Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.8
3.3
Journals
Sustainability
Special Issues
Advances in Application of Geographic Information Science for SDG 11...
sustainability-logo
Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Advances in Application of Geographic Information Science for SDG 11 "Sustainable Cities and Communities"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 January 2025) | Viewed by 29728

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jinyao Lin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Geographical Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Interests: land use; urban flood; green infrastructure; urban expansion; waterlogging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid urbanization has become an increasingly serious issue worldwide. Although rapid urban growth can greatly promote socio-economic development, it has also triggered a series of environmental and social issues, such as agricultural land loss, food security issues, and air pollution. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 is about making “cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable”. It is one of the 17 SDGs in the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Geographic Information Science (GIS) communities are committed to achieving SDG 11 because GIS is an essential tool to make sustainable development a reality at the local level.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to discuss the related theories and advanced methods of GIS in supporting the development of sustainable cities and to explore novel applications and possibilities of spatio-temporal techniques in sustainable development. The outcome of this Special Issue will be useful to understand and guide sustainable urban development from a new perspective, offer practical solutions to environmental and social issues, and promote the achievement of SDG 11.

We would like to invite you to submit original research that fits the aims and scope of this Special Issue. We look forward to receiving your well-prepared research and will be delighted to provide preliminary feedback to evaluate the potential for publication in this Special Issue. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Land use change and its environmental consequences;
  • Artificial intelligence in sustainable urban planning;
  • Spatial optimization for urban land management;
  • Implications of land use/cover changes on the environment;
  • Sustainable planning for urban and rural integration;
  • Smart growth of land use and ecological conservation;
  • Sustainable urban form for climate change adaption;
  • Urban hazard susceptibility analysis and assessment;
  • Urban resilience and vulnerability against COVID-19.

Dr. Jinyao Lin
Guest Editor

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 expansion
  • cellular automata
  • land use planning
  • land management
  • artificial intelligence
  • sustainable cities
  • nighttime light
  • spatial optimization

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 (7 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

Jump to: Other

28 pages, 17830 KiB  
Article
Urban Sustainability Through the Lens of Urban Fabric Typologies: A Case Study of Cuenca, Ecuador
by Francisco Calderón, Daniel Orellana, María Isabel Carrasco, Johnatan Astudillo and María Augusta Hermida
Sustainability 2024, 16(23), 10260; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310260 - 23 Nov 2024
Viewed by 2229
Abstract
Understanding the relationship between urban fabrics and sustainability is essential for addressing contemporary urban challenges, as urban fabrics provide critical morphological and socio-economic data that enhance our understanding of the performance and spatial variability of urban systems. This study focuses on Cuenca, spatially [...] Read more.
Understanding the relationship between urban fabrics and sustainability is essential for addressing contemporary urban challenges, as urban fabrics provide critical morphological and socio-economic data that enhance our understanding of the performance and spatial variability of urban systems. This study focuses on Cuenca, spatially divided into a 150 m radius hexagonal grid with 30 sustainability indicators and 18 urban fabric typologies. Using spatial, statistical, and visual analysis, relationships and patterns between sustainability indicators and urban fabric types are explored. The results reveal significant variation in sustainability across different fabric types, with built environment indicators playing a central role. There is marked spatial heterogeneity: inner-core areas exhibit higher sustainability, fringe areas lag behind, and transitional zones are also identified. Spatial clustering reveals that fabric types are homogeneous in terms of sustainability at both the high and low extremes but heterogeneous in mid-range sustainability areas. This quantitative analysis of Cuenca’s urban fabric typologies highlights substantial differences in sustainability and distinct spatial patterns, offering valuable insights for evidence-based urban planning. The open-source data and tools provided facilitate customisation and replication in other urban contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Application of Geographic Information Science for SDG 11 "Sustainable Cities and Communities")
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 20557 KiB  
Article
Effects of Land Use Data Spatial Resolution on SDG Indicator 11.3.1 (Urban Expansion) Assessments: A Case Study Across Ethiopia
by Orion S. E. Cardenas-Ritzert, Jody C. Vogeler, Shahriar Shah Heydari, Patrick A. Fekety, Melinda Laituri and Melissa R. McHale
Sustainability 2024, 16(22), 9698; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16229698 - 7 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1303
Abstract
Geospatial data play a significant role in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly through assessments of monitoring indicators. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 11.3.1 assessments utilize land and population geospatial data to monitor urban expansion, and were implemented to enhance inclusive and [...] Read more.
Geospatial data play a significant role in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly through assessments of monitoring indicators. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 11.3.1 assessments utilize land and population geospatial data to monitor urban expansion, and were implemented to enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization, and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries by 2030. Data-limited countries often rely on accessible, wide-coverage geospatial datasets for SDG Indicator 11.3.1 assessments which may have characteristics (e.g., coarse spatial resolution) influential to assessment outcomes. The presented work examines the effect of land use data spatial resolution on SDG Indicator 11.3.1 assessment components including urban area delineation, SDG Indicator 11.3.1 and supporting spatial metrics, spatial patterns of urban land development, and land use change patterns for urbanizing areas in Ethiopia from 2016 to 2020. A comparison was made between a single land use map at the spatial resolution in which it was originally produced, 30 m, and at a majority-resampled spatial resolution comparable to many global coverage datasets, 90 m. Analyses revealed changes in the urban areas identified, observed boundaries of urban areas, and all quantified metrics from 30 m resolution to 90 m resolution, with the decrease in resolution resulting in smaller urban areas being missed and differences in the delineated hinterland areas connected to an urban core. Statistical testing indicated significant differences in SDG Indicator 11.3.1 values, developed land use area per capita, and spatial patterns of urban development between the two spatial resolutions. The relative order of land use conversion types remained similar across both resolutions, with agricultural land experiencing the greatest conversion to developed land, followed by rangeland and forest, although the total area of each conversion type differed. This study illustrates the possible discrepancies in SDG Indicator 11.3.1 and related outputs when utilizing differing resolution datasets and the importance of data characteristic consideration when conducting SDG Indicator 11.3.1 assessments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Application of Geographic Information Science for SDG 11 "Sustainable Cities and Communities")
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 2737 KiB  
Article
Towards a Holistic Framework for the Olympic-Led Sustainable Urban Planning Process
by Farideh Baroghi, Paulo J. G. Ribeiro and Fernando Fonseca
Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 951; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16030951 - 23 Jan 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4169
Abstract
Sport mega-events, like the Olympics, are renowned for their urban and socioeconomic impacts. Based on a literature review, this paper proposes a holistic framework for an Olympic-led sustainable planning process, encompassing five key sustainable urban principles: accessibility, integration, flexibility/adaptability, security, and sustainability compliance. [...] Read more.
Sport mega-events, like the Olympics, are renowned for their urban and socioeconomic impacts. Based on a literature review, this paper proposes a holistic framework for an Olympic-led sustainable planning process, encompassing five key sustainable urban principles: accessibility, integration, flexibility/adaptability, security, and sustainability compliance. The framework provides a structured approach to assess these principles at three different temporal and spatial levels: location selection, pre-event planning, and post-event planning. The proposed holistic framework is applied to the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, revealing a significant disconnection between the initially promised sustainable development goals and practical achievements. While enhancements in accessibility were observed, the other key sustainable urban principles exhibited limited or negligible improvements. The proposed holistic framework holds the potential to foster lasting positive impacts and sustainable urban improvements in host cities, particularly in developing countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Application of Geographic Information Science for SDG 11 "Sustainable Cities and Communities")
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 10765 KiB  
Article
Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Green Innovation: Evidence from China’s Provincial Panel Data
by Lifeng Chen, Fuxuan Guo and Lingyan Huang
Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3318; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043318 - 10 Feb 2023
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4631
Abstract
The last couple of decades have witnessed growing interest in the academic literature in the conciliation of finance and sustainable development. Foreign direct investment (FDI) faces increasing pressure from both host and home country towards adoptinsg sustainable approaches. Such solutions can be green [...] Read more.
The last couple of decades have witnessed growing interest in the academic literature in the conciliation of finance and sustainable development. Foreign direct investment (FDI) faces increasing pressure from both host and home country towards adoptinsg sustainable approaches. Such solutions can be green innovation (GI) for climate change, environmental risks, green processes and products that allow tracking the carbon footprint, as well as many other green technologies. Based on the macro-level data of 31 provinces in China from 2003 to 2020, this paper employed policy environment (PE) and marketization level (ML) as moderating variables to further investigate the impact of FDI on GI. Our results show the following: (1) FDI has a significant positive and dynamic evolution feature of diminishing marginal efficiency on GI. (2) The heterogeneity analysis of regional regression shows that FDI significantly increases GI in the eastern and western regions. In contrast, FDI in the central region inhibits GI but not significantly. (3) Both PE and ML can positively moderate the impact of FDI on GI. Furthermore, our empirical results of the robustness test of 2SLS and GMM are highly consistent with the main test. The conclusions of this paper provide policy implications for local governments to fully and effectively utilize foreign capital for green innovation activities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Application of Geographic Information Science for SDG 11 "Sustainable Cities and Communities")
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 10120 KiB  
Article
Towards Sustainable and Livable Cities: Leveraging Remote Sensing, Machine Learning, and Geo-Information Modelling to Explore and Predict Thermal Field Variance in Response to Urban Growth
by Mirza Waleed, Muhammad Sajjad, Anthony Owusu Acheampong and Md. Tauhidul Alam
Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1416; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021416 - 11 Jan 2023
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 5429
Abstract
Urbanization-led changes in land use land cover (LULC), resulting in an increased impervious surface, significantly deteriorate urban meteorological conditions compromising long-term sustainability. In this context, we leverage machine learning, spatial modelling, and cloud computing to explore and predict the changing patterns in urban [...] Read more.
Urbanization-led changes in land use land cover (LULC), resulting in an increased impervious surface, significantly deteriorate urban meteorological conditions compromising long-term sustainability. In this context, we leverage machine learning, spatial modelling, and cloud computing to explore and predict the changing patterns in urban growth and associated thermal characteristics in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Using multi-source earth observations (1990–2020), the urban thermal field variance index (UTFVI) is estimated to evaluate the urban heat island effect quantitatively. From 1990 to 2020, the urban area increased by ~90% at the expense of vegetation and barren land, which will further grow by 2050 (50%), as determined by the artificial neural network-based prediction. The land surface temperature in the summer and winter seasons has experienced an increase of 0.88 °C and ~5 °C, respectively. While there exists spatial heterogeneity in the UTFVI 1990–2020, the city is expected to experience a ~140% increase in areas with severe UTFVI in response to predicted LULC change by 2050. The study provides essential information on LULC change and UTFVI and puts forth useful insights to advance our understanding of the urban climate, which can progressively help in designing more livable and sustainable cities in the face of environmental changes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Application of Geographic Information Science for SDG 11 "Sustainable Cities and Communities")
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 3159 KiB  
Article
Study on the Accessibility of Community Sports Facilities in Fuzhou, China
by Wei Xiao and Wei Wang
Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14331; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114331 - 2 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3874
Abstract
With the coordinate data of community sports facilities in Fuzhou and the Geographic Information System platform, this paper developed a research framework of accessibility from three aspects of distribution, service coverage and access equality level. In addition, based on this, this paper analyzed [...] Read more.
With the coordinate data of community sports facilities in Fuzhou and the Geographic Information System platform, this paper developed a research framework of accessibility from three aspects of distribution, service coverage and access equality level. In addition, based on this, this paper analyzed the level and characteristics of the accessibility of community sports facilities within the third ring road of Fuzhou, China. The results showed that the community sports facilities within the third ring road of Fuzhou basically achieved the coverage of being within a ten-minute walking distance, but there were still some deficiencies regarding to the distribution of facilities and the equality level of accessibility. In addition, the results showed poor spatial matching between the number of facilities and population. A shortage of community sports facilities was found in the old central urban area, leading to poor accessibility. It is suggested in this paper that an overall improvement could be carried out through urban renewal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Application of Geographic Information Science for SDG 11 "Sustainable Cities and Communities")
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

18 pages, 3736 KiB  
Systematic Review
Integrating City Master Plans with Sustainable and Smart Urban Development: A Systematic Literature Review
by André Luiz Przybysz, Angelica Duarte Lima, Clayton Pereira de Sá, David Nunes Resende and Regina Negri Pagani
Sustainability 2024, 16(17), 7692; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177692 - 4 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 6502
Abstract
Urban configurations have substantial impacts on lifestyles, behaviors, and people’s daily lives. Elaborating urban plans based on smart and sustainable initiatives is a challenging task as it encompasses numerous multidisciplinary premises due to the dynamics of the urban context. This research aims to [...] Read more.
Urban configurations have substantial impacts on lifestyles, behaviors, and people’s daily lives. Elaborating urban plans based on smart and sustainable initiatives is a challenging task as it encompasses numerous multidisciplinary premises due to the dynamics of the urban context. This research aims to conduct a systematic review of the literature in three axes: sustainable urban development, city master plans, and smart cities. From the portfolio of papers built, it was possible to map projects designed for sustainable urban development in order to verify the integration of these projects with city master plans, specifically for smart cities. The content analysis also sought to identify global regions that use robust models, their frameworks, and technologies for this purpose as a strategy to identify which research or frameworks can be replicated in the future, helping to develop city master plans for smart cities. Although some results were found, it was observed that there is a lack of studies integrating the topics of smart cities, sustainability, and city master plans in the same discussion. Few types of research involve the three themes or their full application, being mostly described in isolation. Thus, the originality of this study is filling this gap in the literature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Application of Geographic Information Science for SDG 11 "Sustainable Cities and Communities")
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-7
Back to TopTop