Sustainable Strategies for Integrated Governance and Planning

Dear Colleagues,

Contemporary cities, metropolises, and functional urban areas face a range of complex challenges linked to climate change, urbanization pressures, socio-economic shifts, and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The search for solutions is driving the rapid evolution of concepts such as the smart city, urban resilience, public governance, the circular economy, and nature-based solutions, becoming a key area of research in the social, engineering, and life sciences.

Dynamic urbanization processes, environmental change, investment pressure, suburbanization, and growing public expectations regarding quality of life mean that the issue of sustainable spatial management is becoming one of the key areas of scientific research and local government practice. Contemporary cities and metropolises require not only effective spatial planning, but also efficient public governance that integrates environmental, social, economic, and technological aspects. For this reason, interdisciplinary approaches integrating spatial policy, natural and landscape resources protection, digital technologies, urban mobility, and participatory management models are becoming increasingly important, supporting the development of sustainable, resilient, smart, and eco-friendly cities.

The Special Issue, entitled ‘Sustainable Strategies for Integrated Governance and Planning’, aims to present current research, analyses, and practical insights into contemporary processes of spatial development planning and governance, as well as the role of place-based strategies and policies in this process. Particular attention will be paid to sustainable urban development, planning in functional urban and metropolitan areas, adaptation to climate change, smart city solutions, participatory management, implementation of territorial policies, and the use of advanced tools and technologies supporting decision-making processes, as well as methods for implementing integrated planning and governance models consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include the following:

1. Sustainable spatial development strategies for resilient and inclusive cities and regions.
2. Governance, place-based policies, and multi-level governance for sustainable urban development.
3. Sustainable urban governance in response to climate and socio-economic changes toward models of participatory and adaptive cities.
4. Sustainable urban mobility and the integration of transport systems in functional and metropolitan areas in the face of social and spatial integration challenges.
5. Sustainable planning of green and public spaces for improving residents’ health and quality of life.
6. Smart cities and technologies supporting sustainable urban development and decision-making processes.
7. The role of spatial data, GIS, and environmental analyses in sustainable urban planning and governance.
8. Circular strategies and the circular economy in urban planning and governance.
9. The role of blue–green infrastructure and nature-based solutions in sustainable urban planning, building resilience, and adapting to climate change.
10. Sustainable strategies for management of cultural heritage and the urban landscape.
11. Climate neutrality of cities and local strategies for achieving ESG goals.
12. Strategic planning of the energy-efficient and climate-neutral cities of the future.

Due to its broad and relevant topics, this Special Issue will serve as a platform for the exchange of knowledge between the academic community, spatial planning practitioners, and representatives of public administration. We invite researchers, experts, and practitioners to submit articles presenting innovative approaches, empirical findings, new research models and programs, comparative analyses, and best practices that will support the development of sustainable, resilient, and smart cities of the future.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Dagmara Kociuba
Dr. Federica Epifani
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized 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.

• sustainable spatial planning
• sustainable urban governance
• sustainable urban mobility
• urban resilience
• blue-green infrastructure
• participatory urban management
• sustainable urban strategies
• place-based policies
• climate-energy policies
• multi-level governance
• circular urban strategies