Sustainable Urban Development: Strategies, Tools, and Transformations
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 June 2026 | Viewed by 1
Special Issue Editors
Interests: energy efficiency in architecture and urban systems; energy storage and its integration in buildings and cities; smart and resilient urban strategies; Climate change adaptation and mitigation through design; urban regeneration and redevelopment of degraded areas; cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary approaches combining architecture, planning, and environmental studies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: flexibility, modularity, and adaptability in architectural design; housing architecture and typological innovation, with a focus on climate-responsive and transformable models of living; transdisciplinary approaches to architecture and medicine, focusing on spatial strategies that support physical, mental, and emotional well-being; ergonomics and inclusive design in therapeutic and everyday spaces; participatory and user-driven processes that shape built environments, with an emphasis on social resilience and equity; nature-based solutions and climate-sensitive spatial transformation
Interests: fire protection in residential and public buildings; safety of users within architectural spaces; practical design work
Interests: subjective research on recipients' feelings concerning environmental factors; the use of tools (fuzzy sets and cartography) in processing acquired data; energy efficiency in cities; Interdisciplinary approaches combining architecture, civil engineering, and environmental studies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue will explore innovative strategies, planning tools, and interdisciplinary approaches aimed at supporting sustainable urban development, particularly in small and medium-sized cities. The focus will be on emerging responses to the challenges of climate change, energy transition, spatial transformation, and socio-economic resilience. Emphasis will be given to the integration of blue and green infrastructure as vital systems for climate adaptation, urban water management, and biodiversity enhancement.
We invite contributions that examine how to integrate sustainable architecture, urban planning, and policy design with energy efficiency, energy storage, smart city tools, and circular architecture. Scalable and context-sensitive solutions based on participatory governance and cross-sectoral collaboration are encouraged.
This Special Issue aims to fill a gap in the current literature by promoting systemic, place-based strategies that link the ecological, technological, and social dimensions of sustainability. It will provide actionable insights to support the transition toward climate-neutral, resilient, and inclusive cities.
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/about
Dr. Marta Skiba
Dr. Alicja Maciejko
Dr. Rafał Dudzik
Dr. Małgorzata Sztubecka
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 development
- blue and green infrastructure
- circular architecture
- energy efficiency in cities
- climate adaptation
- urban resilience
- smart city tools
- nature-based solutions
- participatory planning
- climate-neutral cities
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
