Geodesign and Spatial Data for Inclusive and Accessible Cities: Geomatics, Walkability, and Participatory Urban Planning
A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land Innovations – Data and Machine Learning".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 11 August 2026 | Viewed by 195
Special Issue Editors
Interests: geomatics; point cloud processing; GIS; urban accessibility analysis
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Accessibility is a key driver of inclusive, sustainable, and resilient urban development and, in contemporary cities, goes beyond physical mobility and barrier-free design to encompass walkability, sensory and cognitive accessibility, social inclusion, and equitable access to urban services, public spaces, and transportation systems. These dimensions are inherently spatial and closely related to the structure, infrastructure, and historical stratification of urban environments.
Recent advances in geomatics, spatial data acquisition, GIS-based analysis, and artificial intelligence (AI) are providing new opportunities to analyse, model, and integrate accessibility into urban planning and design processes. At the same time, geodesign and participatory planning frameworks enable the integration of spatial data, stakeholder engagement, and scenario-based decision-making, supporting more transparent and inclusive urban transformations.
This Special Issue focuses on the role of spatial data and geomatic approaches as enabling tools for accessibility-oriented urban planning and design, with particular attention to walkability, accessible public spaces, and inclusive public transportation systems. These themes are especially relevant in historic and consolidated urban centres, where spatial constraints, heritage values, and existing infrastructures pose complex challenges for accessibility-oriented interventions.
Contributions may address accessibility at multiple spatial scales—from streets and public spaces to neighbourhoods and city-wide systems—and may explore how GIS, GeoAI, and spatial analytics can support the assessment of existing conditions, the prediction of accessibility scenarios, and the co-design of inclusive interventions. This Special Issue also welcomes studies that explore the emerging role of urban digital models and digital twins as integrative environments for combining spatial data, simulations, and accessibility indicators, without limiting contributions to specific technological implementations.
While maintaining a strong spatial and geomatic perspective, this Special Issue is intentionally open to interdisciplinary approaches, welcoming methodological innovations, applied research, conceptual frameworks, and case studies. The overall aim is to foster dialogue between geomatics, urban planning, geodesign, mobility studies, and accessibility research in order to contribute to the development of more walkable, accessible, and inclusive urban environments.
Dr. Daniele Treccani
Dr. Andrea Adami
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- geodesign
- urban accessibility
- walkability analysis
- geospatial data and geomatics
- GIS-based analysis
- GeoAI and artificial intelligence
- participatory urban planning
- urban digital models and digital twins
- accessible public transportation planning
- inclusive and accessible public spaces
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