• equitable and inclusive cities and urban communities
• urban risks management (climate adaptation and urbanization in arid areas)
• migration impacts
• urban governance
• vulnerability mapping