Special Issues

Land publishes Special Issues to create collections of papers on specific topics, with the aim of building a community of authors and readers to discuss the latest research and develop new ideas and research directions. Special Issues are led by Guest Editors, who are experts on the topic and all Special Issue submissions follow MDPI's standard editorial process. The journal’s Editor-in-Chief and/or designated Editorial Board Member will oversee Guest Editor appointments and Special Issue proposals, checking their content for relevance and ensuring the suitability of the material for the journal. The papers published in a Special Issue will be collected and displayed on a dedicated page of the journal’s website. Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies and Guest Editor responsibilities can be found here. For any inquiries related to a Special Issue, please contact the Editorial Office.

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Young Researchers in Land–Climate Interactions
edited by
submission deadline 31 Jan 2026 | Viewed by 138 | Submission Open
Keywords: global warming; climate adaptation planning; land surface temperature; carbon in agriculture and forestry; biogeochemical cycles; land– atmosphere energy exchange; hydrological feedbacks; urban heat-island effects; extreme weather impacts; greenhouse gas mitigation; carbon neutrality; climate change; land management; land planning; land degradation
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land–Climate Interactions)
Urban Land Use Policies and Ecological Sustainability submission deadline 31 Jan 2026 | Viewed by 117 | Submission Open
Keywords: spatial management; urban sustainability; socio-economic geography; local and regional policy; ecosystem service assessment; environmental management; urban green and blue infrastructure
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Use, Impact Assessment and Sustainability)
Multiscalar Interactions Between Climate and Land Management Regimes
edited by C. Andrew Day, and
submission deadline 31 Jan 2026 | Viewed by 92 | Submission Open
Keywords: land use change; climate change and variability; land– climate interactions; vegetation distribution; soil erosion/sedimentation; water quality; land management/governance; ecosystem services; resilience; multiscale modeling
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land–Climate Interactions)
European Forest Ecosystems: Interactions Between Landscape, Ecology, and Health submission deadline 1 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 80 | Submission Open
Keywords: landscape shifts; wildlife management; human– wildlife interactions; ecosystem sustainability
(This special issue belongs to the Section Landscape Ecology)
New Towns—Past, Present, and Future
edited by Hadas Shadar and
submission deadline 1 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 59 | Submission Open
Keywords: new towns; urban theories; urban models; urban modernization; population deconcentration and concentration
(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)
Smart Urban Planning: Digital Technologies for Spatial Design
edited by , Si Chen and
submission deadline 3 Feb 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 984 | Submission Open
Keywords: smart city and smart landscape; evidence-based design; AI-driven planning; planning support system; climate change and urbanization; decision-making; urban and environmental analysis
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Urban Land Expansion and Regional Inequality submission deadline 5 Feb 2026 | 4 articles | Viewed by 8988 | Submission Open
Keywords: urban sprawl and planning; regional inequality; territorial management; sustainable urban development; demographic challenge; public participation and municipal governance; metropolitan areas; rural areas; geographical accessibility issues
(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)
Quantification of Soil Erosion and Sediment Transport in Basins (Second Edition)
edited by and Konstantinos Kaffas
submission deadline 5 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 85 | Submission Open
Keywords: soil erosion; stream sediment transport; field measurements; laboratory measurements; machine learning methods; fuzzy logic; constructive and management measures
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Soil and Water)
New Perspectives in the Management and Monitoring of Mountain Ecosystems submission deadline 9 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 591 | Submission Open
Keywords: mountains vegetation; disturbances of vegetation; ecosystem services; soil erosion; landscape diversity; land use/cover; livestock rangeland; land abandonment; historical grazing; mountain tourism
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Systems and Global Change)
Influence of Urbanization-Related Radical Land Modification on Urban Extreme Climate: 2nd Edition
edited by and
submission deadline 12 Feb 2026 | 5 articles | Viewed by 4236 | Submission Open
Keywords: land use; land cover; LULC change; urbanization effect; urban area; extreme climate; climate change; observation; simulation
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land–Climate Interactions)
Recent Progress in Land Degradation Processes, Control and Restoration
edited by Jianye Li, Weida Gao, Wei Hu, and Xingyi Zhang
submission deadline 13 Feb 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 3398 | Submission Open
Keywords: land degradation pathways; land degradation progress; land use; soil erosion; soil carbon; environment effects; ecosystem functions and services; control measures; land restoration; ecosystem restoration and reconstruction
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Use, Impact Assessment and Sustainability)
Urban Landscape Transformation vs. Memory submission deadline 13 Feb 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1882 | Submission Open
Keywords: urban landscape transformation; memorialisation; heritage resilience; active vs. passive land use; cultural heritage; natural heritage; heritage urbanism; forgotten urban layers
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Economic Valuation Assessment and Sustainable Management of Ecosystem Services: From Theory to Policy Applications
edited by and
submission deadline 13 Feb 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1123 | Submission Open
Keywords: ecosystem services; economic valuation; land use policy; sustainable management; environmental decision-making; non-market valuation; environmental policy; land use conflicts; ES trade-offs; land use planning
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Use, Impact Assessment and Sustainability)
Cultural Landscapes in Transition: Balancing Heritage, Development, and Sustainability
edited by Isabel Vaz De Freitas and
submission deadline 15 Feb 2026 | 9 articles | Viewed by 7217 | Submission Open
Keywords: cultural landscapes; preservation and conservation; cultural heritage; modern development; urbanization; land abandonment; sustainable practices; economic growth; cultural integrity; community engagement; traditional techniques; regenerative tourism; sustainable tourism; sustainable planning; reuses; adaptation; carrying capacity
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues)
Adaptation Strategies of Sustainable Agriculture to Climate Change and Land Use submission deadline 15 Feb 2026 | 4 articles | Viewed by 4853 | Submission Open
Keywords: sustainable agriculture; climate change; land use; precision agriculture; agroecology; biodiversity
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land–Climate Interactions)
Innovations in Soil Erosion Assessment and Management Along Rivers and Coastal Areas:2nd Edition submission deadline 15 Feb 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 3179 | Submission Open
Keywords: soil erosion; assessment; management; modeling; natural and anthropogenic factors; extreme events and climate change; river and coastal dynamics; remote sensing; decision making
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Soil and Water)
Spatial Optimization of Land Use: A Perspective on Carbon Emission and Energy Landscape Planning
edited by Jing Huang, Wenjing Han, Chai Duo, Jing Lan and Shan Guo
submission deadline 15 Feb 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1468 | Submission Open
Keywords: spatial optimization; land use planning; climate resilience; carbon neutrality; climate change mitigation; environmental impacts; energy transition; resilient energy landscapes; energy infrastructure planning
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Reimagining Cities and Landscapes: AI, Sustainability, Exaptation and Inclusive Urban Futures
edited by Alessandro Melis and Antonio Lara-Hernandez
submission deadline 15 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 1006 | Submission Open
Keywords: architectural exaptation; adaptive reuse; urban resilience; vacant spaces; sustainable urbanism; socio-ecological design
(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)
Potential for Nature-Based Solutions in Urban Green Infrastructure (2nd Edition)
edited by
submission deadline 15 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 122 | Submission Open
Keywords: ecological engineering; ecosystem services; nature-based solutions; green infrastructure; land recycling; land transformation; animal-aided design; sustainable urban drainage; climate adaptation; biotope networks
(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)
The 15-Minute City: Land-Use Policy Impacts
edited by , , and Daniela Paddeu
submission deadline 20 Feb 2026 | 4 articles | Viewed by 8116 | Submission Open
Keywords: 15-minute city model; land use; transport planning; demographic transition
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Land, Security, and Digital Transformation
edited by , Kirsikka Riekkinen, , Daniel Paez, and Jaap Zevenbergen
submission deadline 20 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 272 | Submission Open
Keywords: land administration; land management; cadastre; land registration; entrepreneurship; cybersecurity
Urban Spatial Planning for Health and Well-Being
edited by , Zhiqiang Feng, , and
submission deadline 21 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 253 | Submission Open
Keywords: remote sensing and street view image; spatio-temporal statistics and disease mapping; GeoAI and LLM; health impact assessment; urban spatial planning; nature-based solution; walkability and bikeability; sustainable development goal; urban built environment; 15-minute city and well-being
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Feature Papers on Land Use, Impact Assessment and Sustainability submission deadline 23 Feb 2026 | 4 articles | Viewed by 4482 | Submission Open
Keywords: land use and land management policies; land use and land management practices; land use impact assessment; sustainable land management; land use decision making; nature restoration
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Use, Impact Assessment and Sustainability)
Vegetation Facing Environmental Changes in Terrestrial Systems: Research, Management and Education submission deadline 25 Feb 2026 | 6 articles | Viewed by 7607 | Submission Open
Keywords: botany; soil science; grasslands; forests; shrublands; dynamics; ecology; teaching; management; climate
(This special issue belongs to the Section Landscape Ecology)
Urban Planning in a Time of Crisis submission deadline 25 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 285 | Submission Open
Keywords: resilience of urban spaces; sustainability in planning of the built environment; green-blue infrastructure; energy consciousness in urban planning; social equality and quality of life in urban spaces; multifunctional spaces and flexibility in urban design; resident safety in urban design
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Land Resource Assessment (Second Edition)
edited by and
submission deadline 27 Feb 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 1942 | Submission Open
Keywords: land resource efficiency; functional differences evaluation; land resource capitalization; process evaluation and simulation; energy system language and LCA; typical model of land use; ecological security and carrying capacity
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Use, Impact Assessment and Sustainability)
Sustainable Brownfield (Re)Developments Versus Urban Growth Demands: Opportunities and Challenges
edited by
submission deadline 27 Feb 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 950 | Submission Open
Keywords: sustainability; urbanization; brownfield; (re)development; urban growth demands; spatial planning; risk assessment; contaminated land
(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in Land-Use Systems from Resource-Nexus Perspectives submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 5 articles | Viewed by 8598 | Submission Open
Keywords: SDGs; resource coupling; resource policy; water-energy-food-materials-land nexus; sustainable development
(This special issue belongs to the Section Water, Energy, Land and Food (WELF) Nexus)
Rethinking Rural-Urban Interactions in Terms of Food Security and Agriculture Development
edited by Yingnan Niu, Gaodi Xie and Luoman Pu
submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 5 articles | Viewed by 8262 | Submission Open
Keywords: rural– urban interactions; food security; ecological agriculture; agricultural economy; agricultural policy; sustainable development
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Systems and Global Change)
Urban Forestry Dynamics: Management and Mechanization submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 6795 | Submission Open
Keywords: urban forest; mechanization; urban forest operations; soil impact; environmental effects; technical and economic performance; new technologies
(This special issue belongs to the Section Landscape Ecology)
Urban Green Spaces: An Effective Tool to Regulate Urban Climate and Biodiversity, 2nd Edition submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 4 articles | Viewed by 6774 | Submission Open
Keywords: urban green spaces; urban climate and climate change in cities; urban biodiversity; urban trees and vegetation management; meteorological monitoring of urban green areas; Urban Heat Island (UHI) and Urban Cool Island (UCI); thermal comfort; natural and artificial climate-friendly materials; nature-based solutions and good practices in cities; plant species selection criteria in cities; water and maintenance requirements of urban vegetation
(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)
Rural Social Movements and the Question of the Land in the 21st Century
edited by
submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 6392 | Submission Open
Keywords: rural social movements; agroecology; land grabbing and the defense of land and territory; food sovereignty; peasant and indigenous autonomy; land and territory; peasants and indigenous people
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues)
Grassland Ecosystem Services: Research Advances and Future Directions for Sustainability: 3rd Edition submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 5 articles | Viewed by 5026 | Submission Open
Keywords: grassland abandonment; grassland ecology; grassland management; grassland biodiversity; grassland hydrology; issues and threats; supporting; provisioning; regulating and cultural grassland ecosystem services; grass cultivation and management
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Biodiversity, and Human Wellbeing)
Land Use/Land Cover Mapping Changes Using Earth Observations Techniques
edited by , , Bertrand Ygorra and
submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 4538 | Submission Open
Keywords: land use; land cover; land use and land cover dynamics; passive and active remote sensing; artificial intelligence; spatio-temporal dynamics
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land – Observation and Monitoring)
The Mechanism of Land-Water Interaction and Management Strategies: Recent Discoveries and the Way Forward submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 4 articles | Viewed by 3461 | Submission Open
Keywords: land use change; hydrological processes; models; hydrological variables; runoff; infiltration
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Systems and Global Change)
Net Zero Target and Land Use in Agriculture and Forestry: Carbon Auditing, Offsetting and Trading
edited by
submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 3450 | Submission Open
Keywords: net zero emissions; agricultural and forestry land use strategies; artificial intelligence; carbon auditing; carbon offsetting; carbon trading; climate change mitigation; sustainable agriculture and forestry; emissions management; greenhouse gas reduction; artificial intelligence; emission factor databases
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues)
Urban, Rural, and Agricultural Infrastructures for Resource Recovery: Fostering Environmental Sustainability, Ecological Balance, and a Resilient Circular Bioeconomy
edited by , Teodoro Gallucci and
submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1727 | Submission Open
(This special issue belongs to the Section Water, Energy, Land and Food (WELF) Nexus)
Science-Based Approaches to Promote Sustainable Land and Resource Management in Protected Areas: Latest Insights from the Fields of Geography and Recreation Ecology
edited by Ting Wang, and
submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1300 | Submission Open
Keywords: protected areas; recreation use; impacts monitoring; visitor management; voluntary data analysis; partnership; resource management; participatory assessment approach
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues)
Geodiversity, Land Use and Ecosystem Services: Integrating Abiotic and Biotic Perspectives of Regional Development with Methodological Advances
edited by Ana Vovk, Laura Melelli and
submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1274 | Submission Open
Keywords: geodiversity; ecosystem services; geosystem services; abiotic-biotic interactions; sustainable land management; biodiversity and resilience; geoconservation; diversity evaluation techniques
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Use, Impact Assessment and Sustainability)
Eco-Sensitive Areas: Ecosystem Services, Protected Lands, and Current Challenges (Third Edition)
edited by , and Mingjie Song
submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 710 | Submission Open
Keywords: ecosystem services; protected lands; eco-sensitive areas; Tibetan Plateau; land use/cover change; ecological compensation; anthropogenic activities; ecosystem restoration; ecosystem services trade-off
(This special issue belongs to the Section Landscape Ecology)
AI-Enabled Decision Support Systems for Sustainable Agricultural Land Use submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 333 | Submission Open
Keywords: artificial intelligence in land use; agricultural decision support systems (DSS); sustainable agriculture; precision agriculture; smart farming; machine learning for soil and crop analysis; deep learning for remote sensing; spatial decision support systems (SDSS); climate-smart agriculture; AI for land degradation assessment; land suitability mapping; internet of things (IoT) in agriculture; big data analytics for agroecosystems; multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA); environmental sustainability and land use
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues)
National Parks and Natural Protected Area Systems
edited by , Liang Li and Liyuan Qian
submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 259 | Submission Open
Keywords: national park management; natural protected area system construction; ecological connectivity; biodiversity conservation; climate change; ecosystem governance; urban threats; tourism control; human– environment interation; restoration
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Urban Morphology: A Perspective from Space (3rd Edition)
edited by and Nicola Marzot
submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 232 | Submission Open
Keywords: urban morphology; public space; urban design; new technologies; trans-disciplinarity
(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)
Land Use Sustainability from the Viewpoint of Carbon Emission: 3rd Edition submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 208 | Submission Open
Keywords: land use; sustainability; carbon emissions; carbon emissions neutrality; carbon source; carbon sink; climate change; agriculture; forestry
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Systems and Global Change)
Feature Papers for Land Systems and Global Change Section: 3rd Edition
edited by , , Zhenrong Du and
submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 207 | Submission Open
Keywords: land system; global change; datasets; models; time series
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Systems and Global Change)
Urban Planning Innovation Based on Big-Data, AI, and Digital Technology
edited by , Sungjoo Hwang, Seungho Yang and Jihyon Hwang
submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 169 | Submission Open
Keywords: urban planning innovation; big data analytics; artificial intelligence (AI); digital technology; data-driven urban governance; sustainable and resilient cities; urban informatics; integrating AI with planning theory
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Smart Green Infrastructure: Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Urban Spatial Planning and Resilient Cities
edited by , , Josip Križanović, and
submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 80 | Submission Open
Keywords: land administration; green infrastructure; spatial data infrastructure; sustainable development goals; resilient cities; urban growth
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Ecosystem and Biodiversity Conservation in Protected Areas
edited by and Gregory E. Eckert
submission deadline 1 Mar 2026 | 4 articles | Viewed by 5192 | Submission Open
Keywords: ecosystem condition assessment; ecosystem degradation; landscape dynamics; alteration; and stress; place-based conservation priorities; ecosystem management and restoration; socio-ecological systems; climate change vulnerability and adaptation; biodiversity conservation planning; ecosystem monitoring
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Biodiversity, and Human Wellbeing)
Spatial Patterns and Urban Indicators on Land Use and Climate Change
edited by , Ayiine-Etigo David and
submission deadline 1 Mar 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1964 | Submission Open
Keywords: urban planning; land use prediction; land use change; climate change; spatial analysis; GIS; scenario simulation; spatial metrics
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Integrating Spatial Analysis into Sustainable Urban Planning
edited by Apostolos Lagarias, and
submission deadline 1 Mar 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 1385 | Submission Open
Keywords: spatial analysis; urban planning; land use modelling; sustainable development; policy making; environmental management; risk management; climate change
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
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