Risk and Resilience of Social–Ecological Systems in Urban Areas
A special issue of Urban Science (ISSN 2413-8851). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Governance for Health and Well-Being".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 821
Special Issue Editors
Interests: adaptive renewal of urban industries and communities; social-ecological system; resilience
Interests: geospatial analysis; resource-based city transformation; urban renewal
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The world today has entered the "urban century". As the core engine of global social and economic development, cities, while gathering population and creating wealth, are also confronted with unprecedented complexity and uncertainty brought about by globalization, climate change and rapid urbanization. Extreme weather, public health crises, socio-economic shocks and infrastructure failures, among other multiple risks, are intertwined and superimposed, forming a "risk complex" that is difficult to deal with using traditional single solutions. Against this backdrop, the concept of "resilience" emerged, emphasizing that cities should not only possess the ability to withstand shocks and return to their original state, but also have the capacity to continuously learn, proactively adapt and achieve transformation. Viewing a city as a social ecosystem requires us to recognize that there is a close coupling and dynamic interaction between its social structure, economic model, governance system and the ecological processes and material cycles in nature. Only from this overall perspective can we systematically construct a future-oriented urban risk governance and sustainable development path.
Therefore, this Special Issue aims to deeply explore the risks and resilience in urban socio-ecosystems, aiming to break down disciplinary barriers and integrate theories and methods from both natural and social sciences, providing cutting-edge academic insights and practical paths for understanding and shaping a more resilient urban future. The outcomes of this Special Issue will help decision-makers, planners and communities more effectively identify vulnerabilities, manage risks and formulate forward-looking strategies for enhancing resilience.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:
- Focus on developing a new theoretical framework, comprehensive assessment indicators and dynamic simulation methods for the resilience of urban socio-ecosystems.
- Committed to revealing the physical exposure and social vulnerability patterns of urban systems in the face of multiple risks, as well as their cascading effects.
- Deeply analyze how key driving factors such as ecological infrastructure, social capital and collaborative governance shape urban resilience.
- Explore effective paths and effectiveness evaluations for transforming the concept of resilience into specific spatial planning, policy tools, and construction practices.
- Explore with foresight the fundamental transformation of urban systems towards a sustainable, fair and resilient future vision.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Prof. Dr. Beibei Ma
Prof. Dr. Jiangsu Li
Dr. Xinyan 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 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 1800 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
- urban resilience
- urban social ecosystem
- urban evolution risk
- urban renewal
- adaptive governance
- sustainable cities/communities
- adaptation to climate change
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
