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Sustainability
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Sustainable Urban Designs to Enhance Human Health and Well-Being
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Sustainable Urban Designs to Enhance Human Health and Well-Being

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Health, Well-Being and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 12 January 2026 | Viewed by 1669

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yang Song

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
Interests: behavior of places; physical activity and mobility; data science; public health
Dr. Jessica Fernandez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Environment and Design, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
Interests: people–place relationship; emerging technologies; human well-being
Dr. Pai Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Architecture and Fine Arts, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China
Interests: health and environment; urban resilience; healthy aging; landscape restoration; virtual reality; artificial intelligence

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue of the Journal of Sustainability entitled "Sustainable Urban and Landscape Designs to Enhance Health and Wellbeing". As our global population ages and becomes increasingly urbanized, cities face numerous challenges, including resource constraints, climate change impacts, and growing socioeconomic disparities. In this context, the influence of urban environments on human health and wellbeing has emerged as a critical area of research and practice. Sustainable urban and landscape design offers promising solutions to these complex challenges, creating healthier, more livable cities while minimizing their environmental impact and promoting social equity.

This Special Issue aims to explore innovative approaches, best practices, and emerging trends in sustainable urban and landscape design that promote health and wellbeing. We seek to collect interdisciplinary perspectives from urban planning, landscape architecture, public health, environmental science, and related fields to address the multifaceted nature of this topic. By fostering a dialogue between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, we hope to advance our understanding of how urban environments can be designed and adapted to support human development in harmony with ecological and social systems.

Dr. Yang Song
Dr. Jessica Fernandez
Dr. Pai Liu
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

  • sustainability
  • health and well-being
  • urban design and planning
  • landscape architecture

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 92249 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Urban Green Space Equity in Beijing’s Central Urban Villages: A Remote Sensing Perspective on Environmental Justice
by Qin Li, Wei Duan, Yutong Chen, Mengxiang Ma and Xiaodong Zheng
Sustainability 2025, 17(10), 4561; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104561 - 16 May 2025
Viewed by 248
Abstract
Urban green space (GS) equity is crucial to achieving environmental justice. From the environmental justice perspective, this study focuses on the equity of GS in residential areas of urban disadvantaged groups, quantitatively assessing and comparing the fairness of GS usage between urban villages [...] Read more.
Urban green space (GS) equity is crucial to achieving environmental justice. From the environmental justice perspective, this study focuses on the equity of GS in residential areas of urban disadvantaged groups, quantitatively assessing and comparing the fairness of GS usage between urban villages (UVs) and formal residential quarters (RQs). Using data on green space area, NDVI, and FVC, this study analyzes GS conditions across different buffer distances within the central urban area of Beijing. Statistical methods, including the Theil index, were employed to evaluate the equity of per capita green space, vegetation coverage, and vegetation conditions. Our findings reveal distinct spatial distribution patterns of internal and external GS characteristics between UVs and RQs. Additionally, while the internal GS equity in UVs is generally lower than in RQs, FVC equity demonstrates the opposite trend. Finally, intra-group inequity in both UVs and RQs is the dominant factor contributing to overall GS disparities in residential areas. This study establishes a comprehensive evaluation framework for analyzing GS availability, NDVI, and FVC equity in two types of residential communities. It provides a valuable reference for subsequent GS equity assessments and offers actionable recommendations for policymakers to prioritize improving GS equity in certain residential areas. By addressing gaps in environmental justice theory regarding urban GS, this study proposes a pragmatic and effective approach to enhancing GS equity in large, rapidly developing cities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urban Designs to Enhance Human Health and Well-Being)
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32 pages, 9539 KiB  
Article
Study on the Relationship Between 3D Landscape Patterns and Residents’ Comfort in Urban Multi-Unit High-Rise Residential Areas: A Case Study of High-Density Inland City
by Yaoyun Zhang, Ge Shi, Ziying Feng, Entao Zheng, Chuang Chen, Xinyu Li, Difan Yu and Yunpeng Zhang
Sustainability 2025, 17(10), 4347; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104347 - 11 May 2025
Viewed by 335
Abstract
As urbanization accelerates, the increasing density of urban buildings and the prevalence of multi-unit high-rise residential areas have emerged as significant factors affecting residents’ comfort. Effective green space planning within residential areas can mitigate residents’ thermal discomfort. This study utilizes methods including the [...] Read more.
As urbanization accelerates, the increasing density of urban buildings and the prevalence of multi-unit high-rise residential areas have emerged as significant factors affecting residents’ comfort. Effective green space planning within residential areas can mitigate residents’ thermal discomfort. This study utilizes methods including the construction of two-dimensional and three-dimensional landscape indices and meteorological data simulation to examine the relationship between residents’ comfort levels at various heights in residential buildings and the 3D landscape patterns of residential areas, based on semantic three-dimensional grid data from a residential complex in Wuhan. The results indicate that (1) The characteristics of 3D landscape patterns vary across different regions within multi-unit high-rise residential areas. The landscape patches in the central and southern regions are more balanced compared to other areas, while there is minimal height variation in residential buildings in the northeastern region. (2) There are notable differences in comfort levels at varying heights across different areas of the residential district. In summer, residents expressing satisfaction with environmental comfort are primarily located in high-rise buildings in the central-southern region, whereas in winter, satisfaction is concentrated among residents in lower and mid-rise buildings in both the northern center and southern areas. (3) The degree of landscape fragmentation, the dominance of certain patches, and the distribution of buildings and vegetation at different heights significantly influence residents’ comfort. Achieving a balanced distribution of green spaces, reducing building density, and ensuring a uniform arrangement of trees of varied heights can effectively enhance the living environment for residents on lower floors, providing practical strategies for the planning of green spaces and built environments that improve overall resident quality of life. This research provides a theoretical foundation and reference for evaluating thermal comfort in high-rise residential areas and optimizing green space configurations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urban Designs to Enhance Human Health and Well-Being)
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25 pages, 7864 KiB  
Article
Green Space Exposure and Human Health: Gender-Specific Physiological and Psychological Benefits of Green Infrastructure for Elderly Residents in Cold-Climate Cities
by Tianheng Zhang, Yao Fu, Zitong Wang, Jian Gao, Tinghui Yang and Siyang Wang
Sustainability 2025, 17(6), 2774; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17062774 - 20 Mar 2025
Viewed by 541
Abstract
Urban green infrastructure’s health impacts on aging populations remain understudied, particularly regarding gender-specific responses in cold-climate cities facing sustainability challenges. This study investigated how sustainable urban design supports healthy aging through a novel “static–dynamic” dual-temporal analysis framework. Through controlled field experiments with 345 [...] Read more.
Urban green infrastructure’s health impacts on aging populations remain understudied, particularly regarding gender-specific responses in cold-climate cities facing sustainability challenges. This study investigated how sustainable urban design supports healthy aging through a novel “static–dynamic” dual-temporal analysis framework. Through controlled field experiments with 345 elderly participants across three urban space types in Shenyang, China, we examined physiological indicators and psychological responses under winter conditions (4–8 °C), employing comprehensive environmental monitoring and health assessment protocols. Path analysis revealed that sustainable urban design influences health outcomes through both direct physiological pathways and indirect psychological mediation, with psychological states accounting for 56.3% of the total effect. Gender-specific analysis demonstrated that females exhibit higher environmental sensitivity (blood pressure variation coefficient: 0.171 vs. 0.079 for males) and stronger psychological mediation effects (β = −0.302 vs. β = −0.185 for males). The findings establish a theoretical foundation for implementing gender-responsive sustainable urban design strategies in cold-climate communities, demonstrating how green infrastructure can simultaneously address environmental sustainability and social equity goals while promoting healthy aging outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urban Designs to Enhance Human Health and Well-Being)
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