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Land Use Strategies for Sustainable Development
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Land Use Strategies for Sustainable Development

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 3787

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Xia Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Land Engineering, Chang'an University, Xian 710054, China
Interests: land use; farmland protection; farmland non-agriculturalization; ecological remote sensing; future land use simulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the continuous growth of the global population and the acceleration of urbanization, the effective utilization of land resources has become a key factor in achieving sustainable development. Land use strategies not only impact the health of ecosystems and biodiversity, but also are directly linked to economic growth, social welfare, and responses to climate change. Scientifically and rationally planned land use can balance economic development with environmental protection, promote efficient resource utilization, reduce land degradation and pollution, and enhance quality of life in communities.

In recent years, issues such as climate change, land degradation, urban expansion, and agricultural demands have become increasingly prominent, creating an urgent need for innovative land use strategies to address these challenges. Through interdisciplinary research methods, combined with tools such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing technologies, and ecological models, academia and practitioners are exploring various land use patterns to achieve the coordinated development of ecological, economic, and social systems. The importance of this research area lies not only in theoretical innovation, but also in its practical guidance for policy-making, resource management, and sustainable practices.

This Special Issue aims to compile and showcase the latest research achievements in the field of land use strategies and sustainable development, promote academic exchange and collaboration, and facilitate the integration of theory and practice. By systematically exploring the multidimensional issues of land use, it reveals the critical role of land use in achieving sustainable development goals, providing valuable references and guidance for policymakers, planners, environmental managers, and academic researchers.

The journal Sustainability is committed to publishing high-quality research papers in various fields of sustainable development, covering environmental, economic, and social aspects. This Special Issue, ‘Land Use Strategies for Sustainable Development’, is highly aligned with the journal's scope, focusing not only on the environmental impacts of land use, but also on addressing its economic and social dimensions. It aligns with the journal's mission to promote interdisciplinary research and practical applications.

To comprehensively cover the key topics of land use strategies and sustainable development, the following themes are suggested for this Special Issue, including, but not limited to, the following:

  1. Urban land use and sustainable urban planning;
  2. Prevention of land degradation and sustainable agricultural practices;
  3. Land use change and climate change adaptation;
  4. The impact of land use on carbon emissions and carbon sinks;
  5. Land management strategies in the context of climate change;
  6. Ecosystem services and land use;
  7. Land use change and farmland protection;
  8. Application of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in land use analysis;
  9. Social equity and the distribution of land resources;
  10. Any other topics related to sustainable land use development.

Dr. Xia Li
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

  • land use
  • sustainable development
  • farmland protection
  • prevention of land degradation
  • urban land use planning
  • big data and artificial intelligence

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 10540 KB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Evolution, Regional Disparities, and Transition Dynamics of Carbon Effects in China’s Agricultural Land Use
by Caibo Liu, Xuenan Zhang, Yiyang Sun, Wanling Hu, Xia Li and Huiru Cheng
Sustainability 2025, 17(20), 9344; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17209344 - 21 Oct 2025
Viewed by 387
Abstract
A precise understanding of the carbon dynamics of agricultural land use is essential for advancing China’s “dual carbon” goals and promoting sustainable rural development. Drawing on panel datasets for 31 Chinese provinces over the period 1997–2022, this study comprehensively analyzes the spatiotemporal evolution, [...] Read more.
A precise understanding of the carbon dynamics of agricultural land use is essential for advancing China’s “dual carbon” goals and promoting sustainable rural development. Drawing on panel datasets for 31 Chinese provinces over the period 1997–2022, this study comprehensively analyzes the spatiotemporal evolution, regional disparities, and transition dynamics of agricultural carbon capture and emissions. Using a combination of the emission factor method, the Dagum Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation, and Markov chain models, the study finds that China’s total agricultural carbon capture has continued to increase, yet regional disparities are widening, with the central region leading and the northeastern region lagging. Meanwhile, agricultural carbon emissions exhibit a “strong west, weak east” spatial pattern and demonstrate a high degree of club convergence. Club convergence refers to the phenomenon where regions with similar initial levels converge to the same steady-state over the long run, while remaining persistently different from other regions. The net carbon effect exhibits a dual structure of carbon surplus zones and carbon deficit zones: 23 provinces act as carbon surplus zones, while 8 provinces are carbon deficit zones, primarily located in ecologically fragile or special-function regions. These findings highlight the spatial heterogeneity, path dependence, and policy sensitivity of carbon effects from agricultural land use. Accordingly, the study proposes differentiated policy recommendations, including region-specific carbon management strategies, the establishment of a unified agricultural carbon trading system, and the integration of technological and institutional innovations to achieve a balanced and low-carbon agricultural transformation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Strategies for Sustainable Development)
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23 pages, 11972 KB  
Article
The Variability in the Thermophysical Properties of Soils for Sustainability of the Industrial-Affected Zone of the Siberian Arctic
by Tatiana V. Ponomareva, Kirill Yu. Litvintsev, Konstantin A. Finnikov, Nikita D. Yakimov, Georgii E. Ponomarev and Evgenii I. Ponomarev
Sustainability 2025, 17(19), 8892; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17198892 - 6 Oct 2025
Viewed by 605
Abstract
The sustainability of Arctic ecosystems that are extremely vulnerable is contingent upon the state of cryosoils. Understanding the principles of ecosystem stability in permafrost conditions, particularly under external natural or human-induced influences, necessitates an examination of the thermal and moisture regimes of the [...] Read more.
The sustainability of Arctic ecosystems that are extremely vulnerable is contingent upon the state of cryosoils. Understanding the principles of ecosystem stability in permafrost conditions, particularly under external natural or human-induced influences, necessitates an examination of the thermal and moisture regimes of the seasonally thawed soil layer. The study concentrated on the variability in the soil’s thermophysical properties in Central Siberia’s permafrost zone (the northern part of Krasnoyarsk Region, Taimyr, Russia). In the industrially affected area of interest, we evaluated and contrasted the differences in the thermophysical properties of soils between two opposing types of landscapes. On the one hand, these are soils that are characteristic of the natural landscape of flat shrub tundra, with a well-developed moss–lichen cover. An alternative is the soils in the landscape, which have exhibited significant degradation in the vegetation cover due to both natural and human-induced factors. The heat-insulating properties of background areas are controlled by the layer of moss and shrubs, while its disturbance determines the excessive heating of the soil at depth. In comparison to the background soil characteristics, degradation of on-ground vegetation causes the active layer depth of the soils to double and the temperature gradient to decrease. With respect to depth, we examine the changes in soil temperature and heat flow dynamics (q, W/m2). The ranges of thermal conductivity (λ, W/(m∙K)) were assessed using field-measured temperature profiles and heat flux values in the soil layers. The background soil was discovered to have lower thermal conductivity values, which are typical of organic matter, in comparison to the soil of the transformed landscape. Thermal diffusivity coefficients for soil layers were calculated using long-term temperature monitoring data. It is shown that it is possible to use an adjusted model of the thermal conductivity coefficient to reconstruct the dynamics of moisture content from temperature dynamics data. A satisfactory agreement is shown when the estimated (Wcalc, %) and observed (Wexp, %) moisture content values in the soil layer are compared. The findings will be employed to regulate the effects on landscapes in order to implement sustainable nature management in the region, thereby preventing the significant degradation of ecosystems and the concomitant risks to human well-being. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Strategies for Sustainable Development)
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20 pages, 3441 KB  
Article
Land Cover and Wildfire Risk: A Multi-Buffer Spatial Analysis of the Relationship Between Housing Destruction and Land Cover in Chile’s Bío-Bío Region in 2023
by Benedikt Hora, Constanza González-Mathiesen, Natalia Aravena-Solís and Tomás Tapia
Sustainability 2025, 17(10), 4416; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104416 - 13 May 2025
Viewed by 1232
Abstract
Wildfires pose increasing risks to human settlements, particularly in the Wildland–Urban Interface (WUI). This study examines the relationship between land cover (LC) characteristics and housing destruction during the 2023 wildfires in Chile’s Bío-Bío region. Using high-resolution remote sensing data and GIS-based multi-buffer spatial [...] Read more.
Wildfires pose increasing risks to human settlements, particularly in the Wildland–Urban Interface (WUI). This study examines the relationship between land cover (LC) characteristics and housing destruction during the 2023 wildfires in Chile’s Bío-Bío region. Using high-resolution remote sensing data and GIS-based multi-buffer spatial analysis (30 m and 100 m), we assessed LC patterns around affected and unaffected rural houses. Results indicate that the proximity of forest plantations significantly increased housing loss, with a notably higher presence of plantations within 30 m of destroyed houses. In contrast, agricultural and pasture mosaics demonstrated a protective function by reducing fire spread. Shrublands also showed moderate protection, albeit with statistical uncertainty. The findings highlight the critical role of immediate LC in determining wildfire impact, emphasizing the need for integrating LC considerations into wildfire risk management, land-use planning, and policy interventions. Strategies such as creating defensible spaces, enforcing zoning regulations, and promoting fire-resistant landscapes can help mitigate future wildfire damage. This research provides spatially explicit insights that contribute to wildfire risk reduction theory and inform targeted prevention and resilience-building strategies in Chile and other fire-prone regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Strategies for Sustainable Development)
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25 pages, 8221 KB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Differentiation Characteristics and Zoning of Cultivated Land System Resilience in the Songnen Plain
by Yanhong Hang, Xue Lu and Xiaoming Li
Sustainability 2025, 17(10), 4314; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104314 - 9 May 2025
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 715
Abstract
Enhancing cultivated land system resilience is a fundamental prerequisite for improving land use efficiency and thus addressing climate change. Taking the Songnen Plain—a major grain production area in China—as the study region, this study constructs a definition of cultivated land system resilience from [...] Read more.
Enhancing cultivated land system resilience is a fundamental prerequisite for improving land use efficiency and thus addressing climate change. Taking the Songnen Plain—a major grain production area in China—as the study region, this study constructs a definition of cultivated land system resilience from three dimensions (“resistance–adaptability–reconstruction”). An index system for resilience evaluation is established, and methods such as three-dimensional Euclidean distance and K-means clustering are employed to investigate the spatiotemporal differentiation characteristics of cultivated land resilience in the Songnen Plain from 2001 to 2021. Based on the findings, zoning is performed and corresponding management strategies are proposed: (1) Overall resilience in the Songnen Plain increased from 0.4450 in 2001 to 0.7469 in 2021; enhanced resistance played the most significant role in promoting this increase. (2) The Songnen Plain exhibited pronounced spatial differentiation in cultivated land resilience, characterized by higher resilience in the eastern region and weaker resilience in the central and western regions. (3) The zoning results reveal significant disparities in resilience levels within the study area; targeted measures are thus required to address key problems in each zone. This study provides theoretical insights and empirical conclusions for formulating differentiated protection policies for cultivated land systems, thereby ensuring the sustainable development of the Songnen Plain’s cultivated land system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Strategies for Sustainable Development)
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