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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 May 2026) | Viewed by 12003

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Editors

Dr. Angeliki Peponi

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Guest Editor

1. Forest Research Centre, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
2. Centre of Geographical Studies, University of Lisbon, Rua Branca Edmée Marques, Lisbon, Portugal
3. Associate Laboratory TERRA, Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: urban ecology; spatial analysis; urban planning; geocomputation; machine learning

Dr. Gonçalo Duarte

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Guest Editor

1. Forest Research Centre, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
2. Associate Laboratory TERRA, Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: freshwater ecology; spatial ecology; ecological modelling; GIS
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Phelipe da Silva Anjinho

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Guest Editor

1. Center of Water Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
2. Forest Research Centre, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
3. Associate Laboratory TERRA, Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: land use planning; hydrosedimentological and ecosystem service modelling; spatial analysis

Dr. Patrícia Abrantes

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Guest Editor

1. Centre of Geographical Studies, Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning, University of Lisbon, Portugal
2. Associate Laboratory TERRA, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: land use planning; land use/cover modelling; urban–rural interface; urban–agricultural systems; GIS modelling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The increasing urbanization of the world, combined with unsustainable practices, has led to escalating societal and environmental crises that threaten both human well-being and planetary health. In promoting sustainable urban development and understanding the interactions between human activity and the natural environment, the fields of urban ecology and urban metabolism are interlinked. Urban ecology focuses on integrating ecological principles into urban areas, creating cities that support biodiversity, foster resilience, and provide ecosystem services. On the other hand, urban metabolism adopts a systematic approach, viewing cities as complex systems with an interconnected flow of resources (inputs, processes, and outputs). Quantifying these flows provides insight into how resources are used and the environmental pressures they create. In the scope of urban ecology and urban metabolism, studies on the circular economy, regenerative design, smart urban planning, and development highlight the potential to reshape urban areas into more sustainable and resilient ecosystems, balancing socioeconomic growth with environmental preservation.

This Special Issue welcomes original research articles and reviews that provide empirical insights, theoretical frameworks, and methodological advancements in holistic urban transformations that address climate challenges, resource depletion, and social inequalities. Key issues include, but are not limited to, the following:

Assessment of social and ecological systems and ecosystem services;
Spatial analysis of land use land cover change;
Development of nature-based solutions (NbSs) in the urban contexts;
Quantifying urban resource flows and modelling urban–rural interactions;
Transitioning to smart and circular cities;
Regenerative design and urban resilience;
The role of policy in urban transformation.

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

Dr. Angeliki Peponi
Dr. Gonçalo Duarte
Dr. Phelipe da Silva Anjinho
Dr. Patrícia Abrantes
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

urban metabolism
urban ecology
ecosystem services
urban and landscape planning
smart cities
regenerative design

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 6902 KB

Open AccessArticle

Urban Building and Infrastructure Component Assessment for Climate-Resilient Renovation: Mitigating Flood, Drought and Heat Stress in Daegu, South Korea

by Junhee Woo, Leon dos Santos Catarino, Amarpreet Singh Arora, Birte Meller and Thorsten Schuetze

Land 2026, 15(8), 1426; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15081426 - 7 Aug 2026

Abstract

Cities are confronted with heat, drought, and pluvial flooding, highlighting the need for renovation strategies that enhance climate resilience while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. This research developed an integrated assessment framework to quantify the mitigation potential of urban and building surface components using five area-based key performance indicators (KPIs): Surface Heat Contribution (SHC), Flood Mitigation Factor (FMF), Water Storage Capacity (WSC), Evaporation Volume (EVA), and Global Warming Potential (GWP). The framework combines simplified life-cycle assessment with biophysical models for heat, water storage, and evaporation, designed as an accessible complement to 3D microclimate tools. Applied to an exemplary residential area in Daegu, South Korea, the method benchmarks existing surfaces and evaluates renovation scenarios targeting heat reduction, flood mitigation, and drought resilience. Results show that surface renovation measures improve mitigation potential. The performance varies across KPIs, involving trade-offs with embodied emissions. Optimal outcomes arise from balanced hybrid strategies integrating complementary measures. Selective greening combined with low heat capacity, high-conductivity materials (e.g., metal façades) effectively reduces heat stress but increases embodied GWP and structural demands. Permeable and greened surfaces improve WSC and EVA, supporting short-term flood mitigation, yet reveal limitations under prolonged rainfall. The proposed framework supports transparent and low-carbon climate-resilient renovation decision-making. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Resilient and Sustainable Urban Futures)

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21 pages, 21169 KB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Imbalance Between Flood Disaster Risk and Socioeconomic Development Across Cities in China’s Pearl River Basin

by Zehui Zhou, Weidong Huang, Tingting Wang, Linlin Gong, Dianchen Sun and Lei Yu

Land 2026, 15(8), 1339; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15081339 - 25 Jul 2026

Viewed by 257

Abstract

Climate change and rapid urbanization are reshaping the spatial relationship between flood risk and socioeconomic development, yet basin-scale evidence on where risk pressure and development capacity diverge remains limited. Taking 54 cities in China’s Pearl River Basin as the study area, this study adopts a dual-system evaluation framework integrating game-theory weighting, coupling coordination analysis, and spatial autocorrelation. Flood risk is characterized through hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and Resilience, while socioeconomic development is represented by economic scale, urban construction, and population agglomeration. This design extends previous Pearl River Delta-centered analyses to the entire basin and enables city-scale identification of risk–development imbalance. The results reveal a pronounced downstream–upstream gradient. The Pearl River Delta has the highest flood exposure (mean exposure index = 0.2603, 117% higher than the basin average of 0.1208), but strong Resilience and socioeconomic capacity prevent high exposure from translating into the highest overall risk. By contrast, east-central Guangxi emerges as a critical hotspot where moderate to high hazard overlaps with high vulnerability and weak Resilience. Coupling coordination remains generally low, shifting from basic coordination in parts of the Pearl River Delta to severe imbalance in upstream Guizhou, Guangxi, and Yunnan. The global Moran’s I is 0.4261 and significant at the 1% level, indicating marked spatial clustering, with high-high clusters concentrated in core Pearl River Delta cities and low–low clusters in eastern Yunnan and southwestern Guizhou. By distinguishing high exposure cities from high priority intervention areas, this study provides a potentially transferable framework for differentiated flood governance, infrastructure investment, and Resilience enhancement across large river basins. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Resilient and Sustainable Urban Futures)

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22 pages, 2536 KB

Open AccessArticle

From Model Outputs to Planning Layers: A Planning Support Workflow for Differentiated Coastal Adaptation in Dalian, China

by Bo Pang and Brian Deal

Land 2026, 15(7), 1218; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15071218 - 7 Jul 2026

Viewed by 338

Abstract

Coastal adaptation planning often focuses on keeping growth out of flood-prone areas, but in some coastal cities, business as usual growth may already avoid the most exposed locations while remaining concentrated near the shoreline. This problem is examined in Dalian, China, using the Land Use Evolution and Impact Assessment Model combined with connected bathtub flood exposure mapping at 30 m resolution. Existing model outputs are translated into planning support layers covering flood exposure, a coastal planning belt, and a proof-of-concept port-accessibility proxy, then used to classify growth constraint conflicts, define adaptation zones, and compare three scenarios under fixed demand inputs, spatial metrics, and sensitivity analysis across 75 parameter combinations. BAU growth concentrates within 5 km of the shoreline in high-suitability cells, indicating that coastal concentration rather than direct hazard exposure defines the main planning problem. Strong conservation, used here as a reused broad-constraint reference scenario rather than a newly designed coastal-adaptation scenario, compresses residential allocation closer to the shore, with a mean distance of 1.5 km compared with 3.1 km under BAU. Only selective adaptation redirects residential growth inland, increasing mean distance to 11.5 km and reducing residential allocation within the belt to 0%, while retaining more commercial allocation than strong conservation. Because the inundation input is based on a static connected-bathtub approximation rather than a validated hydrodynamic model, the flood-exposure component is interpreted as an exploratory screening layer rather than a flood prediction. Differentiated zoning offers a targeted pathway for reducing coastal residential exposure while recognizing commercial functions that may depend on port access. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Resilient and Sustainable Urban Futures)

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17 pages, 8921 KB

Open AccessArticle

Wind-Driven Drought Stress in Green Roof Vegetation: Implications for Urban Resilience

by Arkadiusz Przybysz, Arne Sæbø, Magdalena Pawełkowicz, Hanna Moniuszko and Hans Martin Hanslin

Land 2026, 15(6), 974; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15060974 - 3 Jun 2026

Viewed by 417

Abstract

Green roofs are increasingly recognized as nature-based solutions that enhance urban resilience by supporting biodiversity, regulating microclimates, and mitigating stormwater runoff. However, their performance—particularly in extensive, lightweight systems—is often constrained by drought stress, which limits plant survival and ecosystem functioning under climate change. While substrate composition has been widely investigated in this context, the role of wind as a co-driver of drought impacts remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined how moderate wind interacts with substrate properties to shape drought responses in green roof vegetation. Using three non-succulent species (Plantago maritima, Pilosella officinarum, and Festuca rubra), we quantified substrate and plant water balance, physiological performance, wilting dynamics, and survival under prolonged drought conditions. Our results demonstrate that wind significantly accelerates drought effects—regardless of species or substrate—by intensifying substrate desiccation, with critical moisture thresholds reached at 6–8%. While wind alone did not impair plant performance under well-watered conditions, its interaction with drought markedly reduced survival time and increased physiological stress. Although general response patterns were consistent across species, subtle interspecific differences indicate that plant selection for green roofs should account for combined drought and wind exposure. These findings highlight wind as an overlooked but critical factor in the design and evaluation of resilient green roof systems and potentially contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of vegetation performance in urban nature-based solutions under climate stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Resilient and Sustainable Urban Futures)

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22 pages, 2234 KB

Open AccessArticle

Research on the Spatial Evolution and Planning Strategies of Green Belts in Metropolises

by Guoping Xiong and Zhuowei Yao

Land 2025, 14(11), 2239; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14112239 - 12 Nov 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1141

Abstract

Green belts in metropolises face a significant contradiction between ecological protection constraints and urban sprawl, necessitating effective planning and management. Existing studies have primarily focused on a single dimension, while the factors influencing the spatial evolution of green belts are complex and diverse. This study establishes a multi-objective quantitative analysis framework, utilizing quantitative analysis methods such as average nearest neighbor analysis, landscape ecological index analysis, land–use transition matrix, kernel density estimation, and spatial autocorrelation models. Taking the green belt area of Shijiazhuang as a case study, this research systematically analyzes the spatial evolution characteristics of the region from 2015 to 2024. The findings reveal spatial patterns such as the small-scale and dispersed expansion of industrial land, increasing fragmentation of ecological spaces, ongoing encroachment on agricultural land, differentiated growth of service industry spaces, and the uncontrolled sprawl of residential areas in villages and towns during rapid urbanization. These patterns lead to increased ecological risks, imbalanced urban–rural development, and lagging infrastructure. To address these challenges, this study proposes a planning strategy of “adjusting the primary industry, restricting the secondary industry, and promoting the tertiary industry,” aiming to resolve the conflict between ecological protection and urban expansion in metropolitan green belts, ensuring their orderly development. This research provides insights for the sustainable development of green belts in Metropolises of developing countries during the rapid urbanization process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Resilient and Sustainable Urban Futures)

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20 pages, 1597 KB

Open AccessArticle

Participatory Design for Small-Scale PV Integration in Heritage Districts: The Case of Öjeby Church Town, Piteå, Sweden

by Lars Vikström, Andrea Luciani and Agatino Rizzo

Land 2025, 14(9), 1862; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14091862 - 12 Sep 2025

Viewed by 1204

Abstract

The integration of small-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems in heritage districts poses a significant challenge: balancing sustainability and energy transition goals while preserving cultural and historical values. This study addresses the problem that existing planning and regulatory frameworks often exclude residents’ perspectives, leading to solutions that are technically feasible but socially contested. The objective is to explore how residents, as potential prosumers, can be effectively integrated into decision-making processes for PV adoption in heritage districts. Focusing on Öjeby Church Town in Piteå, northern Sweden, we employed transdisciplinary participatory design methods, including stakeholder workshops, interviews, council meetings, and a tailored resident design workshop to capture both explicit and tacit knowledge. These design methods were combined with spatial analysis and visual assessment. The findings reveal that residents favour PV solutions that minimise visual impact on heritage buildings, preferring installations in green and grey infrastructure over direct building integration. The process also enhanced awareness, legitimacy, and agency among participants, while exposing regulatory gaps, ownership complexities, and aesthetic tensions. The study contributes a replicable participatory framework that integrates community values with technical and heritage expertise, offering a pathway toward value-sensitive energy transitions in protected cultural environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Resilient and Sustainable Urban Futures)

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24 pages, 3624 KB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Urban Flood Resilience Under a Novel Framework and Method: A Case Study of the Taihu Lake Basin

by Kaidong Lu, Yong Liu, Yintang Wang, Tingting Cui, Jiaxing Zhong, Zijiang Zhou and Xiaoping Gao

Land 2025, 14(7), 1328; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14071328 - 22 Jun 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2722

Abstract

Urban flooding poses escalating threats to socioeconomic stability and human safety, exacerbated by urbanization and climate change. While urban flood resilience (UFR) has emerged as a critical framework for flood risk management, existing studies often overlook the systemic integration of post-disaster recovery capacity and multidimensional interactions in UFR assessment. This study develops a novel hazard–vulnerability–exposure–defense capacity–recovery capacity (HVEDR) framework to address research gaps. We employ a hybrid game theory combined weight method (GTCWM)-TOPSIS approach to evaluate UFR in China’s Taihu Lake Basin (TLB), a region highly vulnerable to monsoon- and typhoon-driven floods. Spanning 1999–2020, the analysis reveals three key insights: (1) weight allocation via GTCWM identifies defense capacity (0.224) and hazard (0.224) as dominant dimensions, with drainage pipeline density (0.091), flood-season precipitation (0.087), and medical capacity (0.085) ranking as the top three weighted indicators; (2) temporal trends show an overall upward trajectory in UFR, interrupted by a sharp decline in 2011 due to extreme hazard events, with Shanghai and Hangzhou exhibiting the highest UFR levels, contrasting Zhenjiang’s persistently low UFR; (3) spatial patterns reveal stronger UFR in southern and eastern areas and weaker resilience in northern and western regions. The proposed HVEDR framework and findings provide valuable insights for UFR assessments in other flood-prone basins and regions globally. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Resilient and Sustainable Urban Futures)

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31 pages, 17335 KB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Spillover Effects of Urban Gray–Green Space Form on COVID-19 Pandemic in China

by Tingting Kang, Yangyang Jiang, Chuangeng Yang, Yujie She, Zixi Jiang and Zeng Li

Land 2025, 14(4), 896; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040896 - 18 Apr 2025

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1894

Abstract

Although the immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been alleviated, its long-term effects continue to shape global health and public safety. Policymakers should prepare for potential future health crises and direct urban planning toward more sustainable outcomes. While numerous studies have examined factors influencing the risk of COVID-19, few have investigated the spatial spillover effects of urban form and green space. In this study, we quantified urban form using landscape pattern indices, represented population mobility with the Baidu Migration Scale Index, and assessed the role of key influencing factors on the epidemic through STIRPAT and spatial Durbin models. Our findings reveal that population migration from Wuhan had a significant local impact on the spread of COVID-19. These factors not only intensified local transmission, but also triggered positive spatial spillover effects, spreading the virus to neighboring regions. We also found that green space connectivity (pc₅) plays a crucial role in reducing the spread of the virus, both locally and in surrounding areas. High green space connectivity helps mitigate disease transmission during an epidemic. In contrast, the spatial configuration and unipolarity of urban areas (pc₁) contributed to the increased spread of the virus to neighboring cities. Ultimately, balancing building density with green space distribution is essential for enhancing urban resilience. This research provides new insights into sustainable urban planning and helps us understand the impact of the spillover effects of gray–green space forms on public health and safety. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Resilient and Sustainable Urban Futures)

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30 pages, 10289 KB

Open AccessArticle

Spatiotemporal Evolution and Driving Factors of Urban Resilience Against Disasters: A Dual Perspective of Urban Systems and Resilience Capacities

by Ruoyi Zhang, Jiawen Zhou, Fei Sun, Hanyu Xu and Huige Xing

Land 2025, 14(4), 741; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040741 - 30 Mar 2025

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2692

Abstract

With the global increase in disaster risks, enhancing urban resilience has become a critical strategy for risk mitigation and sustainable development. This study develops a two-dimensional indicator framework based on urban systems and resilience capacity from the perspective of the disaster management cycle and applies an improved CRITIC-TOPSIS method to evaluate the resilience levels of the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration, China. The spatiotemporal evolution of urban resilience from 2010 to 2022 is systematically examined. Furthermore, the dynamics of urban resilience transitions are investigated using a spatial Markov chain model, and the driving factors behind the spatial distribution of resilience are explored through the Geo-detector method. The results indicate the following: (1) Comprehensive resilience demonstrated a steady upward trend during the study period, with Chengdu and Chongqing, as core cities, driving regional resilience improvement and reducing disparities within the urban agglomeration. (2) Significant spatial heterogeneity was observed in the distribution of the comprehensive resilience index and the indices of individual resilience dimensions. (3) The Markov chain analysis revealed a distinct “club convergence” pattern in the dynamic transitions of resilience levels, with development trends closely tied to spatial factors. (4) The Geo-detector model analysis highlighted that infrastructure development and technological innovation exert long-term and substantial impacts on resilience improvement. These findings provide valuable insights for enhancing resilience and promoting sustainable development in the Chengdu–Chongqing region and other similar urban systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Resilient and Sustainable Urban Futures)

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