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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Decentralization and Development: Territorial Dimension and Spatial Disparities Mitigation submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 51 | 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)
Climate Adaptation Planning in Urban Areas (Second Edition)
edited by , and Jin-Oh Kim
submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 50 | 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)
Integration of Remote Sensing and GIS for Land Use Change Assessment (Second Edition)
edited by
submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 49 | 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)
Optimizing Brownfield Strategies in Urbanization Processes
edited by
submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 44 | 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
submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 42 | 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)
Urban Land Use Planning in Europe: A Comparative Perspective submission deadline 1 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 346 | 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 submission deadline 1 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 185 | 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 169 | 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 , and Silvia Pulina
submission deadline 10 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 368 | 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 and
submission deadline 13 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 85 | 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 submission deadline 15 Apr 2026 | 7 articles | Viewed by 22334 | 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
submission deadline 15 Apr 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 1728 | 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
submission deadline 20 Apr 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 2593 | 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
submission deadline 20 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 179 | 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) submission deadline 23 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 37 | 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 submission deadline 28 Apr 2026 | 4 articles | Viewed by 9468 | 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 , Blanca Arellano and Adriana Inés Olivares-González
submission deadline 28 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 914 | 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, and
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 submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 6 articles | Viewed by 16517 | 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 submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 6 articles | Viewed by 14765 | 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)
Effects of Land Use on the Ecohydrology of River Basin in Accordance with Climate Change II submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 5 articles | Viewed by 13570 | Submission Open
Keywords: biodiversity conservation; spatial modeling; climate policy; land management; soil and water conservation; ecosystem services; nature-based solutions (NBS); ecohydrology; urban resilience; sponge city concepts
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land–Climate Interactions)
Urban Ecosystem Services: 6th Edition submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 6 articles | Viewed by 12453 | 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)
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 Montserrat Cruz González, Francisco Xabier Sánchez Sellero and
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 6 articles | Viewed by 12310 | 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)
Contemporary Challenges for Urban Built Environment and Landscape Conservation: Social, Cultural and Economic Issues submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 6009 | 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 , and Clara Stella Vicari Aversa
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 5172 | 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 and Aneta Chmielewska
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 3229 | 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 2845 | 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 submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 2560 | 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
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 1817 | 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)
The Relationship Between Landscape Sustainability and Urban Ecology submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1781 | Submission Open
Keywords: landscape sustainability; urban ecology and biodiversity; urban and regional planning; resilience; smart cities and communities; green infrastructures    
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Challenges and Future Trends in Land Cover/Use Monitoring
edited by , , and Monika Przeor
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1384 | 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, and
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 854 | 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 submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 382 | 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 submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 380 | 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 , and
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 341 | 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)
Cultural Heritage Preservation as a Basis for Sustainable Development and Transformation of Historic Urban Landscapes (Second Edition) submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 267 | 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)
Linking Ecological Networks and Ecosystem Service Flow: Toward Regional Ecological Conservation and Sustainability
edited by and
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 264 | 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)
Urban–Rural Land Governance and Sustainable Development in New Era
edited by Jingming Liu, and
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 203 | 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 submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 162 | 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 , , Luge Wen and
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 134 | 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
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 87 | 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 , Pedro Leite and
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 85 | 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, , and
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 82 | 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 , , and Liviu Nichiforel
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 59 | 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 submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 57 | 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)
Land-Use Impacts on Water Resources and Watershed Management submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 43 | Submission Open
Keywords: land use changes; water quality; water monitoring; hydromorphology; water retention; pollution source; surface waters; water management; soil
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Soil and Water)
Resilient Urban Regeneration: Adaptive Strategies for Future Metropolis
edited by Qipeng Liao, and
submission deadline 1 May 2026 | Viewed by 142 | Submission Open
Keywords: urban resilience; urban regeneration; metropolis; smart spatial planning; digital governance
(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)
Integrating Post-Industrial Landscape Design Approaches with Climate Adaptation and Social Equity
edited by , Luca Maria Francesco Fabris and
submission deadline 15 May 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 2216 | Submission Open
Keywords: post-industrial landscape; social equity and public space; climate adaptation; interdisciplinary landscape planning and design; landscape remediation approaches; environmental justice
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Evaluating Urban Public Spaces Based on User-Generated Geographic Data submission deadline 15 May 2026 | Viewed by 240 | Submission Open
Keywords: urban public space; urban fabric; urban regeneration; geographic information systems; user-generated geographic data; mobile device; social media; participation
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Innovations – Data and Machine Learning)
Land Use Change and Technological Innovations: Remote Sensing and Artificial Intelligence Approaches
edited by , Amobichukwu Chukwudi Amanambu and
submission deadline 15 May 2026 | Viewed by 27 | Submission Open
Keywords: land use and land cover change (LULC); remote sensing; GeoAI; machine learning; deep learning; land degradation; sustainable land management; earth observation; spatial modeling; climate– land interactions
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Innovations – Data and Machine Learning)
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