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Advanced Studies in Sustainable Urban Planning and Urban Development
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Advanced Studies in Sustainable Urban Planning and Urban Development

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 1758

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Shichen Zhao

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Human-Environment Studies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Interests: urban research in Asia; urban commercial research; urban space research; urban landscape research; urban analysis
Dr. Prasanna Divigalipitiya

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Human-Environment Studies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Interests: urban expansion; urban sprawl; urban governance
Dr. Xiaoyan Mi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Interests: urban sensing technology and social space research; community governance research and infrastructure planning; urban walking systems and public space health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable urban planning is vital in addressing rapid urbanization, climate change, and resource depletion. As cities grow, challenges related to infrastructure, transportation, and environmental impact increase. Effective planning integrates architecture, environmental science, and public policy to create resilient, resource-efficient, and livable cities. Key research areas include green infrastructure, low-carbon urban design, smart city technologies, and circular economy strategies. By leveraging digital transformation and participatory governance, sustainable urban development enhances quality of life while reducing environmental impact. Advancing this field is crucial for building resilient urban ecosystems and ensuring long-term sustainability. The Special Issue on "Advanced Studies in Sustainable Urban Planning and Development" aligns with Sustainability by addressing urban resilience, low-carbon development, smart cities, and green infrastructure. It explores interdisciplinary approaches to sustainable urban growth, supporting the journal’s mission to advance environmental, social, and economic sustainability.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:  

  • Sustainable urban planning; 
  • Smart cities; 
  • Green infrastructure; 
  • Digital transformation; 
  • Sustainable mobility; 
  • Low-carbon and energy-efficient urban development; 
  • Policy and governance for sustainable cities. 

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Prof. Dr. Shichen Zhao
Dr. Prasanna Divigalipitiya
Dr. Xiaoyan Mi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable urban
  • smart cities
  • green infrastructure
  • low-carbon development
  • energy-efficient architecture
  • environmental policy
  • participatory urban governance

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 2807 KiB  
Article
Drivers of Population Dynamics in High-Altitude Counties of Sichuan Province, China
by Xiangyu Dong, Mengge Du and Shichen Zhao
Sustainability 2025, 17(15), 7051; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17157051 - 4 Aug 2025
Viewed by 394
Abstract
The population dynamics of high-altitude mountainous areas are shaped by a complex interplay of socioeconomic and environmental drivers. Despite their significance, such regions have received limited scholarly attention. This research identifies and examines the principal determinants of population changes in the high-altitude mountainous [...] Read more.
The population dynamics of high-altitude mountainous areas are shaped by a complex interplay of socioeconomic and environmental drivers. Despite their significance, such regions have received limited scholarly attention. This research identifies and examines the principal determinants of population changes in the high-altitude mountainous zones of Sichuan Province, China. Utilizing a robust quantitative framework, we introduce the Sustainable Population Migration Index (SPMI) to systematically analyze the migration potential over two decades. The findings indicate healthcare accessibility as the most significant determinant influencing resident and rural population changes, while economic factors notably impact urban populations. The SPMI reveals a pronounced deterioration in migration attractiveness, decreasing by 0.27 units on average from 2010 to 2020. Furthermore, a fixed-effects panel regression confirmed the predictive capability of SPMI regarding population trends, emphasizing its value for demographic forecasting. We also develop a Digital Twin-based Simulation and Decision-support Platform (DTSDP) to visualize policy impacts effectively. Scenario simulations suggest that targeted enhancements in healthcare and infrastructure could significantly alleviate demographic pressures. This research contributes critical insights for sustainable regional development strategies and provides an effective tool for informed policymaking. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies in Sustainable Urban Planning and Urban Development)
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27 pages, 956 KiB  
Article
Boosting Sustainable Urban Development: How Smart Cities Improve Emergency Management—Evidence from 275 Chinese Cities
by Ming Guo and Yang Zhou
Sustainability 2025, 17(15), 6851; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17156851 - 28 Jul 2025
Viewed by 502
Abstract
Rapid urbanization and escalating disaster risks necessitate resilient urban governance systems. Smart city initiatives that leverage digital technologies—such as the internet of things (IoT), big data analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI)—demonstrate transformative potential in enhancing emergency management capabilities. However, empirical evidence regarding their [...] Read more.
Rapid urbanization and escalating disaster risks necessitate resilient urban governance systems. Smart city initiatives that leverage digital technologies—such as the internet of things (IoT), big data analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI)—demonstrate transformative potential in enhancing emergency management capabilities. However, empirical evidence regarding their causal impact and underlying mechanisms remains limited, particularly in developing economies. Drawing on panel data from 275 Chinese prefecture-level cities over the period 2006–2021 and using China’s smart city pilot policy as a quasi-natural experiment, this study applies a multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) approach to rigorously assess the effects of smart city construction on emergency management capabilities. Results reveal that smart city construction produced a statistically significant improvement in emergency management capabilities, which remained robust after conducting multiple sensitivity checks and controlling for potential confounding policies. The benefits exhibit notable heterogeneity: emergency management capability improvements are most pronounced in central China and in cities at the extremes of population size—megacities (>10 million residents) and small cities (<1 million residents)—while effects remain marginal in medium-sized and eastern cities. Crucially, mechanism analysis reveals that digital technology application fully mediates 86.7% of the total effect, whereas factor allocation efficiency exerts only a direct, non-mediating influence. These findings suggest that smart cities primarily enhance emergency management capabilities through digital enablers, with effectiveness contingent upon regional infrastructure development and urban scale. Policy priorities should therefore emphasize investments in digital infrastructure, interagency data integration, and targeted capacity-building strategies tailored to central and western regions as well as smaller cities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies in Sustainable Urban Planning and Urban Development)
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20 pages, 9605 KiB  
Article
Future Modeling of Urban Growth Using Geographical Information Systems and SLEUTH Method: The Case of Sanliurfa
by Songül Naryaprağı Gülalan, Fred Barış Ernst and Abdullah İzzeddin Karabulut
Sustainability 2025, 17(15), 6833; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17156833 - 28 Jul 2025
Viewed by 496
Abstract
This study was conducted using Geographic Information Systems (GISs), Remote Sensing (RS) techniques, and the SLEUTH model based on Cellular Automata (CA) to analyze the spatial and temporal dynamics of urban growth in Sanliurfa Province and to create future projections. The model in [...] Read more.
This study was conducted using Geographic Information Systems (GISs), Remote Sensing (RS) techniques, and the SLEUTH model based on Cellular Automata (CA) to analyze the spatial and temporal dynamics of urban growth in Sanliurfa Province and to create future projections. The model in question simulates urban sprawl by using Slope, Land Use/Land Cover (LULC), Excluded Areas, urban areas, transportation, and hill shade layers as inputs. In addition, disaster risk areas and public policies that will affect the urbanization of the city were used as input layers. In the study, the spatial pattern of urbanization in Sanliurfa was determined by using Landsat satellite images of six different periods covering the years 1985–2025. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was applied within the scope of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). Weighting was made for each parameter. Spatial analysis was performed by combining these values with data in raster format. The results show that the SLEUTH model successfully reflects past growth trends when calibrated at different spatial resolutions and can provide reliable predictions for the future. Thus, the proposed model can be used as an effective decision support tool in the evaluation of alternative urbanization scenarios in urban planning. The findings contribute to the sustainability of land management policies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies in Sustainable Urban Planning and Urban Development)
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