Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.7
3.3
Journals
Sustainability
Special Issues
Urban Green Infrastructure for Heat Mitigation and Social Equity: Global...
sustainability-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Urban Green Infrastructure for Heat Mitigation and Social Equity: Global Perspectives and Challenges

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Air, Climate Change and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 2179

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Paul Osmond

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Interests: landscape architecture; urban analysis and development; urban design; architectural science and technology; ecosystem services (incl. pollination); human impacts of climate change and human adaptation; urban planning and health; life cycle assessment and industrial ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Bo Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Jilin Jianzhu University, Changchun 130118, China
Interests: low-carbon cities; sustainable architecture; urban microclimate; eco-wisdom; climate resilience; elderly well-being; age-friendly environments
Dr. Peng Cui

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Landscape Architecture, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150000, China
Interests: urban and rural ecological planning; landscape ecology; application of 3s technologies; climate change adaptation; resilient human settlements
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Against the backdrop of rapid global urbanization and escalating climate impacts, cities worldwide are increasingly confronted with the converging challenges of intensifying urban heat islands and deepening socioeconomic inequalities. The year 2023 was recorded as the warmest in history, with urban centers experiencing amplified thermal effects that exacerbate energy consumption, public health vulnerabilities, and environmental injustices. As municipalities increasingly adopt green infrastructure as a strategic response to these pressing issues, critical questions emerge regarding how nature-based solutions can effectively address thermal comfort requirements while ensuring equitable distribution of benefits across diverse socioeconomic groups.

In particular, the phenomenon of green gentrification—wherein environmental improvements inadvertently lead to the displacement of vulnerable residents—has underscored the urgent need for scholarly examination and practical interventions that balance ecological benefits with social justice. This Special Issue seeks to advance a comprehensive understanding of how urban green infrastructure can be strategically planned, designed, and implemented to balance thermal mitigation goals with social equity objectives across varied global contexts. We welcome original research articles, review papers, perspectives, and case studies that explore the complex relationships between ecological benefits and social outcomes, with particular emphasis on critical examinations of the tensions among technical efficiency, economic viability, and justice considerations in green infrastructure development. Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

  • Thermal performance and microclimate regulation of green infrastructure across different climatic zones
  • Health and well-being benefits of urban greenery with explicit equity considerations
  • Green gentrification: mechanisms, impacts, and preventive strategies
  • Cost–benefit analyses of green infrastructure in varying economic and climatic contexts
  • Integration of traditional ecological knowledge with technological innovations
  • Comparative studies of green infrastructure approaches between Global North and Global South cities
  • Equity dimensions of green infrastructure distribution and accessibility
  • Community-led alternatives to conventional green infrastructure development
  • Case studies demonstrating successful balance of environmental and social objectives
  • Critical analyses of standardized approaches to urban green infrastructure

Dr. Paul Osmond
Dr. Bo Wang
Dr. Peng Cui
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-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 green infrastructure
  • heat island mitigation
  • social equity
  • green gentrification
  • climate adaptation
  • traditional ecological knowledge
  • Global South cities
  • environmental justice

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.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

24 pages, 8484 KB  
Article
Evaluating Climate Change Adaptation in Vernacular Dwellings: Thermal Comfort and Ventilation of Yikeyin in Haiyan Village, Kunming
by Shihua Li, Yingli Zhu, Jingyi Ye, Yaqi Chen, Tinggang Fu, Xueguo Guan and Yaoning Yang
Sustainability 2025, 17(23), 10531; https://doi.org/10.3390/su172310531 - 24 Nov 2025
Viewed by 386
Abstract
In response to global climate change, harnessing the climate-adaptive wisdom of vernacular dwellings is crucial for sustainable architectural design. This study takes Haiyan Village in the Kunming plateau area as a case study, focusing on three typical vernacular dwelling types of Yikeyin—‘Half seal’, [...] Read more.
In response to global climate change, harnessing the climate-adaptive wisdom of vernacular dwellings is crucial for sustainable architectural design. This study takes Haiyan Village in the Kunming plateau area as a case study, focusing on three typical vernacular dwelling types of Yikeyin—‘Half seal’, ‘One seal’, and ‘Two seals’. Using Ladybug and Honeybee within the Rhino Grasshopper platform, a quantitative comparative analysis was conducted to evaluate their natural ventilation efficiency (characterized by Air Changes per Hour, ACH) and indoor thermal comfort (characterized by Predicted Mean Vote, PMV, and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfaction, PPD). The results indicate the following: (1) Throughout the year, the ‘Two seals’ dwelling type exhibits the most stable diurnal temperature variation, while the ‘Half seal’ dwelling type shows the greatest fluctuation in its diurnal temperature range. (2) The summer ACH values for ‘Half seal’, ‘One seal’, and ‘Two seals’ dwelling types are 3.8~4.5, 1.5~2.9, and 0.8~1.6, while the winter values are 1.9~2.6, 1.3~1.8, and 0.7~1.0. The ventilation efficiency in summer is generally higher than that in winter, and it shows a significant decreasing trend as building volume increases. (3) The summer PPD values for ‘Half seal’, ‘One seal’, and ‘Two seals’ dwelling types are 12%, 18%, and 35%, while the winter values are 22%, 15%, and 12%. (4) The ‘One seal’ dwelling type exhibits good ventilation and thermal comfort throughout the year. The ‘Half seal’ demonstrates the best ventilation and thermal comfort in summer but poorer thermal comfort in winter. The ‘Two seals‘ dwelling type achieves the best thermal comfort in winter, but lower ventilation efficiency, while in summer, both thermal comfort and ventilation are poor. This study not only addresses the gap in the quantitative assessment of climate adaptability in vernacular dwellings but also provides critical data support and a theoretical basis for the scientific preservation, adaptive renewal, and sustainable inheritance of vernacular architecture in the context of climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Infrastructure for Heat Mitigation and Social Equity: Global Perspectives and Challenges)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

33 pages, 10243 KB  
Article
Impacts of Urban Morphology, Climate, and Occupant Behavior on Building Energy Consumption in a Cold Region: An Agent-Based Modeling Study of Energy-Saving Strategies
by Peng Cui, Ran Ji, Jiaqi Lu, Zixin Guo and Yewei Zheng
Sustainability 2025, 17(23), 10447; https://doi.org/10.3390/su172310447 - 21 Nov 2025
Viewed by 459
Abstract
Urban morphology, climate, and occupant behavior significantly affect urban building energy consumption. This study analyzed 200 example blocks with 4754 buildings in Harbin, China, a representative city with a severe cold climate, to calculate urban morphology and climate factors. A questionnaire was conducted [...] Read more.
Urban morphology, climate, and occupant behavior significantly affect urban building energy consumption. This study analyzed 200 example blocks with 4754 buildings in Harbin, China, a representative city with a severe cold climate, to calculate urban morphology and climate factors. A questionnaire was conducted to quantify the data on the energy use behaviors of building occupants. Linear and nonlinear methods were used to explore correlations between these three types of factors and energy consumption. An agent-based modeling (ABM) approach was applied to establish a city-scale energy consumption simulation model, and simulations of energy-saving scenarios were carried out to derive optimization strategies. Key findings include: (1) the living area is the most significant determinant of daily energy use intensity (EUI), contributing 24.42%; (2) the floor area ratio (FAR) most influences annual electricity EUI (30.55%), while building height (BH) has the largest impact on heating EUI (32.62%); and (3) altering urban morphology and climatic factors by one unit can, respectively, reduce energy consumption by up to 13.0 and 224.7 kWh/m2 annually. Increasing energy-saving awareness campaigns can reduce household EUI by 30.6127 kWh/m2. This study provides strategic recommendations for urban energy-saving planning in cold regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Infrastructure for Heat Mitigation and Social Equity: Global Perspectives and Challenges)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

28 pages, 19798 KB  
Article
Study on the Diurnal Difference of the Impact Mechanism of Urban Green Space on Surface Temperature and Sustainable Planning Strategies
by Mengrong Shu, Yichen Lu, Rongxiang Chen, Kaida Chen and Xiaojie Lin
Sustainability 2025, 17(22), 10193; https://doi.org/10.3390/su172210193 - 14 Nov 2025
Viewed by 716
Abstract
Urban densification intensifies the heat island effect, threatening ecological security. Green spaces, as crucial spatial elements in regulating the urban thermal environment, remain poorly understood in terms of their morphological characteristics and regulatory mechanisms, with a lack of systematic quantification and recognition of [...] Read more.
Urban densification intensifies the heat island effect, threatening ecological security. Green spaces, as crucial spatial elements in regulating the urban thermal environment, remain poorly understood in terms of their morphological characteristics and regulatory mechanisms, with a lack of systematic quantification and recognition of diurnal variations. This study, focusing on Shanghai’s main urban area, constructs physiological, physical, and morphological variables of green spaces based on high-resolution remote sensing data and the MSPA landscape morphology analysis framework. By integrating machine learning models with the SHAP interpretation algorithm, it analyses the influence mechanism of green spaces on Land Surface Temperature (LST) and its non-linear characteristics from the perspective of diurnal variation. The results indicate the following: (1) Green spaces exhibit pronounced diurnal variation in LST influence. Daytime cooling is primarily driven by vegetation cover, vegetation activity, and surface albedo through evapotranspiration and shading; night-time cooling depends on soil moisture and green space spatial structure and is achieved via thermal storage-radiative heat dissipation and cold air transport. (2) Green space indicators exhibit pronounced nonlinearity and threshold effects on LST. Optimal cooling efficiency occurs under moderate vegetation activity and moderate humidity conditions, whereas extreme high humidity or high vegetation activity may induce heat retention effects. (3) Day–night thermal regulation mechanisms differ markedly. Daytime cooling primarily depends on vegetation transpiration and shading to suppress surface warming; night-time cooling is dominated by soil thermal storage release, longwave radiation dissipation, and ventilation transport, enabling cold air to diffuse across the city and establishing a stable, three-dimensional nocturnal cooling effect. This study systematically reveals the distinct diurnal cooling mechanisms of high-density urban green spaces, providing theoretical support for refined urban thermal environment management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Infrastructure for Heat Mitigation and Social Equity: Global Perspectives and Challenges)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop