The Dynamics of Urbanization: Challenges and Solutions in Land Development and Regional Planning
A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 704
Special Issue Editors
Interests: urbanization; migration; land development; spatial planning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: urbanization; land use transition; population change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: urbanization; migration; urban and regional development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The process of urbanization is accompanied by dramatic land-use transformations in urban and rural areas. While urbanization drives regional economic growth and social development, it simultaneously generates multifaceted land-use challenges, including environmental degradation, urban sprawl, rural hollowing, farmland shortages, and social inequalities. Addressing these challenges requires innovative approaches to land development and regional planning that balance growth with sustainability. Urbanization pathways are deeply embedded in the distinct economic, social, and cultural contexts of nations and regions, resulting in significant variations in urbanization stages, land-use impacts, and planning responses across different settings.
Recent advancements in technology and the deepening of sustainable development principles are reshaping population migration patterns, economic landscape and social dynamics, and regional connectivity, which introduce new dimensions and novel characteristics to contemporary urbanization and land-use transitions. Understanding the diverse manifestations and emerging trends of urbanization, evaluating their land-use consequences, alongside synthesizing lessons from planning responses in varied contexts, will undoubtedly offer critical insights for advancing theoretical frameworks and tackling practical challenges.
This Special Issue focuses on the dynamic patterns and mechanisms of urbanization, urban-rural land-use transitions in the context of urbanization, and regional planning responses to associated challenges. We welcome interdisciplinary contributions to exchange and advance knowledge in this field. We encourage submissions on, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Patterns and mechanisms of urbanization
- Rural-urban migration dynamics
- Urban and rural land-use transitions in the context of urbanization
- Regional planning and governance for sustainable urbanization
- Innovative data and methodological approaches in urbanization studies
Kind regards
Dr. Tao Liu
Dr. Yingzhi Qiu
Dr. Jiajie Liu
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
- urbanization
- migration
- urban and rural land change
- land-use challenges
- regional planning and governance
- mechanisms
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
