Urban–Rural Land Governance and Sustainable Development in New Era
A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 1
Special Issue Editors
Interests: land economics; urban land governance; real estate economics
Interests: land use policy; farmland protection and food security
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The world is undergoing rapid urbanization and profound rural transformation, a process that is reshaping human–land relationships on an unprecedented scale and profoundly influencing regional sustainable development pathways. Within this context, the urban–rural land governance system has become a core mechanism for coordinating social, economic, and environmental objectives. Its effectiveness and adaptability have become crucial lever for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the current urban–rural land system faces multiple challenges, including unbalanced urban–rural development, loss of cultivated land resources, idle land resources, environmental pollution, and declining ecosystem services, as well as the resulting lack of spatial justice and disparity between the rich and the poor. These intertwined challenges present a complex and urgent governance issue. In this context, how to establish a "three-dimensionally balanced" land governance approach that balances economic growth, ecological protection, and social equity during the urban–rural transformation process has become a core concern for both academics and policymakers.
This Special Issue is dedicated to assembling cutting-edge theoretical frameworks, innovative methodologies, and representative empirical findings from the global academic community in the field of urban–rural land governance and sustainable development. We particularly welcome submissions that employ interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives to critically examine the limitations of existing governance models and explore new paradigms capable of balancing social equity, ecological resilience, and economic vitality. Furthermore, this Special Issue emphasizes the integration of empirical studies from diverse developmental stages and regional contexts, aiming to provide valuable scientific evidence and practical approaches for land policymaking.
This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts that link the following themes:
- Governance of farmland systems and its response to climate change and urban–rural transition.
- Role of sustainable land use practices (e.g., conservation agriculture, ecological agriculture) in ensuring food security.
- Balanced allocation of basic service facilities in urban and rural areas.
- Socio-spatial justice in urban renewal, housing security, and gentrification processes.
- Inclusive urban land governance strategies for vulnerable groups (e.g., migrant populations, low-income residents).
- Digital transformation and innovation in urban–rural governance.
We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.
Prof. Dr. Jingming Liu
Dr. Xianhui Hou
Dr. Youngseob Eum
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.
Keywords
- urban–rural land governance
- urban–rural land use planning
- farmland protection and food security
- sustainable development
- spatial justice
- housing security
- social-ecological system resilience
- territorial spatial planning
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