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Sustainable Assessment and Risk Analysis on Landslide Hazards

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability in Geographic Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 323

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Civil Engineering Department, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland
Interests: geotechnics; slope stability; soil mechanics; reliability of geostructure; natural hazards

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Guest Editor
Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Gunma University, Kiryu, Japan
Interests: geotechnics; FEM; soil structure interaction; landslides; slope stability; risk & reliability; engineering geology; natural disasters

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Civil Engineering Department, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland
Interests: reliability analysis; risk analysis; risk assessment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to highlight current advances in the responsible management of land in areas threatened by landslides, rockfalls, slope movements, and active morphogenetic processes, particularly denudation, i.e., erosion, eluviation, surface runoff, landslides, rockfalls, and deflation. It places strong emphasis on hazard prevention through the use of an interdisciplinary approach that combines geology, geotechnical engineering, geodesy, mechanics, and botany.

One of the key areas of interest is the risk detection for potentially landslide-prone areas and the development of strategies for their prevention. In cases where catastrophic landslides have already occurred, our focus shifts to effective monitoring, protection methods, and the appropriate modification of the biotope.

The danger of landslides lies particularly in the frequent lack of early symptoms and the sudden, destructive nature of the process. However, with experience and careful observation, it is possible to identify their causes in advance. A comprehensive analysis of surface morphology, subsurface structure, geological conditions, and runoff-related phenomena provides a valuable basis for early detection. An increasing number of studies explore the methods for identifying at-risk areas using interdisciplinary techniques that, by integrating multiple data sources, give these observations a new contextual meaning.

Our interests also extend to the application of artificial intelligence in supporting the catastrophic landslide detection and analysis of such hazards, offering fast and reliable results, especially in cases where intuitive interpretation proves difficult. In this context, in situ measurement systems and sensor networks are playing an increasingly important role in providing real-time information that supports decision-making and risk mitigation. The role of artificial intelligence in this process is becoming indispensable.

Geological engineering and an empathetic approach to the environment meet at the intersection of safety expectations and the desire to avoid costly and invasive interventions in natural settings. This represents the essence of environmental care and the preservation of natural heritage.

In this Special Issue, we encourage authors to integrate disciplines and present creative, unrestricted ideas for modifying natural processes in a way that meets societal needs without degrading nature and that is supported by biotope-modifying techniques. We welcome contributions that explore both the theoretical and practical aspects of geotechnical hazard assessment, prevention, and monitoring. We are particularly interested in studies that employ interdisciplinary approaches or that present novel tools, such as remote sensing, geophysical methods, or in situ instrumentation. Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Slope stability analysis;
  • Early warning systems;
  • Intelligent monitoring of ground deformation;
  • Biotope selection and regulation;
  • Mechanics of variably saturated, structurally complex, or unconsolidated media.

In conclusion, interdisciplinary collaboration enables sustainable design outcomes, offering tools to reduce risk and build safer, more resilient environments. We invite researchers, practitioners, and interdisciplinary teams to contribute to this Special Issue and share their latest findings, case studies, and experimental developments.

Dr. Janusz Kozubal
Dr. Deepak R. Bhat
Dr. Marek Wyjadłowski
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

  • landslides
  • slope stability analysis
  • sustainable risk and reliability detection
  • geotechnical engineering
  • environmental care
  • natural hazards
  • resilient environments
  • soil structure interactions
  • interdisciplinary approach
  • remote sensing
  • artificial intelligence

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 11770 KiB  
Article
Landslide Prediction in Mountainous Terrain Using Weighted Overlay Analysis Method: A Case Study of Al Figrah Road, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Western Saudi Arabia
by Talal Alharbi, Abdelbaset S. El-Sorogy and Naji Rikan
Sustainability 2025, 17(15), 6914; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17156914 - 30 Jul 2025
Viewed by 203
Abstract
This study applies the Weighted Overlay Analysis (WOA) method integrated with GIS to assess landslide susceptibility along Al Figrah Road in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, western Saudi Arabia. Seven key conditioning factors, elevation, slope, aspect, drainage density, lithology, soil type, and precipitation were integrated using [...] Read more.
This study applies the Weighted Overlay Analysis (WOA) method integrated with GIS to assess landslide susceptibility along Al Figrah Road in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, western Saudi Arabia. Seven key conditioning factors, elevation, slope, aspect, drainage density, lithology, soil type, and precipitation were integrated using high-resolution remote sensing data and expert-assigned weights. The output susceptibility map categorized the region into three zones: low (93.5 million m2), moderate (271.2 million m2), and high risk (33.1 million m2). Approximately 29% of the road corridor lies within the low-risk zone, 48% in the moderate zone, and 23% in the high-risk zone. Ten critical sites with potential landslide activity were detected along the road, correlating well with the high-risk zones on the map. Structural weaknesses in the area, such as faults, joints, foliation planes, and shear zones in both igneous and metamorphic rock units, were key contributors to slope instability. The findings offer practical guidance for infrastructure planning and geohazard mitigation in arid, mountainous environments and demonstrate the applicability of WOA in data-scarce regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Assessment and Risk Analysis on Landslide Hazards)
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