GeoAI-Driven Urban Analytics: From Spatial Data to Planning Decisions
A special issue of Urban Science (ISSN 2413-8851). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Planning and Design".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 28
Special Issue Editor
Interests: degradation state; GIS; multi-criteria analysis; urban settlements; spatial analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue on “GeoAI-Driven Urban Analytics: From Spatial Data to Planning Decisions” aims to advance the scientific discourse taking place at the intersection of geospatial data science, artificial intelligence, and urban planning. Rapid urbanization, climate pressures, demographic shifts, and the expansion of sensor-based infrastructures require new analytical paradigms able to process, interpret, and transform massive geospatial datasets into actionable knowledge for sustainable urban development. This Special Issue invites, therefore, contributions that leverage GeoAI (geospatial artificial intelligence)—including machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, spatial statistics, and digital twin technologies—to understand, model, and predict socio-spatial dynamics in contemporary cities.
The focus of the collection is on cutting-edge applications of GeoAI for urban analytics, exploring how spatially enabled AI techniques can enhance the diagnosis, modelling, and forecasting of urban phenomena ranging from mobility and land-use change to environmental risk, public services, and socio-economic inequalities.
We welcome original research, case studies, methodological innovations, comparative analyses, and integrated frameworks that center around (but are not limited to) the following topics:
- AI-enhanced remote sensing for urban monitoring;
- Spatial machine learning for land-use, transport, and infrastructure analysis;
- Digital twins and simulation platforms for spatial planning;
- GeoAI for climate resilience, urban health, and environmental monitoring;
- Urban big data fusion (IoT, mobile data, abd satellite imagery) for real-time decision-making;
- Equity- and ethics-oriented GeoAI applications (bias detection, fair mapping, and transparent AI models);
- Policy-relevant GeoAI tools supporting strategic planning, urban regeneration, and risk mitigation.
The purpose of this Special Issue is to bridge the gap between high-dimensional spatial data and practical planning decisions, demonstrating how GeoAI can inform evidence-based, resilient, and equitable urban policies. We aim to create a platform where researchers from a range of disciplines—spanning geography, AI, planning, environmental studies, remote sensing, and socio-economics—can share innovations that push forward the frontiers of urban analytics.
Dr. Avram Sorin
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. Urban Science is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 1600 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
- GeoAI for urban planning
- evidence-based decision-making
- urban policy and governance
- spatial decision support systems
- digital twins
- sustainable urban development
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