Coastal Urban Resilience and Land Ecological Security

Dear Colleagues,

Coastal cities worldwide are on the front line of climate change, facing escalating threats from sea-level rise, intensifying storm events, and rapid urbanization. Land, as the fundamental natural capital, is the central stage on which these challenges unfold. Its ecological security is the critical foundation for the sustainable development of the socio-ecological systems of coastal urban areas. This Special Issue seeks to advance interdisciplinary research at the intersection of land system science, urban planning, landscape ecology, and environmental governance. We invite contributions that explore how innovative approaches to land use optimization, the deployment of environmental infrastructure, the strategic planning of blue–green spaces, and novel policy instruments can collectively enhance the resilience of coastal urban areas.

We welcome original research articles, reviews, and case studies that address the complex interactions within the "land–sea–human" nexus. Submissions should critically examine the role of land as a key resource and spatial medium, focusing on how its management directly influences ecological security and adaptive capacity. This Special Issue aims to synthesize scientific knowledge and provide practical insights for policymakers, planners, and researchers striving to build more sustainable and resilient coastal urban futures. 

The goal of this Special Issue is to collect papers (original research articles and review papers) to give insights about Land Ecological Security. 

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts that link the following themes:

• Theoretical frameworks and assessment methods.
• Nature-based solutions and ecological restoration.
• Spatial planning and adaptive transformation.
• Resource management and sustainable utilization.
• Cross-cultural risk perception affecting environmental decision-making.
• Policy innovation and governance mechanisms.
• Climate change’s impacts on ecosystem services.

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

Prof. Dr. Lei Li
Dr. Ruidong Chang
Dr. Shaojun Ma
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.

• coastal cities
• urban resilience
• land ecological security
• land use/land cover change (LUCC)
• nature-based solutions (NbS)
• blue–green infrastructure
• ecosystem services
• climate change adaptation
• sustainable land management
• coastal governance