Urban Futures and Sustainable Cities: Geographies of Transition and Transformation
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability in Geographic Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 505
Special Issue Editor
Interests: urban ecology; urban resilience; urban spatial structure; city planning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue aims to systematically explore the spatial transformation paths, driving mechanisms, and multidimensional impacts of cities within the framework of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from a geographical and interdisciplinary perspective. Its core objectives include:
- Theoretical deepening: Construct a "transformational geography" analysis framework, integrate spatial rootedness, multi-scale interaction, and dynamic adaptation mechanisms in sustainable urban development, and fill the gap in existing research's systematic attention to the "geographic dimension".
- Practical empowerment: Through case studies and innovative technological methods, provide urban policy makers with low-carbon transformation strategies based on spatial optimization, and help achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.
- Interdisciplinary: Promote the deep integration of geography, urban planning, environmental science, economics, and sociology, and explore the complex systemic and socio technological collaborative paths of urban transformation.
This Special Issue will provide a comprehensive exploration of theory, methods, and policies, offering both academic depth and practical value as a reference for global urban sustainable development. Transforming 'transformational geography' from a conceptual framework into actionable action guidelines, and providing geographic solutions for addressing complex challenges such as climate change, resource depletion, and population aging.
The scope of this Special Issue encompasses, but is not limited to:
- The spatial mechanism of urban sustainable transformation;
- The geographic dimension of socioeconomic and institutional innovation;
- Comprehensive application of scientific methods and technology driven approaches;
- Nature based Solutions (NbS) and resilient design;
- The coupling relationship between resource consumption, carbon emissions, and population migration in urban systems.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome.
Prof. Dr. Jinghu Pan
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 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
- sustainable transformation geography
- sustainable cities
- urban resilience
- multi-scale interaction
- socio technical systems
- nature based solutions
- smart cities
- compact 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.
