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Land
Special Issues
Synergistic Integration of Transport, Land, and Ecosystems
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Synergistic Integration of Transport, Land, and Ecosystems

A Special Issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X) belonging to the section "Land Planning and Landscape Architecture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 2869

Editors

Dr. Liangen Zeng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Public Policy and Management, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Interests: land and transportation planning; ecological environment remote sensing; big data analysis
Dr. Zhao Yu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
Interests: rural transport–land use nexus; ecological justice and transport accessibility; sustainable mobility transitions
Dr. Haoyu Hu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Planning, Property and Environmental Management, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Interests: geospatial big data analytics; accessibility and mobility equity; inter-city network and urban systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid urbanization and the associated expansion of transportation networks have profoundly reshaped land systems worldwide. This dynamic interplay between transport infrastructure, land use change, and ecological processes lies at the heart of global sustainability challenges, including habitat fragmentation, biodiversity loss, carbon emissions, and ecosystem service degradation. The complex interactions between transportation (as a driver of land development), land use (as a spatial carrier of activities), and ecology (as the foundation of sustainable functions) create a tightly coupled social–ecological system. Understanding and optimizing this “transport–land–ecology” nexus is critical for achieving sustainable development goals, fostering low-carbon urban and regional growth, and enhancing human well-being.

The goal of this Special Issue is to collect papers (original research articles and review papers) providing insights into innovative theories, methods, and practices for integrating transportation systems, land use planning, and ecological conservation. This subject aligns perfectly with the scope of Land, which encompasses land systems science, urban studies, land–climate interactions, ecosystem services, and landscape sustainability. This Special Issue seeks to foster an interdisciplinary dialogue, bringing together research that addresses the multifunctionality of land within the transport–ecology nexus, ultimately contributing to the development of more resilient and sustainable spatial configurations.

This Special Issue welcomes manuscripts that cover the following themes:

  • Theories and analytical frameworks for the "transport–land–ecology" nexus;
  • Big data, AI, and remote sensing applications in modeling interactions between transport, land use, and ecology (e.g., assessing the ecological impacts of transport corridors);
  • Low-carbon transportation development and its implications for land use planning and ecological quality (e.g., optimizing urban growth boundaries under carbon constraints);
  • Ecosystem services assessment in transport infrastructure planning and landscape governance;
  • Spatial planning and policy instruments for promoting transit-oriented development (TOD) while safeguarding ecological security patterns;
  • Assessment and mitigation of ecological risks and land use conflicts arising from transport infrastructure development;
  • Case studies on sustainable logistics, greenways, and ecological corridor planning that integrate transport and land use.

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

Dr. Liangen Zeng
Dr. Zhao Yu
Dr. Haoyu Hu
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-anonymized 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

  • transport–land–ecology nexus
  • sustainable land use planning
  • low-carbon transportation
  • ecosystem services
  • spatial big data
  • landscape governance

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  • 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 (4 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 49192 KB  
Article
Multi-Temporal Diagnosis and Uncertainty Analysis of Cropland Water Erosion in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China
by Di Shi, Danyi Cheng, Kaiwen Xue, Chengfeng He, Xuejing Li, Ting Feng, Qun Meng, Yuhan Zhang, Baoxi Pan, Tianyu Zeng, Jie Li, Jianxiang Xie, Bohan Zeng, Hedong Wang and Yijie Li
Land 2026, 15(7), 1292; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15071292 - 19 Jul 2026
Viewed by 493
Abstract
The black soil region of Northeast China is a key grain-production area where cropland water erosion threatens soil fertility and sustainability. We diagnosed cropland soil loss across six diagnostic years/time slices (2001, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, and 2024) using a Revised Universal Soil [...] Read more.
The black soil region of Northeast China is a key grain-production area where cropland water erosion threatens soil fertility and sustainability. We diagnosed cropland soil loss across six diagnostic years/time slices (2001, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, and 2024) using a Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE)-based remote-sensing workflow implemented in Google Earth Engine (GEE). Rainfall erosivity was derived from Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) daily precipitation, soil erodibility from SoilGrids, topography from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission digital elevation model (SRTM DEM), vegetation cover from the Landsat normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and cropland extent from ESA WorldCover; alternative rainfall sources, cropland masks, and P-factor settings were used for sensitivity analyses. Under the slope-graded P-factor scenario, mean annual soil loss ranged from 1.60 to 3.07 t ha−1 yr−1, and the proportion of cropland exceeding T = 2 t ha−1 yr−1 ranged from 25.2% to 52.9%. Soil loss fluctuated among years because rainfall erosivity and cover-management effects partly counteracted each other. Risk was concentrated in sloping piedmont and hilly cropland, whereas broad plains were dominated by very slight and slight erosion. P-factor parameterization represented the largest structural uncertainty. The workflow provides regional screening evidence for field verification and conservation-practice assessment, rather than direct site-specific engineering prescriptions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synergistic Integration of Transport, Land, and Ecosystems)
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17 pages, 43376 KB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Coupling Dynamics of Ecological Quality and Human Activity Intensity in China’s Huai River Basin: A Multi-Dimensional Assessment Framework (2012–2024)
by Hedong Wang, Xiaoyu Hu, Yunpeng Xu, Haoyu Hu, Yuandong Zou, Jianbao Huang, Tianyu Zeng, Yitong Chen, Zhiyin Mo, Di Shi, Lina Wang, Xinrui Yu and Chunliu Luo
Land 2026, 15(6), 1064; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15061064 - 16 Jun 2026
Viewed by 355
Abstract
Understanding how ecological quality and human activity co-evolve in densely populated watersheds is essential for sustainable land management, yet spatially explicit long-term evidence remains limited. This study investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics and coupling coordination between ecological quality and multi-dimensional human activity intensity in [...] Read more.
Understanding how ecological quality and human activity co-evolve in densely populated watersheds is essential for sustainable land management, yet spatially explicit long-term evidence remains limited. This study investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics and coupling coordination between ecological quality and multi-dimensional human activity intensity in the Huai River Basin (approximately 269,000 km2) from 2012 to 2024. An Improved Remote Sensing Ecological Index (IRSEI) was constructed by integrating EVI, wetness, dryness, land surface temperature, and a salinity index through annual principal component analysis. A composite Human Activity Intensity (HAI) index combining nighttime light, built-up intensity, and population density was derived with objectively determined weights. The coupling coordination degree (CCD) model and a pixel-level four-quadrant classification were then applied to characterize the human–environment interaction. Results showed that the basin-wide mean IRSEI declined from 0.564 in 2012 to 0.516 in 2020, before recovering to 0.566 in 2024, while HAI increased moderately by 16.9%. CCD improved slightly from 0.451 to 0.480, indicating limited but positive coordination gains. Four-quadrant transitions revealed that high-ecology, low-activity areas expanded, low-ecology, low-activity areas contracted, whereas low-ecology, high-activity zones persisted as stable pressure cores. These findings demonstrate that ecological recovery and human activity intensification can coexist spatially, but persistent high-pressure areas require targeted management interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synergistic Integration of Transport, Land, and Ecosystems)
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22 pages, 4766 KB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Evolution and Driving Mechanisms of Urban Expansion in Guangxi, China
by Jianbao Huang, Tianyu Zeng, Zhuxia Wei, Qun Meng, Zhiyuan Chen, Yuandong Zou, Lianyun Feng, Yanfeng Lu, Yijie Li, Chengfeng He, Bohan Zeng, Jiayu Tao, Jiajia Huang and Jingyang Guo
Land 2026, 15(5), 866; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15050866 - 18 May 2026
Viewed by 974
Abstract
This study examines the spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanisms of urban expansion in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, from 2013 to 2023. Using Suomi-NPP VIIRS nighttime light (NTL) data, we combine Standard Deviational Ellipse (SDE) analysis, centroid migration, kernel density estimation (KDE), [...] Read more.
This study examines the spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanisms of urban expansion in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, from 2013 to 2023. Using Suomi-NPP VIIRS nighttime light (NTL) data, we combine Standard Deviational Ellipse (SDE) analysis, centroid migration, kernel density estimation (KDE), landscape metrics, Local Moran’s I (LISA), and system Generalised Method of Moments (system-GMM) estimation. The results show that the centroid of urban development remained within Binyang County while moving overall toward the southeast with recurrent north–south oscillations. The SDE results indicate a stable northeast–southwest orientation, with secondary expansion in other directions. The urban structure is dominated by a strong Nanning core, accompanied by secondary clusters in Liuzhou, Guilin, and other prefecture-level cities. Nanning recorded the largest absolute expansion, followed by secondary centres, including Liuzhou, Guilin, Yulin, Wuzhou, Fangchenggang, Qinzhou, and Beihai, whereas western and northern Guangxi expanded more slowly. The system-GMM results indicate that financial deepening has a marginally significant positive effect on built-up area expansion and fiscal pressure has a marginally significant constraining effect, both at the 10% level; land finance dependency does not emerge as an independent driver in this small panel. We interpret these findings through a Source–Channel–Valve framework, in which financial deepening provides the capital source, land finance represents a hypothesised institutional channel, and fiscal pressure acts as a regulatory constraint. The study provides empirical evidence for sustainable and regionally coordinated urban development in Guangxi and comparable geographically constrained regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synergistic Integration of Transport, Land, and Ecosystems)
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25 pages, 11187 KB  
Article
Spatial Reconfiguration of China’s Three Major Staple Crops and Climate–Resource Matching Dynamics, 2001–2020
by Di Shi, Qun Meng, Yuandong Zou, Jianbao Huang, Ting Feng, Lu Lu, Hedong Wang, Chengfeng He, Chunqiang Zhao, Tianyu Zeng, Xiaoyu Hu, Yitong Chen, Xiaoxue Wang and Xuemei Luo
Land 2026, 15(5), 850; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15050850 - 15 May 2026
Viewed by 570
Abstract
Understanding how staple-crop geography aligns with climate resources is important for food-security planning under climate change. Focusing on rice, winter wheat and maize in China from 2001 to 2020, this study constructed 1 km crop-abundance grids from annual 30 m crop-distribution data and [...] Read more.
Understanding how staple-crop geography aligns with climate resources is important for food-security planning under climate change. Focusing on rice, winter wheat and maize in China from 2001 to 2020, this study constructed 1 km crop-abundance grids from annual 30 m crop-distribution data and integrated weighted centres of gravity (COGs), Standard Deviational Ellipses (SDEs), effective accumulated temperature and a Climate Resource Matching Index (CRMI) to evaluate crop migration, spatial-form change and matching with thermal, pluvial and radiant resource centres. Results show that rice exhibited the strongest northeastward migration, with a cumulative COG path of 448.9 km, but its CRMI declined markedly, indicating that thermal relaxation did not translate into coordinated multi-resource improvement. Winter wheat remained anchored in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, with adjustment mainly occurring through internal concentration and persistent moisture constraints. Maize showed expansion before 2015 followed by partial correction, and its CRMI trough in 2015 was robust under alternative weighting schemes. Overall, China’s staple-crop change represents a differentiated spatial reconfiguration rather than a uniform northward shift. Because these metrics are national-scale, the findings should inform crop zoning as broad spatial signals rather than direct local yield responses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synergistic Integration of Transport, Land, and Ecosystems)
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