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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Challenges and Future Trends in Land Cover/Use Monitoring
edited by , , and Monika Przeor
submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | 1 articles | Viewed by 905 | 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)
Energy-Water-Land Nexus Under Low-Carbon Globalization
edited by
submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | 1 articles | Viewed by 810 | 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)
Feature Papers for Land–Climate Interactions Section: Integration of Remote Sensing and GIS
edited by
submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | 2 articles | Viewed by 788 | Submission Open
Keywords: land– climate interactions; remote sensing; GIS; biogeochemical cycles; land use/land cover change; environmental impact assessment; data fusion; sustainable land management
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land–Climate Interactions)
Feature Papers for Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions Section: 2nd Edition
edited by
submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | 1 articles | Viewed by 745 | Submission Open
Keywords: urban landscapes; urban land use change; urban heat island and climate change; urbanization impacts on ecosystems and their services; biodiversity; wildlife; and nature conservation in urban ecosystems; urban planning and governance of green-blue infrastructures; green infrastructure and nature-based solutions; sustainable cities; environmental justice in cities; technology for cities and big data
(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 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 530 | 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)
Synergistic Use of Time-Series Remote Sensing, Deep Learning, and AI for Land Transformation Monitoring
edited by
submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | 1 articles | Viewed by 525 | 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)
Carbon-Focused Land Use Strategies: Pathways to Climate Resilience
edited by , Shifu Wang and
submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 216 | Submission Open
Keywords: carbon sequestration; land-based climate mitigation; agroforestry; soil carbon management; forest restoration; carbon markets; sustainable land management; land use strategies; sustainable community; policy and governance; technological innovations; climate resilience
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Use, Impact Assessment and Sustainability)
Deep Learning of Climate Change and Extreme Events, Hydrological Processes and Land Use Dynamics Relationships (Second Edition)
edited by and
submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 185 | Submission Open
Keywords: deep learning techniques; climate change impact; extreme event forecasting; hydrological data analysis; land use change monitoring; predictive environmental modeling; remote sensing applications; disaster risk assessment; water resource optimization; ecosystem service evaluation; sustainable development strategies; environmental decision support
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Systems and Global Change)
Climate Adaptation and Recovery Strategies: Reimagining Governance in Urban Regions
edited by , Kathryn Moore, and
submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 183 | Submission Open
Keywords: climate crisis; landscape strategies; landscape governance; climate adaptation; landscape design; regional approaches; landscape approaches; governance; landscape environmental policy; indigenous knowledge
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land–Climate Interactions)
The Impact of Urban Planning on the Urban Heat Island Effect
edited by , Blanca Arellano and Adriana Inés Olivares-González
submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 180 | 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)
Land Governance Technology and Institutional Reform for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals with Environmental and Social Aspects (Second Edition) submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 151 | Submission Open
Keywords: arid hydrology; carbon research; carbon emission rights trading; cultivated land protection; economic analysis; environmental economics; environmental law; environmental management; environmental modelling; environmental social governance; human rights protection in host country; industrial land transformation and upgrading; land ecological restoration; land management; sustainable land use; urban flood; urban rural planning
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Use, Impact Assessment and Sustainability)
Historic Urban Landscape and Planning submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 141 | 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)
Urban Green Infrastructure: Enhancing Resilience and Well-Being in the Face of Climate Change and Urbanization (Second Edition) submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 139 | Submission Open
Keywords: urbanization; urban green space; urban forests/parks; urban heat island; urban ecosystem services; urban ecology; urban remote sensing; urban planning; urban climate; sustainable development
Urban Regeneration for a Sustainable and Inclusive Transition: Concepts, Methods and Policy
edited by , Paola Pucci and
submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 135 | Submission Open
Keywords: urban regeneration; densification and compact development; land-use mix; sustainable and inclusive mobility; real estate appraisal; xmin city; urban fringe area regeneration; energy efficiency and climate resilience; participation and governance
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues)
Cutting-Edge Research on Sustainable Development of Renewable Energy Systems: Planning Processes, Land Use Policies and Optimization Strategies
edited by Sofia Spyridonidou and
submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 124 | Submission Open
Keywords: geographic information system (GIS); renewable energy sources; multicriteria decision-making analysis; site selection; strategic spatial planning; land use changes; land use policy; stakeholder engagement; optimization strategies; decarbonization plans
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Resilient Land Systems in a Changing Climate
edited by and Zhuoran Yan
submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 120 | Submission Open
Keywords: resilient land systems; land cover changes and associated climate feedback; climate change adaptation; sustainable land management; ecosystem restoration; climate-smart agriculture; socio-ecological resilience; land-use planning; biodiversity conservation; governance and policy; remote sensing and land monitoring
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Systems and Global Change)
Valuing Non-Market Benefits of Nature Conservation and Restoration
edited by Giovanni Signorello, and
submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 116 | 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)
Local and Regional Planning for Sustainable Development: 2nd Edition submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 108 | Submission Open
Keywords: landscape architecture; territorial design; territorial marketing; sustainable development; sustainable design; local and regional planning; stakeholders; environmental impact
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Postfire Runoff and Erosion in Forests: Assessment and Management submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 77 | Submission Open
Keywords: forest ecosystems; soil detachment capacity; burned soil; soil conservation; forest fires
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Soil and Water)
Sustainable Evaluation Methodology of Urban and Regional Planning—2nd Edition
edited by Yilun Liu, and
submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 76 | Submission Open
Keywords: sustainable evaluation; urban and regional planning; geospatial big data; GeoAI; land use optimization; land use evaluation
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Forest Ecosystems Under Climate Pressure: Protection, Fire Management and Socio-Economic Dimensions
edited by , , Stavros Sakellariou and
submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 67 | Submission Open
Keywords: forest ecosystem resilience; forest conservation; reforestation and afforestation; ecological restoration; sustainable forest management; biodiversity conservation; wildfire regimes; fire ecology; fire risk assessment; fire suppression strategies; climate-driven wildfires; forest-dependent communities; indigenous knowledge; socio-economic impacts; sustainable livelihoods; forest policy and governance; forest law and governance; climate adaptation policies; stakeholder engagement; community-based conservation; forest finance and incentives
(This special issue belongs to the Section Landscape Ecology)
Landscapes in Transition: The Role of Cultural Landscapes in Land Management submission deadline 31 Oct 2025 | Viewed by 67 | Submission Open
Keywords: cultural landscapes; land use change; landscape planning; urban and peri-urban landscapes; ecosystem services; participatory planning; multifunctional land use
(This special issue belongs to the Section Landscape Ecology)
Rural–Urban Gradients: Landscape and Nature Conservation II submission deadline 7 Nov 2025 | 4 articles | Viewed by 9150 | Submission Open
Keywords: gradient approach; rural– urban divide; effectiveness of protected areas; ecosystem services supply; urban expansion; rural cultural landscapes; social-ecological resilience
(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)
GeoAI and Remote Sensing for Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands
edited by , Jinjie Wang, , Yang Liu and
submission deadline 11 Nov 2025 | Viewed by 197 | Submission Open
Keywords: GeoAI; remote sensing; machine learning; arid environments; ecological security; sustainable development; environmental monitoring; land degradation; climate adaptation; GIS; water resource management
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Innovations – Data and Machine Learning)
Soil Ecological Risk Assessment Based on LULC
edited by
submission deadline 12 Nov 2025 | 8 articles | Viewed by 6982 | Submission Open
Keywords: risk assessment; ecosystem services; soil functioning; land use/land cover; soil threats
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Soil and Water)
Evolving Landscape Design and Planning: From Infrastructure Landscapes to Future Research Frontiers
edited by Romanos Ioannidis, Nikos Mamassis, Julia Nerantzia Tzortzi, Konstantinos Moraitis and Aspaso-Aspassia Kouzoupi
submission deadline 14 Nov 2025 | 4 articles | Viewed by 12411 | Submission Open
Keywords: landscape; spatial planning; renewable energy; landscape impacts; participatory processes; cultural heritage; landscape design; visibility analysis; architecture; public perception; social acceptance; landscape and blue/green/grey infrastructure
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
The Dynamics of Biodiversity and Landscape Ecology: Patterns, Processes, and Planning (Second Edition)
edited by
submission deadline 15 Nov 2025 | 3 articles | Viewed by 3787 | Submission Open
Keywords: land use; changes biodiversity; loss ecosystem; function and services; management measures
(This special issue belongs to the Section Landscape Ecology)
Vulnerability and Resilience of Urban Planning and Design
edited by , , and João Coutinho-Rodrigues
submission deadline 15 Nov 2025 | 3 articles | Viewed by 2137 | Submission Open
Keywords: urban resiliency; climate adaptation; governance; mobility; smart cities; geographical information systems; sustainable development; green infrastructure; socioeconomic resilient; form and function
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
GeoAI Application in Urban Land Use and Urban Climate submission deadline 15 Nov 2025 | Viewed by 368 | Submission Open
Keywords: GeoAI; urban land use; urban climate; remote sensing; machine learning; urban sustainability; smart cities; climate resilience
(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 Nov 2025 | Viewed by 333 | 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)
Denialism and Climate Change: Relevant Experiences and Case Studies on Future Challenges in Sustainable Urban Planning & Territorial Management submission deadline 15 Nov 2025 | Viewed by 59 | Submission Open
Keywords: urban planning; green infrastructures; land use planning and management; environmental planning; territorial management; sustainable development; spatial analysis; GIS analysis
(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)
Heritage Landscapes, Their Inventory, Management and Future
edited by Jaromír Kolejka and
submission deadline 20 Nov 2025 | 3 articles | Viewed by 3671 | Submission Open
Keywords: historical landscapes; identification criteria; inventory procedures; classification and typology; management; protection and planning; sustainable tourism
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Quantifying Soil Erosion Processes Using Satellite Data: Progress and Perspectives
edited by Arjun Heimsath
submission deadline 20 Nov 2025 | 1 articles | Viewed by 800 | Submission Open
Keywords: soil erosion; land degradation; land use change; remote sensing; satellite data; human impacts
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Soil and Water)
Urban and Rural Development Planning for Resilient Human Environments (Second Edition) submission deadline 23 Nov 2025 | 2 articles | Viewed by 1705 | Submission Open
Keywords: quality of life in human environments; resilient human environments; climate adaptation; spatial; urban and rural planning and evaluations; building and construction design; uncertainty adaptation; preparedness; response; recovery; vulnerable groups and resilient human environments; sustainability goals; landscapes; tools for resilient human environments
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Use, Impact Assessment and Sustainability)
Monitoring Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity Under Land Use Change
edited by Lindsay Claire Maskell and Claire Wood
submission deadline 24 Nov 2025 | 3 articles | Viewed by 6101 | Submission Open
Keywords: land-use and land-cover (LULC) change; biodiversity; ecology; protected areas; landscape connectivity; green space; invasive species; ecosystem services; ecosystem disservices; and well-being
(This special issue belongs to the Section Landscape Ecology)
Spatiotemporal Data Analytics and Modeling of Land Systems: Shaping Sustainable Landscape, Second Edition submission deadline 24 Nov 2025 | 4 articles | Viewed by 3105 | Submission Open
Keywords: spatiotemporal modeling spatial-temporal; landscape patterns and processes landscape; sustainability and resilience; geospatial technologies; land use/land cover; land change; modeling landscape; assessment methods; landscape dynamic evolution
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Innovations – Data and Machine Learning)
Land–Water–Energy–Food (LWEF) System Coupling and Sustainable Development of Watersheds
edited by , , , and Zhifeng Jin
submission deadline 25 Nov 2025 | 6 articles | Viewed by 6093 | Submission Open
Keywords: land– water– energy– food nexus; climate change adaptation; regional resilience; land use transformation; energy transition; resource management; resources and environment; water– energy– food; carbon peak and neutrality; spatial governance and planning
(This special issue belongs to the Section Water, Energy, Land and Food (WELF) Nexus)
Land Use Change from Non-Urban to Urban Areas: Problems, Challenges and Opportunities—Third Edition submission deadline 26 Nov 2025 | Viewed by 56 | Submission Open
Keywords: land use change; land use planning; urban expansion; urban and rural development; land degradation; regulatory strategies; spatiotemporal dynamics; remote sensing imageries
(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)
Green Infrastructure for Resilient Cities: Rethinking Urban Parks and Open Spaces submission deadline 28 Nov 2025 | Viewed by 37 | Submission Open
Keywords: urban parks; ecologies; conservation; resilience; sustainability; landscapes; green spaces; biodiversity; nature-based solutions; mental health; social cohesion
(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)
Archaeological Landscape and Settlement II submission deadline 30 Nov 2025 | 9 articles | Viewed by 25573 | Submission Open
Keywords: human impact on the landscape; coastal changes and sea-level rise; settlement pattern and site complementarity; radiocarbon dating; the exploitation of the highland zones
(This special issue belongs to the Section Landscape Archaeology)
Contribution of Trail Paths to the Protection and Promotion of the Natural Environment submission deadline 30 Nov 2025 | 5 articles | Viewed by 16385 | Submission Open
Keywords: land use planning; trail path; natural environment protection; urban and rural areas; cultural heritage; wildlife ecosystem
(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)
Effects of Land Use on the Ecohydrology of River Basin in Accordance with Climate Change II submission deadline 30 Nov 2025 | 5 articles | Viewed by 10073 | 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)
Spatial Justice in Urban Planning (Second Edition)
edited by , and Izzy Yi Jian
submission deadline 30 Nov 2025 | 5 articles | Viewed by 8024 | Submission Open
Keywords: social-spatial justice; distributional and procedural justice; urban redevelopment; environmental justice; green gentrification; right to the city; segregation and discrimination; urban political ecology; capital and capability; co-production
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Human–Nature Relations in Urban Landscape Planning
edited by and
submission deadline 30 Nov 2025 | 4 articles | Viewed by 7665 | Submission Open
Keywords: urban landscape; urban ecosystem; landscape planning; spatial planning; resilient design; landscape design; landscape-based urban design; design-led approach; green and blue grids; nature-based solutions; biourbanism; regenerative design
(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)
Social–Ecological Ecosystems in Rewilding Urban Environment: Multidisciplinary Approaches for Multifaceted Wild Natures submission deadline 30 Nov 2025 | 3 articles | Viewed by 6029 | Submission Open
Keywords: wild urban nature; urban voids; regeneration policies; socio-ecological characters; socio-environmental movements; urban biodiversity; citizen science; contested natures
(This special issue belongs to the Section Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions)
Soil Legacies, Land Use Change and Forest and Grassland Restoration submission deadline 30 Nov 2025 | 3 articles | Viewed by 5274 | Submission Open
Keywords: forest restoration; grassland restoration; soil legacies; land use change; soil carbon
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Systems and Global Change)
Modeling Biodiversity and Landscape Conservation Planning (Second Edition) submission deadline 30 Nov 2025 | 4 articles | Viewed by 4930 | Submission Open
Keywords: biodiversity; conservation planning; geodesign; modeling; spatial ecology; spatial conservation prioritization; landscape architecture; alternative futures
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land, Biodiversity, and Human Wellbeing)
Application of the Ecosystem Service in Landscape Planning: From Cognition to Decision-Making
edited by , Kai Li, Yuejing Rong, Hao Xia and Ruhong Xin
submission deadline 30 Nov 2025 | 5 articles | Viewed by 4817 | Submission Open
Keywords: ecosystem service; landscape planning and design; ecosystem management decision-making; trade-off and synergy; human wellbeing; green infrastructure; socio-ecological interaction; landscape conservation and restoration; nature-based solutions
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Planning and Landscape Architecture)
Towards Land System Sustainability: Navigating Global Challenges and Local Realities
edited by , , , Chao Liu and Rong Ran
submission deadline 30 Nov 2025 | 4 articles | Viewed by 4126 | Submission Open
Keywords: land systems; theories of land system change; land degradation; human– environment systems; human– land relations; land use/land cover change; land use transition; urban land management; rural land use; sustainable land use; urban sprawl and regeneration; urban– rural migration and housing affairs
(This special issue belongs to the Section Land Systems and Global Change)
Application of Multi-Source Geographical Big Data in Land Use Decision-Making submission deadline 30 Nov 2025 | 4 articles | Viewed by 3295 | Submission Open
Keywords: geographic information systems (GISs); land use decision-making; land use simulation; GeoAI; multi-source data integration; geospatial big data; land use decision-making; remote sensing data; land use classification; land management; global land use patterns
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