Monitoring Land Use Efficiency and Urban Expansion within the Context of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Dear Colleagues,

The monitoring of land-use efficiency and urban expansion plays a crucial role in urban planning and the sustainable utilization of land resources, thereby contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined in the UN 2030 Agenda. Remote sensing technology, with its wide coverage and repetitive observation capabilities, has been extensively employed for monitoring urban areas. In recent years, numerous satellite and aerial remote sensing monitoring systems have been deployed, providing abundant data sources characterized by high spatiotemporal resolution and rich spectral information. By synergistically utilizing these multisource remote sensing data and leveraging cutting-edge methods, we can greatly enhance both the accuracy and frequency of monitoring urban areas, advancing our understanding of land-use efficiency and urban expansion. This holds immense significance for identifying urban development issues, mitigating urban risks and disasters and ensuring the healthy growth of cities, in alignment with the SDGs outlined in the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable land use and urban development.

This Special Issue aims to collect studies that explore diverse applications of remote sensing data from different sensors and platforms for monitoring land-use efficiency and urban expansion within the context of the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. We welcome contributions that focus on the integration of multisource data, including high-resolution, hyperspectral, SAR and night-time light data, for urban application. While not limited to these, potential topics that articles may address include:

• Land-use change mapping, modeling and application
• Assessment of land-use efficiency
• Urban disaster monitoring
• Sustainable urban development
• Multisource remote sensing data fusion
• Urban heat island and thermal sensing
• Urban green spaces
• Environmental conservation
• Impacts of urban expansion on ecosystem services and natural resources
• Integrating remote sensing and social media data
• Greenhouse gas emissions
• Methods and algorithms in urban applications

Dr. Zhixin Qi
Dr. Le Yu
Dr. Lei Fang
Prof. Dr. Kasturi Devi Kanniah
Dr. Brian Alan Johnson
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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