Land | Special Issues

Beyond the Urban Heat Island Effect: Designing Resilient Land Systems for Equitable Climate Futures

edited by

,

,

and

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 92 | Submission Open

Keywords: urban heat island mitigation; land system resilience; climate-adaptive planning; green and blue infrastructure; socio-ecological equity; regional climate regulation; land use/land cover change; health risk

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land–Climate Interactions)

Sustainable Land Management Practices in the Face of Climate Change

edited by

Inmaculada Gómez Jiménez

,

Javier Velázquez Saornil

and

Rui Alexandre Castanho

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 89 | Submission Open

Keywords: sustainable land management (SLM); urban adaptation; socio-ecological systems; landscape water management; climate resilience; land use policy

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land–Climate Interactions)

Water Resources and Land Use Planning (Third Edition)

edited by

Carla Rolo Antunes

and Tiago Brito Ramos

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 86 | Submission Open

Keywords: land use planning; integrated water resource management; threshold scenarios; sustainability; best management practices; resilience

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Soil and Water)

Intelligent Systems Supporting the Assessment of Soil Influence on Crop Yields

edited by

Magdalena Piekutowska

and

Patryk Hara

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 80 | Submission Open

Keywords: artificial intelligence; soil physics; plant yield; predictive modelling; geographical information systems (GIS); geochemistry

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Soil and Water)

Land, Ageing, Gender and Environment: Problems and Challenges from Different Disciplines (Third Edition)

edited by

Vanessa Zorrilla-Muñoz

,

Maria Silveria Agulló-Tomás

,

Eduardo Fernandez

,

Sonia de Lucas Santos

and

Jesus Cuadrado Rojo

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 69 | Submission Open

Keywords: land; ageing/ageism/older people; gender/eco/feminism; environmental issues/climate change; health (physical; social and psychological level); technologies (IA and emerging); evaluation of programmes; different disciplines; intersectionality/diversity; rural– urban spaces/frames; demography; policy; social services and education aspects; work/employment and leisure/tourism aspects

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues)

State of the Art in Agriculture in Rural Areas: For Sustainable Land Management, 2nd Edition

edited by

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,

and

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 67 | Submission Open

Keywords: sustainability; farmland; intensification; resilience; rural; livelihood; policy; optimization; interdisciplinary

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Use, Impact Assessment and Sustainability)

Integration of Remote Sensing and GIS for Land Use Change Assessment (Second Edition)

edited by

Martin Boltiziar

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 48 | Submission Open

Keywords: remote sensing; GIS; land-use change; land cover; ecosystem services; environmental impact assessment

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Innovations – Data and Machine Learning)

Climate Adaptation Planning in Urban Areas (Second Edition)

edited by

Juchul Jung

,

Sangjun Kang

and Jin-Oh Kim

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 47 | Submission Open

Keywords: climate adaptation planning; urban resilience; green infrastructure; community-based adaptation; climate policy and governance

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land–Climate Interactions)

Decentralization and Development: Territorial Dimension and Spatial Disparities Mitigation

edited by

Marija Drobnjaković

,

Milena Panić

and

Eduarda Marques Da Costa

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 46 | Submission Open

Keywords: decentralization; spatial disparities; local development; territorial reform; rural areas integration; local and sub-local governing; community participation

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues)

Optimizing Brownfield Strategies in Urbanization Processes

edited by

Kamila Turečková

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 41 | Submission Open

Keywords: brownfields; strategy and reuse planning; urbanization; regeneration; environmental and social responsibility; urban development planning; circularity in construction; sustainability; regional development; local and national government

(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)

Urban Blue–Green Spaces and Spatial Planning: Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation

edited by Ahmed Mohammed Alhuseen and

Pavel Cudlin

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 41 | Submission Open

Keywords: urban blue– green spaces; nature-based solution; climate resilience; actual and potential accessibility disparities; green spaces functionality

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)

Coastal Urban Resilience and Land Ecological Security

edited by

Lei Li

,

Ruidong Chang

and

Shaojun Ma

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 39 | Submission Open

Keywords: 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

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues)

Urban Land Use Planning in Europe: A Comparative Perspective

edited by

Ioannis A. Pissourios

,

Georgia Gemenetzi

and

Giancarlo Cotella

submission deadline 1 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 339 | Submission Open

Keywords: urban planning; land use planning; European planning systems; spatial policy; urban governance; contextual analysis; comparative study; cross-case analysis

(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)

Sustainable Land Reclamation Strategies for Post-Mining Areas: From Theory to Practice

edited by

Florin G. Faur

,

Izabela Maria Apostu

and

Todd Robinson

submission deadline 1 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 169 | Submission Open

Keywords: post-mining areas; slope stability; land reclamation; landscape restoration; ecological reconstruction; repurposing; open pit lakes; energy storage; land use planning

(This special issue belongs to the Section Landscape Ecology)

Integrating Groundwater Management with Land Use in Agricultural Landscapes

edited by Jonas Satkūnas

submission deadline 6 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 161 | Submission Open

Keywords: groundwater resources and quality; monitoring and mapping of aquifers; resources assessment; water-land management; modelling; climate change

(This special issue belongs to the Section Water, Energy, Land and Food (WELF) Nexus)

Land Planning to Integrate Ecosystem Resilience and Human Well-Being

edited by

Alice Stocco

,

Mita Drius

and Silvia Pulina

submission deadline 10 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 360 | Submission Open

Keywords: land planning; land use management; urban planning; green and blue spaces; green infrastructures; human well-being; sustainable land use; landscape management; landscape design

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)

Advancing Urban Digital Twins: Integrating Geospatial Data and Innovative Geospatial methods for Smart Cities

edited by

Rafika Hajji

and

Roland Billen

submission deadline 13 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 69 | Submission Open

Keywords: urban digital twin; smart cities; geospatial data integration; 3D Modeling; data-driven decision-making; urban planning

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Innovations – Data and Machine Learning)

Pollen-Based Reconstruction of Holocene Land-Cover

edited by

,

,

,

and

submission deadline 15 Apr 2026 | 7 articles | Viewed by 22052 | Submission Open

Keywords: past land use and anthropogenic land cover changes; vegetation and land cover reconstruction; pollen-based climate reconstruction; holocene vegetation– climate interactions; holocene vegetation dynamics; climate– human interactions; plant diversity and biodiversity

Synergistic Use of Time-Series Remote Sensing, Deep Learning, and AI for Land Transformation Monitoring

edited by

Mahdi Panahi

submission deadline 15 Apr 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 1643 | Submission Open

Keywords: time-series remote sensing; deep learning; artificial intelligence (AI); machine learning; land transformation; land use change; land cover mapping; synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery; natural hazard monitoring; environmental monitoring; change detection; multi-sensor data integration; predictive modeling; urbanization; climate change impacts; geospatial analysis; sustainable land management; temporal analysis; hazard assessment; remote sensing applications

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Innovations – Data and Machine Learning)

Natural Landscape and Cultural Heritage (Second Edition)

edited by

Richard W. Stoffle

submission deadline 20 Apr 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 2548 | Submission Open

Keywords: natural landscapes as cultural heritage; landscapes and dramatic places such as volcanos; pilgrimage places and activities; social perception of topography; role of fauna and flora in defining the heritage value of landscapes; landscape interpretation and public policy

(This special issue belongs to the Section Landscape Archaeology)

The Second Edition: Ecology of the Landscape Capital and Urban Capital

edited by

Teodoro Semeraro

submission deadline 20 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 173 | Submission Open

Keywords: biodiversity; ecosystem services; natural-based solution; green infrastructure; urban planning; landscape planning

(This special issue belongs to the Section Landscape Ecology)

Innovative Approaches in Urban Planning: Enhancing Community Engagement and Heritage Conservation (Second Edition)

edited by

Kęstutis Zaleckis

,

Indre Grazuleviciute-Vileniske

,

Paul Draus

and Jurate Tutlyte

submission deadline 23 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 29 | Submission Open

Keywords: innovation in urban planning; community engagement; heritage preservation; sustainability; simulative modeling; participatory design

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)

Understanding Disasters in a Changing Landscape: Causes, Impacts and Mitigation Strategies

edited by

Fotis Maris

,

Panagiotis Angelidis

and

George Papaioannou

submission deadline 28 Apr 2026 | 4 articles | Viewed by 9373 | Submission Open

Keywords: floods; soil erosion; landslide; sediment dynamics; wildfire-induced changes in land use patterns; post-disaster rehabilitation and resilience building; modelling advances in flood; soil erosion; sediment; or landslide hazards; impacts; and mitigation; technological innovations for early warning systems; land-related hazards and risk assessment; geomorphology changes after land alternations; wildfires; impact assessment; mitigation strategies; uncertainty

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Soil and Water)

The Impact of Urban Planning on the Urban Heat Island Effect

edited by

Josep Roca

, Blanca Arellano and Adriana Inés Olivares-González

submission deadline 28 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 874 | Submission Open

Keywords: urban heat island; urban planning; urban climate; green infrastructure; climate adaptation; thermal comfort; building energy efficiency; legislation; public policies; and projects aimed at the management of urban heat islands; urban heat island; urban planning; and inequalities; public health and social adaptation to the risk of the urban heat island effect; climate justice

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land–Climate Interactions)

Post-Disaster Urban Futures: Disruptive Planning, Design and Resilience in Climate Crisis and Conflict

edited by Inés Aquilué Junyent, Javier Ruiz Sanchez, Roger Joan Sauquet Llonch,

Alvaro Ardura Urquiaga

and

Ho Gul Kim

submission deadline 29 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 54 | Submission Open

Keywords: urban resilience; urban and territorial planning; post-disaster design; catastrophes; urban recovery; climate change

(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)

Rural Development Strategies in the EU: Strengthening Agricultural Sectors and Local Economies

edited by

Stanislav Zekić

,

Bojan Matkovski

and

Žana Jurjević

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 6 articles | Viewed by 15847 | Submission Open

Keywords: sustainable rural development; rural development programs and strategies; vision for rural areas; agricultural development; local economic development

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues)

Planning for Sustainable Urban and Land Development, Second Edition

edited by

Zongcai Wei

,

Yuting Liu

and

Andrzej Biłozor

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 6 articles | Viewed by 14181 | Submission Open

Keywords: sustainable urban development; urban renewal; urban commercial space; social sustainability; urban green space; urban resilience

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)

Sustainable Development of the Territory and Use of Natural and Cultural Resources to Improve the Quality of Life of Residents, 2nd Edition

edited by

María de la Cruz del Río-Rama

, María Montserrat Cruz González, Francisco Xabier Sánchez Sellero and

José Álvarez-García

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 6 articles | Viewed by 12093 | Submission Open

Keywords: sustainability; sustainable territory; sustainable development; sustainable management; sustainable development goals (SDG); regional and local development; natural and cultural resources; water resources; forest exploitation; mining resources; renewable and non-renewable energy resources; natural spaces; improvement in biodiversity; quality of life; sustainable tourism

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Biodiversity, and Human Wellbeing)

Urban Ecosystem Services: 6th Edition

edited by

Alessio Russo

and

Giuseppe T. Cirella

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 6 articles | Viewed by 11980 | Submission Open

Keywords: assessing natural capital and ecosystem services; compact cities; ecology in cities; ecosystem services; ecosystem disservices; and well-being; ecosystem service degradation; edible green infrastructure; green infrastructure; green space; green walls; healing garden design; landscape architecture and urban design; mapping and assessing ecosystem services; modelling ecosystem services; nature-based solutions; social-ecological systems; sustainable urbanism; urban agriculture; urban biodiversity and ecosystem services; urban biosphere reserve; urban ecosystems; urban forest; urban geography and development; urban– rural interface; urban sustainability

(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)

Contemporary Challenges for Urban Built Environment and Landscape Conservation: Social, Cultural and Economic Issues

edited by

Francesca Torrieri

and

Marco Rossitti

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 5852 | Submission Open

Keywords: heritage conservation; cultural landscape; built environment; urban planning; economic evaluation; reuse; participation; social value; decision-making; sustainable development

(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)

Sustaining the Past and Future: Innovative Approaches to Design, Heritage and Environmental Sustainability

edited by

Celestina Fazia

,

Dorina Camelia Ilieș

and Clara Stella Vicari Aversa

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 5038 | Submission Open

Keywords: integrating conservation; land consumption; cultural heritage; green areas and water edges; architectural and urban regeneration; waterfront regeneration; architectural heritage and design; landscape restoration; green and blue infrastructure; sustainable cultural tourism; re-use of heritage building; regenerate cities and architecture; sustainable design; regenerative design; climate-resilient design

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)

Optimizing Land Development: Trends and Best Practices

edited by

Marek Walacik

and Aneta Chmielewska

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 3125 | Submission Open

Keywords: land development; optimization strategies; land use dynamics; human– environment dynamics; contemporary trends; best practices; land/land-use/land-cover change; land management

(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)

Modeling Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Land Development

edited by Emre Tepe

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 2816 | Submission Open

Keywords: spatio-temporal modeling; urban growth; land use changes; spillover effects; marginal effects; spatial dependencies; machine learning; urban simulation

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)

Urban Heat Island Effects in Global Cities: Balancing Rapid Urbanization, Land Surface Temperature Dynamics, and Sustainable Adaptation Strategies

edited by

Liliia Hebryn Baidy

and

Gareth Rees

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 2421 | Submission Open

Keywords: urban heat island; land surface temperature; urbanization; urban microclimate; land use/land cover change; remote sensing; geoinformatics; GIS modeling; sustainable adaptation strategies; climate change adaptation

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land–Climate Interactions)

Energy-Water-Land Nexus Under Low-Carbon Globalization

edited by

Mengyao Han

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 1762 | Submission Open

Keywords: renewable energy siting; social– ecological impacts; photovoltaic panels; land occupation

(This special issue belongs to the Section Water, Energy, Land and Food (WELF) Nexus)

Challenges and Future Trends in Land Cover/Use Monitoring

edited by

Antonio Pepe

,

Francesco Falabella

,

Rosa Coluzzi

and Monika Przeor

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1365 | Submission Open

Keywords: land monitoring; land mapping; land cover; land use; land classification; land change detection; information fusion; multi-source registration; spectral imaging; machine learning; optical and microwave data

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land – Observation and Monitoring)

Valuing Non-Market Benefits of Nature Conservation and Restoration

edited by Giovanni Signorello,

Giuseppe Cucuzza

and

Laura Giuffrida

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 802 | Submission Open

Keywords: nature conservation; nature recovery; economic valuation; sustainable land management; non-market benefits

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Use, Impact Assessment and Sustainability)

Historic Urban Landscape and Planning

edited by

Isabella Di Lenardo

and

Sander Münster

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 372 | Submission Open

Keywords: historical landscape modeling; digital heritage mapping; procedural and 3D reconstruction; GISs and historical GISs (HGISs); urban transformation and planning; at-risk cultural landscapes; historical maps and archival sources

(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)

Green and Blue Infrastructure, Climate Change, and Urban Resilience: Best Practices and Adaptive Implementation

edited by

,

,

and

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 372 | Submission Open

Keywords: green and blue infrastructure; urban heat island effect; nature-based solutions; resilient and sustainable built environment; biodiversity; liveability; water-sensitive urban design; water-sensitive stormwater management; community engagement; global warming

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)

Brownfield Redevelopment: Soil Remediation for Sustainable Cities

edited by

Fei Li

,

Jia Wen

and

Chuanrong Zhang

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 317 | Submission Open

Keywords: soil contamination; remediation technologies; bioremediation; phytoremediation; sustainable development; community engagement; green infrastructure; spatio-temporal management framework; economic impact; environmental resilience

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Soil and Water)

Linking Ecological Networks and Ecosystem Service Flow: Toward Regional Ecological Conservation and Sustainability

edited by

Shiliang Liu

and

Jinyan Zhan

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 252 | Submission Open

Keywords: ecological network; ecosystem service flow; ecological security pattern; habitat fragmentation; ecosystem service; landscape connectivity; ecological restoration; land use change; species migration

(This special issue belongs to the Section Landscape Ecology)

Cultural Heritage Preservation as a Basis for Sustainable Development and Transformation of Historic Urban Landscapes (Second Edition)

edited by

Christer Gustafsson

,

Matthias Ripp

and

Manal Ginzarly

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 249 | Submission Open

Keywords: cultural heritage; sustainable development; historic urban landscape; urban transformation; resilience; cultural landscapes

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)

Urban–Rural Land Governance and Sustainable Development in New Era

edited by Jingming Liu,

Xianhui Hou

and

Youngseob Eum

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 194 | Submission Open

Keywords: urban– rural land governance; urban– rural land use planning; farmland protection and food security; sustainable development; spatial justice; housing security; social-ecological system resilience; territorial spatial planning

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues)

Soil Engineering for Improving Water, Solutes, and Heat Dynamics of Arid Lands

edited by

Said Al-Ismaily

,

Daniel Menezes-Blackburn

,

Abdulrasoul Al-Omran

and Ali Akbar Moosavi

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 135 | Submission Open

Keywords: smart irrigation; soil– water– atmosphere interactions; engineered capillary barriers; water retention efficiency; solute transport control; heat flow in soils; waterlogging mitigation; rhizosphere engineering; soil amendments; irrigation water quality; ai for sustainable agricultural production

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Soil and Water)

Effects of Rural-Urban Migration on Urban Infrastructure in Fast-Growing Cities

edited by

Tiyan Shen

,

Hao Wang

, Luge Wen and

Eduardo Gomes

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 127 | Submission Open

Keywords: rural– urban migration; spatial governance; urban infrastructure; fast-growing cities; land policy simulation; CGE model; land resource allocation; sustainable urban development

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)

Conserving Biodiversity to Safeguard Ecosystem Services: Pathways to Sustainability

edited by Anwar Eziz and

Marco Campera

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 80 | Submission Open

Keywords: biodiversity conservation; ecosystem services; sustainable land use; climate adaptation; conservation policy; community-based conservation; ecological restoration

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Biodiversity, and Human Wellbeing)

Climate and Ecosystem Interactions Shaping Land Degradation and Recovery in Water-Scarce Environments

edited by

Borja Rodríguez-Lozano

, Pedro Leite and

Deirdre Dragovich

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 75 | Submission Open

Keywords: desertification; climate change; ecosystem restoration; landuse/land cover change; land management; ecohydrology; soil health and fertility

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Soil and Water)

Agricultural Land Economics: Balancing Production, Conservation, and Sustainability

edited by Xin Yang,

Dong Wang

,

Min Song

and

Yurui Li

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 62 | Submission Open

Keywords: market and non-market value of agricultural land; agricultural economic and ecological efficiency; farmland utilization and conservation; trade-off and synergy among multifunction of agricultural land; sustainable intensive agricultural land use; sustainable agricultural technology

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues)

Sustainable Land Use and Governance in Forest and Grassland Ecosystems

edited by

Nicolae Talpă

,

Bogdan Popa

,

Aureliu-Florin Hălălișan

and Liviu Nichiforel

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 57 | Submission Open

Keywords: sustainable land use management; forest and grassland governance; sustainable transitions in forest and grassland ecosystems; policy instruments and governance tools; ecosystem management and decision-making; nature-based solutions; stakeholder participation; climate change adaptation; biodiversity conservation; landscape restoration

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Systems and Global Change)

Adaptive Management of Coastal Landscapes

edited by

Daniele Trogu

,

John F. Weishampel

and

Maria Ferentinou

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 56 | Submission Open

Keywords: nature-based solutions (NbSs); ecosystem services; coastal resilience; coastal vulnerability; urban beaches; foredune systems; coastal monitoring; sea-level rise (SLR); remote sensing and GIS; data-driven decision support

(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)

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