Current Challenges in Sustainable Urban, Rural and Regional Development

Dear Colleagues,

Evaluating and analyzing the impact of the phenomena generated by globalization is extremely important for understanding contemporary spatial dynamics and implementing territorial development strategies.

Current trends in regional, urban and rural development and planning are not uniform, and in some cases, they are even chaotic. Territorial planning (regional, urban and rural), both top-down and bottom-up (with the involvement of local stakeholders), has certain limitations and uncertainties.

Economic and social gaps, a result of varying development policies, have widened as unemployment and the need to retrain labor forces have grown, which has, in turn, increased poverty, social marginalization and economic migration and decreased the birth rate, contributing to depopulation, deindustrialization and deurbanization, and changes in urban and rural areas and land use sustainability.

In this context, we are interested in contributions that examine and connect the changes and dynamics of urban and rural areas, rural–urban relations and land use changes, the expansion and development of peri-urban and metropolitan areas, and the phenomena enabling these connections.

In addition, this Special Issue aims to highlight and analyze the factors that have contributed to economic and social imbalances in urban and rural development, to the sharp decrease in the population and to the social impact of depopulation and the demographic and social risks arising from this phenomenon.

Studies can be theoretical in nature, aimed at improving the theoretical and methodological issues, or can comprise empirical research and regional case studies targeting the key phenomena that facilitate these connections.

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

• Urban development;
• Rural development and land use sustainability;
• Regional development and land use sustainability;
• Management of urban and rural areas, and urban–rural interfaces;
• Regional development and the resilience of urban and rural systems;
• Changes in urban and rural functional areas and land use;
• Urban and rural areas, urban–rural relations in the post-pandemic socio-economic context;
• Urban and rural poverty and social risks;
• The impact of environmental changes on the structure and dynamics of land use and land cover in the urban and rural areas;
• Economic gaps and social risks and the adjustment of urban and rural communities;
• Land use and land cover changes in peri-urban and ex-urban areas and their environmental effects;
• Suburbanization, metropolization and gentrification processes;
• Depopulation and its socio-economic consequences in urban and rural areas;
• Disadvantaged and/or monofunctional areas in urban and rural settlements;
• Urban and rural development, urban–rural relations in peripheral/cross-border areas;
• Counter-urbanization and city–village migration.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Radu-Dănuț Săgeată
Prof. Dr. Remus Creţan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• urban and rural development
• territorial planning
• land use sustainability
• political and administrative decisions
• development policies