Innovative Approaches in Urban Planning: Enhancing Community Engagement and Heritage Conservation

Dear Colleagues,

Call for Articles: “Innovative Approaches in Urban Planning: Enhancing Community Engagement and Heritage Conservation”.

Urban planning is a critical field concerned with the planning, control, and development of urban areas for the construction of practical, sustainable, and just societies. More often than not, its main objectives are land-use planning, the provision of services, the enhancement of social justice, and the general enhancement of urban residents’ lives. With the increasing rate of urbanization and the ever-growing problems of climate change and social inequality, it is apparent that the demand for new ideas in urban planning has never been so acute. To address these challenges, it is necessary to carry out innovations in urban planning in such a way that the cities would be adaptable, resilient, and inclusive. Such innovations could be broad in scope, which may include the use of tools such as Geographic Information Systems (GISs), 3D models, simulative modeling, participatory planning where interested communities inhabit the planners’ minds even before construction starts, etc., as well as more sustainable design approaches that consider the preservation of cultural identity, encourage density while ensuring good public space quality, change the predominant anthropocentric models to the nature-based and ecocentric ones, promote energy efficiency, etc. Further, as new ideas in the urban planning perspective emerge, there is a strong emphasis on the preservation of heritage such that, even as the city changes in structure, its culture and history remain intact and are even enhanced.

This Special Issue will bring forth and cover the new approaches, strategies, and practices that have enhanced public participation and cultural conservation within urban planning. Such a focus is within the scope of the journal, which includes contributions to land system science, landscape studies, urban studies, land–climate interaction, WELF nexus, biodiversity, and sustainability. It also aims to address the issue of how emerging urban planning practices and solutions can bring about changes across the various aspects of urban design.

Suggested themes include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Application of digital tools in heritage-sensitive urban planning;
• Participatory planning and its role in community-driven urban development;
• Integration of green infrastructure in urban heritage areas;
• Urban planning strategies that balance modernity and historical preservation;
• Case studies on innovative land use planning in culturally significant areas;
• Co-creative and collaborative practices unlocking transformative potential in urban planning and regeneration;
• Temporary uses and functions as new forms of city-making and agile strategies for uncertain urban futures;
• New forms of policy and governance models for inclusive urban planning and development.

The following article types are welcome:

• Research articles;
• Case studies;
• Conceptual and theoretical papers;
• Policy analyses.

We invite scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to submit articles that will advance the field of urban planning through innovative approaches, contributing to the creation of sustainable, resilient, and culturally enriched urban environments.

Prof. Dr. Kęstutis Zaleckis
Dr. Indre Grazuleviciute-Vileniske
Dr. Paul Draus
Dr. Jurate Tutlyte
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.

• innovation in urban planning
• community engagement
• heritage preservation
• sustainability
• simulative modeling
• participatory design