Coordinated Development of New-Type Urbanization and Rural Revitalization: International Experience and Technological Empowerment

Dear Colleagues,

Global urbanization is undergoing a profound transformation, gradually advancing toward a sustainable and people-centered development model. The traditional path of urbanization has encountered numerous common challenges in practices across countries, such as mono-functional urban systems, imbalanced allocation of urban and rural resources, excessive population agglomeration, and the neglect of cultural and ecological systems. Meanwhile, countries at different development stages, with distinct institutional contexts and resource endowments, also face unique development dilemmas. These problems not only impede the sustainable progress of urbanization but also widen the urban–rural development gap, which is particularly prominent in developing countries. Against this backdrop, there is an urgent need to construct a new development paradigm that integrates urban–rural coordination and international experience. It is essential to activate the endogenous driving forces of rural development based on the rural revitalization strategy, promote the efficient flow of urban–rural resources, optimize spatial layouts, and improve governance systems so as to realize the two-way empowerment and coordinated development of urbanization and rural revitalization. Notably, the rapid advancement of advanced technologies and the explosion of new data resources have become a key driving force for breaking urban–rural barriers and promoting integrated development. Technologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS), big data, and artificial intelligence, combined with multi-source data including satellite remote sensing data, urban–rural panel data, and social perception data, have been widely applied in urban–rural resource monitoring, spatial planning, and governance optimization, providing scientific support and innovative paths for solving urban–rural development dilemmas. This Special Issue focuses on the core theme of the coordinated development of new-type urbanization and rural revitalization. It integrates domestic practices and international perspectives, deeply explores pathways and experiences of urban–rural coordinated development worldwide, and contributes to the building of sustainable societies.

I. Urban–Rural Resource Flow and Coordinated Development

• Comparative studies and experience sharing on the balanced allocation of labor, capital, infrastructure, public services and other resources between urban and rural areas at home and abroad;
• Research on pathways to advance urban–rural integrated development and boost rural revitalization through policy and institutional innovation;
• Implications of urban–rural resource linkage models for the coordinated development of rural revitalization and new-type urbanization.

II. Urban–Rural Spatial Optimization and Rural Revitalization Layout

• Comparative studies on the evolution of urban–rural spatial layouts and forms worldwide and their supporting role in rural revitalization;
• Balanced urban–rural layout models that integrate ecological conservation, rural characteristics and urban development;
• Optimization pathways of urban–rural territorial spatial planning and international experience reference under the background of rural revitalization.

III. Urban–Rural Social Governance and Improvement of People’s Wellbeing

• Comparison of urban–rural coordinated governance models worldwide and practical pathways to solve urban–rural governance dilemmas and support rural revitalization;
• Domestic and international experience in improving the quality of life of urban and rural residents and promoting the equalization of rural public services through governance innovation;
• Construction and case studies of coordinated urban–rural community governance mechanisms under the background of rural revitalization.

IV. Applications of Advanced Technologies in Urban–Rural Coordinated Development

• Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, big data and other technologies in urban–rural resource monitoring, rural revitalization planning and dynamic management of urbanization;
• Applications of big data, artificial intelligence and other technologies in the dynamic monitoring of urban–rural population, industry and ecology to support urban–rural coordinated development and rural revitalization;
• Comparative experience and innovative pathways of technology-enabled urban–rural integration and rural revitalization worldwide.

V. Sustainability and Resilience in the Coordinated Development of Urbanization and Rural Revitalization

• Sustainability evaluation systems and practical pathways in the coordinated advancement of new-type urbanization and rural revitalization;
• Comparison of urban–rural resilient development models across countries and coordinated urban–rural strategies to address risks such as climate change and resource shortages;
• Case studies and international experience reference for the sustainable development of China’s new-type urbanization under the background of rural revitalization.

Dr. Xiong He
Prof. Dr. Chunshan Zhou
Dr. Orlando Cimino
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.