Community-Based Land Dynamics in Urban Transformation: Perceptions, Reconfigurations, and Sustainable Land-Use Strategies

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land Planning and Landscape Architecture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 367

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Landscape Planning Laboratory, Chiba University, Matsudo, Chiba 271-8510, Japan
Interests: landscape architecture; geo-environmental studies; sustainable development; environment and land-based education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
College of Landscape Architecture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Interests: public health; urban green space; cultural heritage

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Guest Editor
School of Architecture, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
Interests: landscape architecture planning and design; landscape visual assessment; heritage urban landscapes

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Guest Editor
School of Architecture, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610032, China
Interests: environmental psychology and behavior; environmental perception and evaluation; social ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Against the backdrop of rapid global urbanization, urban land transformation has become an irreversible trend. Communities, as fundamental units of cities, are embedded within complex land systems that integrate spatial, social, and ecological dimensions. Urban transformation reshapes land-use patterns, alters landscape multifunctionality, and redefines human–land relationships, posing critical challenges to sustainable development. Understanding how community-based land use changes in the context of urban transformation, how land governance contributes to spatial reconfiguration, and how to balance land tenure security with ecological resilience is critical to advancing land systems science and policy. This Special Issue seeks interdisciplinary contributions that bridge land-use transitions, community-based land management, and socio-ecological systems in urban contexts. We emphasize studies that address the intersection of land dynamics with human perceptions, technological innovations, and governance frameworks.

High-quality original research (qualitative and quantitative) is welcome on the following topics, including but not limited to:

  • Perceptions of urban land transformation and its socio-cultural impacts;
  • Equity in land access and perceived land tenure security;
  • Spatial restructuring of community land systems (e.g., brownfield regeneration, green infrastructure);
  • Cultural memory and heritage in landscape evolution;
  • Landscape and land fragmentation and its effects on social networks;
  • Adaptive reuse of industrial land for community resilience;
  • Low-carbon land-use planning and eco-community design;
  • Land governance models for participatory decision-making;
  • Integrating ecosystem services into land-use optimization (e.g., urban wetlands, green corridors);
  • AI and big data for land use change modeling;
  • Remote sensing applications in community land monitoring.

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

Prof. Dr. Katsunori Furuya
Dr. Xin-Chen Hong
Dr. Jing Xie
Dr. Jiaying Shi
Dr. Shixian Luo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • perception of land-use changes
  • land-use reconfiguration in urban communities
  • sustainable land management strategies
  • technological innovations in land system analysis
  • qualitative and quantitative research

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 24615 KiB  
Article
Perceptual-Preference-Based Touring Routes in Xishu Gardens Using Panoramic Digital-Twin Modeling
by Xueqian Gong, Zhanyuan Zhu, Li Guo, Yong Zhong, Deshun Zhang, Jing Li, Manqin Yao, Wei Yong, Mengjia Li and Yujie Huang
Land 2025, 14(5), 932; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14050932 - 25 Apr 2025
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Abstract
Xishu Gardens, an exemplary narrative of classical Chinese gardens, faces challenges in preserving its commemorative spatial structures while accommodating modern visitors’ needs. While trajectory analysis is critical, existing studies struggle to interpret multi-dimensional perception-preference data owing to spatiotemporal mismatches in multi-source datasets. This [...] Read more.
Xishu Gardens, an exemplary narrative of classical Chinese gardens, faces challenges in preserving its commemorative spatial structures while accommodating modern visitors’ needs. While trajectory analysis is critical, existing studies struggle to interpret multi-dimensional perception-preference data owing to spatiotemporal mismatches in multi-source datasets. This study adopted an improved Ward–K-medoids hybrid clustering algorithm to analyze 885 trajectory samples and 34,384 synchronized data points capturing emotional valence, cognitive evaluations, and dwell time behaviors via panoramic digital twins across three heritage sites (Du Fu Thatched Cottage, San Su Shrine, and Wangjiang Tower Park). Our key findings include the following: (1) Axial bimodal patterns: Type I high-frequency looping paths (27.6–68.9% recurrence) drive deep exploration, in contrast to Type II linear routes (≤0.5% recurrence), which enable intensive node coverage. (2) Layout-perception dynamics: single-axis layouts maximize behavioral engagement (DFTC), free-form designs achieve optimal emotional-cognitive integration (WTP), and multi-axis systems amplify emotional-cognitive fluctuations (SSS). (3) Spatial preference hierarchy: entrance and waterfront zones demonstrate dwell times 20% longer than site averages. Accordingly, the proposed model synchronizes Type II peak-hour throughput with Type I off-peak experiential depth using dynamic path allocation algorithms. This study underscores the strong spatial guidance mechanisms of Xishu Gardens, supporting tourism management and heritage conservation. Full article
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