Emerging Technologies Towards Sustainable Urban Transitions

Dear Colleagues,

Urban areas are at the forefront of technological advancements, as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, digital twins, and big data analytics are reshaping urban landscapes. These innovations support data-driven decision-making, optimize resource use, and enhance urban resilience against environmental risks. Smart infrastructure, intelligent mobility solutions, and nature-based urban interventions are pivotal in driving the transition toward more sustainable cities. Furthermore, digital tools empower policymakers, urban planners, and communities by providing actionable insights to address complex urban issues.

A key aspect of sustainable urban transitions involves preserving and integrating historical neighborhoods and cultural heritage into modern city planning. Emerging technologies offer new possibilities for cultural conservation, adaptive reuse of historical buildings, and enhancing the livability of heritage districts. Additionally, urban microclimate regulation is crucial for mitigating the impacts of climate change, particularly in densely built environments. Smart climate monitoring, green infrastructure, and climate-responsive urban design play a vital role in enhancing urban comfort and sustainability.

The Importance of the Research Area:

The importance of this research area lies in its ability to bridge the gap between technology and sustainability, fostering integrated approaches to urban development. By leveraging digital transformation, cities can improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon footprints, enhance public services, and create healthier living environments. However, the adoption of these technologies also presents challenges, including governance issues, ethical concerns, and disparities in technological accessibility.

This Special Issue of Land seeks to explore the role of emerging technologies in sustainable urban transitions, addressing environmental, social, and economic dimensions.

By fostering interdisciplinary discussions, it aims to provide novel insights into how cities can harness innovation to achieve long-term sustainability goals, overcome global sustainability challenges, and face issues such as climate change, resource depletion, and rapid population growth. As cities strive to achieve sustainability, emerging technologies are playing a crucial role in facilitating the transition toward greener, smarter, and more resilient urban environments.

The Aim of the Special Issue:

The goal of this Special Issue is to collect cutting-edge research (original research articles and review papers) that provides insights into how emerging technologies—such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), digital twins, smart grids, blockchain, and sustainable infrastructure—can drive urban transformation. By focusing on land use, urban planning, and smart city development, this Special Issue aligns with Land's scope, which emphasizes the interplay between land, technology, and sustainable development.

The importance of this research area lies in its ability to bridge the gap between technology and sustainability, fostering integrated approaches to urban development. By leveraging digital transformation, cities can improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon footprints, enhance public services, and create healthier living environments. However, the adoption of these technologies also presents challenges, including governance issues, ethical concerns, and disparities in technological accessibility.

Relevance to Journal Scope:

This Special Issue, “Emerging Technologies Towards Sustainable Urban Transitions”, aligns closely with the scope of Land by addressing the pressing need for sustainable urban development in the face of rapid urbanization and environmental and cultural challenges.

Suggested Themes:

This Special Issue welcomes manuscripts that explore the following themes:

• Smart cities and digital innovations for sustainable urban planning.
• The role of artificial intelligence and big data in urban governance.
• IoT and sensor technologies for real-time environmental monitoring.
• Sustainable transportation and mobility solutions.
• Renewable energy and smart grid applications in urban areas.
• Green infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and climate adaptation.
• Blockchain for sustainable land management and governance.
• Digital twins and simulation models for urban resilience.
• Augmented reality and extended reality in public space.
• Open data and interconnectivity.
• Digital city.
• The preservation and integration of historical urban neighborhoods and cultural heritage—addressing the link between new technologies and cultural identity.
• Smart monitoring of the urban microclimate.
• Smart urban equipment and infrastructure.
• Smart governance and citizen engagement.
• Participatory urban design through new technologies—urban games, gamification, augmented reality, etc.
• Smart city security and safety issues.
• Digital art in public spaces.
• Health and well-being.

These suggested themes provide a starting point for authors to contribute their original research, case studies, best practices, and theoretical perspectives to this Special Issue. This Special Issue encourages the submission of theoretical and empirical works that make use of a variety of methodological techniques and have strong foundations in the recent literature. However, we also welcome submissions that explore related areas not explicitly mentioned but relevant to the overall theme of integrating technology into engineering education for sustainable development.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome.

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

Dr. Zoe Kanetaki
Dr. Maria Sinou
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.

• sustainable urban transitions
• artificial intelligence
• sustainable land management
• smart cities
• cultural heritage
• sustainable transportation
• heat islands
• urban microclimate
• urban regeneration