Urban Heat, Microclimate, and Comfort: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Energy, Health, and Well-Being in Cities

Dear Colleagues,

Urban heat has become one of the most urgent climate challenges of our time, intensified by rapid urbanisation, high-density development, and growing risks to human health. As cities continue to evolve under the pressures of climate change, understanding the interactions between built form, microclimate, and human comfort has never been more critical. Research that bridges design, environmental science, and public health is essential to shaping climate-resilient and liveable urban environments.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue entitled Urban Heat, Microclimate, and Comfort: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Energy, Health, and Well-Being in Cities. This Special Issue aims to advance the journal’s mission by fostering dialogue between disciplines addressing urban environmental performance, thermal resilience, and human well-being across diverse climatic contexts.

This Special Issue aims to bring together studies that investigate the relationships between urban heat exposure, microclimate, energy performance, and human health. Contributions are encouraged from a range of fields, including architecture, urban design, environmental engineering, climatology, and public health.

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

• Urban heat exposure and thermal comfort assessment
• Urban microclimate monitoring and modelling
• Heat-health interactions and adaptive design strategies
• Energy performance and thermal resilience in high-density urban settings
• Climate-responsive and health-conscious design approaches
• Socio-technical analyses linking design, energy, and well-being

We look forward to receiving your contributions and to advancing this important conversation on urban climate and human well-being.

Kind regards,

Dr. Tania Sharmin
Guest Editor

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.