Advancing Sustainable Urban Development Through Spatial Analysis: Leveraging Digital Technologies and Geographic Data for Smart, Inclusive, and Resilient Cities

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on urban spatial analysis and assessment based on multi-source geographic data and tools, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges introduced by emerging digital technologies in urban research and professional practice. By leveraging these advancements, this Special Issue aims to contribute to the development of sustainable and equitable urban environments that align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), climate action (SDG 13), and reducing inequalities (SDG 10).

Integrated urban spatial analysis has emerged as a crucial research field, combining multidimensional data to provide deeper insights into urban dynamics, resource allocation, real estate valuation, mobility patterns, and environmental sustainability. Using Geographic Information Systems (GISs), digital cartography, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence, researchers and practitioners can develop predictive models and spatially explicit assessments that support evidence-based decision-making in urban planning and policy development.

This Special Issue promotes an interdisciplinary approach, encouraging contributions from technology, geography, urban design, real estate assessment, humanities, and social sciences to address the complex challenges of contemporary cities. As collaborative efforts are essential for translating theoretical knowledge into practical urban solutions, studies that analyze real-world case studies and bridge the gap between research and practical implementation will be particularly valued.

Moreover, this Special Issue will prioritize studies that promote urban practices focused on inclusivity, equity, and environmental justice, ensuring that future cities are balanced, adaptable, and human centred. By exploring the synergies between geographic data, digital innovation, and urban policy, this Special Issue seeks to advance discussions on smart, sustainable, and socially responsible urban development.

The goal of this Special Issue is to collect original research articles and review papers to provide insights into the role of urban spatial analysis in shaping sustainable, resilient, and equitable cities. Contributions should explore how geographic data, digital tools, and emerging technologies—such as GISs, remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and digital cartography—can be leveraged to enhance urban planning, resource allocation, real estate valuation, mobility modeling, and environmental sustainability.

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts that link to the following themes:

• Urban Spatial Analysis and Geographic Data—Utilization of GISs, remote sensing, and spatial modeling to analyse urban structures, land use, and socio-environmental dynamics.
• Digital Tools and Smart Technologies—The role of artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data analytics, and digital cartography in urban planning and decision-making.
• Real Estate Valuation and Market Dynamics—The application of spatial analysis to assess property values, land use efficiency, and real estate market trends in relation to urban development.
• Sustainable and Resilient Cities—Strategies for integrating geographic data into climate adaptation, resource management, and sustainable urban design.
• Urban Mobility and Infrastructure Planning—Data-driven approaches to understanding urban mobility, accessibility, and spatial differences in travel behavior.
• Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Urban Development—The intersection of geography, urban design, social sciences, and humanities in addressing contemporary urban challenges.
• Social Responsibility and Equity in Urban Planning—The role of spatial analysis in promoting inclusivity, environmental justice, and equitable access to urban resources.
• Virtual Environments and the Future of Cities—Exploration of metaverse applications, digital twins, and virtual simulations in urban research and professional practice.

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

Dr. Valeria Saiu
Dr. Francesca Abastante
Dr. Francesco Piras
Dr. Giuliano Poli
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.

• urban spatial analysis
• geographic information systems (GISs)
• remote sensing
• real estate valuation
• smart cities
• big data and AI in urban planning
• sustainable urban development
• mobility and infrastructure planning
• environmental justice and equity
• urban sustainability and SDGs