Sustainable Urban Design and Resilient Communities

Dear Colleagues,

Communities worldwide are facing escalating risks driven by climate change, rapid urbanization, and persistent social inequities. These intersecting pressures highlight the urgent need for sustainable urban design approaches that promote adaptability, inclusivity, and long-term resilience. Building on a growing body of interdisciplinary scholarship, this Special Issue emphasizes the integration of environmental performance, community engagement, and nature-based solutions as essential pathways for shaping equitable and climate-responsive built environments.

The Special Issue, ‘Sustainable Urban Design and Resilient Communities’, seeks to advance theoretical and applied research that strengthens the capacity of urban systems to withstand, adapt to, and recover from environmental and socio-economic stresses. It contributes to ongoing discussions in the literature on sustainable cities, environmental justice, resilient infrastructure, and participatory planning, while also highlighting emerging methodologies and digital tools that support performance-based and community-centered design.

This Special Issue welcomes original research articles, case studies, and review papers spanning a broad range of topics that advance knowledge at the intersection of sustainability, urban design, and community resilience, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Sustainable public spaces and urban form:
  This section explores the design, performance, and social function of public spaces that promote walkability, ecological health, cultural expression, and community well-being. It examines how spatial configurations, landscape interventions, and urban morphology contribute to sustainable, human-centered environments.
• Multicultural, democratic, and socially inclusive urban environments:
  Researchers investigate planning and design strategies that support multicultural communities, foster democratic access to space, and promote social cohesion. Topics include inclusive design practices, community engagement, and the role of public space in advancing equity.
• Nature-based and green infrastructure solutions:
  This section highlights innovations in ecological design, including green infrastructure systems, low-impact development (LD), urban forests, living shorelines, and other nature-based strategies that mitigate climate risks and enhance environmental performance. Contributions may address ecological resilience, biodiversity, and long-term sustainability outcomes.
• Climate-responsive and performance-driven urban design:
  Studies in this category investigate strategies that integrate climate data, microclimate analysis, and energy-efficient design principles to create adaptive urban environments that minimize urban heat island effects. Emphasis is placed on design methods that respond to heat, wind, flooding, and other climate-related stressors.
• Stormwater management and flood-resilient strategies:
  Researchers present approaches for managing stormwater, reducing flood risk, and improving hydrological performance at multiple scales. Topics include resilient landscape systems, urban drainage design, and hybrid green–gray infrastructure.
• Environmental justice and community-led design:
  This section focuses on the role of equity, co-design, and participatory planning in shaping resilient communities—particularly in underserved or vulnerable neighborhoods. Submissions may explore environmental inequalities, risk perception, and community-driven resilience initiatives.
• Digital tools, simulations, and computational workflows:
  This section showcases innovations in environmental simulation, digital modeling, GIS, machine learning, and performance-based computational design. These tools support evidence-driven decisions that enhance sustainability and resilience in urban planning and architecture.

Overall, this Special Issue aims to serve as a key resource for scholars, designers, planners, and policymakers seeking to advance sustainable and resilient urban systems. By fostering interdisciplinary dialog and promoting innovative, community-centered design solutions, this Special Issue contributes to the development of adaptive, equitable, and climate-resilient cities prepared to meet future challenges.

Dr. Farzaneh Soflaei
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.

• sustainable urban design and planning
• socially inclusive and multicultural environments
• urban heat island mitigation and microclimate adaptation
• outdoor thermal comfort
• urban canyon and morphology studies
• environmental justice and community equity in underserved urban areas
• democratic and inclusive public spaces
• nature-based and green–blue infrastructure solutions
• digital simulation, modeling, and computational workflows
• participatory and community-led urban design and planning