Urban Transitions at the Margins: Gentrification, Peripheral Growth, and Socio-Ecological Sustainability
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 56
Special Issue Editors
Interests: health geography; urban studies; social-demographic policies with a focus on spatial inequalities in healthcare; access to essential services for disadvantaged groups; quality of life in urban and rural areas
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: social geography; territorial governance; housing policies; urban and territorial planning; urban–rural dynamics; residential mobility and migration; socio-demographic disparities; informal settlements; urban regeneration
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce a call for papers for a Special Issue titled ‘Urban Transitions at the Margins: Gentrification, Peripheral Growth, and Socio-Ecological Sustainability’.
This Special Issue will explore the socio-ecological dimensions of urban transitions, focusing on how processes such as gentrification, peripheral urban expansion, and informal development reshape urban landscapes, affect vulnerable populations, and challenge sustainability goals.
We invite interdisciplinary contributions (empirical studies, theoretical analyses, and case studies) that examine the following topics:
- Gentrification and displacement in marginalized urban areas;
- Peripheral urban growth and its ecological and social consequences;
- Informal settlements and their role in urban sustainability;
- Governance, planning, and policy responses to marginal urban transitions;
- Comparative studies across global contexts (the Global North and Global South);
- Socio-spatial inequalities and territorial fragmentation;
- Administrative boundaries and socio-spatial peripheries;
- Climate adaptation and resilience in peripheral zones;
- Infrastructure and service provision in transitional urban areas;
- Urban socio-ecology and environmental justice;
- Participatory planning and community-led development in marginal contexts;
- Methodological innovations in studying urban peripheries.
This Special Issue builds on and extends the existing literature in urban studies and sustainability science, aiming to provide new insights and perspectives on the challenges and opportunities faced by marginalized urban areas, fostering a deeper understanding of the socio-economic and environmental implications of urban transitions.
We look forward to your contributions and to advancing the discourse on urban transitions at the margins.
Sincerely,
Prof. Dr. Liliana Dumitrache
Dr. Bogdan Suditu
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
- urban margins
- gentrification
- peripheral urbanization
- socio-ecological sustainability
- informal settlements
- urban transitions
- displacement
- urban governance
- resilience
- urban futures
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